Family Road Trip in Pictures

New York and Pennsylvania - July/August 2008.

Catching up here on the blog again. Currently in Virginia but wanted to share some great pics of a real trip highlight. After my birthday we spent a few glorious days at the summer home of Gina's Mom on Lake Erie. Then it was off for a week long road trip to visit friends Brigitte and Mark near Scranton, Pennsylvania, with my sis Kris and nephews Skyler and Jackson.
We had quite an adventure and made memories to treasure for a lifetime. God is good!

Sis Kris and Gina. I miss and love you both SO MUCH! (Thanks again Gina - for everything.)

Sis Kris enjoying the spectacular view.What a fabulous and fun family! Barnie met Max, a younger and wilder version of himself. What a charachter!

Sistah's around the campfire.
My nature loving sibling!
Jackson exploring a stream.Sky and I goofing around at the bottom of "Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon" - a steep gorge we hiked to. It was a loooong hike but worth it!
Let's see what's under this rock!
It did our hearts good to spend time together after the longest time apart yet as sisters. But it made it extra hard to say goodbye again.

Miss Brig took us to a really fun water park. The boys weren't the only one's screaming down the slides!
Both boys learned to drive this tractor by themselves! (Thanks Mark, for showing them such a grand time.)


Pennsylvania is a gorgeous state with some of the neatest barns and greatest cloud days I've seen yet.

Barnie loved all the attention he got from the boys!

There were lots of low bridges on our way back to Buffalo. Kris volunteered to climb on top to help me measure just how tall my home on wheels actually is. Not quite 12' (in case you were curious.)

A few days after they left marked the one year anniversary of North's passing. It was bizarre and quite incredible where and how I ended up spending that day. Not in the plans I had but sure turned out to be exactly where I needed to be. More on that in the next entry. In the meantime, my missing of all my family and friends increases by the day. It's been FIVE months sine I pulled out of Mom's driveway and took off on this long journey. So please, if you feel inclined, write to me by posting a comment or directly to my e-mail. I'd love to hear from you!

Much love,

Stef

Wow! What a Birthday!

After three weeks solo on the road I made my way to the home of the McCreary's (Martin, Gina, Emily and Zeke - long time pals of my sis Kris) in Buffalo, New York. They have been SO hospitable and kind to make room for Barnie and I before, partly during, and even after my sis Kris' visit (Yep, I am STILL here and bordering on becoming the guest that would never leave!)

My precious nephews took a red-eye with thier Mom to arrive July 24th, the day before my birthday. They were doing so great and then, on the way to dinner at...the all night flight caught up with them. (Duff is what my family and close friends called me while growing up, and it keeps appearing! I also like it that this whole McCreary family calls me Duff this since it is how I was introduced to them so many years ago!)

It felt SO good to see and be with my sista and the boys. Between that and a new birthday hair doo - I was feeling so ... HAPPY! And that was BEFORE our big day at NIAGRA FALLS!

I just love that I was able to capture thier faces when they first caught site of this breathtaking wonder of the world!

My radiant sis, the astounding falls and Sky and Jack on the Maid of the Mist boat ride.

Walking on the "Cave of the Mists" trail leading too...
Hurricane Deck! What a RUSH! There can't be anything quite like standing under the Niagra Falls! We ended the day with pool fun, a BBQ, and backyard bonfire at the McCreary's. Wow, what a great birthday! And thanks too for all the lovely voice mail messages. Life is good!

15 states and counting!

Blessings everyone! I am playing a little catch up here on the blog again. Sis Kris, Skyler and Jack already came :-D and went :-( and during our grand time together my birthday came around again. But that is the NEXT blog!
So... after leaving Tennessee mid July I headed straight North through Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and into New York!
Kentucky... Horse capitol of the world! Heaven for me! I stayed three days at the Kentucky Horse Park campground in Lexington. The day at the horse park was fabulous. I saw so many different and unusual breeds and many gorgeous retired champions. Loved it! The next day I went on a "Bluegrass horse farm tour." These luxuious farms are unbelieveable even when you see them! Did you know that a stallion who sires a Kentucky Derby winner can get up to 1.2 million bucks to impregnate a single mare? And he does it four times PER DAY!!! What a life... but the truth is, the whole racing/breeding world is frought with practices that weigh heavy on a true horse lovers heart. But it was still an overall great experience to be there. The only thing that could have made it better was if my momma had been with me! Miss you Mom!

























Ohio was unique on this trip so far. The scenery alternated between postcard perfect farms with huge barns and fields, to quaint old looking towns with huge coal refineries dotted along the edge of the Ohio River. I took side/scenic roads along the river and enjoyed viewing lanscape completely unlike any I've been through so far. I even happenned upon this ideal spot to sleep one night right on the river bank and woke to the sound of canadian geese flying and honking through the fog and mist. Very cool!

Look! A tiny town with the nick-name I've been called in my family my entire life - Duff(y)! I had a good long talk with my sis Kris parked right in front of that sign with the house right across the street being almost completely reclaimed by Mother Nature.
Pennsylvia is gorgous too. I've always dreamed of living on a farm to experience the way of life, maybe just for a season, and relished the opportunity to see so many big beautiful working farms. Between the farmed fields, animal pastures and open forests there is so much soul restorative open space!










I even found my way to an old genuine mill complete with covered bridge! It was SO pretty I just had to go closer to the river to get the perfect shot. I ended up slipping on a mossy rock and WHAM - ended up on my hip, back and elbow with the wind knocked out of me! As I sat there making sure nothing was broken and trying to regain my ability to breath, I simultaneously noticed two things; one - I was steadily soaking up water from a puddle into the seat of my shorts and, two - there before me was the ideal shot of the covered bridge. So despite my wet butt, bloody elbow and questionable oxygen intake, I got out the camera and captured the scene. Nice perspective don't you think?

The best part (almost) was finally finding my way back to the RV just as it began to rain and then seeing a sign on my way out that I missed on my way in. The name of the park... wait for it...! "Slippery Rock State Park"! Ah the humor... but I'm fine, continually grateful and all is well.

Huge love and hugs. I am missing you all, so please stay in touch!

Stef