SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - BUNNY ADDITIONS

Good luck with that Mr. Cardinal, I think this behavior is set in stone, at least in bronze! Welcome bunnies! 

The Now Outside Bunny continued: It's what Mrs. Camera Lady would like for her deck. It's giving her ideas. Lots of potted plants. Mr. Camera Man is looking at her sideways, but he's a good egg. He carried quite a few home today. They went to the flower nursery again. He is a patient man! You can tell Camera Lady I said so!

And so it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Birdfeeder.

MY APRIL CARD FROM ANN

 It is always a delightful happening when I pick up one of Ann's cards from the mailbox. I love the 3-D effect you've used.

Part of the enjoyment is opening up the card and reading these sweet sentiments.

We were talking the other day, saying that rabbits don't have to be put away for next Easter. I am going to keep my felt bunnies out for a while longer. I put them next to Ann's card in the spot right above where I do my blogging. Makes me smile every time I look up. Thanks again Ann! You spread so many smiles and happy thoughts around.

You can pop on over and say hi to Ann at Ann's Snap Edit Scrap here.

Thanks for looking everyone. Have a great day!

WE TOOK A RIDE UP TO SKYLINE DRIVE ON MONDAY - 4-15-24

When we see the sign in the above photo, we always know we are getting close to the Thornton Gap entrance. There are several entrances, but this is the one we usually take getting there. Our route took us through Sperryville. 

We followed the mail truck for a while. 

You can read about the history of Skyline Drive at this link. It also has a map showing its length, which is 105 miles north and south along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. We drive to Big Meadows and then carry on to the next exit at Swift Run Gap near Elkton, heading towards Stanardsville.

The road going through the mountain is called Mary's Rock.  No one knows with any certainty how it got its name, who was Mary? The story that seems to be more popular than most is that of a young girl by that name, who was lost in the mountains, and was later discovered walking down from this peak with two bear cubs. Whether or not as to its truth, the 360 degree view from the top is one of the most spectacular in the park. The first overlook as you get out of the tunnel is the one we stopped at.

The tunnel is 670 feet long and was bored through solid granite in 1932. Below is an information board with a few details.

I cropped my photo above for an easier read. If you enlarge the photos it will be even easier.

Unfortunately. the character's shovel is right in the middle of the photo below.

The tunnel was partially lined with concrete in 1958, to alleviate the formation of icicles in winter and water seepage in summer - a partially successful effort.

The building of the road was put into motion by President Herbert Hoover (31st US President from 1929 to 1933). He had a fishing camp that is still in the park apparently. President Hoover was already very familiar with the area, and it was he who proposed the building of the road. There were national parks out in the western part of the United States at that time, but none here. The Government was looking to build a park somewhere in the East and Virginia advocated very strongly for it to be built in this State.

3,000,000 young men were hired by the The Civilian Conservation Corps during The Great Depression. They did jobs like plant trees, maintain trails, control mosquitos and infrastructural projects like building Skyline Drive. 

All had to be in their early 20s and unmarried, so that part of the money that they earned would also help support their families back home. They lived in the park and were paid $30 a month, $5 of which they were allowed to keep, and $25 dollars was sent home to their families.  

There is an interesting YouTube here, telling in brief about the people who were displaced. They had lived their whole lives before it was made a National Park, and subsequently removed from their land without a choice. (I did read somewhere that elderly people were allowed to stay.)

Some were happy to go but others were not.

More history of the park can be read at this link.

Here are 15 of the best things you can do in the park.

At the time of this post, there is a $30 entrance fee per vehicle, and you can read other information at this website.  We bought a lifetime pass several years ago. Wherever we go in the United States, we can use it to get into every National Park. You can read about them here. Inpart it reads:

“The National Park System encompasses 429 national park sites in the United States. They span across 84 million acres, with parks in each state and extending into the territories, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam.”

There is free entry on special days of the year.

Monday, January 16th - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Saturday, April 22nd - First Day of National Park Week

Friday, August 4th - Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act

Saturday, September 23rd - National Public Lands Day

Saturday, November 11th - Veteran's Day

This post is only a very tiny view into how beautiful this area is. We have been coming here off and on, depending on where we have lived at the time, for well over 40 years.

I'm afraid these were the only deer we saw that day, two plastic ones on someone's front yard on the way home. They fooled me for a few seconds, but doggy here saved the day.

A clearer picture of doggy fix, and the telephone lines didn't bother me a bit.

Thanks for visiting everyone, and I wish you all a very happy Thursday.

HOPE THIS GIVES YOU A SMILE

A chuckle found online recently.

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to tell your human to behave the next time a hotel is in your future. We will try to do the same 😎.  Have a very enjoyable day!  

NATIONAL HARBOR CONTINUED...LAST POST FROM THIS TRIP

 

A restaurant I wouldn't mind trying next time we are in town.

Buddha and the Soldier/Warrior/Guard were near the entrance, a very nice welcome for customers. 

As it grew dark we came across the statue of Marilyn Monroe. In my previous post I mentioned all the heights of the statues that we saw, as they were kept true to life. She was 5 ft. 5 in. in height. This scene is from a very famous photo taken by photographer Sam Shaw. I read that it made him better known to a larger audience and plaid a roll in making Marilyn even more famous. It has been reprinted millions of times, making it one of the best known in the world. Shaw had been friends with Marilyn for quite a while before this picture was taken. Before she had her own breakthrough as an actress, she was actually Shaw's driver, since he did not have a driver's license. You can read the whole story at this website. Her sculpture is called Forever Marilyn.

After we crossed the street on our way back to our car before driving home, I looked back and saw this scene. Marilyn's real name was Norma Jean Baker and she was born in Los Angeles on June 1st, 1926. We all probably know that rather sad ending to her life and I won't go into it.  However, if you're curious you can read her biography telling about the rest of her story here. There were other much larger replicas of this statue that stood 26 feet high, and as reported, they were in Chicago-Illinois, Hamilton Township-New Jersey, Stamford-Connecticut, Palm Springs-California and Bendigo, Australia.  I am not sure whether they are still there.  The dates seemed to be long ago. Placement in Palm Springs apparently caused quite an uproar. If it is a permanent placement or a temporary one at National Harbor, I don't know.

The lady across the street certainly didn't seem to approve. You can barely see her underneath the shop light towards the right. She is to the left of the red traffic light, a few feet down on the sidewalk, standing next to the building. 

I certainly didn't notice her and she was so life-like, until you got up really close.

I remember seeing exhibits of sculptures on a trip to Florida several years ago. I'll have to share the posts as they were fantastic, life-like statues by the same man, J. Seward Johnson Jr. This lady with the groceries is called Holding Out. And of course I had a nosy inside her shopping bag.

The Capital Ferris Wheel can be seen in this photo.

More window shopping. 

We are almost back at the car having had a wonderful time walking around.

Last one driving across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge as we cross back into Virginia from Maryland. A bit blurry but it's the first half-way decent shot I have managed to get in years. 

This is the second and last part of our trip to National Harbor. We will be back again in a few months.

Thanks for looking and I hope the beginning of your week is going great.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - CROCKPOT SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE SAUCE new blog

 

Another old recipe. I am always looking for healthier versions of favorites, and when I found this at Gina's skinnytaste.com blog, I decided to give it a try.  It works out to approximately 146 calories per 1/2 cup serving.  If you click on the name it will take you to Gina's recipe.

The other good news for me is that this is a crockpot meal. There is a little preparation beforehand. You can use your food processor if you have one.  I do all my veggie chopping by hand but start early in the day when my energy levels are pretty good.  It is at a time when I still find the process of preparation relaxing.

Crockpot Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce

4 ounces of Pancetta, chopped (or center cut bacon)

1 teaspoon butter (or olive oil)

1 large white onion, minced

2 celery stalks (about 3/4 cup), minced

2 carrots (about 3/4 cup), minced

2 lbs. 95% lean ground beef

1/4 cup white wine (I prefer red)

2 cans (28 ounces total) crushed tomatoes

3 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup half and half cream

In a large sauté pan, sauté pancetta on low heat until the fat melts, about 4-5 minutes.

Add butter (or olive oil), onions, celery, carrots and cook on medium-low heat until soft, about five minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and add meat, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until browned. Drain the fat, then add the wine. Cook until liquid reduces down, about 3-4 minutes.

Add this mixture to the crockpot, along with the tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Cover and set on low and go do other things for the next six hours.  After six hours, serve up your dinner.

Added note: 4-24-24

Thanks to Debbie's comment I realized I hadn't mentioned when to put the cream into the sauce. I add it a few minutes before serving up, and only long enough that it is heated. Thanks Debbie!

I don't actually add the cream as we think it's fine without, and cream and I are not friends.

Sprinkle chopped parsley over the top for a garnish.

Another good result, very yummy and a keeper.

We both prefer Angel Hair pasta instead of regular.  

Lots of leftovers and I served it with a mixed green salad.  Above is an old photo when I made this meal originally. We most often don't add bread to our pasta meals any more. 

There were leftovers which I froze for no cooking days.  

Thanks for looking, have a great week and

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - WE WENT TO THE FLOWER NURSERY YESTERDAY

 

Meet Beryl the Bird and Chip the Cat. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of bird Beryl is. She has a smaller, shyer relative behind her. We were at the flower nursery yesterday, reconnoitering more than anything. I spotted Beryl and Chip in a corner, but they didn't make it home. I was trying to think what spot in the garden I could put them in, but I am going in a different direction and couldn't in my mind's eye get them to fit with what I wanted. 

I wasn't really too serious. I enjoy looking at a lot of things like what you see above, but I don't necessarily buy. My dear other half is telling me to go ahead and do what I want to pretty the deck up now the weather is warming up, so when the big old truck pulls into the driveway and they start putting in the renaissance fountain in the back, he's okay with that I told him. And no, that's not happening either. I want to make it a nice, cozy sitting area with a few things around us.

I did not come away empty handed. I made three purchases, two small pots and a fairy sitting on a bear. I have been toying with the idea of putting together a small fairy garden outside, in a planter on the deck I'm thinking. My inner child manifested every time I saw the one at this particular garden we go to. We'll see! I might put an electric fence around it to stop the squirrels and raccoons from tearing it apart. Yes, I am kidding but with a point as we know what luck I have with those little rascals. What do you think? Would this withstand the onslaught?

Maybe I will just stay with my little fairy on the bear for a while. 

I took a lot of photos at the nursery, no surprise there. I made lots of notes of a variety of fauna. I saw native plants and am looking at getting another couple of planters, plus a few additional small pots. We get sunshine out there but not for long and it's more of a shade area. I have to take that into account. It is fun planning something new.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all having a great weekend. May the sun shine warmly in your part of the world.