Too Many Good Times......

It seems I left my blog toward the end of October and then you know how the holidays interfere with writing. But my last ending was in the middle of the World Series and you must all know how that ended. It was a most exciting time for someone who has watched practically every single game for the last, at least 3 years. And, also to understand how very unbelievable all who were long time or good fans could hardly believe it. It really was unbelievable as each game most of us knew it would be lost, so to see so many wins was as I said 'unbelievable'.

Then came Thanksgiving and one granddaughter (theVirginia granddaughters) all are big fans so Alexandria designed a World Series Thanksgiving dinner centerpiece. There were so many things to see it really takes a hundred pictures but there isn't room so just a couple here.

The table seated 15 or so.... 

Hundreds of baseballs in varying sizes used a place cards, also.

The Nats and their WS trophies in three sizes, 

this is Pennsylvania Avenue where the parade took place....

so there was the pink fog sprinkled all over the gray street.

It took studying the whole centerpiece to see all she included.

Then for Christmas I received

 The BOOK

 And for my desk

And for my head.

Please forgive my over abundance of Nats cheering....

There was more going on during the last couple of months.

Christmas followed Thanksgiving.

One day spent at the National Gallery to celebrate Caroline Fogg's birthday.

All the Christmas flowers shown in the atrium, always beautiful.

I chose this year to give some of my art as gifts. 

I spent a lot of time choosing the artwork and then 

writing letters to explain why 

I chose a specific item for each recipient.

Included here are some I gave.

Those above are all colored pencil drawings.

And, to end todays blog

 some of the stitched and embroidered gifts.

That is enough for one day but a lot more

 needs to be written, images, and information, given 

to give this blog a reason to come back to find out more.

I will be back and, much sooner.

Thanksgiving Weekend, Prep and Finale

As Thanksgiving weekend began........

From my studio window, looking down on the 

neighbors brightly colored trees, 

I love to see this scene change with the seasons.

 From the front door our little maple changes all year, as well.

 Taking a page from our daughter and granddaughters,

 I believe that shoes are part of picture taking.

These, where all the leaves congregate, on our upper deck.

 Getting ready for Thanksgiving often involves polishing silver.

I have not done this for many years and may never do it again. 

 What I really enjoy in planning a dinner is organizing a centerpiece.

Our daughter, Vicky and her husband, Alan 

came the weekend before Thanksgiving 

and moved our furniture to make a longer table in the living room.

The dining room then became the buffet room.  

With such a long table I needed three tablecloths. 

 Deciding on an all-white centerpiece after I painted some dried gourds, 

I began collecting white vegetables.

 Some of those white mushrooms and parsnips and cauliflower 

didn't want to stay white so I added onions and white flowers.

 And, a lot of white candles as we have no chandelier in the living room, 

turned dining room, and it would be dark before dinner was served.

Before dinner Clark peeled shrimp and organized a chilled shrimp platter. 

Julianna Mahley created two delicious appetizers.

Spencer brought 3 bottles of champagne to toast the day.

Alan made rolls and a fancy apple pie and carved the turkey. 

Vicky made two different salads.  .

Julia made her garlic (I think) mashed potatoes, 

and delicious decadent brownies.

Caroline roasted cauliflower and roasted Brussel sprouts.

We roasted the turkeys and made the stuffing/dressing and gravies.

And, Susan Stamberg's Mother-in-laws cranberry sauce 

that was unusual and a good contrast.

Besides the apple pie and brownies there was pumpkin pie. 

And, a special brown sugar pie from Charlottesville,

brought by Rachel and Austin Robinson. 

Another addition was a failed cranberry and walnut tart.

 Alex had arranged for us to play games after we ate

while waiting for some of the 5 desserts.

She also designed the place cards on tiny easels 

with word games on the back of each painted card.

(above: Caroline and Alexandra Fogg, Austin Robinson 

[Rachel was running after the baby, Taliesin], Julianna Mahley, Alan Fogg)

 Thinking about the game we are playing, 

on the left is Austin,  Julianna and Alan at the end. 

Julia Fogg and Vicky and Spencer Fogg's hand on the right.

 Just resting, Spencer Fogg and Clark Adams.

It was a much fun evening, with a lot of delicious food, 

and good company.

After dinner, Clark was washing dishes in the kitchen, 

while the guests moved all of our furniture back. 

And, then they added to the clean up detail in the kitchen.

This is all that is left of the centerpiece. 

The turkey caucuses have been simmered and 

I have a couple of quarts of good stock for soup 

or other future meals............. 

to end the weekend.

Thanksgiving, jungle style 2014

Our annual Thanksgiving dinner had a room change. 

Vicky suggested we put the tables in the living room 

and move all of the living room furniture toward the fireplace. 

 It worked and made comfortable space for all 13 people.

 Seen from either end. I used 3 matching table clothes.

 The centerpiece, which I always think is more important than the food,

 used cabbages and kale and yellow chrysanthemums, plus....

 Alexandra's unusual place cards. 

She placed the dinosaurs, each carrying a sign, 

into the jungle of vegetables.

 We each had a candle as well 

since it became dark before we finished eating.

My special dinosaur! 

 When dark we needed the candles as there was no chandelier

above the tables in the living room.

 There were also purple and white striped eggplants 

hiding in the jungle vegetables.

 Again this year we designed our dinner plates 

with an artist's name or style or landscape or feeling, 

what ever the diner desired so here are a few.

This first one above is a rainbow created by Vicky.

 This plate has a face planned and created by Jill.

 Our graphic designer, Alex named her plate,

 "Potatochu....An Evolution of Thanksgivings Past 

in the style of the Anime Animator, Ken Sugimori

Caroline decided to honor Gene Davis with her stripes plate

I was thinking Sol Lewitt but somehow it did not work.

 Ashley gave an asymmetric design to her plate.

Julia said hers is "A Julia Original"

There were more and although I took several more pictures 

of plates I have not connected them to their owners, yet.

It was a good group of young and old. 

Dinner was followed by some fun games 

in which everyone took part.

That was Thanksgiving 2014 missing one person.