Friday, July 25, 2014

Friday Fragments

It's Friday, so why not?

Half-Past Kissin' Time

It's been a pretty quiet week round here.  I've been catching up on some at-home projects that I'll share at some point, but not today. It's hard to blog when you're keeping most of the wedding details hush hush.

On Wednesday hubs worked from home and we met his sister and her family for lunch. They were passing through and we were a convenient stop. It was fun to catch up in person.

My neighborhood book club met last night and that's always a nice way to spend an evening. We read a  book called Alex: The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy. The author is French so this is a translation, and the second in a series. It's dark and some of it was hard to read, but the writing is excellent and the characters intriguing. If you liked The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, then you would probably like this one too. It's written with that same combination of tension, subtle wit, and melancholy as the Stieg Larsson series. Except the names are easier to pronounce-ha!

Normally in the summer we read a little lighter fare, but not this summer.  We've read Slave: My True Story by Mende Nazer set in Sudan, recounting the horrific tale of a 12 year old girl sold as a slave into an Arab family. Not light. Or easy to read. But real. Then in July we read Jodi Picoult's The Storyteller, which in typical Jodi Picoult fashion is full of twists and turns and shades of gray. It's a modern story intermingled with a story set in Nazi Germany so yeah, also not really light.

We're home again this weekend which makes two in a row, so whoohoo! We're having three couples over on Saturday for a barbecue and so far the weather looks like it will cooperate. It's gorgeous out there today.  Everyone is bringing something which is my favorite kind of party, but I'm doing the main, an appetizer, and dessert. I think this party may be the excuse I need to make a peach cobbler.  The peaches are so good this year, unlike the tomatoes which have had too much rain. Jersey tomatoes are late.

And finally there's this...


Just taking care of his weekend banking.


He walked right in front of my car early this morning, across a main street in our little town. I was on my way home from boot camp, so it was early and not a lot of traffic, but still...we don't normally see them in the middle of town.  I followed him into the bank, but he was on to me and slipped through the hedges to the Burger King next door.


Judging from the size of him, I'd say this was not his first trip to the BK. They really are beautiful creatures and amazing to see up close. It pays to get up early and exercise...if I'd slept in I'd have missed it.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

22 comments:

  1. What a great series of bear pictures.

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  2. Oh, my goodness, can't believe you see bears at such random places and where people are. Ugh!

    Sounds like a great weekend! I'll be assisting my dear friend with the burial of her precious Mom. They all live in Orlando,Fl but here was home for most of their lives so they have brought her back here for services and burial. Talk about a lot of orchestrating from afar. Goodness, all kinds of issues to deal with when flying a person's remains across state lines. So glad I could be on this end to assist.

    Daughter and I are off for our last Hoo-rah until our Dallas trip in two weeks. Nothing like mother/daughter fun!

    Happy weekend!

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  3. A bear? In town? Yikes!!!!!

    Very few peaches here ... the exceedingly cold weather we had this past winter killed most of the buds. The orchards in the area have said they'll be thankful if their harvests are 40% of normal. I'm sure that means that the prices for fresh peaches are going to be HIGH. :-(

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  4. I saw a bear last time I was in PA. It is quite a site.

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  5. Oh DEAR, Bears at the BK Lounge???!!!
    Have fun at your get together, peach cobbler sounds scrumtrulescent!

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  6. Wow, bears?! What an intriguing sight! And those are some serious books you're reading, but I bet they really open up your mind and viewpoints. A book club sounds fun - an excuse to gather and chit chat and drink wine. Have a nice weekend!

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  7. I love 'at home' summer weekends and summer entertaining. Sadly I don't see an 'at home' weekend with an available slot to do that.
    So.. do the 'people in charge' do something about the bears in town or do they just tell the town folk to stay away and let them do their thing?

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  8. Not so much. Unless you count a bear hunt which is extremely controversial, but happens every fall. For five years, then I think there's a lull. You need a special license and can only take one, no cubs. The bears typically don't linger, unless you leave garbage outside. They mostly are just passing thru, and stay tucked away in the woods. I've never heard of any incidents involving humans being harmed here by a bear. They tend to pay us no attention, and I think would only be a problem if you came upon one by surprise, especially with a cub.

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  9. A weekend at home that involves a lot of cleaning and cooking doesn't sound as relaxing as staying home and going next door for a BBQ. Heehee. Hope Mr or Miss Bear doesn't get a whiff of your grill and mistake it for BK.

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  10. We have had a few bear sightings in northern Illinois recently. Seeing that bear on your morning drive would be an eye opener. I hope the bear makes it safely home and nobody feeds it because that just causes trouble - mostly for the bear in the end.

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  11. OH MY GOSH.. that bear is HUGE!!!!!!!

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  12. 'Going on a Bear Hunt' comes to mind. My book club met last Tuesday-so far we have read some interesting books-some too detail for my summer reading-but all well. Have a great weekend.

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  13. Oh my! I'm not sure what I would do if I met a bear that up-close-and-personal! Great photos!! I loved the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series, but am not sure I'm up for something so 'heavy' right now. I will keep that series in mind, though. Enjoy your cookout and your weekend at home!

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  14. The peaches down here have been especially delicious this year as well. I guess it's a good year for peaches all around. And that's a good thing! That bear! Wow. If he lived down here he'd be looking for a swimming pool or else just head right over to the beach and have a swim in the ocean! I am so excited about the wedding and can't wait to see all the pictures!

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  15. OMGoodness a bear! I haven't seen one yet but they have been spotted in my town too.
    Those books do sound very heavy, but good. I am reading The Angel In My Pocket/ Sukey Forbes and it is ripping my heart out but I can't stop reading. Evergreen/ Rebecca Rasmussen is up next for me. I'm hoping that is lighter.
    Have a great weekend!
    doreenmcgettigan.com

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  16. I cannot imagine seeing a real bear!

    I've been hungry for peach pie. I had some peaches last week that were so good and want to get more for a pie.

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  17. Bears! You don't see that every day, do you?! Very cool.

    We've had some glorious weather, too, though we could use some rain.

    The books sound great; I like dark books. I just finished listening to In the Blood; I recommend it!

    Thanks for linking up :) Have a great weekend.

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  18. Bears! They are elusive at times, but they do pop up in unexpected places, don't they? A few years ago, my family's cemetery had a bear or two visit over a period of several days.

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  19. Bears have to bank, too! LOL
    I will check out that book. I really liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
    Enjoy your weekend.
    :-)
    Traci

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  20. Of all the wildlife I'd rather not see in the middle of town, bears are pretty high up on the list. Crazy!

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  21. Sounds like a nice weekend and I hope the BBQ was a fun time! You got some great shots of the bear........

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  22. Wow, such cool bear pictures, but glad you saw him from the safety of your car!

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