A beautiful sunset tonight about a mile from home with Cobbler Mountain in the distance.

Very cold at the gas station this morning when I filled up. The little snow we'd got had been blown into all crevices. I had to wipe the machine before I could swipe my card.

Celebrating the Chinese New Year at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Steve and Jim playing air guitar after many beers. The rest of us were thankful that it wasn't on real instruments, judging by their actions. They did make us laugh! 

I stopped at Broad Run Farm to pick up some eggs and check in the progress of the brewery. It's looking great and they're hoping the brews will be pouring by the end of February. A month to go!

Everyone at work was complaining about these persons. It's the end of the month and they're out to issue tickets to people who haven't realized that there is now a 'no turn on red' sign at the corner. I gave them a hateful glare as I drove past, and they saw it.

This is horrifying, guns are now being thrust out there as fashion items. It even looks like a toy. What the hell is wrong with these people. Shame on Taurus.

The chunk of glass I picked up at the abandoned glass factory, now illuminated rather nicely by my lamp.

It rained all last night and throughout the day with winds up to 45mph. Driving to work was hard as my sleep had been broken by the howling gusts slamming branches against the house.

It's wash time for Kota Kat, Rosie Lee insists on it.

The beautiful tranquility of fog hanging over the Shenandoah valley.

After watching the Inauguration down in DC I met up with Janice for dinner. This sign was near the pub. Nobody honked.

I love driving down Marshall Main Street and seeing these old power lines that form a part of the town's character. It's sad to think they'll be torn down in a few months as part of ensuring that Marshall looks like every other small town in the vicinity. Yes, that was a rant.

Glass straws inside a glass container found at the glass factory we explored on Sunday in New Jersey.

After a weekend away I had really missed my big mugs of tea. I've been catching up today, 4 Batman mugfuls so far!

The closed Trump casino in Atlantic City.

Sunday, January 15, 2016

Photographing the retro hotels at Wildwood, NJ.

This smiley sign greets everyone that enters Marshall from the south. I always love seeing it and will be sad the day it's taken down for the inevitable development that will take place on this space in the future.

I brought in as much firewood as I could stack by the fireplace tonight in preparation for the ice and rain tomorrow.  The temperatures are dropping dramatically again.

I had a special visitor at work today. And he promised me a massive tax refund!

Rushing home as the evening sun pulls the last color from the sky below the horizon.

I have a sweet little sparrow trapped in my office today. My efforts to catch it have been thwarted so I'm hoping that the birdseed I'll take to work tomorrow will help me catch her.

A winter scene at Mt. Hebron Cemetery in Winchester.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Our urbexing crew met up in DC tonight to use our $50 vouchers we all earned at the Snallygaster Beer Festival that we all worked at. Here, Rob is showing me his manual version of the phone app called Untapped, an app for recording reviews on beers. 

It's 'cheers' from him and it's 'cheers' from me. A well deserved pint after work with Steve to kick off the weekend.

I got home to find a sprinkling of snow on the hill and more forecast for the night, so after getting the fire blazing I knocked up a quick meal. While other folks pop pills and sip syrups to keep a cold away I thought I would do it the natural way. It was delicious! Recipe below:

Tuna and Chickpea Chilli

In a large saucepan dump a can of diced tomatoes, can black beans, can chick peas, small can sliced black olives . Add bag of frozen chopped spinach and bag of frozen broccoli florets. Add small jar of sun dried tomatoes, small jar of roasted peppers, small jar of capers and a can of tuna. A good shake of turmeric, ground ginger, cumin, ground pepper and salt, chilli flakes and chopped clove of garlic. 

1 tbsp of Deep green chili pickle( found in Indian food aisle) is optional but adds heat. Yum! Add a cup or so of water and cook for about 30 mins, stirring occasionally. 

While this is simmering, cook half a packet of pasta in a separate pan and add to chilli once cooked. 

I'm sure a glass of red wine added to this would be awesome too but I'm on a diet and wanted to enjoy mine from the glass rather than in the soup. Being on a diet is also the reason I didn't sauté an onion first.

So I found out cleaning elf at work today, high up on the scissor lift sucking up the cobwebs from the ceiling. He's transformed the place, the little Superstar!

Apparently the fairies came to work while we were on vacation. The production room was spotless, machinery cleaned, cobwebs banished from the ceiling and the floor freshly painted. It looked wonderful!

I had to rearrange some books on my shelves to make room for this collection of Dickens books that MJ and Martin very kindly have me. They have pride of place and I'm excited to read the stories I have got to yet.

One of the many fabulous colorful performers in The Mummers Parade.