Happy Birthday C!!

He had to fly to the Carolinas this AM. I had to take care of some family health concerns. . .The only cake I had ingredients for was gingerbread.

So happy birthday!!! I can't find the candles either - Oy!

Its not the best of birthday celebrations and we're both tired but its still important to recognize it. You can't wait around for perfect moments or even perfect cakes. We only get so many days and we should enjoy every one to the fullest.

I adore C and I think he adores gingerbread without candles so long as it's made with heart!

Maybe that bottle of prosecco hiding in the back of the fridge will even make an appearance! (That will likely make the cake more acceptable LOL!!)

Sunrise

Over Route 40 Eastbound - about 5:45 this morning. Yes I was awake.
I'm a lot of things - a morning person is not one of those things. But today was especially beautiful and sweet and I am very happy I got this pic - quality be damned!

It almost makes me want to chase sunrises more often. . .Almost. Someday I will - soon.

Pacin' the Cage

Mornin' from Evita who says in a very very soft voice, "Good Morning, I love you" and gradually ramps up to shrill hilarious demands. Typical woman!

Pacin' the Cage

I love how I forgot to turn on the "portrait mode" for this shot. I think this would make a good black and white.

Life Resembles Roadkill?

Eddie Tucked Himself in Again

This time in the dog crate. How did this cat ever survive outside?!

Playing Tourist in Baltimore #21

The West Saucer Dome

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Hmmmmm. . .Do Pimps get their fashion cues from Popes?

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One of my most fav pics of the day. . .

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Here are signatures in mortar from masons - from 1863 and 1872 - a father and son.

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Another view of the inverse arch. To the upper right you can see two patches of mortar where two individuals who worked on the restoration were honored by signing their names in the mortar.

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The much raved about inverse arch.

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Does this pic make anyone else hungry for Brick Oven Pizza?

Look how perfect every arch lines up. I'm going to try to explain what's going on here. Where the arches meet the "shelf" was the original floor (Predominately sand by the way - which they painstakingly removed with shovels and wheelbarrows).

This was not architect Benjamin Harry Latrobe's original intent. I believe his plans called for a deeper foundation. When he discovered the error he became concerned about the support for the dome - which is when he came up with the idea for the inverse arch.

During the restoration, they made the foundation deeper and added more brick "walls" and walkways. I have no idea how they did any of this - then or now - but it's fascinating to see.

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This is the Undercroft. It's amazing and fully restored and even handicap accessible. This pic is a little blurry since I hadn't adjusted for reduced light conditions but the statute is of Jesus and is titled "Christ the Man."

I get the biggest kick out of this. I mean when we're talking about Jesus isn't the fact that he's "the man" pretty much implied?

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Pope John Paul II Statute. I'm not Catholic and not even particularly religious but there is something inexplicably comforting about this guy. . .Even in bronze. Weird.

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Altar of Reservation and Rafael Angels

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The East Saucer Dome

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The Altar of St. Joseph

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The massive central dome has numerous coffers to make it a little "lighter." Beneath, in the undercroft are massive inverse arches that help support the dome. These inverse arches were apparently engineering genius and are still studied by engineering and design students today.

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Religious Icons in the Sexton House gift shop window.

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We wanted to light a candle and say a special prayer for a relative who is having some medical problems. So we went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary this morning. (That's the Baltimore Basilica for short). A tour started at noon and we were quite lucky to participate. It was beyond all expectations and free too! (Of course they kindly accept donations). I would encourage anyone - no matter their religion to check it out.

Maybe the Best Gift Ever!

Big Blue & Beautiful Swimmer

The scientific/latin name for the Maryland Blue Crab translates to beautiful swimmer. There is a book written same name Beautiful Swimmers and it's amazing if you like science, history, or biographies.

The Night I Painted the Sky

I realize it's not a popular stance with many of my peers but I've used Jimmy Buffett as a crutch for the better part of my life. . .

Long before that crazy-popular-with-the-masses song screaming about "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" and long after the novelty of "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw?" wore off. . .I discovered his wild imagination. . .He writes beautifully. . .

He's not exactly the best technical musician or singer you'll ever encounter but he is one hell of a story teller and that goes a long way with me.

Don't get me wrong, I don't listen to him every day. I don't read him every day.

But he is my fall back release valve. If I have a horrific week at work, I put on a little "Hot Water" and read a few dog-earred pages from one of his books.

I know it seems ridiculous as I'm supposed to be a hedonistic child of the 80s and I'm def not a Boomer. . .Still Buffett as a story teller provides a sufficient amount of escapism.

So it seems fitting that on the 5th of July, prob after everyone else has nearly forgotten what this holiday is all about, when I'm fretting about how I can do more, better I'm listening to Buffett. . .

The Night I Painted the Sky #35

Oh the mortars they roar in anticipation
Preceeding the sigh of the uplifted eyes
It showers us all in sulfuric sensation
The colors shine in a firey rhyme tonight. . .

I am but a child when it comes to something wild. . .
That was the night I painted the sky

Jimmy Buffett

The Night I Painted the Sky #34

I dug in the sand like a boy on a mission
And there in my hands a pyro's delight
A bombardier, a nighttime magician
I spark the sky as the rockets fly from view

The rockets in the air
And the people everywhere
Put away their differences for a while
I am still a child when it comes to something wild
That was the night I painted the sky

Jimmy Buffett

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The Night I Painted the Sky #25

I came from the north escaping convention
The modern invention that won't let me be
To the shores of St. Maarten with my fiction addiction
To restart the fire a dreamer's
remedy
> >Independence day and all I remember
Was a midnight rainbow
that fell from the sky
As I stand on the beach I slowly surrender
To the child in me who can't say good-bye

The rockets in the air
And the people everywhere
Put away their differences for a while
Oh I am still a child when it comes to something wild
That was the night I painted the sky

Jimmy Buffett


Sometimes a song just won't leave your head. . .

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Pink sky at night sailor's delight

Red sky at morning, sailor's warning. . .

Delight mode on Rock Creek earlier this evening.