Time With Seth

 Sunday we got to go down and see Todd & Betsy's new house.  They've only been in it 2 weeks, but have a lot of things unpacked already.

While we were there, Seth played some soccer with Ken in their front yard.

 Seth wore some chin guards and a number on his shirt that he had made for himself.

 This is Seth's new bedroom, with a built in bed...

 ...and a built in book case.  He really likes his new room!

 This is his closet, but he's using it more as a fun hiding place.

Jumping out with a scary face is part of the fun!  Their new house is nice and has some extra rooms in it that they didn't have before, so they're liking their new place, especially since it cuts 30 minutes off Todd's commute each way!

Niagara Falls Trip - Part 5

 The last day of our trip, we were in Dayton, Ohio.  Ken had a meeting that day, so I went to the Carillon Historical Park.  It was a fun place to explore and I learned a lot about the history of Dayton.  There was a lot of important things that took place or were invented/manufactured in Dayton.  One of the things invented was an electric starter for cars instead of having to hand crank them to get them started. 

 It was also a big bike manufacturing area.  They had a nice collection of rare and antique bikes.

 I thought this bike was interesting, since it had a built in radio with a battery for the radio behind the seat of the bike.  The sign said that they didn't last long because transistor radios were becoming popular at the same time.

 This is the inside of a caboose.  I realized that I had never seen the inside of a caboose.  It had all the conductor needed, a stove for heating and cooking, a sink for water, a table and benches to eat at, plus more benches at the other end that were longer and could probably be slept on, if they were allowed to sleep while the train was moving.  The only thing I didn't see in the caboose was a bathroom!

 The outside of the caboose with a conductor in the window, but you can't see him very well.  The seat by the window was a couple of steps up from the main floor of the car.

 This is a lock on the Miami and Erie Canal which runs through the park.  The stones are original but the lock gates are reproductions.

 The other claim to fame for Dayton is the Wright brothers.  This is a replica of their workshop where they developed their airplanes.

 This is the original 1905 Wright Flyer III, the world's first practical airplane.

 This view from the back show the 2 big propellers on the airplane.

This is the carillon the park was named for.  There are 57 bells in the tower and it plays off and on during the day. I heard it several times as I was walking around the park.

Niagara Falls Trip - Part 4

After leaving New York, we drove to Cleveland, Ohio and spent the night.  The next morning, we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

 The first things we saw were several vehicles suspended from the ceiling.

 I guess rock and rollers must drive cars covered in tiger striped material or with silver squares glued to them!

When Ken was younger, he was told by several people over the years, that he looked like a young John Lennon.  I made him pose in front of this picture of John Lennon, whom he doesn't admire at all.

Then Ken made me pose in front of Madonna's picture, whom I also don't admire, but it was fun any way.
  (I should have messed my hair up some for the picture!)

The museum had some interesting parts, mainly I liked the areas relating to the eras when I listened to rock and roll music, like the Elvis period and the British invasion band period.

A suit worn by Elvis Presley.

Ringo Starr's drum set.

 This picture and the one below, I didn't get at all!  I need someone from the younger generation to explain it to me! 

All I know is that it's a scene from "Pink Floyd the Wall".

 A view of Lake Erie from the museum.

Sitting by Lake Erie.  We saw 3 of the 5 Great Lakes on this trip, although we only saw Lake Michigan as we were flying into Chicago for a layover.

Niagara Falls Trip - Part 3

 Before leaving Niagara Falls, we did the "Behind the Falls" tour on the Canadian side.  First, we went down to the level of the falls at the bottom.

 We had lovely yellow plastic coats this time.

 This is the entrance to the tunnels that lead behind the falls.

 This is as close to the falls as you can get.  All you can see is a sheet of water falling down in front of you.

 This is the tunnel to get behind the falls.  It's surprising how far behind the falls that you get to go.

Our last look at Horseshoe Falls.

 I liked this view of daffodils by the falls.

Our next stop was the Erie Canal, where we took a short cruise on it.

 The first bridge we came to was an upside-down railroad bridge.  The captain told us that the railroads tried to stop the canal boats taking their business by building a bridge like this, so the canal boats couldn't get under it.  (They were made to raise it later.)

 We went up 2 locks to get to the upper part of the canal.  The old locks are on the right and it took 5 locks to move the boats up instead of the 2 that they use today.

 The gate to the first lock is closing behind us.

 We're going into the second lock.

 There are 35 locks on the Erie Canal, so the ones we went up are the last 2. 

 The canal was 363 miles long and was dug by hand between 1817 to 1825.  It's hard for me to comprehend men digging the canal by hand.  This boat was heading down the canal to head south to Florida.  They went down the locks with us on our way back.

 This was an interesting bridge that cars go over when it's down like this.

 The whole bridge lifts straight up for the boats to go under it, like this.

This was a pretty church sitting on the side of the canal.  The captain of the boat said that it was made of "free stones" that were gathered and used to build the church.  Looks good for using free rocks.

Niagara Falls Trip - Part 2

 Late on Friday afternoon, after spending most of the day at Niagara Falls, we made a short visit to Old Fort Niagara.  This is the lighthouse by the fort overlooking the Niagara River.

This is the entrance to Fort Niagara.  The site was used by the Native Americans for hunting and fishing, then later it was occupied by French, British and American forces.  It played a critical role in the French & Indian War, the American Revolution and the War of 1812.  the outer walls were laid out by the French during the French & Indian War in 1755.  They've been rebuilt, but follow the original lines.

 We arrived in the middle of a demonstration of a musket by guys dressed in period costumes..

 This building is called the "French Castle" and has been restored to its pre-1755 appearance.  It was used not only as a military fort, but also as a trading post for the Native Americans and the French.

 This is Lake Ontario in the background.  One of the reasons the fort was so important was because of its location on Lake Ontario.  Toronto is right across the lake.

 This shows the trading room in the castle.

 This was a barracks room.  The bed is on the left and several soldiers slept here at the same time, with their heads toward the wall, kind of like a can of sardines.  Notice the muskets and uniforms hanging on the far wall.

 Cannons and Ken overlooking Lake Ontario.

 After exploring the fort, we headed to Ontario, Canada, where we spent the night in a room on the 29th floor, with a view of Horseshoe Falls.  It was an awesome room with a magnificent view!

 For dinner that night, we went to a Brazilian restaurant.  I wasn't familiar with that type of restaurant, but Ken had heard of them and knew what they were like.  It was a really fun way to eat!  There was a buffet of salads and side dishes that you helped yourself to, then after you were seated, guys came around to your table with meat on skewers and asked if you wanted a slice of whatever meat they had at the time. 

 The knives they sliced the meat with were like a sword, they would slice a little of the meat, then wait while you grabbed the meat with your small tongs, then they would finish slicing the meat.  We had lots of different beef cuts, lamb, chicken, and some yummy grilled pineapple with brown sugar grilled into it.

 We didn't know that we were also going to get a "floor show" during our meal.  It was definitely a memorable meal!