Confession: I only did this to be entered to possibly win some free stuff. We’ll see if it happens. The idea was to snap shots of yourself while visiting the various businesses around the square. So that’s what this is all about.
Category: Selfie Love
Saco and Small Business Saturday Pajama Shenanigans
Back from a relaxing weekend getaway in Saco and Kennebunkport Maine. The sunrises in Saco were amazing and we stayed in the cutest little Airbnb right on the water. Would stay there again for sure! On Small business Saturday KPT had all these sales if you wore your pajamas so that’s what we did! Oh, we met up with our pal Em to hang out this weekend as well, and we got to meet Boomer and Pippa (not shown) again! A lot of shopping and laughs were had. It’s not as busy there as it would be during prelude but it’s pretty much the same vibe more or less so in some ways it’s better. Again, it was fun hanging out with Em, and the dogs with her pops, and again, the amazing sunrises right on the water. Thankfully it wasn’t even that cold, considering. It was nice to be able to have a little getaway to take a break from all the stressors of life.
You can click the pics below for a bigger version. There’s a new version of the gallery tool now even though I preferred the old one but that currently isn’t working with the latest update so I have to use this. The snow globe I climbed in could have been inflated more (thanks town!) and a quick side trip to OOB didn’t really add too much but KPT is always top notch. Ultimately it’s all about the views, the scenery, the friends and the laughs. Oh, the pajama Saturday shot of the three of us was actually taken by someone on the Chamber of Commerce pages for the towns of Kennebunk, KPT, and Arundel so we’re also on those websites. That wasn’t a planned thing, the lady just saw us and wanted to post us!
Oh, and yes, I am wearing Pac man pajamas and believe it or not, I actually got quite a lot of comments on compliments on then from many different people!
Crash Landings
Put A Nickel in the Jukebox baby
Happy National Jukebox Day!
There’s something undeniably captivating about jukeboxes. They’re more than just music machines; they’re portals to a bygone era, where the thrill of selecting a song and hearing it burst to life filled the air with excitement.
Owning a jukebox isn’t just about collecting a piece of history; it’s about curating a personal soundtrack. Each record, each artist, each memory – it all comes together to create a unique listening experience for us. It’s fun to go find these 45s at various places in our travels, although we haven’t done so lately.
Beyond their aesthetic appeal, jukeboxes offer a tangible connection to the past. They remind us of simpler times when music was shared and enjoyed together. That’s an important point for us. In a world dominated by digital streaming, there’s something truly special about holding a physical record and placing it on a turntable. It’s a tactile experience that can’t be replicated. Plus, vinyl sounds so much better as long as it isn’t scratched!
These Jukes can be pretty temperamental at times though. What can you expect with a mechanical machine with 700 parts!?
Mollie Comes for a Visit
Yesterday was quite the exciting day. Mollie the Cavalier and her guardians came over to visit us and Carson. Now admittedly I was a little apprehensive about these two meeting, you never know how those things could go. Would the fur be flying or would everything be copasetic?
Well, I am pleased to say that it all went pretty well. When Carson first came down the stairs he didn’t notice her but after a few minutes their eyes locked on each other. Mollie growled a bit and barked a little, whereas Carson mostly just watched. Actually we are so proud of Carson. He spent the time mostly just watching the dog with interest but otherwise did not engage or bother with her. Mollie eventually got distracted by chewing on her bully stick. Interesting side note, I never knew this not being a dog owner but the sticks are actually made from bull penises. It’s true, go look it up. Anyways, as a grade, I would have to give Carson and A+ and Mollie a C-. It would have been a D but I’ll give her some slack since she is pretty much still a baby.
For those keeping score at home I’m currently on Level 483 of Tomb of the Mask as of this writing. I think I can see the end though. It looks like it might only go to Level 550. That’s a lot of levels!
