Saturday Evening Fun

With this being Adria's last weekend in Connecticut, we decided to try something completely different. We bought tickets to a show in Collinsville at Bridge Street Live to see "Burlesque-A-Pades" featuring Angie Pontani and the Pontani sisters.

Needless to say, this was the first burlesque show I've ever seen and it was a lot of fun. We certainly didn't have much opportunity to see something like this in our small New England hometown! I was a little concerned about the type of crowd a burlesque show would attract, but I needn't have worried--this is the Farmington Valley after all.  We were probably among the younger people in the audience which consisted mainly of ordinary-looking couples.

The emcee performed some magic tricks, and the sisters performed individually and in a group. Angie had a great act of dancing en pointe to Edith Piaf's recording of "La Vie en Rose" with a lovely costume of diaphanous lavender veils that she swirled and discarded one by one! 

One of our favorite acts was Miss Saturn twirling several hula hoops with amazing speed and rhythm to Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero". Helen danced a few tap numbers in gorgeous costumes while shedding clothes artistically. By the end of the show, Adria was ready to run out and buy hula hoops while I'm ready for tap dancing lessons and a big feather boa!

Hope you're having fun this weekend!

Summertime, and the Livin' Is Easy

Yesterday was the first full day of summer. Adria and I celebrated the solstice and the ending of my sub job by going to Botanicals Day Spa for massages and pedicures.

Adria chose a really nice dark color by O.P.I. called Russian Navy while I went the mermaid route with a color called Yodel Me on My Cell. You can tell we are definitely not foot model prospects!



With temperatures hovering around 100 for the past couple days, the only time to use the hammock is sunset!   Aaaahhhh....summertime!

Father's Day Fun

We celebrated Father's Day in the traditional way--a game of minigolf with lunch and ice cream.  Adria won even though we have a lot more experience on the course!  I had a hole-in-one on the water hole, and Adria got a hole-in-one on the only hole that matters:  the 19th, which gave her a card for a free game!  We actually used one of those cards from a few years ago to play today.  I think it was Mark's...

With such beautiful weather, we decided to take Adria to Hill-Stead to walk around the garden and enjoy the views.

While sitting in the summerhouse, Mark said he heard a sheep.  We thought he was joking until we heard a distinct "Baaaa".  In the meadow where the metal sheep cutouts are placed, we saw some real live sheep.  The area has a temporary fence and the sheep will spend the summer grazing there.

Then we walked around to the front of the house and relaxed under the portico.  We watched a hawk in a nearby oak, but when we approached to take photos, it flew higher into the tree.

The past few days have been very pleasant with low humidity and warm temperatures.  We've been eating dinner on the deck and often need a sweater by the time we're finished!

Hopefully I have only two more days of work!!!  I'm looking forward to spending some time with Adria before she returns home.

Flora and Fauna and Fireflies in June

And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays:
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten...

James Russell Lowell

1819 - 1891

This precious little fawn was right outside the classroom windows on Tuesday morning while his mother foraged in the nearby woods.  Quite a distraction for students taking their final exams!

She would check on him from the edge of the woods every half hour or so.  After several hours, she walked up to him and then led him back into the woods.  With a stone wall perpendicular to the school for additional protection, the doe probably thought he would be safe in the open grassy area.

Closer to home, the Asiatic lilies next to the deck are beginning to bloom now.  Last night I saw my first firefly of the season when I took Kita out at bedtime.  Fireflies are a sure sign that summer is upon us. 

The weather was perfect today with low humidity and highs around 77--a great beginning to summer vacation for Farmington's schoolchildren who finished the school year yesterday.  I have only 3-4 days of work left!  It takes about 6 weeks to get comfortable in a new school, so just as I'm really getting settled, my sub job will end.  I am looking forward to spending some time with Adria before she goes back home.

In honor of Flag Day, here's a photo of the display outside of Crate and Barrel in Blue Back Square.  When we went to the West Hartford Center craft fair on Sunday, we walked right by it!

Busy in a Good Way!

Adria arrived on Wednesday morning in time to join us for Dawn's PhD hooding ceremony at MIT on Thursday.

After the ceremony, we went to the MechE department's luncheon and then strolled around campus.  We made a stop at the Coop so I could stock up on MIT souvenirs.

For dinner we went to a great little restaurant, Cuchi Cuchi, and shared a wide assortment of food.  The day ended all too quickly and we were back on the road before dark.  It's hard to believe that it was just one year ago when we were on campus to see Malima's PhD hooding.  Wow!  Two  MIT PhDs in one family!  Between Dawn, Malima, and Ross, there are quite a few MIT degrees!