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Here and There…Now and Then |
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cathy baked chocolate chip cookies today. They were mostly for some neighbors who are going through a tough time, but she put some in a bag for Dorothy and me to take with us when we leave for Philadelphia tomorrow afternoon. Can you almost taste these? They were so good.
Thanks, sweetheart.
Selfies With Abe
I posted one of the firework photos on Facebook earlier, but now that I’m back from a week in Philadelphia, I’m getting caught up here. So, here are a few pictures from the many that I took on our day in the nation’s capital on the 238th anniversary of Independence Day. Along with our good friends Donna, Stuart, Hannah, and Katie, Dorothy and I went down early in the afternoon and set up our spot just outside Lincoln Memorial Circle near the south west corner of the reflecting pool.
Hannah, Katie, and Dorothy walked to the Folk Life Festival being held on the Mall beyond the Washington Monument. Stuart, Donna, and I talked and passed the time watching people. We all got up and went off at various times, some walking around the tidal basin, etc. I went up to the Lincoln Memorial and took a few pictures from there. My favorite, by far, is this one of three young Americans commemorating their visit with Abe by taking selfies.
Independence Day Crowd
As the day wore on, more and more people came and by the time the sun dropped behind the memorial, the whole area was packed. One things that’s great about the Independence Day celebration on the Mall is that it’s families and groups that are there to enjoy being with other Americans, including those who started life in other countries. The mood is light and most everyone is happy to be there. It didn’t hurt that is was only about 80°F today, so even in the sun it wasn’t sweltering. In the shade it was almost cool. Usually sitting in the blazing sun all afternoon is the worst part but this year, we were blessed with one of the most beautiful days of the summer so far.
Fireworks
Fireworks
I’ll finish with three pictures of the fireworks themselves. As you can see, we had a great view from our location. The fireworks are set off from the east end of the reflecting pool, so for us they had the Washington Monument as a back drop.
Fireworks
The firework display only lasted 17 minutes but it was long enough and very enjoyable. We were close enough that I had to use a fairly wide angle lens to get the larger explosions in the frame. These were all taken with the zoom at 20mm. They were all two second exposures (with the camera on a tripod), with the ISO set to 100. The first and third were at f/11.3 and the second at f/7. I’m pretty please with how they turned out.
Getting out of D.C. after they are done, of course, is the hardest part. We got to our car, which was parked on E Street, and found our way to the Roosevelt Bridge and out the G. W. Parkway, which worked pretty well. All in all, I think we all enjoyed ourselves and were glad we went.
P.F. Chang’s
Dorothy wanted to meet a friend at Columbia Mall this evening so we all went. Dorothy drove and then went off to find Lauren. Cathy and I went into the mall for a little while and then had dinner at P.F. Chang’s.
This is the candle on our table. There is an interesting mural on the wall over the bar. It depicts eight characters that I assume are from Chinese history or legend. It’s a nice restaurant but I have to admit that I would prefer a small, hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant. Generally the food is better and you aren’t paying extra for expensive decor. But that’s just me.
Pin Cushion
It was a very busy week and I didn’t get out to take pictures today. In the evening I took some pictures of a pin cushion that’s next Dorothy’s sewing machine. It isn’t actually Dorothy’s machine, but rather my mom’s back-up machine, her old Bernina. Anyway, this pin cushion was there and looked like a good subject for a photograph. I’m not sure what the little note says in full. I think the Red Cross pin is one I earned back before the Red Cross decided I was at too high a risk for BSE (too much time in England).
Balance
I was working in the basement this evening, taking apart our dehumidifier to see if I could figure out why the compressor isn’t coming on. Of course, it could be the compressor that’s gone bad, and if that’s the case then it is probably done. But there are two other possibilities, and I wanted to test them out. While I was in the basement, I decided to take a few pictures. This scale is one that I’ve used in the past for two different things: photography and ceramics. For photography, I used it to weigh out chemicals for processing black and white film and prints. For ceramics, to weigh ingredients for glaze. It’s been a while since I did either of those things, but I’d really like to get the ceramic work going again. I have the wheel and kiln here and just need to get a few things in place and I’d be ready to pick it up. I’m pretty much out of practice, but you never know, it might be like riding a bicycle. Or not.
