WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 2.17.16

quote by Okakura Kakuzo (1862-1913) Japanese author, The Book of Tea

Oh boy! it's hump day (the middle of the work week, which I no longer have to think about)...

WEATHER-WIZE: After unseasonably warm weather (mid-80's) we are experiencing chilly weather & had a dash of drizzle this morning. 

HOME-LAND: We are enjoying having LOLA (our grand-dog) for a visit. She's such an adorable Boston Terrier... a real cuddle-bug when she wants to be (usually while you are sitting on the sofa trying to read)! JPE has been training her to run on a slack leash. They run down the center of our condo complex street (away from the distracting smells of the landscape & bushes). It's a kick watching them take off each morning for two times around the complex.

CALENDAR-STUFF: JPE & I are headed to a meeting this afternoon. Even though we have both retired from SLO County Office of Education, we still maintain ties with our community agencies... 

Don't you love this picture? it was taken on a trip to Virginia/Washington DC this past October. The leaves had just started turning COLORS... I envy those who have "seasons" they must adjust to... On the coast (Pismo Beach, CA) we have few seasonal changes... 

Allie & Brian are in Arlington/Wash DC visiting SLE & MB. They have enjoyed the "hushed" sounds of falling snow on Monday, then Tuesday, they were treated to a "chilly downpour" that turned the snow into slush & ice. Other than wanting to experience more snow, they have enjoyed the "constant readjustments to their surroundings."

Will plan to see you tomorrow...

posting to Wordless Wednesdays

A HOUSE GUEST!!!

taken 2.11.16 - ALLIE's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALLIE (ACE)! ummm... as I'm typing this, I realized that ALLIE is no longer ACE. Those WERE the initials of her first-middle-last name. She's married now, so technically, she is ACM, but I think I'll refer to her as ALLIE from this point on.

I drove up to volunteer in Allie's classroom on Weds & Thursday... and take her to buy some work-out shoes for her BIRTHDAY.

JPE + Lola ~ VALENTINE'S DAY 2.14.16

AND... I picked up LOLA to spend a vacation here while Allie & Brian are visiting SLE & MB in Arlington, VA & Washington DC. 

RED SORT-OF-DAY...

In honor of the upcoming

RED HOLIDAY - VALENTINE'S DAY...

here's a collage of some RED items from my photo archives.

RED wooden airplane - Open House in SLO

RED bowl - White House tour 

(state service selected by Abraham Lincoln)

RED accordion - Winchester, VA

RED buttons - personal button collection

RED

:: is an emotionally intense color ::

RED evokes feelings of passion, desire, love

Brides in Nepal & India wear RED saris.

Japanese women wear RED kimonos for good luck & happiness.

RED is associated with war, energy, danger, power

Stop signs are RED to signify danger.

Countries include RED in their flags to signify power.

and, lastly...

Men love when women wear RED!

ON THIS DAY.... JANUARY 28th!

Being an "overachiever" and NOW a "procrastinator" I tend to avoid posting pictures on my blog if they aren't new or what I consider "blog-worthy"... I've been spending a chunk of time each day editing my photo library. It's gotten unmanage-able (over 42,500 photos)... and many of them need to be trashed. Of course, that prevents me from wanting to add more photos until I take care of this problem.

So... to SIMPLIFY life... I dug back into my archives for some notable happenings on this day... specifically, 2013 and 2011... Here's what I found. Also, I borrowed photos I hadn't posted to illustrate this post.

January 28, 2013

We took visitors to see the ELEPHANT SEALS on 1/28/13. An easy drive... it's always exciting being outside in the brisk, winter breezes along the coast of California. AND, who wouldn't like seeing the elephant seals... 

Actually, I enjoy seeing the expressions on people's faces while they watch the nuances of ELEPHANT SEAL life. This photo happens to be from February 2014, but I love the look on Matthew's face.

January 28, 2011

Then there was this LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE IN 2011. 

I had broken a bone in my left foot. I had written about the emotions that I was feeling as the result of being on crutches. Little did I know that I would use crutches until mid-July. AND, then have physical therapy for several months to regain my balance. 

JPE & I had already booked flights to see SLE & MB in Washington DC. So, off we went... You can see "da boot" that was "oh so glamorous!" We are laughing at MB, who was taking our picture! He's taken some of the best pictures --- and he's blind. Of course, we had all sorts of comments to help him snap this photo. 

Well... hope you enjoyed "On THIS DAY" (in 2013 & 2011)... perhaps I'll have to make this a regular feature here!

See you soon! 

BRICKS GALORE!!!

Fredericksburg, VA

"Architecture starts when you carefully put two BRICKS together. There it begins."

~ Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Fredericksburg, VA

black iron fence, old BRICK & new BRICK 

Williamsburg, VA

BRICK path on the town center greenbelt

Williamsburg, VA

a canon-ball holds open the gate to an

original historic BRICK building

Jamestown, VA

the BRICK church that served the early settlers

Richmond, VA
Tredegar Ironworks, housed in a
historic BRICK building, was the munitions & canon supplier
during the Civil War

Richmond, VA
 BRICK furnace at Tredegar Ironworks

Arlington, VA
view from our AirBnB location - overlooking the BRICK condos & walkway to Virginia Square Metro

Washington DC
BRICK row houses along the street
leading to the White House
{if you walk straight ahead,
you'd be looking at the front lawn of the White House}

:: BRICKS ::
have played an important part in my life!

my dad was a skilled BRICK mason...

PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION: NOVEMBER 2012

pic taken 11.17.12

I'm participating in Kat Sloma's PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION.

