It’s Thursday and time for three beautiful things. (I hope next week’s list includes some sleep, because that would seem pretty damn beautiful right about now.)

1. The Opening Ceremony for the London Olympics were lovely. Any Olympics that salutes children’s literature is bound to be a hit with me.

2. You guys! All your comments about my ropes course made me feel so much better about it than I did when I was doing it. No one was there with me, but clearly that didn’t mean I was there by myself. Thanks.

3. A friend who has been out of touch for more than a year sent a long, chatty email filling me in on what she’s been up to and how she’s been.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

Eighteen hours until the Olympics begin and still no idea what yarn I’m using. I’ll tackle that after I share with you three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Homemade (by me!) chocolate chip ice cream on a night when it was still nearly 95 degrees at 11 p.m.

2. Susan invites me to have dinner with her and Holden. She then allows me the honor of reading the bedtime story. Being the adults, she and I get to stay up and chat after it’s lights-out for Holden.

3. Riding home from Rosslyn after my volleyball game, I cross the Key Bridge just as the sun is tumbling down behind the trees upstream. The spires of Georgetown before me catch the last evening rays, and the Potomac River below is calm beneath the oars of the scullers heading back to the boathouse.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

It’s been a busy week full of fun activities from meals with friends to concerts to Tour de France parties. I can’t wait for the weekend so there’s some time to unwind from it all! But first, I offer you three beautiful things from the past week:

1. We stop for a quick pizza dinner at Pete’s after the Fort Reno concert. Because we were there as they were closing, they offered us cannoli they wanted to get rid of. Who says no to free cannoli?

2. Sopping wet from sweating my way through watching an extra-inning baseball game in temperatures that topped 100 degrees, I head directly into the shower as soon as we bike home. I feel so much more human when I emerge a few minutes later.

3. I am in the garden when Sunday’s clouds finally open up. Instead of the torrential storms Rudi got caught in driving home from the Blue Ridge, I get a relaxing and refreshing summer shower, perfect for planting through.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

I had a late afternoon eye appointment today, which meant that I took off a bit early from work. After that, I did some shopping, ate a late lunch of sushi, drank a smoothie while knitting and ripping a row of knitting several times, and headed over to the garden. I feel very productive. Before that illusion wears off, let me share three four [what? I was on vacation!] beautiful things from my past week with you:

1. I spend the afternoon in Rhode Island with Karen and her family. I surrender first my hat, then my sunglasses, and finally my keys to her two young children, who combine them in adorably funny ways to inadvertently resemble Elton John and Elvis Costello.

2. Michael takes the kids upstairs to bed, leaving Karen and me time to talk for a few hours. It’s lovely to catch up alone.

3. My parents put the hammock up in the yard. I spend an hour lounging in the shade with my drink and my book.

4. A bird is perched atop the church spire, singing.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

Oops! Too tired last night, so I fell asleep before posting. Apologies for vacation-induced tardiness. Now for three beautiful things from the past week:

1. We spend the evening in Asbury Park strolling along their boardwalk. We watch the moonrise over the ocean, eat dinner from food stands, and play pinball in the arcade. Mostly we just relax.

2. This year’s July 4th fireworks did a particularly good job at creating depth in their bursts. Also their colors were really bright.

3. Our friends John and Nicole have moved in together. To celebrate her last night in her old building, she invites us to join them for a rooftop party. The views over D.C. are stunning.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

I’m still picking salt and sand out of my hair, but Thursday is waning, so I’ll post first and then shower.

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Rudi and I took the day off to head to the beach. It was our first time visiting Bethany Beach on a weekday, and the vibe is much more laid back than on the weekend. We picnicked on fresh fish sandwiches, played in the surf, read as we dried off, and played tag with the tide. (It won the first round, but we were victorious in the next two.) The sky was blue, the humidity was low, and if it was in the 90s, the beach is the ideal place to weather that kind of … weather. After we changed out of our suits, we bought ice cream cones and ate them as we walked along the boardwalk before heading back south.

2. The drive home across Delaware and the Eastern Shore is to the west, which meant we were chasing a large glowing orb for the first half of the trip. Because the skies were clear, the color changes associated with the sunset were particularly lovely.

3. I spent Monday night at the ballpark, but at a different one than usual. I headed out to Bowie to catch the Baysox, the Orioles’ AA affiliate, play the Redding Phillies. It’s been a decade since I’ve seen a minor league game, and I had forgotten how enjoyable they are. It was dog night, so my aisle-mates included a white husky with different colored eyes; the passel of children sitting behind me reminded me of the Peanuts gang with their chatter; my seat was in the seventh row, behind home plate; and the Baysox won (three RBIs off two homers). The stadium employees were all pleasant, and the stadium itself features a carousel. Plus, I got to have a tasty stadium dinner of a veggie burger, tasty fries, and pink cotton candy.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?