Tranquil Travel

I am truly amazed at the ease with which we maneuvered through the airport the other day, as we began our much anticipated family trip to New York. I fully expected to look like something out of one of the National Lampoon Family Vacation movies. I dreaded the thought of having to remove eight pair of shoes, as well as mine, while being herded through a metal detector like a family of cows, but even that task was accomplished without incident!

Even the fact that for a little over five hours, eight of us shared a space of about 16 square feet directly in front of the rear lavatory on the plane, did not faze us a bit. We colored many pictures, crawled under plane seats to hunt for Legos, and climbed over plane seats to share time equally with each family member.

And this is the first event ticket that we’ve bought for Annie that we didn’t feel so bad about her sleeping through. It was actually welcomed!

To say that our schedule has been off kilter is a complete understatement. Our heads have not hit the pillow before 1:00 am once since we have been here. There is much too much to see in New York.

After a seven hour drive, that would have probably been less than six if we hadn’t been travelling with four children and caravanning with a Uhaul truck, we arrived in Buffalo, New York. The highway scenery was painted a deep green, from the rolling meadows, to the tall, full trees. Adding a splash of color were the blue, rolling rivers that flowed between the greenery. The foliage in New York makes it clear that there is an abundance of water around.

And the water of Niagra Falls is the most impressive scenery we’ve seen so far. The amount of water that drops over the falls to reach its destination over 230 feet below is a sight to behold. The sheer power was breathtaking.

After a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist, and a hike through the Cave of the winds, we were drenched from head to toe. It was welcomed wetness, as wearing plastic bags on a humid day can generate a lot of body heat.

Although it pales in comparison to the entertainment of the Falls, we did have some exciting entertainment at our dinner at the TGI Friday’s in Buffalo. A couple sat down at a table arms length away from us, and ordered their drinks. Within minutes of receiving their drink order, the argument broke out. We are unclear of what the argument was over, but we are clear of the fact that the woman was a good aim. She hurled her stiff drink at her man and landed it smack dab in his face, while shouting a few expletives that I wish not to repeat. She stormed out of the restaurant immediately after throwing the few straggling ice cubes in his directions. Before long, four sheriff cars pulled into the parking lot to break up the fight that had continued outside. It was quite exciting, to say the least! I only I had reacted fast enough to snap pictures of it!