Ike is on his way.
He is very large.
It appears as if we could get a direct hit.
By we, of course, I mean the Galveston/Houston area.
We, as in Rocket Man, Little Miss Itty Bitty and myself, are inland a bit.
No surge for us, though there may be flooding and wind damage...phooey on the pine trees.
At least in our neighborhood, people didn't choose to plant them; they were already here.
However this means they are older, larger and more dangerous in the current situation.
LMIB woke up to eat at 3:50, so now I am awake...
My camera is packed and I don't want to wake RM to get it out, so no photos for 12 of 12 yet.
We plan to leave (hopefully) in the next hour and head towards Horseshoe Bay, Texas.
I pray that we are not one amongst thousands.
We'll call family when we are safe somewhere, whether in the hotel or here at home.
I'll try to post again as well.
Dern hurricanes...
September 12, 2008
September 3, 2008
Georgian Dublin
Dublin is very well known for a specific time period; that of the kings of Ireland and Britain during the eighteenth century. It was a time of change for Dublin, since what was a medieval city was transformed to contain wide boulevards and grand buildings that can still be seen today.
We left Trinity College Saturday morning and walked east towards Merrion Square. On the way, we passed buildings with more reserved, a.k.a. plain, Georgian doors. We also passed some very cool, very old merchant buildings. Some had the hand-painted signs still on them advertising their specialty.
We turned right onto Merrion Square West and were greeted by this expanse of buildings:
Merrion Square is a park that is contained within a city block. On each side are wonderful examples of Georgian architecture; most widely recognized are the doors. We peeked into the park, which back in the day was locked up. Only those who lived in the homes surrounding the park had keys to give them access. Today is is an open public area, but since it had been raining (really? In Ireland? Rain? No way!) and the trails looked pretty mushy, we opted to stick to the sidewalk and take in the famous doors.
As I said, on the way to the square there were some pretty plain doors. By this I mean that the door is a solid color without any elaborate carving or paint. Also, the fan-shaped window above those doors was in most cases a plain piece of glass. This is in part because they belong to buildings where businesses are housed rather than homes.
Those surrounding Merrion Square tell a different story. This is where the rich lived. These homes were considered to be out of town, in the country even, at the time. We took a left onto Merrion Square South and encountered the following:
This is just about the fanciest door we saw. It was one of the few that had a multi-colored paint treatment. The fan window above is typical of the homes around the square, though not as large as others we saw. I prefer the doors that have a solid color door like these:
Their windows are larger and more intricate. These two also have two side windows like many homes here in the states. I imagine that back in the 18th century, these doors served a purpose. Mainly that of shouting "Look at me! I have money!", though of that I can't be certain.
We were told by a bus driver that there is a special reason the doors are painted such bright and inviting colors. Actually, he told us that two reasons are widely circulated. One is that since all of the houses and doors look similar, one needed a way to tell their door from a neighbor's on evenings when a little too much fun was had down at the pub. The other is that the Queen of England died and everyone was requested to paint their doors black for mourning. Since Ireland desperately wanted to be a separate country under its own rule, lively color is how they chose to show their grief.
On the southeast corner or Merrion Square site House No 29, a Gerogian House Museum. This building is five stories tall and within it is an excellent museum that shows how people lived in Georgian times. A tour begins with a short video that tells about the people who lived in the house. Then a guide takes a group through the five floors and describes what it was like to live there.
The main floor consisted of a dining room and front hall. Located in the hall was a special table that had a mirror at the bottom of it. This was there so that the women could check their skirts. Apparently, if one was of age to be married, but single, a little petticoat was supposed to be visible to let the menfolk know your status. Likewise, if one was already taken, your undergarments had better be covered up, or the whole town would be talking!
The first floor consisted of two drawing rooms used for entertainment purposes, whether with guests or family. The front was used for guests and had large windows. This room was well-lit so that when everyone was there and all dressed up, people could see their fancy clothing and goings-on through the windows.
