Wedding travels

En route from Brother's Wedding to Cousin's Wedding we find ourselves in the hills/mountains of Tennessee -- a far cry from I-80!


A field of cosmos, and beyond, the landscape of North Carolina.

A spotless rose

I much prefer old-fashioned garden flowers over what's available through the florist, so if I had my druthers I would have a bouquet of these fragrant lovelies on my wedding day. This little blossom came from the garden of a family friend, who says if her bush is still blooming in early October, I may have whatever roses I need for my wedding! I think it's rather a long-shot, but it sure would be nice.

Wedding ring shawl

My friend Susan gave me a beautiful wedding ring shawl as an engagement/birthday gift, so called because it is fine enough to pass through a wedding ring. It is handspun and handknit with 1 ply silk and 1 ply OPTIM (had to Google that, but find it is specially treated wool). Definitely an heirloom to be passed down!

Elegy

St. Michael's Church, Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria

"Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade,
Where heaves the turf in many a mold'ring heap,
Each in his narrow cell forever laid,
The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep."

--Excerpt from "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" by Thomas Gray, c. 1742-1750

Haydn

Douglas is visiting and brought a small fraction of his piano library. His dry comment: "Little did Haydn know that one of his worst piano sonatas would be memorialized in such a beautiful photo."

April (snow) showers

Home is the sailor

The Dungeness River on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington.
After a sudden trip to the Northwest, I'm back at home until the next adventure beckons!

Portraits

I let a friend behind the camera, with these results:


I like the angles of the staircase and the sunlight against the gray wall in this one; what do you think?


If the smile looks a little forced, it's because it was. :)

A foggy day...

...in Gallipolis, Ohio (just across from West Virginia).


My sojourn in Ohio is nearly over -- soon I'll be back home to easier and more frequent posting (and my sewing machine!!).

Sunshine in the snow

Colored lights

I've been quite busy this week -- between my parents' back-to-back birthdays on Sunday and Monday, singing in The Messiah on Sunday, an unexpected visit from two friends on Monday and Tuesday, my Aunt Kate flying in from Washington today, finishing up my classes, and a potluck caroling party tomorrow evening... whew! I'd forgotten how busy December can be!

The ice storm

Geranium petals

Sugar maple

Another photo from last year...

Autumn is coming!

A Saturday outing

On Saturday, my friend Susan and I took off to the northern extremities of Nebraska, around the Ashfalls fossil bed area. Susan's friend Marilee lives in a small town nearby, in an old (for Nebraska!) home built in 1873. We met up with Marilee and, after eating lunch at a cute little roadside restaurant called Green Gables, made our way out to Ashfalls.

It was a lovely day to be outdoors -- not too hot, not too windy -- and Susan and I enjoyed seeing the terrain of northeastern Nebraska (hills! and trees!).




Marilee's home was a delight to the eyes (see my previous post). She is, among other things, a fiber artist, and she had several beautiful quilts that were given to her by crafty friends. She is also a collector of antiques, and I just loved all the beautiful old books, furnitures, wall art, etc. that filled her home!

My favorite touch, however, was probably the mis-matched lace curtains (Battenburg and woven lace) at the windows. She had thrown the windows open and a gentle breeze fluttered through the house, bringing fresh air and outdoor scents within. Before we headed back home, Susan and I enjoyed sampling Marilee's homemade wild rose and vanilla tea. It was a thoroughly lovely day!

Victorian house

Books and a nest:


Blue bottles:


Layers of wallpaper -- an archaeological dig!


Boy, did I have fun taking photos today! I'll share more about today's adventures at a later date...

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...

I'm getting a little ahead of myself here as our leaves haven't started turning yet -- I took this picture last year. But I'm certainly looking forward to the beautiful flaming hues of our sugar maple tree!

September goldenrod

Peonies

Blue bathroom #2

(See this older post for another peak at my recently redecorated bathroom.)

Another snapshot from the Lake District

Here I am in the same graveyard as yesterday's post, looking toward the road. Did you ever see such daffodils?!

"Thou who has given me eyes to see,
And love this sight so fair,
Give me a heart to find out Thee
And read Thee everywhere."

--on the gateway to Orrest Head summit, near Lake Windermere

The Lake District

We finally watched Miss Potter tonight, so I was inspired to dig out some photos from one of my visits to the beautiful Lake District. This is my lovely friend Mare-Ona in April 2004, when she and I drove a loop through the north of England. Actually, I can't recall exactly where this graveyard is, but it's somewhere along the A592 road which runs through the Lake District National Park. Like that helps. :)

Here's an excerpt from my journal at the time:

April 2, 2004

Today Mare-Ona and I stopped for lunch by the lake called Ullswater. It was lovely to sit and eat and listen to the lapping water. There were lots of daffodils scattered about. We ate pizza, cous-cous, and garlic bread, then had tea and yogurt for dessert. This came back to haunt us as we drove through the WINDING hills getting to Beatrix Potter's house. We had to stop and take a break to eat some fruit and get over feeling sick.

