Sharing a few new shades of green

Posted on June 3, 2016 by mauistamper

Stampin’ Up! has beautiful shades of green, but I’ve just returned from a trip that took my appreciation of the color to new levels.

Mr. Maui Stamper and I traveled through Ireland for 2 weeks with our family. It was GLORIOUS. The wildflowers were in bloom everywhere, and many days we even got a bit of blue sky.

There are swans on this estuary where we stayed, and we loved watching them float gracefully on the water. We learned to appreciate those moments of sunshine!

Even on a grey day, the greens still dominated. One of the images I couldn’t seem to capture was the expanse of green pasture, divided by long stone walls and dotted with cattle, sheep or horses. This was as close as I got – my son was convinced this was simply a way of keeping people out of the field, but it worked for me!

Water – streams, lakes, estuaries, oceans, and rain – is a constant presence, and it feeds all that beautiful green. We were amazed at how plants large and small could gain a purchase in what seemed to be solid stone.

There’s a meadow growing on the top of this structure! Buildings, walls, stone – it seemed something could always find a way to root.

We passed this fellow looking for a meal as we walked to Charles Fort outside of Kinsale. On our return, the tide had completely withdrawn and there was nothing but mud.

Since I was away from home nearly the entire month of May, I chose not to place a pre-order from the new catalog. My first order from the 2016-2017 Annual Catalog has shipped and I can’t wait to get my hands on new things to share with you!

I’m sure I’ll be crafting in green.

Sunshine and clouds

Posted on October 14, 2009 by mauistamper

This morning we set two goals: ride the cog wheel train up Mt. Washington and hike the Appalachia trail. Ever since I read Bill Bryson’s Walk in the Woods I’ve wanted to set foot on the Appalachia Trail. We did hike for just under an hour, enjoying the fall color, scent of the trees and peaceful woods – as well as the occasional snow flurry.

Next stop was the cog wheel train station. There were 2 or 3 inches of snow on the ground at the station but we bought our tickets anyway. As we ascended the mountain it got greyer and windier and when we reached the summit, we were in another country. Officially it was 12 degrees but with windchill it was -9.

Once we got back to the highway it was a simple decision to turn into the Mt. Washington hotel for Kahlua and coffee.

I have a way with the weather

Posted on October 13, 2009 by mauistamper

You can’t really see it, but it’s snowing in this post-breakfast photo of the front garden of the Buttonwood Inn, Mt. Surprise, NH. While we were eating breakfast, the rain got fatter and flakier. Soon there was no doubt that it was snow.

In 2007 when Sara and I visited Boston over Spring Break to look at colleges, there was an unpredictable 9 inches of snow overnight the day after we arrived.

Sara told me she figured out where the abominable snowman had been hiding for 17 years when she saw my reaction to the snow. Shoot, I had tennis shoes and a light jacket. This time I’m better prepared and more cheerful. Besides, it was a dusting and it didn’t stick. We had sunshine this afternoon.

On the road….River House

Posted on October 12, 2009 by mauistamper

Ray and I are on the road, taking in some fall color and visiting our daughter. We stayed in Portsmouth, NH Sunday night. It’s a charming New England town with lots of history, restaurants and shops. We walked around town in the chilly night air looking in windows of shops and restaurants alike. After a long flight and hit-or-miss food, we were ready for a real meal.
We found just what we were looking for at the River House in Portsmouth. Friendly, cozy and a beautiful view of the river. Our food was awesome…Ray had the special, a fillet topped with lobster served with a salmon cake, and I had a steamed lobster. If you object to eating something with a face don’t look!