07/10/2026
If you’re anything like me, your car currently looks as if a tornado of spilled Gatorade, Lake Erie sand, and SPF 50 destroyed it. Welcome to July in the Sandusky Bay, the month where we all collectively decide that sleep is optional and flip-flops are formalwear.
Our theme this month is Explore, and I’ll be honest, I used to think "exploring" meant booking a flight and heading somewhere with a different area code. But the longer I live here, the more I realize that we are living in the place everyone else is trying to get to. We’re the ones who get to see the Cedar Point skyline every time we run to the grocery store. We’re the ones who can decide on a whim to catch a sunset over the Islands just because the Tuesday evening air feels right.
This month, I’m challenging myself (and you!) to actually be a tourist in our own town. It’s so easy to get caught up in the "busy-ness" of July, the endless double-headers at the ballfields, the Fourth of July prep, and the frantic pace of summer chores. But when was the last time you actually stopped to look at the lighthouse? When was the last time you hopped on a boat, and let the lake wind completely ruin your hair?
There’s a specific kind of magic in our backyard trips. It’s in the chaotic joy of a local parade, the taste of a ice cream that definitely wasn’t on your diet, and that feeling when the humidity finally breaks during a late-night game at the sports park. These are the moments we’ll be thinking about in February when we’re shoveling the driveway, so why not lean into them now?
Let’s make a deal, let the grass grow an extra inch this week. Leave the dishes in the sink for an hour. Go find a hidden trail you’ve never walked, or take the long way home along the water. July is notoriously short-lived, but the memories we make in these few weeks are what carry us through the year.
Our backyard is vast, the fireflies are out, and the lake is calling. I’ll see you out there, probably a waiting for a ferry or with my toes in the sand.
Stay curious (and definitely stay hydrated),
Hailee Sage