Day 115: Ice storm

We were warned of an impending storm all day Thursday, and despite the forecast stating there was a 100% chance of precipitation, it seemed like there was a lot of hype for nothing. Until 10pm or so last night. Then the hail, freezing rain, and snow started and did. not stop. We woke up to an icy wonderland. This is another digital macro mode shot of the tiny leaves on the bushes in front of my parents' house. Each leaf was individually frozen in its own casing of ice. It was quite lovely, actually.

Day 114: Second in a series

Last night we played a deluxe version of Scrabble that must have been bought in the 80s, and it seemed pretty high-tech twenty years ago. When I said this morning that I wanted a new deluxe version, my mom quickly pointed out that I already HAD one, which I bought myself for Christmas last year, and it was in the basement. I didn't believe her at first, but then she brought it out and I was thrilled. I adore this set! It's a Michael Graves limited edition from Target, and it's just beautiful. It even has a special scoring system (see those silver pegs?). There will be a rematch tonight!

Day 113: The game of champions

The perfect activity when one is feeling a bit under the weather. Can you believe I had a 61-point word that I couldn't play?! I think I still might win, though.

Day 112: A sign I was really pleased to see

Setting out for Chicago at 10:00 AM, everything seemed like it was going perfectly. The shuttle pick up was perfectly on time; the ride to Bradley International Airport was traffic-free. The airport was very empty; I suppose it's still a bit early for the holiday madness. But then. Our plane had a 'pressure problem'. We left almost two hours later than the scheduled departure time. And then seeing as we were flying un-pressurized, our non-stop flight had to make a STOP! In Pittsburgh! To get fuel! And when we reached Pittsburgh, we were told that Chicago had put a stop on all traffic going in, due to weather, and thus we weren't able to leave straightaway. So I nearly wept with joy when we finally reached O'Hare, only five hours later than scheduled.

Day 111: Philadelphia

After spending the morning taking a stroll around the Capital complex in Harrisburg, I took Amtrak to Philadelphia, where I changed trains to get another one to New Haven. I had about an hour to waste in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, and after lunch, I wandered around exploring the station. I found a big, empty room with a man sitting on the floor and sketching this mural. I watched him for a while and took a few photos of the scene.

Day 110: Cracker Barrel with the kids

We took my niece and nephew (my cousin's kids) to breakfast at Cracker Barrel this morning. We ate loads! Plus we bought the kids candy. Good times! This is Bobby (his sister Sara refused to pose for her aunt Geeta).

Day 109: Spa day and celebrity sighting #4

My cousin and I spent most of the day at the spa. An old boyfriend of hers gave her a gift certificate for a spa package about four years ago. She found it and asked if we could use it, and they said yes. The entire package had been worth $450!! We had massages, manicures, pedicures, and lunch - all totally paid for. We also happened to meet an old high school friend of hers when we were out for a drink who is now a sportswriter for the paper here.

Day 108: A little bit of Scotland in Harrisburg

I took two trains today: one from New Haven to New York City, and then another to Harrisburg, PA, where my best cousin lives. Tonight we went out with her friends to the 11th annual Santa Pub Crawl and one of them happened to be wearing a kilt! He kindly posed for this shot.

Day 107: Celebrity sighting #3, or a chat with Mr Blair

The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair gave a talk at Yale today, and I was lucky enough to get a ticket. It was good fun to see him, and he was a very entertaining speaker. I found it a bit ironic; I never had a chance to see him while I lived in the UK, but during my first month back in the US, here he is, right in my backyard. He has been a visiting professor at Yale this semester.

Day 106: Digital macro mode

I finally took the time to read part of my camera's manual last night and today I practiced on some saunf (fennel seeds) I've put in my new chutney holder. Pretty! I'll post a photo of the entire tray at some point but today as it was a grey and rainy day in New Haven, I'm happy with this.