Golfing and Camping

My parents gave Jenn and I another set of golf clubs this summer while they were downsizing so Jenn now has her own. The final week before school we finally had the chance to try them out. Jenn had golfed once before in her life and I had only golfed once in the past couple years. So we were prepared to take an entire day for 9 holes. As it turns out, we weren't too far off. It took us 2 1/2-3 hours for our 9 holes. And we didn't have to wait for anyone in front of us or anyone to play through. We definitely got our money's worth. I would also like to point out that I won, as Jenn neglected to keep track of her strokes after the first 3 holes.

Jenn swinging away

Playing on the open course- beautiful day

Me hitting toward a bunch of wild turkeys

After the first week of school Jenn and I finally had a weekend where we could go camping and it didn't call for storms. So I went up to Lake Norman State Park right after school and reserved a few spots. The first night, friends and newlyweds Trevor and Brandy Grant (along with dog Jasper) joined us the first night. It was a lot of fun setting up their tent in the dark, sitting around the fire, and making s'mores. The next day we went for a short walk and played some cards until friends Mavis and Will joined us. Unfortunately Brandy and Trevor had to leave then as they had barely had any time at home in the past couple months with the wedding and honeymoon just ending. But Mavis, Will, Jenn, Leo, and I went on a nice hike around Lake Norman and enjoyed another relaxing night by the campfire. Note for next time though- buy a new air mattress (our air mattress leaks and the ground is not very comfortable).

Leo, Jenn, and I at the beginning of our hike

A beach during the hike around Lake Norman

Ohio Trip August 2010

Our final trip for the summer was a drive up to Ohio for a friend/co-worker's wedding. The 7 1/2 hour drive seemed speedy compared to the 8-->11 hour drives we had from NC to PA to Canada a few days earlier. We did take a slight detour on our way up to visit Coshocton grandparents and uncle. We had a nice Mexican dinner at the Yucatan restaurant with the Smith grandparents and then surprised my uncle Chuck by visiting his home. After that, it was on to Canton where we stayed with my "orphaned" sister Heather has her apartment. It's nice to see that she's in the real world now and getting by.

The following day we went to the McKinley library and museum with Heather. It was actually really cool and a place I could see myself spending a whole day in if we had the time. We still got to learn all about dinosaurs, the Victorian age, and McKinley's life. The grounds were also really beautiful with lots of runners and people going up and down the many steps. Then we headed back toward Heather's place for lunch at Steak and Shake. The chocolate chip cookie dough shake was delicious!

After lunch, it was on to the main event- Brandy and Trevor's wedding. It was held outside at the J.E. Reeves Victorian home. It was beautiful and we made it just in time. The ceremony was very short. There were no objections, so now Ms. Milburn is known as Mrs. Grant :). The reception was also a lot of fun. A few other friends of our from NC came up for the wedding so we all got to catch up on the summer. There was also an open bar, so after a few hours you could tell it was taken advantage of. The dance floor was packed with many white dancers. There were only a couple people that looked like they knew how to dance. So I fit right in. I did, however, get to do the electric slide, cupid shuffle, cha cha slide, and slow dances very well (I didn't step on any of Jenn's toes). And Jenn was able to do her chicken dance she was so distraught about after Mavis and Will's wedding, in which Mavis put the chicken dance on the "no play" list.

Brandy and her dad walking down the aisle

Trevor kissing his bride


Driving off in an old-school jeep

Jenn boogies to the chicken dance

That night we went back to Heather's place before driving out to Sandusky in the morning. We were able to spend a nice relaxing afternoon/evening with my parents, going out to a lighthouse and having a nice cook out dinner. Then we were their first "house guests" as their trailer is now their home. Yes, my vagabond parents have sold their home and do not have any intention of buying another in the near future.

Cook-out dinner at the parents' "house" (I think my Dad has the cabin fever already)