A Little Jersey Weekend Trip
I’m back from a quick weekend trip to Jersey. Actually I came back alone since I have as stuff to address back here while as LD is going to spend a few more days there and come back by train on Wednesday when I’ll pick her up. Been trying to get a lot of stuff done and it’s been a lot of work. Stayed over at a cute little AirBnB nearby. Nothing to write home about and pretty small but gets the job done as it’s mostly just a place to crash for the nights, Anyways, we also got gifted a sweet rocking chair from a friend down there who wanted to part with it which I brought back and will use a lot I think.
This photo is from just outside Parsippany Hills High. We happened to be tooling around the area and noticed that all the spaces were painted different things by the students. I settled on getting this one with Venom from the Spiderman comics.
Currently Reading: Brothers by Alex Van Halen
Goats in My Pockets
Spent some time yesterday afternoon visiting the sanctuary. We have to get to know these new goats better sooner or later! Plus we had some food we needed to drop off for the animals. For whatever reason, this one goat named Dansa really thought I had something in my pockets. We didn’t stay too long though, we needed to get back because we were having some guests over in the late afternoon, and that went really nice as well. We were going to do a fire pit but by the time they arrived it started to get a wee bit chilly so we hung indoors and ate pizza and calzones and chatted. I’ll try to get to the firepit this afternoon perhaps. But first we have a reflexology appointment in the late morning to luxuriate in! Oh, one other thing. While I was at the sanctuary I was pleased to learn they still had Stardust the Donkey’s 50th birthday party shirts for sale, so I got one. I wanted to attend his birthday this summer but the schedule just didn’t align. I am glad I was able to get one. In fact, I think I’ll wear it out today.
Currently Watching (or soon will be actually): The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth . I have it all scheduled to record on the DVR on Wednesday night.
Currently Reading: The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi (review)
Halloween week 2024
What a week! Started off by me wanting to get some autumn shots over at Mount Auburn cemetery, (one of my better shots now available) so much so that I went on two days, both Sunday and Monday. Tuesday was spent doing my usual Tuesday things where I also tried out a new burger establishment in town and it’s pretty good, especially the chicken sandwiches. Wednesday was meeting up with LD at the office after my dentist appointment checkup, who had been away on a solo trip for a few days. Yesterday was Halloween so we had to give out the candy – I even got a couple of shout outs from some kids about my shirt. Later in the evening though I sort of had a stomach ache, I think I just ate too much candy. It seemed to me we didn’t have as many kids this year but there was enough. Let’s see, my favorite costumed kiddies this year would have to be the Rubik’s Cube and a skeleton that actually had lights all over themselves and lit up. Of course, the best ones of all all the really little kids who are just so cute.
I Grew Up Hyper But It Was Anxiety
Overcoming anxiety, one breath at a time, to deal with my own mental health.
Things we need to remember, including myself:
You don’t have to have everything figured out today. Take things one moment at a time. You are allowed to protect your peace even if it means saying no to others. Your journey is uniquely yours and comparing it to others only takes the beautiful light away from your own Path. Whatever you’re going through, please remind yourself that hard times don’t last. Your mental health matters. Take steps to prioritise your self-care. You deserve love, kindness, and care – especially from yourself.
Spooky Season Approaching!
Got to swing by the the Ville for a little bit yesterday afternoon. After getting a photo op down by the old Assembly Row (kind of amazing how many new things are down there nowadays) I took a trip over through Malden to visit the grave of my grandparents. I hadn’t been there in quite a while. I also took my mom out for a quick bite to celebrate her birthday the other day.
A Moment for Halloween Decorations
Had to take some time off – trying to get back to some normalcy for the moment now.
Currently reading: There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America’s Biggest Catfish. This is actually a pretty fascinating read, I’m digging it. Also after that going to try to dive into Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. In the last few days I also had a chance to read and finish A Girl Named Carrie: The Visionary Who Created Neiman Marcus and Set the Standard for Fashion, mostly while I was waiting around this week.
