Back home

Sorry about the odd post - it looks like the Fairfield internet connection had some kind of block on the word "girl". Anyway, should be fixed now.

To sum up the rest of the trip - it got a lot better. Everyone finally decided to behave themselves. The dinner event went smoothly, the girls were good, even adorable at times, we had a wonderful breakfast at Jack's Deli this morning, and are now back at home with a pound of corned beef and a half a loaf of good rye bread.

Aside: Anyone reading this who knows of a good Kosher or Kosher-style deli in Cincinnati, please let me know. We literally have to drive 4-5 hours to get corned beef. And don't say Izzy's. No offense to the good people there, but saying Izzy's serves good corned beef is like saying Taco Bell is authentic Mexican. Anyway...

So we're back home now in that post-drive daze, just trying to get ourselves to bedtime. Our BIG summer trip to the Smokies and Chattanooga is in a couple weeks.

Here (and in the next post) are a few of the best pics:

Artificial bliss:

Now, I feel the need to clarify. I am not a big fan of the in-car DVD player. I want my kids to look at their surroundings and actually have the getting there be an active part of the trip. That said, the drive from Cincinnati to Cleveland is genuinely boring. There is nothing to look at. So this time, I didn't mind. The girls know that when we go to Tennessee, there will be lots of times when they are not allowed to watch a movie.


For a Cincinnati family, this is a weird sight:


Took 'driving':

This is funny too - when Faith first went on 'car rides' like this, she was super serious and we're pretty sure she thought she actually had to steer. Mari on the other hand doesn't even try to pretend. Just free-wheelin' it.

After government cuts, this is all that's left of the space program:


Just before the skies opened up and we all got soaked:


more pics soon!