Debra LaValley's Blog

Castle in the Clouds

Castle in the Clouds

Yesterday, I went with friends to Castle in the Clouds. We all have lived in NH all our lives and had never been. Even though it rained off and on, we enjoyed it very much. There are renovations being done in some areas – but most of the mansion was open. It was a very beautiful home. There was a pretty good view even through the clouds. I would like to go back again in the fall. Next year is their 100th Anniversary and special events are going to be planned.

We had a delicious lunch at the cafe located at the Carriage House. We ate out on the patio. The weather cooperated. It did not rain until after we headed back to the parking lot.

We saw Zeus the largest horse in the world (he is a Belgian) at the stables. He is HUGE!

Zeus

See my Flickr account for more photos.

Betty & Tom 7/14/1956

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Today is my parents’ 57th Wedding Anniversary! Congratulations! My Mom told me today that they were going together for 5 years before they were married. They also were Penacook High School’s Class Lovebirds Class of 1953 too! Thanks Mom and Dad for being such great parents’ and for all the love and great memories you have given us and the memories to come!

Love you! Debbie 🙂

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas C. La Valley

Molly 10/2008

Happy Birthday, to Molly!

I adopted Molly 10/8/2008. She was 14 weeks old. Her real birthday was not known-so I chose June 30th. She was one crazy kitten at the Concord SPCA and her craziness is why I picked her. She is always searching for food and has been on a diet since she was about 9 months old. She has a slow metabolism 🙂

She is still one crazy kitty. She is quite a bit bigger than she was in October of 2008. The photo below, I snapped today.

5 Years Old

My June 13, 2013 ART Concord Exhibit

Thank you to all my friends and family that came to my first photo exhibit. It was part of ART Concord and held at
the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. It was great fun! I have 15 photos (I am going to bring them one more in a week or two) on display until the beginning of October.

Stop by the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center! It is a great place.

Below is a self-portrait of me in a “Fun House” mirror there. I look like a bowling pin person 🙂

Star Flower

Photo Exhibit at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

Recently, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center contacted me and asked if I would be interested in being a featured artist for an Art Concord exhibit. The Discovery Center participates in Art Concord which is coordinated, etc. by the Concord Chamber. I am a member of the Discover Center and have volunteered there – so I was thrilled.

I will have 15 photos on display at the Discovery Center. The open house is Thursday, June 13th from
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM. It is FREE and open to the public. There will be snacks. It is casual dress. If you are interested in dropping by to see my exhibit and the awesome Discovery Center – please do!

I am very excited.

Have a great day!
Debbie 🙂

Coffee Jello

Coffee Jello – Yum!

Today at work, my department had a luncheon, and one of my friends brought in a jello cake (that will be a recipe for another day). I started talking about coffee jello that my mom used to make. It was delicious. I love coffee and drink it black. My mom told me that Nana made it often. I remember my mom’s saying her dad loved coffee jello.

It is easy to make, delicious, and low calorie! There are quite a few recipes on line for coffee jello. Below is one that I copied and slightly edited. Click here to see the original recipe that I copied.

Ingredients
2 (1/4 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold coffee
3 cups hot coffee
1/4 cup sugar ( or up to 3/4 cup according to desired sweetness)
1 pinch salt

Directions
In a large bowl combine gelatin and cold coffee.
Allow to sit 10 minutes to soften.
Add hot coffee, sugar and salt; stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is clear.
Pour into individual serving dishes and chill till set.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream. (My mom always served it with milk poured over it and some sugar sprinkled on top.)

My mom also had a simpler recipe written down that she just gave me over the phone:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 1/4 cups leftover strong coffee
1/3 cup sugar

The directions would be similar to the first recipe.

Now I am hungry for coffee Jello! I don’t have any unflavored gelatin – so I guess I will just make myself a cup of instant decaf (disgusting – I know) – but any port in a storm.

Enjoy your evening!
Debbie 🙂

Albino Squirrel

Yesterday – I saw the albino squirrel running around in a yard on Lilac Street.(I saw it a couple weeks ago too). I never tire of seeing one. I have heard there may be two in the neighborhood. I would love to take a photo of two of them together. We first saw an albino squirrel at my folks’ house in 2003. It came around all summer. In 2011, another albino was seen at my folks’. We also saw it down the road and last year also saw on off and on. 2013 – it appears at least one is still around.

Click here for Albino Squirrel Video that I took.

Waxing Gibbous Moon 🙂

I love the moon! Tonight, there was a waxing gibbous moon. It was beautiful. I took my new camera out (Nikon D5200) and my Sigma 150-500mm lens and snapped some shots. I was too lazy to get out the tripod -so the shots were hand held. Not bad at all.

Have a great evening everyone!

Debbie 🙂

How Sweet it Is!

Ledge Top Sugar House – Open House

This weekend is Maple Sugar House Weekend and many of the state’s sugar shacks are holding open houses. Ledge Top Sugar House is just one street over from me and has the BEST maple syrup. I went there today with my mom, Ken, and Dorothy. We had homemade donuts, Maple syrup samples, and real Sugar on Snow. There is nothing like syrup that has been boiled until it is thick and poured over cold snow. It is like maple “caramel” … YUM!

Real March Madness 🙂

Dippy-Doodle

Delicious!

If you live in the area – I believe they are open tomorrow to! They are on Oak Street (street next to the old fire station – up the hill on the left)!

Meet Toby – My Parents’ New Puppy

My parents went to a Canine Commitment Foster Home today in Manchester and picked Palmer (now known as Toby) to go home with them. Toby was born 6/13/2012 and is from Mississippi originally. He is a Pug/Mystery mix. Toby is very friendly and seldom barks. He loves people and loves to snuggle! I think he is the perfect addition to the family and for my folks. He is about 13 pounds.

More photos:

Toby w/ his new mom

Toby w/ his new dad

Hi!

He has a deformed front paw (only 3 toes) but walks fine.

Comfy or what?