Today was our one day at Niagara Falls and it did not disappoint. We started by crossing into Canada, mainly to get it over with. The process was super quick and smooth. The border patrol agent asked just a few questions, and it only took about 5 minutes. He asked if we were bringing in alcohol, tobacco, or weapons. He asked to see the children (a passing glance), and asked where we were coming from (which was a bit of…
Deon served his mission in Rochester, so first we spent some time looking over the sights and hearing the stories. I wish I had gotten pictures, but it was a driving tour and I didn’t think to. Deon needed to work so we took ourselves to the Strong National Museum of Play. It was my favorite children’s museum we have been to. They had an entire area dedicated to books. Like story areas, to play out books, etc. Fairy tales,…
We spent today taking the kids to visit Palmyra, NY. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and this location holds special meaning for us. First we visited the replica log home of Joseph Smith Jr as a boy, where he lived when he had his first sacred visits. Then we walked through the farmhouse, where he did some translation work on the Book of Mormon and hid it. Then we took a walk…
If you have never visited the finger lakes region of New York, put it on your list, you won’t regret it. We scored a campsite at Sampson State Park on Seneca Lake. Deon worked while the kids and I decompressed. Really, we just stayed out all day. The campground was amazing (and not just because it was empty, which we love). The sites were huge (the pics of the boys are in our “backyard”), there were two giant playgrounds, a…
The Adirondacks weren’t originally on the itinerary, but we kept skirting around them, and I felt like I would be disappointed if we didn’t take a look-see. So, today a gorgeous drive through the Adirondacks. We took a walk to a waterfall, and there aren’t enough adjectives to describe the greens that we saw. A veritable riot of greens. So, here is a funny story. I always say things are spectacular. Kind of my word. So, I see a sign…
We were tempted to extend our stay, but another wet, rainy day gave us a push out the door. We were all hooked up and ready to go last night so we could just pull out this morning. Today a long haul through 4 states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York). We are 3943 miles from our wedding destination in CA. 60 hours of driving to cover in 14 days. My inkling of being early was definitely confirmed today as…
For the past few weeks it has been apparent to me that we are just a *little* early. The trees are still pretty gray, it has been rainy, and I wouldn’t call it warm. We had been hoping for a good beach day, but we will take what we can get. We ended up at Ogunquit Beach, which turned out to be cold and windy, with some frigid water. But we were undeterred! It is our last day here.
In just 2 days we will head towards home. And with some alacrity, as we have a wedding to attend! But for today, we spend our day here, in the present. In this amazing location, with these amazing friends. I could not ask for more. I have never seen Aunica come alive as she does when she is hanging out with these kids. And I hardly see Sidda as she has a friend attached to her hip. And precious little…
It was predicted to be a rainy day so we headed up to Portland, ME for the day. I took the kids to the children’s museum while Deon and Aunica went to see Fate of the Furious. Not sure that was her first choice, but she is a good sport! We stopped at Congdons donuts on the way, which were yummy! The museum was fun, with 3 floors to play on. Then the 5 kids and I wandered around downtown Portland…
I feel like every time we check into a Thousand Trails campground we slow waaay down. It feels like camping here, and is so relaxing. The main reason we chose to come here and stay for a week was to allow the kids some time with their friends, so that is about all they did today. Of course, I can’t ever remember to get picture of these moments. We had a campfire though, with smores, so that was fun. Some…