Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Much Ado About Fresh Air, Food and Toys R Us ;)


Today was the last of a three-day weekend, technically four for me, but that's another story for another day, and after almost two straight weeks of rain, we were ready to venture into the great outdoors for some fresh air. We went to a friend of mine's house for a bit, and then we headed out to the waterfront that is fairly close to her house. It was amazing to be out, it's been far too long.




I brought my new camera along so I could play with the settings. This picture above is the same as the first one. I can't decide which one I like better, but I do like them both. Neither of them has authenticity when it comes to coloring though, which is fine, considering I was just playing with photo options. I do like my pictures to show what I'm actually seeing though, so the fact that some of the pictures get changed if it's not on 'auto' is going to take some getting used to for me.


There was a lot of construction going on. Whole entire sections of the sidewalk alongside the water were torn out, as were some sections of the pier.


The sidewalk repair was good for shell hunters (shells were everywhere!). The heavy machinery had broken apart some of the more beautiful shells though, which was kind of a shame. I did see some shells bigger than I'd seen in most places, so that was pretty nice.


This guy here...always with the basketball. He did put it down a couple of times. Once to swing, which he did for quite a long while.


And then to climb one of the many fabulous trees in the park.


He did not, however, put his b-ball down while we were walking the strip along the ocean. I told him it was going to land in the water, because that's just too much tempting of the inevitable (a ball next to the water). It did end up in the water, but fortunately for him, it was on the side that was flooded grass from the rains. This did require us getting a big stick to move it along so we could reach it, and a trip to the bathroom to wash it with soap and water, because...icky, muddy, standing water eww.

He was a little crabby (get it?) ;)
Once the ball was washed we headed out to the other side of the park, where there were intact piers and sidewalks to explore. This little guy did a sideways trot across our path. I stopped to take his picture, and he stopped too. Maybe he was scared, but it was funny just the same. It looked like we were having a standoff of sorts. This is the smallest crab I've ever seen at this particular park. They're usually much bigger! It looked almost like a spider!


There was a lot of wildlife out and about, on the land and in the water. I guess they were happy the rains had stopped for a bit too.


This was something huge that surfaced for just a moment, but not long enough for us to see what it was exactly. It never gets old when something like that happens, and of course we stand there staring for way too long, hoping it will surface again so we can identify it. :)


It really was a gorgeous day to be out. The heat was manageable (nice breeze blowing), and like I said, after being cooped up for so long, we really appreciated being able to explore again in the great outdoors. Heck, I just enjoyed being able to breathe natural air!


The play park was filled with littles, and parents were holding hands like teenagers walking along the waterways together while their kids played. I like this particular park because there are so many different areas to walk around. As many people as there were out, some of the walkways were still vacant!


The weather channel says it's going to rain some more tomorrow. We have huge standing puddles in the grass in a lot of areas, and flooding still on some of the main roads, so I hope that isn't true. Yes, for once I'm hoping the weather man is wrong.


A day outside in the fresh air always makes you hungry. We stopped off on the way back and ordered flat bread. We ate half and packed up the other half for me to take to work tomorrow, and then we ordered a piece of dessert to share (the look on my son's face when I ordered was worth every calorie). :)


When we left, we happened across a Toys R Us. Just for kicks and grins we stopped to see if they were still open (they announced they were going out of business quite awhile ago it seems!).


Sure enough, they were open! We're saving for a huge goal right now, so shopping like we wanted wasn't really on the agenda, but we did take our time going through the board games just in case they had an awesome Chess set (something we've both been wanting for awhile). No such luck, but that was okay.


Then since we were in no hurry at all, we moseyed on around the whole entire store to see what was left on the shelves. One Chatter Phone was left and I laughed. Each of my (4) kids had one of these. I wonder if future generations will get them. Kids don't even know what these kinds of phones are nowadays. If it weren't for Toy Story, this would just be a novel idea of the past, eh? :)

There were two other items in the store I wanted to buy, perhaps three... one was a HUGE building set for outside (like JENGA), the other was a poker set for my oldest son, and last was a Darth Vader Simon game (they have virtual reality Simon too!). I'm waiting for the prices to go down more on those things though. If we miss out on them, that's okay. If we get them at a later date for a great price, hurrah!

All in all, it was a relaxing, wonderful day. Something we were overdue for in our busy schedules. We may not have another free day like this one for awhile, but that's alright. This one will hold us over...until next time. :)

48 comments:

  1. It sounds like a wonderful day. I heard today that Toys R Us has gone into receivership here - and a warning that gift cards may not be honoured.

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  2. I think both sailboat pictures are excellent and for different reasons.
    Glad you were able to save the ball.

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  3. Days like these where you just go wherever the wind takes are some of my favorite. They always feel like great big adventures.

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  4. Wait, I really did think Toys R US was totally gone at this point, guess you lucked out - especially with some awesome sales!!

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  5. It sounds like you had an amazing day! I totally had one of those phones when I was a kid as well, it's like a rite of passage or something lol.

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  6. Our Toys R Us is still open, but it's VERY picked over. They should just close it at this point.

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  7. What a fun day.

    Your son is most handsome.

    Love the flatbread and the dessert. Nice way to top off the day.

    Have a fabulous day, my friend. ♥

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  8. We've had a ton of rain here, too, so I know how happy you were to be able to get out and about again... especially around the water! I loved your "little crabby." We saw some crabs over the weekend, too, but they were a lot bigger, and we steamed 'em for dinner. (erp!)