Actually, the balance seems pretty significantly out of balance and I need to figure out what’s going on with that before it will be much use.
Datura stramonium (Jimson Weed)
One of the most common of the “large weeds” we have in our yard is Jimson weed (Datura stramonium). It is pretty easy to spot, because if grows into a fairly large bush, surprisingly large for an annual. It has pretty, little, white flowers but it’s a mean plant in most other respects. First, it is covered with spines and you don’t want to be pulling it up without wearing substantial gloves. It’s also quite poisonous, containing dangerous levels of alkaloids. Because they have psychoactive effects and because they are also fatally toxic in only slightly higher amounts, Jimson weed is responsible for hospitalizations and deaths each year. Just pull it up and get rid of it, folks.
Monarda (Bergamot)
In the back yard we have Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) and Monarda (bergamot) in bloom. The former is bright orange. This is the later, with it’s crown of fancifully shaped, tubular flowers. I love the look of these. They are so different from other flowers and really stand out as a bright spot in the garden. They are growing in the back, along the fence, and make quite a statement.
Rosa arkansana (Prairie Rose)
I thought I’d post a second picture from Saturday, because, well, just because. A while back I planted a bunch of species roses up at our place in Pennsylvania. A few of them are living and one or two doing very well. This is the healthiest of them and is a prairie rose, Rosa arkansana. It’s absolutely covered with flowers right now and is pretty impressive. It is a native of the central portion of the continent, from the central Canadian provinces south as far as Texas and New Mexico.
Anna, Fiona, and Kimia
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, I took the youth group camping (along with some other adults, I’m very happy to say). On Saturday we had a pretty leisurely time, canoeing, fishing (and a few folks learned to clean and fillet a fish), swimming, walking, etc.
Anna and Kimia took the canoe out with Fiona in between them. It wasn’t long after this that people started swimming. At that point, the canoe was upside down most of the time. But this is before that, when it was being used for it’s advertised purpose.
Gwen and Her Serious S’more
The youth group went on a camping trip this evening and, as far as I could tell, everyone had a good time. We got to our site in Pennsylvania in the late evening and got all the tents up before dark but it was dark by the time dinner was ready. After dinner, most people roasted marshmallows and made s’mores of various descriptions (some foregoing the chocolate, some the graham crackers, etc.).
Gwendolyn made the s’more to end all s’mores, with seven marshmallows, two chocolate bars and two entire graham crackers. Fortunately, she is young and fit and can afford the calories.
To answer the question you are thinking, yes, she ate the entire thing.
Yellow Day Lily
The day lilies are blooming. This is one of the small, yellow varieties that seem to be all the rage these days. I think they bloom over a longer period than the standard, orange kind, which is probably enough to recommend them, although I do think I like the color of the orange better. Any color this time of year is welcome, though.
Abbie and Dorothy
It was the night of the annual Erick’s Hope benefit dinner this evening, at Mama Lucia’s. It’s a pretty good excuse to have a nice meal and the fact that we get to see a lot of friends doesn’t hurt. Normally we have our youth group Bible study on Wednesday evenings but I decided to encourage the youth to support Erick’s Hope, along with their families (and a lot of them did). This was the first time we’ve actually met Dorothy’s friend, Abbie, who joined us for dinner and shared this awesome pizza with Dorothy.
Marigold
Ten days ago (Saturday, June 14, 2014) I posted a picture of marigolds. A week later (Saturday, June 21, 2014) I posted a picture of a hydrangea that we bought that day at the garden center. We also came home with a pretty good collection of annuals and among them was this marigold, which I think may be the same as those in that earlier picture. They sure are pretty little things and very eye catching. This is among the flowers that greet us as we come up to our house each evening. Nice.
