Long Beach

We were in Long Beach to hear Neil Gaiman speak on the penultimate stop of his short book tour. No pictures allowed, unfortunately. I was not aware that they would be selling SIGNED BOOKS so I did not arrive early enough to wait in the massive line. I guess I have enough books.

I saw a delightful addition to any cat lover's wardrobe.

The lobby of the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts center is a mini Carpenters museum. If you are a child of the 70s you may remember many of their hits.

On the way home, we stopped by the American Horror Story "Murder House."

The photo is tilted, not because I am about to be murdered, but because I was shooting through the spaces of a chain link fence.

You see why I wanted to shoot through the spaces.

Annoyances

1.  Glasses.

Do you see something wrong with these glasses? I do. The optician didn't. They are so crooked I can't see out of them. I don't feel like making the long drive back right now so I am wearing the old ones for the time being.

2. Feedly.

Do you click on the "What's New" when you update your apps? I don't. Apparently I should, because Feedly don't work no more.

Oops.

3. Noise.

Well, that sign was a joke. We stated at a reasonably priced Best Western in Long Beach last weekend. The original room was directly over the ballroom, which was pumping out loud ethnodisco music. The replacement room was slightly better, but had both street noise and freeway noise. That's easier to ignore.

More Boston Photos

This is just a random slew of photos I want to save. This blog has become my scrapbook.

I've never seen LAX so empty. This was the walkway between terminals 6 and 7, about 9 p.m.

Dawn at Logan the next morning.

First opportunity to get a picture of the young man!

I saw many Little Free Libraries.

This is towards the end of the trip. He has just discovered I was taking stealth photos of him, i.e. I was holding the phone as if I were looking at something on it. OK Mom, that's enough.

Squirrel!

The acorn caps remind me of Frank's beret.

Zendalas

I brought these home from another class and Frank thought they were coasters. That's not a bad use for them. But then I need to make a few more for a complete set!

The top one had a template (pre-strung in zentangle talk). 

The second was freehand. I looked at the sample and thought, no way, I can't get that shape right. But you know, one step at a time, broken down, and look what a success it was.

It's just a good reminder. 

Starting a new job for the first time in many years, and at age 55 to boot, well, it's my favorite job out of all my jobs but still, there are things I must learn how to do. Little steps, small pieces, and it all comes together. How to ship a book. How to put a book on hold that is already in stock. How to open the store. (You have to count all the pennies!) What do you do when you accidentally lose a puzzle box in that mysterious black hole where two bookcases join at right angles. (The owner told me they had a live bird fly down into one of those spaces, so I don't feel so bad about just a jigsaw puzzle). 

It's just delightful when people I know come into the store, like my 6th grade teacher. After 40+ years she still remembers how much I liked to read. I remember she gave me an award for reading 100 books during the school year.

Freedom Trail

My plan was to take the T as close as we could get to the far end of the Freedom Trail, and then walk part of it. We desperately needed restrooms which we located in a nearby Whole Foods. We had a short uphill walk to the Bunker Hill Monument, but it was not too bad.

Uh, no. No way Handy was going up there. That was fine with me.

And we're off. And it was downhill. Yay.

Wonderful fall decorations around Charlestown. Look, a cat!

I loved the witch planted in the planter box.

Tasteful and traditional.

Simple.

A stop at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

The Constitution was in dry dock.

Copp's Hill Burying Ground.

Perhaps the narrowest house in Boston? I looked it up on Zillow. Labeled as "Skinny House," 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 1166 sq feet. Zestimate $696K.

North Church.

Paul Revere's house. Again with the people.

After the North End, we deviated from the trail and took the T back to the hotel for some R & R.

Concord

My obligatory "I was here" moment. 

A pop of color in the sisters' garden.

I am always on the hunt for cats in any form. 

We'd seen this lovely tree on the drive in, so on the return drive we backtracked so I could take pictures. I had to avoid photographing the base of this tree because a family, whom we'd seen in the restaurant, decided to loll around underneath it thereby spoiling my photographic moment. Thanks a lot, people.

Salem

A brief trip to Salem.

 

Passed the John Ward House on the way to the Salem Witch Museum

Walking around town.

We found the Prince of Darkness there.  He drives a Honda.

His minion?

Stickwork. This installation is entitled What the Birds Know.

Strandbeest at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Spotted the TARDIS. Where's The Doctor?