The 366-day photography project: week 30

Note: On Saturday, February 20th, I was feeling much better. I felt almost recovered from the one-two punch of cold followed by flu shot failure. My friend Amy and I went to tap dance, where we started learning the steps for the dance that we will do at the June 4th recital. After coming home, I had tea with my mom.

I really like having tea in a lovely bone china teacup.

Bone china teacups have an interesting history. Josiah Spode (1733-1797) is credited for having invented bone china. It is a soft paste porcelain that has several necessary ingredients: bone ash, feldspathic material, and kaolin. Different manufacturers favor a variety of designs on the cup and saucer. Royal Albert prefers to use floral designs, especially roses. Their pottery was established in Longton, England, in 1896. Wedgwood, which produces a great variety of designs, was established in 1759 by a 29-year-old Josiah Wedgwood. He is still known as the father of English potters.

To this day, bone china, for the most part, is manufactured in England.

I buy all of my bone china cups and saucers at garage sales and rummage sales so I have a delightfully eclectic mix of cups. The cups are great for tea and also to use as objects to use in still-life paintings.

On Sunday morning, I ate this gorgeous blood orange. I had more time than usual for taste treats on Sunday. Although I was feeling much better, I was not vocally ready for choir. I was able to sing but did not have the stamina necessary for choir practice. 

During my free time, I read this book, The Paris Architect, by Charles Belfoure. That was the book of the month for the library's book club. The main character is an architect, and the story is set in Paris during the German occupation in World War II. It is the author's first novel. His previous books had been nonfiction. An architect, the author's main interest is historic preservation.

Later in the afternoon, I went to Riverside-Salem Environmental Chapel for a presentation on the music of Bob Dylan.

It was interesting, although I have to say that Bob Dylan's singing was not really my cup of tea. To me, it sounded off key but, most likely, Bob Dylan was not actually that dramatically out of tune. I suspect that the recordings from the 1960s have degraded so much that all of the music (singing, guitar, and harmonica) sounds as if it is completely out of tune. I did enjoy the lyrics. Very innovative and Bob Dylan sang them in an expressive style. I think that I would have enjoyed it more, had the recording been in better condition.

This was the sunset over the Niagara River.

It looks like a painting, with these beautiful primary colors.

I love my citrus fruit. Monday morning's grapefruit. 

Mmm, a lovely clementine, still dressed in its peel.

Monday was the day that I chose to say good bye to the last gifts of Christmas... the special Christmas herbal tea. It was delicious. The tea was a beautiful shade of red. Honey and lemon brought out the flavor of the cranberries and pomegranate.

On Monday evening, I went to the book club meeting, where we had a spirited discussion about The Paris Architect. Our book for next month is a classic: East of Eden, by John Steinbeck. 

On Tuesday, I had some errands to run after Zumba. Once I was finished, I started walking home. Even though it was a cold day, people were working outside on a construction project. 

A car stopped, a window opened, and a friendly face popped out and offered me a ride home. It was my dear friend Carmen. When I got home, I saw that, despite the cold weather, these daffodils had started growing. That made me feel so happy and eager to start gardening again.

On Wednesday morning, I had fun painting these bottles. The small one is good for storing Q-tips and the larger ones make nice bud vases.

At lunchtime, I went to Trinity United Methodist Church for the second of a five-part Lenten luncheon series on the topic of fear. This is a link to the blog post that I wrote about Pastor Sung Ho Lee's presentation on overcoming fear of the future: God has a plan for you

This is the Rev. Sung Ho Lee, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, with his wife Jung Lee.

It had rained copiously for several days. This is what the back yard looked like on Wednesday. In Grand Island, the vast majority of our soil is clay, and water absorbs slowly.

On Wednesday evening, I went with a group from Saint Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church and Saint Timothy Lutheran Church to visit the Islamic Society of the Niagara Frontier. We were welcomed and made to feel like members of the family. It was a wonderful experience.

The Imam stands on one of these steps when he leads prayers.

There are many circles with calligraphy throughout the mosque. Each word is a different trait of God. I wrote about the visit to the mosque in this blog. Here is a link: story about our visit to the Islamic Society of the Niagara Frontier
This is the first of four visits to different houses of worship.

On Thursday, I went out to take pictures of the wetlands, full of the melting snow.

Late winter...

This looks like a creek but it's not always this full. After a rainfall, it fills and becomes a creek. During drought, it is just dry land.

There is still a great deal of ice in the temporary creek. Winter is fighting the calendar now.

On Friday, I went to Huth Road Elementary School to take pictures for the PTA.

This is Dr. Birdd. He went to visit the fourth grade classes and taught them about plants. He brought the subject to life by dressing up as a human-sized plant.

During one of the presentations (Dr. Birdd did five in total), Hurley, the therapy dog, came to visit the class. He is a very calm dog, who is well-loved by students and staff alike.

Dr. Birdd's enthusiasm for plants is contagious. The students actively participate in the hands-on activities that Dr. Birdd leads. Look for a post with Dr. Birdd's story on Monday!

Once again, it is Saturday, and this is what a cara cara orange looks like!

Next week: Father Earle King discusses fear of death at the third Lenten luncheon. We visit Temple Beth El in Niagara Falls on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, there will be a presentation on Amelia Earhart at the regular meeting of the Grand Island Historical Society. On Friday, the annual World Day of Prayer, with the service written by the women of Cuba, will be held at Island Presbyterian Church. For regular updates, please keep visiting this blog.