Gogh-ing For Some Me Time

Lately I feel like most of our weekends have been dominated by family stuff and sports.  Both are good, but it makes it hard to fit in much else--let alone try to relax or do productive stuff at home that I'm too tired to do during the week.  I like being on the go, and I don't want to take family stuff for granted after the last 18 months, but I admittedly sighed internally when I saw that my cousin's son's first birthday party got scheduled for basically the same time as Carter's weekly soccer game because I knew I couldn't do both.  Thankfully it was on a weekend when Jacob didn't have a basketball tournament, and since Craig and Jacob can't go to a lot of his games on tournament weekends, they were fine taking over soccer duties for the week.  I hated to miss the game (and he scored!), but that freed me up to go to the party and also gave me a prime opportunity to do what I couldn't do last time I was in town solo (for the same baby boy's baptism)--to go to Beyond Van Gogh.

I had been seeing ads for this event for months and it looked pretty awesome.  Then I had a cousin see it in another city and enjoy it, which only increased my interest.  Once it hit the Buffalo market a couple months ago, I had a trickle of friends go--most in the past couple weeks--and all had rave reviews.  I was determined to get there, but with a nearly $50 price tag, I wasn't sure I wanted to drag along my presumably-less-than-enthused crew.  So, I looked for opportunities to go solo.  It was only really an hour that I had to carve out, so I was hopeful.

If you've been around for a while, you know my love of art is a bit quirky, but it's strong and goes back a long way.  My grandma was an artist (she could have gone to art school but became an army wife instead), and as a little girl I wanted to be one too.  I loved crafting and drawing and playing around with artsy stuff, but it turned out I didn't have quite the skills I needed.  My high school art class was a nightmare--though it prevented me from having to sing in front of people in chorus--but my love has remained, as long as I'm not doing the creating (or at least not having to do it from scratch).  Field trips to the art gallery were my favorite, and things ramped up even further in college when I took an Art History class and learned all about Renaissance to Modern art.  I loved that class, and it just so happened I was in the middle of it when I went to the Albright-Knox over Thanksgiving and not only accidentally discovered Dale Chihuly for the first time, but also delighted in identifying numerous works' artists before I even saw their little info plaque.  It solidified my love, and having frequent access to the Memorial Art Gallery these days has helped it continue to grow and evolve.  While I don't love it all, most of it I can at least learn from and respect.  Beyond Van Gogh seemed like a great opportunity to experience art in a new way.

The birthday party was lovely and it was great to see my family.  I was careful with my food intake since I had a plan for after Van Gogh, but you can't beat Buffalo pizza and wings!  I had a little time at my parents' before I took off, and then it was off to my adventure, which was conveniently right along my route home.  It had turned into a cool, drizzly afternoon, but it seemed to be starting to clear as I went in.  I had expected it to be somewhere in the dead mall it was at, but instead it was a giant semi-permanent tent-style structure in the parking lot.

The first section was a series of projected screens that featured highlights from Van Gogh's life, as well as notable quotes.  Everyone just strolled through in a line to read them.  

This was one of my favorites.  I try to remind myself that God has a plan and things usually work out in time even when we feel like our plan is going off the rails.

This one definitely reflects my personal philosophy, particularly at this time of year.  I always try to find beauty wherever I can.

I just thought this screen was exceptionally pretty.

I loved the paint detail on this one.

I really related to this quote.  I think something similar about myself all the time, particularly when I see someone achieve success or get a promotion when I know that my technical abilities or work ethic is on par (or stronger) than theirs.  I just know that I'm lacking a certain personality trait or skill that allows for decision-making and confidently taking charge even when I don't know for sure what the best route is.  For example, I had a colleague who it seemed barely understood the bigger picture of our department that moved on to run her own entire department with another school.  Even me, with six years of experience (or my boss with 16!) wouldn't feel comfortable doing that, but she just had the trait that allowed her to say, "Screw it, I can do that," and go do it.  Maybe she'll succeed, maybe she won't, but those details won't stop her from trying.  They do stop me, and I know there have been times where they've held me back.  But I know there's still value to me even if I don't have the traits I need to get the glory.

