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Here and There…Now and Then |
Catherine the Great
Although you may be thinking that this is what I call Cathy when I’m trying to get her to forgive me for something I’ve done, I’m actually referring to “the” Catherine the Great of Russia (2 May 1729 – 17 November 1796), who rules Russia from 1762 until her death.
I have a small (and not terribly valuable) collection of stamps and paper money from around the world. This is a detail of one of my favorite bills, a 100 ruble note from 1910, portraying Catherine the Great.
Darius
Because they live so far away we don’t get to see some of Cathy’s siblings nearly often enough. Although for one reason or another they could not be here for Christmas, David came this week for a visit. As nice as it was to see him, we were particularly excited to see our youngest nephew, Darius.
This evening we went out for dinner and the corner booth we sat in was ideal in that he could run back and forth between two adults and not really bother anyone else in the restaurant. He moved to a high chair to eat but then was back where he could plan after finishing. I’m especially glad we got to see him in such a good mood because he came down with a bad cold after this and was not nearly so animated the rest of their visit.
This is one of a handful of pictures that I think are pretty good, though.
Urban Barbecue
In my four plus years of taking and posting a photo every day, I have a few days where I only take two or three pictures. They typically don’t end up being everyone’s favorite and I have a feeling today will be a perfect example of that. I met a good friend for dinner at Urban Barbecue this evening. We had a very nice dinner and an enjoyable time. I got there a few minutes before he did and that gave me time to take three pictures of the bar from my table (it was the most interesting view from where I was sitting, without aiming my camera at, and weirding out, other patrons). Not a terrific picture. In fact, I’m a bit embarrassed by it. But it’s all I have to show for today. The dinner and visit were much (MUCH) better than the photo.
Quilt
Yesterday I woke up to find that my back had seized up. I’m not sure what brought this on, other than an aging spine that’s never been exceedingly strong (either figuratively or literally). Whatever the cause, it was not comfortable. I decided to give it a good rest and stayed home today, spending most of the day on the couch reading with an ice pack under the small of my back. That, along with some wondrous pharmaceuticals, helped considerably and by the evening I was able to get up without the aid of a cane. This picture honors the quilt that kept me warm while the ice pack kept me cold. This is one of the many, beautiful quilts that my mom has made over the years.
Sunset
Shortly after we got home from Richmond yesterday there was a really nice sunset. Because I already posted three photos from Saturday and because sunsets aren’t terribly rare, I decided not to post any of them. Today the sunset wasn’t quite as spectacular but still pretty nice, so, today you get a sunset picture. That’s the way it goes.
Gallery Edit
A third photo from today and I’ll call it quits. After wandering around Carytown for a while, we returned to Gallery Edit and the Hillside offices. James was there sitting in the front of the gallery playing the guitar. Dorothy, Kendra, and Michaela joined him there and I took some pictures. I really liked the quality of the light from the afternoon sun pouring into the big window. I also took a few more pictures of Dorothy’s art work, which should be up through the end of the month or so. If you happen to be in Richmond, give her a call and stop in to see it.
Dorothy Holding Up a Wall
I know I’ve already posted a photo for today but I thought I’d post another. After our early lunch at the Sub Rosa Bakery we drove to Carytown. Parking was an issue, as it was a beautiful, Saturday afternoon and all of Richmond seemed to be out and about. We did finally find parking on Ellwood Avenue and walked the block over to Cary Street.
We didn’t have any real plans, but went into a few shops, including one called Bygones, which specializes in vintage clothing and accessories. They had some very nice things, if you are into that sort of thing. I don’t get dressed up often, so I don’t suppose it would make sense looking for things for myself. I did like two of the hats they had, a top hat and a bowler, but decided I’d pass this time.
On the way back to the car, I photographed Dorothy in this alley alongside a brick wall (which I supposed is obvious).
