It seemed like yesterday I made my Ode to Summer.

Just as summer unofficially came to a close, we seem to be in the midst of a reminder that it is not officially over.  Technicalities really, but close enough.

How did I spent those fleeting hot and mostly humid months of summer’s past?  By taking full advantage.

There was not much fun in the kitchen, as illustrated by the horrid lack of cooking related posts these past few months.  This summer has been humid.  Humid makes warm days feel hot and breathing feel like a chore as opposed to a task.  The oven stayed off and cooking was lazy and minimal. Although I was able to summon up the strength to make some coconut cheesecake bars, coconut ice cream, and bourbon chocolate chip cookies (Version 2.0 is in the works!).

Even though I didn’t create, I did enjoy creations by others.  I tested out my iron stomach and attended the Westchester Magazine Burger and Beer Bash.  Turns out there was a food borne illness passed around along with the burgers and a special treat.  Thankfully my iron stomach saved me from the worst of it.

I fine tuned my cat herding skills and captained a kickball team made up of co-workers and friends.  I put that MBA to work and practiced the many management theories I paid so much to learn but never really had the opportunity to apply.  As reluctant as I was to take on this role, I’m glad I did.  I had fun and I’m sure many have now seen a side of me that doesn’t normally show itself around people I work with.  Good thing or bad thing?  Who knows?

The best part about it?  Even under new management we were able to win the summer season!!  That competitive part of me is pretty thrilled about that.

I didn’t get to travel much over the summer. However, I did manage to squeeze in a long weekend trip out to Rhode Island with a friend.  A very much needed break that came at the perfect time.

This summer will go down in my short term memory as one of the most humid summers ever.  Or maybe it felt that way because every single time I went out for a run, it was unbearable.  I continued racing though.  I have logged in one of my worst performances (Putnam 8 Miler) and a couple of surprisingly good ones (Riverside Park 5K series).  As the fall racing season picks up, it’ll be interesting to see how I fare as I continue to try to solve the paradox that is balancing Crossfit with longer distance running.  Can it be done?  Or is it all a farce?  I haven’t decided.

Even though summer was sometimes lazy and hazy, my camera stayed busy.  It traveled to Brooklyn for some night photography, Rhode Island to gaze upon the sailboats, Governors Island for some fun with vintage french carnival rides, Syracuse for some modern day fair action, and many other random adventures.

All in all, I say this summer was productive, which is probably why it just flew by so quickly!  But no time to be wistful about those warm summer nights watching the last of the daylight slowly fade away as I abided my early bed times or relaxing in a metal patio chair enjoying the cool night breeze while dining al fresco without a care in the world.

Fall is upon us, filled with its own unique adventures just waiting to happen!