As well as the many materials that are available in floor tile options, there are also lots of finishes available, from matte, glazed and unglazed. This can sometimes confuse many home owners because although they appreciate the appearance differences, they are unsure as to which is the best floor tile option.
Ceramic floor tiles are an ideal flooring solution and they can be glazed or unglazed depending on your personal preferences. There are differences in both the appearance of the two finishes and the way they function and perform as floor tiles.
The glazed variety of ceramic floor tiles are treated additionally by spraying a paint like substance onto them before firing them for a second time at very high temperatures. The second firing of the ceramic floor tile makes it have a shiny and gloss like appearance which can be different colours depending on the particular range of floor tiles.
The glazed variety of ceramic floor tiles will be very strong and durable as well as having a very low absorbency rate, making them ideal for a flooring material. On the other hand, ceramic floor tiles that do not undergo the final firing process and the extra glass will be unglazed ceramic floor tiles. The varieties of ceramic unglazed floor tiles are a non slip floor tile and are ideal for busy areas of the home such as the kitchen floor. The unglazed variety will however absorb water and stains and are more porous unless they receive any extra treatment. This can be in the form of a sealant which will protect the floor tile from any spillages and accidents.
The glazed variety of floor tile are also supplied in a matte finish and textured finish which gives the home owner the best of both worlds, a floor tile solution that provides anti slip properties and a different finishes. . A glazed ceramic floor tile will not normally require any further treatment such as sealant as the floor tile is already resistant to stains and moisture from the way it has been manufactured and largely as a result of the second firing process. The glazed variety of ceramic tiles are very versatile tiles and are not just used as floor tiles, they are commonly found in bathrooms installed as wall tiles where the gloss finish is very desirable. The gloss shine appearance of this wall tile is very attractive for home decor and is commonly used also as wall tiles in kitchen areas such as backsplash areas and behind cooker hobs.
The varieties of glazed and unglazed floor tiles is endless and floor tiles are not just supplied in solid colours, many of the floor tile patterns can have decorative patterns of many variations.
It can be confusing for many home owners when selecting floor tile materials because there is more to a floor tile than the material, with many different finishes and treatments. The best way forward is to get as much advice as you can when selecting floor tiles and all good tile stores will be more than happy to advise on the pros and cons of the different varieties of wall tiles and floor tiles.
2011年10月27日星期四
2011年10月20日星期四
A world apart near Battery Kemble Park
The entrance to MacArthur Court, just off MacArthur Boulevard in the Palisades neighborhood of Northwest Washington, is easy to miss, and that is a shame.
The small driveway opens off the boulevard into a charming community of Victorian-style homes arranged around a cul-de-sac to create a lovely world of its own.
Realtor Scott Polk of Long & Foster Realtors describes the 11-home MacArthur Court neighborhood as an eclectic mix of families from around the world who enjoy the adjacent Battery Kemble Park along with watching their children play and holding an occasional cul-de-sac party.
MacArthur Court’s residents can walk to local schools and child care facilities, the Palisades branch of the public library, the Palisades recreation center and numerous shops and restaurants with a variety of cuisines from American to Belgian to Italian to Chinese.
The Palisades neighborhood offers quick access not only to Battery Kemble Park, but also to the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. The delights of Georgetown and the Kennedy Center are minutes away, and residents easily can reach downtown Washington as well as the Virginia and Maryland suburbs.
Built in 2000, the single-family homes in MacArthur Court offer a taste of contemporary style inside, including myriad oversized windows and an open floor plan, while keeping a touch of formality with elegant crown molding.
The home at 5010 MacArthur Court, on the market for $1,165,000, has three finished levels and rests near the end of the cul-de-sac, adjacent to the park. The home includes a lawn and garden beds adjacent to the brick driveway, an attached one-car garage and several mature trees on all sides. The fully fenced backyard includes a lawn, garden beds and a towering walnut tree. A deck off the main level adds extra space for entertaining outdoors.
The back of the home faces south for maximum natural light, and the home sits on top of an incline so that the upper-level bedrooms have a view of the treetops on the Virginia side of the Potomac. Every room has as many windows as possible, along with high ceilings and recessed lighting, adding to the sense of light and space. The plantation-style shutters and blinds throughout the house convey to the buyers.
