Queens Creek

These shots of Queens Creek were taken during a recent froggy foggy spell.

The light was low,

and the colors rather drab.

The zoom on my new camera is pretty amazing, though.  I'm still in the novice stage and have too much lots to learn, but I am looking forward to getting out in warmer weather and experimenting.

Although these pictures may be a little drab and dull, my life has been anything but.  My son is spending the semester in Valencia, Spain.  It was a little nerve-wracking to send him off with really only blind faith that he was going to arrive safely and be OK.  But he seems to be flourishing and thriving.  I couldn't be more proud of him on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Daughter is also thriving in UVA's Architecture School.  She, too, is talking about studying abroad at some point.

In other news, we recently celebrated my father's 76th birthday. A grand event with fresh seafood, the party was a success except for the $50 Golden Corral gift card from Baby Sis that "went missing."  After two days of hand-wringing and "Can you look through that nasty garbage one more time to be sure we didn't throw it away?", I am pleased to announce said "missing" gift card was located safely in my mother's pocketbook, where it had been resting comfortably all along during all the commotion and associated hullabaloo.  *sigh*
.
In two weeks, I take off for Dillon Beach, California, to reunite with dear friends I've made from this very blog.  Since we are short-staffed at work, and I am doing several people's jobs in addition to my own, to say that I'm excited for this little break away from everything is most assuredly an understatement.

Last but not least, I will be blogging for the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center starting next week. Once it's up and running, I'll link it here.

That's it from this neck of the woods.  Hope all is well where you are.

Welcome, 2016

As the year comes to a close, rather than dwell on the nightmares highlights of my 2015--which are mostly not-so-great and will be the topic of a future book--I will focus on 2016, which represents a clean slate and a fresh start.

My son is spending New Years in London visiting a friend who lives there. He paid for the airfare with money he earned working at Merroir over the summer.  I couldn't be more proud of him for being curious, brave and resourceful enough to make the trip by himself. To make it even better, he will be meeting two friends of mine from college who live in/near Cambridge. That my son and college friends will be meeting for the first time in another country absolutely thrills me.

Daughter, in the mean time, is filling out her application for a passport in preparation for a trip to Quebec after she graduates in June.  She hopes to hear about acceptance to college in January.  In the mean time, she's in the throes of her last high school basketball season, and thus far the team is undefeated.  I'm relishing this precious time with her as we brace for the transition to I'M GOING TO BE AN EMPTY NESTER SOON WHAT WILL I DO WITH MYSELF? college life in the fall.

As for me, I am looking forward to an impromptu trip to San Diego next week thanks to my college friend Iris, who is going there for business.  Given the horrific 2015 I had, she offered to pay my airfare there!  Although I could give a million reasons why I shouldn't go--not the least of which includes all the time I've missed from work due to car accidents and surgeries of late--I'm realizing that the time is now to do the things I want to do, and I can no longer take for granted that there will be a "later on" to enjoy life.

I hope that 2016 brings you joy and good health.

Happy New Year!

Aaron's Beach

These were taken earlier this summer from Aaron's Beach.  I'm very negligent in my photo-taking duties, but it's been a whirlwind summer that doesn't seem to be letting up.  This is Son's last week at home before returning to UVA, and his 20th (!!) birthday is Thursday.  Daughter is gearing up for her senior year and the whole college application process.  And my work continues to pull me in multiple directions.

Also, our neighbor Sydney died last Friday.  Sydney has been our close neighbor since before I was born, and he was my father's good friend.  His passing is just another reminder that time is passing all too quickly, and our time to enjoy this life is neither guaranteed nor unlimited.

I've been doing my best to enjoy what spare time I have, which has resulted in no pictures and no attention to this blog.  I have been enjoying a lot of the local music scene and have probably seen more bands this summer than I have in my whole life.  Middle Sister is also doing her best to drive me crazy keeping me busy in the evenings, and we try to get out to eat about once a week after work, which is nice.

So, there's lots happening here lately, but at some point I'll venture out to take some new pictures.

I hope all is well in your world.

Beginning and End

My Mother's Day started with Daughter delivering a poster-size dose of happiness that she painted herself.

