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. 

Niagara Falls

The falls themselves are a thrilling sight. To get close on the Maid of the Mist or on one of the tunnel walks is a pretty awe-inspiring experience. I'd advise you to skip the cheesy '4-D' Fury of Niagara CGI movie, though. We also had a lunch up in the Skylon Tower, a massive and strange cement tower with a weird, Battlestarish name, and though the food was nothing special, the view in the revolving restaurant was great. And the elevator ride was fun, too.

We stayed in a crowded camping complex full of tents and RV's and cabins. Kind of like the good camp in The Grapes of Wrath. We had a cabin. I got to cook out most nights, and even succeeded in making a couple campfires. Gotta love fire. We had no plumbing in the cabin, so it was a shortish walk to the toilets and showers. There was also a swimming pool and waterpark, a playground and a small arcade. It was great fun.

A short walk from the Falls is Clifton Hill, a jarring and cheesy stretch of shiny tourist trap amusements, even worse than today's 42nd street. Ripley's, a House of Frankenstein, a Dracula's Castle, Wax Galleries, and so on. I wasn't expecting that kind of stuff, but it's good cheesy fun. We didn't get the chance to spend any money there, which is fine.

A funny mix of small town and touristy junk and natural wonder.

And the drive up was nice, we took 17 to Elmira, then up to Rochester and over to Buffalo. What a great big beautiful state New York is.

kid's eye view

My son wanted to use the camera. This is a five year old's perspective on the Niagara rapids.

more Falls

night photos

Some vacation pics, taken at dusk or at night, around the cabin where we stayed.

Niagara

Had a great week off. We drove to Niagara Falls.

Spring Lake, New Jersey

all 2003, oil on canvas, 22x28in.

Down the shore, everything's all right. My wife and I went to Spring Lake back in 2003, the summer before our son was born, and we're all going back this year--our big little summer trip. I'm not sure I'll get any painting done this time, maybe some watercolors, but most of the time I'll be playing in the sand and surf, I'm sure. Last time, we had the latest Harry Potter to read, this time I think I'll be taking a book about Hollywood by Garson Kanin [started reading it in the doctor's office yesterday and am hooked], Jhumpa Lahiri short stories, maybe some Graham Greene. I know there's a lot of books sitting around work, home, and studio that I want to read. I really don't finish much reading I start lately, but we'll see. I read a lot more books when I rode the subway regularly. And of course we will be reading some Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, Mo Willems, etc.