Fourth of July 2008

What a relief to be off from work for three whole days! To top it off the building closed at 2 so there were 3 extra hours as well! Ahh....On Thursday night, Dennis and Laura packed his Maxima for their trip to NJ for Heather and Oren's wedding on Saturday. They left early Friday morning for their NJ adventure. Luckily the rain didn't follow them all the way to Livingston. They traveled uneventfully with light traffic. Guess the whole gas crisis is hitting the tourist industry hard. Heather looked like a beautiful, fairy princess in her gown and Oren - quiet, shy, serious Oren - did a funky dance that gathered momentum among the guests until both the bride, the groom, the groomsmen and some guest were all be-bopping to the beat! It looked like a blast!

Meanwhile back on the prairie, Mom and Dad were finding things to occupy themselves while the chickadees were away. On Friday, there was a terrible thunderstorm that lasted the better part of the afternoon. Our neighbors had scheduled a barbeque start time of 4. We thought the Fourth festivities would be canceled. Rus went over to add his EZ-Up to the collection of overhead protection accumulating on their lawn, patio, and driveway. As it turned out, the weather cleared, and the party was on! It was fun to see everyone! Amazing how work is cutting into my social life!

On Saturday morning, Rus put the kayaks on top of the Tucson, made a picnic lunch and we were off! We traveled 90 minutes north to a spot just north of Mohican State Park, Loudonville, Ohio. We were portaged from a rental place to their #2 launching spot about 15 miles north of the originating spot. I asked the fellow if there was anything we should know about this portion of the river. His response, laughing, "Good luck, lady!" I should have taken that as an sign.... This was certainly far more narrow and faster current than the Delaware River. I didn't even have to paddle because I was just skimming along at quite a clip. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to have to paddle at all, HA! Because of all the recent rain, the water was high, murky and rushing. In the first half mile, I ran into trouble. We have had some horrific wind with all the rain in the past few weeks. Huge trees had fallen into the river on both sides in an alternating pattern that created a maze to guide the kayak through. It seemed simple enough -- stay in the middle and paddle through. Oh, but no! The pattern caused strange current patterns to occur as the river ran by. Rus paddled through first. "How hard could this be," thought I. Halfway through, I found out. I got caught in a whirlpool, and was forced into a fallen tree amid its many branches. The kayak got lodged. I was stuck, and the water was forcing the back of the kayak higher than the front. There was a big bubble in the trunk that was preventing the front of the kayak from being pushed forward over the trunk. So I was stuck on the trunk between the many branches of the tree. My camera and my cell phone were in a Ziploc bag, but the problem was not that they would get wet. If they fell out of the kayak, I wouldn't be able to recover them. They were going to be swept away and g-o-n-e. PLUS I was scared to death that if I fell in the water, the branches were going to catch onto my life jacket, and hold me under. Yeah, this may sound dramatic, but believe me, it was terrifying. I managed to dislodge the kayak from the trunk of the tree momentarily, only to be pushed horizontally against the trunk. This was a far different experience than kayaking in the ocean, or lake, or other rivers I paddled in. I pushed off again, and grasping several of the protruding smaller branches, pulling myself in the kayak further and further back. After several attempts, my efforts paid off, and I managed to get myself far enough back that I was able to maneuver the kayak back into the whirlpool, using it to my advantage this time, to get far enough away from the tree to enter into the middle of the river again. There was not another soul on the first half of this trip. It was so peaceful and quiet. The sky was so blue. There were many people in open kayaks and canoes on the second half of the trip. Some of them had obviously never been in a boat of any kind before. In the white water sections, many had swamped their boats and were soaking wet. All in all, we had a good adventure. Our projected 4 hour trek took just under 3 hours. That, my friends, is fast water!

We packed the kayaks and gear and went to check out Mohican Lodge and Conference Center. It is located high above a beautiful lake. There are rooms, restaurants, pubs, tennis, bocce, and volleyball courts, walking paths, boat rentals. It might be a great place to have a family reunion. I took a picture of the Man of My Dreams in a lovely gazebo overlooking the lake. I think the fall would be a great time to go.... the weather would still be warm enough to enjoy the outside and the leaves would be changing. Oh so romantic!

Rus had done his homework, so when we finished at Mohican Lodge, we headed up to Ashland for a Hot Air Balloon Fest! We took back roads and saw lots of small towns, farms, cows, and horses. We arrived just in time to see the first balloon coming in. It was literally a few feet over the car before it plunked down in the field to our left! In every direction, hot air balloons came into view. Some overshot the site so the chase trucks made a mad dash to retrieve them. It was very exciting! We milled around the fair-like atmosphere, eating at the stands. As we drove home on the back roads, passing small towns all along the way, we saw segments of fireworks displays. It was a memorable day!

On Sunday, we went golfing at Sunbury. Now Sunbury is not my favorite course. It is a par 4 and 5 course - Not a good thing for me. There are some holes with lots of yardage and frankly, I can hit the ball straight, but it doesn't go much over 100 yards at a time. But, Rus has been frequenting Sunbury during the week with his pal, Dan, and wanted me to try it, so I did. I was doing well, for me..... until the sixth hole. Sunbury has had some construction going on for some time. They have finally finished the bulk of it. There is lots of new sod, a long fairway, and a pond. I hacked my way up the fairway, I think I tried out every square of new sod, and donated a few balls to the pond. I came the nearest I have ever come to throwing my clubs in the pond with the ducks! We can't discuss my score. I will break out in a rash. I was frustrated as all get out. I have officially vowed to conquer this course in the four remaining months of this season!

The kids were home by 8 after spending the night in PA with Christina Falcone's family who rescued them from staying in Bellevile in a studio apartment with other people from the wedding, for which we are eternally grateful. They had a great time on their adventure. When they heard about ours, they laughed until they cried! I am glad we can laugh about it now too. It was nice to get out to play this weekend. Now it is back to the work week. Rus is diligently looking for a position with 5 days of scheduled interviews. Keep your fingers crossed for us!