Foto Friday: Looking up

This week's Foto Friday prompt is looking up, so I thought I would share with you some more photos that I took in Philadelphia this week of the Pennsylvania Fire Insurance Company (508-510 Walnut Street).  Designed in the popular Egyptian-revival style, the left side of the building was constructed in 1838 by the Scottish-born architect John Haviland (1792-1852); in 1902, an identical addition (the right side) and a central parapet was designed by Theophilus Chandler, Jr. (1845-1928).  The Egyptian-revival period was relatively short-lived in terms of its popularity and not many examples survive from this brief time frame, save for some cemetery mausoleums and crypts (there are several outstanding examples in the nearby Laurel Hill Cemetery).  In recognition of its importance in architectural history the facade of the building was maintained when the rest of the building was demolished in the 1970s; the facade now acts as a screen of sorts to the modern high-rise office building located directly behind it.  The juxtaposition of the two structures makes for a very interesting urban landscape.

Be sure to check out the other lovely photos this week by clicking below; 

Have a great weekend everyone!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #37

In an effort to learn more about fellow MilSpouse bloggers, Wifey from Wife of a Sailor started this weekly meme;  here are this week's questions.

1. With PCS moves happening every few years, do you take the time to paint and decorate your home? submitted by Life as Mrs. JPT

I haven't had to PCS yet (don't hate me) but I've got one looming on the horizon this summer and you better believe I'll be putting my stamp on wherever we live next...you know, as long as the landlord is okay with it.

2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be? submitted by Standing By Him

I am currently coveting the 1920s Spanish-style bungalow in the HBO mini-series, Mildred Pierce.  So many lovely architectural details--not too mention all of the fabulous period accessories!

3. What inspired you to start your blog?  submitted by Pink Combat Boots

Captain Husband and were just about to get married, and I wanted a way to record all of the little details of the time leading up to and including his deployment; several of my friends had started blogs, so I jumped on the bandwagon and have been enjoying the ride ever since the summer of 2008.

4. What is the weirdest thing you've ever seen on base? submitted by Adventures in Life

I don't really have an answer for this one as I only find myself on base about once every few months, generally to pick up my prescriptions or take Sammy in for another well-baby appointment.  I've always been a little weirded out by the cart pushers at the commissary, however--does that count?

5. Which historical figure (politician, writer, artist, scientist, actor, etc...) would you like to have dinner with?  submitted by Army of Two

Oooo, good question!  If I can only pick one, I would want to have dinner with Dorothy Parker; I imagine it would be a boozy evening filled with raucous laughter followed by us getting matching star tattoos on our elbows.

Frank Furness & friends

While the first day of my Philadelphia trip didn't go exactly as planned, my second day in town was pretty close to perfect.  I had touched base with some old friends and former colleagues over the weekend to see if they might be interested in getting together and catching up, so we made plans to meet for lunch on Tuesday.  Sammy and I had some time to kill before our lunch date, so I took him to one my favorite places in the entire city: The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.  Not only is the fine art collection outstanding, but the building that houses it is truly phenomenal.  Designed by Frank Furness (1839-1912), the renowned Philadelphia architect who worked in what is today identified as the Modern or Reform Gothic style, the Academy is the type of building that takes your breath away--a polychrome jewel box that is rightfully considered by many architectural historians to be Furness' masterpiece.  (I'm a bit of a Furness fanatic and was this close to writing my thesis on his contributions to the decorative arts; seriously, my photos do not even begin to do this place justice.)

We spent about an hour and a half at the Academy, just walking around and drinking in all of the beauty.  Then Sammy and I headed over to the Masonic Temple to meet up with my friend and former co-worker, Glenys.  It's almost hard to believe that it's been ten years since I was hired as the curator of the museum collection at the Temple.  Boy, do I have some tales about working there--but that'll have to wait until next week's vlog.

We hung out in the museum for a little bit and then the three of us were off to meet up with Ken, my former boss from the Temple, at a restaurant nearby.  It's been seven years since I last worked with Ken and Glenys, but it was though not a single day had passed as we sat and talked for several hours; Sammy was on his best behavior throughout the afternoon and charmed the pants off of everyone.

I also managed to touch base with my old friend, Mandy, while I was in town; we met working at an artsy-fartsy movie theater ten years ago and have remained in touch over the years.  We did the math as we caught up and were both surprised to learn that it's been four years since we last saw each other face to face.  The three of us had dinner at Honeys Sit 'n Eat in the Northern Liberties; Sammy was especially fond of the homemade peach sauce and kept trying to steal fries off of my plate.  I only hope that it's not another four years before I get to hang out with Mandy again.

