Some Good News

The past few days and weeks have held some pretty grim news on the economy and then with natural disasters. I think it is about time to share some items of good news.

From Texas

My brother Jack and sister-in-law Linda evacuated their home for the second time in three years last week. They live in Lake Jackson, Texas and the area was to receive the full force of Hurricane Ike. They returned home Monday to find minor damage to their house. They spent that afternoon and yesterday cleaning debris from their property and helping their neighbors do the same. They had purchased a generator earlier in the month and set it to run while they were away. When they returned home, the items in their freezer were still frozen and the items in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator were starting to thaw. So, they cooked it all up and shared with the neighbors. As Jack said, "We were blessed."

From Washington State

I received an email yesterday from one of my dear friends in Spokane. She was emailing with an article she knew I would be very interested in reading. It was about another friend receiving a prestigious award. My old friend Gary received the NIH Senior Scientist Award (article is linked here). WOW! How cool is that? This guy is the spouse of one of my sorority sisters. He was named the sorority sweetheart when were all at Idaho State University. Actually, Gary was kind of a sorority brother. He was and remains one of the smartest people I have ever met. He also has always been one of the hardest working, least pretentious and devoted people I have ever met. And, he is one of the funniest, no probably the funniest person I have ever met.

In the world of higher education there is all too often an elitism that curdles my stomach. What a breath of fresh air Gary brings with his dedication to his research, his researchers, his friends and his family. To him it is not the initials after the name that are important. It is that progress can be made. And, this he has done.

Academic, scientist, devoted family man, funnyman and FRIEND – Congratulations, you are truly deserving.

From Virginia and Delaware

This is a picture of a just completed project I have been working on for most of the summer. This tiny little sweater and cap are for our first grandchild who is scheduled to arrive the first week of December. Now that I have finished knitting the sweater set, I think I will move on to making some swaddling blankets. They will not take as long and will fit for a longer time.

Erica and Geoff have started putting together many of the required items now that they have settled in their first house. They are both very happy becoming parents and have opted to have the gender be a surprise. Of course, Bill and I are elated and try to be cool about it.

Hanna Who? A Good Weekend Anyway

These flowers at Mount Vernon obviously like the sunshine that came Sunday after Saturday's deluge from tropical storm Hanna. Since I had an appointment in Baltimore on Friday we checked with Erica and Geoff to see if we could impose on them for the weekend. The original plan for Saturday was for the four of us to take the dogs and go to the distillery at Mount Vernon. However, the rainy weather on Saturday made us decide that that would not be a good idea. The rain started somewhere between 10:00 p.m. and midnight on Friday and continued through 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. At times it fell in what seemed like steady streams. The wind was not much of a factor but my oh my was it ever wet outside.

Deciding not to call the whole day a loss, Erica, Bill and I went to see Afghanistan Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul at the National Gallery of Art. The exhibition has been in Washington since May 25 and was closing on Sunday. The National Gallery of Art is always a wonderful place to visit. I love to visit the tower where the Henri Matisse Cutouts are displayed. The color and simplicity make me happy, especially in a tropical downpour. From there we went to the Afghanistan exhibit. What a thought provoking and beautiful exhibition this was to see. I do not have photos. There are several websites that show some of the items and tell of the bold steps to preserve the culture of the country.

Sunday was a beautiful day so Bill and I headed for Mount Vernon. We decided to take in some the exhibits on the way to the mansion even though we planned not to visit the mansion. The estate still is a working farm. There are sheep, cows (these are the animals I have seen so far), gardens and some small field crops. The sites we took in on this visit included some slave quarters, the shoe makers shop, the "archeology and restoration" museum, the back porch of the mansion and a couple of the gardens. In the scheme of things it was not a lot but being able to go at my slow pace and enjoy the scenes was wonderful. Of course, we will return and take in yet more of the estate.

This restoration of the "Dove of Peace" weathervane on the mansion was in the "archeology and restoration" museum. I am such a fan of representations of the dove. The museum was small but had some very interesting items including how the columns of the mansion are painted to appear as they are made of stone. This was a money saving effort ordered by Washington.

