Return of the beast

There she is, in all her glory. Sam, the beast.
(Please ignore the laundry on the couch and suitcases on the floor in the background. Ugh.)
Sam is sporting a new collar, a gift from our former neighbors, Gosia and Laura, who decided that Portland had more culture than Redding. Hard to believe. Her collar is black with pink martini glasses on it. It's so appropriate, since we have been known to enjoy a martini. (And I even love the group Pink Martini!)
Now that the dog is home, it's official: Vacation over.

Home

We are home.
This has been an amazing vacation, but it's nice to be home. Even though the lawn needs mowing and there is a mountain of laundry waiting... oh well.
The neighbors came out to see the limo last night. We even talked the Haakes into taking a ride around the block.
There will be a few more pictures added later. My home wireless connection is unhappy that I've strayed. Tom is trying to talk some sense into it. But now it's time to free the beast, Sammy, from the vet. We're coming to get you, pal!

Portland

We are enjoying our stay in Portland, one of the best places in the world. My sister Laura lives here and she is a blast. She does lots of giggling.

Her husband, Tom, has the girls in line. He paid Kelly $5 for the tooth she lost this morning. He has ruined everything for the Tooth Fairy. Tom is also famous for reading Junie B. Jones books to the kids.

Today we went to Powell's, the bookstore of ginormous size. Tom also visited a tea store. Seattle is famous for coffee, but Portland is becoming the tea capital. Here is a picture of him enjoying a taste of my bubble tea.

We will be home in Redding very soon... see you then.

Biodiversity

I can appreciate different kinds of countryside. I loved the prairie. Idaho is lovely. But I struggled with Wyoming.
I feel guilty because I know there are people who think it is the best. But what I saw was a million miles of scrub, punctuated by natural gas and oil wells.
We stopped at a rest stop called Bitter Creek, where there was a big sign explaining the wonders of "Mother Sagebrush." OK. But from now on, I'm going to let someone else appreciate it.

Laramie

We decided that, after Minden, it was time to get a move on. So we drove and drove. Originally we decided to stop in Ogalala. (I'm sure I spelled that wrong. Yet it is the prettiest-named town I know.) But instead, we decided it wasn't far enough, so we headed for Cheyenne, Wyo.
Then we learned it is Frontier Days, when Cheyenne is full of cowboys who need hotel rooms, too.
So we find ourselves in Laramie, and in a really funky motel with statues of cowboys and whatnot out front.
Our limo caused a bit of a stir, too.
We were stopped at a light when a guy in the truck next to us rolled down his window and yelled to me "Are you REALLY from New York?"
I told him no, that we had bought the limo in New York and were driving it home to California. Then he says: "Hey, follow me."
I asked why, and said that we were headed somewhere. He said he wanted to buy us a drink. That's when I realized that he had probably already had a few drinks, and that I would let him drink alone. So I politely declined.

Mythbusters

My Dad was born in Minden, Neb., and he has a lot of stories about how people from Nebraska are something special. "Salt of the Earth," is what I remember. And I believe it.
But some stories are harder to believe. And today, I learned that some just aren't true. An example: He apparently didn't walk to school uphill both ways. In fact, I don't think I found ANY hills in Minden.
But Minden has really nice people who couldn't wait to help us with directions and general information about the town. A woman in the county clerk's office pulled out the marriage records from the 1920's to help find my grandparents' wedding date. And get this: I found my grandfather's name on the memorial to World War I vets outside the courthouse.
So I will continue to think of Nebraska natives as "salt of the Earth." And when it comes to the "uphill both ways" story I will have a strict "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Omaha zoo

Today we took the day off from traveling and spent the day at the Omaha zoo. Thank you, Thom G., for telling us about this amazing place. By the way, I've included a picture of a friend who misses you. He seems a bit cranky... it must be those windows that prevent him from throwing things.

This is a great zoo that includes a desert dome (picture above with Emma), a noctural creature world under the desert and a great aquarium. Kelly did something truly amazing at the aquarium: she touched a shark.

For those of you who know Kelly, you might remember how every trip to the Redding Aquatic Center includes an explanation of how no sharks can get into that pool. Kelly is really, really afraid of sharks.In the Omaha aquarium she walked under the sharks and looked at sharks swimming right at her. And she loved it! A corner is turned.

We walked for some six hours. Mom and Dad are tired. The kids still seem energized.