The second room had the first taste of the moving projections that make the main event so cool.  I loved how it flowed down the wall to the floor and even collected on the door frame.

 
Here's the video.  I liked that the orange blobs looked a bit like swimming koi:

In the main room, the music and the images were stunning.  You were transported to landscapes...

And seeing his paintings larger than life was amazing.

Did you know he only signed his first name because he was nervous about people mispronouncing his last name?

There was such a variety of works and the way they were presented on all the surfaces was really interesting.  It was sometimes hard to know where to look to get the best effect.  Sometimes they would repeat on each side, sometimes not.  When quotes popped up they usually differed on each side.  I just kept wandering as much as I could to make sure I was seeing a little of everything.

At one point we got to be in his bedroom, but different sides had different versions of his bedroom paintings.

I've always been interested in this painting because I recall doing something with it in my high school art class.  It wasn't among the pieces my mom saved for me, so I guess I'll never know what it was!

I have an odd affection for European outdoor cafes, mostly from years of looking at them on webcams.  I love so much about this painting, from the mood to the colors, and more than any other of his paintings it makes me want to transport there and have a glass of wine in the moonlight.

This was one of my favorite moments--the starry sky was so pretty and blended so seamlessly throughout the entire room.

Another favorite moment was this one.  It was so peaceful and the water moved just like it was real water flickering in the evening light.  It was so easy to pretend you were in a real place experiencing that moment along the water.

Here's the video--look closely at the water:

Sometimes they'd line the walls with what looked like stacked paintings with a theme, like portraits or flowers.

The transition from the flower paintings was stunning, as flowers themselves flowed in to cover everything.

The end result - note the floor, too!

It was just one gorgeous view after another. 

Another of my favorite moments was this lovely moment.  I love spring's flowering trees, and this let me be in the midst of a shower of petals...|

By this point I was getting choked up at the memory of my grandma and knowing how much she would have enjoyed something like this.  That teal behind the blossoms was her favorite color, and she loved flowers, so I think adding the art element to it would have been SO up her alley.  It was very emotional, and beauty of any form touches me anyway, so it was definitely a moving experience.

Obviously I was eager to see how they handled Starry Night, probably his best known work, and it was simply beautiful.  It started like this...

It finally evolved to look more like the painting itself.

The end showed a bunch of his self-portraits, including the period with the bandage after he cut off his ear.  You can see one of those on the right below.  While it wasn't the most stunning of the themes, it was appropriate since so much of the exhibit was meant to help you understand Van Gogh as a person--his experiences, his journey, and his mental health challenges.  His view of himself clearly evolved over the years, as I would guess ours would as well if we were painting ourselves over the years.

And that was it!  I was sad it was over--and after the fact I almost wished I'd have stayed for a second round of the video loop.  There were a couple pictures I wish I could have retaken, and I'm sure I would have seen new things.  But I guess I'm glad I came out when I did, because upon stepping outside it was like I stepped right back into a painting--the sunset was beautiful!  It was even more interesting because the sky behind me was super dark gray and threatening, but it was lit so dramatically by the bright yellow sun as it set. I took a few minutes to run into the Buffalo-themed store across the way while the sun set to a point where I could take a better picture.

 
I then ventured down to the Polish restaurants down the way to scope out dinner.  There's a Polish bakery, a pierogi bowl place, and a Polish-themed bar.  I took this flower pic on the patio outside the bar.  So vivid!

Unfortunately, presumably due to the staffing shortages affecting everywhere right now, the pierogi place closed at 6pm.  I was so bummed because there's a bowl there that's totally up my alley and I really wanted that for dinner!  So that was a bit of a bummer.  As I pondered my dinner options, I continued to watch the sunset evolve.

