Reading, Painting and Walter

Son Michael is back to work now after his vacation and I am filling my days best I can.
I am doing things I enjoy, like reading...
I am almost finished with "Incident At Big Sky", the true story about a young girl training for the biathelon in the Olympics. She is running the mountain trails in Montana when she is captured and held captive by a father and his son. She gets shot but survives. This happened in 1984. You may remember it... if you are old enough, that is! 

I am wandering about my son's house, finding things that intrigue me.

This is a piece of scrimshaw that was a gift to my husband several years ago. I don't know if it is true scrimshaw but it looks cool nevertheless. I would like to think that it is.

And, if you have ever seen Jeff Dunham, the ventriloquist, you know Walter.

I just love Walter.

This one talks if you push his button. Ha ha. 

I walk outside and enjoy my son's flowers. He knows how to grow things. This is a Rose of Sharon blossom.

Besides reading, I am writing another book, doing entries in my journal, trying to blog often, keeping up with my facebook friends, I have two instagram accounts. You really ought to check those out. One is accidently_aging and the other is willielatanebarton. I have fun doing those. And, I am still doing watercolors. 

This is yesterdays attempt at a swallowtail butterfly

Well, that's all for now, folks. The weekend is coming up. I am sure we will get into something or other while he's off work.

And, that means more things to enter in Tom's Willy Nilly Friday 

A Little Bit of My Town

                                              I am enjoying living in Suffolk, Va.  

It suits my needs very nicely and I have made friends and have become familiar with shops, parks, my favorite ice cream store etc. 

I think it would be awful to live in a town you did not like. But, I've done it a time or two back in my husband's Navy days. 

The walking trail behind my apartment

A butterfly seat at the Cultural Arts Center

A statue at Cedar Hill Cemetery

A Professional building at the corner of Main and Washington

This 'thing' was outside a restaurant in the Harbor View area. I don't know what it is. Do you?

Five Reflections

I've been lucky to have traveled to a number of lovely places in this U. S. I thought it might be interesting to see a few of those places in which I took photographs that ended up having some great reflections in them. 

                                   I am joining with Tom's Willy Nilly Friday Five. 

1. This first one is Mabry Mill in the Blue Ridge Mt. of Virginia. I went there with my sweet companion, Leslie. We had a great time exploring the mountains. We also had lunch there. 

2. The Hilton Garden Inn in the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a favorite overnight stay for us. The lobby has two large aquariums. The real fish are to the left... the reflection are the ones on the right. 

3. Shirley and I took a bus tour which included Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina. The sculptures were incredible. Their reflections in the pool added to their beauty. 

4. We recently visited the Old Mill Restaurant in Damascus, Virginia. Lovely, serene setting. 

5. The pool at the Huntsville (Alabama) Botanical Gardens featured this beautiful bird, well reflected in the water below. 

I hope you are taking some really nice photos as you travel about. There's so much to see and do. 

D-Day Memorial

           One stop on my recent bus tour trip was in Bedford, Virginia at the D-Day Memorial. 

I had passed the sign several times but had never stopped. It was truly an emotional journey to recall that historic and deadly day back on June 6, 1944. The Memorial started out as just a statue to honor those who died that day and the project took off by leaps and bounds. The original location was to be Roanoke, Va. but it was later decided that Bedford would be the most likely place. Bedford has long claimed to have had the most killed that day per capita than any other city in America. 

Our tour guide walked us over the three plazas, a goodly little walk for us older folks, I might say. 
The first plaza denotes the planning stage for the Invasion at Normandy. There are bust statues of the men involved and a covered life-size statue of Gen. Eisenhower who was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. 

Plaza 2 reflects the landing and fighting and features the 'invasion pool' and sculptures of soldiers struggling to reach shore and also to crest the high cliffs. There is intermittent burst of water in the pool as 'bullets' are fired. 

Plaza 3 celebrates the victory of the invasion, who had the code name OVERLORD, with a 44' tall arch and the 12 flags of the Allied nations that served in the Allied Expeditionary Forces. 

The site was dedicated on June 6, 2001 by President George W. Bush. One of the biggest donors for the project was Charles Schultz who gave one million dollars. Steven Spielberg was also a large donor. 

If you are ever in that area, please go by and pay your tribute to those who fought and those who died on D-Day. 

Linking today with Willy Nilly Friday and Five On Friday

Sculptures

My daughter, Marie, and I recently went to the Suffolk Cultural Arts Center here in Suffolk and saw the amazing work of a sculptor, Charles Taylor. We enjoyed each piece as they all were so unique and had it's own story to tell. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Well, that was silly to say. Nothing is ever as exciting on a computer screen as it is in real life. But, I did my best. If you are ever in the neighborhood, you ought to stop by.

