Hello Everyone, September is upon us which means fall is right around the corner here in Washington D.C. We’ve gotten some rain here this week which has brought the temperatures down quite a bit, and cooler temperatures is more than welcome in my opinion. I’m not used to being here in the summer and the heat and humidity is a bit much to take, especially without the normal joys of summer like concerts, festivals and fairs. I spent my days this last week with my 2 year old buddy Mason and we’ve continued to hang out in the park, throw the ball around, play with his trucks, look at insects and flowers and have a good time. We laugh a lot and it’s really amazing to see him changing and growing day by day. He’s an absolute joy to spend time with and it’s been a treat to do just that. He’s been keeping me busy, but I’ve gotten out to do a few things this week which has been great as well.
Last Wednesday we celebrated my step-father’s birthday with some delicious steaks, cakes, champagne and a viewing of the classic film American Graffiti. It was a wonderful night and I’m happy to be home with him to celebrate it.
Thursday night I had a Zoom session with some of my friends from college which was also really great. They’re all good guys and it’s nice that we’re still in touch 20 years + down the road. We still spend a lot of time laughing which is important. There were a lot of Zoom sessions going on when all of this started, but the summer has put an end to many of them as my friends have been trying to have safe and distanced vacations and keep their kids learning and growing without summer camps and programs. Hopefully we will get some of them going again as school gets back in session and the cooler weather arrives. I really miss seeing people in person, but Zoom is better than nothing.
Friday night my folks and I gathered for a virtual tour across the United States. My friend Christopher had sent me a game called Snapshots Across America, which is simple and fun and reminded me of all the wonderful places I’ve traveled over the years. I had some great snacks prepared from different regions (like Buffalo wings, Vermont cheddar cheese and Wisconsin brats), plus an array of regional microbrews as well This added to the fun of the game because every time we landed in a particular state we could sample some of their local food and/or beer. There was also great road-trip music to go along with the game. It was a lot of fun and a good night all around.
Saturday it rained in the morning, and I basically just took a day to sleep in, read my book and relax. I’m currently reading In Search of the Old Ones by David Roberts. It’s an interesting book – part adventure, part history, part archaeology – which discusses the ruins of the American Desert Southwest and the Ancestral Puebloan people who once lived there. I’ve been to many of the regions he discusses, and some of the specific ruins as well and I’m really enjoying it. It is definitely whetting my appetite for more such places when I eventually return to that region. New Mexico and Arizona were on my hit-list for this year, and I’m sad I didn’t get to explore them in person, but reading about them is better than nothing at all. In the afternoon we played a few rounds of Carcassonne, which was also a lot of fun. I was hoping my new expansion would have been here by Saturday, but it didn’t arrive until Monday, so we’ll have to play again soon.
Sunday was such a beautiful day here and the temperatures didn’t really get much above 80°F. It was so much cooler than it has been and the sun was shining and the sky was so clean and blue. I spent much of the day outside and reading my book. My mom whipped up a nice breakfast as well which was just icing on the cake. In the afternoon, my mom helped me get Shadow Catcher into the shop to get the brakes taken care of. Hopefully they will get to it soon and I can get back to exploring when it is fixed.
On Monday I was back with Mason in the morning, and then spent the afternoon trying to catch up on some work which was good. It was rainy out, so I didn’t feel like I was missing much outside. Tuesday my mom and I made another run around the city, looking at some of our oldest buildings and letting me take the final photos for my historic firehouses of DC post. We stopped for lunch at Stachowkski’s in Georgetown, and got some sandwiches as big as a football, but really good too. It was fun to be out and about. Today I’ve just been hanging out with Mason and enjoying some “M&M” (for Mike and Mason) time. Tonight is Dinner and a Movie night, so I’m going to cook up a few Boston related dishes and a “how do you like them apples?” apple pie and we’re going to watch Good Will Hunting, one of my favorites.
This coming week will be a good one if the weather stays cool. Team M&M will keep going strong. We’re going to celebrate Labor Day weekend with a typical backyard barbecue. I hope to get out and take some more photos, keep working on my book and podcast and get back to playing my musical instruments. Other than that, it’s probably not going to be a ripper of a week, but I’m going to try and keep making the most of it. I’ll tell you what though, when this vaccine hits the market, hold onto your hats because Shadow Catcher and I are going to be kicking up some wind on our way out of town. Until then though, I’m pretty happy and satisfied with where I’m at. It’s nice to feel content, even with itchy feet. Have a great week y’all, and a wonderful Labor Day weekend to my American friends and followers. Thanks as always for reading.
-Mike