Thansgiving Weekend 2017

After the 'Kota Krisis;, I wasn't able, (mentally or financially), to throw an extravaganza of a Thanksgiving meal as I had done last year, and so was thankful that I only had a couple of guests, Steve and Jason, this year and both were supplying the desserts.

 I prepared an easy appetizer of dill pickles stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar which were then wrapped with bacon and baked. These disappeared quickly! I then made a turkey and bacon pie, cooked in homemade pastry with a tarragon and leek sauce. This took only a little time to prepare, and then with my stuffing, a tray of roasted beets, parsnips, brussels, onions, carrots and mushrooms, with mashed potatoes and gravy, we were good to go. And go we did, especially the boys! Little conversation ensued while the plates were thoroughly vacuumed and then completely refilled, after which the consumption continued at a slower pace, allowing some words to be spoken in between huge mouthfuls of food being shoveled in.

I had no opportunity to take photos as the meal was demolished so fast. I watched Steve and Jason in amazement. I was stuffed after one plateful and looked on incredulously as on round two three quarters of the pie disappeared and much of the side dishes. Their energetic consumption was compliment enough for me, although they looked pretty uncomfortable after the last mouthfuls went down. After much wriggling on seats and being unable to find a position of ease, it was decided a short hike was required before any attempts at dessert could be considered.

 It's been a while since I've walked around the perimeter of Maggi's land, so I led the way through the woods, then the fields and down to the little creek. The air was still and quiet, and we happily trudged through the thick carpet of crunchy leaves, glad to be moving and working some of the food off.

It was a bit slippery climbing up to the top of the rocks, the leaves skidded underfoot, but we finally stood at the top and surveyed the quiet woodlands. We eventually managed to get back to Meadow House before dusk, and even though we really hadn't got enough room for dessert, we gallantly plowed through Jason's walnut pie and Steve's cranberry and orange pudding with ice cream. After a couple of hours the boys departed, all of us wanting our own sofas to adopt a horizontal position where some napping would inevitably follow. It did, and it was bliss.
Over Friday and Saturday, between a couple of grocery trips, I cleared my patio. This was another task that had been put off due to the Kota Krisis, and I was glad to catch up. Pots were emptied and stacked, the purple vine that had perished through the freezing nights was cut down from my screens. Furniture was carried to the shed and the patio finally swept of leaves.

 Kota had been helping me through the task, sitting and monitoring my progress and checking all the pots. Rosie Lee preferred to stay cozy in front of the fire and had zero interest in taking a short hike when I offered. But Kota was keen and off we went.

 I love how dramatic this image appears, the poor hydrangeas culled by the frost until next spring. Almost as those they were frozen in time.

 Kota Kat did very well on his hike, with him even trotting at times. We had plenty of rests when we'd sit and sniff the crisp air. He was insistent that he lead the way at all times so I dutifully followed him through the woods and fields. We stood and watched as bluebirds and robins flitted from tree to tree, chirruping to their partners. As we got close to home, he decided a hill was too much to take on and asked to be carried. He purred all the way back to the house and was happy to sit on his rocking chair in front of the fire, sharing treats with Rosie Lee.
I then met up with a couple of English friends on Saturday evening. We started off at a winery and then finished with a meal at The Hunter's Head, a favorite restaurant of our group. I have no photos of that because it was just so nice to spend a few hours with friends without electronics being part of the scene. not once did any of us take out our phone, we simply enjoyed our conversation and company.
After all the food of the holiday weekend I was ready for some exercise, and on Sunday decided to climb part of the Appalachian Trail from Front Royal.

 I stopped occasionally to take a few photos of the bleak fields, resting after their summer crops.

