first fire in the fireplace

light and clouds

Took this on our drive today through Shenandoah National Park... it was a great day for clouds.

Arnie having a think

memory lane

We took this photo three years ago this month -- we had just gotten engaged, and didn't have time or money for a professional engagement shoot, so we set up the tripod and Henry's little Canon pocket camera in my grandma's backyard and took about forty frames of timed shots. On some of them she pressed the shutter button, but because of the light and angle she couldn't see through the viewfinder! This one turned out the best, we thought, and ended up being the one we included a wallet-size version of in our wedding invitations.

about our doorknob

Last night our doorknob was jammed when we got home, not budging for any amount of key-turning, sighing, pleading, shoving, pulling, or stomping around the porch.

Luckily, we came in the back door. Today we called a locksmith and he spent about 45 minutes working on it -- an interior screw had come loose over what he thinks is about sixty years of continuous use, so he had to screw it back in and put it all back together again. No parts, no replacement. :) I asked him if a newer lock would be safer and he said this was a very good solid old one, just to keep it how it is. Yay.

china cabinet series

I added some new pieces to my vintage china set this week and wanted to take some pictures of the cabinet's contents. Went a little crazy with it, actually.

family reunion

Butler, PA, 7/8/09

Amish wheat

Wheat field, Lancaster Co., PA

hydrangea macrophylla (blue)

Another new addition to the backyard while we were gone.

tiger lilies in the yard

Look who showed up while we were gone for 4 days.

faithful tomato

I reorganized my craft area tonight and rediscovered my old pincushion -- I've had this since I was 13 I think -- 16 years! ;)

I love this place.

St. Patrick's Cathedral
New York City

Amish commuter

Today we drove through Lancaster County's Old-Order Amish areas.

Cathedral Hallway

Washington National Cathedral
Washington, DC
7th Floor Observatory

petal edges

I was playing around with some settings I don't usually use on my camera, this happened, and I liked it.

I'll leave the light on for you.

Today I found a lamp while out bargain-hunting. This foyer has needed one for a long time, but none really seemed right until this one today.

As a side note, this is the first photo I've taken for a while that I popped into Photoshop and couldn't think of a single effect I wanted to try on it. I just liked it how it was for some reason.

After I finish the upstairs bedroom I'm working on, my next project is going to be this foyer: scraping off the popcorn ceiling texture and repainting the burgundy areas of trim to be a pale creamy white.

a new work zone

One unforeseen benefit of us finally getting a table and chairs for the dining room table is that I have a nice big space to spread out my books and laptop and papers while lesson planning for my fall classes. The key will be to see whether I can clean *up* after myself when I'm done for the day. Rainstorms outside today - hence the odd lighting.

heirloom roses after the rain

Took this after a pounding rain today.

a new technique

I should stop using my pocket camera for pictures like this.

I've been trimming off roses in the back yard -- today I decided to leave more leaves attached and let nature do the "arranging."

Eastern Shore

Last week we took our guests on a whirlwind tour of the area, hitting DC first, and then Maryland's Eastern Shore. Sand is one of my least favorite things to touch, but I do like how the light and dark play in its shadows.