Summer 2020

Summer 2020 has come and gone. Online school starts Monday. It was a strange summer. I'll remember the political events of the time rather than actually what I was doing during that time. To be honest, I wasn't doing much at all. Everyday felt like groundhog day as I slipped into a much simpler, much more localized routine. It felt appropriate for my situation, and in some ways was an excuse not to do anything. I canceled all my hiking plans. Declined trip offers from friends. Hiked into my local woods minimally. The days I went in for more than 15 minutes were usually rainy days when few hikers were around. Many days, I would dip in for a few minutes during my daily neighborhood walks, just for a mental health boost. I spent a lot of time practicing my violin and my guitar. Had more practice time than I've ever had in my life, so I tried to take advantage of it. Hopefully, I am a better musician because of it. Tended my "garden" of potted plants.

We've had a lot of rain this summer, so everything is still very green which is nice. We had a really abundant mushroom season for a week in August, where a large variety of mushrooms came out of the ground at once. Last week, I decided I needed one trip to the mountains of Western Maryland before back to school meetings began. I camped for two nights in the Green Ridge mountains alone which was really a treat. Kept my phone off and didn't read any news which was beneficial. Yesterday I visited the Potomac River for the first time in maybe 6 months. Felt great.

Onwards to the fall...