Finally! The inside pictures!

Well, I finally got off my butt and decided to publish the pictures of the inside of the house. Hope it was finally worth the wait!!


Kitchen in Ivy/Grape/Wine theme 


Kitchen Detail 


Bay Window with more Grape and Ivy 

The kitchen and Bay Window areas have a grape/ivy/wine theme going, and I think Barry did a great job putting up the accents. We had a great time finding stuff to put into the kitchen - apparently the theme is very popular because we had no trouble finding accents at discount prices.


Living Room 


Front Door to Back Slider 

The living room has a dark sage/maroon/tan color scheme. Originally we had a theme idea of TUSCANY! (it's important to note the exclamation point - think of Will & Grace and "JUST JACK!" when describing the theme). Since then, we're still pondering what we want in there, but so far there's only color, no theme. We have a great mirror with faux copper finish that will hang above the couch - the copper will pick up the copper in the coffee table frame, so that should be really nice when it gets up on the wall.


Dining Room with Countertop Table 

For the dining room, we picked out a gorgeous countertop table. Actually, while Barry loves this table, it's the only room where we have had disagreements. He wanted to turn this space into a TV room, leaving the living room for guest entertainment. But I really wanted a nice dining space for when we had family over for dinner. At the moment, our theme for this room will be Japanese/Oriental; he's gotten a really nice Geisha doll for the centerpiece, and has some wall hangings that we got at Disney that would look nice in here. Needless to say, our dinnerware will probably end up being black japanese-style plates.


Garage - see Barry's new car on the right? 

To finish off the first level, here's an inside shot of the garage, complete with both cars. Barry's brother, Steven, helped him purchase his new Toyota Corolla, which was a huge help. Having a car he can rely on for distance travel to and from work has sped up our discussions about Barry moving into the house. And if it wasn't for Steven, I would NEVER have gotten the garage door openers up! Thanks, Steven!!!


Master Bedroom - a mix of themes. 


Master Bedrom from the other side. 

And finally, here are the pictures of the master bedroom. The furniture we got at a Rhode Island chain called Cardi's, and we just love it. It's sort of a art deco style in a cherry wood, but we pulled a polynesian theme from the painting hanging over the bed. So we have a polynesian/palm/bamboo/English Colonial thing happening that's quite pleasant. The palm tree theme carries over into the master bath as well.

That's it for house pictures! Hope you enjoyed them.

Ahhh. The Sweet Smell of ... Roadkill?

UConn's Titan Arum - the Corpse Flower. 


My neighbor, Melissa, in front of the Corpse Flower. 


Why am I smiling? It smells like 3 day old roadkill in here! 

Well, I got to see the Corpse Flower that is blooming ridulously close to my house. UConn's Life Sciences Department has grown this unusual tropical flower from a seed the size of a Lima Bean. It flowers VERY infrequently (it was planted 10 years ago), and when it does, it's amazing. The flower grew from a small stalk to over 5 feet tall in less than a month. When the base of the flower opens, it emits a NASTY stench that smells like something died several days previously on the side of the road. In the middle of summer. *gag*

But this was a once in a lifetime chance to see something unusual. :) More information can be found on UConn's web site. If you don't see the link directly, you can search on "corpse flower" to find articles on it.

Where'd the Postings Go?

I think at some point you'll see many of the articles disappearing off of the web site. Where did they go? Well, blogging tools often "archive" older posts to a special area once a month. If you look on the left side of the web page, you'll see (eventually) a set of links for "Archive". If you click on June 2004, you'll get to all of the stories posted for June 2004 (duh).

Pictures of the House

For those who demanded it!!! Here are the long awaited pictures of the house. Pictures of the INSIDE of the house will be posted later when I have more time.


The Front from the Driveway 

The Back Yard 

Other Side Showing the Garage 
Here's a shot of the house and garage...you can almost see my convertible tucked away inside the garage...


The Other Side of the House 

Detail of the Front Farmers Porch 
Here are details of the side of the house, including the Farmer's Porch. I can't wait until we can find something to put on it to sit on! There's a Chimenea sitting in the basement, just waiting to be used, but we have nothing to sit on.


House as Seen from the Driveway Entrance 
This is probably my most favorite shot - that the house is almost hidden from the road. It provides so much privacy! For those of you who suck at playing "Where's Waldo", the house is sitting in the upper left of the picture behind the foliage... The North 40 is to the right. The picture is taken just as the driveway starts at the road - the mailbox would be on the cameraman's right...


View of the North 40 in the Distance as Seen from the Porch 

Close Up of the North 40 
Here are pictures of the infamous North 40 where I spend all that time mowing. :) So far, I've run into 2 snakes, a large ant hill, and a bunny burrow (yes, the bunnies are OK - I got to them in time - but not before my inner red-headed school girl shrieked when she saw something moving under the hay...).

Things to do - CT Wine Tour, Part 2

Barry and I took in the most fabulous winery this past Sunday - Priam Vineyards produces some of the best wines I've tasted so far - in Connecticut and in general. Their whites are fruity and smooth, and one of their reds puts most Cabernets or Merlots to shame. For $5, you get to taste seven of their wines, and keep the engraved wine glass as a souvenir! Plus, if you want, you can take a glass of wine ($5 for a full glass) up through their vineyards to a gazebo to relax and take in the beauty of the area.

Take Action - Write Your Senator!

The blatantly discriminatory Federal Marriage Amendment is coming up for a vote in the Senate. It is CRITICAL that you write your senators to tell them to vote AGAINST writing discrimination into the constitution for the first time EVER.

The Human Rights Campaign has provided a VERY simple way to write your senators online. You don't even have to know WHO your senators are to participate - the web site will figure all that out for you.

It only takes a few minutes, and the results will be historic.

Walking along Mansfield Hollow Dam

Mansfield Hollow Dam 

Mansfield Hollow Dam 

Mansfield Hollow Dam 

Mansfield Hollow Dam 

Here are some pictures I took with my picture phone while Barry and I were taking a 4 mile walk along an earthen dyke surrounding Mansfield Hollow Lake. The dyke is a very popular walking destination, and with views like this, you can see why.

You've Got Links!

Hey! Great achievement - I found out how to create and use a links section. :) Be afraid...I'm learning HTML... Ack!