Monday, April 20, 2009
Working weekend
Okay, maybe not "work" as in "do something and get paid for it" but we did a lot of work this weekend getting ready for our house guest. This weekend I built shelving, moved boxes, put together a bed, mowed the lawn, vacuumed, did four loads of laundry (and put away four loads of laundry), bought a television, gave away some items on Freecycle, disassembled a table so it would fit up the stairs from the basement, reassembled table...
My hands feel like oven mitts this morning.
One bright point was the break we took on Sunday to grab some lunch. We ended up going to Dogfish Head Alehouse, where I had a chicken and shrimp club sandwich and a beer sampler of six different beers:
After this lunch I was pretty agreeable, as you can imagine. The weather was sunny and 75 degrees. We even finished everything and had an hour or two to relax before the guest arrived, so I took a paperback and sauntered into the backyard to chill on our vintage outdoor lounge chair (which you can read about here!).
I finished Hell's Bay by James W. Hall. Like Lee Child's Jack Reacher, if he was a beach bum with a Florida address, Hall's character Thorn is always getting into trouble and trying to survive. His series of books with this character are recommended. Check out the author's site here! Next up I'll be reading The Turnaround by George Pelecanos, another author I highly recommend. He's DC born and bred, and he writes books where the city is not just the setting but a character itself. I have the book in hardback (signed by the author) but as I have done with his last four books, I get the hardback autographed at his reading (at the Borders near me where he always reads) then wait and get the paperback to read. I know, that sounds strange. But by buying both copies, I'm keeping him making money so he'll keep writing these books! After that, I'll read Nothing to Lose by Lee Child, speaking of Jack Reacher (Holy crap, Amazon says it's Jack Reacher, No. 12!) Yes, I like having the next book chosen and on-hand while I'm still reading another. It's how I roll.
My hands feel like oven mitts this morning.
One bright point was the break we took on Sunday to grab some lunch. We ended up going to Dogfish Head Alehouse, where I had a chicken and shrimp club sandwich and a beer sampler of six different beers:
After this lunch I was pretty agreeable, as you can imagine. The weather was sunny and 75 degrees. We even finished everything and had an hour or two to relax before the guest arrived, so I took a paperback and sauntered into the backyard to chill on our vintage outdoor lounge chair (which you can read about here!).
I finished Hell's Bay by James W. Hall. Like Lee Child's Jack Reacher, if he was a beach bum with a Florida address, Hall's character Thorn is always getting into trouble and trying to survive. His series of books with this character are recommended. Check out the author's site here! Next up I'll be reading The Turnaround by George Pelecanos, another author I highly recommend. He's DC born and bred, and he writes books where the city is not just the setting but a character itself. I have the book in hardback (signed by the author) but as I have done with his last four books, I get the hardback autographed at his reading (at the Borders near me where he always reads) then wait and get the paperback to read. I know, that sounds strange. But by buying both copies, I'm keeping him making money so he'll keep writing these books! After that, I'll read Nothing to Lose by Lee Child, speaking of Jack Reacher (Holy crap, Amazon says it's Jack Reacher, No. 12!) Yes, I like having the next book chosen and on-hand while I'm still reading another. It's how I roll.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
How much would YOU pay?!?
Cue the infomercial/game show music...
Wife and I took the dogs for a walk after I mowed the lawn yesterday afternoon, and on the final street before the turn back to ours, we saw an old house had been emptied out, as in maybe the elderly owner had died and the next of kin or the new owners were dragging all the old stuff to the curb. We're not known for dumpster diving, but a couple of things were tempting. We passed on the two dining chairs, but then I saw it:
A vintage outdoor lounge chair!
Aluminum with all-weather vinyl cushions! It has to be from the 1950s. This baby is in fantastic shape and would be worth some money to a collector. How much would you pay?
Doesn't matter, because it's for me, baby! I foresee summer afternoons laying in the shade with a paperback and a drink. Awesome find. Definitely the find of the week so far.
Here's another pic. Go ahead, looking's free. Touchin'll cost ya!
Wife and I took the dogs for a walk after I mowed the lawn yesterday afternoon, and on the final street before the turn back to ours, we saw an old house had been emptied out, as in maybe the elderly owner had died and the next of kin or the new owners were dragging all the old stuff to the curb. We're not known for dumpster diving, but a couple of things were tempting. We passed on the two dining chairs, but then I saw it:
A vintage outdoor lounge chair!Aluminum with all-weather vinyl cushions! It has to be from the 1950s. This baby is in fantastic shape and would be worth some money to a collector. How much would you pay?
Doesn't matter, because it's for me, baby! I foresee summer afternoons laying in the shade with a paperback and a drink. Awesome find. Definitely the find of the week so far.
Here's another pic. Go ahead, looking's free. Touchin'll cost ya!