A flagstone walkway leads from the driveway to the small covered front porch. The front door opens into a foyer with hardwood flooring. Both the main and upper levels have hardwood flooring as well as crown molding.
Adjacent to the foyer is a formal living room or sitting area with a picture window facing the front lawn and a long narrow window on the opposite wall. A window-shaped cutout links the living room with the open floor plan at the back of this level, allowing light to filter between the rooms while adding to the inviting openness of the home. Hardwood stairs lead from the foyer to the upper level.
The entire back of the main level is open from the family room at one end to the kitchen at the other. The family room has a gas fireplace with a marble hearth and surround and a detailed white-painted wood mantel. This room has windows on three sides, including a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with transoms and a glass door to the deck.
The adjacent dining area has a bay window framing a view of the walnut tree and backyard. The recently renovated kitchen includes granite counters, stainless steel appliances and maple cabinets. The kitchen has a breakfast bar with room for several seats and a triple window over the sink facing the backyard. The upgraded appliances include a Viking two-drawer dishwasher and double wall ovens, and the cabinets include two lazy Susan fixtures in the corner to maximize efficiency.
Just beyond the kitchen is a dazzling powder room with distinctive ceramic tile flooring that matches the counter, an oversized window with plantation shutters and a glass vessel sink.
Upstairs, the master suite has been expanded to encompass about 60 percent of the upper level. The suite includes a sitting area with a window seat set into a bay window that faces the upper branches of the walnut tree. The bedroom area has a ceiling fan and a cathedral ceiling along with windows on three sides.
The master bath has stone flooring, two vanities, a whirlpool tub and a stone shower with glass doors. The bathroom includes windows on two sides and a deep walk-in closet.
The small driveway opens off the boulevard into a charming community of Victorian-style homes arranged around a cul-de-sac to create a lovely world of its own.
Realtor Scott Polk of Long & Foster Realtors describes the 11-home MacArthur Court neighborhood as an eclectic mix of families from around the world who enjoy the adjacent Battery Kemble Park along with watching their children play and holding an occasional cul-de-sac party.
MacArthur Court’s residents can walk to local schools and child care facilities, the Palisades branch of the public library, the Palisades recreation center and numerous shops and restaurants with a variety of cuisines from American to Belgian to Italian to Chinese.
The Palisades neighborhood offers quick access not only to Battery Kemble Park, but also to the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. The delights of Georgetown and the Kennedy Center are minutes away, and residents easily can reach downtown Washington as well as the Virginia and Maryland suburbs.
Built in 2000, the single-family homes in MacArthur Court offer a taste of contemporary style inside, including myriad oversized windows and an open floor plan, while keeping a touch of formality with elegant crown molding.
The home at 5010 MacArthur Court, on the market for $1,165,000, has three finished levels and rests near the end of the cul-de-sac, adjacent to the park. The home includes a lawn and garden beds adjacent to the brick driveway, an attached one-car garage and several mature trees on all sides. The fully fenced backyard includes a lawn, garden beds and a towering walnut tree. A deck off the main level adds extra space for entertaining outdoors.
The back of the home faces south for maximum natural light, and the home sits on top of an incline so that the upper-level bedrooms have a view of the treetops on the Virginia side of the Potomac. Every room has as many windows as possible, along with high ceilings and recessed lighting, adding to the sense of light and space. The plantation-style shutters and blinds throughout the house convey to the buyers.
A flagstone walkway leads from the driveway to the small covered front porch. The front door opens into a foyer with hardwood flooring. Both the main and upper levels have hardwood flooring as well as crown molding.
Adjacent to the foyer is a formal living room or sitting area with a picture window facing the front lawn and a long narrow window on the opposite wall. A window-shaped cutout links the living room with the open floor plan at the back of this level, allowing light to filter between the rooms while adding to the inviting openness of the home. Hardwood stairs lead from the foyer to the upper level.
