Hello everyone!  We just got back home from our little jaunt through Massachusetts and New Hampshire which I wanted to share with you. Now we’re packing again, this time for our cross-country trip! Here are some sounds of New Hampshire Lake Life for your morning Musica.♥

When we got home, we went on our walk in the woods on a cool crisp morning, the breeze making the hairs on my arms stand up ~ I picked these up — they set my Gypsy Blood Astir!  I know it’s still hot in most of the country, but in New England, I can feel, smell, see and hear my favorite time of year creeping up on us in the most wonderful way.

This gate is on the hotel grounds of the gorgeous Church Landing Mill Falls Hotel where we stayed on Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith, New Hampshire. We went to this lovely place for a book signing at Innisfree Bookstore, but once we saw this hotel and this lake we thought about staying forever!  I love this shape of gate/trellis and how it frames a peek-a-boo view.  Just makes you want to go through it. And P.S., if you are going up there, the food in the Lake House Grill dining room was outstanding!!!

This hotel room was a gift.  Between the bookstore and the hotel, they gifted us two nights here in this little piece of heaven.  We had no idea where we were going, we just put the address of the hotel they’d suggested into the GPS. We expected a normal motel room where perhaps we would have a discounted first night.  We found out our stay was a gift and for two nights when we checked in!  We walked into the room, there were squeals because it was so gorgeous — it had a deck, this is the deck, that’s a corner of the room there,  I took this photo about 3 seconds after we entered — I ran straight out to the deck with the camera because we arrived just in time for moon rise and the cricket serenade.

The next night, we got this . . .

The full Green Corn Blue Moon shining Pink on Lake Winnipesaukee!

Just below our deck, running the length of the hotel fronting the Lake was this grassy knoll with lawn chairs and little stairs leading down to the water . . .

Lovely gardens and gates with peek-a-boo views of the lake . . .

And Adirondack chairs strategically placed for water watching and breeze feeling . . .

We went on walks and climbed up Lockes Hill in the Kimball Wildlife Forest . . .

Which always makes me very happy, taking long walks in nature . . .

Especially this one, to the summit, with a view of Lake Winnipesaukee and a few of some of its two hundred and fifty islands.  People live on those islands, often in old “camps” and go everywhere via boat on this lake in the summer time.  Some of the boats are classic antiques.  On Golden Pond was filmed near here.  Oh the loons!

Then it was time to go to the bookstore.  We could see pretty easily that we were in the right place!

And then we went inside and there were the Girlfriends waiting for us!

I was able to spend a little time with everyone, talk and visit.  But the line is always the fun thing, I can hear them out there getting to know each other and laughing ~ I want to go get in line too!

We brought along some extra boxes of books to leave behind with Bev when the signing was over.  A FINE ROMANCE is sold out at the Publishers (unbelievable!!!!), we’ve reordered and are once again taking preorders for signed books from the studio,  but if you are having a book emergency and need a signed copy right now, try calling the nice folks at Innisfree Bookstore, 603-279-3905.  We also left lots of signed books with Titcombs Bookshop in Sandwich, 508-888-2331.

Here are two people who worked at Innisfree, both sweethearts, Brandi and Martha . . .

We would have stayed at Church Landing Mill Falls Hotel the whole time, but they were sold out for the weekend, so we had to move.  And this is where we went, to the Lazy E, with Lazy being the operative word, because how could you not be with this as your morning view:

Our little cabin had a kitchen. You take your tea out here in the early morning and watch the old boats go by and listen to the wake lap against the shore.  They have a bonfire at night too, you can sit outside, smell the wood fire, watch the sparks go up and join the stars.  It’s a beautiful world up there.

We loved walking through the neighborhoods and looking at all the lake cottages, big and little . . . I had to take a photo of this darling bird house! Look at the little benches at the door and the window boxes!

I thought this was a mailbox, but I’m not so sure.  Whatever it is, it’s cute!  Then it was time for us to go to Milford to the . . .

