Queens Creek II

Here are more early morning shots from my back yard overlooking Queens Creek.

These were taken using the zoom.  This point is actually quite a ways from my house.

Well, Sister Susan and I survived the Nashville half marathon and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our Soul Sister Lauren. Although we didn't turn in our best time, we also didn't turn in our worst. Considering I haven't run 13.1 miles since March 2015 and hadn't run more than six miles since then either, and also considering my insides were turned upside down quite literally in the car accident and subsequent surgery, well,...I'm not at all disappointed with my time.  It's all relative.

Speaking of relatives, we're spending Mother's Day over at Middle Sister's house.  She's fixing a great big feast, and all the rest of us have to do is show up.  That's my kind of festivity.  I'm excellent at showing up. It's one of the things I do best along with eating other people's cooking.

Speaking of other people's cooking, I am negligent in talking about reconnecting with someone I haven't seen since the 1980s.  He's in to aquaculture and grows his own oysters.  He also makes the best fried and roasted oysters I've ever had in my entire life. (And that includes my father's,) More on that in another post.

Last but not least, this weekend I had the privilege of hosting blog friends Meg and Angie at my house.  We thoroughly enjoyed our mini-reunion, which included a trip to Merroir, where Daughter has been working all weekend long.

Aside from nursing a dental problem, which has had me in a great deal of pain the past week, all in all life is great and things are going well.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel for Daughter, who is very excited about leaving for college this summer.  Son is taking his last exam of the semester this week and will be home for a short visit in a few weeks.  My favorite month of the year is here, things are green and the worst of the cold weather is behind us.

It's great to be alive.

Great and Grateful

This recent Queens Creek sunrise was not just great, it was glorious.  I only usually catch them, the sunrises, on my way out the door for work.  The sunsets have been equally spectacular, but since I face east and my westward-facing yard is full of trees, I rely on my local Facebook friends to post pictures of those.  Which is how I know they've been grand. The sunsets.

As usual, there is a lot to report but no time to do so.  On the heels of our neighbor's passing, there has been more sad news.  A Mathews family very near and dear to us is suffering the untimely loss of a son/grandson/nephew. It's heartbreaking.

Only two weeks sit between now and Daughter's return to her last year of high school.

It wasn't that long ago that we were dropping her off at preschool, where she never uttered a single word unless the teacher called on her.  These days, she's still quiet for the most part, unless she's asked a question.  Her favorite topics include her wonderful job at Merroir  or the latest and greatest with her friends.

I'm just grateful and honored to be her mother.

Very, very grateful.

Clifton

Here are more shots of an old house on the property known as Clifton, which is just across the creek from me.

I'm not sure if that's a ghost in the lower left hand corner or a reminder that I should clean my camera lens.  I'm going with ghost.  More exciting.

This week has been hectic and slightly stressful between work, which is getting busier and busier each minute that passes, and the work that's needed around the house.  Daughter is busy studying for tests and running in track meets.  The end of the school year is in sight for her, which is good for both of us.

The next couple of weekends promise to be good ones, though.  This weekend's Tour de Chesapeake means bicyclists will be descending on the county, and Saturday night's Party at the Wharf combines all of my favorite things: live music, seafood from Merroir and the great outdoors. I've not looked at the weather forecast, but hopefully it will be nice.

Memorial Day weekend a few friends will be in town and, weather permitting, I'll have a cookout.

Regardless of the forecast for either weekend, I'm going to relax and have fun.

I do love the month of May.

Workboats

Saturday was a fun-filled day thanks to an excursion to the Northern Neck that included pit stops at Merroir and the Tides Inn, where I took some pictures of these boats.

A friend I haven't seen since the days of rotary phones and 8-track cassettes came for a brief visit from Florida.

During the meandering, I was pleasantly 

surprised to discover Mathews County's own Peggy moored at the Tides Inn.

The weekend was great, but it's back to the races again this week.  Tonight after work and my 100-mile round-trip commute, I race to Daughter's cross country banquet.  Tomorrow after work and another 100 miles of driving, I race to Daughter's physical therapy appointment (to strengthen a knee that she injured a while ago). Wednesday I'll put in another 150 miles round trip as I race to Norfolk for Son's pre-op appointment.  Thursday is the feeding frenzy of Thanksgiving, and by Friday I'll be ready for the sanatorium a break.

Hope all is well in your world and that your week involves minimal to no racing.

Son

We've just returned from spending two nights
in Charlottesville for Son's orientation to UVA. 

It won't be long before he leaves for college.  He's ready, for sure.  

In the meantime, he's working as a server at Merroir in Topping, where I took these pictures.

This is him in action.

We found out this week that 60 credits from the Governor's School classes he took at the community college the past three years will transfer.  He needs 120 (or thereabouts) credits to graduate.

In other words, he will enter college with half of his credits taken care of. 

(I screamed--loudly and joyfully--when he told me this. He originally wanted nothing to do with the Governor's School, and I sort of made him try it. He ended up liking it more than he thought, and now it's really paying off.)

Although the road has not always been smooth, this year in particular, for the most part it hasn't been terribly rough either.

I take nothing for granted and thank the Universe on a daily basis for my two children.