Bedrooms were located on the second floor. There was a master bedroom and a boudoir on this level. Amazingly, men (and usually children) were notallowed in the women's boudoir. This is where a woman might take her closest friend for some privacy. It is also where she completed needlework, wrote letters, dressed in the morning and ate her breakfast.
The attic was reserved for the children of the house. This is where they had their lessons for the day and also where their playthings were located. There was a variety of children's toys in the house as well as some interesting educational materials. The governess's room was also on this floor, since she was responsible for taking care of the children.
The basement housed the housekeeper's quarters as well as the kitchen. Also in this area was a communication system. A child was responsible for sitting in front of the bells mounted on the wall. His job would be to listen for a bell to ring. When one did, he was to tell the other servants which room the signal was coming from. This is how those who lived in the house communicated their needs to those who managed it. An early intercom system of sorts.
We left Trinity College Saturday morning and walked east towards Merrion Square. On the way, we passed buildings with more reserved, a.k.a. plain, Georgian doors. We also passed some very cool, very old merchant buildings. Some had the hand-painted signs still on them advertising their specialty.
We turned right onto Merrion Square West and were greeted by this expanse of buildings:
Merrion Square is a park that is contained within a city block. On each side are wonderful examples of Georgian architecture; most widely recognized are the doors. We peeked into the park, which back in the day was locked up. Only those who lived in the homes surrounding the park had keys to give them access. Today is is an open public area, but since it had been raining (really? In Ireland? Rain? No way!) and the trails looked pretty mushy, we opted to stick to the sidewalk and take in the famous doors.
As I said, on the way to the square there were some pretty plain doors. By this I mean that the door is a solid color without any elaborate carving or paint. Also, the fan-shaped window above those doors was in most cases a plain piece of glass. This is in part because they belong to buildings where businesses are housed rather than homes.
Those surrounding Merrion Square tell a different story. This is where the rich lived. These homes were considered to be out of town, in the country even, at the time. We took a left onto Merrion Square South and encountered the following:
This is just about the fanciest door we saw. It was one of the few that had a multi-colored paint treatment. The fan window above is typical of the homes around the square, though not as large as others we saw. I prefer the doors that have a solid color door like these:
Their windows are larger and more intricate. These two also have two side windows like many homes here in the states. I imagine that back in the 18th century, these doors served a purpose. Mainly that of shouting "Look at me! I have money!", though of that I can't be certain.
We were told by a bus driver that there is a special reason the doors are painted such bright and inviting colors. Actually, he told us that two reasons are widely circulated. One is that since all of the houses and doors look similar, one needed a way to tell their door from a neighbor's on evenings when a little too much fun was had down at the pub. The other is that the Queen of England died and everyone was requested to paint their doors black for mourning. Since Ireland desperately wanted to be a separate country under its own rule, lively color is how they chose to show their grief.
On the southeast corner or Merrion Square site House No 29, a Gerogian House Museum. This building is five stories tall and within it is an excellent museum that shows how people lived in Georgian times. A tour begins with a short video that tells about the people who lived in the house. Then a guide takes a group through the five floors and describes what it was like to live there.
The main floor consisted of a dining room and front hall. Located in the hall was a special table that had a mirror at the bottom of it. This was there so that the women could check their skirts. Apparently, if one was of age to be married, but single, a little petticoat was supposed to be visible to let the menfolk know your status. Likewise, if one was already taken, your undergarments had better be covered up, or the whole town would be talking!
The first floor consisted of two drawing rooms used for entertainment purposes, whether with guests or family. The front was used for guests and had large windows. This room was well-lit so that when everyone was there and all dressed up, people could see their fancy clothing and goings-on through the windows.
Bedrooms were located on the second floor. There was a master bedroom and a boudoir on this level. Amazingly, men (and usually children) were notallowed in the women's boudoir. This is where a woman might take her closest friend for some privacy. It is also where she completed needlework, wrote letters, dressed in the morning and ate her breakfast.
The attic was reserved for the children of the house. This is where they had their lessons for the day and also where their playthings were located. There was a variety of children's toys in the house as well as some interesting educational materials. The governess's room was also on this floor, since she was responsible for taking care of the children.
