Last night Joe looked at me and said, "We're actually going!" Yes, yes we are. We are going to Ireland. In a little over three weeks, we'll board an airplane, fly to Dublin, check in to our hotel, and begin a seven-day adventure. We have wanted to do this for years and years. Twelve years ago, we almost did! We looked at websites, figured out an itinerary, contacted the tour operator for details and pricing,... Read more →
Yesterday evening we walked across the Schuylkill River on the brand new Sullivan's Bridge. They've been building this bridge ever since we moved here and now it is all done! It links the Schuylkill River Trail to the trails in Valley Forge National Park. It's named after Major General John Sullivan, an officer in the Continental Army. George Washington charged him with building a bridge over the river to connect the two encampments on either... Read more →
It's Saturday, so that means it's a good day to do the Saturday 9! This weeks tune is "Into You" by Ariana Grande. Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 1) In this video, Ariana Grande and her boyfriend take off on a motorcycle. Are your trips usually carefully planned? Or would you prefer to just spontaneously get up and go? I'm totally a planner. When I go to a new place, I want... Read more →
When I was little, I would sit out in the yard on hot summer evenings and watch the sky light up. Mom called it "heat lightning" and I thought it was really cool. Just the name -- heat lightning -- sounded distant and mysterious. I loved gazing at it as I sat on the low patio wall on a hot summer night. Sometimes I'd sit by my bedroom window late at night when the heat... Read more →
Hangin' Out on the River So it's August. We're on the downslope of summer; the dog days. Back to school commericials abound.The cicadas are singing the blues, looking for love (or at least sex) and trying to avoid the cicada killer wasps. The weather is changeable. Heat waves and thunderstorms are followed by more reasonable warm and dry days with cool nights. The most doggish of the dog days drives me back into the gym... Read more →
It's been so hot that I've been walking on the treadmill in the air-conditioned gym. Lately, though, the temperature has moderated a bit, so I returned to my usual path and trail walk. As I was walking along the river, I noticed these weird clumps of dark dirt dotting a small area next to the river. What could they be? Maybe a big mole run? Maybe ant hills? They did look a bit like the... Read more →