2021 // Summer in Pennsylvania on Film
Chambersburg
Pennsylvania, June & September 2021
We spent a decent amount of time in Pennsylvania this past summer, celebrating my grandfather and seeing old family friends many of whom could not believe how old Gina and I were. Summer on the east coast forces you to embrace the humidity and accept a constant, sticky complexion.
The days spent there, though simple, rolled by fast. Pastoral activities like strawberry picking, admiring the Appalacian mountains from the deck, and canoeing out on the pond filled our afternoons along with hitting golf balls at the driving range. For as much as we went golfing, I’m still trying to scrounge any sort of golf athleticism together. Tennis was reserved for the early mornings before the court got too hot and after we were done fighting over which visor we’d each get to wear to protect our faces from the damaging sun rays. In between work hours, we’d saunter down to the basement to sort through relics that had not moved in 40 years. I took careful stock in deciding which vinyl records to haul back on my five-hour plane journey home. On occasion, we’d kick off the morning with breakfast at Flamingo, the local, dependable diner.
Whereas the days were freeform, evenings were more regimented. Lola had something delicious prepared each night for dinner and interrupted work - whether we were done or not - to come to eat. As always, I gorged myself on as much lumpia as I possibly could, because it tastes better fresh-made by her. We’d eat and tidy up, then set up the mahjong table to play for the next few hours. At a point, the TV would get turned on and serve as a distraction and source of conversation as we played.
A certain level of familiarity was achieved. I felt comfortable navigating the two major roads of the town and yelling at Gina to make a superfluous amount of galettes. Quality time with Pancake, the cat, wasn’t as pleasant. I don’t think she appreciated me chasing her around the house, for after that episode she had a certain affinity to actively avoid me. Equally disappointing was Gina’s prospect at a career in modeling. I witnessed that start and end very quickly. She does, however, have a great handle on 45-degree angles as depicted below.
These simple moments are my favorite memories from a summer well spent. Sometimes I would get bogged down in what I was missing back in Seattle, but reflecting on the quality time I spent with Lola and Gina, outweighs any of that.
Additional photos were provided by Gina. Thanks for finally sending them to me.
