789. Highly

789. Highly
Definition: (adv) favorable
Location Placed: Princeton Junction Train Station, Princeton Junction, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 4:14pm





As someone who is interested in history, I've been really interested in my own family history in the last few years. Genealogy is a really neat field that I am interested in exploring in greater detail in the not too distant future. It's simultaneously addicting and frustrating. Anyone who has poked around in their family past, further back than living relatives can provide, certainly can understand where I am coming from. However, it's really neat to find birth records from an eastern European country that match up to things you've heard a relative say. Highly rewarding to say the least!

788. Lucid

788. Lucid
Definition: (adj) expressed clearly, easy to understand
Location Placed: Starbucks, Marketfair, Princeton, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 3:50pm





I've been getting the itch to travel, more than just a weekend or long-weekend trip, but don't currently have anything on the docket until next June. I'd love to take another road trip as the one last September/October to the Southwest of the U.S. was really neat! However I think I'll have to just settle on the smaller day trips or a weekend trip here or there as I have no more work trips that allow me to fly around the country in the near future. I know I'll be up on Long Island, part of New York in the fall one weekend, so I'll have to make that count for the near future!

787. Exceed

787. Exceed
Definition: (v) to be better than, to surpass
Location Placed: Marketfair, Princeton, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 3:41pm





Marketfair in Princeton is a small, upscale mall that I had been looking to visit while in the area since they had a couple stores that I enjoy browsing online, but aren't close to where I live. It was nice to be able to see some of the items in person since it's always a bit more difficult to tell how they look online if you're not able to pick them up. I ended up going around to most of the stores, but just to browse. I'll definitely stop back in next time I am in the area!

786. Eligible

786. Eligible
Definition: (adj) having the right to obtain or do something
Location Placed: AMC Theaters, Marketfair, Princeton, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 3:33pm





So in an effort to meet my goal of being a tourist in my own area, I am putting together day trips for myself in order to experience some more of the sites that my home state of New Jersey (along with New York and Pennsylvania) have to offer. With my America the Beautiful national parks pass, I am eligible to visit any of the national historic sites along with any national parks to no additional cost. Unfortunately the east coast is not as plentiful with national parks as the west coast, but there are a good number of national historic sites on the list. I'm excited to check out a few more of those within the next few months before my pass expires at the end of September! 

785. Congenial

785. Congenial
Definition: (adj) pleasant or agreeable because suited to one's taste or inclination
Location Placed: Barnes & Noble, Princeton, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 3:23pm





I do enjoy having a little nose around the bookstore to see if there is anything I should add to my pages long "To Read" list. I decided to place a crane on a book I recently read and really enjoyed, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I definitely would recommend it if you were a Gone Girl fan. It has a lot of interesting plot twists that you didn't really expect when starting out! Definitely kept me on my toes.

784. Abundance

784. Abundance
Definition: (n) a very large quantity of something
Location Placed: Princeton Train Station, Princeton, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 3:01pm





As I was on my way from Updike Farmstead, I decided to drive through a corner of Princeton to travel through a portion I hadn't been to before. I really enjoy seeing areas that are new to me, but can't really justify driving around aimlessly. So traveling down different routes to and from new points of interest is a good way to do that! I usually come across some little neat thing I hadn't previously know about, or just find some place that would be good to send a crane into the world.

783. Prime

783. Prime
Definition: (adj) of the best quality, excellent
Location Placed: Updike Farmstead, Princeton, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 2:38pm





As I am quite the fan of history, I set out to the Updike Farmstead to learn a little bit more about the area and see a pretty neat historical property. It had a really interesting rotating exhibit on Albert Einstein and his work. Additionally, there were a couple rooms dedicated to photographs of the area from the distant past as well as a bit of history of the farm itself. They also apparently open up the property for weddings, which I thought was a pretty special way of incorporating history into wedding nuptials! 

