August was incredible! Gayle and I finished our annual staycation week to start the month off. Our family grew by two healthy baby boys in just one week in August. I got to visit our nation's Capitol for a work trip that allowed for some fun sightseeing. And, there was lots of time with family and friends.
First, let's meet the boys.
The first to enter the world was Stetson Kendall. He is the son of my nephew Aaron and his wife Kylee.
A week later, Gene Harrison made his grand entrance into the world. He is the son of my niece Ashley and her husband Matt.
I went to D.C. in between getting to meet the two boys. The D.C. trip was for some client work but I was able to fit in some sight seeing since D.C. the day I arrived and the day I left.
I was able to visit:
The Museum of the Bible - interesting, I recommend you see it once but I won't go back
The National Mall area including the Capitol, exterior views of many Smithsonian buildings, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial
The Pandas at the National Zoo
The White House Visitor Center - fun fact - apparently my nail clippers (with nail file) were a security violation so they became property of the U.S. Parks Department.
The National Zoo was the highlight. It's a bit of trek to get there and I was going SOLELY to see the pandas. So, if I arrived and they weren't outside or were hiding the trip would have been for naught. Thankfully, my timing was perfectly lucky. They walked out as I walked up to their habitat and I walked away as they walked inside.
Here is a mini gallery of some of my other photos from D.C. Use the arrow (right hand side to start) to move through the pictures. There are about 20 in total.
I should also add here purely for commemoration sake that August 2022 was also the month I had to switch from traditional glasses to progressive lenses. I'd been doing the take your glasses off/put them on thing for a couple of months leading up to my eye doctor's appointment. Thankfully, I had zero issues adjusting to them.
Kona and I both "got" haircuts this month. My stylist has had a rough summer and so I finally had to cut my bangs on my own. Kona got the much needed services of a professional.
I also tried "new to me" place Strange Bird here in Indianapolis with my friends the Pittmans. My drink had flames on the top! I'd also never tried "fancy" ramen. It was DELICIOUS! Highly recommend.
Not all of the happenings in August were joyous there. Our beloved Aunt Idris had been feeling a little under the weather leading up to her 80th birthday (August 21). After feeling especially light headed one day, she went to the doctor, was admitted to the hospital, and they started the diagnostic process which arrived at a diagnosis of multiple myeloma. She's doing very well with the treatment and the prognosis is good - but for someone who is not supposed to ever get sick it's been rough seeing her not at 100%
Our resident therapy dog and I made a visit to her in the hospital to try to keep her spirits up.
We also went about all the other things of daily life - lots of walks and playing with the tennis ball out in our yard. I've continued puttering around with my patio garden - although the time away in D.C. was sort of its last straw but I pushed it through the end of August and will probably winterize in mid-September since I have a lot of travels planned at the end of September.
Kona continues to be my constant companion in the world. We've enjoyed visiting our local farmer's market together. He always sniffs his way right to the dog treat stand where we pick up some of his favorite new treats of the summer.
Overall - we've just enjoyed the dog days of summer together for the most part as we've tried to stay cool.