The Birthday Boy

Here's the birthday boy himself with his mother--aren't they both beautiful?

First Birthday Party

Here's the first of many photos from Elan's first birthday party. The theme was a Neptune under-the-sea sort of thing. I didn't get a shot of the live mermaids sitting on the fountain past the coat check, but they were pretty darn good. This is a shot of the hall where most of the action took place.

Very Flat Rollercoaster

We took busses and trains out to Brighton Beach for a party this afternoon. We took the Q through Brooklyn, and much of it was above ground. I was riding backwards, and enjoyed the way the view sped by as the train rocked, and how we'd be plunged into darkness without warning as we passed through tunnels. It felt to me like I was on a very flat rollercoaster ride. After having a car up here for so long, the nuisance of the ridiculously long trip (we had seven segments one-way) was offset by the novelty factor. But we are hopeful we'll be able to catch a ride

Halloween Bed Jump

I forgot to bring my camera to the hotel, so I took my bed jump photo with my phone. It came out all ghostly, which is appropriate since it was Halloween!

Is it Crazy to Live in Hoboken?

I don't understand this practice. Is it for people who actually like living in Hoboken, but can't really enjoy it because of the fear that if they like living in Hoboken, they are uncool. Or is it for people who hate the fact that they live in Hoboken, but are stuck there for whatever reason and need therapy to get over it and enjoy what Hoboken can offer?

Helluva Vetica

MoMA has an exhibit celebrating 50 years of Helvetica. Who knew?

Old Teams

Since we all moved out of our parent's home, we no longer stay in our childhood rooms when we go back. I actually lost my childhood room the day I left for college (I spent the summer after my first year trying to share the room with my eight year old sister, then in the basement).

Entering Through The Rear

This is only my second flight ever on Jet Blue, and the first flight on any airline where I entered through the rear door.

Cove Lighting! Can You Believe It?

We're still in the portopotty! The mirror is nicely framed, there's cove lighting, and real sinks with running water. Even a shelf to keep your stuff clean and dry while you wash your hands. Now, have I marked myself as hopelessly provincial because I'm really impressed with the fancy portopotty? Or is this truly a rare find?

The Stalls Have Doors!

True, all women's stalls have doors, even in gross portopotties. But this one has a doorknob, coathook, and wood panels.

Potty Tiles

The portopotty has tiled floors! Not vinyl or linoleum, but ceramic tile! And it's so clean, even many hours into the event!

Larger Than Life!

I haven't been to our NJ apartment since around March, and I forgot how compelling wall-sized HDTV is. I am mesmerized.

Port O Potty Heaven!

The portopotties in Newport Beach were the best I've ever seen! Now, the ones at the PGA Presidents Cup were also in a nice trailer like this, but wait'll you see the inside!

Huey Lewis!

When Terry and I heard from one of his coworkers that Huey Lewis was playing the next night at the ';Taste of Newport'; festival, we decided to go. It was a beautiful night and a good show, so we had a good time. Plus we learned what the 'uniform' of Newport looked like.

Antler Faucets

I guess these faucets are harder to use than they are to look at. While I was at first interested by the angled-up design, my interest turned to irritation when I discovered the angle made them difficult to quickly turn on and off.

Hovering Helicopter

It's the first time I've noticed a helicopter hovering stationary over my neighborhood, and I don't like it. It's been up there just moving a few yards this way and that, if it moves at all. My first thought causes me considerable unease since I figure there is a dangerous criminal on the loose, possibly along the path I'm walking to the bus stop. And not just a typical dangerous criminal, since at least in my neighborhood they're usually cornered by several cop cars converging, and there will be a bit of commotion and I'll hear the cops talking through their loudspeakers, but it's infrequent and over with pretty quickly. But a criminal worth watching from a helicopter? I don't like it. But my consolation is that I'm posting this from a bus going to Manhattan, and I won't head back home until this evening.

Bus line 105

LA's public transport system is hardly great, but I've found it about as adequate as Charlottesville's. Which is to say that if you happen to be on one of the few streets served by a bus line and want to go to a spot farther down the same line, them there is regular service and the $1.25 fare is reasonable. I was surprised to be able to watch TV on the #105, but it's probably a good idea since I bet even short distances can take forever when traffic is bad, and tv will distract the passengers from how slow the bus is. Although I personally had no problem, my trip was fast and convenient.

Who is Moomat Ahiko?

Bike Valet?

As I was walking a few blocks to a nail salon, I was intrigued by this sign. It never in my life occurred to me that bike valets even existed, much less had a government-approved "bike valet zone."

Outfit Affirmation

Last night at my parents' house I determined that I had overpacked. I removed about 7 items of clothing to lighten my suitcase, wondering if I removed the right pieces. I felt reassured when I wore my chosen beach outfit this afternoon and as I crossed an intersection a woman driver waiting at the light called out from her open car window, "cute outfit!"

The Vacation Begins

I'm not sure why my phone can't handle the white balance at the beach, but this is the view of the Pacific from our hotel window. How absurd is it that I am complaining about the image quality of photos taken by my phone? When I was in school, if a test question was, ';In the future, how will cameras be different? '; and someone answered, ';we'll be able to use them to talk to our friends and watch tv!'; I could imagine the teacher saying, ';With your camera? But how could you take pictures outside when your camera is plugged into the phone jack? Wouldn't the camera be too large to carry if there was a tv in it? "

New Hammock

My arm isn't quite long enough to get both of us in the photo, but here we lounging in the latest addition to Hammock Camp, our new Mayan-style hammock that can expand to hold four people.

