Iowa

Iowa

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Road Trip '09

Here we are, back in the 'burgh. Yes, I believe I did see Tim in Virginia, but I can't be sure since he was surrounded by hotel security.
The weather was perfect for the beginning of the trip. We sailed along, singing merrily, anticipating a wonderful trip. Called Bird and said how well things were going...and then...traffic.
Who would think that at noon on a Friday cars would be lined up around DC for over an hour. No, there wasn't an accident, it was just a mess. But we got through that and rolled along again. We arrived in Williamsburg somewhere around three. Our room was ready and so was the pool. Kids played in the pool for a couple of hours, then off to dinner. Spilled milk, but no other disaster, and off to bed to anticipate a wonderful day at historic Williamsburg.
Not.
It was 86 degrees when we woke up. We ate breakfast and headed out. Arrived at the visitor's center, got our passes and were off to explore. By this time I think it was 98 degrees. Grumpiness ensued. We went into a few buildings, only because they were air conditioned. Monkeyboy wanted to take a carriage ride, but they were taking the horses off the street at 11:00 because of the heat. I was impressed with that...Monkeyboy was not.
We left soon after that for another afternoon of swimming. And then went to explore the town a bit. Again, an extremely hot day. Don't know what I was expecting, but the heat and humidity were awful.
Then we discovered Yorktown. What a charming place! We walked around for a bit, then decided to take the free trolly tour around the town. It stopped at the Visitor's Center and we had to sit and wait for about 20 minutes for a bus to arrive. Children (not our party) were getting cranky and it was hot...did I mention that? Bean mentioned that she thought she saw lightening, and she did! We finally began to move and the sky became darker as we moved through the town. There was a woman in a wheelchair who had to get off, and apparently, the driver of the trolley car wasn't real familiar with how to operate the lift. It took three or four times of jostling this poor woman up and down to figure it out. Meanwhile, the sky was getting darker and large drops of rain began to fall. Did I mention the lightening? The driver told the woman to back up a bit which the woman did, and almost fell off the lift. It was not a pretty sight. She did finally get off and her husband raced her to the car.
We were the only ones left, and the rain got more serious, as did the lightening. We picked up a couple who were drenched and dropped them off. We were dropped at the parking lot and raced to the van. The wind was howling, the rain coming down in sheets and trees were bending to touch the ground. We decided to wait it out and I was glad we did. As we headed back to the hotel the roads were close to being flooded and there were a lot of trees down. We did see a rainbow, but were not successful in getting a picture of it.
Back to Yorktown the next day and to the beach. 86 degrees at 8:00 in the morning. We had a great time at the beach in spite of the jelly fish. Bean began to build a sand castle, but with no help from anyone, she decided to cheat. See results at the right.
We made a decision to head to the farm. I went to use the computer in the business center and there was a young girl using it along with a gentleman. I asked if they would be long and said I would come back. An hour later the young girl was still on the computer and another gentleman was there. I asked how much longer they would be and the gentleman said he had just logged on and the sweet young thing said she didn't know. I told her I would be back in ten minutes to use it and she said ok. I came back in twenty minutes only to find her still on it and another person on the second one. She said she would be a little longer, and I said I needed it and I would wait until she finished up. Then I pulled a chair right beside her and waited. She got the hint. Why do people think they have the right to use one of two computers in a business center for hours at a time?????
Got a reservation at the farm and we headed for Lancaster the next day. How wonderul to sit in the orchard in the cool breeze and enjoy a good book while the kids played with kittens and jumped on the trampoline!
An interesting group at the farm this year...a man in special forces in the army, a family from Germany, a Chaplain from a state prison in New York and of course...us!
It was a great road trip and except for the heat, darn near perfect! Have a great Sunday.

23 comments:

Angela said...

Mia, what a great blog! I loved it. Made me laugh. How great that you were flexible enough to change the plans and do for the kids. I love Bean's sandcastle! How funny is that. Welcome back and glad you had a safe trip.

SocialWorker2 said...

Welcome home, mia. We missed you. The farm sounds wonderful. Love the pictures. You do seem to find the most peaceful spots.

Shelly said...

The south is nice, but too hot for me. I'm glad you found the beach at Yorktown. It's small and more quiet than VA beach or some of the other ones. And cleaner. I love the story about the computer hog. I have run into that myself when traveling. They need to put up a sign limiting the time! Your approach was perfect.

bean said...

Thank you sooo much for taking us on the road trip, Mia!! I had a blast.

ginger said...

