Hurricane Bill on the New Hamshire Coast

Hurricane?? In New Hampshire?? Yes, Bill came by for a visit. He didn't actually come to us but sent us some rain and wind and waves. Yesterday, early evening, we decided to take a ride out to the coast. The tide was on its way back out but we could see how high it had come up. The waves were beautiful and there were a lot of people about. The first picture was taken at our favorite spot north of Hampton and Rye. We have taken many pictures out here and even spent the day one year for Emily's birthday. Some of you may recognize it as a spot we have taken you. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the lobster trap and buoy. It looked so New Englandish sitting there on the rocks with the waves behind it.

Our first stop was Hampton Beach. This is what we found there. Cloudy, not raining, a lot of people and some crazy people in the water. There were a lot of surfers!! A busy place.

The waves were pretty big and kept on rolling in one after another.

Our next stop was a favorite place, the "Rock Beach"! By now it was raining off an on a bit. It was a little brighter here, North of Hampton. The waves were not as big and the tide was further out. Here are the girls before walking out onto the rocks.

These two pictures were taken way out by the water on some very big rocks. It was beautiful!!!

I took this last picture as we were leaving. The pictures just don't capture how beautiful it really was.

After leaving the "Rock Beach" we headed over to a local joint called, Rays. (Not to be confused with Rays Place in Kent.) We ate dinner until it became dark and started to rain hard. It was a great way to end our weekend.

The picture at the very top, behind the blog heading, was taken out on Cape Cod. More pictures of that trip later and I still have more Ohio pictures to post. Just wanted to get these out while Hurricane Bill was all fresh in our minds.

A trip to the Cleveland Zoo!

While in Ohio we took a trip to the Cleveland Zoo. If you ever find yourself in Cleveland and are looking for something to do (weather permitting) check out the Cleveland Zoo. It is my favorite zoo next to The National Zoo in Washington DC. Matthew (my brother), Sara (my sister), my dad, my niece, Mia, all went with us. It was a HOT day (very few that we had in July) but lots of fun. The animals were very cooperative with the camera and I think I got some good shots of them.

Here is Grandpa Yogi and Emily riding the tram.

One of my favorite animals to see at the zoo!!

Here are the girls cooling off in the Rainforest. I was playing around with the settings on my camera. Wanted to see some black and white photos.

Here are three exhausted girls getting ready to leave the zoo.

Uncle Matthew and Emily riding the tram up to the top of the hill to see the gorillas.

Mia and Callie on the tram.

Once at the top and after going through the primate house we had a picnic lunch near a playground. Here is Mia and me sitting on a (not real) camel. She kept calling the camel Sally from the song that Barney sings. Something about Sally had one hump....

Here are all the girls with "Sally".

It was a fun day and we were all tired when we got back to the car. I couldn't find a Starbucks fast enough so I could have an iced coffee. Mmmmmm...it tasted great!!

Here is my friend, The ostrich. He/she was a bit intimidating but I loved watching these creatures. They are huge!!

The snow leopard. A favorite with my girls. He/she was sleeping and very far away. I zoomed as much as I could and I think I got a pretty good shot. I thought for sure it would be blurry.

The leopard. We watched this guy for a LONG time. He prowled around his area and was very cooperative with the camera. I got a lot of pics of him.

This was one grumpy guy. We watched him throw this sack over top of his head. He was fun to watch.

The koala sleeping. Very cute.

Isn't this a beautiful animal?

And, of course, the zebra.

That is all for now. More to come from our Ohio trip.

Lunch at Miss Molly's

Our visit to Ohio was not without a trip to Miss Molly's Tea Room. It is a quaint little restaurant in Medina. I have been taking Emily there since she was just a baby in my arms. Mama Rachel, Mama Ann, Auntie Allison, Aunt Boo Boo and Mom came with us. It was a fun afternoon!! The lunches are yummy and light and even the kids get their own teapot and tea cup no matter what they order to drink. They have an adorable gift shop and we always end the visit with a trip across the hallway to a fabulous toy store.

Our table at Miss Molly's

Here is Mom and Mama Rachel. Can you tell they are mother and daughter? It was so much fun to have Mama Rachel with us. We played rummy for hours and hours and laughed a lot!! Lots of belly laughs!!

My niece, Mia, with her teapot and tea.

Here I am with my wonderful mother in law, Mama Ann, and my sister in law, Auntie Allison. Allison, Todd's little sister, just graduated from high school and is heading to Ohio University on a full academic scholarship. Way to go Allison....We love you!!!

Here are the girls with Aunt Boo Boo, my beautiful sister!!! We always enjoy our time with Sara.

Emily, Callie and Mia in the toy store.

Here are the girls with my fabulous grandmother, Mama Rachel! They were saying goodbye to her as they were headed to Mama Ann's for a couple days. Always sad to say goodbye.

It was a great afternoon filled with chatting, laughter and beautiful, wonderful women!!!