Very interesting looking Scottish Parliament building…They let Scotland make some of their own decisions but not on matters of defense, or foreign policy, or taxation. This $800 million eco-friendly building was a sight to see.
Some new clothes??
And it started to snow again….
Yeah, it is cold ….
It almost feels like deja vu again. A couple years ago I had a bumper croup of tomatoes in the winter that experienced a freeze before they started to ripen. Soon after the freeze some tomatoes did finally ripen but most were too destroyed to enjoy.
Today I have about 6 very large tomato plants with many tomatoes just waiting to ripen. I have finally realized what the problem is. I have been monitoring the sun exposure for the two gardens for the past couple of months and have found that they are simply not getting enough sun exposure to ripen the tomatoes this time of year. The gardens are perfectly placed for spring, summer, and fall crops but not for winter; which is our prime tomato season. The only thing I can hope for at this point is that the plants hang in there and we avoid a deep freeze this season (highly unlikely). The sun patterns will change and they will get light again. I have some choices to make about next year’s crops. Summer is brutal so I really should be set up for optimal fall, winter and spring gardening. For now we wait.
Not sure if you can tell but I used vines from the now dormant muscadine grape to contain the tomatoes while I was running low on string. Pretty good re-use of the garden if I do say so myself.
Carlos’s turkey (I did the brining)
Mom’s mac & cheese
My green bean casserole
Vita’s loaded mash potatoes
Mom in law’s stuffing
Crackers and an olive loaf from Old Hearth Bread.
We had a chance to visit the High Line in New York December 2011. The city reused abandoned raised railroad tracks and turned them into a 1.5 mile trail and public park that over looks the streets of West Manhattan.
Our visit was a very cold day and we walked the path as the sun set. I can only imagine the joy that new yorkers get when they use this path during the fall and spring. What a fantastic reuse of city property!
Ice skating rink below the high line and The Standard hotel.
High Line above a restaurant
Cherry blossoms on the High Line
Looking down from the High Line
Window to look down at the street.
Cool reflection in the window.
Apartments along the trail.It is very easy to look into people’s apartments.
You can look down at a gymnastics facility.
Future areas on the trail.
Empire State building off in the distance.
In August 2010, my husband and I had a lovely trip to the Palace of Versailles. It is a very easy day trip by train from Paris. I tried visiting the palace once before in 1995 but had a terrible flu. July heat and unbearable crowded made it a very unpleasant day for me. My August visit was much more enjoyable. We were even able to see the musical fountains which were amazing. Looking over the photos reminded me that Rick Steves had some bad advice on how to buy tickets in his 2010 book. I have been meaning to email him about that. Ha!
Here are some photos of that day.
Growing With Leala 