Rochester to Madison Roadtrip

We stopped in some great places on our way to Madison. And I use the phrase "on our way" loosely. Philadelphia & DC are not generally on the way west of Rochester. But we'd wated to see these places for a long time, and we finally took the opportunity!

Highlights:
Getting used to seeing minutemen and other period folks all over in Philadelphia. We actually bumped into a minuteman on the way out of our elevator at the hotel parking lot. We were too surprised to request a photo op, so we settled for a pic with a cardboard cutout of Ben Franklin. I, for one, would have loved to have an "interactive breakfast" with him as advertised, but unfortunately our itinerary didn't allow it.

Seeing the coins made at the US Mint. I didn't realize how much they rely on robotics to turn the huge rolls of metal into coins. Sorry, no photos allowed here!

Viewing the Liberty Bell as well as period copies of the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and the Declaration of Independence. Standing in the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Dave and I had some great preparation for this--we watched 1776 the musical! (Sing with me, "He plays the violin...." or how about, "Sit down, John!")

Checking out the memorials on the National Mall in Washington, DC. I won't lie to you--it was hot and humid and I was exhausted most of the time, but I am so glad we saw DC. There was so much to see; we just hit the tip of the iceberg. I would like to spend a couple weeks. Or a month. I would go to every museum, and it wouldn't be June, and I wouldn't be pregnant.

We love the Smithsonian! We had to restrain ourselves from asking the guards when Ben Stiller's shift began.

Meeting up with Dave's friend Kelly who lives in DC. We had a great visit with him, and he did an excellent job of helping us navigate the public transportation, and teaching us what was realistic. Sample, "Julie, you don't want to walk all the way to the Jefferson Memorial. Trust me." He was right. We drove.

Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknowns. This was the most moving experience of the trip for me. I felt such intense pride and gratitude as we walked along the memorials of all the soldiers who sacrificed so much for my freedom.

Just love this pic. I especially like that Natalie's smile occurred spontaneously. I think my cheesy grin in most of the other Julie-Natalie photos comes from the fact that I'm saying between my teeth, "Smile, Natalie!!"

Fallingwater was amazing. It was such a beautifully designed house. The only disappointment about this was that we arrived too late for both of us to take the tour (we were planning to go separately b/c no kids Natalie's age are allowed). Dave let me go b/c he knew how much it meant to me, and every time I think of the visit I appreciate him so much for that.

Our tradition is to buy a Christmas tree ornament as a souvenir wherever we travel. I can't wait to put up our tree this year and be reminded of this terrific trip!

Happy (Moving) Birthday to Dave!

Dave's birthday was June 20th, and we moved to Wisconsin on June 25th. So how do you celebrate someone's birthday when your life and house are in disarray and you're moving within the week? Take photos with moving boxes in the background, and go to Strong Museum! Normally Dave wouldn't request a trip to the children's museum for his birthday, but preferences change quickly when the museum is running an exhibit called Videotopia that allows visitors to play 100 different arcade video games. Dave was happy that he left the high score on a few different machines, and Natalie was happy that there was a monster-sized foot stool that enabled her to play too!

Oh, and we sold our red car (possibly the last vestige of my young, free and single days--sniff!) late in the evening on Dave's birthday. Quite a birthday present! We had to sell it before we left town, and clinching the sale made us feel like we could really complete the move. Phew!

An acquired taste?

A week or two before leaving Rochester, I saw this bumper sticker and it cracked me up. We definitely acquired a taste for Rochester during the nearly 5 years we lived there--we especially miss the terrific friends we made.

I certainly never expected to acquire a taste for one thing--Rochester's famous dish, the garbage plate. For the uninitiated, this involves 2 hamburgers (or hot dogs) covered with home fries and macaroni salad and smothered in hot sauce & onions. We heard garbage plate lore from our first days in Rochester, and we decided we couldn't leave town without sampling one for ourselves. Just before moving, we ate lunch at the home of the original garbage plate, Nick Tahou's. What a surprise to discover that we actually enjoyed them! It was like our own Green Eggs & Ham moment. Too bad we waited until our last week in town to try them out!

Here is the evidence of our bravery:



Rochesterians, please eat a garbage plate and think of us!

Taking a bite out of Wisconsin

Here we are, safe and sound in our new home! I will post pics from our road trip soon, if I can find some where I don't look like an overheated, exhausted pregnant lady! (We had a lot of fun, I promise.)

In the meantime, here's a photo of Natalie's desperate attempt to eat on move-in day. I was very late preparing lunch, and when I left the cheese unattended to grab the bread, Natalie siezed the moment. I turned back and the block of cheese had one large bite out of each end ;) It made me burst out laughing.



I'm sorry to say this was not fine Wisconsin cheddar; it was the nearest grocery store's cheapest option. Obviously it didn't faze Natalie.

Zooropa

OK, so sometimes I get a bit too creative (desperate?) with these blog post titles. According to The Hurst Review, "part of Zooropa’s message is that surfaces can be deceiving, and this song cycle is much more than meets the eye." Which is a terrific metaphor for this post. Chew on that awhile!

Natalie and I go to the zoo a lot, but this was Dave's first trip to the Seneca Park Zoo. Here's Natalie watching the sea lion go up for a breath of fresh air:


It doesn't get much better than happening upon a real-life baboon snuggle session.


A great picture of Natalie. Unfortunately I wasn't quite looking at the camera. Most likely I was distracted by the paparazzi.

Lilacs, etc

May is the month of lilacs in Rochester, so I thought I'd better post these before it becomes June! We wandered around Highland Park the week before the Lilac Festival began. Though the lilacs weren't fully in bloom yet, it was still a fun family night walk.

As you can see, Natalie is a full-contact flower sniffer. She doesn't like to do things just halfway.


Down and gimme 50!


Of course, the pregnant lady is bound to see the photo op in a tree seat. Anything for a little break!


And here's a random one I couldn't resist posting. Natalie's showing off her latest style: pioneer chic. That's right, Mason jar bangle bracelets. She's fearless that way.

Yay Dave!!

Dave graduated on Saturday the 16th at the Eastman Theatre. Our family and a couple of close friends came to celebrate with us, and we had a terrific time together.
Here's a couple shots of Dave with his hood:


The whole family (except Dave's brother Chris, our dedicated photographer):

Just the 3 of us:

Dave and his parents:

Dave and his siblings (and Natalie):

Thanks, Chris, for all the great photos you took! We'll have to make sure you're in front of the camera more frequently at your graduation in July :)