home safely

We made it home safely, though our flight out of Chicago was delayed.  We were home around 11:30pm.  Tired, it was a long day.  Today is catch-up day, with laundry, organizing, sorting, doing art show jobs and church stuff.

Nathan and Rebecca made it safely to Linda's in DC.  Today they will continue on to NC.  Everyone else made it to their homes okay.

All in all it was a good trip.

Maple Lane, the cemetery and pizza in Poland

Carolyn, the host of the B & B sure sets a nice table for breakfast.

with good food too!  Fresh berries, homemade sticky buns and vegetarian frittata

We caravaned over to Maple Lane where Rob's property is (he inherited it) .  This is the place that George's dad died. It was the family summer home.  It had been about 12 years since we have seen it.  We went through the motor home and the garage.  Rob met us there.  Rob and Lisa used to come to Maple Lane several times a year to get away and to monitor the property.  We then went to the cemetery where their dad is buried.    

Rob has been there off and on so he knew how to get there.  

The ground was very hard.  People took turns trying to dig.  We planted 2 plants - a kale and a mum. Then we dug a hole for the ashes.

Dorothy and Rebecca read some readings while we covered the box.

I hope that the plants survive. 

Then we drove to Poland (that is right)  to a pizza place that Rob has gone to frequently.  

It was good pizza.  Once it came we pretty much inhaled it.  

Right after lunch, Nathan and Rebecca headed off to DC, Dorothy, Ed and George S headed back to Defiance in 2 cars (full of things that they picked up from Maple Lane) and Rob gave us a ride to the airport in Akron since it was on his way.  That is where we are now waiting for our plane.  we got here a little early but that was fine because it gave me a chance to do my blog.  We fly home via Chicago.  We should be home by 10:30 tonight.

Brownies, a dry tavern and a slide show

A few days ago at one of our walks I got a bunch of mosquito bites on my ankles.  They are DRIVING ME TO DISTRACTION!!!

We have had quite the day.  Dorothy, George and I took Guinness on a nice long walk.  We had planned to leave Defiance about 10 am.  We got home to find Nathan, George an Rebecca making brownies.  New Plan.  We finally got on the road about 11:30 am.  First stop lunch - we stopped at Panera Bread in Toledo.  The menu there sure has changed.  Then we drove to Cuyahoga National Park.  There was a trail we wanted to walk.  We got separated and had a little difficulty getting back together.  Caravaning  is more difficult than it should be, but traffic and toll booths messed us up. Plus we did not have an accurate address so our rGPSs led us to different places.  We walked about 2 miles in the park.

There was a sign saying that the bridge was out cross at your own risk.  Which to us meant crossing was possible.

umm.  They were not kidding about the bridge being out

so we crossed ar our own risk

a very pretty falls.  Ohio does not have many of them

Then we drove on to Pennsylvania to our Bed and Breakfast.  The Cnndleford Inn is very nice.  http:/www.candlefordinn.com 

But this is small town USA, Amish country and everything, absolutely everything closes at 5 pm.  We got here close to 6:45 pm.  We had planned to go out to dinner when we got here.  The only restaurant open was in New Wilmington, 4 miles back and it closed at 8 pm.  So we did not carry all our stuff in.  We called ahead to say we were coming and then we went to dinner at the Tavern on the Square.  This area is dry.  But they will open a bottle of wine for you if you bring it in.  There was a wine store next door, the Fractured Grape Leaf.  I guess there is a loop hole.  So we bought a bottle there and we had another bottle of wine we took.  So we had a red and a white.  Of course there was a corkage fee for the bottle we brought but not for the one we bought next door.  Another loop hole.

Nathan ordered the Poggies

Rebecca had the Scrumptious Salmon Salad

taking the unfinished bottles home

When we got back to the B &B we settled in.  Then we had a slide show of both Nathan's pictures from our Scotland trip and Rebecca's pictures of her Mumbai experience.  So it was a late night when we were done.  I just crashed after that.   

The internet is good here.  Morning seems to be a good time.  Everyone else is asleep.  

Croquet, Settlers and Clue

We relaxed and went on a walk while Dorothy and Ed went to church.

Then we went to the Sweetwater Grill for a very nice lunch.  I had the best mac and cheese ever.  But I could not eat it all. I had the rest for dinner.

Mac and cheese with turkey and bacon

Rebecca had the tuna roll

After lunch there was a game of croquet.  Nathan won.  

analyzing the course.  I  guess there are missing pieces.

Soon after that Robbie and Martin left.  Since Robbie had come here with Nathan, Martin took him as far as Fort Wayne where he caught the bus to Chicago and Martin continued to Columbus, Indiana.  George, George S and Nathan played a game of Settlers.

  Dorothy and Ed had a church obligation. Rebecca and I relaxed, we also had a nice walk..  When Dorothy and Ed returned it was time to think about dinner.  Mostly we had left-overs.  Which were all still very good.  Since we are all leaving for a couple days Dorothy wanted help getting rid of some things.  

After dinner we had a rabble rousing game of Clue.  It was Simpson's clue.  That and with 6 people it was a challenging game.  

All in all it was a nice day.

Saturday Columbus to Defiance

We left Rob's place around 9:30 am.  Rob drove us to Defiance.  It is nearly a 3 hour drive.  We got there in time for lunch. Delicious BLTs with 3 different kinds of salads: potato, egg and beet.  We had a relaxing afternoon. We had a tour of their property.

Dorothy and Ed's place

off to the right of their place they have converted part of the garage to a little apartment.  It is listed with AirBnB.

It has a little loft area that is either a sitting room with TV or it has a futon that opens up to a bed.  Rebecca is staying up there.

It has a kitchen sitting room when you first walk in, then a dining room

bedroom and bathroom to the left.  Very nice place.  George and I are staying here. 

Ed has a nice garden and George and Martin had put together the swing.

Rebecca, Martin, Nathan and George

 Then we broke into George's dad's steamer type trunk.  It was fun for Rob, George and Dorothy to reminisce.  The trunk was full of old photos, clothes, and other odds and ends.  Newspapers from 1944.  It was like a time capsule.  They had to break the lock because no one had the key anymore. 

Then we went to see George S's house.  Nathan is staying with George.

The ladder is so they could bring a mattress and box springs into the house.  They had to go up the ladder and through the window. 

We had turkey burgers for dinner.  Then, of course. we had to go for ice cream.

Today was getting more muggy.  So the ice cream hit the spot.  I was too full from dinner to have any, but I tasted some of Nathan's.  It was very good.

Columbus

Our trip to Columbus was pretty uneventful.  The worst part was waking up in time to make the 5:30 am flight.  Rob meet us and took us back to his place.

Rob and Lisa's place

cheery flowers at their front door.

We hung out for a few hours until it was time to go meet Rebecca's flight.  She was only a little late. A little challenge at the airport.  There was some water main that broke so all arrivals and departures were at the same place.  So it was a challenge for Rob to pick us up.  They should have had more security directing traffic with all the drop-offs and pick-ups.  

Meeting Rebecca at the airport

She had her hands henna painted as a goodbye gift before she left.

We went to Cap City for dinner.  Lisa met us there.

Lisa ordered the chocolate cake as an appetizer.  

I had a delicious rib-eye steak.  Definitely could not eat it all.  It came with a potato cake and steamed broccoli (which you can barely see)

A very fun evening but now after being up at 3 am Portland time.  I am ready for bed now.  The weather today was perfect.  Not like what I was expecting for Ohio summer.  Nathan has arrived at the Singer's in Defiance, Oh. We will drive up there tomorrow.