Love, Lydia - Notes from a geeky, plus sized artist.: travel
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Book Reviews and Geekyloot

Hi folks,

Today I've got two book reviews for you plus a great featured store.  Let's get started!

Book Reviews


Top 12 Places to Visit in Texas by Jody Rookstool

I was given this book to review by the author after seeking some guidance to planning the Texas trip I thought I'd be going on.  I've also been writing a series on travel planning that started around the same time, which you can find here.  Texas is an amazing place that as Rookstool says, has a lot more diversity that people often assume beyond just cowboys.  I loved my last visit as I helped my friend Holly move there a couple years back, and am sad I won't be able to make it there for her wedding.  But, I was excited about all the possibilities the state could offer for a visit.  Rookstool's book highlights some of the best, and while the book is small she gives a great overview of both big name destinations such us the Space Center in Houston to less well known gems like Enchanted Rock.  I'm just sorry I didn't get to explore some of them.  But if you're planning a trip to Texas and want to choose a couple great spots this little guide is a great way to pick a few out.  You can find it here and visit the author's site here.

Battling Boy: The Rise of Aurora West

The Rise of Aurora West◊ by Paul Pope, JT Petty, and David Rubin is a great read that can be approached by kids or adults easily.  It's a graphic novel that follows a coming of age type story, and is a prequel to Battling Boy, though you needn't read them in order.  This is the first book in the series I've picked up, and I just happened to spot it at my local comic books store.  In some ways Aurora's family reminds me of Jonny Quest and the Venture brothers, which I love.  Finally we get a girl adventurer in a similar situation!  She helps her dad fight monsters each night, and is tutored in fighting each day.  She begins to find clues that explain some parts of her past she wondered about for years, and as events unfold she takes initiative to investigating exactly what happened in her past.  This is a great little read, I just wish it had color.  The art is great though, and I look forward to reading other books in the series.


The Master of Formalities

The Master of Formalities◊ by Scott Meyer is a book that came up in my Amazon recommendations a while back and intrigued me.  At the time I hadn't yet read any of Meyer's other books (which you can find some of my reviews of here and here) and I just thought the premise sounded good.  About a week ago it went on sale as a Kindle daily deal and I snapped it up.  I feel like this is where Meyer shines, sure his other books were good, but this one is great.  The characters have of depth, and there are many fantastic females in the cast.  The premise involves a large cast in the home of the royal family of the planet Apios.  They're at war with the Hahn of the Hahn Homeworld and through each step of the way have their master of formalities, Wollard, to smooth everything and keep them from losing face.  He advises them in every situation and when things change in the house he begins losing the respect of the royal family as things don't go as smoothly as usual.  Who knew a grumpy, adopted Hahn teenager would be such a problem?  But even Wollard isn't perfect, and there are surprises in store for him as he performs his job as the master of formalities.


Geekyloot

Now it's time for a bit of a review.  You may remember the guest post from last week (Dean Winchester - A Pumpkin Pie Kinda Guy), which was penned Geekyloot's owner Christina Clawson.  Her site is host to a blog, but it's also a great deal destination site too!  Each week the site has 3 deals that are only good for a week, similar to sites like Groupon and Pick Your Plum.  The great part about Geekyloot is it has all kinds of fandom friendly items that are picked with female geeks in mind!

Geekyloot was kind enough to send me a sampler pack with some of the recent deals they've had when I made my first order from them, so I can share it with you all.


Fun stuff, there's the two Baymax keychains from Disney's Big Hero 6, a Hobbit Locket(!!!!), a Marauder's Map (Harry Potter) necklace, a Mockingjay necklace (Hunger games), plus some Simpsons inspired socks.  Bryan was happy to receive the white Baymax keychain, and honestly who doesn't love Baymax!  The Hobbit locket was what made me order from them, I love things that open up have secret compartments and such.


Here's a closer look at the necklaces fronts, and below a second shot of the ones with more detail to them.  They're all costume quality, which is great for everyday wear and cosplay on a budget.



The socks are super comfy, and though I've personally never been a huge fan of the Simpsons I loooove donuts!  And I collect socks too!  I put them on to take a picture while we had Scarlet out for exercise and she came over and starting investigating them and finally marking them.  (Rabbits mark items similarly to cats by rubbing their face against them.)  So these socks have the bunny seal of approval.