Tomorrow, Minden.

What makes the kids laugh

The kids are starting to comment on how easy it is to impress Mom.

It started with the Erie Canal. When we spotted it for the first time, I couldn't believe it... the real Erie Canal.

Then it was Niagra Falls. Then crossing the Mississippi. Then it was how beautiful the prairie is.... they are starting to think I am a pushover.

Really, it is amazing.

We just made it to Omaha and are learning a lesson about humidity. Yikes, it really isn't the heat, it's the humidity.

Tomorrow we take a day off traveling and visit the Omaha Zoo. Then it's off to Minden to see if my dad really did have to walk uphill BOTH ways to school.

All hail his Alma Mater

Tom just finished a three-course certificate program through Notre Dame, so of course we had to make a stop in South Bend.

It's a beautiful campus and we took the advice of a librarian and caught the elevator to the top floor for a terrific view. (Emma was impressed that the entire 13th floor was dedicated to religion and philosophy books. Who knew there were that many books in the world?)

It was a quiet day on campus, however. Maybe they were all in church.

Things we have learned, part 1

• Detroit is really close to Canada. I don't know why this hadn't sunk in before. (Stasia)
• Lake Tahoe isn't one of the Great Lakes. (Kelly)
• In Michagan, it's "pop" not "soda"

Sellout (boo hoo)

We hoped to see the Tigers play the Red Sox last night, but alas, we were not alone in the dream. It was a sell out and we were among the unfortunate.
We had to make do watching it on television with a cool beverage. Kelly flipped over the grand slam and our new favorite team won 9-2 and took the lead in their division. Go Tigers.

The Falls

There is a reason people visit places like Niagra Falls. They are spectacular, that's why.

It is only a short hop to the falls from Buffalo, so we got there relatively early. That's good because you can tell A LOT of people visit. It really has a tourist-y side, no surprise. But if you just want to get out and walk, it is something terrific.

There are several places where you stand right next to where the water drops off. I felt my stomach doing a little flip just standing there. I grabbed onto the kids when they leaned over the rails, the way kids do. The girls liked hearing about people going over the falls in a barrel. "What, are they crazy??" they wondered. Out of the mouths of babes....

Westward Ho (via Canada)

Since this is a shake-down cruise, we learn along the way. Learn from our mistakes.
We were driving from Niagra Falls (more on that later) to Detroit. The map says the shortest distance is driving through Canada. Okay....
Except that few miles call the International border. It took 90 minutes to cross back into the United States. You would have thought we had Osama you-know-who in the trunk.
Once into the beautiful state of Michigan, we hit a huge thunderstorm, which slowed everyone down. But we are in Detroit now, and we are all excited about seeing a Tigers/Red Sox game tomorrow.

Futbol

Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame is only 30 minutes away, but the kids had the most fun at the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. (I'm still working on how to say that name. No quizzes, please.)

Instead of rows of displays, the Hall is interactive and kid-oriented. There is a goal-kicking game, when Kelly nearly beat Dad. There was a miniature soccer field where even Emma and Gillian joined in a game with some boys and their Dad.

Then there were skills challenges like testing the speed of your goal-kick, with a radar gun that displays your time. Or you can dribble the ball past life-sized dummies of famous soccer players.

At the end of the visit, Mom was picking out a sweatshirt to buy (the weather is cool and wet here and all of us packed like we were from California) when a gentleman struck up a conversation.

Turns out he is the president of the hall and a retired soccer player, from a soccer-family dynasty, too, it sounds. He and his father are the only father-son combination in the hall. We had a great time talking to him and he told Kelly all sorts of stories. It was a blast.

Car Trouble! (Don't worry, Dad)

This story has a very happy ending. In the middle there are great, friendly people and a hero....Tom.
We went to start our day's journey Wednesday, Independence Day, and the car wouldn't start. A dead, dead, dead battery. Tom and I looked at each other for a split-second of panic. Then we realized: We can handle this. Besides, the car hadn't been run for awhile, so a battery problem isn't that unusual.
A local mechanic and AAA driver came to give us a jump. In the meantime, people from the motel called around and found that about two blocks away was a business that would sell and install a new battery. Problem solved.
We headed out to the Soccer Hall of Fame (more on the next post) and had a great time. When we hopped into the car, it wouldn't start. Now we really have problems. It's raining. We have a new battery and no electrical. Again, amazing people come to help. We have the President of the Soccer Hall of Fame (and a member of the hall, too) calling his personal mechanic on the afternoon of the 4th of July. We have the woman who runs the front desk/retail shop searching for a place for us to stay.
When we started to think about staying, Tom tries one more thing... tightening down the new battery. The car starts like a champ! Our hero.
New York City gets all the press, but this part of the country is beautiful and full of nice people. I'd move here in a second, except that I've since learned how much snow they had last winter. Now that's a deal breaker.

