Beans in the backyard 2012, weeks 2 & 3

May 13

Close-up view shows a good example of the unfolded unifoliolate leaves 20 days after planting.

May 20

This week one can see the first set of trifoliolate leaves fully unfolded and the second set unfolding nicely.  Bean development is turning out to be more interesting than I expected.  I'm not sure which is more exciting, corn development or bean development, but I suspect the bean excitement is only beginning!

More food crops around the yard

Most of our readers are probably familiar with the unusual weather we've experienced this spring, and some may have first-hand knowledge of its effects on different crops.  I was especially concerned about our cherry tree as it bloomed in March, about a month earlier than normal.  Our temperatures were especially warm through much of March, but the inevitable freezes hit again in April.  Since our cherry crop was reduced at least 95% last year due to freezing, I was anxious our experience would be similar this year.

As you can tell from the photo above, we have a crop!  The blossoms had faded and fruit was beginning to form by the time the freezes hit our yard, so apparently the fruit is more robust to cold temperatures than blossoms are.  The crop appears to be about 70% of the size of a bumper crop, but we're grateful for even a harvest of that size.  We're hopeful the fruit will continue to mature without further damage from weather or pests.

The hops also got off to an early start this year, reaching heights by the middle of April that required almost three months longer last year.  As you can see in this image, the freezes damaged many of those early leaves, and even killed off the central leaders on many of the longer bines.  Because many of those early bines were stunted, I've allowed additional later bines to continue to grow in case the early ones die off.

Amazingly, some of those early bines are already producing cones in May.  We didn't see cones until late July last year, so I'm not sure if this is a consequence of a stunted bine, or an early start.  Regardless, the bines in general are more abundant and vigorous than last year, so it should be interesting to see if that correlates into cone production.

Finally, a stop at the raspberry patch shows some promise of fruit as well.  I haven't watched this fruit develop in the past, so I can't comment on how it's progressing relative to other years, but we are understandably hopeful for a decent harvest.  Thanks for visiting!

Beans in the backyard 2012, week 1

 May 6

We spotted Farmer Wagenbach planting something on April 23, and by May 3 quite a few of the seeds had sprouted and broken through the earth.  By the time our first measurement day came on May 6, many of the little sprouts were 1.5 inches tall, and they are definitely not corn plants.  The bottom photo was taken on May 8 since I neglected to get a close up image on the 6th.

After having spent the last few years studying corn, we now get to watch soybean plants grow and mature, right in our backyard!

Colonial Williamsburg in April, Last Day

Our last full day in Williamsburg on this trip was atypical for us: we dressed in our "civvies" instead of our colonial clothes, and didn't even spend the entire day in the historic district.  Not that we neglected another opportunity to enjoy some of our favorite things about CW.

Fortunately, Patrick Henry was speaking in the Palace gardens in the morning, and the threatening rain didn't materialize to dampen our spirits.

As we've mentioned before, Mr. Henry is an entertaining and inspiring speaker that doesn't hesitate to speak his mind.  His emphatic gestures and well-chosen phrases make any topic interesting, and those topics are always educational as well.

After he had entertained questions from the larger audience, Mr. Henry also graciously conversed with smaller groups after his presentation.  I"m not sure who is enjoying this conversation more, Patrick Henry or Tim!

We enjoyed lunch together at Chick-Fil-A, and then spent as much time as we could bear at an antique mall on the northwest side of town.  Some of us could bear more time than others, so some of us returned to CW in the afternoon while the balance of our group continued antiquing until suppertime.

Back at CW we witnessed a Fife and Drum Corps march and a review of the troops on the Market Square Green north of the Courthouse.  Although we enjoy the Fife and Drum Corps, we were disappointed that we didn't see Thomas Baker at any of the performances all week.  That's the first time in a long time that we haven't seen one of the Baker boys perform during our visit.

Always a crowd favorite is the shooting of the muskets and cannon to round out the performance.  You'd think folks never get a chance to see 18th century weaponry in action by the way they flock to these displays.

We'll end our Colonial Williamsburg posts this time with a trip through some of the backyards along Duke of Gloucester Street.  Last March, Gretel and I had fun navigating our way through the paths behind houses all over town, so I thought I'd give you a little taste of what it's like to explore the "other side" of the historic homes.  It was good to be on vacation!

