A Day of Silence

Through a Child's Eye(s)

I spent the better part of the afternoon taking pictures of MB and watching how she used her hands during the day: to play with little rocks, to find caterpillars, to look for ants on their little mounds, to look at flowers in the yard. And then I took this one, and the rest didn't seem quite so important anymore.....

Hostas

I think hostas are the prettiest when it's early in their annual life. And a touch of rain adds a nice bit to the imagery. We have two types growing in our yard; these two are among the many that got a nice shower overnight.

A Day Out With the Family

A. and I had promised our oldest that we would take her to the zoo today, and so we enjoyed a nice visit of a few hours to what I think is one of the better sites in D.C. Took a lot of great pictures, although many of the animals MB wanted to see weren't out.

I love especially this picture above; the one on the right looks like he's contemplating either what to do next, or what to make of all of us.

And the big toothy grin from this fellow/gal (I'm not sure which).....

A Lot Can Change in 24 Hours

... and In With the New

Everything in our neighborhood is in full spring blossom, from the bushes in our front yard above to the cherry trees across the street at our neighbors' house below.

Out with the Old.....

This eyesore has been sitting across the street from us since we moved in -- it didn't look quite this bad, but add a bit of old, old siding and a few windows and you'll know EXACTLY how it looked. The new owners have finally decided to tear it down...

...with the chimney starting to be pulled away from the house above...

... and being captured on film a moment before it hits the ground. I've got to give the demolition crew credit; it only took them five or six tries before they figured out how to tie a knot at the end of the rope (attached to the tractor) which wouldn't snap off when they tugged at the chimney.

Now we'll have to see what the new owners put in place of this house!

Any Guesses?

I'll have to come up with a prize for whoever can figure out what this is. I didn't intend for this picture to come out this way, but it looks pretty cool and conjures up all sorts of images of fairies and magical creatures. Start your guessing!

Visitors

These two chums paid a visit to my backyard this afternoon, and seemed to be pretty bored with the whole thing -- even after I startled them.

I wonder if maybe there was some courtin' goin' on???

Day of Remembrance

As you can tell, I didn't take this picture; it was sent to me by my youngest sister, an alumnus of Virginia Tech who still lives in the Blacksburg area and maintains strong ties to the college. She is feeling the emotion of this day much more than I ever could, but I wanted to do my part in paying tribute on this day of remembrance.

The Wind Has Gone, but the Clean-Up Remains

The purple blossoms are still there, but so, now, is the debris resulting from the rough winds of the past two days. It's mid-April and still very cold; makes me doubt the concept of global warming even more.....

I Thought It Was Spring

My yard is full of these little purple blossoms, and yet the weather is still cold with more rain (and possibly snow!) on the way. Just what season is this?!?

In Memory of Kurt Vonnegut

I haven't read any Vonnegut since my required reading of Slaughterhouse Five in high school, so following the announcement of his passing today I headed off to the library and stocked up on several books. The sketch on the dust jacket above is one of my favorites -- probably one of the most elaborate autographs you'll ever see.

My Wife's New Mission

There is much excitement in our house as A. has decided to embark on a new personal/professional challenge. Practice test number one (without the benefit of even having opened the book) was today; law school in her future, perhaps????

An Easter Reflection

The Easter Pulpit

Getting Ready for Easter Eve Church

When it comes to getting ready for the big Easter family service on Easter Saturday, my daughters have two completely different approaches to things.....

Easter Blossoms

What a difference a few days makes; compare these to the photo of the same bush from just a few days ago. It's incredible that here we are on Holy Saturday, well into April, and we're still getting a bit of snow. A winter twist on a spring event.

Gregory Peck

With today being the anniversary of Gregory Peck's birth, I thought it fitting to post this photo. This was taken during an appearance he made in Mobile in 1996 which A. and I were privileged to attend. Quite an extraordinary gentleman.

Reminders of Spring

While working on some writing samples for a prospective employer today, I stepped out of my little home office to listen to the birds for a minute. The cardinal above was being especially vocal, so I figured he was simply asking for his picture to be taken. While I was out, I looked at how even the bushes in our yard are fully transitioning -- from the bright yellow flowers signalling the arrival of Spring to the rich, young green leaves.