Oh no! Another great Skoda!: The End of Summer

I know the end of summer was actually awhile ago. I also know many of you have been asking to see pictures of where I now live. Well, too bad. Since moving interrupted my attempts at sharing my summer saga, I am going to pick up where I left off and, in one fell swoop, try to show the best tidbits of the many places I visited between the beginning of June and the end of August. So here goes:

New York:
Yes, I did visit Syracuse University, but apparently I only took pictures of my jaunt up to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. One of the summer exhibits there was called One For The Books, featuring just about any and all records related to baseball- not just the hitting, the pitching, the running, but the stories behind them, too.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from that excursion:

The "numbers" of some of my favorites in baseball.

My two favorite teams.

Some baseball at the movies:

In case you can't read the placard, this uniform, worn by right-hander Anthony Michael Hall, was made backwards so that they could reverse the film and make it look like he is a lefty, like Whitey Ford, the person he portrayed in 61*.

"There's no crying in baseball!"

Best baseball film. Ever.
(More on that later...)

After visiting SU, I headed to Ohio to check out Kent State University:

(Hee hee! Someone put some googly eyes on the bench!)

Historical marker explaining the events surrounding the tragedy that occurred here regarding the Vietnam War.

After Ohio, I rested a bit in Indiana before heading out the other coast, visiting friends near Seattle and checking out Washington University.

Freezing at the beach on the Fourth of July (Remember, it's a beach in Washington- not sunny California- the water was COLD!) Still, it was fun to watch fireworks at the beach later in the evening.

Visiting the house where Mikey and Brand lived in The Goonies.
(I totally geeked out! :)

Seattle's year-round farmers' market (This was a big draw for me to move to Seattle... Luckily, I found one here in Syracuse!)

I'm not sure how/when/why this infamous Gum Wall was started, but it is as fascinating as it is gross. Yes, I added my own chewed piece to the ever-growing mass of ABC nastiness.

That's as close as I got to the Space Needle. (I didn't have time/money to actually go up to the revolving restaurant. Oh well.)

The lovely Seattle Temple.

And one of the most breathtaking shots of the entire visit- (and another major inducement for me to move to Seattle) Mt. Rainier in full glory!

(Wouldn't you just LOVE to go to a school where you could walk by this view every day?!?)

After just a few days rest back home, I was off again, this time to Iowa/Nauvoo. My youngest sister was going to take out her endowments in the Nauvoo Temple, so I took advantage of the opportunity to visit my dear friend, Rebecca, who lives about 20 minutes away in Burlington, IA. She breeds Shibas and does dog shows.

(Elise with Elise!)

Remember that earlier reference to the best baseball movie ever? Yeah, since I was in Iowa, I further took advantage of that and went to THE Field of Dreams.

The day couldn't have been more perfectly beautiful. Despite being in Iowa, the peace, the serenity, the tranquility, the purity of this place certainly gives credence to the idea that it is, in fact, heaven.

On the left, graffiti from the movie- "Ray Loves Annie."
On the right, coming out of the cornfield.

And, the house. If I had the money, I would totally buy it. Again, aside from being in Iowa, it is my dream house!

Then came Girls' Camp with the Indianapolis North Stake. We hit record heat indexes that week. It was rough, but the girls were amazing troopers, and we all grew stronger despite the physical challenges!

The Second-year girls on their 5+ mile hike!
(These were my girls...)

Finally, in early August, I drove with my parents and 3.5 year-old nephew to Utah to attend the aforementioned sister's wedding. A perfect culmination to a very full summer!