This picture was taken from my favorite (to date) spot on the estate. The first time I visited Mount Vernon was in 1999 when Geoff took me on Columbus Day. We had just been through the mansion and came outside to sit on the chairs situated on the back veranda. There one has views as this one. When Bill and I visited yesterday we came to an open pathway and sign that indicated we might be able to get to the porch without going through the mansion. This is but one of the pictures I took from the chair I sat in yesterday. Bill, who has visited the mansion before but had not come onto the this area before was delighted with the views.

It was hard to leave that spot on the Potomac but we had to proceed with our trek however slowly. We somehow managed to miss an upper entrance, if there is one, to the garden we had chosen to visit. So, we backtracked a bit. Some of the plants were showing signs of the fading summer and torrential rains of the previous day. There still were some beautiful flowers to be seen along with butterflies, bees and the like. Here are some more of the 170+ unedited pictures I took last weekend.

Capturing the images of this butterfly was the highlight of the day.

That is until I was able to get one of a bee.

I love the red of this plant.

Another butterfly. I must research to identify.

This one flew rapidly from flower to flower.

Another butterfly.

…gossamer wings.

Sheep seeking relief in the shade and enjoying a friendly pat.

It was a good weekend.

Summer is Winding Down

It is still officially summer and that is what it feels like outside. It isn't that it is so warm (high 80's), it's that it is just soupy. I truly do not care this. So, I am really looking forward to the autumn. I can honestly say that I miss cool nights and mornings. With all of that aside, however, it has been a pretty reasonable summer. Sure, we have had some very warm days but we have also had very pleasant days as well. There were fewer of those mornings with heavy, steamy fog than last year. For that we are grateful. We haven't been out and about as much this summer as last but we have enjoyed the concerts in the park and being involved with some of the Milton Lions Club activities. This picture is of several of the members at the end of a busy day on August 23. Running the Milton Clipper Express is a favorite activity. That day the club also sold funnel cakes and had a car raffle table set up in the park for one of the annual town activities, Bargains on the Broadkill.

There will be two more concerts and then we put the train away until May. I love projects like this because of the camaraderie of the members and most of all for the joy that they bring to young and old. The Carousel in Missoula, MT was also such a project.

Update: On a sadder note, our lovely nest of three beautiful blue eggs was abandoned. I am pretty sure that they are robin eggs and it was about the time of that post when I last saw any robins in our vicinity. The nest and the eggs appeared very late in the season. There would not have been much time for little ones to mature.

A Little This and That

Earlier I posted that I still have trouble with the time changes since moving from the west coast to the east coast. I have now come to my own conclusion on why so many westerners think easterners are surely and unfriendly. Frankly, we are tired! Take Monday Night Football as an example. If you are watching in Seattle it starts at 6:00 p.m. In Milton, Delaware it starts at 9:00 p.m. That means it is after midnight before the game is over. The same is true of the political conventions. I have for as long as I can remember liked to watch the conventions (both). However, in our "Must Play to Prime Time" mode the happenings are condensed to those few hours when most people in all of the country will be viewing. When the speeches and all end for the evening folks in Pacific Time have time to go out for a nice late dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening. Folks in Eastern Time scramble to get some needed sleep before the grind of the new day begins. Sometimes, time just gets in the way.

On another note, I should have posted special birthday wishes Monday for our daughter Erica. I was so frustrated that her birthday gift had not arrived that I forgot to post a message. She and Geoff moved last weekend. They just purchased their first house together. We are happy for them and know that they will enjoy it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Erica. We love you.

Memories: I was so pleased to hear from all the sorority sisters I sent an email to when I published my last posting. Only one posted a comment but I heard from all the rest. Email is wonderful for staying in touch especially for those of us who procrastinate so when it comes to writing notes. Memories and technology are very compatible.

Do You Remember?

The temperature today has been most pleasant. We just went to the Concert in the Park and heard 50's & 60's music. The cooler weather and sounds of the music made for a pleasant time. The music was most appropriate when I saw this car that brings back special times to me.

