Wow - I let a week pass by until I got to blogging about the rest of our vacation. You can read about the first part here. The last big thing we did on our trip was visit Niagara Falls. I had been when I was a teenager and don't remember it that well. I told my sister we would really like to go and that sounded great to her. When I suggested "The Maid of the Mist" I don't think she was that excited (it is pretty touristy). I must say, however, that it was a great idea on my part because it was really FUN!
Here is the view of the American Falls from an observation deck:
My children were so taken with the falls. This is my favorite picture of the vacation - really a testament to how big it was and what a bond my children share:
Here we are actually on "The Maid of the Mist" with my brother-in-law, Doug. You really do need those ponchos because you get wet.
Getting a little closer to the Canadian side (Horseshoe Falls), which is definitely bigger than the American side:
I don't think you can grasp the vastness of the falls until you are really up close and personal. Something like 1.5 million gallons of water per second go over the falls, and 2/3 of the world's fresh water passes over Niagara Falls. Once you get very close to the falls you might get nervous - I mean the falls are so immense, the boat is so little, and what if that boat were to just tip over? I just kept thinking to myself that a spectacular God made Niagara Falls and that same God would keep me safe on my trip to Niagara Falls! I tried to get some video from the boat - wasn't easy, but here's what I was able to capture:
After our day at Niagara Falls my sister and her husband took us to eat dinner at Oak Hill Country Club where my brother-in-law and nephew are avid golfers. It was a wonderful meal, but most of all it was so nice to enjoy time with our family. The kids did great at dinner (despite all of G Man's knock knock jokes) and I was proud of their manners. After dinner we went to see my sister and brother-in-law's office (they run a capital management firm in Rochester) and then headed home.
Our last day in NY was spent just hanging out and preparing for the trip home. We were able to spend time with my nephew and my sister taught my daughter how to knit. She and my husband also compared iPad apps (Don't you love the dueling iPads photo? We are a family of nerds, that's for sure!)
The boys also enjoyed some time throwing the ball outside, seeing as how it was going to be about 15 degrees hotter when we got home.
After some tears at the airport, we boarded our plane and headed south once again. G Man loved every minute of traveling.
We marveled at the ease of getting home. We had no flight delays, got our luggage right as we arrived at the carousel, caught our bus to the park and ride right as we walked outside, hopped in our van, and drove home. You never would have known we had just navigated the busiest airport in the world.
It's always hard to come back to "reality" when you've had a great vacation, but making memories and cherishing your family are well worth the minor adjustment period.
