From an astrological point of view, there are a few days left in the 2022 summer; however, academia and Pumpkin Spiced Latte traditionally crown the arrival of autumn in late August. Any way I seasonally slice it, this summer has been a smashing success. I'll start in spring...
In May, our family of four boarded a plane to Utah. A postponed 2020 wedding anniversary trip was repackaged as a "take your kids to the mountains" extravaganza. Not only did we conquer The Beehive State, we pioneered into Wyoming and Idaho. This westward expansion expedition set the stage for a big time 2022 summer.
If the 2020 and 2021 summers had limitations or restrictions, the 2022 summer responded with a dynamite blast of free range bigness. I believe my children evolved into more versatile explorers because of the pandemic, so in a weird way, I am grateful for that wacky era of their childhood. Rough and tough moments on the frontier shaped character. For every moment of madness our family had a breakthrough response of gratitude. The purple mountain majesty of the Utah skyline was the the grateful pinnacle for this Dad.
When we returned to Pennsylvania, school was winding down and summer glory was on the horizon. The blur of the season took us as far south as Virginia for our annual family beach vacation and as far north as Canada. Yes, my wife and I left our children behind for a weekend to attend a wedding in Canada, a border bonkers itinerary that included getting my passport renewed in Detroit the day of the wedding. It was an International Lampoon vacation that will go down as one of the most absurd adventures in our history. Thank you grandparents for protecting our young while we danced feverishly in Canada.
On the homefront, Stackhouse Park continued to be a consistent community connector. The final Sunday of August attracted a wide variety of human life to Mother Nature for the growing phenomenon known as Art in the Park. Wilderness, art, music, grub, and libations all packaged together near a grassy knoll. I ran the arduous 5K that morning in Stackhouse to ensure no Dad guilt upon devouring the grub. I sprawled out on that knoll post-race and fed my face. Mission accomplished.
Art in the Park gets bigger and better each year and the 2022 event was special as it ushered in the newest Stackhouse attraction, Johnstown StoryWalk. This recently designed trail gives familes cardiovascular literary power - a walk-and-read concept snuggly south of the park's play area. My daughters got to be a part of the ribbon cutting ceremony. This was after about 5+ hours of Art in the Park family frolicking, so emotions were running a little high. It took some convincing to read and walk, but we survived. From the Utah mountains to our backyard park, we just gotta keep climbing. Special thanks to the John B. Gunter Leadership Initiative for bringing stories to life in Stackhouse Park for years to come.
And while everything written above I consider to be epic, there might have been no greater singular achievement than last week when my 7-year-old daughter caught a hot dog. It was tossed by an Altoona Curve employee. He stood on a dugout. She stood on an invisible cloud of excitement. He looked her dead in the eyes and released a targeted hot dog toss, the tin foil glistening in the galaxy. Her reaction to a clean snag was priceless. A free hot dog. The happiest damn 7-year-old on Planet Earth. Thanks Altoona Curve, you put on a great show.
On this past Saturday night, we sat out on our balcony and relived the Utah trip - a little trivia from a big adventure goneby. The stories will live on and more adventures will come. Johnstown as home base is a blessing.
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Welcome, Autumn. See you in 2023, Summer.
