The "Rest" of the "Fest"

Balloon Festival, that is!

 

It's not just about balloons you know!

There is a 5k race for those who want to participate.

I passed on that but I did cheer for the runners as
they crossed the finish line.

It's about games, rides, food & fun.

Arts & Crafts and lot's of free samples from the sponsors.

 

Lets start with Breakfast...

We shared a crepe, filled with banana's, walnuts and caramel sauce.

This was soooo yummy!!

It was not very crowded on Sunday, which is always better for me.

 

Next,

 

grab a bag...all the sponsors have them,

and load it up with all the free samples, the vendors are handing out!

We even scored 5 packages of these Hawaiian sweet rolls.

These are really good!

I made homemade sliders twice already and they were delish.

The hubs and I had been smelling this sausage cook since 7 a.m...

there was no way we were leaving without buying one!

It was yummy!

 

There were several "movie famous cars" on display,

I will share those pictures with you tomorrow!

 

New Jersey has so many Festivals and events during the summer.

If it stays cool, I am going to have a busy "rest of the summer"!

 

Do you enjoy events like these?? Or do the crowds ruin it for you??

 

Up, Up & Away...

 my beautiful balloon!!

Sunday, the hubs and I went to the

31st Annual QuickChek New Jersey Balloon Festival

 

We had a blast!!

I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy the 7:30 a.m. view

in Readington, New Jersey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was cool, foggy and cloudy, not the best day for pictures,

but the perfect day for me to be outside to enjoy the festival.

 

Lunch With Anna

We met in kindergarten... 

Went on to graduate from high school together.

 

We were friends, but not close friends.

I never saw Anna after high school, she got married,

I went away to nursing school.

 

A few years ago, we reconnected on Facebook

and now I see what I have been missing all these years.

 

WoW, what a beautiful person, what an amazing friend.

She has that perfect combination of sweet and fun,

one of the kindest souls I have ever known.

She picked me up on Friday in this sweet ride...

we had the top down and our flip flops on.

 

We had an amazing lunch,

crab cakes, fried shrimp and 2 lobster rolls, it was delish!!

 

Anna reads my blog every day and she's looking for a lunch companion.

 

Hey Anna, I'm your girl!! 

 

Song-ography ~ Here Comes The Sun Edition ~ 2

Here comes the sun...here comes the sun,
And I say it's all right!

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter.
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here.

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
And I say it's all right!

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces.
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here.

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
And I say it's all right...

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes, Sun, sun, sun, here it comes,
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes, Sun, sun, sun, here it comes,
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting,
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear.

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, And I say it's all right
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,

It's all right, it's all right!!

 

Sharing today with Kathy at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out.

This was super fun and gave me a challenge for the week.

Stop by or consider joining in, who doesn't LOVE the Beatles.

 

Sweet Treats, Fireworks and The Beatles...

His...

Hers...

Fireworks...

 

and Long Live the Beatles on stage!!

 

I love the Jersey Shore in Summer.

Summerfest at Windward Beach in Brick!!

July 25, 2013

 

I Am An Organizing Junkie!!

There, I said it, it's true and I'm not ashamed of it!!

 

I usually do all my "organizing" projects during the winter,

when it's cold and snowing.

 

It's the only time I really deep clean the house.

During the summer, I use my sleeve to dust,

and my socks to vacuum.

But, because it's been so hot outside, I am pretending it's winter,

rolling up my sleeves and keeping myself busy indoors!!

 

Here's what I have been up to...

 

I am almost done organizing the pictures on my computer.

I wish I had kept track of how many pictures I deleted,

perhaps 10,000, it could be more.

I have freed up 54.2 GB of storage/memory on my notebook,

so whatever that equates to.

I purchased a new address book and recopied all my snail mail

addresses in to it.

 

All the drawers in the home office are cleaned and organized,

and I cleaned completely the bottom of my china cabinet.

The hubs spent 45 minutes deep cleaning the shower
and every nook and cranny in the shower door.
I did not take before pictures but trust me it was gross.
We finally replaced our rusted shower caddy with...

 this beauty from Bed Bath and Beyond.
20% off, stainless steel, guaranteed not to rust, a girl can hope!

I found 2 frames in Target that matched
the frames in my wall gallery.

Added to my original gallery are the Male Cardinal top center,
and the tween Blue Jays in the bird bath, bottom center.
Two of my favorite pictures that were not originally included,
I LOVE that it's growing!

So there it is, another summery of all the excitement
in the life of this Jersey Girl.
I think today, I am going to scrapbook
and work on a post for tomorrow...
that is perhaps a tad more exciting then today's entry!

Do you love to clean/organize??
How about being home?? Love it or hate it??

I love being home and also enjoy a nice adventure!!
 

Chasing Egrets in Connecticut

Everywhere I go, I chase Egrets. Connecticut was no different.

There are lot's of "marshy" bodies of water in Connecticut,

therefore there are lot's of Egrets!

 

Here's the catch, they are very difficult to photograph

because they are so skittish.

 

In Connecticut, I find they are super skittish

and all their hangouts are well outside the scope of my lens.

 

But...I try anyway!

And then I shamefully share the pictures here.

 

I took 22 pictures of this guy, this is the best of the bunch!

I think I like the grass and the water in this picture

more then the Egret.

