Under the big top.

Last week, I went to a beach party in Rye, NH. I liked that the people who put up the party tent included three cheerful red banners at the top, evoking the look of an old circus-tent.

As the sun set over the water, the wind picked up and a bank of storm clouds moved in, making for a fairly dramatic sky. Before the clouds took over, I managed to snap this lone banner catching the wind and the last rays of sun...

All fired up.

This past weekend, I had a little bit of time in between other activities for some more after-party cleanup. When I washed the ashes out of the backyard firepit bowl, I was struck by the beautiful patterns that the fire had left on the copper...

Field day.

Earlier this week, I spent an inspiring day volunteering in a nearby city with about 3,500 others from all over the world. We revitalized the central city, building gardens, painting murals, landscaping, painting schools, building and renovating playgrounds, parks, etc... It was hard work, but also a very rewarding day full of fun people and personal accomplishments.

During the lunch break, we ate and relaxed in a nearby baseball stadium. As usual, I did some exploring with my camera...

No more tears.

I had a backyard barbeque party for about 25 people this weekend. We had a pretty good time grilling food, playing some lawn games, burning stuff in the firepit (last years' holiday wreath sent flames about 25 feet into the air--whoosh!) and just socializing in general.

While prepping the food, I was slicing up a red onion, and really liked the way that it looked all layered-up on the plate. I managed to snap this shot before my eyes got too watery!

Back in bloom.

I promised more garden shots a couple of weeks back. Here's one I took this morning during a break in the rain. This peony is just about ready to pop! I like the way peony buds are so compact right before they unfurl into huge blooms. I have seen some varieties with buds as big as golf balls!

Memorial mansion.

The sun finally did come out--just in time for a stunning Memorial Day weekend. I took a walk around downtown Portsmouth before meeting a friend for a drink at "the decks," and caught the Governor John Langdon House looking stately, and yet, a little bit wonky as well. The fence slopes downward with the road, making it impossible to line things up, but I actually kind of liked that... It seems to give this otherwise very serious historic site, a more "fun" side as well.

Fun fact: George Washington slept here! :)

May flowers.

Lately, it has been a struggle for me at times to maintain my generally sunny outlook, and the non-stop rain these last few days is not helping matters at all... But the upside of all this rain and gloom is that the garden is doing amazingly well. Everything is bursting with color--this photo absolutely does not do it justice. I'll try to take some more, if it ever stops raining...