* Singles: Holy smoke!

Sea smoke on Casco Bay in early January on a frigid morning.  However, the cold temps created the beautiful sea smoke, deep blue ocean, bright blue sky, and a vividly white, snow-covered Mount Washington in the distance.  Feel lucky to wake up to this view -- love it.

* emilie inc.: Wedding of Juliette + John at the Harvard Club in Boston, MA

I was so excited for a December wedding in Boston at the Harvard Club.  It was a classy winter affair on a surprisingly warm day.  If it had been cold enough, all the rain would have been inches of snow!  But then again, bride Juliette and groom John wouldn't have been able to ride in style in the old Packard -- in mint condition -- from the beautiful ceremony at St. Cecilia Church.  A few years ago, the church underwent a year-and-a-half long renovation. It is stunning and a popular Beantown place to get married- Juliette's grandparents were married there. There was even a 9:30am ceremony before Juliette and John's afternoon wedding!  Reverend John Unni delivered a meaningful, refreshingly inviting ceremony, making everyone feel welcome in St. Cecilia, regardless of one's religious beliefs or choice to worship or not. 

Juliette and John sat side by side during the ceremony.  I caught John stealing glances of a radiant, giggly Juliette.  She looked gorgeous in the wedding dress she designed!  Fashion is, after all, this lady's forte, starting her own shoe company from the ground up called the Cape Cod Shoe Supply Company.  I loved her forward thinking with her dress, creating a beautiful, yet removable, embellished lace top layer that she plans to have made into a short dress she'll be able to wear again.  John looked dapper in his classic tux.

The rain fortunately stopped by the time the ceremony ended and we were able to grab a few portraits outside the Harvard Club.  Lots of car horns beeping and congratulatory yells and yays were showered upon the newlyweds as I snapped away at the busy intersection of Mass Ave and Comm Ave.  Two friendly gentleman playfully jumped into some of the photos and Juliette and John were great sports about it.  Really, it was all smiles all day for these two.

Jennifer Sepulveda and her team at the Harvard Club did a wonderful job with the celebration.  The venue is a busy place and when I showed up earlier in the day, it was decked out in balloons and kiddos for visits with Santa.  With little time for turnover, I was amazed when I arrived post-ceremony and the place was transformed into an elegant wedding reception.  The holiday hints around the Club were tasteful and I think put everyone in the wintry wedding spirit.

Cocktail hour was upstairs and the reception on the main floor in the grand ballroom.  Guests enjoyed a multiple course dinner and sipped on red wine compliments of Rocca Family Vineyards -- friends of the bride and groom, they shipped all the wine out from Napa!  Heartfelt speeches filled the room with love, reminding everyone how special a connection Juliette and John have with one another.  As formal as the touches were to the wedding day, the event itself was laid back.  Some traditions were honored like a first dance for the couple and a father daughter dance, but there was no cake cutting.  Juliette and John just wanted to enjoy a memorable night with their guests on such a momentous day.  Of course, there was dancing to a talented band, East Coast Soul, comprised of all Berklee or Boston University grads.  Funk and soul, and they even belted out my girl Whitney Houston!

The band was so good, I had to convince Juliette and John to sneak out for a few portraits of the two of them before the night ended -- all too quickly, I might add!  I didn't want the night to end either.  Not only because of the killer tunes, but because it was sadly my final wedding of season made a little more sweet by seeing two emilie inc. couples there, Juliette's sister Katie and husband Chris, and Scott and Hillary (who just welcomed a bouncing baby girl! Congrats!). 

Juliette and John, thank you again for allowing me to photograph your wedding.  It was the best way to celebrate the end of the 2012 season!  I hope St. Lucia brought you lots of continued celebration!  Congratulations on getting married.  What a way to kick off 2013!

Check out the emilie inc. blog for more photos from Juliette and John's winter wedding!

* The Shed gets a Christmas tree

I have made the effort to squeeze a little Christmas tree into The Shed the past couple years.  The Shed for those of you who don't know is my humble 285 square foot living space that I call home on Peaks Island.  I rent from two fabulous landlords, Skip and Andy, and we're just steps from the water. 

This year I decided to put my tree outside on my deck (which is also a killer new addition to my place this summer) and don it with white lights.  While I love the smell of a tree and the festive mood it puts me in for the holiday season, decorating it with childhood ornaments, and yelling at the cats to not drink the tree water or eat the pine needles, my outdoor choice was a good one. Three perks.... more available precious space inside The Shed, less maintenance / cat managing for me, and more tree admiring for folks getting off the boat.  You'll have to look hard though, it's quite small.

My fellow climber friend Jen and I excitedly went together to Skillins in Falmouth to get our trees this year.  However, we had the most anti-climactic, non-festive tree acquiring experience.  We were in and out with both trees in probably a record-breaking time of 6 minutes and 37 seconds.  So fast we didn't know what hit us until we got in her turck, had a laugh, and vowed to cut our own trees next year at her uncle's tree farm, provided the trees are ready.  We did each get a couple Skillins bucks though.

I should have known when I hauled the tree with one hand up Welch Street getting off the boat, that it was a small one.  I laughed when I stood her upright on my new large deck at how tiny she looked.  Clearly I'm still not used to so much space.  I plopped her in my large pot that housed my tomatoes this summer, but as I suspected the soil was not enough to hold her up and within a few days and a puff of wind, she was sideways and the plug for the lights pulled out of the outlet timer as a result of the fall. 

I proceeded to do what I knew I should have done from the start.  I dug out out my actual tree stand, loaded it with rocks, and installed a matrix of twine from tree to deck railing to ensure she'll last through the season.  I think mission accomplished... so far so good.

Despite all this, I have found it is still nice to have my Christmas tree outside and once some snow falls (pretty please!) she'll look even more festive!  (P.S. A winter shed-o-que / sled-o-que will be in order once we get a dumping of the white stuff!)  

So Islanders, get those binoculars out and look for the other tree down front the next time you get off the boat!  I'll try to get a larger one next year!  'Tis the season!

 

 

* Singles: Ice-O-Mat

Isn't she pretty?  (I couldn't even pick just one photo!).  I recently bought a vintage Ice-O-Mat at Goodwill in Mill Creek for $4.99.  The retro design, typography (more the name, than the type as I looked closer), and pea green color caught my eye an aisle away.  I immediately gravitated towards it, figured out what the heck it was, administered a mold and smell check, and made sure the steel blades were still sharp.  I cradled the top-heavy little lady in my arm like an infant around the store before check-out.  Can't wait to christen this puppy and make my favorite go-to cocktail of simply vodka on the rocks.  Here come the holidays!