Summer Highlights

Now that the cold has set in and the heat is turned on (not until the calendar officially read November), I will reminisce a bit about summer.  Plus, there are lots of happenings through the summer that I like to document with photos but do not have enough for an entire post. Or maybe I do and should create much shorter posts! :) I seem to be better at the lengthy ones. Here's a post of many summer memories all smashed together...

Boat Rides

(my favorite, of course)

Sunset cruise with the family

Busch Gardens 

(I don't think I will ever ride the teacups with these boys ever again. I have never been that dizzy in my life!)

Annual Pork, Peanut & Pine Festival

It was so dreary that I never took off my cover up nor got in the water. Thankfully, Hayley & Jerry went up on shore and brought us down our BBQ sandwiches.  It wouldn't be the PPP without them. 

Colonial Parkway Beach

This beach along the Colonial Parkway became a hot spot for us this summer. If we couldn't be on the river, then we'd drive a few minutes to be right beside it. So thankful to have this beautiful, free-from-crowds spot so close to my weekend home.

Farmer's Market

The farmer's market in Colonial Williamsburg (CW) was a routine for me this summer every Saturday after I hit the gym. It's a great market for fresh local foods, the weather was beautiful almost every time, it's fun to see familiar faces, and the King of Pops popsicles were amazing!

Enid was my farmer's market/walk around CW buddy on a few occasions

...and so was Buttercup, her pup. Butters jumped up on my lap one time and just sat for a long while. Somehow dogs always know who are more timid around them and then they gravitate towards them. She's a sweetie and cuddly so I didn't mind the company. 

Blueberry Picking in Richmond

Pool Parties
My parents' next door neighbor wanted a temporary pool but thought it might be too redneck in our neighborhood. We assured her it was a great idea for summer entertainment and she obliged. We enjoyed multiple fun evenings floating in her blow up. The well water they used to fill it was FREEZING and the summer was so mild that the water never completely warmed, but that still didn't stop us.

Blacksburg

We moved Teddy into his dorm at Tech in late August (what an excited freshman!) and after he was all settled and mostly unpacked, we spent the rest of the weekend enjoying Blacksburg. Despite it being the town of my rival school, Blacksburg scored some points that weekend.

This will give a glimpse of how Teddy feels about me...

Some interesting flowers at the place where we stayed...


We woke up on Saturday morning to cooler temps and overcast skies but that did not scare us away from our plans to tube the New River that day. Our first float down was quite chilly and I did my very best to keep all parts of my body out of the water (what a workout), but the next two trips down were perfect with warmer temps and the sun shining. We took a break at one point to enjoy lunch in the grass along the river with the views below. What a spot! 

After a full day on the river, we drove back to Waynesboro to visit Emily and family in their new(er) home and spend the night with them. Ted and I had some free time that Sunday after church and before we were going to meet up with Katy and gang so we decided to do the usual...grab Bellair sandwiches and take them to Sugar Hollow. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the usual spot, too...in the (rock) chairs right along the river. No surprise I end up near water wherever we travel.

Then nap time on the rocks while we people watched at the swimming hole.

BugOut in Dinwiddie
Ted and I joined his parents for the annual BugOut over Labor Day weekend. Volkswagen Bug enthusiasts from all over gather to look at each other's cars, sell spare parts, and race. It was quite the experience. I'm not sure life would be complete without going at least once.

I definitely chuckled at the thought of me being at a drag strip in rural Virginia with a bunch of rednecks.

New Jersey Weekend

I visited Sarah and family in New Jersey back in mid-September...(even though it was September, it was still summer!). It was a lovely weekend catching up, lounging around, eating good food, doing a little garage-saling, enjoying college football, and watching cute little girls play soccer.

A few pics from the soccer field...

Sarah, Andy, and I went to the Rutgers/Penn State game that Saturday night. The weather had been dreary all day but the rain/mist cleared off right before kick off. 

Unfortunately, Rutgers wasn't able to pull off a win but we enjoyed a lovely dinner (in the comforts of Andy's truck since it was a little misty and not perfect for tailgating), had great seats, and I enjoyed cheering on a new team.

July 4th Weekend

The July 4th holiday looked very different this year. In the past, we have usually traveled to Smithfield Station by boat on the 3rd to enjoy Smithfield's fireworks that evening from the dock and then we would often head to other marinas for a short boat trip. This trip did not happen this year so I actually worked on the 3rd for a change. I suppose it wasn't THAT bad, although it did feel a bit odd after so many years of having an extended holiday.

As a side note, because none of our boating friends were up for the Smithfield trip this year, my parents had planned to go by boat to The Tides Inn for the 4th and I was going to meet them over there by car, but Tropical Storm Arthur interfered and they decided not to take a chance. Thankfully, the storm wasn't bad and the weather ended up cooperating for a nice day home to celebrate the holiday.

I drove to Williamsburg on the morning of the 4th and the first order of business was learning again how to drive stick. I probably have done it 3 or 4 times but it's been since college or before. I understood the concept but it was definitely not yet second nature. There's still too much thinking involved. The vehicle of choice made the lesson pretty fun...especially on a beautiful summer day. After a few spins around the neighborhood and nearby smaller roads, Ted convinced me that I was ready for more and I drove a few miles from home to get slurpees. All in all, the lesson went smoothly (no stalling, no accidents). Phew. 

Because we weren't initially sure about the weather, we passed on the boat and planned an afternoon cookout at my parents house with a few friends.

Although a little hard to see, Dad and Jerry were playing cornhole on the dock. I kept waiting to hear a splash when one of the bean bags went into the canal.

As usual, Hayley made things very festive with holiday-appropriate decorations.

The designated grill master these days...

 

As a last minute decision, we all headed to Colonial Williamsburg for their fireworks. The traffic can be bad getting in and out but thanks to knowing a few back roads, we were in and out in no time. It was nice to see those fireworks for a change on the 4th!

Here are a few hightlights from the rest of that weekend...

Teddy attempted barefooting for the 2nd time. Here he is with his new hairdo...before messing it up. :) It's rare that the water is cold in July, but this summer was so mild that Teddy wore a wetsuit.

 Step by step instructions on how to barefoot off of a kneeboard. First, get up on kneeboard.

 Spin around and sit on your back side (no easy feat)

 Keep the board under control while the boat speeds up to top speed (preferably around 40)

Make no abrupt movements and slowly plant your feet on the water once you are up to speed (and the board basically comes out from under you)

 Then....BAREFOOT! (At this point, all of the riders on the boat were cheering loudly.)

 You take a lot of water to the face! Teddy said that it felt like his eyes were falling out or his eyelids were inside out.

So glad to capture these next two images with my nicer camera (it was a good day to bring my zoom lens)

 Love this expression! (I would be making that face, too, if I had gotten up and stayed up as long as Teddy did. It was quite impressive for a newbie.)

Flyboarding at Jamestown Beach! A local family started a business this summer of offering flyboarding lessons at one of our favorite spots to anchor the boat and hang out. It provided some nice entertainment while we were relaxing on the river. There was lots of talk around the neighborhood about who was going to be the first to try this out, but in the end, there were no takers.

The flyboard is propelled by water flowing from a jetski

Fresh tomatoes and basil...a summer favorite.

Boating with friends...

We met my parents out at Jamestown Beach. It looks like they have it pretty good!

(Obviously, something was on my phone because the next few photos came out with a film on them.)

Nothing like grillin' on the boat and eatin' dogs in the water!

My boating buddy :) If the ride had been any longer, she would have conked out in no time. That's what swimming and fun in the sun does to us all!