They say "a picture's worth a thousand words"...but words are all I've got!

Thanks to the Jerk, we currently do not have a camera to chronicle our summer adventures. So, I'll do my best to paint a picture using words of the fun things Ryan and I have been up to these past few weeks:

Concert at the Botanical Gardens: The Buffalo Botanical Gardens are in a beautiful, old, white-washed building surrounded by green lawns. We sat on a hill and had an up-close-and-personal view of three awesome groups (Safety Suit, Mat Kearney, and Matt Nathanson). The music was mostly acoustic guitar, and all of the performers have incredible voices, so we chilled out to their vocals as the sun went down on a perfect summer night. This concert is also a food festival of sorts, and local vendors set up stands (All free with admission!); so as I sat and enjoyed the music, Ryan brought me cups of hot cocoa, samples of fondue from The Melting Pot, barbecue ribs from Hard Rock Cafe, and all sorts of other goodies. Then we snuggled, sang along, and watched the seagulls swooping down over the crowd. It was really very picturesque, especially because the backdrop to all of this was the red-brick Our Lady of Victory Hospital and the teal-domed South Buffalo Basilica. LOVED IT.

Late-night bike rides: I cannot live without a bike in the summer, so I did break down and purchase a new one right after mine was stolen. I have to admit, this one may be even cooler than the original. It is another beach cruiser--but this one is bright red with chrome "fenders" and a wicker basket. As I was riding it around town the other day, some thugish looking teenagers said, "Yo, sweet bike." I thanked them but rode away as fast as possible. What is it with thugs liking my old-fashioned, cutesy bikes?!? (I am so paranoid that this one is going to get stolen as well!) I have been riding my bike everywhere lately, and I've found that riding an old-fashioned bike while wearing a skirt is very liberating. Ryan and I have also taken to hopping on our bikes late at night for a fun, fast, joy ride through the nice residential neighborhoods nearby. All of the houses are dark, the stars are out, the wind rushes through my hair as I coast down the hills. It's so relaxing.

Drive-in movie: The drive-in theater is about a 20-minute drive from Buffalo in a small town that feels very much like the "country" as compared to our bustling city. Just the drive is lovely and quite romantic. Then, the drive-in itself is, like all drive-ins, totally charming. We laid in the back of our friend's pick up truck, snuggled up with blankets and pillows, and watched a double feature, late into the night. We also saw some breathtaking shooting stars. Does it get any better?

Life is great.