Skipping Town

It's always fun to discover new fun things to do in SWPA. This morning we headed to Nemacolin, where we explored all the amazing things to do for free on the resort grounds. First, some impressive animal habitats--lions, tigers, mountain goats, hyenas, and more. Next--the hit with all the kids--was the miniature golf. They had a lot of fun and played all eighteen holes. Then we had lunch and ice cream in a little cafe, where there was also a giant aquarium and a room with a beautifully displayed shell collection (like a mini shell museum). There was a foosball table, too, which the kids played with despite having no idea how to actually play. We were at Nemacolin for about four hours--a lovely way to spend the day. The rest of the day was difficult. Three is a tricky number of kids sometimes, with alliances forming and odd kids out, and with the heat and the kids already tired, it was quite a slog to bedtime. Thank goodness the first half of the day was so much fun. Nemacolin is ...

Scene: Greensburg Gabe’s. There was a young girl working the fitting room, obviously a bit out to lunch. Every time I came out to retrieve more clothes, she had a comment or question. “Is it s’posed to rain tomorrow? Cuz it’s my day off.” “D’ya like this shirt? Cuz I’m goin’ to m’ boyfriend’s tomorrow and it’s s’posed to rain.” Once when I came out, she was holding her head in her hands. “Aargh,” she moaned. “Aargh.” I approached her to let her count my items, and she looked at me seriously, a bit close to my face. “I hit my head last night,” she confided. “I fell.” She thought for a moment. “I can’t believe I didn’t split m’ head open.” Looking at me intently. “Seriously, I can’t believe I didn’t split m’ head open. There’s nothing’ I hate worse than gettin’ m' head split open.” A laugh rose up in me so quickly I almost didn’t catch it in time. Discombobulated, I tried to hand her back my number tag, confusing her; she handed it back, and I headed to the fitting room. “My head’s n...