a downtown story

We’ve arrived to our little cottage on Spring Lake in western Michigan. We’ll be here for the next 5 days. This is our view of the lake, just a few steps from the cottage. Sitting here and listening to the water move back and forth to shore is the very height of relaxation.

Morning walks to work are a bit darker these days. Gives me a chance to appreciate the buildings and lighting.

Just a couple more days till we head to Lake Michigan for vacation. Purchasing delicious local coffee to enjoy while away is essential. First item on the packing checklist–complete.

Also, they’ve begun one of the large murals on the exterior wall of the Civic Theater. I’m really looking forward to seeing the progress each morning on my walks to work.

Fall is my most favorite season of all. While it’s still about a week away, I’ve begun enjoying one of the best perks of fall. That’s when a bunch of new cookbooks are released. This year we get a new volume from Ina Garten. That was was pre-ordered months ago. Currently, I have about 25 cookbooks on my hold list at the library. I like to check them out, before deciding to buy. Ina being the exception. She’s always the exception to the rule. How bad could that be?

The 100 Cookies book is fantastic, and has already been ordered…waistline be damned!

Listening to Dionne by The Japanese House.

Foggy mornings. It completely obscured the view of our building.

Listening to Say Something (Acoustic) by Kylie Minogue.

Reading The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg.

This was our view of the horizon, over west Akron, on the morning of Labor Day. What we didn’t realize at this moment, was that we’d have steady rain and thunderstorms for about the next 8 hours. It was glorious. We didn’t need to be anywhere else, so we opened the windows and listened to the storm while reading, napping, watching movies and preparing meals. It was the perfect way to wrap up a long weekend.

Listening to Rise by Dominique Fils-Aime.

I’ve been struggling to find a good and visually appealing way to organize and display my spices in our kitchen. Since we are renting our downtown abode, we can’t really attach anything to walls with screws and other hardware. I purchased these picture ledges from IKEA and figured that with enough (I mean lots) of 3M Command Strips, I could keep these ledges stocked with herbs and spices. Well, my friends, it worked for about a day until they all came tumbling down. Anyone have another suggestion?

Listening to A Good Song Never Dies by Saint Motel.

SPIN rental scooters have invaded the University of Akron campus and Downtown Akron. Early Saturday morning, I took one for a spin around a deserted Cascade Plaza. Technically, you’re not supposed to ride them on sidewalks. I wanted to make sure I was a stable driver there, before hitting the bike lanes and downtown streets. It was a lot of fun.

Listening to Celeste by Ezra Vine.