Author Archives: The Near Far Away

MANY CASTLES November 1986 – November 2016

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November, 2016

In 1984 we had a dream to own a property on Nantucket Island. After sharing a house in Tom Nevers with partners we set out on our own with the purchase of Many Castles, November 1986.

Spring 1987 we set up Many Castles as a summer rental property. Every season we worked to improve the cottage. Back in 1986 there were no houses on Madequecham bluff. We had exactly eight neighbor houses. When we were not washing windows, scraping peeling paint, cleaning and painting we packed up the kids and headed to Madequecham beach.

On windy foggy days we swung Danny and Lisa Marie out and over the waves of shore breakers as we walked our beach. Fishing for Stripers and Blues was a constant. Summer evenings we huddled around a small fire out of reach of the waves, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Some evenings we would visit neighbor’s and walk home to Many Castles in total darkness until eyes adjusted to a million brilliant stars overhead.

Driving in or out of Russell’s Way could be a challenge with brush scraping the sides of the old Volvo wagon, deer and bunnies in the headlights, or giant water filled potholes to get around or drive through. Fall nor’easters brought horizontal rain and a leaky roof. Every spring there was more scraping, painting and windows to wash. And so it went until September, 2016 when we arrived to say “Hello, Many Castles”. The difference is, this fall, we will clean up for the very last time. When we depart at the end of October,  we will say our final, “Goodbye, Many Castles”.

We hope you have memories of a special place and that like us, you are able to follow a dream.

Nancy and Peter Policastro

MANY CASTLES, Nantucket Island, MA

 

 

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Many Castles Quarterboard

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MANY CASTLES 1986

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Nantucket Directions

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Front Door

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Nantucket Door Bell

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Top Deck Fun

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Rainbow Fleet

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Bandana Brothers

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At the Beach

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At the Beach

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Backyard fun with Dad

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Throwing Sticks for Maddy

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Steps Beach

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Dr. Peter

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Rare moment relaxing

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Eagle Eye Dan

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Eagle Eye Lisa

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Lisa with toy kitten

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Nantucket Puppet Master

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Spring 1988. Lisa in a dresser drawer. At this point we did not have a crib at Many Castles!

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Danny at the beach

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The Many Castles Beach Express

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Dinner on the top deck

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Family Portrait taken on Russell and Mary Iuliano’s deck.

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Nutter Butter does Nantucket Town!

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Sunny Day

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Shell Drive

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On The Fence

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Going Fishing

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Family Photos

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Many Castles “Beach Express”

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American Flag

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Fish on!

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Great Point Light

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Dan at Great Point Light

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Dan & Rin Tin Tin at Cape Air

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Lisa Marie @ Cape Air

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“Lobster Boat”

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Dr. Peter at our Beach

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Pirate & Lisa Marie

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The Atheneum

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Walk to the beach . . .

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Caught one!!!

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Typical Lisa Marie & Jessica

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Pirates and Mermaids Parade

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Going Fishing, my Dad and me.

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Tall Ship visit ACK

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Lisa Marie & Jessica, Surfside

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Wild Dasies

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1986 – Eight Houses

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Flower Box

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Many Castles

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Our View

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Moor Flowers

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Moor View

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Playing with Maddy

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Lisa Marie

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Danny

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Moon Rise

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Nutty B

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Wharf Cottages

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Nantucket Wild Dasies

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Lisa Marie & Jessica, The Blue Line

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Kid fun at Polpis Harbor

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Family @ Many Castles

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Lisa Marie & Jessica, Madaquecham Beach

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Hanging with Dad

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Maddy

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Kayaking

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Madaquecham Beach

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The Outdoor Shower

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The Old Volvo

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Lisa Marie & Jessica ACK Community Pool

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Our Valley

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Spring Moon Rise

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Sunset

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Peter & Dan Kendell SQ

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Many Castles 2016

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Blowing Bubbles

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Hanging out

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Nantucket Blues

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Bluff Path

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Fishing, again . . .

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To the beach!

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Foggy Day

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The Moor

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Madaquecham Beach

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Net fishing at Children’s Beach

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Going Fishing . . .