The following day Jenn and I went to Cedar Point. We were going to meet up with our friends from NC, but the day before we found out that one of our friends was going to need to head home and get her gall bladder taken out, so she and her boyfriend would not make it. Jenn and I tried to reach the others coming out a few times, but were unable. So we went and found out later that none of them were coming. Jenn and I had a lot of fun just the two of us. Who needs friends when you have a wonderful wife, right? We rode lots and lots of coasters and travelled the park up and down multiple times. Jenn was a good sport and rode the bumper cars with me even though she is not a fan. We tried winning Leo a stuffed animal at the Tic-Tac-Toe game where I won Morris 22 or 23 years ago, but I didn't even get close. 1 of my 3 tosses bounced entirely out of the tic-tac-toe board both times I tried. Jenn got all hers in, but not in a row. I even got to eat some Panda Express Chinese food for lunch, which was great. Near the end of the day, my head was hurting from so much bumping around so we took it relatively easy and enjoyed some ice cream and a light show they put on around 9 PM. The Christmas lights were coordinated with music and different areas of this section of the park were different colors depending on which season was being represented (each area had a blow-up Peanuts scene showing the season: ex.- the autumn photo below was in an area of the park that had all orange and red lights on the trees and roofs). After the lights, I was ready to head home but Jenn begged for one more ride on the Gemini coaster, which is similar to the Racer coaster at Kennywood for you Pittsburghers reading. As there was no line, I reluctantly agreed. It turned out to be the best ride of the day. As soon as we were climbing up the hill, it started to sprinkle down rain. When we were at the top about to descend, it unleashed a downpour. It felt like hail hitting us because we were moving so fast. No one could see where we were going because we had to shield our eyes from the rain which made the ride that much more enjoyable. So after spending the whole day avoiding the water rides because we didn't want to get soaked, we still got doused.

Bumper cars

On the carousel

Jenn playing the Tic-Tac-Toe game

Picture on the Ferris wheel

Jenn displaying the Mantis' standing harness...yes, I married this woman

A float during the light show at Cedar Point

The day after Cedar Point we slept in until a whopping 8 o'clock before having a nice breakfast and heading out to Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. Apparently I was there when I was two years old, but I don't remember it. Our original plan was to rent bicycles and pedal around the island, but my dad crashed his bike the previous Friday and couldn't bike so we rented a golf cart instead. It was a lot of fun to drive, even though it only went about 10 mph. South Bass Island is really neat in that there are very few motorized vehicles. The streets are almost entirely inhabited by bicycles and golf carts. It was great. We cruised up and down the island all day, taking breaks to sample some local wine, see Perry's monument, ride on a wooden carousel (one of only 100 in the U.S.), eat some ice cream, have lunch/dinner, and visit the island's lighthouse.

Our speedy wheels

Our wine-tasting

The lighthouse on the island

After we returned from the island, Jenn and I decided to take a few hours off our trip back to NC by driving down to my grandparents for the night. I think they were both tickled to have guests and we were thrilled to get the chance to spend some more time with them. They told us stories about some of the trips they have been on and I helped grandma with her computer a little bit. She should now be able to get her pictures from her camera to the computer and print more than one picture on each of her printing pages. She was eager to learn new things and she was an apt student. I had to assist her when the printer jammed, but otherwise her "test" of printing pictures went well. I gave her a C. She also knows how to email and she used the word "lol" in her latest email to me. I was impressed.

Anyway, it's a week until school starts and Jenn and I are planning on one final outing- camping at Lake Norman. We hope the weather holds out and we can enjoy a few days of relaxing.

CANADA 2010

After a hiatus of 5 years, I was finally able to join Jenn's family again to go up to Ontario, Canada where Jenn's grandparents (Nana and Pop pop) have a cabin on Big Gull Lake. It's a beautiful cabin with lots of upgrades that Jenn's dad and uncles and Pop pop have added through the years so it can accommodate 6 or more people at a time. Jenn and I were both really excited as she hasn't even been up to Canada in 4 years. Unfortunately...we had to drive.

We decided to split the drive up into a few days. We drove up to Jenn's parents house on a Friday and then spent the Saturday there relaxing before we headed up to Canada on Sunday. So 8 hours to PA then 9 hours to Canada. Almost an entire day spent in the car. We were a bit worried about Leopold making the whole trip, but he did very well. Actually he did not sleep at all on the trip up to PA and Jenn and I were a little concerned because usually he sleeps most of the trip. So we decided to try giving him a pillow as we remember he likes to put his head on pillows when he sleeps at home. So on the second leg of our journey to Canada, the pup had his own pillow (along with his own back seat). With his head on the pillow he slept the entire way. Spoiled rotten dog.

Spoiled dog

At Canada there are so many things to do there it was hard to decide where to begin. Of course we went swimming in the lake, but it was also a bit chilly. We were coming from 95-100 degree temperatures and were not used to the 70-75 degree weather that greeted us. So we did some swimming and tried to get Leo accustomed to the water. It didn't work. He can swim, but apparently he only likes to swim straight back to shore.

