Wow! It’s Thursday already and time for Three Beautiful Things from the last week:

1. Thursday night, we ate dinner in New York City with Erik, Eri, and ECN. We talked and laughed and listened and generally got caught back up on each other’s lives. It was just what such a gathering should be. The only bad things about the night? We forgot to take a picture to commemorate the moment, and, Rebs, we missed you!

2. Rudi and I got to Grounds for Sculpture just before a rainstorm plunked itself down over the park. Rain is such an insignificant word to describe what came down. Torrents. Deluge. Monsoon. Flash floods closed neighboring roads. By the time we got back to the car, I had to wring out my socks. But the water chased away all our fellow visitors, leaving Rudi and me alone to wade through 34 acres of sculpture and gardens and water features (some of which even existed before the storm). Honestly, it was such a fun, romantic way to spend the morning that I wouldn’t have traded it for the clearest, most sunshiny day.

3. I got to see Karen and meet Marshall, one month old:

Aren’t they perfect?

Oops! I somehow thought I was going to get back to a computer on Thursday so I could offer you three beautiful things from the road, but that didn’t end up being the case. Apologies to those of you who pop in here once a week looking for some upbeat content. Here, belatedly, are three beautiful things from last week:

1. Michael’s play, The Quick Brown Fox Jumped over the Lazy Dogs was excellent. I admit that I was worried it would feel dated, but Michael had written new material to keep it current and I feel like the audience got a lot out of it.

2. Rudi and I have been getting up each morning and watching the live stream of the Tour de France on the computer. Rudi has long been interested in the Tour and I have paid enough attention to be able to ask intelligent questions in years past. This year, though, I actively followed along and had many a nice moment cheering a particularly dramatic sprint or heroic mountain climb.

3. Peppers flourish in our garden and this season is no exception, when I doubled the number we normally plant. I stopped by on Wednesday afternoon to water and came home with a handful of hot peppers, as well as three beans.

Thursdays always bring three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Opening day for a movie (particularly a long anticipated one) is always cause for celebration — and sometimes a costume. I opted for a Tonksish appearance — skirt, sneakers, and t-shirt complemented by green striped socks, a black robe, and neon pink hair.

2. The deep end of the pool was uncrowded. I turned somersaults in the water to celebrate a warm Sunday evening.

3. There was a wee little movie that opened on Wednesday. Perhaps you’ve heard? I thought its ending lacked the emotional intensity of the book and, as always, too much was left out, but it may (just may; it’s too early for an official ruling) be my favorite of the bunch.

What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

It’s Thursday, glorious Thursday! I present you with three beautiful things from my world this past week:

1. The weather has been gorgeous. Mid-July in the mid-Atlantic usually is muggy and unbearable with the occasional thunderstorm to break up the 3 H’s. This last week? Mostly sunny. Highs in the 80s. Overnight temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Low humidity. I’m thinking this might be what summers are like in the Elysian Fields.

2. Saturday night, Rudi and I pedaled down to the Potomac to watch the fireworks. We found a deserted (!) stretch of grass next to a very nice Mr. Lincoln from Illinois and watched what turned out to be, we thought, the best pyrotechnic display since we moved to the District. A slight breeze blew the smoke away from the Mall, so we had an unobscured view of the show with the Washington Monument in the background. It was a magnificent way to mark our country’s birthday.

3. I discovered a box in the fridge this morning when hunting for blueberries. Its contents? Forgotten fudge from our trip to the shore last month. Rudi and I have been sampling its contents for dessert tonight, and I’m delighted to tell you that aging fudge does great things for it.

What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

Thursday always marks the time to recall three beautiful things. This week, though, I’ve seen a lot of beauty, so we might expand it a bit:

Three things so lovely I had to mention them a second time:

1) Karen had a baby.

2) We saw dolphins.

3) Elijah spent no time with me this week, but I did write about his creation yesterday — and was really happy with a piece of writing for the first time in a while.

Three things wonderful to the tastebuds:

1) The first corn on the cob and raspberries of the season. Both sweet, but in totally different ways.

2) I made cherry clafoutis one night. Rudi suggests it may have been the most fragrant the Burrow has ever smelled.

3) The new deli by my office uses good quality mozzarella on its veggie panini, Old Bay and salt on its fries, and red birch beer in its soda fountain machine.

And, last but not least, three feasts for the eyes:

1) The lilies down the road have polka dotted centers. They look like they’ve been covered with pink jimmies or have a cheery set of freckles.

2) I did laundry this week. Our drying rack is awash with rainbow hues — from blues to greens to pinks.

3) While I rose ridiculously early on Saturday for our beach day, I did not get up before the sun. I did, however, go to bed long after it did. In fact, we were heading west over the bridges headed back to Maryland’s Western Shore as the sun was hitting the hay for the night. The brilliant pinks and oranges melted into the horizon like a scoop of sherbet on a summer afternoon.

I’m off by a day or two because of the long weekend. I’m not complaining, though.

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. On Saturday, I spent time in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut. Rudi did the same, substituting New Hampshire for Rhode Island. With the exception of Maine, we covered all of New England. It was good to be home.

2. On 91 north of Brattleboro, the highway travels through and above your typical northeastern forestland. But Vermont’s air is so much cleaner than southern New England’s that you really notice the pine scent as it wafts through your windows. (And earlier in the morning, I could smell the sea at one point, even if I had a tough time actually finding the South Shore.)

3. If I can have a book in my possession, I’d much prefer to read rather than listen to it. (I’m not putting down those who listen to audiobooks, but my brain processes the two experiences in totally different ways, so I find it impossible to say that when I listen to a book that it’s reading.) That said, clearly one should not peruse a novel while driving. I had Plum Lucky on my iPod, so bounty hunters Stephanie and Diesel kept us company while we were stuck in late-night traffic on the Garden State. It seemed appropriate somehow, since the book is set in New Jersey.