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| 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:
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| 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:
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| The kids sitting in an outhouse. It was a 3-seater. |
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| In the one-room school house. |
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| Learning about barrel making from the Cooper. Don't you love the prairie hats? |
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| 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!
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