Helen--again!

Getting some ice cream in Helen.













Our cabin was located by Duke's Creek, and Riley had a great time splashing around. Angel and Ashlynn would throw rocks for him to "fetch." He'd bound after them, but of course couldn't get them.









Our cabin. It was a little rustic.

Of course you know I jest. Duke's Creek Cabins are very nice and we loved it. We even had a hot tub on the deck!










Since Helen is only allowed to have one fast food place (Wendy's), we drove over to Cleveland for some McDonald's after our day of tubing down the Chattahoochee. And you cannot make a trip to Cleveland without going to the Cabbage Patch Hospital. You already know, dear Reader, about the first trip we made there. But DJ had never been, so the girls had to take him. It was indeed an experience for him.
























I mentioned above about tubing down the Chattahoochee River. Angel, DJ, Ashlynn, and Riley spent the day doing this. I'm sorry to report that we do not have any pictures from this event, because it was really something to see Riley curled up in a tube (it had a flat bottom, not a hole in the middle) floating down the river. The family got lots of comments on it. Riley actually stayed in the tube and had a marvelous time. Many thanks to Cool River Tubing for the day's fun.

We do plan to return to Helen. There's several things we did not get to do that are a must for us--putt putt and gold/gem mining. And we'd love to go tubing again. There's only so many times you can piddle around the town. It's really just a bunch of trinket shops decorated to look like Germany, but the food in town is good and the people were all friendly. It makes for a fun family trip. And the town is quite dog-friendly as well. It was nice not to have to leave Riley behind.

August 5--Lavonia, GA (again)

Yep, this is where our summer began. Lavonia, Georgia. Ever heard of it? Not unless you've been reading my blog! This is the town where we stayed back in June for the Lifsey Family Reunion. Well, we're back with two new travel companions--DJ and Riley (and Maple, that new Build a Bear Ashlynn got in Canada). DJ and Angel felt it just wasn't right not to do a family vacation, so we're on our way back to Helen. DJ's never been there, so this should be fun. We'll be staying the next two nights in a cabin. We're in Lavonia because we couldn't leave until late today, and there was no reason to drive all the way to the cabin just to sleep. So we're off in the morning to Helen!

July 23?--Charleston Harbor Boat Ride

So the family went on a boat ride around the Charleston Harbor one evening after returning from the Grand Adventure of the Summer of 2008.










Gotta love the battery!













Even upside down she's the cutest thing ever!



















Our favorite thing to see in the harbor--dolphins. There was a lot of them out, but it's really difficult to take pictures and watch at the same time!










A place Angel would LOVE to go and walk around--Castle Pinckney. What's stopping her? For one, it's an island, and she has yet to perfect walking on water. Two, she's been told it's a federal crime to get out there and walk around.
The fort was used during the Civil War, but has fallen in disrepair and disuse since. There's tons of birds nesting on the island, and the shore was littered with pelicans taking a break. Ever seen a pelican dive for fish? Quite impressive the way they dive bomb into the water. Angel never gets tired of watching them.

July 19--Sweet Home Carolina

Ashlynn loved going through this tunnel coming out of the Scranton area heading toward Philadelphia.











The reason for our trip through Philly was to visit the Mutter Museum. The museum "was founded to educate future doctors about anatomy and human medical anomalies. Today, it serves as a valuable resource for educating and enlightening the public about our medical past and telling important stories about what it means to be human" (http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter_hist.htm). You should check out the website and take the virtual tour. Very interesting. This is Ashlynn holding her new keychain after visiting the museum. It's a nose and when you squeeze it, stuff comes out.








We were supposed to stay in DC with some friends of Angel's, but had to take a raincheck on that because they had to leave town for a funeral. We drove through Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, but didn't stop for pictures at the welcome centers because we were trying to get home before too long. We finally make it to the border of SC ! Home! We stopped at the welcome center to get a picture of the illuminated welcome sign and to use the bathrooms (they're called washrooms in Canada). Guess what we saw on the sidewalk? A palmetto bug (you may call them roaches, but here in the Palmetto State, it's a palmetto bug). How fitting.


We rolled into the drive about 1 am, and just as we did, the light came on to indicate the gas tank was almost empty!

It's been a great trip, but the girls and I are glad to be back home. Thanks to all who have kept up with our blog and especially to all of you who have taken care of us along the way. It's been a terrific and adventurous 37 days.

July 18--Niagara, NY, and PA

On our way back to the States, we figured it would be ridiculous to drive right past Niagara and not stop.











After a trip to Build A Bear Workshop to find an outfit Ashlynn's been searching for (we did find the scuba suit), we spent a little time at the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum.










Then we found the falls. We visited the American side a few years ago when Angel, her parents, and Ashlynn went to Ohio to visit her Aunt Lyn. This is the part of the falls they saw from the American side.









And this is Horseshoe Falls, the best part.













Here are both falls together. Angel tends to agree, however, with Oscar Wilde's thought on the falls:

"The Niagara Falls is simply a vast amount of water going the wrong way over some unnecessary rocks; the sight of that waterfall must be one of the earliest and keenest disappointments in American married life."

