memorial day here and there (docklands and the national gallery)

today is the first day that summer feels like it's on its way. it was hot. i made a "bulldozer" smoothie in the morning (named after a smoothie chanda and i used to get from the liqueteria juice bar chain): oat milk, coffee, cocoa powder and a banana. it's also the same ingredients juice generation uses for their "pb and joe." it was a slow day . . greg and i took a walk and chanda was at the cafe. korrina texted me beautiful vermeer photos of her day at the national gallery.

the yarn i bought at downtown yarns looks to be the same color as the napkins i made in 2016. i first thought i had bought the same color, but when checking my ravelry page i see that six years ago i had bought the color "ice," it has just faded to now look like sea green.

being so sunny and hot, we did not go far, but stopped at the health food store on the way back where i saw the cutest french bulldog, brindle color. i hurried after the owner to corral her in the freezer section by the frozen applegate chicken sausages and asked if she had gone through a breeder. no, she said, she got her dog through citipups (!!). she said she was lucky, and she was lucky because her dog looked very healthy (no heavy breathing or skin allergies) and was extremely friendly. he jumped right up on my knees with his front paws (i had squatted down to say hello) and gave me lots of chin kisses. his name was gus and he was three years old. citipups. hmmmm.

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expedition to docklands:

i think the visit to the museum of london docklands that korrina and morgana took was on sunday. i love the energy of this photo and all the colors. london has so many picturesque corners.

the british also have such a great sense of humor. lots of cute rat photos were sent to my phone.

(we're currently having an overabundance of rats these days due to the outdoor sheds and garbage lying about on some of the main avenues).

i think this is showing how they rolled the barrels after they were made . . 

korrina's turn . . 

i think this was a shared lunch before heading home . . 

or maybe a stop first at the grapes (where chanda was asked to leave a number of years ago because they tried getting her in underage) . .

and then another ride on the new lizzie line (so nice!)

 

 now for some photos that korrina sent me today, as she went to the national gallery to see the vermeers (she danced the lead in ellen's piece, walkaround vermeer, many years ago, giving her a special personal connection to vermeer and to ellen which i know means a lot to her).

 

nelson's column in trafalgar square . . and that was today in londontown.

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meanwhile, back at the ranch . . after dinner . . 

after cooking dinner (and washing a ton of vegetables from the green market) it felt so warm in the apartment that i had to get out for some air so greg and i walked over to the river . . (and to the dog run where there was an incredibly adorable french bulldog puppy who was getting harassed by a brown cockapoo).

back home . . a round of bananagrams . . 

 

which i won this evening (it helps to get a lot of vowels).
 

chanda's words . . 

and greg's.