Welcoming Fall

It always leaves a little hole in my heart when summer leaves. But we’re still out on the beach here, and I’ve had a few fun adventures in place and in store. October is the borderline between the heat and the slowing down. It gives us a little reminder to pause and notice what’s changed.

I’ve got pumpkins (probably rotting as we speak) outside of my door. And few crafts inside in the works.

Most days the weather has been good enough for some yoga and a late season surf.

The sunsets here are always unbeatable.

My sister stopped by to celebrate her engagement. We took a quick walk around Cedar Bonnet Island Park.

And we visited her and Will in Harrisburg, PA again. Talk about the land of craft fairs and festive fall decor!

My mom and stepdad are leaving soon for Georgia, so we took an extended lunch at Rat’s Restaurant in the Grounds for Sculpture. Yummy food and perfect scenery. Highly recommend!

I got into the spirit and baked some fall treats.

I’ve been boating a bit.

And tried my hand at making mussels for the first time. Delicious!

Last one. My grandma’s teacup collection is on full display in my new apartment kitchen:

Fall

Hello! I’m here, more quiet and still than in a usual year. But, as we know, this is not a usual year.

They tell me island life is busier than in most years. I’ve never been here for this long, so I’ll have to take their word for it. The temperature has dropped, but things feel… strangely normal.

I’m lucky now, because the past 9-10 months have been anything but normal. Somehow we’ve been allowed to keep operating and I’ve managed to build a sense of routine that feels steady, but could always be gone in the blink of an eye.

Yoga has moved from the beach and the turf to indoors (thankfully for me, because I can’t handle the cold). Restaurants and gyms are still open, so I can continue life as it was going in the summer. That gives me a nice sense of stability and I’m sorry if you’re wanting to do those things and cannot.

I’m still dreaming of kicking off a Zoom yoga class before the end of the year so that we can all practice together if you’re not here.

I’ve started teaching at another studio here, and there still has been time for restaurant life, sunset views, and a quick trip back home to take in the fall foliage.

And a small-sized Thanksgiving with my sister and her boyfriend. And when I say small, I mean the number of people; the menu was most definitely regular-sized.

We enjoyed making the most of a weird and distanced holiday.

I’ve officially become a New Jersey resident (gasp), which include not one but TWO trips down to the shortest line DMV in Cape May. The first time I was turned away for not having all the right materials, but I turned it into a beach day instead. The second time was more successful, and I visited Lucy on the way back:

This is the longest I’ve stayed in one place for a while. It feels safe and like some sort of a home. I’m waiting to discover next steps, but right now I’m happy to be here. And the sunsets have still been amazing, in case you were wondering.

In Praise of Friendship

Friends are great things to have. They'll invite you to their houses to carve pumpkins when you forget about holidays and don't even buy candy.

They'll send you nice videos when you're feeling sad.

They might even bring you surprise coffee or donuts.

And there are so many out there just waiting to know you. New or old, you can bet it's gonna be good.