I've done about all I can to get him ready to launch into this new stage of life, and it's long past approaching time to let go.

(Easier said than done, but I'm working on it.)

I'm very, very proud of his accomplishments and look forward to what comes next.

The world is his oyster.

Regent

This charming structure sits high on a hill overlooking Locklies Creek off of Regent Road over in Topping.

It's near Regent Point Marina and my favorite restaurant (also my son's employer) Merroir.

Although I have boatloads of chores that I'm absolutely dreading this weekend--but must focus attention on lest we drown in laundry and dog hair--I hope to make time to do something enjoyable.  Maybe take some pictures or perhaps make a trip to Merroir.  Who knows.

I hope your weekend is a good one.

Locklies Creek

These were taken on Saturday from Merroir, where I went earlier in the day to pretend like there wasn't going to be a group of teenagers descending on my house that night.

It worked temporarily, the pretending.

But descend they ultimately did.

The teens had fun, I got no sleep, but thankfully it's all behind me. We all survived.

Now we enter my least favorite time of year--the days of waking up in darkness, dragging into the kitchen to make coffee in the darkness, driving to work in darkness, leaving work in darkness, driving home in darkness. Dark, dark, dark. It's not my thing.

Anyway, the week ahead is filled with excitement, including the gubernatorial election, the regional cross country meet and my half marathon--which should be very interesting since I've done next to nothing to prepare for it.

Hope all is well in your world.

Three Things

Once again we say hello to the day of the week called Thursday, and once again I ask you to share three things.  Always remember that three is merely a suggestion.  There are no hard and fast rules at all in my life here on this blog.

Let's begin.

1.  Yesterday I had the honor of watching a cross country scrimmage between Mathews High School and Gloucester High School.  Yes, it required getting up at 5:30 a.m., and no, I wasn't thrilled about that, but yes, Mathews dominated, and yes, I am thrilled about that. (Yes+No+Yes+Yes=It was all good in spite of the early hour.)

2. Son is in training to be a server at one of my favorite restaurants of all time, Robert in New York City Merroir, over in Topping at Locklies Marina. (If you do the Facebook thing, click here for their page. Otherwise click here for more info.

3. I would like to say thank you to LLC, a commenter whose real name I do not know even though she's visited here since the Blog Cabin show came to Mathews.  I'm usually able to send side notes to commenters here and there, but I can't with LLC because there's no email address assigned to her Blogger account.  Regardless, LLC, I'd like you to know that I appreciate your faithful reading and clever comments. Thank you.

3b.  This same thanks extends to everyone/anyone who has suffered through the years reads and comments.  Thank you!

Now it's your turn to share three (or more-- or less) things.  Whatever happens to be on your mind at the moment.

Boat Parade

Towards the last part of a spectacularly sunny Saturday, I was fortunate enough to have dinner at Merroir over in Topping.  The weather was perfect for sitting outdoors--and also for boating.

Of all the boats that passed by, this was my favorite.

In addition to the boats, these out-of-control dock pilings fascinated me.
(It doesn't take much.)

See?  Although the incoming boat is beautiful, I was really focused on the dock gone wild.
There is beauty in imperfection. At least to me.

How was your weekend?

Unexpected

A weekend that was supposed to include house and yard work instead was spent having fun, none of which was planned.

Saturday I went to Gloucester's Daffodil Festival with Me, Myself and My Camera.  The three of us like to hang out, and we enjoyed the diversion on a brisk sunny day.

(We also happened to be avoiding house and yard work.)

I'll post some pictures of the food trucks as far as the eye could see flower-filled festivities later this week.

Saturday night I met my friend BHE and her date at Sandpiper Reef, where we enjoyed a fabulous dinner.

(I had the blackened tuna which was fantastic. And yes, I was the third wheel on that date.  Still, we had fun. Also, I was at Sandpiper Friday evening at the urging of another friend in town for a funeral. She called on my ride home from work and forced me out of the cocoon I've created for myself here lately.)

Sunday BHE and I met at Merroir.  Again.  What can I say, it's become a biweekly event.


On the drive home from Merroir I pulled over in a church parking lot to take a closer look at an old house I spotted in the adjacent woods.

I was completely engrossed in thought, entirely focused on this house, when out of nowhere came a man.  I waved politely and started making my way back to the car.  Figuring I should explain my presence, I held up the camera, said hello, and told him how much I loved old structures.

This started a conversation that lasted at least thirty minutes and went everywhere from his wife's death to his unfulfilled desire for a daughter to my great uncle Gene, who evidently was a mentor to this man in earlier days.

Sometimes I wonder just how these things happen.  Here I am, randomly pulling off on the side of the road to take pictures of a ramshackle house when out of nowhere comes a man who not only was interesting but who knew someone in my extended family.  I gave up trying to figure out the "why" of these occurrences and instead am just grateful they occur at all.

His name is Howard.

Sprinkled throughout the conversation were several references to beauty, the simple beauty found in everyday things. I pointed out to him that the very reason he and I were talking was because I was drawn to the beauty of an old house which others might consider dilapidated. 

After a most unexpected (yet deep) conversation with the man who came out of nowhere, I returned to my car and drove back to Mathews.

Although I accomplished absolutely nothing on my To Do list, I had a wonderful weekend.