Oh summer

(From Unruly Things)

Fall in the city

These photos were taken by a blogger I enjoy reading, Rockstar Diaries. I think she's editing them to make them look more "vintagey" but I dig the coloring. These are from Capitol Hill in DC, but the city is similar enough to Richmond that it is like looking at my own neighborhood. Somehow she must have found a break in the Nor'easter that has been drowning the Eastern Seaboard all week. I have 2 new leaks in my apt, one which I just noticed has definitely gotten worse, and there is ugly staining from the water damage. GAR.


I love how the stairs are worn but someone still adorned them with teeny pumpkins on each step

Pat

This picture ALMOST (almost!) makes me want winter (but not really because the only good reason for winter is snow and it really never snows here)

Beachbeachbeach

The recent cooler weather has me lusting for fall again, but today it was summer-hot and I'm headed to my beach for a few days so I've got summer on the brain. September is a difficult time to pack for, since it is warm during the day but really cool at the beach at night. This is unlike the city where the nighttime temperature doesn't vary that much from the daytime. So I'm packing my summer sandals and breezy dresses but trying to figure out what sweaters and jackets and pants (gasp!) to pair with them.
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(Photo by Lloydlee Heite)

Tomorrow night I'll be here with some of my old high schools pals doing our band gang reunion. It's our tradition to bonfire on the beach, make Dorito s'mores, drink, and catch up. I haven't done it in ages and I CANNOT wait.

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(photo by me)

We'll also be staying in view of this again, for a cheap, cheap rate (yay off-season). It is also my goal to find us a better breakfast place this time. Other plans include kayaking and/or biking, fancy dinner, hot shoes, Make-it-Rain(TM), plastic menagerie margaritas and DE nachos at Tijuana Taxi, happy hour at Stoney Lonen, Dogfish Head distillery tour, maybe a show at the Cork, swimming in the finally-warm Atlantic Ocean, maybe some trivia at the Slam, photo-taking, magazines and newspapers on the beach, crossword puzzles, visiting my grandma in the nursing home, and scattering my father's ashes with my mom over the beach.

Packing is always a challenge for me because I like to have all my wardrobe at my disposal, and trying to limit to just a few pairs of shoes, pieces of jewelry, belts, etc is difficult. I've already overpacked, but I prefer it that way.

Meal Order

I had my meals backwards tonight (which I really never do, I am a firm believer in food order), but the Starbucks ice cream was calling my name, so I polished off 1/3 of the pint when I got home. I hate how some ice cream, after awhile, loses its taste as your mouth gets numb from the cold (perhaps a sign to stop eating it, eh?). I was still hungry for real food, so I put together a concoction I discovered by accident when I was at Rebecca's parents' house and we were scrounging for food: canned corn, cheese, peanuts, a tomato (or in this case, salsa), pepper and stir! It's surprisingly satisfying.


This is my ideal table spread. Lots of coffee and like beverages, sunshine, and bowls piled high with biscuits. (from My Funny Eye)


I'm finally feeling better and don't have any plans tonight, and for once am antsy and feel like socializing, which I haven't felt like doing in about a week. I'm trying to decide if I should go to my new favorite local bar. I wonder if they have wireless? I haven't tried to see if my dad's laptop works again.

(Lavender Lines)

The suddenly cooler temperatures has me all excited for fall and tall boots and jackets and the fall smell. I am always sad for one season to end (except for Winter-- Winter can die a horrible death). I love summer but I also love fall. Dressing for me is so much easier in summer because I can throw on clothes and go, and that's what bothers me about fall dressing, especially because I get cold so easily.


Unrelated, I LOVE this photo of Michelle Williams. I'm a sucker for sepia.

Snowflake Curtain

It is odd to be posting about making snowflakes when today was above 100 degrees and the hottest day of the year, but I just found a cool idea in the photo above. Last Christmas, my friends and I made paper snowflakes at my party, and then we put them up on my living room window, and they stayed all through the holiday season. They filtered light nicely and covered enough of the window that I didn't really have to close the blinds. Well this year, I'm definitely going to try making a snowflake curtain like Bugs and Fishes did here. Look at that, it's amazing.

I just realized I took like, no photos of my beautiful handmade snowflake window. Here's it in the early stages with my cat, looking angered by the whole thing

Summer

I love summer porch-sitting, even though my point-and-shoot is crappy and takes blurry photos. All photos I want to take tend to happen in low lighting, so I'm pretty much screwed.

Went to the Big Brothers, Big Sisters duck race fundraiser this weekend. We had 6 ducks in the race of 25,000. Sadly, we didn't win, but some guy next to us did. What a visual!

This is the chute through which the winning ducks are chosen. Whichever gets through first wins. The canal is looking particularly algae-y and gross.

Clearly the Travelers Insurance man has drowned here and the real ducks are waiting to jump the plastic ducks who win and take them out.