the first week of august i found myself in boston. shawn was attending a training for work and invited me to tag along with him. this was something i was extremely excited about as i have been wanting to visit boston for at least a few years. however, boston was not anything like i expected it to be. but there were some things i like about boston, so here they are...
1. harvard square - lots of nice shops (curious george store - a children's book store that i loved!) and (pinocchio's pizza - very good pizza!)
2. riding the ducks (boston ducks)this is always a treat in whatever city we visit and this was no different
3. the make way for ducklings statue in boston public garden - so cute!
4.riding the T (local name for the subway). this is such a treat for me, being married to sean who would never let me ride public transportation anywhere in case there was an emergency we would need to be able to get where we had to go, i have learned to love taking public transportation whenever i can! we don't have a subway in baltimore, or a very good public transportation system in general, but boston's was nicely designed and easy to use.
5. ned devines irish pub in fanueil hall marketplace. the best fish and chips and great irish company. we met a few friendly irish-folk from a touring dance/music troupe, very nice.
Monday, August 18, 2008
{cramer reunion}
july 26-27: it may seem an unusual sight to see a group gathered so casually in a cemetery with children playing and men and women with drinks in hand, however, it is exactly as it seems. every year my maternal grandmother's family has a big family reunion in west virginia. the festivities usually include an old fashioned weenie roast at a family members house on saturday and the actual reunion at the park on sunday. this is the first year that i have gone to the reunion since i was a kid and i had a great time! the weenie roast was a lot of fun and a good chance to catch up with family i haven't seen in a few years. one of the highlights of the evening was the visit to the cramer cemetery. this is a family cemetery with one of the most gorgeous views i have ever seen. it sits high atop a hill nestled in the mountains with a breathtaking view of the sunset. we didn't get to see said sunset on this trip, it was too cloudy. the cemetery is one of the highlights for us all to visit while we are there and this trip was no exception.
the actual reunion was a lot of fun too! like all traditional family reunions there were games aplenty. we all took part in the balloon toss and some of us played in the egg toss, too messy for me! there was tons of good food and perhaps the most fun we had was during the auction. people brought gifts and wrapped them so no one knew exactly what they were getting. everyone had a great time bidding against one another. the money they raised from this little activity is going toward buying new picnic tables to donate to the park where the reunion is held.
the weekend was a lot of fun, we stayed at alpine lake, as usual. and our weekend included a lot of late nights drinking and talking. we played scat (a card game my dad's family plays often) and really just enjoyed each other's company.
i can't wait to go back next year!
the actual reunion was a lot of fun too! like all traditional family reunions there were games aplenty. we all took part in the balloon toss and some of us played in the egg toss, too messy for me! there was tons of good food and perhaps the most fun we had was during the auction. people brought gifts and wrapped them so no one knew exactly what they were getting. everyone had a great time bidding against one another. the money they raised from this little activity is going toward buying new picnic tables to donate to the park where the reunion is held.
the weekend was a lot of fun, we stayed at alpine lake, as usual. and our weekend included a lot of late nights drinking and talking. we played scat (a card game my dad's family plays often) and really just enjoyed each other's company.
i can't wait to go back next year!
{artscape 08}
on sunday july 20th, shawn, amber, and i went to artscape in baltimore. this was my second year attending the art festival, last year i went with jay and jackie. this year was even bigger and better, but a little too big for as hot as it was, we never got to see everything. it is always such an inspiring day, chock full of art of all varieties and i always leave with so many ideas for projects and things i want to try. one of the highlights of our day was getting to see our friend evan perform. below are some photos from the day.
{ trying to catch up... }
well, once again, i have fallen behind with my blogging. so starting here, i am going to try to backtrack and update on all of the things that i have been up to this month, which is a lot and do a post for each of the things i have neglected to post here. so please don't be overwhelmed, sorry for the massive posts at once, but what's a girl to do? enjoy!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
{ new look }
well, yes, i have yet another new look for my blog. it was time to lighten up a bit. the new header is something i put together using photoshop and a brush collection from here. please let me know what you think about the new look, i would love to hear what you have to say.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
{jackie's visit}
well jackie and jay were back in town last week for jay's grandmother's birthday party. it was very nice to have them home again for a little bit. i didn't get to see them as much as i had hoped, but of course they had a very busy schedule while they were here, trying to squeeze in visits with everyone. last sunday we had a family get together at mom's for them and it was nice to have everyone together. on tuesday jackie and jay setup a happy hour at claddagh's pub in canton. we had a great time together. now they are back in sunny san diego. here are some of the pictures from the evening...
