A Good Day!

We drove up to Erie earlier this week for a back-to-school shopping marathon at the mall. Why was it such a good day?
1) 3G all day!
2) No sales tax on clothes.
3) Done getting kids clothes, shoes, cleats and shin guards.
4) Found a pair of my discontinued running shoes (that I have been unable to find at any other store or online).
5) Tart frozen yogurt.
6) Starbucks.
I definitely felt like I stepped off the farm and found myself back in civilization.

Dog Grooming Class

The owner of The Pooch Parlor agreed to give us a lesson along with Sport's grooming today. I learned a lot. Mainly that grooming is best left to the professionals. I haven't even been bathing Sport correctly!

Before




Nails




Bath




Drying




And, this is where we got sidetracked. You'll see why I forgot to get an after picture. The groomer breeds Cocker Spaniels and has two pups about to turn 8 weeks old. Just look at this face!




We're trying hard to persuade my brother and sister-in-law to get one of these darling girls.

Heatwave

The heatwave has FINALLY passed. I thought we were going to melt last week!

Cambridge Springs and The Riverside Inn

We braved the heat today and drove to Cambridge Springs for lunch and exploring. It's only about 40 minutes away, but other than Campbell Pottery, we've never gone to Cambridge Springs.

Along the way, the three Hodges Sisters couldn't resist having their picture taken in front of Hodges Lane.





I can't really say that I've never been to Cambridge Springs. The very first time that I visited Conneaut Lake, when Bob and I were dating, his family surprised me with a group outing to The Riverside Inn's dinner theater. It was a Medieval themed meal and performance, complete with food like giant turkey drumsticks, but lacking utensils of any kind. Maybe it took me twenty years to get over that and finally return to The Riverside Inn.

The front door to the Inn. Cambridge Springs used to be a popular destination for the wealthy because of it's natural springs. The only remaining hotel, The Riverside Inn has been operating for 125 years.















Lunch in the dining room.





I ordered a Mediterranean salad. It arrived complete with red onions, olives, feta cheese and sweet potato fries. This shouldn't surprise me since fries are common on salads in Western Pennsylvania.





The hotel still uses old room keys.

Family in Town

Just as my side of the family left, Bob's family arrived. His brother, dad and dad's wife were all in town for the weekend. It's been awhile since we've seen them, especially Larry, and it was wonderful to catch up.






On the boat.










A magical evening at Barb and Chas' beautiful cottage.

Baby Bird Update - Chimney Swifts

I'm happy to report that all four chimney swift babies are doing well. Apparently insectivores need to eat quite frequently. Every 20 minutes or so we hear the mom or dad fly down the chimney where they're greeted with loud squawks. One by one, the babies quiet as they're fed, then mom or dad flies back out the chimney. In fact, we've learned that as soon as the last baby is silent we can rush outside as watch the parent fly out of our chimney.
About one a day we peek behind our wooden screen. Yesterday we discovered that their eyes are open! The pin feathers are also starting to unfurl into feathers.

Woolly Mammoth 5k

My mom, the kids and I ran in the Conneaut Lake Historical Society's Woolly Mammoth 5k on Saturday. It was the same grueling cross-country course as last year - through steep forest paths, over uneven terrain and across (numerous times) streams.

New this year- the Woolly Mammoth!







And we're off...







I was definitely humbled this race. Despite my regular running, I was outrun by two of my three (non-running) kids. Kate and I were together just past the two mile mark when we heard something coming at us from behind. Out of nowhere, William, in his Keens I might add, sprinted ahead of us and was the first in our family to cross the finish line. I should have known we were in trouble when we left for the race and he said, "Ihope you had a light breakfast (dramatic pause) because you'll be eating my dust all day!" He later said that his only goal had been to beat Kate. We're now two days post-race and the poor kid is still sore.







Kate and William each finished 3rd in the 17 and under group. My mom was first in her age group! I'm such a nice daughter that I won't even say what that age group is or how many were in the group.

Our three medalists received beautiful etched glass medals.







There is an incredible old barn at the start/finish line.