phamily phun in phila.

making the best of a 6AM flight
pre-takeoff essentials:

and a window seat by the wing!

welcome to philadelphia
vacation certainties
when visiting my parents’ house, there are a few things i can be completely confident of.

1. plans will be loose if they exist at all. my parents just do not share my love for meticulous pre-arrangements and lists. and that’s ok!

you never know what you’ll find lying around . . .
and you never know where you’ll end up!
at josh’s request, this turned out to be US mint. we saw pennies being made! while it was not that thrilling, we all had fun. did you know there are platinum coins available!?

2. during the winter, a sweater will be essential. they are good energy (and $) savers up in here!

3. i will marvel at the power of genetics.

my father (left) and his (non-twin) brother
we stopped to visit him at his vacuum factory downtown:

a closer look:

PSYCH! (um, i guess i really just typed that . . .) that ‘factory’ is actually a piece of the model train set in my uncle’s cavernous office (he’s a federal magistrate judge and not a dyson competitor). but awesome trompe l’oeil, no?

4. we will eat very, VERY well.

freshly baked cinnamon swirl loaf
josh displaying unbridled glee, about to attack an authentic philly cheesesteak
homemade focaccia

lovely new zealand sauvignon blanc with prominent floral and tropical notes
south american fish stew with plantains, butternut squash, and lime

so there you have it — a pretty comprehensive view of our vacation thus far! i hope everyone is having fun gearing up for the holidays and enjoying time with family & friends.

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11.23.10

workout: none! i’ve taken rest days for the past 2 days, but today i’m ready to get back on the road. i specifically decided NOT to really make a plan for the week though — sometimes i do think it’s healthy (and nice!) to just take a break from so much planning and just go freestyle.