Hey gang! How was your weekend? I'm so glad to have Neel and Callum home, but I'll be the first to admit that it was fun to have a little time to myself! I started Friday with a walk on the beach, along the Atlantic. I should really do this more, and I'm making a commitment to myself to get out there more often this year. If you can bear the iPhone photos, I'll have a post about my walk later this week, so I won't say anymore here, except that it felt really, really, really good. Friday night we went to a local political event. For the most part, living in a battleground state = unfun, but this was really nice, and when you can support people whose work you actually believe in, well that feels good. Plus, I got to talk houses with one of my favorite architects (like I know so many), and that made me really, really happy. There may be a post about this evening coming soon too. No politics though, I promise. Aren't we getting enough of that everywhere else?

But my floor! My bathroom guys came early on Saturday (as I suspected they would), so I wasn't really alone that day. But I was dressed and ready for them! Neel and Callum texted me from the road and pictures from the game. They got real close to see batting practice, and even though the Phillies lost, Ryan Howard, one of Cal's favorite players hit his 300th homerun! That was pretty cool! And thanks to all of you did anti-rain dance! (I'm looking at you, Liz.) Thankfully, the rain held off until the guys walked from the ballpark to the car. Then it poured.

I had a great time Saturday night chatting on the front porch with my friend Catherine. It was the perfect night for a glass of wine and a long girl-talk. I haven't seen her in ages. We needed it.

However. There are definite downsides to having Neel and Callum gone, aside from the obvious. There is no one to do my dishes. And no one to make my coffee in the morning. When I took a shower Sunday morning my shampoo didn't lather the way it normally does, and I realized that I'd used my body wash instead. So. Off to Borjo, our local coffee house to fill me up. And before anyone freaks out, yes, I can make my own coffee. It just seems silly to make a pot when I only drink a cup. And besides, Borjo has spiced caramel latte. 'Nuff said.

We got an unexpected call from our neighbors who were out of town this weekend. Charlie-the-Pug is one of those neighbors. He didn't make the call, but he was in a bit of a dog sitting pickle and needed an early pick-up. Charlie was staying with a friend, a Dachshund named Bailey who'd been mauled the night before by another dog. Poor Bailey is okay, but she needed some quiet time. I picked Charlie up and brought him home, and he's a total crack up. He hopped in the driver's seat without a thought, and was so happy to be back home. What would we do without these guys, you know?

Before coming home, Callum and Neel made several special stops in Pennsylvania. One was at the Charcoal Pit, a restaurant Neel used to go to when he was Callum's age, and another was at Neel's old school. We try to make this stop every time we head to Eastern PA. They took lots of pictures, so look for a guest post about that too. I'm making lots of promises today, aren't I?

Then I took some pictures, and your suggestions were so amazing and gave me so many great ideas. Guess what! I'll have a full recap of my decision and a recipe too! That comes tomorrow. Woo-hoo! My floor is in, my guys are home and it feels like fall. Does it feel like fall where you are too?