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Time for a little eye candy: I try to never look on Etsy for fear of wanting everything on there. But I happened to be looking for a gift and found this. It was around $10 and I love the scale of it: not too small, not too big. Simple but still feminine.

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I saw these poppies in our yard and was admiring the transparency of the petals and that reminded me of some cool lanterns that I saw. I'll keep those in Evernote in case we have a party or an occasion to make some.

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I'm going to stop apologizing for not posting regularly or making up excuses. Everybody gets inundated at times. I'll catch up eventually.

I found these at a garage sale. I have a hard time passing up art supplies because they're expensive and I daydream about sitting down and drawing with my son. I don't know if he'll ever be into that, but if he's not then I'll have something to do when I retire.

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I haven't been posting because it's been so hot that I've been near water all week, which means I do not take my camera. Sorry about that. Here's how I view the spider plant that hangs in my office. My friend gave me the starts and it's really filling out. I think the brown edges mean I'm either watering too much or too little. I'll have to Google that.

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We stopped by a neighborhood church festival and this reminded me of summer: having fun in the warm air at 8 p.m. when there's still lots of light. I love it.

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Some of you might recognize this: a dancing hare on top of the hill by the Ballantrae fountains in Dublin. I'd never been there so I decided to check it out. My kid isn't really into fountains or splash pads, so I packed a lunch and planned to escape to a nearby playground if needed. I'm glad I did because we didn't stay long. The kids, however, decided to climb the hill on our way out and check out the rabbit sculptures. I find them creepy. They're huge and sculpted roughly and you can see gears and mechanical parts in them. I don't know if the gears are sculpted or if actual machine parts are in there. I just don't understand the concept. If anyone knows and can explain it, I'd love to hear it. You can read about them here.

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The boy, looking at NYC

The best part about train travel was the scenery. We could sit back, relax and watch out the windows. You'll see things you'd never see from a car. We drove through the rugged coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut in the early morning fog and it was indescribably beautiful. As was Pennsylvania's forests and Amish country. We were worried about entertaining the boy but he was happy to look out the windows or climb around his seat, playing with toys. I brought my laptop to watch movies and we only used it for 25 minutes. When we needed naps, we were free to stretch out on two seats and sleep all we wanted (on the legs where the train was empty enough to do so. When it wasn't, we could recline our seats and use footrests to lounge, like an easy chair).

If you're sick of airports, security pat-downs and a long walk/shuttle ride to the terminal or parking lot, consider slowing down and taking the train. It might not always be cheaper, but it's a great way to get around. We started thinking about other train destinations before we even got home.

I tried to capture rural Pennsylvania. This doesn't do it justice.

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One of the main advantages of train travel is room. The seats are big and the legroom is more than that of a plane. Also, there are no seatbelts so you're free to roam about. When you're traveling with a small child, this is key. I can't imagine trying to drive to Boston with him strapped down the whole way. No thanks.

You're free to use electronic devices at all times and there are outlets in every seat. Our train didn't have wifi, but that wasn't an issue since I'm hooked on my smartphone.

Our train had a snack car. The menu was pretty big and the food was good (not that healthy, but tasty). My favorite part about the snack car was the view. You could spread out in a booth and talk to the other people. There are some characters who ride the train and we met some really interesting people. (A couple were a little sketchy so we kept our expensive belongings with us at all times).

Most of the people we saw were on business trips. I met one woman who took a bus from Lansing, MI and was on her way to Montreal with a stop in NYC. She was well-educated and well-traveled. I'm glad I met her and had the time to chat.

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Train travel. Have any of you ever done it? We decided to take the Amtrak to Boston. The train was one-third the cost of plane tickets and it sounded like fun.

There are no trains in central Ohio so we had to leave from another city. We chose Pittsburgh since it's only a 3 hour drive. Once we got on the train, it was a 6 hour ride to Philadelphia, then another 6-7 hour ride to Boston. I tried to take pictures of the stations along the way, but the trains were crowded on the way out and the boy was sleeping on the way back so I only managed to capture a couple.

I am sure it sounds crazy to pay for train tickets for that long of a trip instead of driving, but there are some definite advantages. More about that in another post.

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Another Boston sight: the Bunker Hill bridge as viewed from a duck boat on the river. The duck boats are pretty expensive, but we had a great time and it provided us a good overview of the city that we'd never have been able to do on foot with three-year-olds in tow.

This is where I need to disclose my obsession with the movie The Town, set in Charlestown (a part of Boston that's just outside of downtown). You can rip on Ben Affleck all you want or tell me that Heat is better. All I can say is that The Town is, in my opinion, a really great movie. I believe that one of the last chase scenes was on this bridge and I think I need to watch it again just to make sure. :)

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One hot day we tasted a Boston staple: Pinkberry. It's an interesting frozen yogurt concept: choose from a few flavors, choose your container (dish or cone) and then select a wide variety of toppings. It's a little like Cold Stone Creamery but more refreshing and healthier. At least that's what I told myself while I was eating it. :) Their site is worth a look because they're branding is very reflecting of their product: refreshing and clean.

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Bronze lily pads at the kids' playground in Boston Commons. They've got a nice green area that's kind of like Central Park but on a much smaller scale. There's a playground, a little fountain with a cushy surface (hmm, I wish the splash pads around here had that) and a wading pool that's perfect for dipping your feet in or for the little ones who can't swim yet. Connected to that is a public garden with a little lake where you can take a swan boat ride. Great fun if you're traveling with kids. Or even if you're not.

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I'm baaack! We spent a week in Boston. Or, rather, four days and the rest was travel. But more on that later. We stayed in the theater district and it was full of old, ornate buildings that were really fun to look at.

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It was dark in the Boston T station when I took this, so all of it is blurry since I was holding the camera by hand. At least it captures the energy of the trains. I love the colors that I might not have noticed if they weren't abstracted.

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We stopped at the Philadelphia train station and wow, is it amazing. Very beautiful, old ornate building with lots of old wooden benches.

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The view from an observation platform that hangs over a steep hill in Pittsburgh. I really like this city.

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The remains of a pea-shelling session. We plucked them, brought them inside and immediately started taking them out of the pods. My son took great delight in counting the peas in each pod, then placing them carefully in a bowl. He even carried the bowl around, talking to the peas and placing them in areas where he thought the cats wouldn't get them. Getting him to eat them was a little more difficult.

This will be my last post for probably a week. Just taking a little break. See you soon!

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Something else that's been preventing me from posting: books on CSS and Javascript. Trying to learn a new skill is challenging but I'm enjoying it so far. I can't wait for classes to start up again in August or September.

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Why it's hard for me to post sometimes: there's someone physically preventing me from getting to the computer. At least she's cute.