My Bucket List 2023

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Charlie and I have been making great headway on MY bucket list. (I’m not sure Charlie has his own list.)

We traveled to Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rica, in a small 8-seater plane.

We have been doing all sorts of travel: airplane, train, car, and boat.

A morning at the beach is always welcome, especially when it’s secluded.

To that end here is my Bucket List: Items in grey have been on the list for awhile; items in blue have been accomplished.

  1. See the pyramids in Egypt –  We  have  2 weeks in Egypt planned for  Autumn,  2023.  A cruise down the Nile is on the schedule  as  is  a camel  ride.

    We have reservations on Le Fayan from Aswan to Luxor.

  2. Inspire somebody to do something great.  I have a friend who credits me with her impetus to do mission work which I think is great. 

    Sug travels to a school in Guatemala at least three times a year.

  3. Own my house.

    The Glade is our home.

  4. Write a book and have it published — I don’t know what the actual subject might be but I think I would write a fictional story about life among the very wealthy.
  5. Visit the Louvre in France — I have been to the Louvre and have seen the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. 

    I’ve seen the Mona Lisa.

  6. Ride in a hot air balloon.

    Our hot air balloon ride was magical.

    We enjoyed this sunrise trip on a glorious day in Maryland.

  7. Take a ride in a gondola in Venice.  We visited Venice in September, 2019.

    I have taken a gondola ride in Venice, Italy at sunset.

  8. Go on a cruise. We cruised from Baltimore Harbor to Bermuda and back on Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas.

    I’m always happy on the water.

  9. Audition for a movie — I would have to check the local casting calls.  Getting the part is not as important as auditioning.
  10. Own a beach house.

    The shore house.

    It’s not exactly a beach house but we’re fixing it up and it’s 2 miles from the beach.

  11. Invent something — I’m hoping I could invent something that would be useful and bring in some cash.
  12. Have a million dollars — working on it.
  13. Go whale watching.
  14. Buy a stranger a meal.  I’m not sure how to go about it except to just be brave and do it.
  15. Do something I know is reckless! I would love suggestions on what reckless thing other people would consider doing.  I’m thinking  of doing something like parasailing or paragliding. Charlie thinks I’m nuts.
  16. Fly in a helicopter. Charlie and I took a helicopter flight over the volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii.

    We flew over the Big Island.

  17. Read the Bible — I read the entire Bible in a year. Very inspirational and enlightening.  I continue to pursue this activity through classes.
  18. Save somebody’s life.  Who knows how and when an opportunity might arise.  I pray I’m up to it.
  19. Fly 1st class.  Saving my money for an upscale trip.
  20. Make and sell a product.
  21. See the Southern Cross in person.  We  saw  it  in  Puerto  Rico. 

    The Southern Cross — Crux — viewed from the island of Vieques.

  22. Visit Greece.  Scheduled for Fall, 2024.
  23. Visit London. We visited London in September, 2018.  It was a wonderful trip. 

    Tower Bridge over the Thames River.

  24. See the Northern Lights — the Aurora Borealis — from Iceland.  We had a wonderful trip to Iceland in October, 2021.  While we were warned not to expect being able to see the Northern Lights we actually viewed them on 2 separate nights. 

    I went to Iceland to see the elusive Aurora Borealis and mark it off my bucket list.

  25. Visit New Orleans.  We went in February in a week of perfect weather. 

    A golden statue near the French Market of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans.

  26. Learn to Tango.  Charlie and I enjoyed a 6-week tango class.    Perhaps we’ll dance again in the future.

That’s 26 items from the original list.  I’ve decided to add a few more.

27.   Travel from St Louis, MO to Nashville, TN during the solar eclipse.

A full solar eclipse is eerily exciting.

This will be our second solar eclipse.

28.  Visit the luminescent bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Our kayaks were completely clear so we could see the luminescent microorganisms as we paddled through the bay.

29.  Dogsledding

30.  Police ride-along

31.  Pony penning in Chincoteague

32.  Mummer Parade in Philadelphia

Still adding to the list.

Jo

A Quick Fix

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A quick fix often takes longer than expected.

A bit of trim is broken off of the front of the window seat in the dining room.

A small piece of trim has been broken off our window seat and lying on the floor for awhile, a long while.

Much better but still noticeable.