I wrapped up the evening with dinner at Arby's, which doesn't sound like much, but I got to try the sandwich I wasn't able to have the previous weekend, which was actually really good, and they had WiFi, so at least I could look through my pictures and have a leisurely, quiet dinner before getting back on the road.

As usual, this time alone seeing something so beautiful was very fulfilling and gave me a pleasant, peaceful mood for the rest of the night.  The paintings, the sunset, and even my surprisingly tasty second-choice dinner were all so enjoyable.  It was one of those moments where I could just be me--momentarily apart from my other roles in life.  It was just what I needed before starting an extra busy week!

Analysis Paralysis

I don't know what's happened to me over the last 18 months, but it's becoming ever-clearer to me that I have some sort of COVID-induced analysis paralysis.  I just can't seem to make a decision to save my life right now.  

Some of it is big stuff, like having lost the motivation to redo my kitchen because I just can't seem to decide what I want to do.  Some of it is small stuff, like the previously mentioned issue of repeatedly not being able to decide what kind of food to bring to parties.  Last week I was trying to set up my fall decor and I felt totally paralyzed, in part because I now have my new desk and I was debating my options for what to put in the upper cabinet.  I figured that the blank slate in a lot of spots in the house, along with pulling out lots of stored generic decor, would help me think through what I have and what might work, but instead it just left me more confused.  With some time to marinate overnight, I did make one decision, and eventually worked through the fall stuff, but the more I thought about that paralysis, the more I realized how common it's become for me.  

Some of it might be practical, like not wanting to waste money or screw up important or expensive things like the kitchen or our vacation.  But even within the big things, there are other smaller struggles.  Part of the kitchen problem is knowing how many people are having issues getting contractors and supplies, and not having the fortitude to deal with that.  With our vacation, everything was last minute because of the weather and COVID concerns, but at the same time, even when I knew things were for sure (or as close as could be), I still struggled to hit the "confirm" button.  I think that's part of the reason I missed out on the Legoland tickets--that even though I knew the discount was probably out of the question, I still put it off because I had anxiety about booking that expensive reservation when there was a tiny chance I could have made it cheaper.  It just overwhelmed me.  And it's a little dumb, because our finances are fine.  I try to be mindful of them, of course, but it shouldn't have made a difference when we were there to go to that park and that hesitation ultimately caused us to miss it.

I also struggle with clothing decisions, committing to events, and choosing presents.  They seem like mostly simple, inconsequential decisions, but I struggle mightily nonetheless.  Even last week when I finally determined I could do a little something for myself after attending my cousin's son's first birthday this weekend (you'll see what soon!), I agonized over booking my reservation and what time I should pick to make sure the party was over but I wasn't going to be driving home too late.  And what if COVID hit before then?  It's almost like I trust nothing and everything's going to change anyway, so why make plans?  But the thing is, while a lot of events have been threatened over the past 18 months, not that many have been totally blown to bits for me to feel this way.  Even our trip ended up mostly unscathed despite an actual, credible threat (Craig's exposure to a positive case) sneaking into the middle of it.  So why am I so hesitant and anxious about things not working out?

I'm sure whatever is causing it isn't too far removed from whatever is sabotaging my evenings when I should be working out but just can't stop playing around on my phone to relax from a long day.  Early in the pandemic, I looked for every possible chance to get out for a run.  Now I can't even motivate myself to get up from a chair, change my clothes, and go down to the basement elliptical.  I feel like I'm out of sync and just mentally spent.  It could be some low level depression, but it's not like I have anything in particular to be sad about or even feel sad.  I just feel...meh.  

The frustrating thing is that this current setup should be the easy one.  I don't have to get up extra early or commute to an office.  I can dress casually and watch TV in passing (it's how I've started coping with the excessive quiet in my house since the kids went to school and Craig went back to the office).  I can put dishes in the dishwasher or change over laundry.  What am I going to do when all those things go away?  Yes, I will generally have the boost of actual humans around me, but how much more tired will I be then?  So what is my problem?

