The festival season grinds to a halt during the hot days of summer. The heat also meant the old, reliable trips to the playground after dinner became much more temperature reliant - those Conshohocken slides can heat up during the day. Dad needed to find a couple of new places to hang out and a few new adventure spots. How do we beat the heat without resorting to watching Baby Shark over and over and over? Let's see how Daddy did.
JUNE 1, 2024
The Summer season started with Conshohocken's Art and Car Festival - maybe not the biggest of all festivals, certainly not the size of Manayunk's Art Festival held later in June, but a nice little festival none the less. We grabbed a seat at the Great American Pub to watch the crowds walk up and down Fayette Street. Then a chocolate fudgesicle. We then hopped aboard the Conshohocken Cab for the first, and likely last, time.
The Summer season started with Conshohocken's Art and Car Festival - maybe not the biggest of all festivals, certainly not the size of Manayunk's Art Festival held later in June, but a nice little festival none the less. We grabbed a seat at the Great American Pub to watch the crowds walk up and down Fayette Street. Then a chocolate fudgesicle. We then hopped aboard the Conshohocken Cab for the first, and likely last, time.
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Our neighbors in 414 gave us their water table. Daddy had looked into getting one for Mother's Day and was glad to have this one gifted to us. It's a fun toy - fill up some water, drop in Baby Shark, Charlotte can create the rest of the fun by herself. It's a quick and easy way to cool off on a hot day.
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FATHER'S DAY WEEKEND - JUNE 14-16
Mommy was away in the Philippines, so we had a long Father's Day weekend at Lola and Papa's. On Friday we went to Kid's Castle so Daddy could relive his childhood running around what is unarguably the best playground in the Philadelphia metro-area. It took some cajoling to convince Charlotte to check out the imposing castle, but once inside she confidently explored the tight corridors and bravely went down the long twisty slide.
Mommy was away in the Philippines, so we had a long Father's Day weekend at Lola and Papa's. On Friday we went to Kid's Castle so Daddy could relive his childhood running around what is unarguably the best playground in the Philadelphia metro-area. It took some cajoling to convince Charlotte to check out the imposing castle, but once inside she confidently explored the tight corridors and bravely went down the long twisty slide.
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On Saturday morning we went to Daddy's Happy Place - the upper Delaware River (or at least the area above New Hope). Beautiful weather and yet the area remained peaceful and quiet. We could have spent all morning here but headed back to Doylestown to check out Broad Commons, a new playground with a miniature Fonthill Castle and Berenstain Bears house (we think). We had fun playing hide and seek even though Charlotte kept giving away her hiding places by laughing.
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Lunch at the Hattery then two microbreweries - great way to close out the half day.
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Then we cooled off in Lola and Papa's backyard. That silly whale sprinkler.
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JUNE 22, 2024
Cousins from Florida spent the last week of June with us. We started their Conshohocken stay with a drive through Lancaster County. With record heat, the Amish were out in full force on Saturday morning running their errands before the day became too hot - we saw at least twenty horse and buggies on and around Route 340. Our first stop was the Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia, PA.
Cousins from Florida spent the last week of June with us. We started their Conshohocken stay with a drive through Lancaster County. With record heat, the Amish were out in full force on Saturday morning running their errands before the day became too hot - we saw at least twenty horse and buggies on and around Route 340. Our first stop was the Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia, PA.
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Charlotte was not as interested in the "all you can eat" ice cream offering of the Turkey Hill Experience as Dad would have expected. We had one scoop of Monster Cookie - a blue-dyed vanilla with cookies inspired by Sesame Street's Cookie Monster. Charlotte's favorite attraction was the ice cream truck ride - we spent a quarter of our time in the ice cream truck.
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We then continued north to Hershey's Chocolate World where Dad claims the factory tour ride hasn't changed much in the past thirty years. It's the same moving circle walkway onto the Hersey Kiss cars. It's the same attractions down to the chocolate rollers, Hersey Kiss conveyor belt, and who can't forget going through the roaster. Only surprise was that Charlotte wasn't interested in her free Hershey Chocolate bar at the end.
