Greetings from Shiz University

Quick post while watching Black Doves, for which we postponed Silo because I need to know whether Keira Knightley's husband or late boyfriend is a worse person than she is (Ben Whishaw's ex is the only even slightly likeable character but the pacing is great and the women are all interesting). 

We're back from dinner at Yummy Pho after seeing Wicked, which was thoroughly enjoyable -- perfectly cast, well sung, surprisingly well paced considering how aggravated I was that they split it into two movies. The trip laundries are finally folded and a reasonable number of chores got done. 

Plus UPS finally delivered a package with a photo book of Adam's engagement photos that he made and shipped for us during the summer but that has been missing for months. So a better day. Here are some photos from Sailing Through the Solstice at Carroll Creek Park in Frederick last weekend:

Greetings from Hanover

Extreme quickie since it's almost midnight! We drove to Pennsylvania in the morning, picked up Blue Koi for lunch, and took it to Paul's father's place, where we hung out for a couple of hours talking and looking at photos. Then we headed back into Maryland, stopping at the Target in Westminster which miraculously still had the Taylor Swift Eras Tour book in stock, before going to Frederick to see Sailing Through the Winter Solstice lighted ships in Carroll Creek. We hit traffic driving back to Gaithersburg but we made it back in time to get Cava with Kay, Chris, and one of their sons. Now we're watching The Masked Singer we missed Wednesday!

Poem for Wednesday and Sailing Through the Solstice

The Country Bedroom 

By Frances Darwin Cornford 

My room's a square and candle-lighted boat,

In the surrounding depths of night afloat;

My windows are the portholes, and the seas

The sound of rain on the dark apple-trees.

Seamonster-like beneath, an old horse blows

A snort of darkness from his sleeping nose,

Below, among drowned daisies. Far off, hark!

Far off one owl amidst the waves of dark.

-------- 

I spent Wednesday morning chatting with my high school friends even though I saw both Kay and Linda last week, and an hour of the afternoon watching the first episode of Loki with Kristen. In between, I finally finished unpacking, reorganized some craft stuff, and took a walk to the beach, which was very chilly but the ducks did not seem all that concerned. 

After dinner, we watched Doctor Who's "The Star Beast" -- enjoyable, a little predictable, so good to see Donna again -- then The Masked Singer's disco night episode, goofy fun, and now the first episode of Faraway Downs, still uneven like Australia but superbly filmed. Some of the lighted boats from Frederick's Sailing Through the Solstice in Carroll Creek:

Greetings from Frederick

On Sunday we got up, got organized, and drove to Hanover, where we picked up Paul's parents and went to lunch at Blue Koi. Since there were too many of us to fit comfortably in the van, Paul took Cinda and Clair back to their home while the rest of us stopped in Giant to get some desserts since we won't be here for Cinda's birthday next month. Paul then picked us up and we spent time in one of the lounges in their building eating and chatting. 

We headed out in the late afternoon and arrived in Frederick as it was getting dark to see the lighted boats in Carroll Creek decorated for Sailing Through the Solstice. After we walked around the creek, we drove to Derwood to Gourmet Asian Bistro to meet the Helgesens for dinner. Then we came back to Silver Spring, where we just watched the Ravens beat the Chargers and we're taking turns doing laundry, cleaning, and packing.

Greetings from Museums by Candlelight

Saturday was the Museums By Candlelight tour in Frederick, and also the start of the Pokemon Keldeo event and a surprise Elite Raid day, so after a trip to the post office to mail holiday cards and a raid at Povich Field, we ate lunch and drove to Frederick. Our first stop was the Delaplaine Arts Center, which has gorgeous quilts, photography, and local crafts, and is right along Carroll Creek where the lighted ships are, so we walked through the park. Then we went to the South Mountain Heritage Society, which had organ demonstrations, snacks, and local history exhibits. From there, we stopped at South Mountain Creamery to take pictures with cows and get eggnog. 

We had thought about going to Emmitsburg to the Seton Shrine and the big antique mall there, but there were inconsistent closing times on various web sites, so instead we went to the Dahlgren Chapel, where there was a celebration of South Mountain magic and local Cryptids. Our last stop was the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, a German colonial stone house with woodwork and five plate stoves dating to the mid-1700s. Then we came home, saw Navy lose to Army, had parmesan chick'n, and watched Slumberland, which I thought was better than its reviews -- like Narnia mashed up with Inception with Jason Momoa as Mr. Tumnus. Photos from most of the above: 

 

Greetings from Hanover and Frederick

On Saturday we went to visit Paul's parents in Hanover, driving up past farms and pretty shops in Westminster. We took them out to lunch at Blue Koi, which has excellent Thai food, and stopped next door in the Red Barn Boutique, where I bought a beautiful hand-painted jewelry box, then went back to visit with them for a while and listen to Clair play the violin while Maryland beat Rutgers and Michigan trounced Ohio State. 

We came home through Frederick so we could see Sailing Through the Solstice, the beautiful display of lighted miniature ships representing local associations and businesses in Carroll Creek. Most of the shops and museums were decorated for the season, too. Adam had plans with his high school friends in the evening, so the rest of us watched DC's League of Super-Pets and had breakfast stuff for dinner because we were so stuffed from lunch! 

Greetings from Brunswick

I had a lovely Tuesday with my kids! Adam had wanted to eat at Beans in the Belfry in Brunswick, so we went there for brunch, then went to Catoctin Creek Park to walk by the water -- unfortunately the nature center was closed -- and then to South Mountain Creamery for eggnog and a visit to the goats and cows. 

We had dinner with my parents (who brought in Thai food), then Adam went to hang out with his high school friends (who were coincidentally also having Thai food), and I jumped on late to see my Voyager group, who were watching "Drone" this week. Now we're bingeing She-Hulk, which Daniel had not seen.