Day 16 - Fireman's Beach

We are pretty lucky to have Fireman's Beach less than ten minutes from us.  For years I have been taking the kids to swimming lessons in Meadville.  Sometimes I get tired of driving to Meadville.  So I decided to sign Jordan up for swim lessons this year at Fireman's Beach.  I wasn't sure about swim lessons in Conneaut  Lake.  First, they go for three weeks - really, three weeks!?  (at least it's close) Second, the temperature of the water would be kind of unpredictable, especially at 9 am.  But Jordan is enjoying himself.  Yesterday he wouldn't get out of our pool until he had practiced everything he learned at that day's lessons.  And as a bonus (for him, not me), Jordan plays at the park after lessons.  I would prefer to just go home....but I guess it's not all about me.

Fireman's Beach is a great place.  The sand is clean and soft; the grassy area is clean.  Trees provide some shade.  You can launch your boat there.  The park is nice for kids.  Concession stand is cheap - goodness knows my kids can't be expected to go somewhere like that and NOT buy something from the concession area.

So this week is a little crazy with so much stuff scheduled,  but I guess that's part of what this blog is about - what we do in the summer.  Fireman's Beach is not anything unique, but it's part of our summer, it deserves to be an entry.

Day 15 - Swimming at the MARC

By 10 am, it was 85 degrees.  There was only one thing to do today - swim.  We went to the Meadville Area Recreation Complex.  Refreshing water in two pools, water slide, diving board - all my kids need to keep them busy for hours.  And we left just in time to miss the rain.

http://www.marc4fun.com/

Day 14 - Covered Bridges

Ashtabula County, right across the border into Ohio, is home to 16 covered bridges.  One day in October, about 12 years ago, Jim and I went with some family members to a festival we thought sounded like fun - the Covered Bridge Festival (always the second weekend in October).  After enjoying some festivities at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, we got a map of all the covered bridges in the county.  We went to several and took great fall pictures.  We have been visiting the bridges ever since.  We always go in the fall, but sometimes we like to see the bridges in different seasons.  So today we took that opportunity.

We always go to the Caine Road bridge.  It is the best place to take fall pictures because there is a pond there that reflects the colors of the leaves.  We decided to skip that one today, so we started at the South Denmark bridge.  We then moved on to Netcher Road bridge and finished at Giddings Road Bridge.  I suppose we could have seen more, but our goal was not to hurry.  At each bridge, we stopped to take pictures, geocache, and just explore.  At the South Denmark Bridge, Jim and the kids went underneath the bridge to throw some rocks into the creek.  At the Netcher Road Bridge, we found a dead frog and some really cool green, blue, and red rocks.  If you are a geocacher, I believe there is a geocache at each bridge.  Most are micro caches. 

If you want to get photos from different angles, Jim suggests wearing jeans - the grass at Netcher was high and scratchy.  And our flip flops weren't exactly the best shoes to be walking around in that stuff.  Although...flip flops are a good idea if you want to actually walk in any of the creeks.  What can I say, covered bridges are not just pretty to look at; for us, they are an event. 

And to end our event, where else would we eat but at Covered Bridge Pizza in Andover, Ohio?!  This restaurant is actually a real covered bridge, or at least half of it.  In 1972, Ashtabula County sold the bridge for $5.  It sat in storage for a few years but eventually half became a pizza place in North Kingsville and the other half the pizza place in Andover.  And of course, I can't go there without thinking of eating the pizza with my family.  When we vacationed in this area when I was a kid, I always looked forward to the one day of the week we ate pizza from the Covered Bridge.  When I told my sister what we did tonight, she asked if the pizza still had the "sausage balls" on it.  Clearly a little nostalgic for her, too.   http://www.coveredbridgepizza.com/#!

If you are interested, here is a link to the covered bridges in OH - http://www.coveredbridgefestival.org/bridges.htm.  From this webpage, you can request a map of the bridges.  I suggest this.  Sure, you can print one from the net, but it's not nearly as good.  Today we went a little out of our way when going to the third bridge because of our inadequate map.  And those of you with kids know what it's like when you have to spend too much time with them in a car.

South Denmark bridge.  Imagine this picture in the fall!



The side of South Denmark

Netcher Road bridge

Giddings Road bridge



being silly



Our last stop!

Day 13 - Garage sales and party day!!!!

This is the perfect Saturday (or Friday) morning:  get up around 7:30 am; throw on some comfy clothes; go to the local convenience store and pick up a newspaper and a breakfast sandwich on a pretzel bun; head out to the garage sales.  AWESOME!  Today's treasures - Tony Horton's 10 minute workouts on DVD for 50 cents...the entire Eragon series for $1.25...torch lights brand new in unopened boxes for $5 a pair.  Really, the universe throws exactly what I need at the time into the garage sales I visit.  I just repainted the deck and got great new furniture, and as I was sitting out yesterday I told Jim that I wanted to find some kind of outdoor lighting...and one day later- BAM - there it is at a garage sale.

This evening was party time.  We went to a graduation party first at the new Dockside in Conneaut Lake Park.  If you have a chance to go to an event there - go - it is gorgeous!!  Then we went to a summer party at a friend's house.  What a great time - had a chance to catch up with some fellow teachers and other friends, and it was great to see all the kids playing.  The evening ended with a fireworks display that left me in awe - truly.

