summer lovin'

gosh, where have i been?! i totally flaked out on color week. things got so busy for me, and once i was away from the ol' blogginz for a day or two, it was that much harder to get back into the swing of things. or, maybe it was that much easier to stay away and enjoy all things summer? you know how it goes, right? well, before i knew it, a week turned into almost two. whoops! and then i sat down to hit the blog this afternoon, and all of typepad was down. go figure. i couldn't really complain though. we have been having EXTRAORDINARY weather these past few days, so instead of sitting in my little dungeon of an office, i went back outdoors. you know, typically here in central virginia, right about this time in the summer we are doing all we can do to not melt into a puddle of sweat. i didn't check the temps today, but i'm guessing we didn't break 80 degrees. HUH? at night, it's been a cool 58 or 60. and just yesterday, henry and i went over to my momma's to take a dip in the pool, and we bailed after just 20 minutes. it was too chilly! can you imagine? it's july 24th. what gives. summer, what happened to ya? i won't argue with it though. it's just odd, and you know how i end up gabbing about the weather here sometimes.

so this amazing weather has brought with it some amazing blue skies. the kind that i call my FAVORITE. the ones that remind me of being out west. a dark sky blue with huge, thick, puffy, bright white clouds and a bright sunshine. i love that kind of sky, and have found myself laying in the grass, just looking up at it lately. 'course we haven't had rain in weeks, so our once lovely, soft green grass has turned to a brittle, brown, icky, rough + tough grass, so i opt for the chaise, which works just fine.

another place i like to relax lately is this little spot on my front porch. the view (in particular, this time of year) is a real stunner. there is a very large community garden directly across the street, full of rows and rows of zinna (now in bloom), and so many vegetables and herbs, you wouldn't believe it. i will try and post a photo soon. also, we have some really nice sunset views from this spot. and the 'skeeters haven't been too bad this year, which is a whole other thing to be appreciative for.

our hood had it's annual summer extravaganza last weekend, which was a total treat. since we moved in last august, we were first timers to this event. the daytime fair thing was sort of your typical greasy food, pricey ride kinda deal. henry didn't have any interest in riding anything at all, and was pretty much focused on getting his mitts on some cotton candy. really, i think that was why we went there at all. well, that and the funnel cake that we gorged on. you know how funnel cake is so yummy, and then 5 minutes later you feel like you want to hurl? how come we never learn from that want-to-hurl feeling?

also, they were giving free rides in the hot air balloon, but we didn't stick around for it. henry had a friend with him, and we all had to get home for dinner. why? because they were having FIREWORKS later!!! this was, by far, my most favorite part of the day. i love fireworks, but what really sealed the deal for me this time around was two things: #1. we walked through our neighborhood about 10 minutes until we reached the golf course--yes, we actually live within walking distance of a golf course, who would have ever thought. certainly not me-- ok, so we walk our lovely little walk through the neighborhood, to find a pretty good sized gathering of families with lawn chairs + coolers + blankets set up, and kids playing with lighted frisbees and such, and the setting is so picturesque, i wish i would have snapped a photo. it was like a small town in a movie kind of scene. lovely houses everywhere, amazing, soft green grass, tree lined streets, and a big opening in the sky to watch the fireworks show. on top of that, there's #2. an ICE CREAM TRUCK came toodling down the street. i mean, did ya READ my post on ice cream trucks?!?!?! good grief. it's kind of an understatement to say that i was completely smitten. it was such a nice night, and the fireworks show was quite an impressive 35 minutes. oh, and henry had his first push-up pop, and matt and i had a klondike bar.

i happened to discover this amazing vintage RAIN BIRD sprinkler. not only is it a real vintage treat, it's called RAIN BIRD, and it's incredibly sturdy and wonderful, and i know i will sound like a huge dork, but i love it. henry has been loving to play in the water while i try to prevent our yard from croaking all  together.

so i hope you all are enjoying your summer so far. we've got just over a month. i can't believe it's going by so quickly!!! seems like all the stores are stocking up with school supplies and fall merch, which i guess happens every year, but dang. i'm still stuck in summer mode.

Comments

[kate]

sounds like y'all are havin' a good summer, and that berry dessert looks divine!!

[tyia]

I love that picture of the rasberries...I am almost wondering if I can buy a print! Is that possible? Just wondering! I love coming to check out your blog just for the pictures!

[robyn]

Hi there,
This isn't a comment about your post today. I'm a reader and also have a blog. Blog tag is going around, I was tagged last night and I have tagged you. See my post today for rules, gardenrooms.typepad.com.
Cheers.

[jenny]

your summer is looking FABULOUS. :) that puffy cloud blue blue sky is totally a favorite! :D

xo

[jessica]

mmmm...i'm drooling over those raspberries!

[jessica]

mmmm...i'm drooling over those raspberries!