Peaches

Aug 19, 2013

For me, no summer is complete without a visit to Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet, Virginia. This weekend my friendy Wendy came for a visit and we managed to squeeze in a trip to the orchard before the start of school…

“From laden boughs…”

“Oh to take what we love inside, to carry within us an orchard…”

“the round jubilance of a peach”

Years ago, my writer friend shared a gorgeous poem with me, and I’ve been waiting for the perfect day to share it with you. Today is the day! You can read it here: From Blossoms, by Li-Young Lee.

Butterflies

Aug 14, 2013

There’s a meadow near my house that has been throbbing with extravagant beauty lately:

Hundreds of butterflies have been dancing there for the past couple of weeks. These Eastern Tiger Swallowtails live only a month and I fear that the meadow will be mown any day now. I’m compelled to stop my car on the way home from work every day to stand knee-deep in the itchy grass, holding my breath in silent witness to their ecstatic, ephemeral ballet:

The butterfly counts not months, but moments, and has time enough. – Rabindranath Tagore

Visit to the Hermit Chui

Moss covered paths between scarlet peonies
Pale jade mountains fill your rustic windows.
I envy you, drunk with flowers
Butterflies swirling in your dreams.

Qian Qi

Fenwick Island

Aug 12, 2013

I went to Fenwick Island on a mission. A few years ago we went to the Outer Banks with my dear friend Rosita and her family. One day Rosita took this picture of us:

Cliché thought it may be, I loved the white/khaki look. I loved that late afternoon light. I was determined to recreate the photo at Fenwick Island. I made sure to pack white and khaki outfits for everyone. The day before we were going to leave at the end of our vacation, I announced that it was time for our photo session. I made everyone get into their designated photo togs, some of them newly-bought just for the occasion. We wasted precious daylight as Teddy searched unsuccessfully for his khaki shorts. (The following week my sister emailed me to say that they had mistakenly gotten mixed in with her boys’ shorts). I admit it: I was insufferable. I stormed around looking for the shorts and making my son look for the shorts and even seriously considered making him wear a pair of women’s khaki shorts until my sister ripped them out of my hands and said, “NO.” I finally, huffily conceded that navy shorts would have to do. We went out onto the beach and my daughter immediately got a piece of sand in her eye. Through tears she insisted that she couldn’t open her eyes. And because I am a horrible, horrible human being, I heard myself saying absolutely outrageous things like, “Try not to cry for just one second! Just open your eyes and pretend not to cry on the count of three!” Truly, I had become unhinged…and I totally got what I deserved:

Note the look of intense suffering on Colin’s face…Nicholas looks pretty good though!

I did manage to get some better ones throughout the week. Here are some of my favorites:

My tribe minus Colin (the photographer) and my brother’s family, who had to leave early.

My sister and Tatiana

My niece

My sister and her daughter

The boys

Colin & boys

Cousins

My sister’s family

Look what Grandpa caught!

“Booooorn free!”

More sea life

My sister and her boys

Big Teddy and son

My brother’s family

Dandelion loves Grandpa

My mama

Mom and Dad

The “Golden” Finale!

Aug 9, 2013

Here’s the last half of the slideshow my sister and I put together for my parents’ Golden Anniversary party:

Each of carries within us a piece from past generations: an aptitude, a special talent, a twinkle in the eye, a smile.

Dad’s mother and four brothers who survived to adulthood

Fortitude. Courage. Conviction. Cheekbones!

Mom’s family

Intelligence. Creativity, Vision.

And as the next generation grows up, we are thankful for the many gifts and lessons passed down from our parents.

I discovered this in my second grader’s desk at Back to School Night this past year. I was so very proud.

Ummm…we’re still working on that one.

I’m quite convinced that my mother could whip up a teleportation device, if given a handful of paper clips, some tinfoil, and maybe a few coat hangers…

“I’m sexy and I know it!”

Snappy dressing? Let’s just say it’s a family tradition

On their 1st birthday, Korean babies chose a pen for scholarship, money for wealth, or string for long life.

“What’s that, Mom? You want me to pick up the money, do you? Hah! Here’s what I think of your money. I’m picking the pen, so you better start saving up…I’m planning on grad school!”

We sometimes disagree. Correction. We frequently disagree. Correction. We always disagree.

But we sometimes, frequently, and always kiss and make up.

And yes:

It must be genetic.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for giving us 50 memorable years filled with love and joy. We love you.

Wishing each and every one of you a beautiful weekend.

Golden

Aug 5, 2013

Invitation handmade by my sister

I’m not kidding when I say that my siblings and I have been planning my parents’ Golden Anniversary party for years. We’re fortunate in that our sister plans parties professionally. She works with all the best vendors. She has a discerning eye, impeccable taste, and knows exactly what she wants. Over the course of the year, she’s been letting us know what that is with increasing intensity and animation.

