Sermons and Reflections from an Episcopal Priest
The snow came down for hours yesterday – silent, soft flakes. I’m tired of the snow, but it still works it’s magic. You can’t help but feel the world is enchanted for those few, quiet hours when everything’s covered in a pillow of pristine powder.
This fall is the best fall. Today is the best day.
I went on a meandering walk through my neighborhood this afternoon and discovered the loveliest views. It’s 65 and sunny. Neighbors are raking leaves, listening to music, and taking walks. The roads are quiet and the squirrels are out in crowds stocking up for winter. I was under the impression that most of the houses in my branch of the neighborhood were built in the early ’60s, but a few steps off the main road I discovered a Free Will Baptist Church and houses that must have been built around the turn of the 20th century.
After our car broke down, my grandparents graciously offered to sell us one of their cars. The only problem was that it was in Florida. So, within a week, we booked our one way flight to Tampa and prepared for a week of travel through the south.
We spent a relaxing few days in Bradenton at my grandparents house, enjoying Grandma’s beef with Amish noodles and watching a documentary about Florida on TV. Â On Sunday, we headed up to Orlando to attend church with Daniel’s mom before caravanning up to St. Augustine to be tourists for the afternoon.
A pirate ship!
After spending the night at my sister’s house in Jacksonville, we traveled up to Charlotte, NC. After a day of driving, we were fairly well exhausted, so we ordered takeout and watched trashy television into the evening.
The next day, we took a self-guided walking tour through Charlotte, admiring the Painted Ladies and modern downtown architecture, visiting a local Episcopal church, drinking delicious coffee, and eating at a local Greek restaurant.
It was the sort of trip everyone should take in the summertime. We paced ourselves and managed to see lots of friends and family as we snaked our way back to Charlottesville. I’m grateful that fate forced us to get down to Florida this year. Being with people who have known you forever is quite grounding.
Daniel had to stop by the library to pick up a few books for a research paper last weekend, so I parked nearby and took a self-guided tour around UVa. UVa’s campus is nearly always referred to as “The Grounds.” It’s a funny, sort of pretentious little quirk. I like to say it in my best high English accent: “Shall we take a stroll around The Grounds?”
They also have student/faculty housing located on the main lawn called the “Academical Village.” Sigh. What a bunch of weirdos.
I think spring is really here this time around. The tree in the backyard is in bloom and the bees are happily feasting. I spent yesterday afternoon outside reading and dozing in the sun. I’m happy, energetic, hopeful. The Florida sun spoiled me and it’s hard to endure long, dark winters, but it looks like it’s over for now.
First snow, then spring. It was a weird (and beautiful) week in Charlottesville. Looking forward to a warm weekend spent catching up with out-of-town friends.
A little behind on the photo challenge, but that’s ok. Once again, I failed to take images specific to the weekly colors, but I found a few photos that pass for blue and purple.
My first instagram pic was taken after last week’s snow; the robins were out in droves, flitting around, eating worms, and singing songs. My second picture was taken today! The high was 78 degrees and I went bare legged quite comfortably.
The leafy pictures were both taken at a park last weekend.
We went to one of our favorite local parks yesterday to enjoy the temperate weather. I’d really hoped to see a few things in bloom, some color reaching out and up from the brown landscape. But, since the spring blooms failed me, I decided to focus my lens on the muted tangles and vines in the fields and by the river. I like the subtle teals and reds present in almost all the images.
This week I kept forgetting what color we were going for, so I never specifically pinpointed yellow tones. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had exactly one instagram photo and one DSLR photo with clear pops of yellow. These pretty little flowers appeared in the planter outside our door this week; they didn’t bloom last year and we certainly didn’t plant them, so I guess it’s a bit o’ nature magic.
My DSLR photo captures the fine details of my mustard yellow sweater, which I wore on a walk last Friday afternoon.
Daniel noticed the first sign of spring daffodils on Sunday evening. This tiny bulb is braving snow right now; I hope it can manage.
Other images:Â wooden curly cue on fallen branch; fresh snow on leaves; spindly branches in fog
Our recent visit to New York in one word? Relaxing. Surprising, because when I think of NYC I think of sensory overload. The 6 hour drive coupled with parking issues and various train and subway connections was exhausting, but it was lovely to settle into our friend’s cramped apartment, cuddle with his fluffy cats, and have the confidence of city dwellers to back us up as we adventured around the grid of gray streets teeming with hustlers, tourists, and commuters.
Our itineray was relaxed this time around, but we still got to take in attractions unique to NYC. On Sunday, we attended Lower Manhattan Community church, then headed over to China Town for 4-for-a-dollar dumplings with church friends. On Monday, we took the long commute over to The Cloisters, a museum devoted to the art and architecture of medieval monasteries and chapels. We ate Venezulean street food for lunch, then took the evening off.
We watched lots of Friends, ate lots of bagels, and drank coffee from the corner coffee shop.
On Tuesday, we stopped into a few vintage shops, shopped at the American Apparel Outlet, and ate delicious Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches in the East Village for lunch. We lounged until evening, then headed out to Brooklyn to attend a New Year’s Eve party. A fun anecdote: the hosts had received mail addressed to Sufjan Stevens, who apparently recently moved into their old apartment in the same building!
We spent the final hours of 2013 with new and old friends, discussing our favorite moments and greatest achievements of the year. Midnight came quietly. We idled away the night with a few more episodes of Friends and the sort of odd conversations that tend to arise in the wee hours of the morning.
I-64 boasts 2 lookouts between Waynesboro and Charlottesville. Since it’s a divided highway they’re only accessible going east from Waynesboro, so I have to wait until I have reason to head out that way to take in the view. This week I remembered to bring my camera along on a thrifting excursion, so I stopped at both lookouts on my way back home.
What a lovely fall day!
I asked the Century Link man who was stopped with me to take my photo. Thanks, Century Link man!
It’s days like these that make me fall in love with Virginia all over again. I’m lucky to live here.
Today is a beautiful day! High 60s, sunlight streaming through fall leaves, a light breeze. Since I work early on Mondays, I was free to take a quick trip up to Carter Mountain this afternoon. You may recall that I first visited last year with Daniel and my friend, Andrea, at the end of the season.
Most of the orchard is ripe for picking now, so lots of people were lazily meandering through the orchards with grab bags in hand. I didn’t need more apples, so I just went straight for the trails that looked most appealing, taking pictures along the way. The air smelled like apple cider vinegar thanks to all the abandoned, rotting apples scattered throughout. I watched workers load up trucks full of fruit and bees scramble to consume a fallen apple before heading back to buy some apple cider.
John Shepherd is a Charlottesville local who focused his early photography efforts on “people on the street.” These 1970s film photographs of downtown Charlottesville fascinate me because they’re simultaneously familiar and foreign.
Where could you get a huge wig dyed all colors of the rainbow? Try the Love Wig first. That’s Batten’s Auto Parts on the left, now a consignment shop.
I don’t know who are at the counter but that’s Pearl behind the cash register. I gave her a copy of this when she retired.
Click the image to be redirected to the etsy listing. All images used with permission from the photographer.
Leah Wise 