Meandering in the Midwest

Lucky for me MBB's cousin was making a bar mitzvah for his eldest son in Cleveland on July 4th weekend. Why was that lucky for me? Because Cleveland is only 190 miles from the suburb of Detroit where my sister lives, and being that my son is bar mitzvah age in months only, the only way to attend the event without the boy, would be to leave him with my sister. Conversely, the only way to get a certain someone to agree to go to my sister (really to take off of work) was to go to the bar mitzvah!

So we bought 4 tickets to Detroit, and off we went, holding a screaming infant for the, thankfully, very short flight. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I don't recall ever really traveling on a Holiday weekend and I was prepared for the worst. We got to the parking facility on Thursday with plenty of time to spare. The shuttle came to pick us up, and promptly drove around the entire airport TO THE WRONG AIRLINE. "OH, I thought you said US AIR. Sorry." Back around the ring that is LAguardia we went, deposited in front of the Delta doors not much worse for wear.

The lines outside were about six deep, and then we found a curbside counter that had one person being helped and we waited a few minutes until we noticed the "Priority/First Class," sign. We are first class people, certainly, but not on air travel, thus our next destination was inside the terminal.

The doors we chose to enter were right at the security line, which looked to be about 100 people deep. We gulped as we walked, and walked and walked passed a sea of humanity to the end of the check in line at the indoor counter, which was at least 50 people deep, and probably more. As Mbb stood on line with the three kids, I hopped outside, and saw that the counters with six people were now down to two, inquired whether this was check in for all types, and we made our way out there.

MBB mentioned that he overheard two security people discussing opening a new area, and when we came back inside, a new security line was indeed open. Essentially what would have taken us OVER AN HOUR for check in and security, took under ten minutes.

Approaching our gate it was hard not to notice how nice it looked, very modern and set up with small tables, and booth like seating. A computer was mounted just above the table on a low wall witha menu to order munchies and have them brought to you at the gate. We sat the girls down, and gave them their home-made sandwiches (lunch), and glancing over at another table saw that these were not just menus, but IPADS with games and browsers. I had two rousing games of tic-tac-toe with seven year old, checked out google earth together, and surfed the web to figure out how to do something with the baby carrier I was struggling with.

The girls were great on the flight, the boy, as noted above, not so much, but we got there safe and sound, the cousins all thrilled to see each other and get playing!

Friday MBB and I borrowed BIL's car and made our way to Cleveland for the festivities. It's amazing how fast a trip goes when you are driving somewhere and you don't know the landscape. When we drive to Baltimore every landmark is familiar if not well known, and indicates how much time is left until arrival. Driving here, aside from all the scenery being new, Keeping track of the mileage was the only way to know how long the trip should/would take, and the time flew. The weather was perfect, the drive uncomplicated, and the traffic non-existent. It helps that the speed limit is 65 or 70 thus allowing for some fast speeds without the worry of getting a ticket.

The bar mitzvah was lovely, the drive home a little tough, the first hour marked by a downpour and sudden flashes of super bright lightning.

Sunday, we took all the kids to the zoo. A boiling hot day, yet the zoo was prepared. Misting stations and free ice and water were available throughout. I am not really a fan of zoos in which you walk more than you see wildlife, even though that's best probably best for the animals, as it generally indicates a large enclosure. You know what's really best for the animals? NOT BEING IN THE ZOO! This zoo no longer has elephants, as one nephew put it "they gave it back to Africa," so we're not even sure it's a REAL zoo. (Actually, it's a really great zoo, the animals are very active, more so then other zoos we've been to...)

The day was not over when we got back ( It really never ends there, it's light...forever), and the kids ran to change into bathing suits as the "grown ups" set up the "SLIP n' SLIDE," a toy not unlike the game Red Rover, you haven't really played until someone is crying. I'd like to know who came up with the design for this particular back yard activity. Lay a very thin plastic sheet out on the grass,have a constant spray of water on it, run and slide on your stomach down the sheet. OF COURSE PEOPLE GET HURT! They're either purposely belly flopping ONTO A SEMI-HARD SURFACE, or they run and slip! It's not something that needs to be worried about for long, they rip after a few uses anyway...

The kids had a great BBQ, then went inside, and the four adults had a lovely al fresco dinner, a beautiful breeze blowing as we dined.

Monday, we were leaving, but managed to squeeze in the park, and a quick dip in a friend's 4 foot deep (salt water!) backyard pool before heading to the airport. Our gate was far enough away that we needed to ride the tram (we would have either way, but now it had purpose!) The flight home was uneventful, the boy behaved better, but not great, and the car was waiting for us when we got off the bus at the parking facility. Driving home we saw many illegal fireworks, various legal municipal ones, and glimpsed the big Macy's display two or three times, it was lovely. Earlier, when we flew into Laguardia, the pilot flew past Queens, then around Manhattan, so we could see a flotilla of boats in the water waiting to see the show, with a police boat stopping all marine traffic at a certain point, and beyond that the six barges anchored on the river. The kids felt like they saw a lot on the way home, and suggested that next year we just drive that route again to see all the different displays. They really were coming from all angles.

Now we're home, missing the big girls (just a little), and ready for the next adventure...