The morning of the party, as she was driving my siblings and me to the venue so we could get set up, she cleared her throat and said, “Adrienne has informed me that I owe you all an apology for riding you all like a witch on a flaming broomstick for the past year as we prepared for Mom and Dad’s 50th anniversary party…So, I’m so sorry. Thank you for being patient, and bearing with me, and for all your help!”

My sister Annabelle replied, “OK, but you’ll have to apologize to us after the party too, because I’m sure you’ll be really b*$%@-y to us during the party!”

When we arrived at the restaurant, the harried-looking florist was putting the finishing touches on his gorgeous arrangements.

Flowers by Jeff Johnson at Blue Vanda Designs

Flowers by Blue Vanda Designs

As we were admiring his work, he confessed, “I do $600,000 weddings and I always sleep like a bear. I didn’t sleep a wink last night, because I was so nervous.” Apparently, my sister had been riding his ass too.

Cake by Fancy Cakes by Leslie

The big unanswered question was what my mother would wear. We begged her to wear a hanbok, a traditional Korean dress, but she outright refused. She insisted that she was going to wear a pink t-shirt and black stretchy pants. To the many, many alternatives we suggested, she demurred. The evening before the party, we had dinner at Peking Gourmet Inn for some of our out of town guests.

At dinner, my aunt, who traveled all the way from California with her daughter to come to the party, joined our chorus of pleas and urged my mother to get dressed up. Finally, my mother promised to wear something “special,” though she wouldn’t tell us what it was.

When she finally entered the room, she was wearing….

a pink t-shirt, black stretchy pants, and a white blazer! She looked perfect, of course!

More tomorrow…

One favorite moment

Copenhagen

Jul 30, 2013

En route home from England, we had a longish layover in Copenhagen. We decided to spend the night in a hotel:

At the crack of dawn the next morning we made our way to the subway station…

We rode into the center of town and had breakfast along the canal:

We took a quick walk before heading back to the airport to fly home:

Last days…

Jul 29, 2013

Our week at Corshill Cottage came to an end. We drove back to Edinburgh to catch our train back to Manchester, but first squeezed in a quick trip to the Camera Obscura. From the Outlook Tower at the top of the Royal Mile we got panoramic views of the city:

Inside the tower, we got another view of the city in the camera obscura, a darkened room in which mirrors and lenses are used to project a live image of the streets of Edinburgh onto a large horizontal screen. Our guide told us that when the apparatus, (the same one that is still in use today), first debuted in 1853, people would vomit and even pass out from the shock of seeing the live projection.

The rest of the Tower was devoted to optical illusions:

Finally, it was time to get back to Manchester for our last few days, and the pleasures of home life there:

Teddy and Granny

Tea in the garden

Colin catches up with his brother.

Nicholas chats with his aunt.

Watching Countdown

My daughter spent many hours of the day boning up on Greek mythology with a new book from her aunt:

and with her dad’s Classical Studies notebook from grade school:

At night she dreamt about Greek mythology:

There were some serious ping pong matches:

The little brothers won a point against the big brothers, which was then taken away for excessive celebration.

We liked Granddad’s cool “one hand in the pocket stance”

Granny’s got game…

Frolicking in the garden:

On the day we left, Granddad indulged the kids by taking them on a pilgrimage to see the home stadium of their favorite team:

Old Trafford: “Theatre of Dreams”

And finally, it was time to bid a fond farewell to our family:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Scotland, Pt. 4 – The British Open

Jul 26, 2013

We went to the first day of the British Open. We parked ourselves at the 17th hole and enjoyed the spectacular views at Muirfield:

Here’s Phil Mickelson on his way to his eventual win:

Others did not fare so well. Colin deemed the next day’s sports headline “typically British”!

The real competition began later that week, of course:

“Desktop Golf” with Uncle Mike

“Pitch and Putt”

Hope your weekend is wonderful!

Scotland, Pt. 3 – My husband’s first home

Jul 25, 2013

My husband has always loved Scotland, where he was born and spent the first twelve years of his life.

He and his dad took a hike around Ben Ledi, the first hike they had done together when he was a little boy. When they first walked the trail decades ago, these trees had just been planted and were knee-high:

Although it’s a little grainy, I was so glad they were able to mark this occasion by taking this photo at the top:

That evening he humored me by taking me to this church we kept passing en route to the cottage, so I could get some photos:

Like the trees, the gravestones dramatically showed the passage of time. On some stones the elements had completely erased the engraving, which once marked the day someone who had been loved and cherished was born and the day they died:

The next day we took a day trip to Dollar. We parked our cars on the beautiful street bisected by a babbling burn, right next to the house where my husband first lived: