Recent outings

Between grandchildren and aches and pains, I've really gotten behind, but here is a catch-up blog with too many pictures, but here  goes.

A delightful event, catching a Yellow Warbler every Spring. 

They are everywhere: "Sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet!"

And magnificent Baltimore Orioles 

On our way up to St. John's Prep to hear Oliver's concert, we stopped at Mass Audubon Ipswich River
Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield.  We took a small hike, and we passed a young lady who gave Susan

a handful of seed, and said, "Just hold out your hand." And what a great 

moment to have at least five birds come and sit in her hand!-

Including her absolute favorite, the White-breasted Nuthatch. 

And Black-capped Chickadees. 

At St. John's, Oliver played triangle in the concert band. 

The school has some incredibly talented and inspiring music teachers!!

That's Susan in the green, and Ken and Erin are right in front of her. 

I hope I live long enough to see what kind of an adult Oliver becomes.  

He seems to have unlimited potential, and I see a lot of me in him.

I know that is a mixed blessing, but hey.
I could not be more delighted in my four grandchildren. 

Can't tell if it is going to be a bad caterpillar year, but if this fellow is any indication....

This guy is about the size of a dime, and almost translucent. 

The NY-DC-NC trip

Here is an overview of our trip to New York, DC and NC.

Here is Susan in Arlington, visiting Miles' ashes in the Columbarium.

This is called a Columbarium, for storage of ashes. 

Jo Zalusky, Susan's step-mom, mother to Marshall and Gigi

This is the bugle played at JFK's funeral

Barbara, Bill, Joyce Herner, Don

Joyce, Susan at the National Gallery, for the Cezanne exhibition

A Carolina Wren greeted us at Mount Vernon

Looking  down on the Potomac

This was the room where Washington ran the estate.

I have just begun the biography "His Excellency" by Joseph Ellis which is a superb 

bringing together of all the modern research on George Washington.  

I found the National Firearms Museum, which, unbeknownst to me

was the national headquarters of the NRA.  Despite that, I really enjoyed the collection.

On a bird feeder at Mount Vernon

Susan at a rest stop going up the coast. 

From the beach house in Kill Devil Hills, NC.

Marshall, Susan, Marilyn, Gigi

One of the Cape May-Lewes ferries. 

National Gallery, DC

At Don's  suggestion, Susan, Barbara, Bill and I gathered in a rented house to visit the National Gallery and see the Cezanne exhibit, which was its only US showing.  It is always quite rewarding to see this great collection, mostly by Mellon, and to see so many iconic paintings.
Here are my photos from the visit.
I regret I didn't do a better job of recording names of paintings, and artists, but I tripped and fell on the way to the gallery, and I spent more time than I would have liked worrying about my very sore hip.  Great bruise later, but no lasting damage.

The first 14 images are from the Cezanne exhibition. 

Cezanne's father

Self Portrait

I probably admired this one the most.  The portrait was of an art critic who gave Cezanne his first "Rave" and Cezanne painted this portrait as thanks.  He never quite finished the face, tried several times, and then walked away from it.

But an unfinished portrait by Cezanne is far more interesting than most. 

Thomas Cole

The Voyage of Life: Youth

Henry Fuseli

Oedipus cursing his son, Polynicas

John Singleton Copley

Watson and the Shark

Albert Bierstadt

Lake Lucern

detail of above

another detail

This is one of the most striking images of the visit.

Model for the 54th Mass. Infantry memorial on the Boston Common

detail of above

Giverny (Monet)

Central Rotunda of the Museum.

Rembrandt

Rembrandt

Dutch practice paintings

Vermeer

The only Leonardo in a US museum

Botticelli

Portrait of Cosimo Medici

Giuseppe Archimboldo

El Greco

Laocoon