A Snowy End to 2008

The cold wind blows my face, and blows
Its frosty pepper up my nose.

Black are my steps on silver sod;
Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;
And tree and house, and hill and lake,
Are frosted like a wedding cake.

From "Winter-Time" by Robert Louis StevensonToday it is snowing. Here's a photo of my cottage this morning.


The next three photos are of a house around the corner from me, snow covered ivy, and the harbor in Vineyard Haven. It's definitely a time to be indoors...when I went out the wind-driven snow pelted my face with crystals that felt like little pieces of glass.

Crescent Moon

In my cottage again, I am settling in for a week before Laurie and I leave for Africa. I have my visa back from the Ghanaian Embassy in D.C., so I'm set to go.

There's no doubt I've taken this picture before, but I couldn't resist taking the crescent moon between the silhouetted branches of the tree outside my front window. It really is an obsession.

No writing today, but I got a number of items checked off my to do list (looking up info for my cousin to help him start his Civil War museum, sending a card to a 90-year old boyhood friend of my dad's to say how many times I've heard her name spoken with fondness, some business letters for my aunt, etc.). Tomorrow I'll try to settled back into writing.

Williamsburg, VA

My last day in Maryland was spent mostly in Virginia. My cousin Karen took Aunt Gladys and me for a quick tour of Colonial Williamsburg. Well, we mostly went for the tea room and for the antique mall. We weren't there long enough to actually spend time going into the working shops in the colonial town where George Washington and James Madison both had pews in the church that has been there since 1715. (This isn't a photo of the church, but of one of the little homes in the market square area.)
We had great fun and the weather was unbelievably balmy. Tomorrow I take the train back to Martha's Vineyard.

Admiral Selfridge Farmhouse

On October 1, 1920 in Wheaton, Maryland my dad was born in a farmhouse on the Admiral Selfridge Farm. Here is what the farmhouse looks like today.

The Orville Half of the Wright Brothers

Having some uncompleted business here in Maryland, I've delayed my return to Martha's Vineyard until Monday. While here, I'm enjoying both the human and the non-human members of the family. The family cats having come from Kitty Hawk, NC are aptly named Wilbur and Orville. Orville, however, didn't do the younger brother justice, so he's been nicknamed "Imp" or "Impy." Just like kids, the cats often love the box more than the contents. With a hole cut in the side of this box, Impy has a new castle where, at least for now, he's king!

My Art Collection Doubles

I'm having a terrific time with my family this week doing nothing but the usual shopping and running around. We exchanged gifts this morning, and I was so very pleased to receive an original watercolor still life from my cousin Lisa. She is not only a talented artist, but is a history major with a particular interest in 20th Century American Craft. She been offered an internship at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, and when she was visiting New York recently, she was approached by the curator of the Museum of American Design for an internship there.

No pressure whatsoever, I'm sure, but I was also given a beautiful portable watercolor set by my cousin Greg's family. I look forward to using it.

Ribbo's Birthday Surprise

Sunday morning at 8:30 we had a surprise birthday breakfast for my cousin Rob. He was so thin when he was growing up, that he was nicknamed Ribs. My dad adapted it to a Spanish version when he came to visit in New Mexico - Ribbo - so he's known by the family as any of the above.

Rob is one of the premiere experts on the Civil War, and particularly the Confederacy. He is currently building what will be a Civil War Museum near Petersburg, VA. He's funny, extremely smart, and definitely one of my favorite people. I was happy to be able to join others in the family to wish him a happy 50th birthday!