Cooperstown

Today was the Baseball Hall of Fame. For Kelly, it was Heaven. For Emma, it was something else. Poor girl.

But it was great. The girls learned a little baseball history and really enjoyed the exhibit on the ballparks. They all knew the Philly Phanatic. I don't know why or how.

The best part of the visit, however, was a stop at Doubleday Park, this wonderful small "stadium." There was a game going and it was magic. Kelly had lots of comments about how one batter just needs to quit looking and start swinging; or how the one team needed to do something to build on. She turns to Mom and asks "Am I making sense?" I'm afraid so.

When we got back to the motel, we decided to check out the Herkimer Independence Day celebration, held on July 3, of course. We ate hot dogs to support the United Way, spent $1 trying to dunk the Rotary punk, listened to the community band and had a good time.

A great day.

Traveling with kids

I love traveling with the kids.

Yes, they have a short attention span. They get whiny. But they know how to have fun.

All three girls were wowed by the flights. They looked out the window and pointed out tall buildings, big roads and every swimming pool they saw. The trays on the back of the seat... well, Kelly's comment says it all: "These tray tables are fascinating!"

Kids also make you spot neat places to stop and look around. We took a break in a town we called Onadoga. (I am stumped by some of the names here. It reminds me of moving to California and calling it "Play-sir" street) Anyway, it was a beautiful day and everyone was out on bikes, skates and just on foot. We struck up a conversation with some people who couldn't wait to tell us what to see and do. We didn't have time to visit the Salt Museum. Sorry.

Our new ride!

Here she is... our new ride!

Our prairie schooner is everything we hoped for. There is that wet bar, the moon roof, the two big ol' wiiiiide seats. Did I mention the privacy screen between the driver and the kids? Let's not forget that, please.

After the details were resolved, we headed out on the New York State Thruway and have landed in a quaint town called Herkimer. You would stop there just for the name, admit it. We've been told there is a diamond mine here, so maybe we will put the kids to work ... they can earn their college fund the unique way.

Tomorrow we are off to the Baseball Hall of Fame only a half-hour down the road.

Already we had one comment about our "cool ride." We also stopped and played in a great park near Syracuse. We rented a bike for four and rode around the lake.

Vacation so far: Great.

Tooth fairy... Buffalo detour

In my experience, there are two kinds of children. There are those who, when they discover a loose tooth, wiggle and work it over until it's out... usually by the end of the day. That would be Kelly.
Then there are kids like Emma, who fret over that scrap of childhood. So for the past month, Emma has been babying her loose molar, the last of her baby teeth. On the flight from San Diego to Chicago, however, it finally happened. She lost that tooth.. to the cheers of the flight crew. They offered to announce it over the intercom to the entire plane, but she was too shy. Instead, she just collected that last $1 from the fairy

A tribute to those left behind

As big as the limo promises to be, there are those who just can't participate. Namely, the beast known as Sammy. She is going to miss the dog park and sleeping on the bed for a few weeks. It's for a good cause, dog.

Our goldfish, Jesus, is staying with Pringle Grandma. Thanks, Grandma!

How this all started. (Inquiring minds want to know)

How did this journey start? It started with a dream ... Tom's dream, to be exact. See, he wanted a big ol' tuna boat of a car for family road trips. Some place for the kids to have room to stretch their legs and space to bicker.
So it was off to Ebay, where Tom found a 12-year-old Cadillac limo. A few days later, we were the proud owners of a limo located near Buffalo, N.Y.
We haven't seen it yet. That's part of the fun. We are flying across country to meet our new car. Then it is road trip time!
The plan: Since the car is located near Niagra Falls, we must stop there, of course. There was a consensus that we also had to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. (Emma and Gillian were the dissenting votes... sorry, girls.) After that, we head west. Come along.