he's home!

I picked up the Turkey from camp tonight. He's been there for the last 8 weeks with a "weekend" every Tuesday to do laundry and enjoy air conditioning. While it was good to have the house to myself for a bit, I kinda feel like doing a little yippee skippy dance now that he's home. (Just don't tell the Turkey or it would totally ruin my Cool Mom status.)

Since you saw handfuls of pictures of camp last summer I won't bore you with too many new ones this time, but -- you knew there was gonna be a "but," right? -- how about a few from today?

Yes?

Welllll, since you asked ...

This might look a little familiar from last year. The mongo big flag is the centerpiece of the camp closing ceremony. The late afternoon light today was so great for pictures so I started snapping away. And snapping. And snapping.

The staff takes the flag down and then they hold it while each person shares their favorite part of the summer. It took a while. Must have been a GREAT summer! 

Then the staff folds the flag and hands it to the program director who is vertically challenged so the folded flag is about half his height. It's funny. I couldn't get a photo of the PD with the flag without being obvious so I skipped that and just focused on this: 

When you hit "play" you'll hear the camp cheer they yell/sing at the top of their lungs towards the other camp sites. It obviously taxed the audio on my camera so please excuse the crackly crud. You might even want to adjust the volume downward before listening. And ... oh, yeah ... the Turkey is the kid in the yellow shirt (shock!) on the far left.

Listened to it? Need a hearing test yet? ;-)

After all was said and done the sweaty, stinky, dirty, tired kid hugged his mom ...

... and then put his stuff in the car and put up with his mom wanting yet another picture ...

Awww!

Maybe tomorrow he'll shave ...

vacation

Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away
Vacation
Meant to be spent alone

With a nod to the Go-Gos and a new bottle of sunscreen in my bag, I headed off Sunday afternoon for a quick getaway. The tunes were turned up, the gas tank full, and reservations made. Arrival was only a few hours later, and departure followed a brief 48 hours after that. Even though it was a quick trip in the grand scheme of Vacations, it was a few days of bliss. After all, I had to get away.

Better yet: I HAD to get away. Alone.

(Trust me. My family and my staff and colleagues will thank me for this later. They just might not know it yet.)

The ultimate destination was Cape May, New Jersey. I opted to travel the scenic route across the Eastern Shore, through Delaware, and then take the Cape May-Lewes Ferry across the Delaware Bay. Being on the Ferry was a gamble for Vertigo Girl but as long as the water was calm I figured things would be good.

Good news! The crossing was easy and the vertigo only kicked in while the boat was in the middle of the channel.  *Happy dances!*  Unfortunately it was a very hazy day so the pictures didn't turn out very well, but you get the idea. You're smart like that. 

The hotel du jour was the Wilbraham Mansion. This is a B&B that actually felt like a hotel -- comfy bed, private bathroom, jacuzzi, pool, individual temperature controls, off-street parking, elevator, privacy (except at breakfast), and a separate guest entrance. Stay here! 

These are just a few of the painted lady photos. Again, the overcast and humid days didn't do much for my attempts at photography. Or the vibrancy of the house colors. And they were definitely ViBrAnT!

This might be my favorite picture from the trip. I got more of the lighthouse, though:

(I obviously like the tall things on the right side of the photo. LOL!)

And did you notice the clouds cleared up a bit?! 

Goodbye, clouds and hello, sunscreen! 

The beach was delightful. There weren't too many people hanging out by the lighthouse so it was much quieter than downtown. Parking there was free, too! (A good thing since I used all my quarters the day before.) 

 

Speaking of using quarters ... this sign was outside of a local lingerie shop in the pedestrian mall area. (Where I had to use several quarters to park.) Someone has a really good sense of humor! 

Looking at downtown Cape May from the beach at night. Yes, my toes were really in the ice-water-called-ocean when this photo was snapped. I had just come from dinner at Martini Beach (it's the middle building in the picture) and needed a walk on the beach after stuffing myself with tapas and martinis: Oysters Rockefeller, seared black and white scallops, stir fried sugar snap peas, and a delectable summertini. If you are ever in Cape May be sure to check it out. YUMmyville! 

All too soon it was time to board the Ferry and start heading west. I stayed on the rail for as long as possible, going inside when the boat would sway just a little bit, and then coming back out to watch the docking in Delaware.  

The trip was capped off with a stop at .... drum roll, please .... 

SONIC! Three cheers for cherry limeade and tater tots! (I really hope my doctor isn't reading this....)

These are just some of the photos from the trip. It was great to get away and relax, explore the hamlet, and enjoy the beach. And I didn't even get too sunburned! 

The absentee blogger returns

I know. I know. I've been gone a lot lately.

Hiding, actually. I wasn't really gone, just hiding.

So much has happened in the past few months. Much of it I didn't feel right sharing with the big bad blog world at the time, but now that things are on the up-and-up again here is a quick pictorial highlight tour:

Dad was in and out of the hospital this spring.

His brothers (they are also my uncles) arrived to provide support and encouragement after hearing the prognosis.

 We got a new roommate. Larsen was my parents' cat but he is now living with us. He's a lover not a fighter. And a seriously good sleeper.

Then...

The Turkey broke his wrist in karate class. He was learning, of all things, how to fall properly. (It's obvious he didn't do well with that particular lesson.) He's fine now but the adventure came with a sling, an MRI, then a brace, and more than a few doctor's visits. 

The insect petting zoo at Maryland Day was a big success. The millipede didn't pee or poop on him.

 Easter. The last time my Dad was in church. I cried. The Turkey was an acolyte. (That's him on the right of the peeps standing around the altar.)  

Peony season came and went. This coincided with my Dad's funeral. My house smelled good through the tears.  

The rest of May is a blur. 

Tears will do that.

 In early June I was back in New York to attend a work event.

This is the antithesis of the photo above. It also happens to be Central Park.

It wasn't the Michelangelo but the hotel was definitely nice this time. And they had key cards and a doorman. Bonus! 

The Turkey finished school and left for camp 2 weeks ago. I have all sorts of notions about cleaning closets and organizing Lego Land while he's away but so far I've been shopping and working, and just piddling around the house. 

"Piddling."  That word makes me smile. I can hear my grandmother saying it... :-)

Speaking of work... I have a new office! Even with the boxes unpacked it's bigger than my old office, and I am loving the floor-to-ceiling window.

My birthday came and went and so did our annual tailgate/birthday party at the Fourth of July celebration. Party pictures to follow next post.

And I promise I'll be back sooner rather than later this time. 

Pinky promise! :-) 

The magic button!

Sometimes we need a little help getting over a hurdle. Do you ever remember feeling like things just weren't going your way? Maybe it was a work situation. Or a relationship snafu. Maybe it was a school thing. Or - how about this - your flights were cancelled and then your bags went to Great Falls, Montana while you were in Great Falls, Virginia and the snow meant you weren't going to see your new clothes until next week when you really needed them today. Or maybe, just maybe, your air conditioner crapped out during the first heat wave of the season and the super-duper fix-it people couldn't get out to take a look for 10 days and then they needed to order parts and a week later it was still not working but then a second order on new parts did the trick but it only crapped out again during the next heat wave. (Yeah. May was air conditioner H-E-double-hockey-sticks month.)

Anyhoo...there's finally an answer for those days or moments when you just want wave a magic wand and have everything all better. It might not be able to recover your bags back from KGTF but it will, and I mean WILL make everything OK. Just click here.

No promises on the efficacy of this magic button, but my air conditioner is working like a charm now. :-)