Early Summer Trip

        I got back from five days at my grandparents' house late Friday night. It was amazing and fun and I had a great time - aren't y'all happy for me? ;) Anyway, I did take quite a few pictures, so I figure I'll just go through them and maybe offer a short/long explanation for some. Okay? Great.

        The first thing that happened when I got there (it's a 3 1/2 hour drive up) was that they gave me my birthday present. Since I didn't have a party some people have been giving me gifts as they see me. The other people haven't given me gifts because they only remember it's my birthday when my dad tells them when the family party will be. My grandma did remember. though, and she gave me, well, you'll see.

         Yes, that is the 10th Anniversary Les Mis concert recording! Eeep! That is probably my favorite cast; with Colm Wilkinson, Lea Salonga, Michael Ball, and Philip Quast. Philip Quast is the man, people!

  

         I also got the music book from Fellowship, which will be super fun!

        My grandma and I came across a new store, which was called an 'Antique Mall'. She had never been there, so we decided to take a peek. From the outside, it looked like a small, kind of dingy shop, so we had our doubts when going in. That place was extensive! And it was filled with tons and tons of vintage items, from Victorian dresses and hats to harnesses and saddles! We probably spent over an hour and a half in there, when we had planned to just go in and come out. I decided I'm going to go back there when I'm about to get married and need things for my new home. I took some pictures in there because the stuff was so neat, so I can show you. And I just realized that this is going to be a ton of pictures. Sorry.

This is a cast iron doll chair!

An icebox

I'm guessing this is for receipts

Holster!

These are a blow torch and bellows, respectively

Carriage lamp

Old tools

Victorian fashion plates

Coffee grinder

*SQUEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAL*

Canteen

Awesome bookends

Musical instruments

I want this hat

Old wringer - I want one of these!

Washboards

Gorgeous, right?

        I spent the days shopping with my grandma in the morning, swimming and sunbathing (haha) after lunch, and then watching old Westerns with my grandpa in the evenings. Oh yeah, Westerns. He got me completely hooked on what he affectionately calls 'horse operas'. My favorites are Have Gun - Will Travel, Gunsmoke, and, of course, Bonanza. Who doesn't love Bonanza?
        My grandma and I also went to Barnes and Noble one day. I never get to go there when I'm at home, so whenever I am up at my grandparents' house, I make sure I go. Yes, it's all pretty expensive (you really don't want to know how much I spent there this trip), but it was okay because while cleaning out the attic in preparation for roofing, I found $80 in a box of mine. Convenient, right? The first thing I saw was this 'Official Movie Guide' from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Whaaaaaat? How did I not know this existed?? And what's more, it was only five dollars, so I had an excuse to buy it. Not that I needed one, but...

         I also broke down and bought the key paperweight. I had been eying it for about a year, and finally got it.

         They also had the DOS soundtrack, which I wasn't able to order on Amazon when I tried. There was a problem with their stock, and at Barnes and Noble it was just a wee bit more than online, so I got that too. I was amazed at what is inside. As well as the special edition songs, it also has a booklet and a printed piece of paper with HAND WRITTEN music; the first song Howard Shore worked on for this movie. I am going to frame it and put it on my wall. ;)

         Isn't it gorgeous? It even has the cues for what happens at what point.

        I also bought a Doctor Who notebook for my friend who is a big fan of that show, and a book for myself. The pictures were not co-operating with Blogger, though, so you don't get to see. The book is Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie. That mystery has so many plot twists it's unbelievable!
        As I said before, my grandparents have a pool in their backyard. I was the first one in this year, and it was nice to swim again. I haven't really done that since I went to the American River with my cousins! I don't really like chlorine pools; I think the chemicals are pretty gross, but I enjoyed myself anyway and put lots of calendula salve on to keep my skin from drying out.

         This is the view of the greenbelt from their house. I'm going to save my pictures from that for another post since this one is FAR too long already. So keep an eye out for that.

        And just quickly before I close, these are some pictures I took driving on the way up. Pretty, no?

Sorry for the weird reflection in this one.

Blessings,

Reyna