No News!

I've often heard people say that "no news is good news!" That pretty well describes this past week. The week was pretty routine with nothing amazing or out of the ordinary. Yesterday morning I got up a bit earlier than usual to run at the local park. When I got outside, I found it was foggy. At the park I wasn't able to see from one end to the other. Then, when I got home and looked in the mirror, I realized that my hair was damp--maybe I should call it wet (from the fog).

We were back playing Pickle Ball at the indoor gym that had been closed several weeks in June and July because they were holding kid's camps. We watch as many Cub's games as we can. Sometimes they are blacked out! We also watched the movie Revenant (a freebie)! The cinema photography was beautiful and the story and acting riveting. I imagine watching it on the big screen would even be more impressive.

I'm still trying to take a photo every day but sometimes I double up or more! I used one of the photos to make a greeting card that I printed and sent to a friend.

Front of Card

A new month begins tomorrow. August means that fall can't be too far behind. We've had some very hot days in July so I'm wondering if August will be the same.

Afternoon with Jayden

Jayden is our 8-year-old great grandson. We see him several times a year when there is a family get-together. Earlier this summer I proposed to Ray that we invite Jayden to join us for a day trip adventure. The goal was to spend quality time without other children or adults! Turned out to be a good idea.

Last Wednesday we picked up Jayden about noon for our adventure to Columbus, Indiana. Fortunately, I had found information about Kids Commons in Columbus and purchased tickets in advance. On our arrival we had lunch and then enjoyed a few hours enjoying the museum. Jayden's first stop was at a table with magnets that he enjoyed a lot.

Building an arch

One of the main features of the museum is a climbing wall. Each person can climb four times and Jayden mastered all four climbs.

Hand holds and foot placement

Nearing the top

Ring the bell at the top!

Near the climbing wall is the ExploraHouse Exhibit. Kids love the idea of getting in the oversize toilet! The house had many nooks and crannies for kids to explore, climb and crawl.

Getting ready to flush

Ready, set, slide!

Another fun spot was devoted to bubbles.

Making a huge bubble

Look who is peeking through the window!

The idea is to get enough solution on the circle and then pull the rope lifting a surround bubble as high as possible. Not every attempt is successful.

Pull the rope and form a huge bubble

After the museum we had an ice cream and then stopped by the local airport. I took a photo of Jayden and then he took one of me.

We were back in Greenwood before 5 p.m. and stopped at Joe & Nancy's house where Kylie was waiting for us. (Joe & Nancy are on vacation.) We returned home with a few tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers and zucchini from the garden next door to the Martin's. The afternoon was a success and now we need to plan something for an encore.

A Trip to the Past

Last Sunday evening we had a call from Bart informing us that all three were in Indiana. We made plans to get together on Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon Ray suggested providing a picnic lunch and I added that I could start something in the crock pot the next morning and we'd have our Wednesday evening meal ready. Everything was ready when Bart, Christy and Persephone arrived at 10 a.m.

Shortly after their arrival we were on our way to Metamora, about a 90-minute drive to eastern Indiana. The website describes the area this way:
Metamora is an example of the kind of towns that grew along the canal routes in Indiana. Stationed every few miles, these towns provided a source of fresh horses, food and lodging for travelers and a place for farmers and others to buy and sell their goods along the canal route. Commerce was so heavy that the White Water Valley Canal Company, established in 1842, had their own bank and printed their own currency at their headquarters in Connersville!

And this is an explanation of the canal:
Early canals were hand-dug waterways meant to bring goods and people inland. They were located near rivers and natural waterways which provided necessary water. Draft animals pulled long, narrow boats by a rope next to the canal on a towpath. Although canal travel was painfully slow, this method was much better than wagons for large, heavy loads.

The Whitewater Canal started in Lawrenceburg and originally ended at Cambridge City, on the Old National Road. Hagerstown merchants financed an extension to their town, making the canal 76 miles in length. The state of Ohio also built a 25-mile spur linking Cincinnati to the canal. Along the canal, 56 locks accommodate a fall of nearly 500 feet.

Upon Indiana’s bankruptcy in the 1840’s, private enterprises stepped up to complete the canal. After the canal transportation era ended with the arrival of the railroads, the canal was used as a source of water power for many grist mills and other industry. The Metamora Grist Mill is an example, using water power to produce corn meal for over 100 years.

The State of Indiana assumed management of a 14-mile section of the Whitewater Canal in 1946 and operates a horse-drawn canal boat and the Metamora Grist Mill. Visitors can also take a leisurely 25-minute cruise on the Ben Franklin III. During the cruise, they pass the Duck Creek Aqueduct, a covered bridge that carries the canal 16 feet over Duck Creek. It is believed to be the only structure of its kind in the nation.

