Wonderful video of skating babies (Evian commercial) . . .

Clingstone ~ The Old House and the Sea: maintained by work weekends . . .

CLINGSTONE, A faded, shingled 103-year-old mansion set on a rock in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, is one family's labor of love. It has been maintained for the past 47 years by working weekends in exchange for free lodging and food.

The Newport Bridge is visible from the windows of the Ping-Pong Room, to the left of the fireplace.

Casual array of multi-colored ping-pong paddles. There is time for play too!

The dining room table seats 14. Refinishing the chairs is a task on the list for a future work weekend.

Clingstone has survived through the love and hard work of family and friends. The architect owner (since 1961) says the house is always going to have rough edges. It's never going to look like the Breakers.

There are 14 photos in all that can be seen in this slideshow.

I was fascinated by this story when it appeared in the New York Times on August 7, 2008. I have been saving it for those of you who missed it. Enjoy.

Random photos I've been saving . . .

More photographs by many talented people in no special order with no words. Enjoy the beauty. Thanks for dropping by the cottage today. ♥Rosemary

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 110 + 111 . . .

Happy Monday. I had a wonderful weekend. Hope you did too. I did absolutely nothing constructive on Sunday with no guilt. My internal battery is super-charged and I'm ready for a week of work. Feels good. Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a visit. ♥Rosemary

...To be continued...

Blue-eyed Snake + Purple Coneflower . . .

Don't look if you are squeemish about snakes!

These two photos are not Photoshopped at all. They are right out of the camera. I was shocked to see the blue eyes on this snake when I uploaded the pics to my computer. I saw him stretched out in a sunny spot outside my living room window. I went out the front door to see how close I could get and the snake never even flinched as I got closer and closer. I'm told that when these snakes are about to lose their skin their eyes temporarily turn blue. I'm not afraid of snakes but am terrified of mice. Anything that eats mice is a friend of mine!

It rained almost all night and now the sun is shining brightly. My favorite weather combination! Have a great Sunday. Thanks for stopping by the cottage today. ♥Rosemary

Old Blue Eyes!

A genuine snake in the grass.

Purple Coneflower
This plant is very tall this year.
I am so happy I moved it to the back wall!

More saved photos for your viewing pleasure . . .

A rabbit cloud.

My favorite mud room ever. Love the shower for rinsing boots.

A nice no-nonsense country garden.

A "wild" yard.

An amazing antler collection.

I actually bought an old dictionary to do this.
So far, I can't make myself rip it up.
I love the look of these dictionary pages as wallpaper.

I love this ceiling treatment.

I love absolutely everything in this photo.
The paneled staircase wall in the best blue paint.
The natural floors. The color of the trim. Very nice.


I like this desk with all the cubbies.

The perfect country cottage bedroom.

Nice window treatment.

Such a beautiful kitchen. Wish I could see more.

Nothing says summer like an outdoor shower.

Off-duty lifeguard. This just made me laugh.
It was in an article illustrating photo manipulation.

HAPPY FRIDAY. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by to see more random photos. ♥Rosemary