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Long Haul Getaway

Posted at 6:37 pm by kayewer, on November 16, 2024

Visitors to the United States make note of how big the entire country is. Some states are bigger or smaller than others. Rhode Island, for instance, is small enough that you may not realize you’re in it until you’re out of it.

Next door to me is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on the larger side of our 48 contiguous parcels. It’s called a Commonwealth because the founding fathers preferred it to “State,” which is interchangeable; however, their ties to England before independence was a big reason for the nomenclature. It’s a horizontally huge plot of land big enough that it takes over four hours to cross by car. Which is what I did this weekend.

The turnpike is an enjoyable ride, passing by acres of farmland, touring the insides of four mountain tunnels, and seeing the development of county after county as housing sprouts up all over. The authority in charge of the toll road have made it a clean and smooth drive for everybody.

I’m not sure how good their cable or radio reception is in the far reaches of farm country (I used satellite radio for the trip, and it only blacked out in the mountain tunnels). I attended an event at a location far enough away to necessitate the trip across hill and dale to appear live. And it’s not just me: people visit from Ohio and New York as well.

I drove the four hours straight out, with just a bottle of water by my side and Eighties tunes for entertainment. My car’s direction feature didn’t work (I spoke with support), so while I waiting for them to reboot my system, I turned to maps on my phone to get the directions to what was a twisty trip into the mountains via winding skinny roads to the site of the event. The standby method didn’t let me down, and I arrived safe and sound. The shopping was intense, and I came out of it with quite a haul. I won’t go into detail, because I included holiday shopping in my trip.

After spending a third of the past two days driving, however, I’m a bit beat. The benefits of driving the route are exhilarating enough to make me do it again, for the peace and steady rhythm of the road, as well as the feelings of independence which eventually escape our capabilities as we age.

For now, I’ll make shorter trips to the corner market.

Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged art, photography, summer, travel

Icy and Hot

Posted at 7:05 pm by kayewer, on October 5, 2024

It’s officially autumn, which means the weather may take the form of any of the other three seasons at will from one day to the next. Where I am, this weekend has seen temperatures nearing 80, but days ago the highs were only in the 60 degree range. We have already had nights in the low 50s, so people began retrieving their blankets from the dry cleaners’ storage service, only to put them away because it’s too early, and break them out too late when the temps drop once again.

The clothing stores already have fall and winter gear in stock, and I bought a couple of flannel shirts anticipating a cooler winter. How do I figure this out? I check the Old Farmer’s Almanac. They’ve been predicting weather for ages, and their record of success is much better than that of, say, Punxatawney Phil (the famous PA groundhog from the titular day in February) or the local wooly bear caterpillar (not to mention the poor meteorologists whose best guess is based on the fickle directional paths of storm activity days away from where they’re reporting).

Colder than normal temperatures for old houses without insulation mean the folks need to layer or pay a hefty heating bill to stay comfortable. Same goes for people who bought newer houses with high ceilings and no fans to push heat back down to where they actually live. Heck, some people still don’t know you can often reverse the ceiling fan blades to do just that.

A friend of mine has a condo with a fireplace, so nightly log burning is the way to go. The heat doesn’t spread well, however, so other rooms may still be a bit cool.

This is where those blankets come in. The dry cleaner offers storage services for people who like to simply move their belongings to a strange location for a few months out of the year. At least they don’t need to undergo the embarassment of actually admitting to owning off-season anything.

Don’t be fooled. They don’t buy everything new. I know this, because the local dry cleaners has a rack in the front of the store where they keep those quilts and blankets for those paying for the privilege of keeping those things out of their homes for 90-some days every summer. I often look at those items and think to myself that I have better taste in bedding than these folks. Magenta plaid. Really? Folks, beware. Your bedding may be on display at the dry cleaners where your neighbors can see them.

Then there are space heaters, or hybrid cool/hot devices that do both. These make great companions for cold all-season rooms or sun porches which still tend to be on the chilly side. This is when people go out to the local hardware store to pick up one or two little versions to heat up smaller spaces, along with some logs, kerosene and lighters.

Me, I keep it simple. Layer up, set my thermostat to something not indulgent but bearable, and break out the portable foot warmers while I wait for that last hot day of the year, which may come in December for all we know.

Gives the meteorologists something to wait for.

Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged art, food, home, travel

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