Vloggin' Vednesday: Let's talk music

Welcome to this week's edition of Vloggin' Vednesday; the prompt for today is music.  Initially I toyed around with the idea of running through my most played songs in iTunes, but that wasn't embarrassing enough so I took things in a different direction.  Enjoy!



Here's the link to the radio station that I mentioned; seriously, go check it out and download its audio stream--you won't regret it.  And here's the link for the app so you can enjoy the sounds of the 1920s while you're out and about; I don't leave home without it. 

Want to join in, too?  Visit the official Vloggin’ Vednesdays page to find current themes/ questions along with the corresponding Vednesday and then link up at Adeline’s Daddy Blog each Wednesday Vednesday.  C'mon, you know you want to!

The best laid plans

Over the weekend, I decided that I was going to take Sammy on a day trip to Philadelphia.  The main impetus for this trip was the Philadelphia Antiques Show; I had been looking forward to attending this show for several months and excitedly set about making hotel reservations and getting in touch with old friends to visit with while I was in town.  Yesterday morning I packed up everything we would need and Sammy and I hit the road; about twenty minutes after we left the house, I realized that I had left my Pikkolo baby carrier on the couch but figured I could make do with the stroller.  Foreshadowing, anyone?

Fast forward about three hours later and Sammy and I were making our way into the show when we were stopped and informed that no strollers were permitted on the show floor, effectively barring us from attending (thankfully I hadn't purchased my ticket ahead of time).  I was flabbergasted; I had worked at the Philadelphia Antique Show for the previous five years and could recall many, many small children being wheeled through in strollers, especially on the slower weekdays of the show.  I walked back to the car with Sammy, fighting back tears the whole way (did I mention how much I had been looking forward to attending this show?).  I pulled out my iPhone and double-checked the show's website to see if there was any mention of a stroller prohibition that I might have missed, but I couldn't find any; I felt like such a moron for forgetting the baby carrier.

I thought about calling my former boss to see if there was anything he could do to get us in, but thought better of it and called the show office instead.  I informed the woman who answered the phone of the situation and of how disappointed I was to have come all this way, only to be turned away at the door due to a restriction that was never once published in any of the show's literature.  I felt slightly better after this conversation and decided to make the best of the gorgeous weather and my now-free afternoon.  I drove to the street where I used to live and found a parking spot right in front of my old house; I loaded Sammy into the stroller and together we set off to explore Philadelphia.  Here are some photo highlights from our walk:

Lion sculpture at the Philadelphia Merchants Exchange

 Cupola of the Philadelphia Merchants Exchange

 

If you look closely, you can see three top teeth poking out (finally!)

The Second Bank of the United States of America

The Pennsylvania State Seal at Independence Hall

Sammy in front of Independence Hall

 Daffodils at Independence Park

A spring celebration

My girlfriends and I decided that it was high time for another crafty gathering so I volunteered to host this time around; also on the agenda was celebrating several very belated birthdays, so I decided to go all out and make some real food for the get-together.  I should also point out that I haven't actually cooked or baked anything in what seems like months, so I was definitely biting off more than I could chew when I planned the menu for the afternoon, which was comprised of the following: spinach dip; mixed berry salad with mint; asparagus and gruyere tart (my first time attempting it); butternut squash soup; and for desert, a glazed lemon blueberry cake.  And because I had completely lost my mind, I dusted off the slow cooker and made a batch of fruity sweet potatoes for Sammy to enjoy.  Amazingly enough, everything turned out well and we proceeded to eat ourselves into a food coma, which was aided along by the adult beverages that we were all imbibing.

 

We never actually got around to doing any crafting, as we were too busy eating, drinking, and catching up.  And, of course, we had Sammy to keep us entertained (not too mention his fun collection of vintage toys and play food).  He was just lapping up the attention; after all, it's not every day that Sammy has three extra ladies around the house, ready and willing to meet his every whim and desire.  I know I definitely enjoyed the little break from caring for him 24/7--I didn't have to change or feed Sammy the entire afternoon.  It was awesome.

 

I only feel a tiny bit bad about the lack of crafting, but to be honest, I had spent so much time running around getting the groceries and such for the get-together that I completely forgot to pick a craft or buy any supplies.  Oh well, there's always next month, right?

Foto Friday: Texture

This week's Foto Friday theme is texture; after yesterday's impromptu photoshoot amongst the daffodils, I handed Sammy a dandelion in the hopes that its ephemeral nature would be amusing to him.  Boy, was it!  By the time we got to the car, he was covered in dandelion seeds and grinning from ear to ear.

(I edited the photo to look like a vintage gelatin silver print; what do you think?)

Be sure to check out the other lovely photos this week by clicking below; 

Have a great weekend everyone!