The entire back of the main level is open from the family room at one end to the kitchen at the other. The family room has a gas fireplace with a marble hearth and surround and a detailed white-painted wood mantel. This room has windows on three sides, including a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with transoms and a glass door to the deck.
The adjacent dining area has a bay window framing a view of the walnut tree and backyard. The recently renovated kitchen includes granite counters, stainless steel appliances and maple cabinets. The kitchen has a breakfast bar with room for several seats and a triple window over the sink facing the backyard. The upgraded appliances include a Viking two-drawer dishwasher and double wall ovens, and the cabinets include two lazy Susan fixtures in the corner to maximize efficiency.
Just beyond the kitchen is a dazzling powder room with distinctive ceramic tile flooring that matches the counter, an oversized window with plantation shutters and a glass vessel sink.
Upstairs, the master suite has been expanded to encompass about 60 percent of the upper level. The suite includes a sitting area with a window seat set into a bay window that faces the upper branches of the walnut tree. The bedroom area has a ceiling fan and a cathedral ceiling along with windows on three sides.
The master bath has stone flooring, two vanities, a whirlpool tub and a stone shower with glass doors. The bathroom includes windows on two sides and a deep walk-in closet.
2011年10月19日星期三
Vinyl floor tiles in funky retro patterns are brought
Zazous are proud announce that they are the UK distributors for a brand new range of vinyl floor tiles from France. Kate Austin, owner of online webstore zazous, came across the product while sourcing cutlery for her current online homewares business. She liked them so much that this has led to a new direction for her. She plans to roll out the product by selling the tiles into flooring shops and DIY centres across the UK.
“We have only been selling them for a couple of weeks on our website and we have already seen a huge interest in the tiles but we need to get them to flooring suppliers. At present most of our customers are stumbling on them while shopping for wall stickers or home accessories. Once they are more widely available we think they will be in huge demand.”
So far the most popular designs have been The Red Stars, which is redolent of 1950s American diners, and Rose Des Vents which is more French in style and is similar to antique ceramic tiles. Rosemary is a striking larger scale pattern for the more daring home stylist. Finally are the Blue Rose and Capucine designs that can be used together to create a mix-and-match pattern. All the designs share a retro, mid century feel with a modern twist.
“I am so tired of all the pseudo-wood finishes and fake stone that I was genuinely excited to find these creative designs from France. I simply haven’t seen anything like them before. ” said Kate.
They are made from self-adhesive vinyl and are therefore very practical, easy-to-lay, durable and inexpensive at around £30.00 per square metre. They would be very functional and attractive in a kitchen or bathroom and would also work well in a conservatory or a hallway. Each tile is 30.5cm x 30.5cm and there are 11 tiles per pack.
“We have only been selling them for a couple of weeks on our website and we have already seen a huge interest in the tiles but we need to get them to flooring suppliers. At present most of our customers are stumbling on them while shopping for wall stickers or home accessories. Once they are more widely available we think they will be in huge demand.”
So far the most popular designs have been The Red Stars, which is redolent of 1950s American diners, and Rose Des Vents which is more French in style and is similar to antique ceramic tiles. Rosemary is a striking larger scale pattern for the more daring home stylist. Finally are the Blue Rose and Capucine designs that can be used together to create a mix-and-match pattern. All the designs share a retro, mid century feel with a modern twist.
“I am so tired of all the pseudo-wood finishes and fake stone that I was genuinely excited to find these creative designs from France. I simply haven’t seen anything like them before. ” said Kate.
They are made from self-adhesive vinyl and are therefore very practical, easy-to-lay, durable and inexpensive at around £30.00 per square metre. They would be very functional and attractive in a kitchen or bathroom and would also work well in a conservatory or a hallway. Each tile is 30.5cm x 30.5cm and there are 11 tiles per pack.
2011年9月13日星期二
Most Music City Center contract money goes out of state
More than 85 cents of every dollar being spent on the Music City Center construction job is going out of Middle Tennessee, with out-of-state firms winning the six largest contracts.
But project leaders say two-thirds of the money has wound up back in the region’s economy as subcontractors have hired hundreds of local firms to help them do the work while buying much of their material here, as well.
