The Handoff.

We have been busy every day on this trip--exploring, learning and visiting.  But earlier this week I took a day and gathered up all of our stuff, repacked bags, did loads of laundry and tried to fit everything from the previous 8 weeks back into our van.  That's right, late Wednesday night, my aunt and uncle arrived so that they could begin their own odyssey across the US with plans to visit family and friends along the way. And eventually arriving in Chula Vista to return the van and visit with us one last time before returning to NY.  Didn't that all work out so great?! I mean, after being on the road for 8 weeks, the kids and I get to fly back to San Diego and my aunt and uncle get an adventure of their own.  Once they arrive in San Diego, they will then fly back to NY and everyone will be back in their "respective" places. I love when a plan comes together!!

Just before handing off the van, I took note of the miles logged since we left on our trip back in May. 7,130!!  Just incredible! And W.O.W. More importantly, the memories and adventures that the kids and I have had together have been blazed on my heart forever.  I have loved every minute of every second of every day that I have spent with them.  You know, I have heard from so many people before and throughout the course of this trip about "how crazy of an idea" this was, or "I am nuts to do this by myself." Heck, even I put in the sidebar of this blog that I thought I might loose my sanity.  But can I tell you something? I have wanted to spend more time with my kids for a long time.  I am grateful that I was able to quit my job and have this experience with them. And I have loved it all. I would do it all again and again.

Conversations Overheard:
Diego to me: "Mami, how do you get to heaven?"
Me: "What do you mean? Like as in 'lead a good life' or 'how do you physically get there?'"
Diego: "No Mami, like how do you get there? How do you actually get to heaven?"
Me: "Well, when you die, your body goes to a cemetery. But your soul, your heart, goes to heaven to be with Jesus and God and all of the people who have died before us."
[a pause and then]
Diego: "So Jesus comes to get my soul?"
Me: "Yes"
Diego: "How does he do it?"
Me: "Well, he comes with Angels and they have wings and they fly your soul up to heaven."
Diego: "What do we do in heaven?"
Me: "Heaven is a wonderful place full of love and happiness.  We get to see all of the people who have died before us. Like Lucy and Sofi, and Tata and Cousin Sarah. They will all be waiting to see you and play with you and love you in heaven."
Diego: "I want to go to heaven."
Me: "Me too someday."

My Family.

Last weekend was important to me as my family gathered at my mom's house for a BBQ.  For some it was just the day....for others it was the better part of the weekend. But we were all together and it was wonderful.

Four generations of family.

Four years ago, this is what the younger cousins looked like:

Kevin, Olivia, Ana, Grace and Diego.

This is what they look like today:

The next generation of Graf Family Cousins.

Diego with his godfather, Carl. Kevin with his father, Albert.

All of the cousins (that were present. We missed those that weren't here!!).

Mother and daughter(s).

Ana with her godmother and cousin, Rebecca.

Me with my goddaughter and cousin, Grace.

My family. I love them.

A Review.

This past week was a busy one...full of lots of fun local activities that I did with the kids.  And although I didn't make regular updates to this here blog, I will do my best now to give a brief summary of the fun places we visited!

Last Sunday we returned from Fairport and headed to Fort Niagara.  This fort was built in 1678 and later expanded during the early 1700s at the mouth of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario.  The Fort was built to protect the interests of New France and the important shipping opportunities between the Great Lakes in the New World.  During the French and Indian war of 1759, the Fort was attacked by and came under control of the British and did not come to American interests until after the War of Independence.  As part of our history tour of Western New York, we went to the fort to witness a couple of battle re-enactments from the French and Indian War in 1759.  It was interesting to witness, especially because there were a couple of hundred participants all dressed in clothing appropriate to the time period and "living" in and around the fort. 

The kids being recruited into the French Army.

On Monday we celebrated our nation's independence by attending the Gasport, NY annual parade.  This small town parade is essentially an opportunity for every fire company and VFW to showcase their vehicles and toss candy out to the kids. 

One of the fire vehicles showcased their waterworks.

On Tuesday we headed to Memorial Pool which is where both my sister Kim and I used to be lifeguards [for....years]. Unfortunately, it was not one of the warmest days that we have had, so both the water and the air were cool.  But the girls enjoyed the water slide and diving boards anyway. Besides the lifeguards, nothing much has changed over at Memorial....it is still the largest (and now only) city pool in NT:

After swimming, we headed over to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner:

Aunt Ellen and Uncle Butch with the kids.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at this house with my family.  In fact, my Aunt and Uncle are the parents of this cousin, which may explain why we are all so close. In any case, my Aunt Ellen has always been known for a couple of her signature dishes.  99% of the food memories I have which are associated with my Aunt are good ones (I will try to forget the one memory I have of always eating smelt at their house......ick....shudder).  Besides lasagna, lemon merengue pie and apple jello salad, the most memorable and delicious food memory I have of my Aunt are her eclairs.  And let me tell you....these are not just any eclairs.  They are delicious and coveted by all.  So it should come as no surprise that when I saw my aunt last weekend I might have eaten 6 eclairs at the first sitting. I had a couple at dinner at her house on Tuesday and at the family BBQ yesterday I might have had....more than a few more.  I did feel a little bad when my cousin Rebecca said that she only got to eat one of the famous, delicious desserts.  But then I figured she sees her mom all the time and can eat the sweets regularly.  Me? I have to get my fill when I can!