The fountain in front of the Cultural Arts Center

Mr. Fox about to jump!

Mr. Taylor's studio is on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Lots of beautiful birds there to copy.

A dove on an ear of corn.

And, the man and his son paint, too. What talent!

This is my post for My Town Shootout this week. Check this blog out, you might want to join in the fun, too.

Art and a Visit

#1. Today is the first day of Fall. As I dragged out my 'fall' decorations for the house, I decided I needed to have something on the wall so I did a quick watercolor of a pumpkin.

#2. I just spent 5 days with my eldest daughter, whom I had not seen in a long, long time. It was wonderful to catch up.

#3. We did a lot of eating out while she was here and we got to view the quilt guild exhibit at the local art museum.

#4. We also went to an exhibit of bronze sculptures at the Cultural Art Center. That was amazing.

#5. We watched a bunch of old home movies, reliving all the fun times the children had when they were younger.... and a super movie (a tear-jerker) "Light Between Oceans". The cinematography was amazing in this movie and the storyline, well, it was something you should see! 

Linking with Paint Party Friday, Willy Nilly Friday and Five On Friday

Pics of five things (or maybe six)

How is everyone this morning?

Me... I am fine. It's time for some of my favorite memes. 

Reflections  and Five On Friday

Here is my entry for Five on Friday.

1. I went out on my balcony early this morning and there was a hummingbird wait for me to fill the feeder.  They are so cute. 

2. Yesterday my daughter and I went out to lunch and then got a pedicure. I have sparkly pink toes!!

3. With 132 apartments in our 55+ complex, we see the fire trucks and ambulances more often that we'd like. There was one there this morning. I always wonder if they are picking up someone I know.

4. Watermelon season will soon be over. I am so happy that I can buy melon that is cut in cubes and packaged ready to eat anytime of the year. And, I don't have a mess to clean up.

5. My sweetie, Leslie, had watched every John Wayne movie ever made and more than once on some of them. So, when the family asked me if I'd like something of his (after he passed) one of the things I chose was a statue of John Wayne that he had sitting on his tv. Just a sweet reminder of 2 wonderful guys (Leslie Wilson and John Wayne)

Now for a reflection to link to REFLECTIONS

The reflection of clouds in a restaurant window in Carrolton, Virginia.

Beauty from the Outdoors

Summer is still with us..

It was so hot yesterday when I was out and about, but it didn't keep me from enjoying my surroundings. I didn't have my camera with me so I am using some photos from my archives. Hope you don't mind.  I am linking with Wednesday Outdoors and Wednesday Waters. ( I can't seem to be able to access Wednesday Outdoors from that link, perhaps you can some other way)

I love trees that seem to reach to the sky...

and this amazing sculpture at Brookgreen Gardens in S. C. 

King Neptune on the beach at Cape Charles, Virginia

This is my kind of getaway!

This hibiscus looks almost paper-like. And, it was so huge. 

Peonies from my daughter's garden

Let's all click on the links so we can see a whole bunch of outdoors/flowery pictures. 

Hudson River Valley excursion

After wishing for quite awhile, I got to take a drive twice this week up the Hudson River Valley. I posted about the first leg a couple posts ago.

Today my daughter, Susan, drove up hwy 9N, me in the passenger seat, camera in hand. We had a great time. The road was two-laned, not much traffic and there was lots to see. More hills,

mountains, valleys, the river,

 The Palisades rock formations, some cute little towns, fancy houses than I had figured on.

In Rockland County, there were a lot of rock quarries (do they mine rock?) Whatever!! This one is located in Haverstraw, New York. 

Nearing West Point, we came to Bear Mountain State Park. Lots to do there but we'll have to come back some time to take all that in.

 and Bear Mountain Bridge. This bridge was finished in 1924 and at that time was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Nineteen months later it lost it's title to a bridge in Pennsylvania.

Then there is the Army's military academy. We drove around, did no tours (I am lucky these days to drive around, not so great at walking). 

This statue is of Thaddeus Kiseluszko. He designed the West Point garrison defenses during the height of the Revolutionary War. He also wrote the manuel about horse artillary which became an academy textbook.

Of course, I had to have my picture taken. 

This is one of the many military statues found on West Point grounds.

The cadet cathedral is of Gothic Revival architecture. It has the largest chapel pipe organ in the world.

Doing what I love to do.... take pictures.

Some cadets doing military exercises. 

Susan said this building reminded her of 'Hogwarts' in Harry Potter.

There is an Amtrak service that runs along the Hudson River. What a view you would have on that train. This is the same train line as featured in the movie "A Girl On The Train".

And, Michie Stadium.  All I can say is Go Navy, Beat Army. (sorry all you army folks) 

I am linking with Thankful Thursday today for I am always so thankful for our military!!