Catching Up

It's now Thursday and I went to my older daughter's home on Tuesday, left Wednesday and went down to my younger daughter's and came back to my son's apartment this morning.  I've packed and repacked so many times I'm going to wear my clothes out.  But I no sooner get one suitcase arranged, than I think "oh, I'm going to need that" and I have to dig something out.  However, I DO think I'm managing two steps forward for every step back, so I'm bound to get there sometime.

I managed to get some pictures to share at each stop.  I missed a golden opportunity on Tuesday driving up to Maryland because it was a beautiful day and I ended up in stalled traffic at the precise point where there was a wonderful view of the Jefferson Memorial and Washington monument.  And where was my camera?  In the trunk!  So today my daughter drove me to my son's and I did take these pictures out the window - not as good a view and, as you can see, a very grey day...but then, I didn't call this Mary Lynne's Photo Journal, did I?!

This is the Air Force Memorial which was erected in front of the Pentagon following 9/11.  The arcs represent the vapor trails of three jets and when you see them as you drive by, it really is a strong and beautiful evocation of flight...














As I said, on Tuesday I was with my daughter, her husband and my two grandchildren.  I wish I could have managed to sneak some "natural" shots of them, but seems like kids can sense a camera at 300 paces, so here is the best I managed of Sophia, 3-1/2 years old, and Johnny, not quite 9-1/2 years old.

And, since I posted pictures of my son's apartment, I took a couple at my daughter's house.  They went to Cypress for three weeks this summer (her husband's parents live there) and while there made a trip to Egypt which my grandson really enjoyed (so did they...)  She brought back lots of wonderful souvenirs from each place although I couldn't manage to get any good pictures of the two really beautiful Egyptian art pieces that she brought back and has had framed.

This cabinet is where she displays a lot of the things she's found on her travels along with a few other little family treasures.  The second close up picture is all from Egypt.

 

And finally, on to my younger daughter's apartment.  I've always loved her and her partner's homes because they are filled with all sorts of artwork done their friends, tons of photographs, huge plants, hundreds of books.  It's sort of like visiting a really neat, small museum!  This first one is their photo wall, which they have had in every place they've lived.  The photos change as time goes by, but there are also "perennial favorites".  That's a jade plant on her table of which I'm fairly jealous.

These next two are two pieces of art done by two of their friends.  The tree is needle art - heavy yarn emboidered on burlap or something similar and I've always really liked it.  The second one is probably my all time favorite.  Don't know how many of you are familiar with the song "There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" but here she is swallowing the cow...you'll have to excuse the perspective - it's hanging way up above a doorway.

And, I think that's it until I'm finally out of the country.  I have 5 hours to kill in the Charles DeGaulle airport in Paris, so you may hear from me then if I can find a computer hookup.

So, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!!!