Dear Blog..

Why do I have two more days of school left? Can't it be summer TODAY?

Shh..the kids are quiet!

It's Monday....there are precisely 3 more days of school left (not including today). I'm leaving for Disney on Saturday. Our cat Butterball had to go to the vet for an emergency visit yesterday. I forgot my purse this morning. To put it bluntly, I feel like I'm stuck in a whirlwind! At least the kids are quiet this morning! Bribing with videos rocks, even if it is a "Liberty Kids" video ;)

Braver




So two weeks ago, right before Page hit the stage at the TLA, I bombarded my buddy Adam for a quick lesson on concert photog. After all, I take mostly pictures of flowers and things around town, but this camera is multifunctioning and I have every intention of making the best of it..at least for now :) He gave me some advice..and I've taken to bringing the toy everywhere..I don't hesitate to bring it with me to venues that say "NO cameras", like World Cafe Live last night..for Amfibian's new debut. Now I'm an old fan of these guys..in fact, it isn't the first time I've showed up with a camera..and if you know what you're doing, you can even find some unlisted amfibian pictures on a page here right on this site..with CC of all people! God she was hot! Anyway, I had a bit of fun last night. The music was good, the lighting was interesting, and noone seemed to care that there was a guy shooting video front and center the entire time!

Between Colonists and Landscaping



I feel like I've gotten no sleep...like I need another day of rest. The alarm this morning came way too quickly. We woke up on Saturday to head out in the alley. Joe was kind enough to help me dig. We spent the first hour of the day moving bricks, shovelling, and leveling dirt. We wanted to start before the heat of the day. We walked a little more than a mile to get there, after all, no cars allowed in the encampment! I had the opportunity to talk with quite a few Patriots about their way of life. After a while, we headed home. We ate some lunch and headed back again in the afternoon for the battle. It was facinating!

I spent the rest of the weekend working on the walk. Passerbys would look into the alleyway with curiousity. Their eyes would glow and mumble musings about the Garden tour! Neighbors are all too willing to share plants..and before you know it, I've got an amazing garden in the shade, complete with ferns and hostas and some flowers too! It really looks spectacular. I just love looking at it admiring it.

Unfortunately, my body is suffering the aches and pains of my labor. Even my FINGERS are hurting. I wish I could just head home right now to go back to bed. Ahh well, only 9 days left, including today!

UnEarthed!



So I've rather been nesting lately..doing all those things around the house that I won't be able to do when we have a little one on the way. You know? No heavy lifting? I've got to get it in now! First it was the mint garden plot. Isn't that what old bricked up window wells are for? I mean, it's like the perfect container for mint and all!!

Then it was the alley. Now, this is a project that I've been itching to take a shot at. I've got the backyard in control these days, I needed a new big project. Of course, it also involved tiptoeing around my neighbor because I wasn't sure how he'd react. I sent Joe to the battlefield to send out some feelers..

"Oh, well, we were going to put a concrete walk down there, but there used to be a brick path that's now below the earth there."



Uhm, no..no concrete paths, I'm taking over! I'll work like a horse to get this done before I go to Disney so that the neighbor guy has no interest in dropping a truck of concrete down the alleyway!

I went out today and started digging for the path. It was like an archeaological dig! I can't even remotely explain the excitement that I felt when I began unearthing all these bricks! It was perfect for my winding path and shade garden! And the bricks were already there! It's going to be spectacular!

Page McConnell - Fillmore at the TLA, Philadelphia, PA



So I don't get much time to shoot shows these days. Seems like not a whole lot of good things come along around here. Or maybe I'm just picky..or too shy to bring my camera to a show. As you can see, I often find myself photographing nature or still lifes. None the less, when you've got a camera that costs a small fortune, it's time to expand your horizons. I was very persistant yesterday afternoon, calling the TLA several times to find out their camera policy. I was left with a "small cameras are OK, but nothing big"

uhm, ok..so where exactly does that leave me? hiding a lens and making my Canon Rebel look like a "small camera". Yeah, right..none the less, it did the trick! And Adam thought I was being silly! HA!

Anyway, I got some practice in last night, and I feel like I took some really decent pictures! You can check out the rest here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/esthergirl/sets/72157600305633653/

City Wide Yard Sale



I'm starting to get the hang of this thing. Every year, during the first weekend of June, Bordentown holds a city wide yard sale. Joe and I take our bikes out and peruse the streets for bargains and fun things. There isn't always that much, but then again, they say that one man's trash is another man's treasure, right? First thing I set my eyes on were childrens books. Now this doesn't quite break my rule of "no baby stuff before baby" because I'm a teacher, and I've got lots of childrens books! Besides, how can I turn down some really GREAT books including a vintage Raggedy Anne and Andy book in addition to a Harold and the Purple Crayon book along with EIGHT other great hardback kids books for 2 bucks! Yes! a quarter a piece!

Now, living in an old house, it takes some time to realize what antiques you are drawn to. I find myself drawn to bottles, boxes, and linens..I was in luck today! I managed to score several old Wheaton, NJ bottles and a neat wooden box for near pennies! A good day it was!

Tonight, we're off to see Page at the TLA with some dear old friends. It should be a good time, if it isn't too hot and all!! I can't believe Summer is upon us already!