Last adventures in Ohio

Here are the last adventures of our trip to Ohio. I have drawn it out long enough. So here are a couple more pictures and brief stories.

As I mentioned in a much earlier post...we were lucky enough to meet up with some dear friends of ours we met in Florida. Tes was a friend I met through a playgroup there. She and a few other moms were my saving grace as I was home with two little ones and Todd was always away. These women would meet me at the park at a drop of a hat when I needed to get out and talk to an adult. Tes and her family just happened to be in Ohio visiting family the same time we were so we met up one morning/afternoon. The picture above is of Tes and me and all the kids. We tried to get a nice picture of all of us but the kids were not having any part of nice. So I call it the picture gone crazy.

Here is sweet Julia eating ice cream. One afternoon Mama Ann took all of us girls out to a nice lunch in Chagrin Falls and then we came back to the house and had some really yummy ice cream sundaes. The next two pictures are from that day as well. It was a fun afternoon!!

Auntie Allison is so good with her nieces!! So many girls!!!

One night while at Mama Ann's and Papa Bob's house we went for a Gator ride. It was a nice ride through some land that they have made open to the public. This land is not made for development of any kind. It was a nice ride while watching the sun set and various birds and things moving around the grass. We imagined our houses built there up on top of the highest point. What a view!! It was fun!!!
We took our annual ride on the Rapid down to Cleveland. The girls really look forward to this. I think we have only missed a couple years since Emily was about three years old. We pick up the train on the west side of Cleveland and it takes us down to Tower City. Tower City used to be the big train station. Now they have built it into a huge mall. People who make fun of our fine city will sometimes say, "Cleveland is the only city that has a tower that is terminal overlooking a lake that is erie. " Go ahead and make fun but Cleveland is a fine city. Especially in the Summer!! I will mention it is the home of our beloved Cleveland Indians!! Go Tribe!! That one is for you, Scott!!

While we were downtown, Aunt Boo Boo and Mr. Derick (soon to be UNCLE Derick) met us there to have lunch with us. Boo Boo hung out with us for awhile and we had a fun time. We lost track of time, actually!!!

So that is all for our adventures in Ohio. It was a fun three weeks. It was a time to reconnect with family and a few friends. I was very grateful that we could spend all that time there. Tomorrow we are off to Sunset Beach, NC. A week at the beach!!!! Our last Hurrah before we go back to school. Back to routines, homework, schedules, driving here and there, soccer, etc.

Until next time........

Lunch with old friends!

This is my third post today. So make sure you scroll down to see our other Ohio adventures. I still have more to post from our Ohio trip but this will be it for today.

We had lunch one day at the end of our trip with some good friends. Tom, Scott and Danial met us for lunch at On Tap. The girls always look forward to this every year. Todd and I met Tom and Scott when we were in college. Danial and I were roommates in college. Lots of history there!!! So fun to see them!!!! Thanks guys, for taking time out of your busy schedules and all to see us!! I really appreciate it!!

Scott, Tom, Callie, Emily, me and Danial!
Scott is like a little kid around the girls. They love to see him!!!! Mona, Scott's wife, stopped by to say hello. It was great to see her as well!! Some day....we will get us all at the beach at the same time again!
It was fun to catch up with Danial and the lives of her FOUR children!!!!
Come visit us!!!!

A day with Grandpa Buck

Now that both Grandpa's have retired we were able to spend long periods of time with them instead of waiting for them to get off of work at 6pm. One day we spent the entire day swimming with Grandpa Buck! Before getting into the pool Grandpa Buck took us for a walk down the street to see some horses. We walked to the end of the street and then down a LONG driveway (there were several lights along the drive.) Then all of a sudden there was a most impressive house and gate house and barn. It was beautiful back there! We brought some apples to feed the horses but unfortunately, the horses were away at camp. But it was a nice walk and worth it to see the property back there. We met the lady who lives there and she was very friendly and invited us to come back.


