In which we go on a trip...

I'm double dipping in Blogville on this fine Friday.  First, I'm over at the Wistful Nebulae with a quick trip in a time machine back to the 80s to prove I don't need no stinking iPhone.  Please stop by to help me out!

 
Next, it's time to turn in our essays to Professor DiGesu for his What I Did on My Summer Vacation Blogfest.   So here goes:
What I Did on My Summer STAYcation
I'm a fan of off-season travel, which means my family doesn't do many summer vacations away from home. Ususally the kids and I venture out during summer break to do a hundred and one local things, but strange weather all summer long---a cold, icky June and then blistering hot July---made even day trips unappealing.  So for my "assignment" I'll share with you a small project I did this summer to make the little plot of land I've been entrusted with a bit more vacation-like. 
With both my children now officially teenagers, it was time for the clunky wooden playset in the backyard to come down, leaving me with this lovely square of dirt.

So I added an iron gazebo:

Dug in a pea gravel path and planted lillies, iris, clematis, and boxwoods:

Gave it a finishing touch with a birdbath (the birdies seem to lourve this new hangout)

And in midsummer, we even got some blooms:

But just wait 'till next year.The flower show should be spectacular. :)