Absolutely beautiful day in Ohio. The humidity dropped exponentially overnight.
Just in time for our impending road trip to Kansas: Land of Heat and Humidity.
Ick.
July is not the best time to visit Kansas. Only August is worse.
I blame this trip on my cousin, who’s getting married. Even though we’ve visited Kansas in July more times than I’d like to remember. And in August. I really don’t know why we do this. It’s a habit I’m thinking of stopping. Until the next wedding. Anyone reading this in Kansas? Fall is beautiful, really. So is Spring. And Winter weddings really shouldn’t be underestimated.
What’s up with people always getting married in the Summer, anyway? Why is that the tradition? Is that just an American thing? I’ve never really pondered that before…
We got married in May. I don’t think I ever mentioned it, but we celebrated 16 years last month.
We got a new bed. And slept in it. That’s what happens when you’ve been married a while: you get excited about sleeping. And not waking up with a sore back. We were quite pleased.
I don’t mean to sound grumpy. But I just re-read this, and I’m reminding myself of a curmudgeon.
That’s a funny word, curmudgeon. I don’t think I’ve ever used that one before. Cantankerous, yes. But not curmudgeon.
The Nature Park was spectacularly beautiful today. I took lots of pictures. The kids loved creeking and discovering things like tadpoles and fossilized rocks and deer that aren’t skittish when you creep in close.
Yes, creeking. I think my teenager and his friends made that word up.When I was growing up in Kansas, we called it a crick. (Or is it crik?)
Peter slipped and fell in the water and got his shirt wet.
After that, he walked like Frankenstein. Or a zombie, I couldn’t decide which. (Is there a difference?)
Someday, I will take the kids out and leave my camera at home. And try not to say to myself, “Oh, I wish I had my camera.” But today, I’m glad I had it. The little kids are good sports about it, always willing to pose, when I want them to.
Oftentimes I don’t.
We leave for Kansas in two days. I’ve done nothing to get ready. If you’ve read this far, thank you for procrastinating with me.
Are you so lucky as to have a wonderful, free Nature Park nearby? Or arboretum? Or some other such wonder to experience for merely the price of showing up in The Great Outdoors?
Please, don’t tell me if you do and have never gotten around to enjoying it. Just go, now. And carry no regrets that it took you this long.
Just don’t let it take you so long again.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
We were also married in May and celebrated 23 years a few weeks ago.
I love nature parks, too, especially when our sons were younger.
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jolyn Reply:
July 3rd, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Happy Anniversary to you, too! And congratulations on 23 years
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Funny, I’ve never been to Kansas before, but I’ve always thought of it as dry. I’ve always believed the mid-atlantic and northeast are the land of heat and humidity. But it seems that I have always been lucky enough to live near free nature, and even sometimes take advantage of the proximity.
For our weekend getaway that just passed, I was super-organized on paper. But I was still running around packing like the crazy woman that I am minutes after our scheduled departure time.
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jolyn Reply:
July 3rd, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Kansas is actually quite humid until you get into the Western part — near Colorado. That’s not the part we’re visiting.
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“If you’ve read this far, thank you for procrastinating with me.”
You’re quite welcome, thanks for posting this and helping me procrastinate!
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I did much creeking in my youth. My husband still does but now he gets to bring all kinds of fancy gear, which he thinks just adds to the experience. So really creeking is future job preparation. And fun times all rolled together.
No free parks near us, though many we can buy season passes for to save lots on admission.
We’ve only been married 8 years and a new bed seems like a luxury. Bring on the curmudgeon!
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