Souvenir Buildings Collection

No, this is not a photo of a street in New York , this is a shelf of Souvenir Buildings owned by my brother in law, Rick. Rick, an architect, has been collecting these miniatures for many years and his collections numbers about 450. His finds are from eBay, flea markets, antique shows and from trading with other collectors.
The miniatures started as souvenirs from well-known attractions on the European Grand Tour and then spread to the US. There are souvenir miniatures representing buildings from stadiums and arenas to cathedrals and office buildings. Rick's collection is of cast metal but the buildings are also made of other materials. Sometimes the model buildings were given as gifts to stockholders and other times with a purpose such as fitted to be used as a coin bank.

This is a very appropriately cool collection for an architect and the sheer number of miniatures on display is amazing.

Unexpected New Jersey

When you tell people you are from New Jersey, you are typically asked, "what exit?" People think of New Jersey in reference to the turnpike and not as the Garden State. I am visiting my family in the Princeton, NJ area for the week. We celebrated my parents 55th wedding anniversary, had a family picnic and are just having fun catching up. I'm staying at my sister and brother in law's house in Hopewell, not far from the former home site of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, where their child was kidnapped.

It is very peaceful at their house and the yard is a great place to spot adorable deer and other wildlife.

I'm impressed with the vivid hydrangea. In Michigan, we seem to have the wimpy white and pale hydrangea.

Looking forward to "tomato pie" (translate - pizza) tomorrow.

Hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

End of the Holiday Weekend

It is 7:30 pm on Sunday. I'm sitting on the deck, listening to the fountain in the pond. My sweetie poured a lovely glass of wine for me and I was just catching up with the NY Times. What a great weekend with my daughter and her boyfriend visiting from Minneapolis and my other daughter in from DC. We had a great relaxing time just hanging out together. Lots of cooking and eating together and some exercise and sun.

It's good to take some time to celebrate our freedom AND to relax.

Now it is really summer and I know it will be gone before I know it. I'll be harvesting my green beans by the end of the week. I've got a trip to NJ to visit family and another to Montana with friends to look forward too. Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy every minute of sun and warmth before Michigan winter sets in. Every sunny day is a gift.

Happy Birthday Rich

Today is my husband's birthday.

He is anticipating a few days of bonefishing in the Bahamas.

Happy Birthday Rich. You are the love of my life and my best catch!