A big thanks goes out to Geekyloot for providing me with some awesome items to review.  If you like these go check out the store at www.geekyloot.com/store!  This week they've got the Simpsons socks, a beautiful little Game of Thrones Pin, and a Black Widow necklace.  But hurry, new items will be up Saturday!  Thanks for reading, I'll see you all again soon.

Love,
Lydia

Monday, October 5, 2015

Travel 101: Flights

Hi folks,

First off I want to let you all know upfront that I'm just covering domestic travel in the USA. Someday I might do an international post, I think I might have to go renew my passport before that!

Just after touching down in Salt Lake City, UT

Flights

Google

The number one way to travel distances along with being generally the most costly.  If I'm trying to plan a plane trip I always start by visiting Google's Flight Matrix.  (Originally created by a company called ITA software as an independent flight tool, meaning it's programing offers unbiased information allowing you all the facts to choose what's best for you.)  It searches all the Airlines, minus Southwest (They don't let anyone except their own site publish fare information.) and has an easy system allowing many different search options.
Search Options Include:

  • Round Trip, One Way, and Multi-City
  • Multiple Airports for each destination
  • Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and First Class flights
  • Number of Passengers
  • Number of Stops
  • Price
  • Airline
  • Time of Day
  • Flight Duration
Other cool features include a map where you can choose your departure city and hover over other cities to find interesting and unexpected deals on destinations around the world.  Though if you look internationally please know that there will be some airlines omitted from listings, similar to Southwest.

Using your own location there are prices for popular destinations further down the main page, as well as access to your two most recent searches.  Plus once you've started a search you can open a calendar and compare prices for different dates with no limits on what you can search except what airlines have published.

Flying over the city of Roanoke, VA

Southwest

If Southwest flies to and from the destinations you need I would always check their prices, they're often very close to the competition, sometimes a bit more expensive, other a bargain.  But the big draws of Southwest are free checked bags, and free changes to flights.  On the other hand all their planes have narrow seats, only 17" in width, and they have at times been discriminatory towards larger customers (though after a few well publicized events this now happens much less frequently).

Seat Guru

SeatGuru is the third website I might turn to while planning.  Once you've narrowed down your flight options it can help you choose between similar flights if being comfortable is one of your concerns.  You can input information for each flight you're evaluating and see a map of the plane, measurements for the seats and legroom too.

If you're like me and larger sized you may even want to start with SeatGuru to figure out which airlines you prefer.  The seat sizes and pitch of the seats (legroom) vary by the model of plane and each particular airline.  There are comparison charts organized by short and long haul flights and ticket class.  They also list amenities such as video screens (including type whether it's overhead, seat back, or on-demand), if laptop power is available and whether it's AC or DC current, and if there's WiFi available.  And you can sort the chart by whichever category is important to you.  

Leaving Atlanta, GA, Delta's hub city.

Other Tidbits

Beyond the three resources above note that flying on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday will get you the cheapest ticket.  Additionally book 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 months in advance of your trip usually yields the best price on fare.  The only exception is the week before and after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.  Around those holidays it's best to get the flight 3-4 months in advance because they fill up faster.

I should note that I no longer book on sites like Orbitz, Priceline, or Travelocity.  They sell third party bookings and your flight isn't 100% guaranteed because if they're overbooked you will be the first to be cut and put on standby.  No one wants that!  So I check the prices on Google and Southwest, and buy directly from the airline when I know which flight I want.

If you think you might be spending some time in an airport for a layover or as you wait for your initial flight you may want to research the airport in advance.  It may make the choice for you if there are several layover airports to choose from and one airport is particularly pleasant when the other choice is in need of updating.  I look for three things when I visit an airport website:
  1. Free WiFi, you really want then to have this if you'll be stuck there for 4 hours, if not bring a good book.
  2. A map of the airport, if it's a larger airport you may even want to have a printed map handy.  Knowing how to get from terminal A over the D might be further than you think!
  3. Know what food is there.  If you need to eat in an airport it's nice to know how many or few options there may be.  Some airports are delightful, and some just sad.  I like knowing in advance so I can choose something that's healthier or that will hit the spot after a long day.

Finally on the day of my flight I like to make sure I have a change of clothes in my carry on if I have a checked bag, just in case luggage gets lost.  I try to print my ticket in advance if possible, or allow plenty of time to be in line to print it at the airport and check any bags.  Do you think I left something out?  Let me know in the comments!

