Weekend Dispatch

photo taken after a morning run in Manasquan, New Jersey

As I am writing this, a chill has set in, and I'm not happy about it. One of the things I love about the Jersey shore is the month of September. Locals call it our "local summer". The weather is warm, and the tourists have long gone home, and it's finally our time to enjoy our beaches. But when you wake up to temps in the high 50s, it's not a local summer. Maybe next week...

In other news, the girls are in their second week of school, and so far, so good. Emma just submitted her first round of assignments that were due for college, and Harper's classes are moving right along. Some days it feels as if I've reversed the clock with Harper in school only two mornings a week (taking me back to the pre-k days). Anyway, I have to commend them. Remote learning isn't easy, and especially when you are beginning your freshman year of high school and college that way.

Here are a few of the ways I've been spending my time lately:

I've been a big fan of seasons one and two of The Crown and anxiously awaited season three (which spans the time between 1964 and 1977). I finally started it last week, and as I expected, it doesn't disappoint. While I've been thoroughly entertained by the series, I've also been educated. I've learned more about the royal family as well as historical events that weren't taught in high school or college. This season explores the tragedy at Aberfan, Wales a mining village. A landslide of liquified coal waste descended down a mountain slope above the town, finally hitting a junior high school. 144 people lost their lives, and 116 of those were children. It took Queen Elizabeth II eight days to visit the town to pay her respects. More so than learning about this unspeakable tragedy, we get a glimpse into the Queen's delayed visit, notably one of her biggest regrets of her monarchy. Since the accident in 1966, Queen Elizabeth has returned to the village more than any other member of the royal family. 

Anyone else missing travelling? I know there are people who have been away, like on an actual airplane to a place faraway, but I haven't, and so I miss it...a lot. Until I feel comfortable enough to get on an airplane and go somewhere (we have plans for November 🤞), I've been listening to a few travel podcasts. My current favorite is Zero to Travel. This informative and entertaining podcast explores all aspects of travel including what the future of travel looks like post-COVID, travel stories from avid wanderlusters, why travel is beneficial for your health, and more! If you're missing your jet setting days, check it out.

I enjoy short stories but don't often read them. Short stories are often disjointed and don't tie in with each other in a book. When a friend gave me a book of short stories and told me that each story related to the next and the one before, I was excited to read it. Tell Me Who We Were by Kate McQuade is sitting on my nightstand and ready to go when I finish my current read. My girlfriend loved it, but there are mixed reviews on Goodreads. You can check out the synopsis and reviews here.

Fall means the end of corn season and the beginning of soup season. This recipe for Mexican street corn soup takes advantage of both. When we visited Tucson a few years ago, I had my first Mexican street corn experience, and I thought I was in heaven. It was the tastiest concoction I had eaten in a long time. I've made Mexican street corn on a few occasions, but never thought to turn it into a soup. I'll let you know how it goes!

While everyone else is drinking their beloved PSLs, I'm over here loving hard on Starbucks' Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. It's cold brew coffee that's sweetened with vanilla, and then topped with a pumpkin cream foam and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice. A fall treat, for sure!

So, tell me. What do you have planned this weekend?