We Remember I Do's

On this day, 22 years ago we were married. As many of you may (or not) know, our actual names are Dorothy & Patrick. (All photos in this post were taken by friends using film camera and later scanned onto a CD.)

Introducing Grenville & Beatrice (Boyds Bears) 

Beatrice and Grenville are the aliases we have used on this blog. Those names were based on these Boyds Bears collectibles. True Love had a place of honor on the table at our reception dinner. Best Friends are what we consider ourselves.

Today, marks our 22nd anniversary and coincidentally it's also shared with a couple we met years ago. When we lived, we traveled to the Blue Ridge Mountains as did Kath and Andrew, visitors from the UK. From a chance meeting in a hotel for breakfast, we've remained in contact, exchanging birthday, holiday and anniversary greetings. We hope to meet again one day to celebrate our mutual anniversary. Those plans will have to wait awhile longer (sigh). 

Dorothy & Patrick sharing their vows, which were written by them

Our wedding ceremony took place in our home state (NJ) at the United Methodist Church, Bridgewater, NJ, and was officiated by the Rev. George Fisher. We opted for a small ceremony attended by immediate family and some close friends. 

Bubbles bring out the child in everyone, young and older

Bubbles are always a big hit with people of all ages. We made sure everyone had a bottle. (as you can see, the church was undergoing some exterior renovations at the time.)

Immediate family members posed with us for memory photos

Afterwards, it was time for some family photos, which become more precious because of the relatives no longer with us. Top left: us and Pat's daughters, Coleen and Shannon. Top right: us with Pat's late aunt Anita, my sister-in-law Anita, my late mother and nieces Julie and Jamie. Bottom left: us with Pat's late aunt Ann. Bottom right with Pat: my brother Tony, Shannon's fiancé Robert, and Pat's Uncle Russ.

Family members who shared our Special Day and sadly have passed

We had our reception in a favorite restaurant in downtown Somerville, NJ, which we learned in recent years, is no longer there. Top photo is us with my mother and her sister Anna. Bottom left is me and cousin Rick, (we shared the same birthday). Bottom right is Pat and aunts Anita and Ann. Sadly, all the family members have passed away since, but, we have our memories.

Friends & family gathered after our wedding & dinner

At the time of our marriage, we each had our own residence. Pat's house was at the NJ shore and my condo was in Somerville, NJ, which is where an after dinner get together was held. Some of us changed into more comfortable attire.

Pat was laughing as I opened his gift —  a mailbox full of various sized penguins. The date on the mailbox (5/16/97) was to recall our first date. 

Why was I gifted with a penguin filled mailbox?

Here's the backstory. We met online and corresponded for several months because of our differing work schedules and distance of about 70 miles before finally meeting in person. Our communication was solely by email (like in the film, You've Got Mail). There were no no phone calls; our correspondence pre-dated text and video messages. This email is now framed and displayed on our bedroom wall. 

Grenville & Beatrice Boyd share bookcase space with our photos

The Grenville & Beatrice Boyds Bears figurines mentioned herein are displayed on a bookcase in our living room and bear (bad pun) these inscriptions on the bottom:

The great secret of successful marriage is to treat all disasters as incidents and none of the incidents as disasters (Harold Nicholson)

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved (George Sand)

We're going on a short road trip here in New England to celebrate, no long distance or any out-of-country travel for a while. Our adventures will include a museum visit, agricultural fair, covered bridge, lunch with a blogger friend and, of course, an ice cream treat.  Expect to see some of these adventures in a future post(s). 

Some of our 2021 adventures and enjoyment (so far)

Thanks for sharing our Special Memories by reading this post. We do appreciate it.

Garden of Sculptures

Fellow bloggers, did you ever have a post you started working on, put aside and then forgot about it for one reason or another? This one was like that. It's not that we didn't find it a fun day trip, but that we saw so much!

In late spring, we took a 45-minute trip from Nashua to Lee, NH to visit a public garden, which wasn't always a garden. That's because, what's now home to an amazing garden of plants and unique sculptures was once a 37-acre dairy farm that had been abandoned for about 40 years. 