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“Mary’s Way”

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Foggy Day

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Many Castles 2016

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Madaquecham Beach

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Madaquecham Beach 1986

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Bluff Path

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Flower Boxes

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Sunset

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My Friend Mary with her husband, David

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Nantucket Fireworks!

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Peter and Dan

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On the beach with Dan

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I made this shoe!

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Beach Dog

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Our Rosa Ragosa

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Going Fishing

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Lisa with Pigtails

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Relaxing with Maddy

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Keep off Rocks!

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The Mermaid and Pirate Parade

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Lisa Marie with The Mermaid

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Neighbors & Friends

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Dr. Peter walking home

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Just Chilling Out

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Mermaid & Pirate

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At Jetties with Mom

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Directing the Action

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Marshmellow Fun

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Wharf

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Yellow Sunset

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Main Street

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Running to the Beach with Maddy!

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All tired out . . .

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Big Boy

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1820 Church

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Top Deck Party

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The Moor 1987

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Danny-Pack

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Hospital Thrift

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Lots of Fun!

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Big Step

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Lisa’s first trip to the beach

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Dan has fun

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Sunset on Fire

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The Steamship Rounds Brant Point

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Heading into Town

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Tall Ship on ACK

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Many Castles 1986

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The Ford Explorer Caper

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Backyard Fun

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Dan & Lisa With Erin and Sam Wengrovious

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Fourth of July Fire Truck

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With the Dudley Kids

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Peter and Dan

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Fourth of July Pie Contest

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Fanueil Hall Fun

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Last Photo’s on the Deck

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Last Photo’s on the Deck

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Last Photo’s on our Beach

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Last photos on our beach

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Taking the quarterboard down for the last time . . . 

 

 

 

 

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A New Look

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grass lawn

BEFORE: green grass lawn that eventually became overtaken by weeds!

We returned from vacation to find our front lawn overwhelmed in weeds.  The following Saturday I went off on my bike to run a few errands.  When I returned home Peter was in the yard with a shovel and bucket.  What are you doing?? I asked?   What does it look like I’m doing?? I’m taking out the lawn!!  Considering we have done this in the past, I suggested he hold the thought but put down the shovel and go take a shower.  I had an idea and would be back A.S.A.P.

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My idea was to run up US 1 to see my friend, Braulio “Gomez” @ A&B Sunshine Garden Center.  Lucky for me when I arrived Gomez was in.  I explained my problem and he promised to come over at 4:30 pm that afternoon to give us an estimate for the project. Before departing for home I ordered up some lovely takeout tacos and burritos from the Taco Truck parked at the Garden Center.

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Rock wall planter. I later filled it with Begonias!

Peter was thrilled to see that I arranged lunch, but even happier when I told him Gomez was coming to our rescue.  Within ten days we went from ugly weed infested lawn to fabulous retaining wall and pea gravel yard.  NO MORE WEEDS/NO MORE LAWNMOWER!

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Wall before Palm Tree planter was added.

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Gomez has a strong, hard working man who came and removed the lawn.  Then Francisco arrived to build the wall. He methodically went to work with saw, level and stones.  Later that week the wall was done.  He even returned another day to add a planter around one of the front yard palms.  I found stepping-stones in our back yard and made a path to the East side of the house where we have a small vegetable garden.

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Stepping Stone Path to East side of house.

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If you need plants, mulch, rocks a wall or anything else for your garden I highly recommend Gomez (561-401-2310).  He provides quality materials and plants at a fair price.  Gomez and his team are second to none.  They were fun and easy to have working on the property.  Best of all they do not mess around but get the job done. We love our new front yard!  

My Oak Tree

My Live Oak Tree

Yellow bird Begonias

Acadian Adventure

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White House 1

My brother-in-law, Brian arrived Tuesday.  Yesterday we decided to drive about one hour south to visit Le Village Historique Acadien, in Pubnico.  Jordan Bay was foggy when we departed, but Pubnico was bright and sunny when we arrived.  The early 1900’s Acadian village is situated on a beautiful 17 acre site overlooking Pubnico Harbour.  