782. Brimming

782. Brimming
Definition: (v) full to the point of overflowing
Location Placed: Starbucks, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 2:10pm





I am brimming with excitement as I have been doing a lot more crane folding after work in the evenings. The summer has given me a bit of a burst of energy! I may even finish folding all of my cranes for the rest of my mission before the summer is over at this rate! It is a lot of fun to be surrounded by all bits of paper that I have folded myself and think of the adventures they will go on in the future!

781. Exceptional

781. Exceptional
Definition: (adj) unusually good, outstanding
Location Placed: West Windsor Post Office, Princeton Junction, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 1:55pm





Now, I know I am a bit late to the party, but I've been reading a series of exceptional books. I'm liking them considerably more than I thought I would. When the first book came out, I gave it a half-hearted shot at reading but didn't bother getting further than the first 10 pages. I set it down and then didn't give it another bother. Then I didn't read the series just because I realized that people were shocked, as an avid reader, that I hadn't read this wildly popular series. So I didn't read it for the shock value. However, having owned the first book, I decided I should probably give it a whirl. And boy am I glad I did! Think you can guess which series?

780. Comical

780. Comical
Definition: (adj) amusing
Location Placed: West Windsor Library, Princeton Junction, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 1:49pm





I can't deny popping into a library when I see one. As I am not terribly familiar with this area, I had never actually been this way before. Later, when looking at the map for crane placing purposes, I realized that I had driven close by several years back when I checked a couple points I had hit up previously. Kind of comical when you think about how close I had been before without ever realizing it! Just goes to show that sometimes it is a good thing to be a tourist in your own area!

779. Unbeatable

779. Unbeatable
Definition: (adj) extremely good, outstanding
Location Placed: Chocolate Works, West Windsor, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 1:33pm





Whenever I see a candy store, I certainly have to stop in. It always makes me feel like a kid again to be surrounded by the different tubs and totes and chutes and tubes of brightly colored sugary snacks. Given that I had a few more stops after headed here and the level of heat outside, I didn't think getting candy to sit in my car would be the best decision. However, I do think I will be back to do some picking the next time I have an occasion to give someone assorted candies.

778. Essential

778. Essential
Definition: (adj) absolutely necessary, and extremely important
Location Placed: The UPS Store, West Windsor, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 1:30pm





UPS Stores are getting harder to release cranes in them. I'm not sure if I am looking more suspicious of a character when I go in, or if they have been instructed to be a bit more observant. I actually had to pass at placing at a store the week before last because I couldn't get a second without being watched! I had to be a bit more sneaky with this one.

777. Tremendous

777. Tremendous
Definition: (adj) very great in scale or intensity
Location Placed: Grover's Mill Coffee Company, West Windsor, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/22/16 at 1:24pm





I popped over to the coffee shop to see what it was all about. It was crazy warm on Friday as we are in the midst of a heat wave. I was extremely tempted by by the frozen hot chocolate, but I was a responsible adult and waited to eat my responsible adult lunch. But I know what I will be getting next time I am in the area!

776. Ingenuous

776. Ingenuous
Definition: (adj) innocent and unsuspecting
Location Placed: Jughandle Brewing Company, Tinton Falls, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/16/16 at 3:04pm





We decided to check out one of the new local breweries in the area, Jughandle Brewing Company. I had been following them on facebook since before they opened up on a tip of my friend. I'm always interested in trying a new place even if beer isn't quite my cup of tea. I thought the name was clever as New Jersey is home of the "no left turns", which leads to having to go right to actually go left. It confuses many a non-local person. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and the brews from what my companions indicated, were quite good. Definitely a good place to go to enjoy a number of tasty craft beers.

775. Fruition

775. Fruition
Definition: (n) the point at which a project or plan is realized
Location Placed: Crate and Barrel Outlet, Cranbury, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/15/16 at 4:04pm





Having never been to this Crate and Barrel outlet before, and passing relatively close by it on my way home, I figured it would be good to stop. Thankfully it wasn't a terribly large store, or I may have placed myself in a bit of a financial pickle! It definitely had a lot of interesting items in there, and several items that I quite liked, but may see if I can replicate them myself. I do love a good arts and crafts challenge!