When I was in college only a very few sorority sisters and/or there beaus had vehicles. Our outings out were often adventuresome and when I look back after 40 years some of those outings were probably very dangerous. We were young, foolish, having a good time and in need of transportation. There we were at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho and we needed to get from one spot to another. Somehow we always managed but there were those moments that were more memorable than others. Mary, who was from Pocatello, was one of the few with wheels. To know Mary was to love her. She had an old Metropolitan. One very similar to the photo but her car as I remember was yellow and white. That car at its very best is a two-seater. I recall squeezing sometimes five bodies into that car. When it was crowded like that I did not ride with the others. Instead, I folded myself as compactly as I could and rode in the "trunk" area. All I remember is saying a prayer that we wouldn't be in a crash. I just knew no one would ever find me back in my spot.

Those were wonderful times and I am reminded of them whenever I see this funky little car. I wish I could still fold myself up into such a small space. Oh, well.

200th Post

I have been putting off posting this entry for some time now trying to decide whether or not I will continue with it. There have been so many changes in our lives since I first posted in June, 2006. My original intentions were to use this a journal type exercise to train myself to be more diligent with such tasks and to help me articulate what was happening with my family as my mother was entering her final days. This blog then became a way for me to let our family and friends know that we were indeed still living and adjusting to our new lives here in Delaware. Along the way I have used it as a travel journal of sorts and as a personal reminder of what is around us every day.

This is an "under the radar," as my friend Terry says, type of blog. It has been, at times, a valuable and unlikely communication tool. I know a lot of people look at, some simply for the images posted but then there are those who just check in to see what is happening in our lives. Since I don't belong to any blog communities or have a common link with other groups there are very few comments on my blog. There are a couple faithful readers who comment frequently and others who email with comments and those who complain that it is too hard to comment. I have thought about making it my "bully pulpit" but I would surely arouse the hackles of too many I hold dear. So, I guess it is not validation I am wanting. I just need it livelier. Purpose might be good and then again it might not.

So, what to do? I don't think I will abandon this just yet. Instead, I think I will ease back for a few weeks like I have been doing this past month and then decide. In the meantime, I will take in more of my surroundings. I will notice the new things like the turtle in the rain. Before coming to Delaware I had never seen a large turtle in a pond or signs along a highway warning of turtles crossing. I will learn more of the local history and I will enjoy my family and friends.

Silly Dog

Wednesday afternoon I was talking with my sister on the telephone. It was her birthday and I had called to wish her a "Happy One." While we were talking Bentley started barking quite loudly at the television. He has done it a couple of other times recently when there are bells or dogs barking or the such. This time the barking was not at a tone or woof or the like but at Rudy Giuliani. Rudy was being interviewed and Bentley was having none of that. I got him to quiet down and my sister got another call. She called back very soon after that to say that her new grandson had just been born in Tennessee. What a happy day for her!!

After dinner on the same day I was flipping through the channels with the remote when I landed on Greatest American Dog. It is a silly show but there was barking when I landed on the channel and Bentley started barking and got closer to the screen, barked some more and then decided he would watch the show. It was rather intriguing watching him watch the show.

Here are a few pictures of him watching. He seems to be taken with the Maltese but he also liked the obstacle course.

Silly dog, silly owners. Whatever, we love him.

New Residents

Our new residents, I am not sure what type, have really set up home now. I told Bill earlier that I think the bird is pretty small but it certainly has a loud song in the afternoon. In fact, it sounds almost as if it is in the entryway. Besides, the reconfiguration of the wreath and the mud on the door, every day there are little berries left on the porch. When Bill got home this afternoon he swept them and then got the ladder out to check inside the nest again. This time he discovered three blue eggs.

Oh my, I guess it will stay for the time being.

Not Quite Sure What to Do?

This is a close-up of the summertime wreath I made last year and put again this year. I made some needed repairs when I put it up a few weeks ago but then I started to notice that things that were solidly anchored were starting to dangle, had dropped off or were completely missing. It was the vicious wind we have been having I thought. But, I also had this funky feeling that perhaps one of the birds of the neighborhood might be thieving. My suspicions were confirmed late last week. I went out early for an appointment and was taken aback by more debris than usual following a thunderstorm. I went down the steps and turned around to look at the door and sure enough there was a bird's nest on the wreath. Why I had not noticed before I can't say. But, in the days from when I first became curious to the confirmation some bird has been very busy. In the last day or two of construction a muddy mess also showed up on the door.

