After Ocean City

Yesterday I got home from a 4 1/2 day watercolor workshop in Ocean City, MD. Road Scholar's Watercolor at the Beach with Nancy Ellen Thompson. I've taken a number of two day workshops with Nancy at Annmarie Garden at Solomon's, MD but this was far beyond that. Painting for a week was wonderful, Nancy is a superb teacher and loads of fun to boot. The other participants, all women were a lovely group, too.

I had a real breakthrough on the fourth day, I did a painting from a photo I recently took of a barn on route 5 just south of Historic St. Mary's City. Started and finished in one day and it is clearly the best watercolor I've ever painted. Now it has to be matted and framed so I can hang it for a bit before showing it with Color & Light. Because of this experience I think I can do a watercolor from beginning to end at home.

Last night I did four sketches for a series of oyster paintings done from photos I took in Montauk a few years ago when we were there for a wedding. Wednesday I start a six session series of watercolor classes with Ann Preston, maybe I'll take the oyster sketches there.

Time to get back to knitting, the new yarn from the shop in Berlin, MD is calling but I can't start anything with it until the sweater on the needles is done. Only about 2.5" to go on the sleeves, then sew it together! It will be too warm to wear now.

February, Thursday, 27, 1862

On watch with Lieutenant Matthesins, Company C.

Officer's Meeting.

Immediate marching orders. To be ready at a moments notice.

Blen Bank address submitted, however their signature was refused owing to regulations.

Company C is getting again Remington rifles, since the necessary tools for the Enfield rifles can not be obtained.

Lieutenant Hoefer orders his sabre. Captain Doebke receives same as present from his Company.

Weather pleasant with a cold dry wind.

I receive regards through Postmaster Ruf from a member of the Berlin Craftsmen Guild: Kallenbach Lieutenant in the 52nd Regiament N.Y.V. Sumners-Division.

Sergeant Muller intends to take leave to go to New York. (Illness)

I am giving him the photographs of our Officers and also my opera glasses from Paris to be repaired.

Corporal Krieger advanced to Sergeant. Acting Sergeant Clehsin fells slighted.

The Sunday morning Knitting Gang or Watching the Oscars

The Sunday morning Knitting gang was here today. Great progress being made by the new knitters! Others who have been knitting for awhile are learning new skills, cables today. Along with the knitting we gab and nosh. It's fun for us all. Tonight I'm watching the Academy Awards. What was it with the Red Carpet show? The noise was deafening. Bleachers? Are they kidding? They showed almost no one coming in, none of the wonderful and sometimes dreadful get-ups the stars wear. What we got tonight were all pretty good, I'd have liked to see more. Commercials took up more time than the show. Am I the only one or did you wonder who the heck that woman was who turned out to be an extremely face-lifted Glenn Close? She looked darn good, but she didn't look at all like Glenn Close. Didn't she take any photos of herself to her surgeon... Disclaimer. I actually saw one of the nominated films this year. It was the ONLY film I saw so I am rooting for The Help. Octavia Spencer of The Help won! She's getting a standing O. Did I say the music was loud? Wish it hadn't drowned out Billy Crystal's song, I think it was funny. If I record this I can watch it tomorrow sans commercials, tho some of them are far better than the ones I missed during the Super Bowl. Didn't Tina Fey look lovely, beautiful dress. Must see some of these films. Of course I won't. I've read some of the books. Go iPad. Who was the Brit Red Carpet female wearing the fab dusty rose (how old-fashioned that sounds) dress? Someone should have asked her, 'Who are you wearing'. Elegant. Back to knitting. Niteall.

Food related, sort of. And knitting, too.

