This was Sawyer at 7am at JFK after an all night flight from Seattle (he slept the whole flight). He was an amazing little traveler! He got many a compliment on his dinosaur pjs as he roamed the airport during our 2 hour layover. Then, as we got settled for the last leg of our trip - to Buffalo - he fell asleep again. Seriously, I had fretted about traveling so far and for so long with my active little guy. He amazed me with his flexibility and willingness to roll with the punches during our 2 weeks of travel on the East Coast.Our first stop: Orchard Park, New York
Jacob's Grandma Saville lives in Orchard Park. It's a smallish town about 15 minutes from Buffalo. She has lived there her entire life, as did her husband. She lives in the same house she raised her family in - an old, warm, and inviting home on quite a few acres, on which land is grown produce for the store she helps run with her son. Uncle Jeff & Aunt Molly live just a stones throw from Grandma. We had a wonderful time visiting them and their 3 teenagers - all of whom were wonderful with Sawyer. The Savilles have lived so long in Orchard Park, that the street Grandma lives on bears the name "Saville". It was quite a treat to go spend some time with Grandma Saville.
Our first day, we just rested up a bit from our journey, and visited. Sawyer helped us explore her old house. Grandma's house is filled with all the things Grandmas should have: little trinkets and interesting gadgets. Antiques of different sorts, stacks of newspapers and magazines, and, of course, many old toys waiting to be played with. I'm pretty sure Jacob's mom played with these toys when she was a little girl. I loved how old and nostalgic these toys were. They lured Sawyer right in - he was so busy with the toys and buckets of small random toys Grandma had for him to play with he completely neglected the pile of magazines (at home he loves to tear up magazines and try to eat them). Again, I was amazed our little son was such a great house guest.
As I looked at everything, all the trinkets and so forth, I felt so warm and comfortable. I thought of my own Grandmothers' homes. I thought how I am such a minimalist - what kind of trinkets would I ever have around for when I have grandchildren when I don't like trinkets in my own home? Perhaps one day I should start some sort of a collection...
The following day, Grandma went to help out at the florist shop (Saville's, of course!) as Mother's Day was quickly approaching and they needed a lot of help filling all of the orders. So, we went sight-seeing.
Next stop: Niagara Falls
We all put on our ponchos and took a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist. We got misty all together :)
Later in the day, on the Canadian side, we went to a Butterfly Sanctuary and Botanical Garden. It was heavenly having all of those delicate and beautiful little creatures - hundreds of them - fluttering all around us.
The next day we hung out and ran a few errands getting ready for Mother's Day. Then, we visited Saville's - the market and the florist shops. We met some of Jacob's extended family. Uncle Jeff took us out to see the land, and into the greenhouse to see some of the herbs, flowers, and plants growing. It was windy and cold outside, but oh-so-warm in the greenhouse. It sure would be nice to have a greenhouse. I think I'd set up a hammock and a kiddie pool, and then grow flowers and tomatoes and herbs in the rest.
On Mother's Day, Sawyer & Jacob left our room and came back with smiles. Sawyer toddled over to me with a card in hand. My sweet boys! They gave me a gift certificate to the Gap (flowers don't travel well). Jacob got up early and made a wonderful breakfast for me and Grandma Saville. He made coffeecake, bacon, and eggs. Grandma told me to never have breakfast in bed on Mother's Day - she said she didn't like it because her kids would bring her breakfast, and then she'd be left all alone in bed eating her breakfast. She has a point! If it's going to be in bed, I say make it a party and have everyone join in! We enjoyed breakfast and then said our good-byes. It was a short and sweet visit. We had a lot of driving to do...pretty much across the entire state of New York. We did take one break during our 10 hour drive...(Sawyer was perfectly happy 9.5 hours - it was the last half hour he had enough - could you blame him? I had also had enough by that time!)
Next stop: Palmyra, New York (aka The Sacred Grove)
This is a LDS Church Historic Site. It was a great resting place on our journey. In fact, we were the only ones visiting! I used to imagine this spot as a small clearing in a thick of trees - but in actuality, it's a series of trails intertwined in a forested grove. There are so many trails, that we even got turned around for a few minutes! Sawyer enjoyed "walking" in the grove. He likes to hold our hands and walk everywhere these days.
I had a marvelous time watching the scenery fly by as we zoomed across the state of New York. It is truly a beautiful place. Lots of farmland, big, old, well-kept homes. Red barns against fields of green grass. Tiny towns through the Adirondacks. We passed occasional waterfalls and even part of the Hudson River. There were many pictures I would have loved to take, if not for the fact that we called ahead and realized we might miss the ferry to Vermont. No time to stop. We raced through backwoods praying that there would truly be a ferry there and that we wouldn't get caught in a long line. This is what we found in Essex, NY...