“Sixty-six percent of every dollar we spend ends up coming back,” senior project manager Larry Atema said at a convention center authority meeting Thursday. “You can’t buy air handlers here. But you can buy concrete.”
After the new convention hall was sold to the public and the Metro Council as a local economic stimulus, questions arose early in the project about 90 percent of the construction money being awarded to out-of-state companies. Newer data show the percentages haven’t changed much over the past year.
A procurement log indicates that more than 93 percent of the approximately $350 million that will be awarded for construction items or packages has now been spent. Of the $326.7 million awarded to date, just $48.2 million has gone to Middle Tennessee-based subcontractors. (An additional $10.8 million has been awarded to two Memphis companies.)
A slight majority of the 42 contracts awarded so far have gone to Middle Tennessee firms: 21 in Nashville and one in Spring Hill. But the largest of those awards has been $11.6 million to Acousti Engineering for ceiling work, while six larger contracts, each worth $17 million to $51.9 million, have gone to companies from Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Missouri. Those top half-dozen contracts account for more than$210 million by themselves.
Elbert Holbert, business manager for the Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association’s Local 909, said the numbers are disturbing. He said his union’s members haven’t been able to get work laying concrete for the 1.2-million-square-foot, $585 million facility, the biggest construction project Nashville has ever seen.
Ceco, a St. Louis-based company, won a $42.5 million structural concrete contract from Bell/Clark, the project’s general contractor.
“We didn’t get any of it,” Holbert said. “I’ve got men who haven’t worked for three years.”
Metro Councilman Robert Duvall, who voted against the project 20 months ago, said he’s disappointed that more of the money isn’t staying in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
“If they say 66 percent is coming back, that’s better than 15 percent,” Duvall said. “But I’d rather it be much, much higher than that. I think taxpayers would prefer that more of the money stay with our friends and neighbors.”
But Atema and others working on the project say the big contract numbers are misleading.
Holly McCall, the convention center authority’s spokeswoman, said there were no local bidders for the painting, ceramic tile, millwork and window washing jobs, which are worth more than $11 million combined. The only Tennessee bidder for the $39.5 million structural steel job was from Knoxville.
“There aren’t a lot of companies that do some of this stuff,” McCall said. “Nashville is not a known center of steel production work.”
But much of the money in the steel contract has still trickled down to Middle Tennessee. The local ironworkers union has worked with a Minnesota steel erection firm, which is working, in turn, with Indianapolis-based Lenex Steel Co., which won the steel fabrication job.
Also, subcontractors and the companies they contract with are required to post bonds as insurance against the possibility that they won’t complete the work. Some of them simply don’t have the financial wherewithal to put up the amounts needed for the work that has to be done, officials said.
“Sometimes it’s just the nature of the beast as to what they can financially support,” said Patrick Holcombe, a project manager for the convention center authority.
Holcombe said several factors go into choosing the best firm for a particular job. They include cost, the time it will take to do the work, bonding capacity, projected local participation and use of minority-owned businesses.
“We don’t always have the luxury of picking the local guy,” he said.
Holcombe provided a list of 317 local firms working with each of the prime subcontractors, including about 75 associated with Ceco, the structural concrete subcontractor. Ceco expects to spend 84 percent of its $42.5 million contract on local materials, labor and equipment, according to the procurement log.
But project leaders say two-thirds of the money has wound up back in the region’s economy as subcontractors have hired hundreds of local firms to help them do the work while buying much of their material here, as well.
“Sixty-six percent of every dollar we spend ends up coming back,” senior project manager Larry Atema said at a convention center authority meeting Thursday. “You can’t buy air handlers here. But you can buy concrete.”
After the new convention hall was sold to the public and the Metro Council as a local economic stimulus, questions arose early in the project about 90 percent of the construction money being awarded to out-of-state companies. Newer data show the percentages haven’t changed much over the past year.
A procurement log indicates that more than 93 percent of the approximately $350 million that will be awarded for construction items or packages has now been spent. Of the $326.7 million awarded to date, just $48.2 million has gone to Middle Tennessee-based subcontractors. (An additional $10.8 million has been awarded to two Memphis companies.)