Fricot

We arrived about 1 pm in time for lunch in the Museum cafe.  The special was “Fricot”, a hearty chicken stew with vegetables and dumplings.  Delicious! After lunch we headed through the glass doors to explore the village.

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We first met the cows in their pasture overlooking the harbor.  Then we visited homes and shops and met the people who lived and worked in the village.  They told us the story of life here from as early as 1832 to the mid – 1900’s.  

Red Wagon White Door

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Bless our Family

After visiting the two houses we peeked into the Shoemaker Shop that later became the Post Office.

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We probably had the most fun visiting the Blacksmith. He demonstrated how to make nails.

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Then we strolled down toward the waterfront and learned about boat building, salting fish and making lobster pots.

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Boat Barn Marsh

The walking trail around the village led us through a small wood and up a hill to the Lighthouse. 

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Our last stop was the Acadian Cemetery . . . 

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Raspberries on Sale

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r berriesWhen you find and save a recipe on Pinterest, do you ever make it?  I confess I love to save those beautiful photo’s of luscious treats onto my FOOD board.  Honestly, I have dozens, and I  have never made one of them! When I walked into Sobey’s Grocery today and found beautiful, fresh, luscious raspberries on sale, I knew what I HAD to do.  I bought the berries and ingredients for a very pretty Raspberry Cake I had recently found on Pinterest.  I went home and made the cake, today.  Of course, the recipe I chose was Italian, made in Italy and written in Italian.  I used the translator on my computer to be able to read the recipe.  Unfortunately, only the ingredients made sense in the translation. The directions were confusing. Nevertheless, I set to work to make this beautiful confection:

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I would include the recipe here, but I was not able to copy it.  If you want it, email me and I’ll send you a link or you can find it on my Pinterest page, under FOOD. 

Sliced Cake

Brian is here to visit and both he and Peter seemed to like the cake very much.   The next time I make it, I need to firm up the custard.  Otherwise, the Cake turned out well. The ingredients:  sponge cake, vanilla syrup, pastry cream, fresh raspberries and Italian meringue are a foolproof, delicious combination.

Along Came a Spider . . .

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There is nothing like walking out the front door and directly into a HUGE spider web! Luckily, I noticed the Spider and the web before meeting him head on.

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This was not the first time Mr. Spider visited the cottage.  Years past, he set up at the side of the entry vs, directly at the front door.  The web was enormous and the spider ran all over it tending small details.  We had to knock the web down because of it’s location. The web may be gone, but he’s still out there and able to build again.  Just not at our front door.

Over the years other unusual animals have stopped by. One day, we arrived home and found this guy in the front yard . . . 

Porky

Porky 3We were lucky the dogs were inside and the porcupine did not stick around.  He slowly waddled back into the forest. Some visitors are no problem.  This little one, for instance . . . 

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Bunny 2

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A project was in order. We stopped at Woodworkers Home Hardware and I bought a gallon of furniture stripper and supplies. A couple of old dressers needed a new look. The one “before” photo is  old and piled with stuff. Without a garage or barn, or shed on the property, the master bedroom often is overwhelmed with stuff.

worked on the small dresser, first. I had no idea beneath cream, olive green, bright blue, pink, white and a load of varnish that a maple dresser would be uncovered. Talk about “Junking for Treasure”. We had buried treasure right here in the cottage waiting for discovery.

Maple

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Peter helped by cleaning the hardware with a blow torch. Each pull had six layers of paint. And although I worked hard on the project, it’s definitely not a perfect job.  Here is the large dresser, “before”:Dresser good

I stripped until I ran out of stripper. Next summer I’ll pick up where I left off and finish the job. A palm sander will help remove the rough spots inside the maple piece and hopefully, make the oak piece better, too.

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This one has potential. Beneath the dresser scarf in the “before” photo was stenciled olive green leaves. The paint had to go! The dresser is made of Oak. White primer is embedded into the wood surface. The large dresser mirror is amazingly heavy with a deep bevel. It’s nicely carved, too! You could not see the carving for all the paint!

