Love is in the air ~ Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!



Whether you're happily married, joyously single, or frenetically searching for that special someone, I hope you will make the effort to have a happy and satisfying Valentine's Day.



I always like to take this day to remember all the special people in my life.





Shown are some of the Valentines I made for others and some that I received.



Sending thanks and big hugs to all who shared their love with me this year! I heart you all!

P.S. I'm going to include below a poem I wrote for friends who got married recently...

Poem for Laura & Keith
October 2009

To dream,
Then playing a song together,
Two voices, one tune.
To love,
Then to share the love with each other,
Two people, one life.
To know,
Then to act on the knowing,
Reaching deep into the heart,
Where dreams and truths reside.
To wed,
In celebration of a life created
By twin souls,
Walking through life together,
Living the dream of the heart.

8 years & counting

On February 3, 2002, I moved to Maine.



My family is from Maine, but we moved away when I was 2 years old (and was too young to protest!). Luckily for me, my parents were teachers, and so I got to spend every summer in Maine.



I always had a dream of returning to live in Maine.



It's always been my favorite place.



In late 2001, it seemed the time was right to make a change.



I had been living in New York for almost six years.



And as much as I love NYC, I decided I was ready to come home to Maine.



So today marks my 8th anniversary of moving (back) to Maine. I feel so fortunate to be here! It's hard to imagine living anywhere else.

Light through the Trees

[please click on photos for a better view]

We're deep into winter here in Maine, and it's easy for me to become a total couch potato.



But yesterday I managed to get up, get out, and take a walk at our local Audubon center.



I took my camera and got plenty of shots even though I was not there long.



I'm so glad I made the effort, because it was exhilarating!



The recent heavy rains had washed away a lot of the snow so walking was easy.



And since it was nearly sunset, the light through the trees was really lovely.



It was the ideal way to end the day and wrap up the month of January.

Silver Sunday ~ January 31st

I am taking part in Silver Sunday hosted by Gypsy Fish Journal. I wasn't able to participate for a few weeks due to camera problems, but I am back. And this time around, I decided to share some vintage silver jewelry. Both of these pieces are from the 1960's, when I was a girl. My dad brought back the whale bracelet from a trip to Nantucket, and my best guess about the fish pin is that it came from the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. I think both designs have stood the test of time -- these pieces still look good to me today, especially the fish!

The Beauty of Maine ~ January

[Please click images for a better view]



I always say that Maine is beautiful in any season...



Oh, the summers are certainly sublime. During the months of July and August, I cannot imagine being in a better place than Maine.



But in January, there is still lots to love about the Pine Tree State. You just might have to look a little harder to appreciate winter's beauty.



This past week, I made a point of going to Portland Head Light to see if there was much wave action.



It turned out that the waves were pretty active although the sea was not as rough as I've seen it after other big storms.





Luckily, I arrived in late afternoon, when the sky was putting on a lovely light show. I took about 80 or 90 photos before heading back home.





The sun was setting as I was driving through Portland so I raced to the Town Landing in Falmouth to get a good view of the sunset over Casco Bay.



I made it in time to see a beautiful pink and gray sky...







And so you can see that winter sunsets here are glorious.



And they're just one reason that I say that Maine is beautiful year-round.

Edgar Allan Poe's birthday

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809. One of my favorite poems is his Dream Wtihin a Dream, and so to celebrate Poe's birthday and his writing talents, I am sharing his words with you today.

A Dream Within a Dream
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?


[Photo: Reid State Park, Maine]

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) lived a short yet important life. He was a Baptist minister who was pivotal in the civil rights movement in America, and I'm amazed at all that he did in his 39 years. Here are just a few of his accomplishments:

• After skipping both 9th and 12th grades, he graduated high school at age 15
• He was ordained a minister at age 19, while still in college
• He wrote six books in a 10-year time period
• In 1957, he formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve civil rights
• In 1959, King visited India to study Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence.
• Time Magazine named Martin Luther King Jr. “Man of the Year“ in 1963
• In 1964, at the age of 35, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, making him the youngest man, the second American, and the third black man to be so honored
• He was just 39 when he was assassinated in 1968

Below you can tap into Martin Luther King's wisdom in his own words. You can also read the New York Times obituary here.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'
Martin Luther King, Jr.

The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' Martin Luther King Jr., Speech at Civil Rights March on Washington, August 28, 1963

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., this day has been designated a national day of service in the US. Please take this day to consider what you can do to help others -- in your home, your community, and your country.