maple park

Another stop on Saturday brought us to the Currituck Skatepark (also known as Maple Skatepark). It is located right next to the small Currituck Airport just across the state line in North Carolina. I couldn't believe that on a Saturday afternoon there was only one other skater there. There was something sort of eerie about the place- this nice little park in the middle of (what felt like) nowhere, with tiny little prop planes taking off and landing at regular intervals. It has an 11 ft vert keyhole with pool coping and an open flow bowl attached. For awhile we were the only ones there, so Henry was able to run around the keyhole section and watch his daddy dropping in while I shot some little digital clips.
I like how the bright sun reflecting off of the concrete blew out some of my shots, making them look sort of vague, much like an old memory is sometimes remembered.

day trippers, yeah.

On Saturday we had a nice little day on the Outer Banks. Jockey's Ridge was our main stop, and is always amazing- it makes me feel like I am in that one desert scene from The Doors film... but without the illicit drug use. H. seemed to enjoy his first giant sand dune experience. I have so many wonderful memories of visiting the ridge as a child- the bright, wonderful kites, the hang gliders, rolling down the steep and sandy cliffs. It has been awhile since I last visited Nags Head, and I was sort of shocked at how built up it has become. It is a sad thing to see all of the crappy and tacky strip malls that have popped up. I guess people really don't care that technically this sweet little land mass is just a barrier island after all. It seems nothing is sacred, especially when people see all of those dollar signs looming about.

Exactly seventeen weeks pregnant, today. Two weeks from tomorrow we get to have a look-see at our little love and find out the um, nature of its, um, parts. Two nights ago I felt the first kicks- I had forgotten just how amazing and strange that feels.

I dug an old Beta Band album out of my closet on Monday morning and that has been my soundtrack for the week. It is the three e.p.'s album, and I remember buying it in London. That is a freaking good album.

california dreaming

I came across this and thought it was pretty cool. I have been thinking alot about the west coast lately. I have a strange strong and sudden urge to move to northern california. You can keep the southern part and even L.A. as far as the living goes (and save it for a nice visit)... but those parts above LA... they just really get me thinking. Anyhow, it is a time lapse video of a drive from L.A. to New York. By Michel and Oliver Gondry (for French musician Laquer). I can't wait to drive across the country one day (and fly back for the return portion, "prolly"). We could old school camper it up, family style!! One of those silver air streams would be nice. I can just see us now...

some flowers around the house right now:

From top to bottom are the orchids; looking a little droopy but still hanging on from my birthday weeks ago. Some dogwood and azalea branches on the mantle, collected from around the yard. I love the simplicity of a single flowering spring branch placed loosely in a vase. The bottom pictures are of esperanza and spray roses. Those esparanza roses are giant, with stems that are literally three feet tall. They are sometimes called 'cabbage roses' because their blooms have a lovely and slight greenish hue and its multiple layers of petals unfurl like a big old head of cabbage. These were bought yesterday so that we could do a dry run on some things in preparation for a wedding at the end of the month. The bride has awesome, over the top taste. She requested that her bouquet be modeled after the promo pics of Sarah Jessica Parker's (well, Carrie's, actually) bouquet from her wedding with Big in the upcoming Sex and The City movie. I love our bride's with bold and daring taste.
Her centerpieces are extravagant and over the top as well!!

Last night I ate a big bowl of black-eyed peas, some collard greens (some strange southern leftovers sent over by Mike's mom), and then finished it all off with a big bowl of cheerios, a banana, and two shots of chocolate milk (we found this heavenly organic whole chocolate milk- it is like drinking chocolate pudding). I feel like an alley cat scrounging for stray morsels of 'this' and 'that'. Yesterday I almost ran over someone because they were taking too long to cross the street and I NEEDED MY VEGGIE DELITE ON WHOLE WHEAT RIGHT NOW!!!! My appetite was not at all like this when I was pregnant with Henry. What could be different this time around? I'm wondering if it is a girl this time??

Bows + Arrows

This past weekend was fabulous. Yummy food, good times with good friends, an amazing show, a gem of a thrift..... but more on that some other time.
We scored free tickets to see The Walkmen on Saturday night, and the show did not disappoint. I don't understand how Hamilton Leithauser has any bit of voice left if he sings with such ferocity for every show (which I have heard he does). They played all of the old favorites, and some new stuff which sounded quite different, but quite good.
Mike and I dipped out early before the last band and entered the pregnant woman's paradise: Doumar's!! Now that the morning sickness has passed my appetite reaches waves of near-insatiability. Nothing a hot fudge sunday can't remedy, though. Even after an earlier dinner with two Rangels and three maki, I was able to lick the bowl clean. I figure I lost at least 15 pounds over the last several weeks, so it is time to put some of that weight back. Right?
Our good buddy Matt was visiting from Seattle and hung out a bit on Sunday. He is a veritable landmine when it comes to great film suggestions; my netflix queue has now been restocked and fine-tuned.
I had a doctor's appointment this morning. The baby has a healthy heartbeat and was doing a little gymnastics routine in my tummy in reaction to the doppler (the device the doc. uses to hear/measure the heartbeat). Fifteen weeks and..... 27? more to go... there is a long road ahead... paved with many fudge sundaes and lots of sushi, I predict.

Henry and Liam

Our good friend David was in town from NYC this weekend; during his visit he brought his son Liam over for a little playdate with Henry. Henry had so much fun with his new little friend. I couldn't believe how well they played together, even though it was still mostly 'parallel play.' Our little guy generously tried to share all of his toys and snacks with Liam. He even tried to give him the pacifier right out of his mouth. Who knew he would become such a generous little tot? I was sort of blown away by the whole thing... I think Henry is more ready for a little brother or sister than we had realized.
Liam told Henry all about life in Brooklyn. I think Henry is ready for a trip to the city.

oh god, not another nature photo.

That's right, another nature photo; and this one goes out to my dear husband who made fun of my last post and how.... wistful it sounded. I'd much prefer a lovely shot of the dogwood in the front yard than some poop yanked from You Tube, thank you very much. hmph. And I'm not even mentioning any grammatical errors or painful misspellings. so there.
Henry is hanging out with his grandparents this afternoon so that I could run some errands and have some free time. It is so nice to have a moment to myself, and so necessary. When you have young children it is impossible to even go to the bathroom alone; so having an afternoon off is a real treat. I went to a couple of local nurseries just to enjoy the weather and have a little look-see at what types of plants are coming in these days. I even managed to pick up a couple of great little specimens for super cheap- I'm sure you'll see pictures of them in the coming week! haha.
Happy weekend, friends.