6 posts tagged “sp”
I have been working hard this summer with my classes and babysitting. I had lamented the fact that I would finish my classes, go camping, and then it would be time to get ready for school- not much of a summer break for me. Hub listened. He also remembered that I'd said I'd love to someday go on a solo adventure.
On Thursday, he told me we were going to lunch but instead he dropped me off at the bus station with a ticket to Philadelphia!!! He and Lydia had planned a little adventure for me. It involved numbered envelopes, gift cards, and reservations. IT WAS AWESOME!
Even though I was only an hour away, it was miles away in other terms. I was able to do what I wanted and go wherever I pleased. I could linger or rush, wander or people watch. Here's a little pictorial of my super secret trek.
My hotel was across the street from City Hall which has some awesome architecture and statuary.
I LOVED the pillows on the bed! Eight pillows all to myself! I checked in and then took my camera out to wander the streets and take some photos. I stopped at Border's and purchased Wreck This Journal and a set of colored pencils. Hub had done a great job of packing but I didn't have anything to draw or journal with. After wondering a few blocks and stopping by the Reading Terminal Market to people watch and have a snack. I found a great store that sold design products. I bought some gifts and headed off to dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy where I had the most delicious 4 cheese ravioli with pesto-alfredo cream sauce. Yum. I went back to my hotel room and relxed watching the finale of SYTYCD. I wanted Twitch to win but was happy for Josh. Then I snuggled with my pillows for a great night's sleep.
The next morning, I got up, had breakfast at my hotel and walked to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The first exhibit I visited was Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose. It was really interesting and I loved the colors. These are a few of my favorite pieces from the museum.
I had lunch at the Museum Cafe and actually took a picture of my delicious lunch since I know bloggers are supposed to do that kind of stuff ;) I had Mediterranean Flatbread with grilled chicken and feta. Double Yum.
I spend the whole morning and part of the afternoon wandering the museum grounds. Then I walked back to my hotel to freshen up for my dinner plans. I was excited to visit South Street as it had been a long time (almost 20 years!) since I'd been there. I knew I wanted to visit the Magic Gardens and was excited as I walked up to it. It cost a wopping $3 to get in! Here are some pictures of this wondrous life work.
Other than this amazing installation, South Street sucked! It was really much different than I remembered. There were too many rundown/boarded up buildings, a lot of trash, and crappy stores. I walked so far down South Street looking for something good that it took me a long time to get back to my hotel. I ended up walking through the historic area. I had been there before as a chaperone but this time there was no schedule and I could wander at will. I stopped at a coffeeshop on the way back and grabbed dinner.
The next morning, I woke up and went back to the historical area to visit the Liberty Bell. It really is very inspirational, but my adventure was about to end. I packed, checked out, and caught my bus back home. My adventure over but my mind, body, and soul refreshed.
Here are my favorite self-portraits from the trip.
It was the best present ever. really.
Alma was my Nana. She's been dead over 3 years now. She suffered from Alzheimer's for years before she physically left this earth. I lost her years ago to this terrible disease. Most people have lost a grandparent or two. I'd lost both grandfathers before Nana died. But I was not as close to either of them.
My mom and I lived with my Nana when I was a baby and my dad was fighting in Vietnam. I have memories (probably inaccurate) of her HUGE pink bathroom in the house up on the hill. For some reason I remember dancing around that bathroom while she took a bath. I had to be younger than 5.
When I was a little older, she lived up the street from us in "the projects" before they became a crime filled area that was no longer safe. I remember walking to her house on a Saturday afternoon and going to mass with her where she'd let me make hankie babies and the little old ladies who sat in front of us gave me quarters for singing so nicely.
She'd take me on the bus. I was always a little jealous that she took the bus to work each day. She'd let me stand on the seat and pull the wire as we approached our stop. We'd walk around the city and stop at the 5&Dime for ice cream sodas before we left.
When I was in fourth grade, she moved into our new house with us. I spent many Saturday nights laying on her bed watching Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Having her live with us was a special privelege. I loved her baking though I never could understand her love of polenta or cream cheese and tomato jelly sandwiches. She made the best pie crust ever. And she always made a few scraps with cinnamon and sugar for us to snack on.
As she got older, she moved to the nearby senior center. She and my mom fought a lot. It was the onset of the Alzheimer's. When it was no longer safe for her to live on her own, she moved back with my parents. I was out of the house by then but it was sad when I came home and she was baffled by my presence. Even then...she never forgot me.
That wouldn't happen until later when she was in the nursing home. I'd take the kids to visit and we'd sing songs like "You Are My Sunshine" and "This Little Light of Mine". Songs I was singing with my children. One day she didn't know who I was. At all. I didn't go back for over a year.
As her life drew to an end, I did go back and visit several times. I was there the day before she died. I sat with her and held her hand and sang "You Are My Sunshine" one last time.
Alma means soul in Spanish and I find this fitting that she helped develop the person I am today. She is part of my soul and now she is part of my skin.
I miss you Nana.
3rd month 4th sp...not really 3d.
This site promises
where human is reduced to data,
data is converted to values,
values are transformed to art.
According to that site, this is me:
I had to color it but according to their formula, this is what you get when you input my data. Pretty interesting, eh?
More self-portraits here.
Just imagine this fatter...and you get ME!
another take on yesterday's bangs upload...this time for SPC's March theme- fun with online tools. This was made using Flickr Toys.
