Sunset Pictures are My Thing

I sometimes wonder if I take way too many pictures of the sunset - I mean, I'm scrolling through this post and it's like every other picture (okay - they're not THAT frequent) is of a sunset. I mean, being able to witness such amazing sights on a routine basis is pretty fantastic and so I guess I'll just go ahead and add "Sunset Enthusiast" to the list of my many interests...

I thought once I moved, I'd stop taking so many pictures of this view...but I can't.

Sometimes putting a Band-Aid on it just makes it that much worse...

If I'm being honest, I don't even remember a lot happening at the start of last week - which makes me sound like I was on something...I wasn't. I think Monday and Tuesday were just made up of work and walking and finally watching baseball again (the Nationals were on the West coast all of last week) although some of those games were less worth watching than others. *sigh* I persuaded my Dad to hang a Nationals flag in our front yard in hopes of boosting morale...even if the stadium is an hour away...and they can't see it. Ha-ha! Maybe it helped some? We won 4 of 6...

Trying to rally the team from our front yard...it's only sort of working...

Seriously - the sky has been on fire lately!

Watson says "I want you....to put me down..." Ha-ha!

My Mom and I went out to eat on Wednesday night with some women from the Bible study at my parent's church and when we were home again, Watson and I had a grand time sending Lindsey a picture letting her know how excited we are to come see her in November. Can't you see Watson's excitement? I think he's really saying "you crazy woman - put me down". Oh well. I also decorated the roof of my car with a patch from Lindsey's first squadron at pilot training...I'm sure there will be many more patches to come, so Ron will only be lonely for a short while.

I've started my patch collection!

Some things are not what they appear to be...

Thursday it rained and poured and was generally a mess - but by the time I got off, it had cooled off and quit raining which made walking a lot less of a chore than usual. I came home and set off pretty quickly and when I got back to the house, I noticed a bright yellow golf ball mere feet from the edge of the front of my car. I naturally thought that there was a golfer of monumentally bad proportion somewhere nearby, picked up the ball and went on about my business...thankful my car was still in one piece. Over dinner later, I showed the picture to my Dad and he said "I found that golf ball earlier and tossed it there as I came in...I figured you'd see it when you got home and bring it in..." So, not only was my car not in danger of being pelted...I'd completely walked right past it as I was coming in. Eagles eyes I am not.

Although - I did manage to spy a speedy little turtle skittering across the road while Watson and I were walking and we stopped long enough to say hi and snap a picture!

A little friend encountered on an evening walk.

Yet again - crazy gorgeous skies!

Friday evening finally arrived - this past week seemed hectic - and my parents and I cruised over to Long Branch Plantation for Limestone and Blues; a music series they are doing right now that involves a BBQ truck, a band on the limestone steps of the plantation house and a front lawn full of soft grass to make yourself at home in and listen to the music. The band playing was called Cash Express and they performed....Johnny Cash songs! The BBQ was good, the weather was absolutely perfect (if not a bit chilly after the sun went down...yes, chilly in August!) and the company (and I don't just mean Jeff and Ginger) was quite fine too. There was an older couple seated in their lawn chairs in front of us and y'all - that little old man was loving every minute; tapping his hands and feet to every song and singing along. It just warmed my heart and made me smile...granted, the amazing sunset also made me smile too. See - I'm all about those sunsets.

Who gives a hoot on Friday night?

The Cash Express at Long Branch Plantation

The sunset to the right....

The sunset to the back...

The sunset to the left...

Music & starlight on a brisk Friday night...

Saturday was another adventure and I cannot believe I only have three pictures - and not even "good" pictures at that! I was obviously slacking! After a 2 mile walk and a vet visit for Watson, we drove over to Middleburg for the afternoon to get a late lunch at the French Hound and peruse the shops. I got a ham and Gruyere cheese sandwich at the French Hound...and it was as long as my arm! I ate half and was good and full for a while! We found a new favorite shop in Popcorn Monkey and I'm not even a popcorn fan...but this place has turned me around on that - the cornfetti is to die for and the Salted Caramel is also no joke! The stairs in and out of the store are no joke too...since I decided to fall up them like a klutz; which resulted in me immediately jumping up to make sure no one had seen...

No one did - but telling you all on here makes that all kind of null and void, huh? Oh well - suffice it to say, I busted it like a champ and I have some black and blue marks to show for it. My Mom and I rounded out the evening at PaveMint, which is an awesome little taphouse and restaurant in Front Royal that has some seriously delicious food - best burger I've had in a long time!

Have you ever gotten a sandwich as long as your arm?

Graceful I am not...

Hey Lindsey - does that number look familiar?

Sunday was all over the place - I braved church on my own; which I'm sure lots of people do all the time but I'm not great at going places on my own. However, I'd visited a church with a friend last week and really enjoyed it, so this week I decided to suck it up and go on my own. It turned out fine - I don't know what I thought would happen. It's church, for Heaven's sake! No pun intended. People were welcoming and nice, the music was great, the sermon was awesome - another good experience...I might be closing in on a winner. The 10 o'clock service was so packed, I had to park in the grass!

What was waiting for me at the bottom on the stairs on Sunday morning.

Church was so busy that I had to park in the grass...behind the building...

We spent Sunday afternoon shopping!!! I mean - mostly I just shopped and my parents tagged along, although my Dad did buy a book! After supper we all went walking and while it wore me out a little bit, it obviously really took a toll on Watson since I discovered him falling asleep, sitting up! I think it's safe to say that a sign of a weekend well spent is being so tired you can't hold your head up - so after a quick snack of Cornfetti, I crashed...in preparation for another week of doing it all over again!

You know you've had a good weekend when you fall asleep sitting up.

Popcorn Monkey is the BEST!