Category: Travels

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Winter, Winter Go Away…

Like the rest of North America, with the exception of Vancouver, it appears, central Indiana is in the middle of the dead of winter. Snow days, school delays, snow, snow, and more snow….these have been the days of my life.

Even when the sun isn’t out, there is a terrific glare off the snow. I’m counting that as sunlight for my sanity.

So it’s only natural that summer dreams have been developing this week. Remember summer? Remember warm? Remember sunshine?

The gals at Grown in My Heart have made a plan for summer–we are going to BlogHer ’10 in NYC. We’d like to get a slot in the Room of Their Own program–where we’d be the panel and discuss the delicate nature of sharing your family life and reproductive challenges on the Internet.

If you have two seconds, please click through here, and vote for our proposal: http://www.blogher.com/room-of-your-own-10

You do need a BlogHer account, and once you’ve signed in, please vote for us. We’d appreciate it…..and if you’re going to BlogHer ’10, give a shout out!

Here are few flashbacks to a warmer, gentler time:

It was sooo hot the day we saw Niagra Falls, the plastic ponchos were a bit much!
It was sooo hot the day we saw Niagra Falls, the plastic ponchos were a bit much!
The water was so warm in the Atlantic this was a sunset splash. SO WARM OUTSIDE!
The water was so warm in the Atlantic this was a sunset splash. SO WARM OUTSIDE!
Look! The Fox is wearing a romper. Not pants. He's wearing sunscreen. He's sitting on this stuff called grass. Haven't seen grass since January...
Look! The Fox is wearing a romper. Not pants. He's wearing sunscreen. He's sitting on this stuff called grass. Haven't seen grass since January...

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Tourist in My Own Town

 

I’ve been at my parents’ house since Thursday…a longish visit these days. Besides getting some quality time with family, this time around we’ve been able to be “tourists” and see a slice of Northwest Indiana/Southeastern Michigan that we drive through but never see.

Friday night, we went to Redamak’s and bit into a legend. How good are the burgers? So good that MAM ate her entire cheeseburger, with not prodding from me. That never happens. We also took a long walk around the New Buffalo beach and got our toes wet.

Saturday morning, we visited Ragtops, a small car museum. Car enthusiasts would probably be in awe. As it was, it was fun to walk around, and amazing to see how big some of these cars were (and how so many were lacking in seat belts!)

Saturday afternoon, we visited (and climbed) Mount Baldy, part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It’s gorgeous, clean and so-not crowded. The only downside is that from the water, the bathrooms are basically a 10 minute hike away. Our friends and family all had a ball there–and BgK and I are trying to figure out when, exactly, we can make it back. It’s a three hour drive from home, but so incredibly worth it.

Monday morning, we went to the Washington Park Zoo. All of the above pictures were taken there, at their River Otter exhibit (with a tunnel, so you can crawl under where the otters are swimming, and at the playground, where you can slide like river otter…) For a small zoo, they have an amazing collection of animals, and the exhibits are set up so that even a four year old can see most of them without having to be held up. You are really up close to the animals, which both kids loved. Also, there were no vendors hawking face painting, tattoos, hair braids or anything else as you walked through the zoo. There were no “extra” tickets to purchase, no trains or 3-D movies or carousels to distract from seeing the animals. For young kids, a total gem of a place.

Today we arrived home, and have a few days of normal….then it’s on to the next (and sadly, last) summertime adventure!

(we also celebrated birthdays…but that’s in a post yet to be written)

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Road Trip Recap: Heading Home , with Side Trips




So here’s something I’ve noticed about my hubby: he can’t resist being near tourist attractions/sites to see. He loves side trips and detours. We “stopped by” Washington, D.C. on our way home from the Outer Banks last year. We drove around his old Boy Scout campground on the drive up to our honeymoon condo. We stopped at the Mormon city of Nauvoo, IL on our way home from Missouri a few years ago. So it came as no surprise that he had a few places to see on our way home from Atlantic City. 

Monday we left after a lovely breakfast with family. We drove directly to Philly, where we got out of the car to do “the Rocky steps”. You know, the scene in Rocky where he runs up the steps during training? Turns out, it’s the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And we were driving right by it…..
BgK had prepped MAM with a YouTube video, and she reinacted 
the scene with gusto. You can’t really see her in front of the building, but she’s sitting there. The building? Is HUGE. She looked sooo tiny sitting on the tip top step. She climbed down carefully, and then she gave Rocky the statue a big hug!! 
After leaving Philly, we hauled van on the PA Turnpike (as much as one can on the oldest highway ever), and made it close to the state line. 
The next day, we hit the wide open spaces of Ohio (so, so, welcome after the crazy mountains of PA and the narrow highways and the ridiculous tolls), and we stopped of in Dayton to visit the Air Force Museum. 
 BgK and MAM loved all the big airplanes, and Junior and I enjoyed the Bob Hope exhibit/movie while he ate. It was a quick trip–we made it there just an hour before closing time. Admission is free, and it’s only about 2 hours from home, so I think we’ll be returning at some point. 
The last leg of the trip was uneventful, we did have to make a pit stop between Dayton and home, and MAM was thrilled that the truck stop sold bananas at the register. $2 later, we each had a banana (she was asking for fruit, and wanted to share, and hey, it’s not candy….) for the last bit of the drive. 
We pulled in around 8, unloaded the van and returned it to the rental place. I’ve been unpacking, doing laundry, and recovering ever since!
P.S. If you haven’t already, please tell me your wedding song on this post. Inquiring minds want to know, and the comments that are there are fun!