Summer in SDC, Reflections
I summered at Skydive Chicago. It was neat
What a season! I spent the most of the season “summering” at Skydive Chicago, meant to write this blog on the way home on the plane, but… life. So we’re getting to it now.
What a summer. What a place. What a drop zone filled with amazing people. What a community. I fell in love.
So, last fall, following my gut, I decided to buy a trailer out there. Ack! Gah! Buy?? Without a real plan? Idk. The opportunity came up to buy and I followed my nose. Yes, [context] existed but we hadn’t decided on SDC as our summer home until after our April camp. But there was Summerfest and the VWR (which I was reallllllly banking on getting an invite to) and the proximity to family and work in my hometown a few hours away. So I just did it.
It was amazing.
Summer there was full to the brim of some big events and some of those amazing tiny things that don’t feel like “events”, but instead are the little things that you look forward to during week to fill up your Wednesday evenings.
I made so many friends! And I got quality time with so many friends that I normally see only for a weekend here or there. And all my friends kept coming to visit! You know, for team training or for Summerfest or the record or camps. Yes, I know they didn’t come for me. But I got to see them when they came! It’s good to be where the action is.
A list of things I did:
Waffle Wednesdays
Did some (hula) hooping!
Organized Summerfest
Planted some perennials around the trailer
Went to starved rock
Ran a lot and explored Dayton Bluffs
Ran a lot in general
Found a nice secluded spot to learn how to shuffle in peace
Played ukulele by the river
Had a euchre night (will do more next year)
Ran a headdown event
Load Organized some random days
Watched the Hot Ones Challenge night at Tiki
Went to a few gear presentations at Tiki and mid-season Safety Day
Acquired a DZ car (She’s old enough to drink… but only 125k miles!)
Enjoyed veggies from Nell’s garden
The Vertical World Record
Attended a Ten Spot
Swam in the pond for exercise
Explored Ottawa (went to the circle park, visited both post offices, ate at Bash, Iniga, Tangled Root, Tones Cones, Jeremiah Joe’s, More, Saffron, drank at Cats Eye)
Got a library card [wow they really don’t want to give you library cards in Ottawa though.. it was a pain]
Walked the river path in Ottawa
Matrix’s MFS Scrambles
Drove around and ogled old houses with my parents
Sand volleyball at that Shakers
Went to Hanks for Easter brunch [Please note the marshmellow based salad that they served, pictured below]
Drove home to Iowa a few times
Saw some other fam (could have seen more but I ran out of time and weekends and I have so much family)
Gave some free furniture a facelift to live on my porch
Ourdoor Dining, before and after
Things I didn’t quite get done
Never made it to Chicago or the architecture tour
Didn’t have Thai a single time I don’t think
Wanted to tour the Reddick mansion but never quite did
Want to set up can recycling next year
Trailer Life/SDC Life
I liked trailer life. It’s simpler. Less house to maintain. Less stuff to deal with. Less cleaning. Less maintenance. It took a while for me to get into a groove there but once I did, I loved it. I lured Richo out for a bit. Maybe next year I can convince him to come out longer. Compared to years past, he has one foot out the door of skydiving; he’s head over heels for rally and motor-tinkering and racing again so living on a DZ doesn’t appeal to him like it appeals to me at the moment.
The community is thick there. I loved how easy it was to whip up a dinner with friends, or to find friends to take a walk with and chat. The network of ride sharing and food sharing and tool sharing works because people care and want to help. I’m completely enamored.
It filled a void that living in Tracy has left in my heart. I don’t know people in Tracy. I don’t have friends here. I often have to drive over an hour to see my friends that live near the bay. The running in the summer at home is hot and dry and shadeless and almost always on pavement unless I’m willing to drive a substantial distance. The weekends at Skydive California are wonderful but it’s not a full enough life for me to only live for the weekends. A change was needed.
While I am so happy to be home, to be with my love and to have a foundation under my house, I can’t wait for next season already.