This trip to Cooperstown was not my original plan for our family vacation. I intended to fly my parents to Florida for St. Louis Cardinals spring training. However, just a few weeks before Christmas, my mom announced that she would not be able to get on a plane. Total panic! Three weeks to start all over with my planning and booking. Thankfully my coworker, Ryan, came to the rescue suggesting a weekend at Cooperstown. What a brilliant idea! My parents love for the Cardinals rises far above for their love of any other sport. That's saying something given they had season tickets to the former St. Louis Cardinals football team and the St. Louis Blues. They rarely miss a Cardinals game (from the comfort of their couch, of course) and they greatly admire Tony LaRussa who will be inducted to the Hall of Fame this year.
Even though about 15 hours of our trip thus far has been spent in the car, we have had a great time. We spent the night in Cleveland where we shared a hotel with the Cleveland Browns rookies, my nephew got in a good swim with his parents and we all relaxed on the patio, enjoying 60-something degree weather. Part two of our drive included a detour to Niagara Falls which wasn't nearly a big as I remembered from the summer after my 7th birthday. Mom and I took a selfie by the crashing water while my brother-in-law served as photographer for a number of visitors from abroad. The time there, though short, will be cherished.
We finally arrived at a little farmhouse in Oxford, NY late last night after a breathtaking drive through the New York country side. Our route took us through farmland and quaint, adorable towns. To say we are amazed by the beauty of this country is an understatement. The roads are lined to rows of corn, vineyards that stretch as far as the eye can see and hops farms which was a new sight for me.
Our farmhouse, nestled in lovely Oxford is the centerpiece on an alpaca farm. Antiques and other old things clutter every room. It smells like my Grandpa Aben's house. Or at least the way I remember it. It's dusty and dirty but the beds are comfortable. The dishwasher is broken, the toilets don't flush correctly, the lake that was supposed to be behind the house is nowhere to be found, the bathtub doesn't hold water and a number of the lights don't work. But we gathered around the dining room table last night, ate sandwiches, and played three rousing hands of UNO, forcing each other to DRAW FOUR MORE and SKIP turns while we laughed until someone peed a little.
You cannot manufacture these moments. They are grown from pure love.
No comments:
Post a Comment