Schroeder's Visit

Ben and I have been blessed with many visitors this summer...our latest were our college friends Lauren and Wade. We were lucky to be apart of their 5 year wedding anniversary trip to the east coast. Here are a few pics from our fun weekend together....thanks for the visit Schroeders!


At LOVE Park.


A very hot day at the Jersey shore.


A tour of historic Philadelphia.


Lauren & Wade's first cheesesteaks!

Short Reflections on our Summer in the Woods

We love our urban jungle. We love cobblestone streets that aren't supposed to be romantic. We love the way the unemployed amuse themselves. We love the stained glass window variety of cement that seemingly covers every square inch. We love random one way streets...

...But we also can't stand these things at times. And in the summer, we especially must escape to the woods. So these last few weeks we ran away to the beautiful Wissahickon Creek, Philadelphia; French Creek State Park, Western PA; Fallingwater, Southwest PA; and the exotic Hocking Hills, Ohio.

Here are pictures from our last few weekends.


Hiking Wissahickon Creek, Philadelphia.


Our rainy hike while camping at French Creek State Park.


At Frank Llyod Wright's Fallingwater.


Outside Fallingwater, Southwest Pennsylvania.


Playing Corn Hole at our cabin in Hocking Hills.


Hiking Conkle's Hollow, Ohio.


Hiking Rock House, Ohio.

The 4th in Philadelphia!

This holiday weekend Ben and I exercised the staycation with lots of fun activities around the Philadelphia area. Amongst the BBQ's, World Cup games, fireworks and friends the highlight of our weekend was teaching Berlin how to swim!

Today we are recuperating with the day off. Ben is getting ready to teach summer school tomorrow and me back to the kids. Happy 4th!

Berlin Turns One!

Carolina Reunion

The horse drawn carriage holding 2 Baby Boomers, 4 Generations Xers, 2 Millenials, and 3 Generation Zers (aka the Brandenburg family) made its way through Broad Street--one of the oldest streets in Charleston--this past weekend. Generational differences were lost on us and our horse “Earl” as we braved the 110 degree heat index. Our carriage guide kept our minds preoccupied as she dissed on the elite residents of the area south of Broad Street, or SOBs. Nonetheless as a resident just north of Broad she herself was a SNOB, which according to her was better than all the SLOBs living left of Broad. Neighborhood rivalry aside the Charleston streets were exquisite in architecture and lined with grand live oaks draped with Spanish moss, and the ubiquitous Cabbage Palmetto.

Our hosts for the weekend were the marvelous Elise Brandenburg, a princess at age three, and the mighty Sir Ethan Muhr the Gallant, who made sure we received some beach time on the Isle of Palm. Back in Charlotte the royal toddlers even recruited the peasantry—Bruce, John, Paul, Steve, and Ben—to build some lawn Castles for the big birthday bash. All in all, it was was a royal family weekend.

Thank you for hosting and celebrating your 3rd birthday with all of us Elise!


Ellie summing up the weekend :)


All the Brandenburgs together after 5 years!



The guys making the castle for Elise's 3rd birthday party.


The birthday girl blowing out her candles.


On our carriage tour of historic Charleston, S.C.


Family time on the beach to round out a great weekend!

The Greater Philadelphia Hipster Tour

When Kim and Rick (Toni and Kim are friends from their toddler days) visited us over memorial day weekend we aimed to perfect our Frommer's chops. Curious? This is what it takes.

1. Walk in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin topped off with some Spanish Tapas at Amada, courtesy of this year's Iron Chef winner Jose Garces.
2. Happy Hour in the Northern Liberties Dog Park courtesy of a Weimaraner named Berlin.
3. Stroll on the High Line Elevated Park in the Meat Packing District (in that little suburb of Phila called Manhattan).
4. Be a saint and go to church, be a sinner and go to Atlantic City.
5. Accept cliches, and run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art Rocky steps.


The usual Liberty Bell photo with all visitors :)


On the Tkts Tkts steps in Times Square, NYC.


Our High School friend, Anne, in the Meatpacking District, NYC.


Overlooking the Atlantic City scene.


How the guys spent most of their free time.


On the Rocky Steps looking out at the Philadelphia Skyline.

10,000 People on our Street

Each summer our building, in Fishtown, is ground zero for the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival. The highlight is a popular event called the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby (http://www.kinetickensington.com/2010-winners) where new neighborhood arrivals, longstanding residents and businesses build crazy-pants art bikes and drive them through an urban obstacle course, ending up in a mudpit on Trenton Avenue. Plenty of artists and friends nearby made this the highlight of our spring (notwithstanding the fact that "the Pirates" bike team stole Ben's needle-nose pliers after a breakdown on our street, but that's what he gets for lending some tools to a Pirate outfit ).

Our building teamed together to host the unofficial afterparty complete with a reggae band, lawn games and lots of food(hat tip Keith and Tracy). Good times indeed.


Amongst the crowds.


The 10,000.


One of the 29 Kinetic Sculptures.


Watching the mudpit finale from our window.


The afterparty in our courtyard.