The Sarah Palin Problem

We have two very active chipmunks in our yard. I named the first one Sunny because he liked using my lawn furniture this summer for sunbathing. When I noticed that Sunny got a girlfriend early this fall, I named the second chipmunk after the Alaska governor who was running for vice-president on the republican ticket. In fact I think I blogged about Sunny and Sarah making out on my patio and I thought they needed to get a motel room. Well, about the same time that the real Sarah Palin was having her vice-presidential debate with Joe Biden, my chipmunk nicknamed Sarah Palin got herself into some big trouble at the rodent proof? bird feeder by the breakfast room window.

I looked out the window one morning and I saw that Sarah Palin had climbed the pole and was helping herself to some birdseed on the outside ledge of the bird feeder. She was eating and eating and getting nearer and nearer the open holes. The next thing I knew she was creeping into the hole and popping up on the inside looking out at the world. Oh, no, those sunflower seeds must really be tasty I thought to myself. Either that or else she is planning a seed heist and planning to plant the seeds somewhere in my garden. At any rate, I kept watching while I was having my morning coffee to see exactly how she was going to get out of this bird feeder. Well, she tried and tried but she couldn't quite get her little head back thru the holes no matter how hard she endeavored to do so.

What do you do when you see a chipmunk stuck in a bird feeder? Call the Orkin Man? No, No! You call the fairy godmother, Jack, to go rescue her.
And that's what I did and that's what Jack did. Sarah Palin was freed and she ran off fast without even a thank you or a wink! You betcha, this is a true funny critter tale.

News Flash: If you want a really good story with belly laugh moments go down my blog list and click on Twobytwobytwo, home of the lady with not one, not two but three sets of twins! Heaven help Cindy! She has written the funniest story about her one daughter.

My World Tuesday 11/11/11

The 11'th Hour of the 11'th Day of the 11'th Month

My World

Remembers The First U.S. Armistice Day of 1918

That in 1954

Under President Dwight Eisenhower

Became

Veterans Day

For More Info

on The History of Veterans Day

Click here:

http://www.history.army.mil/faq/vetsday/vetshist.htm

For More History On The Red Poppy

and

Armistice Day Click Here:http://sheryl.org/holidays/veterans_day.html

The Above Photo Was Taken This Past May

In Downtown

Washington D.C.

Annual Memorial Day Parade

Recent Iraq Veterans I Know:

Brian Rearick: VA National Guard, Two Iraq Tours.

Chad Gariety: Ohio National Guard, One Iraq tour, Another Next Summer.

Vietnam Dead I Know: James Plieman, Class of 1962, Russia Local High School, Russia, Ohio.

Severely Wounded in Vietnam: Friend, James Blakeslee of Rehobath Beach, Delaware

In Honor of Veterans Day

2008

Listen to Amazing Grace

Being Sung By

Il Divo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtrnB4FZ-yc&feature=email

After Listening Please Visit Other My World Tuesday Blog Sites By

Clicking Here: http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

Who On Earth Are These Folks?

Who on earth are these folks? The men in the ten gallon Texas style hats spoke to Sandra and I at Linden Winery in Linden, VA and the next thing you know we were striking up a conversation and then we were taking their group photo since they forgot to bring a camera along on their wine outing. I promised them that I would post it on my blog so here's to the men in the ten gallon Texas hats. And they promised me that they would find the blog and post a comment too. We will see. In the meantime I'm not going to hold my breath.

Every winery seems to have a big dog that wants to sniff out the winery guests. Hey, watch it big dog!

Friday's trip south to the Charlottesville, VA area included having lunch at Virginia's most famous winery, aptly named Barboursville. This is just about the oldest winery in the state of Virginia and it was started by one of the largest wine producing wineries in Italy. The famous Zonin wine family that have vineyards all over Italy including beautiful Tuscany. Click on the photo above and look behind the white horse fence and you will see the ruins of the old Barboursville anti-bellum plantation home that at the turn of the century was destroyed by a fire. The brick walls, chimneys and pillars are all that remain of the fire destroyed house. On another November weekend with our good friends, Gene and Sandra, we had a wine picnic outside by these historic ruins because there was no room for us at the inn, er......I mean at the Barboursville Restaurant. So this past weekend we got smart and made reservations for lunch at the restaurant and we had one fabulous lunch that would rival any three star restaurant in either Italy or France.

