Welcome to Knoebels

Last weekend was my great grandmother's family's 94th family reunion. I never met my great grandmother, but she was the second oldest of thirteen kids (including a set of twins) who survived to adulthood and the mother of my paternal grandfather. Every year, the reunion is held in the same small town. 

Sadly, fewer and fewer people go each year. after 94 years, many members of the family have moved, lost touch, and passed away. However, at one time, my family was able to old a baseball game, a family band, and cakewalk (this tradition lasted until the early 2000s and one year I won the cakewalk which meant my parents had to take home a giant cake). Those of us who are able to attend, have a great time, hold a family meeting, make announcements, and share what's been going on since we last saw each other. In years past, my family occasionally went to the local amusement park (it helped that one of my cousins could get us in for free). 

I swear this is all relevant. 

Last year, I mentioned to one of my cousins how I missed going to the local amusement park. My cousin laughed and said that it was a nice park, but Knoebels was way better. 

This sign is like halfway into the park. 

I had heard of Knoebels from when Travel Channel actually showed shows on travel. I used to love their specials on Top Ten Amusement Parks and Top Ten Best Rollercoasters. It started my obsession with rollercoasters, mechanics, and physics in general (I actually do have a minor in physics, so...). For my 20th birthday, my parents gifted me a behind the scenes rollercoaster tour at Buschgardens Williamsburg. Knoebels was one of the amusement parks frequently mentioned on those shows for having outstanding rides and especially rollercoasters. 

However, I never went to Knoebels as a kid. I also still haven't been to Cedar Point despite constantly being promised that "we'll go next year" whenever we went to Michigan. I suppose "next year" is never going to actually happen.

Alright, I'm done discussing childhood. 

Knoebels is so different from any amusement park I've ever been to. The closest I might be able to compare it to are the boardwalk piers with amusement rides, except its in the middle of Pennsylvania's coal country and surrounded by campgrounds instead of sand and beach motels. 

Also you can go to Knoebels completely free if you want to. 

Parking is free. Entry is free. There are several museums that are also free. The rides are purchased through a ticket system (and they still use paper tickets) or you can purchase a wrist band to ride all the rides (except the Haunted Mansion). The wristband is only offered during the week though, so if you go on a Saturday like I did, you have to purchase one of several ticket books. 

You can even see a swan.

Rides cost between $2.50 and $6.00. The kids rides range from $2.50 to $4.00, family fun flat rides were between $3.00 and $4.50, and the rollercoasters are between $3.50 and $5.00. The only $6.00 ride was the ski lift which gives you a great view of the park (I have only seen this through YouTube videos as I opted to spend my tickets elsewhere). 

The food is also fairly inexpensive, but the carnival games seemed to cost on par with other amusement parks. I didn't play any of the games, but they had most of the classics. There is also one indoor restaurant called the Alamo that's been operating for almost a century. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention one other thing, dogs are allowed in the park. Not everywhere, but you can bring them in. Knoebels is surrounded by campgrounds (nearest hotel is a bed and breakfast) and they don't want you to leave your furry best friend at the campsite while you and your family enjoy the park. 

When I arrived at Knoebels, it took me a bit of time to find a parking spot. Their parking lot is a huge field and has a shuttle that runs up and down the lines of cars. I parked close enough that I didn't need to take the shuttle, but far enough away that I had to wander through their group pavilions that can be rented for events. Most were rented out by large parties, church groups, work family days (I saw Sherwin-Williams there), and a few family reunions. 

If there is a main gate to the park, I didn't find it. After getting through the maze of pavilions, I walked up to a giant board with the map on it which was next to one of those boat rides that take you up real high and then drops you down with a huge splash.

It was at this point that I learned that it was the 100 years celebration of the park's opening. Their old skating rink was set up as a history museum of the park. The skate rink hadn't been used in decades, but they did have a remaining skate in the collection. Much of the park had facts posted around with history facts about the park and surrounding area. There were at least two recent flood markers (both in the 2010s) and displays of old work equipment. One of my favorite finds was the blacksmith's shop where you could purchase a horseshoe, fire poker, or tent post. 

I also adored the carousel museum. Though small, the carousel museum included a brief history on carousels and included examples of horses from the mid to late 1800s. I think the earliest one I saw had been built in the 1870s. Knoebels has two working carousels, a small one mainly for kids (that didn't stop me from going on it) and a big one that also had the ring game. 

If you've never heard of the ring game on carousels, you've really missed out on something special. The ring game is for people who sit on the outer edge of the carousel. An arm is extended down that holds little metal rings. Riders are meant to grab onto the rings and then toss them in the designated area. The rings are maybe two inches in diameter (or big enough to get two fingers hooked in) and traditionally there is one brass ring that wins the grabber a free ride (I don't think Knoebels has this feature). 

The ring game has long gone out of fashion - likely because of insurance. As I hadn't played the ring game in a long time, I quickly relearned how difficult it was to grab them and how easily someone could hurt themselves. However, it is a ton of fun and amazing that Knoebels has the game on their Grand Carousel. 

I ended up purchasing $25.00 worth of tickets. The first thing I opted to ride was the rollercoaster Flying Turns. This ride was built in the 2000s based on a design created in the 1920s. Similar to a steel bobsled type rollercoaster, it is the only known wooden rollercoaster without a track. It is also freaking awesome and one of two rides I was had to try (the other was the Grand Carousel).

With only $20.00 remaining in tickets, I decided to hold off on the other rollercoasters until my next visit (hopefully when I could get the unlimited ride wristband). Instead I rode both carousels, the tilt-a-whirl, Paratroopers, the swings, and The Haunted Mansion (yes it needs to be capitalized). 

The Haunted Mansion is a traditional dark ride that fewer and fewer amusement parks have. I've only really experienced similar rides at the seashore amusement parks on the different boardwalks. The Disneyland version this ain't. It's loud with plenty of jump scare (though thankfully none are humans in a mask) and some questionable stereotypes. The story for this Haunted Mansion included a cursed object taking over the house after the guy who "acquired" the object got married and moved in with his new bride. My favorite room was one with glowing skulls that seemed to spin around the room. My least favorite part was the truck horn jump scare (if you know, you know).

Though I didn't try it, Knoebels also has an outdoor pool area that charges for entry with the option to upgrade to include waterslides. The pool area looked really nice and the slides looked like a lot of fun. 

I really enjoyed my time at Knoebels, though it was only for a few hours. It's a park that feels much more focused on traditional amusement rides than just thrilling rollercoasters. In fact, most of their big rollercoasters are wooden. I plan to go again and possibly camp there at some point (especially if I can meet up with my family and they bring the huskies). There are definitely some rides I wasn't able to try that sound amazing (like Phoenix and Black Diamond). 

Maybe I can convince my cousins that we need to have our family reunion there (even if it breaks with tradition). We might be able to get more of the family to come if rides are included.

Have you ever been to Knoebels? If so, what's your favorite ride? I still can't believe how awesome Flying Turns was. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or l eave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the County Fair

This weekend was the Fairfax County fair and carnival. Growing up, I only went to one or two county fairs, so I was curious to see what Fairfax County had to offer. I wasn’t expecting much because Fairfax County isn’t exactly known for its farms, but the ads promised animals, rides, games, and food.

The fair was at Frying Pan Farm, which is the last working farm in Fairfax County. Apparently, Cox Farms (close to where I live) is considered more of an attraction rather than a “working” farm. To my untrained eye, I would say they are both farms.

I’ve driven past Frying Pan Farm before…and been very confused by the random farm tucked in between the suburbs that surround it. Fairfax County bought the farm in the mid-1900s (yes, I’m doing this now for dates before the 1970s) as a park and educational tool for kids who live away from farms (pretty much all of Northern Virginia at this point). The park provides a hands on experience of farm life during the Great Depression. They have animals that are raised for market, including the usual chickens, pigs, cows, ducks, and turkeys, and event space loke for the county fair which is partnered with the local 4H Club to show animals.

I didn’t even know there was a 4H Club in Northern Virginia since I always associated them with rural parts of the country. The four Hs stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health and is a program for kids and teens. I remember staying at a 4H camp for an annual church retreat and being told that the 4H Club was a “farming club” for kids.

I think one of my cousins used to show rabbits through 4H.