The mud has been cleaned off of the door. There are no eggs in the nest. We have not seen the resident. However, there is evidence of nest maintenance each morning. Everything on the wreath is now askew and droopy. It's a nice little nest. Do let stay for a few more weeks or do I take it down?

Late 4th Posting

Life here has surely become LSD (Lower Slower Delaware) or did I say just a short time ago? We have each been involved with a couple of projects this week that has taken me away from the blog. But, I did want to share some the pictures I took on July 4 when we went out to Prime Hook. This short drive took us to both Prime Hook Beach and to Fowler Beach. The photos are all from Fowler Beach. The day was not all that hot, maybe high 80's but for some reason when we got out of the car at Fowler Beach it felt like we were under an intense sunlamp. This beach was damaged in the Nor'easter that hit in mid-May. We could not get to an area we normally do and the damages to the marshes and the like were evident. That coupled with the summer sun and heat makes for some eerie sights.

I always seem to be trying to catch a heron. I got a lot of poses of this guy, appears to be in molt but the fact that I got more than one photo while shooting the camera thrilled me.

The next wildlife we came upon were a couple of snowy egrets. This first picture is just after the egret caught a fish.

Here we have two egrets. I was able to get several pictures of them passing one another, from afar and then back around each other.

An outing is not complete without a picture of Bentley.

I love taking pictures of the beach grass.

This picture illustrates how hot and hazy it was.

This is my first photo of a Black-necked Stilt. The two following are of the same fellow.

Horseshoe crab are an almost primitive species. But, they are essential to the survival of many shorebirds. This picture captures the carcasses of the horseshoe crab and lots of shorebirds.

Last Week of June

Last week the first of the grain was harvested. The field I have been following was combined the day before I went to photograph progress. Now, I know that I cannot say with certainty whether or not the field was wheat or not I do know that it is a grain and I pretty sure that it wheat. The photos below are of an adjacent field being mowed. I am in awe of how close everything seems here.

The folks at our local farm stand say that the sweet corn will be ready in a few days. That is wonderful. I believe that the corn we get from local farms here in Sussex County Delaware is the best I have ever had. The same holds true for the local tomatoes. It is believed that this should be an excellent year for the farmers and consumers (good product) alike. Let's just hope that drought conditions like last summer do not raise their ugly heads.

Just across the road from the above crops is this field. I am pretty sure that it is barley. I love the color this grain is at this time.

While I was out taking these pictures a rain storm came into the area. As I was crossing the pond I was able to capture a turtle in rain and a couple waning cattails.

I have to admit that I enjoy going out and following the progress of the crops. Oh, I know that a lot of you are saying, "Get a life."

Another Delaware Experience

Saturday Bill and I went with friends to the 53rd Annual Blue-Gold All-Star Game in Newark at Delaware Stadium. We left at 3:00 p.m. and returned home about 1:00 a.m. (These old bones are not often awake at that hour these days.) My friend Robin was born and raised in Delaware but has never attended the game. She said that we are truly fitting in because the game has always been a big activity in the State. The game itself is the culmination of months of activities involving high school all-stars and "Delawareans with intellectual disabilities." The all-stars are matched with "buddies" several months in advance of the game and they then spend that time getting to know one another.

To tell you just how big this activity is you can see with the above photo the Governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner being introduced. She is followed by Lt. Governor John Carney, U.S. Senator Tom Carper and U.S. Representative Mike Castle. I am sure that U.S. Senator Joe Biden would have been there if he had not been appearing Sunday morning on Meet the Press. There were other dignitaries but with all of the introductions and festivities it was hard to keep track.

All-Star Band

Delaware Shining Stars and All-Stars, Special Needs Cheerleaders

All-Stars and "Buddies" Meeting at Center Field

In addition to the All-Star football players, there were All-Star cheerleaders, an All-Star band, Blue-Gold Ambassadors and, of course, the buddies and their All-Star groups. All of the All-Star seniors were recognized. The most inspiring moments came following all of the introductions and presentations. That was when all of the buddies came onto to field and joined their "All-Star."

The game was excellent. The half-time was good. The weather was almost perfect. It was all topped off with fireworks.