People

Anna’s Art Show

Photograph taken on Friday, October 04, 2024 by Henry
Anna, Carolyn, and Chuck

Anna, Carolyn, and Chuck

Having spent the night in Pennsylvania with Dorothy and her housemates, we went to a show of Anna’s art at Waldo’s in Gettysburg this evening. She’s a talented artist and has done work in a wide variety of media. I especially likes some ink drawings she did and a piece of wood burning, an image of a tree on a slab of maple. Her parents, Carolyn and Chuck also came and we always enjoy seeing and chatting with them. She also had some very nice stained glass creations. If you’re interested in her work, you can contact her through her Instagram account or through The Hartley Residence.

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Dorothy at Ploughmans

Photograph taken on Thursday, October 03, 2024 by Henry
Dorothy at Ploughmans

Dorothy at Ploughmans

Cathy and I left work early and drove up to Gettysburg this afternoon. We went to Dorothy’s house first and then a little later to downtown Gettysburg where Dorothy and Andrew would be playing this evening at Ploughmans Taproom. There were to be two sets, with Dorothy on stage by herself for the first and then with Andrew joining her for the second. She played two covers (Miner’s Lullaby, by Utah Phips and All My Tears, by Emmylou Harris) but the majority of her songs were original. I recorded all of the first set but only a couple from the second, when I took a few pictures instead. This image is a frame from a song called Lemon Creek, which we really enjoyed.

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Portrait Of The Artist

Photograph taken on Monday, September 16, 2024 by Henry
Henry Hartley (September, 2024)

Henry Hartley (September, 2024)

As mentioned in the previous post, we went to Tumalo State Park this evening and enjoyed the sunset as well as the large ponderosa pines. Brian took a few pictures with his phone and was messing around with its ‘portrait mode’. He took this portrait of me and I like it quite a bit. In addition to posting it here, I’ve also added it to my “Who Am I” page. I don’t generally like photos of myself but this one is good. As you can see, I’m standing in front of one of the larger ponderosa pines and leaning lightly on my camera with the long, telephoto lens, mounted on a monopod. Up until now, the photo on my Who Am I page has been from 2003, when my beard was still dark. It’s been quite a while since that was true, so I thought it would be a good idea to update the page with something more recent. My forehead has definitely gotten a bit higher but I still have hair on top of my head. In the last two years I’ve let it grow long for the first time since college and it’s not longer than I’ve ever worn it. I’m not sure how long I’ll let that go, but for now, it’s long and curly.

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40th Anniversary Dinner

Photograph taken on Friday, August 16, 2024 by Henry
Cathy, Yvette, Rob, and Susie

Cathy, Yvette, Rob, and Susie

We had a few friends over for dinner this evening to celebrate our 40th anniversary (which isn’t today, but close enough). Yvette and Cathy were at Wake Forest together and was in our wedding. Rob and I have been friends since the fall of 1972. He wasn’t in our wedding because he was in Kenya at the time. We’ve known Susie since she and Rob met, back in the day. Our friend Jean, whom Cathy has known since high school, wasn’t able to come because she was in North Carolina helping take care of two grandchildren while a third was being born. There are others we could have invited but we wanted to keep it simple.

We had a really nice dinner, starting with mushroom and peach bruschetta, followed by bowls of French onion soup. The main course was ginger and soy marinated flank steak and salmon with sugar and mustard sauce. We finished with strawberries and whipped cream. If I say so myself, it was a really good meal. It was even better company. Thank you to all our friends and family for helping us make it through forty years together.

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Annual Family Beach Photo

Photograph taken on Monday, July 29, 2024 by Henry
Annual Family Beach Photo

Annual Family Beach Photo

We usually take our annual family beach photo a little later in the week but Dorothy was leaving on Wednesday and Iris and her family were going to Myrtle Beach to see her sister-in-law and her family Tuesday, so it was today or never. The kids made at least some faces in each one, but that’s just the way it’s going to be. I think it’s a pretty good photo, overall.

Earlier in the day we had driven to Sunset Beach to go to the Bird Island Reserve but couldn’t find a parking space. We saw a large flock of wood storks as we crossed the bridge back off of the island. We went to the Carl Bazemore Bird Walk on the imaginatively named East Lake, which we call Alligator Pond. We did see a few alligators as well as a few more wood storks and other birds. A person we met there told us about Vereen Memorial Gardens just into South Carolina and we went there and walked around a while, as well. We didn’t see much, but it’s a pretty place and I suspect there are times when there are more birds. In fact, someone we met there told us the painted buntings are there in large numbers at some times during the year.

