Day Trippers – Part 1

Haven’t we heard more than enough dismal economic news this week?

We need a distraction . . .

How about another one of our group trips? 🙂

This time though, it’s not so much a shopping trip as a day of fun!

Wanna go to Boston with us? Hop on board! (Refreshments will be served!)

There’s an exhibit we’ve been dying to see at the Museum of Fine Arts. We thought we had plenty of time but, as you know, the summer days seem to fly. All of a sudden, it’s the last week of the show – we’d better stop dilly-dallying.

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Lucky us! It’s an absolutely gorgeous day for a ride. There’s even a mini respite from the extreme heat of late.

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Oh-oh! Road work!?! Hope we won’t be caught in traffic.

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Whew! No problem. We’re making good time, after all!

This Boston landmark (story in a future post) tells us we’re getting very close to the city.

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Yay! We’ve arrived at the museum! Stay together, now. Don’t want to lose anyone.

To begin, shall we swing by the “Art of the Ancient World” section and take a peek at the statue of Sir Beads and me?

Just a little joke. 😉 ( I have a million of ‘em!)

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Seriously, this museum has everything I love – art, antiques, history, jewelry, and flowers!

Local garden clubs continually provide fresh flower designs – often utilizing cherished objets d’art from the museum’s permanent collection.

Isn’t this breathtaking? (Click photo twice to fully enlarge.)

Well, here I am rambling on and we haven’t even gotten to the main event of our day.

Please stay tuned for Part 2 of this series to view the beautiful exhibit that was the inspiration for this trip.

You don’t want to miss it!

Hugs,

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Summer Wind

Do you ever feel as if your lists have lists?

You know – there’s a lot to do, but not enough time to do it?

I’m in that club! 😉

This summer, I’ve really been hoping to make a dent in my “to-do” list. I should say, right up front, that it’s not all chores! At least half of the items are fun. 🙂

Crystal’s List:

* Big chores that need to be done periodically.
* Small chores that I need to complete.
* New projects and craft techniques I’d like to try.
* Then there are the crafts I enjoy doing – but can’t seem to squeeze into my regular schedule.

It really hit me yesterday that summer is flying, and I’d better jump in and scratch a few things off that old list! 😉

Hmmmm . . . chores???

No way!

Learn a new technique?

Not enough time at the moment.

Do something fun that I haven’t done for a while?

Bingo!!!!

May I present Exhibit A?

Summer Wind Bracelet

I hadn’t realized how much I missed working with thread and beads until I began this bracelet.

It’s made with Swarovski Crystals and Glass Seed Beads in shades of Cobalt Blue and Amethyst Aurora Borealis.

The sparkle is really fabulous! Wish I could hand it to you through the computer screen, so you could hold it near the light and be dazzled! 🙂

The moral of this story? Don’t put off something you enjoy! I beg you to do as I say (not as I do!).

Summer is flying ya know . . .

(What’s on your list?)

xoxo

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Special Delivery

I once had a dentist who said:

“If you marry someone whose family lives in another state, you’ll spend all of your vacation money and all of your vacation time going to visit them.”

I did and we did!

For most of our married years we made the trek from New England to Ohio during the summer. Every July, we’d set out on the 750-mile drive, first as a young couple, then as parents with an infant, then with two preschoolers, next with teenagers, and finally with young adults who could actually help with the driving!

These car trips were sometimes a little nerve-wracking but the fun and laughs far outweighed the hassles. The vacations themselves have left us with dozens of happy memories and lots of amusing stories. Can I share one of those with you? 😉

We always stayed with hubby’s parents but his brothers and their families lived nearby and we saw them, too. One year, hubby’s brother suggested we all go to Cincinnati to visit a large amusement park called King’s Island. At the time, my kids were 5 yrs. and 1-1/2 yrs. The younger one was too small to walk the grounds the whole afternoon so she was in a stroller. The parking lot was huge and almost totally full the day we were there, so we had quite a long walk from our car to the gate.

After we finally entered the park, there was large area with carnival games off to the left of us. You know the type – knock over the milk bottles and win a prize. A jovial guy in one of the game galleries was calling and gesturing to Sir Beads to try his luck. On a lark, he agreed and knocked everything over in his first try. We were all smiling… but then our mouths dropped open as the game guy handed hubby his prize.

It was a GIANT stuffed moose! The kids were so delighted. The parents (us!) were in shock. We slowly realized that because our car was so far away – we were going to have to lug that fella around with us for the rest of the day! We tried to carry him. We took turns. We tried to balance him on the stroller but his weight made it hard to push the carriage.

Eventually, we carried our daughter and let the moose ride in the stroller. It seemed easier. You should have seen the looks we got as we pushed a stroller with a moose in it throughout the park. Hilarious!

The final giggle came when the vacation was all over. We were packing to return to the east coast and realized that we couldn’t fit Mr. Moose into our compact car along with the 4 of us, our suitcases and all the baby paraphernalia we had brought along for a 10-day stay with hubby’s folks.

What did we do? Luckily, hubby’s Mom had recently bought a new refrigerator and we used that box, with only minor adjustments, to mail him home!

Hugs,

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Summer Love

Found this little cutie on sale!

I grin every time I see her . . .

and that little swim tube – too adorable!

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Even though I’m not a fan of the hot weather, I still think there are lots of things to love about summer!


For this week’s Lucky Seven, I have:

7 Ways to Enjoy Summer:

1. Go out for ice cream
I’m not sure if this would impress the texting/tweeting kids of today, but before there was air conditioning – packing the whole family into the car after dinner and taking a drive to “cool off” and get an ice cream cone used to be a very BIG deal (and lots of fun, too!).

2. Cook out on the grill.

Better yet, see if hubby or housemate will man the grill while you provide the side dishes.

3. Grab a book,

or your knitting, or your iPod, and find a cool spot to relax on a scorching summer day.

4. Be a tourist in your own hometown.

I’ll bet you haven’t visited some of the attractions in your area that the tourists enjoy. Why not cross one off the list this summer? It’ll be like a mini vacation – without the hotel bill!

5. Put together a simple dinner picnic,

and head for the park, the lake, or to an ocean view if you live near the coast.

6. Stop and smell the [roses] flowers!

Some of the summer flowers are especially fragrant – like phlox, sweet peas, lavender and of course – roses! 😉

7. Go to a summer fair

Check your local newspapers for upcoming church fairs, county fairs, public concerts, or art festivals. You’ll find craft demonstrations, music performances, fine art, dancing exhibitions, and lots of tempting food!

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You know, I think I had a shiny nylon-knit bathing suit – just like this – when I was a kid!

What else is there to love about summer? 😀

Hugs,

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By the Sea

This week’s Friday Favorites has a summer theme – complete with vintage illustration and seasonal quotes!

I wonder if this bathing beauty went through the angst that her sisters in today’s world often face while trying to choose a new bathing suit! 😉

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“In summer, the song sings itself.” ~ William Carlos Williams

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.” ~ James Dent

“Oh, the summer night, Has a smile of light, And she sits on a sapphire throne.” ~ Barry Cornwall

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.”
~ Sam Keen

“Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.” ~ Ada Louise Huxtable

“The steady buzzzzzzz of the Katydid chorus, and the bass solo of the croaking Frog – a summer night’s serenade.”
~ Michael P. Garofalo

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Thank you, thank you, sweet friends, for all of your comments this week. You are absolutely the best!

Hope you’ll have a chance to enjoy a little “you” time over the weekend. 😀

See ya Monday . . .

Hugs,

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