Just before sunset tonight, a wall of black clouds rolled in over our town. Then the setting sun turned the underside of the clouds the most vivid red I’ve ever seen in the sky. It looked like Hell itself was approaching. This photo from my upstairs balcony hardly does it justice …
Add comment February 19th, 2008
During the Christmas Homes Tour (which went very well … thank you to all who attended) I tried to display construction photos of my house on my computer. I used the slide show feature that is part of Windows Vista — huge mistake. The slide show locked up the computer over and over. Yes, yes … I should’ve known better. All “features” of Vista are actually attempts to kill the user through terminal frustration. I knew that and tried it anyway.
Traditionally you could hit control-alt-delete to recover from one of Windows’ many many many glitches. No more. Vista doesn’t respond to control-alt-delete. Which makes sense — can’t allow anything that would lessen the user’s frustration. The reset button has also been removed from computers. The only way to unlock the stupid thing is to hold in the power button for 8 seconds until it shuts down. Graceful!
The slide show isn’t the only part of Vista that locks up. Pretty much anything that’s Microsoft-made locks up sooner or later (mostly sooner). Luckily other software publishers aren’t in on the plot to kill all computer users, so their software works much better.
I wonder if anyone has ever studied how many computer users have heart-attacks and strokes out of pure frustration every year? I bet the number is in the tens of thousands. Which makes Microsoft one of America’s leading killers, right up there with drunk drivers and trans-fats.
3 comments December 11th, 2007
Here are some better close-up photos of Christmas decorations at my house. Onancock Christmas Homes Tour today, 2-6.
Christmas wreath on my front door. Very nice wreath sold by the OBCA this year.
Second wreath on the wall of the porch.
Partridge in a pear tree ornament holder.
The famous gumdrop tree, fruitcake from our town’s Corner Bakery, and Peppermint Bark Shortbread balls (”bite size hand cut pieces of shortbread drenched in dark chocolate then again in peppermint bark coating speckled with red candy pieces”) purchased at the North Street Gourmet Market downtown.
My “craft project” - a branch cut from a tree in my yard, stuck into a flowerpot full of sand, with 3 dove ornaments clipped to the branches. Instant modern Christmas decoration. Peace!
Add comment December 8th, 2007
Here are some interior photos of my home … the first I’ve posted although I’ve lived here for a year. Christmas decorations are up. Enjoy.
Gumdrop tree!
Moravian Star ontop of one of my wardrobes.
View onto the balcony, with the outdoor Christmas tree visible.
Add comment December 7th, 2007
Decorating the house for Christmas is well underway and it all should easily be ready for the Onancock Christmas Homes Tour on December 8. When finished, I’ll post photos from around the entire house.
Here’s one decoration that I like a lot. It’s a Moravian Star with a light inside. I received it as a gift last Christmas but didn’t assemble it until recently. It has such a great sculptural quality that I think I’ll use it year-round as a lamp.
Learn about the origin and meaning of the many-pointed Moravian Star. See a large selection of stars at this store.
1 comment November 29th, 2007
My little home is on the Onancock Christmas Home Tour this year. On Saturday, December 8, several homes in town will be decorated and open for visitors. Most of the homes are old (historic) and big, while mine is new and small. Variety is a good thing! The tour is from 2 - 6 pm and tickets are $15 per person (all proceeds go to charity).
The home tour isn’t the only thing happening in tiny (less than 2,000 residents) Onancock, Virginia on December 8th. There is also a (free) seasonal music festival at historic Cokesbury Church, holiday activities at the Ker Place house museum, historic photos displayed at the Onancock School, a Christmas play at the North Street Playhouse, and Santa at the GardenArt shop. Come early and explore our shops and galleries. Eat in one of the 6 downtown restaurants (one is on the water at the wharf) and stay in a B&B or at the “boutique” Charlotte Hotel.
Onancock is an easy day-trip from the Norfolk area, and is a nice weekend getaway for people in Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. Come visit … I think you’ll find Christmas in Onancock charming.
Add comment November 17th, 2007
Kudos to Lowes for selling and promoting “Katrina Cottage” house plans. Small house plans aren’t easy to find, and having a quality plan would certainly make the building process easier. Hopefully more people will build compact homes after they see these plans prominently featured in Lowes ads.
The blueprints are priced at $700, and if you buy your materials from Lowes they’ll rebate the cost of the plans. 3 small 2-bedroom plans are available that are 544, 612, and 697 square feet. Other plans range in sizes up to more than 1,800 square feet for a 5-bedroom model.
I like the attractive traditional style of all the plans, and the 544 square foot one looks particularly easy to build. If that plan was available when I built my house, I probably would’ve used it. The 697 square foot plan is a real beauty.
4 comments July 29th, 2007
A few years ago I ate lunch outside on the second-floor porch of a restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. They had several flags mounted just below this upper porch, and looking out over the flags as they flapped in the breeze was great. I decided then that I’d have flags on my porch too.
My three flags are up and looking good. I’ve got two state flags from places I’ve lived (Maryland and Texas) and a University of Virginia flag.
The 3′ x 5′ nylon flags can stay out all the time — no need to bring them in when it rains. They’re not very expensive either. I wonder why more people don’t fly flags?
2 comments July 6th, 2007
Our town’s volunteer fire department used to put on a big (really) fireworks display, but that tradition ended two years ago. People really miss it, but we have other nice small-town ways to celebrate … and something totally unexpected last night.
On Tuesday evening, the ice cream social (free ice cream!) and community band concert at the town square drew a couple hundred happy folks. Wednesday morning there was the traditional non-motorized 4th of July parade (featuring decorated bikes, etc.) in nearby Accomac. After the parade everyone gathered on the historic town green for a reading of the Declaration of Independence, popsicles and another community concert. The county library in Accomac also held a book sale.
We had a cookout at my mother’s house in Onancock, and when it got dark my sister set-off some fireworks on the front lawn.
That’s when the unexpected fireworks started. A block away, down by the creek, a group gathered and set off some nice ground fireworks and some good aerial ones too. Over by the school, somebody shot off quite a few large professional-type aerial rocket fireworks. A restaurant at the wharf put on an impressive display. And when I got home, a few people were shooting good-sized aerial fireworks from the empty carnival grounds parking lot next door. Cool.
Fireworks everywhere in a town that wasn’t supposed to have any! Kudos to everyone who celebrated Independence Day by making a little noise.
Add comment July 5th, 2007
I put up my flag just in time. Our town’s “ice cream social” (featuring a concert by the community band) is tonight on the town green. I hope you enjoy the celebrations wherever you are.
Add comment July 3rd, 2007
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