Summer Vacation

I have returned from a long summer break.  Not an actual summer break, but a rather long hiatus from posting updates here for all of my friends and family.  I got pretty caught up with work and the spring/summer activities here in State College and definitely dropped the ball!  So here is a quick recap of what I've been up to for the past few months.  (I thought maybe the best way would be to show you in a series of pictures, just so you can see a few images of why I love this place so much.)

Early in the summer, I got a new bike.  The bike that I moved here with fell victim to either a thief or my apartment complex doing their good deed and donating "abandoned" bikes to charity this spring.  Because of this, my new set of wheels finds itself safe inside my apartment every night.  When the weather turned nice, I started commuting to work each day via bike.  I had to learn to master the hill that stands between me and my mile trek to work. Later in the summer, I spent some time exploring the local bike routes in the evenings after work.  In one particular two-week span, I rode about 80 miles! My legs were tired, but I was glad to get the exercise after spending all of my summer inside and the area is beautiful to see on two wheels! I also had the chance to get in a few hikes, go camping and go on a day-long kayaking trip.

Getting ready to kayak on Penn's Creek.

Steep trail up to the Cleveland Memorial-- a hike that leads to the site of a plane wreckage.

The valley at sunset on the way home from dinner in a nearby town.

View of State College from atop Mt. Nittany

Spotted a hot air balloon on an afternoon bike ride.

Climbing a rock formation when hiking at Shingletown Gap

Over the summer I also had a few visits from family and took a few quick trips back to Indiana.  My brother, sister-in-law, nieces and uncle came to visit in May and we spent a day in Pittsburgh to take in a Cubs/Pirates Game and the Heinz History Museum.  Mom, Dad and my siblings came in July to experience the Arts Festival, which is one of State College's big summer events, explore my new town and meet some of my friends.  I also went back to Indiana to see my brother graduate and see my best friend, who now lives in Austin, Texas, and then stopped back this past weekend to see a college friend get married. 

Spent a day in Chicago between trains from PA to IN to visit my friend Pat and my uncle.

Reunited with Jaclyn, who now lives in Texas, and some other friends when we returned to Indiana.  (Fun fact-- Jaclyn got engaged shortly after and those of us in this photo will be her bridesmaids)

Another quick trip to Indiana to see Heather get married!

First day of the Arts Festival.  This photo was taken from my office.  How is anyone supposed to get work done when this is happening right outside?

Siblings and I at a great restaurant, the Elk Creek Cafe, on the family's visit to State College.

A beautiful day at PNC Park in Pittsburgh with my brother and the girls!

Some other random summer fun included many baseball games for the local minor league team, the State College Spikes, taking a beer brewing class and learning what to cook with all of the random veggies that showed up in my farm share each week.  I made a few new friends, started to date and began meeting and making connections with a lot of the locals.

Preparing a batch of English Brown Ale

Enjoying a pretty night at the Spikes (with a view of Mt. Nittany beyond the outfield)

 Work has been keeping me pretty busy as well! It seems that I'm constantly getting involved in new projects that vary widely in their focus. I'm learning a ton and every now and then contributing some ideas that help bring a new idea or angle to something we are considering.  One idea I submitted was that this area needed to have a sustainability festival to celebrate the great work that is being done by businesses, school groups and community groups in this region.  And wouldn't you know... the festival is now a mere few days away!  It's really morphed into something much larger than I ever anticipated when I first suggested the event, so I'm both nervous and excited for its kick-off this coming Saturday.  (By the way, if you are interested, you can check out the website for it just to see what all we are planning.)  I also just recently found out that my 1-year contract that I was working under this year will be renewed again for 2013.  Looks like I'll be living in, learning from, and enjoying State College for at least another year!

Hope everyone has had a great summer and is excited for the fall, which is so quickly approaching!  We'll see if I can get a better handle on a regular posting schedule this time around...