Vacation - Part 1: Embarkation

I went on a vacation!! Shane and I got home over two weeks ago, but I've been too busy to write. I'll tell you why later. First: Let me tell you about our fantastic trip!

On the last Thursday in August, we left work and went straight to the rental company to pick up our vacation car. Then we headed to the First Niagara Pavilion west of town for a Mumford & Sons concert. This was an awesome opportunity for our whole house. Our unofficial house theme song is "Little Lion Man". (Warning: Contains mild swearing.)

I had read online that we could expect heavy traffic, but I had no idea it could be so very bad. Shane and I parked a good distance (maybe half a mile?) from the stage. The "parking lot" was the grassy area surrounding the remote facility. We saw tons of people tailgating. I wondered if they all had tickets, or if some planned to listen from their cars. On our walk to the entrance, we stopped to use port-a-potties in the parking lot. At first, I thought it was odd to need bathroom facilities in a parking lot. Having used one, I now think they need to acquire more.

"Hi. I'd like to report your bathrooms..."

When we got to the entrance we had to pass a security check. We were not carrying bags, so the process only took five or ten minutes. Inside, it was like an amusement park with no rides; only food stands. I must say, I have never seen so many people in one place in my life. I mean that absolutely literally. I have never been surrounded by such a dense throng. There were lots of different sorts of people there too. I expected mostly millennials/hipsters, but I believe I saw folks of every age and walk of life in the crowd.

We were worried about being late, having arrived a full hour after the start time printed on our tickets. Thankfully, there was still an opening act on stage when we sat down. They played for nearly another hour which gave our housemates plenty of time to join us too.

For 2/3 the price, you can purchase a ticket for lawn seating: a fend-for-yourself situation on the grassy patch of hill behind the covered seats. We sprang for assigned seats. It was the right choice. Our view was spectacular! (Though not good enough for share-worthy photos of the band.) A friend warned me that we'd be standing for the whole concert if we wanted to see. She was right, but that was OK with me. I wanted to jump and dance most of the time anyway!

Mumford & Sons themselves seemed intimidated by the size of the crowd. One of them even told us this was the biggest audience they had ever played for! The concert was fun and polished, but I was not blown away. That's pretty much what I expected. I guess I've been spoiled by all the intimate concerts I've been to. The best part of the performance was the encore. They were joined by the two opening bands to cover The Beatles' "Come Together".

We all took the next day off work; which is good because traffic was awful leaving too. Thankfully, we'd planned ahead and brought sandwiches. Regretfully, we sent Shane from Kate's car to the rental car to bring back beverages he'd picked up. The girls couldn't even find room in the official parking when they arrived, and were instead directed to an overflow area outside a closed restaurant on the opposite end of the lot. I think it took Shane an hour to walk there and back again. He might have been faster, but he stopped on the way back to direct traffic at a jammed intersection. What a guy!

Shane and I were one of the last cars to leave at around midnight. Most of the traffic had dissipated, but we still ran into clusters of unusually thick cars on the way back to the city. I was grateful Shane was driving because I found it hard to keep my eyes open. He had to make an emergency Red Bull stop himself. I guess we're getting too old to stay out so late.

If I were to have a do-over, I would take two days off work. That way I could arrive super early and park near the lot exit. In the future, I plan to do one better and avoid that venue entirely. Still, it was worth it just this once.

3 Rivers Arts Festival (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2! Part 1 is back here.
The second concert in the 3 Rivers Arts Festival I couldn't bear to miss was for Glen Hansard. I discovered the Irish singer/songwriter about five years ago through the movie "Once". It's a beautiful indie film staring Glen & Markéta Irglová, and it is now a Broadway musical. Together, Glen and Markéta are the band "The Swell Season"; but they're currently working on solo projects.

Opening for Glen Hansard in Pittsburgh was Lisa Hannigan. I was honestly more excited to see her, than I was to see Glen. Lisa is also an Irish singer/songwriter. She doesn't have a movie, but I love singing along with her debut recording: "Sea Sew".

Once again, I headed to the park after work. This time, I was a little better prepared for sitting on the grass. I stopped by the drugstore on my way. They had one lonely picnic blanket for sale. It needed me, and I needed it!

Beth's things on my bright green blanket.

I sat in front of the sound-tent this time, but still a little way back from the stage. These crowds were nothing like those at the opening night concert. I suppose it had a lot to do with it being a weeknight, and one where the forecast called for thunderstorms. I was wearing galoshes and carrying a windproof umbrella. A little rain won’t chase me away from great music!

With impending storms in mind, they decided to start the music early. Shane and Beth were coming to meet me, but they both work much farther away. They hadn't even arrived yet when Lisa Hannigan took the stage.

