Finding My Summertime Bearing

“ Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” (Porgy and Bess)

Those warm days of summer typically signify a festive explosion of outdoor activity in the Midwest region of America. For I recall from my childhood in northeast Ohio how restless I felt being cooped up inside our house during the frigid wrath of winter and sometimes spring weather that often lasted up to six months a year. So with true summer’s arrival in July and August, our Midwest travels on this current road trip allowed me to re-live those easygoing childhood moments filled with lush forest hikes in the Cuyahoga Valley, swimming escapades in Summit County lakes , and Cleveland Indians  baseball games at old Municipal Stadium.

I might say then that the westerly leg of our road trip so far since leaving Pennsylvania has brought forth an interesting array of relatively inexpensive recreational discoveries for us to enjoy. Consider then that by simply taking a “comfy” seat for a Cleveland Guardians baseball game at Progressive Field and two days later at a Chicago Cub game at Wrigley Field, the slow pace of each contest felt so relaxing to me. Or envision the nostalgic thrill of aimlessly observing the local flora and fauna along  a secluded, beachfront reserve walk followed by a refreshing swim in the cool waters of Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes National Park. With such a fun loving vibe inspiring us now, it made total sense then to dance and sing along this past Saturday night with some legendary “oldies” bands ( Gary Puckett, The Association, The Turtles … ) at a concert titled “Happy Together” that we attended at the historic Genesee Theater in Waukegan. Illinois.