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  9. I love the size of the sea shells. I also love that they are not broken.

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  10. You got a lot done for the 3 day weekend. That park and pier looked great. Toys R Us is a great store I am sorry they are out of business.

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  11. Nothing like beautiful scenery and finding great shells. It's a shame how the internet has destroyed many brick and mortar stores.

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  12. Hi Rosey - sounds like a really fun day ... relaxing, plenty to look at, fresh air with some sun and fluffy clouds - mind you those puddles look a little trying - with the possibility of more of the wet stuff on the way. Your first photo I like the colour, the 2nd is clearer though ... you takes your pick!! Love the boy 'moseing' along ... cheers and that flat bread looks good - Hilary

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  13. We just went to TRU this weekend too! My kids (including my big kid, aka: husband) got some cool things for cheap.

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  14. Sounds like a lot of fun for the day. We still have stores open here, love seeing that!

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  15. Great that you got out and about after all the rain. lol just had to know the basketball was going in the water. Not many people will know what those phones are in the future. They're probably already vintage haha

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  16. Oh, I bet you can get some good toys for cheap at Toys R Us right now. You also had a fun-filled day for sure!!

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  17. Seems like you had a wonderful day spent near the water. That flatbread looks mighty tasty as well.

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  18. I love this recap of your time! The Toys R Us stop is really amazing! I hope you made some amazing memories! I had that phone too as a kid!

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  19. Sounds like an amazing day. I am still in denial about ToysRUs closing, I just can't believe it. My cousin is registering for her baby and we are like wait NO BABIESRUS??? lol

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  20. Such a nice place to breathe for fresh air, the food is so delicious and that day looks like a wonderful day for both of you.

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  21. What a fun day outside in the fresh air and sunshine! I was out yesterday on a hike enjoying the same...it was amazing!

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  22. Annemarie LeBlancMay 30, 2018 at 1:09 AM

    The beach and seaside are always a top vacation choice for me. It brings back so many memories of when I was a child. We'd walk on the beach trying to find the prettiest sea shell. Thanks for sharing your photos. It somehow makes me sad about the news about Toys R Us.

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  23. What a fun day to explore the place. It makes me sad that future generations won't be able to appreciate real simple toys.

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  24. Such a well-documented time! Love your details!

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  25. Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos with us, looks like a perfect day. Some wildlife, scenery and shopping. Love it.

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  26. Thanks for taking us along on your day. It sounds like a relaxing and engaging time together. I love your proximity to the water and can actually smell the water trough your photos 😍👍🏼

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  27. I'm loving your photos! I'm so sad about Toys R Us! I took my kids in there to shop for one last time as well.

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  28. I'm really sad to see Toys R'Us closing. To think that kids won't get to enjoy the fun of going to a large toy store and walking down the rows to find that perfect toy is disappointing.

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  29. Looks like a nice place to go for a walk and enjoy the scenery.

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  30. That does sound like a wonderful day. I stopped by Toys R Us to get Isaak an expensive keyboard. He plays his cheap-o one all the time. I think it's worth it.

    Isaak loves basketball too! I'm hoping to hear from the coach sooner rather than later. He found a more competitive league than the Y.

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  31. What an eventful three day weekend! A little bit of everything.

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  32. It’s so sad how Toys R Us is going out of business. I wonder if one near me is still open enough for me to get in on the sales I need to check!

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  33. Fresh air is always a good thing. We've been indoors the past two weeks because of rain.

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  34. Eesh, two weeks of rain?!! I'm glad you got to have such a fun, lovely day after that!

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  35. Those carefree days are the best, aren't they? Sounds like you all made the most of your day in the best ways possible. I am glad he didn't completely lose his ball. That would have put a damper on things. It does sadden me that Toys R Us is closing its doors. Then again, I can't remember the last time we shopped with them ourselves, so it's not too surprising they went under.

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  36. I'm so sad Toysrus is closing! So many amazing childhood memories! Also that crab literally scared me! I totally though it was a bug!

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  37. What an amazing 3 day weekend! I love seeing sailboats! They are awesome! Toys'R'Us is so nostalgic, but honestly, we haven't shopped there much in recent years and haven't had good experiences when we did.

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  38. What a pleasant day that's well spent with your loved ones. Love the weather and I hope you experience more of that this coming days or weeks!

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  39. I love being on or near the water and just lounging around at my own pace. Your photos make me feel like I'm doing that and I think they brought my pain level down a notch. It looks like you made memories and I'm certain it will hold you over for a bit. It will me and I wasn't even there lol.

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  40. I love the different settings of your camera and how it changes the look of the photos. Sadly, our Toys R Us closed a couple of months ago... now I end up shopping on Amazon even more.

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  41. Looks like it was so fun to be there. Definitely a beautiful day to be out. Although really sad knowing that Toys R Us is about to close. So much of my childhood was there.

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  42. Sounds like a fun day! I need to see if our local Toys R Us is still open. I could stock up for Christmas.

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  43. It really is so good to be out and about! Back in Singapore we're so swamped with work and family commitments we hardly have time to relish our time in nature.. so I'm really glad I got to take it so and do it during my recent trip back :)

    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

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  44. Looks like you had a beautiful and funny day! Love your pictures, what camera do you use?!

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  45. I looks and sounds like you had a great day! I love your photos x

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  46. What nice shots of the waterfront! I'm truly saddened by the closing of Toys R Us.

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  47. That's exciting that you have a new camera. You definitely got some good shots outside. That flat bread also looks absolutely delicious!

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