These fields, where cows freely grazed, is now home to a public garden where whimsical metal sculptures like these above capture the imagination and they were everywhere we looked.

Jill Nooney & Bob Munger

Bedrock Gardens is a 20-acre garden situated on a former dairy farm that dates to the 1700s. In 1980, the land was  purchased by husband and wife, Jill Nooney and Bob Munger who started planning and planting their garden vision in 1985. Nooney is a clinical social worker, sculptor designer and metal fabricator with an extensive knowledge of gardens. Munger is a retired doctor and a self-described tinkerer who designed many of the gardens walkways and water features. They designed, created and maintained the garden for over 25 years and designed the landscapes to showcase Nooney’s very unusual sculptures. The gardens showcase over 1,000 varying plant species, many in perennial beds that are arranged by texture, color, and size. 

Former farm house (Internet source)

The former dairy farm included a farm house, circa 1740, historic barn, 3-hole outhouse and 37-acre of scrub forest. Over the next two decades, 20-acres were developed into a large ornamental garden. The first years were spent clearing out acres of poison ivy. The scrub growth and grown-in fields were cleared, access roads were established, and woods were thinned, trimmed, and managed under forester and arborist advice. Wooded areas were lumbered to create a trail system. In 1991, a wildlife pond was built, and work started on perennial and shrub beds. Walls, paths, water features, structures, and topographical improvements, have been added over the years. Currently, two-thirds of the property is garden.

In 2013, the Friends of Bedrock Gardens was formed as a non-profit foundation. Its goal is to promote and support the gardens and operate it as a public garden. All board members are volunteers. The gardens are financed by admissions, donations, grants and memberships.

This year was the first season that Bedrock Gardens operated as a nonprofit public garden. Our admission passes were obtained through the Nashua Public Library website where the Friends of the NPL provide funding for library patrons to visit museums, science centers and other attractions within NH and Boston at reduced costs.

Bedrock Gardens includes botanical specimens and unique sculptures into a landscape journey. Scattered throughout the 20-developed acres are small and large pieces of sculpture created by co-founder Nooney. Many of the sculptures consist of old agricultural tools.

Exploring the gardens is designed as a journey along a three-quarter mile path through distinct garden areas accented by pools, fountains, seating areas, pergolas, long vistas, and quiet spaces. Unusual plants collected and nurtured by the co-founders are found throughout the gardens, along with benches, chairs, and tables available to rest or enjoy a picnic lunch.

The gardens contain many different features, all linked with pathways. There’s a spiral garden, perennial beds, a small garden with a pond and fountain, and the barn garden, lined with a towering hedge, and a wall of 26 small sculptured metal creations made from old farm tools.

The Wiggle Waggle (below) is a 200-foot water channel planted with lotus and lilies. Throughout the gardens are examples of Nooney’s sculptures and artwork.

Not to be outdone by his partner, Munger has his own special sculpture ↓ hanging in the gardens. In case you were wondering what it was in life, it's a complete horse skeleton.

The day we visited, the gardens were relatively uncrowded with no limit on time spent exploring. While a printed guide was available, we mostly enjoyed just wandering around. One of the paths led to this Buddha statue ↓ placed under a giant metal halo suspended from tree branches.

One area within the gardens houses a large collection of metal parts of varying sizes and shapes (below). Most likely some of these will eventually be used to create more one-of-a-kind sculptures. This is recycling in a major way.

Bedrock Gardens was a place we will most likely revisit one day. There was so much beauty in the garden itself, and it was even more fun seeing the metal sculptures dispersed throughout.

Ready, Get Set, Go

As soon as possible to your local U.S. post office or any other place you buy first class postage stamps.

Why the rush?

In case you haven't heard, it's because currently in the U.S. the cost of a first class postage stamp is 55 cents, but in less then two weeks on Sunday, August 29, that same stamp will cost 58 cents — a 5.5 percent increase. This is the second USPS postage rate increase in 2021 since a January 24 increase of 1.8 percent overall that raised rates for the additional ounce on first-class postage, metered mail, certified mail, postcards. Priority mail services increased 3.5 percent overall for flat-rate envelopes and boxes.

