“Devary and Charley” – H. W. Tatum
Last week I took this photo with my cell phone as I was leaving the Art Center of Corpus Christi through the courtyard. Daughter and I had just had lunch at the Citrus Bayfront Bistro located inside.
The piece, by local sculptor H. W. Tatum,
was commissioned and donated to the Art Center of Corpus Christi
by the Durril family
in memory of their daughter, Devary,
who was killed in an auto accident in 1978.
Husband sometimes gets left out of family photos because he is always behind the camera – we can count on him to capture the memories. For that group shot I insist on when all my chicks are together or I want one of the two of us for something special, he will set up the camera on a tripod, click the timer and run over to be included in the photograph.
On a recent trip to California he enjoyed photographing new sights and documenting our trip. As we drove along scenic routes he would often pull over and click away. Convincing myself that I would take photos to proudly display on my blog in response to a Weekly Photo Challenge from Word Press or to illustrate a thought or poem, I had taken along a simple camera of my own.
In the spirit of things I did take a few snapshots, but it became more fun for me to stand back and enjoy the moment as Husband did all the work. I did capture him a couple of times with his camera in hand.
Along Highway 1 late in the afternoon
Framing his shot
I enjoy the photos that other bloggers post in response to Weekly Photo Challenge, but I will not be participating. Personal photo challenges are enough for me!
On a recent trip to the west coast Husband and I left San Francisco, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and took scenic Highway 1 up the coast. We spent the weekend in quiet Mendocino, a small town on the beautiful Northern California Coast. Quaint Mendocino boasts thirteen bed and breakfasts, but we choose Blair House, Jessica Fletcher’s home in the television show Murder, She Wrote that ran on CBS from 1984 to 1996. Angela Lansbury played Jessica Fletcher.
I was a bit disappointed when we arrived as the front entrance was obscured with scaffolding as the front of the house was in the process of being repainted and repaired. Fortunately the workers were gone for the weekend. The white picket fence was also in the process of being repaired and eventually re-painted. We were told by Norm, the sole caretaker, to enter from the side gate and go in through the kitchen. Somehow it seemed appropriate to enter through Jessica’s side door directly into her kitchen where her neighbors and friends had dropped by for dinner, advice or a cup of coffee. A bicycle was parked near the back door.
We choose to stay in Angela’s Suite on the first floor that featured a cozy but spacious bedroom with fireplace, a generous parlor with a second fireplace and a private bath with a luxurious claw foot bathtub. Norm provided us with a complimentary bottle of wine from a local winery, Hirsch Vineyards, when he gave us the key to Angela’s Suite.
Photos by Husband.
Bedroom
Parlor fireplace
Husband and Crone in parlor
Breakfast is served from 8:30 until 9:30. Norm provided a hearty and healthy breakfast served family style in the dining room and consisted of granola and cereals, English muffins, bagels, fresh fruit, jams and cream cheese, milk, tea, orange juice, and plenty of good fresh coffee. The first morning we shared breakfast with two young couples from London who were on their way to San Francisco for a week.
The last night we had an early dinner at Mendocino Cafe, Norm’s recommendation for us, and was an excellent choice. It was casually intimate with indoor and outdoor seating. We enjoyed quiet dinner music provided by a talented guitarist. After dinner we walked along the streets and window-shopped at mostly closed stores as the sun was setting in the west. Mendocino is a lovely place to visit and much different from my coast in Texas.
Photo by Husband
View of Mendocino
Angela Lansbury came to the United States from England when she was fourteen years old. She has been a successful actress in movies, television and stage. This year she was in the Tony-nominated revival of Gore Vidal’s timely political play, The Best Man, along with another octogenarian, James Earl Jones. She turned 87 on October 16. It was a pleasure to stay in Angela’s Suite! For information and reservations go to the website for Blair House. http://www.blairhouse.com/index.php
Related Information on Angela Lansbury
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTC1Y8s2Gvo&feature=endscreen&NR=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Lansbury
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/168290-Angela-Lansbury-Says-Goodbye-to-The-Best-Man-on-July-22
In June Husband and I went to the Texas hill country to buy peaches from our favorite grower, Gold Orchards, and to check out some wineries. The Gold Orchards store is basically a small roadside stand in the tiny town of Stonewall on highway 290 between Johnson City and Fredericksburg.
There are about ten wineries located on this 36-mile stretch of highway called Wine Road , but the one that caught my attention was Grape Creek Vineyards with a sign that proclaimed, “Tuscany in Texas.” Tuscany is on my list of places to visit, but each year there seems to be some reason why we can’t take that trip to visit our friends in Tuscany at their olive farm, Podere Boggioli. This might be as close to Italy as I would get this year. With a little wine perhaps it really would seem like Italy!
Entrance to Grape Creek Vineyards-Photo from their web site
The entrance with its bell tower sets the mood as the gravel road leads upward between Chenin Blanc vineyard toward the Tuscany-style villa that serves as the tasting room and gift shop. It did not disappoint.
Thinking Tuscany…not Texas
The villa did indeed reflect old world architecture with its tiled roof and beams, stonework, landscape and obligatory fountain. Even Italian music quietly playing added to the ambiance. As we got out of the car a limo pulled up and out tumbled several excited and well-dressed ladies. Now that is the way to tour wineries!
Inside we browsed the wine-related items and a generous selection of crackers, cheeses and nibbles. We missed the Barrel Tasting Cellar Tour that included a tour of the winemaking facilities and barrel cellar. Instead we settled for tasting six wines and chose from white, red, sweet and semi-sweet and port. We bought three bottles: 2011 Viognier, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Texas and a port.
OK, so maybe those working in the tasting room spoke with a Texas twang instead of in Italian and I was really not in Tuscany. Still this small yet elegant winery with a bed and breakfast is worth checking out if you are in the area.
