Most of my adventures are kept quiet to my Simply Singing in the Rain family to avoid coming across as boastful. I know some of you out there are introverts (yes, I am an introvert) like me who like to keep to themselves and if it weren't for a few great friends and family we would be hermits. Most of my nights are spent surfing the far reaches of the Internet and somehow ending up on the weird side of YouTube. However, I do go on "adventures" as I like to call them and I thought I could encourage some of you in knowing that single people can have fun too...in fact, single, introverted people can have fun too...also, single, introverted, awkward, people can have fun...let's just say, people in general can have fun. I hope you enjoy as you come along my July Fourth adventure.
It was a warm July day and my family and I (well, my dad and brothers) were packing the car getting ready to head to New York where my aunts, uncles, and grandparents lived. We were visiting them for the Fourth of July weekend. It was a quick trip to catch up on each other's lives and reconnect with our loved ones. All of 6 of us piled into a 7-seater with our luggage and drove speedily down the highway towards our destination. It was a little cramped but doable and we were all happy to save money on gas. The way up to New York was pretty uneventful with only one memorable stop and that was at Bill Gray's to purchase and consume a garbage plate. What is a garbage plate you ask? A garbage plate is built on macaroni salad and home fries topped off with a hamburger or hot dog or both (yes with all the fixin's). My sister-in-law and I had not seen much less eaten one of monstrosities but had heard many tales (some bad and some good) of it's tastes. We decided to share a garbage plate and partake in whatever it had in store for us. We split the food and feasted on our newly found treasure. Everything tasted great on it's own and combined together had a very unique flavor that I am unable to describe. It tasted like a picnic you would have on a weekend like the Fourth of July. I am glad though that I split the plate with my sister-in-law because I would have not been able to eat the whole thing. The unique flavor was a little too much for me after a half of a plate. After our feast was over, we headed back out to complete our journey. We arrived in the late afternoon evening at my Babchi's house. Side note: Babchi is Polish for Grandma. We chatted a little while with her and joined her for dinner. There is one thing that I will always equate Babchi with and that thing is food. Babchi shows her love to us by feeding us. When she was not so up in years, she would make chicken noodle soup, spaghetti sauce, homemade cookies, cakes, pies, you name it and she would make it from scratch and it would taste like manna from Heaven! The last couple of years have not been kind to my Babchi and she is growing older. I know that the time for her to pass on from this earth to Heaven is growing closer each day. It has become a ritual for me to stay overnight with her whenever we visit so I took opportunity when it was presented. I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible since we visit her a few times a year. She encouraged me to continue on and promised to pray for me. I know she has and will continue to do so. I will miss her but that's what Heaven is for right? To catch up on all those moments that we missed!
The next day brought along new adventures with my Rogers' side of the family. But first let me take a selfie:
There! I've got that out of the way. We traveled to my Grandma and Grandpa Steve's trailer and had a picnic. The table was full of different meats ranging from hot dogs to pork loin, salt potatoes (yum!), salads, desserts, and snacks. Our Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bill joined us for a delicious meal and bonfire. Before we gorged ourselves on the delicious food, my Uncle Bill invited me and my brother Eric for a boat ride. It was a strapping yacht weathered by the salt of the mighty oceans of the world...*clears throat*...I might have exaggerated just a little but you'll never know! We pulled out into the mighty Seneca River and Uncle Bill pulled the choke on the motor and we.....sat. He jokingly stated that we would have to paddle all the way up the river. He pulled again and nothing happened. Thankfully, he did have an electric motor and we cruised up the river at the whopping speed of 5 mph. It was a lovely cruise (thankfully not a 3-hour tour) and we arrived back at the dock well rested and hair in place. My Uncle Bill joked again stating that he'd never live this one down. Nope, Uncle Bill! It's out here for the rest of the world to see. We arrived back at the trailer famished from our thrilling ride and stuffed ourselves with the goodies. We talked and shared stories about my Poppy. Poppy was my first grandpa. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was 9. The next day we visited his grave and paid our respects.
The next day brought along new adventures with my Rogers' side of the family. But first let me take a selfie:
There! I've got that out of the way. We traveled to my Grandma and Grandpa Steve's trailer and had a picnic. The table was full of different meats ranging from hot dogs to pork loin, salt potatoes (yum!), salads, desserts, and snacks. Our Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bill joined us for a delicious meal and bonfire. Before we gorged ourselves on the delicious food, my Uncle Bill invited me and my brother Eric for a boat ride. It was a strapping yacht weathered by the salt of the mighty oceans of the world...*clears throat*...I might have exaggerated just a little but you'll never know! We pulled out into the mighty Seneca River and Uncle Bill pulled the choke on the motor and we.....sat. He jokingly stated that we would have to paddle all the way up the river. He pulled again and nothing happened. Thankfully, he did have an electric motor and we cruised up the river at the whopping speed of 5 mph. It was a lovely cruise (thankfully not a 3-hour tour) and we arrived back at the dock well rested and hair in place. My Uncle Bill joked again stating that he'd never live this one down. Nope, Uncle Bill! It's out here for the rest of the world to see. We arrived back at the trailer famished from our thrilling ride and stuffed ourselves with the goodies. We talked and shared stories about my Poppy. Poppy was my first grandpa. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was 9. The next day we visited his grave and paid our respects.
The rest of the day was filled with Gina and Joe's pizza and a visit to Willow Bay. The best pizza on the planet!!! True authentic New York style pizza! Yummy! Want to see it?
We visited Willow Bay and saw this humorous sign that made the Grammar Nazi in me twinge with disgust....
I don't think I'll recover from that. Sunday was the day we said goodbye to our friends and family and made the long, cramped journey back to Ohio. It was worth it and I came away with a sense of thankfulness for my family. We may have some characters but they are there for us whenever we need them.
Until next time,
Be Happy Wherever You Are
Always Sing in the Rain
Christa
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