On Wednesday night my sister and nephew caught up with us in North Tonawanda and so we took the kids cherry picking to Coulter Farms in Cambria, NY on Thursday:


We picked a couple different varieties of cherries, some of the largest raspberries I have ever seen and two different varieties of snap peas.  It was more fun than I think any of us thought it would be.

I love this picture of the kids skipping down the lane to hunt for cherries.

Raspberries.

In keeping with our visitation to many of the local elementary school field trip destinations, we took the kids on Friday to Fantasy Island, a local amusement park which is celebrating their 50th anniversary.  It was a ton of fun! The park caters to mostly a local crowd. They have rides and attractions for kids of all ages, including a water park, wooden roller coaster and wild west show that although cheesy, was enjoyed by the boys.

Ana and Olivia on the giant slide.

Diego, Nana and Kevin on the tilt-a-whirl.

Kelly, Diego and Kevin on the old fashioned cars.

It was the perfect ending to another great week in my hometown.

Garage Saling.

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that one of the highlights of visiting with my cousin was the garage sales that we went to on Saturday morning. While this isn't such a big activity on the west coast [and frankly the sales just don't compare], in Western NY, it's a big deal.  Both the having and the hunting of garage sales. 

So Rebecca and I thought it would be only fair to introduce the two older cousins (Ana and Olivia) to the art of garage saling.  The mapping, the hunting, the haggling and finally...the prizes! The little known treasure that you never knew you were missing but always knew you had to have!  And for those who love to shop (ahem, Ana), I have decided that this was the way to go! Lot's of great stuff for very little investment.

But we did more than garage saling in Fairport. We also checked out the Irondequoit Bay and Marsh Area via canoes!!

Grace and Olivia in the canoe.

Ana and Diego.

And played hockey (one of the only true sports to East Coasters...and Keffer):

Diego and Keffer.

Roasted marshmallows:

And played in the yard:

Life is good. And we had a lot of fun.

Best Cousins. Best Friends.

On Wednesday last week I left my sister's house and headed to Fairport, NY to meet up with this crew:

Keffer, my cousin Rebecca and my godchild, Grace.

One of the unfortunate aspects of living so far from New York is that I don't often get to see my family.  Further compounding the situation is that while they all live relatively close to each other (within a 3.5 hour drive), it is just far enough that when I have managed to come for vacation, I am always rushing around to see as many people as possible....usually with only a few days to do it.  Can I just tell you something??!  I love this version of the extended family tour!  I have gotten to spend 3-4 days with each person in my family, and it has been superb!

So it was time to spend a few days with my cousin and her family in a very quaint town called Fairport, NY.  [did you know that in 2005 Fairport was voted as one of Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live"].  The town criss crosses back and forth across and along the Erie Canal, providing for additional opportunities to teach the kids about some of the original, important waterways in the early US.  And countless opportunities to sing "I've got a mule and her name is Sal, 15 miles on the Erie Canal!".

More importantly, Rebecca is probably my bestest friend (besides being my cousin).  You know, my own personal BFF?! She was in my wedding, I was in hers......she is Godmother to my daughter, I am Godmother to hers....etc.  And we have history....boy, could we tell you some stories.  Something unusual I could share with you about her and her husband Keffer. Did you know that Keffer isn't really his name? Well, it is, but it is his last name, not his first name.  I don't think I knew that until they were almost married.  But by that time I was so used to calling him Keffer (and I think she was too), that it has stuck. And now that's what my kids call him too!

Anyhoo....back to Fairport.  Just prior to arriving at my cousin's house, I met up with a friend that I hadn't seen since high school:

Missy Senall and me at Wickham Farms

I knew Missy from both Junior and Senior High School.  We even ran together on the track team and she was pretty good.  If I recall correctly, she ran more of the sprint events and hurdles.  She was not really a distance runner then.  But do you know something?  This girl has been burnin' up the Boston Marathon race course for the last two years with some incredible times! She is amazing and I wished we lived closer so that I could chase after her to improve my own running. 

Since my visit to Fairport started with a blast from the past, Rebecca and I decided to take the kids to Mumford (also known now as Genessee Country Village and Museum).  This was a field trip destination when I was in elementary school and did not disappoint.  A quaint current day interpretation of 18th - 19th century living with costumed people to provide details about life in a Pioneer Settlement thru the Civil War time period.  We got to see many of the original homes from Western New York and learn about life from another era:

The kids sitting in an outhouse.  It was a 3-seater.

In the one-room school house.