Love,
Lydia

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Photo Bucket List + Book Reviews

Hello again everyone,

So I read a post a while back from a photographer from the Rising Tide Society which contained her photo bucket list.  I thought it was such a great idea that I wanted to make my own list.  It's a really great exercise in being mindful about my goals, and since two of my goals are using my DSLR more and getting my home darkroom set up this goes right along with them.


My Photo Bucket List

  1. Set up my home darkroom.  Right now I have an unfinished bathroom that's just the right size for a personal darkroom.  I also have an old enlarger, some small trays and tongs, a beaker, and some other small things.  So what I really need to complete this is a sink/cabinetry for the wet side, a redlight bulb, chemicals and jugs to store them, a heavy duty trash bin, a table for my enlarger, some shelve for storage, a couple of large trays, and a proper seal for the door.  
  2. Go back to Ireland and photograph more of its beauty.  
  3. Photograph a castle, even better if there are costumes involved. 
  4. Go out west and photograph the milky way.  
  5. Photograph all the national parks I visit in my quest to visit all the ones in the US.
  6. Photograph a North-South tour of Chile.
  7. Visit some of the towns in Germany that my ancestors are from and photograph them.  
  8. Get better at editing digital photos
  9. Get better at using DSLR settings to optimize the amount of work to edit photos
  10. Become more comfortable photographing people
That's my list, and I'd love to hear about yours!  Comment below, or write your own blog response and tag me.

On to the Book Reviews!

From here on out every Wednesday you'll get a comic review and a novel review.  Today's novel is Off To Be The Wizard by Scott Meyer.

Image used under Fair Use guidelines

In Off To Be The Wizard our protagonist Martin discovers a computer algorithm that controls all life as we know it.  He does what more any guy would and messes with it, first to get cool stuff, and then once authorities are on to him to jump back in time to the middle ages where he has plans of becoming a wizard and living well.  Only it's not quite as easy as he thinks to pull off.  I found this book to be a really fun read, and have already started on its sequel.  The only problem I has with it was the severe lack of female characters, this book would in no way pass the Bechdel-Wallace test.  It left me feeling that the author just didn't know how to write women.  However this next book may change that, we'll see.  In any case this book is sci fi, nerdy, light-hearted fun, that's also very accessible to readers of all kinds.

Image used under Fair Use guidelines
Next up is Princess Ugg Volume 1 by Ted Naifeh and Warren Wucinich.  Princess Ulga is urged by her mother to find a better way for her people to live, so she goes down into the valley, leaving her highlands for a princess academy.  What follows are misunderstandings, a community that looks down on her and many obstacles for her to overcome.  Ulga has the determined heart of a warrior however, and is set on learning from all the encounters she has in the valley.  It's a cute, mostly light-hearted, and rather witty read, that is welcoming to both younger readers and adults.  It has just enough twists and excitement to keep what could have been a very formulaic read more interesting.

Thanks for reading, I'll see you all again Friday!

Love,
Lydia

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Mac and Cheese + Good Reads

Hello again!

Today I've got a new recipe for you.  I decided I wanted to tackle something new for the guys this week for our tabletop RPG night.  I love recipes that make things easy and one of the easiest ways I know of doing that is crock pot recipes.  I looked at a couple different versions of crock pot mac and cheese before coming up with my own.  Here is my version:

Leveled Up Mac and Cheese


What you'll need:

3 3/4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (we tried Sargento's 4 State Cheddar because it sounded good/was on sale)
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese (we just used Kroger's version)
3 cups of milk
5 tablespoons butter
16 oz elbow macaroni
8 oz cream cheese

Optional:

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 cup bread crumbs (we went with garlic and herb seasoned)
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 package of bacon

Total time: about 3 hours

First boil the pasta until it's al dente, or if you're like me as soon as you look in the pot and see they've grown, then drain the noodles.

Then add all the items in your crock pot except the parmesan, bread crumbs, and bacon, stir them a bit and set the crock pot on low.  Come back and stir every half hour and in 2-3 hours it will be done.  You can tell it's done when everything is melted, smells good, and cheese starts browning on the sides of the pot.  When it's at that point just add a layer of the parmesan and bread crumbs on top, put the lid back on and set your crock pot to warm until you're ready to serve.

If you want to add bacon to the dish cook the bacon separately in the oven.  My favorite method is by putting the bacon on a foil lined pan, into the oven and then setting the temperature to 375F for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes if it's not done just check it every few minutes until it's done the way you like it best.  You can then chop the bacon and add it to your bowl of macaroni.

We found that as a main dish this recipe feeds 5 adults, as a side dish it would feed 10.  It is very cheesy and fill you up more than you'd assume because of this.


