2023- Photoblog Year in Review.

My friend Amy said she went through her year of photos to organize and erase the useless ones. But it caused her to reflect over the year gone by, and I decided to do the same. I am recovering from Covid, so have more couch time than usual. I saved some in a folder to remind me of the year that was. Decided to share it here in case there are others with more couch time than is usual on January 2, 2024. 

Some of my favorites from 2023. It was a very good year. 

 I am a nester at core, and January is a month for cuddling a kitty by the fire and moonlit barn chores. 

February brought friends Kaylee and boyfriend (now fiancé) Luke, of Van Winkle Eventing and Luke Gingerich Horsemanship LLC, to pick up "Vander," a lovely son of "American Pharoah" Huz and I purchased for Kaylee to train and compete. 

He's grown so much in a year! 

Our youngest turned 22! 

The mild winter allowed for horse time on Daisy. 

March was filled with family and friends! A visit from Dr. Chrissie,  

and a trip to OH to see the girls and some of the gang. 

St. Patrick's Day dinner, sister Stephanie and her girls joined the Virginians. 

Huz took Henri for a paddle in the pond. 

Animal photography. Some people make it look easy. Other people. 

April brings with it the Virginia Bluebells! SPECTACULAR. I felt like Dorothy, in a field full of poppies. 

I got to ride with Huz! He is just starting to ride, but Baily is a good partner.

April features Virginia Garden Week, and I hosted a little party for the local garden tour and then late lunch in the Foxcroft gardens, featuring the glorious tree peonies transplanted in 2021 from my mother's St. Michaels garden. Here with mom and Dr. Betsy S. 

One of the blessings of this decade has been reconnecting yearly with long time dear friends. 

 2023 found us communing in lovely Sedona AZ.

May is maybe the prettiest month at Foxcroft Farm. 

The gardens are putting on a big show. 

And Daisy and I managed to make our way to a show too. ( I did purchase this photo from SDH Photography and it is framed!) 

Daisy and I had a lovely spring, gallavanting. Lookit those ears! 

And, sister Stephanie came for a ride or two this year. She got me hooked on these beasties nearly 50 years ago. 

June was IRELAND. I have never had a "bucket list", but if I did, 

Ireland would've been right near the top! 

It is gagagorgeous. This is Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula. 

A sheep on the rim of a Faerie Fort. 

When the view is too pretty to be mucked up by my mug. 

A lough in Glendalough. 

We returned from Ireland, and Huz came down with Covid, and I did a cool thing, illustrating a short film for filmmaker friend, DeeDee. The film was set to premier in November, so I painted it all in 5 days! 

Also, that busy first week of July, I acquired my newest equine partner, Luna. 

For my birthday, celebrating 55 years, we were joined by Ohio pals Amber and Bill, I was surprised by Middlest showing up before my first cup of tea ( I do love a surprise and a visit from one of my babies? The best!) 

And we even had drinks with previous OSU President Gordon Gee. I am the only one in this shot with zero OSU affiliation except by marriage, parenthood, and 20 years of proximity. 

 

Birthday hike to Blue Hole- refreshingly brisk on a July day! Virginia is so beautiful.

It is a joy to be a stopover spot for traveling friends. Reen and Sheebs, thank you for putting Foxcroft Farm into your schedule!

 The end of July was so fantastic. The entire Drost Family came from all points for a week at Lake Santeetlah, NC. IMO the most beautiful lake in the east. College pal Kelly introduced me to this place in 2018, and I've been wanting to share it with the family ever since!

Also celebrating Opa's 89th birthday, and Nana and Opa's 61st wedding anniversary. 

I have been very, very blessed with the best in-laws and loving family. 

I mean. 

August is a bounty of TOMATOES. Aren't they beauties?

And, another beauty, we have a PhD graduate! Dr. MD, M.S., Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science with a specialty in Statistical Analysis. 

Ohio State University still has her working a Post-Doc this year, working in academia, the private corporate sector and for Ohio state government. 

