busiest weekends are the best weekends

We had some fun adventures over this past weekend.  Papa's Papa (you know, the dad of the one I am married to) flew in from the west coast for a visit; and, he and I went with a group of my photo friends from RISD to New York City.  We Started out at B&H Photo, and then hit the PDN Photoplus Photography Expo.  

There were vendors, seminars and a bunch of awesome.  Also, Papa's Papa got to meet Julianne Kost; which, if you are really into Adobe products, like we are, means something to you. 

From there we went to the 9/11 Memorial and then to the Strand book store.  

It was a day packed with destinations and interesting and reflective things.

On Saturday, the pups had their last day of soccer.  Seal Pup 2.0 “kicked the ball 5 times.”  

It may not seem like the biggest deal; but, for a while there, all he did during scrimmages was turn his back to the ball.  He often mentioned that he “love baseball,” which is great…since he was playing soccer.  

To be fair, he might actually love baseball.  I guess we will find out in the spring when he actually plays baseball (and not soccer).  Seal Pup 1.0 got to try his hand at goalie (ha, you see what I did there, oh, nevermind).  I think he is a fan.

While the boys were finishing up soccer, I went to the Salem Public Library’s fall book sale and bought 73 books for $21.  It was kind of awesome.  The pups certainly aren't complaining (guess who got all the books). 

On Sunday, we took a trip to Clyde’s Cider Mill.  

We got to see a old fashioned cider press, ate cider donuts and drank hot apple cider.  It was a New England kind of day!

we heart nyc (the 2012 edition)

When it comes to the Pups, we try hard to make dreams and wishes come true, we really do. So when Pup the Elder said he wanted to go to New York and see the Statue of Liberty...well, sure, why not?  We had to deal with a small bout of the stomach flu and it's contagion to half the family; but, mostly, it was a good trip.  I mean, we figured out the subway system (sort of).

We ate at the Barking Dog, which was pretty good.

We had a fine Korean meal at Han Bat (not the best we've ever had, but it was good).

The kids lost their minds at http://www.dylanscandybar.com/Dylan's Candy Bar.

And we went to see the exterior of the Guggenheim (Pup the Younger called it the "Guggenheimler" which was cute.  Maybe you had to be there).

More pictures in flickr, of course.

no sleep till...brooklyn

Last weekend we wandered south to Brooklyn, New York with a pit stop in Flushing on the way in and out.

My mom wanted to treat Kelly to a birthday dinner at a Korean restuarant called Kum Gang San since January, so we we finally got around to going. It was a fun meal!

We decided to make a weekend trip of it since we have been wanting to take the pups to the Brooklyn Children Museum for a while.

SP 1.0 had a great time, it's fun for kids of all ages; but, they really do a good job of catering to the sense of wonder and fun that the wee ones have.

Even SP 2.0 got in on the fun.

Before we took off for our trip, I did some research on family-friendly restuarants that could be classified as "fine dining" because, quite frankly, you don't go to New York and eat at McDonald's. I was able to find a great Meditteranean French Bistro called Pit Stop (it had an auto racing theme) for lunch that served THE BEST hamburgers; and SP 1.o was impressed with the kids' chicken fingers too (so were we).

It was a great "pit stop".

After lunch we headed to a fiber shop called Brooklyn General, because, you know, I am into that sort of thing--even if the boys are not.

Then we hit Prospect Park. We did a lot of walking. And there was swinging.

Lots of swinging. SP 2.0 has recently graduated to swinging in the cradle swings on the playground, it's a big deal!

And then for dinner, we went to Applewood.

Where we, quite possibly, had one of the best meals of our lives. SP 2.0 enjoyed the culinary experience vicariously!

The chef(s) was very accomodating to my non-dairy lifestyle; and, they made SP 1.0 something that wasn't even on the menu (and gave him extra bread). Papa discovered that he liked pate and I learned that I love apertifs that involve blackberries and gin.

Before leaving Brooklyn, we walked the path to the Brooklyn Bridge and walked a quarter of the bridge.

We stopped in Flushing on the way out of town to eat at Kum Gang San again for lunch; and, we also stopped at Han Ah Reum for some groceries.

It was a great trip! There are tons of pictures in flickr of all our Brooklyn fun.

we heart nyc; or, no sleep till brooklyn

We are battling the plague and trying to recover for a party on Saturday; but now that my mother has harnessed the power of the internet (Lord, help us all), I now have a constant reminder that I need to "update website more." Yes, ma'am.

Let me tell you where we are going.

We went to New York City and Brooklyn over the past weekend. Papa Seal and I realized that this is a trip we have been planning since we last went to New York more than four years ago (it's not like we live 3 hours away or anything). We made visits to Queens/Flushing when my mom lived there, but Manhattan, that's another story.

One thing that was readily apparent, our priorities are vastly different than they were four or five years ago. It was weird being in NYC and not going to the TKTS booth to score whatever show tickets were scorable that evening (which probably wouldn't have mattered as there was a strike and a lot of shows were canceled).

I wasn't a knitter 4 years ago, so we definitely didn't hunt down yarn shops in the city. How things have changed. (And really, how could I resist the oldest yarn shop in New York?)

Look at all the fun I missed last time! (Brooklyn General Store is my new favorite place on earth.)

Although I was a sewer/quilter 4 years ago, it probably would not have occurred to me to go fabric shop hunting.

Well, maybe it would have. (Purl Patchwork didn't exist back then, so that is my defense, I guess.)

Clearly I am overjoyed to be part of this shopping excursion.

And neither Kelly nor I were that into photography 4 years ago. The times, they have changed.

B&H puts the "super" in Superstore!

Since we were subjecting the Seal Pup to weather that could not, in any way, be described as warm. It seemed fair to make sure he had some fun too (for us this translates into public spaces). He liked looking at the ice skaters in Central Park. The Delacorte Clock (also in Central Park) was really interesting as well.

But clearly, all of the fun was happening in Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

Not only was there a playground. But there were leaves to crunch and kick (though we have tons of those in our backyard, it's different in New York).

We had a great time, we heart New York City and Brooklyn (especially Brooklyn, who knew?!). We would definitely like to make a trip back when it warms up. Also, our trip to the Brooklyn Children's Museum was deterred due to renovatons. So obviously another trip down to New York is in store. Ahem.

We are now going to get back to the business of healing. Anders just shook off his ear infection, I just got antibiotics to treat mine and Kelly's is probably just around the corner. How much do we love day care?!

Want more pictures? You know where to find them.