September 2021

September started off an amazing adventure. Since the pandemic started in early 2020 Jennifer had not been able to take any vacation time. When she finally got approved we knew that we had to go somewhere for all of our mental well being. So, we took the kids out of school (for the first time ever) and got approved for an educational trip. The kids kept a journal of all our adventures and Jennifer even checked out books to correlate to activities that we did every day. 

The first stop on our Northeast vacation was Niagara Falls. The kids had been here before but neither one of them remembered it. We decided to stay on the American side and actually do something I had never done before. Last time we went on the Maiden of the Mist, the boat that goes up to the falls. This time we walked the decks below the falls which is called The Cave of the Winds. We had no idea what we were getting into, but it should have been a clue when they gave us waterproof footwear and ponchos when you bought your ticket.

It was awesome! You really got to feel how powerful the falls really were because it was just a small part that was hitting the decks and you could barely even walk over to it. Brinley did not enjoy it because even with the rain gear she was getting soaked. Landon on the other hand loved it. He wanted to walk through it all again, so I took him back for a second round. 

Before leaving Buffalo we had to stop and get some wings. We didn't go to the original location, but we grabbed some wings from Anchor Bar, which is considered to have created the Buffalo wing. Brinley wanted to try them and she enjoyed it. Landon didn't want to partake in the messy wings. 

Last year we were supposed to be making this trip to the northeast to visit and celebrate with my Aunt Mildred. She turned 90 last year and it was just one of the other things that the pandemic canceled. We were excited to see them because it had been a few years since we had been able to see them. Randy, Sheila, and Nicky also came over to see us too. It was a nice little reunion. Landon really loved riding on the chair lift.

We sat and talked for hours and the kids took turns riding up and down the stairs. I just wish that we lived closer so the visits could happen more frequently.  

The next day we woke up in Vermont and headed down to a local hole in the wall cafe, Papa Pete's. They served pancakes the size of a pizza pan! It was huge and all four of us shared just one and we still didn't finish it. Our server offered up lots of great tips for things to do. We told her that we were looking into trying to find a local syrup farm. She gave us a bottle of Vermont's finest local syrup to take with us. We also discovered that we do not like corned beef hash. We also found a few local covered wooden bridges to explore. Then we headed out to our next adventure.

Some more pictures of us at the covered bridge and at a scenic overlook on our drive in Vermont. 

We found a local farm off the beaten path that we went to see. It was called Ross Family Farm. Mrs. Ross gave us a tour and explained the process of how they make the syrup. It really seemed like a lot of work, but man does that syrup taste delicious. 

We couldn't find anything that stood out to us as something to do in New Hampshire. Jennifer discovered a mountain that said it was mildly difficult to climb, Mt. Major. Our goal on this trip was to try and do as many things out in nature as possible because we were still living in the middle of a pandemic. It was a great hike and it had a lot of scrambling up the side of the mountain. The kids really enjoyed it. Which set us up well for the next few days of hikes. 

View from the top of Mt. Major and a rock that the kids enjoyed playing on top of.

The next day we were in Maine at Acadia National Park. We found out the night before going into the park that apparently all 4th graders get in free to all National Parks as part of a program trying to get children out to the parks. So, Brinley covered our 30 dollar admission into the park. We first drove around the park a little bit and even got out to take a short stroll around Jordan Pond. 

Then we headed over to one of my greatest hikes that I have ever been on. It is called the Beehive and it is literally the side of a mountain and you go through a series of switchbacks complete with rebar stairs and bridges. Jennifer was completely terrified and at times stayed on her knees and crawled to the next obstacle. The kids loved it. We had to tell Landon to slow down and wait for the rest of us. It was so much fun and it made it so much better because everyone (with the exception of Jennifer) loved it!

More pictures of our journey to the top of the Beehive. 

We explored more around Acadia National Park. The kids loved the hike along the coast of the Gulf of Maine and getting to see and hear the Thundering Hole. Brinley loved finding sea creatures in the little water holes in the rocks. We found thousands of snails and mussels. 