Again, here are Gene and Sandra posing for our camera. Don't they look like newly wedded lovebirds! Folks, they have been married for close to 35 years. What a great marriage. Gene who grew up in Philadelphia and went to the oldest Catholic high school in Philadelphia met and fell in love with Sandra in Frankfurt, Germany. Sandra grew up in Liverpool, England and was working for the American Army in Germany. Sandra has the best wit of anyone I have ever met. My sides are still hurting from all the laughing we did this past weekend: "Me Mum says...." Both Sandra and I think a cup of fresh brewed Starbucks Coffee that Jack just loves to drink smells a lot like roadkill dead skunk. Jack just about drove off the road laughing when he heard Sandra say the very same thing. I told her that every time we are out on the road and we smell dead skunk I say Starbucks! You say to-may-toe and I say to-ma-to. Jacks says skunks and I say Starbucks!


The next four photos below are miscellaneous shots of some of the beautiful fall leaves I saw this weekend at Hillwood Museum and Gardens in Washington D.C.

What is this vine? The seed pods were deep burgundy. Could they be castor beans?

Look below. Here we are back to the formal gardens of President James Madison's Montpelier. I wanted you to see that the green boxwood up by the brick walls are very old and at least ten feet tall. I just love smelling boxwood! I also want to point out a few things about the reconstructed home of James Madison. See the cyprus wood shingles. Click on the photo to see them up close and you will see that they are small and delicate with an oval edge. They are exact replicas of the shingles James Madison used for his home. Now note the red clay bricks that were hand cast in sand to replicate the bricks that James Madison would have had cast for his home. Lastly, note the lightening rod going down from the roof. James Madison had lightening rods on his house in the 1700's. He got the lightening rod concept from his good friend and fellow constitutionalist, Ben Franklin of Philadelphia. I had to throw this in to appease Gene who is a Philly native. Go Phillies. Go Villenova Catholic University! Look here at this photo. Ignore the lovebirds, Gene and Sandra, and focus on the entrance windows. This is a double entrance to keep the north winds from blowing into the house. But we learned on our tour that during the home restoration they discovered after they had removed over 150 years of window moulding paint that these windows slide sideways and/or up and down to allow the cool breezes to enter the home during the warm and humid summer months. Now isn't that just so inventive for way back then! Look above this pretty Paladian window above the door which is the original and look at the set of three windows above. Behind these windows was James Madison's library. By the time James Madison was 11 he had read all 29 books in his father's library so then he got 89 more books which he then proceeded to devour. Now almost half of all those books that he read were written in French which was the world language in the 1700's just as English has become the world language of today. We learned on our tour that James Madison could read and write in seven languages just as his older friend Thomas Jefferson could read and write in seven languages. This was back in the good old days when our presidents were very, very well educated and informed. (Sarah Palin, please take note!)

When the Constitution Convention was convened in Philadelphia, PA James Madison attended at the young age of 35 and proceeded to write most of the original U.S. Constitution as well as the American Bill of Rights. That is why James Madison is remembered as the Father of the Constitution as well as one our founding American presidents.

This is the wonderful visitor's center at Montpeliar that holds extra Madison artifacts like Dolly's engagement ring as well as the recreated Marion DuPont ballroom and horse racing room.

If any of you blog readers are ever in the Charlottesville, VA area, here are the places you must, must tour: Jefferson's Monticello, Jefferson's University of Virginia, Madison's Montpeliar and Barboursville Winery. You will also want to look up to the mountaintop overlooking UVA where Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) once lived and from whom the term the "Who's in Whoville" has become associated with the students of the University of Virginia.

Note to Fishing Guy: How do I get rid of this long gap in my blog that is right below. Post a message and maybe Jack can help me figure this out. I hate these gaps! If any of you bloggers are like me and not that great at this hi-tech stuff, here's the answer to the gaps problem. Put you moving cursor where you want to begin to eliminate the gap, click so now you are "locked" in place and then hit the delete key. There goes the gaps! Bye! Bye!

Saturday Morning in D.C.- Hillwood Museum

Entrance of Hillwood Museum in Washington D.C. decorated for fall. This museum was the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heir to the Post cereal fortune. Post was the third of her four husbands, This is the home where the actress Dina Merrill and her sister grew up since Marjorie Merriweather Post was their mother. The actress Glen Close is a figure in this home's history since Marjorie's first husband was a Close.

Gene who golfs checked out the lovely putting green.

See the awnings on the second floor windows. Behind these very windows was Majorie Merriweather Post's very private and plush bedroom suite. In this photo Gene is snapping a photo of the formal walled garden while Jack checks out the angel fountains.

An Adirondack Cottage brought from a Post estate in New York state to this estate.

Lovely things to view everywhere.

The Dacha Building in the Russian style that houses traveling exhibits for the Hillwood Museum.

Poster for current exhibit on propaganda on Russian porcelains of the second half of the 20'th century.

A little outdoor light in the French Empire style.

The great trees in the gardens were at their very peak of fall color.

Gorgeous!

