Mersydotes

On our way back from visiting family for Easter, Mr. Mersy, Penny, and I found ourselves riding along the highway, looking out the windows when all of a sudden we spotted the Washington Monument off to our left.  Wow!   We had no idea the route home would take us straight through DC! And since we have adventure coursing through our veins, we hopped off the highway and spent a great afternoon exploring the Capital.  Even though we made it home at 2 am, it was totally worth it!  We saw a lot of monuments that were new and some that we had never seen before when we had visited in our childhood.   For me, the most memorable was the new World War II Memorial.  I had no idea it was so vast and so elegant! Both of our grandfathers served, and we found the memorials to their states.   When the memorial first opened, my grandmother sent a framed photo of my grandfather in his uniform along with a neighbor who was going to visit...

Happy belated Easter everyone!  We've been in-communicado here in Mersydotes land because of a huge fire on our block which, besides massive property damage, wiped out Internet service for quite a while.  Don't worry- there were no injuries. So let me catch you up on some of the lovely and colorful happenings in our neck of the woods.  We've had pretty good weather in general with tons of sunshine.  It's funny how my attitude toward NYC changes with the weather.  On these bright days, it suddenly doesn't seem so bad.  But when the sky clouds over, and there just gray, diffuse light, I really can't stand it.   For Easter, I wanted to make some eggs for the apartment, but we didn't fancy living off of hard boiled or scrambled eggs for a week, so I decorated some papier-mache ones instead.   Since I'm a bit obsessed with all looks ombre at the moment, I picked out five different ombre progressions of embroidery thread. ...

Guess where we are this weekend?  In the Carolina Piedmont, and it seems like the whole world is in bloom.   We went for a walk this morning in the arm breeze, and my lovely sister-in-law taught me the names of all the flowering southern trees and shrubs.  Let me share with you what I learned...   This is a vibrant fuchsia azalea bush...   ...and here is a pink dogwood.   Not sure what this one is, but it sure is lovely!!   Although not in bloom, I had to take a picture of the enormous magnolia tree on the corner.  In the stillness of a humid southern summer, the scent of the enormous while magnolias creates a heady, overwhelming scent that seems to transport you out of this world to somewhere still and mysterious. These come from a white dogwood tree.  All over the neighborhood, these are in full glory- as if it's snowing petals! And here is the lone iris next to the drivew...

Over the past few weekends, Mr. Mersy and I have been fortunate in many ways.  We've enjoyed time together, volunteered in our community, enjoyed warm, sunny weather, and had time to catch up with family and friends.  We have been fortunate indeed! This past Sunday we celebrated Palm Sunday at our neighborhood church, with the sun shining brightly and the stained glass gloriously illuminated.  I just couldn't resist taking some photos to share  the jewel colors with you.  To think that this effect has been created for thousands of years, transporting visitors out of the grit and noise of the everyday. On another sunny Sunday, we were also invited to attend the 30th Annual English Handbell Festival at Riverside Church next to the Hudson on Columbia's campus, Manhattan.   Wow, we had no idea that the concert was taking place in a cathedral! Isn't that sunshine on the facade gorgeous?! The church is situated o...