Dorothy with Rainbow Eye Patch
My mom has a few class prisms in her front window and in the afternoon, they cast various rainbows around the room. It’s especially nice when they happen to fall on someone, as here. Dorothy was sitting on the sofa with a rainbow on her face and let me take a dozen or so pictures, with various strengths of fill flash. This is the best of the bunch, balancing the lighting of her face with the brightness of the rainbow eye patch.
Oenothera speciosa (Pink Evening Primrose)
It seems that as soon as I get caught up, or nearly caught up, something distracts me and I fall behind in posting again. So far I haven’t missed a day of taking a picture since I started, but that’s bound to happen at some point. Today (which was a week ago, relative to when I’m posting this), I took some close-up pictures of the evening primroses growing in front of our house. They are scattered around there and in the back border and are pretty little things, opening up as it gets cool in the evening and closing up in the heat of the next day.
Hydrangea ‘Big Smile’
Last weekend we were at a garden center and I posted a picture from our trip that was of a sea of Marigold blossoms. We bought two hydrangeas that day and this is one of them. It is called ‘Big Smile’ and we really like the color of the flowers, with the deep blue of the central fertile flowers and the pink of the larger petals of the outer, sterile flowers. This picture hardly does them justice and I think they are even better from a little distance. It’s still sitting in its pot on our back patio, but it is intended for a partly shaded spot in the back border.
Tradescantia virginiana (Virginia Spiderwort)
Two pictures today for the price of one and hopefully worth the price of admission. I really like Tradescantia virginiana (Virginia spiderwort). It’s a very vigorous grower but it doesn’t take over the garden. It’s very happy in our climate, not needing much in the way of special attention or soil conditions. And it blooms over a long period with deep, dark, slightly purple blue flowers. They open in the morning and in the evening are all closed up, only to be open again the next morning. I also love the the blue stamen hairs with the bright yellow anthers.
Honey Bee on Tradescantia Flowers
I went out to take pictures this morning and thought I’d get a view across the flowers, as in the first picture here. I think it turned out quite well and really shows the feathery stamen hairs well. They are unique, as far as I know, in that they change color to pink when when exposed to radiation. I don’t know how sensitive they are, so don’t know if they can act as a canary in a coal mine, but I think it’s a cool fact.
I also enjoyed watching a honey bee going from flower to flower, so figured I better get some pictures of that, as well, and I’m please with the results.
Liquor Bottles
Cathy and I went out for a somewhat late dinner this evening. We decided on Branded 72, a barbecue place that used to be O’Brien’s. The barbecue is good. If you are trying to cut down on carbohydrates, your side order options are a bit restricted. Fortunately I actually like collard greens, although what I had left a bit to be desired. Certainly not as good as the ribs. The restaurant is divided into two sections and we were alone in our half. There was talking and laughter coming from the bar (the other side). This windowed wall separates the two halves of the place and I set my camera on the table so that the 1/3 second exposure wouldn’t be blurry.
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
The other day I posted a picture of a catbird in my mom’s bird bath. Since then I’ve been enjoying birds in ours, which is in the back yard, just outside our kitchen door. When I got home this evening there were some grackles in it but they flew off when I came into the kitchen. A little while later there was a catbird there. I went and got my camera and took some pictures but waited a while. I got a female cardinal picking up seeds off the patio as well as this American robin who came for a drink.
Blackberry Lily Leaves
I’ve posted pictures of the flowers of the blackberry lily (it used to be called Belamcanda chinensis but in 2005 was renamed Iris domestica). This picture is of the leaves, which are very much like the leaves of the more familiar bearded iris. They are, if anything, even more compressed into a tight fan. I love the pattern of alternating leaves. We have a few of these now, in various places in the yard. We started with just one that we brought from our old house in a pot. Each year we scatter the seeds quite freely and a few have come up.
I recommend this plant if you want something a little different and that blooms a little later (early to mid July) than the other irises. The flowers are not large, only about and inch and a half or two inches across, but they are bright orange, speckled with red and are borne in happy profusion. The fruit are also attractive. The seeds are single seeded but they form in clusters, looking like huge blackberries, which is where the common name comes from.
