If I Had a Million Dollars.......

The tiles, chairs, beams and bougainvilia make a perfect setting. The house is comprised of 3 Casita's making up this amazing Hacienda.

This may be the front...hard to tell from the photo. I love the simple lines of this house. It say's "come in...be surprised"

Look at the railings and the porch...this could have been built 100 years ago

Garden and patio

Living Room....amazing Mexican furniture, rugs and art. They didn't make it look kitchy trendy, just authentic to the style of the house without being too theme-y.

3 Casita's make up the Hacienda home.

Bedroom with tiled balcony

Kitchen with concrete counters and open shelving...love the floor tiles.

The owner clearly must be a chef...look at the knives, the sink....the stove...

Quaint sitting area. Love the fur rug.

Dining with indoor/outdoor feel

Poder room, mud room, ? Love those doors...

I love the Mexican tiles..authentic Mexican tiles Saltillo tiles sometimes have little doggy paw prints in them...which happens when thy are left outside in the sun to dry. Look at the faucet on the tub.

The doors and floors are fantastic and the rugs...

Arbor covered with vines...beautiful tile again and stone pathway

My favorite spot besides the kitchen. The bench is gorgeous. Note the shutters....

All photos from www.trulia.com HERE

If I was playing the "If I had a Million Dollars" game, which I am, I would have to talk to my mortgage broker about upping my budget so I could buy this house. The price is $1,190,000 so I am a tad over. If there ever was a house on MLS, Trulia or the like, that I have fallen in love with, it is this one. Built in 2003, it has been carefully crafted to have an authentic Spanish Revival feel. I think they've done it really, really well, especially the furniture and fixtures. All it needs is a pool. The location is fabulous...it sits on Snell Isle in the heart of St. Petersburg Florida. I am picturing myself in that kitchen with all my guests milling around in the garden. You can see the listing HERE

Sleepy dusty delta day........

I am sure many of you are off to a cottage or the beach this weekend. Whatever little abode you find yourselves in, have a wonderful weekend. And just to put a little "Ear Worm" in your head, have a listen to this Bobbie Gentry song Ode to Billy Joe from the 1970's. I guarantee you'll be humming along to this song all weekend. Click HERE to listen Ode to Billy Joe

If it rains this weekend, pass the time making up your own lyrics to the song.....(done that). The mystery of the song makes a PERFECT book club type discussion...sample questions you can debate around the campfire after a  few gin and tonics and the kids are in bed.

• Was she in love with Billy Joe?
• Why were the family so nonchalant in their discussion
• Mamma called her "child" a common endearment in black families in the South at the time. Was Billy Joe white...is that why their romance was a secret. Or was Billy Joe Balck and she white...it was the South in the 1970's remember.
• Why were the brothers not upset...they used to play with him
• Why the reference to the nice young preacher...did Mamma want the girl to date the preacher
• Why did the preacher mention he saw a girl "looked just like you?"
• Was Billy Joe gay? Many discussions on the song imply this.
• Had Billy Joe or the girl confessed to the preacher.
• Did they kill someone...maybe threw the body off the bridge.
• Was Mamma invited the preacher so girl could talk to him about Billy Joe.
• Did the family know she was in love with Billy Joe.
• If she was pregnant, why didn;t they get married...or if he or she was black in those days inter racial marriage was frowned upon.
• A lot of people think they threw a baby off the bridge...a secret from the family.
• If mamma knew, she was going to cover it up. Is that why she invited the preacher for dinner.
• Did the preacher know Billy Joe's secret.
• Chocktaw Ridge was the "other side of the tracks" (Nothing good ever came from Chocktaw Ridge). Was the girl from a wealthier family that frowned upon the people from the other side of town.
• He put a frog down her back at a "picture Show"...were they friends back then.
• What did they throw from the Tallahachie Bridge....

"Hello Breakfast Cookie"

When a cookie is full of fresh blueberries and lemon zest, and when it is somewhere between a muffin and a scone....a crossover cookie...if you will, it's perfectly fine to eat them for breakfast with a strong espresso or a piping hot tea. These cookies are light and slightly sweet and absolutely delicious. I made a double batch and shall drop a dozen or so off and various neighbors for their morning break. The recipe is HERE. I didn't have lemon essence so I used vanilla instead and threw in the zest of one whole lemon. Delicious they are, especially with a little lemon drizzle.

Flowers in the house.

I picked all my peonies. All of them.  Every year they get all dehydrated and battered by the rain and humid weather, so this year, I picked pretty well the whole bush. I took them at the bud stage when the waxy top has just broken to reveal the petal underneath, and they have lasted over 10 days. The scent is heavenly. I put them in an old champagne bucket I found at a lovely vintage shop. Only after I bought it did I see the engraving. Happy 50th Maureen and Ian. It doesn't matter to me. I figured it must have good ju ju if it came from a home with a 50 year marriage. The little green chair is one I've had for years. It spoke to me at a flea market one day, despite the fact there were no little ones in our house. I keep it here because my Sweet Mama can only use her left hand, so when she is here, it provides a little spot for her coffee at just the right level, where ever she sits. You can also sit on it and smell the peonies if you like.

Linking to Jane's Flowers in the House today. Pop over to see what bouquets and posies await you.

Ontario's Northern Bruce Peninsula.

Lion's Head. A cool mist today in the outer harbour.

Right by that point on the right, the water here in Georgian Bay reaches 400 feet deep,

Reflections resemble charcoal or pastel lines

The harbor is breathtaking. Imagine waking up on your boat looking at those cliffs.

Why I am not a sailor....i'm too untidy to leave things like this.

Our old cottage......I had to walk by and check it out. The gardens look the same. I wanted to go in and nose around, but refrained from knocking on the door.

Pretty spot facing the Bay

The woman who lived here became a good friend when we had this cottage. Many a chat on my porch and she was my garage sale buddy. She took care of our place for us. A wonderful lady. I've been by twice but she hasn't been home. Her dad build this cottage himself, hauling rocks from the lake and cutting his own trees. I believe he bought the land in the 1930's for $170.00

"The Bruce" as the area is known is a humble community. There are many ramshackle farms and falling down barns. It has a unique charm and "back in time" feel. I love the countryside up here.

Hey Girl, whatcha eating?

Gone fishing.....

We've spent the weekend in "The Bruce" as the Bruce Peninsula is known. An area of humble and beautiful farms, lakes, cottages and people. I love the down home feel of this area, where we once owned a cottage. I so miss our weekend drive to out little place on the Marina, and especially my morning coffee over looking the sailboats in the marina. Frenchie has enjoyed waking in the lake which is at an all time low level on the Lake Huron side. Camp fires and full moons and a constant cool mist over the lake are a welcome change from the steamy temperatures in the city this weekend. 

Mink.....I Think.

I was walking around the Lion's Head Marina this afternoon when a young man called me over to look at 2 animals beside the boat ramp. He picked them up and tried to stop them from falling over the side of the boat ramp. Apparently he had seen the mother carrying another of the babies to a new location. Luckily my camera was with me and I managed to get some shots. First I thought they were ferrets, but then a man came over and told me they were minks. He told me minks stink like a skunk and promptly proceeded to pick one up and make me smell it. AWFUL. Then it peed on him. Good thing the mother returned or I would be boxing them up and shipping to the Home for Abandoned and Unwanted Animals in Trelawnyd aka the home of John Gray. If you read his blog Going Gently you know what I mean. If you haven't read it..you should. 

Does anyone know IF this is a mink or maybe a fisher?