It's Monday - A Day Of Rest

The four of us: Stacey and I and the two grandsons, Sammy and Ethan, are at Duba's lake house in southeastern Ohio (about an hour and a half west of Pittsburgh, Duba's hometown). Dani and Erik, meanwhile, are exploring the city of Chicago. That's the plan and so far, so good.

Duba and Buddy have a lovely house on a conservation lake. The latter refers to a non-profit preservation entity that owns and manages the lake and its surrounding properties with an eye to keeping it environmentally sound and maintaining its natural beauty. That means there's a strict limit to the size of motors on boats that are permitted and restrictions on oversized construction, buildings, etc.

Ethan and his Aunt Duba. We're out for a boat ride.

"This is how you drive the boat Ethan."

Sammy got a lesson also.

We spent the day just replenishing our spirits from the long 10-hour drive on our first day out. We'd have another one of those long days on Wednesday as we head to the Chicago environs to hook up with Dani and Erik and return the kids to them (in exchange for their two dogs). It was a lovely summer day on the lake and we took advantage of it to loll around the place take a leisurely boat tour of Atwood Lake and enjoy a dinner at a lake restaurant on the opposite shore.

Buddy, Duba's husband, was not at the house when we arrived last night. He would arrive today. So we set out on Duba's pontoon boat (a so-called party boat because of its flat and wide construction and stable bearing in the water). It also afforded an opportunity for Ethan and Sam to help steer the boat, something that Duba had promised them. Wow! Did they love that! And did they love the lake as well.

When we finished our tour and returned to the house we found Buddy waiting for us. We had a hamburger lunch, some naps and relaxation. The high point of Ethan's visit was a few hours with his newly-discovered Uncle Buddy as he was taken down to the shoreline and given the fine points of casting a line. Ethan caught three fish! Sammy and I joined them, not for fishing but for a dip in the refreshing waters. Ethan ran back up to the house to get his bathing suit so he could jump in too.

Later in the evening we set off by boat once again - out for dinner at the Lighthouse Bistro - a place that we've always enjoyed. The food is quite good, the view of the lake magnificent and usually, weather permitting, the sunset never fails to thrill us as we head back home by boat.

Ethan enjoyed the fresh air aand the sun on his face
as the boat sped along.

Stacey in late evening sun. Atwood Lake.

Sammy at the Lighthouse Bistro.

Sammy and Uncle Buddy - coloring at dinner.

Us - Lighthouse Bistro.

It was a short and sweet visit - the kids had a great time. We loved visiting with Duba and Buddy. Tomorrow was to be another long ride, across Ohio and into Indiana just short of Chicago. And the forecast said rain which would make the trip even longer. More about that in my next post. But for that you'll have to wait ... sorry.

From the road.  - Matt

What a way to end the perfect day!
On the way home from dinner - Sammy in silhouette.

To see all of today's photos, click HERE.

On The Road To Ohio (And My Sister)

Aug. 25, 2013

Spent a good part of Saturday packing. We're not taking our car but driving one of the Lundberg's two autos -- that's part of the reason for our inclusion: they need to get their cars out to Poulsbo (pronounced Pauls-bow, I'm told).

Ethan checks out the Toyota
which has been pack to the gills with stuff needed
at their new house in Washington state.

We left New York early Sunday morning. Not as early as we expected though. Ethan had been up during the night with an upset stomach so we let him sleep a little later and left Brooklyn at 8:30 instead of our planned departure of seven. With two cars packed up with four adults, three dogs, two kids and lots of 'stuff', we headed west through the Holland Tunnel and toward the route we'd be following for a long while: Interstate 80. Our destination: my sister's lake house in Sherrodsville, Ohio - about 465 miles door-to-door. I wanted to stop on the way for the night, given the fact that we're travelling with two small kids, our 3-½  and 6-year old grandsons. But Stacey said that would throw our schedule off (and add to the cost) - we have to meet Dani and Erik outside of Chicago which they will have been exploring while we're at my sister's.

Our first day's route from Brooklyn NY to Sherrodsvile, OH - 465 miles!

So we drove on.And on and on. The kids were amazing: wonderful travelers both and both very easy. We stopped several times - for gas and snacks. But lunch we ate on the go. And we reached Duba's house at 6:30 pm. I was exhausted, having driven the lion's share. And I may have picked up a bit of Ethan's stomach upset as I felt "out of it" for the entire day.

I-80 is a spectacular drive. It cuts through vast areas of the Pennsylvania Wilds - state forests and mountains that are sparsely settled and offer wonderful vistas as you ride along. It also has much less traffic than our usual route on I-78 and 76 (Penna Turnpike). Google says it's about seven hours if you drive straight through without stopping. It took us ten! Why?

Through the windshield --
I-80 -- beautiful views as it cuts through the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Truth be told, we did get a little lost at the end as my phone lost its connection and Google Maps faded into obscurity in the middle of nowhere Ohio. We switched to the car's built-in GPS and it guided us the last hour of the way to Duba's house, albeit through some very back road routes - an adventure that we all enjoyed. My sister prepared a wonderful pasta dinner which everyone devoured and then a story for each kid and bed -
a great first day!
.

Sammy enjoying a pasta dinner at Aunt Duba's.

Oh, and by the way, Ethan agreed to "write" his own blog and you can find it here. He already (almost) knows the list of thirteen states that we'll be travelling through. If Dani and Erik prod him to keep at it and have him dictate for five minutes at night, reviewing the day's odyssey this will be a great keepsake for him, not to mention adding a little variety and focus to his trip. Sammy, at 3-½, probably won't even remember this trip except from photos he'll see sometime in the future.

My parents, who took my brother, sister and me on many car trips as kids, inspired in me a life-long love of travel and exploration. Here's to the same inspiration for Ethan and Sam as they travel through life!

¡Hasta mañana amigos!

Disclaimer: Ethan's blog is in his very own words and include his very own photos taken with his very own camera (except for the first picture of him). But, yes, an adult's typing and minimal editing.

Seattle Or Bust --A Cross Country Car Trip

Aug 22, 2013

Excitement is building at our house as we prepare to depart on our historic cross-country trip from Brooklyn to Seattle. Dani and Erik and family (including their two dogs) are re-locating to Poulsbo, Washington for the next two years. Stacey and I are accompanying them on this epic road trip, driving one of their cars (the one with the three dogs: two are theirs, the third is Biggie). This should be good! Hopefully it will be.

Poulsbo, WA -- about an hour and a half
(by road or ferry) west of Seattle.

The last time I drove across our country was 1965. My friend Lonnie and I drove someone's car across and ended up in Berkeley. That was a long time ago but we took the same northern route (for the most part) that we are planning this time. It'll be interesting to see how much the country has changed in almost 50 years. 

This Sunday is Day One. We hope to get an early start. Dani and Erik will drive toward Chicago, a city that she's always wanted to explore. Stacey, Ethan, Sammy, Biggie (the dog) and I will head to my sister's lake house in Southeast Ohio for a couple of days of fun at her place. We'll meet up on Wednesday near Chicago where they'll take the kids and, lucky us, we'll take the other two dogs: Brooklyn and Annapolis.

I've suggested to Ethan that he write his own travel blog accompanied by photos that he takes, thinking that this would be a great show and tell at his new school where he's beginning second grade. So far he hasn't seen any value in that proposal. 

My 6-½  year old grandson, Ethan.

So now dear reader - please stay tuned for the Tales And Trials Of Our Great American Road Trip. I promise you some interesting, perhaps, writing. And some great, immodestly said, photographs. Then again, you could always hit the delete key should you get bored. 
See you on the road. Until then, a bientot!  - Matthew