We’re Off to See the Wizard…
Printed out a little happiness
Just me with another one of my masterpieces. This is actually one of my favorite shots. I tried something different than usual this time by having it printed on acrylic. I must say that I am very pleased with the results! I also went a bit large on this one so you could easily see all the little details in the image.
Do We have a Collecting Obsession?
We’ve sort of decided that we might want to visit Maine in a moth or two and not do the usual Prelude thing that we’ve been doing for the last couple of years. Not that we don’t love it, but it’s just so busy around that event. Might be a little quieter earlier in the season.
Got a few more leads on some Dedham Pottery items. Once again, we’re always on the lookout for something different, and generally involving a bunny or two. The key is to get a somewhat unique bunny themed item that you don’t usually see and at a very good price. I saw someone selling these cute pins for cheap and it happened to be close by in Roslindale so this morning we went and picked them up. Plus I was jonesing for a Dunks so we stopped off at a drive thru to fuel my caffeine addiction. Later on in the afternoon LD saw a display plate she wanted in Ashland so I hopped on over out that way to get that. Not too much going on out that way.so it was a quiet ride up and back for about an hour or so. Always on the lookout! It was originally just because the colors of the objects matched the new kitchen colors so well plus it has the bunny theme but now it’s taken on a life of it own.
Last night we watched the Suns of the WNBA take game 1 of the semis against Minnesota. Very good close game. It would be amazing if they could pull off a championship. I think my fav player on the team (besides the daughter of LD’s trainer) would have to be Mabrey. Not only does she nail the long bombs and is super scrappy but she’s from NJ!
Doing the Cambridge Bike Tour Fall 2024 🚲
Damn my body aches…wtf? 
I Like Big Mums and I Cannot Lie…
Today to help LD out from going stir crazy we took a ride to the beach! The weather was pretty nice with only a cool breeze passing through now and again. One thing we noticed was a fishing boat just a few feet out from the beach. After looking it up I discovered it was the Nemesis and discovered this interesting website where you could track all these vessels,. On the way back we ended up at a stand and got some interesting looking gourds and another pumpkin and got a great deal on a pot of some of the biggest mums we’d ever seen! I’ll have to put a pic up of some of the gourds later.
Visiting the Fluers de Villes Artiste
I braved the rains this morning and actually took the subway into Boston’s Back Bay this afternoon to check out the flower dresses. I hadn’t taken the subway since probably 2018. I did get to ride on one of the new red line trains which was pretty nice. I did it to check out the amazing Fleurs de Villes exhibition. Each floral installation this year is based off a famous work of art in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston collection. Swipe to see the different ones! Which one is your favorite? Thanks to Em who lived nearby and came out to meet up with me for taking my selfie!
Sunday Full of Pool, Goats and Kittens
What a full weekend this was! I think we might need to lay pretty low next weekend. After heading to the office to drop off some things it was off to the north to visit old G-town again. LD had seen that they were doing something with kitten so we said why the heck not. Since our friends also live in town, they were kind enough to let us have some of their pool time, so we floated there and hung with them and Mollie for a couple of hours. Then it was off to the farm. First there was some baby goat hang with some live music out on the lawn area which was actually pretty fun. After about an hour or so of that it was into the barn we went to do some yoga (which no one really does because you really just want to hang with the animals, at least in our case) although I did do some. I’m not as flexible as I used to be I am learning. Ouch! Oh, and then the kittens came out, so cute. Must only be a couple weeks old I’d imagine. Did you know that LD had never in her life held a kitten before? She had cats, but never from being a kitten, so this was pretty special in that way in that she finally got to interact with the little creatures. At then end we watched their mother nurse them as they were probably getting hungry and sleepy. So precious to see. We took well over 200 pictures from both events but I’ll just provide a sampling here for now.
Life’s Pretty Gourd Right Now!
