Waiting for Lunch and an Aquamarine Necklace

Aquamarine Necklace
I was in a pastel state of mind when I created this necklace.

The sticks are aquamarine and the purple beads are natural lilac stone. They are so pretty and girly together! This is available at Etsy.

Clipper City Rail Trail
While Jim and I were waiting for a restaurant to open to grab some lunch, we took a little stroll in a part of Newburyport, MA that we have not walked through before. This was back on a gorgeous September day!

We walked under a bridge that leads to the beginning of the Clipper City Rail Trail. This area features various artwork. Here is a mural titled Newburyport Collage of prominent buildings in Newburyport painted by Robert Leanna.

This area is a harbor for fishing and recreational boating.

This red piece is titled Brushstrokes by Robert Lorenson. It is powdercoated aluminum.

My favorite is Peace Offering by Michael Alfano. This bronze sculpture has an eagle on 1 side.

There is a dove on the other side.

Set atop the steps leading to the rail trail is another sculpture titled Eclipse by Robert Lorenson which is composed of stainless steel.

There is just 1.1 miles of this trail so far, soon to be expanded. After viewing photos online, Jim and I will have to check out this walk which is full of interesting sculptures!

Was lunch worth the wait? Oh yes! Plus we wouldn't have discovered this trail!

The day was beautiful and we sat out on the deck at Michael's Harborside. This was a first for both of us...a watermelon feta salad! On the bottom is cucumber. Balsamic reduction, feta cheese and crushed cashews were sprinkled on top of huge chunks of watermelon. Delicious!

Thank you for stopping by! I wish you all a wonderful week! ~Val

Newburyport

Calcite Bracelet

 Calcite has always been a favorite of mine for its color. Some pieces have a lot of white milkiness which is beautiful. This bracelet is available at Etsy.


Newburyport
Jim and I took a ride up to Newburyport, MA on a Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago.

The downtown has tons of open space for strolling.

It is full of shops and eateries. While most are mom and pops, that is a Starbucks straight ahead!

Lot of antiquing!

If you don't have an Orange Leaf  near you I am so sorry! These are frozen yogurt shops that are less than a couple of years old in my area. I have no idea where they originated from but the concept is brilliant!

You get your cup and fill it with whatever soft serve flavor you would like. Mix, match, whatever! They even pair up flavors so they come out in a swirl! 

Then there is a massive toppings bar with the typical to non typical toppings! They charge by the weight!

We did skip the yogurt that day and went for The Grog instead. This pub has a delicious menu with an insane black bean and sweet potato burrito that is to die for!!!

We stopped in a great place with awesome stuff from the past.

This is an Annalee doll of Bob Cratchit from a Christmas Carol.  If you are not familiar with these I believe they were all handcrafted in Meredith, NH back in the day. When I looked on their website I was sad to see that it appears they are now made in China (although still designed here). 

We strolled the boardwalk too!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful summer week. It is crazy that summer is already getting close to an end! ~Val

Newburyport, MA!

Jim and I took a ride up to Newburyport, MA which is a quaint fun town to spend a sunny day! Ok, it wasn't exactly sunny, but we had a perfect day. We only got rained on when we were leaving!

We started at this cute little coffee shop that is off the main road. There are cushy sofas and chairs in the dimly lit back which we love!

Cappucino is always a treat for me when I am out since I do not make it myself!

We people watched in the center of town with gelatto!

We stopped at this cool antiques barn. They have everything and it is very entertaining to browse!


This Ford was sitting outside in the lot!

This town which settled back in 1635 is on the northern side of the Massachusetts coast.

The wealthy people dock their boats here in the summer! It is a beautiful place to walk along the water.


We grapped a bite at Not Your Average Joe's which is a restaurant with an eclectic menu. Here was the view from our outside table. It has a perfect view for people watching and gazing out at the boats!

Here is the view facing where we ate. So beautiful!

We stopped in The Black Cow where I had fabulous blueberry beer from the Wachusett Brewery (blueberries included)!

Here is a neat playground where you can hang out and the kids can play!

This dog was enormous....like a horse!!!!!!!! Its legs are almost as long as mine!

He appeared to be a gentle giant!

Restocked this week are clear lanyards in both gold and silver. These match everything in the wardrobe! Available at www.missvalscreations.com. These are great for wearing ID cards, transportation cards and more....and looking pretty while doing so!


Well I hope everyone who is celebrating has a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! I am looking forward to cookouts everyday with friends and family!!!! Enjoy! ~Val