The Little Birds Are Urging Me

Monday, September 27, 2010

Vintage Romance

Gosh, it's been a while since I have had some free moments to come here. I'm trying to put together a book of the pictures from our early summer trip to NYC, and I've been spending most of my spare minutes toward that project. Otherwise, I will never hold that book in my hands ....

But ... I did want to show you a few pictures of these beautiful vintage dresses I saw last weekend in our local Living History Museum at Furnace Town. I wonder how it felt to be dressed in one of these ....

"I feel as if I had opened a book and found roses of yesterday sweet and fragrant, between it's leaves. " — L.M. Montgomery (Anne of the Island)

"It is ever so much easier to be good if your clothes are fashionable."

— L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)

And here are a few other things that were in that same room .....

"Dear old world', she murmured, "you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you."

— L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)

(click photos to enlarge for better detail)

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

An Enchanted World ....

It was a beautiful weekend on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. My sister Bonnie and I rode to Whitehaven yesterday, parked the car on a piece of grass in front of the water, and walked the two streets that make up the entire town. Here are a few memories ....

The seagulls watching humans ....

Pink flowers on white fences

See the gentleman sitting on this porch? We didn't see him until he came outside and began talking with us. This house has been in his family since the 1940's. He and his wife live in a nearby town and come here as a getaway. He is a farmer, and he is very nice. And very blessed to live in such a beautiful place. Here is a view of one side of the house ....

This is another house, located just a couple of houses up from the previous one. The tall canna plants were glowing in their orange color, giving an appearance of Fall.

As I was taking pictures of the flowers in front of the house I just showed you, I suddenly heard a loud and threatening barking ..... so glad the fence was there.

This was another man who was friendly to us. He is retired from NASA and lives near Washington, DC. He and his wife often come to Whitehaven in the summer, to escape into quietness. The difference between the two places is like night and day. He is standing in front of a model of the only church that is located in the town .... the model was made by him. A very talented gentleman. And we ended up discovering he is a Christian and sings in two Southern Gospel bands on the Western Shore.

We peeked into the windows of the locked old schoolhouse and saw this cat lying on a cabinet. The nice gentleman I just showed you offered to take us into this place so we could see some of the old pictures. The cat was not supposed to be in there, so I was glad we stumbled upon her. She was certainly very friendly. She must have known she was in the presence of someone who would love her.

Wouldn't you like to sit in this swing with me? Sipping a glass of lemonade?

The Whitehaven Motel, recently restored and renovated ....

I took about two dozen pictures of this beautiful, beautiful Jasmine vine .... so beautiful, it almost makes me cry.

Goodbye, Whitehaven ... a tiny bit of our hearts were left in you ......

(click photos to enlarge and see better detail)

An enchanted world is one that speaks to the soul, to the mysterious depths of the heart ...

(Thomas More)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Welcome, September!

A few more photos from our last trip to Pennsylvania ....

The train from Strasburg to Paradise ....

at the station ....

I love all the little details that often aren't noticed .....

Some of the views from the train ... the last picture is of my sister Georgia ... we were celebrating her birthday

The gift and dining section of the Red Caboose Motel ...

refurbished railway cars, made into sleeping quarters for tourists

(my family took our parents here for their 50th wedding anniversary a number of years ago)

the old, mixed in with the new ....

for those who love to shop ....

moo ......

(click on photos to enlarge ... and then I think you can click one more time to enlarge even more ... it always amazes me to see the details that I wouldn't normally notice)

Isn't it wonderful to look at the calendar today and see the word September?!!!

Monday, August 30, 2010

A Bit of Local History

Over this past weekend, Gary and I walked through a local cemetery and came upon one of the most beautiful stones we've ever encountered. The gravesite is for a gentlemen named Elihu Emory Jackson, who was born right here in Delmar in 1837. He left his father's farm and opened a lumber mill which became very successful ... and then he entered politics and became the Governor of the State of Maryland from the years 1888 to 1892.

As we were looking at the stone, an older gentlemen who was also walking through the cemetery, came over and told us that Mr. Jackson's gravestone had been designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. I have been trying to verify that information but haven't been able to do so yet. However, I HAVE found that Elihu Jackson was one of the founders of Trinity UMC ... and that the stained glass windows in that building were Tiffany windows. So there is a connection ...

Here are a few pictures of the gravesite .... you will need to click on the pictures to enlarge them in order to enjoy the wonderful details.

The gravestones of many members of this family are buried here, side by side. There are more wonderful details on some of the other stones, and I'll be showing those to you soon. Truly, the beauty of this family plot was enough to make me want to stand there for hours and marvel.

When I found out that the windows in Trinity Church were made by Tiffany, I went there with my camera. I want to go back some day when I'm able to get inside the building. The windows must be stunning from the inside. Here are a couple of outside views of the church ....

These are just a few of the windows ... there are more on the other side of the building. There was a fire in the early 1900's that did extensive damage to the building, but the windows were able to be saved.