2 years with Sheba

I adopted Sheba two years ago today! Mavie and I feel like she's always been part of our family though, since she is so happy all of the time! Sweet little black monster- she really does sleep like this when she is really tired :)

Let there be COLOR!

Only in Florida can you paint your living room a color called "Apricot"

While five non-English speakers laid sod outside, I was inside, jamming to 80's music, and painting the living room!  I learned that while moulding is not difficult to paint, edging along freshly painted moulding is a real challenge.  Lucky for me, I have an expert edger living in my spare room- damn, she's good!  Many more walls to go...

Let there be GRASS!

After many hours, and many dollars...

Doggie Playground- and source of sand in my sheets!

This has been a long time coming, and is still a work in progress, but finally, I do have grass!  Mav and Sheba don't quite know what to do with themselves- they actually use the sidewalk and driveway to avoid walking on the yard!

Lots of scraping, a truckload of topsoil, and bags and bags of fertilizer



Plus 12 pallets of sod




Finally giving my neighbors a reason to gawk!




Tree removal- two palms gone (growing too close to house)

Flower bed is ready for plants- when will I have the energy (and money!?!)

Meet Santos- he calls me "mamasita" and says I'm in charge of his labor force



The Dome Home



On a recent trip out to Cape Romano, I got a few pictures of the Bubble House!  Click here to read my 2007 blog post about this crazy place.  Gorgeous day on the water :)



Inside one of the domes- how did they ever live here?

 

Osprey nest, amidst the mangrove tangles



Beautiful Gulf water and spectacular clouds in the bright blue sky

Just a few of the 10,000 islands out there

Second Chance Island- hundreds of endangered Least Terns are nesting here



Sea oats, holding the island in place



13 great reasons for my vacation!

13- family members seen while in PA
12- casino slots and tables I donated to
11- baby cows I saw at the farm
10- days away from Florida
9- dollars spent on a one-day DC Metro pass
8- different cities visited on my trip
7- days off of work
6- Amish buggies seen traveling on the road
5- Allegheny alumni friends seen
4- College of Charleston alumni friends seen
3- nights in hotels
2- taxi rides
1- wedding

Sights and Sounds of Lancaster

It's official- I have toured America's first and oldest pretzel bakery. What a delicious way to start the morning! To follow that, we visited Wilbur Chocolates and continued indulgence :)



Sarah and I have been on the lookout for a real horse and buggy, on the road, since our last visit to Lancaster, nearly 4 years ago. Today on our exploration of Amish countryside, we spotted SIX authentic buggies in motion! And then we saw this guy on a tractor?

Casino!

Dad and I celebrated an early Father's Day with a trip to Presque Isle Downs and Casino. This was my first casino experience- now I am ready for Vegas! I couldn't believe how many people were there on a Wednesday afternoon- 1,000's of gamblers, everywhere! We both came out ahead and I won enough to cover my airfare back to Florida!