Ending this Year with a Bang!

 There are a lot of great things happening in Laconia!  Downtown will have another venue opening up soon.  

Inside the old Evangelical Church ...also formerly Holy Grail 

will be a new Chaos and Kindness Experience Venue.  

With the signature style brought by the Recycled Percussion crew of Ryan, Justin and Tony.

You can't help but feel their excitement...

it fills up the room promising more good things to come in 2021!

enjoy,

k

Taking Shape

Once again I was able to wander through the Colonial Theater documenting the work in stages as it's being completed.

Her beauty commands the stage and welcomes back those former glory days.   It has been an amazing process to watch this transformation.  Chatting with the workers, hearing stories of their visits here when they were young...   such a vital part of our community.

To think back when the intricate hand-painting work was being done from the top of the ceiling 

and then on down the walls.

Walking through the hallways it's already difficult to think back and see the battered and bruised sheetrock that was left in her decline.

Now proudly she shows her new coats of paint with details that bring interest and sparkle as you enter.

 Still with much work to be done - you can start to see the "end of the tunnel"

...and I can confidently say that I will be one of many who will enjoy sitting in a seat on opening night!

Yes, she's taking shape - and wearing it with pride!

enjoy,

k

Life As it Should Be

Fall  ~ 

Days like this usually involve getting outside

        enjoying the great outdoors with the boys.

During a recent hike up Stinson Mountain Chris set the pace keeping Jim and I at a good clip both up and down the mountain.   He's not one who likes to be photographed so I had to take it on the sly.

  

Tom and Emma were heading out for an apple picking adventure and invited me to join in the fun. It was a spectacular fall day.  Warm sun, crisp apples with so many varieties to choose from...

               climbing trees,  taste testing to make sure the right ones made it into the bucket

Which one?  That one?  

                                            In the bucket it goes!

Good times, hanging together, exploring and laughing ~ Life as it should be

enjoy,

k

About Town

 

At day break

a peaceful morning spot to sit a spell

on to a lazy afternoon     ....with a view!      

about town

enjoy,

k

At the Top of the Hill

As I was driving home from my workout class with morning.

I passed by a marquee that read the following quote

"Fear is a reaction ~ Courage is a decision"

Then I came upon this sunrise at the top of Liberty Hill.

Good Decision

enjoy,

k

"As you sow, so you reap"

 Mid September and the frost is hitting our garden.  We've had a lot of success in our garden over the past couple of years.  Hopefully we're actually starting to learn a few things ...and maybe there's still a little bit of luck thrown in there.  Makes no mind to me - I love the end products and making things grow feels good!

English proverb   "as you sow, so you reap"

This year poblano peppers made it into the mix in our garden.  Have tried a variety of peppers with different temperatures from "hot" to "mild" over the past few years.  We've certainly enjoyed the variety and this year was no different.  We didn't grow a banner crop with these babies but I'll say this much what we "sowed" was good!

Reached out to my girlfriend Deb and got her recipe for stuffed Poblano Peppers.  Her recipe is delicious but I didn't have all the ingredients per the recipe so I ventured down my frequent path of "improvisational" cooking.  Use what I have! 

Instead of a meat filling I went with a rice and veggie mixture using items from our garden.

The base filling called for cream cheese - none in my frig today so I opted for plain yogurt with the parmesan cheese.  

They looked pretty good heading into the oven - and even better on our plates with a smidge of melted cheese on top.

Going back to that English proverb  "as you sow, so you reap..."   a statement to "make good things out of what you sow".  Because at the end of the day if what you "reap" doesn't taste good it won't really matter what it was that you had to sow!

Deb's Stuffed Poblanos                                      Karen's Improvised Stuffed Poblanos

Cut six peppers in half -de seed/de stem                    Cut six peppers in half - de seed /de stem

Broil on low to soften                                                  Broil on low to soften

Saute chicken                                                               Saute 1 onion and 1 zucchini 

add 1 cup Salsa                                                             add 1 cup bruschetta 

add 1 jalapeño deseed/chopped                                     add 1 cup cooked rice 

add onions & can green chilis                                        crack an egg in center -stir

In separate bowl combine                                              In separate bowl combine

8 oz cream cheese                                                          1/2 cup plain yogurt (full fat)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan                                            1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Garlic powder                                                                 fresh chives

Spread cheese on peppers                                               Spread cheese on peppers

Top with meat mixture                                                    Top with rice and veg

Bake 350 for 20 minutes                                                  Bake 350 for 20 minutes

Top with shredded cheese and melt                                  Top with shredded cheese and melt

    Voila!                                                                       Voila! 

enjoy,

k

Different and The Same

Motorcycle Week is quite a bit different this year.  Different timing, different climate due to the Coronavirus.  Walking down Lakeside Avenue you didn't see the typical "sea of bikes".  But, rather a combination of cars, bikes and beach-goers.  