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Kids On The Stairs

Photograph taken on Sunday, July 28, 2024 by Henry
Third Cousins

Third Cousins

Our annual week at the beach started yesterday. We had fewer issues with traffic than in many years, although we stopped a bit more, including stopping for lunch at Parkers in Wilson, North Carolina. We usually stop there to pick up barbecue and we’ve occasionally bought lunch there but never eaten it in the restaurant. We happened to be within a few miles of George and Carmela, who had started driving yesterday and spent the night in Southern Virginia, so they met us at Parkers.

Today is Eloise’s birthday and after dinner many of her third-cousins came over (along with their parents and grandparents). I was able to get a few photos of most of them on the stairs. Getting them all looking at the camera and not acting up is beyond me, though. Still, they were having a good time and I think it shows.

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Family Reunion

Photograph taken on Saturday, July 20, 2024 by Henry
Family Reunion

Family Reunion

I picked mom up at 6:00 this morning and we had very few traffic problems getting to North Carolina four our annual family reunion. It was a slightly smaller group this year than in the last few years, but still a really nice time visiting with people we only really see once a year. It was really good to see mom’s first cousin Ann, who sadly passed away a short week later. I had an extended visit with Lyn and Beth, since Beth hosted us for the night so we didn’t have to drive home again the same day, which is a bit much for us.

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Lydia and Dorothy

Photograph taken on Tuesday, July 09, 2024 by Henry
Lydia and Dorothy

Lydia and Dorothy

Cathy and I drove up to Frederick this evening, bringing Lydia with us, and met Dorothy and Jeff at the Kittiwat Thai Kitchen. It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed chatting over a nice meal. We had brought a window air conditioner that our friend Amy gave us so that Dorothy could have it in her room in Pennsylvania, where the house doesn’t have central air. We moved that to the back of her truck and then talked a little more before heading home. And of course I took a handful of photos, because it’s what I do.

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Biz and James

Photograph taken on Saturday, July 06, 2024 by Henry
Biz and James

Biz and James

As mentioned in my previous post about Leverington Cemetery, we were in the Philadelphia area for the wedding of the younger son of a friend of ours. When Dorothy was at the Fourth Presbyterian School, James and his older brother Jon, who was in Dorothy’s class, carpooled with us. We got to know the family pretty well and you’ll find some January 1 pictures through the years with our families together on New Year’s Day. Today was the wedding of James with Elizabeth, Biz to her friends, and we very much enjoyed being a part of the festivities.

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Fourth Pres. School Teachers

Photograph taken on Tuesday, July 02, 2024 by Henry
Krystal, Erin, Mary Chris, Marianne, and David

Krystal, Erin, Mary Chris, Marianne, and David

From Kindergarten through third grade, Dorothy went to the Fourth Presbyterian School in Potomac. It was a good time and we made some good friends while there. Dorothy’s second grade teacher, Mary Chris, and her husband David, moved after that year and we haven’t seen them since, although we did hear a few things about their travels through Krystal. Mary Chris and David and their son Joey were in town visiting and Krystal invited us, along with two other teachers and their husbands as well as Cathy and me, for dinner. Erin and Krystal taught first grade. Dorothy was in Erin’s class but the two classes did a lot together and we’re very close to both of those teachers. Dorothy didn’t have Marianne or David as her teacher, but we enjoyed visiting with them, as well.

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28th Pennsylvania Infantry

Photograph taken on Saturday, June 29, 2024 by Henry
28th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument, Culp's Hill, Gettysburg

28th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument, Culp’s Hill, Gettysburg

Cathy and I drove up to see Dorothy today, meeting her at the farm and hanging out with her there a while. Then we drove down to Gettysburg and walked about 4.5 miles from downtown into the battlefield. We passed a few monuments for the unit with which Cathy’s 3rd-great-uncle served, including this one between Culp’s Hill and Pardee Field on Slocum Avenue. We also drive to near the recently reopened Little Round Top, stopping to see a friend who works for the Park Service and was stationed there counting cars and busses. All it all, it was a nice, if hot, day.