There is a lot more to it than farming. The kids are able to complete a variety of projects and the county fair provides a space for them to compete against each other for prizes. There’s of course the animal show (I saw the goats and sheep) as well as a number of craft, cooking, written, and artistic entries put in for competition. Some of the projects were amazing - one entry was a three tiered wooden chandelier with a bird figure in the center.

I had fun seeing the animals, both those being shown and who live full time at the farm. I got to hold a couple of week old chicks and pet a rabbit. I also had my mind blown by how large pigs actually are. It wasn’t my first time seeing a pig, but each time I see one feels like the first time. Pigs are big animals. I also took plenty of pictures of the cows to share with my sibling (it’s an obsession with that one).

Of course there was food, rides, and games. The food wasn’t what I’d call traditional, but felt authentic to Northern Virginia. Not a lot of deep fried nonsense, but there was BBQ, Tex Mex, El Salvadorian, hot dogs, burgers, and Thai food. I chose to have Pad Thai.

I didn’t ride any rides or play any games. It was raining while I was there and, when it wasn’t raining, it was 87% humidity. I felt gross. However, there were a few rides I would have indulged in if the weather had been better. I would have loved to go on the Ferris wheel and there was a cute carousel. The games were the standard carnival games - plus really expensive. I did think it was weird that one of the game’s prizes included live goldfish.

I felt a little bad for the poor fish.

Due to the weather, I didn’t stay long and it looked like things were wrapping up early, too. The fair started on Thursday evening and today was the last day. The first three days had great weather, though too hot for me. I’m glad I went on the last day. It wasn’t too crowded and I saw everything I wanted to.

Have you been to your state or county fair? Part of me wishes I’d been able to go more as a kid (though I did go to the May Day Fair regularly in Lancaster, PA, it didn’t have animals). It’s a cool experience, especially for kids.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Welcome to Summerween

July is nearly over. We've already had several days over 100F (38C) in my area and two named storms in the Atlantic. I've been harvesting cherry tomatoes from my small tomato plant. Back to school sales are wrapping up and cute Halloween decor is popping up in all the home goods stores.

Well, some of it is Halloween decor. In between the (far too early) traditional spooky things that give my brain a dopamine hit are a few items where ghosts and skeletons are enjoying the sun with fruity drinks. I even saw a piece with a ghost riding a flamingo. The flamingo wasn't even a skeleton.

This mashup of summer fun and Halloween aesthetic is what is known as Summerween. 

You might have started hearing it on booktok (the book side of TikTok) or booktube (the book side of YouTube) where influencers are recommending horror books with a summer vibe. You might have seen art of ghosts hanging out on the beach or a watermelon carved to look like a jack-o-lantern on Instagram.  

Basically, it's a social media thing for people who want it to be Halloween. In the US, this time period seems to start shortly before or right after Independence Day (July 4th) and eventually transitions into regular Halloween. I particularly like the people who have a ton of skeleton decorations and pose them for non-Halloween related holidays and seasons.

You, dear reader, might be wondering how this new invasion of a holiday in the wrong season started. I mean, Christmas in July has been around for as long I can remember and is the halfway point for Halloween. People aren't celebrating Halloween around Easter, they're celebrating in the middle of summer. 

Well, the history of Summerween (or "lore" for those of you with children under the age of 18) is very recent. It started as an episode of the animated Disney show Gravity Falls. That's right, an animated Disney show is why we have Summerween.  

The 12th episode of the 1st season of Gravity Falls, titled "Summerween", exists because the show creators wanted to create a Halloween episode, but had to get creative when the show takes place over the course of one summer.. The town in Oregon, where the show takes place, has a ton of weird and spooky things happening all the time. The locals accept this (for the most part) and (per the show's explication) love Halloween so much, that they decided to have a second one in the Summer. This "Summerween" includes trick or treating, carving watermelons, and a cursed creature that will eat you if you displease it and can't get into the spirit of Summerween. 

This cursed creature, the Summerween Trickster, is loosely based off of No Face from the Miyazaki movie Spirited Away. The two main characters accidently upset it for various reasons and they end up needing to bring it 500 pieces of candy by the time the jack-o'-melons (get it?) in town go out or he'll eat them. The episode is really funny and I recommend the show in general. It's one of the few Disney animated shows that actually gets to the end of it's overarching story. But as a stand alone episode, it also works.

This is the origin of Summerween. 

Do I think Summerween will continue to be a thing? I have no idea. My theory on why this concept has recently gained traction (the show is over ten years old as of writing this post) is a mix of nostalgia (the kids who watch Gravity Falls now have grown up money), the increasing popularity of the horror genre, and the fact that it's too hot outside and people are over it. Most of the Summerween influencers are bookish young women and often include music from Hocus Pocus or Practical Magic while doing their influencer videos. 

I'm not knocking the demographic. I appreciate their passion. 

However, I am unlikely to participate in the consumer side of Summerween. I think the designs are cute (though there's a lot of AI being used) and I'm enjoying the movie and book recommendations. I don't foresee myself buying any of these unnecessary items (though I would accept them as gifts), though I might create my own art for the mashup season. It is also a fair point that I do leave out my regular Halloween decorations year round.

And that is Summerween. 

You might not have heard of it at all prior to this blog post or you might have seen ghosts and skeletons doing cute, yet random summer things on dishtowels. Maybe you already knew all of this and scrolled through the above to see if I had any media suggestions (for movies check out Midsommar or the original Wickerman from the 70s; for books I enjoyed "Meddling Kids" and there's witches running around in "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls").

Would you like to celebrate Summerween? Do you enjoy a spooky summer mashup? Let me know in the comments. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me. 

Welcome to Haze and Smoke

The past few weeks have been hot and hazy with air quality warnings asking people to limit travel. I’ve mostly stayed inside (though I finally mowed the lawn today) and set up my dad’s old air purifier to keep the air nice in the house.

In the middle of all of this, I thought my cat might have asthma. Asthma in cats isn’t rare, but it is tricky (and expensive) to treat. Thankfully, Wilhelmina does not have asthma; she has a sinus infection. The vet recommended getting a humidifier. I asked if that was really a given the time of year and where we live. The vet then suggested I keep Wilhelmina in the bathroom while I showered. 

She does not enjoy this treatment.

The haze started getting bad around the 4th of July. Fireworks were going off all week prior to the Independence Day celebrations which put tons of smoke into the air. There ended up being rolling thunderstorms on the 4th, which got some of the smoke out of the air. 

It still wasn’t easy to breathe. I nearly missed having an inhaler of my own.

This past weekend, Canadian wildfires has sent smoke into my area. It’s a bit mind boggling to think how far the smoke has to travel. The worst of the fires are in Ontario (between 600 to 1,000 miles away from my current location). I am no where near Ontario, yet a thick blanket of grey-white haze has settled over my area. 

It was eerie traveling on some of the backroads through Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania on Friday. If I hadn’t known it was midday in July, I’d have thought it was a morning in November. I could barely see the mountains as I drove up route 15. They were dark grey blobs rising up to meet a lighter grey sky. 

It could have been the start of a horror novel or old fairy tale.

Things began to clear up yesterday with the rain (and the threat of tornadoes close to where I was staying). I finally saw some blue sky, too.

However, some of my family was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the entire time it was just smoky haze. My aunts said it got so bad at times that they couldn’t see across Lake Independence (it’s a small lake near Big Bay, MI). Granted they were much closer to the fires, but nowhere near where they were actually burning - they’d have had to cross Lake Superior for that.

My sibling sent me this picture from Big Bay, MI.

This isn’t the first time smoke from Canadian wildfires have drifted over the northeast. A few years ago, I remember waking up to an orange sky. It looked like dawn had just broken over the horizon, except it was several hours after the sun had risen. Pictures from New York City had looked apocalyptic. 

More and more wildfires are likely to breakout in the coming years. In winter of 2025, Los Angeles had huge fires break out all over the surrounding areas directly killing at least 31 people and indirectly causing the deaths of over 400 (at least according to Wikipedia). Australia has also seen increasingly intense fire seasons that make international news every year.

Natural wildfires are going to happen. In fact some wildfires are healthy for certain environments. They clear out old dead brush and encourage new growth. 

However, wildfires have been getting more problematic due in part to climate change and human actions. Hotter summers with less rainfall leads to drier areas perfect for fires to spread quickly. And though wildfires can be caused by lightening strikes, the vast majority are caused by people.