Finally I pulled out the superglue and stuck it back together.

I was hoping for a better result.

Closeup it still looked messy.

The paint helped.

I found a drop of the paint (Hotel St. Francis Fawn by Behr) I originally used and touched it up.

When I put the cushion back in place the repair will be all but undetectable.

Not perfect but much, much better.

Jo

Assessing the Treetops Room

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When I adjusted the door in our back bedroom so it would close completely I noticed some problems that must have occurred in relation to the renovation to the house back in 2013.

We need to clear enough clutter to patch and paint the room.

Under a back window is a significant crack much like the one in the pink bathroom which we repaired.

Charlie is our spackling expert.

We have inspected the entire room and have found cracks in the ceiling as well as under the window.

Clutter has been removed and artwork has been taken down from the walls.

In order to address these problems all clutter (YIKES!!) must be has been removed.  The only items that remain are large furniture, a TV, and a lamp.

Hoping the new color (left) will brighten up the room. (New color is a Sherwin-Williams website mock-up.)

Then we’ll:

  • apply joint compound to the cracks,
  • choose a new paint color for the walls (Spinach White) and ceiling (use something I have on hand),

    Spinach White is brighter and bluer than than the gray-green that’s there now.

  • paint the walls and ceiling,
  • touch up the trim paint, and
  • ready the room for guests.

This is a long term goal that will make its way into a few months of plans.

Jo

Emergency Bench Repair — Part 3

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We have an old bench in the front garden.

After removal of the limb the damage was apparent.

A tree fell on it but I fixed it and then it looked like this.

After after the back was repaired

I made this repair with Charlie’s help in January.  Now it’s the middle of May.

The new boards have not withstood the weather.

In the ensuing months since I repaired this bench most of the paint has flaked off the back boards which had been primed from the factory with indoor paint.

The natural wood elements remain unpainted.

A couple weeks ago I bought some green paint, Cypress Point, to refresh the Adirondack chairs so I decided to paint the now unpainted bench boards the same color.

Have a seat.

The marble-seated bench disappears into the flowers and trees.

Before

After repair.

After painting.

The bench is transformed from flattened to functional.

The view from the street.

And, yes, I painted the back of the boards also.

Jo

Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore

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I didn’t realize when Charlie and I visited the Glass House in Baltimore that I would actually be writing an “In Baltimore” series of posts.

The signs into the arboretum are in a residential neighborhood.

We recently (middle of May) visited Cylburn Arboretum (#60 on my 101 in 1001 list) in northern Baltimore City which is about a half hour’s drive from our house.

Dashie explored every plant and blade of grass.

The park has free entry and dogs are allowed so we took Dash with us.  There’s is ample free parking.

The arboretum has a variety of path finishes — paved, gravel, wood chips — in addition to just walking on the grass.

We followed the paved paths up to Cylburn Mansion (which is still closed due to COVID).

The Nature  Education Center appears to be getting a new roof.

We passed workers doing construction on the Nature Education Center.

Charlie stopped to talk with a Master Gardener about the unique split bamboo cages.

As we strolled along the side of the mansion we were struck by large bamboo cages that had been erected to keep deer from eating the plants.  They had a freeform structure that was both architectural and organic.

Note the giant urn in the middle of the photo. I imagine it will be planted with summer flowering plants.

As we came around the corner to the front of the house there was an enormous urn in the middle of the front oval.

The gardeners try to maintain a historic style to the grounds. Apparently there is a historic patch of bamboo from which trellises and cages are created.

As we walked across the grass we stopped in a beautifully planted gazebo for a few minutes of shady respite.  Everywhere I looked was an interesting sight. Ahead we saw bamboo tepees much like Charlie constructs for his cucumbers.

The tepee is made from both whole bamboo rods and split bamboo.

We were curious why one pole was longer than the rest in each tepee.

The gardeners were happy to talk about the plants, style of the garden, and to give helpful tips.

The head gardener said he thought the longer pole would be a nice aesthetic, especially once it was covered which vines which would then hang over like a plume.

We walked across the lawn to the formal garden entrance between matching statues surrounded by a hedge.

The day of our visit was both sunny and cool (about 65 degrees) so the gardeners were very busy trying to set in a lot of plants and flowers.

Half of the full circle garden.