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Amy and Jim

Photograph taken on Sunday, June 09, 2024 by Henry
Amy and Jim

Amy and Jim

Jim and Amy came to visit this weekend. Well, really Jim came to visit his and Cathy’s mom and Amy came to visit her dad and family, but Jim stayed with us and we got to see Amy a few times. On Sunday her nephew was playing in a soccer game at a local middle school so we met them there. I took a few pictures, as is my wont. I took one with Amy, Jim, and Cathy but I think this is better of these two and since the weekend was about them, I thought I’d just post this one. I also took a few of Amy and her sister.

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The Mimic at Floodzone Brewery

Photograph taken on Friday, June 07, 2024 by Henry
The Mimic at Floodzone Brewery

The Mimic at Floodzone Brewery

We drove up to Union Bridge, Maryland after work today, meeting Dorothy and her friends, Andrew, Rachel, Anna, and Andrew’s parents, Kris and Mike, at Floodzone Brewery. We’ve never been there before but we enjoyed the visit. We went there because Dorothy’s friend Jeff was playing guitar along with the band he’s in, called The Mimic. That’s Jeff on the right in the green shirt. We sat in view of the stage while they planed and then moved outside—where we could hear ourselves think and actually talk with each other—when they were done and Heads or Tails Experience played. As ‘Old Folks’ Cathy and I didn’t know much of the music that was being played, but enjoyed it, nonetheless.

The food was good, I had a beer called Agnes, named for the huricane of that name that flooded the brewery in June 1972. Although Agnes was never more than a category 1 storm and was only a tropical storm by the time it reached Maryland, it produced significant rain including over 13.5 inches at Dulles Airport in northern Virginia.

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Three Birthdays

Photograph taken on Sunday, June 02, 2024 by Henry
Johnnie, Pam, and Krystal

Johnnie, Pam, and Krystal

We got together to celebrate birthdays for three good friends this evening. Johnny, Pam, and Krystal either just had or are about to have a birthday and although we don’t really need an excuse to get together, we use it as one, anyway. We had a lovely meal and more importantly had a great time with one another. Krystal and Mike are nearing the end of a significant renovation to their home and it was great to see what’s going on with that. By the time we’re there again it should be all done.

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Rat Gallery DC #4

Photograph taken on Saturday, June 01, 2024 by Henry
Ina Quadrio Curzio's Art at Rat Gallery

Ina Quadrio Curzio’s Art at Rat Gallery

Anna, Dorothy, and Katharine

Anna, Dorothy, and Katharine

This evening was the fourth Rat Gallery show at 52 O Street NW in Washington, D.C. I was impressed with quite a few of the pieces on display this evening and I think it was a successful event. I’ve picked a shot showing oil paintings by Ina Quadrio Curzio, an Italian-British artist who recently graduated from Georgetown University with a double major in Biology and Studio Art. From her artists statement, her subject matter “is centered around youthful environments, activities, and crowds. In my exploration, the figures undergo a purposeful deconstruction, their form intricately woven into a patchwork of brushstrokes that dissolve the boundaries between self and surroundings. This approach serves to dismantle youth culture into its chaotic essence of uncertainty and vitality. It invites viewers to contemplate the complexities of early adulthood and explore how our surroundings shape our individuality.”

I’ve also included a shot of three of the five Rat Gallery team. If you have any questions about Rat Gallery or would like your art to be considered for a future show, you should go to the Rat Gallery DC web site and contact the team.

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Rat Gallery DC #3

Photograph taken on Saturday, April 13, 2024 by Henry
Caroline, Sara, and Justin

Caroline, Sara, and Justin

Andrew, Rachel, Katharine, Anna, and Dorothy

Andrew, Rachel, Katharine, Anna, and Dorothy

It was time for another Rat Gallery opening and Cathy and I were there. I don’t know that we can commit to being at every one but we’ve managed so far. This one was very well attended and was even listed on WTOP’s “What to do in DC” listing on their Instagram story. Pretty impressive. Art is quite a varied thing and something that one person loves, another person may hate. Sometimes art is meant to express feelings or emotions, other times it tries to tell a story. It can simply be decorative, of course, or it can consider shapes, colors, and various other aspects of the physical world. It’s quite common for any particular work of art to appeal to a limited audience.

