A Sunday Lunch and Stroll

Hello fellow bloggers!
I've been exceedingly busy these last weeks and I've not been able to visit all the blogs and post comments as much as I would like to lately! I'm hoping that things slow down a hair for me soon, but we all know how it is sometimes!!!
Hubby Erik's band has so many shows booked in the next few weeks that it's unbelievable! As his personal super-fan, wardrobe consultant, roadie and drum tech (and sometimes light show operator!), I am as busy as he is when the band has lots of shows.
We are also dealing with medical issues with one of our cats, my sweet Tia, and it's been hard. We've been thinking of adopting a cat to add to our cat family for awhile now, since we lost our two oldest cats last year, and I think we may have found the perfect addition. I'll be sure to introduce her, if it all works out, of course.

But enough of that stuff......

Today we enjoyed some nice summer weather with lunch and a stroll, trying to decompress from a long and busy day yesterday. Erik's band had a show in a town about an hour away from where we live, which meant that after the show, which finished at 1:30am, we had to pack up the band and equipment and drive an hour back home, so it was about 3am when we got in.

We started out with lunch and coffee at the 'Sprizzo' cafe, which is in the historical downtown area, a few blocks from our house.  Although we have lived here for nearly 4 yrs, this was our first visit to Sprizzo. They have live music also on weekends.

This is our usual coffee and sandwich haunt, 'the Steaming Cup', which is located in the historic Nickell building. The Nickell family were one of the first pioneering families of this town to settle here in the 1840s and the following generations of the family were very prosperous. W.A. Nickell was a jeweler and watchmaker, and this was where his store was located. I believe the town post office was also originally in this building too for a short while.

On the opposite corner is the 'People's Park' bar and restaurant, and several potter's shops. There are a great deal of art galleries and such in this part of town. They often refer to this part of downtown as the 'artisan district'.

This photo I took about a month ago during Freeman Friday Live,(and outdoor free music event that takes place downtown) but this is pretty much how 'People's Park' always looks on evenings; it's very popular. Erik and I have dined there and met friends there several times ourselves. They have a wonderful tilapia sandwich and heavenly sweet potato fries!

The historic Almont Building is one of my favorites. It houses an art gallery now. They recently replaced the fabric awnings, but I'm not sure I like them as much as the old ones.

Following our lunch at Sprizzo, we sat on a bench across from the Almont Building and discussed what we don't like about the new awnings. Erik and I agree it's the red stripe that borders the darker brown stripe! (not really very visible in these photos).  We had also been admiring some of the art displayed at Sprizzo, and discussing what we like and don't like about art. Not surprisingly, Erik enjoys surrealism, while I prefer the 'old masters' more than anything. It was nice to relax and chat.

I love to sit in the dappled shade and watch the patterns change when the wind blows through the trees!

When we resumed our stroll and headed for the Fox River, I took pictures of other things that I love to look at; like ivy clambering up a stone wall, and the sun winking through the green trees.

Or a yellow painted bicylce turned into a garden planter which was outside Otto's, a artist's studio down the street.

Otto's also has this darling little patio behind it with a gorgeous fountain. A yellow rubber ducky floats in the middle urn.

The riverwalk is lined with green hydrangeas.

Banks of cheerful yellow rudbeckia................

Are complimented by tall, stately purple coneflowers.

Thanks for joining me!
I'll be linking up to these parties:

Summer Sunday with The Tablescaper
and
Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer