Me and Lauren and a Wombat Named Wilbur

All the traveling Lauren did and the cleaning I did yesterday must have tuckered us out. We didn't get up until past 10:30! It was almost noon before we finally headed out into the glorious sunshine for a long walk in Audubon.

First stop was my favorite local music shop, Abbie Road. Bob, the store's owner, is a nice guy and really likes both of us. I ended up with:

Two Huey Lewis and the News CDs, Fore! (cassette replacement), and Four Chords & Several Years Ago (I love their version of "Some Kind of Wonderful").

And three records:

Paul Simon - Graceland

Kim Carnes - Mistaken Identity

Those Wonderful Thirties - The Stars of Hollywood's Golden Era - A 2-disc set of songs from movie musicals of the 30s, some of which are rare today.

After a long chat with Bob about music stores and local sports, we headed a few blocks up to the Pine Street Shops. I'd never taken Lauren to Willie the Woodsman's and Wife, a gift shop. Lauren bought a cute plaque for her dad for Father's Day. I bought a WebKinz Wombat; they're the "Pet of the Month" and come with extra online goodies. I named him Wilbur. He looked like a Wilbur to me. (And I did just watch Charlotte's Web a few days ago.)

Much to my delight, Simply Soups was now open in its new, larger location on the end of the block. It took over the storefront that used to be Act Two Collectibles, but you'd never know it from inside, it looked so different and pretty. The round, metal 50s-styles tables and chairs had been joined by more mismatched wood and metal furniture, wooden baker's racks, and shelves to hold the once-cramped knick-knacks. The whole room was painted a soft, creamy yellow, and the long display window was now the front of the dining area. Lauren and I enjoyed a lovely view of Pine Street as we ate a very late lunch. Lauren had a turkey and cheddar wrap, a can of Pepsi, and chicken and rice soup. I had my usual Italian Wedding soup, breadsticks, and can of Diet Coke.

We stopped at Desserts By Design on the way back. I said "hi" to the nice lady who owns the shop, and we made our choices. We both went with cupcakes. Lauren chose Strawberry Chocolate. I had Orange Butter. She put them in a bag for us to have later; we were full from lunch!

I'd always wanted to show Lauren the boat launch at the end of Goff Avenue with the fabulous views, so we hiked there next. The weather was absolutely amazing. It was sunny and breezy, but not too hot or humid, probably in the upper 60s-lower 70s. It was so clear, we could see straight to the Ben Franklin Bridge. There were two people in a motor boat fishing, but otherwise, the river was clear and quiet.

We spent the rest of the evening at home. I won Pokemon Yatzee; Lauren won Memory. I made Chicken Cheeseburgers, steamed green Swiss chard, and Potato-Chick Pea Salad for dinner. (I got the latter out of one of my low-fat cookbooks. I never tried it before, but it was a quick recipe, and it came out very well.) Lauren ran Good Eats episodes while I did the dishes and took a shower.

We're online again, running my Donna Summer records in honor of the disco and rock favorite who passed away today. Tomorrow, I badly need to pick up my paycheck, and we'll go grocery shopping and check out the mall behind the Acme.

Oh, and meet Wilbur, the sweet but slow wombat! He'll probably either get a room of his own or move in with Bernice the Bear.