And now for the book reviews:

Cover image used under fair use guidelines

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson was a really interesting read.  I had picked it up at a thrift store a while back knowing Bryan had enjoyed some of the author's books and thinking a book about the trail so close to where I group up in Roanoke would be interesting.  And it was!  The Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia to Maine, with an extension trail that goes on up into Canada for those who wish to keep going, and Bill and his friend are about to tackle walking it all.  I think I ended up enjoying some of the more thoughtful sections of the book on history, nature, and the influence of man on it all better than I did some of the parts about the experience of walking the trail and the humor involved (the humor actually put me off a little at times).  I could mentally picture what it might have been like to see the huge old chestnut forests.  All in all it makes me want to go out and walk some parts of the trail and photograph it.  This is the kind of book that many readers will enjoy, but there will be parts you can take or leave along the way.  However, it's all worth the trip.


Cover image used under Fair Use guidelines


Velvet Volume 1 by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, and Bettie Breitweiser is the quintessential spy story.  A spy is framed and has to revisit past memories to find out the secrets that will allow them to clear their name.  Only in this case it's a middle aged female spy who was just working as a secretary at the time she was framed.  Over the course of this first book we find out just how much she knows and doesn't know about those she has spent her life working with.  And all this while she's on the run from her own agency.  This was one of our reads for the Word Balloons discussion group at Fight or Flight Comics (my local comic book store in Raleigh, NC), which I probably would never have picked up otherwise.  It reads like most spy movies and has a fairly formulaic feel, but undeniably left me wanting more the moment I finished reading it.

That's all for today, but I'll see you again Friday!

Love,
Lydia

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Mixed Bag

Hi everyone,

So today's post is a bit of a mixed bag with a couple comics and other things in store.

First off there's news:

Bryan and I had been planning quietly to go to Texas for a little vacation, but we hit a snafu almost as soon as I announced it.  Because Bryan changed jobs in the last year he makes a little more, maybe 15% after taxes.  However when I sent in my income based repayment information so good old Sallie Mae, oh wait, I mean Navient (their sad rebranding to try to shed the image attached to their other name) I got the results in the last week of what our adjusted payments would be.  Somehow a 15% jump in income means we can suddenly afford double the payments each month.  I don't know how their system works, but it sure is confusing!  What this mean is we're giving Navient an extra round trip flight to Texas each month.  So only I will be able to go for the wedding, and I won't spend much extra time there.  Maybe I'll be able to do something fun while I'm there meeting new friends and seeing old ones, or perhaps Bryan and I can go on some other adventure closer to home.  Either way I'll still be working on the travel series, but it will just end up different than I initially thought it would be.  Overall it's a little disappointing, but not the end of the world.  It leaves plenty of other possibilities open closer to home.  I'll have the next part of my travel series up either September 21st or 28th, so be on the lookout for that!

Secondly I'm thinking about how I can keep moving towards having a more ethical wardrobe and habits in general.  I've been testing out Thred Up ($20 off for you in the link there!), a way to sell or buy second hand clothes online and plan to do a comparison for you all, since I think Poshmark is also a site you all might be interested in.  They do basically the same thing, but with Poshmark you do more of the work and make more profit.  We'll see if it's worth it.  I started comparing my summer wardrobe, which at best has about 5% as ethical.  I'd have to check tags to know for sure, but I'm lazy and haven't yet.  However, with my fall wardrobe there's at least 5%, maybe a little more.  So that's progress of a sort.  And as I look at buying anything new I'm trying to check options from my ethical clothing list first these days.  Then there's Etsy, which is a fantastic place for gifts as well as clothes.  (I start my Christmas shopping early!)  And I'd also like to visit local thrift stores more often, which may turn into a new goal if I can get my husband, Bryan, on board!  I really like the ideas for repurposing and glaming up thrift store finds in this video below:


I think this means I'll be featuring some more Pinterest and DIY projects here soon!  Also my studio is slowly starting to get unpacked.  Finally!  haha  That's been a long time coming, and I'm glad to have work space again.  I also have the challenge of decorating it, so decor DIY here I come!

And now for the book review of the week:



This week I picked up The Ancient Magus Bride Volume 2 by Kore Yamazaki and it was just as good as the first volume!  There are more secrets, depth, and character development packed in this volume.  Chise finished things in the town of cats and meets some new fae.  We see her learning magic and find out how it drains her.  And finally she begins to make allies of who we thought might be enemies before we get to the edge of your seat ending.  I'll be honest, I kind of wish I hadn't heard of this series until all the volumes are published, because now I have to wait until December to read more!  haha Really though it's a great series and I'll have another pick for you all next week.