Apartment Envy

This is the view of Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan from Dan and Rebecca's apartment. The building is stunning, the apartment is spacious with historic architectural details. It's city living at its best. I had a fun visit with them both, but my favorite moment was when young Rebecca said, ';since you're at least three years older than me..."

WealthStation Advisory Board

Lawn Bed

I've been enjoying the novelty of sleeping outside under the stars. Here's my lawn bed in the morning. I need to leave the sleeping bag and pillow out until the sun dries out the dew.

Fresh as the Morning Dew

Monday night was the first time I slept outside under the stars, no tent or anything. It was nice so I did it again last night. I put a blanket over my pillow and head mostly to keep from waking up drenched with dew. The top of the sleeping bag is wet but it only seems to soak completely through at the feet. The blanket on my head serves another useful purpose by keeping the sun out of my eyes so I don't wake at dawn.

Margaritaville Pool Party I

What fun! A group of women from the RFB&D ball committee (myself included) threw a pool party to raise money for our charity. Margaret, our fabulous hostess, kicked up the fun by jumping into the pool fully clothed (since few guests had worn swimsuits she made sure everyone knew it was ok!). Après Margaret, le déluge. The pool was full.

RFB&D Kickoff Meeting

Effervescent Watermelon

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Beer Clothes

I now reveal one of my little-known eccentricities. I don't like to drink undressed beer. I keep beer clothes both at home and in the car so I'm never far from a cozy. It's not an issue at bars and restaurants since I'm content to drink beer from mugs or glasses and I almost always order draft. And now the reason I reveal my secret--I'm getting tired of my current beer wardrobe. If anyone sees cute or interesting outfits for either bottles or cans, please let me know so I can start building a fall wardrobe for my beverages.

Ariston House GBC

Kudos to the members of my building's Grounds Beautification Committee! The plants they selected for the front garden look great. I really like that it doesn't look like a typical cookie-cutter commercial gardens you see around most apartment buildings.

Bright and Shiny

This was my first trip through RIC since they finished renovating the terminal. It's a big improvement; instead of being dark and run-down, it's bright, spacious, and attractive. This actually makes the airport's claims that it's a good choice for business travellers credible. I think I saw a sign that the entire terminal has free wi-fi. Even before all this, I favored RIC since flights are more affordable than other nearby airports.

Still Alive

As you can see, your baby is safe and happy. . .for now. But you'd better start reading my blog or else.

Rose Garden Before

This is where I will plant all those perennials I got at the Garden Barn.

I Can't Even Attempt A Caption

Billy's Solo

Too bad I didn't catch the audio for this one; Billy serenaded us all with a heartfelt rendition of "Caro Mio Ben" in falsetto.

You'll Never See Your Baby Again

Read my blog every day or you'll never see your baby again! Bwah ha ha haaa!

Finished Headboard

I guess I never did get around to posting a photo of my headboard once it was completely finished (see March 31 for last interim entry). Here you can see just a bit of the headboard on either side of the bed. The top is upholstered in red to match the two large cushions, and the wood is painted the same shade of orange as the accent wall in the bathroom. Eventually, I plan to put some lantern-style lamps on the upholstered shelf as reading lights. And the pink and orange backdrop sheers are in a tentative arrangement.

Gil, Gil, Gil

Another photo from the baby shower after-party. Gil demonstrated his tongue dexterity for us all, apropos of nothing. Isn't he cute?

Dave!

I'm totally blogging out of order this weekend. But this is Dave, very cool music friend of Billy's. I like Dave. Even though he disdains my affection for Fountains of Wayne.

Heidi of Arabia

I like to garden, but I really cannot tolerate any sun. So I wear a Solumbra top with a hood, a cap to keep it up, overalls, long socks (since my garden clogs don't cover my ankles), and gloves. Plus I wear sunscreen on my face and neck. I look ridiculous while gardening, but hopefully I will avoid the wrinkled and age-spotted skin sported by Southern women of a certain age indicative of their years outside in the sun.

Picking the Plants

I saw an ad in The Hook for a garden center I'd never heard of, up in Advance Mills. So I went there after I dropped Terry at the airport. The proprietress was both knowledgeable and helpful. I described the garden where I needed to add plants and she helped me to select and arrange the plants. I hadn't gone with the intention to spend quite so much on plants for this particular flower bed, but she convinced of the benefit of instant gratification. It is already July after all, how long do I want to wait for the plants to fill in? And even though I will be redesigning the garden next year, I can always replant the perennials somewhere else when the time comes. I've been moving my existing perennials all over the place this year already so I'll just do it again in the spring.

Nice Work If You Can Get It

I'm very happy with my new office. Now that I'm retired from corporate accounting, I'm switching gears and learning more about finance. So even though I prefer non-fiction, I'm not reading "Technical Analysis of Stock Trends" for pleasure. I'm nerdy, but not that nerdy. But reading my chapters and taking notes from the hammock before going inside to research and chart is way better than reading at the office and still better than reading on University grounds, although I may eventually take some advanced classes once I've learned the basics.

Into The Woods

Since I really haven't been here for a summer in several years, I only recently wanted some outside seating options. The screened porch used to be enough for me, but now I want someplace that's really outside. The front porch gets full sun from mid-afternoon through 8pm and it's not only hot but also blinding. My search for a more suitable place led me to the woods, and this is my path.