6-9-10

More pics and videos from
our vacation in Hocking Hills.

Monday June 7th continued.

After lunch at Grandma Faye's
we headed over to Lake Logan
to take the kids fishing.
There was a little turtle
sunbathing next to a tree
where we were fishing.
We also saw what appeared to be
a helicopter hauling a log.
That was interesting to see.
He passed over Lake Logan.











Fishing was kind of boring so we
decided to head down to Nelsonville
and Lake Hope.

We stopped in Nelsonville so the kids
could see the Hocking Valley Scenic
Railway train cars.

















LAKE HOPE

We haven't been here in 11 years.
We did a lil fishing. Christopher
caught a bluegill. I caught a turtle.
Lake Hope is about a 50 mile
round trip from Logan.



















Returned back to the hotel.
Went swimming 8-9:00pm.



Hotel patio area.
View of restaurant, petting zoo,
putt putt, glass outlet and canoe livery right
behind hotel.









TUESDAY JUNE 8TH

Breakfast at the hotel.
They had donuts, cereal, waffles, toast,
french toast, blueberry muffins, oranges, bananas, apples,
coffee, tea, milk, apple and orange juice
to offer.









Checked out of the hotel around 10ish.
Then headed into Logan.









FROM LOGAN WE WENT TO OLD MAN'S CAVE.



































I'm not one to do bridges, especially ones you walk
over. Here is a photo of the bridge from the
bottom and a video of where the kids wanted to
walk on this thing from the top.





Last stop was Conkle's Hollow.
I will post those pics and videos here
in a little bit. Eyes are starting to cross
with sooo many pics and videos to go through.
I think I took around 300.
We would have probably stayed another
day but saw rain was coming through for
today and decided to come home instead.

Tomorrow we're thinking about taking
the kids to a drive-in-movie. Something
different for them to enjoy.
Cost $18 for all 4 of us.
They have Marmaduke and Shrek playing
back to back. Not too bad for a family of 4
to see 2 movies. Plus we could bring
our own drinks and snacks to save
even more money.
I priced these 2 movies to be seen
in an indoor theater and it
would cost us $24 before 6pm.
After 6pm would cost $48
to see these 2 movies.

We might do an indoor theater
today. The theater on Bethel Rd.
has movies for $1.50 a person.
So $6.00 for a family of 4.
They have Alice in Wonderland,
Tooth Fairy and Diary of a Wimpy Kid
that are kid oriented movies.
I'm thinking the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

___________________________________________________

Back from the movie, a walk around Petland
and Kroger.

Back to photos and videos, ahhhh! LOL!

For those who have not been to Hocking Hills,
pictures cannot show the sheer sizes
of these rocks throughout all the photos.
It's hard to believe all this is in Ohio!
If it weren't for finding decent jobs
in Logan or Ohio's severe Winters I would
love to live down there!

CONKLE'S HOLLOW

While there we saw a Ringnecked snake
and a salamander. The first I have ever
seen in Ohio.

6-8-10

6:30PM

I am currently working on getting pictures
posted.
We left Sunday at 2:30pm and just got
home at 4:30pm Tuesday.

8:15PM

I'll see what pics I can get posted tonight.

ON OUR WAY TO HOCKING HILLS. Sunday June 6th.







Before heading to the Hotel in Logan
we stopped by to see Lake Logan.















Arriving at the Hotel, Baymont Inn





Sunday evening at the hotel.
Hot tub and pool 8-9:00pm













Monday morning June 7th.

Logan, petting zoo near hotel.





ON THE WAY TO CEDAR FALLS







CEDAR FALLS






















ASH CAVE

















LUNCHTIME IN HOCKING HILLS AT GRANDMA FAYE'S









Ok I am very tired from all the driving and
traveling we did today alone.
I will get the rest of the pictures
and videos tomorrow.
Sooo I'm gonna stop this at the moment
on lunchtime Monday June7th.

6-6-10

Slept in just a little this morning.
I must of been tired as Tony told
me a storm rolled through early this morning
and I never heard a thing.

