13 states in 3 weeks, part 2

Some more fun things:

Thread in my mom's sewing room, arranged in  ROYGBIV order.

Another mid-century church design, this one my parents' congregation.

Theo learning how to use the riding lawnmower, while his grandpa chills in the background and his anxious mother follows him repeating, "not too fast!..."

This horse, which had one eyebrow hair that was like 4" long, was pretty much the only bright spot at an ill-fated Airbnb rental. We left within 17 hours of arrival.

Gorgeous view, though.

Cleverly defaced no smoking sign.

Water park.

Bowling.

Donuts.

Playground.

Fruit shortcakes for 21 people.

Measuring to see who is taller: me or my growing-by-the-hour 14 year old. In this picture, taken 12 days ago, we seemed to be even. But I think he's passed me now.

Giant elephant ears that could easily work as umbrellas.

Finally, the gallery of vintage things I wanted to buy but didn't buy.

Scrabble junior with a beautiful, colorful border.

Amazing rainbow of Pyrex dishes.

Pantyhose with fantastic packaging.

Sooo tempted by this painting. Figured it might get ruined on the trip home in our crowded van.

Love this clock, wish it weren't for a cigarette brand.

13 states in 3 weeks

We just returned from a three week road trip that took us to see family members and friends in Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. We also passed through Arkansas, Virginia, West Virgiania, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and barely dipped our toe across the border into Vermont.

Here are some things that caught my eye along the way.

Day one of travel was on July 4, so we got to watch a driveway fireworks display that maybe didn't live up to all the safety protocols one might hope. The kids loved it. (Insert that teeth-clenching emoji; that's how my face looked the whole time.)

We stopped in to visit my step-grandmother and her sister (both lovely people) in Tennessee, and we got to feed the fish and turtles in their beautiful pond.

Theo took one look at their guest room and said, "Whoa! There's like a thousand flowers in this room!" In the relatively small number of houses he's been inside in his nine years, I don't know if he's ever seen wallpaper before.

I took one look at that incredible light fixture and wondered whether I could DIY it somehow.

This church is just around the corner from my step-grandma. Wow, right?!?! I felt the spirit just standing in the parking lot on a muggy Wednesday morning.

It's a little treacherous sharing the road with semi trucks and other large haulers as you wind your way up and down and through the mountains.

Years ago, when my kids were much younger and always getting into trouble, I made a list of all the things damaged or broken when the cousins gathered for a week at my mom and dad's house. I recently read back through it (spilled nail polish on the carpet, flushed a toy down the toilet, etc.) and felt relief that we are past that stage.

Or are we? About 90 minutes after we pulled into my parents' driveway, one of my kids and one of my sister's kids (both teenagers who definitely knew better) tried some trick shots at the dartboard and accidentally hit a can of spray paint with a dart. It spun around and sprayed black speckles all over the place.

I managed to fit in a little thrifting/antique browsing. I resisted the temptation to add this phone to my collection. Dig those numbers.

And finally, a record album I spotted at a goodwill, and a Dolly Parton picture from a Tennessee rest stop. Somehow the church lady looks absolutely bonkers, yet Dolly has almost the same hair volume and looks amazing and cool.