There are those places on earth that you may not get to all that often, but every time you return it’s like returning home…..
That’s where we have been the past…. uhmmm…. about 11 days. A truly beautiful place in SE Ohio. A farm quiet and quaint. Charming and beautiful. And yes, the aesthetics are pleasing, but the friends we visit are the highlights of the adventure there. We are always just so excited to see them and share in what I call their little slice of heaven. It’s been a wonderfully magical time.
Among the adventures on the farm, we also enjoyed a few day adventures. One included taking the kids bowling… which none of us had done in quite a looooong time. So we stunk… big time. But we had a blast! We had a blast stinking and then we went out to eat to fill the bellies of the bodies that lifted and threw bowling balls over and over again. It was still fairly decent out that day so I trekked to find a playground to enjoy and then back home for more fun.
Another day I took my kiddos on day trip. We ventured to Moundsville, WV where I replaced my West Virginia State Penitentiary bumper sticker. This was an adventure we had done last summer… visiting the most haunted paranormal jails in the states was super fun and exciting. We acquired our bumper sticker from the outing but sadly it went off on our RV when we sold it. So I was kinda determined to replace it. After revisiting and accomplishing that task, we headed up to Wheeling for some fun. After checking out the cool layout of Oglebay Park, we visited a very cool wooden park, a sorta cool “sculpture park” that had a whooping 3 statues in it, and saw a very beautiful suspension bridge over the Ohio River. We strolled down the over-full river side where we saw some very cool historical markers, and enjoyed the (finally) warm sun on our chilled bodies. We enjoyed some food out and the older kids met up with our friends to see another friend’s orchestra performance while I took sleepy little ones home to bed early.
Another outing we had was to Pittsburgh! We took a day trip and enjoyed the National Aviary. This was a truly amazing spot. Quoted from their website as being a premiere bird zoo, we thoroughly enjoyed this newest adventure. Not only did we score free admittance because we were gifted a membership to a Chicago garden that was granting reciprocity to this place, but it was such an amazing, cool spot to visit was just soooo thrilled we made the trek out there to check it out. Several rooms with birds flying all over the place in and out their hiding places. We witness several feedings of various species, and enjoyed seeing some of the most majestic birds on the planet. It was super cool!
We planted ourselves at a hotel for the evening that night and the very next morning we popped on over to Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum in Wheeling. This was such a cool little spot as well! Another major score! I was a little apprehensive about how much it may have displayed, but not only was the museum truly amazing, but the interactives for the kids kept us there all day long! We had a blast exploring and playing for several hours that afternoon! Definitely recommend if you find yourself driving through!
Aside from our miscellaneous side trips, we enjoyed quite a few beautiful hikes in Raven Rocks with our friends. In and out of the woods and ravines. Soaking up the warm sunshine. Oh…. and the few bonfires as well as the full moon! It was a magical (plus) week out in SE Ohio!
This week ahead…. we have landed ourselves at our annual retreat at Kalahari Waterpark for our Unschoolers Waterpark Gathering. We are excited to be attending our eighth year, reconnecting with our tribe and getting some mega swim on! Enjoying this week each year is a very special time for each and every one of us! There is nothing like being around like-minded to rejuvenate the soul!