 The country lanes were desolate but I did interrupt some black vultures, who were about to commence their feast of expired opossum. I had to drive by very slowly, their reluctance to abandon their dinner was very obvious and I wondered if they'd just been discussing as to who would have first dibs at dinner.
I parked at the start of the trail, only two other cars were there, so I wouldn't be meeting many folk. But almost immediately I met one guy with his two dogs on their way down. and soon after I came across another with his, also tired, hound. Later on my way back down I would come across a dog bandanna, with a 'let it snow' theme. I hope the rightful owner saw it tied to the tree at the parking lot. I'm sure the woofer didn't miss it...

This part of the trail runs alongside part of the National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center, a place I haven't managed to visit yet, but which is on my list of things to do. Only opening their doors once a year to the public makes this a tougher achievement. I scoured the fields behind the high, well maintained fencing, looking for I don't know what, but I had it in my head that I might see a 'push-me-pull-you', or at least a giraffe. Nothing. I didn't even see a bird land on a nearby tree. I wondered if these fields were ever used.

It felt good to be out exercising in the fresh air, it seemed like ages since I'd last hiked. There was a crisp breeze and the trail led up and up, but I didn't mind, It was great to be outside and enjoying nature. Although the only nature around me was sleeping. A few leaves were clinging grimly to branches while the ground was deep in rusty crunchy foliage that had fallen recently. I scuffed my way through, skidding occasionally on the dry slipperiness or tripping over rocks hidden beneath. There were few clumps of green grass or moss, but mostly neutral greys and browns dominated the landscape. There were few creatures about too, a lonely bird call whistled far above occasionally and even the squirrels seemed to be dozing today. I had the trail to myself.

I had walked about 2.5 miles, most of it uphill, when I heard a loud hollow crack in front of me and stopped immediately. Because I hadn't been out for a while I'd forgotten to prepare properly, grabbing only my camera and a jacket. I didn't have my hiking backpack on, not even thinking about it, until that noise made my hand automatically reach back for my pepper spray and grab thin air. I'd forgotten my bag. My heart lurched a little because that cracking noise had been quite loud and my first thought had been 'Bear!' I stood still and listened, feeling a little vulnerable, but there were no more sounds. it must have been a branch falling. I walked on a little further then sat on a boulder, an odor of skunk wafting around, making me grin as I thought, I wasn't the only one who'd been alarmed. I then also realized that I didn't have any water, but on this short hike, it wasn't needed. And that was the end of the hike too. I couldn't shake off the feeling of being unprotected, and with the sun starting to drop towards the horizon, it was probably best that I head back down.

My mind started playing tricks as the shadows grew longer and danced around me, the air cooling as the wind blew the branches. Black bears like feeding around dusk time and soon I was seeing bears crouching under bushes or any dark areas that were gloomy with the failing light.
But soon I was back down to the parking lot, wishing I could have gone further. I tied up the bandana I'd found, so it could be seen from the road, and made a note that as soon as I got home, I'd add a flashlight to my hiking backpack. I can feel that another trek in the mountains is imminent.

Bowled over at the Museum of the Bible

On Saturday I went down to DC to visit the just opened $500 million Museum of the Bible, privately owned by Hobby Lobby's owner, Steve Green, who had been in the news over incorrectly acquiring ancient artifacts.
But putting all this aside, because I had little interest in controversy today, I lined up, chatting with others in the queue; the family in front of me had come here from Florida and exuded a contagious aura of excitement.

 The building itself is impressive, brick and glass with 2 huge brass tablets, replicas of the Gutenberg Gates, which at first I thought were part of the wall, but then discovered they were the actual doors. Weighing over 12 tons, the words of Genesis are embossed in huge letters. The staff were all incredibly friendly and quickly ushered us through on our timed tickets to the foyer, where our exploration would begin.
I had about 30 minutes before I would embark on the Washington Revelations tour, so popped into an exhibition on the song, Amazing Grace, written by Englishman John Newton, and which is possibly performed about 10 million times a year.

