Blue Shirt

Libby no doubt knew what she was doing every time she dressed the boys for picture day. But it was only this most recent time with Calvin in October that it dawned on me. One shirt, three boys. The shirt being ready at just the right time for the size of the boy. With the variations in lighting, and the goofy grins, you really don't notice that it's the same shirt!

Eli

Briggs

Calvin

Organs I have played, part 1

Last Christmas my mom gave me a device to scan old slides into digital images. I have been plugging away with the few boxes of slides I have over the past few months. I have re-found some neat pictures of organs I have played. I thought I would start a series of posts on them.

In 1987 or 1988 I went with a small group of ministerial colleagues to Jamaica. This was back in the days when I was training for and seeking ordination in the United Methdist Church. This trip was put together for the participants to see the work being done by Methodists in Jamaica, and to see how we pastors might involve our congregations with that work, as mission endeavors. The idea was that we would get familiar with the work being done, identify needs and motivate our congregations to get involved. We spent a week or so on the north shore of Jamaica, between Montego Bay where we flew into and Ocho Rios the next larger town on the coast. I remember very few details, except that we were looking at construction work going on and the education program, specifically summer vacation Bible school, of the Methodist community in the area we were in. St Ann's Bay is a north shore town with a small circuit of Methodist congregations, the next to last image is the largest church in the circuit in St Ann's Bay, and it was this organ that I encountered. I didn't wind up with a picture of myself at the console, though I did play it. The last picture is one from a group from Kansas that has a pretty strong (it seems), on-going relationship with the Methodists in this area.

 

You can learn a bit about the Methodist Church in Jamaica here. And learn about Church of the Resurrection's work in Jamaica here. The organ was built by R. Spurden Rutt of London. According to sources he delivered about 20 instruments to Jamaica. The present instrument is not in the British Institute of Organ Studies' National Pipe Organ Register, but I did find this listing of Rutt's corporate history.

School Project

Seniors in North Carolina have to complete a writing project. In my day it was a straightforward 20-page paper. These days it's a project that includes a short paper, a tangible "product" and a "service" component. Eli chose to explore ethnic (African) drumming, since he does some of that in the context of drumming/percussion at church. His paper was on that topic, and for his service-learning he helped teach basic drumming to kids at church. For his "product" he built a sangban drum with the assistance of his mentor, Andy Gwynn, a member of our church and accomplished drum-maker himself. Here are some pictures from the project.

 That's sawdust flying around!

 Though you can't see it, Eli is drumming on a djembe he built at summer camp, also under Andy's tutelage.

Food porn

Briggs is turning into somewhat of an accomplice in taking pictures of food around here. (He's also a big fan of selfies.) These are a couple of shots he took recently. First the the aftermath of a plum and amaretti crumble, using a recipe from Nigella Lawson. Next is a bowl of chicken paprikash. Both Eli and Briggs are learning that though the meal may be new, different, exotic, spicy, gooey, crunchy, etc, I generally don't serve them anything that really tastes bad. We're waiting on Calvin to get to the same point, but we're hopeful he will.

Chickens and corn

I looked out the window at some point this morning and saw five chickens poking around the cars. Two red and three white. Very nonchalant. I called Libby, who called Briggs, who called Calvin. By this point they had made their way into the well area beside the front stoop: lots of dead leaves and dirt, and worms in there. They looked very well cared for. They poked all around the yard, eventually discovering the ground underneath the bird feeders, which is rich with dropped seed. So after a few minutes, Libby and Calvin took off to see if they could spot an empty chicken coop in the yard of a nearby neighbor. Sometime later they had returned, the chickens were gone and we had a basket of produce including several ears of corn. This was the result. As it turns out, the boys were very appreciative of the chickens, which plays well into my plan for one day having a few of my own here at the Folly. No, I have no logical explanation for why I didn't get a picture of the chickens.

Bunny follow-up

There are definitely two rabbits, one larger than the other. Maybe they are mated male and female. They seem to live under the barn. But I have seen them all over. Mostly in the side yard, near this flower bed, but around back too, especially under the bird feeders, down near the garden and apple trees, and around front. They scurry to a buried drainage pipe when they are otherwise too far from home. Libby got this picture last week. This is the larger one I believe.

