365 Picture Today Post

273/365 | Thursday, September 30, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Grateful

Picture Color | Purple 

Just a quote from Laura Ingalls Wilder and a blanket that we have.  Text added in Canva.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

272/365 | Wednesday, September 29, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Cloudy

Picture Color | Purple 

I caught the sun coming through the clouds on my way home from work.  As is usually the case when I'm driving home, the tricky part is finding a good place to stop.  I ended up stopping at our church and taking the picture along the cemetery fence.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

271/365 | Tuesday, September 28, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Unexpected

Picture Color | Purple

It might be unexpected to find someone wearing purple shoes along with purple socks with cats on them . . . But not if you know me well.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

270/365 | Monday, September 27, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Detail 

Picture Color | Purple 

I have a lot of purple clothing, in all different shades and styles, because purple is my favorite color.  Here is a sampling of some of the shirts.  This doesn't even include sweaters or pants.  Even some of my hangers are purple.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

269/365 | Sunday, September 26, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Statue

Picture Color | Purple 

It has been a busy weekend at church: movie night, game day and fellowship meal, outdoor service and baptisms.  I wasn't sure that I was going to find a statue today, but when we arrived at the church member's house for the baptisms (she lives on a stream and there is a perfect pool of water for baptisms), I noticed that she had an interesting sculpture outside.  Then I saw the pinkish-purple flowers nearby.  "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him." ~Matthew 3:16

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

268/365 | Saturday, September 25, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Room

Picture Style | Fast Shutter | Song Lyrics 

We also had a fellowship event at church this weekend.  We had games for people to play and a meal.  Who knew that there was a song about cornhole?  It's by Rhett and Link of the internet show "Good Mythical Morning" fame. And I found higher ISO settings on my Nikon Coolpix bridge camera! ISO 3200. F-stop:f/8. Shutter speed: 1/2000 second.  Edited in Canva.

 

365 Picture Today Post

267/365 | Friday, September 24, 2021 | #365PictureToday

9 o'clock

Picture Style | Fast Shutter | Picture Time

We had an outdoor movie night at church. I played around with different shutter speeds and liked this one the best.

 

365 Picture Today Post

266/365 | Thursday, September 23, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Ring

Picture Style | Fast Shutter 

I really wanted to get a picture of the moon, but it wasn't cooperating.  It appears to be rising too late for me to get a picture of it.  Instead, I decided to use a long shutter speed to capture the traffic at night on the busy road near our church.  Shutter speed: 5 seconds.  ISO 1600.

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

265/365 | Wednesday, September 22, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Catch

Picture Style | Fast Shutter

 I tried to catch the ball hitting the pins today, but this was the best I got.  I'm still learning how to adjust everything on the Nikon Coolpix.  In another picture I bumped up the ISO to 800, which is the max, and then figured out how to set the shutter speed, but I'm still not sure how to set the f-stop, although it was already at 5.6 so I thought that should have let in plenty of light.  I ended up putting it back into P mode, which left the ISO at 800, the f-stop at 5.6, and it set the shutter speed to 1/20 second.

ISO 800, f-stop 5.6, shutter speed 1/200 second

 

 

On September 8, my husband took this picture with one of our "good" cameras.  ISO 3200, f-stop 5.6, shutter speed 1/125 second

365 Picture Today Post

265/365 | Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Prompt Free

Picture Style | Fast Shutter 

I was finally able to take some pictures of butterflies.  There were tons of butterflies around these flowers, and I was trying to get one flying.  The best I was able to do was get the one opening and closing its wings.  The shutter speed here was only 1/20 second.  I think I probably still had the camera in aperture priority mode.  I definitely could have put it in manual and upped the shutter speed.  Taken in Touro Park, Newport, Rhode Island.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

263/365 | Monday, September 20, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Energetic

Picture Style | Fast Shutter

Here are a couple of other pictures from the same fountain featured on September 10.  In this picture the shutter speed is 1/4 second.  In the original the shutter speed is 1/60 second.

 

In this one the shutter speed is 1/125 second. 

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

262/365 | Sunday, September 19, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Declutter

Picture Style | Fast Shutter 

In cleaning out cabinets and organizing our old homeschool classroom, I found several containers of push pins.  In an attempt to declutter, I consolidated them into one container.  Shutter speed 1/200 second.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

261/365 | Saturday, September 18, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Invincible

Picture You | Picture with Hands 

A few months ago I bought some new devotionals, including this one.  I start my day by reading from this book, a one year Bible, and a little book about architecture.  Over the past 18 months reading first thing in the morning has had a calming effect, and I have really enjoyed this quirky new devotional.

