Return to the Sea

As this region prepares for yet another round of high tides and coastal flooding as the result of a close brush with a hurricane (Erin), I'm reminded of how Tidewater Virginia was all once the bottom of an ocean anyway. The evidence is never far from reach.

Chesapecten Jeffersonius

Chesapecten jeffersonius? I think so. If so, then Wikipedia says that it is "the fossilized form of an extinct scallop, which lived in the early Pliocene epoch between four and five million years ago on Virginia's coastal plain."

Teapigs

Quite a change of pace, I know. But I'm fascinated by the various ways I can manipulate the available light and camera settings to produce different effects. At the same time, I'm experimenting with--as I mentioned yesterday--some different brands of English Breakfast tea. Today's choice was Teapigs. Funny name. BOLD taste! Maybe just a tad too bold? Of course, I haven't yet tried to tone it down with a bit of sugar. That might help. Next time. 

Rishi

Having a bit of fun here shooting product pics as well as enjoying a break from my more usual brands of tea. I spotted these Rishi tea sachets at one of my local grocery stores and decided to give them a try this morning. I have to confess, I probably don't have the most sensitive taste buds. One brand pretty much tastes the same to me as any other. Oh, one might strike me as a little more bitter than another (is that the caffeine?). Rishi's English Breakfast tea, however, seemed to me, at least, pretty smooth from beginning to end. Was there enough difference to make me switch brands? Mmm, probably not, especially given how pricey Rishi is compared to the others. But . . . it makes for an interesting change of pace.

How about you? Have you ever tried this tea? And, if so, what did you think? 

Psalm 80

Starting the morning with Psalm 80. And don't forget to turn back to the double bar (No, not THAT kind of bar!) at verse 14! "Turn now . . ." :-)

Eighteenth Amendment

I probably should have remembered this from earlier readings about the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. There were loopholes. One had to do with purchases of alcoholic beverages before ratification. For example:

"In New Orleans civic leader Walter Parker, a member of the Stratford Club, built two new wine cellars in his house, purchased a stock of more than five thousand bottles, and proceeded to dip into it daily for the next fourteen years. In Los Angeles, Charlotte Hennessy, mother of actress Mary Pickford, simply bought the entire inventory of a liquor store and hat it relocated to her basement." -- Daniel Okrent, Last Call

Evensong

Another Sunday, another evensong. This one shared with members of the choir from St. John's Lutheran Church in Stamford, Connecticut. 

According to Wikipedia, evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word vesperas as æfensang, which became 'evensong' in modern English. The term is typically used in reference to the Anglican daily office's evening liturgy.