Several have been very successful and indeed took on lives of their own, such as Virginia is for Lovers or I Love NY, but one of my favorites is this one:
As I cheered them on in their quest to eat all the mosquitoes,
Fern patterned linens also were tucked into my stash,
as were these pieces of “treble clef” flatware that seem more like
the unfurling fronds of a fern.
(hmm…I’ve been told that good writers never use alliteration but this description fits…)
The way life should be includes a pretty bunch of flowers on the table,
especially wildflowers. I’m always careful to pick only unprotected varieties.
But sometimes I end up on a quest to identify a new find. This is some type of sedum ~~ I think!! ~~ growing wildly about the marshes!
Does anyone know?
I hope it’s not invasive, as it is quite beautiful.
A few sprigs found their way into this votive holder ~~ a new and fabulous
color for this fall from PB!
They remind me of pine cones.
I collected quite a few. 🙂
Ribbons are handy for keeping twigs and leaves and sprigs of flowers together when the gentle breezes blow off the lake.
Ahh ~~ yes ~~ the lake.
~~ exhale ~~
~~ and back to the dragonflies ~~
~~ and the ferns, flatware, flowers and unfurled ribbon ~~
~~ the menu ~~
Maine lobster salad and wild Maine blueberry pie topped with
wild Maine blueberry ice cream.
~~~~
(you can see my other blueberry table HERE)
~~~~
My four-legged shadow, silhouetted against the lake, wasn’t interested in helping me, as her favorite family members had disappeared around the far corner of the cove.
In kayaks. Oh, dear.
She wanted to swim after them, but her mean old mom told her to sit.
Relax, Nellie! There they are! Two tiny dots on the right shore ~~ Will (hold tail with teeth and spin in a circle) and Mr. Fun (thump, thump)!
Can you see them?
Which means Charlotte (slobbery Nellie xxxx’s)
and The Boyfriend (hurry, find big stick for him to throw) are right behind!
At last ~~ all of the Fun family together!
The way life should be.
~~ exhale ~~
~~~~ Find your own state slogan HERE! ~~~~
~~ I would love to hear about it! 🙂 ~~
then please join me at
Let’s Dish
Tablescape Thursday
~and~
Fresh-Cut Friday
You are very fortunate to be in Maine! I love your photos and thoughts about Maine for we have been there in the summer and it is always so beautiful. The table set with the lovely bouquet and darling dragonflies creates a peaceful place to dine. Your pup will be so glad with all the family and feiends giving all their attention all the time. Our collies love the outdoors and parks especially at the house by the lake. Your state slogan should include Texas’ “Don’t Mess with Texas”! Have great Labor Day!
Pam
What a beautiful post! The lake is beautiful and your tablescape is gorgeous. I could sit there a long time and just take in the beautiful sights and smells of the lake and area.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Mary
Beautiful.
Just really beautiful.
I love that table and the words and scenery that go along with it.
I love the checks! The view is spectacular and best of all…the pup.:-)
Linda~ The lake view with crystal blue water takes my breath away! Maine is on my bucket list to visit, oh so picturesque and I’ve always wanted an New England leaf tour. Love your fronds-unfurling-flatware with your fern leaf placemats! Your beautiful pink blooms do look like sedum. Poor Nellie, left behind 🙂
A fun post Linda! Your setting is very pretty, love the fern placemats! Poor Nellie, waiting is torture… I really like PA’s “America Starts Here”, wish it was more popular:@)
Fun! Nothing better than throwing a stick for our 4 legged friends! Happy Labor day
Jenna
I can feel my blood pressure going down just looking at this post. How lovely to set a table by the lake! Love your napkin rings and the inspiration for purchasing them. Thank your for sharing your lovely life, as it should be for all of us!
This table is an exquisite as the view. Love the way you described the treble clef flatware. I have a set too, and now I’ll always look at it and think of fronds unfurling. ‘-) Nellie must have such a good summer with her family at the lake. I envy you a home in this perfect spot. Maine, the way life should be! The current slogan for TX is Don’t Mess With Texas, which a friend of mine coined years ago as an anti-littering campaign. I still like the previous one which was Deep in the Heart of Texas. 😉
I like that slogan too, Linda. Somehow, it sounds like we can do whatever we want and just relax. You table is so pretty, I love the setting by the water. Beautiful outdoor theme with flowers and dragonflies….Christine
Gorgeous. I would love sitting by that lake eating from the table with all your beautiful things on it. The ribbon tied flatware, so precious. I love those placemats!!And the wildflowers and your faithful companion. xo marlis
Maine is such a beautiful state! Love this table and the wild flowers are so gorgeous! I’m a dragonfly fan, so I love the napkin rings!
Your table looks so restful and peaceful. I’m so glad you were able to stash some tablescaping items in your car. Love their slogan.
– Alma, The Tablescaper
Well done segue. I love this table. I think that it my favorite of all your designs….great, unexpected elements…delightful! Thanks for inviting us for a peak. Cherry Kay
Your table setting is fantastic!Never been there but I can imagine whow lovely place must it be.
This is really lovely…those napkin rings are great!
The perfect location for a beautiful table!
Beautiful setting! I love your “uncurling fronds”, and I agree, that’s what they look like. I enjoyed your post very much! Visiting from Tablescape Thursday.
Blessings!
Kim @ Curtain Queen Creates
I love, love, love Maine! Truly one of my favorite states. You have captured it’s beauty and peace perfectly. I am your newest follower.
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
Having lived here for all but five years of my old life, I’m not convinced that it is Life as it Should Be; however, looking at these photos could almost convince me. Thank you for all the beautiful photos!
