And now for something completely different....

I ran across this video on a Americablog, a great site for political commentary. However, this video is not about politics. It is about the ocean and undersea life. It is a man giving a speech about something he is passionate about. It is riveting. It is cool. It made me want to go listen to lectures about art, history, science, and all kinds of cool stuff. It is only a few minutes long and so cool, especially the last little bit.

Click here to see oceanographer, David Gallo!

I might not be around blogland for the rest of the week, I am laying low people! Trying to get my creative mojo back and/or trying to get the house in order........

Memorial Day

Adding my voice to a chorus for Peace.

A Good Day

The sun is shining here.
I woke up with a rare case of energy, so I started to straighten up around the house. Mike and I are going to watch the Cubs game and then maybe go see Ironman. We are also planning on taking some books to the used book store and maybe a trip to Barnes and Noble!
Of course, we are also enjoying the company of our furry children, Buddy and Pal.
And of course, I will be getting a nap in!!! Love the weekend!

The illustrations from this book come from one of my finds in Snohomosh, Washington. I found three books that were published when I was little. The illustrations seem so familiar to me! And best of all, they were only $1 each!! Lucky!

Seattle, Bainbridge, Snohomosh, and Poulsbo!!!!

On Tuesday of my week in Washington I went to the airport to pick up my best buddy Noreen. She came up from L.A. to spend some time with me. This is our third get together on Bainbridge and we are so lucky to be able to do it!!! Our first stop after the airport was the lunch you see below. BBQ pulled pork sandwiches! Yum! Next stop was one of the best bookstores ever, Elliot Bay Book Company in the Pioneer Square section of Seattle. You could spend thousands of dollars and many hours in this place!!! I have always wanted one of those Read signs in my house!

Next stop was a cute shop called Fireworks. Noreen found a great purse, see above left, green purse, oblong shape. Lovely handmade number! I liked the state pillows pictured below and the red purse with the Seattle gal on it!! I behaved myself though and saved my money for antique shopping!
The next morning we were off on the Kingston ferry. We took it over to Edmonds, and then drove over to Snohomosh which is a small town with a ton of antique shops.
We fortified ourselves with some cream cheese chocolate muffins!
There was one particular place, Star Antique Mall, which had 5 floors of stuff!!! Our dogs were barking by the end of the day (that means our feet hurt!)
Love these head vases!!!!
Great antique sign! Really gets your heart pumping doesn't it???
I loved the graphics on this old Totes box!
See this lamp above? I could not resist it!!! I brought it home with me! Well, I mean, my Dad is going to ship it to my house in the next couple of weeks along with a few other treasures which I will show you when I get them in hand.
More cool graphics...
On Friday we went to Poulsbo to meet my friend Carolyn who lives in Bremerton.
We ate lunch overlooking this cute little inlet!
Poulsbo is such a cute town. It is very Danish.
We went to an antique store (what else?) that had this dear little scrapbook all about George Harrison!
Here are myself, Noreen and Carolyn at Rubber Soul in Poulsbo...I found 2 new great stamps! We had a really nice time together.
On the last night we went to the Town and Country grocery store and got lots of little fun things to eat for dinner. I gave my Dad one of his birthday CD's.
I gave Mary this book as she loves this author. Looks like a really good read.

I am so lucky to have had this magical week! I hope to go back soon. It is a place that really gets into your system and you need another dose!!!!

Thanks for all the welcome back wishes - you all make me feel so loved!

Back Home Again......

I had an absolutely fabulous and wonderful vacation in Washington! It is SO BEAUTIFUL there! I would move there in a second if I could get the rest of my "core" people to go with me. Here is a photo from the morning I left....this is at O'Hare. You can see Chicago in the background. I was feeling mighty wistful when I took this shot because Mike had just dropped me off and I knew I would miss him and the cats something fierce all week.
Perhaps the other people in the terminal thought I was a bit odd as I unpacked my carry on bag to photograph my reading material; however, I would love to see what other people take on trips to read!!!! I finished Have You Found Her on the trip and it was riveting. I am going to pass it on to my friend Trish as it is right up her alley. I am currently reading Nineteen Minutes and it is a great read; can't put it down!
Here is a photo of my Dad and I when we were out running errands and driving around Bainbridge Island taking in all the beauty.
I ended up watching Masterpiece Theater last Sunday night with Mary. Cranford is the title of the current little mini-series. IT WAS SO TOTALLY FANTASTIC~ It is set in the 1850's in a small town in England and it is riveting and delightful. If you get a chance, please do watch it.
Drinks, snacks and crossword puzzles.....that is how we spent some of our time.
The local grocery store, Town and Country, always has gorgeous flowers......
On Tuesday we went out for a little sailing trip on my Dad's boat.....It was a bit cold and rainy but we had fun. We brought a little picnic lunch on board and had fun setting that up with some nice linens and cute plastic plates...
Here is a view from our boat, Widgeon, out to where the ferry from Seattle is coming in.
Here is Mary. She did a superb job of taking the boat out of the slip and into the harbor. It is a feat that I would not be able to accomplish and she did it very calmly.

More pics to come! Glad to be back to check out everyone's blog, but would like to remain in this permanent state of relaxation and constant state of having fun!