Three highlights from Saturday. We finally got out to Lexington to check out the annual pumpkin wall over at Wilson Farms (something that I had been wanting to check out for a while) and while there we even purchased some goods, like pumpkins and mums and various treats. Then if was off to Revere Beach where we hung out for a few hours. The beach was warm but there was a constant sea breeze which felt cool. I also had a Kelly’s lunch there. One interesting thing was watching the seagulls get these mollusks and fly up into the air with them to then drop them to let the fall help crack them open. Every now and then a different gull would grab one’s hard work. Finally came home on grilled in the early evening. Burgers and some corn that we got at the farm. Today we’re going to get some friend pool time in before checking out some kitty and goat experience. We’ll see how that all goes!
The Power of Women 💪
Cannot be denied!
Sure as a Trip to Sherborn
Haven’t updated in a while. Time flies! Saturday we had a nice lunch in the park after a quick visit to the office to figure out lamps and various décor. Then yesterday we visited some animal friends. LD had found out somehow that the town of Sherborn was having a thing where participating farms could be visited for free for a time so we decided to check it out. As a bonus our friend Em came along (sort of a out-of-the-blue-last-minute-want-to-hang-out for the afternoon thing, to which we naturally said “Of Course!”. We do like hanging out with Em, she’s super cool.
After all that we hit a Trader Joe’s and got a bunch of things, then we were pretty fried so we got some take out and settled in for the night with some television watching. We finally finished watching every episode of the Shield (amazing show!) and are now starting to look for some good things to watch.
Currently Watching: Under the Bridge on Hulu.
Gametime: CubeMerge
Hanging It Up
Currently Reading: The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI Ray Kurzweil
I went into the gym this morning that has an outside pool and large hot tub so I could use the hot tub. Ahh, that felt pretty good. It was a beautiful morning too so that adds a lot to it. Then it was off to Staples to return some Amazon things. They make the returns so easy now, just pop in and they scan a QR code and it’s done. Afterwards we headed to the office to hang up one of my photographic landscapes. This particular shot is a little old before I really knew how to shoot scenes better so there’s a newer shot that I want to do and hang, at least for myself. When I get around to having that done I’ll post that here as well. Finished off the afternoon with a short nap in my gravity chair on the deck (maybe that hot tub took more out of me than I thought!) and then some light grilling of burgers and salmon. A pretty standard Labor Day weekend thing to do.
Pool Time to Enjoy the Tail End of Summer
Drove up to Beverly in the morning to pick up some more unique and somewhat large Dedham Pottery for display. It just so happened to be on the way to our planned destination of hanging out in our friends pool up that way, that is just about complete. All the hardscape is in, new deck, incorporated grill, firepit, etc. Just need to seed the grass areas so by next season it will really shine. Actually it’s a quite beautiful setup. I was in the pool for quite some time and had a blast just floating on the “Chill Chair” as can be seen in the photos. We were afraid at one point that it might rain, but thankfully it never did and ended up being a spectacular afternoon! Lucked out again!
Later in the afternoon we grilled. We brought up some shrimp and we had prepared some veggies and local sweet corn and brought up some of our tools like these grill cages to make kabobs. Mollie, their super cute dog, is getting bigger but she is still a handful. Of course she is still just a puppy but training her has been a bit of a challenge. She’s quite sassy, but I like that about her. She also needs to be a little more chill, which for her is kind of impossible, because her leg has a joint that can get out of place and then it needs to be massaged basically to slide back into place. Poor thing! She just doesn’t seem to know her own body yet, or maybe she gets so excited that she doesn’t even think of any consequences of her actions. We ended up staying so much longer than anticipated. Time just went by so fast! We got home just as the sun went down, all in all, another perfect day.
Visiting an Old Friend in a New Place
Finally got around to visiting LNU’s new location in Providence, RI this afternoon. It’s a more direct shot now to get to, but in a somewhat busier part of town and not as quaint, but the new digs are more spacious and the food is all still great! Also nearby was a mural with a message that said, “Most of Us Live Off Hope” which we thought was great.