After departing Baltimore I made my way north to visit friends on Long Island. They have a house on the North Shore and I really enjoyed the chance to slow down, settle into the quiet, and take a dip in the Sound when the heat wave became a little too much. I was also able to celebrate July 4th out there so all in all, it was a chance to relax and see folks I haven’t gotten to see in a while thanks to the pandemic.
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Logistically this was an interesting first stop after moving out of my apartment in Baltimore. I had all of my stuff packed up into my Mini and got to do the first unpack (and eventual re-pack) of all my stuff after the mad dash to fit everything into my storage unit on my moving-out day. There were things I found out I definitely needed, and others I realized I could part with. Some things I didn’t have to even get out because I was staying at a friend’s house vs an AirBnb, so I’ll have to evaluate those things a bit later as I move into different types of accomodations on the road. Overall it was a good first evaluation of what I have with me and what I can continue to let go of to lessen the load.
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Here is a little photo diary of some of the things I got up to in the two weeks I spent on Long Island:
Taking a dip in the Sound & smelling the coastal blooms were definitely highlights of my week. Even Fred got to try his paws at swimming!
Celebrating the 4th with friends, fireworks, and a mini cannon. This year I was busy holding Fred tight in a blanket, so these are from the same spot I watched the fireworks this year but back in 2018. The show this year was even better.
My friend’s dad has a small cannon that he sets off to punctuate the fireworks. It’s a hit with the neighbors, we can hear them chanting “cannon, cannon!”
My friends got some chicks before I arrived and over two weeks I got to watch them grow right before my eyes. Fred was very intrigued, and they were super cute. Some evenings we would just sit on the nearby couch and watch them figure out their new environment. We call it ChickTV.
I grew up in rural upstate NY, so I was used to seeing the stars growing up. Then I moved to a few cities and have had less opportunities to stargaze in the past few years. So when I caught sight of this lovely alignment I knew I had to go lay on the grass to enjoy it…. and grab my camera.
Not all “vacation” locations are 100% paradise. Tropical Storm Elsa made herself known and left a bit of destruction in the yard. Luckily all of our people and animals, not to mention the house, were safe and sound. Did anyone say firewood?
After almost two weeks with my friends, I re-packed the car, stowed my co-pilot, and got back on the road. Due to some work scheduling I’ll actually be back in Baltimore for a week, then I’m off for two weeks of ACTUAL vacation in some cool places, so I’ll keep y’all posted.
Thanks for checking in, I hope that you had a relaxing and fun weekend with friends or family if you were in the US over the 4th.
~ Happy Travels, V ~
Photos taken on first gen iPhone SE & Nikon D5300 with Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Lens