Long Weekend Fun

Josh came up for the day on Sunday.  We kayaked at Lincoln Woods for a few hours, grabbed smoothies at Wildflour, played with the pups and then headed over to Dennis and Marie's place for the roll-out of the year's Sunday Summer BBQ series.  I love going out and having fun on a Saturday night and not having to wake up to go to work on Monday!  Woot! Long weekends are the best!

Here's a terribly unflattering photo of me, quite truly glowing, intensely pasty white in the sun:

Monday we took the bikes down to the pretty bike path that starts in Slater Park and runs down to EP along the water.  Down and back then home for a delicious dinner and some gardening.


My bike trail nature guide:

And I finally found some of my favorite dahlias! (and immediately dug them a home in our yard):

Lovely day.

Awesome weekend. 

Too Old For This Stuff

...or maybe I've become too responsible to have fun anymore?  We had plans to go to MWM tonight.  About halfway through the day I started thinking that, yes, I'm totally still into this plan BUT, if Jason doesn't feel like going out, I'll be more than happy to snuggle down with boy, pups, some garlicky greens and Mad Men before turning in early.

I stuck to the plan and everyone who asked what I was up to tonight got the going out story.  J called on his way home from Boston with the same idea... let's just stay in.  We're sleepy, overworked, ...all that grown-up stuff.  So, I feel a little lame, but I feel even more excited to just curl up with my loves and unwind to some brainless entertainment.

Sunday's Potter's Field Excursion

This is where we went Sunday after the whole neighborhood was mowed:

  

For years now I've been wanting to check out this little section of land between 95 and the canal, down at the North Burial Ground.  I was fascinated by the rows and rows of tiny markers I could see through the trees whenever I was on my way to Garden Grille.  So, Jason and I finally made the trip over there to check it out.
It's an old free burial ground, a potter's field.  One section has some old headstones and a monument to the graves from the original burial ground where they were moved from long ago.  The majority is these little markers, which, from what I can tell, seem to belong to people who were buried at the free grounds.  No names, just numbers.  Then, the section that had the greatest impact on me, was the makeshift markers that dotted the first part of the grounds.  Most of them were recent (over the past 10 years) and seemed to have people who still tended them somewhat.  They were scrawled with sad sentiments to the departed loved ones.  It was a little heartbreaking to read them.  Even more upsetting was the obvious vandalism that has taken place there.  A person has to be of the lowest form of useless scumbag to scribble over a laminated photo of someone's dead child, or to deface a marker that has been obviously created and tended for someone lost and loved.  There are segments of humanity that disgust me to unfathomable depths.  

It actually had a little bit of a downer effect on my mood for the rest of the night.  I felt a little mopey and out of it for a while.

We found a couple sweet areas to sit and spend some peaceful moments together.  A lovely little pond by some beautiful blossom trees cheered the mood a bit.  And then the bizarre hair art hanging from an old tree caught our attention and left us wondering what the bloody heck was the point of it all...
      

We made grilled cheese with the daiya havarti, cheddar, a super garlicky pesto, and tomato, had a beer and then watched the newest Game of Thrones episode with some friends after relaying the story of our NBG explorations.

Visitors, Fire, and Pancakes

It's Sunday morning.  Jason is mowing the lawn (and the neighbor's lawn, because he's the best guy in the world).  I'm hanging with the pups inside, just relaxing after an already eventful day.  Josh was up for a quick weekend visit and we just saw him off, after a delicious pancake brunch.

This weekend has been so much fun.  I wish they wouldn't go by so fast.  We saw the Avengers Friday night with friends.  What an awesome movie.  We're actually planning to see it again, and that is not something I've done since ...Star Wars, I think?
Yesterday we took the dogs for a nice, long walk at Lincoln Woods with Josh.  We investigated the kayak rentals and planned a lake date for Memorial Day Weekend.  We meet up with friends downtown for a while, had a beer at the Wickenden, had a really fun dinner at Abyssinia, and then had everyone over for a fire pit night in the back yard afterward.  Vegan s'mores, beer, good friends and conversation.  Pretty sweet for a cool, overcast May day.  I'm doing okay with my whole 'working on not letting the weather get me down' thing.  One of these weekend the sun will be out, and I will be ready.   There are already many plans in motion for summer fun and I am anxiously awaiting the return of bathing suit weather.
Soon, I know, I'm being as patient as I have to be.

It's actually a fairly nice day today.  We're having friends over tonight for the weekly GoT viewing party, and once the yard work is done, I'm ready for an iced coffee and an adventure somewhere...

No Show, No Test

Prof had scheduled a proctor for last night's test while she was away on business.  No one showed up, so the whole class excitedly up and ran 15 minutes past the hour.

I picked up sushi on the way home.
No pups were injured.
A few Mad Men episodes and some nice quiet time with my four hearts before turning in fairly early.
It's a little creepy how much Don Draper reminds me of an ex of mine (behavior-wise).
Thank goodness and goldfish that the past is the past.

There have definitely been worse Tuesdays.