5 on the Fifth

5 cool things about my town.....

1. We have our own beer (even though, personally, I think it tastes like crap. I should make an ammendment to that statement. It is not entirely awful. Just your typical wimpy American style lager. Nothing special).



2. You can drive under the arch of this building. Or you can dance above the "arch" in the ballroom.

The Narragansett Towers

Grand, sprawling summer hotels were built in the town. The grandest was the Narragansett Casino, designed by Stanford White. But as with most of the grand summer hotels—which were built of wood—the Casino was destroyed by fire in 1900. Only its grand towered archway entrance, built of stone, remains.
The stone towers and arch have become a landmark and symbol for the town.

3. Clams Casino was "invented" here.

Clams Casino were created in 1917 by German-born Julius Keller, maitre d’ at The Casino on Narragansett Pier, in coastal Rhode Island. During the period, shoreline casinos were basically clubs and ballrooms, not gaming parlors. Narragansett challenged Newport as a fashionable summertime resort. It appears that a reigning socialite, Mrs. Paran Stevens, wanted something unique for a luncheon she had booked at The Casino; Mr. Keller obliged.




4. one of the best (year round) surfing locations on the east coast of USA.

5. the town library has a Pez candy dispenser collection(on display directly behind the circulation desk and still growing). I'll try in the next few days to get a newer photo (and a larger one) of the current collection--it takes up even more shelving now.

She would have been 80 years old on this day...

Just a quick tribute to Audrey Hepburn on her birthday.

(I have to make a longish list of chores for R, since she is home today--and will be home from school until Wednesday in fact-- because of a "probable" case of Swine Flu in a student at her school, and then get myself dressed and out the door for work.)

"The truth is that the quality Audrey brings to the screen is not dependent on her figure, her face, her accent (which is neither quite British nor quite foreign) or even her talent. Belgian-born (of a Dutch mother and an Anglo-Irish father), she has, like all great actresses from Maude Adams to Greta Garbo, the magic ability to bridge the gap between herself and her audience, and to make her innermost feelings instantly known and shared." - Time Magazine

A Gal, and her dog (and camera)

" A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk." ~O.A. Battista

Another walk with Jewel..a slow meandering one on this warm Sunday morning.
I was in a relaxed sort of daze,
listening to the bird song,
noticing the unfurling buds and blooms...
...more green and growing things along the paths than the last time I was here.

Ferntastic

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

~John Muir

thank you, sally mandy!

Having just survived a small "zombie apocalypse" ( a 12 hour sleep-over party with seven 13 and 14 year old girls in my house), I thought it about time I acknowledged this "Zombie Chicken" award that sallymandy so kindly thought to bestow upon me...days and days and days ago. Phew! that was some long sentence.
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"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all..."

When I started blogging(been doing this now for about three years--almost one year here at Blogger), I started out by just winging it and writing about just any old thing that was flitting through my mind , never even thinking I would have regular readers and eventually friends who would take the time to read what I had to say.. I knew nothing about awards and all the rules and protocol about receiving and passing them along, and I think I am still bad about the whole thing. For those of you who gave me awards and it seemed I didn't appreciate them by not mentioning it here at my blog, that hasn't been the case at all.

The first award I was given was one from Zuzana ( Life, Work And Pleasure blog ), and now I finally am taking this opportunity to pass one on to her.

This one's for you, Ms. Protege!
She truly does "produce content so remarkable that her readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read her inspiring words." If you haven't discovered her blog yet, I would encourage you to have a look and think it just might become the day brightening habit it has become for me.

And, sallymandy, if you are reading this--please forgive me for taking so gosh darn long to getting around to thanking you and acknowledging that you chose me for this award.

I still have to acknowledge and post about a few other awards some other kind bloggers decided to give me recently. I'm workin' on it...!

For now, I am finally enjoying some "me" time after the 12 hour whirlwind of teen girl squeals and chatter and food serving has ended.
The party is over, for another year at least(and maybe by next year, R will be over wanting to have a birthday party anyway...),
the seven cans worth of Silly String that was all over the back yard has been picked up,
and I even get the computer on a Saturday all to myself since now the kid even has her own laptop(a combination birthday and graduation from middle school gift we gave her).