locked out

Yesterday, I managed to lock myself out of the house for SIX HOURS. My phone, wallet, and book were INSIDE. The dogs and I were outside.

I had no way to contact Larry, and of course it ended up being the day that he didn't get home from the office until 9 pm. (I even considered walking to find a pay phone, but I haven't seen one of those in years. And I didn't have a quarter anyway.) My options were:

+ Walk 7 miles to my mother's house in 80+ degree heat to get the spare key 
(Note to Self: Your nearest spare key should not be 7 miles away.)
+ Break a window
+ Wait it out

I wasn't keen on walking anywhere in public considering my uncombed hair situation which could only be described as full-fledged Heat Miser. And honestly, it takes us years to accomplish home improvement projects, so I figured if I broke a window, we'd be living with a plastic-covered window for at least the next twelve months. Since we weren't in any imminent danger, and since I've been trying to make the most of frustrating situations, I went with waiting.

Time for 'survivor' mode! I had access to water, the garden shed full of yard tools, and a set of dumbbells (from counterweighting our Christmas tree a few years ago - yes, they have been sitting on the patio for 2 1/2 years). I also had a bag of pita chips, which are the whole reason I got locked out in the first place - I went outside to have a snack, and foolishly slammed the door shut behind me. We have the kind of doorknobs that remain locked on the outside even when the knob turns on the inside. Actually, I'm surprised that this is the first time I've done this in the eight years we've lived in this house.

I think I was most annoyed by not having a book. I mean how does one occupy oneself for six hours without reading material?

Things I did:

+ LIFTED WEIGHTS
Might as well build some muscles!
+ 50 CHEATER PUSH-UPS
Ok, I don't actually have any muscles and my puny T-Rex arms can't do regular push-ups.
+ PACED THE PATIO
Managed to hit all my FitBit goals! I would've liked to walk around the entire perimeter of our backyard, but let's face it, it's full of dog shit.
+ MEDITATED
This was my first time doing an unguided meditation. I've been using the Headspace app for guided meditation the past few months and love it. I'm definitely not into new age-y stuff, but this app has really been helping me and I used what I learned to stay relaxed in a frustrating situation.
+ PEED IN THE CORNER
This is not the first time I've peed in my own backyard, but it's the first time I've had to do it in broad daylight! There are a few neighbors on our street who deserve to be mooned anyway, so two birds, one stone...

Are we sensing a theme here? Does my confinement sound similar to prison? In fact, when Larry got home, he said, "That's a nice little prison yard you made for yourself":


Other things I did:
+ YARDWORK
+ ATE PITA CHIPS
+ WASHED MY HAIR UNDER THE GARDEN HOSE
+ CONSTRUCTED AN S.O.S. MESSAGE TO LARRY ON THE FRONT PORCH

Locked Out

Sticks and stones on concrete

18" x 96"

2016

While I had a whole list of things waiting for me to accomplish inside the house, I found that being separated from my To Dos was actually quite liberating. I realized that spending an entire day stuck outside is actually more enjoyable the spending an entire day stuck inside. Even without access to a bathroom.

labor day staycation

Instead of going out of town for Labor Day weekend (which usually means sitting in holiday traffic for hours trying to get out of the DC area on Friday night/Saturday morning, and then getting stuck in holiday traffic again coming back on Monday evening), Larry and I decided to take a 'staycation' - not just a Let's-Lounge-Around-The-House-All-Weekend staycation, but an actual, Let's-Plan-Three-Days-Of-Activities-And-Do-Some-Cool-Shit staycation. (Is staycation an annoying made-up word? I think yes, but I can't think of a better term either.)

My goal was to make those three days actually feel like vacation, where you plan ahead and make the most of your time off, where you explore places you've never been, where you don't have a To Do list or house projects to work on. I wanted to do something different every day, all within a 2 hour drive of home. It was a lot to cram into one weekend and a lot of driving, but also a lot of fun to wake up every day and hit the road for a new adventure.

Our schedule included a little bit of everything in three states (VA, WV, and MD): live music, swimming and biking, walking around a small town, and trying local eateries. (Also, lots of time in the car together, which I actually enjoy now that we have a new car with more leg room and less dog hair.)