We walked down the paved path that led to a full-circular, full-sun flower garden. The assistant gardeners had a busy afternoon in store planting 4 quadrants and a central planter in the formal garden.

Each quadrant gets about 80 plants.

Our self-directed tour took us about an hour which seemed to go very quickly.

It takes a small army of volunteers and paid staff to keep Cylburn Arboretum neat and functioning.

There was plenty more to see and I can imagine that in a month or so all the planting the gardeners were doing would have flourished into stunning landscapes.

The naturalistic but cultivated style of Cylburn Arboretum is a wonderful inspiration for The Glade.

We can also recommend these excursions in Baltimore:

In the near future I’d like to visit the Peabody Library and revisit the Walters Art Museum’s Egyptian collection.

Jo

10 Easy Pieces

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Free up 10 hangers in my clothing closet (#95 on my 101 in 1001 list).

My clothes need a little breathing space.

That’s the assignment.  Now is a good time because May is the month I switch my warm weather clothes with my cold weather clothes.  Everything stays in the closet but the current season dressing becomes more accessible.

This was a more difficult task than it should have been.

These are ten items that have been selected for discard.  I was planning to wear each one one more time before sending it off to its new destination, but some pieces were just too far gone.

One of my favorite shirts too far gone to ever wear again.

  1.  Dark green trousers with holes in all the pockets.
  2.   Long heather navy blazer with moth holes throughout.
  3.  Herringbone tweed skirt with moth holes.
  4.  Pink blouse from the 1980s.
  5.   Gray and white cotton blouse totally ripped to shreds.
  6.  Long black coat jacket — old and stained with torn lining.

    I was saving this jacket incase I ever needed a Harpo Marx costume — insane.

  7.   White threadbare shirt.
  8.   Peach blouse that belonged to mother.
  9.   Yellow dress with stains.
  10.   White t-shirt with plaid applique.

10 hangers ready for action.

A little breathing space has been provided — provided I don’t buy something new!

Jo

Another Solar Eclipse

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In 2017 Charlie and I traveled to South Carolina to be at an area of totality for a solar eclipse which moved across the US from west to east.

We plan to be near where the 2 eclipses cross — there should be a lot of excitement.

Another eclipse is destined for a path across the US this time moving from south to north.

A full solar eclipse is eerily exciting.

I started to do a little preliminary search for a place to stay near the eclipse that is almost a year away and found that practically every hotel, AirBnb, and rental accommodation was already booked. The places that weren’t booked yet were starting at $300 per night for very basic rooms.

The lodge has a waterfront view — my favorite.

My search led me to Kentucky Dam Village where there are both a lodge and cabins.  I booked a room at the lodge for the middle day of our five-night trip.

We have plans to stay downtown close to the Arch in St. Louis.

Then I searched both St. Louis and Nashville AirBnBs and booked a place in each city for 2 days bookending our stay in Kentucky.

The eclipse gives us the opportunity to explore some places in the US where we haven’t been.

We will fly into St. Louis and fly home from Nashville.  Our road trip will take us through 3 states: Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

We’re music people so Nashville should be a treat.

Although the trip is still 11 months away I’m glad I began arrangements early.  Next I’ll book airplane flights and a rental car.

Jo

The Fire Pit Adirondacks

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I first assembled and painted our Adirondack chairs that we use around the fire pit in 2019.

We have 4 identical chairs.

I have touched up the paint, Tradd Street Green by Sherwin Williams, a couple of times since then.

The Adirondack chairs are lined up ready for cleaning — note the odd one with red arms.

Charlie replaced the arms on one of the chairs with arms from another chair that had been trashed.  Please notice that the new arms are RED.

No more red arms!

Since I didn’t have any of the original paint I went to Lowes and matched it as best I could with one of Valspar’s greens, Cypress Point.

I like Tradd Street Green better than Cypress Point  (front chair) but will probably not be able to make a distinction when all the chairs are fully painted.

My plan was to paint only the chair with the red arms.  But I also touched up some of the other chairs where they were showing bare wood. Those chairs will remain two-tone for the time being.

Before

After

While I was in my paint clothes I sprayed the olive tree pots with green paint and the outdoor metal table with navy blue.

Jo

May 2023 — Objectives

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May May May — After a beautiful if unpredictable April weather-wise, May is most welcome.  We can begin summer projects in earnest and look forward to happy times.  My word for May is “action” so I’m hoping to get into gear and get some projects done.  I’m a planner but the time has come for ACTION!

