You’d be surprised how many Americans confuse “Ohio” and “Idaho” (and “Iowa,” too, for that matter). I guess it’s the vowel sounds. And perhaps the stereotype we’re all in some sense backwater. But the regions are very distinct: in climate, … Continue reading
Olympic National Park has been within range of our base of operations in the Pacific Northwest. But just barely. The southernmost portions of the park can be reached with about two hours of driving. Some of the more interesting sites, … Continue reading
We visited Seattle today. Our family defaulted to the role of “tourist” in almost every way — dutifully parking near the famous Pike Place Market and spending the better part of the afternoon wandering from there to the Space Needle. … Continue reading
Take a left in Streetsboro, go about 2,500 miles west, and you can’t miss it. Getting to Washington State and the Pacific Northwest is that simple, with the United States’ Interstate highway system. But our family took the long way. … Continue reading
We’ve been on the road for several days now. This has amounted to hours and hours of together time. Which was kind of the goal, of course. Still, it’s a lot of hours. About 40 hours of dedicated drive time, … Continue reading
It’s been a great week in the Great Smoky Mountains. The weather has been nearly perfect, with no rain and temperatures mostly in the 70s. The size of our group has felt ideal for this experience. There are a lot … Continue reading
We’re in the midst of a hard freeze here in Ohio. For the past two weeks, we haven’t gotten more than a degree or two above freezing — and even those “spikes” in temperature were only for the briefest stretches … Continue reading
I know that January and February are the hardest months for a lot of people around here. They don’t like the darkness, the deep freeze, the boredom… And I get it. I also find myself longing for Spring. But I … Continue reading
We gathered together with Marci’s family in Richland County for Christmas Day. Which we always do. But we did it out in the farmyard this year, instead of inside the farmhouse. Which, actually, we have done under certain conditions: if … Continue reading
My parents, my sister’s family, and my family gathered together for Christmas Eve. Which we always do. But we did it in our driveway. Which we never do. I’m not going to pretend like it was “pure magic,” even with … Continue reading