Garden, summer 2014

I was a little more ambitious this year with the garden, adding zucchini and squash to the usual mix. They have done well, but have been crowded, and have crowded out other things like the cabbage and cucumbers. I'll have to move them next year. I also tried onions again, and they did next to nothing. I think maybe the dirt is too compact for them. I put in a bunch of potatoes and they have done well. Now that I am bringing them in, I am putting green bean seeds where they have been in the garden. I missed the prime time to plant lettuce seedlings, so I had to start lettuce from seed; it's just now starting to look like something. Nothing to harvest yet though. Here are some photos of veggies and meals from the garden so far this year.

Lentils with zucchini and beef satay, a very tasty dinner.

Three varieties of potatoes: purple, Yukon gold, and white. I've used them to make fried potatoes for breakfast and potato salad.

First little cabbage: I picked it small so none would go to waste. Reds are right behind the whites.

Sauteed vegetable medley: zucchini, squash, tomatoes and onion.

Pumpkins early in the season. They are now beginning to turn orange.

Rockmont, 2014

Both Eli and Briggs have been recipients of incredible generosity bestowed by Camp Rockmont, and the director there, Dan Davis. They have been given 90% scholarships since the second summer we were in Black Mountain, to attend two weeks of camp. Eli attended six years as a camper and this year is working in the kitchen. Briggs attended overnight camp last year for a week, after attending the day camp for a week in 2012. Libby reports that when she was dropping Briggs off this year, Calvin said he wanted to attend overnight camp next year. However, he would only attend if he had his purple bunny (a favorite stuffed animal) go with him! So, maybe day camp for him next summer.

One of the nice things about this camp is that they send a "report" of sorts on how each boy is doing. These reports strive to remain upbeat and put the best possible spin on everything the boys undertake and experience. Briggs' report for this session arrived today. His cabin leader, a college student from SC, ended the report stating Briggs "epitomizes the rejection of passivity." While I might have phrased it differently, I get the sentiment. Briggs does nothing in small ways. His cabin-mates have obviously been getting the full brunt of that exuberance while at camp.

Eli has been working in the kitchen, running the dischwasher after meals. He got his first check this week and remarked, "Wow, that's a lot of money!" Perspective is everything I suppose. He very often works split shifts, so he has a couple of hours of down time. Having attended camp before, he knows the ropes, and managed to score some canoe time last week.

Bunny

I spotted him (or her, I have no idea) first a few weeks ago, as the weather began to warm. He would be in the grass mid-morning, after everyone else had left for school and work, and I was heading to church. He was very brave, sitting in the middle of the lawn, but would scurry, usually to the flower bed when he spotted me. I finally had my phone in hand recently and was able to get a couple of shots. He darted to a smaller escape area, and I was able to get closer than I would have in the flower bed. Still no great shots, but as good as one can expect, I suppose, for a wild bunny. Though it's not visible here, he does indeed have a white tail.

He's just above and left of center in this photo, about 1/4 below the white standpipe. Raven in the bare patches to the left.

Caught up with him in this smaller plant bed. He was desperately trying to hide, so I didn't persist too hard for the picture. You can see the fur of his back in the middle of the shot, under a couple of branches.

Sudden rain shower = instant fun

It started raining this evening without warning. No thunder nor lightning, but it rained rather heavily for a while, then eased off. This led to much frolicking.

The one good thing about leaky gutters.

 

The one good thing about that bare patch in the lawn. Mud.

 

Can they get any more "in" the water?

Short jaunt on the Parkway

We wanted a nearby trip on the Parkway today, but as we set off north from the Folk Life Center we saw it was closed a mere 8 miles ahead. South, I knew already Graveyard Fields was closed for improvements, so we didn't want to head down that way. So we stayed VERY close. We went to the parkway headquarters and visitors' center. There we took a mile-long loop hike and saw these flowers. (Plus Calvin near the trailhead.) Then we came back to the Folk Life Center for a picnic lunch. We trouped around the gallery a while and then headed home. It was picture day for the current baseball season, and both Calvin and Briggs had mid-afternoon time slots. It was a nice short outing. And a good day for spring flowers.

Plus some fiddlehead ferns in memory of my dad.