We were in Erie Apparel when my husband asked, what’s the story behind the shirts that say ‘World’s 3rd Best Sunsets’? The employee laughed and replied that a ranking system supposedly placed Presque Isle on the top of the list but couldn’t find the article to verify, so Erie decided to claim third. What a goofy and lovely idea. I’d have to say it is one of the best I’ve seen in person!
It was as good as any ocean sunset I’ve seen and I have watched them from Marco Island, FL, Tybee Island, GA, and Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, this was the best. I think the only one I’ve seen that compares is a random winter sunset I saw in Erie in 2019 (from a Wegman’s parking lot).
We got to Presque Isle right as the sun descended into the horizon. The wind was whipping up from a small storm and the lake had breakers that sounded like any I’ve heard on the Atlantic Ocean. Here are some shots from the beach and the sky with its fearsome clouds blowing in.
Kyle and I had never planned to go watch a sunset before and it was worth it. It was one of those stereotypical romantic things that I’ve tried to pretend I’m too cool for. I’m not and it’s worth it to go do the touristy, basic things. They are classics for a reason.
Have you been to Presque Isle? Have you seen the Great Lakes? What is your favorite sunset spot?
We did something incredibly comforting this past weekend that gave us both a small delight. We went apple picking at our favorite orchard – Heagy’s Orchard in Northwestern Pennsylvania. It was the first time going back in four years and everything felt shinier, and happier, like the slump of the 2020s had shed and the area we used to haunt had come back to life, and so did I.
The interesting thing is I think now we instinctively felt like it was apple season at Heagy’s Orchard because these photos were taken on the same weekend, years apart, picking the same varieties of apples. None of it was planned. The pictures of my husband in the yellow plaid are from our first fall in Meadville in 2019, taken on Sept 5. The ones of me in a flannel and him in a hoodie are from Sept 7, 2020. And the first grouping, above, is from this past weekend, Sept 7, 2024.
How weird is that? I didn’t know we had a family tradition, him and I, but apparently we do and it was special to go back after such a long hiatus. Leaving Meadville-Erie area, a place that became home to us both after feeling like nowhere was home no matter how far we moved or how hard we tried in familiar places, was such a relief. Having to leave our home under the unfortunate circumstances of a dangerous living situation sucked.
It was frustrating that it was because drug dealers moved into the bottom unit of the house we were renting, with a considerable amount of domestic violence going on with them too, and the police doing little to nothing about it, which was despicable! There was so much pain and suffering in that situation. It only got worse when it became a squatting situation, the air was tense, and there was a gun. Not something you want to mess with. But not being able to fix the situation was a heartbreak that I shoved down in a box, to be left until I was ready.
Our new neighborhood in our new town where we lived from 2021 to the beginning of 2024, was like a high-strung Bailey Downs from Orphan Black, it never felt like home and so I had to keep that box shut and therefore couldn’t go to Erie or Meadville without feeling this rogue frustration, that until I returned there this past weekend, I couldn’t figure out why I was so frustrated and scared of the big emotion, But now I understand, it was a lack of acceptance compounded with the confusion of the dumpster fire that was 2020.
It was a lot of change in quick succession and my neurodivergent brain didn’t know what to do with in the moment, so I shut down. I was afraid I made a mistake leaving although I felt isolated and lonely after 2020, moving closer to family felt like oxygen. I’m glad in buying a house we are still able to go back up to the Meadville and Erie areas, because I realized I’m not done with that area, I just needed to be done with that living situation, and in turn, I really needed to get out of that suburban hell I fled to afterward to go back and see the place that made me feel home again.
The nature is just too pretty to be away from it for too long. There are these incredible ridges that stretch out in every direction. Fields, forests, creeks, ponds, marshes, and the closer you get to the lake it gets flatter until the big blue horizon meets you. It’s incredible. Is there a place or a tradition that helped you feel at home again after going through a tough time?
One Rabbit Riot 