This was a first for us, I had never repeated an assignment. Places have asked me to come back and either the timing never worked out or we were on the other side of the country. The lab manager from Saranac Lake reached out to me some time during the winter and asked if I would come back for the spring/summer. Where Jesse used to work also asked him to come back for the summer, they would need the help. This was all while we were debating if we were going to stay in Myrtle Beach for more than one 13 week assignment. I wanted to recreate the Saranac Lake experience exactly if we were going to do it. I didn’t want to have to live far from work and finding housing has just been miserable lately. I reached out to what can only be the nicest human on earth and asked if we could come back to live where we lived last fall. He said yes and we were able to live in the exact same apartment. That sealed it for us, we were going back to NY for the summer. Repeating the assignment exactly, just as I wanted.
The time in Myrtle Beach went by fast and we really enjoyed ourselves. When the assignment was over Jesse and MoeJoe headed down to GA to spend some more time with Mary, while Beatrix and I headed to NY to spend some time with my parents before I started work. Of course in true NY spring fashion, I spent one day in April shoveling snow with my dad while Jesse sent me pictures of him and his mom hanging out by the pool. He might have made the better decision to head south first. In addition to just grabbing some nice weather, Jesse was in Georgia for Easter. He got to see all of his extended family including his grandmother. He had a great time, and although we had to spend some time apart, it was worth it for both of us to have family time.
One thing was different this time, we didn’t have any big van projects to work on so when I got to see my family I just got to enjoy spending time with them. My brother is a RD and I went to his TARC Spring Classic which is a 10k that I ran and I helped him set up and tear down. He worked me to the bone but he was grateful I was there to help. Plus I got to see my sister in law and my nephew and niece. I miss my brother with all my traveling so I make sure to see him when I can. Jesse finally made it up to my parents and we explored by running and hiking and getting ready to head up to Saranac Lake.
We spend a lot of time working during this assignment in Saranac. My hours were a bit more variable and we made due with the time we had together. We were able to make it to my parent’s house for Mother’s Day and my brother and his family also made the trek so we were able to see them too! There were hikes and Mary made a visit up to see us around Jesse’s birthday. We took her to some cool places like the Wild Center in Tupper Lake, High Falls Gorge, the top of Whiteface, to Lake Placid and to Wilmington NY. I signed Jesse and I up to run the Wilmington Whiteface Whiskey Run 10K and Mary came out to see us finish. It was stupid cold that day and poor Jesse and his mom left pretty early to warm up and Jesse had to get ready to go to work. It was a great race with the coolest medal at the end, a little 2oz flask.
Being in Saranac Lake during the summer was a bit different than last time. It was crazy busy the whole time we were there. Jesse’s restaurant was always hopping and my lab had a few busy periods as well. I was there with a few other travelers which was fun. I always enjoy hearing about where other people have been and their stories.
The town was particularly busy during Rugby Weekend. The Village of Saranac Lake hosts the Can-Am Rugby Tournament every year and let me tell you, it’s a big deal. It was especially big this year since most covid restrictions had been lifted. Players had pent up energy and were ready to play hard, get sent to the hospital, and then pound Mexican food. Busy times for everyone. Fun times too!
Time flew by and before we knew it we were packing up our little apartment and heading back to my parents house for a few weeks before we head out west. We will miss the Adirondack Mountains and being a part of the community in Saranac Lake but we are looking forward to the next adventure. Jesse did fall in love with the area and our families are still on the east coast. Who knows? Maybe we will do it a third time? Will that be the charm to keep us? We will have to wait to see.
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