I am not afraid of spooks!

So hubby spent Memorial Day weekend camping with a few guy friends in the Adirondacks. Based on the photos I've seen, they had a beautiful spot right by the lake. At night, however, things looked a different. Apparently there was quite a bit of mist that came over from the lake and here is one of the pictures they took of said mist...


Or at least that's what they thought it was. One of our friends zoomed into a spot to the left of the tree and this is what he saw...


So now I'm starting to wonder if what they thought was lake mist was really something else...

Git 'R Done!!

Or as Mater would say - "I'm happier th'n a tornado in a trailer park!" Oh, how I love Larry the Cable Guy. Not to mention Disney/Pixar movies... Why am I happier than a tornado in a trailer park, you ask?

Cause the light at the end of my tunnel is back on. Either that or I'm out of the tunnel altogether and things are just cruising right along. Here's a quick summary:

1.) The toilet in the half bath has been replaced (after cutting the bolts with a Dremel because they were completely rusted which pretty much fused the toilet to the floor.) The new one looks so much better in that tiny space. Plus it saves a ton of water which is good since we're on a well/septic system and to conserve water and all that. The extra-added bonus was that it gave me the chance to remove the wallpaper that I could not get to behind the old toilet and truly finish the painting in that room. My anal-retentive self has been satisfied!

2.) B is currently finishing up his last full week of school and his Pre K and Jr. K graduations are a week away. I think he's looking forward to the break. It's just unreal how much he has progressed in this one year. He went from barely knowing any letters and numbers in the fall to READING! Can you believe that? My little boy can read! He is so excited for Kindergarten next year and I anticipate the transition will be smooth as silk since he has already developed several close friends at the Academy, some of which will be in his AM Kindergarten class next year. As he enjoys his first year of public school, I'll be enjoying the much needed break from the crazy tuition costs since he'll only be attending the Academy in the afternoons (compared to all day like he has been doing for the past 2 years.)

3.) I completed my first ever short story which is currently residing in the very capable hands of my editress (thanks again sj!) I have also done quite a bit of research on literary magazines and I'm hoping to submit it in September (unless sj thinks it's complete garbage after which she will proceed to advise me to not quit my day job.) Ok, maybe she won't be that harsh, but she may tell me that I need a bit more practice and if that's the case I will most certainly take her up on that advice. I'm thinking I kind of like this whole short story thing (mainly because they're SHORT!) so I might write a few more before summer's end. That way if one gets rejected, I'll have something else to submit and possibly get rejected again... So my dear sj, dust off those reading glasses cause there's more 'a coming! Oh yeah...and let's not forget that 250+ page novel I've got going on at the same time too... LOL

4.) And finally, we are cruising towards our trip to Oregon to attend hubby's cousin's wedding at the end of the month. We leave in a mere 2 weeks and aside from the flights, hotel and rental car booking, I haven't done a thing to prepare for it. I figure I still have time to put together my packing list and figure out what to wear to the wedding so there's no rush, yet. None of us (hubby, me or B) has ever been to the Northwest, so we're all very much looking forward to the trip and taking in all the sights with hubby's aunt, uncle and twin cousins who live in Portland.

Feeling inspired

There are many things in this world that inspire me. A walk in the woods, a familiar scent, a tender moment between a parent and a child. Not a day goes by that I don't feel inspired in some way and the end result of those inspirations varies just as much as the actual subject. I might feel inspired to read a book I would not normally be drawn to. Take a hike that I might think is too challenging for me. Or something that I usually have the least amount of time to devote to - I might write about it.

This was the case for a particular photo I saw on the blog of a very talented photography based right here in CT. Her name is Carrie Roseman and her work moves me. Literally. In her latest post she posted photos of a little girl named Grace. If you have a few moments, do check it out because they truly are works of art. But there was one photo in her montage that spoke to me. Seriously, when I saw it, I immediately pictured the story behind it. I knew the girl's name and could feel her emotions. It was the first time I had become so inspired that I immediately began writing about it. And so after about 6 hours spread out over 2 days, I have completed my first ever short story. In case you are wondering, here is the picture in question:

The light at the end of the tunnel just burned out

As you can see by the post below, the installation of our new light fixture marked the end of the half-bath renovation. Or should I say, it SHOULD have marked the end of it. Until this morning. At about 1:30 am, I woke up to the sound of what could only be described as a plate smashing against a floor. Worried that the cats might have been up to no good, I got up to investigate, only to hear the sound of water pouring onto the floor. I ran into our master bathroom, nothing. So I headed into the newly renovated half bathroom and this is what I found...



See that dark line, yeah well that is one of 2 very large cracks in the tank of the toilet. The second one is in the back. By the time I managed to turn off the valve and flush the toilet to empty the tank, there was already a sizeable puddle on the floor. What I would like to know is what on earth would make a tank crack like that? There was nothing on the lid except for a spare roll of toilet paper. And although the house was a little chilly last night, I didn't think it was cold enough to warrant this. It's not like the water froze in there or anything. One interesting piece of information I found was a date stamp on the inside of the lid - Dec 1973. So after 35+ years, can a toilet suddenly decide to just burst at the seams, literally. I'm just thankful that this didn't happen last weekend while were gone!

