Sunshine State

We are on a well earned but short family holiday in Florida- where my parents used to live before moving to Gettysburg.  After a 1000 mile car trip, we were so happy to see the beautiful white sand!! 

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It always takes some time to get "set up" in vacation routine, doesn't it? Like what time you'll all get up, what we need to bring, where we will go, how we'll organize the day.  I think we made some good progress along those lines today, though. 

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We're having an excellent time so far considering that many in our little group are battling injuries, aches and stomach issues.   Here's hoping that everyone feels great tomorrow, and that we have another glorious day in the sun!  Here are a few photos from our trip so far...

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That's all for this installment!  I hope to be back with more photos in the next day or so, and a clean bill of health for everyone.  Here's hoping your last days of summer are great ones :)

Thursday's Treasure

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It's adventure time!  A getaway is much needed, and we are preparing to do just that.  This is a photo from Flag Ponds, where my family and I will be spending Easter weekend.  You can read a little more about the park HERE if you are so inclined :)  I hope to have some photos and finds to share next week.  Hope you are enjoying these first days of spring!

Thursday's Treasure (aka Treacherous Thursday)

So, there's a lovely little place in the mountains near Moab called Miner's Basin.  At almost 10,000 feet, the clean air and scent of pine trees fills your whole self with joy.  A place like this isn't easy to come by, and it's been about 7 years since we've all been up this way.

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Now that Sophie is old enough to enjoy a day in the mountains, we decided that it was high time we managed to get up here.  I say "we" loosely- Nana wanted nothing to do with this particular adventure.

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I don't have any pictures from the actual ascent, because it wasn't pretty my friends.  Like the responsible adults that we are, we checked with the visitor's center before heading up to make sure that the talus slopes had been recently cleared and that there were no surprise issues on the road to Miner's Basin.

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See, it's a rock and gravel one lane road with sharp switchbacks and about a 20% grade.  3 miles long, 4x4 only, sharp rocks and holes to navigate.  And did I mention the several hundred foot sheer dropoffs on the mountainside?  And no guardrails?

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We had two rental cars.  Mike and I were first in the Nissan Rogue.  Nana, Pa and Sophie followed in their Toyota Rav 4.  About halfway up the mountain, I noticed that Mike was driving extremely slowly.  Dangerously slow- you have to keep moving over this terrain or you'll get stuck!  He told me he was doing the best he could and to please be quiet.  It may not have been such a civil conversation.

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Imagine please that everything in the car is bouncing all over the place, and that the side of the road drops off on my side.  One glance out the window, and all I see is down.  Once again, the car is barely moving.  When I pleasantly (ha!) mention that he needs to GO, Mike informs me that the car engine has absolutely no power.  It will not go.

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It won't go?  I radio Nana and Pa to let them know that we are stopped in the middle of the road.  Is there any special reason why, they ask?  Oh no, I answer, not wanting to alarm anyone.  We're just getting ourselves together for a minute.

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It becomes clear that we are not only NOT going forward, but that every attempt has our wheels slipping toward the ledge.  I get out of the car and we come clean to Nana Pa.  We can't go up. 

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The course was clear.  My father and Mike backed the cars down to a flat spot near one of the switchbacks.  Nana, Sophie and I waited in the road, with 3 differing ideas about what we should do.  Nana wanted to leave.  I wanted to walk up.  Sophie wanted to catch grasshoppers.

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Losing power, say from a storm, at your home is unpleasant enough.  Losing the power to GO in your vehicle, in such a scary situation, is kind of terrifying.  We decided to assume that our car overheated- though that wasn't indicated on any of the panels etc.

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We all piled into the Rav 4 with our picnic supplies and headed up the last leg of the trip.  We made it!  Nana made sure to let us all know, however, that this was STUPID, STUPID, STUPID and that we NEVER should have attempted this trip.  Never, never, never.

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We got to the top, got as unbunched as possible, had a picnic, took a hike, and enjoyed each other's company.   Later, we slowly edged down the road to our car and were all relieved when it started up easily.  It had cooled down sufficiently, and we were able to navigate our way down the slope without further ado.

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Nana says she will not go up to Miner's Basin again.  It will take all of us some time to get over the stress, but one thing is true.  It's the times like these that create the stories that get told and retold in families.  If everything had gone without a hitch, we'd have great pictures and great memories but no STORY.  Now, fortunately for all of us, we have all three!

Dutch Wonderland

 Based on a recommendation from one of the parents from Sophie's class, we scheduled a trip to Dutch Wonderland near Lancanster, PA during this vacation.  We went this past Friday, and what a day!!!

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 There was a heat advisory, so we made sure to get up and on the road early to be there when the park opened.  We made perfect time, and were at the gate when they started letting folks in at 9:45 am.  Using our handy map of the park, we spent the next several hours riding every ride that struck Sophie's fancy.  Lines were not long, the park was very clean and exceptionally family friendly.

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In addition to the log ride, two roller coasters, bumper cars, flying swings, and various other attractions, there was a high dive show that captured all of our attention.  We actually ended up seeing that twice- once at noon and then again at 6:30 pm.

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We had lunch in a gloriously air conditioned eatery, and spent the hottest part of the day in the water park area.  There was a fun raft water flume ride that we all enjoyed, but the main attraction was a huge water play zone.  Water was EVERYWHERE!  Coming from the ground, tipping out of buckets, spraying from giant squirt guns.  You couldn't not get wet if you tried, and it was absolutely delightful.

