Eye Candy Friday.

An unexpected thunderstorm blew through our neighborhood yesterday evening. It left behind a most-welcome sign of hope,

rain-washed blooms

and bright blue skies.

Happy Friday, y'all! and to you mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!

Eye Candy Friday.

Partly in response to all the favorable comments about yesterday's blue sky blooms and partly because I know many of y'all are expecting snow in the next couple of days, I thought I'd share some more April Eye Candy.

I'm pretty sure the photo I shared yesterday is a wild azalea. Here's that same tree with its neighbor

and a portrait shot of those orange blooms.

These are the azaleas at the front of our neighborhood. I took these photos yesterday morning, anticipating that Masters-focused post.

From this morning's walk, here's the snowball viburnum I shared in Tuesday's March recap (this is what the "green hydrangea" turned into!)

and last - but by no means least - cherry blossoms. These blooms are showing up everywhere right now ... and our church grounds are covered in pink! When I left my small group meeting this morning, the light was just right for the pink

and one more #blueskybloom!

Wishing everyone a bloom-filled blue sky kind of weekend, with light, bright Spring-like thoughts (especially all of you who might see snow instead).

And a special shout-out to Carole who is running for Selectman in her town; tomorrow is election day and I know she appreciates all our support!

Eye Candy Friday | Stole 2.0.

Oh my, y'all. The seemingly-endless stockinette finally came to an end yesterday morning. After a nice soak and an overnight dry on the floor, it's ready to share. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. the colors pop! (even on a cloudy day)

the drape.

that subtle alpaca halo.

and the size. It blocked to about 86"x23", which gives me options for how to wear it.

I thought I was adding length and width (see all my notes on Ravelry here), but I'm glad it ended up just being length; it doesn't need to be any wider.

I predict it's going to get a lot of wear on our trip!

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Eye Candy Friday | An Evening in the Garden.

Karen, Lydia, me

Yesterday evening, my sister Karen and sister-in-law Lydia joined me for Cocktails in the Garden. It was our first time attending the event (which is held weekly during the summer), and it might be my new favorite Thursday evening activity!

Lydia and I arrived a little before 5 - just in time to get in a few photos before the skies opened up.

Thankfully the restaurant was happy to accommodate us a little early.

Karen joined us and we enjoyed a delightful bottle of rosé along with the cheese and charcuterie plates. I didn't take any photos of the food, but here's the skyline view from our table on the (covered) rooftop.

By the time we finished dinner, the rain had stopped; it turned out to be a lovely evening.

We wandered around and had as much fun looking at the garden as the people!

I love using Waterlogue for "street scenes"!

I took my camera bag with all three lenses, not sure what I'd want. I started with the 50mm and switched to the 24mm after dinner. A few of these photos, including the selfie of the three of us, are from my phone. I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable behind the camera which is a good thing - there are only two more Fridays before the trip!

Wishing y'all a wonderful weekend!

Eye Candy Friday | Mosaic and Lace.

spoiler alert!

...and happy Friday! I've shared a few in-progress phone photos here already, but the finished project deserved the big camera (with the 50mm lens) and an Eye Candy post. This shawl was fun to knit - even the picot bind-off, which went surprisingly quick (I finished it before Federer won his second set on Sunday) - and the results are stunning.

Enjoy the weekend!

Eye Candy Friday | Another Morning in the Garden.

Any morning that starts with this view is bound to be a good one!

...and we ended with this. I taught Charlie the proper way to eat pizza - point first! He was a quick study 😉

In between, we visited the Botanical Garden for Story Time and a quick walk to the big lawn for some exploring and camera practice.  Quite unlike our last visit, the sun was shining and the sky was clear and blue.

I used the 24-105mm f/4L lens (with a hood, but no filters). It's a little big - and heavy - for being out and about, but when it's just me and Charlie (no stroller, no diaper bag), it's manageable. I love how versatile it is!

The garden is really a fun place to practice. But of course, the best part is sharing it with Charlie!

Happy Friday!

Eye Candy Friday | A Morning in the Garden.

The Botanical Gardens feature prominently in my summer bucket list - not only to practice with my camera* but also to explore and play with Charlie. Tuesday morning, we did all of that! Katie took the day off, so we went with both boys (and a whole trunkful of gear :-)

There are morning programs in the newly opened Children's Garden every day. Tuesday is Garden Playtime with "hands-on learning and sensory stations."  There were at least a half dozen stations with real bugs, play dough, and hidden "bugs" for the children to find.

We thought Charlie would enjoy the Splash Pad, but I think it was his least fun activity of the entire morning!

iPhone photos - I didn't want to get my camera wet

His favorite activity just might've been the Family Restroom. He and his mom visited the Yellow Door and the Green Door ... and that's when I had little Sam and my finding light moment.

The main garden features The Curious Garden. It is indeed curious. and also very fun.

It was a very cloudy morning; the city skyline was barely visible. I certainly didn't have to worry about any sun flares! 

And we didn't have to worry about seeing everything on this one visit.  I'm already planning my next morning with Charlie and an evening with his mama and a few girlfriends for Cocktails in the Garden. 

Yummm, when I snagged that Cocktails link I saw those drinks - I'm definitely a gin girl, but I might just have to give vodka a try this weekend. That White Rose Kennedy looks awfully tempting!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ... and a few fulfilled temptations!

*I had the 24mm lens (with no filters) on my camera for the entire visit. It is a wonderfully lightweight lens for being out and about.