I have no doubt that all the stuff I've read about the stress response is part of it.  They say that the stress response we all had to the pandemic was biologically only supposed to be a short term one--you know, the usual sort of fight or flight thing.  But because the pandemic continued on and our bodies kept having that same response repeatedly over a long period, our systems are all messed up.  So maybe that's part of it, that my brain almost can't tell the difference between the big stuff and little stuff because all it knows anymore is to be on edge.  It wouldn't surprise me at all if this is at the root of a lot of what's happening, just because depression doesn't seem like quite the right fit.  

What concerns me most is that I don't know what will fix it.  A vacation helped a little but I felt right back in the thick of it immediately once we were back.  Sometimes I wonder if a vacation for just Craig and me might be helpful, but that comes with a whole different set of stressors.  I live for fun breaks from the daily monotony, but once those are over I'm either repeatedly looking back at pictures or longing for the next thing.   Maybe seeing people more often will help, as it's the one thing I really haven't been able to try yet--at least not on a daily basis.  Hopefully in a few weeks we can test that theory, but we shall see.  Sometimes I wonder if getting back to that same sort of routine will make it almost like all of this craziness never happened, but I don't know if it will be healing or if it will actually be oddly traumatic because there won't be an opportunity to properly process and mourn before the onslaught of real life takes over again.  Sometimes I wonder if it will gradually get better once gatherings don't feel like a threat, masks aren't necessary, and all of the societal infighting dies down.  When that will be, I have no idea--maybe never--so I think we have to start trying to improve in other areas in the meantime.  In many cases it's an energy thing because I need to have the energy to get out of the house and do things, which is still a struggle no matter how much I know they help.  I'm trying to be more mindful of it all, look for opportunities, and push through to do them.  I'm also trying to be grateful for all we have, because there's a lot, but all these months later, it's clear it's still a one-day-at-a-time process.  Hopefully we'll emerge from this better than ever, but it looks like the road is still going to go on a bit longer, so I guess we'll just hold on for the ride.

News & Notes, On the Road Again Edition

So, we're two weeks into the new school year, more than two-thirds of the way through the month, and today marks actual, real fall.  I'm still in denial that summer is over, and luckily the weather has helped me maintain that illusion, but that seems to be ending, too.  I guess if everything else is going in that direction, maybe it's time for me to face facts.  Summer's over and fall is here.

Despite all my reservations, I think the school transition went relatively well.  Both boys seem to be doing fine with school.  They've both been pretty great about getting up and ready on time.  Homework isn't a huge issue yet, though we have not been good at all about having Carter do his nightly reading.  Here's the thing--he knows how to read but doesn't love it, and I worry that forcing it will only make him hate reading more.  Jacob was basically the same way, and I feel like all those forced reading sessions we dutifully did years back only made reading less fun and more of a burden for him, and to this day he resists it.  The same thing happened to me in college--I got so sick of reading boring stuff every night that it killed any desire I had to read for fun.  I was an avid reader prior to that, reading countless books all summer long, and chipping away at a chapter or so most nights in school, too.  And then college hit, and that was it.  I don't know that I read another book for fun for another decade.  I don't want to shirk our responsibilities, but at the same time, balance is good.  I did have Carter pick a book at the library last time that he was willing to read, and I did get him to read his school library book, so now that he inadvertently but stupidly broke his tablet (it wasn't working well, already on its last legs, and in frustration he smacked it with a Tinkertoy in such a way that the screen was unbroken but completely scrambled), he should have some extra free time.