Colonial Williamsburg in April, Day 5

Our fifth day was a long and busy one that began with an attempt to squeeze into a garden tour at 9 AM.  When it was clear that the tour didn't have room for us, we consoled ourselves with a tour of the Thomas Everard House.

Although simply furnished, I thought this upstairs bedroom looked very comfortable and relaxing.  I like the way the natural light from the dormer window facing west provides the room with a soft glow.

I've been impressed with the woodwork on this staircase each time I've toured this house, but I don't think I had ever noticed the disparity in the balusters before.  Nonetheless, I still like this staircase.

I've shown a picture of Everard's office in a previous post, but this shot shows the other side of the room including a cool desk, beautiful drop-leaf table in the middle of the room, and allegedly a microscope inside the pyramid-shaped box by the window.

We had to go outside the house to see this, but someone (perhaps H.B. Smith?) scratched this ship in the glass of one the parlor window panes in 1873.  Actually, this is reproduction of the 1873 work, as the original was destroyed several years ago when a painter's ladder slipped and crashed through the window.  Remember that when you think you've done something unforgivable.

Three lovely ladies on a bench in a Palace courtyard.

The tranquil canal to the west of the Palace: one of our favorite spots to find solitude.

Things were not so tranquil in the Palace kitchen, but only because there's always food to prepare.

Although the tulips were fading by the end of our trip, the gardens were still beautiful with a variety of other flowers.

At lunch time our group split up again and I was fortunate enough to be joined by these three pleasant young ladies at Nawab Indian Cuisine for their hard-to-beat buffet.

This attractive little gate caught my eye along Duke of Gloucester Street.  I like the symmetry and the way the peaked shape mimics the peaked roof of the shed behind it.  So many fun architectural features, so little time.

We were honored to find Mark Hutter in the Millinery/Tailor Shop today, and as always, he educated us on several topics.  When asked about his current projects, he produced the bolt of purple fabric laying in front of him in the image above and proceeded to tell us about the 1740s suit they are planning to make from the fabric.  One of the few extant garments known to have been worn in Williamsburg in the 18th century was a man's suit crafted in three pieces (coat, waistcoat, and breeches) from a silk very similar to the bolt pictured.  Acting on behalf of Colonial Williamsburg, Mr. Hutter commissioned a European fabric mill to match the 18th century fabric.  The match is not perfect, as some fine details were omitted due to budget constraints, but I'm told most people would be hard pressed to tell the difference (since I haven't seen the original garments, I can't comment on this claim).

The original suit was worn by the owner and was later updated to 1770s fashion for use by the son.  Naturally, Mr. Hutter only has access to the modified garments, but can tell from their construction what the 1740s garment probably looked like.  His intention is to create two coats, both in the 1740s style, and then modify one of them to reflect the current state of the garment in the 1770s style.  In the image above Mr. Hutter was describing characteristics of the fabric pattern that made this fabric an interesting combination of two styles, and he had just finished describing the construction differences between 1740s and 1770s men's coats.  We were all very impressed.

Later, at the Cabinetmaker Shop, Elizabeth joined a long line of keyboard players that have practiced their form on this reproduction harpsichord.

This obligatory image shows a quaint garden we've enjoyed seeing here in different seasons.

Finally, after dinner at Aroma's (another favorite here), we made our way to the Palace for a candlelight concert featuring violins, viola, viola da gamba, flute, and harpsichord.  As always, the candlelit atmosphere suited the classical music well as the Governor's Musick ensemble played works composed by Carl Friedrich Abel, Joseph Haydn, Johann Christian Bach, and Leopold Mozart (Wolfgang's dad).  We always enjoy these concerts so much I have to wonder: would we attend frequently if we lived in Williamsburg?  There's only one way to find out!  It's good to be on vacation!

On day two I mentioned that we watched the filming of a live webcast on the streets of CW, and it appears that the webcast is now archived online, so we can all watch it at our leisure.  Go to http://connect.history.org/archived-webcasts and click on the link for "American Ideas: The Gale from the North."