The plan:
Saturday | Appaloosa Festival in Front Royal, VA
Sunday | Swimming and exploring Westmoreland State Park, VA
Monday | Exploring Shepherdstown, WV and biking along the C&O Canal towpath, MD

Saturday was spent at the new Appaloosa Festival held at the Skyline Ranch Resort in Front Royal. There were a couple dozen bands playing mostly Americana music (including bluegrass/country/celtic/folk). This was a smaller festival, and I hadn't heard of most of the bands - we just wanted to sit outside, relax and listen to music. We also got to see a performance by our current musical obsession: Possessed by Paul James. This makes me wish I hadn't quit violin lessons when I was 12!

We got to chat with Konrad Wert after the performance and he was such a nice guy. (In addition to being an incredible musician, he is also a school teacher and an advocate for special education.) Since we decided to check out Appaloosa Festival on a whim at the last minute, our expectations were pretty low, and all the performances far exceeded them. It ended up being a great day with great music. You can also camp out at the farm if you want to stay for the whole festival weekend, and we hope to gather a group of friends and do that next year. Music and camping? Yes, please! Also, there were singing monks and farm animals!

Pig tail, or Barbie hair?

Just some nuns petting a miniature donkey...

On Sunday, we drove two hours to Westmoreland State Park. All summer I'd been looking for public swimming pools to visit since we do not have a neighborhood pool. I'd wanted to visit Westmoreland's pool for months and this was the last chance before it closed for the season. So yes, we drove four hours round trip to swim in a pool! What we didn't realize was that the park's beach along the Potomac would be mobbed with families barbecuing, sitting in hammocks, playing games, and camping out on every square inch of space along the water. I wish I had taken a picture, because I've never seen so many people! Not relaxing at all! But we were there for the pool, which was large and overlooked the Potomac River. The pool was crowded but not as packed as the beach. (I'd expected a somewhat empty campground pool, but it felt more like a public pool.) There weren't many non-meat food options, so we ate some crappy nachos and ice cream sandwiches for lunch. After a few hours of swimming and lounging, we walked down a short nature trail to reach a more secluded beach with views of Horsehead Cliffs and the river. The Potomac is much wider along the Northern Neck than it is back up in DC - it really feels like you're looking out across the ocean.












On Monday, we loaded the bikes onto the back of the car and drove out to explore Shepherdstown, West Virginia. We spent a while walking around the small town and wandered through a residential area until we found a monument to James Rumsey with a panoramic view. We ate lunch at the Blue Moon Cafe, and then rode our bikes for 10 miles along the C&O Canal towpath. We stopped to take pictures on the bridge between West Virginia and Maryland overlooking the Potomac River, 160 miles from where we viewed the Potomac the day before. Towards the end of the ride, I tried to stop my bike at the edge of the path, went to put my foot down and there was nothing there but air! It was one of those slow-motion-but-can't-stop-yourself-from-falling crashes, and I tumbled ass-over-bike into a ravine. I was thankful for my helmet, which protected my melon, but not my knees. Made it back to the car, and knees stinging, we stopped in Town Run Brewing Company for some medicine, AKA, beer.















Our first real staycation was a success - so much better to have a plan than to waste the whole weekend trying to decide what to do! I hope we make this a yearly tradition, because it was a great way to see a lot of local-ish places that we hadn't prioritized visiting until we set aside a whole weekend for exploring.

florida | the atlantic coast

After a few days relaxing on Sanibel Island for our second anniversary, Larry and I drove across southern Florida from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast to visit my dad in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea for a few days. I was looking forward to more relaxing on the beach, swimming in the ocean, hanging out with Dad, and taking Larry on a tour of Everglades National Park.


We arrived, Dad took us out for a nice dinner (hardest part about being in Florida was that we had given up eating seafood the year before!), and the next morning I woke up while it was still dark out. I crept out of the guest room and onto Dad's balcony to photograph the sunrise over the Atlantic.


When the guys got up, Larry made Bloody Marys on the balcony and we drank them while looking out over the beach. Pretty great way to start the day...




We had some beach time, enjoyed happy hour with my aunt and uncle who also live in Dad's building, and then I came down with a fever and spent the rest of the vacation sick. I spent hours shivering in bed, had a terrible cough, and finally relocated to the balcony where I sat huddled under a pile of towels watching the windsurfers. At least I had a view of the beach. I guess being sick on vacation is still better than being sick at home stuck in a snowstorm!





And there was some rainy weather, which made for some cool panoramic photos.





We didn't get to go to the Everglades, but I did get to swim in the ocean with my Dad, who was about to turn 80 and still swims almost every day. We've shared a love of the ocean since I was tiny tot and Dad took me swimming in New Jersey every summer and hoisted me above the waves.

Dad: I'm glad you love the ocean.
Me: I'm glad you taught me to love the ocean.

:)