Sleepy Creek

After Fort Ashby, we had a day off, so we spent it by driving for eight hours before hitting a cineplex that was showing the lovely Toy Story 3.  There were a couple times during the movie when I started tearing up, but then I chuckled upon realizing that I was on the verge of [...]

Fort Ashby

After Brooklyn, we headed about an hour out of the city into New Jersey.  I’ve heard mixed reviews about the entire state in general, and since that reality-TV show Jersey Shore has caused so much ruckus, anyone I mentioned Jersey to as a stop on this tour gave me a scrunched up, confused look.  I’d [...]

A Stroll in Manhattan

And by “a stroll,” we mean “a hike”… After watching the US beat Algeria with a clutch goal in stoppage time, we successfully navigated the subway to the Bowling Green stop on the southern tip of Manhattan before walking up to Times Square.  Over the course of the afternoon, we sampled the choicest of New [...]

Brooklynin’

Between Ohio and New York, Tricia and I spent a couple days in Pittsburgh with my sister, my brother-in-law, and their adorable baby daughter.  They cooked us a couple of fantastic dinners, Karen took us on a walk through her neighborhood and park, and I won a game of Solarquest that went on much too [...]

Canton’s Cult Following

Before diving into this post, I must correct a mistake in the Indie-anapolis post;  I stated that Christian Taylor and Homeschool’s set turned into a jam session of covers, when in fact, they were all originals.  I had heard someone in the bar say that they were covers, and everyone in the bar seemed to [...]

Murdertown, USA

We rolled into Youngstown city limits around sunset, with Bruce Springsteen’s under-appreciated The Ghost of Tom Joad providing the soundtrack for our hilly jaunt past weathered factory buildings with jagged glass edges where windows once stood.  The city gained the nickname “Murdertown USA” in the 1950s and 1960s due to its literally explosive mafia activity, [...]

Kalamazooza

We arrived in Portage, MI in the late afternoon and were greeted by the Zwiers as we unloaded the car.  The Zwiers are my brother-in-law’s parents, so I know that it makes them my sister’s parents-in-law, but does that make them my parents-in-law as well?  I’m not sure, but what I do know is that [...]

Indie-anapolis

Before heading to Indiana on Wednesday, Carl and I decided to cook a nice dinner for his mom and brother on Tuesday night.  Don’t worry mom, your dinner is next.  Carl searched and searched allrecipes.com for something including edamame, chicken, and pineapple, and he found a great salad and entrée pairing: Healthy Garden Salad and [...]

Music City USA and a taste of C-U

Tennessee showed us her most beautiful side during our early morning drive to Nashville, which most likely was what helped us stay awake (but I can’t be sure, as I was in a daze from the night before and its roaches). There were hills upon hills of thick green forest, and we drove right through [...]

Gritty Graceland

So the Blackhawks won.  Neither Tricia or myself can claim to be real fans, but the last game was certainly enjoyable to watch.  If I didn’t say this in the last post, we really enjoyed our time with Brandon – what a terrific host! After a scenic five hour drive from St. Louis, we crossed [...]