4th of July

The morning of the 4th of July, I took the kids to the Hamilton parade.  Pat's marching band was one of six bands in the parade.  The big hit were the 'race cars.'  I remember these as the Zoom Zoom cars from the Warren 4th of July parade growing up as a kid.  I remember them to be really loud, weaving in and out of a figure eight, almost cutting of our toes.  I don't know if times have changed or if seeing it as a kid vs. an adult has changed the experience, but I thought these zoom zooms were kind of pitiful.

After the parade, we packed up the kids and dog and headed 5 hours northeast to Conneaut to spend the weekend with Pat's parents.  We enjoyed roasting hotdogs and s'mores and a beautiful sunset.  A neighbor even volunteered to take a family picture.

Going...

Going...

Gone!

The following day we went to the Conneaut Township park, which is where the beach is.  The kids were expecting a beach like we had in Florida, so they were surprised with the 'brown sand' and all the rocks.  Leah enjoyed collecting sea glass and Max collected drift wood.  Max especially liked to collect the pieces that were shaped like a gun.

After the beach we cleaned up and enjoyed the afternoon at the Buccia winery.  Pat and I enjoyed two bottles of wine (perhaps a bit tooooo much) before heading back to the house where Pat's sister, Dayna, and her family joined us for the remainder of the weekend.  And unfortunately, that is where the pictures stop.

We had a great time...thanks Connie and Rick for having us!