Some of these fires are accidental. Someone might now out a camp fire properly or set off fireworks when they shouldn’t or have a gender reveal party that includes more pyrotechnics than necessary. Others are intentionally set.

I’ve seen a fire be started by someone. One 4th of July, probably over two decades ago, I was setting off sparklers for my neighbors (my parents usually had a party on the 4th at our house) and being extra careful as was my responsibility - though it was probably questionable that I had even been the one to set them off. We wrapped up not long after sunset and headed inside. About a half hour later, one of my neighbors came running up to our house (we lived at the top of a hill) asking if we had a fire extinguisher. While my mom went to go get ours, my dad and I went outside to see the fire. The trees in my neighborhood’s were set ablaze higher than the house.

My mom comes out with the fire extinguisher and someone (I will probably never remember who) said something along the lines of “that's not going to be much help.”

At least the fire department had already been called before the neighbor came up to our house. Bottle rockets were the cause of the fire. We’d seen a few going off nearby and one likely landed in the trees in my neighbor’s backyard. My dad had never allowed us to have bottle rockets or anything that shot up into the air for that matter because of the woods that surrounded our houses. If the wind had been a little worse or the trees a little drier, the whole neighborhood could have gone up.

Thankfully, the fire was quickly put out.

I’ve only ever seen the aftermath of one natural fire in New Jersey. My favorite hiking area had been struck by lightening and it was quickly contained. They closed the trains closest to the damaged area for a month or two (I don’t fully remember). When the trains reopened, I remember how much the whole area still smelled like camp fire and how much the trees had been charred. The fire had turned dead trees and plants to ash, but the ones that survived only had a few scorch marks. 

Both of these fires could have easily become huge problems under different circumstances, but firefighters were quick to prevent their spread. I was taught from an early age to be respectful of the wilderness and to pay attention to the risk of fires. Smoky the Bear taught me that only I could prevent forest fires.

So to end this post, remember to check the fire risk levels before lighting any fires outdoors. Please don’t set off fireworks without training or a license. And for the love of your future children, keep gender reveal parties to smaller announcements - a colorful cake is just fine…or a piñata. 

Wildfires are likely to continue to disrupt our lives. You can be prepared and have an evacuation plan, you can stay inside to avoid the smoke, and you can just not light a fire when the area is too dry. Heck, you can even become a firefighter - a couple of the kids I used to babysit are now firefighters (with kids…good gracious time has flown by).

Stay safe out there.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Welcome to Faded Denim Pride

Happy Pride!

I haven't been super active this month celebrating. Work is unusually busy and personal writing has been hard to accomplish on my personal time. I did briefly go into DC last week, but I was there to celebrate the first day of summer at the Smithsonian. I haven't even watched "Angels in America" (mostly because I have no idea where my DVDs are - and no I won't rent or buy it online). I have been reading Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, which is an updated take on Carmilla  - one of the earliest examples of vampires and sex (particularly feminine sexuality) in the Western cannon.

However, there was one item I recalled that I wanted to look up for Pride.

Several months ago, I published a blog post featuring my Antarctica travel journal for 11 November, 2025. Within that entry, I included the following paragraphs: 

"We sat with W.A.R, Su, and SN at lunch. I again had a sandwich with salad. We talked a bit about LGBTQIA+ history. Su had gone to Virginia Tech and were part of the Denim Protest. The LGBT+ alliance and allies wore denim in solidarity for gay rights during a week in January 1979. At the time, the school and community retaliated against the students. Virginia Tech recently celebrated the 45th anniversary."

I recall thinking about how it might make an interesting blog post for Pride Month. Fast forward six months, and I am sitting down to write this post. I go to look up the Denim Day Protest and I get barely anything. The key words Denim Day are most often associated with an event in April that raises awareness on sexual assault. 

I tried a couple of different search options and even used AI (ugh!) to help aid my search. Not even a wiki page popped up. 

The one of the few webpages that I saw mention it was a post on the Virginia Tech Alumni Relations site. It confirms that between January 15-19th, 1979, a small number of Gay Student Alliance members wore all denim and that they "endured ridicule, taunting, verbal and physical assaults."

