So, the second half of the summer was not as exciting as the first, as far as events are concerned, but this happened:
At the beginning of August, Charlie took a nasty spill off of his bike and suffered a mild concussion, some lacerations, and maybe a bruised rib. He didn’t need stitches, and it wasn’t a major concussion, thank Bob, but his helmet is annihilated, and proof that helmets are a good idea.
They let him leave the hospital in the gown, because the shirt he wore in there was covered in blood. I wanted to take him just like that to the mall to freak people out, but the party pooper said no….
So, I only got out on the bike once this year, but at least I got out. Next summer, I won’t be taking two summer classes, so I’ll have more time.
Earlier this month, the MomZ and the DadZ took the family (including Charlie) on Family Vacation to Western PA to go whitewater rafting on the Youghiogheny river in OhiopyleNational Park. Charlie had not been rafting before, so he had a great time. He and the MomZ want to do the Upper Yogh, which is a Class V. I, on the other hand, do not care for being wet or cold, so I think I’ll just dip my toes in next year.
Not only did I make Charlie prom pose with me, we made the MomZ and the DadZ prom pose, too. I think I’ve decided that I am going to ruin every photo opportunity with Charlie and I by prom posing in it.
…And I would show you pictures, had the MomZ sent them to any of us. I went digging through her camera and her computer, and there nowhere to be found…as far as I know, they’re in the internet ether. Maybe someday I’ll show you….
Here’s what I will show you, though. A picture of me at Mattress Factory, a gallery of installations. I liked it: I think that it’s awesome that there are two entire buildings devoted to delightfully weird installation pieces. (And that, my friends, is bona fide art criticism: I was an art student!)
You will note that Charlie is specifically absent from this picture. That is because had he been in the picture, one of us would have been trying to put the other into a submission hold because only one of us knows how to drive stick shift and said person had to do so in stop-and-go I-376 traffic across a city which’s downtown highway planning was clearly mocked up by the city planner’s toddler in preschool art class. And said person tends to drive angry in Pittsburgh traffic, so, there would be no “loving couple” pictures that day.
The bag is the Ninja Octopus bag by retropopnamu on Etsy.
Also, since Charlie, Zero and I road-tripped to family vacation together, I did get this one picture of us in the hotel parking lot while eating roadside kettle corn and waiting for the MomZ and the DadZ to get to the hotel.
I clearly like the pink plaid button-down. That thing is comfy. Not incredibly flattering in photos, but comfy.
The Blog of JulZ 
OMG poor Charlie!
He was incredibly lucky!
You didn’t want to take the class V rapids? Ahhh c’mon! I can barely swim and am terrified to get in the ocean when my feet can’t touch the bottom (or have waves crash in my face) but I really want to go white water rafting for so reason. Weirdo.
Looks like you managed to have some fun this Summer. We didn’t do jack and I’m pretty peeved about that. If we don’t go tubing this Labor Day weekend, I’m gonna hurt someone.
It’s not so much being scared — because I LOVED the whitewater navigating — it’s the times in between, where you’re sitting on the raft, soaking wet and being cold. That’s where I am a major wuss: I’ve never taken being wet or cold gladly. I think maybe I’ll just go tubing next summer, with little risk of getting chilly.
Did you guys end up going tubing?