So now I'm hoping we can find a replacement tank, cause I don't want to have to replace the whole toilet. And patching the cracks isn't really an option. I'm sure over time they'd just leak again anyway.

Silly me, here I thought the renovations were complete, especially after replacing the light fixture (which was not fun since we had to retro-fit an electrical box that the previous owners didn't think was necessary in order to safely secure a wall fixture.) This leaves me wondering if we should have just gutted the room entirely and started from scratch!

The light at the end of the tunnel

The final piece of my half bath renovation was installed this weekend.  I present to you – the new light!

It was a pain to install (just ask hubby) but it looks fantastic and I love it.

Trip to NY - Part 3

Monday -
After a quick breakfast at a deli somewhere on 10th Ave and West 50-something St (I'm kicking myself for not remembering the name of it cause they had awesome cannolis there!) we spent our last day in NY on the west side near the Hudson River.  Fleet Week had been going on all week in the city and we had yet to see any of the festivities, so what better way to honor our servicemen and women on Memorial Day than to immerse ourselves in the military and take a FREE tour of the ships that were docked right next to the USS Intrepid.  Our first stop was the USS Iwo Jima.  We toured the interior which contained quite the assortment of tanks and other armored vehicles.  Up on deck, we walked amongst the helicopters, an osprey (tilt-rotor aircraft) and a fighter jet.  Every single one of these aircraft were open to public so people could walk in and explore.

Oh and did I mention there were sailors...everywhere!!!  Sigh...

Next to the USS Iwo Jima was a naval destroyer, the USS Roosevelt.  The tour on board this ship was fascinating.  They even took us into the control room.  Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures there, but the amount of information they divulged was amazing. 

After visiting the ships, we hopped in the car and headed back to Queens for my cousin's flight back to Canada.  In all it was a fabulous weekend, but like all vacations, they end much too quickly!  Rest assured though, I'm already looking forward to my next foray in the Big Apple. 

Trip to NY - Part 2

Saturday -
A very brisk, windy day met us on Saturday morning.  After stopping at a pastry shop in Times Square for a quick bite for breakfast, we headed our way south to start what I'm going to call Park Day.  Our first stop was Bryant Park to eat said breakfast.  From there we walked our way down 6th Ave to Madison Square Park with a quick detour to Madison Square Garden.  I also captured some dramatic shots of the flatiron building. 

Continuing south along Broadway, we walked through a farmer's market that was being held in Union Square Park.  Before leaving that park, I was diverted by some wonderful music and found that it was someone playing a hammered dulcimer.  If you’ve never heard it, it's a beautiful instrument - take a look...

Our last park stop was at Washington Square Park where I satisfied my craving for a pretzel from a street vendor and sat in the shade of the tall trees to rest our feet.  The park was pretty crowded that day, but there was not a cloud in the sky and the breeze was wonderful.  I think it was a combination of the tranquility (so quiet!) and the proximity to NYU (plenty so see!) that made it by far my favorite park. 

It was still early in the afternoon, so we decided to continue south and hopped on a subway to Little Italy and Chinatown.  While in Little Italy, we witnessed a wedding procession that literally stopped traffic in a very busy intersection.  In Chinatown, I purchased a South Korean beverage (yeah figure that one out) called OKF Aloe Vera Juice.  It's quite pulpy, but not too sweet and very refreshing.  It gave me the boost I needed that late in the day. 

The beauty of New York may be food for some and shows and museums for others, but for me it's the ability to hop on a subway at Canal Street and within 10 minutes, find yourself all the way on 42nd Street.  After spending an entire day on my feet and walking about 40 blocks, I was praising the NY subway system! 

Back at the hotel, we got all dolled up for our fancy dinner at the revolving restaurant The View atop our hotel.  Here's me with my cousin E.  We clean up pretty well if I do say so myself.

We had yet another wonderful meal and by this point I was getting quite spoiled with all the good food and impeccable service.  We finished off the evening with a few drinks in the revolving lounge which was located directly beneath the restaurant.

Sunday -
If Saturday was park day, I'm calling Sunday Museum Day.  Our first stop was on the Upper East Side at The Museum of the City of New York.  This was more on my list of things to see than my cousin's, but I convinced him that it would be worth the trip.  The Mannahatta Project exhibit debuted earlier that week and after reading about it in the paper, I was determined to check it out.  The exhibit was quite the eye-opener.  And be sure to click on the link because the site itself is very interesting. 

Since that museum was pretty much at the northern end of Central Park, we walked down the museum mile along 5th Ave.  We stopped at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reservoir which gave dramatic views of the Upper West Side. 

We also passed in front of the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Along our way, I was busy taking photos of some of the striking architecture on the Upper East Side. 

We stopped for some ice cream in front of the Met, then continued across Central Park and headed towards the Museum of Natural History.  We spent the rest of the day touring the 4 floors of that museum, much to the protest of my poor aching feet.  We were absolutely starving by the time we were back at Times Square, so we stopped at a corner pizza shop a block up from the hotel and did a little people-watching while munching.

For dinner that evening, I had made reservations at one of my favorite restaurants in NYC - Perilla in Greenwich Village. 

It's a little hole in the wall, but it's a very nice hole in the wall and the food is simply spectacular.  At this point I was trying to convince my cousin to move down to New York.  It would give me yet another reason to travel down here more frequently!

To be continued...