Mission Safari: The Next Chapter(s)

A Night and Day in New York City

We have been on vacation the past week in Cape Cod.  We still have a blessed 2 days of vacation before driving back.  On the way to Cape Cod, we decided to spend the night in NYC.  Sarah was dying to visit the Big Apple.  And since it was a reasonable stopping point on the way to Cape Cod, we added the visit. 

Unfortunately, it took longer for us to get on the road to Gotham.  We didn't leave W'burg until around 1pm...delaying our arrival into NYC to 10:30pm.  Wanting to keep my word to Sarah (I promised we could go to Times Square on the evening of our arrival), we quickly got the van unpacked, the boys, Amy, and Marti settled in the room, and Sarah and I hailed a taxi at 11:00pm. 

It was kind of weird taking my teen daughter on a date to Times Square at 11pm, but it was also a lot of fun.  Sarah had such a great time seeing the Big City lit up at that time of night.  She couldn't believe it was so busy.    She was amazed at the number of people, taxis, and policeman out after midnight.  She also couldn't believe she witnessed undercover cops bust a driver in the middle of the street!  After walking up and down Broadway, skipping over a few blocks to the Rockefeller Center, we arrived back at our starting point on Times Square, bought a couple of drinks at Starbucks, enjoyed the sights a few more minutes and then hailed another taxi to take us back to our hotel. We arrived back around 1:00am!

The next morning, despite only 6 hours of sleep, I got up and took a run along lower Manhattan.  Nothing to get the blood flowing than a fun run through one of America's best cities.  After returning, eating breakfast with the family, we quickly packed our bags so that we could tour a bit more of the city together.  The following pictures give you an idea of the fun we had in NYC.

"Amy, do you know where we are? Which way should we go?"

"Don't worry Daddy...it will still be fun even if we do get lost."

Amy and Sarah in the American Girl Shop on 49th Ave.  They had a great time choosing Amy's first American Girl...a Bitty Baby.  More on that later.

Sam makes a friend in New York City.  Unfortunately, the "friend" wanted a tip for this picture.  But what do you expect when you find Elmo on 5th Avenue in the Big Apple! 

Ben and Marti giving smiles after lunch at TGIF's.

Amy enjoying the last of her snack in Central Park.  Daddy happy to be sitting for a while...NYC is a huge city to visit on foot!

Amy in pure delight at the sight of her new "baby"...an Asian Bitty Baby. 

The night and day visit to the Big Apple was a big hit with the kids.  We truly enjoyed ourselves!  We suffered a bit that night...we didn't get into our condo in Cape Cod until midnight, but it was so worth it.  The visit was a great way to start our vacation together.

A Full Day

A bike ride around Williamsburg, breakfast with Amy on the deck, feeding the birds, and paying the bills was the way I started the day.  This all occured before lunch and the day only got better.

After lunch, we loaded up the kids and headed towards the ferry that crosses the James River and connects Williamsburg and Surry.  Happily, we arrived right before they left.  Once the ferry left shore, we got out of the car and watched the great variety of gulls, cormorants, and ospreys.  I don't know who had the most fun on the ferry, me, Sam, or Amy...we were all excited to be on the water and watching the birds.

But watching the birds was not the purpose of today's trip.  We were on a mission...to go pick strawberries. After the 15 minute ferry trip, we drove 4 miles to get to College Run Farms.  It was a great little farm.  And the weather was awesome...clear skies, warm, and no humidity.  The kids all had fun picking their own berries.  Of course they became somewhat competitive on who had the most strawberries, who had the biggest find, and who had the most RED strawberries. 

After returning home, Marti and Sarah got ready for a girl's night out with a couple of the college girls we have adopted.  While they did that, the boys and I went out to the baseball field for some batting practice.  Both boys did well getting wood (metal) on the bat.  My arm will be sore tomorrow I am sure.

Still needing to eat, Ben and I decided to try a new recipe on the grill (our new Big Green Egg).  We made an orange and chipolte marinade...with fresh orange zest, squeezed orange juice, fresh oregano (from Ben's new herb garden...more on that some other time), fresh minced garlic, basalmic vinegar, chipolte pepper and a bit of salt.  Man was it delicious.  We had grilled corn on the cob as a side and for dessert...fresh strawberries which Ben described as the best he has ever tasted.

Needless to say, I am bushed as I write this.  But I am so content...God is really good.  His plans for marriage and family bring such delight...if properly understood and cherished.  I thank Him for the great weather, the great nature and wildlife around us, and the great memories made today.

Backyard Visitors

One of the greatest surprises of the spring has been the variety of backyard visitors we have had.  Although we do not have a large yard, which is hard with active boys, we do have a wonderful wooded lot.  This in turn brings the birds (especially if you keep a couple of bird feeders full of different types of seeds).  Thus far, we have had the following bird visitors:

1. Red-bellied Woodpecker
2. Northern Mockingbird
3. Tufted Titmouse
4. Mourning Dove
5. American Crow
6. Carolina Chickadee
7. White Breasted Nuthatch
8. Eastern Bluebird
9. American Robin
10. European Starling
11. Northern Cardinal
12. Chipping Sparrow
13. Brownheaded Cowbird
14. Red Winged Blackbird
15. Common Grackle
16. House Finch
17. American Goldfinch
18. Blue Jay

As the spring turns to summer we look forward to continued visitors.

The Stadiums

The boys are still talking about our quick trip to Baltimore for the ballgame.  It got me to thinking about the parks we have already visited.  As park names tend to change over time, I will list the teams we have visited over the past 6 seasons.

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Chicago White Sox
4. New York Yankees
5. New York Mets
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
7. Atlanta Braves
8. Seattle Mariners
9. Washington Nationals
10. Baltimore Orioles

Only 20 or teams to visit.