A salute to summer 2024

A draft post I never published, publishing now, when the world has changed. But it's Thanksgiving week, and I'm still grateful.

It’s the first day of fall*, and I can’t help but wonder where the summer went.

What a cliche, right? There’s nothing original about remarking on the passage of time, as how, as I get older, it seems to move faster.

Today I told a friend that I need to write down the summer because I can’t seem to remember how it played out. So here we are.

Technically, June 21 is the first day of summer, but mine began in early June when I spent a lovely week at the Andon Reid Inn Bed & Breakfast in Waynesville, NC**, owned by my brother and sister-in-law. I got to eat my brother’s incredible breakfasts (see below), work from the porch with a view of the mountains, get a little Blue Ridge Parkway** hiking in, and spend time with my niece and nephew.

Then I drove a bit north and had a fantastic weekend with friends from Adventure 757, camping at Hungry Mother State Park**, hiking with wild ponies at Grayson Highlands State Park**, and checking off New River Trail State Park** on the Virginia State Parks Trail Quest as well.

Coming home from that trip was bittersweet as I had to say goodbye to Fletcher, my black Texas foster dog, who, despite his many issues, definitely wormed his way into my heart. He found a forever home and even though I’m thrilled for that, I do miss his goofy ways. Two other fosters visited my doggie rehab center in June: Benji, a sweet hound dog who only stayed during daytime visits, and Mark, a male, beige mutt who reminded me of Sadie, just shorter and squatter.

It’s also worth noting that around this time I discovered a fashion brand called Zuri, which I mention only because it’s brought new friends into my life. Zuri is a cool company that attracts women who are interested in lifting up and supporting other women, and I am 1000% here for that.

After my last foster departed in early July, I began a gauntlet of travel. First up was Vermont for a memorial service of a friend who died way, way to soon. It was wonderful because I saw friends I hadn’t seen in a long time, and it was desperately sad. There was some catharsis from simply being in the room and surrendering to sadness; it made me realize how we rarely get the time to sit with an emotion like that. Lately, it seems like we have tragedy after tragedy and there’s no time to process. I’m grateful that I had that in this case. This trip also include a visit to the Ben & Jerry’s factory (and eating lots of ice cream) while reconnecting with a friend from my Boston days.

The next weekend should have been a trip to NC for hiking, but it got rained out. Instead, I hiked with the Capital Hiking Club in the Shenandoah and had kind of a miserable time; proof that not all hikes are awesome.

Then it was down to VA Beach for Christmas in July, a cookie baking extravaganza which included visiting with friends from the Pack Training Running group, a bunch of wonderful folks that I miss dearly.

In and among all of this, my team at WETA put on a staff picnic and conducted 4 focus groups, which tested my event and planning skills, for sure. Every non-profit job I’ve ever taken has said that there will be a lull in the pace of work in summer; and every single on of them has lied. :)

The next adventure was tubing on the Shenandoah River with new friends; a total blast. I basically spent the entire trip, about 5 hours on the water, applying and reapplying sunscreen in an effort not to broil myself beyond recognition. We also cooked steaks on sticks over a campfire, and enjoyed being safely in tents during a massive rainstorm, one of the most peaceful things a person can experience.

Then it was down to Florida for a long weekend to visit my parents, where I suckered them into watching volleyball and sport climbing in the Olympics. Man, I loved the Olympics this summer - it was just the jolt of wholesomeness I needed.

All this fun meant that I didn’t get a lot of hill training done, so my next adventure, an 18-mile backpacking trip in the Sawtooth Wilderness of Idaho, was a physical and and mental test that really, really pushed my limits. It was astonishingly beautiful country out there, and in true Type 2 fashion, the trip gets more fun with each retelling of it.

This summer also included some concerts at Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts with friends, which is becoming a tradition that I’m loving. We saw Broadway in the Park and Melissa Etheridge (who puts on a hell of a show at the age of 63) and the Indigo Girls. And, I got to see some theater: Soft Power at Signature Theatre and Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare Theatre; both were just terrific.

Another hiking/camping weekend finally took to me to the famous Mary’s Rock hike in Shenandoah, and a “sunrise” hike that we spent literally in the clouds.

Then came a new foster dog, my first girl, Nekoosa, who’s still here as I write this***, and my most recent camping/hiking adventure in Harper’s Ferry, WV, after our NC trip was rained out a second time.

And today, I visited with a friend I haven’t seen in a while, went to two farmer’s markets, and am now just sitting here thinking about gratitude. In and among all these adventures were the stuff that life throws at us; people who pass away long before fairness says they should; COVID still knocking us around; pipes getting clogged; workplace drama; and the everlasting UGH of national politics****. But all that can’t dampen my joy and gratitude for the people, for the places, for the means I have that let me experience all that this summer offered.

I had this summer because Sadie passed away last summer. That’s foremost in my mind, too; all this fun was only because she’s gone. And I miss her. I’ve had 5^ foster dogs so far, and I confess I thought that I’d have a new permanent dog by now. But the overwhelming thing I’ve learned from fostering is that none of the dogs I’ve taken in were Sadie, and so they weren’t/aren’t what I want. That’s actually been quite a clarifying thought that has allowed me to give all my love to these fosters while not giving away all of my heart.

I wrote this entry solely for me, so it’s not as elegantly constructed; sorry about that. But I wrote it so I can remember this summer and all the adventures I had. And so that I can remind myself of all that I have. It’s a lot.

And I really am grateful.

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*It’s not the first day of fall anymore. Sorry.

**Since I wrote this, all of these beautiful places have been deeply scarred by the floods and winds and rains of Hurricane Helene.

***Literally today, the day I decided to finally publish this post, Nekoosa was adopted. :) :) :)

****11/29/24 Hopefully today will be the day I actually publish this post. Since then, much has changed. We had an election, and the outcome has turned my worldview decidedly grim. But there were other things worth noting. In October, I backpacked on the AT in Maryland with Girls Who Hike Virginia, which was much fun.

My parents came to visit and we went to Harper’s Ferry and the Pentagon, friends descended for the Marine Corps Marathon weekend, and I made what seems to be an annual pilgrimage to Crabtree Falls (and did the Blue Ridge Tunnel hike again).

^And I got a new foster, Muffy, who came as close to being a foster fail as any of my fosters have. She has dog and car reactivity issues, so she’s going to a new foster soon, and I predict much weeping on my part when that happens, because seriously, just look at that face and those ears.

Anyway, I just had Thanksgiving with friends here in Virginia Beach, and I figured this was as good a time as any to FINALLY express my gratitude for this life I am lucky enough to lead, and for the relative health of my friends and family. Wishing you and yours a good holiday season.