Love,
Lydia

Monday, August 31, 2015

On Travel Planning

Hi friends,

So I was thinking about trip planning lately and how before I got married it was so much easier to just go on a trip with a small budget.  Now we have so much more to worry about when thinking about a trip.

For example I am up for most things minus sports and really intense physical activities.  I'm just not much of a thrill seeker or someone who's interested in spending time I see as relaxing straining myself physically.  That still leaves a lot open.  But when you plan for two there's even more to consider.

My husband Bryan dislikes crowds, so if he's got to deal with one it had better be worth it, like at the Louvre or Disneyland.  He's had problems with his joints in the past so a lot of walking is something he's more cautious to add to an itinerary.  He likes to know a plan in advance, though I don't mind flexible plans.  Sometimes I think we're opposites, but we just have a different approach in some ways.  What we want to get out of a trip is remarkably similar, as are many of the places we might prioritize visiting.


How do we get to a fully planned trip?  And how do we afford it?  Because we all know when your costs double it's going to be harder.  I still don't want to think about how we'll pay for travel with kids when that day comes!  However, for now it's the two of us.  We start off with me handling the planning, Bryan has me run things past him at various points along the way.  I mostly have free reign to plan many of the fun things I like so long as I keep in mind just how much Bryan is willing to drive, walk around, and tolerate things he's less interested in.

I'm currently planning a trip to the Texas Hill Country (partially for a wedding), and I thought it'd be a great time to take my readers along for my planning process.  This post marks the start of that series.


I'll write a post on transportation deals, one on hotels and other places to stay, one about what to see and how to find it, and finally one on staying sane when things don't go as planned.  So sitck with me and we'll plan some fantastic trips!

Love,
Lydia

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Thoughts on Fast Fashion


Hi guys,

This week marks my last week trying out Gwynnie Bee (a plus sized clothing rental service), which has come with just one real success.  Everything else just didn't work for me in some way or another.  Which is why I love being able to try things on before buying them, but when it comes to shopping Bryan is not such a fan of going with me.  It means I buy more online and try to make my shopping trips fast or with someone other than my husband.  I always look forward to our week at the beach each year knowing I'll get to have a trip to the outlets where I can spend an afternoon trying all kinds of thing and hopefully coming home with a few good finds.  This year was no exception, however I'm waiting to unveil new things with my fall capsule.  However, I did find myself trying to buy more than I needed, which is something I hope to continue changing with the capsule wardrobe.  I want to get to a point where I'm less tempted to buy things I already have a similar one of and also move towards more ethical and perhaps sustainable clothing.

Ethical and Sustainable Clothing


I know it's not something most of us think too much about, but more often these days I think it should be.  Almost all of us buy these clothes, and we don't often think much of it.  Perhaps we feel some guilt, but it's a habit we like.  For some of us it's hard to afford more expensive clothing after all. But clothes are often made by people, frequently children, in poor conditions who are underpaid for their labor.  This is covered up by subcontractors who sent jobs to cheaper factories and workers so that we can have the trendiest and cheapest clothing that fast fashion can offer us.  The process is explained more fully in this John Oliver video. (Warning - he's funny and informative, but uses foul language)


My goal in the next year is to transition to more ethical brands, which can be tough in plus sized fashion.  But I know I can at least move closer to this ideal with each capsule I build.  At the moment I'm compiling a list of places that carry plus sized fashion that fits this description and will be sharing it with my readers and keeping it updated as well as I can.  You'll be able to find it in the top navigation bar along with more information on some of my other goals and a more detailed profile, so that all you new friends can get to know me better.  You'll also notice I'm transitioning to a new look for this blog, so feel free to give feedback along the way.  And if you've heard of any great plus sized clothing brands who are doing things right let me know and I'll include them on my list!

Outfits


And now here are a couple of the outfits I've worn over the past few weeks, including a new kimono which I am in love with, which replaces the geometric top in my capsule.  I found I wasn't comfortable in the top, so it will be finding a new home soon as I prepare to give away/sell more of my clothes that don't properly fit while I create my fall capsule.  This first outfit is from a date night right before the family reunion.