 We learned of John Newton's tough life as a youth and also how he wrote hymns for his sermons after becoming ordained in later years. There's likely very few people that are unfamiliar with this song, so it was interesting to hear of its creation and creator.
Next door was another exhibition, this time of Gib Singleton's bronze sculptures, depicting 'Stations of the Cross'.

 Some were beautifully harrowing, their rough carving somehow lending additional emotion to the pieces. The room was very quiet with few of us inside, so we were able to get up close and personal to inspect the art.
I had to leave suddenly as I realized my time for the Washington Revelations tour had arrived. I dashed up the stairs where, along with about 25 other people, we were led into a dark room with a screen and an upright 'Flyboard' before each of us that we had to lean into and hold. The room darkened, our boards began vibrating and tilting, and we were off. I have no photos to show of this trip, I was enjoying the experience way too much to even think about taking pictures. We were taken on a flying tour of DC, skimming over rooftops and trees, suddenly diving down to speed along streets, twisting to squeeze between narrow columns and turning on our sides to swoop inside doorways. We visited many buildings and monuments, all of which I'd visited before, but not from this perspective. We were shown how they all had Biblical references and where we could find them, but I don't remember hardly any of the inscriptions, I had been concentrating on my flight, loving the aerial sensation, with the wind blowing against us and even water spray from a storm. I think the tour was about 15 minutes, but it finished way too soon, I wanted to repeat it a second, third and fourth time, it was the best 4D trip I'd been on. I found a video about the ride's creation, but no images.

 Feeling exuberant and light on my feet after my ride I wandered into the next doorway I came across and found myself in the Joshua Machine, a room where people could go into a booth and make a short recording on how the Bible has impacted them. Or you could create written messages on a huge table top touch screen, selecting background images and text for your own personal message which would then display on another screen. There was a soothing atmosphere in the room, a calmness which was nice to just experience, even without taking part in the recordings.

 As well as personal impact being explored, there were many references and displays on how the Bible had impacted fashion, books, paintings, songs, literature, architecture, science and even movies. A small theater was set up, showing short clips of movies including Ghostbuters, in which Dan Akroyd quoted Revelations 7:12, and "as it is in Heaven', being quoted in X Men United.
Beautiful clothing was on display and there was a wall with a t-shirt image on it. You stood in front of the wall so the shirt lined up with your body then chose the design you wanted to wear by pushing a button on the wall. I was unable to photograph that successfully, but didn't mind, the experiences in this museum were so different and interesting.

I sat at this table, which was a huge screen, on which a meal was being served and bowls passed around. Voices of the family could be heard, and I sat and listened to the discussions and prayers while watching the arms and plates move in front of me. This display was called 'Breaking Bread'.

A large beautiful painting caught my attention as I wandered around, and I found myself standing for quite some time, admiring the skill of the artist who had captured the steam from the horse's nostrils and the amazing lighting of a cold dawn, during which George Washington had stopped to pray for his country. The story of the scene is here, and it said on the wall next to the painting that the artist sketched the setting by the Schuylkill River and experienced the same winter's cold as seen in his painting.

A model of the Gutenberg press had been set up on the floor, a man in an apron creating prints for people to take home. Because of this press, the Bible, which had only only been accessible to those who could afford them, was now less expensive to print and reached a much wider audience.

This painting beckoned me from across the room, it's ghostly staring figures intriguing me. Attributed to Henry Sanderson, there is little information about it on the internet, but it's a representation of the many baptisms that took place during the Second Great Awakening, a movement from the late 1700's to the early 1800's when Baptist and Methodist membership dramatically increased.

There were many stunning works of art in this museum, so that I was constantly tracking back and forth across the rooms whenever a vibrant color or a facial expression caught my eye. I'm sure that, because of this, I may have missed some exhibits or even possibly whole corners of rooms, as I was constantly being drawn from one section to another, as if on a treasure trail. Many of the walls were adorned with these huge tapestry style banners which told a story of the exhibit they were in, the wording thrown down by ceiling projectors. I stepped up to inspect one closely and was amazed to see that they weren't printed graphics on cardboard as I'd assumed, but were made of a heavy material on which the scenes had been stitched. An impressive detail and I wondered how many other visitors had picked up on this or had merely assumed they were reading digitally created murals as I originally had.