Food related, sort of. And knitting, too. Granddaughter, Samantha, has received her Associate of Science in Pastry Arts, magna cum laud from Johnson and Wales, Providence, RI. She is continuing on studying food service management and accounting. Sami left HS at the end of her junior year to enter J&W. She completed her HS requirements at J&W and went back to graduate with her HS class. We are all very proud of her accomplishments. Finished knitting the Lois sweater jacket last night. It joins two others in the sew-it-together line. Am putting together the classic 24/7 jacket so that I can wear it at the knitting retreat in Fredricksburg, VA this coming weekend. Knitting, shopping, wine and new restaurants, what can be bad about that! I will be so disappointed if the waitstaff asks: "How are you guys doing?" Arrrgh! I don't expect him/her to ask what I want to drink before I sit down, another biggie here in our Southern Maryland Paradise. After all, we will be in VA. I've started boot toppers in NYU colors for granddaughter, Sarah. If winter doesn't get here soon she won't need them until next year. It was in the low 60s here today, the grass is greening up and it isnt even Feb yet! Ospreys will be here soon. Found pork chops on the bone, amazing. Guess it is not cost effective to ship bones, generations to come will not know what they are missing as fewer and fewer cuts of meat come on the bone.

I took these photos today. The bromeliad is from a plant my 

brother and I bought for my mother for Mother's Day over

60 years ago. We walked to the greenhouse which was quite

a way from home, bought the plant and carried it home. When 

I got the plant from my mother it had to have been over 40 years

old and still in the same little green pot! The pot had figurine of a 

white deer on it. The plant had broken the pot. The plant must have

bloomed for my mother, but she never mentioned it. Repotted

it grew to fill its new pot, then it bloomed. In the years I've had it I've

divided and shared it with family members. It is happiest when

it is seriously potbound, when it is, it blooms like crazy. 

If you look closely at the flower you can see the deep blue edge 

along the petal. The colors are striking, shocking pink, deep blue, 

vivid green and yellow. Unfortunately, the blooms last a very short 

time. They also exude a clear sugary liquid which is really hard

to clean off whatever it lands on.

These spend the summer outside, only coming in well into Nov.

The same as with most orchids, they are best neglected.

Bromeliad

60+ year old bromeliad

Phalaenopsis 

This orchid is blooming for its third year, seven flowers now, three more to come and maybe more.

This beauty is on its second year, the blooms are on the old stalk from last year. I don't cut them off unless they are clearly dead. Also a Phal.

Hellebore common name Christmas or Lenten Rose

 These guys were planted last year. Hardy hardy
 hardy! They will bloom until November. Too
bad the blooms are pendulous and tend to hide 
under the leaves. Though I have seen ones with flowers
that stand above their leaves. If you have a shady
spot, get yourself a bunch, you can't go wrong. 
Mine are multi-colored, they also come in white 
and a few other solid colors.

Nellie Stevens Holly

I had to include the Nellie Stevens holly. It is heavy with berries which the robins and cedar waxwings will clean off once they decide the berries have been sufficiently aged. The way this winter is going, not much cold, they may not want to touch them. 

Daffodil leaves are coming up all over, but no sign of buds yet. Winter is half over here, spring arrives by mid-March. I've had sorrel and lush parsley all winter. Wish I had planted some hearty lettuces.

My first blog (how original!)

I was inspired by my fellow So. Maryland blogger at Bill's Bottom Feeder to start my own blog. I too am a foodie lost in the land of mostly mediocre food. If it ain't fried, it ain't food. But I am not going to concentrate on the local food scene, such as it is. Knitting, birding, travel, genealogy, interior design and Mac computers are passions. This fall I started taking watercolor lessons at Annmarie Garden a wonderful art park and museum at Dowell near Solomon's, MD. Our teacher was terrific and most of us are going to continue with the next session beginning next week. Did I mention...I have also gotten into gardening and joined one of the local garden clubs.

All these hobbies mean the I spend half my life in The Little Red Car fondly known as the TLRC. We live half a mile from the end of the earth. If you belong to the Flat Earth Society, come on down and visit! You walk to edge and look downto see what's there. Friends from NY who dare to visit us are quite sure we could not have gotten further away, but there is still that half mile...

When we moved here about 12 years the only way we could, sort of, get cell phone service was stand on the kitchen counter and hope. Internet was dial-up. Thank goodness for MiFi or we would still be on that! My iPad would not work!!! Perish the thought.

Now I will invite some people to sign up to read my rants and raves. I may have to talk with my friend Bill to find out how to add photos. We sat at the same table at the Freinds of the Library brunch last Saturday, he took photos of the church and the food. You can see them on his blog. Ok, see how to add photos. This going to be fun.