774. Amatory

774. Amatory
Definition: (adj) expressive of love
Location Placed: Kingston Post Office, Kingston, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/15/16 at 3:06pm





Kingston seems very similar to the small town that I grew up in, minus the number of traffic lights. It looked like a lovely little area with a main thoroughfare including this very post office. I passed by a very lovely post master who was in the process of adjusting the American flag, properly saluted it before doing anything. I certainly appreciate the level of professionalism while handling the flag as well as his attention to detail. I bet the folks in Kingston appreciate having that fellow in charge of all of their paper mail!

773. Renewed

773. Renewed
Definition: (v) to resume an activity, restart
Location Placed: Rockingham, Kingston, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/15/16 at 2:47pm



I don't often want to leave a crane without taking a picture of where I have placed it. However, when you're taking a one on one tour, where the guide has said you cannot take pictures indoors, it makes it considerably more difficult to sneakily get a photo! Rockingham is the estate where George Washington spent 2 months in residence at the tail end of the Revolutionary War. Having been moved to several different locations within a 1 mile area, it looks pretty darn good! I really enjoyed learning a bit more about the first President of the United States as well as more about the area. Having never even heard of Kingston, let alone been there, it definitely was a real treat! It is about 4-5 miles from Princeton, making it a convenient (at the time!) hour-long horse ride into the city proper. At the time of his residence, the U.S. Congress was actually holding court in Princeton. I had no idea!

772. Placate

772. Placate
Definition: (v) to calm, pacify, please
Location Placed: Plainsboro Public Library, Plainsboro, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/15/16 at 1:41pm





I love being able to pop into libraries that are not my in my area. The Plainsboro library was no exception. It was impressively modern, bright, and airy. I envy those who can use this library as it is definitely one I would be happy to spend lots of time in!

771. Knightly

771. Knightly
Definition: (adj) chivalrous, valiant, courageous
Location Placed: The Grind Coffeehouse, Plainsboro, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/15/16 at 1:36pm





It definitely felt like the heart of summer. High humidity, hot, bright day. In my work clothes, I was not properly dressed for a day of being outside. Thankfully it was mostly just walking to and from my car, but the heat is one thing I don't quite love as much as others during the summer. I love the lighter, longer days. I love the ability to do outdoor activities for more than a minute without getting frozen. I love the BBQs and hang outs and general sense of happiness that summer brings to those around me. It's a wonderful time of year, but I never miss the oppressive heat once the fall rolls around.

770. Bright-Eyed

770. Bright-Eyed
Definition: (adj) alert and lively
Location Placed: Plainsboro Post Office, Plainsboro, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/15/16 at 1:29pm





In an effort to utilize my half-day work Fridays before I find them gone, I set out to do a little local crane placing. I popped into a post office I had stumbled on my way out to my destination. It's always a lot of fun being able to explore new areas in my home state that I've not visited before. I've been doing a fair bit of research to find some new places. As one can imagine when one has a goal of placing cranes in 1000 different locations, you tend to run out of placement locations after a while. Post Offices are among one of the good places to release them. Perfect weather not needed, usually not too busy, and have a variety of flat surfaces, they often do just the trick!

769. Contribute

769. Contribute
Definition: (v) give in order to help achieve or provide something
Location Placed: Marriott at the Philadelphia Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date Placed: 6/24/16 at 2:55pm





The Philadelphia Airport is pleasantly easy to navigate and especially easy to get to the Marriott hotel, where I had to be for a work function. It's always nice to meet up with colleagues from around the country that I only get to see but a few times a year. It's lovely to have a catch up with them, see where they've been traveling around to since I had last seen them a few months prior. Of course getting down to business is always necessary, but we got to indulge in the wonderful pleasantries that come along with the meeting beforehand.