The Reverse Oregon Trail is starting to wind down, and the countdown is on before we turn it around and head west in a week, but that doesn’t mean I”m all out of Western PA fun!
We traded our wagon for a pirate ship this week and headed off to PNC Park to watch America’s pastime.
Almost. 😂
Our crew set sail in search of Pirates baseball, only to be pillaged of a good time when the game was canceled while we were sitting in the stands.
It seems this voyage of mine will never be free from surprises…
1️⃣ Every Voyage Hits Rough Seas
The plan was simple: load up my two nieces (Lizzie and Emma) and my soon-to-be nephew (Connor) – I know refer to them as “the kids,” and they have been my playmates while we’re here.
You may remember them from the tow truck fiasco a few weeks ago, and since you can see the end in sight, you already know I”m batting 1000 at showing these three a good time. 😜
Off to Pittsburgh for a Pirates game we went, knowing the weather was questionably cooperative. We walked from the parking lot to the park in the rain, navigated the packed decks like herded cattle as everyone tried to escape the raindrops during the pre-game delay.
Eventually, we found our seats in the nosebleeds and were pleasantly surprised to find the rain passing by and the skies clear.
Yes! Let’s play ball!
📣 Or hear: "Tonight's game has been postponed."
Apparently, the Umps, the Pirates, and Mother Nature had reached an agreement the rest of us weren't invited to. 🤷
💡 Reminder: Sometimes the story starts the moment the plan ends (seems to be my theme during this trip!)
2️⃣ Consolation Prizes Count
While the bad news was a game postponed to 12:05 the following afternoon (that none of us could make it to), the good news was…
Fireworks! 🎆
Turns out when you're from the land of Zambelli Fireworks, they don’t cancel the show – rain, shine, baseball, no baseball…those things are going in the air.
Guess I finally got the professional firework display I missed last week (and there is nothing quite like a Zambelli finale, that’s for sure)!
💡 Reminder: Plan B can have a little magic of its own if you let it.
3️⃣ Third Time Really Can Be the Charm
As I mentioned earlier, I am currently 0-2 on “adventures with the kids.” From the trip to Ohio…which ended in no concert and a new besti named tow-truck-Tony, to a foiled Pirates Game, I’m over here feeling like the harbinger of death-to-fun!
Until…
The Whiskey Rebellion Festival…
Apparently, all it took was something close to (mom and dad’s) home to find success, with this unique event just six minutes out the front door and a very special headliner closing out the festival on Saturday night.
🎸 The Clarks.
If you went to college in Pittsburgh around the turn of the century, there's a pretty good chance you know exactly who I'm talking about. They were the soundtrack to a lot of my college years, so standing there twenty-five years later singing every word felt like I got to relive ages 21 – 23 right alongside my 21- and 24-year old nieces.
And like chips off the old block, they loved the music just as much as I!
💡 Reminder: Let yourself revisit the things that made you, you.
4️⃣ Some Songs Never Leave You
Change is inevitable.
Jobs change.
Cities change.
Life changes.
We change.
But somehow, we still know every word. Funny how that works.
💡 Reminder: Your younger self had pretty good taste, too.
5️⃣ Long Live Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion Festival celebrates a pretty famous chapter of western Pennsylvania history, when local farmers weren't exactly thrilled about paying a new whiskey tax, and like their more famous Boston counterparts, they made their feelings known.
History lesson over (except for that whole tar-and-feather re-enactment that happened just before the concert). 😆
It got me thinking that every once in a while, a little rebellion isn't such a bad thing.
Before you take that the wrong way, I’m thinking about it in the context of rebelling against the things that steal our joy.
The overpacked calendar.
The constant notifications.
The feeling that every weekend has to be productive.
Sometimes it's healthy to rebel against adulthood for an afternoon (or a lifetime). 😉
💡 Reminder: Every now and then, stage a tiny rebellion against whatever is eating at you.
6️⃣ Sometimes Life Has Its Own Itinerary
At this point, I've stopped asking Pennsylvania to stick to the itinerary.
It clearly has plans of its own. 🤣
I'm just along for the ride now.
💡 Reminder: Some adventures are better when you stop trying to predict them.
7️⃣ Raise the Jolly Roger Anyway
If you're not from Pittsburgh, here's your fun fact: When the Pirates win, the city raises the Jolly Roger (yes, the flag from a pirate ship).
And even though we never saw a single pitch, we got to raise the Jolly Roger three times this weekend as the Pirates swept the Brewers! ⚾
Three wins at home. Fireworks. A concert from my youth.
More memories with people I love.
🏴☠️ May not be the success I envisioned, but I think it all worked out anyway!
💡 Reminder: You get to decide what counts as a win.
The Reverse Oregon Trail has one more week to go, and while I am beyond thrilled to head home to my mountains, there will be something a little bittersweet about departing from this visit.
😰 And if PA gets any more creative ideas on Jim’s arrival on Tuesday…we will have words!
Always an adventure!
Your Friend and Coach,
Angie