But school itself is going pretty well.  Jacob had some friends not return and isn't thrilled to have his favorite teacher transition from his teacher to an assistant principal, but for the most part he seems to have settled back in fine.  Carter is LOVING his teacher and has his best buddy in his class, and seemed to be in good spirits.  I asked him the other day if he was getting in trouble at all for the stuff that used to get him in trouble--talking to friends, not finishing his work, etc.--and he said no.  I tended to believe him since that stuff immediately made last year hard, and he seemed really upbeat so far this year.  I know with Jacob that once he started medication in third grade, his entire outlook changed because he wasn't getting yelled at all the time, and I thought maybe Carter was having a very similar experience--just without the clear "before and after" with the same teacher.  Maybe this one is just less of a disciplinarian than his last one, but at the same time we knew medicine did seem to help with the old teacher in the limited time we had. 

I emailed his new teacher the other night to check in, just in case I could get an update before his therapist appointment yesterday, and her response literally brought me to tears.  He was telling the truth--she said she's had no problems with him other than occasional but effective reminders to turn around and stop talking to his best buddy.  I was pleased to hear that the school psychologist had already come to observe him, and the teacher said, "She was amazed and pleased at how he was behaving."  It's like a literal miracle, people.  Whether it's the medicine, the teacher, the fresh start, or a combination, I can't even put into words how grateful I am that he's had a good start. My mama heart needed this so bad after some really hard years, and while I know harder work will challenge him greatly since he still struggles with writing, complex directions, and correction (as the other night's homework reaffirmed), I will take every positive I can right now.

On Friday night, I had to drag Carter along on an errand, and as I'd already done that to him a bunch that week, I offered to take him to a playground on the way since it was a gorgeous night.  Instead of picking a favorite playground, he suggested we go over to his school playground because his classmate lost something on the playground earlier that day.  It was a little Sonic the Hedgehog keychain, and he was convinced he knew where we should look.  I figured that was a nice thing to do, so off we went!  We played and wandered and kept our eyes out, and sure enough, after about 15 minutes, I looked over to the edge of the playground and there it was!  We were so excited, and Carter couldn't wait to get to school on Monday to give it back.  Not only was there personal satisfaction in helping a friend out, he also got a couple Cougar Cash bucks for helping a friend.  It was a nice little victory for our night, and I'm sure it felt good since good deeds didn't seem to be his strong suit previously, based on rarely being recognized as a "Bucket Filler" at his old school.

Saturday was his second soccer game of the fall season.  His new team isn't quite as good as his summer team, but the coaches are great and I still think the activity and learning experience are good for him.  It's a short season, so even if it was terrible, he'd be done pretty quickly anyway.  Since Jacob had a tournament last weekend, this was the first game Craig and Jacob got to see of this season.  After a comeback last-kick win last week, this week's loss was a tough one to take, but it's good to see Carter out there again.

Also, before I forget, since my flower pics are definitely dwindling, my morning glory experiment has gone from a raging to success to an epic fail, simply because they're now overwhelming our lamp posts!

Only one seedling survived here--something ate the rest--and it still turned into this!

Since only one plant survived on the one side, all of the flowers are this color.

This is the other one.  They had a harder time growing on this side, and would not climb until I strung fishing line.  At least I have light pink and light blue ones over here.

Funny how these thrived and the rest of my flowers crapped out--seemingly due to all the rain in July.  At least my tomato plants are still producing like crazy--including the ones that planted themselves from last year's rotten tomatoes!

Then it was Jacob's turn for sports.  He had a tournament on Sunday and the rest of our weekend revolved around that.  Initially he was supposed to be playing Saturday in Albany, so I had visions of driving an hour and a half further for Sunday and finally getting in that day at Legoland we missed out on on our vacation.  I had even found a fantastic half price discount that would have worked out perfectly.  Alas, like most tournaments, things change and we found out around mid-week that he'd be playing in Binghamton on Sunday instead.  Good news, bad news, I guess--that meant no Legoland since they were already sold out for Saturday, but it did mean an opportunity to see Heather and my sweet godson Mason!  I initially debated going at all since it would force Carter into another long car ride, which he hates, but I decided it was worth it, especially once we were able to get a room with a pull-out couch for that all-important third bed to preserve decent sleep for all.  Plus I really wanted to see Jacob play with this new team in case we let him quit after this.