The basement housed the housekeeper's quarters as well as the kitchen. Also in this area was a communication system. A child was responsible for sitting in front of the bells mounted on the wall. His job would be to listen for a bell to ring. When one did, he was to tell the other servants which room the signal was coming from. This is how those who lived in the house communicated their needs to those who managed it. An early intercom system of sorts.
Image from House No 29 website.
I certainly would not have wanted to work out "in the country" in Georgian times. Most of the servants walked to work each morning from the city. They then had to go up and down five flights of narrow stairs all day long carrying food, water, and other heavy items. It would have been very difficult work.
When we were done with the tour, Rocket Man and I were pretty hungry. I had made reservations at Ely Wine Bar, a restaurant located near Stephen's Green. The interior was lovely and consisted of two levels, that at the street, and the main restaurant one level down. We both had fish for lunch and shared a bottle of wine. Excellent music played while we ate. It was a little pricey, and not many people were there for lunch on Saturday, but we didn't mind since it gave us a lot of privacy. Service was excellent and we recommend eating there if you enjoy a good bottle of wine!
That evening we had plans to join a musical pub crawl...stay tuned to see how that went!
When we were done with the tour, Rocket Man and I were pretty hungry. I had made reservations at Ely Wine Bar, a restaurant located near Stephen's Green. The interior was lovely and consisted of two levels, that at the street, and the main restaurant one level down. We both had fish for lunch and shared a bottle of wine. Excellent music played while we ate. It was a little pricey, and not many people were there for lunch on Saturday, but we didn't mind since it gave us a lot of privacy. Service was excellent and we recommend eating there if you enjoy a good bottle of wine!
That evening we had plans to join a musical pub crawl...stay tuned to see how that went!
Trinity College; The Book of Kells
About a year ago, Rocket Man and I traveled to Dublin, Ireland. We were there in the middle of August. As Spain is so hot in the summer (though not humid like Houston), we chose to go north in the hopes of experiencing cooler climes.
On Saturday, August 11, 2007, we began our day by visiting Trinity College. TC has an interesting history, complete with the fact that at one time, if I recall correctly, catholics who wanted to study there had to get special permission from the Pope in order to do so. Additionally, TC houses one of the most amazing versions of the gospels I've ever seen: The Book of Kells.
Ireland is a wet place, and in this it did not disappoint our first day. Rain drizzled down on us that morning, and the effect on the college buildings was grand. I love the look of wet gray stone; it reminds me of my own alma mater, Virginia Tech. Hokie stone is full of depth when wet, and TC's buildings are the same.
Our main reason for visiting the college was to take in the Turning Darkness Into Light exhibit housed in the building that also contains the library, known as the Long Room. The exhibit describes the Book of Kells, its origins and creators as well as the methods involved.
Rocket Man and I bought this small book so that we would be able to remember what we learned at the college. We decided to do that because of the sheer number of people who were there to see the exhibit:
This line appeared in less than five minutes just after we got in line ourselves...and we were already waiting outside of the building. Luckily, the entrance was just inside the door, so we didn't have long to wait. Unfortunately, there wasn't really any timing in place to make sure there weren't a ton of people all in there at once...so looking at everything was easy, but reading the information provided proved to be difficult at times.
The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript transcribed by three monks, scribes A, B, and C, around 800 using insular illumination. Insular comes from the Latin for island; this refers to Ireland and Britain, who had common style back then that differed from the rest of the world.
The book contains the four Gospels in Latin written on calf vellum in brown gall ink. There is also use of black, red, purple and yellow hues that were made with substances from all over the world. Although it appears as if gold or silver leaf were used in the illustrations, that is not the case. The pages really light up like precious stones or metals though ink was all that was used.
The book contains canon tables that notate the connections between the four books and therefore establish the unity of the Gospels. Each book itself is preceded by extremely intricate and amazing full-page illustrations. First comes the virgin and child, then an evangelists page, a portrait page, and then an elaboration of the opening words or letters.