I thought these porcelain cups were lovely and I especially liked the one in the upper right of this photo, with the salmon pink petals. There were a few others that I liked the colors of, including the one immediately below that with the darker interior. They were all really nice and they spoke to me. The other artists had their followers, as well and I think everyone had a lovely evening. It was also nice that it started before it got dark, so there was some natural light for a while.

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Easter Sunrise Service

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 31, 2024 by Henry
Easter Sunrise Service

Easter Sunrise Service

As you probably know if you’ve been following my photographic journey for any length of time, I really love a good Easter sunrise service. Cathy and Dorothy were nice enough to come with me again this year. The weather was very cooperative, with the temperature being cool but not freezing. Todd Smedley and David Frerichs officiated and Todd’s message was really good. After that we went to the upper room for a light breakfast before the regular 8:00 service, which we also enjoy with the orchestra up front. This is the first time we’ve been to Fourth since they renovated the sanctuary. I have to say I’m underwhelmed by what they’ve done with it. It was pretty stark before but it’s even more bland now. I guess I’m not the target audience and of course it’s not our church, so it’s not really my place to say. Nevertheless, I’m not all that impressed. But the sunrise and morning worship services were good and I’m not really there for the decor, so that’s something. I also had a really lovely visit with Erin and David, getting caught up on their family and telling them about ours.

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Fabric Purge

Photograph taken on Saturday, March 30, 2024 by Henry
Mom's Fabric

Mom’s Fabric

At one point mom had a bumper sticker that said, “The one who dies with the most fabric wins.” We knew is was meant to be tongue in cheek but mom seemed to be taking it a bit more seriously than she might have done. She stopped accumulating fabric a good while ago but was still quilting so didn’t get rid of all of what she had, even though she did pare it down when she moved out of her house in 2018. Now that she’s no longer quilting, though, the time had come to give away what remained. Cathy, Dorothy, or good friend Julia, and I went through all the fabric in her two large closets. Dorothy took a few boxes, Julia took a small box, and the rest went to another woman from Bethesda Quilters for them to distribute as they see fit. Here’s what she was able to fit into the trunk of her car. The back seat is also full, from the floor to above the top of the seat backs. It was a hectic day but nice to have that done.

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Easter Egg Hunt

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 24, 2024 by Henry
Dot and Dorothy

Dot and Dorothy

Iris, Kai, Seth, Silas, and Eloise

Iris, Kai, Seth, Silas, and Eloise

Seth, Iris, Cathy, and Tsai-Hong

Seth, Iris, Cathy, and Tsai-Hong

Cathy, Iris, Kai, Steve, Maya, and Tsai-Hong

Cathy, Iris, Kai, Steve, Maya, and Tsai-Hong

Dorothy and her friends invited the families at their church to come to an Easter egg hunt at the property today. The folks at the church organized the actual egg hunt and everyone brought their own picnic lunches and folding chairs. Dorothy also invited the rest of our family and it turned into a family gathering, as well. I took pictures of the egg hunt as well as quite a few of all the people but I’m limiting the photos posted here to family, since those are the people I actually know. We stayed later than the others and had a nice time roasting marshmallows and visiting. It was cool but a beautiful day and really good to see everyone. We brought mom, and she sat near the fire and various people came and sat and talked with her. A few people fished but I don’t think anyone caught anything. The pond is filling up nicely, though.

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Tree Planting Outing

Photograph taken on Monday, March 18, 2024 by Henry
Cathy and Dorothy On Horse Rock

Cathy and Dorothy On Horse Rock

Cathy and I spent most of the day up in Pennsylvania today. I had 45 tree seedlings I wanted to plant and that took a good part of our time. I planted 25 Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) and 20 black gum (or tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica). I put six of the cedars in the picnic field with the hope that at least a few of them survive to maturity. I don’t expect them all to and honestly I might cut down all but three if more than that make it. The other were planted in the woods simply to add to the woodland environment. Both trees are native to the area, with the cedar being confined mostly to the states along the Atlantic and eastern gulf coast and the black gum more widespread as far west as Texas.

I planted about half of them in what we refer to as ‘the wet field’ but which is woods at this point. This large rock and a few others are along the edge of what was a field when my parents bought the property nearly 60 years ago.

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