Publisher's Notes

My husband really likes old muscle cars, so in the summer we go to a lot of car shows, otherwise known as cruise nights.  I go because I love him (and for the ice cream).  Okay, okay, I enjoy looking at the old cars too.  At a recent cruise night a woman drove in with a little Smart Car.  For two years, since the very first time I saw one on tv I have wanted to own a Smart Car so of course it was the car of choice for me to go and look at.  The woman that owned it was great, she told me all about the cars and even had me get in and sit in it.  Aren't they the cutest???   One of my husband's friends snickers every time he hears me call any car cute, but some are just cute, and the Smart Car is definately cute.   Maybe it doesn't belong in a show with beefy engines and high horsepower but I think it would be fun to drive around town in, you know, to go shopping and to take to Church and trips like that.   Maybe some day, but until then, it was a treat to sit in it and get my picture taken by my nephew.   

Vic has always wanted to try climb Mt. Washington.  One of his friends is an avid mountain climber and offered to escort him up.  I am not a big fan of heights, so that activity was not one for me but Vic can now scratch it off of his "bucket list".   They left our house at 3:30am, made it there at 7:30am and began the climb.   At 12:30 they were at the top and on the observation deck.  Here he is standing on one of the ridges.   He was dead tired and very sore by the time he made it home around 10:30pm.   He talked about it so much that our nephew says he went off to climb Mt. Washington and came back Rambo!

My nephew, Spencer, (on the left) came and stayed with us for five weeks this summer and my son, Alex, (on the right) is home from college.  (Vic was with us but is taking the photo).   We spent one day in Boston admiring the Tall Ships and stopped at an Italian Open Air Restaurant in the North End for lunch.  I love having the young ones around, they keep me moving.   I admit that I haven't gotten much painting done so far, but summer is such a short season, have to enjoy it while its here!   I hope summer is giving you some simple treats too.   Stay inspired...........

One of my most favorite places on earth is the beach (seashore) and I live about fifteen minutes away from three different beaches.   My husband, Vic, and I head off to the beach many times during the year.  During the colder months we pack up camera’s (mine the smaller automatic type, his, the professional kind with all the lenses) and drive to the shore finding various views and items for photographing.   Later we load them on the computer and debate over who took the best shots.  In the warm months we pack up fruit, an umbrella and chairs and head off to hang out for the day.  Being light skinned and light eyed, I marinate myself in sunscreen and my sunglasses go on when I leave the house and don’t come off until I’m home again.   We have a routine which includes getting there early for a parking spot, staking out a place in the sand and unloading our beach gear, and then we take a walk and buy an iced coffee.  (Heaven)  With coffee in hand we head back to our chairs and spend the day enjoying sun, water and observing people.



When my “boys” asked me what I wanted to do for Mothers Day this year, I knew it would be too early for sunbathing, but I wanted to go to the beach.  The day was cool and windy but still wonderful.   Vic took some photos and as we walked along the beach, I collected salt smoothed stones that the ocean water had carried up and abandoned and having Alex home and with us was the best part.   We finished the day by stopping for beach pizza and then headed home.  You probably think I’mnuts, but for me, that was a perfect Mothers Day! 

The theme of the July/August issue of the newspaper is The Wonders of Summer so my tendency was to fill the paper with all beach related ideas and photos.  But instead I sat and thought about summer and ALL that it has to offer and the beach is only a small piece and many of our Readers don’t even live near the seashore.  So I began making a list and found that there were a lot of things that held summer memories for me and I realized that being adventurous and discovering the wonders of summer was fun as a kid, and still can be.  It doesn’t have to be climbing mountains or forging new paths in the woods, just doing something that we have never done or haven’t done in a long time can be an adventure.  Check out what I came up with on my list below and try something new (or old) this summer.

1.  Go Yard Saling (better known as treasure hunting)



2.  Pick berries – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries



3.  Enjoy a free concert on the town green

4.  Go to a little league ball game

5.  Get your hands dirty – plant some herbs for cooking

6.  Wash clothes and hang them outside

7.  Play hopscotch, jump rope or decorate the driveway with chalk

8.  Pick wild flowers

9.  Eat corn on the cob (or off the cob)

10.Go to the movies

11.Make homemade lemonade

12.Learn something – visit a famous persons home (poet, politician, etc)

13.Buy popsicles & fudgesicles for neighbor kids (or a nursing home if they  allow)

14.Practice your aim – buy a pump up squirt gun and have target practice

15.Watch a parade or fireworks

16.Go to a playground and swing (or watch some kids swing)

17.Try bird watching –write down how many different kinds you see

18.Sit outside & write some old fashioned letters to faraway friends & family

19.Attend an outdoor art show

20.Clean an organize one closet

21.Find a shady place at a busy park and people watch

22.Host an ice cream social

23.Press & dry flowers in a book

24.Go for a bike ride

25.Look for a four-leaf clover

26.Visit a farm

27.Pack a lunch and go on a picnic

28.Invite a friend over and teach them to paint (if you have never painted,try it)

29.Play an outdoor game like horseshoes, crocket or throw a frisbee

30.When in doubt, compile a list of small unique shops and go shopping!

Enjoy your summer!   Tracy