I am thankful today for an all-around beautiful day!  And as busy as everyone seems to be all the time, I am thankful that my friends go through the trouble to throw this big party to get people together, and I am thankful that we are invited to attend.

Day 12 - Wagon Trails

How about a safari in Ohio?!  Wagon Trails Animal Park in Vienna, OH, 10 miles outside of Youngstown, is AWESOME!  Ben went there on a field trip in 3rd grade and has wanted us to go there as a family ever since.  It was about an hour drive from our house in Conneaut Lake.  When we boarded the truck, it was hard to believe that we were about to see over 350 animals from six continents.  Each person on the ride received a bucket of feed, and the truck stopped about 7 or 8 times along the one-hour ride.  The guy driving the truck was a great tour guide.  He described some of the animals by name and described their personalities.  He knew exactly where the baby animals were and when they were born.  He described very clearly how to feed each group of animals we encountered. 

To feed most animals, all we had to do is sprinkle the feed into their open mouths.  It was absolutely the coolest thing.  At every stop of the truck, there was a virtual stampede of animals heading for us, antelope, elk, buffalo, camels, you name it.  The animals also stick their heads into the truck and feed off the floor under your feet; most of the time, they don't really care if your legs are in the way.  Out of all the animals, the only ones we could not pet were the zebras and the ostriches.  When else in my life will I ever be able to feel the velvety antlers of the elk?  Or to pet a camel's head?  Or to rub a donkey's ears or a water buffalo's head? 

Jim didn't go, but we took my mother, and I have to say that this place is also very handicap friendly.  There are no steps, and we could park very close.  Shoot, there was even a handicap portapotty!  The only disadvantage is that it is a little pricey.  The cost for an adult is 14.95, and for a child, 10.95.  That included the safari ride and the feed and a separate petting zoo to explore either before or after the ride.  Total we spent about two hours there.  On the bright side, if you go to their website, you can print a coupon for $2 off each admission. (http://www.wagontrails.com/) I think I can say this is a trip that the kids will remember!

Here comes the stampede.

This guy's head was bigger than my mother's legs.

Feeding under the seats

We're coming!  Feed us!

Look at that tongue!

This baby donkey is only one week old.

Feeding these guys was actually a little scary!

Day 11 - Farmer's Market

Today the fun was all mine.  Our Lady Queen of the Americas, the Catholic church in Conneaut Lake is home to a farmer's market every Thursday from 2 - 6.  This is the first year for it.  I really would like to see it become a success.  I was a little disappointed when I pulled into the parking lot and saw that there were only about a dozen vendors.  However, I have to say that I found some treasures.  There was a guy there from Saegertown who was selling everything maple - maple syrup, maple sugar, dip mixes with maple, maple barbecue sauce, spicy maple mustard...you get the picture.  Another booth featured homemade cheeses sold by some Menonites - garlic dill was the yummiest.  An Amish lady was selling baked goods; I took home some homemade bread.  I bought some cinnamon swirl bread and some zucchini bread at another booth.   I know, carb overload.  It's worth it.  There were also a few crafters.  One woman was there selling beach glass jewelry at a very reasonable price.  My neighbor picked up a necklace and a bracelet set for two dollars.   I even had a chance to chat with a retired colleague, who also had a booth.

The farmer's market was very small today but still well worth going to.  I really hope that it catches on and becomes more popular, both for vendors and for customers.  

Day 10 - The Beach at Presque

Today was the perfect day for the beach.  We are so lucky to live 45 minutes from Lake Erie.  When I was a kid, we vacationed in Pymatuning and always spent one day of our week's vacation at Presque.  It's easy to pretend you're at the ocean.  Soft sand, waves, and not being able to see all the way across the lake create that illusion.

There is so much to do around Presque Isle State Park that I could probably complete my entire 30-day project in that vacinity.  I'll leave some of that for another day.  Today we went to the park with another family.  On the way, we stopped at Little Caesar's and picked up three pizzas.  Now that's a picnic.  Three adults and five children ate for under $20, and I didn't have to spend a bunch of time making sandwiches for everyone.  The kids had a blast in the water.  And of course I could count on Jim to go in and play with the kids....and throw them around...and get yelled at by the lifeguard!  :-) 

For those of you familiar with Presque, we went to beach 7 and then went to the playground area after the beach.  The sand isn't as smooth as I remember in other parts of the park, but it's a good one if you need handicap accessibility, and it's nice because of the playground.  Normally we go to beach 6, which we like for the concession area and the nice bathrooms.  Anyone who knows Presque, I would live to hear which beach you normally frequent and why.

Ben was very sad because we did not make time to go to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center.  Now that place is a great free attraction.  You can go to the top of this tower and see great views of the lake.  Inside it's basically a small museum.  And geocachers, yep, there's one there, too.  Next time we venture to Erie, we will take advantage of some of those other attractions...we'll fill you in when we do!

A random picture of the beach. 

Look, waves!

Ben loves to get thrown.

I think this was right before the lifeguard yelled.