Pittsburgh

Great day in Pittsburgh today.  We visited with my old friend Jamie and the kids had lots of cousin time.  The day involved playing, swimming and playing some more.  No car time.  John and Simona were great hosts - we were in the lap of luxury.  Off to Asheville tomorrow - camping with the Grahams.

A lesson in linguistics

June 27, 2009

We left Niagara Falls today, and I was grateful that we were able to get in and out of Canada with no problem.  I was a little worried about the new regulations for border crossings considering we have Ethiopian passports, green cards, one expired US passport and we don't exactly look like we're related.  Fortunately, I had the right documentation and we are now back in the USA.

We made our way to my brother John's house in Pittsburgh.  On the way, we found a great little farmer's marked in Williamsville, NY, just outside Buffalo.  One of our goals on this trip is to find as many farmers markets as we can, and this one was perfect.  We filled our bag with fruit, veggies and some prepared food for lunch.  The kids did a craft while we listened to music, then we continued on our way.  

Lesson in linguistics #1: We stopped in a park for lunch to eat our goodies from the market.  As I went to turn around in a tight area, a tree crashed into the back right corner of the car.  James was asleep at the time and said he woke up when he felt a big bump.  We got out to inspect the damage and as we looked at the big dent, I said, "That's why they call it a bumper." 

So, we've had our first accident.  I hope it was our first, our worst and our LAST accident.

Lesson in linguistics #2:  After the bump, we had our lunch and played tag.  I took off my shoes to run, stepped on a bee and got stung.  I had to pull the stinger out of my toe.  I was reminded, "that's why they call it a sting."  All is well.

We made it to Pittsburgh with no further mishaps.  We've had a great visit with Simona and the girls this afternoon while John is out of town at a soccer tournament with the boys.  My kids are so happy to be with their cousins and can't wait to see Liam and Ronan tomorrow.  

Rochester to Niagara Falls

We made it to Pittsford, NY, just outside Rochester, to reunite with our dear friends, the McCarthys on Thursday, June 25.  Anita and the kids then joined us for our trip to Niagara Falls on Friday...

Niagara Falls:  the falls themselves are magnificent.  Truly spectacular.  We took a ride on the Maid of the Mist and got drenched.  The water cascading over the falls was just mesmerizing.  The boat ride was worthwhile and we were glad to be in the river, seeing the falls from that vantage point.

The town is another matter.  There is such a contrast between the natural beauty of the falls and the tacky tourist trap town.  The people-watching was interesting.  There were tourists from all over the world and we heard many different languages being spoken as we walked down the street.  As we pulled into the downtown area, I saw a big sign made of red lights that read, "GUINNESS."  I thought, "Wow, there must be a nice Irish pub right there.  This looks like a cool town."  Awhile later, we walked up the street, past the sign, and realized it was the sign for the Guinness World Record Museum.  We didn't go in, so I can't tell you anything else about that.  I was fascinated, if not dismayed, by the juxtaposition of the natural wonder of the falls and the commercialization that has built up around them. 

We had so much fun with the McCarthys.  It's clear that the hard part of this trip (no surprise here) is the time in the car.  But, as soon as we join our friends or family, the hardship of the car ride is forgotten, and we're grateful for the time we're spending together.

Here's Hannah's video:

Western Mass.

Stevie's graduation, then celebrating along the banks of the Connecticut River with the graduate, Auntie Carol and our newest addition, little Theresa, who just arrived home from China two months ago.

Seapoint Beach - the official start of this journey

Our bags are packed...

The car is pretty full and cozy.

On our way...

Well, we left Maine on this wet and rainy day.  We went to Seapoint Beach to put our toes in the Atlantic Ocean as the official start to this cross-country journey.  It was like a day in West Kerry, Ireland with the mist in the air and the white capped waves along the shore.  We were pleasantly surprised to meet the hardy Salema family out for some foul-weather beach-combing.  Thanks to Christie, we have a photo of the five of us as at the start of the trip.

Our first stop was the Mary Dryden School in Springfield, MA for my nephew Stevie's graduation from Kindergarten.  Mary Dryden was a friend of our family who passed away several years ago, and her sister, Ann, is the current principal of the school.  It was so nice to be there.  My cousin Betsy D. teaches at the school and her daughter, Courtney, was helping with the festivities.  Haven't seen them in years, so that was an added surprise.  I always find it so interesting to be here in Western Mass. where we regularly run into friends and family.

I was sad saying good-bye to Chris at 5:00 this morning, and it takes alot for me to even feel conscious at that hour.  He has a busy week, and I guess that's a good thing.

We're off to the McCarthys tomorrow, then to Niagara Falls.  This is the rest of our itinerary:

June 25 - Pittsford, NY

June 26 - Niagara Falls

June 27, 28 - Pittsburgh

June 29, 30 - Asheville, NC

July 1 - Atlanta

July 2-4 - Mobile, AL (anyone remember Kelly?)

July 5-6 - Memphis

July 7 - Lawrence, KS

July 8-10 - Boulder, CO

July 11-12 - Dinosaur National Monument (Berhanu's bday - rafting trip)

July 13 - Moab, UT

July 14 - Mesa Verde NP

July 15-16 - Grand Canyon

July 17-19 - San Clemente, CA

July 20-21 - Yosemite NP

July 22 - 23 - San Francisco - MEET CHRIS!

July 24 - Crater Lake or Bend, OR

July 25-27 - Idaho (Sandpoint, thereabouts)

July 28-29 - Glacier NP

July 30 - Bozeman, MT

July 31 - Custer SP, SD

Aug. 1 - DeSmet, SD (Ingalls Homestead)

Aug. 2-4 - Chicago (Chris leaves from here)

We'll then make our way home from Chicago, arriving back in Kittery on Sat., August 8.  Whew!

Now I'm going to see if I can figure out how to upload a couple of photos, because that's really the interesting part.  

Happy Summer!

Mary

Getting ready

Friends have been urging us to start a blog for our road trip this summer.  So, here it is!  This is my first attempt at a blog.  We're leaving in a week, and we're busy packing and getting organized.  Here is our itinerary:

June 24 - Holyoke 

June 25 - Pittsford, NY

June 26 - Niagara Falls

June 27, 28 - Pittsburgh

June 29, 30- Asheville, NC

July 1 - Atlanta

July 2,3,4 - Mobile, AL

July 5, 6 - Memphis, TN

July 7 - Lawrence, KS

July 8,9,10 (or so) - Boulder, CO

Things will be a bit flexible for the next few days.  I'll post on this as often as possible and see how it goes.

Wish me luck...