8-9, C & O Canal day trip

Well, we really haven't done much sightseeing here locally this summer, so we figured that yesterday was as good a day as any (although it was 95, so maybe there would have been a better day!). We drove the 40 minutes down to Bethesda, MD, to see the old canal that was built in the 1830s that connect the Ohio River to the Chesapeake Bay. I think they said that it took them 22 years and 14 million dollars to build it. Prior to arriving, I had an image in my mind comparable to the swamp tours we'd done in LA. We got there and wouldn't you know it I wasn't too far off?? (no gators, but it looked like there could have been....) Along the canal, there's a series of locks the boats would pass through. We took an hour long boat ride up a ways and then back down to get the experience of it. Contrary to what you might think, it wasn't boring at all. It was quite peaceful with the gentle (3-4 mph) breeze blowing on us as the mules pulled us along the canal. I must say I'd never experienced anything like it. And, when it cools down, we'll be happy to do it again and enjoy more of the bike path that parallels the canal.

The canal runs alongside the Potomac River. Where we were, there were a series of waterfalls-- the largest being the "Great Falls". We took the short walk to view it. It was amazing to see the masses of rocks and the wandering waterfalls.

We (well, at least I, for sure) thought these kayers were pretty crazy.

On the other side of the river is VA. We could see onlookers at the vantage point from the VA side and we were on the one on the MD side.

This could ALMOST be some sort of tropical oasis, couldn't it? This whole setting was so surreal....did you know it's only 15 minutes from there to DC? Yeah, just hard to comprehend. It was so quiet and scenic and only miles away from our nation's capitol.

7-24, Pittsburgh Weekend

We were able to spend our first weekend together in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago. Sven's dad's dad turned 85 and they planned a big family celebration. Dad and Mary Jo had just gotten finished remodeling their house and we stayed with them. The drive through the Pennsylvania countryside on the way to Pittsburgh was quite beautiful.

We had some time before the party to visit a nearby park and let the kids play.... I mean, let Nikolas play. =)

The vantage point for this photo (ie, Nikolas eye-level) does none of us any justice. Oh well, right?!

WAIT! Did Cadi ride on the roof all the way from Baltimore to Pittsburgh?!?! Oh...guess not--- some random cat has made itself quite comfy on our roof.

This is dad's side of the family. I'd name them off....but I don't remember all of their names! It was the first time I had met most of them.

This is the house that Sven lived in from 8th grade through his junior year in high school. When his mom and Jerry divorced, his mom moved to WV and Jerry moved to LA. Sven was invited to live with a friend's family his senior year so that he could finish high school with his friends. That's how Sven's dad came to be known as "dad"....and you'd swear by looking at them and knowing them that there's more than heart strings that joins them!

This is the athletic field at Sven's old high school in Gibsonia, PA. It was neat to finally be able to put a place with the name. I've heard so many old football stories!

Sven and his dad..... Sven's beyond his high school years now and both have much less hair than they did back then.... and thus the even wackier resemblance to each other!!

These cute pygmy goats were at the petting portion of the local nursery that Sven used to work at...... I guess I could have taken a picture of the ACTUAL nursery...but you know me.....these kids were all the rage! =) Nikolas and I had to go back repeatedly to pet and feed them.