What we did over our summer

Ah, September. As the last bits of summer fade away and fall starts to move in, I can feel the funk that descends on me every summer (and usually keeps me from blogging) finally passing. In honor of the kiddies heading back to school, I thought I'd indulge in one of those time honored exercises: writing about what I, or in this case Daisy and I, did over our summer.

We rediscovered the joys of fruit, and ate a ton of it. Despite the often-frustrating lack of non-bruised organic fruit on Market District's and Whole Foods's shelves, we were able to indulge in a tasty variety of fruits from raspberries and blueberries to nectarines to cherries.

We went to Kennywood a lot. The benefits of being season ticket-holders are boundless. Have ticket, will travel. We were able to indulge our need for roller coasters and skeeball at least once for every month this summer. We even went back-to-back weekends in July. It has gotten so that some of the employees know us on sight now.

We missed the Three Rivers Arts Festival AND Pride Week, again. We really need to mark both events on our calendars next year.

I got rear-ended in my new truck. That was a bummer for the end of the summer, but it's all fixed up now, so I guess everything worked out ok.

As September gets started, Daisy and I are looking down the barrel at a pretty busy month - a wedding, a 40th anniversary celebration for my in-laws, and our long-awaited Salem vacation at the end. I expect to have a little more energy to put toward blogging, finally, but our schedule may put a damper on that. We'll check in when we can, though.

In the meantime - three cheers for fall and sweater weather!

Penn

Ways to kill calories and still stay cool

Summer is in full swing, and if you're like Daisy and I are, the idea of exercising in this heat is less than pleasant. We still manage to get ourselves to the gym, regardless, but not everyone is as dedicated to going to the gym as we are, whatever the temperature.

So, here are some ways that you can get some sun and fresh air, burn some calories, and still keep your cool (or at least most of it):

• Hit the water park or just the neighborhood pool: Swimming, navigating water slides at Sandcastle, and just general bouncing around in the pool present great opportunities to burn calories, while also allowing you to get the fresh air and sun you crave, and helping you to stay cool, too. Just save the Lazy River for after you've tired yourself out doing other things.
• Hit the amusement park: Whether you're at Kennywood for four hours or from open-to-close, going to the amusement park is a sneaky and very entertaining way to get some calorie burn into your day. For one thing, you spend a lot of time standing in line, and for another, you also spend a good portion of your day walking from one side of the park to the other. Throw in some Skeeball, and you'll be set. Just remember that although the amusement park food stands offer a variety of tasty delights, try not put all of the calories you just burnt off back on by eating ALL of those tasty options. An order of Potato Patch fries with just cheese is over 500 calories and 40 grams of fat, and a corn dog isn't much better, so a little bit can go a long way.
• Go to an outdoor festival: Whatever your taste, there's an outdoor festival for you this summer. Whether you crave music, beer, or arts and crafts, going to an outdoor festival ranks up there with going to Kennywood, as long as you spend much of your time circulating among the booths and not parked in a lawn chair. And, like with Kennywood, the food and drink at such festivals can tank any calorie burn gains you've made, easily, so enjoy in moderation.

I hope this list has given you some ideas on how you can enjoy the outdoors, and get in your daily requirements of fresh air and sun.

No matter what you choose to do outside this summer, remember to wear a good waterproof sunblock with an SPF of 30 or higher. Anything less just won't hold up against the intense rays, and those rays get even more intense when they bounce off of water.

Penn

RIP to Penn's SUV

Last Saturday, my beloved Equinox quit for the last time.

Coming back from Whole Foods, we were stopped at a red light in Bloomfield. When the light turned green, I hit the gas, but we only went about three feet forward before the gas pedal went nearly to the floor, with no resistance and no response. I watched the engine's RPMs drop to almost zero. My heart sank at that moment, because I knew that was it, the Equinox was done.

Luckily, I had enough momentum to steer us to the side of the street, where we waited for the flatbed truck to arrive. And, luckily, we didn't have to wait too long. I actually watched the same flatbed driver who later picked us up drive past us while we were talking to the AAA dispatcher. We only had to wait about 15 minute. A lucky star was over us that day.

Technically speaking, the immediate issue with the Equinox was that the fuel pump fuse had blown, which was a $100 fix. The overall problem, however, was a bad fuel pump, which cost $1200.

Since we had already poured around $4000 into repairs and other maintenance to the Equinox in the last 6 to 7 months, I had to admit that we could no longer continue that fight, if we wanted to make a choice that made economic sense. So, as much as it broke my heart, we decided to trade it in.

We now have a new (to us) Chevy Trailblazer LT2. There are many things I really like about it, but a part of me will always miss the Equinox. It was my first SUV, and it will always hold a special place in my memories.

That might be overly sentimental, but that doesn't bother me much.

Penn

PS - Daisy and I also want to give our thanks to Sun Chevy in McMurray (www.sunchevy.com/‎) for really taking care of us and the ailing Equinox, and hooking us up with a great new SUV. We greatly appreciated all of the excellent service we received from them.