She performed most of her songs alone; accompanying her self on guitar or ukulele. The audience was peaceful and respectful. Even as more folks filed in, only the front two rows or so were standing. It was wonderful to here her live! She gave me goosebumps more than once. Lisa ended her set with help from Glen's back-up band, and then everyone took a short break.

Shane and Beth had found each other by then, farther back in the crowd. When Lisa's performance was done, they joined me on my blanket.

Shane looking down from his lawn chair with a sense of superiority, and Beth being cute.

There was a rush of excitement from the crowd when Glen Hansard took the stage. He paused for a few minutes to sound-check and wait for his band. He warned us that the concert would end abruptly when the rain arrived. He also said the cool, grey weather made him feel at home.

The movie and albums didn't prepare me for how intense Glen Hansard's performances could be. When he got a song up to a good driving rhythm, he'd become lost in it. He'd close his eyes, maybe back away from the mic, and bop up and down with the beat. A few times, his face turned a purple-ish red; and even from a distance, I could see a vein popping out on his forehead. The concert was fun, but this guy is serious. Even his acousitc guitar is hard-core (sadly, not pictured). He's worn a hole right through the wood where he strums.

Glen Hansard worked through his set efficiently. We were all expecting downpour at any moment. But the weather remained friendly. So they kept playing. I think there were about thirty minutes of energetic "encores". Each song ended with Glen saying something like, "We've got to go. Seriously. This is the last one."

Lisa Hannigan came back to join him and the band for a few songs, including the old "Swell Season" hit, "Falling Slowly". His voice was nearly gone by then, so he asked the audience to sing the high notes on the chorus for him. We obliged with gusto. Glen invited an old friend on stage too. He's an Irish musician who now lives in Pittsburgh. I can't remember his name, and I couldn't find him with a Google search. Here he is listening to Lisa from the audience. If you know who he is, say so in the comments please! Mystery man sang us a song and then did another with his small children singing back-up. We couldn't hear them well, but they were adorable!

Glen Hansard ended the night (at last) with a song I'd never heard before: "The Auld Triangle". He said it was an important song to the Irish, so I looked it up. I could write a whole post about this song! It was written for a 1954 dark comedic play about an Irishman on death row. The play was popular, and a short while later the death penalty was abolished in Ireland. (I do not know how directly the play effected the legislation, if at all.) This particular prison is notorious to this day, and houses many debtors and political prisoners. That sounds like a weird choice for a finale, sure. But it is really catchy! If you'd like to hear the song yourself, I found a video of Glen singing it with Bono (who doesn't do very well with it - my apologies). Beth, Shane and I were singing the refrain all the way home!

3 Rivers Arts Festival (Part 1)

Alright, Blog Readers! Here's a real post! This one goes back all the way to June.

Pittsburgh is a generally gloomy place, weather-wise. We actually get two more cloudy days each year (on average) than notorious Seattle. Perhaps as a result, when it gets nice here, folks make the most of it. Part of the local celebration of beautiful outdoor days is an annual festival downtown. The 3 Rivers Arts Festival is ten days of fair food, seas of local artist-merchant stands, and free live music!

This is actually from the Glen Hansard concert which will be featured in "Part 2".
Fun Fact: I didn't realize these were my friends, Kyle & Mikeala on the right until after I took the picture!

Some past years, I've simply avoided the crowds. (I don't do well with crowds, even in the nicest weather.) But this year there were two music performances I simply couldn't miss!

The first group were the festival headliners: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I headed straight to Point State Park after work, and ran into friends on the way!

Derek and Jenn being awesome (no idea who girl in tie-dye is)

We went to buy food and wait for Kira; and ran into more friends!

Ellie, Matt, and Brandi (Sorry, Matt. That's my best picture of you...)

In the following half-hour or so, I probably saw a dozen people I knew. When talking to folks later, I heard there were a bunch of friends there who I didn't see. We took a seat on the lawn just past the sound-booth-tent. "We" was me, Shane, Kira, and the lovely folks pictured above. Dan and Sarah came by later with baby Selah, who they were baby-sitting. I didn't get any pictures of them. Probably because I spent most of their time with us with Selah asleep on my shoulders.

Proof Shane was there too. No photo-love for Kira. I took some, but none turned out.

I was lucky to have found friends, and double-lucky they were friends with blankets. I had totally failed to consider what we would sit on! Then again, after the show started, there wasn't much sitting. I was also glad we arrived early. There were maybe 500 people ahead of us, but probably another 1,500 behind us!

 (Here is a map I made for your reference. The whole red circle was full, and then some! Source)

I forgot my camera, so I have no pictures of the band. But here's a cell-phone picture of the stage:

They had all sorts of fancy lighting effects!