It appears my camera did also, as it would not cooperate

and focus on the bird, even though I had all my settings correct.

 

Let's move on.

Sorry...yes there is more.

 

Here I was hanging off a bridge...

well perhaps I was leaning over a bridge.

I did receive a few "beeps" from people passing by.

Peeps who drive fast and don't appreciate nature and photography...

well, they are missing a lot!!

 

44 pictures of this one, all but 2 will hit the recycle bin.

 

Which by the way, I don't recycle, I empty it

to put it out of it's misery!!

 

These images were taken on June 30,2013 during our trip to Mystic.

 

 

It's So Fun...

hanging out at the watering hole!!

A Female House Finch and a Sparrow,
sharing a drink and a little conversation!

Roll Out The Ribbons

Last night we visited Long Branch, here at the Jersey Shore,

 

where the beaches are spectacular. 

 

Pictured here is The Promenade of Hope.

A half mile stretch of railing along the boardwalk in Long Branch. 

The multicolored ribbons,

displaying a special hand written message,

are a beautiful way to honor all of those who have been touched by cancer. 

 

Roll Out The Ribbons is a Cancer Awareness campaign

sponsored by Monmouth Medical Center.

You can read all about the amazing work they are doing here!

 

Last night was movie night, by the beach.

The heat wave has lifted some and we were able to attend.

 

Can you see me there in my purple chair, with my purple shirt?

We watched The Sandlot...

The movie was so good and so funny,

I had not seen it in years.

 

Do you see the boy sitting in front of me, blue chair, orange shirt?

He was a riot and so scared of the beast that lived
on the other side of the sandlot.

His facial expressions and antics were almost better then the movie!

 

The hubs went also, of course, he's such a sport.

 

We had a great night under the stars!!

 

Did any of you do something special and fun this weekend??

I am hoping we can get out a little more,

now that the temperatures are a little cooler.

 

I don't know why all the good stuff is scheduled for summer.

What about Spring and Fall,

when you can "play" outside and not melt!!

 

Song-ography ~ Up On The Roof Edition ~ 1

James Taylor
~ Up on the Roof ~

When this old world starts a getting me down,

and people are just too much for me to face.

I'll climb way up to the top of the stairs
 and all my cares just drift right into space.

 

On the roof,

it's peaceful as can be and there the world below don't bother me, no, no.

 

So when I come home feeling tired and beat,
I'll go up where the air is fresh and sweet.

I'll get far away from the hustling crowd and all the rat-race
 noise down in the street.

On the roof, that's the only place I know, look at the city, baby.

Where you just have to wish to make it so, let's go up on the roof.

And at night the stars, they put on a show for free.

And, darling,
you can share it all with me, that's what I said, keep on telling you

That right smack dab in the middle of town,

I found a paradise that's trouble-proof.

And if this old world starts a getting you down,
there's room enough for two

up on the roof, up on the roof, up on the roof.

Everything is all right, every thing is all right.

You got the stars above and the city lights below, let's go up on the roof.


Sharing today with Kathy at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out
This was super fun and gave me a challenge for the week.
Here's the Rules
Stop by or consider joining in, I adore James Taylor Songs.

My images are from Wednesdays "no show" fireworks...so glad I went!
 

Summer Excitement

Hold on to your hats fellow bloggers,

as I share some of the excitement going on here

at the Jersey Shore!

 

Wednesday night we went to see the fireworks in Asbury Park.

An article in our local news paper said they were displaying fireworks

every Wednesday night this summer.

Not True.

 

I won't mention that I "dragged" myself out of my "cool" 72 degree home, 

in an attempt to be "fun"!

That it was 92 degrees at the boardwalk and that the line

for ice cream was 20 people deep.

On the way home, we stopped at McDonald's for a "sweet tea" only,

we waited in line for about 20 minutes for what tasted like water.

Not my night.

 

The pool water is 92 degrees, only a tad cooler then the outside air.

 

Last night we stayed home and played Uno,

I love Uno!

I lost 4 out of 5 games and decided I did not want to play anymore.

 

We rented...

 

Dead Man Down,

I visited blogs while I pretended to watch it!

 

The BEST part of this exciting week,

 

these yummy mini deserts we brought home from Olive Garden.

 

These were delish!!

 

Six Words Friday ~ Gentleness ~

Softness, sweetness, gentle as a lamb!

 

Sharing with Adrienne at My Memory Art ~ Six Words Friday

Please stop by and share Six Words with Adrienne.
It's challenging and fun!
 

The "Sandy" Castle

Welcome to Point Pleasant Beach, home of "The Sandy Castle"

 

This sand castle is a dedication to the Jersey Shore,

to help raise awareness and collect donations

 

for those still recovering from Super Storm Sandy.

 

50 foot tall, built by Ed Jarrett and 100's of volunteer's,

 

each part of the castle tells a story.

 

This side of the castle is carved in Gothic-style,

 

This side pays tribute to the Barnegat Lighthouse.

 

The ships of the ocean.

 

Every day they change the date.

We visited on July 11, 2013.

 

 We found a random heart, for Clytie and lots of love here.

 

As we left, it was suggested...

"Do Not Feed The Gator"

Sharing today with Clytie at Random Hearts
stop over and spread some love!!