FIRST TRIP TO GREEN SPRINGS...

 A couple of days ago, on the 28th, Gregg and I went to Green Spring Gardens. The weather was just too good to waste. It was in the low 50's and warm enough to get outside without a coat.  

The top left of the collage you can see a sign for Annandale Village. Annandale is not where the garden is but an area we pass through on our way home. I had never seen, or maybe more appropriate to say, never noticed the sign before. The design of the cardinal in the tree made me take note. We passed several of them. Gregg reminded me that we had taken a different route home this time.

That's me in the collage. You may notice that my cell phone is on a lanyard that I keep permanently wrapped around my wrist. Gregg bought it for me as I once almost lost my phone out the window while taking pictures, and it was almost buffeted out of my hands. I am always taking photos out the passenger side window. The lanyard is always attached to my phone. It's been saved a few times as I have also dropped it while walking. It gives me an awful start as if it hit the pavement, well I don't like to think about it. But that good old lanyard saved the day yet again.

The house that I love always greets us as we walk up one of the paths from the parking lot. The berries are still keeping the birds happy, and part of the Moon Gate can be seen behind me. 

I didn't get very far as my knee is just not cooperating. We made our way back to the car, disappointed I could go no further even with my cane. I made it 300 yards along the pathway and could not go any further as knee started to give way. The important thing is I made a start and hopefully each time we come here, I will be able to walk a little further. 

My goal is still to get back to Huntley Meadows in the Spring, or even Meadowlark Gardens. Huntley Meadows is a long, long walk to get to the marshy area where all the bird life is, and Meadowlark has a very big hill to walk up and down.  

However, baby steps and I am eager to go for another walk. We will definitely wait for another nice day like this one, after all the bitterly cold days we have had. The sun was shining and it felt wonderful, a real tonic.  

Have a great day everyone and 

thank you for stopping by. 

POSITIVITY POST - SIGNS

I have had these for quite a while, photos I took of signs over several years. Some were found in restaurants or gift shops. Others I added favorite quotes to photos taken in gardens or parks. I thought it a good time to reshare.  

 

May your week, and weekend be…

Thank you for stopping by. 

HOPE THIS GIVES YOU A SMILE

A chuckle found online recently.

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to tell your human to behave the next time a hotel is in your future. We will try to do the same 😎.  Have a very enjoyable day!  

NATIONAL HARBOR CONTINUED...LAST POST FROM THIS TRIP

 

A restaurant I wouldn't mind trying next time we are in town.

Buddha and the Soldier/Warrior/Guard were near the entrance, a very nice welcome for customers. 

As it grew dark we came across the statue of Marilyn Monroe. In my previous post I mentioned all the heights of the statues that we saw, as they were kept true to life. She was 5 ft. 5 in. in height. This scene is from a very famous photo taken by photographer Sam Shaw. I read that it made him better known to a larger audience and plaid a roll in making Marilyn even more famous. It has been reprinted millions of times, making it one of the best known in the world. Shaw had been friends with Marilyn for quite a while before this picture was taken. Before she had her own breakthrough as an actress, she was actually Shaw's driver, since he did not have a driver's license. You can read the whole story at this website. Her sculpture is called Forever Marilyn.

After we crossed the street on our way back to our car before driving home, I looked back and saw this scene. Marilyn's real name was Norma Jean Baker and she was born in Los Angeles on June 1st, 1926. We all probably know that rather sad ending to her life and I won't go into it.  However, if you're curious you can read her biography telling about the rest of her story here. There were other much larger replicas of this statue that stood 26 feet high, and as reported, they were in Chicago-Illinois, Hamilton Township-New Jersey, Stamford-Connecticut, Palm Springs-California and Bendigo, Australia.  I am not sure whether they are still there.  The dates seemed to be long ago. Placement in Palm Springs apparently caused quite an uproar. If it is a permanent placement or a temporary one at National Harbor, I don't know.

The lady across the street certainly didn't seem to approve. You can barely see her underneath the shop light towards the right. She is to the left of the red traffic light, a few feet down on the sidewalk, standing next to the building. 

I certainly didn't notice her and she was so life-like, until you got up really close.

I remember seeing exhibits of sculptures on a trip to Florida several years ago. I'll have to share the posts as they were fantastic, life-like statues by the same man, J. Seward Johnson Jr. This lady with the groceries is called Holding Out. And of course I had a nosy inside her shopping bag.

