Ellicott City and being a Squirrel
Perhaps I should post more things on Washington DC, where I work but most of the days this is what I encounter:
and
then I drive home. So when I am home and go out and about I usually venture into Maryland that feels more like home.
This weekend the Chef and I went to Ellicott City which was a stupendous idea. We hadn't gone, I think ever, to walk around but the day was sunny and pleasantly chilly. Ellicott City is the perfect little Christmas city built, mostly in stone, and in a valley right before Baltimore.
They used to have several grist mills, to make flour and the remaining buildings are just so pretty. Last week the temperature dropped below freezing so the river in Ellicott City had frozen with red and orange leaves floating in it. It was breathtaking and made me feel so grateful for the beauty that nature gives us when we stop to look
There is something very grounding in seeing large stones and stone houses. Even the three little pigs felt strongly about stone! Or was it brick? Close enough!
We had a great time walking up the steep hills of the town and back down to the main street. Some of my favorite things of Ellicott City are the old doors and windows. They make my heart happy like dark chocolate with cherry. It is that indulgent feeling of yum that I get with good old doors and dark chocolate.
We discovered an antique store that had some cool gadgets.
As we were walking up Main Street smelling french fries and steak the Chef suddenly stopped and his usual serious demeanor changed into an expression I only see when he looks at Neapolitan fire-wood baked pizza. I went to look into the store window of Shoemaker Country and there was the most beautiful slab of wood.
It stretched its way across the window showing the veins of the trees, inner knots and bark on its end. We somewhat reluctantly went in the Shoemaker Country store knowing we would love everything in it, want to buy it, and forget responsibilities in life! Everything in the store was in fact a work of natural art.
As we left the store I noticed that the Chef was more in tune with the wood in things around him! He knocked on a light pole and looked at it from top to bottom, he analyzed the wood of an old log cabin and went back in silence to the car. Wood and stone can do that to you!
If it were up to me I would be a squirrel, an anthropomorphic one that is, and live in a tree, high high up with a little house inside where I would have a tiny bed, with a tiny quilt and maybe have a ladybug for a pet. I would take her for walks and we would eat berries and nuts for dinner before rolling into my fluffy tail and going to sleep.
My husband would be an owl. But a nice owl, not an angry one. My nice owl husband would would be fluffy and snow white and able to make the tastiest of omelets with too much cheese. He would be a lover of books, naturally, and would sit on our book shelf reading and dozing off. I don't know what kind of a book I would like if I were a squirrel come to think of it? Jane Austen wouldn't make very good sense, nor Sherlock Holmes. Although squirrels are thieves and regularly steal buried nuts! It's true! They sit and watch their best friend bury a very good heavy nut and then they wait till buddy boy goes home before scurrying over to unearth the good nut and lug it home. But back to books for squirrels, gee, that is a hard one. I guess I would like any cook book on pies, some books on astronomy (as a squirrel I would have to go look at the stars each night), and maybe some self-help books on how to move on after someone has stolen your best nut. One poetry book by Tennyson would be good and I think I would be happy with that. If I were a squirrel that is. Anyway, the desire to be a squirrel might come upon you if you do decide to tip-toe into Ellicott City and into that fabulous wood-store called Shoemaker Country!
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| Going to work the other side of the road is totally empty and joyful people speed past us slow movers. Sometimes you get all red lights on the way to work. Other times you might get a few green ones. |
and
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| The wheels on the bus go round and round. |
then I drive home. So when I am home and go out and about I usually venture into Maryland that feels more like home.
This weekend the Chef and I went to Ellicott City which was a stupendous idea. We hadn't gone, I think ever, to walk around but the day was sunny and pleasantly chilly. Ellicott City is the perfect little Christmas city built, mostly in stone, and in a valley right before Baltimore.
They used to have several grist mills, to make flour and the remaining buildings are just so pretty. Last week the temperature dropped below freezing so the river in Ellicott City had frozen with red and orange leaves floating in it. It was breathtaking and made me feel so grateful for the beauty that nature gives us when we stop to look
There is something very grounding in seeing large stones and stone houses. Even the three little pigs felt strongly about stone! Or was it brick? Close enough!
We had a great time walking up the steep hills of the town and back down to the main street. Some of my favorite things of Ellicott City are the old doors and windows. They make my heart happy like dark chocolate with cherry. It is that indulgent feeling of yum that I get with good old doors and dark chocolate.
 |
| The wine store, appropriately, had wine bottle openers at the front door. |
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| An old chicken incubator! |
As we were walking up Main Street smelling french fries and steak the Chef suddenly stopped and his usual serious demeanor changed into an expression I only see when he looks at Neapolitan fire-wood baked pizza. I went to look into the store window of Shoemaker Country and there was the most beautiful slab of wood.
It stretched its way across the window showing the veins of the trees, inner knots and bark on its end. We somewhat reluctantly went in the Shoemaker Country store knowing we would love everything in it, want to buy it, and forget responsibilities in life! Everything in the store was in fact a work of natural art.
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| "If I buy this piece of wood I will name my table Steve." |
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| "How much does Steve, here, cost?" |
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| The Chef, "This is such an elegant table for serving different types of salami and prosciutto." Me: "This table would be amazing to lay on and stretch your back really good if you had back pain." It is a very good and versatile table. |
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| You can pick your piece of wood and carry it home, and talk to it and ask what it wants to be when it grows up. Or you can buy it here, send it to school here, and they will give it to you reformed, with legs and looking like a proper table. |
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| I want to live in the table for a little while. |
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| A bar table with a hole, that we both agreed would daily have our drinks and chips fall through! |
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| Lumberjack in the making. |
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| For the artsy types. Here is a bowl you would never use and sell for 20 bucks on ebay in a few years. |
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| Dear table, please come home with me. Sigh. |
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| Steve decided to stay in the end. He was in love with the walnut called Evelina. |
As we left the store I noticed that the Chef was more in tune with the wood in things around him! He knocked on a light pole and looked at it from top to bottom, he analyzed the wood of an old log cabin and went back in silence to the car. Wood and stone can do that to you!
If it were up to me I would be a squirrel, an anthropomorphic one that is, and live in a tree, high high up with a little house inside where I would have a tiny bed, with a tiny quilt and maybe have a ladybug for a pet. I would take her for walks and we would eat berries and nuts for dinner before rolling into my fluffy tail and going to sleep.
My husband would be an owl. But a nice owl, not an angry one. My nice owl husband would would be fluffy and snow white and able to make the tastiest of omelets with too much cheese. He would be a lover of books, naturally, and would sit on our book shelf reading and dozing off. I don't know what kind of a book I would like if I were a squirrel come to think of it? Jane Austen wouldn't make very good sense, nor Sherlock Holmes. Although squirrels are thieves and regularly steal buried nuts! It's true! They sit and watch their best friend bury a very good heavy nut and then they wait till buddy boy goes home before scurrying over to unearth the good nut and lug it home. But back to books for squirrels, gee, that is a hard one. I guess I would like any cook book on pies, some books on astronomy (as a squirrel I would have to go look at the stars each night), and maybe some self-help books on how to move on after someone has stolen your best nut. One poetry book by Tennyson would be good and I think I would be happy with that. If I were a squirrel that is. Anyway, the desire to be a squirrel might come upon you if you do decide to tip-toe into Ellicott City and into that fabulous wood-store called Shoemaker Country!
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