A ferry unlike we've ever seen before (very much UNlike Washington State Ferries - where you can spend several hours waiting in line). First, we were the only ones there. On the edge of Lake Champlain, in a town so small there wasn't even a hotel to stay in should we have missed the ferry. But we waited, because the schedule said the ferry would leave at 8:30 and we had 20 minutes to see if that were true. Luckily, another car pulled in and confirmed we were indeed in the right place. If the ferry were full, it would have held 12 cars maximum. As it was, there were 3. It was a beautiful little ride over to Charlotte, VT. and then on to meet up with my family in Burlington, and then - finally - arriving at our resort in Stowe. Whew!
Part II of our adventure soon to come!
The following day, Grandma went to help out at the florist shop (Saville's, of course!) as Mother's Day was quickly approaching and they needed a lot of help filling all of the orders. So, we went sight-seeing.
Next stop: Niagara Falls
I don't have a lot of words to describe Niagara Falls. It is breathtaking, and beautiful. The Canadian side is by far better kept up and cared for, but any which way you look at them: they are quite spectacular.
I came to Niagara Falls by myself on a solo road trip about 7 years ago. When I asked for someone to take my picture by the falls, she said "honey, why are you here all alone?" I then had to explain that I wanted to travel and see things and just because I was single I wasn't going to let that stop me. Of course, in my heart, I wanted to have a travel companion. Someone to get misty with when we went so close to the falls on the boat. I never ever imagined I'd return one day with my handsome husband and adorable son.
I came to Niagara Falls by myself on a solo road trip about 7 years ago. When I asked for someone to take my picture by the falls, she said "honey, why are you here all alone?" I then had to explain that I wanted to travel and see things and just because I was single I wasn't going to let that stop me. Of course, in my heart, I wanted to have a travel companion. Someone to get misty with when we went so close to the falls on the boat. I never ever imagined I'd return one day with my handsome husband and adorable son.
We all put on our ponchos and took a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist. We got misty all together :)
Later in the day, on the Canadian side, we went to a Butterfly Sanctuary and Botanical Garden. It was heavenly having all of those delicate and beautiful little creatures - hundreds of them - fluttering all around us.
The next day we hung out and ran a few errands getting ready for Mother's Day. Then, we visited Saville's - the market and the florist shops. We met some of Jacob's extended family. Uncle Jeff took us out to see the land, and into the greenhouse to see some of the herbs, flowers, and plants growing. It was windy and cold outside, but oh-so-warm in the greenhouse. It sure would be nice to have a greenhouse. I think I'd set up a hammock and a kiddie pool, and then grow flowers and tomatoes and herbs in the rest.
On Mother's Day, Sawyer & Jacob left our room and came back with smiles. Sawyer toddled over to me with a card in hand. My sweet boys! They gave me a gift certificate to the Gap (flowers don't travel well). Jacob got up early and made a wonderful breakfast for me and Grandma Saville. He made coffeecake, bacon, and eggs. Grandma told me to never have breakfast in bed on Mother's Day - she said she didn't like it because her kids would bring her breakfast, and then she'd be left all alone in bed eating her breakfast. She has a point! If it's going to be in bed, I say make it a party and have everyone join in! We enjoyed breakfast and then said our good-byes. It was a short and sweet visit. We had a lot of driving to do...pretty much across the entire state of New York. We did take one break during our 10 hour drive...(Sawyer was perfectly happy 9.5 hours - it was the last half hour he had enough - could you blame him? I had also had enough by that time!)Next stop: Palmyra, New York (aka The Sacred Grove)
This is a LDS Church Historic Site. It was a great resting place on our journey. In fact, we were the only ones visiting! I used to imagine this spot as a small clearing in a thick of trees - but in actuality, it's a series of trails intertwined in a forested grove. There are so many trails, that we even got turned around for a few minutes! Sawyer enjoyed "walking" in the grove. He likes to hold our hands and walk everywhere these days.
I had a marvelous time watching the scenery fly by as we zoomed across the state of New York. It is truly a beautiful place. Lots of farmland, big, old, well-kept homes. Red barns against fields of green grass. Tiny towns through the Adirondacks. We passed occasional waterfalls and even part of the Hudson River. There were many pictures I would have loved to take, if not for the fact that we called ahead and realized we might miss the ferry to Vermont. No time to stop. We raced through backwoods praying that there would truly be a ferry there and that we wouldn't get caught in a long line. This is what we found in Essex, NY...
A ferry unlike we've ever seen before (very much UNlike Washington State Ferries - where you can spend several hours waiting in line). First, we were the only ones there. On the edge of Lake Champlain, in a town so small there wasn't even a hotel to stay in should we have missed the ferry. But we waited, because the schedule said the ferry would leave at 8:30 and we had 20 minutes to see if that were true. Luckily, another car pulled in and confirmed we were indeed in the right place. If the ferry were full, it would have held 12 cars maximum. As it was, there were 3. It was a beautiful little ride over to Charlotte, VT. and then on to meet up with my family in Burlington, and then - finally - arriving at our resort in Stowe. Whew!Part II of our adventure soon to come!
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