The Capital Ferris Wheel can be seen in this photo.

More window shopping. 

We are almost back at the car having had a wonderful time walking around.

Last one driving across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge as we cross back into Virginia from Maryland. A bit blurry but it's the first half-way decent shot I have managed to get in years. 

This is the second and last part of our trip to National Harbor. We will be back again in a few months.

Thanks for looking and I hope the beginning of your week is going great.

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY!

 

This sign tickled my funny bone.  And it's not a dig at the people who knock on the door trying to sell something. We've all got to make a living and there are interesting chats to be had at times. My dear other half once invited a young man in who stayed for an hour-and-a-half. Shocker, he got us started on having our old bathroom on the main level refurbished. It was way overdue, and we were happy to get it done (this is going back a few years). Afterwards, over a cup of tea, we had a great conversation on what he wanted to do in life. He talked about knocking on doors and how challenging it could be, he appreciated us he said, and yes I am smiling. But my dear young man, if you ever come again, consider bringing a bottle of wine! 

All joking aside, I am putting together a post on our latest walk but it's taking me longer than I expected. We drove into Occoquan (Virginia). Walking down the main road full of interesting eateries and shops, I found the sign in front of one of them and decided to do a simple collage of the storefront goodies.

More to follow!

LAST OF MY PHOTOS FROM COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG - OUR OCTOBER TRIP

I am starting off with the Governor's Palace.  We didn't get off the main street this time.  No photos closer up, except for the one I cropped below.  

The Governor's Palace was the official residence for the royal governors of colonial Virginia during much of the 18th century.  It was constructed in 1706-1722 and housed seven royal governors and two post-colonial governors, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. The house served as a hospital for American soldiers during the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, and was destroyed by fire later that year.  (I couldn't find out what caused the fire.)  The site ended up in the possession of The College of William and Mary, which erected two school buildings near where the Palace once stood.  The property was purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1928.  In 1930 archaeologist from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation excavated the site and uncovered the original foundation. The entire palace was reconstructed in 1934, and it opened to the public as part of Colonial Williamsburg on April 23, 1934. Originally decorated with inaccurate Colonial Revival style antiques, the interior was refurnished in 1981 with pieces better representing the Palace’s 18th century décor. Additional changes were made in 2006 to reflect the Palace’s appearance during the residency of Lord Dunmore. Today the Governor’s Palace is a part of Colonial Williamsburg.  You can purchase a ticket which will include most buildings (not the ones privately owned obviously) in Colonial Williamsburg.  You can take a self-guided tour of the Governor’s Palace, information of rates and times can be found at the visitor center at this link.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Williamsburg and Yorktown in 1957 and 2007, which you can read about here.  Winston Churchill before her in 1946.  There is a website at this link with old photos of other notables.  You have to scroll down to see, but the information is an interesting read also.

Carriage rides seem to be very popular, though I have never taken one in all the years we have been visiting.  We have just enjoyed walking around but maybe one day we will take a ride.

The history the Duke of Gloucester Street can be found here.  

It said that the street began as a narrow trace.  I assumed 'trace' was the same as a trail (with other meanings), and the definition of 'trace' in this instance means a path, trail or road made by the passage of animals, people or vehicles.

The Courthouse was constructed from 1770 to 1771.  As Clerk of Courts, it fell to Benjamin Waller to read aloud the Declaration of Independence here on July 25th, 1776, after it arrived from Philadelphia.

The old stocks were not in use for photo ops.  There was a sign explaining why, and I read online that they are perhaps getting too old for safe use.  

The Duke of Gloucester Street is lined with these lovely colonial homes.  A few are privately owned, so make sure you are not having a looky-loo in someone's garden before checking to see if there is a sign out front.  I am not saying the building below is one of those homes, I don't know. It's good to check though.

Next is the Greenhow Store which "offers a variety of colonial items similar to those sold by Mr. Greenhow in the 18th century, including wrought iron, willow baskets, fabrics, tinware and porcelain."  

John Greenhow came from High House near Kendal in England, and settled in Williamsburg, America.  The emigrant ancestor of the Greenhows in America was a prosperous merchant of Williamsburg, carrying quality merchandise and fine teas.  He was active in the commercial and social life of Williamsburg for more than a third of a century.

Next is the home of Catherine Blaikely, explanation in the photo below this one.

There is a fascinating podcast about being a midwife in colonial times, not for everyone I know but its more historical than anything else.  You can listen to it at this link.

