The Colwell Christmas Yule bLog

Merry Christmas folks! We invite you to take a quick perusal of our photo blog to catch up on developments in our family. We had a terrific 2022, and we hope you did too!

We both continued efforts to contribute to our community this year. Sue’s achievements were particularly impressive, teaching both preschool science classes and after school studies at Bluemont Community Center, while also serving as the costumer for the Loudoun County Arts for All theater company. Her costumes for the 2022 production of Seussical were spectacular, and she’s already hard at work on costumes for 2023's performance of Beauty and the Beast.

The cast of Seussical, colorfully dressed in Sue’s costumes!

Rob continued to work with young adults with developmental disabilities at A Farm Less Ordinary, where he helped them plant, maintain, and harvest thousands of pounds of vegetables.

Rob and a coworker pound in rebar to anchor a new greenhouse at A Farm Less Ordinary.

The clear highlight of our spring was the vow renewal ceremony and reception for our daughter Kate and her husband Pete. They’d been legally married in a ceremony that only five of us could attend back in the heart of 2020’s Covid concerns, and this year we finally had the opportunity to celebrate their union with a proper party in front of lots of friends and family!

Kate and husband Pete celebrated with a beautiful vow renewal ceremony.

The parents of the bride, looking resplendent! This shot presaged some enthusiastic dancing at the reception!

Fully vaccinated to the max, we then set out on a number of modest trips. We enjoyed the sights, food and drink of Savannah, Georgia:

Sue on the historic riverfront in Savannah.

The famous avenue of oak trees lining the entrance to Wormsloe Historic Site, south of Savannah.

We traveled to Port Huron, Michigan, to visit daughter Maddie in her latest Coast Guard assignment:

LTJG Colwell in front of her ship, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock.

Lighthouse Beach on Lake Huron.

And son Peter joined us on a trip to Philadelphia to soak up a little history with our cheesesteaks:

Peter and Sue in front of Independence Hall.

Sue at the Old Swedes’ Church south of Philly, where she was able to find a marriage record in her paternal family line. She’s descended from a Revolutionary War drummer and his sweetheart. Built in 1698, it’s the oldest brick building in the region, and the oldest continuous congregation in the U.S.

We ventured west to California, and made the circuit among NorCal family and friends:

Sunset over Clear Lake from brother Art’s deck.

Enjoying the cool fog above the Golden Gate.

We drove to southern Virginia to hike with friends near Smith Mountain Lake:

Hiking with friends Dennis and Sara around Smith Mountain Lake.

Enjoying the precipitous view after hiking up the Appalachian Trail to McAfee Knob.

We were able to hit a number of fun festivals and concerts this year:

The Cherry Blossom festival at D.C.’s Tidal Basin.

Rehydrating during a concert at Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts.

Dressed for success at the Scottish Highland Games in clothes of Sue’s creation.

The Elton John concert in Charlotte, NC.

Oktoberfest in Lovettsville, and Sue’s rocking a dirndl that she sewed.

Fun times at the Maryland Renaissance Festival with Kate and Pete.

And we joined friends in a quest to eat at 16 different restaurants that none of us had tried before. We had fun exploring a variety of new cuisines, concluding with a visit to a Nepalese restaurant where the specialty was Yak!

Sue and Wee posing with the eponymous star of a Nepalese restaurant where we’d just enjoyed Yak dumplings.

Back on our farm, we enjoyed another season of bountiful harvests:

The hay on our property was plentiful.

Our garden produced impressive amounts of veggies from May ‘til November.

And multiple harvests of our hops yielded the freshest IPAs on the planet.

With such plentiful produce, we were able to make some interesting stuff:

Our first viable peach harvests permitted us to eat lots fresh, and can some chutney.

.And our first solid harvests of blackberries and grapes allowed us to make several delicious varieties of jellies, juices, and intoxicating infusions.

We smoked, then fermented, our hot peppers to create gallons of delicious hot sauce for family and friends.

And of course we made lots of pickles from our cucumbers, turnips, beans, okra, and garlic scapes.

As Christmas approaches, we’ve only had modest snowfall so far, but an ice storm last week created a winter scene that accentuates our holiday mood:

And the accumulation of ice on red berries nicely enhanced the holiday season.

We hope you’re happy and well, and we encourage you to stop by if you’d like a little taste of the Blue Ridge!

Merry Christmas,

Sue and Rob