the year's end

My second full year in Wilmington is coming to a close in a few short hours.
It has been wonderful. I have no complaints.
What have I enjoyed the most? Probably the people.
Since I knew only four people here before I came to stay, everyone is new to me.
I have found that many people have "discovered" Wilmington and love being here as much as I do. They have nothing but appreciation for the history, the beaches, the huge number of things to do, the weather, and the general vibe.
I have loved the many conversations I have had, hearing people's stories, not just from those who are accomplished, but also from people like the young guy who replaced the light bulb in my car yesterday. It seems to me that they are all delightful. Maybe it is the amount of sunlight we are exposed to, or the salt air, but everyone seems happy.
With gratitude I bid farewell to the year of 2015.

Birds

With all the beautiful birds around here, I think I could become a serious birder.
A few days ago, I rode around Greenfield Lake and saw places where there were maybe ten or more egrets and a few herons wading by the edge of the water or sitting on the bare narrow cypress limbs. When I, wearing my Christmas red shirt, parked on the road and got out to take pix, they immediately took off, their wide graceful wings and long skinny legs soaring downstream from me. Today I donned a forest green (camo) shirt and was able to stop and admire without calling too much attention to myself. There were also cormorants vigorously splashing in the water and other pretty birds in the air. I am so smitten with them. Also enchanted by the reflections in the iridescent water.

Christmas Breakfast

The traditional strata I make for Christmas morning was especially delicious this year, possibly due to the nice homemade bread I used in it.
There are recipes all over the web I am sure, but this is how I did it.
Brown sausage and grate cheese. Beat eggs and add milk and season.
Butter the baking dish. Place a layer of torn bread, then a layer of crumbled sausage, then cheese.
Pour half the egg mixture over it. Then repeat layers. Refrigerate overnight. Bake Christmas morning.
Merry Christmas!

choir and orchestra

I like to reserve the words awesome and amazing for things that actually are - like the church's Christmas music.
Little did I know two years ago when I went to the concert that cold, rainy Sunday night, that I would someday be singing it. But I am.
It was awesome! And incredible! And that is not just my opinion.
Since August, we have been practicing the music.
We have an adorable young choir director/Minister of Worship who is a third generation musician. It is in his blood, and he hasn't strayed from it. He stood on that stage with a joyous, bright, and confident countenance, brandished his baton perfectly, and conducted the sixty singers and forty orchestra members like a seasoned pro. No one would think otherwise.
There is almost nothing more thrilling for me than to be a part of a large group of singers accompanied by a fabulous orchestra and to sing my little heart out.

the new cats

They have been such playful, rambunctious kids, but maybe the cutest thing is how much they love each other.

on the lookout

What a slacker I have been lately about blogging.
I have even been leaving my camera behind when I go out.
But today I decided to take it with me, and got this cute shot practically in my back yard.

interesting

This is a photo of a tiny drop of water on my iPad.

church

I am loving my church.

The beautiful old building where happy memories echo, and I feel the warmth of the people and hear the peal of the church bells at eleven and noon on Sundays is the one I claim as mine. I am glad First Baptist is the church I joined. Of the past fifty years, only seven were spent being a part of a Baptist church, and I didn't feel Baptist in the least. But here I am in this congregation once again.

Choir has made a real difference. For the past several months, we have been working on Christmas music that will be performed with full orchestra for three nights in a row in a couple of weekends. Practice is such fun, and I am loving the build-up to the big events. I just wish I had a better voice to offer the group, but so far none of the nice people have suggested that I not show up. Today for our anthem we sang a chorus from Messiah, And the Glory of the Lord, that will be one of our concert songs. It is one of my favorites because it gives the altos a chance to shine.

Even better was last week when we hosted a Thanksgiving service with several downtown churches. We did a combined anthem, but most of all and in one glorious group, we got to sing the hymns of Thanksgiving. I think they are my most favorite.

Lots to be thankful for.

My Grand-donkeys

What a nice day we had at Peter and Sally's country house today.
They are loving it, and what's not to love.
Here are their sweet new donkeys, the mother and five week old baby who is still nursing.
They got a whole lotta lovin' today.

in the wee small hours of Thanksgiving

As I have been making dinner rolls to take to Peter and Sally's tomorrow, I have been listening to great music courtesy of Pandora. First was folk music of the sixties that was popular when I was in college. I had practically forgotten that musical era of songs that lamented the Vietnam War and the  conditions of human beings in general. But it was what I sang and danced to in my dorm room. Then I moved on to my Rita Coolidge station that spans a decade or two. Or three. So many singalong songs! There is nothing like music to take you to other places in your head and remind you of how precious all of life's moments are.