The Crone in Faux Tuscany
Husband in Faux Tuscany
From Johnson City you see gently rolling hills, peach orchards and pass the entrance to the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site that is worth the stop. The self-guided tour is free and takes you by the graves of President Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson.
At the end of the road is Fredericksburg which offers history, shopping and good food. We had lunch at Fredericksburg Brewing Company and enjoyed sampling excellent ale.
Our last stop Gold Orchards was to buy a half-bushel of peaches for peach cobblers. I use a recipe from “Aunt Pearl’s Cookbook, A Man’s Cooking” by Joe Sears. Maybe I’ll share it in another post! Cheers!
With the official arrival of summer on the calendar I thought I would post some pictures taken on my veranda. It is a nice spot to enjoy a second cup of coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the cool of the evening. The golden-fronted woodpecker and his mate are gone, but one lone hummingbird is still hanging around. (Click on the photos below for larger views.)
Fountain and Bromeliad
This bromeliad just opened completely this week and will last for several weeks. Husband took the flower/fountain shots.
Close-up of bromeliad bloom
Do you see a face in this one? I see a face, eyes, nose, hair and beard. It looks a bit like Yosemite Sam from the Warner Brothers cartoons or perhaps King Neptune.
Wiccan in a pot by the fountain
I took this one of my cat, Wiccan, as she relaxed safely up high in a large pot on the left side the fountain. She often leaps gracefully to the fountain for a drink of water. She is twelve years old and will probably be my last cat.
June is the beginning of the hurricane season. Will this be the year that a major one hits our area? We have been spared for many years. If one comes, we will bring Wiccan inside and roll down the shutters. In the meantime I will embrace summer. May you enjoy the summer days wherever you live!
Huey and Henrietta
A couple of weeks ago I posted Texas Hummingbirds-Baby Huey with a close-up picture of a Golden-Fronted Woodpecker feeding on one of our hummingbird feeders. Since then Baby Huey has been back several times every day to feast on the sugar-water that the real hummers grudgingly share with him. Now his mate has joined him We can tell it is a female because Henrietta (we had to name her also) is smaller and does not have the red cap that males have.
The above photograph captures them both feeding. Huey is on the left; Henrietta is on the right. He is hanging awkwardly while Henrietta perches daintily much the way a hummingbird does.
According to John L. Tveten in his book, “The Birds of Texas,” a pair will share pecking out a nest for their young and describes it this way.
“Working together, the pair will take a week or more to excavate their nest, and they will then share in the incubation of their four to seven eggs and the raising of their young. Starting with an opening about two inches across, they dig straight back and then down, perhaps for a foot or more, finally enlarging the cavity at the bottom and leaving a few woods chips as the only pallet for their pending brood.”
Daily we hear them pecking on our metal chimney. Why? Is it rusting? Do they think it is a tree? There is a perfectly fine oak tree near the feeders, and there is a wonderful old mesquite tree next door. We may have to inspect our chimney!
Texas Hummingbird
For the past three weeks we have been feeding four hummingbirds that stopped by our back yard to refuel. They have fought over the sugar-water in the two feeders we put up and enjoyed the natural nectar of the flowers and herbs that are blooming. They provide great entertainment as they zoom around like tiny Star Wars Jedi starfighters and occasionally buzz the cat, Wiccan.
A woodpecker has been hanging around for some time also and we hear it making its churr-churr and kek-kek-kek calls. Once we heard it pecking rapidly on our metal chimney.
Then Saturday morning we looked out to the veranda to discover that he was helping himself to the hummers’ sugar-water. He flew away as soon husband grabbed his camera, but then he kept coming back and husband was able to get this shot.
I named him Baby Huey, but he is actually a male golden-fronted woodpecker. They are described this way in John L. Tveten’s book, “The Birds of Texas.”
“Ten inches long, and with a black-and-white barred back, the golden-fronted woodpecker has light under parts, a white rump and an all-black tail. A large golden orange patch ornaments the nape, and there is a smaller yellow patch above the bill, the “golden front.” In addition, the male sports a small, round red cap that is lacking on the female.”
Baby Huey was back Sunday morning for a little Sunday brunch. He has not kept the hummers away, but they do not challenge him when he is feeding! The hummers will soon be gone and won’t be back until around September. We will enjoy them and share our space with them for now.
Recently a very fine photographer and blogger, gweaverii, mistakenly assumed a photo she had seen on my blog via Flickr on the sidebar was taken by me. I was flattered, but it was not mine as I have never posted pictures on Flickr and only take snapshots. By way of making amends to the actual photographer, Ricardo Brig Casarico, I decided to research his work and post something on my blog about him even though I am sure he never knew I was briefly given credit for his stunning black and white photograph titled “Horror Road.” It reminds me of a scene from the 1949 movie, “The Thrid Man.”
"Horror Road" by Ricardo Brig Casarico
So far this is all that I know about him:
1. He lives in the northern part of Italy – Monzae e Brianza, Lissone.
2. His Flickr profile is mostly in Italian. The little in English states he is “male and taken.”
3. The photo was taken January 2, 2012 in Esino Laria, Lombardy, Italy.
4. His photos are in both black and white as well as color and are outstanding.
5. Two photos feature cigars – one is Cuban.
I am not a member of Flickr and don’t know my way around it very well, but you can view Casarico’s photos via the link below. I admit that I do not have his permission to post “Horror Road,” but I hope I can be forgiven as I posted it to make amends for my blunder.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/riccardo_casarico/6851119753/
As most of you can tell from my simple blog, I am new at this and still learning. (I have removed Flickr from my blog!) I take a wrong road now and then, but look what I sometimes find. Every day is a new adventure! And lately I keep finding roads that lead me to Italy. Is that a sign or coincidence?
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