Lerryn,
Cornwall, England 1998 & 1999
Summers
of 1998 & 1999. Some say the Caribbean is "Paradise".
Cornwall, England in the summertime comes much closer! Mom and her mom (MorMor) have gone twice,
staying in Lerryn both times and using it as their "home base", touring
from there each day to Lands End, Restormel Castle, Fowey, Heligan's Hidden Gardens, and many other destinations.
And, yes, Lerryn is as peaceful as it looks in the picture!
This land is beautiful, simple,
and great for walks through the countryside and down cobbled streets. It comes HIGHLY recommended! But
there's no hotels in this little town...you'll have to find a cottage or room to rent. And no bus service, so a rental car, bike or
boat is a good idea.
A delayed "honeymoon" in July 1999 brought us to Michigan. We "toured" West Michigan: Grand Rapids/Wyoming, Holland, Grand Haven, Baldwin, Traverse City and Mackinaw Island. Rob and Dad went rainbow trout fishing where success is a guarantee - at a fish farm - with wiggly worms, too. (You'll notice we tend to visit the same places every trip...)
Dad, this being his first trip North, fell in love with the country side... rolling hills and traditional farm houses with red barns with silos (not seen much in south Texas), fresh fruit and veggies, flowers in full bloom, clean beaches, tidy yards, and great weather.
The whole family returned during the Summer
of 2001 - by VAN from Texas! 1295 miles in a van - one
week at the cottage in Saugatuck (only days after the Road to Perdition
wrapped up filming), 2 days in Traverse City, 2 days in Mackinaw City,
1 day in Grand Haven, a few more days in Grand Rapids, then back to
Texas! What a trip! The land of cool breezes and white
sand, fresh berries from the Farmer's Market, and cool waters was wonderful!This was Stephanie's first trip North followed by a repeat visit in 2002 when she served as a camp counselor at Camp Newago for the summer.
November 2004 was our first winter trip home in a long time and, just as hoped, the first snowfall of the year arrived on the same night as us! The kids spent hours playing in the nearly 9" of fresh snow
on Thanksgiving Day with Grandpa
Freas and their cousins. It was also Grandpa Freas' 60th birthday so
many (25+) gathered for brunch and reminisced. We headed north again during July 2006 - the five of us and one energetic 6 month old grandson. Time in G.R., time in T.C. (it was 106°F that day!), an unplanned ferry ride to Mackinaw Island, time in Paradise, Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior - never enough time to do it all! Chocolate Shakes at Don's Drive-Inn, Riviera Salad at Arnie's, raspberry and blueberry berry picking, boating through the Soo Locks, walking the paths around the Taq Falls, a Jones-Freas family reunion, shirt-swaps at three fire departments (Grand Rapids, Sault Ste. Marie, and Grand Haven), and much more.
A boy and his Mouse at the turn of the century! Traveling
with a friend and her grand daughter, MorMor took Rob on his first trip
to the land of Walt Disney in January 2000. They visited Epcot, Magic Kingdom, MGM, and dined with the characters.In 2001, Robert and MorMor visited the Mouse and his friends again - this time aboard the Big Red Boat, Disney's cruise line. Packed with character meals, kids' activities and more, this was Robert's paradise on the seas. They wrapped
up
the visit at the land-based Disney World, Universal Studios, and Animal
Kingdom.2005 marked a return for Rob and Mom and a first-time trip for Dad and Megan (though she'd been to California's Disney Land with MorMor in 2004). Dad arrived late because he was battling Hurricane Emily at home while the rest of us toured the sights with MorMor, Uncles Craig and John and "Aunt" Jan. After six days we covered lots of footpaths at Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and MGM Studios.
At this rate the kids will need frequent visitor badges before adulthood! MorMor took them again in May of 2007 with Uncles John and Tim tagging along. MorMor and Meg did the girly and calm rides and Rob buddied with his uncles for Tower of Terror, Rockin Rollercoaster, and many others with loops and drops.