 

365 Picture Today Post

260/365 | Friday, September 17, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Routine

Picture You | Picture with Hands

Well, this isn't exactly routine, but we went shopping to look for tile for our master bathroom shower.  We think we found something that will work for the floor.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

259/365 | Thursday, September 16, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Stretch

Picture with Hands

I have been cleaning up our old homeschool classroom recently.  It's a slow process, but a lot of progress is being made.  Here I am stretching to clean out and reorganize a cabinet.

 

365 Picture Today Post

258/365 | Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Grass

Picture You | Picture with Hands | Where I Stand

As usual, I am standing at the bowling alley on a Wednesday.  Here I am getting ready to pick up my green Storm bowling ball, the closest thing I have to grass for today, from the ball return. On a side note, it is really difficult to take pictures of your right hand with a camera.

 

365 Picture Today Post

257/365 | Tuesday, September 14, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Little-by-little

Picture You | Picture with Hands | Picture Selfie 

Little by little I am getting the laundry done.  It's a never ending task, but for some reason, folding the clothes and putting them away gives me a sense of accomplishment.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

256/365 | Monday, September 13, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Hands

Picture You | Picture with Hands | Macro Monday 

Tonight I had a leadership team meeting at church.  It had a very full agenda.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

255/365 | Sunday, September 12, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Calm

Picture You | Picture with Hands

Today we traveled back home so this is where my hands were for most of the day.  It took us 11 1/2 hours to get home including stops.  During most of it, I was pretty calm.

 

 

 

365 Picture Today Post

254/365 | Saturday, September 11, 2021 | #365PictureToday

Discover

Picture More | Motion

We discovered a lot of sailboats on our boat tour of Newport, Rhode Island, including quite a few that were being pushed along by the wind so quickly that they were keeling (or heeling) over.

 

 

 

Anniversary Trip - Newport, Rhode Island - Day 2

Today we drove to neighboring state Massachusetts and visited Old Sturbridge Village.  It is the largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast and depicts a rural New England town during the period of the 1790s through the 1830s. There are many original buildings on more than 200 acres. Incidentally, they are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year.  Being from Virginia, I would compare it to Colonial Williamsburg, but it didn't seem to have quite as many buildings or programs.  It was a great trip anyway, and David said he liked it a little better than Williamsburg.  Incidentally, Massachusetts became the 45th state I have visited.

I was disappointed that the Oliver Wight Tavern and Museum Store & Bookshop were closed.  I always love seeing what books are available in places like this.  Later we discovered that the Miner Grant Store was open and had some books and merchandise for sale.

 Ready to explore!

 

The Center Meetinghouse

 

 

We had a lovely conversation with the lawyer after he got to his law office.

 

 We walked all the way back to the blacksmith's shop, and while there were too many people inside to get pictures, I noticed this sign outside describing the blacksmith's year and part of the poem "The Village Blacksmith" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  If you don't know it, you should look it up and read it.

We also admired the view across the Mill Pond and looked at the Carding Mill and Gristmill.  Then we checked out the Sawmill.

After this we walked around the Mill Pond and through the Vermont Covered Bridge.  Since I was thirsty we stopped at the Bullard Tavern so that I could buy a bottle of water.  It looked like they had a pretty decent menu if you chose to purchase lunch there.  At this point we circled back around to check out the kiln.

 

David enjoyed talking to this gentleman who was firing pottery in the kiln. The Pottery Shop was just across the road from the kiln, and they sell the pottery on site.  We purchased a large vase, and I am sure that it will appear in photos this fall.

 At this point we headed back to the main part of the village.  This is the bank, and below is the Salem Towne House.  We didn't go inside either one, but I thought they looked interesting.

Next we found the Scoop Shop and ate ice cream for lunch.

David had cherry blossom and chocolate and I had a double scoop of chocolate.

After this we looked at the glass exhibit and then left the village.  From here we drove to New Hampshire and ate dinner at 110 Grill in Nashua.

Following dinner we drove to nearby Horace Greeley Park.  For a picture from the park, see today's 365 Picture Today Post.
 