As always, your road trip sounds like you all enjoyed it. We enjoy hearing about it and seeing the pictures. I, of course, love the beaver. It doesn't look like the heat bothered him a bit. Mia, you should have left him take over in the traffic jam.

Bean's sand castle looks great to me as I am not very inventive and she sure is. Glad you stood your ground with the computer hog. I know you could have taken her.

Thanks again for the entertaining blog.

Nate said...

Went down to Williamsburg years ago (many years ago, when I was a kid). I don't remember much about it except how hot it was. Maybe May or June would be better! Sounds like you had a great time anyway. Love the pictures, especially of the Beaver. I'm with you, Bean, would never have the patience to build a sandcastle.

SassySam said...

MIA'S BACK! Glad you had a safe trip and it is so good to see another blog. So you think you saw Tim? Well, Mia, did you get a picture? Even if there were security guards, we may have been able to catch a glimpse of him. And curiousity...did you do any shopping on the trip? One is always excited to search out a new mall.

Elizabeth said...

I don't like the beach much, too much sand and I don't like it when I can't see my feet in the water. I do like Bean's castle though. I'm with going to the beach in May or early June, less crowded and cooler.

Cathy said...

We are going to the beach next week, and I love the hot weather! And the sand and the smell of the ocean. Glad you had a safe trip mia, and your post was great!

Another Original by Tamara said...

You are creating precious memories for the kids, Mia. I remember Williamsburg being very hot as a child. Even Dad, the history buff, got cranky.

Does anyone else remember silly sand? When I went to the beach I would spend hours squishing the stuff thru my fingers and sculpting the sand. The guys here on the blog Mia, really want to see Tim in his teeny weenie bikini. Hope you caught his good angle.

JD said...

I laughed at your post, Mia. Can I go on the road trip next year? I think everyone who has ever gone to Williamsburg gets cranky. My parents did, and so did I. I didn't find it interesting then, but I think I would now.

Ben said...

Welcome home, Mia and kids. Sounds like a great trip in spite of the weather. I have only been to the beach once, and hope to get back at some point. Nothing like the sunrise sitting on the beach. It's been hot here also, but seems to be cooling off for the night anyway. Just gettting ready to sell the house and it hasn't been fun in the heat we have had! Love the picture of the beaver in sunglasses, brought a smile to my weary face....and no, Tamara, have no desire to see Tim in a bikini.

Twigs said...

I never liked the beach much either. Never had silly sand, Tamara. What a story about the woman trying to get the person off the trolley. How frightening that must have been for the passenger. You would think they would train them better.

Jessica said...

Great to see you had a safe trip, and welcome back. I had silly sand and I loved it! So Tim was escorted from the pool area? Seems very unfair to me. Let's boycott that hotel.

Jen said...

I wonder what she was doing on the computer for that long! Good job in getting her off. My kids have a half hour limit, and that's closely monitored. Some frightening things happen when kids are on there all the time.

Anonymous2 said...

It's great to log in and see a post from Mia. Sounds like a great trip Mia, in spite of the heat. The farm sounds like a wonderful place and it does look very peaceful. Where is it in PA? We may have to consider taking a trip there.

Tim said...

I resent being escorted from the pool area. My suit was totally appropriate and I ended up having to sneak in after hours so that I could cool off. I showed them!

Wacky Mommy said...

I can't believe it was hotter here than it was there -- got to 107 what the heck? So much for cool Portland, Ore.

Glad you made lemonade outta lemons again, Mia. Love the sand castle. Tell Monkeyboy that the ASPCA was originally formed because of cruelty to horses.

Here, he can do a project for school -- http://www.aspca.org/about-us/history.html

Bill said...

That's hot Wacky Mommy! Hope you have air conditioning. We don't get that hot weather here in the 'burgh, but maybe I should just keep my mouth shut in case it is thinking of coming East. Your trip sounds great, mia. Good for you and your flexibility.

Chilly Kitty said...

Hot, Ben? Here in Pittsburgh? I have been freezing all summer!!! And my cannas are not blooming so well either. Very traumatic.

Allie (cat) said...

Poor Tim, we will boycott that hotel from now on. They weren't nice to one of us and they will pay for it. Wonder which hotel it was! If we ever find out, we will boycott it.

Anonymous said...

Traveling with kids for a week is not my idea of a vacation, but glad you had a safe trip.

ginger said...

Poor Tim, did you wear your bikini or a speedo? Appropiate is in the eye of the beholder!