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Places We Adore
No, not those padlocks. I’m talking about the padlocks lovers leave on fences, bridges, and specially made structures to cement their love for all time.
Never heard of these?
I’m embarrassed to admit I hadn’t either. But now I have…. and so have you! Check out these love padlocks on the famous Pont de l’Archevêché in Paris:
What a romantic way to show your love!
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I have been so impressed by the variety and sheer numbers of tween programs offered by local libraries across the country. I did a bit of research and found all sorts of programs. Check out these worthy programs….and be sure to check out your local library too. If they’re not already offering tween programming, they might be willing to start if enough folks are interested!
Canton Public Library in Canton, Michigan, doesn’t just have a few offerings: they have a whole page on their website dedicated to tweens and activities, lectures, and books of interest. They even have yoga classes! Impressive!
Leavenworth Public Library in Leavenworth, Kansas, offers tween classes in duct tape crafting, origami, and and spaghetti art. Wait…. spaghetti art? I’m going to have to check into that!
South Brunswick Public Library in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, treats young visitors with programs such as Chess Club; Sports Club; Juggling Club; and a DIY Club (this month’s DIY Club is a Valentine’s Day Pop-Up Card).
Hamilton East Public Library, Hamilton County, Indiana, gives tweens the chance to play sleuth and participate in CSI Mysteries!
J.V. Fletcher Library in Westford, Massachusetts, boasts some unique offerings: Zentangle Club; Library Chef Challenge; and a drop-in information session about life in Nepal.
What does your library offer for tweens?
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Who knew there were so many delicious holidays to celebrate? Not me, that’s for sure. But I promise you, I am willing to try to cram in all the yummy celebrations I can every day of the year! Want to celebrate with me? Of course you do!
Today, September 26 is National Pancake Day and Johnny Appleseed Day (and just so you’re prepared, Friday, September 28, is National Good Neighbor Day). And just because I am that kind of good neighbor, if you lived next door, I’d observe today’s celebrations by making some awesome apple pancakes and inviting you over to watch me eat them share.
I might make some of these apple-y delights:
Apple-Walnut Pancakes…
Source: tasteofhome.com via Paula on Pinterest
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Apple Cider Pancakes…
Source: tokyoterrace.com via Paula on Pinterest
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Apple Banana Pancakes…
Source: cristinecooks.blogspot.com via Paula on Pinterest
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And possibly we’d end the meal with Apple Pie Pancakes…
Source: dessertsforbreakfast.com via Paula on Pinterest
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But that’s not all of the pancake-y goodness!
We might branch out to enjoy…
Red Velvet Pancakes…
Source: somethingswanky.com via Paula on Pinterest
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Or even a Chocolate Pancake Cake…
Source: zoomyummy.com via Paula on Pinterest
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And because we (we-meaning-Ariel-not-we-meaning-me) are artistic like this, we might even try to show you how talented we are with some Pancake Art!
Imagine us starting off the day with Good Morning Hearts…
Source: sherbetblossom.com via Paula on Pinterest
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or a cute Owl Pancake…
Source: littlenummies.net via Paula on Pinterest
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Mr. Pancake Head…
Source: kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com via Paula on Pinterest
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Rainbow Pancakes…
Source: iambaker.net via Paula on Pinterest
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or we might try channeling Dr. Seuss…
Source: jennipriceillustration.blogspot.com via Paula on Pinterest
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And we’d have to celebrate one of Ariel’s favorite authors, Roald Dahl, and one of her favorite heroines of his books, Matilda….
Source: saipancakes.blogspot.com via Paula on Pinterest
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And because I’m such a good neighbor, after I’d fed you tons of yummy pancakes, I’d pull out my rusty dusty slide projector to show you some old-old-old slides of a childhood trip to Solvang, California, a darling Danish settlement with picturesque architecture and delightful shops and restaurants. And you’d obliging watch, but throughout the show you’d be thinking about how you could get more pancakes, and then, all of a sudden, you’d spy a slide of…
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Æbleskiver!
And then you’d know that all along I’d been planning this wonderful trip for you, just for you, so you could sample some traditional Danish pancakes!.
Source: solvangrestaurant.com via Paula on Pinterest
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And after you’d drooled over the slide of the æbleskiver, I’d pull out the special æbleskiver pan I’d just ordered and we’d mix up a batch to share with the whole neighborhood.
Source: amazon.com via Paula on Pinterest
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Because we’re good neighbors like that.
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The Peachoid.
It’s a celebrity around these parts. If you have kids in the car, it’s a roadside “don’t miss.” Located between exits 90 and 92 on Interstate 85, the Peachoid is a famous Upstate South Carolina landmark.
The small town of Gaffney, in Cherokee County, is the home of the South Carolina Peach Festival. So it makes sense that they would paint a water tower to look like a peach, right?
We passed it on our way to Charlotte for Reviewers Retreat in early June and then again in late June for Type-A Conference and it thrilled Ariel each time. Of course, she pretended she was too cool to get excited about it…. and of course, I then had to embarrass her by stopping to take pictures! 
How to get up close to the Peachoid
You can see The Peachoid easily from Interstate 85. Quick. Easy. Done. But if you’re like me and want to experience its peachy goodness up close, here’s how you approach it.
The Peachoid sits in a small grassy field just off a frontage road. I exited Interstate 85 at exit 92 and followed the small frontage road west until I rounded a curve …. and it was right there! I pulled in to the grassy field for a few shots and then into the parking lot of the restaurant next to it. Ummm, yes, that IS a Fatz Eatz and Drinkz Restaurant! Legendary for their World Famous Calabash Chicken, Fatz is a beloved Southern staple. Locating next to one of the most recognized landmarks along the Charlotte-Atlanta connector was brillz.
