News / Blog

12/14/2011
A Work In Progress

12/14/2011
Autumn 2011 Haiku Contest WINNer Announced!

10/12/2011
My Dream

10/12/2011
Check This Out!

10/12/2011
Have You Seen Teddy's Fountain?

10/03/2011
Igneous Rock Gallery Haiku Contest Guidelines

10/03/2011
Summer 2011 Haiku Contest Winner Announced!

6/14/2011
WPMT FOX 43 Visits Igneous Rock Gallery!

6/14/2011
Video of Current Inventory

6/14/2011
New and Improved Landscape Lights

6/14/2011
Spring Haiku Contest Winner Announced!

5/03/2011
Fountain to be Auctioned at Derby Day!

3/24/2011
Simply the Best?

3/24/2011
An Enduring Tribute

3/11/2011
2011 PA Home Show Special

3/11/2011
Remembering Rick Alcorn

3/11/2011
Winter Haiku Contest Winner Announced! / Spring Contest Entries Welcomed

2/16/2011
Rest In Peace, Rick Alcorn

2/09/2011
Counting Past 130 and Balancing Rocks

2/09/2011
Autumn Haiku Contest Winner / Winter Contest Submission Deadline

2/09/2011
PA Home Show

2/09/2011
Igneous Rock Gallery Fountain Design Party Discounts!

2/09/2011
Sedimentary Rock Gallery?

11/17/2010
Current Special Promotions – Our Best Ever Offer!

11/17/2010
Autumn 2010 Haiku Contest

11/15/2010
One Thing Leads to the Next…

11/08/2010
I'm A Rock Star

10/15/2010
Sid and Gena's Indoor Fountain Sculpture

9/07/2010
Vacation Musings/Balancing Work and Play

9/07/2010
Igneous Rock Gallery Traveling Dog and Pony Show

9/07/2010
2010 Summer Haiku Winner Announced

9/07/2010
Igneous Rock Gallery Harrisburg Fall Home Show Exhibit/One Million Dollar Cash Giveaway!

8/10/2010
This One Could Be Yours

8/8/2010
Summer 2010 Haiku Contest Deadline Extended

8/2/2010
Jerry and Crystal Created Their Own!

7/13/2010
She Stole My Heart

7/13/2010
Table Top Fountain Workshop

6/17/2010
New Fountains

6/15/2010
Do You Want to Meet My Dad?

6/14/2010
The Year of the Creep

6/6/2010
My Impending Incarceration

6/6/2010
Spring 2010 Haiku Contest Winner Announced!

3/20/2010
First Quarterly Haiku Contest!

3/13/2010
Honorable Mention at 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show

3/12/2010
Video of Valley Forge Display

Vacation Musings/Balancing Work and Play


In my life there is a muddled line between work and play.  My family will tell you that far too often work overtakes family time and “down time”.  It is hard to stop thinking about work when you owe money and the economy is contrary!  Nevertheless there is a balance to be struck, and I am searching for it.

We had our Cape May trip (see Traveling Dog and Pony Show post) planned since early in the summer.  If it had not resulted from a reciprocal arrangement with a customer, we probably would not have vacationed this year.  I thought of scrapping the whole thing anyway.  As robust as spring business was, most of July and August was a bust. 

Part of me thought it would be more prudent to stay home and mind the store, but Beverly reasoned that the beach condo was already paid for…and I just may have better results selling fountains in Cape May than I had the past two months at home.  In any event, the summer was winding down and we all needed a change of scenery. 

My parents are in their 80s.  Dad is 88, Mom is a younger woman, merely 80.  Dad says he is glad he married a younger woman -- that he’d never want to be married to an old lady.



On a recent Friday evening we invited them to eat with us, and toward the end of the evening my mom thanked us for including them in our plans as often as we do.  She mentioned that we are young and it is a summer weekend evening, like we would necessarily be foregoing something better to spend the time with them.

I responded that there is nothing charitable about it -- they are truly wonderful people, fun to hang out with, and younger people have nothing on them!  We feel so blessed to have them with us, and they are still reasonably healthy.  Although this year they have had some health issues, and for a while it was questionable whether they would be able to join us for what turned out to be our third Cape May vacation with them in four years. 



