We Arrive in Upstate New York, Then We Head to Long Island

Hi All,

It has been a week since I updated the blog. We left Indiana on Monday June 29th, and headed straight to Ithaca, New York. We cancelled our stay in Revanna, Ohio choosing to get closer to Chrystal a bit earlier in case she decided to go into labor early. All the signs were there for an early birth.
It took us about 12 hours to drive through Indiana, Ohio, northern Pennsylvania and into western New York State.
Ithaca lies on the southern tip of Cayuga Lake second of The Finger Lakes in western N.Y.. It is a beautiful area with rolling green hills dotted with diary farms, vinyards, and small villages, some that have been around long before this country became a nation. The historical landmarks are abundant and very interesting.
This is the area I spent my summers as a child. This is where my Mother's family comes from. I was last here 22 years ago when I was pregnant with Wade. I brought Chrystal with me when she was all of 4 years old. It was her first visit to New York.
My mother's cousins still live in the Finger Lakes area, and my Grandmother Mott's last surviving sibling, Hilda Myers, still lives in the small villiage of Moravia, where they were born just after the turn of the 20th Century. Moravia is nestled on the southern end of Owasco Lake the third lake of the 5 Finger Lakes. Our 13th president, Millard Filmore was born in Moravia. He wasn't one of our most popular presidents, but a president he was.
It was very important for me to visit my Great Aunt Hilda who is 97 years old and played a huge role in my childhood summers. She lived in the same house were she was born in 1912 (as was her 3 other siblings, my grandmother, Bernice Donald Mott being the oldest sister). The house was purchased by my Great Great Grandfather, Jonathan Donald, after he fought in the Civil War. He was a patriot, who was wounded at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, somehow survived and made his way back up to New York. With his $7.00 a month compansation from the military, he bought a farm not far from Moravia, later sold the farm and with the money, bought the house in Moravia in 1892. This house stayed in the family well over 100 years, until my Aunt Hilda sold it a few years ago. It is still as beautiful as it was all those years ago when I would beg to stay over night with my Auntie and sleep in her feather beds.
The weather was very rainy while we were visiting, but Allen still had a chance to golf, and I spent most of 2 days with Aunt Hilda. We talked a lot about her life which I tried to record. Although Aunt Hilda has moved into an apartment for seniors, she is still the strong, spunky Auntie I remember. She is very much clear minded and still does very well taking care of herself. She had no problem climbing into Allen's big truck( little boost up but that was it!) and demanded that she pay for our lunch ( both days). She was way to quick for Allen to grab that check!
She took me to the cemetery where my grandparents rest, along with many of my other relatives and ansestors from so many years ago. It was a very special moment for me. Having to leave Aunt Hilda and Moravia was emotional, but life goes on.............This was poignant moment #2.
I did get to drive up to Seneca Falls, New York which is the town where the Women's Rights National Historical Park is located. At this place in 1848 the first Women's Rights Convention was held. It was here that several very strong and persistant women wrote the Declaration of Sentiments which read in part, " We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men AND WOMEN are created equal". Thus began the real fight for women's rights, beginning with the right to vote. I loved walking through the museum and walking down the main street of Seneca Falls. After taking my Women's History class this past spring, all these places that we learned about came to life for me. What a great way to end the first part of our trip.
So, on we went to Long Island Thursday, July 2nd. We actually took a bit of a different route than the one I was use to taking as a child. We drove to Scranton, Penn. and then through New Jersey into New York City. We crossed the George Washington Bridge which takes us from main land New York onto Manhattan, then we took the Throgs Neck Bridge from Manhattan to Long Island. Holy Cow! The bumper to bumper traffic was just as you would see or read about. I was so proud of Allen. He made it through pulling a 5th wheel and having to pee like a race horse, and he only spewed a few F-bombs and other *&^% words until we found a place for him to pull off to relieve himself and catch his breath. Too funny!
We have the 5th wheel set up in my Aunt Flo's back yard with the help of my cousin Larry who lives here as well. They have us hooked up to their utilites, so we are now set until we leave sometime mid August. We spent the 4th of July weekend visiting with Chrystal, Rob and Matthew, along with my family and Rob's family. After about 2 months straight of rain, we brought sunshine to Long Island. It was a beautiful weekend. However, NO BABY YET!!!!
Chrystal went back to work, reluctantly, and Allen is golfing. So, this ends the first part of our trip East.

Both Allen and I want to take this opportunity to thank our friends and family for their generosity and love.
Erin Giles in Heber City, Utah. Erin, I hope you fully recovered from that horrible flu.
Kym Barbanell in Rapid City, South Dakota, Thanks Kymmie!!! It was so good to see you in your home town.
Lisa and Lary Coons in Joliet, IL. You guys are just.....well, we love ya!
Kimberley and Ronnie in New Palestine, Indiana. You are both wonderful. Taylor! Thanks for sharing your Mom and Dad with us for the weekend. We had a blast!
Aunt Hilda Myers in Moravia, New York. You will always hold a special place in my heart.
Larry, Ellen, Michael and Aunt Flo in Brookhaven, New York. We can't thank you enough for your generosity.

So, Till we hear the beautiful scream of the new born babe, Enjoy!
xo

---

Part of trip: Allen & Donna's Great Adventure!

---