Ben and Toni: Staycationer's Extraordinaire

On our rooftop Friday Night

As tribute to the global recession, green living, and not wanting to drive 7 hours to Cape Cod over Memorial day weekend, we decided to opt for a grand new tradition: staycations.

Wikipedia puts it this way:
"A staycation (or stay-cation, or stacation) is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and gas prices are high. Common activities of a staycation include use of the backyard pool, visits to local parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals. Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end date, planning ahead, and avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional vacation."

Our Philly Staycation 2009
Friday: Camden rooftop fireworks party
Saturday: The Du Pont Longwood Gardens
Sunday: A hike in Wissahickon Gorge
Monday: Ocean City Beach


Kate and Toni with the beautiful flowers at Longwood Gardens


Kate, Jordan, Ben and Toni in the topiary gardens at Longwood


Hiking the Wissahickon Gorge in Philadelphia


A relaxing day at the Jersey Shore

Warm Weekend in NC

Lunch on the river in Wilmington, NC

Ben and I were able to head down to NC last weekend and visit our good friends the Morgans for a sunny 2 days in Durham,or as it's properly pronounced Durum. We stopped by the Duke Gardens in the company of daffodils and tulips and a legendary bird named "ROOK."

We also headed to Wrightsville Beach complements of Ben's Surfin' Coz' Calvin.

Here are a few fun pics from our weekend. Thanks for the hospitality!

Silas, Ben and Calvin at Wrightsville Beach, NC


At Duke Gardens with the Morgans

This Explains Ben's Youth

A Morning at Bo's House

Michelle and Barack invited us to the White House this spring. Ok, they invited all citizens of the world to a public viewing of the grounds, groves, and extensive plantings of the United States' oldest maintained landscape, but we were able to skip the hourlong lines complements of Ben's brother's security clearance. While the marine band played all American selections like "Star Wars" and "the Sound of Music" (seriously no Gershwin?), Ben, my sister Kata, and Ben's brother and wife meandered around the Rose Garden, the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, and a whole bunch of Dowgwood, Elm, Oak, Magnolia, Chestnut, Linden, and Ash trees planted by Messrs. Jackson,Cleveland, Hoover, Harding, Rossevet, Eisenhower, Ford, and Bush I & II.

We were handed a map of the grounds which included the prescient line: Like the White House itself, the garden and all the green evidcences of its rich past remind us that our sytem of government prevails, yet is able to change as life and habitation may degree.

P.S. To our eternal disappointment, Bo, the world's most popular Portuguese Water Dog, stayed inside.

Herring, Woods, Eggs, and Berners

Last weekend Ben and I were invited to spend Easter with the Berner's in Western Pennsylvania. We had a wonderful time out in the beautiful rolling hills, meals by a gourmet chef, plenty of chocolate and Easter eggs, and wooden stick Swedish lawn games.

Thanks for the hospitality Berner's!



Ben, Tate and Jefta decorating Easter eggs


Playing Kubb on the lawn

Bees, Philadelphia and DC

'Immersion' at the Guggenheim, NYC

2 weeks ago I spent thirty relaxing minutes staring at bees on a frame. At first there were just bees buzzing around the screen, then a head surged from the bottom of the picture, until finally a head covered with bees. This was the basis of the 'Immersion' exhibit by Mark Thompson at the famous Guggenheim museum in NYC.

This all came about when my mom and her dear friend Janie decided to make a trip out east to see this exhibit (since Janie's brother is the artist!) along with visiting Ben and I in Philly and then down to DC to see my sister Kata.

We were blessed with their 5 day visit here in this historic city. It was a fun weekend of sightseeing, good food and fun in Philly. We spent a day in NYC and then our last day together we went down to see Kata and her new stomping grounds in DC.

Here are a few pics from our time together. Thanks for the visit!


Kata and Toni at Rockefeller Center, NYC


Ben giving Janie and Mom a tour of Old City Philadelphia


Toni, Mom and Janie at Independence Hall


A day at Mount Vernon in Virginia

Ben's Birthday Party

This weekend we celebrated Ben's birthday with some close friends. Here are a few pics of the fun we had.


Spinning Ben for 'Pin the Tale on the Donkey'


Ben laughing at Jefta's misspelling of the German words for Happy Birthday!


The 'Birthday Prince' with his crown