Memories of Ohio

We have conquered our second Monday morning back in the heart of winter in Melbourne.  I realised as I pulled the car into the garage this morning that driving on the left side of the road has become second nature again.  Thankfully I only pulled out on the wrong side (i.e. right side) of our side street twice last week, momentary mistakes that were quickly corrected.  It will be another couple of weeks at least before I quit mixing up the turn signals and windshield wipers, but those are only minor irritations. 

Before I wrap up my series of posts on our trip to North America with a description of our brief time in Ohio, here are a few photos taken in the last couple of days around our house.  We have experienced the entire range of possible Melbourne winter weather, from mild days filled with sunshine, to sheets of rainfall and temperatures just above the freezing point.

The boy refuses to wear a coat or jacket of any description no matter how low the temperature drops, but he does like the hat my grandma knitted for him in the colors of his favorite footy team:

Enough of cold, dark Melbourne.  I return to our all-too-brief summer stay in Ohio.  My kids had a few extra days in Ohio while I was in New York, and they had a wonderful time staying overnight with their cousins and being taken to the movies, a rare treat in our family (thanks, Uncle Andy and Aunt Linsey!).  There were multiple trips to Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt shops, much to their delight, and then a perfect day in Amish country with my parents that involved breakfast at Cracker Barrel, of course, and a meal at Der Dutchman followed by a visit to an outdoor farm safari.  

I flew in briefly on a Tuesday, caught up with two of my mom's cousins (they would be referred to as "awnties" in Australia), Aunt Kathy and Aunt Nancy for the first time in possibly seven years, ate dinner and then drove off to Pittsburgh.  Two days later I met up with my parents at the Hartville Kitchen.  I had by this time picked up Gillian at the Pittsburgh airport so that she could make the long trip back to Melbourne with us.  Waiting for us at my parents' house were my Uncle Travis and Aunt Jane, whom we hadn't seen in ages.  

Saying good-bye never gets easier, just harder, and this time was no exception.  We woke up Friday morning to a beautiful breakfast prepared by my mom, took a lovely summer walk in the woods in a local park, visited our favorite dentist, ate lunch together, and then the packing of suitcases could be put off no longer.  I lingered for a while over a last cup of coffee with my parents before throwing myself into the last minute cramming of bags.  By 3pm we were on our way to the Cleveland airport.  The rest of the journey was fairly uneventful.  The children had prayed fervently for no more cancelled flights, and their prayers were answered.  We did have to wait a few extra hours in Los Angeles, meaning that we did not board the flight to Melbourne until 3:30am Ohio time.  The children did very well with the whole trip, in spite of this minor setback.  I guess they should be pros by now.

As I finish this from my cold kitchen, shivering in spite of wearing several thick layers, the summer berries and warm summer sunshine seem to belong to a far and distant past.  Still present, however, is the warmth from the hours spent face to face with our loved ones, even if the time spent was far too short.

Comments

[Suzanne]

It was so nice that you were able to come home for awhile! You always manage to accomplish so many visits to both people and places. I hope the memories last for a very long time.
Beautiful shot of the house with the rainbow overhead- all is well. :)

[Christie Wilkin]

Thanks Suzanne! I really appreciate you driving over to have lunch with us before we headed back to Ohio.

[Shanda]

Oh my goodness, I'm all teary eyed. I love that picture of your Dad the favorite dentist, with James. I'm sorry that you had to say goodbye again, but what a lovely visit you've had full of love and adventures.

The top pictures are lovely. A double rainbow? A gift.

[whit's end mom]

Just had coffee with your Greg and Karin last night. We were driving through their town after camping, and decided to call them at the last minute. We enjoyed our visit and always wonder why we don't do it more often. Coming off a vacation is always a little hard for me. Everything seems dirty--clothes, car, etc. . . I've enjoyed your trip!

[Christie]

Glad to hear you made it home safely! I have been wondering about the ordeal of backing up the camping trailer and hoping the baseball boy did well. All the best tackling the laundry ... I feel your pain. I think we are just now getting back to normal, two full weeks after arriving home.