Niagara Falls - And now for the falls

I have been terribly slow in our vacation blog entries. It has almost been a month since our visit to Niagara Falls--time has really flown by! The final entry has to be the falls! We visited the falls each day we were there--we could not get enough of them. There has to be something in the water that just makes one feel at ease. The crashing of the water almost sounds like waves crashing on oceanside beach. People from all over the world come to visit these magical falls. We felt like singing (well, more me than Aaron), "Its a Small World!" On our first night, we ate at the Canyon Creek restaurant, which was located inside the Fallsview Casino--it overlooked most of the falls and the food was excellent. Of course, just being able to enjoy a quiet, tasty meal with just the two of us was a very big treat. The restaurant is a Canadian chain restaurant--which I thought was pretty darn nice for such a term. We also went to see the Niagara Falls Legends and Daredevils IMAX film during our stay which shared a few stories about the different folklore and tales of a few people who braved going over the falls. After the film, you enter a Daredevil Gallery which displays several of the different contraptions people used to go over the falls (a few survived and a few do not). It would be interesting to actually to hear the tale from someone who actually did survive. It would definitely be one heck of a ride! To think something so beautiful can be so dangerous! Aaron and I agreed that our next visit would include the kids--as they would have so much fun seeing the falls and participating in all of the activities in the area. We missed the region almost immediately after we left. Luckily, it is only a short six hour drive from Columbus. Thank you Niagara Falls, Ontario for such a relaxing and fun visit!

Niagara Falls - Random Stops

When Aaron and I go on mini vacations together, we pack in as much sightseeing as possible. We do not like to sit around (which we probably should do, but we never do). I guess we do as much as possible because we have to take in as much as possible, since it would be nearly impossible to do so if we had the kids with us. The Niagara region has so much to offer and is so rich in history. On this visit, we really got to enjoy more of the area and see what it has to offer. One of the spots that we unexpectedly visited (but had been recommended by Kevin at the Kilpatrick Manor) was Brock's Monument. It is a monument (and the tomb) of Major General SIr Isaac Brock, who bravely battled and was killed in the line of duty in the War of 1812. The tomb is massive and quite impressive, along with the view from it. We also made a pit stop to Niagara on the Lake during our stay. We ate at the Old Angel Inn, the oldest tavern in North America. Aaron enjoyed the customary Fish and Chips--which also included a serving of peas and carrots. I enjoyed a more modern Roast Beef Au Jus sandwich. After we ate at the Old Angel Inn, we took a walk down to Lake Ontario and look at all of their quaint shops. We also could not resist a visit to one of their bakeries to sample of their goods. We made a quick visit to Port Dalhausie on Saturday to get a few pictures of Lake Ontario. Those crazy Canadians were wearing bikinis and swin trunks on the beach and it was barely 70 degrees outside. The beach wasn't as quaint and adorable as I would have hoped, but we got a few nice pictures. And of course, we could not resist two visits to the Fallsview Casino-we actually came out ahead the first night we were there and Aaron got lucky by winning $120.00 bucks! The second night was a big dud--we both lost. C'est la vie!

Niagara - The Wineries

Our visit to the Niagara region was spent mostly visiting the vast array of wineries in the region. The wineries are all unique--some are fancier than others, but all have terrific wines. The regions red wines are more tame than those in California and France, which is fine with me, as I have just recently learned to enjoy a few wines of the red variety. We purchased a bottle of wine at each winery that we visited. On our previous trip, we only visited three wineries. On this visit, we visited seven in total. On our first full day in the region, we visited three wineries near Niagara On The Lake, Inniskillen, Hillebrand and Konzelmann. Of the three, our favorite on this day was Konzelmann, as the guy providing samples was so funny and generous with the wine samples. On the second day, we visited four in the Beamsville/Vineland/Jordan area, Flat Rock, Featherstone, Fielding Estates and Vineland Estates. We had a nice light lunch on the veranda of Featherstone, which was not very impressive on the outside, but the porch was cute and inviting. We toured the winery at Vineland Estates and found the tour to be extremely educational. It is amazing to how complex the process is to create the different wines. The winner for best winery of that day was Vineland Estates, it not only for how beautiful the building and the grounds were. The one thing that we were disappointed by was how the vines looked so sad at this time of the year--the leaves are just beginning to grow. On our last visit, all of the vines were so lush and had tons of grapes on them. Of course, it was September then and it was almost time for their official harvest of the season. Having so many options with the wineries in this area was terrific and just another reason why it would be fun to live in the area (or maybe retire--of course their winters are pretty brutal--which is a definite drawback!).

