If I won the lottery....

I would be living here.....

Yeah, I know....

looks pretty nice...

and BIG!

Well, it is on the market as I type,

for 

2.4 million dollars.

Yeah, I know....

What a view!

front porch view of the water (off Nags Head, NC)

rocking chairs and swings....

I might lose the carpet....

but I would keep the shabby chic furnishings....absolutely.

(maybe a few slipcovers though)

Built in china cabinets, 

a table that seats 10 comfortably,

extra chairs at the ready...

and look at that ceiling!

OK,

here is where we need a little imagination,

honestly, I would probably "cut-loose" with the reciprocating saw in here....

but it has huge potential, and is incredibly large!

LOOK

at the size of these bedrooms!

I know most people would tear out the paneling 

but, I grew up with beach houses that looked like this,

so, to me this looks comfortable, homey and easy to live with....
also, check out the door knob...I'm just sayin'.

shabby chic before it had a name....

windows galore!

and look at those sweet

custom bedspreads from the 1960s...
rick rack!

I'm telling you, 

I am in love...

I can almost smell this attic...

remember how grandmother's attic smelled?

AND

look-see

a place for the children to stay comes with!

Honestly,

I think I could be very happy here,

don't you?

Well, if you have the 

dough.....you can check it out for yourself

RIGHT HERE

But if you do,

remember who told you,

and invite me for a week or two, ok?

smiles....


Photos are from "Village Realty Outer Banks"

Thank goodness for IKEA!

Yes,

I am an IKEA fan....fanatic actually...

Last month,

as my sweetie and I packed the 

FIT for our beach trip

I loaded linens

into my EXTRA LARGE

LLBean tote bag.

Queen sized sheets for one bed,

and King sized for the other, 

how apropos....

Then, 

on a whim,

I grabbed the un-used 

Queen duvet and shams I found 

in the "As-Is" department at IKEA.

I had not found a use for them at home,

but thought they might come in handy

at the beach.

As anyone who rents beach houses knows

you must think carefully when 

packing linens.

You just never know what you will find.

When making our reservation online this year,

I noticed that the "Queen" in the 2nd bedroom

looked rather "Full" sized.

So, I called to confirm

and was assured that indeed it was a 

Queen.

OK,

so I included a little more linens than 

I actually needed.

When I made the beds,

I didn't use the duvet......

but thank goodness I brought it!

The couches in our rental were 

flithy.....very.....really....

I am not squeamish normally,

we have three sons

I know dirt.....dirt can co-exist with me, no problem...

But 

this was awful....

sticky, even.

We didn't have the inclination to 

complain.

The rest of the house was lovely.

The kitchen was well equipped...

Bathrooms were clean and freshly painted...

The decks sported chairs of different heights and widths..

The beds were comfortable...

so,

we weren't in mood to trek down to the rental office

to complain.

Instead,

I wrapped the couch we wanted to use

in the duvet,

and draped the arm rests with the shams.

Wha-La!

Happy time!

In the future,

this duvet set will be standard issue for our beach trips

smiles....

How do you spell relief?

This is how I do....

B  E  A  C  H   T  R  I  P!!!!!

Yes, all English majors can roll their eyes now...

I know....

My sweetie and I went to our fave beach recently and 

had a wonderful time...

eating,

sleeping,

reading....

more eating...

more sleeping...

and of course,

more reading......

We did adult stuff too

like 

sight

seeing...

smiles....

These first three were taken with my iPhone using Instagram,

a totally addictive ap....

We were treated to absolutely terrific storms each day in the late afternoon

watching them roll in was mesmerizing....

And every once in a while, I managed to capture just a bit....

As usual, Brookgreen Gardens did not fail to impress...

 I returned home rested and ready to tackle some much anticipated projects...

but, 

each time I browse these images,

I feel my heart tug just a little,

to take me back to the beach...

smiles

More Londontowne....

If you ever are given the opportunity to 

escape your "work-a-day life"

and travel

Here is a tip...

try London first.

Not just because 

I've been there.

But, 

because

it 

is 

easy

for 

Americans.

And 

we do love

easy don't we?

This is 

Windsor Castle...

Home of the Queen

She wasn't "in"

as you can tell be the 

flag they were flying that day.

"Her flag"

only flies when she is in...

Yes,

tourists look the same 

all over the world...

Personally,

I like the little 

"crown" detail on top of 

her  coach-lights....

Maybe I will fashion a couple of those for my 

front lights out of papiermache'....

Not allowed through the front gate,

we had to go around the side to the 

"Pions Entrance"

(that's ok, I wouldn't have it any other way)

Below is a

slot (technical term)

through which they would 

shoot arrows, or weapons of any sort.

The small cross section is so that you can 

pivot your bow and arrow to the sides.

Not all enemies would be kind enough to stand 

straight in front of the slot apparently....

Now,

this surprised me...

a tropical oasis on the south flank 

of her castle...

Truly lovely...

Security was everywhere,

but not in an imposing way....

I felt quite safe.

The view is incredible..

the castle is on a small rise,

surrounded by flatlands.

Quite defendable I would imagine.

Below is an alien....

(that's what I call it anyway)

No!

I didn't get any closer,

I watch the Doctor

(Dr. Who)

and am aware of what aliens might do if bothered.

Below, a relative of the queen I would presume...

We were not allowed in this area either,

as you can see

it is being guarded...

As with any old house, 

one must constantly do repairs...

See the scaffolding on the right of this photo...

even the Queen has repairs...

And who doesn't want to have their picture taken with the

guards....these two shy middle-schoolers, my guess..

They don't allow photos to be taken inside the castle,

so back on the bus....

and a lovely bus it is...

Next time,
"Bath"
where we will smell sulfur,
eat fudge
and be grateful for indoor plumbing...
smiles...