A slight majority of the 42 contracts awarded so far have gone to Middle Tennessee firms: 21 in Nashville and one in Spring Hill. But the largest of those awards has been $11.6 million to Acousti Engineering for ceiling work, while six larger contracts, each worth $17 million to $51.9 million, have gone to companies from Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Missouri. Those top half-dozen contracts account for more than$210 million by themselves.
Elbert Holbert, business manager for the Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association’s Local 909, said the numbers are disturbing. He said his union’s members haven’t been able to get work laying concrete for the 1.2-million-square-foot, $585 million facility, the biggest construction project Nashville has ever seen.
Ceco, a St. Louis-based company, won a $42.5 million structural concrete contract from Bell/Clark, the project’s general contractor.
“We didn’t get any of it,” Holbert said. “I’ve got men who haven’t worked for three years.”
Metro Councilman Robert Duvall, who voted against the project 20 months ago, said he’s disappointed that more of the money isn’t staying in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
“If they say 66 percent is coming back, that’s better than 15 percent,” Duvall said. “But I’d rather it be much, much higher than that. I think taxpayers would prefer that more of the money stay with our friends and neighbors.”
But Atema and others working on the project say the big contract numbers are misleading.
Holly McCall, the convention center authority’s spokeswoman, said there were no local bidders for the painting, ceramic tile, millwork and window washing jobs, which are worth more than $11 million combined. The only Tennessee bidder for the $39.5 million structural steel job was from Knoxville.
“There aren’t a lot of companies that do some of this stuff,” McCall said. “Nashville is not a known center of steel production work.”
But much of the money in the steel contract has still trickled down to Middle Tennessee. The local ironworkers union has worked with a Minnesota steel erection firm, which is working, in turn, with Indianapolis-based Lenex Steel Co., which won the steel fabrication job.
Also, subcontractors and the companies they contract with are required to post bonds as insurance against the possibility that they won’t complete the work. Some of them simply don’t have the financial wherewithal to put up the amounts needed for the work that has to be done, officials said.
“Sometimes it’s just the nature of the beast as to what they can financially support,” said Patrick Holcombe, a project manager for the convention center authority.
Holcombe said several factors go into choosing the best firm for a particular job. They include cost, the time it will take to do the work, bonding capacity, projected local participation and use of minority-owned businesses.
“We don’t always have the luxury of picking the local guy,” he said.
Holcombe provided a list of 317 local firms working with each of the prime subcontractors, including about 75 associated with Ceco, the structural concrete subcontractor. Ceco expects to spend 84 percent of its $42.5 million contract on local materials, labor and equipment, according to the procurement log.
2011年8月22日星期一
A pair of aces
Convenient to grocery stores, coffee shops, parks, restaurants and transportation, the building at 4366 West Pine Boulevard is in the heart of the Central West End. Both units, A and C, provide off-street, garage parking, a finished lower level, and a monthly condos fee of only $179. That's hard to beat.
Unit A is a totally updated two-bedroom, two full bath condo that has never been lived in. The kitchen comes with solid surface countertops, a cool black under-mounted sink, breakfast bar, and China ceramic tile flooring.
Two nice-sized bedrooms both offer oversized walk-in closets. The huge open great room features a three-pane bow window with window seat and a gas fireplace. The second floor master bedroom suite boasts a private luxury bath.
Oversized double hung thermal windows give this unit a bright, open feel. The finished lower level has a cedar closet and washer dryer hook-ups. Amenities include: six-panel doors, extensive mill work, 6-inch base molding, 9-foot ceiling on first and second floors. The total living space is approximately 1,246 square feet. Unit A list for $219,000.
Intersesting architectural details highlight Unit C, a three-level condo with open loft areas overlooking the main floor.
A huge skylight on the second level pours natural light though an open staircase with stained glass and glass block accents to the main level. The main floor great room, with a wood-burning fireplace, opens to second floor over a half-round balcony, and accesses a large, private deck ideal for entertaining.
Double closets, a private balcony, and a master bath with double sinks highlight the second floor master suite.
