poltr1 | TW-3 for July 1-4, 2005.....

This weekend was our third annual 4th of July get-together with some of my friends from Buffalo. Two years ago, we stayed in North Olmstead and went to the Cleveland Zoo. Last year, we stayed in Sandusky and saw the local sites. This year, we returned to the Cleveland area, and stayed at the wonderful Hampton Inn & Swites in Indepedence, OH -- right near I-480 and I-77. It had the amenities our friends required: refrigerator, microwave, continental breakfast, and a pool.

Fri 7/1: It was Red White and Blue day at the bank. I had a white shirt and blue pants. As for the red, I said I'd go down to Milillo's Pizza and spill some pizza sauce on my shirt. Sure enough, that's where I went for lunch. It was very good -- better than all of the pizza chains around. (And no, I didn't get any sauce on me.) I don't remember what I had for dinner.

Sat 7/2: Took M to Kindermusik class. Came home. Packed. Left Dayton at around 1:30. Arrived at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Independence around 5:30. Our friends from Buffalo -- Bill, Darleen, and their son Daniel (or B, D, and d for short) -- were already there. Hooked up the DVD player so The Girl could watch her shows. Had dinner at the local Bob Evans. All of us (except for d) watched "Bambi". After R fell asleep, I took advantage of the high-speed internet, caught up on LJ, and downloaded a few online courses.

Sun 7/3: Got up and partook in the Continental Breakfast. Spent some time discussing what we could do. We drove downtown to take the Goodtime III boat ride at noon. The adjoining park (Voinovich Park) was full of hip-hoppers getting set for a car show, and cranking their stereos so loud they would register on the Richter scale. :-(

The boat ride was fun. We went up the Cuyahoga River, through the Flats, turned around at about where I-490 crosses over it, and came back down again. Saw interesting architecture and railroad bridges. Then we went out onto Lake Erie.

Afterward, we stopped at Edgewater Park, had a picnic lunch, and vegetated. (I *so* miss the big water.) After about an hour and a half, we packed up and headed back to the hotel room. We got into our swimsuits and swam in shifts so that the kids weren't left alone. first to go in were D and R. After they were done, B and I jumped in.

Dinner was take-out pizza from a local pizzeria (Romito's, I believe). Then we watched "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" before heading to our rooms to sleep.

Mon 7/4: Had the Continental Breakfast once again. Packed and checked out. Headed to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We stopped at the Frazee House and learned about the Ohio and Erie Canal. (A portion of it, along with a few of the locks, have been preserved.) We had a picnic lunch near the visitor center. We parted company at around 2:30.

I was hoping to hear from

amazon_42 to see if we could visit her, but alas, we didn't hear from her by then. So we headed home. Had dinner at Fuddrucker's in Worthington. Arrived home at about 8:45.