Ha!

We didn't actually get to go inside Beatrix Potter's house -- due to some misinformation from the tourist info guide, we arrived the day before the house opened for the season. But we caught a glimpse from the gate!

Old trees

We live in the northeast corner of our li'l Midwestern town. One of the things I love most about our section of town is its age. We actually have tall trees everywhere in this neighborhood, which may not seem like much, but consider what state we are in (Nebraska)! We are also fortunate enough to live very near a nice park and a beautiful old cemetery, both of which have plenty of lovely old trees. Bike-riding and walking are very pleasant things to do in this neighborhood.

Birthday table

Complete with vintage china from my great-great-grandmother!

Butterflies and zinnias

I took these photos last summer, actually. How many butterflies can you count in the second picture?

Speaking of photography, there is a rumbling in the ranks that we may be getting a new family camera soon. (All photos featured on my blog thus far, unless scanned, have been taken with my Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S90, a 4.1 megapixel point-and-shoot.) I have been researching various digital SLR cameras, and have somewhat narrowed down the choices. Right now I'm looking at the Canon Rebel XTi or the Sony Alpha. They seem fairly comparable in price and features. Next, I want to compare available lenses for both cameras.

I have a bit of experience with shooting with an SLR camera, though my knowledge is very, very basic. It's enough to wade through online reviews, though. If any of you have any thoughts on these models (or would like to throw in a suggestion for something completely different), please feel free to leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.

June rose

"Oh, blushing buuuuuds of ever-blooming beeeeeauuuuty...."

(Points if you can tell me where the quotation's from. I've already given you a hint.)

Mother's Day

In the cemetery

Spring sunset

Silent beauty

Purple crocuses

These are the first blooms from our garden this spring.

The piano

Time for a spring wallpaper

(Click for more wallpapers from the Haworth village website)
"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:
He shall gather the lambs with his arm,
And carry them in his bosom,
And shall gently lead those that are with young."

--Isaiah 40:11

Peonies on my vanity

This faux peony arrangement was a St. Valentine's Day gift from my parents. They are my favorite shade of flower -- the most delicate blush of pink with a hint of cream and sunny yellow!

Valentine tulips

You may have noticed a recurring theme in the photos I take around our home -- I love flowers, especially when brought indoors in a pot or vase. I think it's a good idea to splurge on buying bouquets at this time of year, when winter is dragging. Early spring flowers, such as tulips, are wonderful, because they are a reminder that spring will come!

"The flowers that bloom in the spring (tra-la!)
Breathe promise of merry sunshine --
As we merrily dance and we sing, (tra-la!)
We welcome the hope that they bring (tra-la!)
Of a summer of roses and wine."

--from The Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan (1885)

Blue bathroom

Detail of some of the new fixtures in my bathroom, including the new blue paint. The shade is what we call "Jack's Blend," because it is the same custom blend that a friend of ours used in his living room. In real life, it is about one shade lighter than your typical blue Wedgwood jasperware.

The sconce is from Restoration Hardware.

Thelma and Leora

This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandma, Leora Ackerman, who is on the right. She is talking and laughing with her lifelong friend Thelma Neterer. This was taken in 1952, when she and my Grandpa Don were home on furlough from their missionary work in La Ceiba, Honduras. Grandma says that the dress she was wearing was blue, and that she bought it in New Orleans on their way home.

I love this picture because it is so retro. The dresses! The aprons! The teacups! And of course the delightful expression on their faces, a testament to the blessings of true friendship between women.

Grandma's birthday luncheon

Squirrel tracks

A nice, steaming cuppa

My tea of choice -- morning, noon, and night -- is Twinings' English Breakfast.

Red geraniums

More from the ice storm

My father took these last Monday. Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge; the detail gets lost in the smaller images.

Great-Grandma Irene's recipe box

Narcissus

My mom has forced some narcissus bulbs, which just bloomed this past week. Every time I walk into the dining room, I can smell their scent!

Light glinting off the icy trees at dusk

A mild winter has left us with no real snow-storms yet, but only ice-storms. There are many tree branches down because the limbs can't bear the weight of all that ice. The grass underfoot crunches as you walk on it -- each individual blade has a coating of ice. The bad weather will ensure a quiet New Year's Eve for many here in town, but we have a cozy fire inside, and plenty of books to read and games to play.

On the 5th day of Christmas

I wish we could have indoor Christmas trees that looked like this!

Basil soaking up warmth