Day 328: Department of Transportation beaurocracy run amok.

One would expect that at the bottom of the incline plane, where people *supposedly* get from the top of the hill downtown that there would be some sort of transit hub.  A single bus stop, even, so folks could get from the bottom of the hill to where they need to go.

Nope.

Today the Incline was free because of a music festival, so I figured since Julia was away with a friend for the day that it would be perfect to take a ride with Adam down the hill then catch the bus to Cambria City to the Children's Museum, where we have season passes.  So down we go.  No bus stop.  So I figured we'd walk downtown a ways and hope to find one there.  We walked.  And walked.  And finally realized that we might as well walk to the museum, which took about an hour with little legs.  We stopped and dropped sticks into the river on the way for a break.  Those of you from here know how far it is! And Adam was a trooper.  Not a single whine or complaint.  Just trucked along, picking up rocks and sticks and putting things in my pockets.

Caught the bus back.  Stop right in front of the museum.  Good thing we weren't going by the schedule, though, or didn't look at the schedule and decide to cross the street and go to the playground for half an hour, because a bus came out of nowhere and let us off within walking distance of the Incline.

With nary a stop in sight.

So, lesson is never assume beaurocracy uses common sense.  Too busy posting traffic signs.

Incidentally, the best part of the day for The Bean?  Taking the city bus for the first time.  All five minute ride of it!

Day 327: To Infinity...or at least to the dining room chairs.

"Oh no!  Woody's in trouble!  The terrible Tanker has tied him to a...knight's shield! Somebody help!"

"Sheesh--those bonds are tight.  Owch!  Lighten up already, you big, blue thug."

"Buzz Lightyear to the rescue...if I can recover from landing in such an uncomfortable position.  Ow.  But a Space Ranger shuns not danger-- or excruciating pain."

"Ah Jessie--Forzaré una sonrisa despreocupada apenas para usted, mi dulce (and how did Woody's head get so much bigger than my own, anyway?"  (Thanks to online translator!)

 

Still not feeling 100%--I'm off to bed!  Nighters!

Day 326

I was sick yesterday, and by dinner time it was all I could do to drag myself around the kitchen to make dinner, tell the kids to feed themselves and head upstairs to lie down.  Julia mothered Adam, when I called them up they came, stories snuggled on my bed, and when I asked them to go straight to bed, they did.  It was a miracle.  Times like that I realize how great my kids are when the chips are down.

anyway, I took this sad excuse for a photo--although it might work well for my Christmas project.  More on that closer to Christmas.

Day 325

300 pieces, a soon-to-be seven year old, a mother, and an unexpected sibling nap.

Yesssss!

Day 324: Waffles

Mmmnn, yummy looking, eh?

Rich, chocolatey-looking waffles.

Recipe?

Make your favorite waffle batter.

Pour into waffle baker.

Walk away and do something else.

Remember half an hour later that you had waffles in the baker.

Remove.

Take a photo.

The end.

:oP

***

Edit (later):  Make that:

Take photo. 

Put more batter in the baker. 

Post photo on blog. 

Once again, forget that you have batter in the baker. 

Bummer.

Day 323: A bit 'o texture

OK.  I seriously know nothing about Photoshop, and when people talk about texture, I think about stuff like this:

So, I'm off to Kim's Kim Klassen Cafe to work through her Photoshop courses.  She offers beautiful textures, and I'm ready to bring my photos to another level.  The level of the Photoshop User.  I've strictly used Picnik or Picassa, so this is uncharted territory.

Cover me.  I'm going in.

Day 322: Pepper and pepper eater, perhaps?

Yesterday while we were outside I spotted a nifty bug on the pepper plant.  Saw one again today and took its picture, as it wandered along from the peppers to the basil, having a lovely Sunday afternoon stroll.

It's probably what has been eating the leaves and perhaps putting holes in the peppers themselves but it's purty, yes?

No macro lens on at the time, so cropped within an inch of its little ol' life

Wonder of wonders, we even have a pepper out there.  Sans holes--for now.  Not quite ready to pick, so we're crossing our fingers and holding our breath for its safe fruition.

In other news:  Julia has a really loose tooth on the bottom, and it's really hurting her.  She has a permanent tooth already in behind it from a tooth that fell out last year (ah yes, braces are in definitely in her future), so she can't wiggle it back very far, and she's having trouble sleeping tonight because of pain, poor tyke.  We tried to pull it out, but it's not quite ready, and I don't want to yank too hard.  So it was a bit of Tylenol tonight and a back rub from mum and as of now, all is quiet, so hopefully she's finally asleep.

I sometimes have very vivid dreams sometimes that my teeth are loose and coming out in spades.

Do you have dreams like that?  I wake up swearing that my teeth are all loose in my head.  How weird.