Sharing

While driving back from Charlotte yesterday, I kept thinking that maybe I could make it to the church dinner after all. My Sunday School class was supposed to help with the set up. I knew my absence wouldn't make much of a difference, but if I could get there, why not.

I had plenty of time to plan as I cruised south on 74. As soon as I got in the house, I assembled my one dish that, upon completion, reminded me of an old commercial. "This rice is all . . . stuck together!" Nevertheless I did not go empty handed. Then I freshened up a bit.

One of the fun things about Baptist churches is the way they hold those old fashioned covered dish suppers, and the one at FBC that precedes Thanksgiving is the biggest. There is turkey, ham, wild game, stews, and roasts. Seasonal side dishes are brought in by everyone and placed on the eight long tables. It smelled so good! 

As it turned out, they needed my help after all.
After the blessing, the hordes of people came through, and kept coming, lining both sides of the tables, finding their favorite Thanksgiving foods. Everyone was happy to be there, including me. 

scenic autumn

Stopped by Greenfield Lake to see how autumn is changing the foliage. Lucky for me there were birds. They always make for more wonder. Unlucky for me, I did not have my new, better camera that would have produced an awesome picture.
Oh well.

gift to me

It is only November twelfth, and I have already received my Christmas present. The wonderful hospital organization that allowed me to work for them for sixteen years sends a hundred dollar check to their retirees every Christmas season. Last year I made it a real gift and spent it on frivolous stuff. One thing I bought was a bottle of amaretto. Years ago Ned gave me some small bottles of liqueurs for Christmas, and I especially liked the taste and versatility of the amaretto. You can pour it over ice cream, add it as a flavoring, and spike your cocoa in the wintertime, my favorite use. I wonder what frivolous thing I will buy this year. hmmm...

another pic from last week

I have posted pics of these black skimmers before. There were hundreds of them at the marshy end last week!

across the waves from Figure 8

beautiful marshy beach

only ten miles away

A Halloween Memory

When special days of any kind roll around, they bring memories.
One Halloween I remember was when Trip was twelve.
Around that time, I had been helping an immigrant Romanian couple with their English. Both scientists, they had fled their oppressive government for a new life and were eager to learn anything American. Using French, and any props, expressions and hand motions that I could, I tried to teach some basics of our language, our currency, the time change (as we are having tonight), customs, and since it was the day, Halloween. They let their son who was about Trip's age come to our house and go Trick or Treating with him in our neighborhood. What fun! When I took Liviu back home to his upstairs apartment, and he poured out all his candy on the table, the parents were wide-eyed.
After so many years, that is about all the memory I still have of that evening. But when October 31 comes, I wonder what became of them. I hope they have fond memories of their first Halloween in America and can tell the same story I just did.

Ginger Lily

"A highly prized perennial often grown in the Deep South."
When the rain let up, I went out to take a pic of the only blooming thing in my little yard.

while waiting

It is about 11:30 a.m., and I am on the big computer while the plumber is fixing a drippy sink pipe left from the lousy job the jackleg remodelers did back in March.


When I called this recommended plumbing company, I was immediately put off by the "We may be recording this call for quality purposes" recording and hung up. I had enough of that annoyance while working for a hospital! A little later I called back and a young woman answered. Everything she said was scripted. The hospital wanted us to respond in a scripted way too, but when you are talking to actual human beings, it sounds so cold and ridiculous. Beggars can't be choosers, so I made an appointment for this morning. Right on time, the nice plumber showed up. He has been willing to communicate, get on his knees in a tight space, and hopefully fix the problem. Now I hope it won't be too expensive.


It is another messy rainy day outside. The irises I planted behind the house a couple of weeks ago are sending up leaves! It is the first gardening I have done since being here. One of my new Wilmington friends, a wonderful artist, gave the bulbs to me when she divided hers and said they will be beautiful. I can't wait! I was missing gardening so much I considered being a volunteer weed puller at the Arboretum. Now...not so much.


When I moved here, I wondered if I would ever run into someone I knew and who remembered me when I was a child. No, I haven't. But once I met the daughter of neighbors/friends that I remember, even though I was only about six years old. She would have been a baby when we lived near each other, but still I was thrilled to have met her. And last week, I met two women who graduated from the only high school (for whites) back in 1962. I had briefly been in ninth grade here with people we both remember. In Margaret's building is a woman who went to high school with my mother. That is pretty cool.


