The Closed In Summer

Have you ever felt so closed up in your own life and routine that you wanted to scream? You have a daily headache from it, and no matter the consequences, you just want to break free.

This was one summer that I had scores of plans for us to explore all the areas around us that we have not explored before. I had plans for countless camping weekends, and hikes we have not found yet but we have read about. Trips to Western cities – road trips and air trips as well …

But as plans go, sometimes they get changed as you keep walking. Weather, health and the health of our pets have kept us around here. We have been home bound for almost the entire month of August and even before then. We did focus more on the house and our daily routine, which would have been neglected if we did follow our original plans, but we are still longing for the open road.

Today, we decided to leave routine behind, and our pets to nap alone, without us obsessively watching them, and drive somewhere. Anywhere. We’ve been to Park City thousands of times (it seems), but that is the one close place we can always escape to and find something, anything, to clear our heads.

Sundays in the summer (and yes, it’s still summer!), it’s time for Park Silly – a street festival filling the streets of downtown Park City with arts, crafts, foods, fresh produce, music and even yoga mats. Always a good chance to people watch, play with random pups, and clean our retinas with local arts.The weather was beautiful up there, if almost chilly, at 66 degrees for a high! it made walking about very relaxing and refreshing.

These are the sights and some of the tastes of the day … 

  

The bikes in front of the No Name Saloon always seem to be the heartbeat of this very Western city

 

I sometimes feel like I live the whole year just to drive up to Park City and have the fried pickles at Bandits. They are hands down the best I have ever had, crispiest, most flavorful and most decadent in the whole wide world!

 

Also, on the patio, at Bandits: the potato skins. From here out, I'll call them "the cowboy potato skins": they have smoky bacon beans, pico de gallo and sour cream on top and are served in a cast iron skillet, as most everything in this joint. 

 

Silly Market is as much about people watching as it is about doggie watching. 

 

Downtown Park City during Silly Market - it's a party! Too bad you can't hear the music and you can't smell the kettle corn.

 

 This is my "Keep Park City Weird" shot. 

 

This restaurant side patio was so tranquil that I thought it was the most perfect metaphor for our weekend: a party waiting to happen, but has not happened yet. The wood, the stone, the outdoor oven, the twin fire pits (not pictured) just mirrored our souls and spelled "H-O-M-E". 

 

This was no replacement for all the canceled plans, but a quick, cold, refreshing shower of an escape from the everyday. Tomorrow, after all, is another day. And at the front end of this weekend, we didn’t’ see that quite clearly … Now, with new juices, we can regroup.