Catching Up

I meant to post about this last week but never got around to it... Last weekend and the beginning of last week, my longtime friend Susan, from Atlanta, who I've known since I was 5, came to visit us in Williamsburg! She is about to deploy to Iraq and so this was a sad occasion because we won't see her for a little while (more than half a year, but we're not sure yet how MUCH more). However, it was also fun times just hanging out together. We didn't do a whole lot--we were rather lazy, in fact--but we did get to the Jamestown and Yorktown areas and rode on the ferry. We watched the second Narnia movie as well, looked at pictures, and just talked a lot. It was pretty cold while she was here, but the sunset one night was very pretty; I have to give her the credit for those pictures since I didn't take my camera with me on that outing! Here are some snapshots from her visit:

Above: Sunset on the James River (from Colonial Parkway)

Above: Susan and me on the banks of the James River

Above: Same place, but Ben and me

Above: The pretty sunset again, over College Creek

Above: A hawk perched atop a tree along Colonial Parkway; he posed quite nicely for Susan.

Above: Headless Ben? (Being silly at Yorktown Battlefield)

Above: The James River, from the ferry

Above: Cormorants hanging out at the ferry landing

Above: Susan and me on the ferry (it was super windy--her hair really isn't that poofy!)

Snow in the 'Burg!

It snowed today! Since it hasn't really snowed at all this winter, it was very exciting to us, especially because the flakes were so big, and the snow was not predicted in today's forecast. It was so weird, too--it snowed for about half an hour really hard and then all of a sudden it slowed down, the sun came out, and it stopped entirely. Now, just an hour later, you'd never know it snowed at all. Sort of sad--it would be fun to get an actual snow storm where we get a few inches accumulated, but I guess we'll take what we can get. Anyway, here are a few pictures and a video:

Mount Vernon

Here are pictures from our Valentine's Day trip to Mount Vernon--it was a beautiful day, if a bit chilly, and we had fun seeing the home of our country's first president. It was the anniversary of his birthday the day we went (he'd have been 277) and so they had a guy decked out in colonial garb acting as Washington (you'll see him in the photos--and yes, Washington was tall like him, 6'3" to be precise). The very best parts, in our view, were the animals. Washington prided himself on being a farmer, and the estate today has sheep (lots of 'em), bulls, guinea fowl, hogs (very funny looking), and horses/mules. The barn area also had tons of cute little field mice. They were adorable, and so much so that we took a video, which is below the pictures. Overall, it was a great time, and we definitely recommend a trip to Mt. Vernon to anyone who likes American history. Also, the attached Mount Vernon Inn, where we went for our V-Day dinner, was great, though the prices were a bit steep.

Mount Vernon - 2/14/09

Video of mice (be sure to watch to the end!):

A Tiny Glimpse of Spring

Well, I figure since it's 70 degrees outside now, it's time for the first blog entry to say something besides "Burrr!" What beautiful, warm weather we are having here in these early days of February! We know the cold weather will return again, but for now at least, these 60-something-degree days are a nice little foretaste of spring. (Tomorrow it's getting up as high as 73, I think!)

Nothing that interesting has been happening of late, which is why we haven't blogged in awhile. (Well, some things have been interesting, like with work, job stuff, etc., but nothing we feel comfortable blogging about, such that anyone in the world can read about it.) I had to actually TRY to find something to take a picture of so that this entry wouldn't be blank, as I haven't taken pictures since sometime in mid-January! The only thing of remote appeal around here are the nice yummy Valentine's cupcakes that I made a couple days ago. I made them Sunday so that they would last the whole Valentine's week. I think we're on pace to finish by Saturday :) I love the red sprinkles that are inside the cupcakes, plus the ones on top.

And the fact that I'm blogging about red sprinkles is further proof that our lives really are rather boring at the moment :) I guess the only thing interesting coming up is that we're going to Mount Vernon for V-Day to take a tour of the home (George Washington's, for anyone who doesn't remember) and eat dinner. We'll take pictures there, I'm sure, and have some to post when we return. Until then...

Burrrrrrr!

