5100 Day

Blogging from J.J.'s house. It's a beautiful day. A little too hot for my liking, but hey, win some, lose some, I guess.

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Melinda & Keith

Hi. I'm still alive. Just been on my wedding photo editing grind. Think I'm finally done. Horray.

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Father's Day » 2012

Man, I am having a rough day. I really try to push the negativity out of my mind, but it's just one of those days where my mind refuses to go anywhere else. At least I got to enjoy a beautiful Sunday, at home, with my family, on Father's Day. Even if all else is rotten and terrible in the world, I can at least look forward to a mostly relaxing and pretty day of rest in Brownsville. That makes everything a little better. Home is a little slice of happiness.

...And since I know my dad visits my blog from time to time, just wanted to say a little something special to him... Happy Father's Day. Thank you for everything you've done for me since the day I was born. You'll never know how much it means to me. I'm so blessed to call you my dad. Please remember how important you are to me (And mom and Laura) when you feel like you're falling apart. I don't know what we would do without you. I love you so much!

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Cleveland » Lake View Cemetary

Somehow almost forgot to post these pictures! About a week before our little trip to Cleveland, I spent a lot of time scoping out a few more places to fill our two days. I came across a site where a couple people had suggested The Lake View Cemetery. From the pictures I saw, it look pretty gorgeous and graveyard hopping has always been a special activity Corpse and I both and enjoy and share together. Going there seemed like common sense. It really was as pretty as the pictures. It was photo worthy, for sure, but since this was the last place we visited before heading home, we didn't explore a whole, whole lot. As for tombstones and whatnot,there were a lot. Hills upon hills of them. It was a big cemetery and I can see why it got such good reviews. Not to put this place down, by any means, but honestly, after going to Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philly, nothing can really compare when it comes to the variety and details of monuments and tombstones. There was one building that did stand out. It's the one with the columns out front. It was a chapel type building that had some really pretty murals and a place to roll the casket right up on up front. I would have snapped some more pictures in there, but there was actually a guy sitting in there that appeared to work there. I didn't expect that at all. I'm sure he wondered what we were up to carrying around a big old camera and I happened to be wearing my Mohnton Professional Car Club shirt which had a hearse right on the front of it. I seriously wonder what he was thinking because he didn't really say anything, he just stared. Ha ha. There was also another building, which I had to think for a second to come up with what it was called, ..the mausoleum! It was a beautiful building with a ton of windows, glass walls, and ceilings. It was quite a big building and really well kept. I think that maybe my favorite part of the whole cemetery was this room inside the mausoleum, which had all these little compartments in the wall behind glass, which had urns with plaques, statues, and pictures frames of the deceased. It was super interesting to me because I've never saw such a thing before! It was unbelievably beautiful. I didn't know this was really an option. I mean, personally, I think I'd want a tombstone but I think I'd also want to be cremated. I think it's such a neat idea to have your own space to fill with things that represent you. All my junk, so to speak, is a good representation of myself and my life. I believe strongly in capturing moments and memories, which is, I think, a big reason I even take pictures and avidly collect and save so many odds and ends. I know they're just objects but I think objects and concepts can carry on a big legacy of a person once they're gone. Anyway, I think I'm getting a bit off on the subject, but I suppose I've just grown really fond and comfortable of the idea of cremation, living above a crematory. I probably think about these things more than normal, with a crematory and Corpsey's hearse being a huge part of my life. It's really something to think about and there are so many possibilities. See, this is why I think I love graveyards. They're such calm, peaceful places, which jump start your mind and let it wander off in any direction. Anything that powerful and moving is pretty awesome in my book.

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Cleveland » Museum of Natural History » Pt. 3

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Cleveland » Museum of Natural History » Pt. 2

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Cleveland » Museum of Natural History » Pt. 1

I don't want to say that the Cleveland Museum of Natural History was the highlight of our vacation but it was definitely something I was really looking forward to checking out. I've not really been to many museums before and I'm sure there is a natural history museum or something similar in the Pittsburgh area that may be awesome as well but I saw photos of this particular museum over at The Dainty Squid blog and it looked amazing and I knew it had to have a slot on our agenda. This place was full of all kinds of things that are really intriguing to me: animals, taxidermy, outer space, collections, plants, mushrooms, mythical creatures, live animals, prehistoric creatures, skeletons, and so much more. I had an especially fun time here with Laura. It was nice to be with some one who was equally as childishly excited about all these things. I think we both kind of looked at everything and soaked it in as if we were kids amazed by these concepts for the first time. We did spend a large chunk of our first afternoon in Cleveland here. I seriously could not tell you what my favorite part of the museum was. Luckily, I was able to take photos of almost everything in the museum. Of course, I took a bunch, so I'll post a little each day.

1 Wade Oval Drive  Cleveland, OH 44106

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Instagram » Cleveland

'Just posting some Instagram photos from my iPhone from Cleveland. I haven't posted any Instagrams in a while. I really should. I'm having a nice, lazy, relaxing Sunday, so I just wanted to post a lil' quick somethin'. Today I went to Brownsville and had dinner with my family. I got to go swimming for the first time this Summer. I always forget how much I enjoy swimming. Even though, I managed to get a little sunburned, but I don't mind. The deck and the woods makes for a really peaceful environment. I've got a love/hate relationship with Sundays. They are always so pleasant and include a bunch of delicious food and sometimes it's just nice to get out of the house and out of town for a while, but at the same time, an awful countdown to Monday and the start of a work week. It is, indeed, the day of rest, though.

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