The next morning we got up early and headed out on a lobster boat tour. We pulled up four pods and caught about 10 lobsters, but were only able to find two keepers. We learned so much on this trip. Both kids measured to see if they were keepers and threw back the ones that weren't along with a ton of crabs that they caught. The bottom right picture shows a female lobster with all of her eggs under her tail. These females get marked with a notch in their tail so that they are never kept. This allows the lobster population to remain alive and well. 

Landon was hesitant to hold a lobster but we finally talked him into it. Brinley loved every second of it. She was volunteering to load the bait bag which consisted of shoving a metal rod through three fish (through their eyes). After Landon saw Brinley do it he said he wanted to do it too. I would highly recommend everyone that visits the northeast to go out on a lobster boat tour. 

Just a couple of pictures once we got back on land. Brinley found this huge lobster claw that she wanted a picture with. We all took turns being lobsters and the kids got a picture with all the buoy. Every boat has their own buoy color combination that they attach to their pods. All the other fishermen watch out for one another so that they don't get their stuff stolen.  

Boston was the next stop on the tour. We were planning on walking some of the Freedom Trail. We parked and walked up to the information center and the last tour of the the day was about to start. As we were waiting for it to start we saw a Coke representative handing out free sodas. The kids were so excited to try Coke, but I have a feeling that they have been sneaking sips of Jennifer's drinks for years.

Another thing that I would highly recommend would be the Freedom Trail tour with Jeramiah Poope, yes that is poop with an e. It was very informative and very entertaining. A lot of what they were talking about the kids had not yet learned about in school but they stayed at the front of the group and were very good listeners. After the tour we walked to a few more spots on the trail, like Old North Chruch.

We hadn't planned on going to Salem, MA but had some extra time so we stopped over to drive around town. I didn't think the history ghost tours would be something that the kids would enjoy so we just went around and visited a few places. The kids went into the stocks, Brinley posed with the Elizabeth Montgomery Bewitched statue, and we even saw the house from Hocus Pocus. The kids needed some time to run around so we stopped at a park and let them play for a little while.

Jennifer had heard about a donut shop that made donuts with potatoes, so of course we had to go check it out. They were ok, but nothing that made me want to go back for more. 

Another must do in the northeast is a whale watching tour. This was the second time that I had done one of these and it is crazy how large these animals really are. They come here every summer to bulk up and eat a lot before making their trip south for the winter. Both the kids had never seen whales before so they loved it. The two whales that we saw were named Ebony and Tripod. Whales all have a unique pattern on the underside of their fin that allows people to recognize who they are. It is like their fingerprint. 

The whales would come up a couple of times in a row. Then dive down for a few minutes. It was always fun trying to spot them when they came back up to the surface. 

A couple more pictures of us on our boat trip. The top left picture was my favorite whales that we saw. 

If there is anything in New England in abundance it is lobster and Dunkin Donuts! We didn't have plans to stop at a Dunkin, but they were everywhere so we finally caved in and stopped. Jennifer and I ate lobster a couple of our meals here too. I tried the cold lobster roll, but I would prefer a regular lobster or a warm lobster roll (not pictured). Brinley didn't really like lobster and Landon wouldn't try it. More for us!

I had seen some show on the food network about this burger spot in Connecticut. After a little research we found that it was Ted's and that they were famous for steamed burgers. The inside was closed, but you could order from a to go window. While I ordered Jennifer and the kids went to a bathroom at a gas station nearby. While I was waiting for the food they were on an adventure. They ended up going to 3 gas stations before they discovered one that would let you use the bathroom. Then Brinley slipped and fell and scraped up his leg. The burgers were delicious! The burgers are steamed along with a block of cheese. Then they scraped the melted cheese on top of your burger. Look at the cheese pull on Jennifer's burger. 