Along for the ride was a balloon full of love.

Daughter is a child of few, carefully chosen words, so when she says something, she really means it.

She also went to the effort of framing some family pictures, which sounds easy but actually isn't when you live in Mathews.  Creation of this gift required a trip to Gloucester's Walmart, which is 15 miles one way from our house and approximately 2-3 hours of a person's life they'll never get back, when you take into consideration standing in line at the photo thingamajig.

I confess that I cried when she gave me this.

Son, who just finished up his first year at University of Virginia, called from the center of Tropical Storm Ana.  He's spending a few days in Myrtle Beach with friends before returning home for the summer.  I went to retrieve his stuff last Friday, and we had lunch together.  His Mother's Day present to me is he survived an entire year of college and earned A's and B's.  I'm very, very proud of him.

Baby Sis arrived early afternoon, and the Mother's Day festivities continued next door with our parents.  My father's offering for the occasion was a batch of his world-famous (if they aren't world-famous they ought to be) fried oysters and shrimp.  My mother made a world-class salad, mashed potatoes, asparagus and several desserts, and I grilled some salmon.  We ate and ate and ate and ate and then we ate some more very well.

(Yes, it's Mother's Day, and the mothers were cooking.  We don't focus on the details, we focus on the food.)

Just when I thought the Mother's Day festivities were winding down, my across-the-creek neighbor Ann called to say she was having a gathering and wondered if I might like to join in on the fun.

Would I?

Jon and Ann live at the house/property known as Clifton, which is rich in history here in Mathews. The property my family lives on once belonged to Clifton.  Any opportunity I've ever had to go over there has not disappointed.  Jon and Ann, South Africans in the sailing business over in Deltaville, know how to throw a party, and their friends are always the most interesting and fascinating people.

This time was no different.

I met sailors from Austria.  I met sailors from Michigan/Connecticut/Irvington.  I met for the second time a lovely sailing couple who now live on Queens Creek, my creek, just up the way from me.  We share ownership of the Queens Creek eagle.  Technically the eagle lives on their property, but he wades and ponders life down my end of the creek.  He's a much-admired eagle, this one of ours.

Anyway, the party at Jon and Ann's house, which took place outdoors in their back yard gazing right into the inside of my boathouse which clearly needs to be cleaned out Miller's Cove on Queens Creek, was filled with delightful conversation and exceptionally interesting people, some of which I now can visit since they're only a kayak ride away!

(Dear Queens Creek Neighbors Who Co-Own the Eagle, please stop in for a visit the next time you're out boating. Memorial Day weekend I'll be spending lots of time in my back yard, please drop by.)

Below are some pictures I took over at Clifton. Jon and Ann's house sits comfortably on the creek just behind the house below, which you pass as you go down their driveway.  I didn't take pictures of their gorgeous house, but I have admired this one for a long time.  I'll share a few more photos of this house later in the week.

All in all, it was a great Mother's Day.  

From start to finish.

Weekend

After a soggy Saturday, Sunday sprang forth with lots of sunshine and some warmer temperatures.

Saturday night my parents came over for a seafood feast in honor of Son's last night of spring break. We devoured a huge piece of halibut, some savory scallops and my father's famous fried oysters. It was wonderful having everyone under the same roof for the evening.

Sunday I took advantage of the sunshine and picked up several thousand tree limbs that had been sprinkled all over my yard from an earlier ice storm. Working outdoors after being cooped up since fall for so long felt really good.  I'm almost looking forward to grass-cutting season.

Almost.

Signs

Over the weekend we enjoyed some of the warmest temperatures of the year and finally saw most of the snow disappear.

The ospreys are slowly returning from wherever they spend their winters, the red-winged blackbirds were singing their songs in the tree tops, and the frogs were even making themselves known.

The snow had been hiding one of the surest signs of spring.

The daffodils are slowly making their appearance.

Son has also made an appearance for his spring break.

I'm hoping that the cold, gray days of winter are well behind us.

Regardless, it's good to see these reminders that spring is on its way.