Click HERE to see the details for posting in this monthly "reflective" experience.

The basic concept is to "reflect on one photograph" --- photo bloggers look back over their folder of pictures from the prior month. Select ONE --- this is the most difficult part (especially when you're looking through a folder of 400+ photos). You post the photo that "tugs at your heart" for whatever reason, then explain what the photo meant to you.

My November reflection isn't about the skill or beauty of capturing what my eyes saw, but of feelings this photo brought from the depth of my heart.

When JPE & I visited MB & SLE over the Thanksgiving Break, we rode the Metro out to Arlington National Cemetery --- so I could take pictures of the "changing colors of the leaves" ---

Eighteen years have passed since I paid a trip to Arlington National Cemetery --- at the time, I was chaperoning 13 high school girls who were attending the National Camp Fire Conference in Washington DC. The girls were fabulous!!! but, our memories of that day were the overwhelming humidity & long lines to see JFK's gravesite. I remember nothing about the layout of the park or anything else about that morning.

Our recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery was amazingly beautiful --- the trees were gorgeous reds, oranges, yellows, browns & greens. Mazen was teasing me because I lagged behind our group of four (+ Sea-Bass) snapping picture after picture --- over 200 (later discarding ~165 photos). The sky was crystal clear blue with a smattering of wispy white clouds; the temperature had a slight chill; and I felt energized with each deep breath of fresh air... all the makings for a perfect "weather" day.

What I didn't expect was the QUIET, SERENITY, and CALMNESS I experienced in this historical resting place of  veterans. Glancing over the rolling hills, we saw groups of students, families, and individuals --- walking casually along the roads, stopping to find their location on the park map, some searching for a particular headstone, while others took advantage of concrete benches --- to rest their feet or wait to catch up with their group, listening to the chirping of the birds & water tumbling down the creek, or just sitting --- deep in reflection.

It was "WHISPER-QUIET" ---  no one raised their voice to get someone's attention, nor did we see a parent having to scold a child for misbehavior, and never did I see someone chatting on their cellphone (amazing, huh?) --- it was INDESCRIBABLE!

::: a day of stunning beauty & quiet reflection :::
 

FEATHERING THE NEST...

found on the patio eaves this morning...

I'd change this quote by substituting

"reading"

with the words,

blogging... 

editing photos... 

sitting on the patio with a cup of tea...

I DID accomplish

 "some" projects...

{just not enough}

wiped out the fridge...

made a grocery list...

wiped out all the kitchen drawers...

tidied the downstairs bathroom cabinet...

NOW, 

I'm washing bedding!

How did things get so out-of-control?

I checked my calendar & discovered...

I've slept in my own bed, 

TWENTY-FOUR nights

{since June 15th}

BUT,

slept elsewhere... 

{Washington DC, Peru, Mom's, Big Bear,

camping & hotels for two work meetings}

...FIFTY-FOUR nights!!!

Well... well... no wonder there are

dirty windows, blinds that need washing,

untidy bathroom cabinets...

Better get moving, eh?

EVERY BOY'S DREAM??

Spirit of St Louis

 

 

Charles A. Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St Louis on May 21, 2927 ~ the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York to Paris, France, in 33 hours, 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't it every boy's dream to fly? 

or at least check out planes ~ UP CLOSE!!!

JPE & I visited the Air & Space Museum (part of the Smithsonian Museums)... Monday was busy, busy with families on Spring Break, Boy Scout troops, high school, middle school and after-school programs...

but it's nice to see so many people enjoying Washington DC.

WWII exhibit

JPE's dad served during WWII - so this exhibit was especially interesting! Amazing murals set the tone & gave viewers a "realistic visual" for understanding what the pilot may have seen from the cockpit.

another WWII airplane

WWII display case memorabilia

THIS CAUGHT MY EYE!!!

A Public Affairs Committee pamphlet ~ wondering what men going off to war needed to know about women / girls? umm... any ideas? I'd like to know if any bloggers have the answer!

Of course, we checked out the Apollo Lunar Module. This is the second stage that ferried the astronauts from the orbit capsule to the lunar surface.

On the second level was one of my favorite exhibits... "Pioneers of Flight"... which included Amelia Earhart's plane, a Lockheed Vega! and this unusual plane...

an enterprising aircraft...

...a WRIGHT EX airplane!

...which was the first aircraft which advertised a product, a grape-flavored soft drink, VIN FIZ. Rodgers, owner of the plane, painted the drink logo on the bottom of the wings, and was paid $4-5 for each mile he flew... you'll want to click THIS LINK to learn about the outcome of his advertising venture.

Water Exploration was not left out of the picture...

a National Geographic diving cage!

A full day of exhibits - the crowds followed us to the METRO - our last experience with negotiating a crowd while using the wheelchair. URGGHH... difficult!

SPRING-ING ALONG!

Tulips are blooming everywhere!

SPRING in

WASHINGTON DC!! 

Arrived in Wash DC on Saturday evening! 

the plane landed between thunderstorms...

bumpy-ist flight ever!!

Sunday = awesomely SPRING-like!!

...kites dotted the Washington Mall!

...spent some time at the FDR Memorial

FDR's dog, Fala + Sea-Bass (MB's guide dog)

 Tulips everywhere!

Did you hear?? the Potomac River overflowed on the Mall!

...walked to the Jefferson Memorial

...Jefferson was our 3rd President

But, did you know??

:: he knew six languages ::

:: he invented the wooden coat hanger, swivel chair, 

sliding door, & the dumbwaiter ::

:: he introduced broccoli to America 

& made tomatoes popular ::