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JULY 4th WEEK AT OCEAN CITY!
Always a summer highlight - full details here: Ocean City, NJ - 2024.
Always a summer highlight - full details here: Ocean City, NJ - 2024.
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We returned from the Jersey Shore but kept the fun going with a Sunday morning visit to Thrillz High Flying Adventure Park in King of Prussia. Daddy has a concept he refers to as "Fun Arbitrage". We visit the best spots at times when no one else is there. At ten on Sunday morning, we had Thrillz to ourselves. Super-fast slides. The big kid zone had obstacle courses that looked like they were straight out of Spike TV's "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge". Dad made a mental note to host a future Charlotte birthday here so he can try the obstacle course himself.
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FIRST TIME AT A MOVIE THEATER!!!
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Charlotte's first time at the movies!!! The Lion King was back in theaters for a limited time - can't ask for a better first movie experience. Charlotte was definitely following along (Mufasa is only sleeping) and was engaged through the entire movie.
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The annual Hoffmaster campout was only one day this year but we made the most of it. We were at the Places from around 9 until 4 and we spent at least half of that time in the pool. Charlotte confirmed what we already knew - she must be part fish, a real-life mermaid. She saw Daddy and others jumping off the diving board and couldn't be left out. She marched right up the diving board and with a little assistance from Lola she jumped off. We will need to work on her cannon ball next year.
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We love living in Conshohocken. Besides the convenience and ease of exploring the broader Philadelphia area, we love living in the borough - such a great community with lots of other families, parks, and recreational events. Sprinkler nights, in which the fire departments hook and ladder truck sprays water from above, are held three times a year, rotating among Conshohocken's playgrounds / parks - obviously Dad books the dates on his calendar. So much fun, made even better with a stop at Scoops. They water is so cold - and it hits you like a sheet of ice when you run through - you think you will only get a few drips if you run fast but the reality is you'll be soaked with a single run through the sprinkler. What a way to cool off on a hot summer day. The Mary Wood Sprinkler Night had over 500 residents in attendance. Great to see everyone out and having fun.
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And here we are at the B Field's Sprinkler Night. No one has fun like Charlotte Hamill has fun.
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Charlotte has become such a big helper around the house. To putting her dishes in the sink. To throwing away her trash. To even walking Annie (although Daddy may be providing some assistance) - Annie can really pull on that lease! Come on, Annie! Let's go, Annie! Good girl, Annie! She also prepares Annie's dinner each night.
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And helping Lola bake cookies. Prepping for the Christmas baking bonanza.
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Mary Cassatt was on exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art this summer. We missed out on Lola and Papa's trip to France but this trip brought France to us. The exhibit showcased many of Cassatt's paintings of women during the late 1800s.
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If IKEA was our winter playground, then the Conshohocken Library was our summer playground. We took advantage of the late hours (open until 8) on Monday's and Wednesday's to find new books to read, try new games and puzzles, and play with the train set.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 16 - POTTSTOWN, PA
Daddy began taking Friday's off for area day trips to check out "Splashgrounds" before the summer season ended - another one of his "Fun Arbitrages" to run through the splash grounds on a weekday instead of the weekend. Daddy moved Google Maps around the Philadelphia area looking for the best splash grounds - Pottstown's "Fountains of Youth" looked great. But first...coffee. At Charlotte Street Coffee Co. - how could we not stop here for a cappuccino and a red velvet cupcake.
Daddy began taking Friday's off for area day trips to check out "Splashgrounds" before the summer season ended - another one of his "Fun Arbitrages" to run through the splash grounds on a weekday instead of the weekend. Daddy moved Google Maps around the Philadelphia area looking for the best splash grounds - Pottstown's "Fountains of Youth" looked great. But first...coffee. At Charlotte Street Coffee Co. - how could we not stop here for a cappuccino and a red velvet cupcake.
