Wharf

Before meeting Chris for Saturday lunch in early March, Bob and I went downtown and walked the rail trail. The Wharf District was once a prosperous warehouse district located along the Monongalia River and railroads in Morgantown. The Caperton Trail now runs here. The Feed and Flour Building was built in the early 1900s and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. 2012

I matched my elements with details in this photo of the entrance to the Caperton Trail. The brickwork columns, the iron arch, the bare trees, the wispy clouds, the sunburst and even the scroll work on the name brick is matched in my layout. That's what made it so fun, and helped me to experience even more of the fun morning.

But there's more! Under the flaps are pictures I took of Bob shooting and the picture he was taking.

And on the back of the picture are these pictures. First of Bob having fun holding his camera low with the wide angle lens chasing the ducks to get a picture.

And here's the picture he achieved:

What fun and only a few miles from home!

Moment in Time

Bob's brother David, a WVU grad, loves to have Bob show him around when he visits from Beckley. I enjoy it too, seeing new buildings and changes in Morgantown that Bob sees in his work with the Post. (Photos at the WVU Erickson Alumni Center, 2009)

Enjoy the Last Year in Your Fifties

My life long friend Nancy always sends me a birthday card. This year she added, "Enjoy the last year in your fifties". Oh my, I'm immersed in a ton of work at the moment as chair person for a state educational meeting. . . am I going to have time to "enjoy" myself? Yes I am. I'm going to be so prepared that when that meeting is held mid May, I will enjoy it. Then Greg & Michelle's wedding, sure to be memorable and fun!

I will enjoy my summer flowers. I'm enjoying my constant kitty companion right now! Bob and I so enjoy our vacation planned around the Great American Scrapbook convention in June. Then there are holiday events, an October convention in Phillie and our winter vacation before my next birthday.

I most look forward to Friday Nite Coffee with Bob at Books A Million (we sat under the awning outside in the rain tonight!), Saturday lunch when Bob and I meet Chris, and Sunday breakfasts with Mom, Dad and Terry....... I will enjoy that last year in my fifties!

Footnote: Nancy was one of the "Rotten Scouts" in the layout I made in January of the 60s scout camp.

Busy

At 89 years old, Dad faithfully keeps the coal furnace fueled at Reeves Motor Company. Several times a day, Mom drives him to the garage where he shovels coal and carefully navigates steep steps with minimal eyesight. 2012

"Keeps Going" is the layout I made in 2009. Journaling: "At 86, Dad keeps the old furnace going at the garage by shoveling coal in it seven or eight times a day".

Beautiful Untouched

At 86, life isn't easy for my Mom. She's happy here though, joining her daughters Terry and Cindy for lunch in LaVale. February 2012

I made this layout near St. Patrick's Day as my Mom has family from Ireland and her favorite color (like mine) is green. I loved this picture of her, which is "untouched" as I thought she looked absolutely beautiful with no makeup and the wind blowing through her hair.

For the top border, I mixed modeling paste with a touch of acrylic paint, then spread it over the Tim Holtz mask adhered to a dark green background. I cut around the best impressions for my top border, and stamped onto the dried paste with a darker turquoise color. In my picture, I covered the credit card signs and the store logo with my journaling block and pp shamrock so that it wouldn't look like an advertisement.

Wishing you all the "luck of the Irish"!

RD Day

Dietitians' Day at the Capital was highlighted with recognition in the Senate, a proclamation and reception at the Governor's Mansion and travel on a snowy day with colleagues. What an honor!
2012




Don't these antique brads

look like the decorative detail on the Senate ceiling?

Spirit

In his farewell letter to the Dominion Post, WVU's Interim President McGraf said that one of the things that made West Virginia University so special was the school spirit--people wanted to be a part of something that didn't end after four years.
West Virginia is a small state, with no professional sports team, thus athletics are a big draw. WVU is also the biggest employer in the state. Yet there's more.

WVU will forever be special to Bob and I--we met here! After graduation and a few years away, we came back! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Detail photos of the brads and stitchery:

Take Me There

My scrapbook friend Rochelle commented on an older photo of hers by asking, "Don't you wish you could just twitch your nose and be there again?" That's one of the joys of scrapbooking is that it "takes you there".

These pictures are from our winter vacation. The picture of me was taken at the end of a day we'd enjoyed traveling around the Winchester countryside. Bob and I were waiting for our dinner at the Daily Grind on the Old Time Winchester plaza. Earlier that day while in Middleburg we soaked in the unusually warm February sunshine by sitting at an outside table to enjoy our coffee and a Linzer heart cookie from a local bakery. So you see, I'll go there again and again by looking at my pages.
2012

Old Virginia

History abounds in the Winchester countryside. There is architecture from the Civil War Era including the Goose Creek Bridge where the Union won control of the roadway. The Aldie Mill ground wheat and corn from the Loudin countryside. Many brick and stone homes are still in use.

I mimicked the brick and stones in the modeling paste brick mask and "Make it Stone" krylon spray.

2012

Blandy Farm

In 1926, Graham F. Blandy gave a portion of his estate, the Tuleyries, to the University of Virginia to educate "boys farming in the various branches". The 2 story century old brick slave quarters was enlarged and converted into an arboretum. Containing a diverse collection of trees and wooden shrubs, the Blandy Experimental Farm was designated the Virginia State Arboretum in 1986. Photos 2012.

All of the beautiful papers I've used in my latest "winter vacation" layouts were purchased at Studio Art Gallery in Winchester. It's never hard for me to get the discount for quantity paper purchases. The store does not have a website to my knowledge, nor can be found under "scrapbook store" searches. Rather I found it under an "art supplies" search. They are in the same shopping center as a brand new Hobby Lobby, yet there is no competition in terms of who has the best papers.

Apple Capital

I love Winchester and I love apples. Even in the winter when there are no blossoms, there are many signs of apple production and export that makes this one of the largest markets in the nation and "the apple capital of the world." Photos from our winter vacation, February 2012

Here's a layout I made some 5 years ago, titled "Love Apples":

These pictures were taken during the fall harvest in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. I particularly liked the typography in this layout, which I printed directly onto the background sheet of cardstock. (I love my large format Epson printer!)