  1.  Celebrate Memorial Day. Hoping a cook-out is the order of the day.

    We can count on Dash to dress up for a holiday.

  2. Take a class: Vermicomposting 101

    Wormy composting class.

  3. See a movie. This might be a challenge if it were not for vintage films.
  4.  Free up 10 hangers in my closet.

    Surely I don’t need all these clothes.

  5.  Read a book: S is for Silence by Sue Grafton

    A Kinsey Millhone Mystery by Sue Grafton

  6. Work on a project in the Treetops Room.  Remove all toys, puzzles, dollhouse, etc.

    I’m getting closer to a complete renewal — hopefully this summer.

  7.  Remove one box from attic.

    The challenge continues.

  8. Go to a concert.

    My all-time favorite composition.

    Rhapsody in Blue and Bayside Big Band are both options.

  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: ACTION.
  10.  Write a goal list for June, 2023.

Jo

April 2023 — Processed

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We have had a busy and efficacious month of April. Charlie started his vegetable garden by planting radishes. He also painted the high fascia trim on the house — not an easy task — in addition to cleaning out the high rain gutters.

We have lots of flowers in the yard ready for picking.

In addition to the numbered list below I:

  • celebrated Earth Day by taking 2 classes at out local library — how to build a container garden and how to build a bamboo trellis.

    A full tutorial on building a garden container was presented.

  • took a Master Gardener class on Container Gardening.
  • washed the windows in my bedroom.

    Before

    Much better

  • watched 2 classic Brando movies — The Godfather and On the Waterfront.
  • watched both versions of Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much.
  • finally finished the biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow which I started a year ago in next month.

    Finally finished.

Now the numbered list:

  1.  Celebrate Easter.  We went out to dinner and filled the house with vintage ceramic bunnies.

    A ring of double daffodils and variegated hosta ring the base of the cross.

    The daffodils at our al fresco chapel bloomed for the celebration.

  2. See a play.  I read Hamlet last November and decided to actually see it since it was produced by our local Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

    The Shakespeare Theatre in Baltimore.

    Most scholars agree Hamlet is the bard’s best play.  I loved it, especially the actor playing Hamlet.   I also went to see Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at a local college but left at intermission.

  3. See a movie. I decided to watch the entire Mission: Impossible Series at home to prepare myself for 2 new ones that are coming out this summer and next year.  In order I watched 1 through 6:
    1. Mission: Impossible (1996)
    2. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
    3. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
    4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
    5. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
    6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
    7. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
    8. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two (2024)
  4. Belated birthday surprise outing for Charlie and Sug. We went together to an introductory target archery class sponsored by our local Recreation and Parks Department.

    Charlie eyes up the targets and lets the arrow fly.

    Now we three are eligible for the Target Archery Skills Club and/or use of equipment during Open Range time.

  5.  Read a book. I’m sticking with my Egyptian series by Elizabeth Peters.

    Another good mystery.

    I read He Shall Thunder in the Sky.

  6. Work on a project in the Treetops Room.  Early in the month someone offered to buy our saddle and all the horse equipment that had been stored in the back bedroom but she never showed up.

    For sale along with other riding accoutrements.

    Even so I collected all the tack and apparel, made sure everything was clean, and put it all together in one spot awaiting the next offer.

    I still love this lighting fixture but have no place to hang it.

    However I did sell my vintage chandelier. Then I moved all the photo albums back to their crate in the attic.

  7. Eat vegetarian for a week.  (#92 on my 101 in 1001 list.)  I used the final week of Lent as my vegetarian week.

    Avocado toast is one of my favorite snacks.

    I didn’t limit eggs or dairy products but did enjoy avocado toast and sautéed or roasted vegetables everyday.

  8.  Visit Goddard Space Flight Center.  I ended up going alone to tour the Visitor Center.

    All suited up and ready for launch.

    It seemed the exhibits were all geared to subjects that interest me.

  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: WONDER. Just watching the spring yard come to life is a wonder in itself.

    By the end of April the dogwood is in full bloom.

    Then contemplating the heavens and man’s quest to find truth is an ongoing fascination.

  10.  Write a goal list for May, 2023.

Jo