A first-class stamp covers the price of a one-ounce first-class letter. While the current 20 cents charge for an additional ounce costs won't change, which increased 5 cents in Jan 2021. 

There's a way to avoid the increase

Stock up now on First-Class® Mail Forever stamps. The Forever in the stamp's name means that even after the August price increase, a single stamp bought for paid 55 cents will still send a one-ounce letter to any U.S. address without needing more postage. Plus, if you have any Forever stamps stashed away, you can still use them until your supply runs out. 

Forever stamps, introduced in 2007, always equal the current price of a first-class stamp. An original First-Class® Forever stamp purchased then for 41 cents or any in following years are still OK to mail a first-class letter with no added postage. Since 2011, nearly all U.S. first-class stamps sold have been Forever stamps.

Forever stamps also can be used for outbound international letters, but still may need more postage to get to the correct amount. There are Forever stamps for international letters, so if, like myself, you send international letters, you might want to stock up on a few of these before Aug 29 — that cost is going up too and more than the U.S. increase. For example, a first-class letter sent to a UK friend will go from $1.20 to $1.30 — Yikes! That's a 10 cent increase so, yes, I've stocked up on some of those, ahead of pre-increase time, as well.

Here's some overall highlights of what you can expect with the August 29 USPS increase.

• First Class Mail Letter (1 oz.) rises from 55 cents to 58 cents 
• Each added ounce for First Class Mail remains at 20 cents (no change)
• Metered letters would rises from 51 cents to 53 cents
• Domestic postcards rises from 36 cents to 40 cents
• Outbound international letters rises from $1.20 to $1.30
• One-ounce flats rises from $1 to $1.16

According to the USPS, this rate increase impacts Market Dominant products, services, like First Class Mail letters, postcards and mailing services. It doesn't include Competitive products, like First Class Package Service or Priority Mail. Of course, this could change in the future.

Where's the blame fall?

Convenience seems to be the culprit. Widespread use of email for bill paying, online ordering, correspondence, and the increasing shift to online banking have all affected the USPS bottom line. Folks are buying fewer stamps for letters and bill paying and even sending greetings online. Businesses have determined that customers can be reached faster and with less costs by email instead of through mailings via the postal system. Of course, while this may reduce junk mail, there's also the risk of increased  spam and junk mail in your online mailbox.

The USPS generally receives no taxpayer money for operating expenses. According to a May 28 statement, the proposed postage price hikes are a first step in a plan to reverse a projected $160 billion in operating losses over the next decade.

The Post Office Department was created in 1792 with the passage of the Postal Service Act. It was elevated to a cabinet-level department in 1872, and in 1970 was transformed by the Postal Reorganization Act into the United States Postal Service as an independent agency, a government-business hybrid that has received no taxpayer monies for operating expenses since 1982 but remains subject to congressional oversight. 

In a 2020 report, the Universal Postal Union ranked the postal services of 170 countries. The top five countries were Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Japan, followed by France, U.S., UK, Canada, Singapore. India Post is considered the largest postal system in the world. The most expensive place to mail a letter is Norway along with Denmark, Finland, Switzerland. While mail services are cheaper in some countries like Peru, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malta the cost of postage has to be weighed against the economy. 

What I'll be doing 

Personally, I'm still  sending postage required (snail-mail) letters and cards which are generally enjoyed by recipients. I'll also mail holiday cards again this year, although the list will be re-checked (like Santa's) and most likely undergo cutbacks. Extra stamps were bought after the 2020 holiday to prepare for this holiday season. Yes,  I expect to buy a few more before Aug 29 arrives.

And, here's a surprise gift thought — if you know someone who likes to send letter/cards and perhaps is on a limited budget, send them postage stamps in your next card or letter.

Will the USPS postal increases affect your correspondence?

Friday Funnies

Something I saw on display recently struck me as unusual (just saying). Although its contents are not listed on this side panel, there was a clock in this package.

Feel free to comment. At least the package and product design was credited to the U.S.A. 

