3/18/11 - Walk toward the light

This old, abandoned railway tunnel is somewhere in the coal-rich mountains of NE PA. Really cool (literally). Jim, of course, wanted his picture taken. I, of course, obliged (and got slipped on the ice that's out of the frame to get Jim in a good spot to get a picture). There was too much ice and water in the tunnel to risk getting my camera out to take pictures in it. Yes, it is that dark inside there. We had flashlights. A little tretcherous in the early spring, but definitely very neat. Though I must say, wading through water with giant hunks of ice floating in it is not something I want to do again real soon. Jim wants to go back ASAP, but he traveled safely and warmly in my pocket, so he doesn't get much say.

3/17/11 - Spring!

Soon after I took that last picture, Jim decided to hibernate. He's not the biggest fan of the cold, and his scarf got misplaced during the move in August, and he just didn't want to deal with the snow without it. So, he made me order sushi so he could have a bunch of wasabi (said the "heat" would keep him fueled), and curled up and fell asleep. He slept pretty peacefully (or rather, he slept and my life was thus peaceful for a while) til spring. In the meantime, I'd moved to Scranton to start grad school. Soon after he woke, Jim decided that walking to school with me would be good exercise after his long snooze, and he was happy (perhaps wildly, amazingly ecstatic would be more accurate) to see some crocus. I was pretty excited to see them, too. Naturally, he begged for a picture. The little guy never misses a photo op.

11/6/11 - Jim's visit to Cooper's

There are more pictures and stories from the summer, but since it's been so long and I'm so far behind now, I was thinking that I could just go from what I have right now, and add those later, when I have access to them again. Sooo... In November, I decided to pay a visit to Marywoond University in Scranton, PA. I took a friend who was familiar with the area, and she took Jim and I to Cooper's for dinner. Best crab bisque ever! Jim really enjoyed the decor, especially this porthole that was by our table. He really enjoyed the view. He sat, the whole meal, staring longly into the porthole. He didn't even stop for bisque. That's ok, more for me. Ever since, he's been begging to go back there for some more mer-time.

7/10 - G, it was a good day

Yummm, right?! I'd been dreaming about these garlic knots for years, and when I got the invite to meet a friend at Gilbert Lake State Park, I couldn't pass up the chance to drive a few towns over for some deliciousness. Jim, of course, recognized the presence of totally awesome food, and requested a picture. Look at all that garlic! No vampire boyfriends for me!

The garlic knots, while amazing, were not the highlight of the day. I got to see a friend from college that I hadn't seen in years, and it was wonderful. Can't think of enough positive adjectives to describe the day. It was great.

The park was also really nice. We took a long walk in the woods. Very green and peaceful. Jim liked blending in.

7/2 - Go B-Mets!

I'd be remiss if I allowed Jim to live in the US for another year without taking him to a baseball game. Our nation's pastime isn't my favorite, but Jim really enjoyed watching the game. He went on and on, for days after, even, about the outfielders. Evidently he felt a kinship to them as it's their job to, as he put it, "dive into a sea of green" to catch wayward balls.

I really wish he'd take a page from Kermit's book and get off his green obsession. Not happening, though. Even as I write this he's jumping up and down because I decided to wear a green shirt today. "See?" he said, "you want to be like me, too."

6/25 - summer movie

I know this picture is hard to see. As you may have concluded already, I am not the best photographer. But, this pic was taken at dusk, and I wanted to get the effect of the movie projecting on the wall of the building, so this is what resulted.

Anywho, Jeremy and Quiana couldn't attend Jim's 1-year celebration bash, so they invited him to go to one of the Binghamton summer movies. I and several of my friends went with them. We saw Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on a relatively warm summer evening, lying on a blanket under the stars. Pretty cool.

Jim liked the movie, but he did have one gripe with it. I guess the scene with the exotic food upset him. He said something about "embracing cultural differences" and "fostering gastronomical adventurousness" . . . . I just smiled and nodded. When I suggested later that we get sushi, he stopped talking about embracing cultural differences.

11/09 - Yummmm

Found this picture when I was moving all my digital images to a nifty free online storage site. I'd misplaced it.

Last year, just before Thanksgiving, my grandmother died. Jim accompanied my mother and I on a quick trip to Michigan for the funeral. We went grocery shopping while there, and Jim got all excited at the color of some of the bottles of soda. He insisted on climbing in the cooler to snuggle with the bottles, and then banged on the glass and mouthed, "Take my picture!" with an excited grin on his face.

We, of course, bought a bottle or two of the Sierra Mist with Cranberry to share with the family, and Jim tried it. While he was disappointed that the product itself wasn't green, he did seem to like it. I'll have to get more this year for him to have.