We’ve reached Day 7 of my Giant Eagle Stay-cation, or about 6 1/2. So far, it has turned out good. I took time to get outside and walk at Twin Lakes. I’ll do the same today as I make my way to Mammoth Park. I watched football. I also got out of the house and embarked on a few adventures. I made a change of plans for the end of the week and will take it easy. I visited Achievers and went to my home club last night. Here’s a recap of what happened so far.
Closing down the Swimming Pool
Summer officially ends at 3am on Saturday, thus signaling the beginning of the Fall season. For us, our summer ended last Friday when we began the process of closing the swimming pool. It served us well this summer and while it’s nice to get it done, it’s hard to close it because you know cooler weather is coming. We removed the ladder on Friday. That’s the hardest part because it’s heavy due to the amount of water inside. On Saturday, it took a team effort, but we got the cover on. The plastic wrap and rope help secure it. Luckily, it wasn’t very windy.
Spending a Day at the Zoo
Tuesday, I took advantage of the nice weather and spent the day at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. It was my first time there since before the pandemic in 2020. I saw my fair share of animals. Highlights of my day included seeing the elephants and giraffes. The lions and tigers were either asleep or inside, as were the polar bears. I saw the sea lions as I wrapped up my day. In the aquarium, the sea turtles and fish were a sight to see as were the penguins and jellyfish. The place was very decorated for the Asian Lantern festival, going on through the end of October (Thursday to Sunday).
Remembering Flight 93 and Visiting Aunt Sue
Monday, Mom and I took up US Route 30 to check out the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County near Stoystown. It was an hour long drive and first place that we stopped at was the Tower of Voices. These 40 chimes represented the 40 people aboard Flight 93 when it crashed in a remote field in Stonycreek Township on the morning of September 11, 2001. After we saw the tower, we went to the visitors’ center and read some of the headlines and facts and watched all the TV clips from that fateful day. It was sombering, to say the least.
I have family who live near the crash site who felt the impact just as much as I did. I was in math class that morning. My college was inside the Hiram G. Andrews Center, where I was residing at the time. I just had to go in the hall and back to my dorm to find out what was going on.
Yesterday, I drove up the mountain once again and visited Aunt Sue at her house. We hung out on the deck outside, hot tubbing (twice!), and ate lunch out at Rey Azteca. We wrapped our lunch excursion by stopping at Starbucks across the street and ordering frappuccinos. I kept my promise and stuck around until 3pm so I could see Benny when he came home. Soon after, I went home and prepared myself for my Toastmasters meeting that evening.
Before I close off the blog and publish it, may I comment on how much nicer it is to take PA 31 to and from Somerset? It’s more scenic and there’s a lot more to see. The turnpike is faster, but more scarier and seemingly always under construction. These drives to Somerset are going to turn more colorful in a few weeks when the yellows, reds, and oranges start coming out. Other ways home include PA 31 to PA 711 (through Stahlstown) to US 30 (in Ligonier) as well as PA 601 & 985 to US 30 in Jennerstown. Just don’t drive them in the winter coming from Somerset if the weather’s bad.
Stylish 🍒 