And we're on the way home! The officer at the border was a bit taken back by how much stuff was packed into our car, but we did not have to unpack and go though it all. Thank goodness!










This is one sign Angel never thought she'd be so happy to see!












We made it to Pennsylvania for the night.













We were able to enjoy a Fribble from Friendly's we've heard so much about from Candy and Damon. Very tasty and highly recommended.

July 17--Last Day

We saw this sign earlier in the week and thought it would make a great picture.












We had supper with Don at Samura's Japanese Restaurant.












Well, the car's all packed for the trip home. Ashlynn's showing how she's got just enough room to sit for the drive. The car did seem to tilt a little to the right.

July 16--Science Center

This is the Science Center (or should I say, Centre) in Toronto.

















Ashlynn raced against this boy in the wheelchair race and won (with a little help from the other boy, who helped spin the wheels faster for her). There was a large section devoted to Olympic games.









Another large section was a "Journey to Mars" exhibit. Ashlynn found that walking on Mars is not as easy as walking on Earth!
















I think she and I would make a great team driving on Mars.












And aren't we both so handsome in our space suits?

July 15--Children's Museum 2

Here we are at the Children's Museum in Kitchener. Ashlynn had a great time!

July 14--ROM

We made a trip into Toronto to go to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Ashlynn decided that she loves riding the subway!












Here she is all dressed up like a medieval knight in the children's discovery section of the ROM.

















Hmm... we've seen a lot of monkey skeletons on this trip.











Angel, Ashlynn, and DJ made a trip to the ROM four years ago when they came to Canada. Angel has a picture of Ashlynn standing by this same mummy from that trip.











She's a butterfly!

Things you won't see down South

(Poutine is french fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.)

July 13

Lazy day here in Cambridge. We did a little shopping, but mostly just hung out. Candy found some of DJ’s Legos from about 30 years ago, and she has had so much fun making trucks, buildings, and other things from them.

July 12—Ontario Place and GBS

We’re in Toronto for the day. If traffic is moving well, it takes about an hour to get to Toronto (or T.O. as it’s called around here). Of course, this is a tremendously huge city, so if there’s a wreck or commuter traffic, be prepared to hang out on the highway for a while.

Ashlynn fell asleep on our way into Toronto. She's been going full speed ahead for weeks now! She's just "Tuckered" out!




We spent the day in Ontario Place, which is an amusement park. Ashlynn enjoyed the water park play area the best (as usual!).

They’re setting up a new section that will have different things representing cities from all over the world. This one section from Asia is made entirely of plates, cups, and spoons. It’s really going to be something once it’s set up.

Here are the girls with T.O. in the background. That's the CN Tower sticking up like a needle.












This was very similar to the ride at Santa's Village, but had a greater fall. Ashlynn loved it!

Ashlynn’s favorite ride was the one where you’re in a “log” going down a river, then go over a waterfall and have a big drop. This drop wasn’t as big as the one at Disney or Six Flags, but it was fun. Well, Ashlynn was worried about me getting wet, so she wrapped me in her towel and tucked me in Angel’s bag. The first time they didn’t get wet much at all, so they decided to go again. The line wasn’t very long, so it didn’t take them long to get back to the front. Well, there was a group of three girls just ahead of them, and family members kept joining these girls, until there was about 10 people in total. This would not have tested my patience so much except that I was stuffed inside a towel in a bag, remember? Well, they all got to go down the ride, then the two people in front of us got in the log boat and the ride broke. Or at least jammed up somewhere. So our brave three decided to stick it out until it was working again, which only took a meager 40 minutes or so. Where did all this patience come from? Once it got working again, we were the first group to go because the two in front of us gave up waiting on the ride to be fixed and left. We got to the fall, and when we hit bottom, Angel, Ashlynn, and Damon got soaked. Drenched. Saturated. Nearly drowned. It took them all by total surprise, considering how dry they remained the first time down. It took all the rest of the afternoon to dry because it was a cloudy day and because it started raining.

That evening they went to a Great Big Sea concert. This band is from Newfoundland, and they are terrific. Ashlynn LOVES them and was so excited to get to go to their concert. This was really her first proper concert, and it was wonderful. Of course, it rained on them again, but what did that matter now? It was really a great big sea of people, as the Molson Amplitheatre was packed. It was the only time during this trip that Angel has seen such a concentration of nothing but white people in Ontario. Judging by the population in every place she’s been so far (including Wal Mart), Ontario is being taken over by Indians and Asians. Anyway, back to the concert. Great Big Sea plays Celtic-influenced rock music, sea shanties, and Newfie folk songs. There was a super couple beside us at the concert from Newfoundland.

The concert was over about 11 pm, and wouldn’t you guess—there was a wreck on the highway and only one of the three lanes on our side of the road was open. It added almost an extra hour to our trip. Ashlynn slept the whole ride home and had no trouble sleeping in the next morning!