When we arrived we found a picnic table in the shade and enjoyed our sandwiches, chips, sweet cherries and grapes.


Inside the grist mill, Bart & Persephone posed with some old grinding wheels.


We purchased tickets for the boat ride and walked the short distance to where we boarded.


Passing through the Duck Creek Aqueduct


Later, Christy led us to a creek bed where she found many fossils.


When we arrived home there was time for a swim before the predicted thunderstorm arrived.


Other photos from our day trip to Metamora are stored on DropBox. By clicking on a photo the slideshow begins.

We enjoyed our time together and learned a lot about the early 1800s. The canal boat narrator was excellent!

Back to Home Base

Yes, we are back home! On July 1 we headed to Crystal Lake, Illinois for the wedding of our great nephew Michael Frericks to Natalie Blazier. Since the wedding was scheduled for 4 p.m. we planned to stop at Ray's sister Karen's home in Oak Park where we had lunch and changed to our dress up clothes. Their daughter Laura was already there and the five of us headed out about 2:30 for the church. Carl was driving and somehow we got caught in traffic and weren't sure of the best way to the church. Fortunately, I had our GPS with us and we plugged in the address and arrived with minutes to spare.

A bubbly reception as the bride and groom leave the church.

We again used the GPS to make our way to the reception -- but found out it was the wrong Holiday Inn. Do not worry, dear reader, we arrived at the correct Inn with plenty of time to spare and enjoyed a delicious dinner seated with other family members. About 9 p.m. we began our journey north to Sturgeon Bay, WI. When we were planning the logistics for the weekend, it was a toss up of whether to return to Oak Park or drive to Wisconsin. We brought the GPS with us mainly for the purpose of finding our way from Crystal Lake to Sturgeon Bay. That we used it to get to the church on time was amusing to say the least.

We were only able to stay for a day and a half where Ray played many games of corn hole. I was pleased to have found two geocaches. Correction: Ray actually found them but it was gratifying to find one that we had looked for last summer and were unsuccessful!

Magnetic cache was well hidden!

We grilled two large fillets of Lake Trout that Karen had on hand, enough to make two meals. Early Sunday afternoon we headed back to Oak Park. On Monday, the 4th, we boarded the CTA train for Wrigley Field for a scheduled game with the Cincinnati Reds.

We all had tickets in the same section.
Four seats in each row as far to the right field wall as possible.

National Anthem

Rooftop seating on Ray's childhood apartment building.

Karen, Ray & Veronica pose in front of
the building where they lived on the
second floor many years ago.

The rest of this past week was pretty much back to our usual routine. Ray is recovering from a sore throat and cough that marred somewhat his enjoyment of last weekend's activities. Today the Cubs finally won a game after losing several in a row. We were happy to witness a 10-4 victory over the Reds on the 4th.

(Blogger hasn't been behaving nicely. I wrote a post last Monday morning before we left for the baseball game and I realized this evening that it was never published. I was using the app on my iPad to write and not being as familiar with that as when working on the computer, it may have been "operator error." So if you are confused because some paragraphs seem to repeat themselves it's because I copied from Monday's post and included it in this one. Of course, according to Murphy's Law, that older post finally did get published. Oh, the age of technology! Isn't it a challenge?)

Wedding

Last week began with volunteering at VBS. We had an average of 45 children attending each day and about 30 or so volunteers. My responsibility was keeping track of attendance, printing the take home handout and counting the daily offering for Pack Away Hunger.

The above photo was taken at the program Thursday evening where the kids sang the songs they had learned earlier in the week.

On Friday morning Ray and I headed north to Oak Park, Illinois to his sister Karen's house where we had lunch and parked our car. The four of us plus niece Laura hopped in the Scafidi's car for the drive to Crystal Lake and the 4 o'clock wedding of great nephew Michael Frericks to Natalie Blazier. Thanks to our GPS we arrived at the church with only a few minutes to spare.

The reception was a beautiful affair and we enjoyed a delicious meal but shortly after left to drive north to Sturgeon Bay WI where we spent the next day and a half enjoying the quiet solitude and Ray played many games of corn hole. I was pleased to have found two geocaches. Correction: Ray actually found them but it was gratifying to find one that we had looked for last summer and were unsuccessful!

We grilled two large fillets of Lake trout that had been given to Karen and was enough to make two meals. Yesterday we had lunch with some of the Reeve family who were also up north and then packed our bags for the return trip to Oak Park. In just an hour we'll take public transportation to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs play the Cincinnati Reds,