365 Picture Today Post

253/365 | Friday, September 10, 2021 |  #365PictureToday

Underneath 

Picture More | Motion 

While we were in Rhode Island, we spent part of a day in Massachusetts, and then we drove to Nashua, New Hampshire, to eat dinner.  While we were there, we found Horace Greeley Park and had to take a few pictures.  On a separate note, New Hampshire is the 46th state I have visited.  I have now been to every state east of the Rocky Mountains.  The only states I have left to visit are Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.  I also have visited a fair amount of Canadian provinces and a few states in Mexico.

 

 

 

Anniversary Trip - Newport, Rhode Island - Day 1

Narrated trolley tour by Viking Tours of Newport.  We did the Scenic Overview Tour with a ticket to tour the Breakers.  The tour ran from 1:30 to 4:30.  It was a rainy day, and this turned out to be the easiest way to get a ticket to see the Breakers, and it was a great way to get an overview of all of the sites in Newport (cottages, Fort Adams, historic buildings, the Cliff Walk, parks, etc.).  Beware though: Tours sell out fast.

 

This was the original version of the Breakers, designed by Peabody & Stearns for Pierre Lorillard in 1877.  It was apparently destroyed by fire in 1892 after the Vanderbilts purchased the property in 1885.  In 1893 Cornelius Vanderbilt II commissioned Richard Morris Hunt to design another house.

 

Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) made his fortune in steamships and railroads.  His grandson Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843-1899) was Chairman and President of the New York Central Railroad beginning in 1885.  This Italianate cottage is one of the best known examples of Gilded Age cottages in Newport.  Work began on the 70 room, 138,300 square foot cottage in the spring of 1893 and was finished in the summer of 1895.  Unfortunately, Mr. Vanderbilt only enjoyed the house for a few years; he suffered a stroke in 1896 and died in 1899 after a second stroke just before his 56th birthday.

This is part of the mosaic floor in the billiard room.  The acorn and oak leaf is the Vanderbilt family symbol of strength and longevity.

 

The billiard room

 

 

 

 

I liked this chair.  It had a crown at the top. This may have been in the great room.  The room behind me is likely the the music room.

 

We just liked this portrait, but I have been unable to find out who it is.

 

 We took very few pictures upstairs, but it was quite modern for its time.  There are five bedrooms: daughter Gladys' (Countess Szechenyi) room, Mr. Vanderbilt's room, Mrs. Vanderbilt's room, daughter Gertrude's room, and a guest room.  The bathrooms have running water, and the tubs have four faucets: hot and cold water, and hot and cold sea water!  The closets have a very unique system for hanging clothes, and there is an intercom phone system that connects the bedrooms to an annunciator in the butler's pantry, which showed which room was calling.  The staff would call the room using the intercom to determine what was needed.

 

These are some pictures from the upper loggia, which has beautiful views of the ocean.  Unfortunately it was very overcast and rainy the day we visited so the pictures don't do justice to the views.

 

 

In the gallery on the second floor a massive Dutch tapestry by Karel van Mander hangs.  There are also portraits of Mrs. Vanderbilt by the Spanish artist Madrazo, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt I, and the commodore's son William Henry Vanderbilt, who doubled the family's fortune.  The Commodore was of Dutch ancestry but was born on Staten Island in 1794.  He founded the family's transportation empire with a single sailboat ferrying people from Staten Island to Manhattan.  From there he moved into steamships on both coasts and later saw railroads as the wave of the future, merging smaller railroads into the New York Central Railroad.

 

There are two more upper floors that are currently not on view.  The third floor contains 8 more family and guest rooms.  The fourth floor has 33 servant rooms.  There was a staff of 40 to care for the house and grounds.  The household staff traveled with the Vanderbilt family between their New York home and the Breakers.  Only the caretaker, night watchmen, and gardeners stayed in Newport for the whole year.

 

The kitchen and butler's pantry were both very interesting as well.  As was common in previous eras, the kitchen was in a separate wing to contain the spread of potential fires.  There was a huge French-style cast iron stove that was heated by coal and wood with a huge zinc-covered central work table.  Food came from the kitchen to the butler's pantry prior to being served in either the dining room or the breakfast room.  All of the china, crystal, and silver were washed and stored in this room.  There was also a warming oven to keep food hot between courses.  

 

 

 

The Cliff Walk runs behind the house, connecting many of the summer cottages.  It is 3 1/2 miles long.  It takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to walk one way and travels over a variety of terrain from an easy paved walk to unpaved terrain over rocks and boulders.