Summer Prose

She said, "Summer is overrated."

And I thought

Well.

Fall is beautiful too

But each year

I

Fall

A little more in love

With summer.

Summer

When the sun shines hottest 

Is when I feel the most alive

And 

My exuberance 

Tries to express itself

In a poem

That doesn't rhyme.

In August

The Sunday of summer

I feel the end

Is coming too soon.

And

I want to spend

More time

In the sunshine.

Nurture my flowers

Soak in 

The colors

And sounds 

of summer.

More time

Away from work

Slow down

Take a walk

Go to the mountains

Ride bike

Visit the lake

Sit on the deck

Go out for ice cream.

There is beauty

In every season

And I 

Enjoy them all.

But

Summer

Is never long enough

For me.

Hudson River weekend 2020

Last weekend we took our annual summer trip to the Hudson River Valley. I blogged about our trip last year here and wasn't sure I would give a report again, but several people have asked about it. 

We love going to this area of New York because it's only a 2 - 3 hour drive from here (depending where you stay) and it's beautiful natural scenery. The towns are really not that great... kind of run-down and old. This time we stayed in a basement apartment in Newburgh that I booked through Airbnb. The place was very nice but in a super sketchy part of town. I would not have felt safe being out at night on that street! Loud music, groups of people congregating on front porches and sidewalks, abandoned buildings, graffiti... get the picture? While I'm writing on accommodations, I will recommend a place we stayed at the first time we went to the area. The Gilmor Sloane House in Stony Point is an 1856 Victorian mansion with 11 bedrooms each uniquely decorated with antique furniture. It was an interesting place to stay! I couldn't find a place to book online; I think you have to call for reservations. Here's a link to the website. 

We like the Stony Point area best of all the places we've stayed. Once again we partook of burgers and fries at The Filling Station in Haverstraw and went to the Stony Point lighthouse for a lazy afternoon taking in the view.

The Filling Station - amazing burgers and fries!

Stony Point lighthouse is located at the Stony Point Battlefield historic site.

Earlier this summer we each bought a bike and have been rediscovering how much fun it is to ride! We got a carrier for the car and are now officially bike-toting Subaru drivers. 😊 They rode along to New York with us and we decided to bike the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. 

Walkway Over the Hudson 

We've been on the Walkway before and it's impressive every time. There's a paved trail on an old railroad bed extending several miles from either side of the bridge. We rode over the bridge a couple times and took the trail on both sides for a total of 20 miles (not the whole length of the trail - we didn't reach the end). It was fantastic! The trail is flat, easy riding. It was a warm, sunny day perfect for feeling the wind as we rode. Sometimes I have the urge to ride fast and it's thrilling to zip along, feeling like a kid again. The bike ride was definitely the highlight of this trip and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys that sort of thing.

I think we might make it a tradition to take a similar trip every year for our anniversary. We've always gone in the summer, but I'm sure fall would be wonderful too. I'm already looking forward to next time!

this summer evening

It doesn't get any better than this: sitting on my deck as the sun goes down, watching fireflies and listening to the birds. The air is warm, the flowers are brilliant, and it's complete contentment. How I love summer evenings! If I had to choose one favorite out of all the above, I'd pick the fireflies. Watching hundreds of them rise flickering above the grass is so lovely!

Working inside a windowless, sterile environment is a trial I resent in the summer. Since I'm also taking some online college courses, most of my non-work time is occupied studying. I was going to work on some assignments just now, but stepped outside and realized how lovely it was and decided it would do my soul good to just sit on the deck and write. 

I have been enjoying studying, although I'm realizing it's not as easy to learn when your brain is 35 years old! I'm taking biology this summer and plan to take several more classes in the fall semester. I don't have a definite plan, but for now I want to build up health sciences credits that will be useful if I decide to go to pharmacy school or any other healthcare field. Nothing will happen fast since I plan to keep working full time.

It's certainly been a stay at home summer, but that's fine with me! I honestly can't remember when the last time was that we traveled outside of the state (or maybe even the county!). Tonight we actually WENT TO A RESTAURANT AND DINED IN! That hasn't happened in at least four months. We want to do our usual summer Hudson River Valley trip over a weekend in August. I don't have to leave home to take a mini vacation, though. When sitting on my own deck on a summer evening is the best place to be, life is good!