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Then on to the main attraction: Fountains of Youth! This was a great spray ground. The thirty-five minute drive was more than worth it - all sorts of spray variations to mushroom and bucket drops, to ground foundations, to water "gates", to even a wall of fountains. We were here for over an hour and so much fun running around the fountains.
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Dad was equally impressed with Pottstown, itself. Much more built up than what Dad thought were going to be comparable towns like Ambler, Lansdale, and even nearby Phoenixville. It also seemed as if some of hipster gentrification from Phoenixville was beginning to spread to Pottstown - we noted several microbreweries and beer gardens along High Street, the main commercial strip. We ate lunch at the Blue Elephant - operating inside a former bank and as beautiful of an interior as you'll find anywhere in the Philadelphia area. Between the fountains and High Street, we shall be returning to Pottstown next summer.
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 18
Dad laments Manayunk no longer having a professional bike race. Could Conshohocken step in with a similar event? Maybe so. There was an inaugural bike race in Conshohocken today and while there could be some room to improve the event, it was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Hopefully this event grows in the years to come and this becomes an end of summer tradition.
Dad laments Manayunk no longer having a professional bike race. Could Conshohocken step in with a similar event? Maybe so. There was an inaugural bike race in Conshohocken today and while there could be some room to improve the event, it was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Hopefully this event grows in the years to come and this becomes an end of summer tradition.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23 TO SUNDAY, AUGUST 25
Potty training was scheduled to occur over Labor Day weekend. Dad realized that his big plans for the fall may be pushed down on the priority list to accommodate this major childhood milestone. So let's jam as much in as possible in the final weekend - and he can't take off on Friday because of a deal closing. It's going to be a busy two-to-three days.
Charlotte spent Thursday night at Lola and Papa's then met Dad at Maple Acres Farm. A place Dad always wonders why he doesn't visit more often, then he waits ten minutes to buy a half dozen ears of corn, which wound up being a bit mushy, and winds up stopping at Whole Foods on the way home anyway, but still, we should come here more often than once or twice a year.
Potty training was scheduled to occur over Labor Day weekend. Dad realized that his big plans for the fall may be pushed down on the priority list to accommodate this major childhood milestone. So let's jam as much in as possible in the final weekend - and he can't take off on Friday because of a deal closing. It's going to be a busy two-to-three days.
Charlotte spent Thursday night at Lola and Papa's then met Dad at Maple Acres Farm. A place Dad always wonders why he doesn't visit more often, then he waits ten minutes to buy a half dozen ears of corn, which wound up being a bit mushy, and winds up stopping at Whole Foods on the way home anyway, but still, we should come here more often than once or twice a year.
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On Saturday morning we took the train to Center City for the Granddaddy fountain playground of them all - the fountains at Philadelphia's City Hall. Perhaps not the unique features of other splash grounds, however, for volume and backdrop, these fountains can't be beat. The fountains run for forty-five minutes at the start of the hour - it's a good thing they shut off/take a break, otherwise we may have been here all day. Only poor SEPTA train schedules prevented us from making a double dip of a trip at Reading Terminal Market.
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We rounded out the weekend with a visit to a Ukrainian Festival - an Oktoberfest of sorts but with Ukrainian food, beer, and dancing. Last time Dad showed up in the middle and waited an hour for food. This time we showed up early for the food but waited an hour for the dancing. Next time we will show up in the middle and eat before hand - we need to see more dancing.
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LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Instead of a Labor Day weekend filled with festivals...this Labor Day weekend was...filled...mostly indoors. Friday. Saturday. Sunday. Monday. We never ventured beyond our block of 5th Avenue except when Dad went out to pick up crabs, which turned out to be delicious. All that time in the house paid off. It was a productive weekend even in our exploring was limited.
Instead of a Labor Day weekend filled with festivals...this Labor Day weekend was...filled...mostly indoors. Friday. Saturday. Sunday. Monday. We never ventured beyond our block of 5th Avenue except when Dad went out to pick up crabs, which turned out to be delicious. All that time in the house paid off. It was a productive weekend even in our exploring was limited.
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SUMMER 2024 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: