Another Cold Weekend

Saturday started off as a brisk cold morning. I looked out to see Stuart with a frosty coating and a couple of birds hopping over him, probably enjoying the first warm rays of the sun. I was elated to see that one of the birds was a bluebird and managed to quickly snap a shot of him through the window. Then once I'd pulled on 5 layers of t-shirts and fleeces, it was off for some housebuilding.

 Today we were putting in the electrical outlets. The benefit of women building a home is that because this was a subject that required a lot of planning, we stood and discussed it in depth, working out where the one in the hallway would be best placed so the vacuum cleaner cord didn't have to be unplugged too often, and ensuring there would be plenty of outlets in areas where TV's and computers might be plugged in. We put an additional one in the hallway for a nightlight and I even got one approved to go in halfway up the stairs, on the turn, so a nightlight or vacuum cleaner could be plugged in there. I'm sure our house has more power outlets than the house next door that the men are building.

 These wood braces are being put in between the studs so kitchen cabinets can be hung on them.

 I put up the middle boards on the side of the house; there was a gap between the top wall and the bottom wall that needed filling. I also had to put up some nailing boards that had been missed, for attaching the dry wall to. I really did far too much hammering this week but it's like an addiction, if I have a hammer I have to use it, at a furious pace. My poor shoulder is feeling sore again...

Ruth is in charge of the supplies and is extremely vigilant on monitoring what is used and how and why. She also hates her photo being taken. I have no idea why she's pointing that pen because I was concentrating very hard on taking a photo without her realizing. I think I got away with it.
We finished the tasks set us for the day and will continue with the electrical work next week.
On Sunday I went for a hike from Meadow House. After chatting with Maggi, I'd discovered that she had more land than I'd previously assumed so, grabbing my camera, I went to explore.

I spotted this little tuft of down fluttering in the chilly breeze, probably from the underside of a passing deer.

There was still ice on the pond and snow on the ground in places.

There's quite a few rocks here so it was fun clambering over those.

I think this will be a wonderful little secret retreat when the weather warms up, a ready made chair with a backrest to keep the wind out.

I think some of Maggi's relatives have been here, hiking sticks left for future treks.

I spent a couple of hours crossing new terrain and then coming back through the meadows, still tall with brush since Maggi didn't get it cut last autumn because Philip Pheasant lives and hides out there. In fact at the start of my walk, I came across him, making both of us jump. As I came back through the fields I was able to follow deer paths through the grass and brambles and even found their sleeping areas under small trees. I was very happy that it wasn't tick season, I would've been covered with them if I'd done this walk in the summer.
When I got home the moggies were chilling out on the sofa so I took some portrait shots.

Rosie was very accommodating and posed happily for her mug shots, and looking very sweet.

Kota wasn't impressed at his nap being interrupted and gave a huge yawn and then a scowl. Love him!

New Year's Eve 2012

On New Year's Eve, I was meeting with Nancy and joining other Brit friends to celebrate the New Year at Mary's house. Nancy and I had sensibly opted to get a hotel room within walking distance as we were both positive that driving would not be an option.
On my way to Maryland I decided to stop off at the Mormon Temple to catch the last evening of their Christmas lights.It was a frigidly cold night but I'd managed to find one hand warmer at home so juggled it from hand to hand in between photos.

After 30 minutes or so I was done, my fingers would work no more and I scuttled back to the car. The light display was wonderful and I should have liked to spend longer there but the cold got the better of me. With the heat turned up to full blast I started driving to Rockville where I got to the hotel room in time to call Boo in England and see (or actually 'hear') in the New Year with her.
When Nancy arrived we decided to start off at the hotel bar and after 4 double Bicardi and cokes we strolled over to Mary's. It was fabulous to catch up with the crew again, not even noticing that it had likely been 2 years since I'd seen this crowd, the years melted away.

We had a little mishap with a candle. Mala decided to light the one on the TV which Mary assured us had been perched on top there for ages and used before. But this time the heat of the candle caused the plastic to melt on the TV so the candle 'sank and lilted' like a ship. It provided intense amusement for drunken senses of humor and was the center of attention for some time. And the TV still works...

Mary made everyone take part in a quiz which was hopeless. I helped Mala not wanting to take part individually, far too embarrassing. The questions seemed impossible, so much so that I can't think of a single example to post here. Brian obviously didn't win any prizes...

We toasted in the New Year with champagne in glasses that just had stems but no bases. Not necessarily a good idea at this stage of the evening and I clutched mine close to my chest, petrified of knocking it against something or even worse, forgetting about the lack of stem and casually placing it on a table.

The evening was a riot with many laughs but my photographic abilities were fading fast, as shown here, and it was really just as well that we were saying farewell. I have no knowledge of walking or staggering back to the hotel but we made it back OK because I woke up in the same bed I'd left my overnight bag on.

The next morning was torture but once I'd maintained a vertical position for a while I realized the next best step was breakfast. Nancy came up with the great idea of going to Dupont Circle where we'd be sure to find a splendid morning meal.

After a short journey on the Metro we alighted to a very quiet and peaceful Dupont Circle. I've never seen the place so desolate before but it meant we wouldn't be waiting in any lines for nutrition and that was a plus. We saw a board outside James Hoban's Irish Bar and marched in to be rudely informed that they weren't open. They didn't even want to help us out by telling where else we could head to. A very miserable crew and a place I shan't ever step a foot into again. but the upside was that we found a fabulous restaurant called The Front Page, where we were welcomed with big smiles and shown immediately to a booth. We'd barely been there a minute when we had Mimosas and coffee placed in front of us and we were directed to a buffet with everything we could possibly want to eat for breakfast in front of us, fresh and piping hot. We went up twice, filling our plates with eggs, bacon sausage and toast. I don't know how many Mimosas or coffees we had but our heads certainly felt better. I'd definitely recommend this place, http://frontpagedc.com/.

Happy New Year!

Lazy Vacation Days

My vacation days between Christmas and New Year were very relaxing, more so than originally intended because of the snow and the ice thwarting any plans I'd had of leaving the hill. But it was fine, I went for walks, read a lot and slept. Having a break from my 6 work day week was wonderful and I relished the laziness.If there wasn't snow, then there was ice so I was constantly throwing out food for the birds and squirrels.

Here are Phillip the Pheasant's footprints next to mine.  These birds don't use their wings much, preferring to run when alarmed. i scared him here when I pulled up in Stuart and stepped out.

This poor little woodpecker slammed into one of the French doors by mistake and plopped down on to the patio. I rushed to get a box and towel ready then watched him closely over the next few minutes. He appeared to be dazed but recovered quickly and was soon able to fly off.

Kota went for a few very short strolls just to keep an eye on things but each time rushed back, shaking his paws furiously.

They're getting on a lot better now, and I've caught them a few times curled up side by side or just watching the outdoors events together. Rosie is definitely an indoor cat and shows little interest in leaving the house. It's been hard work trying to get these two to interact but finally I think we're getting there, and with many more cold days and opportunities to snuggle up with each other, I think they may even become good friends. I certainly feel better when leaving the house knowing that they're company for one another.
During one of the days where the hill was clear but I had no idea what to do since I had to make sure I was back home before dark when it all froze over again, I noticed a friend had liked a page on Facebook of an architectural salvage place near to home. Without a second thought I leaped up, grabbed the car keys, and was off, glad to see some new scenery.
I found it easily enough and was surprised at how much stock they had, I'd thought they would be a relatively small concern. Why hadn't I heard of them before? But I sauntered around, chatting with the owner and noticing that her prices weren't too bad at all.

I bought a couple of shutters and them worried how I'd get them into the car but they fitted fine. I'll go back to get another few as I'll make them into a screen for my patio to give privacy and protection from breezes. The completed project will be on here in the spring. They had quite a bit of everything and I poked around for at least an hour. I'll definitely return as I noticed a couple of items that I'd like to turn into artistic projects.Their web site is here:
http://www.oldhouseparts.net/
When I left I realized that I still had over an hour before it got darker and colder so I headed for the low water bridge which was near by. VDOT have announced plans to replace this bridge with a higher 2 lane version in the next few years so I wanted images of it in its current condition.

Click here for a video of a crossing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITuhiGH0tVg
Then it was time to steer towards home but on the way I thought I'd drive past the Big Wall. I've shown this to Mum and we chatted over its possible history wondering what had provoked someone to build a wall so high and so huge. I guess I've always wanted to hear a romantic reason for its existence and have driven past often hoping to catch site of the owner or a worker in the fields.

The buildings have also always intrigued me and I'd noticed the conservation sign on the gate. Well today was my lucky day because as I rounded the bend I spotted a guy driving a back hoe or something out of the field. I stopped to chat and found out his name is Lindsey. He leases the land and keeps Angus cows there. He also works up in Chantilly, the same as me. We delighted in our similarities as we chatted and exchanged numbers. He told me this used to be an old plantation and started pointing out the buildings. He'll give me a proper tour once the snow has gone so I'm looking forward to that. And then I had to ask my most important questions, what was the wall for and who built it? He responded with, "It's to keep the cows in." I looked at him incredulously. That was it? I continued staring as though willing him to offer more information and a better story, but no, as my romantic notions of a king building a huge wall to show the world his posterity deflated, Lindsey explained that the landowner had tried putting up wooden fences but to no avail. The land here is so wet, the posts won't stand upright and cows are very good jumpers so were constantly escaping. During the 70's the farmer had used a loader to drag large rocks down from the mountain and slowly built the wall around his land. All because of cows.
Oh well, the mystery was solved and I'd made a new friend so all's well that ends well.

While we were chatting I managed to capture the setting sun on the side of one of the buildings, then realizing it would soon be dark, hurried back to Stuart with plans to meet up with Lindsay for a tour in a few weeks.
Another place that failed to meet my expectations was the gold mining museum in Goldvein, VA. I'd seen the web site, www.goldvein.com, and trevelled down with Dale to check it out on another day that the temperatures were just slightly higher than freezing.

It was 3 small sheds, one a replicated mess hall, one a bunk house and the other a exhibit of tools used and rocks found in the mining days. These huge Hornet Balls were used to crush the rock to extract the gold. Not the best or most exhilarating museum I've ever been too, but one struck off my To Visit list...

This huge roller skate on the way down was more exciting. It has sat by a roller skate park in Bealeton since the 1980's.
At Opal, I wanted to check out the gun range at the gun shop so we stopped in there for a visit.

The gun range was outdoors and had various length target ranges for pistols and rifles. I would have loved to stop and watch but the deafening reports drove us into the store.

Never knew that you could build or pack your own bullets, choosing color of powder and loudness of the explosion.

I liked the photo above the door and the shot glasses but didn't leave with any momentoes although I've often wondered about purchasing a gun. The time may come that I may want to bear arms but for now I'm content to just look and admire from afar.