Randomday, Playing Catch-Up

It's silly, the things that keep you from blogging. Most recently it was trying to figure out how to access my icloud from my laptop, so I could use photos from my phone. Then earlier this week it was worrying about Grandma in the hospital. (She is home and comfortable again now). Going backward, we have had a number of momentous family events in the past 3 or 4 weeks: both Tertia and Quarta became communicant members of our church, there were appointments and social events and concerts and plays and sleepovers, and of course, Steve and I flew out to Virginia to see Daniel graduate from his Capital Fellows program and sightsee a bit as well. Basically, every time I was at home and physically able to get on my computer, I tended to be too tired to want to blog. So think of this as a kind of photo-dump without much more narration, to catch you up with our hectic lives.

Tertia got the biggest laugh of the evening in her walk-on in "Check Please."

 Sightseeing in Annapolis, at the Naval Academy and the Maryland capitol.

 It's impressive to see a painting that has been in the same place for centuries.

An impressive group of young people. We heard great things about Daniel.

 Daniel's host family, also old friends from our days at McLean. David played organ at our wedding, and I sang in the choir with Lena. There were lots of these, not coincidences, but maybe God's calling cards, that convinced us this was the perfect program for Daniel.

They have this re-enactment of a colonial farm in McLean, complete with turkeys to eat the tobacco worms.

Monday we took a day-trip to Monticello. Daniel ran into a friend from college in line to buy tickets. Yet another fascinating not-coincidence. I love the architecture of Monticello, and the fact that Jefferson taught himself. And I try to take pictures of all the flowers that grow as weeds in our yard, but are featured prominently at this grand home! Here, foxgloves.

 Rose campion.

More likely to be California poppies in our yard.

 It was right after graduation at UVA, just like it had been at the Naval Academy.

Tuesday before our flight home Steve and I took in the Postal museum and the Renwick Gallery, neither of which we had seen before. I decided to take pictures of the fiber arts exhibits at the Renwick. This one shows creative use of those old doilies and potholders some of us have by the bagful.

 Steve loved this quilt-map of Washington D.C. The red spots are properties that have been foreclosed.

 This is a quilt portraying a time-lapse photo of the night sky. It's political significance is that it's the night sky above the American Embassy in Saigon, January 31, 1968. I guess if it's to count as art it has to have political significance? None of my quilts would count as art by this definition.

 I would not have thought to make a quilt out of celluloid film strips, sewn together with polyamide thread.

 I think a glass spinning wheel would be terribly impractical if you tend to drop bobbins when you change them, like I do. But it is a functional spinning wheel.

 Detail of a much larger landscape quilt with lots of fabric painting, applique and threadwork.

 All of this at the Renwick, just up the street from Blair House,

 the OEOB,

 and the White House.

And back home, a photo of the newest communicant members.