Jacob has struggled a bit with this team, mostly because the coach seems to have it out for him for some unknown reason.  There are some good players on the team (the one championship team from this organization (a year below Jacob) basically got split into two teams for the fall season, so we initially had high hopes.  But then he didn't get the coach he was expecting and this one has been trying to play him in a position he doesn't play (and never will moving forward due to his size), but holds it against him if he screws up due to his inexperience in that position.  He doesn't play him a lot and can be really overly critical.  He also held it against Jacob for missing practice due to his second COVID shot and because it conflicts with training with his school team (which is important if he wants to make JV).  Last weekend's games did not go well, but after expressing some concerns to the organization's main coach about the position problem, things seemed to improve a bit for his last practice.  He still wasn't thrilled to go, but we encouraged him to see how the weekend went and we'd reevaluate afterward.

After Carter's game on Saturday, we rushed home and finished the last minute packing to try to get on the road.  It took forever, in part because Jacob can never get ready on time and couldn't eat lunch before we went to the game, and in part because Carter's water bottle was missing, among other things.  We got on the road at least a half hour later than planned, and then some of our bad luck from the last trip seemed to follow us on this one.  We had a pretty uneventful drive down, but the trouble started as we got into town.  We wanted to go to Chipotle, but there was a crazy long line when we got there, so we figured maybe we'd be better off checking in at the hotel first, ordering via the app, and then going back to get it.  We checked in fine, placed our order and then went there...but our name wasn't in their orders.  That's about when Craig realized he forgot to change the location in the app, so he'd ordered it back in Rochester!  He was able to cancel it, but it turned out this location was having some supply problems and had no chicken or steak!  Jacob likes carnitas anyway, and Carter gets the cheese quesadilla, but I can't say Craig and I were too excited about no chicken.  We made it work, though.

After dinner, the boys dropped me off at Heather's house.  They ended up going around the corner to the nearby park to find the basketball court, even though it was already dark.  High beams helped!  While they were there, Carter spotted the amazing playground down the way and spent most of the next morning asking to go there!  In the meantime, I was getting some quality time with this cutie before he went to bed!

He's getting a lot more interactive now and gave me some good giggles!  It's such a fun age as they start figuring things out but still aren't super mobile to do much damage!  He was sleepy by the end but he was a trooper and it was fun to play with him before catching up further with Heather after he went to bed.  Eventually it was time for me to head back to the hotel, and Heather dropped me off.  I grabbed some sheets from the front desk when I got there so we could make up Carter's bed, and all things considered it wasn't a bad night.  I didn't sleep great (I blame the air conditioner--it made me long for the one on our vacation that I could set to keep the fan on the whole night, because the white noise was way better than cycling on and off), but all things considered I still managed to feel relatively awake for the rest of the day, even after the morning caffeine wore off.  Speaking of which, I had to get the caffeine because our hotel failed on breakfast.  It was bad enough we were just supposed to get breakfast bags (COVID really needs to end if for no other reason than because I miss good hotel breakfasts--but oh, there are so many other reasons), but then apparently the bags never got delivered.  Thankfully we were ready early so we had time to drive around and get everyone something, but what a pain!

The tournament was a bit of a mixed bag.  On the bright side, Jacob's team won their division.  On the not-so-bright side, Jacob was the sixth man on a six-man team.  He never started and even sat as long as 12 minutes to start the second game.  When he played, I thought he played relatively well.  His shooting took a bit to warm up, but I thought he passed and defended well in the meantime.  He ended up scoring in every game--not nearly what he'd want, but contributing with his limited opportunities nonetheless.  And it was nice to see a team that moved the ball, didn't have one or two guys ball hogging, and could actually win.  Those things have been pretty scarce.  Jacob's still not thrilled with it, but it's a short season, so we'll see how long his tolerance holds out.

In between games, Carter couldn't resist getting in a little soccer on the turfed end of the complex.  I couldn't help but laugh when I saw Craig's positioning in this picture!