Friday, July 18, 2008
{coney island}
well the trip to coney island last weekend with shawn and leah was a ton of fun! while coney island is not necessarily the cleanest of places to visit, there were quite a few things that we found particularly enjoyable and interesting...
*union square - friday afternoon we embarked on the adventure of driving into the city so that shawn could meet and photography the saw lady for his shutter on the street project. while he did that, leah and i explored union square a little. there was a great little market going on in the park there and we had a nice time checking out all of the little booths there.
*burlesque - on friday night we attended the burlesque at the beach show. this was awesome!! it was a very small, intimate show with all sorts of variety acts. audience participation was encouraged and it was such a fun time. none of us had ever been to a burlesque show before, but i can guarantee it probably won't be the last. the acts included a juggler, a two-man band, a striptease, lots of singing, and sing alongs with the audience. lots of fun!
*marcus monroe - well, i think i would be lying a little if i said that leah and i didn't have a small crush on this very impressive man. he was the juggler / unicyclist in the burlesque show, and he was very entertaining. not only was he pretty easy on the eyes, but he could be the most amazing juggler i have seen to date. he was very talented and i am glad that we got to see his performance.
*fireworks on the beach - friday nights in coney island lend themselves to fireworks on the beach. we weer luck enough to have gotten to the beach a little early and had time to enjoy some cotton candy and watch an amazing fireworks show from the boardwalk. it was great, except for one random gentleman who insisted on screaming even more random things throughout half of the show..."thundercats are go!!"
*pay toilet - yes, you read that right, pay toilet. while we were wandering around friday night waiting for the show, we discovered the need to use the facilities, so we headed over to the first ones we found. well, (and i am not kidding) there was a fee to use the bathroom!! a whole quarter granted you entrance through the turnstyle to the unclean, crowded, and un-updated restrooms. i have no idea what kind of racket they were running with that situation, but it certainly is cool to say i have actually paid to use the bathroom. i wonder what they use that money for...
*the cylcone - one of the main reasons we went to coney island was to ride the cyclone roller coaster. being a huge fan of the old fashioned wooden coasters, this was a special treat for me. of course, i wasn't expecting to pay the $8 to ride the coaster, but whatever. it was totally worth it!
*sideshow - the main reason for our trip to coney island wast to see the circus sideshow and it was absolutely worth the trip. the acts included the human blockhead, a fire eater, a snake charmer, and a sword swallower. the show was incredibly entertaining and we all had a blast watching these very talented circus freaks.
*nyc subway - saturday night shawn's friend brandon and his wife dawn came out from their home in nyc to meet us and spend some time hanging out. after convincing them that the best thing to do in coney island was see the sideshow, we practically begged them to take us into the city on the subway and show us a good time. well it didn't take too much convincing before we were on the subway and headed to times square. i absolutely love times square at night, it is such a unique experience and it was a treat for leah who had never been in times square after dark. we had a great time getting to know brandon and dawn a little better and traipsing around nyc late at night.
*cheesecake - while in the city we were looking for a nice place to grab something to eat and have a drink. juniors was the place. we all enjoyed some of new york's best cheesecake and a few drinks. (the chocolate mousse cheesecake was to die for!) yum-o!
*i finally found out what this is:
this is something i have seen from the belt parkway everytime i have driven to new york for the last howevermany years. it is something that has plagued my mind everytime i've seen it. what is it? is it a ride? why is it never moving? is it art? is it old? is it new? what the heck is it for??? and now i know. after visiting the coney island museum (which was not very good by the way) i learned that this giant red tower actually used to be an attraction at coney island called the parachute jump. it was something that was built for the world's fair and then was moved to coney island. you can learn more about it here. i know it seems kinda silly to be so excited about something, but it was symbolic to me of all the times i have wondered about coney island and its offerings as a mere passerby and now i have fulfilled some of that wonder and intrigue.
all in all the trip was a blast. i think next time we would have opted to stay in the city and take the subway out to coney island for any of the following reasons: crappy neighborhood, sucky parking, expensive unregulated cab fares, nothing else to do in the immediate area, the city is just that much better! despite all of those thins we still managed to have a great time and we got to see everything we had wanted to see. here are some of the pictures from the weekend.