There is one other special page that is placed at the "second beginning of Matthew". This is at Matthew 1:18, where the story of Christ's life begins. Chi and Rho, the first two letters of Christ in Greek, were often used to abbreviate Christ in medieval manuscripts. They were considered so important that one full page was used to illustrate them.
Within the pages of the Book of Kells, one can find every single Celtic symbol. The infinite detail of patterns is amazing. The fully illustrated beginning pages of each gospel are literally covered with minute patterns that can also be found in other objects from the same time period. The painstaking work of the monks, and only three of them, is amazing. The text pages contain smaller illustrations that are equally detailed.
We were able to see one portrait page and a couple of text pages while we were there. They only show four pages total at a time. While the informative section of the exhibit was crawling with people, there was someone who made sure that only a certain number of visitors were ogling the four Book of Kells pages at a time. So while we had a hard time reading all that we wanted to, we did get a good look at the real deal.
When you finish your viewing, visitors can go up into the Long Room - the library that holds some of the oldest, largest, and smallest books I've ever seen. They are old enough that all of them are hand bound. This room was actually my favorite part of the experience because I love books and old things in general. Here is a photo of the room from a post card:
Once we exited the exhibit and made a couple of purchases to remember our visit, we took a couple more photos at the college. Here I am in front of the bell tower:
The next photo shows the only building that we saw that was not made of the gray stone. The brick and greenery reminds me of the University of Virginia campus. Completely different from Virginia Tech, but equally beautiful.
Overall, we had a good time at Trinity College viewing one of the oldest and most intricate books ever made. The experience was less than it could have been because of the time of year and number of people present, but I am very glad that we decided to go. Had we not, I definitely would regret it.
What else did we see in Dublin that day? You'll have to check back to find out!
On Saturday, August 11, 2007, we began our day by visiting Trinity College. TC has an interesting history, complete with the fact that at one time, if I recall correctly, catholics who wanted to study there had to get special permission from the Pope in order to do so. Additionally, TC houses one of the most amazing versions of the gospels I've ever seen: The Book of Kells.
Ireland is a wet place, and in this it did not disappoint our first day. Rain drizzled down on us that morning, and the effect on the college buildings was grand. I love the look of wet gray stone; it reminds me of my own alma mater, Virginia Tech. Hokie stone is full of depth when wet, and TC's buildings are the same.
Our main reason for visiting the college was to take in the Turning Darkness Into Light exhibit housed in the building that also contains the library, known as the Long Room. The exhibit describes the Book of Kells, its origins and creators as well as the methods involved.
Rocket Man and I bought this small book so that we would be able to remember what we learned at the college. We decided to do that because of the sheer number of people who were there to see the exhibit:
This line appeared in less than five minutes just after we got in line ourselves...and we were already waiting outside of the building. Luckily, the entrance was just inside the door, so we didn't have long to wait. Unfortunately, there wasn't really any timing in place to make sure there weren't a ton of people all in there at once...so looking at everything was easy, but reading the information provided proved to be difficult at times.
The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript transcribed by three monks, scribes A, B, and C, around 800 using insular illumination. Insular comes from the Latin for island; this refers to Ireland and Britain, who had common style back then that differed from the rest of the world.
The book contains the four Gospels in Latin written on calf vellum in brown gall ink. There is also use of black, red, purple and yellow hues that were made with substances from all over the world. Although it appears as if gold or silver leaf were used in the illustrations, that is not the case. The pages really light up like precious stones or metals though ink was all that was used.
Folio 309r; Page of text by scribe A
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 79.
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 79.
The book contains canon tables that notate the connections between the four books and therefore establish the unity of the Gospels. Each book itself is preceded by extremely intricate and amazing full-page illustrations. First comes the virgin and child, then an evangelists page, a portrait page, and then an elaboration of the opening words or letters.
Folio 2r; canon table
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 6
Folio 7v; Virgin and Child with angels
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 12.
Folio 27v; symbols of the four evangelists
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994. p. 8.
Folio 28v; portrait of Matthew
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 37.
Folio 292r; the beginning of John's gospel
In principio erat verbum - 'In the beginning was the Word'
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 31.