The plumber is about finished. He was efficient and nice and gave me a few options and quotes. It looks like I won't have to pay as much as I anticipated. Thank goodness.

portrait of an autumn leaf

an Airlie morning

What a beautiful fall day! It iwas too pretty not to be outside, so I drove over to Airlie, one of many destinations in and around wonderful Wilmington. I discovered it is bigger than I thought by almost getting lost wandering in the spring and camellia gardens. By the creek, the swan couple was spending the morning grooming, washing themselves from the water, shaking their tail feathers, leaving nothing uncleaned. They were fun to watch.

Henry again

Didn't know which one I liked better.

pix from my afternoon walk

Maggie

Basking in the sunlight.

evening scene

How nice to be able to make a quick trip to the beach late in the day.

Oreo Henry

Such a cutie. At about eleven weeks, his eyes haven't fully changed color.
I told him this was just the first of many photo shoots.

pricey tomato

On the way to somewhere else yesterday, I spotted a truck parked beside a table of veggies covered by a white canopy. I had not had many good tomatoes over the summer so I pulled in. I looked over the tomatoes and selected just one irregular shaped heirloom figuring it would be nice and meaty inside. The worker weighed it, and I asked, "How much?"
She replied, "Five."
Five whats, I wondered. "Five . . . dollars?"
Her partner in the crime of highway robbery piped in, "Do you know how hard those are to grow?"
I had five dollars, and I thought of worse ways to spend it, so I paid for the pretty tomato.
I figure for that price, I should feature it on my blog.
It is quite delicious.

WB today

The beaches around here were hit pretty hard by the recent flooding, so I went to the south end the afternoon to check it out. The sky and sea were beautiful, but on the land/sand, you could tell there had been a storm. The lifeguard station was still KO'd. Erosion had hit the dunes, some sea oats were flattened, and a lot of the sand that had been added last year had washed out to sea. Still there were plenty of people there enjoying the day.

Rain, rain, more rain

So far my house is fine, but folks to the south and west are actually experiencing a flood and are being evacuated and rescued. I feel as if I need to do something to help, but I am going to hunker down at home as requested by the powers that be. At the time, the rain was not bad enough to stay home from church this morning, and since I have joined the choir, I have an extra reason to go. Choir people are good about showing up anyway because we love to sing! Especially for a greater good.

what the rain brought

Wilmington did not get the worst of the recent heavy rains, but we did get a lot. Today however is sunny and breezy, and the roads are dry and clear. After a trip to the studio, I thought I would check out Greenfield Lake across the street. Also I really needed just to get out and walk. I stopped to take a picture of how high the water had come. I squatted a bit to get a good angle, and then I saw an alligator moving right up through that little passage of water onto the land in front of me. Omigosh! I backed up, took a second to photograph him, and hightailed it outta there, stopping to tell a group of people under the picnic shed that an alligator was coming their way!

New Kitties

How I enjoyed those few weeks of being petless! Never was my house any neater. No cat hair billowing like dust or litter crunching underfoot. But when the stray that Carin and kids befriended gave birth to kittens about the time that my two old cats died, I figured I would end up with one. But two? Oh yes.
They are adorable. And with such wonderful care provided in the first nine weeks of their lives, I am sure they will be great family additions. Here they are enjoying a few restful moments before they go back to playing.

Who do you see in the moon?

My daddy used to say there was a rabbit in the moon. Folklore tells of the man in the moon. But here in Wilmington, I have heard of another possibility. See if you can find the Lady in the Moon. Her profile fills up much of the right side. With her Gibson girl hairdo, to me she looks like a woman from the 1890s.

Tonight's special moon

I had forgotten that this is the night of the lunar eclipse and the super moon/blood moon, but then I saw the big radiant ball of light as I pulled in to the driveway a little before 8. The dark and dusky sky around the moon provided an ominously beautiful setting. I couldn't help but take some pix. This is the one I decided on.

Now

Why have I not been blogging? Actually I have. At least once a week I am responsible for doing the "eblasts" for the art association. They are just posts to their blog that, once I press publish, are sent as emails to about three hundred people. I don't have to be creative or think up stuff. I just have to send out the news that people send to me. I do check over the copy to make sure it sounds ok, and I have to make all the entries look relatively cohesive. And it all makes me feel as if I have blogged when I really haven't. 

That being said, I have really enjoyed hanging out at the studio the past couple of weeks. I realize that what people have said about art and me is true, that I have no confidence. But what I lack in confidence I have made up for in supplies, so I decided I would use what had and have fun doing it. 

So that is what happened, and it was good.  