Christmas 2014

Christmas came and went with a bang at the Chesapeake Bay Family household--a bang that included me backing into Son's car first thing Christmas Eve on my way to the bank to deal with my debit card which had been compromised.  Aside from that and a major cut in my toe due to a splintering Pyrex dish hitting my kitchen's tile floor right in the middle of the most stressful part of dinner preparations, it was all fun and merriment!


The End


Now that the ugly parts are out of the way, let's try to tell this Chesapeake Bay Christmas tale again.

Christmas was magical this year because for the first time in a while Son, Daughter, Parents, Middle Sis and Baby Sis were all in attendance at Christmas Eve dinner--which is also my mother's birthday dinner. Typically we are missing one or the other, and with Son being off at college, it was all the more special having everyone together under the same roof.

(He's doing just fine since his recent surgery, good as new.)

Because I had to work Monday and Tuesday and then had to deal with a compromised debit card Christmas Eve morning (never mind having to tell Son about the nice new dent in the side of his vehicle), I didn't have a lot of time to focus on getting the house ready, but somehow it all came together at the last minute.

Son made this snowman out of a sock for me at least a decade ago.  

Mr. Snowman seems to come to life with the mood lighting.  I think he's trying to dance here.
He might have a case of arthritis in the neck, though.  

Dinner consisted of prime rib (which I practically got for free since I won a $50 gift certificate from Best Value--thanks, Best Value!), salmon (courtesy of my parents), shrimp, smashed potatoes (Middle Sis), macaroni and cheese (Middle Sis), twice baked acorn squash, broccolini, mushrooms, rolls (CB Mother), sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and a partridge in a pear tree (all cookies made by CB Mother).

(I made up the partridge part. Although I do have a pear tree in my yard, and for all I know there was one sitting in it.)

Daughter and Baby Sis

Parents and Middle Sis

Son, Parents, Middle Sis, Daughter

Please note the Santa cap and reindeer antlers on the parental units.
Also if Baby Sister's eyes are closed, don't say anything.  She'll never notice.
I don't even think she reads this blog.

We ate, drank, laughed, talked, told Son and Daughter how much we all love them, and had a grand time.

I love this wacky family.

I hope you enjoyed some down time with friends and/or family.

Welcome to the last few days of 2014.

Confessions

Confession Number One:  I can't stop thinking about how beautiful Daughter looked on her way to Saturday night's Holly Ball with her date, Jack V.  I don't care how many times I stare at these pictures, I am in awe.  She's beautiful, she's smart, she's funny and she can sink a shot from half court when it counts.  I just adore her and feel so incredibly fortunate and privileged to be her mother.


Confession Number Two: Saturday was the Mathews Christmas parade.  For the first time in I don't know how many years, I didn't go.  On purpose.  I napped instead.  I have no regrets.  There, that's off my chest.  I feel better now.


Confession Number Three:  After work today, I will race to Richmond to retrieve Son, who is returning home for Christmas break.  He will undergo surgery Tuesday in Norfolk to remove bars placed into his chest two years ago.  (Click here and here  for posts written around the time of that first surgery.) Because of all this, I will (probably) miss two of Daughter's basketball games, only because I've not figured out how to clone myself to be two places simultaneously.  I hate missing Daughter's games.  I might not feel any remorse for napping instead of attending the Christmas parade, but I do feel remorse at the prospect of missing one of her basketball games.

Anyway, it is going to be another busy, eventful week here.

I hope yours is great.

Bethel Beach

These are from yesterday's brutally cold trip to Bethel Beach, where I started and ended an hour-and-a-half run.  Next weekend, Baby Sis and I travel to the Outer Banks for another half-marathon. Although I'm not looking forward to the run, I am most definitely looking forward to our little adventure.

Speaking of adventures, Saturday my mother, daughter and I traveled to visit my son in Charlottesville.  He's doing well and regaled us with stories from all the Halloween parties the night before.  We ate a delicious lunch here, went shopping for essentials coffee, laundry detergent, chocolate candy, chips and salsa, and enjoyed catching up.

The weather turned blustery and cold Saturday night and Sunday.  Although we might see a few warmer days this week, it looks like the seasons they are a-changin'.

November is here.