We were a bit nervous about the ride out there as it would be Owen's first 'real' road trip. While we were taking 2 days to get out there, it was the first time he had been in the car for that long. It could go smoothly, or it could go terribly. It ended up being great! We planned our longer driving periods around Owen's naps and stopped when we needed to eat and to nurse.
The first day we drove from my mom's in Lake Zurich to Edinobro, PA. We stayed with some wonderful family friends, the Grants, who were very generous to let us stay the night before they took their own road trip the opposite way towards the Chicago area. Ann and Gary (and Elisa) are fabulous hosts. We had a comfortable bed to sleep in, toys for Owen to play with and a delicious send off breakfast to get us on our way. It was wonderful to see them, even if for a short visit.
We then made it to Himrod, NY. This year, as we did last year, we stayed at Kelly's parents house on the West side of Seneca Lake. Their little cottage is a cozy place right on the water.
Similar to last year, I'm pretty sure it was the hottest week of the summer. With highs everyday in the mid 90's, it was HOT! The cottage doesn't have AC, so we spent most of our time outside trying to catch the lake breeze or in the car. Owen was a trooper and did pretty well. With all the fans we had, Owen's morning nap was cool enough, but by the afternoon, our room was too hot to sleep in. So, we drove around. Owen sleeps really well in the car, so for most days, we would load up the car and drive around for a couple of hours while Owen took his afternoon nap. The area is so gorgeous and we like getting to know the lakes and towns, so we didn't mind. We would then come home and spend some time in the lake. The water was 76 degrees at one point, very warm and perfect to spend a hot afternoon swimming in.
This year, we did some house hunting. If you read about our first trip to the lake (here), you know our dream is to turn some land we have there into a camp. With that being the plan, we are dreaming of making the move out there one day. With our family in mind, we are looking for the best place to raise a family. Before this trip, we really liked Geneva. The schools there aren't the best though so we were looking for somewhere else we could plant some roots. This trip we found Canandaigua. As a far suburb of Rochester, the schools are better, there is a lot of growth (they even have a Starbucks and Bed, Bath & Beyond) and a really cute downtown area. We spent the last couple of days touring that little town and dreaming of houses we could have there.
As always, it was a very relaxing trip. We hope to go again next summer. Here are some pictures from the trip.
Enjoying the view from the lake room.
Ready for the lake!
Not so sure about the lake even though he had a sweet float.
Swimming with mommy.
A view of the lake, doesn't even look real.
Owen and Daddy floating on the lake.
Grampy enjoying the lake. We did a lot of this all week.
Grampy and Owen.
Fiona and Owen. We did a lot of this-naked playing.
Such a handsome boy trying to stay cool.
Lake living-swimwear on the clothes line.
Owen and Grandpa Jack.
The patio where we spent most of our time.
Fiona-just a good and pretty dog.
Our family.
The whole group!
We could get use to spending out summer like that.
