Hannah in Denmark: Week 6 – Sweden
After my trip to Poland, I still had some free time and was looking for a fun day trip. Helsingborg, Sweden, was a 40-minute train ride and 20-minute ferry ride from Hillerød where I lived with my host family. My first impression was, "Oh, it looks...
Hannah in Denmark: Week 6 – Poland
Hi. This is Hannah writing about my final weeks in Denmark. Seven weeks into my stay in Denmark, I had a free week. From my first week in Europe, I started planning this trip to Poland. Fellow students were traveling to famous sightseeing spots,...
Afternoon Tea on Pigeon Hill
Hannah's first day home from Denmark yesterday felt oddly anti-climactic. After such a flurry of angst and anxiety to get her out of Europe, we suddenly found our selves at loose ends. Not knowing what to expect in the coming days, we decided to...
Adventure Interrupted
Today will be Hannah's last day in Denmark. Covid-19 has slowly eroded her study abroad program. Last week, her program canceled all travel outside Denmark (Normandy, Vienna, and Prague). Earlier today, we learned Denmark is shutting down schools,...
New to the Shop: Tufted Titmouse & Song Sparrow
A spare moment between other work has given me a chance to be creative again. My new Song Sparrow pattern and a redesigned Tufted Titmouse have been added to the SHOP. These two make 60 patterns in the Downeast Thunder Farm Shop!
The Shy Song Sparrow
A shy bird, the Song Sparrow is native to North America and can be found in most areas of the United States. Tucked into the woods the way we are, we are more likely to hear their song than see them. Enjoy! [sdm_download id="34881" fancy="1"...
A Cherished Family Heirloom Re-imagined
My grandmother's silver bangle bracelet is one of my favorite possessions. It’s perfect for me with the embossed bird design. I like to think it's a loon, but who knows. I wear it almost daily and have this nasty habit of unconsciously removing it...
Pull up a chair…
Pull up a chair and enjoy this morning's entertainment. Paul gave me a bird feeder for Valentine's Day. While the birds have been slow to enjoy it, not so for the squirrels! There were quite a few visitors today. This big grey. And his girl. This...
Hannah in Denmark: Weeks 4 and 5
The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a challenge for Hannah. Being sick when you're away from home is never fun. Pair that with the lack of familiar cold meds (a professor told her she needed to go to Sweden to get good cold meds), and it...
My Eighty-four Dollar Loaf of Bread
In her Denmark travels, Hannah has discovered the joy of dense, nutty German bread garnished with all varieties of toppings - cheese, meats, avocado, hummus, veggies - you name it. Her gastronomic tales (and texted snapshots) remind me of my...
Valentine’s Day Gift
When Hannah is away, I enjoy creating care packages to send periodically. Monthly packages to Denmark was not fiscally viable, so I had to plan and secretly send them along with her. Given her suitcase size and weight limit, I didn't have much...
Testing Table Paint Colors
I'm sure some of you already know about this cool tool, but if you don't, you're in for some fun. I've been pondering colors for my Re-modeled Discount Coffee Table. I like color, but admit that I'm sometimes heavy-handed with it. I've painted...
Our Re-modeled Discount Coffee Table
Before the holidays, I purchased this ginormous square ottoman to help extend the sofa. When Hannah's home it allows us to both stretch out comfortably for movies or The Great British Bakeoff marathons. The challenge then became what to do with the...
Hannah in Denmark: Weeks 2-3
Hannah has settled into her Danish routine. The six-hour time difference makes finding good times to chat a challenge, but thanks to the Internet we text and chat daily. She's learned where to find lunch deals in a city where hot cocoa costs $7....
The Charismatic Kangaroo
I loved this recent pattern suggestion given the devastating extent of the recent bush fires in Australia. So the Charismatic Kangaroo joins his fellow Australian, The Kindly Koala, as a free pattern. If you decide to make a Charismatic Kangaroo or...
Hannah in Denmark – Week One
One of my favorite past times is to explore old posts from Downeast Thunder Farm. It’s a cross between a diary, a project board, and a photo album. I can watch Hannah grow and change on these pages. It only makes sense to chronicle her time in...
Felt Loon at Cadillac
The inspiration for this project was a painted coaster I spotted in a gift shop a couple of years ago. My design has the silhouette of Cadillac Mountain in the background with a full moon. The day after drawing this design, Hannah and I visited...
Family Selfies
It's been ages since we had a family photo. I was determined to get one before Hannah heads off to Denmark. With fresh snow for the backdrop, I asked everyone to wear black and white. When I saw the photos I appreciated that although black and...
Winter Beachcombing
On an afternoon where the weather couldn't decide if it was going to rain or snow, Hannah and I headed to Schoodic. I did some beachcombing, playing with the iPhone macro lens Hannah gave me for Christmas. I managed to put my last one through the...
Our First 2020 Beach Walk
We welcomed 2020 with a walk at our happy place. It was a lovely day for a walk on the beach. Santa brought Hannah a crystal sphere for Christmas. We experimented with some refraction photography. The crystal ball, or lens ball, came with a warning...
A Snowy New Year’s Eve
An early morning walk on this snowy New Year's Eve. There's something so appealing about walking through virgin snow. Our cozy home. Snow does such an excellent job of hiding the yard and garden debris yet to be dealt with. This little guy might be...
Merry Christmas!
I always have so many plans for the holidays - things I want to create, gifts I want to make, ideas for decorating or baking. In the end, there's never enough time. And then I think, "next year." But, then, the crazy cycle starts all over again. So...
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
With Hannah in college, it doesn't feel like the Christmas season until she arrives home. My shopping is complete (please be on time UPS!), but we just started decorating and planning for the holiday. It's our tradition for Hannah and I to hunt...
The Little White Church
My dreaming and scheming for the WHRL Christmas Tree Festival left me with more ideas than I had time (or energy) for. One of those thoughts was a wreath filled with a village of little New England houses. I never got beyond the Little White...
Another Christmas Tree Festival Complete!
Another WHRL Christmas Tree Festival is over. it was a huge success for this little non-profit. I designed three Christmas trees, two Joyful Owl Wreaths, and a Mainly Moose wreath for the event. My first tree is this little upcycled wooden tree I...
