Witches and pumpkins and pups - oh my!

Halloween Post DAY1

My brother and sister-in-law recently trekked across this beautiful country to the infamous town of Salem, Mass. Jessica, my SIL, is a bit of a Halloween fanatic (which I love about her as I too was raised in a house of ghost stories and witch movies - Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic being two faves), so this was on the top of her list of road-trip-across-America. I insisted they take photos of the homes, decorations, and anything else festive they saw. What a great Halloween post, right? I'm not sure any other town in America goes all out quite like Salem. I mean come on, this is the town of witches, people!

And this is "The Witch House"- love that it's black and the trees are perfectly orange

The House of Seven Gables upon which Nathaniel Hawthorne based the setting for The Scarlet Letter

Love the basic architecture of the town's homes, many of which date back to the 18th century - nearly every home has shutters, a beautiful entryway, and many are painted in fun, festive colors

the photo on the right has an original water spout from the 18th century - it's a tower of cups or funnels, one pouring into the other, to let the rain drain from the roof.

pretty sure the photo on the right is the house from Hocus Pocus (not the main house where the witches fly out of the cupola, but the home of the love interest female)

love these two homes: orange and purple. it doesn't much more halloween than that.

gaw-geous! just gaw-geous!

everyone dresses up in salem!

And if you're in the mood for a good Salem/witches/magic read given the holiday, I encourage you to check out The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. The author "is a descendant of Elizabeth Proctor, who survived the Salem witch trials, and Elizabeth Howe, who did not."

Thanks, Ted and Jess!

Question for Comment: If you moved to Salem, what color would you paint your house?

(I think we all know my answer.)

Summer Escapes

With August's foot halfway out the door, you can't blame me for clinging to summer memories and thinking of ways to pleasantly fill the rest of my weekends before it's time to pull out the jackets. While I love the change in seasons here in Chicago, sometimes I daydream about living in a warm climate and waking up to the sun on my face day in and day out. But that'd get boring eventually, right? Yea... keep telling yourself that, Alaina.

Raining today. Dreaming that tomorrow I'll live somewhere like...

...this.

Maine coastline
Nantucket
I want to sit here with my best friends and a glass of lemonade. Or a margarita.
Love lighthouses.

I have no doubt there is a view of the ocean on the other side of this house.

I love how grass surrounds this pool instead of stonework.

And when water is not around, I'll take a gorgeous garden in which to frolic.

Out of a storybook, no?