Outta Here

It was only about 24 hours, and a half-hour drive away, but it felt far, away, and it was well worth the small expense of a cottage rental. We got together with the kids and had a great time, about a stone's throw from Lake Erie. It rained and rained and, yeah, rained, and Linda finally said we were going down to the beach no matter what, and the rain gods relented, and we had a dry three hours or so on the beach. And the rainy periods were not so bad, as we played Apples to Apples and a rather obscure favorite of our son's, Settlers of Catan, late into the night on Friday.

We ate Chinese food on Friday, and some great lasagna (three of us, anyhow) at a regionally well-known place called Berardi's on Saturday. Lots of left-over boxes to bring home.

After some cake and ice cream, we all dispersed late Saturday night, as we all had to be places Sunday, leaving us to mourn the rather abysmal play of the Ohio State Buckeyes and deal with other events back in the real world.

This was a sort of birthday get-together for me (seeing as how there were TWO cakes, I should say it was more than "sort of"), and I'd have to say that, given our crazy schedules and obligations, just being there together at the same place and time was about as good a birthday present as I would want. A couple photos (from when it was not raining)...
The traditional marble cake with the chocolate icing spread over the white. We will not "decode" the candles just now...
Lots of seagulls.
Yeah, not so many humans on the beach, but these guys were all over it.
Our daughter got to work on this sandy sea turtle.
And we got a special fly-over by this team, reminding us that it isn't long until things turn a bit colder and those with the inclination to do so depart these colder climes for warmer regions.