Next you can see another building with a ladder on the roof, which is there in case of fire.  It is the Hartwell Perry Ordinary.  Hartwell Perry was the gentleman proprietor.  An Ordinary was similar to a tavern or inn but was usually less elegant.  

The sign outside is a rebus based on his name (rebus is defined as a representation of words or syllables by pictures of objects or by symbols whose names resemble the intended words or syllables in sound.  Also, a riddle made up of such pictures or symbols). Now when I go back, I will be looking at all the signs hanging by these shops, trying to figure them all out.  For this 'rebus', someone explained that a male deer is known as 'hart', the 'well' is another part of his name).  Perry (as in his last name) is a drink made from pears.  I found a blog that shows how Perry is made if you'd like to take a look.  You can see it here.  

My research takes me all over the place.  And to repeat something I have perhaps shared before, my parents always said, "She was always a very curious child."  I am not sure that was meant to be said as a good thing or a bad thing, hehehe!  They loved me, that's all that counts.

Also, Gregg made a good point, that many people in those days were not taught to read, and the signs would point them in the right direction.

The last two photos I took I was near Merchant Square, and looking at a sign in the flower bed.  At the bottom it thanks us for giving the Ground wasps their space, and a short explanation of how they protect our deciduous trees.  At this link you can read more about them, but here are a few facts:

Solitary wasps are common beneficial insects in landscapes * they hunt and capture other insects or spiders to feed their young * they are not aggressive toward people and rarely sting * Solitary wasps should be tolerated and ignored whenever possible.

And, if you enlarge the sign below, you will read that they are Cicada killers and protect deciduous trees from leaf damaged caused by Cicadas.

I found two interesting articles, the first of a blogger on a walking tour around Williamsburg.  You will find it here.  Also, a gentleman who is one of those in costume, was interviewed here.  

That's about all for now, and the 'curious child' is going to give you all a break.  This will be the last of my photos from Colonial Williamsburg, until we can go next time.  We are hoping to see it all decorated for the holidays before the end of the year.  Fingers crossed!

Have a great weekend everyone. 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF...

our son and daughter-in-law.  They have several trails to choose from near their home, and on their latest we were sent these.  A new walk for them and an added bonus was that they found these uplifting signs along the way.

 How kind of someone to do this for their neighbors.

 

They know we enjoy flowers so we also got these.  

"Scarlet beebalm, a species of Beebalms.  Also known as Bergamot, Oswego tea, Crimson beebalm and Scarlet monarda.  Botanical name is Monarda didyma.

Scarlet beebalm is a flowering herb native to the United States.  It attracts hummingbirds and is cultivated as an ornamental plant and grows best in full sunlight."

Name story:

Scarlet beebalm: the common name beebalm refers to the use of a resin which is derived from its utility for healing and pain-relieving, especially from bee stings.  Besides that, most of the flowers are scarlet red-colored, so it is often called scarlet beebalm.

Scarlet beebalm always gives a cool and refreshing feeling.  Its fragrance is calming and soothing, and its flowers are also very beautiful.  At the turn of summer and autumn, its flowers attract a hummingbird's attention for food.

Symbolism: person of virtue.


Lance-leaved coreopsis, which is a species of Tickseed.

On my plant app they give a lot of interesting information.  I am repeating what I have read there.   

Description: Lance-leaved coreopsis is a plant native to the United States related to the sunflower.  Lance-leaved coreopsis is cultivated in urban areas and attracts pollinators like bees.

Name story:

The flowers and leaves are very attractive and the yellow petals are featured with notches which gave the flowers a papery texture.  The flower stalk grows from a clumped basal rosette of lance-shaped leaves.  The genus name, Coereopsis is derived from the Greek word koris, meaning 'bug' and opsis meaning 'view'.  The name tickseed, especially the 'tick' part is referring to 'the insect'.  So, it is called Lanceleaf tickseed."  

Symbolism: always cheerful.

I have a plant app called Picture This - Plant Identifier, which I downloaded on my iPhone and iPad.  Whenever I am out and see a flower, plant or tree that I am unfamiliar with, or need a refresher on its name, I will take a photo with the app and the identity comes immediately. Very rarely do I feel I have to question what I have been told.  When I get home I search the name on line just to confirm.  It gave all the information above and lots more.  I remember having to pay for it, and I can't remember how much it was exactly.  You can look at it here if interested.