Various days, from Monday, 10-June-2024, through Saturday, 15-June-2024
I adored the riverfront parks in Riga.
And, as June kicked into gear, the flowers seemed to love them too – so many flowers adding color to so many beautifully solid sculptures… I don’t know exactly what style of art these sculptures are (Soviet realism? Brutalist? Modern Classical?), but I know that they’re solid, and that they look really cool when contrasted with bright flowers and beautiful growing things.
I took these photos over the course of my wanderings around Riga – I didn’t set out to see any specific pieces, and simply found them as I explored and meandered my way around the city. It seemed like everywhere I turned there was another cool statue of sculpture to see, and they definitely helped me add more than a few miles to my sneakers.
It’s been a while since I’ve been back to Massachusetts… I think it was for Dillon and Liz’s wedding, wasn’t it? That’s sounding right… though I frankly can’t believe that was only six months ago. These last few months have felt like forever, and it was high time that I got back East. The rock was calling, family and friends beckoned, and I hadn’t seen my Grandma in far, far too long…
Tuesday through Thursday, 19-Apr-2022 to 21-Apr-2022
There’s some turmoil in the United States these days over working remotely.
Some people are for it, some people are against it… Mostly employees being for it, and executives being against it, from what I can tell…
I’ve never really had a horse in the race, to be frank. I’m operations support, so I don’t have the option to work remotely… at least not regularly. I work with people on the production floor, and I get pulled away from my computer to deal with physical problems at least a few times a day.
At the beginning of COVID I worked from home every other day… and that was glorious – I got to catch up on work, and could stay a bit calmer than normal on the days that I wasn’t in the office. It did make my days on-site a bit more crazy, and I had to make a point to go for more walks when I stayed home, but… yeah, it was nice.
The chance to spend a whole week working remotely was excellent, and I hugely appreciate the freedom to do that every so often. I definitely understand the draw… especially after spending three days working out of the dining room in Medway.
It was glorious – I started the week with nearly a full hundred to-do items on my list (yep, that over-booked at work), and I ended with maybe a dozen left. Granted, I had coworkers shouldering some of the burden while I was gone, and I didn’t want to think about all the “fun” that the production folks were saving up for my return, but… you know what? That’s fine. It’s all fine. I can live with that.
I spent time catching up with my Mom and Stepdad. I took walks, enjoyed the garden, and went to dinner with friends who were great enough to drive out from Boston to visit.
It was a good few days.
Of interesting note… I never noticed this before, but Medway has a memorial to the “Grand Army of the Republic”, listed as 1861 through 1961. Which is interesting… since the G.A.R. was an organization for civil war veterans founded in 1866, and then dissolved in 1956.
So I’m not saying this is definitely Star Wars, but… pretty sure it’s Star Wars.
The evenings are still cold, don’t get me wrong. But the days are lovely – warm, some sun breaking through the Pacific Northwest rain, and quite a full fully sunny days.
And we all know what that means, right???
Gardening!
The plan for this year is pretty similar to last year, but I’m aiming to streamline the process a little bit.
Instead of trying for tomatoes and veggies and a variety of things, I’m focusing in on peas and flowers – Pea Plants in the long planters, maybe with some hops planted nearby for shade, and then lots of flowers in small pots along the balcony. Lupin, marigolds, and sunflowers!