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Pink Sky

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The same day that we saw the clear morning sky a haze settled in the evening.  As the sun set, the sky lite up though the haze.  Later that night the haze blew away.  As we stood outside to star gaze, we saw the Milky Way, The Big Dipper and then, suddenly a very bright shooting star flew overhead.  Pink Sky 2 Pink Sky 4 Pink sky 6 Pink Sky 7 Pink Sky 8 Pink Sky 9

Hornet’s Nest

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I though the Hornet’s Nest at The Big Blueberry Farm was big.  Little did I know that we have our very own nest here at Grandview Cottage.  

Hornet NestI wonder how long it took the Hornet’s to build this under the high eve of the cottage? We are lucky it’s so high up that the Hornets don’t bother us and we don’t bother the Hornets.

WallAfter the nest discovery, I walked down along the rock wall toward the water. Peter said that before he mowed the high meadow grass he could clearly see the deer nesting spots. On my way in from Town last week I saw a Doe and two fawns crossing Sandy Point Road. If we’re lucky, they may pay us a visit before we depart.

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Junking for Treasure

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It was a pleasant surprise to see several new shops in town this summer. In typical Shelburne fashion, I learned about more places to visit at each new shop. Saturday morning I woke early and headed into town for a garage sale, then onto the Farmer’s Market.  After, I stumbled on another garage sale. Once all the local stuff was covered, I decided to drive toward Yarmouth and search out “Veronica’s Antiques and Variety Store”.  One of the new shopkeeper’s said it was worth the drive.

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Veronica’s Vintage and Variety Store

The location of Veronica’s was described as only two exits outside of Shelburne.  What they failed to mention was that once you take exit 28, the shop is approximately, 10 kilometers over hill and dale. I admit it was a pretty drive past farms with river and sea views, but it was still a long drive.  I pulled up just as Veronica was opening and putting things out into the yard. The building was old and somewhat nondescript.   I said hello and walked inside.  What a relief, Veronica did not disappoint!

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Meet Veronica in her Shop!

The shop was well organized and beautifully presented.  The interior of the building had an original tin ceiling and an interesting peephole in the front door. Over it’s lifetime, the building had at one time been a Temperance Hall, a Speakeasy, a Community Center, a Children’s Center and now that Veronica had purchased and updated the electric service among other things, it is a wonderful shop filled with all manner of vintage and unique items. 

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Veronica’s First Floor, view left

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Veronica’s First Floor, view right

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Veronica’s Attic

After scouring Veronica’s for treasure, I headed back toward the highway but turned left rather than right in order to check out a large BARN SALE sign.  

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I walked inside the Clyde River Pickers barn and was immediately drawn to this amazing vintage wood burning stove:

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WOW!  What a beauty!  To bad it is too big for our cottage.  Or, maybe that is a good thing as the asking price was more than I would spend for a stove.

Pick 2

Pick 3

Clyde River Picker’s

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This “Moose Chair” was a first. I’ll probably never see another chair like it!

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Typical Farmhouse, Clyde River

Before long I was back on the road and headed toward Shelburne.  I made one more stop in town to a very small new shop located on the corner of Water Street,  behind a lovely historic home called “Humphries House”.

Ravens RoomThe woman who owned Humphries House in Shelburne sold a few years ago to a nice couple from Liverpool.  Rather than using the house as their shop, as the former owner had, they set up this small house in the rear/side yard.  If no one is there you simply ring the back bell or call for an appointment.  It was interesting to me that there was no electric lighting inside the small house. Photo’s were difficult to take, so I’ll describe what I found. Lovely original hooked rugs of all sizes, Indian art and artifacts unusual Folk art carvings, paintings, local wood carvings, etc. 

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Meet Spike! Raven’s Room Doorbell Greeter . . .

The following photo’s are of my Treasure, found today: 

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Vintage Mirrors

Treasure 2

Driftwood Cork Board from the Farmer’s Market, Vintage Mirror, Folk Art carving of Jesus.

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Big Brown Bottle

Treasure 1

Glass Doorknob Set, Small Hooked Rug, Handmade wooden “Dresser” box.