Chuck & Nancy

We enjoyed a visit to Cape Cod with our dear friends Dan & Deb.  This sunset was just breathtaking.

My Gardens provide such a wonderful explosion of color I can’t resist snapping a lot of photos. It is such a thrill to watch the wonderful abundance of blooms beginning in April with the daffodils and then through the pink plox and nepeta followed by the roses and hydrangeas. It always gives me a thrill. This year was the first time the deer didn’t eat all of my lillies so I really enjoyed them.

We were thrilled to have Pete home for the week of 4th of July. It made the visit even better to have Kellie also join us. They enjoyed fabulous weather and all kinds of local activities, including going to the beach, fishing and visiting the Mystic Seaport and the Mystic Aquarium. Ruth & Dick joined us for dinner and were able to have a quick visit with Mariah & Carolyn and Dulcie, Valerio and Alex. It all went much too quickly.

The Saturday Morning Farmer’s Market in the Stonington Borough is a real delight. With fresh and frozen seafood, local produce, baked goods, handmade pottery and flowers there is always something to bring home. And being located on the town docks makes it a very special treat. It is Saturday, May through October, 9 AM to Noon.

List of Local Farmer’s Markets
Stonington/Mystic

Quiambaug Fire House, 50 Old Stonington Rd
Tuesdays, 2 to 6 PM, June through October

Denison Farm Market, 120 Pequotsepos Rd
Sundays, noon to 3 PM, June through October

Olde Mistick Village, 27 Coogan Blvd.
TBA, Sept through November

Stonington Borough, Town Docks
Saturdays, 9 AM to Noon, May through October

Westerly
Westerly Farmers’ Market, 85 Main Street
Thursdays, 11 AM to 3 PM, May through October

Groton
Groton Farmers’ Market, Groton Shopping Plaza Rte 1
Wednesdays, 2 to 6 PM, May through October

Our stock club liquidated our portfolio in January .. very lucky timing actually. After over 13 years together people’s lives and needs were changing and it was time. But we still try to get together socially so I invited them for the Stonington Garden Tour - Gardens by the Sea. What a fun day.
The weather was just spectacular. There were 11 houses on the tour and every one was magnificent. I only brought my little point and shoot camera and it was difficult to capture the impressiveness of these beautiful spaces. The most spectacular was the island off Stonington Bourrough with around 5 acres of gardens on the water. It included a Monet Garden, swimming pool, formal and informal gardens and a large vegetable garden. It was a wonderful day!
Lunch at Valerie’s was as delightful as the tour. Her gardens were smaller in scale but just as beautiful with roses and hydrangeas thriving and a fabulous water view.

Pete & Kellie recently visited San Diego and enjoyed a great day at the San Diego Zoo.   They shared some great pictures.

We enjoyed a terrfic time at our friends Marilyn & Peter’s son’s wedding.  It was reminiscent of VT in the 60s .. with an international flavor.  African drums for the wedding march and a Buddhist ceremony.   The emphasis was on the celebration of the marriage and the family and friends and it was certainly a joyful event.  So often in weddings the marriage becomes eclipsed by the wedding arrangements - this was warm, loving, relaxed and just plain fun.  My friend, Marilyn, gave the most heartfelt, impromtu speech welcoming her new daughter-in-law, Wen, into the family.  It went something like

“My mother always said to look at the way a person treats their parents when chosing a mate.  When Wen’s Dad was ill she traveled every chance she could to California and it showed what a warm, loving person she is.   We are so proud and lucky to have her join our family.” 

 

It was a gorgeous day so we decided to take a ride to Newport. We visited the Doris Duke estate, Rough Point and enjoyed it very much.

The Peppers were up from Florida so we all gathered at the Lassows cottage in Niantic.  It was a glorious day and we all enjoyed a walk down the beach and under the railroad tracks.  It was a treat to have some of the younger generation - Mischa, Tom, Dan and Jamie were all there to liven up the party.  Jamie was getting ready for his move to New Zealand.  Tom had just graduated from Colby.  All kinds of exciting things happening.

We had a great time with Adam when he came home for Memorial Day Weekend. It was a great weekend and we spent some time in Boston and went to Block Island for a day. The weather was fabulous and it was a nice island eperience for a contrast to Colorado.