Life at a "Swell's" pace: Friday things

Hello.

Here are five things things this week.

1. This park.

We took a walk through Avery Park in Corvallis, Oregon, this week. There was a small cargo train derailment near the park, so we watched some of the cleanup efforts, as well. We have always loved this old coal engine that's setup in the park for people to climb on. It was once the backdrop of our holiday cards one year when Skylar was four and we still had Baz with us. This picture with Skylar and Hardy are perfect to go with the one of him and Baz all those years ago.

2. This art.

I bought this painting from a Twitter friend. She used spray paints and was feeling down about how it turned out, so I bought it. I love the Scream movies, and this painting is so quirky that it's perfect for what I want to use it for, which is a library, or possibly a studio later. The Ghost Host on Twitter is a cool person to follow, too, if you're into horror and Scream.

3. This game.

My sister and I used to play Skee-Ball at an arcade in Hot Springs, Arkansas. My dad would take us to the Hot Springs Mall and give us about $5 and let us play games. The place was called Aladdin's Castle and to this day I have great memories of doing that. My dad tried hard to connect on our level, and I think he did a good job taking us to different places when we were growing up. I think back on that time period and my dad was younger than I am now, and had two girls. We would go to play games at Aladdin's Castle and have corndogs at Corn Dog 7. I found this mini desktop Skee-Ball game. I ended up sending it to my sister in hopes that it would bring back those old memories for her, too.

4. This day.

It was a weird morning-type of week this week. No wind, not mist, just fog and flat. We are still in the winter months here, so it's to be expected. But, with the wind not blowing even a little, it made these flags look eerie. Which, I do love.

5. These papers.

Skylar made us all, including the animals, honorary members of his railroad company, Deer Pacific. We feel special.

One last thing:

I bought this 12 Days of Beauty from Whole Foods and I waited until December 25 and kept opening until January 5. Those are the 12 days of Christmas. I loved everything in the different advent windows. I couldn't pick a favorite, because they were all great!