The beauty next to her, GDD, began her Master's in Library Science this year too! Her husband, Jesse is getting his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. More graduations to come. 

In August Huz and I went west, to Oregon, where I got to catch up with Christine, and have wonderful Willamette Valley wines. 

While Huz works, I get to play, and I took myself up the Columbia River Valley. Wow. It is stunning! 

I wish there was a photo of my face when I came around a corner to this spectacle. Glee. 

My parents celebrated 60 years of marriage in September! 

What happens when you go to take a nice sisters photo, and you realize your "big" sister is really, really little. 

 An impromptu quick visit to the Eastern shore with friend, Marie, to visit old friends of hers, now new friends of mine!  

And back home for the bliss of quiet dinners from the garden with Huz.

September and October bring cubbing season for Keswick Hunt Club, and Daisy and I got a few times out in the field. Our fixtures are so beautiful, I always feel so blessed to be a part! 

In October we lost my Aunt. I have only had one aunt in my life, and, wow, did I get a good one. She was a firecracker, smart, witty, athletic, tough, cheeky, invincible. I took many lessons from her about looking at limitations and planting a thumb right in their eye. 

We Hamilton girls celebrated her life in Pittsburgh. 

Huz and I are still on top of the world after 29 years of marriage! So, we walked there. 

  Field Hockey brought my friends Tommy and Maria to town a few times this October, and it was so great to see them! Their daughter, Kelly is a star on the NCAA Champion UNC team. Tommy and I have been getting up to no good for more than 45 years. 

Cue the band!! 

Huz and I went to New Orleans in October. He is the Executive Director of the ACVR and hosted the meeting in NOLA this year. I haven't been to New Orleans in years and I have to say I had a wonderful time! 

We even got to lead the second line for a parade through the streets, led by a rocking HS Marching Band and a police escort. New Orleans knows how to throw a party. 

Halloween! My sister was dancing with the Lexington Witches for the Witch Dance, so, I went as a support witch. 

Sometimes my ancient history as a model comes out. 

November on the farm is showcased by the lovely light. Every day, I just take pictures of trees and sky. 

Sometimes there are chickens. 

Perhaps the most interesting thing I did this entire year was illustrate the film for DeeDee. It premiered at the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival. The film is called "Away for Awhile" and it is about returning Native American art and artifacts to their origin nations. The film is so good! I was lucky to have a small hand in its creation. 

Cheers to the filmmaker! And, it appears we are scarf girls. 

 The Blessing of the Hounds is a spectacle, with the most beautifully turned out hunt receiving a blessing in the shadow of the stunning Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick. These two fit right in. Mom and Dad have traded sailboats and sheep for mountains and horses. 

We celebrated Mom's 81st Birthday at Thanksgiving. 

December at Foxcroft is always special, but this year it brings it's own unique challenges as we are in the midst of a large scale renovation of the second story and the last rooms on the main. Lots of dust, tracked in mud, large areas without electricity and daily power tool activity mean we have modified the way we live a bit. 

But when the evening comes, it becomes calm and bright. We lined the driveway with maples and crepe myrtles this spring, so I got to hang stars in the trees this year. The moon lends its own light. 

The elves at work on Christmas cookies. 

And, there is Pearl. Pearl loves all equally. Be more like Pearl. 

Family started rolling in and out again during the holiday. 

Youngest hosted us at his new job, bringing the festive spirit to Southwest Mountains Vineyard! 

Huz is pretty festive too! 

Christmas Eve Crew. 

Christmas night chaos. I love this picture. Some plates are gone to get filled. And I just have the goldware in the urn on the table. But, it shows it is warm and feels like Christmas. We had 13 for dinner this year. And, about that many minutes to prep for the meal. Huz had pre-made lasagnas and mac and cheese that he just put in the oven. Thank goodness, because we finished "Christmas morning" a half hour before the rest of the crowd arrived! 

Including this guy. In these pants. I have a photo of him in these same pants from 1975. We girls were all little and wearing crocheted red and white dresses, made by my Gram. 

We ended the year with family- treasure. Thankful for 2023.