Return to Niagara - Kilpatrick Manor

For our second visit to Niagara Falls, we decided to stay at a bed and breakfast--it was more economical (than staying at a hotel near the falls), comfortable and we got an amazing breakfast each morning. The owners, Kevin and Nance Kilpatrick could not have been nicer. They are about the same age as we are--they have two little ones and live across the street from their bed and breakfast. They were also able to offer more information about the area--like which wineries to visit, what restaurants to eat at, etc. The house is rich with history--it was built by the Niagara Falls Parks Commissioner in the late 1800's. The Kilpatrick's have tried to maintain the original beauty of the house, but have kept their renovation work very modern and comfortable. The room we stayed in was called the "Hunniford" (each room is named for one of their relatives). The house itself it in an area going through changes--it was out of the touristy areas, but only five to ten minute car ride to the falls. We enjoyed our visit there and would definitely return (although we agreed the next time we visit the area, we will bring the kids with us).

Update

I know it has been some time, so here is a quick update on our family.

Drew registered for kindergarten on April 29th. He went through a series of tests--hearing, speech, letter and number recognition, vision, etc. at the school. He had no problems leaving me (it was kind of like, see you later mom!) for the tests and is now extremely excited to begin his new adventures in kindergarten in August. His last day of preschool was last week and I admit I cried when we said goodbye to his teachers. He has come such a long way this year and he had such a great time. He recently had his first solo playdate with his preschool pal, Sam. They are such good buddies that I hope they will remain friends--despite the fact they will be in different elementary schools next year.

Claire is growing so quickly and becoming a playmate to her big brother. She loves to say "Goodnight Drew!" and she thinks Drew is one funny kid. She is learning new words each day. Eyebrows (weird, but she likes to point to them), nose, ears, Calliou, George (for Curious George) are just a few examples of the words she recently learned. She also loves to dance in circles to music and runs like the wind! She just wants to go, go, go! And she is starting to sing--most of which we cannot understand, but we think it is singing! She also is obsessed with wearing her shoes--she wants to have them on all the time--even when she sleeps! Every time she thinks she is going somewhere--she hands us the shoes or she starts putting them on herself. I wonder if this the beginning of a lifelong love of shoes!

Amy and I walked once again in the Race for the Cure on Saturday (this the fifth time we have walked together in it). It is always an uplifting event to participate in. This year, they remembered our local news anchor, Heather Pick, who passed away of breast cancer in November, by wearing bright pink wigs and wearing t-shirts with her picture on the front. In her last appearance on the news, she wore the same wig. It was certainly moving and a fine tribute to a remarkable and brave woman. There is nothing quite like the sight of 44,000 people walking or running in such an event. Amy--same time, same place next year? :)

Aaron and I are looking forward to a much needed four day mini vacation to Niagara Falls, Ontario at the end of this week. Aaron's mom will be watching the kids. Our vacations together are so important to us as a couple. We have been planning our itinerary and look forward to posting pictures of our visit.

The finale of American Idol is this week. Aaron and I both think Adam is going to win it by a mile. Kris kicked it up with his rendition of "Heartless" last week. Honestly, does it really matter who wins at this point? They are all up for record contracts and if they play their cards right, they could be big.

Blooms and Butterflies.

As I had my first Tastefully Simple open house yesterday, Aaron decided to take the kids to the Franklin Park Conservatory to see their annual Blooms and Butterflies exhibit. Since learning about butterflies in preschool, Drew has been very interested in learning more about them. The kids had a terrific time and as expected, Drew loved the butterflies. It was also a great opportunity to test out our new camera--the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS. It is still a point and shot camera, but it is a significant improvement over our old digital camera that was three years old. Aaron took amazing shots of the butterflies--something that we could have never captured on our old camera.

In memory of my Grandma Bernice 1918 - 2009

It is hard to just write a short blog entry to summarize what my Grandma Bernice meant to me and Aaron. She passed away on April 8th at the age of 90. While that is quite an impressive age to live to--I always thought that she would live until she was 100. Despite her age, she just always seemed eternally young to me. There are many adjectives that I could use for her--strong, devoted, blunt, kind, loving and determined. But, mostly, she was just my Grandma Bernice and I loved her very much. To be in her presence (and my Grandpa Bob's) was just so peaceful and easy. She was just always there--even though we always seemed to live so far away. So, to be without her is going to take some time to get used to. The pictures shown include one of me and Grandma when I was 4 years old, the second one is from my Great Aunt Marion's wedding when I was six (and I was the flower girl) and finally, a picture taken of Aaron and I with my grandparents at our wedding reception in September 2000.