School starts and we didn't! What a great (and strange) feeling -- this retirement thing is finally soaking in!!
We have a lot of "projects" that were waiting for retirement too. One of them was residing the house. Jerry tore all the old siding off himself but we hired someone to put the new siding up. We chose a light gray color, and now that it is done, it looks fantastic. Next spring will be the landscaping...:-)
One of our dreams for the first fall of our retirement was to travel to the Northeast and see the colors. Another big wish was to go back to Iowa for the Clay County Fair. So we did.
Just before Labor Day, we met Bert and Shelly half way and picked up my Mom for a visit in Ohio. We spent the Labor Day week/weekend camping at Maumee Bay State Park. Lindsey and Aaron were home too so also were camping with us. We had a great time because Jenn, Emily, and Heidi were all able to be up a good deal of the time too (camping some of the time). It was great for Gma R to get acquainted with all the great-grandkids again and with Aaron, the first time she had met him.
We returned to Iowa with Gma via Battle Creek, MI area and then up through the Upper Pennsula and down through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Had a great trip, taking our time along side roads, visiting wineries, being tourists, and just relaxing.
After getting to Iowa, we spent one day at the Clay County Fair. What fun! Haven't been to the fair for probably close to 40 years!
From there we traveled south through Illinois and Indiana to Southwestern Ohio to Cesar Creek State Park for the State Wide State Park Campground Host weekend. Was a fun time with lots of friends from MBSP (Maumee Bay State Park).
After a few days at home, we took off for Lindsey's and points East to see the fall colors. Lindsey is also expecting her first baby late October which is the primary reason we were headed that way.
We stopped at Lindsey and Aaron's for a day or so. We were camping at Alexander Bay. Visited a couple of wineries in the area. Lots and lots of them in this part of the country!
Baby was not expected for the next three weeks so we took off for Eastern New York and the
Adirondack Mts (see picture to right), primarily the Lake Placid area, to be "Leaf Peepers". We explored the area, were in awe of the fall colors (which we hit at their peak that first week of October) and the scenery, took several day trips including one into Vermont. One day we took a train ride between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, a fun trip but chilly. We were surprised at the number of campgrounds that closed for the season the first of October including all the state and most local/county parks and it did get cold but most of the time the fireplace was enough to keep the entire camper warm.
In the meantime, Lindsey's doctor decided that the baby needed to come a week earlier than her due date, so we headed back to Calcium north along the St Lawrence River. The scenery and colors continued to be amazing.
October 13 brought Isaac Aaron Kriekel into the world! A perfect little boy, grandbaby #6! I'm not sure what we have done right, but we have the most perfect grandchildren ever!
We stayed with Lindsey and Aaron and Isaac the next couple of weeks to help out, then headed back to Bowling Green as Aaron's parents were coming for a week also. Babies are so much fun, they just want to be held and loved! Tough job but loved every second of it.
While Aaron's parents were visiting, Aaron was deployed to Afganistan for the next year. We were so glad Lindsey wasn't alone then. Lindsey had sprained her back so was able to lift Isaac but not if he was in his car seat, so she needed us to come back out to help her. Jerry only stayed for a few days but I was glad I was able to stay longer.
A couple of weeks later, our nephew, Erik Bruns (also in the Army), was transferred to Fort Drum after two years in South Korea. He was at Lindsey's often, working on his car or just hanging out. So good to see him again!!
Emily, Sami and Cole came out one weekend to meet Isaac. Emily had expressed a desire to "learn to like wine" so we all (including Erik, Isaac and the kids, and all the rest of us) went to a winery for wine tasting. Fun Time! Erik discovered he likes the drier wines like his parents and Emily and Lindsey are like us and like the sweeter, fruitier wines. Cole asked Lindsey how she got Baby Isaac "back in her tummy" when she had him in one of those moby wraps.
Baby was not expected for the next three weeks so we took off for Eastern New York and the
Adirondack Mts (see picture to right), primarily the Lake Placid area, to be "Leaf Peepers". We explored the area, were in awe of the fall colors (which we hit at their peak that first week of October) and the scenery, took several day trips including one into Vermont. One day we took a train ride between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, a fun trip but chilly. We were surprised at the number of campgrounds that closed for the season the first of October including all the state and most local/county parks and it did get cold but most of the time the fireplace was enough to keep the entire camper warm.In the meantime, Lindsey's doctor decided that the baby needed to come a week earlier than her due date, so we headed back to Calcium north along the St Lawrence River. The scenery and colors continued to be amazing.
October 13 brought Isaac Aaron Kriekel into the world! A perfect little boy, grandbaby #6! I'm not sure what we have done right, but we have the most perfect grandchildren ever!We stayed with Lindsey and Aaron and Isaac the next couple of weeks to help out, then headed back to Bowling Green as Aaron's parents were coming for a week also. Babies are so much fun, they just want to be held and loved! Tough job but loved every second of it.
While Aaron's parents were visiting, Aaron was deployed to Afganistan for the next year. We were so glad Lindsey wasn't alone then. Lindsey had sprained her back so was able to lift Isaac but not if he was in his car seat, so she needed us to come back out to help her. Jerry only stayed for a few days but I was glad I was able to stay longer.
A couple of weeks later, our nephew, Erik Bruns (also in the Army), was transferred to Fort Drum after two years in South Korea. He was at Lindsey's often, working on his car or just hanging out. So good to see him again!!
Emily, Sami and Cole came out one weekend to meet Isaac. Emily had expressed a desire to "learn to like wine" so we all (including Erik, Isaac and the kids, and all the rest of us) went to a winery for wine tasting. Fun Time! Erik discovered he likes the drier wines like his parents and Emily and Lindsey are like us and like the sweeter, fruitier wines. Cole asked Lindsey how she got Baby Isaac "back in her tummy" when she had him in one of those moby wraps.
We also stopped at a restaurant that had an ice rink in it. Cole was fascinated with the skaters.
The first week of December, the day after receiving 16 inches of snow, the three of us returned to Bowling Green. (We had to wait until the interstate was open again around Rochester after being closed because of the snow.) The trip was uneventful, Isaac was a great traveler.Lindsey stayed in Bowling Green until after returning from Florida -- which brings us to the next blog --Florida and Disney Christmas Adventure!
loving the blog! but it was around buffalo that we had to wait!
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