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A Bit of…Refinement

Weekly Happenings: This was another low-key week. We pretty much all just did what we normally do. It’s crazy to think that we’re almost into August. The summer is just flying by!

The Weekly Weather: Warm, sunny, and humid. We had some rumblings of a storm, but it didn’t develop into anything.

What Paul’s Been Up To: He took down our pool (we were just too worried about Abigail since she is so unpredictable right now) and put in a really nice plant area with wood walk-ways and some large potted plants. I love it!

What Sarah’s Been Up To: I had a really good time today going to the art museum with friends. It was nice to get to hang out with friends and take in some beautiful art pieces. I also had a bit of a snaffu. I realized I messed up when I put in the prescription for my new glasses, so when my glasses came in, the prescription was obviously wrong. When I realized my mistake, I called the company and they let me return them for store credit (they emailed me a shipping label), change what I needed, and reorder my glasses and sunglasses. All I was out was shipping for the new pairs. Not too bad for a mistake like that! My correct glasses and sunglasses got here today and they are so good I don’t know why I didn’t realize the other ones were not right sooner.

What Joseph’s Been Up To: He has continued to soak up summer. It’s hard to believe that we have roughly three weeks left before school. I’m not ready and ready for it at the same time. I think he feels the same way.

What Abigail’s Been Up To: She continues to keep us on our toes and makes us laugh a lot. Just one example: anytime anything (including inanimate objects) falls to the floor, she needs to pick it up and ask if it’s okay. For example, at lunch one day, she dropped a piece of chicken on the floor. Immediately she was scrambling down to get it, saying, “Oh no! Oh no! The chicken!” She then picked up the chicken and said, “You all right, chicken?” After she assessed the situation and decided that the chicken was, indeed, all right, she popped it into her mouth (she seriously lives by the 5-second-rule at home) and resumed her meal. 😏

This Week in Pictures (some kid pictures, some yard pictures, and a lot of museum pictures):

Sunday afternoon snuggles.
A style all her own.
Abigail taking a “selfie” with Joseph (while I held the phone).
Loving Pluto and her tutu.
Yummy dinner one night: chicken tortilla soup.
Right after the pool got cleared away…kind of blah.
A little rearranging of the board walkways, some fresh mulch, and some new plants…
It’s such a pretty part of our yard now!
Looking at one of her favorite books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar
I love it when she’s digging through her toy chest so deep that part of her body disappears. In this case, I think she had found what she was looking for and was on her way out.
Playing with her Mickey Mouse and friends figurines.
The patio area of the McNay Art Museum.It used to be the private residence of a woman named Marion McNay who decided to have it turned into a museum upon her death. Some of the art collection is hers and the rest is either on loan or gifted from different galleries or families.
The info card said this dated from the 1400s, from Germany.
This stained glass window was from the 1500s.
There was a really beautiful glass installation.
I thought the little green figurine (I think it may be a Buddah?) was really cute. I also loved the tall vase and the marbling on the vessel in front.
The decorations on these vessels was breath-taking.
I was in awe with how different each piece was.
This was probably my favorite. I loved the contrast.
No. 2 -B and No. 2 – A; Jackson Pollak (1952; oil on canvas)
Leaf Motif, No. 2; Georgia O’Keefe (1924; oil on canvas)
Picasso
Also a Picasso. I was surprised in the difference of style.
Renoir
Haymakers Resting; Camille Pissarro (1891; oil on canvas)
The Customs House at Varengeville; Claude Monet (oil on canvas; 1897)
Still Life, Dusk, Setauket; John Koch (oil on canvas; 1963)
Houses on the Hill; Paul Cezanne (oil on canvas; 1900-06)
From the Plains 1; Georgia O’Keefe (oil on canvas; 1963)
This was so cool. It was made of burned wood and then the “drip” lines are charcoal.
An Andy Warhol portrait.
This is an Andy Warhol self-portrait.
Joan Collins as an Andy Warhol portrait.
One last Warhol. I loved the color contrast.
I thought these “pondering” women were beautiful.
There were two, from different artists, This was by a fountain area. It was just beautiful!
I thought this was a pretty cool piece as well.
This was by one of the entrances. It’s a portrait of the founder of the museum.
I liked this guy who was walking right up the wall.
This bronze girl was also a favorite. From the back, she looks like a log.
I had to get a picture by the LOVE sign.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter from the Apple Core series; Claes Oldenburg (lithograph; 1990)
The simplicity of this caught my eye.
A shot of the lily pads in the pond that’s in the patio area. There was only this one flower sticking out.
I found the detail on this mesmerizing.
The Kiss; Edvard Munch (oil on canvas; 1921)
New glasses (that look just like the other new ones, but these ones don’t give me vertigo, haha).
Another shot of my sunglasses. I’m so glad I didn’t ignore the promptings I was getting to go and check my order form. Since I caught it as early as I did, not only did I get them returned well within the warranty period, but I didn’t inadvertently mess up my eyes by wearing glasses with the wrong prescription.