Margaret, Dorothy, Kendra, and Michaela
We had an early lunch this morning (or was it a very late breakfast?). We had planned to go to The Roosevelt on Church Hill. We met our friends, Rob and Susie there but it isn’t open Saturday morning. So, we found another place, called the Sub Rosa Bakery, which is just across the street. It’s a fairly small place but they were very accommodating of our large group. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend Sub Rosa. Here we have four of our group of nine. Margaret, Dorothy, Kendra, and Michaela.
Dorothy’s Art Show
We’ve been looking forward to this evening for a long time. Dorothy scheduled an art exhibit at Gallery Edit in Richmond, Virginia. Her theme was “home” but I’ll let you ask her for more details of that, if you are interested. Along with both of her grandmas, we drove down for the evening. Two other long-time friends, Rob and Susie, also came, which was wonderful. A few of Dorothy’s young friends showed up, as well. But even without the “home team crowd” there was good traffic through the gallery all evening.
Keys
I was messing around with my new macro flash equipment today. I’m looking forward to insect season with this. The extra light means I can take pictures at f/32, which means as much depth of field as possible and with a fast enough shutter to stop the movement of those always moving bees and wasps. Up close like this, Depth of field can be just a few millimeters. At f/32 it is more like 10 or 15. Big difference.
These keys, of course, don’t move much by themselves. With a tripod I could tak as long an exposure as I like. But this was hand held at f/32 and 1/200 of a second.
Leeks
Cathy isn’t hugely fond of leeks but I like them a lot. It’s not uncommon to find them in my kitchen but when you have a leeky kitchen, something needs to be done. Tonight I thought a creamy leek sauce would go well with skate wings. I’ve never actually cooked skate before and I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. They are not terribly fishy but have a nice, delicate flavour. The sauce went pretty well with them but I think something a bit tangier might be better in the future. I also happened to have some blood oranges, which I sectioned and put over the fish and that might be a better base than the leeks.
Winter Sunrise
It was a bit chilly this morning, somewhere around 18°F At about 7:00 I noticed that there was a bit of color in the western sky. I grabbed my camera and then paused long enough to put on my shoes. I figured I might be out for a little while and under 20°F I usually wear shoes if I’m doing more than grabbing the mail. It was a wonderful sunrise, as you can see (this is to the east, of course). With the rain and snow we’ve been having it was very welcome.
Angie
We’re quite fond of our school. Of course, it isn’t technically our school any more, in the sense that we don’t have a child attending. In another way, though, it still is our school. It’s a non-profit owned by a society of parents and friends of the school and we are happy to remain members of the society. This evening was the winter society meeting, having been postponed from last week due to snow.
We like many things about the school but high on the list has to be the people. Both parents, faculty, and staff. We enjoy seeing them when we can and this was a good opportunity. It was also good to get caught up on all the doings, as there are some doings right now. But for me, connecting with people is still very high on my list. This is Angie, my favorite kindergarten teacher. She isn’t teaching this year but is still working part time. She is planning to have me come in to do a quick walk-through of the solar system with the fifth grade. It’s also almost time for Mr. Lincoln to visit the kindergarten. So good to see her and hear how life is treating her (pretty well).
Fire
It’s a bit chilly today and we’re getting ready to watch some football game or other. I thought a fire would be nice so I laid one up and got it going. There’s nothing like a good fire to warm you in a comforting way (a controlled fire, of course, otherwise it is liable to warm you in a very non-comforting way). As the pre-game show droned on and on, I muted the sound and turned to the fire, instead, which was much more interesting. Getting a still picture of fire that is interesting, I think, can be pretty difficult. It’s mostly hit or miss, because the flames are moving so fast. This is my favorite. It’s what you get today, anyway.
Moon Through the Trees
After taking the previous picture, of the rainbow on our family room carpet, Cathy and I went for a walk in the neighborhood. It’s been a bit cool out and even I wore a sweater and gloves (don’t be shocked—when it’s less than 20°F, even I’ll wear a bit more if I’m going to be out for a while).
