November 30, 2009
Between the time I finally closed out my other blog and started this one, we did a bit of traveling. We took two trips to see the Mouse and I took Lachlan on his Odyssey XIV to Pittsburgh and Boston.
Here are a few shots from each...
DISNEY WORLD
Winter Break 2008
We took the boys and a friend each for a week-long stay. It was a blast! We stayed in one of the family suites at the All-Star Music resort... lots and lots of our friends from all over, but nice nonetheless. The guys went out armed with cell phones, so we were able to let them run around by themselves for a bit. They did the usual... ride the same rides as every other time, get the same FastPasses for the same rides as every other time and I did my usual... find the same smoking areas as every other time.
The Mouse
The Gang
The Kitchen Sink
RE-DISNEY
End of School 2009
This time we went with our neighbors. Had a good time again. Did a lot of the usual stuff plus a lot of good eating and drinking. The smoking areas are all still in the same places.
We
They
Rapid Soaking
Re-Sink
ODYSSEY XIV
Summer 2009
I stole the idea from Ed Groth. Ed was a supe at TPA and he told me about taking his kids wherever they chose (within reason) after they became fourteen years old. It gave him the opportunity to have "some time" with each of them before they became full-fledged teenagers and before Ed became the greatest fuddy-duddy they had ever known. No slam on Ed there... just stating something that, to parents of teenagers at least, is a well-known phenomenon.
I liked the idea the first time Ed made mention of it and I stole it on the spot.
Lachlan turned fourteen a year ago and he chose this past summer as the time for his odyssey. Initially, he had planned to go to the Steeler's training camp but, after he decided to do marching band this fall, the timetable changed to where that was not possible. So he revised his plan to include Boston and to go to a couple of baseball games at each place.
We were away for nine days and it was a grand time. I had never been to Pittsburgh and came away from it suitably impressed. It is definitely a "return to" place. We rented a car and were able to do a little touring around the area as well as get into town easily. We took in two Pirates games at PNC Park and did more than a little sightseeing, as well. We also had a sandwich at the original Primanti Bros. in the Strip District.
Boston was great fun, too, despite some particularly rotten weather. Saw a game at Fenway, rode the ducks and did some dandy eating. We got around using the MBTA and it was an excellent system. Never did see Charlie, though.
Heinz Field
Atop Mt. Washington
Our Whereabouts Announced
Outside the Pahk
Inside the Pahk
Signature Dessert
ODDS AND ENDS
If you include Boy Scout summer camp (Clayton, GA), a few other camp outs (Ft. Benning, GA and Lake Martin, AL) two overnight field trips with the middle school class (Dahlonega, GA and Jekyll Island, GA) and a church conference (Hendersonville, NC), I have done quite a bit of actual traveling in the year and a half since we returned from our once-around-the planet tour.
Next on the docket is a trip to... yep... WDW, along with some jaunts to Ringgold and Raleigh to visit relatives. I'm still going to spend some time downstairs reliving it all and planning my scathing post about the airlines.