Toadstool Bookshop for another book signing.

The Fine Romance Van has been wonderful!  We weren’t sure we were going to like it, but it’s like going to a birthday party wearing the cutest dress, it just makes things more festive!

And here I am, answering questions for that person standing in the way back . . . or something like that . . .

And more girlfriends, more fun talk, more meeting and greeting.  The room was also full of husbands and guy friends, although you can’t really see them, they sort of hang around with Joe!

Here’s Girlfriends who are regular visitors to the Blog, from left to right, Kate, Judy, Rachel and Jackie, out front gracing the Fine Romance Van . . . Hi Girls!!!  Thank you for coming!!  ♥

Jan (in the middle) is the manager of the bookstore — she made it such a nice event — providing tea and scones for everyone!  They were all wonderful — that’s Melanie on the left and Prudence on the right.  Thank you Toadstool Bookshop!!

Then it was off to early dinner, before our drive back to the island — Chicken Caesar Salad for Joe (with balsamic vinaigrette), Lobster Salad for me (blue cheese on the side), iced tea with lemonade, and then of course for the devil that lives inside us both, Onion Rings (roughage)!  We loved the picnic tables and the sounds of the crickets and this fall-like day — such a perfect time to take advantage of the outdoors. (BTW, Here are some good Autumn Picnic recipes, we loved this spur-of-the-moment picnic so much — just click on each recipe and it’ll come up.  Remember spontaneity is a wonderful thing, so it’s good to plan for it!)

We got to Woods Hole in time to make the freight boat home . . .  just in time for sunset and cries of sea gulls and smell of ocean . . .

And pink peach red orange blue yellow lavender sky — it was a gorgeous cool, fall night on the water . . .

As lovely as New Hampshire is, I guess we won’t be moving there anytime soon.  There’s no place like home!  “If you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air . . .”

And when we walked through the door, we had a surprise waiting for us!  It came directly from another house we love, Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, England (I wrote about our visit HERE).  Yes!!!  There was a lovely English accent waiting for me on our telephone message machine! Onto my knees I went, leaning in close to the table hear, with my pen and paper at the ready.

The call was from the museum gift shop (here ↑ where I bought my quill pen and ink that I wrote with in our book).  The caller’s name was Ann and she said she’d read  A FINE ROMANCE, and loved it (eeek) and wants . . . wait for it . . . to carry OUR book in the Jane Austen Gift Shop in Chawton, England!!!!  I am not kidding.  This has happened.  I can barely imagine a place where I’d rather see our book.  ♥

Although the photos we are receiving are kinda really so WONDERFUL ~ our book is experiencing the very best life has to offer!  I’m living vicariously through it now!  Talk about travel!

Buckingham Palace Gates, for example!  Can you believe it?  But there it is!  Taken by our Girlfriend Laura who is flight crew from SFO and took it with her to England just for us! Isn’t this wild?  I think I see the Queen peeking out her window . . .

Yes!!! I guess I don’t have to tell you who this is!  This should make my dad very happy.  He’s been wanting our book to get into the hands of the Queen since the very beginning!  This photo came from the English Rose Tearoom, in Carefree Arizona, just down the road from where my dad lives.  I want to take my dad and his adorable wife Jeanie for Tea there when we get out to see them next month! ♥

And then there was this.  OK?  Has my cup runneth over?  Yes, it has.  As most of you know by now, this is our book on the rock wall overlooking Post Office Meadow in Near Sawrey, in the Lake District, with lovely evocative Castle Cottage in the background, where Beatrix Potter and her beloved husband William Heelis lived for thirty years. ♥ Taken by our Girlfriend Eli, who lives in the Lake District.  She got on a boat, crossed Lake Windemere to take our book to Near Sawrey. ♥

Eli makes darling knitted sheep too!  I had to show you!  Sheep!