Sandra and Yours Truly posing by the Japanese bridge in the Japanese garden at Hillwood.

Note: I can't possibly do justice to this over the top museum that has the best collection of Russian porcelains, art objects, church relics and oil paintings outside of Russia. If you are interested in seeing more info on this museum go to this website for Hillwood:

http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/

Saturday Afternoon in D.C.- Washington National Cathedral

View from tower of Washington National Cathedral in Northwest Washington D.C. You can walk all around the tower and see not only the skyline of downtown D.C. in all directions but you can see across to Fairfax County and Tyson Corners and Wolf Trap. In this photo the white building is St. Albans Cathedral and School were D.C. 's elite send their children.




Washington Cathedral with Rose Stained Glass Window.



Sandra admiring the plants still in bloom in the herb garden. We found irises as well as roses and azaleas in bloom. They all are the reblooming varieties. There is a separate herb garden gift shop at Washington Cathedral in addition to the very huge religious gift and book store on the lower level of the cathedral.




More boxwood and more herbs.

Now click here to take a virtual tour of the largest cathedral in either North or South America and the seventh largest cathedral in the entire world:
http://www.nationalcathedral.org/visit/

After a full and long day of sightseeing in D.C. we drove over to Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown to have a great German dinner at the Old Europa Restaurant. It took Sandra, Gene, Jack and I back to nights in Germany spent at The Dornbush Restaurant.

http://www.old-europe.com/pictures.html

Friday Day Trip

Home of The Great Little Man

President James Madison's Montpelier.

Also the Home of The First Lady to be Called First Lady,

Dolly Madison.

The history of this home is so full and fascinating. The home was built by President's James Madison's father, James Madison the first. When James Madison finally married late in life (early forties) hehad another wing added to the house. Then essentially this home became a duplex. The two side doors that are on either side of the main door were the entrances to each duplex. The fancy center entrance was added after James Madison's father died. Oh, another tidbit of info: James and Dolly used to jog on this portico in rainy weather when they couldn't take a walk to stay in shape. So Dolly was also our first jogging first lady!

Montpelier in later years became the former home of Marion DuPont Scott, heir to the DuPont Chemical fortune in Delaware. When Marion died in 1983 she left her grand country estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This is the one historic home that Jack and I keep returning to for it is a work in progress. The DuPonts added many stucco additions to the building so for the last twenty years this house has been stripped down literally to its foundations to return it to the days of the Madisons in the 1700's. The DuPont additions were carefully removed and the ballroom and art deco horse room were recreated in a wing of this visitor's center.

I must digress a moment. In 1989 Jack and I were here with daughter Jeanine one fall weekend. She returned Monday to her fourth grade class and told them that she had visited James Madison's home and that her mom tore some wallpaper off the walls in the reception room. Well, I was mortified! I had to call the teacher to explain that I did remove some wallpaper but I was encouraged to do so because the house was being returned to the Madison era.

So this house has truly been a work in progress and this past September Montpelier finished the structural restoration and had a grand celebration. Now the trust will work to find fitting furnishings and wallpaper will be recreate to match for instance the red flocked wallpaper found behind the crown molding in one room.

When look you look towards the mountains in this photo which was taken from the front portico of the Madison house you see in the foreground the steeplechase horse track. The entire time we were waiting on the portico for our tour we saw horses being raced on the track. The Montpelier Steeplechase Races that were held last week at Montpelier is the only place in America where steeplechase horses jump natural brush fences. Lots and lots of old boxwood on this property.

Gene and Sandra posing at the entrance to the formal gardens which have the most beautiful views of the mountains to the west.
The backside of the Madison's home. The first time we came here we were told by the guide that James Madison owned around 100 slaves. And that he threw many parties for which the slaves small children had to prepare for on this very lawn. James Madison used a herd of sheep to keep the grass "mowed" and when guests came for a party and games on the lawn the slave children were instructed to go and pick up each and every sheep dropping on the lawn. Can you imagine that and now imagine that after all these years we will have our first black president and first lady.

Montpelier Website: http://www.montpelier.org/

Montpelier Hunt Races Website: http://www.montpelierraces.com/

Daytrip On Thursday

Shipley Bed and Breakfast in a fall leaves theme.

Gene and Sandra posing on deck of Linden Winery which is to the west of Haymarket, VA. Come to this winery in the fall for gorgeous views of the trees on the lowlying Blue Ridge Mts.

Just take a look at this view from Linden Winery's deck!

Barrel Oak Winery Tasting Room

Wine Tasting at Barrel Oak Winery which allows you to bring a picnic basket and buy a bottle of wine and picnic either inside or outside on the patio. We did both. We had the main course outside by the roaring fall autumn fire and dessert inside when it started sprinkling rain.