Masks were worn by some      and      not by others.  

A steady stream of motorcycles caroused the "boulevard".  What's bike week without a little rain! 

It's always fun to include a little tongue and cheek in the work.

I must say Lakeside Ave. never looked so good.  Without all the tents lined up and down the street you could actually the see the landscape as it stands for the other 51 weeks of the year.

Still plenty of "black" and "leathers" streaming by....

Businesses seeing some business 

...and folks arriving with big smiles on their faces.     Happy to be here!~

Whether you're taking in the sights

or taking a drive through

Welcome to a week that's a little bit    Different      and      a little bit      The Same

enjoy,

k

@ the Home Front

 Coming in...

....HOT               

enjoy,

k

Feed Your Soul

It's certainly been an unprecedented year to date.  Since the Coronavirus has swept the world since March we've all found ourselves in some sort of quarantining - life changing algorithm.  

Since the very beginning we've felt fortunate to live where we do.  A place where social distancing is more easily attained and honestly enjoyed!  

Some rules and regulations are the same as they have been previous to 2020.  As you can see Jim poked a bit of fun at this one - I feel that keeping one's sense of humor through these times is essential too!  Fun to reminisce of days spent here on Opechee Point as a young lad. 

    

make the time...

During a recent morning on my paddle board I ventured out around Lockes Island.  It was a midweek day - fairly calm by Lake Winni standards.  Having an enjoyable paddle I decided to take an extra jaunt around Varney Point and head towards Saunders Bay.  At the Point I noticed what I thought was a Loon playing with two ducks.  As I paddled closer I realized it was a Loon with two maturing chicks.  It appeared she was teaching them to fish.  I rested my paddle and sat for a while - observing.  One chick was fairly independent and diving on his own.  The other chick stayed close to mom and each time she dove down and would come up with a small fish that chick was right there for the snack.  Time passed - I sat and watched.  It was comfortable.  I would say the three were about 15-20 feet from me going about their morning.  I could feel myself relax in such a way that it was noticeable to me and felt good.  

...feed your soul

Beach dinners have always been a summer ritual - going on 40 years.  

Sunsets, early evening swims.   Back in our younger days volleyball on the beach,  nowadays dinner with great friends, catching up with each other and birthday celebrations!

 It is so easy to get caught up in all the negativity that's been going around.  Every one of us has

been affected in one way or another.  Some more than others, yes, everyone of us touched in some way.

Help where and when you can ~ stay positive ~ vent if you must ~ do make the time ...to feed your soul

enjoy,

k

Another Day... Life At the Lake Part II

Summertime has always drawn me to the water ever since I was a young girl.  While I don't go swimming for 8 hours a day like I used to.  I do long to be out in my kayak or any other floatation device that comes available.  

After pushing off from shore I was treated right off the bat with this Red Tailed Hawk looking for lunch in the shallow water.  From what I could see he wasn't successful on that first attempt.  But as I paddled away I'm fairly sure he managed to catch a snack or two.  

As I came around the bend I was looking ahead to where I was paddling.  But something made me turn my kayak around and low and behold I saw this Bald Eagle back tucked away in the trees.  He was eyeing me a bit.  It's actually kind of unnerving when a bird this large "eyes" you.  I had a quick thought - "hmmm... I wish I wore my hat!"  But he meant me no harm and I none to him.  I spent quite a while just letting the wind float my kayak along so I could observe him.  I was looking to see if there were any others.  I did catch sight of another eagle higher in the trees.  

I think both he and I were delighted to watch this egret and heron playfully catching fish together in the shallow water.  

After some time the eagle shifted his stance on the tree branch and put his back towards me.  Every now and again he'd look over his shoulder and see if I was still there.   Yup!  It wasn't my usual high energy kayak excursion.  Not much exercise with this jaunt.  But it felt so relaxing and rejuvenating just the same.

I thanked him as I was leaving.  I do feel that it is a special treat to be able to observe these magnificent birds!  Until next time my friend....

enjoy,

k

Life At the Lake

During a recent recce shoot I made a stop at Silver Lake in Tilton to take photos giving an overview of the area around the public launch.  After speaking with some kayakers heading for the water that afternoon I knew I would be coming back for a revisit.    

Jim and I put our kayaks in for a sunset paddle.  We meandered around the lake.   Many shallow spots offering lovely vistas of life at the lake.  It's a relaxing way to end the day - you can't help but take deep breaths and unwind.

As the sun began to set it made for wonderful light on my subject!  While I missed the "ducks all in row" shot behind Jim's kayak I did manage to get this one of Jim paddling along.  

A little further down the lake a few shots of a Great Egret and Blue Heron.  

This fellow played right into the early evening light...

   casting the individual feathers in his wings  into beautiful light

such lovely elegance ...

This fellow was having a late night snack

success!

...guess he wasn't into sharing

I will return for more....

enjoy,

k