Catch Up...Repost...Last One was a Draft

Well, we finally made it to OH...The last few days are a bit of a blur. Jeffrey got sick from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and it was a rough 36 hours. He is fine now and all is well.

Last I wrote, we had just met the Saint Andrew's Valedictorian. He is an amazing kid and a pleasure to talk with. Jeffrey thought he was talking with a celebrity. He is going to Yale in the fall and glowed when he spoke of his years at SA.

Last Saturday, after a full day at UPenn, we woke up to the worst weather. It was pouring, but we ignored it and went sightseeing via the Trolley. We visited the usual suspects- the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall etc. A real find was the National Liberty Museum. What a great place. Somewhat eclectic and a wide variety of thing to do and see. There was art work and exhibits highlighting American Heroes and recognizing people who have made a difference-- despite their challenges. 9/11 was tastefully displayed, as was the display of the many versions of the White House China. There was a large Chagall collection and the largest indoor Chihulley exhibit anywhere.

The rain let up and we went to Penn's Landing. The first thing we did was tour a real submarine. We crawled through small spaces and I only bumped my head three times. Jeffrey was happy to keep count. We also had to climb long ladders up/down, but it was worth it to see all the inner workings. From here, we entered a 1898 war ship, used during the Spanish American War. The advanced technology for the time was amazing. Next, we attended Family Day at the Philadelphia Seaport Museum. Jeffrey built his own wooden ship, learned how to caulk the sides of a ship, tie knots and steer radio controlled boats. Finally, we made it into the museum. I thought I'd be bored to tears, but it turned out to be interesting. The children's exhibits were all hands on, By the time we closed the place, we were wet, tired and ready for a nice dinner.

Oh, the thing that was most fascinating to Jeffrey was that he saw NJ without even being there. Then to make it more confusing, we were in PA, NJ was across the river and the river was called the Delaware River. Only in America!

Sunday morning the sun was sort of shining. We headed out to the Philadelphia Art Museum, famous for among other things, Rocky Balboa's run up its stairs. Lots of stairs! We went right to the Impressionists and found Van Gogh's Sunflower. Jeffrey had been waiting to see this for three years. It was much smaller than we imagined, but he was happy to see the "real thing" regardless. There was a large collection of Monet and Degas also and we all enjoyed seeing these master paintings. One more run up/down the stairs and we were off...

From here we went to celebrate Father's Day at Citizen's Bank Ballpark for the first of many baseball parks this summer. The park is new and right field is all about kids ages 6-12. They had games, activities and a bonanza of food, all in one place. By playing the games, Jeffrey earned "dollars" and was able to go to the store and "buy" souvenirs. It was a nice way to pass some time and everyone was happy. After the game, we were supposed to go for a fancy dinner, but we were hot and tired. Instead we had some Chinese food near the hotel. The original restaurant had costumed waitresses and waiters and it was all about the founding of our nation. Jeffrey was just as happy talking to the waiter in Mandarin.

Monday morning started out fine. David went to the Franklin Institute to see the Galileo telescope exhibit. It is the first time the telescope has been out of Italy and this was the only US stop. Then we headed out to Pittsburgh. Six changes of clothes later, we made it...Our first day in Pittsburgh was a wash, but we managed to get to the Indians vs. Pirates baseball game. It was another nice stadium and a fun game. The score was 5-0, top of the 9th-- but with the Indians, one never knows. By the middle of the ninth, it was all of a sudden 5-4. However, the Indians were able to hang on to their lead.

The next morning we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo- one of the nicest in the country. The only downside was that everything was up hill. Still haven't figured out how everything went up and we never seemed to walk downhill...Regardless, it was a great day and we headed out to OH, late in the afternoon.

We arrived in OH with no issue. We are unpacked and getting settled. I am doing my best to lay low for a day or two and catch up with all the running around.

Over the weekend, I will try and figure out how to post some pictures.

Nothing else to share. Thanks for reading and have a great day!