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Published: November 5th 2012
Fall Colors in Ohio
We went for a drive through Amish country and Dad stopped at a small cemetary to take a picture of a headstone for a project he is working on. The colors were spectacular. This was one of the most vivid falls we have seen since we left New England years ago.Of COURSE we wanted to see family when we came back to Ohio! We were able to see my folks 2-3 times a year when we lived in VA and could get over for a long weekend plus. It was about 6-7 hours of hard driving. We often left the cats in the car of a neighbor and stayed with them. But now that we are more like 12-14 hours, we need, usually, to take the RV and the cats. As a result, we have only been able to work in a yearly trip. Add visits to FL to and work on the house, we have had trouble making it all come together. So getting to OH and spending some quality time with not only parents, but brothers, niece/nephews, and then friends still living in the area from the early 70's, and we were looking forward to this trip.
Last entry we talked about seeing some of the sights and visiting friends from back when. But one of the big joys was getting to spend time with the parents. After we got in on Friday we set up the campsite then drove to the folks. As always, Mom had dinner
Ready for carving or eating
We stopped at a roadside market and while Mom was looking at decorations, Trish and I admired the multitude of pumpkins both of color and size. and, as usual, MORE than enough. She has cut back on the heavy meal types and the food was still as delicious and nourishing, but also lighter in fare--tomatoes and grains and salads. We've found we've cut back on the heavy foods ourselves, so this was perfect.
The folks drove out to Punderson State Park to see the campsite and then we all hopped in the car and drove out in Amish country to enjoy the foliage. Dad has gotten involved in a project where he goes to local cemeteries and photographs tombstones for folks who are looking for information on relatives or friends or for genealogy. The photo of the stone is posted on a special website and then people can download and add to their genealogy charts. It's a really great service and Dad enjoys tromping through the graveyard, finding the site, and then posting when he gets home. On this day we were on a back road to Middlefield when he pulled in to a little cemetery and started looking. The trees around the graveyard were spectacular and it was very quiet and peaceful. We found the stone and then spotted others that had an interesting
Relaxing in the RV
After a drive through the country, we came back to the coach for dinner. I made a fresh pot of coffee for Dad and me, and we just sat and talked for a long time. It was nice having the parents visit us. story. A large family plot was there and over the generations, going back to late 1800's, there seemed to be an inordinate number of young people buried. Each generation seemed to lose 1 or 2 children between the ages of 2-9. Wonder what the issue is there?
We followed the back roads and saw Amish in the fields plowing over summer crops on a horse drawn plow. There were buggys on the road as well. Finally we came out in Middlefield and stopped at the cheese factory. It has really grown over the years and we spend time buying cheese, fresh butter, chocolates, and other goodies. Then we headed back to the campground to relax and have dinner.
In the coach, I made fresh coffee for Dad and me, and we sat, chatted and had a good, relaxing time. We had invited the folks for dinner and it would be simple. I got the grill out earlier and had it ready to light. We had Hoffman hot dogs from Wegmans (we buy them whenever we get to NY or northern VA), baked beans and chips. I grilled the dogs over the charcoal and I guess the folks had
Making S'mores
After hot dogs, baked beans and chips, we got out the sticks and toasted marshmallows for smores. Mom loves both the toasting and eating! (So does Trish.) never had them before; they really wolfed them down. Now they are trying to figure out how to get more. Mom was ready to have another until I told her we had s'mores for dessert. Mom has always had a sweet tooth and she quickly decided she would forgo the hot dog to enjoy the smore. We got out our grilling sticks and Trish toasted the marshmallow (with help from Mom) then we assembled the smore and both the ladies loved them. Dad and I opted for more coffee. They each had 2 and were very happy and content. It was getting dusk, so they decided to head back (it's about 30 minutes) so they could drive while it was still light. This was another great family meal, and Mom didn't have to work on it, which was good.
One night instead of Mom cooking, we all went out to a local eatery they like. It was good food, but as usual in a bar/restaurant, the ambient noise was such that it was hard to hear each other.
On Friday of that week, Kim drove over from WV and stayed at the folks. They were really happy to
Grandma with a Smore
After toasting the marshmallow, Grandma enjoyed the goo and chocolate and graham cracker. Of course you have to have those when camping!! see her and hear about her wedding plans and see pictures. Grandma again made a great meal and we love sitting around the table chatting after dinner. Kim was able to stay until Monday because of the Columbus Day holiday, so we had lots of time. Todd, Sandy and the kids came over for dinner and there was a great cake Mom had ordered for a "Fall Family Celebration." Todd left with the kids and on our way back to the campground, we decided to stop in and see them for a bit. The bit turned into a 2-3 hours visit sharing wine, chatting and having a great time. It's really nice to be able to kick back with family. Then on Sunday, we had made arrangements to fix dinner for everyone. Kim, in particular, wanted to be in charge, and we made katsu-don, a Japanese dish (naturally) that is a bowl of rice with a fried pork cutlet that is simmered in broth with onions and and egg poached on top. It is Josh's favorite and when we had come back to the states in 1991on leave from Japan, we went to a great Japanese restaurant in Cleveland Heights
Kim and Kristin
We were REALLY excited to have Kristin come home from college (Bowling Green State) for the weekend and be able to come to the folks for a bit. She is a sophomore and as beautiful as we knew she would be. We were pleased to be able to spend even a little bit of time with her. and Dad had the katsu-don on Josh's recommendation. Dad also loved it. So we said we would fix for everyone. Well, everyone turned out to be: Grandpa and Grandma, Kristin--who came home from college for the weekend and surprised her grandparents, then Todd, Kory and Kelli showed up. So it was a lot of cooking and we enjoyed fixing as much as the kids and grandparents enjoyed eating.