Among the many highlights of the trip for Beverly and me was to look on as Grayson snuggled on the love seat between “Gray-Ma” and “Cray-Pa” while they patiently read stories to him from his Beatrix Potter book.  My earliest memories date back to 1965, when I was the age Grayson is now.  When Grayson was born I prayed that my parents would live long enough for him to know them and develop enduring memories of them.  Gray-Ma and Cray-Pa are still going strong.  We are blessed.

Some other highlights of our trip revolve around food!  Beverly is a real “foody”.   She likes to read magazines and research restaurants whenever we travel.  We almost made a detour on the way home to check out a restaurant featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”.

We found several small places this time that we will be sure to return to again and again.  If your travels take you to Cape May, be sure to visit the following three establishments.   You won’t be sorry!

Key West Tacos, 479 West Perry Street.  This little shack of a restaurant is just around the corner from our condo.  Craig, the affable owner, opened his shop earlier this year and seems to be having a great time.  If I had to choose the single best tasting food of the whole week in Cape May it would have to be Craig’s Ahi Tuna taco.  Mmm, mmm, mmm!  I’m telling you, that was a real winner!  We decided to go back there for another round on our way out of town the last day. 

http://081978.blogspot.com/2010/06/restaurant-review-key-west-tacos.html

Sean’s Restaurant, 314 Beach Avenue.  I found this place last year when, at Beverly’s request, I went in search of something healthy to bring back to her while she was relaxing on the beach.  Beach food is typically anything but healthy, so I was pleased to find Sean.  He is a “hands on” owner, personally preparing each meal the two times I was there.  We had a mixed green salad with goat cheese, etc.  Perfect.  So is his mozzarella and tomato salad.  Sean is a very friendly, engaging guy.  You can’t go wrong here.  We never made it for dinner, but hear it is outstanding.

http://phillyhotlist.cityvoter.com/seans-restaurant/biz/83198

Ella’s Good To Go, 326 Carpenter Lane.  I found this place because they have free wi-fi.  Not wanting to be a user, I bought a mango smoothie.  It was so refreshing and yummy that I returned later with Grayson on the tandem bike that comes with our condo.  Grayson loved his “smoovy” and didn’t let me forget the rest of the week.  We returned each afternoon for the remainder of our vacation, trying a different flavor each time.  Real nice staff too, even though they wouldn’t let Grayson explore their attic.  They have pull down stairs behind the counter to take advantage of the loft space above.  This is a tiny shop, so every nook and cranny matters.  When you are five and discover something cool, like attics, it opens up new worlds to you. 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cape-May-NJ/Ellas-Good-to-Go/140772312616479?v=wall

Speaking of Grayson, having him along makes everything more fun and magical.  It is always a blast to see things through his eyes.  Because he is so open with his questions and observations, you can vicariously experience what he is experiencing. 



Grayson is really into maps these days.  I think it started with a kids’ show in which a treasure map was part of the episode.  We picked up one of those cartoonish looking Cape May tourist maps, and Grayson spent a good bit of time studying it.  Cape May is technically an island, since the man made canal separates the former peninsula.  When Grayson heard that it was an island he seemed startled! 

“I didn’t know this is an island!?”  He looked confused.  Then with a puzzled look he asked,

“It’s still earff, isn’t it?” 

Yep, Cape May is still earth, maybe one of the most enjoyable places on earth for us.  For Beverly it is all about relaxing and getting away from the pressure of her job. 

On our last day there she took one last walk out to the surf while Grayson and I played with his Thomas the Train set on the rocks and sand.  She stood there a long time just taking it all in, trying to memorize the feeling and absorb it, as if to take it along home.  She expressed what a spiritual feeling it is being so close to the sea. 



For me Cape May is about all of that, plus finding new venues for our work.  I can’t seem to make that complete switch to a purely vacation mode like my Beverly can.  The good thing for me is that I actually enjoy my work, so it is not like I am going to Cape May to escape from it.

On the other hand, I recognize that there is something to be said for being 100% available for my family all day every day for at least one week a year.  They are worth it, and this is a worthy goal to work toward.