I quickly stopped to capture this scene, old books displayed with the reflections of the wall artwork surrounding them, and a mother listening to her daughter reading from one of the ancient publications.
 There was an exhibit which I'd been keen to visit, a large area laid out as a first century Jewish village, The World of Jesus of Nazareth. It reminded me of the themed casinos at Vegas but it still drew me in, curious to find out what would be around a 'stone' corner with the huge tree overhanging. The floor had been laid to look like paved stone, with stone walls lining the main walkway, small rooms set up into which you could wander.

 A table was covered with foods from that time, staff dressed in period costumes explaining the way of life. A small gathering room held 2 gentlemen who explained about the scrolls on a table and how they were written and how The Word was conveyed. A couple of craftsmen stood in a corner showing how the tools of the time were made and used. Baskets of olives were stacked by walls with mounds collected on the ground under the trees, vistas of the surrounding countryside behind them.

I was impressed at how carefully planned this exhibition was, especially it seemed, for photographers. This little scene had been set up so that it was easy to take a photo that appeared as though it had been taken directly from a viewpoint of a setting sun over the Sea of Galilee, rather than a painting on a wall with artificial rocks in front.

This huge room was filled with specialized Bibles, illuminated manuscripts, Dead Sea Scrolls and other scriptures, gospels and even tiny personal Bibles. This collection was so vast and jaw dropping that I was overwhelmed at being surrounded by so many incredible artifacts in one place, wondering how long it had taken to accumulate this collection, and whether it was actually all authentic.

While studying for my graphic design degree, there had been two elements of historical art that had left a deep impression on me, the creations of William Morris, and also, illuminated manuscripts, which were surrounding me here. To be able to get up so close to these manuscripts and inspect the artwork from hundreds of years ago was incredible. Unlike in an art gallery where you're watched very closely by security guards, here it was a much more personal experience. With the soft lighting and also because of the timed entries to the museum preventing overcrowding, I was able to lean in and study the books at leisure, with no inhibitions other than the pane of glass between us. And I realized that throughout the whole museum, it had been the same. The museum wanted the journey from room to room, from floor to floor, to be one of involvement and intimacy. There were even desks here set up so that visitors could use colored pens and have a go at tracing a manuscript themselves, copying the calligraphy lettering.

A small Gospel Book form the Byzantine Empire, written in Greek. The text was from the 11th century but the pictures were added to blank pages later in the 14th century.

I loved this sketch from the pages of an old German Bible. Everything on display here at the museum was laid out so photos could be taken.

My last stop was at the top of the museum, where there were no exhibits as yet but people could take in the views over the city. I pushed open a door to a large room called The Gathering Room, surprised to find that I was the only person in there. Enormous chandeliers hung sparkling along the ceiling with welcome messages on large screens at each end of the room. I wandered around the empty circular tables ringed with chairs and took a photo directly below one of the huge lights before leaving. Leaving the museum left me with a profound impression of amazement. From top to bottom, the whole experience had been a polished and informative journey. Each room had obviously been designed thoughtfully and tastefully, with the decor in some of the rooms as impressive as the treasures they held. There is still space on the upper floors promising new future exhibits so I shall definitely be returning. I had spent 4 hours in here with no sense of the time that had passed. I hadn't initially been looking forward to visiting this museum, thinking it would be a tedious and solemn day spent trudging through the floors glancing at religious tomes and rushing through monotonous exhibits , but instead it had been engaging and informative, vibrant and alluring, a museum for all walks of life to come and understand the Bible with no overbearing messages or invitations to believe in God. I'm looking forward to my next visit and especially to another flight over DC's monuments.