Another Summer in the Books...

I hope my readers have been well! It's been exactly two months since my last blog post. I hadn't intended to take the summer off, but between normal summer busyness and attempting to sell our family home (which included moving the 'ol computer to a less prominent location), blogging took a backseat.

One of my favorite spots in the whole world: Wolfeboro in July

Also, my travel drought continued. With Julia remaining unvaccinated, we still didn't feel totally comfortable with a typical summer family vacation. My travels, a year and a half after COVID first ravaged our planet, remained of the day-trips-around-New Hampshire variety.

If I have to be stuck in one state, NH is far from the worst place to be...

Back in early July I did have an experience of note with Julia, bringing her to a US Women's National Team soccer game in Connecticut. It was a spectacular evening, with the best part seeing the stunned, awestruck grins across her face as Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, and Megan Rapinoe took the field right in front of us.

Pregame selfie

The US WNT in their last game before the Olympics

Leaving the game after a wonderful evening with Julia

Prior to the game, we had sojourned briefly at Wickham Park in Manchester, CT, a stone's throw from the game in East Hartford. It was a tiny taste of somewhere more exotic as we hurried through the oriental garden.

I dropped Julia off at the in-laws in White Plains, NY that evening (where she and Alyse were staying for the next week) and given the awkwardness of a Monday game, turned around and headed back to NH myself the following day. Given how little travel I'd done in the previous year-plus, I wanted to take advantage of every moment, moseying back on a scenic byway in eastern Connecticut and making a stop in the grittily refined town of Norwich. If you haven't noticed by now, I like to visit less-heralded places just to be a more authentic traveler and see beyond places' reputation with fresh eyes.

Like much of Connecticut, Norwich was an interesting mix of the refined in close proximity to the gritty

Other than (and even including) that, I didn't deem any of my local summer wanderings blogworthy. I have done a couple small hikes, plus my first 4,000-footer of the year yesterday in Mt. Garfield (4,500').

September will mark Month #19 since I've left New England/Metro NY. My mindset has gradually changed during this time, from frustration and impatience to something like acceptance. As overeager as I am to visit faraway places, I've kind of thrown up my hands at this point and said to myself "when travel is meant to happen again, it will."

Last time outside New England/Metro NY: February 2020 (Maryland/Virginia)

Last flight: January 2020 (Pittsburgh)

Last time outside US: August 2019 (Montréal)

Last new state: March 2019 (Colorado)

So there you have it: I started this blog almost a year ago now, and have not been outside a 200-mile radius of home since. If you're still with me, God bless and thank you so much!

I summited Mt. Garfield just after 10am on the morning of 8/27/21

I do have some news: in just over two weeks' time, I will be breaking three of those four droughts. I'll be traveling with my dad, and going farther distance-wise than I've been in over a decade. Stay tuned for dispatches from the adventure... I can hardly wait to share my photos and words with all of you!