And then we have the cat lovers . . . the animals who are happy to see Girl Kitty and Jack get a little bit of attention.  This is Jackie’s (she was in the photo with the Fine Romance Van at the Toadstool Bookshop) dog Bentley.  Black and White fur people are so decorative!!!  And go especially well with a red ribbon!

And then there’s Peaceable Kingdom right here, our Girlfriend Cathy’s two sweethearts, Poetry the cat and Gabriel, her dog.  They live the cozy life!

Tuckered out from “reading all night,” Maria’s pup is sound asleep.  Look at his soft flappy ears and his big beautiful paws. ♥

Which reminds me, I wanted to show you what I brought home for Jack.  Oh he loved this.  Eyes big as saucers when I pulled it out of the bag.  All those rubber bands for MEEEEE????

Both he and Girl were so well cared for while we were away.  My friends Elizabeth and Cathy were here from California.  So the kitties were hugged to the point of thinking they were staying with four year olds! 🙂  Hugged, loved, well fed, kissed, petted, scratched, followed around, and generally messed with.  Jack was worn to the bone.  He even looked a bit jaded ~ something in the eyes.

But that doesn’t stop Elizabeth, she can’t help it, she adores Jack.  Here she is, informing him that she’s “coming in.”

Oh My God, he thinks, eyeing her madly, you are a MANIAC. ♥

Please Mother, take me a way from her!  She’s crazy!!  S A V E   M E !!!

But I don’t save him because I understand Elizabeth’s need.  When something is so precious it must expect to get hugged and kissed constantly.  Excuse me, I have to go attack him myself now!  The guy gets no rest.

Girl slept with Elizabeth every night (but is back next to me since we got home), and Jack slept with Cathy and everyone was happy.  ‘Cept me now, because early Saturday morning we go again, and this time, it will be for months.  The kitties will be loved (we have friends moving in here for the duration), but I will be lonely without them, and can already hardly wait to get home!

 To go means even more appreciation when we return.  Fall, crossing the USA is going to be wonderful!  Seeing our family and friends in California will be heaven!  Must take the bitter with the sweet ~ Ahhhhh, life is good. ♥

I think I have everything out of (Freudian slip) in control for us while we’re on the road.  Hair cut, ✔, Tea packed, ✔, Clothes Pole in Van so we can hang things up (Thank you Joe) ✔, twenty pounds lost since May ✔ (just thought I’d throw that in 🙂 ), house decorated for Autumn-ish-ness ✔, Storm windows figured out ✔, Dinner reservations made with friends next to water tonight ✔, three-month supply of cat food stored ✔, Litter box emptied, washed, bleached, rinsed, and refilled ✔ ~ Next year’s calendar covers are designed; quotes and Christmas art have been sent to YANKEE Magazine for our Holiday feature article; the second printing of A FINE ROMANCE will arrive at the end of October; more calendars are ordered (hopefully we won’t run out this year); soon Kellee will be putting up new FREE THINGS for Fall in our web store; cute ads are designed for TEATIME Magazine; any day now our engraved Glass Charms (Martha’s Vineyard, Girlfriends, and A Fine Romance!) will be at the studio; plus our cute Tea Tin is on the way, and my favorite lavender tea too. There are new Emma cups, including the Royal Baby Mug, and a new Emma Peter Rabbit design should be here any moment that is SO darling! Lots of fun things are coming for Autumn and the holidays.  It’s our own little world of sugar and spice and everything nice.  ♥

We have Bookstore Events and Tea Parties planned (see EVENTS in the right-hand column of this Blog) although we had to stop making appointments after Wichita because we don’t have books, but we’ll gear back up as soon as they come in).  It’s only kitty kissing needs to be done now, and a whole lot of it. ♥

Ooops, Girlfriends,  Jack just dropped the ball behind me.  Gotta go.  Love you!  I’ll keep updating the blog as best I can on our trip . . .  I want you to see it all! ♥ Have a wonderful day! ♥