*union square - friday afternoon we embarked on the adventure of driving into the city so that shawn could meet and photography the saw lady for his shutter on the street project. while he did that, leah and i explored union square a little. there was a great little market going on in the park there and we had a nice time checking out all of the little booths there.
*burlesque - on friday night we attended the burlesque at the beach show. this was awesome!! it was a very small, intimate show with all sorts of variety acts. audience participation was encouraged and it was such a fun time. none of us had ever been to a burlesque show before, but i can guarantee it probably won't be the last. the acts included a juggler, a two-man band, a striptease, lots of singing, and sing alongs with the audience. lots of fun!
*marcus monroe - well, i think i would be lying a little if i said that leah and i didn't have a small crush on this very impressive man. he was the juggler / unicyclist in the burlesque show, and he was very entertaining. not only was he pretty easy on the eyes, but he could be the most amazing juggler i have seen to date. he was very talented and i am glad that we got to see his performance.
*fireworks on the beach - friday nights in coney island lend themselves to fireworks on the beach. we weer luck enough to have gotten to the beach a little early and had time to enjoy some cotton candy and watch an amazing fireworks show from the boardwalk. it was great, except for one random gentleman who insisted on screaming even more random things throughout half of the show..."thundercats are go!!"
*pay toilet - yes, you read that right, pay toilet. while we were wandering around friday night waiting for the show, we discovered the need to use the facilities, so we headed over to the first ones we found. well, (and i am not kidding) there was a fee to use the bathroom!! a whole quarter granted you entrance through the turnstyle to the unclean, crowded, and un-updated restrooms. i have no idea what kind of racket they were running with that situation, but it certainly is cool to say i have actually paid to use the bathroom. i wonder what they use that money for...
*the cylcone - one of the main reasons we went to coney island was to ride the cyclone roller coaster. being a huge fan of the old fashioned wooden coasters, this was a special treat for me. of course, i wasn't expecting to pay the $8 to ride the coaster, but whatever. it was totally worth it!
*sideshow - the main reason for our trip to coney island wast to see the circus sideshow and it was absolutely worth the trip. the acts included the human blockhead, a fire eater, a snake charmer, and a sword swallower. the show was incredibly entertaining and we all had a blast watching these very talented circus freaks.
*nyc subway - saturday night shawn's friend brandon and his wife dawn came out from their home in nyc to meet us and spend some time hanging out. after convincing them that the best thing to do in coney island was see the sideshow, we practically begged them to take us into the city on the subway and show us a good time. well it didn't take too much convincing before we were on the subway and headed to times square. i absolutely love times square at night, it is such a unique experience and it was a treat for leah who had never been in times square after dark. we had a great time getting to know brandon and dawn a little better and traipsing around nyc late at night.
*cheesecake - while in the city we were looking for a nice place to grab something to eat and have a drink. juniors was the place. we all enjoyed some of new york's best cheesecake and a few drinks. (the chocolate mousse cheesecake was to die for!) yum-o!
*i finally found out what this is:
this is something i have seen from the belt parkway everytime i have driven to new york for the last howevermany years. it is something that has plagued my mind everytime i've seen it. what is it? is it a ride? why is it never moving? is it art? is it old? is it new? what the heck is it for??? and now i know. after visiting the coney island museum (which was not very good by the way) i learned that this giant red tower actually used to be an attraction at coney island called the parachute jump. it was something that was built for the world's fair and then was moved to coney island. you can learn more about it here. i know it seems kinda silly to be so excited about something, but it was symbolic to me of all the times i have wondered about coney island and its offerings as a mere passerby and now i have fulfilled some of that wonder and intrigue.
all in all the trip was a blast. i think next time we would have opted to stay in the city and take the subway out to coney island for any of the following reasons: crappy neighborhood, sucky parking, expensive unregulated cab fares, nothing else to do in the immediate area, the city is just that much better! despite all of those thins we still managed to have a great time and we got to see everything we had wanted to see. here are some of the pictures from the weekend.
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