Like most of the rest of the country (except southern California!), we are freezing our tails off here in Williamsburg. Fortunately, it's not been sub-zero temps like it is up in the Northeast and Midwest. How anyone can stand to live in those climates, I'll never know! The past few days have given us a little taste of that, though--with highs in the 20s to 30s and Friday night's predicted low of 6 degrees (it ended up being a balmy 10 degrees for the low instead). So, what can one do in such cold weather to stay occupied? Here are a few ideas:

1) Bake something: Not only does it provide something yummy to eat, but the hot oven adds a little extra heat to the house! Today I am planning to bake peanut-butter cookies and gingerbread scones. In addition, last week we tried a new recipe called Beer-Can Chicken, compliments of Ben's friend Eric. You basically stick a can of beer up the rear of a whole, marinated chicken and put it in the oven to bake. After the first night, we had so much chicken left over that we made chicken stock, with which we made homemade chicken noodle soup, thereby providing two more nights of dinners. Who knew a chicken could be so fun? And it was VERY tender too!

2) Do a puzzle: These are good for your brain, fun to do, and they can become very addictive! We have just finished one puzzle and are starting a new 3-D, 1000-piece one today.

3) Read a good book: Ben is reading Carlo D'este's biography of Patton right now. I'm about to start the biography of John Newton (author of the hymn "Amazing Grace") by Jonathan Aitken. Just yesterday I finished a book called The Last Sin Eater, one of Francine Rivers' many excellent fiction novels. (I recommend anything she has written--every book I have read by her is impossible for me to put down; her Mark of the Lion series is, in my opinion, the best, but I also have so far read both Leota's Garden and And the Shofar Blew.)

4) Take a drive: The picture at left shows one of the many gloriously colorful sunsets we've had lately. There is something about the cold winter days that produce pretty sunsets (when it's not cloudy, that is). Just because it's too cold to be outside doesn't mean you can't get out and see nature from the warmth of your car :)

5) Watch a good movie: Last night, with popcorn and hot coffee in hand, we watched The Last Sin Eater (based on the book I finished and directed by a Christian director). The night before we checked out (for free, from the library) The Longest Day, a long movie about D-Day in WWII (yep, that was one of Ben's choices). We also rented the old classic by Frank Capra Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which stars Jimmy Stewart; we plan to watch that today or tomorrow. We've also, for awhile now, been enjoying watching old episodes of the Perry Mason Show, which ran several decades ago and starred Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale. (These are mostly not appropriate for children due to the subject matter, but they are otherwise usually very clean movies that also can make you think!)

6) Play games: Ben and I will never be too old for games! We love them and have a rather large collection! We enjoy group games when we have enough people, such as Cranium, Guesstures, and Taboo, but while it's just the two of us we mostly like playing cards (double solitaire and rummy mostly), Scrabble, Yahtzee, and Trivial Pursuit.

Well, those aren't too many revelatory ideas, I guess, but thought I'd throw them out there. Hope everyone is staying warm. -J

San Diego Pictures

At long last, we've gotten our photos from Christmas in order for you to see! Sorry it took awhile. They are divided up into 6 albums for easier viewing and especially for those unfamiliar with the sites of Southern California. As an FYI, when you click on the links, we recommend NOT using the slideshow feature since it doesn't allow the photos to focus before moving on to the next one; just click on the first picture and then go through them manually (that allows you more time to read the captions too).

Album #1 Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's, etc. (mostly family pictures)

Album #2: Torrey Pines State Reserve (La Jolla, CA) Read about this place here

Album #3: Mission Dam and Trails (Santee, CA)

Album #4: The Presidio of San Diego

Album #5: La Jolla, CA (Sunset and beaches)

Album #6: Balboa Park

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from San Diego!

(Above: Christmas lights and decorations found only in California--Surf Santa in a hammock hanging from two inflated palm trees!)

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas! We have been out in San Diego since Christmas Eve and leave on New Year's day to come back to Virginia. We have had a great time with Ben's family--and have seen some great sights too. It was cool and rainy the first few days we were here, but it has now warmed up to the lovely weather San Diego is famous for--sunny, warm, 70s! Anyway, more later this week, but for now, here are a few shots of our trip! And happy New Year to everyone!

Above: Family Christmas dinner (grilled filet mignon, cranberry-feta salad, and potatoes--yum!)

Above: More very cute Christmas decorations (penguins) in a nearby neighborhood

Above: Sleepy Christmas kitty (Joey)

Above: Ben and me at Torrey Pines State Park, hanging on the rare "torrey pine," the nation's rarest pine tree breed found only here and in one other place in California.

Above: Beautiful sunset at La Jolla Beach

Above: I can't remember where this is, but it was a neat beach with all these cliffs that you could walk on (at your own risk...), and it was right next to Torrey Pines Golf Course, where the U.S. Open was held this past year.

Above: Hiking today at Mission Dam Trail (in Mission Valley, CA).

Above: The Presidio, which was a fort built to protect the San Diego Mission. It is such neat architecture!!