Here’s the non-leaf side of the Peachoid (photo taken from the Fatz parking lot).
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And of course, I had to get a shot of both of them together.
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Don’t you just love it?!
Any fun or unusual landmarks you’ve seen while traveling?
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Today is Earth Day and Ariel and I are totally into celebrating!! We actively recycle, work hard to buy items that use less packaging and strive to re-use as many items as possible. We limit our driving around town if possible, combining trips when we can and sometimes just making a choice to postpone a trip if it’s not urgent. We often buy crafting supplies, household goods, and clothing at local thrift stores, which not only helps our budget but also gives discarded items a second chance at life.
Even our free time pays tribute to the earth! One of our favorite activities is nature watching. (yes, I did just make up that term–but it fits!) We enjoy the scampering squirrels in our yard, love listening to the pleasant songs of the beautiful birds in the trees, and gaze adoringly upon the bright blooms that brighten up our lives. And there’s not much that brings more joy to us than a day spent playing in the surf and sun at the beach or in the refreshing coolness of a mountain stream.
Where we do our nature watching depends on where we are. Sometimes it’s at home, sometimes when we’re traveling–but it’s something we do all. the. time. We are active watchers!
Why is this important?
It’s important because Ariel and I strive to have a gratitude attitude. Thanksgiving is not just a day in November to us. We try to appreciate all of the little things that make each day special and unique. It might be a really cool cloud formation…. or a funny little bird that takes his dear sweet time crossing the road…. or the graceful whitetail deer that live in the woods near our home. It also is the glimpses of the Great Smoky Mountains that we catch from certain viewpoints around the upstate. It’s the genuine smile on a clerk’s face as we make our purchases at the local pharmacy and the sheer bliss of the perfect bite of an absolutely delectable gourmet pizza. Part of it is living in the moment, being fully present in our everyday lives and part of it is completely intentional living. Working to squeeze in LIFE in all of the details and to make sure that we appreciate as much as we humanly can is our goal.
Part of being grateful and appreciative, at least to us, is taking care of what’s been given to us.
And here’s something that we totally appreciate!! FREE Entrance Days at US National Parks! What could be better than saving money and being able to visit some of the biggest treasures of the United States?
Today is just one of the series of free entrance days for 2012.
The others for the rest of the year are:
*** April 21-29 (National Park Week)
*** June 9 (Get Outdoors Day)
*** September 29 (National Public Lands Day)
*** November 10-12 (Veterans Day weekend)
Alaska
Denali National Park and Preserve
Arizona
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Chiricahua National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Grand Canyon National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Petrified Forest National Park
Pipe Spring National Monument
Saguaro National Park
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Tonto National Monument
Tumacacori National Historical Park
Tuzigoot National Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Wupatki National Monument
Arkansas
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Pea Ridge National Military Park
California
Cabrillo National Monument
Death Valley National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lava Beds National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
Sequoia National Park
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Yosemite National Park
Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Colorado National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Hovenweep National Monument
Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Florida
Canaveral National Seashore
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Georgia
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Fort Frederica National Monument
Fort Pulaski National Monument
Hawaii
Haleakalā National Park
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Idaho
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Yellowstone National Park
Indiana
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Maine
Acadia National Park
Maryland
Antietam National Battlefield
Assateague Island National Seashore
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine National Monument
Fort Washington Park
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Mississippi
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Massachusetts
Adams National Historical Park
Cape Cod National Seashore
Michigan
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Minnesota
Pipestone National Monument
Mississippi
Vicksburg National Military Park
Missouri
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
Montana
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Glacier National Park
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Yellowstone National Park
Nebraska
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Nevada
Death Valley National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
New Hampshire
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
New Jersey
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Morristown National Historical Park
New Mexico
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Bandelier National Monument
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
El Morro National Monument
Fort Union National Monument
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Pecos National Historical Park
White Sands National Monument
New York
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Saratoga National Historical Park
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
North Carolina
Wright Brothers National Memorial
North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Ohio
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial National Memorial
Oklahoma
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Oregon
Crater Lake National Park
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Pennsylvania
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
Fort Necessity National Battlefield
Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Steamtown National Historic Site
Puerto Rico
San Juan National Historic Site
South Carolina
Fort Sumter National Monument
South Dakota
Badlands National Park
Jewel Cave National Monument
Tennessee
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Texas
Big Bend National Park
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Padre Island National Seashore
Utah
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Hovenweep National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Zion National Park
Virgin Islands
Christiansted National Historic Site
Virginia
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Assateague Island National Seashore
Colonial National Historical Park
George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Petersburg National Battlefield
Prince William Forest Park
Shenandoah National Park
Washington
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Olympic National Park
Whitman Mission National Historic Site
West Virginia
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Wyoming
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Devils Tower National Monument
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park
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How will you celebrate Earth Day?
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I love ingenious people!! Creativity in response to a need always impresses me.
Take New York City architect John Locke. He was convinced that people don’t read real books any more. Or not enough of them. And that libraries aren’t utilized enough. And that he can do something about it.
Enter Locke’s Department of Urban Betterment.
See what he’s doing about the aforementioned need.
Why, yes, that is a phone booth. Yes, there are shelves holding books in it. Yes, this is a brilliant idea!!
Read more about the DUB library project at The Atlantic Cities and travelettes.
Yes, I am so very pleasantly surprised. Are you?
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