Learning about barrel making from the Cooper. Don't you love the prairie hats?



The items grown in the gardens were often used at the Apothecary's Shop for healing purposes.

Fun Facts From Today:

Number of times a child asked me "Are we there yet?" = 2

Miles driven = 118

Number of wrong turns = 0

 

Conversations Overheard:

Ana to me: "Mami, when you were a little girl, was the world black and white like the televisions? Or did things appear in color?"

 

This was followed promptly by a question from Missy's daughter to us both: "Did you guys have houses back then?"

 

 

From a historical perspective, I guess I am not that old.  Relatively speaking, I guess my kids think I am ancient!

Fiber Changed Everything

Earlier this week we hung out with this crowd:

The kids with Kelly, Albert, Kevin and Hobbes.

These guys live in a little town called Horseheads, NY.  And just next to them, is the town of Corning, NY.  Corning is also the home of the world headquarters for Corning, Incorporated where 3 of my family members also work.

Corning, Inc was originally a producer of glass for things like automobile windshields as well as the consumer cookware of both CorningWare and Corelle.  And while these may be the things that they (at the time) were most well known for, they also later were the inventors of silica glass that was used to create and develop what is now known as fiber optics.  With the invention of fiber, copper cable became obsolete and the transfer of data for phone and the internet ushered in a new age.

Why am I telling you all of this? If you visit Corning, NY you can also visit the Corning Museum of Glass.  The museum is pretty cool with demonstrations about glass breaking, fiber optics and lots of interactive activities for the kids to try. In addition to all of that, you can enter a workshop to make your own ornament by glass blowing, or some other glass object by sand blasting or build a mosaic.

Diego and Kevin decided to try glass blowing and make their own ornaments:

       

The girls decided on something a little bit different.  Olivia made a nightlight and Ana made a mosaic:

   










Very close to Horseheads is also a little place called Harris Hill, the soaring capital of the world.  Soaring is where a small bi-plane attaches itself to a soaring, motorless glider via a cable. The bi-plane takes the glider up into the air, removes the cable from the glider and the glider uses the air currents to tour the hills and valleys in and around the southern tier before returning to Harris Hill for landing.  For Kelly's 40th birthday, I gave her a certificate for a ride in one of the gliders.  In case you didn't know, Kelly is terrified of heights and all rides.  After watching the gliders in action, I gave a little chuckle for the pilot of the glider that was with Kelly.  I wondered what kind of commentary was made during her ride....!

In addition to the gliders, there are also cute little rides, golfing and parks here.  The kids rode horses and road a couple of the "original" rides that have been here since the '60s:

Kevin and Diego on the airplanes.

Ana and Olivia on the tilt a whirl.

The bad news?  Our time in Horseheads and Corning was waayy too short. 

The good news?  Kelly and Kevin will be coming to North Tonawanda to spend another 6 days with us before we return to California.  We are looking forward to it.

Is There Anything To Do Out Here?

Urbanites probably wonder what people who live out in the country do for fun. Turns out, all kinds of things!

After the cardboard box derby, the kids returned to my aunt and uncle's house for a campout, bonfire, dam-making in the stream and most exciting of all??! Hunting for snakes!  [did I hear you just shudder? Me too.]



Uncle Bruce is directing 3 four year olds on how to put up the tent. The two Girl Scouts helped too!



It was just starting to rain [again]. I think there was some urgency in getting the tarp put on the tent.

All the kids ended up camping outside and made it through the night. After an early breakfast, Cousins Jamie and Ashely took the kids to the nearby stream to build a dam (this was after the trip to the nearby pond with Cousin Joe to see the beavers. Sadly, the beavers are no longer there).  I don't know a child who doesn't love traipsing through the mud and water while hopping from rock to rock and looking for crayfish and salamanders. 

Cousins Jamie and Ashley with Olivia and Ana in the creek.



Diego is wondering how to climb over the log.



Olivia is the perfect outdoorsy girl!

Ana found a  bunch of crayfish and some fossils.

After dam making, the kids headed back to the house where lo and behold.....the flower beds are full of snakes! In all seriousness, we saw no fewer than 4 garter snakes in the same flower bed. Just hanging out, sunning themselves and thriving in the flowers and bushes along the side of the house. My nephew Kevin loves to hunt for snakes. He is now brave enough to even attempt (with some success) to pick them up.  All three of my kids thought the idea of hunting snakes was great. And while they were becoming braver and braver by the minute, none of them reached out blindly without a stick to actually catch one.  Until this happened...

I walked outside to find that Diego and Kevin have herded 4 snakes into a pile at the edge of the garden. Diego sits down on the step next to Kevin, who is crouching over the pile of snakes. Kevin reaches out and picks up a snake, looks at it, decides he is a little nervous and deposits the snake in Diego's lap. Diego didn't make any sudden moves, but rather just stood up so the snake would fall to the ground. Me??! I screamed and screamed until I made everyone nervous and we all ran away. The end.