I loved your post and I love Maine! When we lived in NY we vacationed in Maine every year. So beautiful & peaceful at the lake. Your table represents the tranquil life every person should have living in the USA. Thank you so much for sharing.
Blessings My Friend,
I didn’t know that was Maine’s slogan! It is a great one. That is one beautiful spot I haven’t been to, but relatives from Connecticut who were just here couldn’t stop talking about it.
What a lovely floral you made and that picture of it up against the lake was stunning. Truly a beautiful, relaxing and inspiring table.
I wish Illinois had a different slogan . . . I mean, no disrespect to Abraham Lincoln, but where you do go from there . . . ? I also used my Treble Clef flatware this week! Great minds think alike! And I loved that you inserted your earlier post with the Blue Calico, which I used today. Your post is so relaxing I may become comatose just by looking at the gorgeous lake. Oh, you have those gorgeous dishes from PB. I love them! My dish addiction is not abating . . . (sigh) . . . Love your napkins! They are perfect with the dishes!
Beautiful post. Your tablescapes are always pretty, but the photos in this post were beautiful too. I love that one with the billowy white clouds over the water. The dragon fly napkin rings are gorgeous. I love the metal bucket filled with flowers, cat tails, etc. Looks and sounds like a perfect day. laurie
You have captured what summer is like at the lakes of Maine perfectly. Not only through your photos, tablescape but your words. It is so relaxing…I always hate to leave. Karen
Oh, I would like to be there! It sounds heavenly.
xo
Claudia
What gorgeous pics! Relaxing just to look at them. Love your dragon flies, your table is so pretty!
Today is Tumbleweed Tues. here. All the tourists are gone, and the local places have parties, lol! But it will be beautiful at the beach this weekend, quiet!
Thanks for linking to Let’s Dish!
Such an amazing setting! I adore the placemats and sweet dragonfly napkin rings. Gorgeous!
Hi Linda! I love everything! Your table is so lovely and the lake, oh, my goodness – it’s gorgeous. What a place to sit and just look! I’ve been to Maine a few times and am ready to go back at a second’s notice! 😉 Your little fuzzy face is so cute. My daughter has a lab and I know how much they love the water.
Thanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 😉
Linda, I love the blue water and the blue sky, but I especially like that blueberry table!
Thanks for helping me celebrate Blue Monday’s 5th Blogiversary!
Oh my…Your pictures are gorgeous…and make me feel to calm and relax. That matches the state’s slogan so well, that the way life should be! How awesome is that! Thanks for the link to the State’s slogan! Mine is “Find Yourself Here”! 🙂
I love the placemats and dragonfly napkin rings. I have the same napkin rings, and like how you used the tan and white napkins with them. My friends would like to retire in Maine. I’ve been to several parts of Maine, and it is the way life should be. It’s also very similar to my beloved Adirondack Mountains.
The bucket of flowers overlooking the lake is wonderful! Love your little Maine pillow.
oh my that was delightful! i was totally taken in and have always had a romantic wanderlust for maine, i have never been, but i know i would love it! if you live on the water like that you cannot imagine how much i envy you… i would adore that sweet sweet life you just shared… fantastic!
I love Maine –we enjoyed quite a few memorable visits there over the years! Your tablesape is perfect for such an outdoorsy place by the water.
Colorado has quite a few slogans — Colorful Colorado is one, and Rocky Mountain High is another. I do love it here in the “high country” but sometimes miss the ocean and fresh seafood –especially Maine lobster, which was easy to find in NYC.
Thank you very much for your kind words of condolence, Linda. They were very much appreciated!
Boy do I love those blueberry place-mats! And those dragonfly rings but best of all the state Linda and your menu..perfect~
oh gosh I wish I could travel whenever I wanted to, I would be back to Maine in a hurry!
Hugs friend,
Cindy
Beautiful setting!! I love those flowers… I have no idea what they are though. Very cool.
I checked out your blueberry table too…. Darling! Thank you for sharing with Fresh-Cut Friday! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
~Liz
Gorgeous tablescape for a beautiful landscape. Maine looks so relaxing!!
Fun and beautiful post. Maine is indeed…The Way Life Should Be. Love you table, the dragonfly napkins rings are perfect and the setting is magnificent.
Our state motto is “Georgia On My Mind”. I appreciate the link, yes, I did have to look it up. LOL! I figured it would have something to do with peaches.
xoGinger
This makes me feel cool and refreshed- as I sit inside under air conditioner. It is going to be 97 today-heat index over a hundred.! I love your beautiful table-everything is just perfect.
I feel at peace just reading your post…ahhhh! One of these day, I’m going to make it to Maine and enjoy lobster three times a day with blueberry muffins, scones, pie and cobbler. I thoroughly enjoyed your beautiful setting.
What a beautiful setting on the sand. Lovely flowers too!
You take the most beautiful photos and this was a wonderful post to read and think about. We traveled to Maine in the Fall one year and it was gorgeous. I live in the Sunshine State and we love it! We got out today for a drive and saw some amazing sights. Enjoy your weekend!
Linda, your beautifully photographed posts never disappoint! Such beautiful scenery around the lake. Maine has a lovely state slogan and I love how you created this post around it. Love the colors in your dragonfly themed scape, and I’ve always loved “treble clef” and your “fonds unfurling” is a perfect description. Nellie is such a sweet girl and I’m sure it must have been hard for her to stay behind! Love the photo with her. Beautiful post……..
Emily
The French Hutch