Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

Memories To Hold On To

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This is just a three day workweek for me since I had a long weekend out gallivanting. No offense to my job or other aspects of my regular life because I’m grateful for all of it…. but … TGIF. 

It’s so easy to get sucked back into everyone else’s troubles, bad work habits, and all the daily annoyances that tug at our brains and demand attention.

For this week, though, I have been working to mentally pull myself away from all of that at least for a moment or two at a time. When my brain starts to latch on to something negative, I take myself back to one particular moment on Saturday night. 

After a glorious day of exploring the shores of a fairytale land called Presque Isle State Park, some light book shopping, and sipping milkshakes, we headed back to the beach to witness the sunset. 

We left our shoes in the car but took towels and jackets. We took books in place of troubles. We took cold drinks instead of worries. 

We staked out a spot on a small peninsula where the waves might trick you into believing you’re at the ocean and not at the Lake Erie shore in Pennsylvania. We dug our toes into the sand and I used my bag as a pillow while reclining to read. 

As the sun began to descend, lower and lower against the horizon, the pleasantly warm day began to feel pleasantly cool. I stood to put on a light jacket. That’s when I noticed a large gathering of gulls on the rocks. All faced the western horizon as though they too were excited to see the cotton candy sky, colors so special that they can only be created by the setting sun. 

And then, without warning, all those gulls simultaneously took off and left us alone to focus on the sky. 

There was a slight breeze and the sand was turning cooler beneath my feet. I shuddered when a young woman waded out into the lake for one last dip in the golden hour. 

I wondered aloud about the water temperature but she was happy doing her thing and I was happy doing mine. 

And this, my friends, is where I am disappearing to in my brain when too much of the real world tries to crowd in this week.  

We all need a happy memory, something with lots of sensory details that we can grab hold of and escape to when the world gets to be too much. I’m grateful for mine and encourage you to dig through your memories for one of your own. If you don’t have one, better go out and make some! 

Long Weekend

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When I arrived at my Pittsburgh friend’s cute Mt Lebanon neighborhood last week, I was a little bedraggled and lugging a duffle bag so large you could stuff at least one grown adult inside.

I was supposed to prepare for just a few days but was ready for at least two weeks. Lacking the discipline to figure out what to pack, it seems I just took everything.

I called it the manifestation of all that was happening inside my brain as her husband lugged it inside.

And so began our annual Labor Day tradition.

Sometimes we go places. Last year we took the train from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia and hit all the historic sites. Sometimes we stick around Pittsburgh and she gives me the insider’s experience all over her city.

This year we did both – running away for a bit to soak in the beauty of Presque Isle State Park at Lake Erie.

It was somewhere in the middle of that park that I began to breathe better and to remember who I am. Was it when Nichola told me to turn around just in time to see a bald eagle glide across the trees? Was it when we rounded the bend of an overgrown path to unexpectedly find ourselves on shore line? Was it on a striped blanket on a chilly August Saturday as we waited for the sun to set?

I suppose it was in all of these places that I felt true joy and a connection to nature. Verizon doesn’t work great at the island so my phone barely made a peep, making it possible to enjoy life without distraction.

It has been a while since I have been able to hike consistently and comfortably. It has been a long, hard summer with the heat, humidity and a meniscus tear slowing me down.

To stand beneath a blue sky and simply breathe cooler air was such a gift. Sand between my toes as the water lapped at my ankles felt like therapy. To hear the chirp of an osprey as it soared overhead felt like a reward for good behavior. A pocketful of tiny shells and pebbles felt like presents from nature to help me recall the windswept day on the beach when I found myself again.

I’m not sure how many times I have to wear myself out and lose track of my own identity only to rediscover it while adventuring but I’m grateful every time I make my way back to me again.

Silent Sunday

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The Color And Light Of Randyland

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Last year I finally made it to Pittsburgh’s famed Randyland but avoided writing about it because I honestly didn’t know what to say.

The truth is I loved Randyland but didn’t completely understand it even when I was standing there. All these months later and I can’t say my understanding is any clearer. 

It’s color and light, trash to treasure, and a sense that all are welcome. It’s the eclectic and commonplace colliding to create memorable outdoor art. 

It’s free to walk through but there’s a price to pay – the cost is that you’ll see and read things that are hard to forget and may cause you to think.

I feel like I’m not explaining this very well. 

Some call it an outdoor art museum. Some say it’s one of the most important art exhibits in the country. Personally, I think the place defies description. 

Essentially, Randyland is an outdoor space on Pittsburgh’s northside that’s filled with murals and repurposed stuff made into art with lots of words and quotes from Randy himself. 

Who is Randy?

