A Fine Romance Book Signing

Martha's Vineyard resident Susan Branch is currently doing her book tour for,

 

'A Fine Romance'

 

Here's the books description:

 

A thrilling ocean voyage on the Queen Mary 2 from New York City to Southampton culminating in a two-month ramble through the charming backroads and small villages of the pastoral English countryside in the spring of last year is the subject of this delicious travel journal that Susan has painstakingly hand-lettered and watercolored in the way many of us have grown to love over the years.

Join Susan as she recounts her lighthearted ramble of discovery through the historical homes and gardens of art and literary heroes, along ancient footpaths, through wildflower meadows and fields of lambs, into tea rooms, pubs and antique stores. This lovely hard-cover book includes hundreds of photographs and a red ribbon sewn-in book mark. A FINE ROMANCE is a work of art, part love story, part travel guide and all dream come true.

260 pages; 6" x 8", with dust jacket. All books purchased from our web store will include a personally signed bookplate from Susan.

"A Fine Romance has everything you need to plan a trip of your own, including an extensive Appendix that will cross-reference with links on my blog. But in case you would rather stay home, comfy in your armchair, you should know that I did everything in my descriptive power to help you smell the breeze across the Yorkshire Dales, see the view from Beatrix Potter's bedroom window, and hear the clatter of teacups in an English tea shop." Susan Branch

 

 

You can look at her events schedule to go to a book signing if your in New England.

 



Hyannis

 

Article all about Hyannis, Cape Cod. A harbor Village with a Bustling downtown here.

Jackie Kennedy and The Duchess of Alba

 

The Duchess of Alba and Jackie Kennedy admire a rose garden in Sevilla in 1966 when she played host to Mrs Kennedy.

 

Pinterest

Kennedy Nanny

Marta Sgubin has spent most of her life caring for three generations of the Kennedy family, including Jackie Kennedy, her daughter Caroline, and granddaughter Tatiana, since arriving in America 45 years ago.

 

Italian-born Ms Sgubin was in her thirties when she joined the family to be the governess for the then 11-year-old Caroline and eight-year-old John Jr., children of the late President John F. Kennedy.
 

'John was a little rascal!' she revealed to ABC in a recent interview, referring to Jackie's late son, who died in a plane crash at age 38. 'He was always ready to do something to you, that you didn't expect. It was mischief.'

Ms Sgubin quickly became Jackie's close friend, and when the children grew too old for a nanny, she became the family's cook before taking care of Caroline's own children, Rose, Tatiana, and Jack Schlossberg, who are now in their twenties.
 

Nicknames for the grandchildren include Moma or Lola for Rose, Momo or Lolo for Jack and Lolita, Momina or 'The Golden Child,' for Tatiana; and for Jackie, it was Madam.

 

'Jackie had this personality, very classic, you could put a bag on her head and it was still good,' she said.
 

 

 

'I call her Madam because in French it's Madame and in English I took the 'e' out and it's Madam. One day she says to me, "Do you know what a madam is?"

 

'I said, "no what is it?" She said, "You don't want to know, but call me Madam, it's too cute".'

 

Tatiana, who calls Ms Sgubin 'a saint,' described her nanny as 'selfless, kind, regimented, and loyal.'

 

Recalling fond memories of Tatiana's late uncle, she explained how John once let loose seven black water snakes from the Everglades in the house to spook his sister and nanny.

 

'They were going from toilet to toilet in the house,' Ms Sgubin recounted. 'When I picked him up from school, he was just laughing hysterically.'
 

She said she loves the family like her own, recalling the deaths of John Jr. and Jackie with tremendous sadness.

 

'It affected me as much as it affected them. I work for them, but I love them. I love all of them,' she said.
 

'They were all very dear to me. To lose them was always a big loss. And that you have to deal with by yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'It's not to be together everyday that brings you close. It's the way that you feel about someone that makes you close, and the hard times you go through that make you close,' she said.

 

She recalled when time when she was homesick for her dog Pucci in France. Jackie gave her a portrait of a long-haired Dachsund and told her that they would have him sent across the Atlantic if she wanted him.

 

When she wrote a cookbook in 1998 called Cooking for Madam about the recipes she cooked for Jackie, one year before his death John Jr. wrote the foreword, in which he described his nanny as 'part of our family.'

 

It was after a long overnight flight across the Atlantic that Ms Sgubin, an immigrant from a 400-person village in northern Italy, arrived very late on the evening of September 7th, 1969 in Newport, Rhode Island for her first day of work with the Kennedy's.

 

 

She had previously been the governess to children of a French diplomat family in Paris, before taking charge of the Kennedy children, six years after their father's assassination.

 

On her very first night, she said she made a bold decision regarding the family's dogs had for years, been sleeping in the shed.

 

She recalls saying to Jackie's mother, Janet Lee Bouvier Auchincloss: 'No, those are our dogs, they'll sleep with me from now on.'

 

Her assertion was well-received by family, and almost 45 years later, Ms Sgubin is still with the Kennedys.

 

'I've never been intimidated,' she said. 'But I was happy that they chose me.'



Watch More News Videos at ABC | 2012 Presidential Election | Entertainment & Celebrity News

 

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Heritage Sands on Cape Cod

I was browsing and recently came across a new development called Heritage Sands, located on Cape Cod.

 

From their website:

 

Life at Heritage Sands is what a “Place on the Cape” has meant to families for generations.… A cottage that is your second home … Summer gatherings and weekend escapes with friends and family … A private sandy beach just steps from your door … Nantucket Sound sunsets … Coffee and the newspaper on a lazy Sunday morning … The backdrop for memories that will be shared by generations … A family heirloom.

 

Old Wharf Road was the birthplace of Cape Cod’s “cottage colonies.” Families first discovered Dennisport’s oceanfront campgrounds in the 1930s. Then year after year, family stays became longer, friendships with fellow “campers” became stronger, and Army tents evolved into simple cottages as families established their “place on the Cape” living alongside friends and family. These historic cottage colonies still exist along Old Wharf Road, and many of families that live there today have been returning there for generations. The qualities that define Dennisport’s historic cottage colonies could not be found in new construction … until now.

 

Heritage Sands combines classic architecture, hurricane-code coastal construction, smart design, energy efficient systems, and the community fabric that has defined Cape Cod cottage colonies. Cottages are clustered around common greens to create “pocket neighborhoods,” and crushed shell paths wind down to over 600 feet of private beach. A community clubhouse and pool can play host to larger family functions, inter-cottage water volleyball games, or a quick workout before a guilt-free day of lounging.

 

 

I contacted them, and it seems like there meant for 2nd homes, or vacation homes. Also there prices are $380k and up. A little pricey for us, but thought I'd share. 

Prints

 

There are some really fabulous prints on Etsy, with a Massachusetts map.

Aftermath of Nemo

Here are some beautiful images in the aftermath of Nemo taken by Alyson from New England Living. Take a peek at her blog here.