Yes, that's a guy dressed as Jesus in front of us. I also saw a little boy in a Link costume, teenagers wearing tails, and girls in Japanese Lolita outfits. I guess something about a big event makes folks want to show off.

Anyway, the energy of the crowd was exuberant (and not too over-stimulating)! The babies were adorable and really into the music. I was impressed by their behavior! I myself had to wear earplugs to feel comfortable with the volume of the sound system. Their parents/babysitters took them home about half-way through, because they are babies.

The band played a good show. Not a beat or note was out of place. But they seemed a bit taken-aback by the size of the crowd. I guess no one told them they were going to be the main event!

(Part 2 coming soon!)

Summer Break

A cell phone picture of a butterfly from my walk home

So I feel like I haven't been keeping up with the blog the way I'd like to. (Not that I ever promised to be consistent...)

The last month has been eventful, but not in a photogenic sort of way. Shane's dad had surgery a couple of weeks ago, and we spent that weekend at the hospital helping out and hanging out. He's home now and recovering fine. It easily could have been a much more negative experience than it was. Of course it still took energy to support my husband and his family; and that kind of knocked the wind out of my blogging sails.

I still have a couple of fun experiences to share from the beginning of this summer. I'm also excited about a vacation we have planned for the first week in September! This will be my first real vacation as an adult. I think of it as "real" because I'm going where I want to go and because I chose it, instead of joining family/friends in their plans or at their home. Which isn't to say we won't be seeing some family folks... but I asked them if we could visit. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me I guess.

While I'm very happy about these plans, another first in this vacation is that I'm spending money for fun's sake in a big way. Of course we've had fun dinners out or seen fun concerts or what-not. But I've never spent on fun on this scale before. It's messing with my head a bit. I keep having to remind myself that we worked hard to save up, and we're being super frugal (like camping most nights instead of staying at hotels). I also think it will be good for me. Not just because of the break from routine, but because I'm currently in the process of learning to live more for today. The theme of my thoughts lately keeps turning to: "Be grateful for what you have now. Don't just plan for tomorrow."

Amusement Park

When I was a teenager, I would say, "It's never a real summer until I've been on a roller coaster." Over the last half-decade or so, I've let that idea go. Life and "adulthood" took over, and roller coasters became somehow harder to get to. This year, I finally made it happen; and a bunch of my friends came along for the ride.

Our first ride of the day: Not actually a roller coaster...

The local park is called Kennywood. It's just a short drive from where I live, which is super convenient! While checking out the website for their spring hours, I noticed a by-one-get-one-free coupon for May. Jackpot! On a Sunday late in the month, I rounded up the house, our friend Fish (yes, that's a nickname), and all of the sunscreen.

I was so excited! Kira and I skipped through the park entrance. SKIPPED! Like little girls in frilly pink tutus would. Sadly, it didn't take long for my enthusiasm to be squashed by a crazy allergic reaction. I am allergic to most things found in, well, air. And the park was full of beautiful flowers. Beautiful, evil, flowers. I was already on Clariton, but apparently it did nothing. Luckily, Shane thought to pack Benedryl. That fixed my nose, but created a short queasy spell. This was quickly solved by french fries covered in nacho cheese and bacon. I took a break on Shane's shoulder while everyone else enjoyed the merry-go-round, and we were back in business!

Shane dutifully supporting my giant grandma sunglasses + drug-induced stupor

By the way. The merry-go-round at Kennywood is very nice. It's even under an extra roof which extends out to a seating area perfect for tired parents and queasy allergy sufferers. But the clown face repeated on the outside? Creepy. No two ways about it. See:

Like if Liberace and Carrot Top had a kid...

I think we ended up covering the whole park a few times over. And I got my roller coasters!

The lines weren't too bad on most of the rides. Shane took this amazing photo of me while bored waiting for the Racer.

Amazing, because it's very hard to catch my real smile.

There were lots of midway games, and some small, pretty seating areas. But we mostly stuck to the rides. Shane took this picture of the George Washington statue. George came through the site of the park while fighting the French in the Seven Years War. (He lost, BTW.) Shane had to take a picture, because he's a guy who knows a thing or two about swords. That is not an English sabre. It looks more like a straightened Japanese katana.

Looks more like a BBQ sword to me.

Silly swords aside, I do have one earnest complaint; a word of warning, really. Do NOT try to go on the Exterminator! I say "try" because after nearly an hour of waiting in line, we quit. We were told someone had been sick on the ride, and it would take another half-hour to clean up. The line area is a small, cinder-block building. It is fully enclosed with poor ventilation and no sound-proofing. Here is a picture of our misery:

Fish, probably thinking: "I am going to murder that squealing teenager."