Sunday Music

I was glad I didn't miss church today as I briefly considered. Though there wasn't anything special, it was just good and revitalizing. Music has always been a main draw for me, and while I love praise and worship music, I enjoy even more the hymns I learned as I was growing up. One of the songs we sang today was "Praise my soul, the King of Heaven" whose lyrics are written by Henry Lyte, English poet and pastor. Looking it up, I learned also that it was sung at the 1947 wedding of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, about five years before she took the throne. Here are the lesser known middle verses. 

Praise Him for His grace and favor
To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.

Fatherlike He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Widely yet His mercy flows.

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish,
Blows the wind and it is gone;
But while mortals rise and perish
Our God lives unchanging on,
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah
Praise the High Eternal One!

While in YUL

To allow for any mishaps, I packed and checked out of the hotel early.

Anytime we do something for the first time, we are presented with a big learning curve, and that was true for finding the bus stop. After much wandering and looking, I did see the sign that included 747 - the number of the airport bus - in its info, and I stood around with my bags til it roared in. I got up the steps with my bags, dropped my five $2 coins in the slot, got my ticket, and the driver took off with me trying to grab the bar while keeping my suitcase from rolling down the aisle. A nice young Asian man offered to help, and I let him. Gratefully.

Forty minutes later, it let the traveling crowd off at the big airport. I entered, spotted the signs that said departure, and took the escalator up. Then customs and TSA, always a delight. The X-ray machine spotted something in my bag that would have endangered the American public. I had bought a handy bag of maple syrup that was just too many ounces to take on the plane. The gruff agent made sure I saw him place it in a trash can, assuring me he would not be taking it home. Oh well.  My mistake. 

Making it to the gate, I still had almost eight Canadian dollars left to spend. I opted for one more gastronomic treat, a take home bag of St. Viateur bagels, only 5$, plus a chocolate croissant that I promptly ate though certainly didn't need. Will I ever find another?!

Now it is only about an hour until my flight leaves for Atlanta. I am glad to have my iPad to keep me busy.

I admit that some parts of traveling are a pain, but I think it is all worth it. What I like the most is the way my mind opens up. I think I tend to immerse myself in the new place and study all that is around me. It makes me feel like I have been away from my surroundings more than four days.

Some interesting stuff: 

The hotel was named Espresso, and we could have a cup of it anytime we wanted. A real treat.

In the lobby and elevators we saw many people whose ethnicity we had problems identifying. The guy at the desk said they were from, "Up north." They were Cree Indians who came to the city for medical care. I actually sat next to a woman who had a baby wrapped up like a papoose. 

All the people at the front desk were terrific and seemed to enjoy talking with us. 

I was pretty amazed how the people I talked to switched from French, which always sounds so melodic and pretty, to an accent free Englsh. 

I am guessing there are not that many people of Northern Europe heritage here. Most white people are darker skinned, black hair.  There are lots of Asians, quite a few mid easterners, Moslems, and North Africans, I am guessing. Some black people. We had all positive experiences with the people we came across. Yesterday at the market, a white woman behind me in line as I was getting the pate, started talking to me in some language. I said, "I don't speak . . . " And she said, "Thank goodness. Neither do I."  We laughed, and she told me she was from British Columbia, here to visit relatives. I suppose of all the people I saw, she looked the most like me.  

I am glad I got to walk and look at the people and the old architecture. I am glad I got to experience many of the tourist things. Montreal is an interesting big city.

Montreal Day 4

The weather has been perfect since we have been here making it easy and enjoyable to hike around the city.

We liked the Atwater market so much that we went back around noon today. We got some croissants for tomorrow, and bought some delicious pate and a baguette that we ate at a little round table in the midst of the activity. 

Later I walked up to the Museum of Contemporary Art, paid my 14 CAD to enter and what did I see? It was not art to me. Then on to Underground, a huge mall, where I walked and gawked and found a spot to sit a bit before heading back to the hotel.

Tonight Kathy and I took taxis to and from one of the famous eateries here, Schwartz's Deli on Rue St. Laurent. We got the recommended meal, a smoked meat sandwich (much like corned beef), a dill pickle and patates frites. Everything I had read said tourists must go there. It was something!

Montreal is a great city for foodies!

Here is a pic of the street the museum is on.
Flying back home tomorrow.

Montreal, Day 3

Wifi has been iffy at the hotel. And frustrating. But I will try.

