Summer Highlights 2019

Another summer has come to an end, and what a wonderful summer it was! Here are just a few of the highlights that made it memorable.

Wine and Arts Festival (Grove City) June 14-15, 2019

This was our second year attending because we had enjoyed it so much last year. Last year we ran into my cousin and her husband who live a bit closer to the venue than we do, so we weren’t surprised to see them there. This year that same cousin and her sister, my other cousin were there, so we spent most of the evening walking around with them. It was fun comparing our tastes in wine, most of which we agreed on. Maybe next year I’ll get my sister to join us. After all, the more the merrier!

An ‘Otherworld-ly’ Visit June 23, 2019

Wishing to get away from buying too many material gifts that my husband neither wants, nor needs, I read about this really cool new place they were building on the other side of town (that’s really in another county and a bit of a drive, but never mind) and thought the purchase of a voucher might be both a nice way to support a new business and provide a unique gift for my husband’s birthday. We ended up spending at least a couple hours there, and definitely thought it was worth the drive and wouldn’t mind visiting again (and maybe next time invite some friends and family). My niece and her boyfriend also stopped in one day and said they enjoyed it too.

The premiere of the third season of “Stranger Things” on Netflix July 4, 2019

After waiting perhaps a year or so after season 2 ended, we were all in eager anticipation of what surprises season 3 would hold. All I knew is that the cast had certainly grown up a little and were now teenagers with teenage feelings and teenage interests. Since quite a lot of the scenes took place at the Starcourt Mall, it was fun getting to relive my own teen years a little with glimpses of stores now just a memory (Waldenbooks, Sam Goody, Orange Julius, Benetton, etc.). I also love the chemistry between the various teens – especially Steve and Robyn. The heart-to-heart in the bathroom was truly touching. The last episode left me in tears wishing we could have had maybe one or two more episodes in this season, but always leave ‘em wanting more. I will definitely be counting down the days until season 4 (whenever that will be).

Getting our garden whipped into shape

After talking about it for many years and making only half-hearted attempts to do it ourselves, we finally hired someone to help us get our garden back into a respectable state. After about a month or so of twice weekly sessions ripping out weeds (filling at least a dozen and a half brown bags), a few trips to local nurseries and garden centers followed by the planting of lots of colorful additions to our back corner, we finally have a garden worthy of showing off. Our gardener is certainly a miracle-worker and we’re eternally grateful for her help.

Seeing the animal kingdom up close and personal

Even though we have a garden and plants that we would rather not be eaten by the local deer population, we still have a soft spot for these gentle creatures that roam our neighborhood on a daily basis. We’ve seen several bucks, does, and even a pair of fawns that look like something straight out of Disney. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t even bother taking pictures anymore because I’ve already been spoiled with more photo opps than I probably deserve. I also know to keep a clear distance and respect their space.

A Family Vacation out on Put-in-Bay July 28-31, 2019

My parents had their 50^th wedding anniversary coming up and decided they would rather just gather the entire family and go on vacation together in lieu of a party (which is what we did for their 40^th anniversary). The venue of Put-in-Bay (one of the islands in Lake Erie off the northwest coast of Ohio) was selected, and my sister chose the hotel (as she regularly visits with some teacher friends of hers). Three carloads of family met up at the ferry port and we all rode over to the island on a gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon and spent the next three days partaking of much the island had to offer enjoying the time spent in each other’s company.

The 50^th Anniversary of the Moon Landing & Woodstock Festival

Though I wasn’t yet born when either of these events occurred, I enjoyed watching documentaries and countless hours of footage taken of both of them (thanks WOSU/PBS!) and certainly learned a lot, and was even entertained a little (more with Woodstock rather than the Moon Landing). Not sure if there will be any more big celebrations of either in 10 – 25 years, but I am glad I took the time to immerse myself in the festivities as much as I could this time (including a visit to the Neil Armstrong Museum in Wapakoneta).

Hopefully someday we’ll get a chance to visit the Woodstock Museum in upstate New York at Bethel Woods (with a little better planning we probably could have done that this year, but it was probably crazy busy there).  

I hope you all had a fun-filled and memorable summer. Have a Happy Labor Day everyone!