We also discovered that PEZ are made in Connecticut. We weren't sure if they would be open because it was Labor Day. The factory was closed, but the museum was open. So we didn't get to see the process of how the actual candies are made. The museum was awesome. They had PEZ dispensers from the early 1900's and almost every character imaginable. 

We even turned the kids into PEZ dispensers. Of course I spot my Kentucky Wildcats wherever I go. If you are ever in the area I would recommend this little spot. We all had a lot of fun doing a scavenger hunt finding which years certain dispensers made their debut. You even got a prize for completing the hunt.

We had trouble finding anything to do in Rhode Island. A quick google search suggested a cliff walk for the views and to see all the mansions. We were unable to see any of the mansions due to the walls they had built around their properties. So, we were not really impressed. After our walk we drove around town to see a few of the homes. (I found out later that people can actually go inside the homes to look around. Not my idea of fun, but for some it might be.)

Next up was New York City. You can't go to the city without getting some New York style thin crust pizza. Everyone enjoyed their slice of pie.  

Jennifer and I had been to the 9/11 Memorial, but had never made it into the museum. They give free tickets out on Mondays so it worked out perfect for us. The museum brought back a lot of memories from that day and shed light on many different stories that I had never heard about. We had to explain to the kids what terrorists were and what happened on that horrific day. There was so much to see and do we just didn't have enough time for it all. I would love to have read about every single person and their story. The kids just couldn't take more than a couple hours before they started to get stir crazy. 

We  grabbed an ice cream from a street car vendor and it was the most expensive ice cream of my life. The three soft serve cones in the bottom right picture cost $22. I couldn't believe it. I should have known something was up when they didn't have their prices listed. Brinley enjoyed looking out the window at all the sights and sounds of the city. The top two pictures were actually taken in New Jersey where we were going to meet up with a surprise group of people.

We drove through Times Square and even stopped off at our favorite cheesecake spot, Juniors. That was our treat every time we came to New York. We ate our cheesecake in New Jersey at Liberty Park.

The kids were excited to see their cousin Olivia and she was pumped too! They were on their way to see Chris' parents on Long Island. The kids ran around and played for a bit before we went our separate ways. 

Our first stop in Philly was at the cheesesteak spot Pat's. The next morning we woke up and headed straight for the famous steps where Rocky Balboa trained. There was a concert that had happened the night before and the stairs were blocked off so we weren't able to fully recreate the scene from the movie. We did get down to the Rocky statue to get a picture. If you ever want more food choices than you can imagine, then you should head down to the Reading Terminal Market. It was packed full of all types of foods and different restaurants. 

Jennifer and I had a debate about the Liberty Bell. She tried to tell me that the bell was located outside because she saw it in pictures. I informed her that she was wrong and I even went so far as to bet my entire life savings on it. She even knew that I had been there before but she believed a picture over me. Well, if you can't tell from the picture, it is indoors. 

We took in the sights but opted out of any tours here. Maybe we will have to come back here to fully experience the city. The kids were really excited to see Independence Hall because we had recently watched National Treasure and they go there in the movie. The sandwich I have in the top right picture is a roast pork sandwich that we got in Reading Terminal and I actually think it was better than the cheesesteak!

I had no idea that this LOVE statue was so small. I had to get a picture with the love of my life in front of it though.

Delaware was another one of those states where we couldn't find anything that seemed interesting to us. We found a nature preserve and went out for a little hike. 

Another National Park was next on our trip. Assateague Island is in Maryland is mostly known because it has wild horses roaming along the ocean and beach. We saw lots of horses, but the kids were mostly excited to play in the ocean. We started with just putting our toes in the water, but very quickly that turned into full blown jumping into the waves. 

The next day we set out on a kayak adventure. It started out great when we were paddling with the current. When we started heading upstream against the current the kids decided that they were done with kayaking. Too bad there was only one way to finish the adventure and that was to get back to our car.