11:30AM

Got the last little bit of laundry
in the dryer. Just need some towels
and Jonathan some swim trunks out of
there and I'll be done with packing.

Got most of the truck packed and ready
to go.

I saw online that the FREE Gillette razor
offer is still available. I got mine
within a couple days of sending away for it.
I just sent away for one for mom.
Hurry and sign up for your friends if
you've already received one!
FREE GILLETTE RAZOR
We both tried out this new razor and don't
think it's the greatest. It's free so I can't complain.

I've been watching the weather and hope all the
rain has moved out. I shouldn't have to worry
about the garden while gone with all the rain
we've had here lately.
Shouldn't have a problem with the water
falls flowing in the hocking hills that's
for sure!

___________________________________________________

Was sitting here browsing Kraft's
Food & Family magazine mom got from
a church sale.

This sounded good

Berrylicious" Smoothie




what you need

1 container (6 oz.) strawberry low-fat yogurt
1 stick (0.27 oz.) KOOL-AID Singles Cherry Flavor Soft Drink Mix
6 strawberries
1 cup ice cubes

Make It

PLACE all ingredients in blender; cover.

BLEND 30 sec. or until thickened and smooth.

SERVE immediately.
Kraft Kitchens Tips
Substitute
This also tastes great prepared with KOOL-AID Singles Tropical Punch Flavor Drink Mix.


My tip: if you have the large containers of
Kool-Aid with sugar try using about a half
tablespoon of mix if you don't have the singles.

I don't have strawberries handy all the time
so I might make this smoothie with out them.
Might try different flavors of yogurt with
different flavors of Kool-Aid.

---------------------------------------------------

This sounded good for breakfast

YOGURT CRUNCH

1 6ounce container yogurt
(strawberry low fat or vanilla)
1/2 cup Honey Bunches of Oats
(kroger has their own version of this)
could add 1/2 cup chopped fruit to this also.

Add yogurt to bowl and top with cereal.

---------------------------------------------------



TUNA CAKES

I have a bunch of tuna thanks to my dear
friend Kendra so this recipe looked like
something I could make with some of it.

What You Need!
2 cans (6 oz. each) light tuna in water, drained, flaked
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup water
1 carrot, shredded
1/3 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. CLAUSSEN Sweet Pickle Relish

Make It!

1
MIX all ingredients. Refrigerate 10 min.

2
HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Use ice cream scoop to add 1/3-cup portions of tuna mixture, in batches, to skillet.

3
FLATTEN into patties with back of spatula. Cook 6 min. or until golden brown on both sides, carefully turning patties over after 3 min.

6-5-10

It's Saturday and I should be sleeping in!
Got up around 7:15AM due to thunder and
lightning and it woke the kids up, grrrr.

Got most everything done yesterday that
we set out to do.
Got the front and side yards mowed. Still
need to do the backyard.

Today I need to:
Work on laundry and packing.
Take scrap to recycling place.
Dishes and tidying house up.
Want to highlight hair.
I don't have a highlighting kit nor a cap
or papers and am gonna try to wing it
with just a box of hair coloring
and doing small strands myself.
This should be interesting!

Looks like the thunderstorm is about
over with but by looking at the radar
we are not out of the woods today with storms.
There is a big cell coming from Illinois,
Iowa and Missouri heading this way. It appears
to be dissipating some once it enters
into Indiana. Maybe once the sun starts
coming up more it will lessen.

9:30AM

Dishes are done and kitchen is tidied up.
Tony gets up and says this is different
me being in the kitchen cleaning so early, lol.
Ya know I don't want to return from
going away for a couple days to a house
that needs cleaned! Just kind of blows
the vacation mood!

Getting ready to head out to scrapping place.

___________________________________________________

11:30PM

Back from scrapping. I am always happy
when we guess wrong with what our scrap
metal is worth. The scrap was double from
what we guessed! We guessed $80
and it was $159 for a bucket of copper,
a bucket of brass, a couple air conditioner
coils and some misc. aluminum.

12:00pm

Sitting here chillin for a few.
Tony mentioned about maybe wanting to
leave tomorrow sometime. Would beat the rush
hour traffic from Monday if we left then.
Don't know yet.