It really put a big black spot on our day. I seem to recall from a visit years ago that it's a pretty good ride. But no ride is worth that torture. I think they should have paid me $20 just for standing in line there.

We escaped though. Over-all we had a great time. See?

My final verdict is mixed. I certainly went with great people! And I sure had fun. But it didn't feel like the capstone of my summer. I guess I just don't need roller coasters as much as I used to.

Our Pioneer Camping Trip

Well, now. Since my friend (and soon-to-be neighbor) amberZon mentioned me on her blog yesterday, I suppose it's about time I start catching you guys up with some new material! (Welcome, Zonbie fans!!)

Last fall, Shane and I went camping for the first time. As a kid, Shane would go out roughing it with his friends pretty often, but I had never really been camping myself. Some of our friends invited us to join them for an overnight, so we bought a tent and dug out our sleeping bags. It turns out you need to have a bit more equipment than that for a truly successful camping trip! But our friends had lots of those other things, so we still had a blast.

Our piggy-backed camping trip last fall

Thanks, Wells and Dutras for showing us the ropes!

This spring I got it into my head to flesh out our camping supplies. It started with just an air mattress. Then a travel French press. Before I knew it, I'd amassed quite a kit! I found a giant Rubbermaid container lying around the house and it became home to our camping supplies.

Our set-up, complete with giant Rubbermaid.

Once I had all of the equipment, I couldn't wait to use it! Shane had a birthday coming up. So I took the Friday of his birthday weekend off, and we made a mini-vacation! Friday morning, I picked up the rental car and took it to buy groceries. Then I went home, filled the cooler, and loaded the car. After a short break to catch my breath, I drove out to Carnegie, PA to pick Shane up from work. Now that I drive very rarely (because we don't own a car), I find driving stressful. So, I felt really proud of myself for trucking all over kingdom-come. Shane drove for the rest of the trip. Bless him.

We stopped off at Lowe's for fire wood (which they had trouble finding for us...), and were on our way. I had reserved a plot online at Raccoon Creek State Park. It's just an hour out of town, and I read somewhere that it was a good place for novice campers. It turned out to be a nice enough place, but I don't think we'll go back because it was close to an airport. The low-flying planes interrupted the peaceful feeling of remoteness we otherwise enjoyed.

Our plot: Before & After

It was a lovely little spot; very large, and far removed from the other campers. We set up shop, made dinner,   and sat quietly by the fire until we were tired. I started the fire too! I don't believe I've ever started a fire all on my own before. I was super ambitious with my choice for dinner: steak and potatoes. The potatoes (and green peppers an onions) turned out great! But while Shane was able to save it, I will not be trying to cook raw steak over a fire ever again. (Maybe if I cooked it at home a bit first...)

The next morning, we woke earlier than I expected to. It was the beginning of May, so the morning was very cold. I was glad to have thought to bring our winter coats along! Shane made eggs and coffee for breakfast, and we took our time.

We put together deli sandwiches for lunch, and decided to bike to the wildflower reserve at the other end of the park. We thought the map said it was 2.5 miles away. The map lied. It turns out, it was more like 5 very hilly miles away. When we stopped under a bridge near the reserve and ate our sandwiches, I proclaimed that I could bike no further. Shane, being a saint and in better shape than I, happily rode all the way back to camp and came back for me with the car. He even had the energy to walk around the wildflower reserve with me! He took lots of pretty pictures. Here are a few:

After our flower-gazing, we hopped in the car. On the way to meet me, Shane had run into a ranger who told him about a store nearby selling ice cream. We decided a pit stop was definitely in order! It was hilariously back-woodsy (intentionally, I think). The ice cream was great, and they had cheap wood for sale, which was good because we underestimated how much to pick up at Lowe's.

We went back to camp, and cooked up the fried rice I'd packed for dinner. I pulled out my little blue ukulele, and we sang together by the fire. Then, we made s'mores with roasted bananas! It's my new favorite thing. It's super messy, but delicious! We read books by flashlight until the fire was low (and I was "attacked" by spiders one too many times). Some noisy neighbors had moved in that afternoon, and they woke me up once. But otherwise our cheap air mattress gave us another good night's rest.

Banana S'mores!!!

The next day, we were beat. There were more eggs for breakfast, and more deli sandwiches for lunch. I gloated a bit in my head while watching everyone else pack up early, knowing we had the whole day to get ourselves together. When cleaning up, we discovered that our tent had been pitched near an anthill! But we never had any trouble with them in the tent. Yay tent! (And yay for the tarp I bought to put under it!) Around noon, we loaded the car and headed home. We were happy and relaxed from our weekend in a way I've never experienced with a "vacation" before. But we were also happy to go back to our bed and shower!