philadelphia tubachristmas

tubachristmas is a concert in cities worldwide that celebrates tuba lovers!

we went to the tubachristmas at the Kimmel Center, and got to watch from the magical balcony as the tubaholics got set up

there was even a surprise visit from..

the PA Ballet's RAT KING who was in the audience!

bookspace, philadelphia

last weekend we discovered Bookspace-an amazing and HUGE old warehouse of books and treasures--right near the new Sugarhouse Casino.

unassuming exterior...

totally incredible inside...

fancy skylights!

books upon books!

(notice the innovative use of a car as a bookshelf)

Definitely worth a visit!

our first CSA picnic

CSA: Community Supported Agriculture

this spring we signed up for a farm share from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-Operative.

we paid a lump sum to the farmers back in April to receive weekly shares of whatever is most abundant and ready to eat from the fields. the shares have been amazingly delicious and have spawned extra levels of creativity in the kitchen!

we enjoyed our first picnic at Hillside Organics farm on Saturday to meet one of our growers and harvest some yukon gold potatoes from the earth via mule cart.

the picnickers

the mule cart (sans mules)

searching for potatoes was better than any easter egg hunt for the kiddies!

straight from the earth

bargain kitties--and there was an "honor code" box for payment
no kitties purchased, to jon's dismay...

join a csa in your community to enjoy the most fresh and tasty produce while supporting your local economy!

hops, fires, bikes and flowers!

last weekend was wonderful.

we biked down to an international beer festival at the navy yard (super cool).

our favorite beer turned out to be a hoppy local number from the Manayunk Brewing Company!

the beer fest featured buckets to dump leftover beer samples into. i became fixated watching people continue to dump their beers into the buckets well beyond a reasonable meniscus. felt sorry for the crew that had to haul these out...

then we headed to becky and andrew's for a little bonfire action in their incredible garden

the next day we watched the bike race from a new vantage point along Kelly Drive;

Barry brought a boom box and provided riveting (and sometimes controversial) live commentary...

the weekend concluded with some lovely wildflowers jon gathered on a run.

shadical

last Shadurday we went to the 2nd annual Fishtown Shadfest at Penn Treaty Park.

it was super sweet.

there were unexpected views

there was chillin' and music

and shadwiches, which were tasty, but did not sit very well..

there was also this magnificent building

which was actually a PECO power station from back in the day (commissioned by the same firm that built the Franklin institute)!

don't be shad if you missed the fest this time around, there's always next year!

ring ring ringing rocks!

there is a marvelous state park in bucks county pennsylvania where the rocks make bell sounds when you hit them with hammers!

we went to explore this phenomenon a few saturdays ago when it was Obscura Day which is a global celebration of all things strange!

the hammers worked best and in about 15 minutes we were down 1 wrench when jon thought he'd throw it at a rock to make a glorious sound.

it was a beautiful day for making some rock music!

the trees, however.

they do not sing.

neat beets!

it turn(ips) out, unemployment yields fresh opportunities!

I am now a weekly volunteer at the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market.

we carry goods from over 90 local farms and artisans in the Southeast PA region!

even special products sometimes like emu eggs.

I bought one and will cook with it this week!

roof access for lunch...

with a large side of sunshine, please!