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Our trip was extended by a day due to the power outages in VA- no sense going home to no electricity, right?  It's sad to leave, but there are plenty of things to do back at home!

The Butterfly Place

Our big outing today was to The Butterfly Place in Westford, Massachusetts.  What a wonderful time!

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blue morpho from costa rica

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It was such a peaceful garden.  You could sit on benches and the butterflies - all sizes and colors - would land on you if you sat still enough. 

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blue morpho drinking rotten banana juice

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Besides the thousands of butterflies, there were also adorable button quail birds and a few zebra finches flying about.  There were moth, cocoon, and chrysalis exhibits, and a very nice, knowledgeable woman who answered all of our questions about the butterflies.

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Much fun and bonding were had by all!  Here's Sophie with her Aunt Gretchen and Cousin Elena.  We haven't seen them since last Easter, so it has been really fun to spend time together again.  Tomorrow we are off to Plum Island- a small barrier island that is mostly wildlife refuge.  It will be chilly, but we'll bundle up and walk the beach for treasures!

Thursday's Treasure

Sophie and her cousin E from Ohio met for the first time in Massachusetts around Easter, 2006.  Sophie (on left) was about 4 months old, and E was 3 months her senior.   Since that time, E has come to VA to visit a couple of times, and we have seen her in Ohio once as well.  We all enjoyed a big family vacation on Cape Cod together, and celebrated a couple more Easters in MA, too.

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Though they live far apart, the girls have had some really fun times together.  We've had the chance to see them grow up and rediscover each other once a year or so.  It's such a treat to see how they've evolved- from spitting up in each others hair to fighting over sand toys at the beach.  From strolling in parks in their carriages to playing t-ball in the back yard.  While they have many other cousins, these two are so close in age that they have a special little sisterly bond.

Here they are this year at Easter, 2011.  Cousin E is on the left, and there's Sophie- still smiling her big smile.  It is an absolute treasure for these girls to have each other- more so because they are both only children.  I'm looking forward to their many more adventures together, and to seeing how life unfolds for them as individuals. 

So Far, Sooooooooo Good

I am currently on vacation in BEAUTIFUL southeastern Utah. Moab to be exact. I came out here for the first time in 1992 to care for a friend who'd just had surgery, and I've been back just about every year since. My parents joined the party, mmm, 13 years ago? My hubby has been vacationing with us for 9 years, and my Sophie has been here 3 times in her almost 5 years of life!
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Now that we have a little one, the 4 hour flight and then 4 hour drive from Salt Lake is a bit much. So, we stay in Provo for the first night. This works out fabulously because once we check in, we are minutes from beautiful Bridal Veil Falls in the Uinta mountains.

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The Falls are minutes away from Sundance resort (you know, the Robert Redford, film festival Sundance). Daddy and Sophie posed for a photo on the chair lift. Though we could see snow on the highest peaks, the ski season has not yet started.

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The first day we arrived in Moab, we unpacked and headed straight to Potash Road by the Colorado River to do some rockhounding. This is where we find some of the most beautiful river rocks imaginable, and the whole gang enjoys poking around and exploring.
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After a stop at the dollar store for some tools, and at the grocery store for some picnic supplies, we headed out to Klondike Bluffs for more hiking, rock picking and digging. We found some beautiful agates and gizzard stones this time.

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Now this girl knows how to tailgate!

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Though a winter weather advisory was posted for Monday afternoon, we decided to head up into the LaSal mountains to one of our favorite places- dinosaur point. On the way we stopped at the Red Cliffs Lodge and Castle Creek Winery for a spectacular "lunch with a view" and a little wine tasting. The display teepees were a big draw for Sophie!

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Have you noticed Buttons the bear in many of these photos? That's the class mascot! We are taking pictures to share with the junior K class when we get back to Virginia. So, that's all for now! Stay tuned for another trip installment in a day or so. I'm hoping to be able to show you snow on red rock.... that will be AMAZING!!!

sum*mer*tiiiiiiiiiime....

... and the living is eeeeeaaaaasy.....

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Please forgive my singing, and my lack of blogging. I am recovering from my vacation, and will be back to posting more faithfully next week. I hope you are well, and that you will continue to check in ~ thanks for visiting!

Thursday's Treasure

We just got back last night from a short trip up north to surprise our "Michigan family" with a visit. First we met up with my mom and dad in Pennsylvania. Then, we convoyed up near Detroit to see my aunt, uncle, grandmother, and cousins. My husband and I have not seen most of these relatives since our wedding almost 8 years ago. I hadn't been to Michigan in 14 years. Sophie had never met these relatives at all...and her only great grandmother will be 98 in May!
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Here is our group (minus my hubby the photographer) at the Detroit Zoo. We are in a tunnel underneath the Arctic Ring of Life exhibit- the seals would glide right over our heads!

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Next stop was Ohio- just outside of Cleveland. Here we met up with my sister-in-law and her hubby and daughter. Sophie's cousin is just 4 months older than she is. They had SO much fun together, and did not want the visit to end.

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We met up with my mom and dad again the next day, convoyed back to Pennsylvania, and then kept on chugging back to Virginia. It was a whirlwind 5 days, and I have the laundry to prove it. I wouldn't trade a minute of this trip, though. The visit and the memories will be lasting treasures for so many people.

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I hope you are enjoying your spring break too! Any special trips or plans in your neck of the woods?