Road Trip

Well, I said I had pictures from our road trip to Ohio. And here I am, finally, to post them.

We thought it was going to be just me and the kids, as it usually is for the one visit every summer where I drive alone so that I can stay longer than a weekend. But this time, Papa Rooster had business in Indianapolis on a Thursday/Friday, and had to be in Philadelphia on Monday, so he was able to hang out with us more than we thought. In fact, since his company already was paying for one hotel room in Indy (and we need two, of course), it seemed like the ideal time to pay for one other room and get to spend the night together as a family in a hotel, something we haven't done since we bought a camping trailer three years ago. (Which we're not using this summer, since we just haven't had the energy or the weekends left over, after the musical and all the work we've done on our house.)

So we swam and had pizza at the hotel, and after checking out, we visited the Indianapolis Children's Museum, the Midwest's #1 Children's Museum and home of the newly christened Dracorex hogwartsia, or "dragon king of Hogwarts." It's a new type of dinosaur fossil which looks distinctly dragonlike, named after the school in Harry Potter. (I, alas, did not have the wit to take its picture; however, there's a good one here, and a better article here. I love this quote: "Honoring an author with a species name is rare. But it should be done more often. Art, literature and science are three ways of seeing reality and sharing our exploration of the world.")



Here is Bantam16 pondering a series of locks at this cool water exhibit, while Bantam8 and Chicklet4 construct and float boats.





No visit to the Children's Museum is complete without a ride on the carousel. It's my most vivid memory from my own childhood visit!

Then it was on to Ohio, the cousins and a real old-fashioned county fair, with lots of animals, a fair queen, a tractor pull, a calf scramble, pig scramble and a demolition derby. (I actually was a fair queen contestant the summer I was 18. I didn't win or even place, but it was always stiff competition because everyone got a U.S. Savings bond just for participating. I still have mine--I think I can cash it in for its full worth of $50 in just a few more years!)

I grew up spending every day of the first week of August at the fair with my pony, rabbits, friends, sewing and cooking projects. (My Swedish Tea Ring advanced to the state competition, I'm proud to tell you. Little did I know I would marry a Norwegian.) I even spent the night there sometimes, in my girlfriend's family's trailer, since we both had horses to feed each morning and night.

But though we looked at all the animals and other exhibits, I know what MY kids will remember about the fair will be the rides, and for my older ones, being allowed to take off alone to keep riding rides after the grown-ups are tired of watching and riding. (Such a deal this fair is--$7 gets you in AND gets you a hand stamp to ride all day!) For my younger ones, it will be riding rides with their cousins. Such a treat!



Here we have Chicklet4 on the left, with KansasGirl5. They were inseparable.





That's Bantam2 with KansasCousin9, and Bantam8 on the next rocket back.




And here are my favorites. They get bigger if you click on them. Aren't those girls a pair?



You gotta love the flip-flops that fell off halfway through.


The rest of our time there it was tamer stuff. Visits with relatives, walks in the woods and the corn field, helping Pilot Uncle, who likes nothing more than a good farm project. There's always something to repair or move or paint or nail.


We all enjoyed the tire swing...and that's a volleyball net there in the background.

Bantam12 found the perfect wheelie bike in Grandpa's bike collection.

We worked hard and played hard...till we tuckered out.


(Chicklet4 burnt her finger when she touched Grandma's iron. Poor thing--she'd never seen one before! Grandma set her up with her finger in ice water, and she cried herself right to sleep.)

No wonder we just had to thank God for his blessings on the way home. For a family that wasn't planning on a vacation this year--saving Dad's remaining days off for moving--it sure was a nice little trip!