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 6
Folio 7v; Virgin and Child with angels
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 12.
Folio 27v; symbols of the four evangelists
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994. p. 8.
Folio 28v; portrait of Matthew
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 37.
Folio 292r; the beginning of John's gospel
In principio erat verbum - 'In the beginning was the Word'
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 31.
There is one other special page that is placed at the "second beginning of Matthew". This is at Matthew 1:18, where the story of Christ's life begins. Chi and Rho, the first two letters of Christ in Greek, were often used to abbreviate Christ in medieval manuscripts. They were considered so important that one full page was used to illustrate them.
Folio 34r; Chi-Rho page
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 25.
Meehan, Bernard; The Book of Kells': an illustrated introduction to the manuscript in Trinity College Dublin. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994, p. 25.
Within the pages of the Book of Kells, one can find every single Celtic symbol. The infinite detail of patterns is amazing. The fully illustrated beginning pages of each gospel are literally covered with minute patterns that can also be found in other objects from the same time period. The painstaking work of the monks, and only three of them, is amazing. The text pages contain smaller illustrations that are equally detailed.
We were able to see one portrait page and a couple of text pages while we were there. They only show four pages total at a time. While the informative section of the exhibit was crawling with people, there was someone who made sure that only a certain number of visitors were ogling the four Book of Kells pages at a time. So while we had a hard time reading all that we wanted to, we did get a good look at the real deal.
When you finish your viewing, visitors can go up into the Long Room - the library that holds some of the oldest, largest, and smallest books I've ever seen. They are old enough that all of them are hand bound. This room was actually my favorite part of the experience because I love books and old things in general. Here is a photo of the room from a post card:
Once we exited the exhibit and made a couple of purchases to remember our visit, we took a couple more photos at the college. Here I am in front of the bell tower:
The next photo shows the only building that we saw that was not made of the gray stone. The brick and greenery reminds me of the University of Virginia campus. Completely different from Virginia Tech, but equally beautiful.
Overall, we had a good time at Trinity College viewing one of the oldest and most intricate books ever made. The experience was less than it could have been because of the time of year and number of people present, but I am very glad that we decided to go. Had we not, I definitely would regret it.
What else did we see in Dublin that day? You'll have to check back to find out!
September 2, 2008
A Song to Get Stuck in Your Heads
There was one on the floor
and her parents' hopes soared.
Roll over! Roll over!
Clementina rolled over
and a laugh came out!
and her parents' hopes soared.
Roll over! Roll over!
Clementina rolled over
and a laugh came out!
On August 29th, her three month birthday, Little Miss Itty Bitty rolled over towards her Mom while lying on the bed. We're pretty sure she had some assistance due to the weight of her Mom on the mattress.
Today, three days later, she decided to show us that she meant it. She really can roll over all by herself. She can even get her arm out of the way once she's on her tummy.
I guess she wanted to start the month off with a bang.
Today, three days later, she decided to show us that she meant it. She really can roll over all by herself. She can even get her arm out of the way once she's on her tummy.
I guess she wanted to start the month off with a bang.
Knitting
This weekend I finished a baby blanket I was making for a friend:
It took me a little less than two weeks working on it a few minutes each day. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do when there's a little one in the house.
This Saturday, while M&M were here, I bought some yarn so that I could make a scarf for R-Shelly. M assisted me in choosing the yarn and we think it shall be fabulous. Now we just need to know what R-Shelly thinks about it. Here's what I knitted this holiday weekend:
The colors look better in person. The maroon is much more...maroon...and the orange is fuzzy and shiny.
So, what do you think?
It took me a little less than two weeks working on it a few minutes each day. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do when there's a little one in the house.
This Saturday, while M&M were here, I bought some yarn so that I could make a scarf for R-Shelly. M assisted me in choosing the yarn and we think it shall be fabulous. Now we just need to know what R-Shelly thinks about it. Here's what I knitted this holiday weekend:
The colors look better in person. The maroon is much more...maroon...and the orange is fuzzy and shiny.
So, what do you think?
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