My purpose in posting this image is that many people may try to find products made in their respective country. Seeing product labeling like this seems somehow misleading. 

In the interest of fairness, Kole Imports is a family owned and operated wholesale merchandise distribution business based in Los Angeles, CA. It began in the 1980s when two brothers, Rob and Danny Kole, sold tools and hardware at venues in San Diego, CA. Business expanded and the they began importing directly from the Orient founding Kole Imports in 1985 expanding their product line to multiple categories of general merchandise. Kole Imports inventory lists over 10,000 items, selling them worldwide to over 100 countries.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Stay Cool. It's been a hot week here as in many states

Be safe too, it's Friday the 13th

We Were Crafty in NH

We went to a crafts fair this past Tuesday — not an ordinary fair, but a special one that specifically highlights the handicrafts and talents of many NH artists. 

Suspended in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the League of NH Craftsmen Fair returned to the grounds of the Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, NH, for its 88th annual event.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the many exhibit booths and managed to leave without a single purchase, other than the admission fee. There were countless displays of handmade and beautifully crafted items; however, our apt already has enough stuff.

This nine-day event featured the works of 300 artisans with over 200 booths and exhibits. It draws about 25,000 visitors annually offering work for sale, demonstrations and hands-on workshops. Parking is off-site in several large parking lots and shuttle buses, like the one ↑ above take visitors to and from the fair grounds. These same buses are used during winter months to transport skiers to the slopes of Mount Sunapee.

While masking was not a requirement, we did see some fair visitors wearing masks both when riding the shuttle bus and walking the fair grounds. Th event coordinators stated that distancing protocols were in place, but in the crowded tent booths, these did not seem possible.

Travel time was just under 90 minutes one way from Nashua, NH. We chose mid-week to avoid weekend crowds and because temps would be soaring into the high 90s by the end of the week compared to the mid-80s when we visited.

Mary Coolidge

The League of NH Craftsmen includes over 650 juried members and  is one of the oldest and most recognized craft organizations in the U.S. It started from efforts in two small NH towns, Sandwich and Wolfeboro, to promote craft in the mid-1920s in the midst of the Great Depression. The area in and around these towns had become a a popular summer tourist destination for travelers from all over the Northeast. 

For years, the women of Sandwich had been spending NH winters crafting woven rugs, lace, embroidery and pottery to sell at summer fairs. In 1926, Mary Coolidge, a summer resident, was so impressed with their handiwork that she opened the Sandwich Home Industries Shop to sell locally made handicrafts and support the local economy. The center was a way for local people to show and sell their wares. Visitors could spend a summer in NH, then take home a handmade craft.

Coincidentally, a group working with A. Cooper Ballentine, a silversmith and metalworker, began offering craft classes in Wolfeboro. Like Coolidge, Bally  believed that high-quality products would attract the interest of NH vacationeers. The two met and decided that more should be done to keep crafts alive in NH and to help weather the economic downfalls of the Great Depression.

Coolidge and Ballentine conceived the idea of creating a statewide program of craft instruction and marketing. In 1931, they presented their case to NH Gov. John Winant, who agreed to establish and fund the New Hampshire Commission of Arts and Crafts, making NH the first state to support craft making. In 1932, the NH Legislature appropriated $5,000 to launch the League of NH Arts and Crafts with Mary Coolidge as president, a post she held for the next 10 years, remaining honorary president until her death in 1949. Bally served on its council as secretary and president, beginning in 1950. He died in 1984.

In 1933, the League embarked on the first Craftsman’s Fair held in Crawford Notch, NH. A barn was used for demonstrations of pottery, weaving, vegetable dyeing, basketmaking and woodcarving. A blacksmith shop was used for ironworking. Horse stalls were used for exhibitions and sales, and the lawn was used for entertainment and country dancing. The fair’s success exceeded all expectations with sales totaling $2,698, a hefty sum for back then, which convinced members to make the fair an annual event.

Rebranded as the League of NH Craftsmen in 1968, the League is recognized as one of the country’s foremost fine arts organizations.

