Lovely to hang out with an old friend on New Year’s Eve. Barb’s dog, Doc, made himself at home on the sofa.

Probably the most horrific artistic representation of a cat I’ve ever seen. Found at an antique mall in Culpeper. 

Rob with my new oven on the back of his truck.

I like looking at these cars parked in a neighbor’s driveway. They obviously like gold cars.

This lovely poinsettia and basket of fruit were sent to me from friends. Always lovely to receive a delivery.

Whenever I turn a corner on a hike and see a dark object I always have the same 3 reactions in about 10 seconds. 1) Whoa, made me jump, is it an animal? 2) Excited. Is it a bear? 3)Disappointed. It’s not a bear. 

Every time, it’s the same responses...

The carnage of a Christmas dinner. Food devoured, drinks depleted and now the clean up begins. Whew!!

Lovely gooey meringue. Making a mincemeat pie with one batch and then Forgotten Cookies with another. Yum!

My nearest boat ramp was severely flooded today, a good 5ft plus higher than usual, the water moving very fast. I’ll come back later...

 

Saw these today on my travels and was amazed at the price. I have one three times the size at home waiting for me to do something ‘arty’ with it.

A very strange sky on Rte 66 as I head home. Unusual for clouds to be so angular.

20 Dec 2018

A beautiful gerbera in the bunch of flowers that Emily brought me. Love the orange theme.

Cute and Christmassy but not really an outfit I could envisage myself in.

A Hungarian chocolate given to me by a member of staff. It tasted strongly of alcohol, sad there was only one!

While unpacking some boxes I came across Gerald, a squeaking spider which for many years had always hung in my previous cars. Not trusting the old elastic thread he hung from, he now sits on Stanley’s dashboard.

Looking through from the front porch, friends enjoying beers and food at The Blue House.

15 Dec 2018

I painted a portrait of my Kota Kat Supreme today at a local art studio. I was petrified that I’d fail to capture his expression of content; he loved his scarf. I think I did OK.

14 Dec 2018

Rushing past the newly decorated fire station on the way to work created some cool color wffects.

13 Dec 2018

I love looking at this beautiful white poplar tree every night on the way home from work. So perfectly upright. 

Looking through to my festive dining room.

I’d been looking forward to a long soak in the tub but it was not to be. The door was shoved open and both cats had to wail and howl until I’d got back out again. I’ll have to barricade the door next time.

I nearly stepped on this ‘bug’ in the grocery store tonight. Wasn’t sure if a kid had dropped it by mistake or someone had placed it there for a prank. Made me chuckle though.

Looks like there’s some ghost issues in Stephens City, VA

A nice visit from Rob today. He managed to find a few free stations on my TV and most importantly, got both of my cuckoo clocks running again. Great to hear those friendly tick rocks and hourly calls again.

Boss Man about to give his annual speech and hand out gifts and bonuses at our Christmas party. 

And another shirt design that needs to be printed.

A delicious sirloin casserole, cooked all day in the slow cooker, greeted me when I arrived home, its aroma causing my tummy to rumble as I walked in the door. 

This signs hangs around the corner from my house. It’s been here for years, the house it hangs from used to be almost derelict, so I was ecstatic to see the house renovated and the sign given a new lease of life.

The cloud formation made this mountain look like an erupting volcano spewinging smoke for a few seconds as I drove home. A few feet further and the perspective had changed to just some grey clouds in the sky.

Fun at Margie’s annual holiday brunch. We studied this mannequin and discovered a snake wrapped around it, with a button. We pressed it and the snake’s eyes lit up, it wriggled and emitted a lot of hissing noises. I have no idea where she finds these things!

I had old neighbors and friends over to see the Blue House and then later Kelly and I hung out at the Beer Museum in town, watching old beer commercials and drinking craft beers. A great way to spend a drizzly damp cold evening.

Trucking towards the mountains and home after work.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at The Blue House.

27 Nov 2018

This Hindu temple catches my eye with its pretty colors every morning as I approach work.

An amazingly beautiful sunset on the drive home tonight.

One of my neighbors is ready for Christmas. Lights accompanied with festive music, it was lovely to experience this as I walked downtown to join friends for a pub crawl.

24 Nov 2018

The Shenandoah passing through Strasburg on a wet winter day with white sycamores flanking the river banks.

Some weird lighting in the car wash today. Seemed like an alien world.

22 Nov 2018

My Thanksgiving dinner from the Wayside Inn, where Carmen and I managed to get a last minute cancellation. This feast pictured was followed by 3 slivers of pecan pie. Heaven! And no washing up!

I love this old barn. I have to pass it on the way home from work when I take a detour to pick up my farm eggs. 

An ongoing frustration at work with production. The top test print is correct with the gold halftones printing as a lighter color. The bottom print is how they were printed, the pressure so heavy that the halftones ended up as a solid color. I despair...

19 Nov 2018

My hands are red and sore from catching piping hot sweatshirts off the dryer at work. Smoke was rising from the garments too so I was concerned about health risks from fumes. Unfortunately there’s little or no reports on the internet regarding hazards of screen printing.

After running errands it was lovely to finally have a lazy afternoon with no tasks except editing Saturday’s photos. 

A girls’ day out urbexing today in New Jersey.

Saw this bike as I was driving through town early this morning on my way to work. I don’t envy the person that has to sit on that saddle!

The snow was starting to fall heavily as I arrived at work. A treacherous mix of snow and freezing rain continued through the day and I was grateful to get home safely.

Tricksie Treat seems to have adopted this chair. 

Making my way home from Brambleton tonight I passed this new water tower, looking eerily alien in the twilight.

A rainy evening but I have plenty to do, so much to still unpack. But the back deck looks pretty in the rain, and will be even prettier next spring when it’s filled with pots of flowers.

Standing at the top of the cemetery my house stands out with its blue roof. This is a great little town.

Found a little cafe close to home and waited while my coffee brewed. It was delicious.