the 4th

While Chad and I and our family were on vacation in my little hometown in Maine we were able to catch the small town parade that they put forth each year. If you've never seen a small town July 4th parade, well, shame! It is not to be missed....or taken too seriously...which means it is fabulous! I favor small town celebrations over big, fancy to-do's for so many reasons: nostalgia, friendlier (and smaller) crowds, and lots of good campy fun. I remember when I was growing up my cousins and I would decorate our rusty little bikes and get in line in this very parade(usually lined up in front of the random folks on horses...but sometimes, unfortunately...behind!). We would proudly ride the street and feel like royalty as people cheered for us and waved from their fraying lawn chairs that they would plop in front of their residences to view the commotion. Here for you're viewing pleasure are some of the stars of the parade this year from good old  Maine:

Waiting for the parade to start!

You gotta love the Shriners...like little Oompa Loompa's in their tiny cars!

Sharing a romance moment with some freezy pops that a girl with a wagon was handing out to the crowd.

A local shop who's owner dresses the plastic geese on her lawn in fashions for each season! Ornaments for her lawn ornaments!

You gotta love a random women-of-a-certain-age skipping with an American flag.

I love this "float" for the local church.

throwing candy at the crowd

A float for a local farmstand threw peas in place of candy...great treat! I love fresh peas!

Lots of really old boat motors. Apparently there's a market for such things?

Did I mention that my mom and I do the town face painting. Here's a loon I did on her...a bit faded. Isn't she a pretty thing?

My hubby feeling his patriotism.

tee hee.

Day's Store...a great place to get fresh donuts at 7 a.m.

Fun with my cousin: her blog Here But Not All There is fantastic!

"Mom, I didn't know we had an Uncle Sam."

 

nom nom nom

threadsence

one of my favorites!

If there's one thing I love it's a well shot lookbook...I am obsessive and keep all of my catalogs from Free People, Anthropologie, and Urban Outfitters...so pretty, and inspiring ...well here's a lovely one that you can thumb through online. Enjoy! Happy Drooling.

outdoor decorating

Hey you all! I have been digging up and painting and doing all kinds of new things to the old house. I think a week at a lovely cottage and some chats with my amazing sis-in-law, Stacey, about her bountiful gardens has inspired me anew. I'm rethinking every part of my house. Yesterday I started working on my front gardens and tweaking them a bit. While surfing the net for inspiration I came across this great little DIY for making an urban garden planter from cement blocks (cheap!)....check it out here.

new do

So I gave the ol' blog a nice peppy new look...let me know what you think. Do you hate it, love it, or are you totally indifferent?

cottage ease

 I just spent a week among family and friends in Maine, where I was born and raised. My father rented a gorgeous cottage on Long Pond and we had a spectacular time of rest, relaxation, and redemption.

the first thing I saw the first morning

the ducks loved us...and our food.

a nice morning scrub

vacationland

Gotta pack. Gotta get ready. Off to Maine we go. When we get back I'll tell you all about it. Have a fabulous 4th everyone!!!

be free

I found this on a wonderful blog that I follow The Colorful Living Project....I can't stop watching it. The music is a surprisingly non-seductive song featuring Fiona Apple. Click the video below for 41 seconds of joy.


photo credit:
apartmenttherapy.com