Snapshot of Summer

"All in all, it was a never to be forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world." --L.M. Montgomery (Anne's House of Dreams)

It hardly seems possible that it is already August. I'm hoping we have several more months of summer, but the last couple days I've had to wear a sweater, with lows reaching into the 50s. Maybe summer is taking a quick vacation. But before I forget, it's time for some mid-summer reflections!  I recently went out to lunch with my friend Kathleen, whom I met while blogging on the campaign trail. She is very much a living reminder of why I love blogging, so it's about time for a new post!  This summer has been a fun one, packed with happy memories I don't want to forget.

1. I visited Chocolaterie Stam for the first time in my life with this lovely young lady on May 25!

Looking at the chocolates was an experience itself.  Who needs to eat them? Oh, and she tried to teach me how to take a selfie, and I failed. But that's what teenage sisters are for!  If you haven't checked out Sarah Faith's blog at the Journeys of Faith yet, you should. You can learn all about how she eats pecan pie and ice cream and still sets her P.R. (personal record). She did her first triathlon this summer, and recently ran 20 miles, just for training.

2. Aren't these cars beautiful? I "had to" attend a car show one weekend in Shell Rock to cover it for the paper on June 11.

3. The Glenn Miller Orchestra came to Wilder Park in Allison on June 11 (and of course, I had to cover that).

"You leave the Pennsylvania Station 'bout a quarter to four. Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore. Dinner in the diner; Nothing could be finer Then to have your ham an' eggs in Carolina. When you hear the whistle blowin' eight to the bar, Then you know that Tennessee is not very far. Shovel all the coal in Gotta keep it rollin' Woo, woo, Chattanooga there you are." --Chattanooga Choo Choo

The Glenn Miller Orchestra dates back to the 1930s and 40s. I was happy my sister Charity was able to attend with me!

 4. Attending the Figure 8 Races at the Butler County Fair was definitely something I'd never done before.

Somehow the thought of attending Figure 8 Races had never struck a chord of longing in my heart. But covering them for the paper was a fascinating experience. The old-school racing was especially remarkable, as cars bumped each other off the track instead of just racing for speed.

5. Scrambles at the Butler County Fair: I'd never seen anything like this before either.

Children tried to catch calves and pigs. If a teenager caught a calf, the calf were his/hers. If a child caught a pig, he/she received an envelope of money.

6: I accidentally won the Clarksville Spelling Bee, adult division.

"What will people think if they find out their newspaper editor can't spell?" I asked spelling bee organizer Lola Clark. "It will be fun," she said. I was fortunate to sit at the end of the line, so by the time it was my turn, almost everyone else was already out! I just had to fight it out with Lora Wedemeier, who finished second. Here we stand with retired teacher Lorna Schwartz, who came from Colorado and officiated the spelling bee. What made it even sweeter was that Sarah Faith won the high school division!

7. My 23rd birthday was unforgettable.

Not only was my birthday cake beautiful, it contained a specially-ordered spelling error from my papa. He wanted to see if this editor was on her toes...I was not prepared to proof-read my own cake! I *need* spell check.

My family and I went rock climbing at the W in Waverly. Climbing is another first for me this year. The National Guard had a climbing wall at the Sauerkraut Days in Ackley, and my sisters, brother and I each made it to the top and collected a t-shirt; so, we wanted to try something a bit more challenging! And we had a lot of fun! 

 We went out to eat at the New Century International Buffet in Cedar Falls... 

But before the evening was over, I got a text that someone had tried to burn down the Clarksville City Hall--which happens to be attached to the police station--in broad daylight!

So, I finished the evening with some very sad breaking news coverage. The city hall was built in 1917, and old tax records dating back to the 1800s were damaged or destroyed by the blaze. The perpetrator had kicked in the back door, wrecked the food pantry, and eventually set fire to the building right in front of the beautiful desk from the old bank. This was a nice city hall, and I'm there at least twice a month for council meetings. To have someone commit arson there was shocking.

8. The Old Mill in Shell Rock was a neat place to visit.

To my surprise the interior is beautifully furnished. The 150 year-old mill has been given new life as a vacation rental. It overlooks the Shell Rock River.

9. Running, running, running!

I've joined my family for 14 5Ks so far this year--the latest, just today. My times are definitely very slow because I don't make the time to train, but I still have fun! One of these days I'm going to have to get back into shape. My first race of the year I finished with a time of 25:29. Today my time was 28:56.

10. My first tractor pull was a loud one! 

I could hardly believe how much noise these contraptions made. I attended to take pictures, and I had the opportunity to ride behind the sled in a safe, enclosed steering cab (not like the one in this photo!). That was fascinating.

11. We visited the Little Valley Church...and met a lady with 1900 teddy bears!

I love little churches. So many teddy bears though was amazing!I had never seen so many teddy bears in my life.

12. The Living History Farms is a place I had been hoping to check off my list for a long time.

It was basically like a whole city of museums, with docents dressed in period-costume and working as citizens of the town and farm. I thought The Advocate newspaper office was the neatest. Apparently, putting a paper together years ago was a lot more work than it is now.

At the farm, I had a chance to help grind silage (I think that's what they were doing--not sure). And we got to see a litter of day-old piglets. These weren't ordinary confinement pigs by any means. There were Ossabaw Island Hogs, mixed breed sows, and a Berkshire boar--hairy and quite big.

There was a nice old church--and even a cemetery. Another couple spots I thought particularly interesting were the doctor's office and the drug store. It's amazing what they did to patients a hundred years ago, and I wonder what people in 100 years will think of our medical practices today.

13. We went to a lot of parades. 

We collected a lot of candy at parades. Why didn't my parents take me to parades when I was little? Maybe I should give them some credit for the fact I still have my teeth.

14. Canoeing

Another summer highlight was canoeing and kayaking down the Iowa River. We happened to choose the same time as a float party did, so it was quite a challenge canoeing around so many obstacles, but we made it past everyone, and finally enjoyed some peace and quiet on the river.

Some of the photos in this post are courtesy of Daniel, Charity, and Sarah Faith.

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One sad thing that's happened to me this summer is I've nearly lost my Oxford Comma. In AP style, I cannot use it, so I've gotten out of the habit. I will survive, and the Oxford Comma will survive: strong, tried, and true.

I think I must be one of the happiest people in the world. No one in life is exempt from trouble (and car repair bills), but I feel most blessed. I have everything I want, and I know God's grace is everything I need.