Ahh, Paris in March
- 2000! Only one recommendation: don't go when you're seven
months pregnant - it's lots of climbing steps and walking - Mom
did!The weather was great, food was fabulous and the architecture was awesome! Traveling with MorMor, Mom stayed at a quaint hotel called Hotel Sainte Bueve near the Jardin de Luxenbourg on the West Bank. Their journeys included Cathedral de Notre Dame, Chartes Cathedral, Sainte Chapelle, Sacre Coeur, Invalides, Musee d'Orsay, Catacombs, and the Louvre. We wandered through the flower district, dined at Le Coupela, selected sweets at Fouquet's, and deserted at a great bakery in a neighboring district. Such a great place is definitely worth a second visit....
To celebrate Dad's 40th birthday, Mom and Dad, accompanied by MorMor (celebrating her 55th birthday), traveled to Paris in March 2003. The Parisians were exceptionally polite despite the pending war with Iraq (which began while we were there), the food was exceptional, weather was clear and sunny, dining was a experience like none in the States (at least not in South Texas). This trip we stayed in an apartment not far from Cathedral de Notre Dame. This will certainly be a trip we will talk about for years!
Though it isn't quite the same, we made a visit to "France" in Epcot's World Showcase in Florida in July 2005. We enjoyed two authentic french meals with a French wait staff and a wonderful bakery while Texas' Lance Armstrong was wrapping up his 7th win at the Tour de France.
Spring Break 2002 Spring Break 2002 (Stephanie's last before high school graduation) included a quick journey to San Antonio for shopping, zooing, river walking and cruising, the IMAX, Schlitterbaun in New Braunfels, and stop at Uncle Charley's in San Marcos. Robert lost his first tooth and Megan discovered the trill of the fast rapids at Schlitterbaun. The family time was great and we repeated almost the same itinerary during the summer or 2002 before Stephanie left for summer camp in Michigan (her last family trip before college).
Texas Renaissance Festival
2003 & 2005Quickly becoming a tradition in the Adair household, this year we dressed in traditional garb and even camped out in the cool November aire! Stephanie wasn't able to attend due to her work schedule, so MorMor traveled in her place. We had tea with the fairies, drank ale from a wooden mug, watched wenches fight in the mud, discovered Sherwood Forest, Robert & Megan held a Falcon, we cheered for dear ole England at the joust, and even met the King! Visit www.texrenfest.com to plan your own journey!
Christmas at Sea was a new idea for us in 2003 and we thought it'd be a great time to gather as many as we could - twelve to be exact! (We don't think the cruise line would have like ALL of us because there's almost too many to count.) The passenger list included Dad, Mom, Robert and Megan, MorMor (Mom's mom) and Grandpa, Uncle Tim and Stacey, Grandpa (Mon's dad) and Grandma Freas, Aunt Melisa and Kaitlyn. We cruised for seven days from LaPorte, Texas, to Cancun, Belize, Roatan, Cozumel and back. (www.ncl.com)
In 2005, two trips were made to Virginia. One in April for a reunion of Chapmans following the passing of its patriarch, W. W. Scott, and the second, in June, to visit Great Grandmother Pat. To the June visit was added time at Michie Tavern, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Monument, and a barbeque at Uncle Craig's.
In late July 2007, Mom, Dad and Meg headed East to visit Great Grandmother Pat for a few days before the 2007 Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. While in Virginia, we visited Montpelier to see its renovation in progress, ate at Michie Tavern (stewed tomatoes are a must!), and toured Monticello, and went on walks through town.
We bypassed Washington D.C. this time and stayed in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. While there, we boarded the USS Constellation, USS Torsk, USCGC Taney, and the Chesapeake Light Boat, and saw the sights at the National Aquarium and Port Discovery, and ooo'ed and ah'ed over the Baltimore City Fire Boats in Baltimore's Inner Harbor while Dad attended sessions at the Expo in the morning and joined us in the afternoons, wrapping up the trip with a too-cool all fire aparatus parade and flea market on the last day.