Another view of the setting sun striking the fall leaves on the trees with a VA dairy farm in the foreground.

Shipley Bed and Breakfast

I placed a small vase of fresh roses and hosta blooms on the night table along side the phone and books because we have houseguests sleeping in this red toile bed. Gene and Sandra are here from New Jersey and we have turned into the Shipley Bed and Breakfast with planned day trips each day. Yesterday we day tripped in one direction and the day before in another direction and of course, today we will head out on a day trip in another direction. I'll give you more details when I have more time at the inn.
Just want to give you a guessing game now. Yesterday we visited the historic home of one of our nations greatest statemen. He was about five foot two with eyes of blue and was known by this title: The Great Little Man! Who was he? Make a guess and leave it in my comments.

Sky Watch Friday Meme

Sky Watch Friday

A Towering Figure Above

The Other Trees Reaches The Light

After Viewing This Sky Watch Friday

Go To Here To See More Sky Watch Friday Blogs:http://skyley.blogspot.com/

I am dedicating this Sky Watch Friday photo to the memory of the late Tim Russert who made every Sunday a true Meet The Press Sunday and every presidential election night a great event to watch the man with the white board and pen explain the breaking news by rapidly writing numbers on the board and then scream and laugh and say what a story, what a story!

Tim, we still miss you and we have not found someone to equal you on Meet The Press. I know you would be excited and be thinking about all the new cabinet members you would want to interview.

The Missing Man Formation

I learned yesterday that MSNBC News was operating in the Missing Man Formation for coverage of the presidential election. The Missing Man Formation is the aerial military maneuver in which you can see that one plane and pilot is no longer with us in the sky. I'm sure you have seen it on TV and/or at local military airshows. (By the way, Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio has an airshow to drive out of your way to see.)

Well, Tuesday night the broadcasters of MSNBC were in missing man formation in memory of their deceased broadcaster and news teammate Tim Russert. Tim Russert who hosted Meet The Press Sunday mornings died this past spring. I think everyone can remember Tim shunning the push button high tech world and grabbing his white board and pen to explain what was happening in Florida in the 2000 presidential election.

Tuesday night Andrea Mitchell had Tim's white board and pen by her side. Someone else was wearing a Tim Russert tie with his suit and another had the mass card from the Tim Russert funeral mass in his suit pocket. And they all expressed the same thought that Tim would have been bouncing off the walls and throwing his white board around in wild jubilation over the first black man to be elected president of the United States and screaming what a story, what a story! Tim lived for politics and the presidential election was his superbowl reporting moment. I'm going to dedicate my Sky Watch Friday photo to you.

Reflections On 2008 Election

Reflections On 2008 Election

It is now truly over

the 2008 election.

So roll over in the clover.

The election, the election.

Just take a break.

No need to stay awake.

What a Dem procession

In this greatest election.

It is pure perfection!

The Bush days are numbered.

So give a great big cheer.

Barack is now unencumbered.

The change, the change

For John McCain

Still home on the range.

The change, the change

For Barack Obama

D.C. address rearrange.

For all the others in the race

You're down and out.

You're in disgrace with losing face.

Let it go, let it go.

Let it go, let it go,

The evangelical politics show.

From near and far

Scare tactics were heard.

In every American beer bar.

They drank Cindy's beer

And they talked and argued

But in the end the choice was clear.

America had made its choice.

No Republicans in D.C. offices

It spoke with a mighty voice.

No more scare tactics now.

And no crying in place

Since you lost the race.

But Obama is smart and kind.

He still needs your help

For the coming financial grind.

So put away all the buttons.

Throw the scare tactics away.

Here comes another work day.

Put on a very patriotic face.

And concede your deserved defeat.

Exit the Bush play with some grace.

Help make the transition easy.

Buck up, buck up, buck up.

Now's no time for queasy.

What an historic night! I haven't shed tears of joy like this since America in 1960 declared John F. Kennedy president-elect at 3:30 A.M. on Wednesday after the Tuesday election. God bless America. God bless Barack Obama. Now let's go to bed and get up to the first day of the presidential transition.

My World Tuesday Week III

MY WORLD TUESDAY

http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

AFTER VISITING

CLICK ABOVE FOR MORE

MY WORLD TUESDAYS

My World Includes Happy Memories

Three Years Ago Today

Our Family Gathered In DisneyWorld

In Orlando, Florida

For

The Wedding

Of

Jennifer Mary

To

Terry Wayne

On

November 5, 2005

Enjoy These Photos

Of

My World Three Years AgoNow Three Years Have Flown By

And

Jenn and Terry Have A Little Mickey Mouse!

Go to Jenn and Terry on My Blog List to See Him Dressed For Halloween.