It's been a long 10 days and I was happy that everyone actually slept in a little bit. 7:50 or so they start waking. We quickly get dressed, pack up and get the heck out of dodge.
I make my way down to check out and check out the continental breakfast. I quickly decide we will not be eating there. 3 or 4 tables all full, selection sucked, and no highchairs in sight. But right next door they have a nice big family restaurant.
We eat at the breakfast bar there. Very nice staff, family owned and operated, and they are obviously used to children, as they put a big plastic tarp under the cookie monsters. We get more than enough for us all. The general mood is improving. I think Kris was happy to be leaving, but probably planning out in her mind how to disinfect everything.
We hit the road, but our destination is not totally clear. Before the trip started, 11 days ago, I had Elijah follow our trip plan and use the AAA tour books to find cool spots to stop at. He had a few picked out, some neat places too, like a working coal mine in WV, and an old house/museum of George Washington. I was a bit weary as I am not sure I had patience to keep the girls in check for a 2 hour tour.
We discuss what to do as we are driving, I suggest at one point just going back to the Clay Center in WV, that receives groans from the back seat. We finally decide on Parkersburg WV. They appear to have some parks and museums. And that only leaves about 2 hours left.
We plot the course in the GPS but having only our phones, we pick what we believe is a standard park with tables and swing sets.
We arrive and stop by a local sub shop to get lunch. I try to check over the menu and get to ordering. The boy and little girl start playing and before I knew it I hear a crash! Stella is on the ground crying. He told me later he was just trying to tickle her to keep her busy. I pretend not to notice and keep ordering. Mama bear has come out of hibernation and takes the children out and has them stand against the wall. I do my best to finish the order, while trying to keep Molly from riping all potato chips off the wall.
We get the to park and look for a spot to eat. No tables, benches, or chairs in sight. Finally we pick a shady spot and try to eat. It is right next to a small lake, with a nice view. The water and boats passing by seem to gather more attention then the food. Molly ran, arms flailing, towards the embankment a few times. I grab her, or she stops just short of the river bed. We finish and I inquire with the locals about a play ground. They let me know it is down the road a bit at City Park. We picked the park where you can get on a river boat to make it to the island.
Needless to say I have scummed to the sun, the crying and the general tiredness. We get back in the car, and I start driving and don't stop until we make it home.
The kids do pretty well for the last leg home. There are some moments, but I keep my mind on the goal and try to ignore it.
We finally make it and I task the wife with taking care of the kids and begin thinking about dinner. While I unload the car. Only this time I don't stop with just the luggage and beach stuff. I rip everything out, from toys and rattles, to books and crayons and 4 years of gold fish crackers. After the scrubbing, Windexing and vacuuming, the van is almost respectable again! Big boy did help me a bit, thank you Elijah.
We decide to make it easy and have some pizza for dinner.
We find a new bigger home for Mr Pinchy and Crabby.
The family is happy to be home, and they all play together nicely. Our kitty missed us and is quite needy for the next few days. So we play with her a bit. Thanks Mel for taking care of her.
Pretty soon our life is getting back to normal and I start going through the large stack of mail.
Overall it was a very nice time, crazy at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks again Ted for allowing us to come with. I'd definitely be up to doing it again, just not anytime real soon......
Well that's about all I can remember. Thanks to everyone for following along. Until next time!
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