A professionally finished lower level offers a rec room, as well as private laundry and storage areas. There's almost 1,600 square feet of living space in this great location, just a short walk to the the CWE with sidewalk cafes, MetroLink, BJC Hospital, or Forest Park with golf, tennis, art museum, zoo, horse back riding, theater and more. Don't miss this one, listed at $189,900.
The condos both enjoy a level rear yard with a privacy fence and a garage with opener for secure parking.
Unit A is a totally updated two-bedroom, two full bath condo that has never been lived in. The kitchen comes with solid surface countertops, a cool black under-mounted sink, breakfast bar, and China ceramic tile flooring.
Two nice-sized bedrooms both offer oversized walk-in closets. The huge open great room features a three-pane bow window with window seat and a gas fireplace. The second floor master bedroom suite boasts a private luxury bath.
Oversized double hung thermal windows give this unit a bright, open feel. The finished lower level has a cedar closet and washer dryer hook-ups. Amenities include: six-panel doors, extensive mill work, 6-inch base molding, 9-foot ceiling on first and second floors. The total living space is approximately 1,246 square feet. Unit A list for $219,000.
Intersesting architectural details highlight Unit C, a three-level condo with open loft areas overlooking the main floor.
A huge skylight on the second level pours natural light though an open staircase with stained glass and glass block accents to the main level. The main floor great room, with a wood-burning fireplace, opens to second floor over a half-round balcony, and accesses a large, private deck ideal for entertaining.
Double closets, a private balcony, and a master bath with double sinks highlight the second floor master suite.
A professionally finished lower level offers a rec room, as well as private laundry and storage areas. There's almost 1,600 square feet of living space in this great location, just a short walk to the the CWE with sidewalk cafes, MetroLink, BJC Hospital, or Forest Park with golf, tennis, art museum, zoo, horse back riding, theater and more. Don't miss this one, listed at $189,900.
The condos both enjoy a level rear yard with a privacy fence and a garage with opener for secure parking.
2011年4月13日星期三
Dardens' compensation about $4.8 million each
Toby Darden, board chairman for Fort Worth-based Quicksilver Resources, received compensation valued at slightly more than $4.8 million for 2010.
His brother, Glenn Darden, president and CEO of the natural gas and oil producer, posted compensation of just under $4.8 million.
Both had moderately lower compensation than in 2009, when the compensation for each totaled slightly above $5 milllion.
Both Dardens drew a 2010 salary of $440,000. The bulk of their remuneration was in the form of grants of company stock and options and other incentive compensation.
Jeff Cook, Quicksilver’s executive vice president for operations, had 2010 compensation totaling more than $2.5 million, and Philip W. Cook, senior vice president and chief financial officer, had compensation of nearly $2.1 million.
The compensation totals were in a company proxy statement.
His brother, Glenn Darden, president and CEO of the natural gas and oil producer, posted compensation of just under $4.8 million.
Both had moderately lower compensation than in 2009, when the compensation for each totaled slightly above $5 milllion.
Both Dardens drew a 2010 salary of $440,000. The bulk of their remuneration was in the form of grants of company stock and options and other incentive compensation.
Jeff Cook, Quicksilver’s executive vice president for operations, had 2010 compensation totaling more than $2.5 million, and Philip W. Cook, senior vice president and chief financial officer, had compensation of nearly $2.1 million.
The compensation totals were in a company proxy statement.
2011年3月30日星期三
Doyle Lawson and Hepatica
No, Doyle Lawson did not change the name of his band. It is still widely known as
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and what a school of bluegrass it is. I got to hear it
live for the first time Saturday night.
Out of respect, I am even distinguishing between the ampersand that pairs Lawson with
Quicksilver, a printer's mark that signifies a strong partnership between the
legendary mandolin player and the younger musicians, and the simple word "and."
The "and" means that the two, Doyle Lawson and Hepatica, are connected but not at the
hip. So, no, I am not lobbying for a new name or executing a typo. I have simply
paired Doyle Lawson here with a spring flower in honor of a day that gave me precious
memories that will linger ever near me.
Family is precious to me, it is true. The dear mother and dear father in "Precious
Memories" that the band performed drew tears. Spring wildflowers create precious
memories too. They bloom right at my feet as sacred scenes unfold from the Virginia
Creeper Trail to the woods behind my house.