Kory helped Grandpa get his wi-fi router working, so he now has wireless internet in the house (we didn't get a chance to test it on our computer, which was in the RV) and Kim helped Grandpa with his iPod and downloading some books he wanted to listen to. So all in all, it was fulfilling, productive, and fun!
Brother Steve was going to try to get over on Sunday, but he was involved in a big bike race in Michigan, and by the time that was over, it was late. So he decided to come on Monday morning. Unfortunately, Kim had to leave Monday to get back to WV and work on Tuesday. But we had fun with Steve and that afternoon, drove up to Chesterland to go to
Kory
Folks were really excited when Kory and Kelli came over for a meal with Todd and Sandy. And my, how he has grown! We hadn't seen him in a couple of years. He is becoming a fine looking young man. Guido's Pizza for dinner. This is where high school kids have gone for years. It's not a large place, but is always busy. It's become something of a "must do" whenever we are back. This time we ordered both pizza AND eggplant Parmesan. The eggplant came with a salad, bread and side of spaghetti. We knew we couldn't eat it all and planned to have some over the next few nights on the way home. We all crowded into a big table and Todd had brought wine. It was festive, fun, noisy, and family. But it was also sobering--Mike, who built the place, only shows up now on occasion. It is his GRANDSONS who are running it. OMG!! Are we that old?? But the quality of the food has not changed and we loved it.
When we finally finished eating, had taken pictures, and moved outside, we hugged all around and said good-bye. We were going back to the campground and would leave early the next morning to start driving home. The downside of living in Alabama is that it is so far from the Ohio/Michigan family. Also far from Kim in West Virginia. But we certainly made the
Celebratory cake
Mom made arrangement for a fall cake for the family. Yummy chocolate with butter cream icing. Only problem was, brother Steve came, so I had to get my extra piece in before he arrived and gobbled it all. most of the time we had with them all.
Tuesday we left and headed for Columbus, OH. Niece Cindy was out of town, so we would not be staying there this year. But a former student from when I taught at West Geauga Junior High was living in Columbus. We have stayed in touch and were excited to get a chance to see her. When Sue went to high school, she served as my assistant director while I directed a couple of high school musicals and then when we moved to NH, she came with us to help haul boxes and furniture, put in flooring, clean a long neglected home and we in turn took her around NH and MA for sightseeing and lobster dinner on the coast. Sue also went to the College of Wooster and we have been in Christmas Card touch ever since. But in Columbus, we would meet for lunch and share photos and catch up on the important things of our lives. Again, she caused us to gasp as we realized that "our little girl" was not only mother, but now grandmother. Yikes!! And I learned that her husband had been in the same
Guido
The traditional square pizza, 16 pieces to a large, with loads of cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom. It still tastes as good as it did when I was in high school. fraternity I had at Wooster. We sat and looked at photos, laughed and finally realized Sue had to get back to work and we had to get on the road. Hopefully next time we can meet her husband and even some of the kids.
The trip around Cincinnati this time was a bit better. We took the by-pass the the east side and though at times slow, it was not as hectic, even though it was near the start of rush hour. We continued on south, almost to Lexington, KY when we decided to pull off for the night and get some rest. We did our usual WalMart overnight and then continued the next morning back home. The weather was favorable the entire way and we were glad to pull into the yard mid-afternoon. Of course, while we were gone, there had been some winds in the area and we had to stop and I had to get out and move some large limbs from the drive before we could pull up to the house and start unloading. The cats were very grateful to get out and be in their yard.
We got the coach unloaded of the
Steve with the "other" Sandy
Steve's wife couldn't make it over from Detroit, but that didn't stop him from hamming it up with the "other" Sandy. We missed Sandy1, but were glad to be able to spend time with Todd's Sandy. Obviously, so was Steve. It's really a lot of fun when we can all get together. important things, checked on plants and all outside, and turned up the temperature on the hot tub so that evening we could relax. It had been a very good trip and full of good friends, good food and wonderful memories. Now we are settled in waiting our next trip, this time to Florida to see our new grandson.
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chapter three morthern trip
well covered...you kept your record in good shape with lots of food comment. thanks for another piece of family memories!