a little place in the country

On my recent road trip I took a little detour up along the Hudson River, and stopped at the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York.  It was getting late in the day, and so I missed the last tour of the interior of the house, but the building and grounds were just beautiful in the fading afternoon light.

 The building has such fantastic architectural details, shapes, and shadows.

And the gardens, even this late in the season, were still lovely, 

full of light and little unexpected treasures.

road trip

There's something about a road trip, no matter where you're going or for what purpose, that feels so freeing, so full of possibilities.  I've driven the route between Massachusetts and Maryland dozens of times, but the sights always intrigue me.

The Vince Lombardi rest stop (the first bathroom on the New Jersey turnpike) has saved my life on a number of occassions.  I have practically kissed the ground right at this spot on several trips where I got stuck in bad traffic in the city.  O Vince Lombardi rest stop, I love you so.

family homestead

I so love old and historic buildings -- for me just to spend an hour or so wandering around in an old house is to get lost in time and imagination, and is the perfect refuge from the busy world.

It's doubly enjoyable when the old house has family connections.  This weekend I had the opportunity to take photographs at the Benjamin Nye Homestead in Sandwich, Massachusetts.  Who knew, when I visited the homestead as a child  that one day I would live just a few miles away here on Cape Cod, and would be a member of the Nye Family Association Board?  I'm descended from Benjamin Nye -- my great-great grandmother Mary Purrington Nye was Benjamin Nye's great-great-great granddaughter.  That's a mouthful, right?  You can see a picture of Mary Purrington Nye and read more about her and her parents here.

Here are a few images of the homestead and grounds.

Nye cup plates in the window, of course

A chamber pot under every bed

An essential undergarment

School supplies

A reflection in a wavy mirror

Sewing

And a great piece of a larger sampler.  I like her attitude.

A bonnet at the ready, in case of an outing

And a roaring fire in the bake oven

The house, circa 1680s

 The mill, built later

And the marshes, turning gold just as fall arrives

You can see all my Nye House photos in a slideshow here, or by visiting my flickr page.

And of course, there's more information on the Nye homestead on the Nye Family of America's website.

the tale of the treasure

I've been so blessed and amazed to have found new friends and kindred spirits among the women who are part of the Mortal Muses blog.  There are 9 of us who embarked on this blogging adventure over the summer from across the country and around the world.  And now I've got 8 pen pals, 8 fellow photography addicts, 8 partners in silliness, and 8 collectors to share some treasures with.

So here's the tale of the treasure.  A few weeks back, Tammy posted some photos of lovely Florida shells:

When I spotted them on her flickr page, I left a comment saying that I'd love to do a "treasure exchange."  In exchange for a few Florida treasures, I would send her a box of items I've collected on the beaches and in the woods here on Cape Cod.

We wrote back and forth, and she even blogged about it on the Mortal Muses blog.

She got her box ready to send:

I packed up my little box, too,  and popped it in the mail.   I threw in a few little mini-prints for good measure, and  my Cape Cod  treasures arrived safely in Florida last week (you can read her family's reaction here):

And today, my Florida treasures arrived:

Aren't they gorgeous?  I will cherish them.  Thank you Tammy, fellow Muse, new friend.  xo