Road Trip

Just back from a terrific weeklong road trip to the midwest with my son, the last week of a three week vacation.  Spent the first week in the studio, the second with my girlfriend, and the last driving out to Ohia with my son via rte 80.  Spent a couple days in Toledo and a few more at a lakeErieside cottage in Vermilion, courtesy of my sister.  Took my son to Cedar Point for the first time ever, which was my first visit in at least 20 years.  We loved the Iron Dragon and the Gemini. And Cedar Downs. He got plenty of quality cousin time both with Wii and on the beach, and we also visited the always fantastic Toledo Zoo.  Just a great time all week.  Driving rte 80 always makes me think of my father as I made the drive with him a few times to go get one of my brothers in college out east, and one time we made the drive I had only just gotten my learner's permit and he was teaching me a few rules of the road, especially in regards to all those trucks you have to deal with on that route.  Thanks to my family and especially my mom and sister for a great, great trip.  And to my son, who is a great traveler. 

happy happy

Busy summer so far, and by far the highlight was my nephew's wedding last Saturday. Long road trip to Ohia, lotsa family, canoe misadventures, blue herons everywhere. Seriously, on the blue herons thing. Anyway, my son was ring bearer, my nephew's two sisters and brother were also in the wedding, and the bride is wonderful. All the best to them, and they know who they are [I don't post names of friends and family here]. And thanks to them, and her family, and my brother and sister in law, for a beautiful weekend.

Ohio, or alternate reality?

Nice visit to Toledo last week. Lots of good stuff. Family, of course. Nieces, nephews, ballgames. Saw Star Trek, and liked it. Great bbq from Cleveland, courtesy of my oldest brother. A couple visits to the zoo, where one of my nieces works. I grew up in Toledo, so it's always got those great memories, but it feels different and like home all at once, now that I've spent eighteen years in Brooklyn, longer than I've lived anywhere at one stretch, so that I can kind of see an alternate reality there, a road I could've taken and am not really sure why or how I didn't, except that I love New York too much. Whoa, that last sentence makes me dizzy.

My son gets the biggest kicks out of his cousins and uncles and aunts and grandma. He absolutely idolizes the youngest of the Toledo cousins, who's thirteen. At one point he says to me he wishes we could live there, but we'd have to go back and get the cat and the fishes. And I say we'd have to get our own house, but he doesn't see why we couldn't just live in his grandma's house.

Anyway, it was great to see everybody, and we're trying to figure out if we can get back some time sooner than December.