Saturday morning, before I headed to the concert up the road, I walked on the
Virginia Creeper Trail from Watauga towards Abingdon in search of Hepatica. Ever
since one of my friends had called the week before to tell me that she was looking at
Hepatica near Alvarado, I knew I had to find time in my schedule to go for a walk.
As we travel on life's pathways, sometimes we need to slow down. I did, walking
along the trail hoping specifically for Hepatica, an official sign of spring, I first
encountered more Bloodroot than I had seen in my life up to that point.
I dubbed that stretch of the trail Bloodroot Heaven. Only whose heaven was it? My
heaven, with all the Bloodroot you could ever hope to find in one setting, or
Bloodroot's heaven, a place where Bloodroot reappears each year like hope?
Let me not forget the Rue Anemone. Its blossoms lined the course of my walk too. I
got down on the ground and studied its blossoms, counting petals, counting and
comparing petals to the petals of the Virginia Spring Beauty and wondering when or if
I would spot Hepatica.
Since we do not always know what the years or trails may hold, the morning could have
enchanted me with Rue Anemone, Virginia Spring Beauty, Violets, and Spice Bush.
Still, I was longing for Hepatica, finding at first only a flowerless leaf. Then on
a rock, just as I was thinking I had missed the harbinger of spring because I had
delayed my first wildflower hike, I saw Hepatica blooming.
Finally, patient or lucky, I found the wildflower whose memory kept me warm with hope
all winter long. Lavender petals teetered over variegated leaves. One open blossom
leaned towards the sun, with two others about to open. I took a photo. Maybe I
should write a bluegrass song.
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and what a school of bluegrass it is. I got to hear it
live for the first time Saturday night.
Out of respect, I am even distinguishing between the ampersand that pairs Lawson with
Quicksilver, a printer's mark that signifies a strong partnership between the
legendary mandolin player and the younger musicians, and the simple word "and."
The "and" means that the two, Doyle Lawson and Hepatica, are connected but not at the
hip. So, no, I am not lobbying for a new name or executing a typo. I have simply
paired Doyle Lawson here with a spring flower in honor of a day that gave me precious
memories that will linger ever near me.
Family is precious to me, it is true. The dear mother and dear father in "Precious
Memories" that the band performed drew tears. Spring wildflowers create precious
memories too. They bloom right at my feet as sacred scenes unfold from the Virginia
Creeper Trail to the woods behind my house.
Saturday morning, before I headed to the concert up the road, I walked on the
Virginia Creeper Trail from Watauga towards Abingdon in search of Hepatica. Ever
since one of my friends had called the week before to tell me that she was looking at
Hepatica near Alvarado, I knew I had to find time in my schedule to go for a walk.
As we travel on life's pathways, sometimes we need to slow down. I did, walking
along the trail hoping specifically for Hepatica, an official sign of spring, I first
encountered more Bloodroot than I had seen in my life up to that point.
I dubbed that stretch of the trail Bloodroot Heaven. Only whose heaven was it? My
heaven, with all the Bloodroot you could ever hope to find in one setting, or
Bloodroot's heaven, a place where Bloodroot reappears each year like hope?
Let me not forget the Rue Anemone. Its blossoms lined the course of my walk too. I
got down on the ground and studied its blossoms, counting petals, counting and
comparing petals to the petals of the Virginia Spring Beauty and wondering when or if
I would spot Hepatica.
Since we do not always know what the years or trails may hold, the morning could have
enchanted me with Rue Anemone, Virginia Spring Beauty, Violets, and Spice Bush.
Still, I was longing for Hepatica, finding at first only a flowerless leaf. Then on
a rock, just as I was thinking I had missed the harbinger of spring because I had
delayed my first wildflower hike, I saw Hepatica blooming.
Finally, patient or lucky, I found the wildflower whose memory kept me warm with hope
all winter long. Lavender petals teetered over variegated leaves. One open blossom
leaned towards the sun, with two others about to open. I took a photo. Maybe I
should write a bluegrass song.
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