Here are the girls walking with Grandpa Buck.
The girls ran their grandpa ragged with jumping off the diving board and having him throw them in the pool. They had so much fun! The girls wanted me to take their pictures making funny shapes with their bodies jumping off the diving board. We laughed so hard after looking at all the pictures.
We enjoyed a yummy pizza lunch poolside thanks to Grandpa Buck. It was a fun day and we all slept good that night!! We missed you, Debbie!!

Our evening with the beavers!

As our Ohio adventures continue........

One evening my dad took the girls and me to the towpath to see the dam the beavers have built there. It used to be a salvage yard but the beavers took it over and built a very impressive dam. We have been here before a couple years ago but never actually saw a beaver. This year we hit the jackpot! The towpath goes right through here. You can walk or bike through the towpath. The evening we were there a park ranger was there to answer any questions.

Here is Callie and Grandpa walking down the path to the dam.
While we waited for a beaver to come out we took some photos.
We watched the sun set on one side and a got a beautiful shot of the moon on the other side. The picture below is the sun setting and its reflection in the water.
They say the beavers come out about an hour before sunset. We waited a while and personally, I didn't think we would see one. Then all of a sudden we saw something shooting through the water and lo and behold there he was. What a site to see. He was much bigger than I expected. He jutted through the water then dove down deep so we got to see his whole body. He swam to the edge of the dam to check things out and then swam back to the lodge. The lodge was pretty impressive as well. I guess they can tell if there is a leak somewhere. Every so often they swim out to make sure things are all secure. After awhile another beaver came out to check. I now know the truth in the saying "Busy as Beavers". They would make great architects.

While we were there we saw a family of ducks swimming through the water in and out of the many lily pads. The sounds we heard were musical and we saw some snapping turtles as well. It was a fun evening!! We ended the evening at a wonderful old fashioned ice cream shop in Akron. Thanks Dad for a fun evening!

More Ohio adventures

While in Ohio we took a trip to WV to visit with more family. We stayed with my grandparents and had a lovely time. We also drove out to see a teacher of mine from when I was about 4/5 years old. So good to see her and her husband. What a great visit! Here are some pictures from that weekend.

Mrs. O'Brien, my first teacher!! We had so much fun visiting with each other!!

More Cousins!

First Cousins!! Sara, Gretchen, Melanie and Samantha. A fun evening of chatting and catching up while all the kids reconnected.

The next day was Sunday and on our way back to Ohio we stopped to see my Aunt Linda and Uncle Johnny. To our surprise my cousin Jeremy and his cute family were there. So here are a few pictures from our short visit with them. Jeremy and his wife, Gretchen, just had a beautiful baby girl! It was so fun to hold her and just stare at her. Jeremy's older daughter was there too and what a cutie she is!

Jeremy, Gretchen and Aubrey.

Jeremy's daughter, Bailey

Callie and Aunt Linda!

My niece, Mia, and Aunt Linda had fun together. Mia didn't want her picture taken here so Linda just followed her lead. Very cute!

I just had to add one more pic of Mia. I love her so much and just love to hear her laugh!!! Ignore the date on the picture. My bad. I still have more adventures from our trip so check back later.

Miss Molly's Tea

While in Ohio we had lunch at Miss Molly's Tea Room in Medina. It is such a cute place that serves lunch and the girls love it. (The adults do too.) We try and go every year. We have been going since Emily was just a baby in my arms. We went with Mia (my niece) and Grandma and Aunt Boo Boo. Here are some pictures from our lunch.


The girls enjoyed each other's company while we waited to be seated.

Here is Mia sporting Callie's purse. I love her!!!

She smiled for me but was more interested in other things. If I remember correctly we have a lot of pictures of her father as a kid smiling for the camera but looking the other way.

The girls really enjoyed being together.

I enjoyed being with my sister and mom. Sorry Mom, I didn't get a pic of you. Like I said. I didn't get many pictures of the adults on this trip.

Silly girls!!!

Check back in a day or two for more adventures of our Ohio trip.