I also had the chance to hone my fishing skills. I caught minnows using a metal net by sheer patience and determination. Also the first evening we went out fishing and actually had some luck by catching some small bass and some big sunnies. (I actually caught two fish at once!)

Catching minnows

SUCCESS!

Final catch of the day?

While the fishing wasn't great up in Canada this year, everyone caught at least 1 fish to clean. And after watching a few YouTube videos on how to clean bass/walleye I decided to give a 1 lb. bass I had caught a try. I don't think I did too badly although I'm definitely no pro. Jenn cleaned her monster 2 lb. bass herself, too, which as my uncle would say solidifies her as a "keeper".

Cleaning my 1 lb. bass

Along with fishing, we took a lot of little boat trips. Jenn and I rowboated a few nights while we were fishing, we took the canoe around the island and also a fairly long journey to where "Freddy's" used to be, and we also rowboated over to "Garbage Island". Jenn told me why it's called that but I forget. Maybe they found a piece of garbage on the island the first year they were there?

Anyway, I rowed Jenn, her mom, and Leo over there one afternoon and let Leo run free which he LOVED. He had a big time splashing around in the shallow water (he won't go out where he feet don't touch) and running through the underbrush. We tried to get him to go swimming by chasing after sticks we threw in the water, but after one slip into the water, Leo became much more cautious. It was fun to watch him paw the water and crane his neck out to get the sticks though.

Me and my mother-in-law on Garbage Island

The biggest catch of the day happened one afternoon right off the cabin's dock. Around 3 o'clock (not the best time for fishing...or so we thought) Jenn caught a frog on the bank of the lake which is fairly common- we caught 10-15 while we were there. She was going to let it go but I told her to just try fishing with it. So she baited it and cast it out and IMMEDIATELY- we're talking before she even stopped the drag- she started to get a pull. We all thought she was caught on some of the weeds in the water that tend to snag lines, but we were wrong. She brought in a whopping 2 lb. bass then went and cleaned it herself. It's going to make a nice meal here sometime soon.

Jenn posing with her bass- it's bigger than her forearm!

Not to get too out-of-shape, Jenn and I took a couple exercise days. One day we ran 4 miles and another day we went biking. I only mention this because on our 10.8 mile bike ride we were chased by a huge German Shepherd. Luckily Jenn was in front so it didn't get too close to her, but he was right on my heels. It could not have been further than 2 feet away from my feet on the bike. So of course I pedalled like crazy and yelled at Jenn all the while this giant dog was barking loudly and chasing me. The owner was not in sight (although the same dog chased Jenn's dad later that day and the owner was out, but could not control the dog so he was chased, too). It wasn't for a good 2/10 of a mile- clocked by our car's odometer later- that the dog finally gave up its pursuit. So we lived to see another day.

When we were out being chased by vicious man-eating dogs, or out canoeing, rowing, exploring, fishing, frog hunting, swimming, reading, or sunbathing, we were having a good old time with the skis and tube being pulled by Pop pop's boat. I found that I really enjoy water skiing and wish we had a boat that I could do this more often. I even tried to ski with only one ski, but couldn't get up. You'll see in one of the videos, the second attempt at one ski I actually went underneath the water instead of getting pulled up like I should. Not sure what I did wrong, but I guess I wasn't meant to one-ski. I tried a different approach later where you get up on two skis and then take one off later, but I lost my balance both times I tried this and subsequently fell into the water. I had a blast with the normal two skies though. The only trouble I had getting up with 2 was the time my baggy swimsuit filled with water and apparently wasn't secure enough around my waist. So my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and his girlfriend all got a nice eye full of my full moon. I had many compliments.

Waiting to try the one ski approach

Enjoying the ride

Jenn along for the ride





Jenn's tubing fun (she was only thrown off once!)

For some reason Jenn and Brad though that standing like this fishing was funny

The final adventure we did up in Canada I haven't discussed yet was the BB gun contest. Jenn and I had about 20 cans set up and whoever could knock the last can off the sawhorse won. If you hit a can, you could shoot again. Jenn did much better than me but when it came down to the final can, we each had multiple chances. I did hit it twice, but it didn't fall until Jenn shot it. So kudos to her and we are going to have to get her out in the field to get us some deer.

Jenn wins the shooting contest

We had a lot of fun in Canada. Nana and Pop pop are planning on selling the cabin in the near future, so who knows if we will have a lakeside retreat in the future, but hopefully everything will work out and maybe they'll get another cabin on a lake that's closer?

Oh, and Leo slept the entire way home. Canada to PA and also PA to NC. He had his pillow.