The first official League Shop was in Wolfeboro. Today, there are eight league galleries throughout the state in Nashua, Concord, Hanover, Hooksett, Sandwich, Littleton, Meredith, and North Conway. These galleries feature handmade crafts of juried League members plus offer programs including class demos and workshops open to all ages and skill levels.

The photos in this post are a very small representation of the many crafts we saw displayed at the fair. The majority seemed to be in the areas of pottery, woodturning, and jewelry with notably few photography exhibits. Not only are most exhibit booths in tight areas making photo taking more difficult, some craftsmen object to photos. I assured most that my purposes were for illustrative use only.

Friday Funnies

So he huffed, and he puffed,

and he huffed, and he puffed,

and he huffed and he puffed and he blew the place down

Maybe the Big Bad Wolf was in the area? 

Despite the look of this place, it was still upright. Being so close to the roadside, perhaps it was a traffic casualty vs. a wolf's huffing and puffing that caused the collapse.

It looked like a total loss that a good wind gust or storm might take down quite easily.

Apparently, a small building behind it had already collapsed to a pile of rubble.

This isn't the first (and not the last) time we've seen buildings in this condition, and sure many of you have too. When we lived in VA and drove back roads, the number of abandoned homes or falling-down homes was always sad to see.  The road shots above were taken someplace in New England, not sure where. They are a bit fuzzy the result of being taken from a moving car as there was no safe pull-over; we didn't want to risk ending up collapsed ourselves.

Now a backstory on the quoted lines: Most folks know The Three Little Pigs nursery rhyme about three pigs who build three houses of different materials. A "Big Bad Wolf" blows down the first two houses, made of straw and sticks, but fails to destroy the third pig's house, made of bricks. It was first published in 1886 in The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Halliwell-Phillipps

Friends, a special request to keep fellow bloggers, Rita and Mildred, mentioned in an earlier post, in your thoughts and prayers. They will appreciate your kindness and support.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone.

Nothing special planned here in NH

August Night Views

As regular readers of this blog may know, we live in a former textile mill. Our apartment is on the top (5th) floor and faces the Nashua River directly below. 

This vantage point provides a great wonderful source of photo opportunities, even if not on a daily basis. That said, two evenings earlier this week provided an exception to that statement. 

On a night with no wind and a flat water surface, this view was looking downtown towards Main Street. The lights are from a restaurant, The Irish Peddler's Daughter. In the center of the photo is the Main St bridge which looks like this ↓ in daytime hours.

Below is another night view looking directly across the river from our apartment. The large brick building in the background is another repurposed building. Now called Lofts 34, this building was formerly the Nashua Corporation, which made labels, specialty papers and imaging products. This apartment building has 200 apartments ranging from 1-4 bedrooms.

The white Greek revival style house shown above ↑ was built in 1835 for Joseph Greeley II and his wife, who was not related to other Greeleys in Nashua history. The lot, purchased for $450, was previously owned by the Nashua Manufacturing Company. After a 1936 flood, the house was filled with 5 feet of water. The cost of repairing mud and debris damage cleared using a fire hose was $5,244. The house has had several owners and is currently vacant.

August arrived this past weekend and, so far, it has brought a very pleasant weather pattern to Nashua, NH. Daytime temps have ranged from the mid 70s to low 80s with a couple of light overnight rainfalls. Maybe this pleasant weather contributed to the very colorful after sunset views this week. 

The building shown on the left side and reflected in the Nashua River was part of the former Nashua Manufacturing Company. Years ago, the building was used to store cotton used in the manufacture of blankets. It's now called Cotton Mill Apartments and houses 109 apartments.

Our weather will be changing over the next few days with rain predicted today. Afterwards, temps will climb into the high 80s to near 90 degrees, Friday to Saturday, followed by rain again on Sunday and then warmer days. Seems we will be in a pattern for a while.

This spectacular sky show continued for nearly 10 minutes. Of course, I took many images, but have edited them down to a handful, thankfully for myself and everyone else. These captures were straight out of camera (SOOC) which in this case was an iPhone 10x. I was planning to use a digital camera, but too late found out that the battery + backup needed a charge Note to self, make sure camera batteries are always charged.