thank you


My husband really spoils me. I'm always surprised by how much he seems to enjoy shopping for me, at least as much as if it were something for him.

Hobbit Cafe


One of the first things we did for summer vacation with the boys' was re-watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (I had forgotten how much I loved those movies, they really are so great.) We planned to commemorate it by having brunch at The Hobbit Cafe. When we got there, we thought it must have closed down, because all we could see was an empty building next to the sign. A few weeks later, we found out that it was still there, just in a different building and sort of hidden. 




Apparently the sword on this sign was an arrow. I thought it was just a sword:


The restaurant, which looks like it was made from a small converted house, had so much potential to be charming, being so old and so themed. But it was just way too dingy and dirty-looking (The floor in our dining room was carpeted!), and needed a good scrub and fresh coat of paint to say the least. Everywhere there was worthless garage-sale hobbit-themed art, mixed with movie posters, mixed with some interesting pieces like a carved wood and fur chair or a really life-like statue of Gollum:


I was excited about the menu because there were a decent number of vegetarian options (apparently it was a vegetarian restaurant when starting out in 1972).


I ended up ordering the Valinor, a very large platter of half black beans, half brown rice, topped with cauliflower and broccoli. This plate was at least 12" in diameter, and piled really high:


It was a fun experience, especially with the kids, but I doubt I would ever go back. The food would have to be seriously great for me to sit in that cluttered, dirty space for another meal. In the meantime, when I want a hobbit fix, I can look at this toy we bought from the lego store:


Awesome, right? I can't look at it without cracking up.

Warped Tour


Yep, we took the boys. There were a bunch of bands that I had never heard of, and one of our favorites.   

The boys picked out these little straw fedoras, and wore them the entire day.




Many half-clothed teenagers...

Vanna, another band I had never heard of, and they were surprisingly really good...

and really nice to the boys afterwards.



Miss May I was the main attraction for the kids, and probably my least favorite music of the day. I'm old.





The Constellations, as good as I remember.




And a new one to me, Champagne Champagne. They were great.




All in all, it was a really fun, tiring day. May become a yearly tradition.