Eastman Museum

Kodak film.  Do you remember those bright yellow boxes of Kodak film at the grocery store?  And how you'd load the film into your camera, take pictures, and then send the film off to be developed and hoped that all of your pictures came back to you?  

When we were in Rochester, New York we stopped by the home of George Eastman (GE) to tour this wonderland and visit the museum. 

The museum was fascinating.  The public is not allowed to tour the archives, which is below ground, but we were able to tour the public galleries.  The galleries rotate on a regular basis, so what we saw on our trip will most likely not be what you see on your trip!

 

The highlight of the visit was the tour of Eastman's house, and the history behind Eastman and everything he did - not only for the world of photography, but also for the residents of Rochester as well as his employees. He was a phenomenal human being.  

 The house is a showpiece.  We kept thinking of the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, but somehow the Eastman house seemed more regal, yet understated.  After we finished touring the house, we roamed through the gardens before we stopped at the restaurant and had one of the best lunches that we've had in a museum in a very long time!

 

View of a very small portion of the garden.

Above and Below, the Solarium.  I could work in this space!

So peaceful!

 To find out more about George Eastman, the Kodak corporation, and the Eastman museum, follow this link: George Eastman Museum: https://www.eastman.org/about-george-eastman.

My Wayward Laptop, part 2

 The battery is dead on my laptop.  So once again, I am headed off to the Big Box Store to see if they can fix it.  I believe I'm going to have to leave it there.  If the last time this happened is indicative, I could be without my laptop for a significant period of time. 

In anticipation, I have saved 2 weeks worth of posts to automatically release.  The pictures and stories will be about our trip to Upstate New York last fall, and any other random things I can find that might be of interest.

Just letting you know in case if things seem a bit off, or in case my posts suddenly stop.  I haven't stopped posting - I'm just waiting for my laptop! 

 

The Beanery

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with The Beanery.  I stopped by recently on my quest to sample food from bakeries.  While The Beanery is not a bakery, they do have some phenomenal baked goods! 

In an off the beaten path strip mall in  Owings Mills, Maryland lies The Beanery, an independently owned coffee shop.

The food and coffee are phenomenal.  It's a quiet location, which makes this quiet spot a great place to sit down, sip a coffee, read a book or catch up on some e-mail.  I was there to read a book and taste test some of their phenomenal baked goods.

Dubai Style brownie.  OMG, this was good!

Look at all of those tasty muffins!

My cup of Peach Tea!

 

A Founding Mother

*Trigger Warning - breast cancer, surgery, see below* 

Set in Revolutionary America, A Founding Mother is the story of Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams (second president of the United States) and mother of John Quincy Adams (sixth president of the United States.)

Abigail was a frequent correspondent with her husband.  Due to his commitments, they ended up being separated for what amounted to twelve years of their early marriage.  Because Abigail wrote so frequently to John about life, the farm, and the happenings of the day in Braintree, Massachusetts, and because someone in her family held onto her correspondence, we have a unique view of the Revolutionary War and life in and around the times that changed the world.  The authors spent a lot of time reading through the letters of Abigail Adams, and visited the historic sites related to her before they sat down to write this book.  

The result in an engaging story that captures the spirit of a very fiesty young woman who raised children in one of the most remarkable moments in World History.  Their reliance on primary sources elevates this story to something that is a bit more than "historical fiction" and is closer to "historic fact".  I believe that they have done a great job of capturing the voice of Abigail and putting it into the pages of a modern book.

I really enjoyed this book!

If you're looking for a great book to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, this book is the place to start.  

Trigger Warning-

There is a chapter where Abigail's adult daughter Nabby is diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  In an absolutely true story, the authors use Abigail's notes to describe an 18th century mastectomy.  It's a vivid account.  And hours after reading it, the description is still haunting me.  I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it.  I had breast cancer last year, and the description of what Nabby went through is haunting me. It is difficult to read. Do I think that it is important to hear this story?  YES. Do I think it helps to understand the Adams family? YES.  I feel that this is crucial to the story line.  

Paris Baguette

A new location of this chain bakery cafe opened up across the street from my office last month. Now that the novelty has worn off and the lines have gone down, I ventured across the street this morning to pick up my lunch.  I loved my salad!  Korean BBQ.  It was spicy, but it was good!

I also sampled one of the tarts. It was so very cute, and so very delicious!  While I may not have been over there today, several of my coworkers have gone on investigative expeditions and brought back the very tasty results.  I have to say, this little tart is my favorite.  It's just enough to give me something sweet, without being an overwhelming amount of sugar.

Look at all of the beautiful cakes!

My Veggie Garden

 It has been a very chilly spring here in the Mid-Atlantic. I have attempted to plant a veggie garden.  It has been a massive failure to date.  A late frost has wiped out just about everything.  I started some tomatoes and peppers in the house - and they are still in the house.  It hasn't been warm enough to take them out and plant them, yet.

I think the biggest sign of just how odd this growing season has been is to show you a picture of my snap peas.  I planted them on March 17.  I've always planted them on March 17.  This is the middle of May.  Usually at this point in time, I'm looking at some beautiful big plants.  Instead, this is what I have.

I filled this box full of peas.  What is going on here?  I was digging through that box yesterday and found a lot of peas that have yet to sprout.  The peas were new and packed for this year.  At this point, I'm wondering if I'll ever harvest any peas.  The vines sure are pretty! 

Fort Frederick State Park

 Over the weekend we explored Fort Frederick State Park in Big Pool, Maryland.  This delightful spot is out in the panhandle of the state, on the Potomac River and 15 miles south of the Pennsylvania border.  It is the only Stone Fort built by the British in North America.  It was built before the French and Indian War (Fun fact: The French and Indian War is considered to be the very first "World War".)  

The site itself is full of history.  It was used as a POW Camp during the Revolutionary War by the American Army.  George Washington slept here at least twice.  It was bought by a black family - the Williams family in the 1800's. The Williams family used this land as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and later it was the site of one of the first Black Schools in Washington County. It was sold in the 1900's, and bought by the state.  It was the home of a Civilian Conservation Corps campground during the Depression.  Eventually, it was turned into a  State Park.  

In addition to the fort, this state park also has several beautiful hiking trails, and it intersects with the C&O Canal trail. 

This is one of the points inside of the star of the fort. According to that nifty sign,

there was an earthen fill around the top that was high enough to hold a cannon.

 

Entrance to the Fort.   The only way in/out was through this door.

 

One of the lovely trails.

 

This was my favorite trail!  In the picture below, you can see the beaver  dam.