Snow surprise

Yesterday morning I spent 2+ hours at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden and in Lafayette Park. In a snowstorm. Learning about trees. And then spent about 40 minutes stuck on I-66 - in the snow - waiting for an accident to be cleared away. The less said about that morning, the happier I will be.

Snow continued all day, right up to dusk. We stayed in the house most of that time. Of course, I would, having foolishly spent too much time out of the house and out in the weather. Even though I learned some things I'd wanted to learn.

No, the big surprise was this morning. My husband, without anyone [me] saying a word, got the snow shovel and cleared out the end of the driveway and the sidewalk that runs in front of our yard. This same man in past years has, after many another snowstorm, sat in a chair by the front windows and watched as his wife cleared out the aforementioned driveway and sidewalk. A very nice surprise - almost better than chocolate.

big crocodile

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation sent a notice yesterday that the "one and only saltwater crocodile on the island was found dead on the East River Trail at SCCF, possibly a victim of the lengthy cold of January". This croc was a female, was known to be on the island for 25-plus years. In the words of the notice, "she helped define our community as one dedicated to living with wildlife, even the big, beautiful scary ones."

She was unique - there are lots of alligators on the island but no other crocodiles. Don't ask me the diffference - they are both big and both scary animals. But it was kind of nice to have seen this reptilian giant one sunny January day in 2007 in the wildlife refuge. She was just lying on the grass next to a water channel, sunning herself with her great scary mouth open. I took the photograph at the top of this piece.

Sanibel shore birds

We spent a few days on the Gulf of Mexico. Here is a video of white ibises feeding at the water's edge on Sanibel Island (not bay side, this is definitely the Gulf), January 8, 2010.

Another video is of herring gulls - the most common large sea gull on the East Coast, these two seem to be having noisy conversation.

Dull, duller, dullest

Monday and no meaningful or non-meaningful work has crossed my desk for hours now. I have had 3 phone conversations with clients, read one email rant against another title company's shortcomings, had 2 face-to-face talks about inconsequential matters, and eaten my lunch. The sun is shining briefly and I should be outside walking in it. But I am waiting for an anxious client to phone me for a "closing via telephone" - - she has the documents, and wants me to stand by so that she can be sure of what she is signing. After that, I'm free to wander off and be happy.

3:26 p.m. - phone closing was late but is finished, so I'm off for a bit - the sun is hidden - too bad. But I'm still off for a bit.

Back 20 min later - great grey clouds with small openings edged with bright sunlit white opening to blue blue. But windy & not warm.

Shortly thereafter arrived the documents from anxious client - faxed 8-9 to loan processor. Once the fax went through I was out of there, just before 5 & hoping for 30 min. drive home - foiled on Whitehurst Fwy because up on Key Bridge, outbound, were the flashing lights of police and first&rescue in the outside lane. So 3 lanes squeezed to 2 and looky-looks drove slowly by. Big raindrops splatted on the windshied as I sped up past the last police car, and hard rain quickly followed - all the way home. Pork chops & mashed potatoes & mushy peas made for a good hearty dinner, with some red wine for me.

Tuesday: my day off. Joe said there's a big truck & crane putting something up on the roof of the library. I went to see, and it's a large stone carving of an acanthus leaf(?) hoisted onto the brick/concrete platform at the library streetcorner. A young man videoing the procedure said the sculpture is from the Abbey Mausoleum which was on the grounds of land Arlington County bought from ?Ft. Myer in 2004. There's also 2 pair of Tiffany windows from same place going into the library sometime soon. The young man and I like the way the county is reusing architectural elements as amenities to new construction. (Have some photos to post).

The Abbey Mausoleum I had never heard of. Best information came from a United Daughters of the Confederacy article about moving the remains of the widow of Confederate General George Pickett from the long-abandoned Abbey Mausoleum. It was located adjacent to Henderson Hall, the US Marine Corps. facility at the south edge of Arlington National Cemetary. It seems to have been a prestigious site for interrment of prominent persons (politicians mostly?) but was abandoned in the 1950s to vandalism and deterioration. The county purchased the property after the Corps had removed the remains to other burial places.