As we walked east, the waxing gibbous moon was rising through the trees and I stopped long enough to take a handful of pictures. This one turned out best, the others being a little dark.
Carpet Rainbow
I have a 70 gallon fish tank in our kitchen. Late in the day the sun hits the corner of the tank and, all the way down the hall in our family room, this rainbow appears on the floor and slowly moves away from the kitchen for about ten minutes before disappearing for the night. It’s pretty good size, covering about four feet by a foot and a half. It’s quite bright and very pretty, running the spectrum (literally) from violet through indigo, blue, green, yellow, and orange and finally to red (vibgyor).
Single-Cloud Sunset
The sky was mostly clear today, at least late in the day. As I was driving home, watching the sun set in the rear-view mirror, I could see a bit of color very low in the sky but other than that, there were just a few small clouds high in the sky. I didn’t have time to get anywhere that I could both stop and have a good view of the horizon. I stopped for a few groceries, though and the few clouds overhead started to turn color. So, here’s a solitary cloud, lit up by the setting sun. Not your spectacular, all-encompassing sunset, but pretty, nonetheless.
Maleficent
I went to the school this morning to take a few pictures of the fourth grade class. The yearbook folks wanted some candid shots of the students for the yearbook. They have been practicing a short play for History Night and we spent a little while in Founder’s Hall while they ran through that.
While we were there, the students from one of the other grades walked through, following this somewhat evil looking woman. Not being an expert on the Disney bestiary I was not entirely sure who she is. I got a quick photo of her and later, after consulting Peterson’s Field Guide to Mythical Creatures of This and Other Worlds I decided she must be Maleficent, the self-proclaimed Mistress of All Evil who cursed the Princess Aurora. Do you remember her? She pricked her finger on a spindle. She would have died had it not been for the aid of Merryweather, who was able to soften the curse. Instead she slept until a kiss from her true love woke her.
Anyway, it was quite an surprising creature to see at school and I’m not entirely sure what she would have been doing there. Someone said something about spirit week and I suppose she came for the festivities or perhaps to do something wicked while blending in with the students dressed in costumes.
Navigating A Mine Field
At our youth group meeting this evening we had a team-building exercise. Teams of two people had to navigate through a mine field. One of the two was blindfolded, the other had to give verbal instructions to get them through. Of course, the “mines” were just paper cups, and just as well. Some made it, others were not so lucky. After most of the kids had participated, two pairs of adults gave it a try. The last to go was Bob, who was led through the course by Sokho. The kids rearranged the cups between each run and they decided to put a lot, close together at the beginning of the course.
There were not many spaces where his feet could fit, so Sokho had Bob inch up to the cups and then instructed him to jump three feet, landing with his feet about two feet apart. As it turns out he landed a bit short of the open space Sokho was aiming for, but, as you can see in this picture, he landed quite amazingly between the cups. Actually, his left foot grazed a cup and it slid about an inch from his foot. That’s what Shelly is pointing at. Still, it was quite remarkable.
Gasoline, $1.959 per Gallon
When we took Dorothy back to Richmond on January 4 I paid $1.979 per gallon for gas in Fredericksburg. But that’s Virginia. Perhaps it’s at least partly a case of supply and demand but it seems that here in Maryland everything possible is done to keep prices of everything as high as possible. If I were more cynical I might suspect that Maryland (and Montgomery County) governments are trying to keep out the hoi polloi (a.k.a. riffraff). If so, they are certainly going about it the right way. I don’t really think it’s a conscious effort but so many decisions have that effect that it’s hard not to think it’s at least a little bit planned. At the very least it’s clear they simply don’t care.
Anyway, today I paid $1.959 for regular in Maryland. I don’t know that I ever expected the price to be that low here again. I’ll be driving to Richmond again before too long and I look forward to how low it might be there, but I could get used to this. Gasoline prices like this are like a tax rebate and the certainly benefit the lower end of the income scale more than the upper.