Gotta protect the important stuff!

He can kick it pretty hard--now if only he'd do that in games!

One oddity as we were waiting for a game to start--one team had a dog on the bench!  Not sure if he was a mascot or a support animal, but he dutifully stood there the entire timeout while the coach talked to his kids, and then settled back in next to the coach when play resumed.  You see something new every day!

Figures they'd win a tournament with no trophies, medals, or even a t-shirt, but it was nice to see some wins!

It was after 2pm by the time we were done and we were all starving, so the first order of business was lunch.  We hatched a plan to go to the north side of the city to get Jersey Mike's for Jacob, and Carter decided he wanted Arby's, which was luckily right down the road.  The supply chain problems struck yet again there as they weren't serving the new sandwich I wanted to try, but my backup meal ended up being pretty tasty anyway.  Once we were fed, we headed back toward the city to get Carter to that fabulous playground, and the bonus is that since it's right around the corner from Heather's house, she and Mason walked over to join us!  Craig and Jacob stayed at the basketball courts (again) while Carter and I explored.

Never seen a playground like this!

Even more amazing is that this is the second iteration of this playground.  The first one, which was only a few years old, was burned down by an arsonist over Memorial Day weekend last year, right after the park had hosted a peaceful George Floyd protest.  It was the largest fully accessible playground in the state when it opened, and it was such a shame someone destroyed it.  Thankfully, it was miraculously rebuilt by the fall, and is quite a sight!  

Another version of a wheelchair-friendly merry-go-round like we have near us

Hard to see with the glare, but there's a spinning thing (like we did at the one playground a couple months ago) in the foreground.  Carter fell off again!  He can climb poles but his grip for these is terrible!

Lots of musical stuff, plus a section for the littlest kids

Carter tried to do the rope climb--he struggled a bit and was telling me to help him just as I took this picture!

Never saw rock climbing grips on planks before!

While we explored, Mason was having fun swinging.  He was totally content and even let out a few giggles!

The playground just kept going.  There was another climbing section and a separate slide in the distance, along with what I called a tree house--which Carter then noticed had a tree going right up through it!

There was a glider, a pretend boat...
 

...and a quad see-saw bouncer.

It's a huge, very pretty park.  There was a lively cricket match happening across the way, and beyond this gazebo thing, there's a carrousel made by the Herschell Carrousel Company from North Tonawanda!  It gives Heather a little piece of home in her adopted home!

We had a great time exploring and doing more catching up, but eventually it was time to go.  Jacob was tired and admittedly we were eager to get the three-hour trip done and get our lives back in order for the week!  I drove the last hour and a half home, and the sun blinded me for a solid half hour of it.  But it was worth it once the sunset took over, and then I noticed this amazing view in the rear view mirror.

If you look closely, that orange dot in the middle is the moon rising.  It didn't look quite that orange in real life--maybe more of a light peach--but this picture doesn't do its size or the detail justice.  In the mirror it looked huge and you could actually see the craters and other details.  But it so perfectly hung over the road with that lovely fading light behind us.  It was so neat.  The sunset wasn't super showy, but it was pleasant and pretty, and the yellow sky silhouetting the black trees near the end felt appropriately fall-ish.

So, as I said at the beginning, fall is now here.  I'll have to push myself this week to get the fall stuff out.  I'm feeling ready to change over the decor after many months of the same summer stuff, but I am not ready for the rest of fall to start, even if I love apple cider, donuts, and pumpkin spice, and my summer clothes are starting to bore me.  But I'm bemoaning another summer where half of my summer wardrobe sat unused, regretting that we didn't get enough pool time/porch time/mini golf, and I'm just not ready to embrace coat life again.  I'm not sure I can face another COVID winter that threatens our beloved holidays, despite the possibility we could all be vaccinated by then.  But it's time to move on, so I'm trying to just put one foot in front of the other and hope fall has some pleasant surprises in store!