Redbud and cherry and woods turning green, via the bathroom mirror, April 2nd.
Almost same direction, via the glass-top patio table, a week later, April 6th.
Reflection(s)
The Innis House
The Innis House, Sunken Road, Fredericksburg, Virginia, having been restored in 1987 to its 1862 appearance by the National Park Service. The house and the (restored) dry stone wall were used by Confederate sharpshooters in December, 1862, during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Snapped 3/18/2023 on one of my Saturday morning Fredericksburg runs.
Docents Field Trip
On Feb 7th, 2023, the staff of Belmont, the James Monroe Museum, and the Papers of James Monroe were treated to a field trip for a special tour of the White House and the Decatur House, followed by a visit to the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery (next door to the Smithsonian Castle) to see the Gari Melchers portrait of Teddy Roosevelt. We did not see the Bidens’ dog Major but we did see his dog run. From the bus on the way home, I snapped a few more pics: the new African American Museum near the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the Potomac River, and the Air Force Memorial.
Men in Trees
The 80-foot white oak near the northwest corner of the house has a fork we don’t want to split. The Bartlett Tree Experts installed a 7-foot quarter-inch steel cable intended to reduce the risk.
New Year’s Day
Dawn in Hurkamp Park
High times on front porch
Messiah
I enjoyed the great pleasure of singing with Fredericksburg Community Chorus’s two concerts Dec 3rd 2pm and 4th 7pm, with orchestra and eight soloists. The chorus did And the Glory, Purify, Oh Thou that Tellest, Unto Us, Glory to God, Lift Up, and Hallelujah followed immediately by the Great Amen. I had a good seat in the back row, next to David P the tallest bass.
Rahier’s Column Clock
From the Belmont newsletter at GariMelchers.org:
“After an absence of nine months, Gari and Corinne Melchers’ thirty hour long case clock work has returned from the clockmaker’s repair shop. Mr. Mark R. Pellman of Ashland, Virginia performed the repairs, aside from the micro-welding of the gears which had to be sent away. The beautifully incised pewter face was fashioned by a craftsman named Rahier from Eupen, Belgium, as inscribed. The face is not original to the works behind it, nor are either the face or works original to the long case. The case was probably made in the 19th century in Holland or Germany, while the works and face probably are one hundred years older.”
Turkey vulture
Turkey vulture drying his wings in the sun after a wet night, snapped with cell phone during my Hyperion Saturday morning run through University of Mary Washington.
Election
Mid-term general election, 8 November 2022, the new Westlake Precinct in Stafford County: Edwin Ridout, Mike Straley, Perry Darley, Rebecca Straley, Bob Jankovits, John Summer, Jim Holt, Leslie Raterman, Heather Smithson, Gloria Chittum (Secretary, Electoral Board), Tricia Gardner-Gonzalez. Open 6am-7pm, 956 voters, just one race, 7th US Congressional District. Our precinct results: incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D) 259, Yeslie Vega (R) 692, write-ins 5. District-wide result (after 215 of 226 precincts reported): Spanberger 140,582; Vega 129,416; write-ins 641.