Some Alone Time

Several years back, I started treating myself to a few days of mini-adventure.  While I offer my wife a chance to join me, she has other things she wants to do.  Moreover, my two or three day outings sometimes challenge my determination.  I've visited Pennsylvania State University and surroundings during their deep freeze, not to mention some hazardous return driving.  I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not much campus, as they closed much of it, including the museums, in response to cold weather.  The town of State College offered some pleasant poking around, entering stores to warm up, buy a thing or two, while my glasses fogged from the abrupt temperature change.  And some nice brewpubs which I'd expect at a university center.

Another year I went to the Poconos, snow tubing at Camelback, refreshing myself at Aquatopia Indoor Water Park, driving around a bit, enjoying a somewhat isolated hotel.  Seasonal temperature rise that trip.

Maybe time for another, one of perhaps the same distance.  Something a little too far for a day trip.  I thought about eastern Long Island.  Have been to Hyde Park.  And there's Atlantic City, which is really more of a day trip unless I want to take advantage of pampering in a major Casino Hotel where rates plummet in January.  And there's Kalahari Water Park in the Poconos, though I don't know what else might be nearby.  Baltimore is more of a day trip.  Washington is a place I'd much prefer to visit with my wife in the spring, and perhaps lacks some of the novelty and even pampering that I seek for these couple of days.  Or maybe even Penn State again, this time with the campus more functional.

As a place to go, Long Island has some attractions.  Even out of season, though, staying there far exceeds any of the others I considered.   Snow tubing someplace other than Camelback would be another option.  While fun to slide down the snow, there was a lot of waiting in various lines to do it,  

I think I have to first decide whether I want to tour new places, or just have a few quiet days mixed with amusements and creature comfort.  Not an easy choice.

Push Reset Button

As I did last year, I afforded myself a solo few days away, withing a few hours, for some visiting to an unfamiliar place.  Last year I went to Penn State University during a deep freeze that kept school activities largely cancelled.  It was a pleasant town, though.

This winter I stayed in the Poconos for some snow tubing and some Aquatopia indoor water park, both affiliated with the Camelback Ski Resort.  To my surprise, both attracted a large contingent of the Orthodox community, about 2-3 hours away.  All had velvet kippot.  Most men had visible tzitzit peering over their belts.  Few full beards however.  They had large families but fewer visibly pregnant women than at most similar gatherings.  Learned a little about tzniyut at the waterpark.  Barefoot was fine.  Boys wore t-shirts.  Girls wore either knee length leggings and long t-shirt or shirtdresses, though they had usual teenage swimwear beneath.  And when I tried to introduce myself as a Monsey native, lantzman with a crotcheted kippah, they were not particularly friendly. 

Snow tubing did not result in safety problems but it took just under a half-hour on the conveyor belt and waiting on the lane queue for a one minute thrill downwards.  At Aquatopia, I was by far the oldest patron.  Lovely hot tub that had an indoor and outdoor component where steam rose at the outdoor water-air interface.  I capsized my Lazy River tube repeatedly but once stable I let the current take me around a few times.  Wave pool disappointing.  Did not measure up to the one at Dorney Park let alone the waves at Fenwick Island State Park.  And one run down the smallest of the circular indoor thrill rides which left me just thrilled enough.





Supper at decent brew pubs each evening.

Did not sleep well.  Sacked out as soon as I got back to the hotel, only to wake at midnight and keep myself up inappropriately by the great transgression of looking at my cell phone's blue emitting hue.

Drove home uneventfully but clearly out of sorts.  Try some formal set sleep times the rest of the week.  Hit Reset Button tomorrow.

Could Use Some Me Time

Around this time a year ago, not occupied with Osher Institute or other distractions at home, I afforded myself a few days away to visit Penn State, where I'd not been before.  I had to postpone the trip by a week due to snow when I first planned to go, and the following week I braved a deep freeze and enough snow to hamper driving but not accumulate appreciably.  I had hotel reservations but otherwise no immediate plans other than puttering around the university which I ultimately did not do by virtue of school operations suspended for extreme cold.  I visited a winery, got my face numb walking around town, had my left turn signal and windshield washers fail, but go to two fine brew pubs and some driving around.

Time for a second act, this one having to work around the Osher Institute schedule.  Thought about going to Berkeley Springs where they have mineral springs but not much else.  Never been on the Harley or Herr's factory tours.  Been to a sufficient number of wineries near York and Frederick.  Could go the other direction to the Poconos.  Never been skiing or snowboarding, though snow tubing might be safer.  They have indoor water parks there, a little expensive.  Closer than driving to State College.  Not a great winery region.  Drive is about the right distance, close enough to stop wherever I want along the way if a sign captures my attention.  Probably should stop off at the state welcome center nearby and check the brochures, but a few days in the Poconos seems the best mini-escape for now.

Delayed Trip

One of the realities of being retired after a productive but demanding career has been too much discretionary time.  I did a lot better as an employee where somebody set tasks for me and created my work schedule than I did as an independent practitioner where I set the schedule.  I have very few times recently when I have to be in this place at this time doing that.  If I did not create tasks and deadlines I might be so fundamentally lazy as to not do much.  But I have an exercise schedule that I have maintained with observable benefit to my well-being.  Shabbos arrives at the time the Chabad calendar says.  Come next month, I expect to have scheduled classes at the Osher Institute of the University of Delaware.

Making my own schedule has been challenging.  I do not want to be like my patients on Medicare whose life's highlight often seemed to be their doctors' appointments.  I arrange a series of trips, mostly day trips to museums or places not far away that I've not been to before.  This year I went to see The Mummers Parade on New Years Day.  This morning it had been my intent to drive the four hours or so to the Pennsylvania State University where I have never been before, staying two nights at a hotel.  To my great disappointment, the weatherman indicates two days of heavy rain or wintry mix starting tomorrow and continuing to my drive home, so as much as I'd like to escape my house for a short while, traveling it drier weather seems more compatible with being a tourist.   I had the good sense to get a cancellable reservation and will reschedule shortly, hopefully for next week.