The post was from 2019 or the 40th anniversary of the original protest. 

I did a little more digging and was able to find a timeline of LGBTQ+ History at Virginia Tech which includes a little more information on the Denim Day Protest. The website has transcripts to interviews from people who participated and records of responses to the protest.

I'm disappointed that I hadn't written more of that conversation down. I remember that she went into great detail about what lead up to the protest and the community's and school's brutal response to the handful of students who were trying to live their lives. She had explained why they had chosen denim and what it meant to the community in the 1970s.

I didn't record any of it. I thought there'd be more information on the Internet. Wikipedia has an article on everything. Why wouldn't it have an article on this one protest?

At least there is an archive being created on the LGBTQ+ history at Virginia Tech. I can read what other people remember from 40 years ago that I wasn't able to capture from one conversation at the bottom of the world. 

But the limited information is still disheartening. 

Part of why there might not be as much information is that a lot of LGBTQ+ history from before the 1990s has been lost. Between differing ideas on what it meant to be LBGTQ+ through the centuries (see the ancient Greeks and Romans for some of the best examples), relatives burning queer family members' personal writings to prevent scandals, and the huge loss of a recent generation to the AIDs pandemic, LGBTQ+ history is a patchwork quilt eaten by moths. There are those who are working to dig into LGBTQ+ history and preserve it for future LBGTQ+ people (because despite what some may think, queer people have always existed and we will continue to exist without any regard to social propriety). 

However, LGBTQ+ history, like other vulnerable groups' histories, is always on the cusp of being suppressed. In 1933, The Institute of Sexology was targeted by the newly elected German government (three guesses as to who was their leader and the first two don't count). During it's just over 20 years in existence, the Institute collected and researched LGBTQ+ history. They recognized transgender and intersex individuals (though by an outdated terms) along with educating people on sexual and reproductive health.

Everything was destroyed on May 6th, 1933. The loss of research and history is still being felt.

And it's not just LBGTQ+ history being suppressed, even in the United States. Over the past year, our national parks and lands have had to remove references to slavery, violence and genocide against first nations people, and other topics deemed "not beneficial to American history" (whatever that means). Some of these places are fighting back (it's kind of hard not to mention slavery when discussing why Harper's Ferry is a National Park) and ensuring that history is preserved. 

But how much is still lost?

I wish I could provide you with a better summary of that conversation. I have vivid memories of bits and pieces of it, but memories (no matter how vivid) are fallible. I don't have that person's contact information to ask them for an interview and I'd feel a bit weird asking for a blog post. 

But if LGBTQ+ and other vulnerable groups' histories are to be preserved, it's up to the individuals to share that with the next generation. I'll hopefully never forget that conversation from 11 November, 2025 on a ship in Antarctica.  By writing this blog post, I am sharing that an event called the Denim Day Protest did happen at Virginia Tech in 1979 and the reaction to it. I am sharing current links to the sources I was able to find. I am sharing that I knew someone who was part of making history. 

Because history is happening every day. 

In our age of social media and near instant news sharing via the Internet, so much information is being preserved in the digital space. And though we like to think the Internet is forever (and in many ways it is for any embarrassing photos posted in high school or college and that poorly thought out tweet you vomited out while black out drunk at 3:00am), it isn't. The digital space is just as prone to destruction and loss as paper and stone are. Most of what is preserved on the Internet is from passionate individuals who are happy to (perhaps overshare) their interests. 

I seem to be one of those people. 

Anyway, I hope everyone who participated had a Happy Pride. I'm going to go finish my book.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please, like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me. 

Welcome Gratefulness on the Longest Day

 It’s officially summer.

Time for a rewatch?

The season kicks off with the longest day in the northern hemisphere and the shortest in the southern hemisphere. People who live in the far north got to see the midnight sun and in a few places, the sun won’t set for another month or so.

I admit that I’m not the biggest fan of summer. I prefer the start of planting season in mid-spring and the crispness of autumn. Living where I do, the heat is accompanied by extra strength humidity. Plus, I no longer get the summer breaks I did as a kid…because I work full time.

However, there are a few things I’m grateful for during the summer season.