Some more pictures from our adventure. It was a lot of fun until the kids decided that they were done. They pushed through and we made it back to our car.

We went back to the beach again after our kayaking adventure. The kids loved playing in the water even though it was on the chilly side. 

Nothing like an ice cream treat after a day at the beach. 

Our last city that we stopped in on our adventure was Washington DC. The kids had both been here before, but they were too young to remember it. We wanted to see as many of the monuments as possible and we discovered just the way to make it happen.

We discovered Lime scooters. We just had to break a few rules. You were only supposed to ride one to a scooter, but the kids weren't old enough or tall enough to see over the handle bars. The bottom pictures are from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We did a quick trip through and made sure to catch all the highlights. They touched crystals, a rock from Mars, and got to see the Hope Diamond.

I let the kid that was riding with me take pictures along the ride around town on the scooter. They enjoyed taking selfies better than of the scenery.

More monuments and a few more pictures from the Natural History Museum. 

Brinley getting in on the selfies too.

We also went to the National Archives building so that we could see the Declaration of Independence. Landon especially loved the movie National Treasure. He said that he wanted to get a copy of the Declaration from the gift shop. As we left the Archives building, Landon was running around saying he stole the Declaration! He was so excited! On the drive home to Kentucky he was examining his document for John Hancock's signature. That is when we discovered that he picked up the wrong document. He actually got a copy of the Constitution. Jennifer quickly ordered a Declaration of Independence to be sent to the house. We didn't have the heart to tell him on the drive, but instead we did when the Declaration showed up a couple days later.

We hit the ground running when we got home as fall sports were in full effect. Brinley was practicing with her travel ball team and playing on a rec ball softball team. Landon was playing fall baseball. Both kids were playing soccer with Iam3rd. Almost every night was a practice or game. 

Landon's fall ball team was the only one that I was officially helping coach. I have had to readjust the way I talk to him as a coach because I get too fired up during a game. I think this will only help the both of us as his sports career continues.

I also signed both the kids up for cross country with their school. Most of the meets conflicted with Brinley's schedule, so Landon got to run with the team. The first two meets that he ran all involved rain. At least it didn't get hot during the down pour. His first race he finished 17th overall and first one to finish from his school. Not too bad for his first race. We quickly found out that the when we went to more competitive races that Landon has some more work to do. I know that he has it in him because he is so competitive, but I have trouble training him now because he is faster than me. I have to get in better shape so that I can keep up with the little guy.

My dad had given me this to plant and it only blooms at night. We finally got to see it bloom and it was beautiful. 

I was back to driving around recruits on game days for the UK Football team. The first couple of games proved to be a lot of fun. I even got to see one of my little patients who was chosen as one of the Kentucky Children's Hospital kids of the game. I was able to find her in the stadium so that I could go say hello. 

Landon was really excited to go to his best friend Mason's birthday party. They had a lot of fun jumping at Get Air. 

We got together with my mom to surprise my dad for his 70th birthday. It was the first time that we were all back home in McLean County in a long time. One morning I even got up and went for a jog around the whole town. 

Family picture time

We rented a house out for a weekend so that we could celebrate together. It is a nice place to stay and the kids loved the game room in the basement. The kids loved playing air hockey. We also played outside with some frisbees and of course someone threw one on the roof. Instead of leaving the frisbee I put Landon up there to get it down. 

The kids had a lot of playing together. They played ice cream and played music on the organ. Grandpa showed them how you get the mail from a mailbox. We even took a trip down to the public library. 

Another family picture. Only person missing is Jennifer because she had to work this weekend.

September was definitely a very memorable month. Our northeast vacation was jam packed full of fun and adventure. We ended up going to 15 states in nine days and traveling over 3,000 miles. I can't wait to take many more trips with them over the years. They are only young for a little while. We have to show them as much of the world as we can. I am so thankful that my parents took me on trips growing up. I have seen and been able to experience so many different places. I just want to do that with my kids too. Thanks for reading and God bless.