We met him briefly and he is lovely. His name is Randy Gilson and he seems to have created this place to foster a community where he belongs. On a sign he wrote

Hello, I’m Randy Gilson. Have you ever been bullied? I’m different. I’m retarded. I’m a broken tape measure. My life understands ME. I will never be like you. I’m happy. Please be happy. Everyone is unique, a gift.

From what I gather, Randy has been homeless in the past. He has been a community advocate and has worked to bring people together through art, gardening and being kind to others. He reminds us all that we are ok. No matter what others tell us, we are ok, just as we are.

No matter where you stand in this museum, there is something fascinating to see. And no matter how long you look, it’s impossible to take it all in.

I know plenty of people who would just call it a pile of junk but that would be a mistake. There is beauty to be found in the wall of empty but still vibrant paint cans. There’s intrigue to be found in the way old crystal chandeliers sparkle in the sunshine. There’s wisdom to be found in the words and in the way random objects are united in unexpected ways. 

Not everything is meant to be defined or even described. Randy calls himself a broken ruler and says he will never fit in, will never be like everyone else. 

I actually find that admission and that acceptance a breath of fresh air given how many of us work to fit in where we find no acceptance where will never belong. 

If you’re ever in Pittsburgh, the address is 1501 Arch Street. Go see it for yourself. Meanwhile, check out Make The Journey Fun on Facebook. I’ll post more pictures there because there were too many to share here.

Finding Festive Fun In Pittsburgh

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Holiday spirit has been elusive in my world but I finally caught the bug this week. These last several days I have spent with my East Coast Adventure Pal Nichola doing all the Christmasey things her town has to offer.

Friends, Pittsburgh knows how to celebrate the holidays. 

Christmas trees in the Hall of Architecture at the Carnegie Museum of Art, lights at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, more lights at Kennywood, an awe inspiring holiday model train display at the Trolley Museum and Christmas With The Pops at the Pittsburgh Symphony were the big things. 

We also enjoyed holiday lights across the city, sipped hot chocolate and enjoyed way more Christmas sweets than should be legal.

Looking at things unfamiliar was good for my brain and to jumpstart some creativity. A great example is Randyland, an outdoor art installation like nothing I have ever seen. There were bookstores, breakfast at a Mexican bakery and a slice of pop culture at the Andy Warhol Museum.  

Oh, the stories I have to tell!

With Christmas on the horizon, I’ll show you some of the festive stuff first and we will circle back later to the things that aren’t so timely.

A change of scenery and time with my friend is exactly what my mental health needed. A few hours in and all the stress and anxiety of my regular life was nearly forgotten. I slept well and my mind went quiet. Also, after a few days of eating and drinking basically whatever I liked, going back to healthier eating habits sounds, if not welcome, at least tolerable! 

My friend has family memberships to several museums around her city, an investment in the places but also a way to pop in and out at will, taking with her friends and family for fun outings. This made our adventure much more affordable as did staying at her house and cooking at home some.  After being in and out of the cold all day, it was wonderful coming home to a warm meal. 

All of this contributed to the affordability and fun of the trip. 

This is my rather un-subtle way of reminding you that adventure comes in many, many forms. It doesn’t have to involve a cruise ship or a resort. In fact, I would encourage you to look for other things including places close to home or those where you have friends and family willing to host you for a few days. In fact, I have many friends who have moved away who complain that they have to come home to see loved ones and that no one ever comes to visit them. I think it means a lot when someone they care about cares enough to go to them occasionally. 

And remember to start saving those credit card points and to figure out the hotel rewards program that works best for you so you can go further, longer! Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Tomorrow we go to Kennywood!

Nooks And Crannies In Old City Philly

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During your trip to the historic areas of Philadelphia, be sure to explore as much as possible on foot.

We did not have a car for this trip and that was by design. Traffic can be terrible and parking is an expensive, often challenging endeavor in a city like Philly. However, being on foot means you will see things that you would otherwise never notice or stop to enjoy if you had to look for parking.

This is true of most towns and cities but Philadelphia has some truly charming nooks and crannies.

There are alleys and pathways that are literally centuries old. We strolled through this little neighborhood that we only found because we decided to take a different route back to the hotel and I said “this looks like something.”

Isn’t it charming? 

It’s very Parisian with fleur de lis architectural accents, cobblestone and bistro tables surrounded by flowers galore. An occasional Canadian flag next to an American one alerted us that our instincts were correct.

If I ever return to Old City, you can bet that time will be dedicated to finding more places like this. There are also tons of what my friend calls “pocket parks” and sweet little spots with murals and fountains or statues with markers letting you know that so and so lived here or that an important event once took place on this site.  

I have several more of these spots to show you but this was my very favorite. I hope you like it too.