1) Going to the beach - as a kid, I grew up going to the sandy beaches on Lake Superior and the Jersey Shore (DTS? My Jersey friends). Both could have very cold water depending on when in the summer season I went in, but both were a staple of summer fun. I am still able to occasionally go visit - though rarely in the same year.

2) Harvesting from my garden - this is the first year in many that I have more than a balcony garden (I still have one on my deck). Since buying a house with a small yard, I’ve been excited to grow fruits, (mostly) vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Right now my peas are about at their end, so I’ll plant more in late July, but my cherry tomatoes, green beans, and strawberries are just starting to ripen. Hopefully Wilhelmina can keep the birds at bay (not really since she’s an indoor only cat. I sadly did have one tomato plant snap in half, but it’s already regrowing and might have some fruit by August.

3) Festivals - DC and surrounding areas have a ton of outdoor festivals in the summer. While I am (highly) unlikely to do anything for the 250th, I have gone to a few other festivals this year. This weekend, in honor of the solstice, the Smithsonian’s were open until 11:00pm and had a ton of programs available. The Pride festivities were also this weekend. Usually, in late in July, is the Folk Life Festival (always a fun one to attend). Music festivals are also big in DC like Kerfuffle (though that one is in May).

4) Late night walks - I admit that having it stay really bright so late messes with my sense of time, but I do love a late night after dinner walk. There’s usually a cool breeze and fireflies to light the way. The nature trails behind my house are a great place to spot ducks, deer, foxes, and the very rare bobcat and bear.

5) Summer storms - nothing, and I mean nothing, beats a summer storms. My favorite are the ones late in the evening that are mostly electrical. They zap the heat right out of the air and bring a relaxing, if hard, rain. When I used to house sit in rural Virginia, I’d have a storm every night. It was a little spooky, but also comforting (it was very warm in that house). One of my favorite memories is watching my California cousins see a thunderstorm for the first time. Where they lived in CA, thunderstorms were rare. That summer night, we pulled down the beach chairs for them to sit in the garage and watch the lightening dance across the sky.

6) Grilling and BBQ - I hope World Cup attendees are having fun trying American food (and some countries don’t think we have a cuisine) because it’s grilling and BBQ season! I finally have a grill. My aunt gave it to me last year. I’m not very good at using it by myself, but I enjoy setting it up every now and then. I hope our visitors came plenty hungry. We promise plenty of ranch.

7) Camp and Bond Fires - while I do go camping in the spring and autumn as well, summer holds my fondest memories of camping. I was 8 when my parents sent me to overnight camp for the first time (and may not have changed my socks for a week). I had a blast and at the end of each night, we’d gather around the campfire for s’mores and songs. It’s a smell I’ll never get out of my mind. Neither does the memory of all the mosquito bites I ended up with.

8) Pools and Water Parks - sadly my new neighborhood doesn’t have an outdoor pool. I joined a rec center that has an indoor pool, but that isn’t one to relax by. However, there are a few county water parks and pools I can go to. I love lounging in a lazy river or floating in a wave pool.

9) Farmer’s Markets - it is peak farmer’s market season. This week I picked up peaches, strawberries, and corn. The stalls are overflowing with fresh produce. Yes, prices are a little high - which is why I only use cash and go twice a month.

10) Socializing - summer is when most people have outdoor gatherings or plan trips to meet up with friends and family. This summer, I’ll be traveling to visit friends and family in different states. And to kick off this season, I met up with friends to go mini golfing and a backyard BBQ. I’ve also signed up for some outdoor group activities on Meetup and through my library (though there’s a waitlist for those).

So there’s ten things I’m grateful for in the summer time. What are you grateful for this time of year? Do you have plans to hang out with friends? Or maybe you’ll be at a party celebrating the 250th anniversary of the USA or the World Cup. 

Stay safe out there. Wear sunscreen (coral reef safe) and bug spray (triple check for ticks). Always have at least two liters of water on hand. And have fun!

Until the next week. If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Staycation

 It's like a vacation, but you don't go anywhere. 

Between adopting a cat, the rising cost of travel, and family planning a visit, I decided to take the past week off to decompress and relax. Granted I still ended up cleaning a bunch and working on going through my deceased parent's stuff, but I still spent a few days doing absolutely nothing.

