Our big March trip
We just returned from our latest trip up north. Kenny was on spring break, and I had some training for work in Columbus, Ohio, so we figured we'd take advantage of the opportunity to sneak in a quick family visit. That, and pick up a new TV (thanks again, Kev!). So, after our quick but enjoyable visit from Mom and Dad Bragg, we joined them driving eastward to Houston, Mississippi, where we got in a quick visit with old family friend Bonnie Vance. We left Mom and Dad with Mrs. Vance, and then continued northward on the Natchez Trace into Tennessee. Along the way, we stopped at a few scenic spots, including this waterfall that Kenny and Beth were able to walk behind:
Late that evening, we met up with Rick and Ann Pruden to continue the early grandparent theme to this trip. We met them in Bardstown, Kentucky, and stayed at the same hotel. The next day (Sunday), we traveled together for a while into Ohio, stopping at some Indian mound sites along the way. This picture shows Kenny standing in front of the famous Serpent Mound in southern Ohio (ask Hope sometime about the tower we climbed to get this view):
After visiting another set of Indian mounds, we stopped at a gas station to refuel and part ways--Hope, the kids, and her folks continued onward to their home in lower Michigan in our minivan, and I took their car to Columbus, Ohio, for my training. I then spent the next week attending my training, while Hope and the kids visited her family and saw a number of interesting things, including:
some dinosaur bones at a museum in Ann Arbor (nice save, Bumpa!)...
...a new baby cousin (Alexandria Kathryn Pruden), for whom it seems that Stephen wasn't happy to share the spotlight...
...and a trip to an active sugar bush to see how maple syrup is made (not pictured). On the Friday, after a week's worth of leadership training, I drove the few hours between Columbus and Whitmore Lake, Michigan, to join the family. The last 30 miles or so took probably 2+ hours to get through due to an intense snowstorm that dropped 6-8 inches of snow in the Whitmore Lake area.
Saturday morning, we left Hope's parents to drive to Madison, Wisconsin, to visit Don's siblings Lulu (Laurie), Jojo (John), and Bob. Laurie's husband Mark was working at their restaurant (Morels) when we arrived, but we soon joined Laurie for another fantastic dinner. Kenny so overindulged in the rich food that he actually got sick later at Laurie's house. Laurie and Mark were kind enough to accept and hold a new plasma TV we purchased from my buddy Kevin and had shipped to them (we couldn't get it shipped all the way to Arkansas). So, Saturday night, Hope and I used our best skills to stack this rather large TV into the minivan without leaving any luggage or kids behind. A tight squeeze, but it worked!
Sunday morning, we drove to Morels again, and this time indulged in the famous Easter brunch that Morels offers. Once again, we ate our fill (except for Kenny, not surprisingly). We were joined by brother John and eventually brother Bob at the brunch. They both looked tired--they've been swamped with snow removal this winter in the Madison area. Since both Laurie and Mark were working, and we needed to start south, we left right after brunch, getting to Marion, Illinois by that evening. The kids (including Stephen) enjoyed a dip in the hotel pool. We entered Arkansas on Monday morning, and passed over the flooding White River just after lunch:
Heavy rains in parts of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas have swollen a numbers of rivers across the state--in the picture above, the White River had yet to crest... We are not under any threat of flooding here, but other parts of the state are, probably for weeks to come.
We arrived home safely by Monday afternoon. We also noted the momentous occasion of Stephen's cutting his first tooth at 7 months of age. This may sound late to some of you, but both Kenny and Beth didn't get their first tooth until at least 13 months of age, so Stephen's got a whole 6 months on them!
Late that evening, we met up with Rick and Ann Pruden to continue the early grandparent theme to this trip. We met them in Bardstown, Kentucky, and stayed at the same hotel. The next day (Sunday), we traveled together for a while into Ohio, stopping at some Indian mound sites along the way. This picture shows Kenny standing in front of the famous Serpent Mound in southern Ohio (ask Hope sometime about the tower we climbed to get this view):
After visiting another set of Indian mounds, we stopped at a gas station to refuel and part ways--Hope, the kids, and her folks continued onward to their home in lower Michigan in our minivan, and I took their car to Columbus, Ohio, for my training. I then spent the next week attending my training, while Hope and the kids visited her family and saw a number of interesting things, including:
some dinosaur bones at a museum in Ann Arbor (nice save, Bumpa!)......a new baby cousin (Alexandria Kathryn Pruden), for whom it seems that Stephen wasn't happy to share the spotlight...
...and a trip to an active sugar bush to see how maple syrup is made (not pictured). On the Friday, after a week's worth of leadership training, I drove the few hours between Columbus and Whitmore Lake, Michigan, to join the family. The last 30 miles or so took probably 2+ hours to get through due to an intense snowstorm that dropped 6-8 inches of snow in the Whitmore Lake area.Saturday morning, we left Hope's parents to drive to Madison, Wisconsin, to visit Don's siblings Lulu (Laurie), Jojo (John), and Bob. Laurie's husband Mark was working at their restaurant (Morels) when we arrived, but we soon joined Laurie for another fantastic dinner. Kenny so overindulged in the rich food that he actually got sick later at Laurie's house. Laurie and Mark were kind enough to accept and hold a new plasma TV we purchased from my buddy Kevin and had shipped to them (we couldn't get it shipped all the way to Arkansas). So, Saturday night, Hope and I used our best skills to stack this rather large TV into the minivan without leaving any luggage or kids behind. A tight squeeze, but it worked!
Sunday morning, we drove to Morels again, and this time indulged in the famous Easter brunch that Morels offers. Once again, we ate our fill (except for Kenny, not surprisingly). We were joined by brother John and eventually brother Bob at the brunch. They both looked tired--they've been swamped with snow removal this winter in the Madison area. Since both Laurie and Mark were working, and we needed to start south, we left right after brunch, getting to Marion, Illinois by that evening. The kids (including Stephen) enjoyed a dip in the hotel pool. We entered Arkansas on Monday morning, and passed over the flooding White River just after lunch:
Heavy rains in parts of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas have swollen a numbers of rivers across the state--in the picture above, the White River had yet to crest... We are not under any threat of flooding here, but other parts of the state are, probably for weeks to come.We arrived home safely by Monday afternoon. We also noted the momentous occasion of Stephen's cutting his first tooth at 7 months of age. This may sound late to some of you, but both Kenny and Beth didn't get their first tooth until at least 13 months of age, so Stephen's got a whole 6 months on them!
We also arrived to the sad realization that our beloved cat, Mooch, was terminally ill (kidney failure, probably triggered by something else like cancer). Her suffering had reached the point that we felt it was worse to keep her suffering, so we had her put to sleep yesterday. I'll post more on this later this week...Here's a picture of her in her healthier, smugger days...
Comments
lulu
Looks like another great trip; your family travels well! Mikey would be very envious if I pointed out all the places you've gotten to go. He laments are being stuck in Wisconsin so much :).