Kimono - ASOS, Camisole - Kmart, Shorts Levis via Amazon, Sandals - Modcloth
This next outfit is from our double date night at the beach with Davey and Keri.  We dressed up a little, I ended up being the least dressed up since I decided not to wear the Gwynnie Bee dress I'd brought with me.  More details on that further down.
Kimono - ASOS, Necklace by my friend Amber Goulet (detailed view below, you can find her blog here), top - City Chic, Shorts - Lane Bryant, Sandals - Modcloth

I love this pendant to death, it used to have a leather cord, but it wore out and I switched it onto a silver chain I had.
Earlier this week we went to the memorial service for our nephew who passed away recently, so this is what I wore to that.
Top - Catos, Skirt - Torrid, Sandals - Modcloth

Gwynnie Bee Tests

So now for the Gwynnie Bee picks, first off the clear winner, a lovely asymmetrical top that's a Gwynnie Bee exclusive by Isabel + Alice.  I ended up buying it because I loved it so much.  I wore it to this week's date night in fact!


Tunic - Gwynnie Bee, Necklace - Forever 21, Jeans - Torrid, and Fjip-Flops - Old Navy

Dress by Adrianna Papell, just a bit too big.

 

Dress by ABS, fit ok, except for that zipper.


 

Dress by Triste, fit fine, but required shapewear to be smooth looking....and I wasn't going to put up with that as hot and humid as it was at the beach!

There you have it, loads of stuff about clothes, and so far not a lot about more ethical ones, but we'll get there.  So hang on tight,  I look forward to making the journey with you all.

Love,
Lydia



Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Beach Week Aftermath

Welcome back everyone!

I ended up taking time off of blogging while at the beach.  Obviously I didn't intend to, but the week ended up being a busier one than I anticipated.  I didn't even get any reading done!  However, I did spend lots of time with a great bunch of people playing board games, card games, computer games, going on a double date night, having late night chats, making a trip to the outlets, and celebrating my birthday.  I've been reviewing all the photos I took today, but also relaxing because I don't feel so hot.  It's really rather nice to have an excuse to relax after such a busy week.  I know most people don't feel like a vacation is work, but when I'm around a lot of people and get no real time to myself for a while it can be really draining.

Here are some highlights from the week at North Myrtle Beach:

On our first night there the moon was still nearly full and begging to be photographed, so I did!

The yard leading up to the beach.

I stayed up all night Tuesday because the air conditioning was out at the beach house, but in the morning when it was a bit nicer out (it was incredibly muggy all week and mostly very hot with the occasional thunderstorm) I went out to the beach and watched the sunrise with my camera and a couple of the guys.








And finally a little close up nature shot, my favorite kind!



As for the indoor activities I didn't take many photos at all.  Just a shot of the tournament poster I made for our Magic: The Gathering tournament, which I did surprisingly well in.  

On the way home we grabbed Michael to make things more fun and stopped at South of the Border, one of the kitschiest little bits of America that ever happened.  There we saw:
A terrifying jaguar with an unhinged jaw, the horrors!

Our brother Davey, flying his kite.

A very fake shark.

The sad mannequin, with tear stained cheeks, the poor limbless guy.

King Kong and a menagerie of other fiberglass creatures, real and imaginary.  My favorite was the lavender jackalope, I should have taken a picture of it and now kick myself for missing the chance.

The giant sombrero tower.

And the iconic sign.


We also saw plenty of fiends of old corn, peanuts, and tobacco (what's pictured above).  We got stuck in traffic on I-95 multiple times before and after lunch, and eventually got off of it altogether.  But we did enjoy the side trip for a fantastic Cuban lunch in Fayetteville, NC at Habana Cuban Restaurant.

We may have gotten home Saturday, but Sunday was busy too as Allan (Bryan's dad) and I went to see Garrison Keillor on his Prairie Home Companion: The America The Beautiful tour.  I had heard about it only a couple weeks before and near the same time heard of Keillor's upcoming retirement.  Having listened to the show with my parents many Sunday afternoons I had fond memories of his show and wanted to be able to see a bit of it live just once, and thus asked for a ticket as a birthday gift.  While the performances on this tour aren't all aired on the radio they have many of the same features as the show, plus some delightful sing along elements too.  We had a wonderful evening with perfect weather, and a fantastic venue in the Koka Booth Ampitheater in Cary, NC.  I'm hoping to take Bryan (and anyone else inclined to go) back this fall for some of their more moderately priced bluegrass concerts.






I'll be back Wednesday with another set of book reviews.  Thanks for reading!

Love,
Lydia