I lost my Hocking Hills book somewhere, ahhhh.
So I am trying to look online to get
a plan of what we will be doing.
This is what I have so far.

ASH CAVE
100' waterfall

CEDAR FALLS
waterfalls

CONKLE'S HOLLOW
waterfalls

OLD MAN'S CAVE??
upper and lower falls, devil's bathtub,
sphinx head, old man's cave

ROCK HOUSE

LAKE LOGAN

LAKE HOPE

TAR HOLLOW??

___________________________________________________

6:45PM

After thinking about it all day we'll
be heading out tomorrow afternoon for
Hocking Hills. Less traffic that way.
Don't know if we're staying til Tuesday or
Wednesday as planned. Will play it by ear.

Just got back from getting our fishing license.
They are $19 this year. We always go to
Old Dutchman at Central College to get them.
That's a pretty good bait & tackle shop.
Wish I had time to restring my pole.
I fish for cat and carp and usually
my line breaks so I think it's time to
upgrade to a heaver line. I don't keep
the carp. I just fish for it for fun
and it sure is an adrenaline rush trying
to catch a big one!! Last year one took
me 45 minutes to bring in.

__________________________________________________

7-8:00PM

It's been an interesting evening.
I told the kids they could go down a couple streets
and play with friends. Christopher comes home
and said they were at the school down the road
and a kid came up and pushed his friend off
his bicycle and stole it. I didn't hesitate and
grabbed my cell phone and camera and took off
in search of this kid and bicycle. We know
exactly how it is to have bicycles stolen
and are getting tired of these hooligans
and their shenanigans. Me and Christopher
searched the whole neighborhood a couple times.
I guess another parent went in search of
this kid also. As we were making one last
past a couple streets down we saw the kid
riding past on the bicycle. The cops were
already nearby as I pulled up behind the female
cop to see that this kid would get caught.
He turned over the bicycle and started to walk
away. She grabbed his arm and put him in the
back of the cruiser. I heard this kid was only 14!
I left soon after because I saw this kids friends
or family (and they were big bubbas!) heading over
to the cruiser, coming up behind me. I didn't
want to get in the middle if there was a confrontation.
So many kids bicycles get stolen around here and
never found. I am glad that some of the neighbors
came together to get this one back!!
I felt sooo sorry for this kid. He had just been
to our house and was telling me he just got his
bicycle fixed. He had a flat tire and had it patched.
He had been borrowing one of our bikes to ride.

__________________________________________________

9:30PM

Chillin then heading to bed soon.
Tomorrow we will be heading out
in the afternoon. Taking
the computer with me since the hotel
has free wi fi.
Here's a tip when going away, even if
for only a couple days, Tell your neighbors
around you to watch over your house
and let them know no one should be there.

I don't know why these yuppy neighborhoods
have block watches and we don't.
Something to consider and look into!
But where do you start???
I know we live in between 2 police stations
about 5 minutes in each direction but that
doesn't stop the criminals.
Heck the one day I went 1 block away
to get the kids off the bus.
While waiting on the bus we saw the helicopter
flying overhead. It's an everyday thing
so we didn't think nothing of it.
I got the kids off the bus and came back
home to find cop cars in front of
our house and was told the helicopter
was looking for the kids who just stole
our bicycles from under the carport.
They had been scoping out the house
and waiting for me to leave. Criminals
will take note of what time you usually
leave and return everyday.
When I am home during the day I have
deadbolts and regular door locks locked
on each door. I hardly ever open curtains
or blinds when home alone and if someone knocks
they can keep on knocking and move on because
I ain't answering. I don't even let the gas
man in anymore to read our meter which is
in the basement.

Well I think I'm gonna head off to bed.
I've been up since around 7am going full
speed since and am wearing thin after
my recent adrenaline rush which is finally
winding down. I am starting to get a cold.
Scratchy throat and a little runny nose.
I took an Esther C tablet and will keep
taking them to fight it off. I'm not
going to let it ruin any vacation time
we have!!

Nighty, night!