"Beautiful place, wonderful people!"

And so ended the story of your innkeeper making a bit of a fool of herself. See, we had someone famous who I just adore come to stay. I managed to be very professional for most of her stay but when I went to tell her how much I really really like her work, I'm certain I came off as a bumbling idiot. It's just that my mother, who passed away in 2000, was always the Queen of Everything and I was the Princess of Quite A Lot. She and I, and my sister, shared a love of Mary's work so I was just tickled to have her here. And she was gracious enough to sign the guest book, "Beautiful place, wonderful people!" My mother would be thrilled. Mary's website is chock full of great gifts and cards and fun things. And this You Tube interview talks about her very sweet books, too.

Garden peas get the credit for my making new friends at the farmer's market today.

I do like to browse every stall at the farmer’s market but I had made a number of purchases and my bag was heavy and I was planning to head back to the car and back to work when I caught a glimpse of carrot tops and sweet peas. Sweet peas--or garden candy--are my absolute favorites. A couple was running the eclectic stall—there were wooden cutting boards (or serving boards because they're really too pretty to cut on), vegetables, cards, jewelry.

I picked up the bag of peas and asked if she had more. No, she answered, she had picked some for them and this was all that was left. “Well, I’d like these please.”

“Pick a carrot as well. It’s a free carrot with every purchase, for nibbling on while you walk around the market.” The carrot, I will tell you, was a fresh-from-the-garden, giant plume of a tail, bundle of delicious orangeness. You likely know me well enough to know I do appreciate an accessory or two, a bit of craziness with an outfit, a scarf tossed over my shoulder. Enter the carrot plume. So I, while enjoying my carrot, browsed a bit more, and so, by browsing and asking Ann Flewelling, as she turned out to be, dozens of questions, I made an amazing discovery. She and Marnie Reed Crowell collaborated on a book, Beads & String, a Maine island pilgrimage, which they published via their press, Threehalf Press, out of Sunset, Maine (home of my favorite spot in the whole world). There's a sample at this link, or come to the inn and borrow the book, or buy it at the Island Heritage Trust site.

Another book to keep an eye out for is Kathryn Ma's All That Work and Still No Boys, winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award. I always say that we have the nicest guests--and we do--but we certainly have talented, creative ones as well!

Other notes from the guest book this week: "Great beds & wonderful breakfast!" "Thank you for a wonderful stay. We've enjoyed every minute..." I do have to report on a guest comment from June: A young could wrote, "Great place! The baby picture in 5 is totally creepy." I have to say we do agree with you and finally have retired her to the attic. Perhaps our ongoing historical research will reveal who she is and I can find her a less "creepy" place to hang.

And if you had been here this morning, you would have a strawberry-lemon sorbet (with strawberries from Homewood Farm, just outside of town). And then chocolate currant scones, which were out of this world delicious. Egg dishes this morning included scrambled eggs with Stonington crab meat and sauteed leeks. Mmmm, mmm! If you aren't being served three-course breakfasts where you are, come see us!

This last photo is a snapshot I took when I was showing some friends the granite walled cemetery in Sedgwick. The first gravestone dates to 1835, very near the time the inn was built. Let me know if you're interested in seeing it and I'll let you know where to find it.

Our strawberry patch produced a whole pile of berries today! I hope your July is as delicious.