Sunday, August 26, 2012

Loose Leafing: Good Stuff (In Pictures!)

Happy Sunday, all! 

Okay, let's be honest.  Sundays don't really make me all that happy.  By the time church is over it practically feels like it's time to go back to work, and I begin to regret all the things I didn't do or accomplish with my weekend time instead of being happy about all the things I did do, how the weather is beautiful, how the book I'm reading is the first one I've really been absorbed in in months, and how I got to spend some great time with my family.  With that in mind, I think it's time for a "good stuff" post that I so love when other people do but rarely do for myself!

 I had a nice long weekend this weekend.  I took off Friday to recover from a co-worker's vacation.  The weather was staggeringly beautiful and I spent a lot of time here...

 
 
...on our brand new porch.  This is not a great picture, but the porch is great. I've been heartily enjoying being all caught up in Glass Boys by Nicole Lundrigan while enjoying a warm (but not too warm) breeze on our sparkly new porch which still smells like freshly cut wood, which really has to be one of the best smells in the world if you try not to think about all the dead trees.  *shrugs*
 

Yesterday, I talked my parents into going with me to Knoebels, a small amusement park nearby that, despite it's somewhat modest size, is surprisingly famous because you don't have to pay to park your car or an admission fee.  We ate ice cream and french fries, played a game of mini-golf (I lost, like usual) as the sun was going down, and brought home a box of delicious fudge for a not ridiculous price.  This, a far cry from two weekends from now when I will be spending $8 (if I'm lucky) just to park my car at Hersheypark even before the hefty admission price, but Hersheypark has its perks, too, so it is what it is.  But it was a lovely evening at Knoebels.  It was a touch crowded, but it was a good-natured crowd which makes all the difference.  Do you know what I mean?

In other good stuff, I finally got to go to Baltimore a few weekends ago to see a baseball game at Camden Yards.  My dad's a longtime fan of the Oakland Athletics, so after years, actual years, of saying we were going to head down to Baltimore and take in a game, we did get to see the O's and the A's play, my dad's first time seeing his favorite baseball team play in person.  Lovely night, lovely seats...


...and a neat view from our hotel window when we woke up the next morning.

 
 
Before we headed out of the city, we took a walk over to the Baltimore Farmer's Market which lives under the I-83 overpass on Sunday mornings. There, you can get most any excellent food you can think of, plus books, plus some more or less valid life advice from some people who sell clothes out of a very funky decorated bus.  I guess they write up a new list of advice every week, so I had to capture that week's for posterity since it's limited edition life advice, after all. 
 
 

I think if you click on it, it'll get bigger and you'll be able to read it.  If not, then boy are we all going to look like idiots when we try to click on it....

Also good this week?  I'm learning to use Instagram on my phone, and trying to do part of Photo a Day August.  I'm loving it quite a lot, and it's making me look at things closer and pay attention to the world around me and so on and so on.  Plus, I just love looking at everybody's pretty pictures.  If you're on Instagram and would like to investigate my oh so very amateur attempts at photography, I'm toadacious1 on there. 

To whet your appetite (in more ways than one, perhaps), here's today's delicious dinner...Instagrammed!

 
 
So, what's good in your life lately?

6 comments:

  1. You've been doing lots of fun things! I love your porch - it looks like a reader's dream.

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  2. I love this post! Your porch looks lovely. Now I want to come and sit on it! :-) What's good in my life: the new semester starts tomorrow and my classes seem like they will be fun and challenging and I have a nice cup of coffee in front of me! :-) Have a great week.

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  3. One of my goals in life is to have a home with a wraparound porch. I am SO JEALOUS! I hope you spend loads of time reading on there :-)

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  4. Hooray for porches! I love mine and have thoroughly enjoyed what little time I've spent there. Your's is beautiful!

    That sign of advice is hilarious! We should all buy a penguin!

    Camden Yards is a wonderful ballpark. I went to a game many years ago and still remember how picturesque it was. Glad you had fun!

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  5. Really does sound like a great weekend :D I would've been happy just with that porch!! Looks like the absolute perfect reading spot :) Don't you love going to local farmer's markets? I still haven't been to mine :( Isn't that sad? lol.

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  6. Cool on the visit to see the O's and the A's play. Looks like you were far up there, though. lol Do they issue parachutes at the gate or at the ticket counter? Joking. I have sat higher and lower and seriously, there are no bad seats at a baseball game. Well, take that back. Once, (not at band camp), when I was at a Detroit Tiger game at the old stadium, I my seat was behind a support beam. I took it upon myself to move to the front row over 3rd base as it was starting to sprinkle. Sat there the entire game, too.

    The new Camden yards is a beautiful stadium. I have pics from Cal Ripken's last game there.

    By the way, I am looking for a stuffed penguin. They're cheaper.

    Cheers.

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