It's All His Fault

And his -

Whether having a bath near the kitchen sink -

Or just hanging out together in the den -

-these two brothers resulted in my very late post.  They are of course grandson #1 and brand new grandson #2.  I had the great joy of being able to stay with both brothers and their parents for ten days.  Obviously, my duties did not include blogging, but I thought of this post while proceeding with my grandmotherly duties.  One "duty" (with great conversations about dandelions and Indians and nursery school projects) was walking brother #1 to and from nursery school.  Since this very sweet family lives in a very sweet and quintisentially New England town, I loved seeing the many colonial homes in all their spring glory on our walk.  Below are a few of my favorites I wanted to share with you.

The dogwoods were in bloom everywhere.

Liked the concrete fence posts and front path.

This was a small but very charming house.  I could have moved right in.

Door knockers and potted plants on either side of front doors inspired me.  Would have loved to capture close-ups of door knockers, but feared the owners would think I was a mad hacker.

Not a reproduction home but an original early colonial across the street from grandsons' house .

While strolling with the baby, I discovered this very pretty garden just down the road.  Lilac tree is so pretty.  (This garden and house were quite charming but would have been more so if the house wasn't red.  Just an opinion, but  red houses seem to clash with vegetation.  If the house were white, or gray, or taupe, everything would have appeared even prettier.)

Red or not, I  still found it irresistible.

Much nicer weathered color.  Looks like it could house "Little Women".

Isn't this a great dogwood!

Looks so wonderfully weathered.

Home of the happy little family.  They want to paint the house white (I like the gray) and the front door black (I'd love that), but have not yet had the time.  My daughter-in-law and son have very definite tastes and thankfully agree on their design aesthetic.  One quiet afternoon, while talking with my daughter-in-law, who once worked for a design firm, I told her what a great job I thought she had done thus far on their home.  She refuses to compromise her aesthetic and buys the best she can when she can.  I asked if I could snap the rooms they had done thus far and she agreed.

In the den is the new bookcase she designed and my son built.   Go team!

Directly opposite with sofa and chairs flanking it is the den fireplace, present when they bought house.

Living room velvet sofa and tables with seascape purchased when they lived in Boston.

New-ish chairs opposite sofa.  Don't you love the wall colors she chose?

Living room fireplace opposite the seascape with a tiny peep into the kitchen.

Chest/bar area in living room corner.  

View out the dining room/playroom (for now) window.  Please note the turkey passing on by.  My grandson and I spied them at least three times during my visit.  Actually, not very graceful creatures but fun to watch and listen to.

In the town center is a floral shop I love.  After ice cream with my grandson, we ventured into this shop for Ama's (me) edification.  My grandson was anything but thrilled with my mission, so the following shots were taken quickly and edited significantly.

Tiny pansies that say spring.

This shop always has beautiful arrangements but may have been a bit weary from mother's day traffic.

Quick view of cherry blossom branches (I think) near the check out counter.  In the foreground are just  a few of their orchids with a wonderful vessel atop very funky column.  I really love this store.

Thus you have had a brief glimpse into my ten days with the dearest family in the world.  I was happy to be there and now am happy to be home again and back into my routine.  Still, I wonder what discussions might have transpired on future walks, and talks, and wonder if the baby has smiled yet.

Next time, one last Saladino post and then I'm done with "warm and cozy" and onto southern climes and southern designers.  Stay tuned.

Ama/b