This was a good lunch!

It was nice to have a week to "do nothing" at home. I played with the cat, tackled a few projects I hadn't had time for, read a lot, and enjoyed taking day trips to different small towns within an hour or so from my house. 

Saturday and Sunday were the "quite days". I had an obligation Sunday night, so I stuck around the house and had my annual rewatch of Steven King's "Rose Red" (it takes place on Memorial Day weekend). My cat enjoyed the attention and I picked up a bunch of books from the library.

Monday was an "adventure day". Since it was Memorial Day, I wanted to do something to honor (or at least think about) those who gave their lives serving the country. I opted to visit Winchester, Virginia. 

I stopped first at the battlefield. It's not a part of the National Parks like Manassas and Gettysburg. It is instead managed by The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. The visitor's center is right off 81 and there are several miles of trails to explore. They also have a strict rule that discourages treasure hunters trying to find Civil War relics. 

After visiting the visitor's center and walking around the battlefield to see some of the monuments, I decided to head into the historic district to find a place for lunch. In most of the smaller towns in Virginia, shops and restaurants tend to close on Mondays to give staff and residents a break from the more crowded and lucrative weekends. Though a lot of places along the outdoor walking area were closed, I was still able to find a few restaurants open and a few shops to visit (including a book store). I also popped into the museum in town, but didn't have enough time to look around properly. I hope to go back as the museum has a lot of Civil War graffiti that's been preserved. 

I managed to get home before the Memorial Day weekend traffic really kicked off (it helped that I was able to drive the backroads home). The cat was fed dinner on time.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were "chore days". Yes, I still was able to laze around a bit, but I also wanted to get the house ready for my family to visit and run a few errands. Wilhelmina had a follow up vet appointment to check her ears (all clear of infection - thank goodness) and I finally got my second set of car keys (it took about an hour and half for them to be programmed - whatever that entails). 

I also took the opportunity to try one of the Korean spas nearby. The closest (and most recommended) is Spa World, which I still haven't been to (though Groupon does have a sale). The other spa nearby is King Spa, which has an outdoor pool. They were having a weekday walk-in special that I took advantage of. 

I loved going to King Spa. However, there were new experiences for me - at least in the United States. Nudity is mandatory in parts of King Spa. The sexes are separated, though I'm not sure what their policy on gender identity is. I didn't mind this as I'd been to an onsen in Japan when I was 11. The nudity is only required in the shower and bath area. 

Bathing suites are required for use of the indoor and outdoor blade pools. The blade pools are amazing. Water pressure is used to message different parts of the body with areas to stand, sit, and lay down. There are also a few hot tubs. 

The other areas of the spa include the saunas. You have to wear the spa's uniforms to enter the saunas. King Spa has ten sauna rooms for you to choose from. I tried all, but the ice room since it was closed the day I went. I especially liked the Bul Han Jing Mak room. It was the hottest sauna at 390 degrees Fahrenheit and I couldn't stay in very long, but it was a great experience. 

Also at King Spa (and other similar Korean spas) are relaxing areas and a restaurant. I thought the restaurant was a little overpriced, but not bad. I was able to finish one of my library books while in the relaxing area. People bring books, knitting, and even laptops to the relaxing area - just leave them outside the saunas. 

Once my family arrived, things ramped up. We went to Middleburg, Manassas, and back to Winchester to see the small towns and do some shopping. We spent a lot of time in one of the toy stores in Middleburg selecting baby shower gifts for one of my cousins who is about to have their first child. 

On Saturday, we went to the Cox Farms BBQ. In the late Spring and Summer, Cox Farms is a great place to take small children. They have tons of play areas, opportunities to see the farm animals (they have goats, chickens, and a llama), and have good food. On Saturdays, they also have a band playing during the BBQ lunch.

As my staycation draws to a close, I'm happy with the mix of quite time and adventure. Sometimes it feels like I need a vacation from my vacation, but this experience didn't feel like that at all. There are a lot of small, but fun things to do within an hour or two of my area and it was nice to explore some of the places I had never been to before. 

10 out of 10 I would recommend a staycation. 

Especially since the money is tight right now. Yeesh...

If you enjoyed this blog post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Until next week.