Being a tourist means you don't get to see everything, but we dd get to a few good places today.
First was Atwater Market.
It was a little far to walk so we took a ten dollar taxi ride.
I thought the market was wonderful. Lots of beautiful veggies and fruits, some totally new to me, flowers, meats, cheeses and gorgeous French-style breads. A deli, coffees, etc.
Then another taxi dropped us off at Notre Dame, close to the Old Port of Montreal. It was pretty cool but we did not spend much time there. Instead we walked the couple of blocks to Chinatown. We walked down the hill and through the big red gate (paifang) and were immediately transported to another place and time. We walked and watched and stopped at one place for some delicious dumplings.

Here are pix from both places.

dinner

We waited in line a long time to eat at this popular resto on Rue St. Catherine.

Montreal Day 2

Kathy has been researching restaurants nearby and found one within with walking distance that served breakfast till afternoon, Universel Dejeuner Grillades, and what a good choice. My salad with hot goat cheese on garlic bread was yummy, and her big Eggs Benedict plate was even better.
Since it was a little too much walking for her, we parted ways, and I went to the Musee du Beaux Arts. It must be be one of the best art museums anywhere. Not only was there a huge Rodin exhibit, but there were paintings from Pieter Bruegel to Picasso. Impressive!
Also the weather is perfect.
Here are a couple of street scenes.

Montreal, Day 1

This time I went way across the Cape Fear bridge.

I am up in Montreal, Quebec just for fun.

Since the first leg of my flight left ILM at 6:15, I had to get an early start. After some grueling travel episodes that made me wonder if I would ever see the downtown Hotel Espresso, I arrived about noon. I could not check in yet so I walked, did some sightseeing (park, pretty architecture, lots of people) and got a watermelon and feta salad from one of many food trucks near some central place the name of which I do not know. Kathy got to the hotel about three. We both needed a little chill time, but we had to get out eventually because we were both starving

Poutine, pronounced like poo tin, is a Quebecois specialty, so we didn't want to go home without trying it. We hiked up to Rue St. Catherine and got our dishes of french fries with a light brown gravy and topped with cheese curds at a lively fun restaurant. (I took a pic with my iPhone and will try to get it on here later.)  Satisfied we walked around and peeked in the windows of other restaurants and shops before coming back to the hotel. 

Sleep...I hope I get some!

Two collages

I made two collages of what I did today using the Fotor app.

Wyatt is visiting. I took him to two of my favorite places.

Wyatt wanted shrimp, and I have been wanting to make the veggie dish tian. So that was supper.

in the mood for a pretty picture

The week

This week I have not been at home in Wilmington. Instead I have been in Oklahoma visiting Stuart, Paige and all three children. With me is Ruby who enjoyed flying for the first time. She and her cousins have been happy, harmonious and sometime hysterical, and this morning I remembered how everything was funny when I was twelve, too. But their generation is much different from mine and their parents. They have tablets and phones and Netflix, and rarely have they been away from them. All that technology is standard in their lives and culture, but we old folks spent our childhoods without it.

While they were on their devices and the parents away at work, I resorted to my default setting, baking. They didn't mind. I have gone through seven lbs of bread flour, and I think they all enjoyed the pizza, beignets, cinnamon rolls, and Parmesan herb bread. I really wanted to put the herbs in their garden to good use. Some of the results were positively blog worthy, and I may post a picture.

We three generations of grown ups went downtown to a nice dinner one night. And yesterday Stuart took us to the excellent Heritage Museum in Enid where I learned a lot about Oklahoma's colorful history. Jacob has taken the three younger ones to the neighborhood park and pool where they have had a blast.

Tomorrow this time we will be back at the airport to head home to the Carolinas. Then we will have just our memories.

Jacob

He is twenty-one now. An adult.

John

The kids have grown so much since I last saw them.

cousins

My granddaughters in a Charlie's Angels pose. They just happened to have the same shorts.

an interesting dish

Lunch at a trendy place in town. In the upper right corner are fried chick peas, a good substitute for french fries  The main dish is a buffalo patty on (unseen) brown rice topped by a fried egg, surrounded by cucumber, shredded cabbage and drizzled with an assortment of three spicy dressings. huh?

Market

Trying my new app here.
Visiting my peeps in Summerville and taking in the farmer's market yesterday.

Birds at Greenfield Lake

Cattails

I love these plants.

the swans are always beautiful

a cormorant

Now that I have identified this bird on Bradley Creek today, I realize I have seen them before but when their wings were spread open as if they were airing themselves.

dragonflies

In many colors flitting all over Airlie today. I couldn't get close enough for macro shots so I zoomed in. They are pretty even without the details.

sunflowers

at Airlie today