Beyond the Panes

A few days before Thanksgiving I was looking at some pictures I had taken earlier in the fall. This one was there and I wondered how I had passed over it in other viewings. It's a little off kilter and not particularly pretty but for some reason I like this picture. It is the window that is part of the George Washington pew of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. We were visiting there with our dear friends Terry and Ray from Oregon. The day was very warm and most of my other photos are of our being on the grounds outside the main building.

So, why am I so drawn to the window? Initially, I wondered about the history it saw from both sides. Then there is something about its humbleness. I try to imagine it being a little darker outside and candlelight reflecting through the panes. I am glad I found this picture. I like reflecting on it.

Thanksgiving weekend and the days that followed were traumatic one for me and my family and friends. I am doing well now and am hoping that the good Christmas elves will visit and help me get the decorations out and up and whatever.

When that is done, I going to start looking for other windows.

Summer is Gone

It has been a few weeks since I last posted. I have been going through one of the phases when I allow boredom to seep into my pores. I really have no reason for this except that it almost always happen during summer. I have always liked the fall and being here in Delaware has not changed that. Gone are the stifling hot last days of summer and first days of autumn. The first really cooling storms have come and after the storms the days have been extraordinarily clear. The season's change was special for us this year as we were fortunate that our friends Terry and Ray ventured to Delaware from Oregon for a visit. Then a week after their visit, our friends Robin and Dave came from Cape Cod. What a boost to my physic those visits were.

Autumn has come to Delaware. We are not into peak color but that will be in a few short days. I love to load Bentley and the camera into the car and travel around the back roads. I take picture after picture of stuff, mostly trees and come home and look at the pictures and say to myself, "Not too bad."

Here are some photos of the first of such outings. These were taken earlier this week. I hope to be out on Sunday when the changes will be more obvious. I also have to force myself to be more inclined to go out in the morning light, much nicer water scenes then.

The Broadkill River at Milton Memorial Park

Different angle of the same area

Wagamons Pond – sun too bright to show depth of color

There will be more later as I travel around Sussex Country and more.

Old Friends

"Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold."

These words from what was for me an old Brownie Scout round ( I am almost certain I have referred to it before in this blog) always come to mind when something special like contact with a special friend happens. This week the refrain has been going through my head almost constantly. First we receive the annual Valentine from our friends Terry and Ray. These valentines are among the most eagerly awaited greetings we receive during the year. This year was no exception. The special cards, always crafted by Terry, are beautiful but I like receiving the news of the family . Yes, I am one who enjoys most of the holiday letters because it is the one time during the year that our circle catches up with each other.

Just a couple of days later we received a "Winter Greetings" letter from old friends Ed and Sharon. The day before my old friend Shelia (that's the correct spelling) called and said she would be driving up our way on Wednesday and wondered if she could see us. She arrived Wednesday afternoon shortly after her arrival I got a phone call from my dear friend Robin. She called to let us know her third grandchild, a girl, was born early in the day. How wonderful is that?

Shelia stayed until this morning. She and her husband Ron are dear college friends from Idaho State. She is a sorority sister. They have lived in North Carolina a long while now and they always seemed so far away. Now we are under a day's drive from each other. Shelia and I headed out yesterday morning for a look/see of the area. But first I needed to make a stop at a wonderful soup kitchen. I will write about this another time. Then we drove through the town of Rehoboth Beach for her to get a flavor of our most famous beach town, then on down the coast to Assateague Island. Yes, I had to go there again. That was OK because Shelia loves the beach and she loves horses. It was so peaceful down there yesterday. Most of the ponies were on a point inaccessible by car and quite possibly by foot. We did see a few ponies and managed to get some great close up pictures of two who were quietly munching away in separate access points.

I think I will keep my "golden friends."