Columbus Ohio

It has been a very long time since our family has traveled with James on a business trip, but this year he was sent to a conference in Columbus Ohio. James and I took Christian with us, leaving Jon, Saph, and Zilly at home. It's about a 14 hour trip and we don't have the stamina we used to have, so we decided to take two days. The first day went well but we made the grave error of stopping at Chipotle for lunch. By 8am the next morning I was vomiting unceasingly and uncontrollably. I have not been so miserable in many years. 

Our family just minutes before the trip

Because of my illness we left the hotel much later than we had intended. But while James and Christian waited for me to be safe to travel, Christian went fishing in a little fire pond outside. The pond was very small but to my surprise and delight Christian caught a fish! He caught a second one too as we were trying to leave. 

We arrived in Columbus rather late and settled into our hotel. James' conference was less than a mile down the street so he just walked back and forth each day. His schedule was about as long as a regular work day but they had a long lunch break so we were able to eat lunch with him for most of the week. The conference sounded great, James was excited about all the interesting breakout sessions and it sounds like the whole thing was incredibly valuable. And he was able to buy himself some nerdy NDT shirts!

Christian and I had a quieter, but mostly pleasant, week. I don't remember the first day there, I was still so sick and by that evening I was quite desperate to stop throwing up. Thankfully I began to recover on Tuesday and by Wednesday was fully myself again. And Columbus, once I was able to explore it, was wonderful. 

Columbus feels like a small city, more like Concord than Boston. (Actually, it has a population density very similar to Manchester which I found interesting.) There is one main street which runs straight (so different from my New England cities!) and which made it easy to navigate wherever we wanted to go. 

The art which made our hotel very easy to find

Christian's goal for this trip was to fish, and mine was to read, both of which we accomplished. We found two pretty parks in town, the first was down by James' conference center so he was able to meet us there for lunch while Christian fished. Unfortunately no fish were biting so we didn't return. 

Christian fishing at Goodale Park

The second park was on the other end of the main street, down in Germantown. (They have a Germantown!) And even though Christian didn't catch anything here, we returned to it multiple times. This park is also very pretty and was a massive attraction for photographers. At any given time at least three photographers were in sight with their clients. The park was also full of dogs. Perhaps because it is small, Columbus seems to be a dog city. And big dogs too!

Christian fishing in Germantown

The pond at Schiller Park

James enjoys the view while Christian fishes

Reading in the park while the boys fish

 

Christian contemplates the pond

We came here with James one evening and afterwards went to dinner at a German restaurant. The schnitzel was not as good as it is in Germany, but Christian really loved the sausages. And they did have excellent cream puff pastries.

Christian goofs off at the restaurant

Another one of our fishing spots was on the river above the dam. The seating and foliage here wasn't as nice, but the view was lovely. You'll have to take my word for it though because I failed to get any good pictures. There was a sandbar far out into the water where a large flock of white wading birds (possibly egrets?) lived. There were also a number of diving birds (not loons) which frequented the river. Despite the clear evidence of fish, including a lot of jumping, Christian failed to catch anything here.

Enjoying the river

Towards the end of the week Christian and I left Columbus and went out to Grove City, about a half hour away, to another park with another pretty pond. This place was gorgeous and home to ducks, geese, a grey heron, and a LOT of turtles. Best of all it has a swing where I could sit and read to my hearts content. It was here I finished Jane Eyre which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was so much better than I had remembered! I need to James to read it too so we can discuss it.  

A heron grabs a snack

The first day at the Grove City park Christian went all the way around the pond, getting bites but no fish. After a few hours and just before James was due to be done with that day's schedule, it began to rain. I was heading to the car when I heard a yell behind me. Christian had thrown his line in one last time and had caught something! I could see it was something big as I ran over, it was fighting him and leaping out of the water. Another fisherman who was there ran up as well and helped Christian get it to land. It was a huge catfish!

The fight to bring it in

Christian's catfish!

Christian was so happy but also a little nervous about the energetic fish. I'm so glad the other fisherman was there! He showed us which of the spines were venomous (I had no idea!) and removed the hook for Christian. The hook was rather stuck and it took the efforts of both of them to get it out. 

This gentleman was a Godsend!

Biggest fish he's ever caught

We went back to the park the next day too but didn't have the same luck. Christian did catch a couple of small things but nothing any bigger than his hand. (He does have huge hands, but still). There was a little boy there too who was fishing with his grandfather. He took a liking to Christian and within 5 minutes of our arrival the two were fishing together. Fishing is a wonderful thing, Christian is kind, thoughtful, focused, and intentional when he is fishing, and he can do it for hours! On one of the days we were out for 6 hours and he was content and happy. I even got a sunburn! The weather was gorgeous most of the time, it even hit 85 at one point.

That was the last day of the conference and since we'd been fishing for hours Christian retired to the hotel while James and I went to visit Germantown. We found a magical little bookstore. Little? It had 32 rooms! The place was a maze of books, it wasn't a place to search for something you wanted, it was a place to wander and get lost in. A place to discover something magical, a book you never knew you needed. Oh! I could have stayed there all day. And since I had just finished Jane Eyre mere hours before it was perfect timing. We managed to escape with only 8 new books. 

I tried to get a video to show the sense of the place. It was difficult because I was trying to not to get anyone on camera and you never knew what was around the corner. In addition to the actual rooms, there were many nooks and crannies that were full of random books. 

I was really hoping to see the zoo while we were here since I've heard so much about it. But between my illness at the beginning of the week and the rain that set in at the end of it, we weren't able to go. Instead we set off on Friday for Erie, PA to spend some more time fishing. We stopped at a Bass Pro shop on the way over and Christian and I spent some time at the fish tank watching their antics. There was a large catfish there who was bullying everyone else but a bass and a carp wouldn't take his crap and would chase him away whenever he bothered them.

Christian asks the fish to approve his new lure

Christian and I enjoying the fish show

We arrived in Erie, PA fairly early and since the rain had dropped down to a sprinkle, we decided to do a little fishing. We were unsuccessful, but James and I had a nice walk down the canal. We did run into a huge flock of sea gulls who had been resting from the high winds. It definitely brought back memories of The Birds! 

Christian braves the cold wind to fish

When we came back to our hotel that night we discovered that we were staying in the same room where Bill Clinton had stayed during his 1992 campaign. The room is big and rather worn, but very clean.

 

James in his super nerdy t-shirt

Saturday morning dawned, clear and very cold. James wasn't feeling well so Christian and I got breakfast and went out to Presque Island State Park to fish. We both wore multiple layers but the wind was high and it was still very cold. The island was beautiful and must be a very popular spot in the summer. Christian didn't get any bites and after a few hours we drove back into town to grab James and some lunch. 

Lake Erie

What a gorgeous beach!

One of our many fishing stops

James got a fishing license for the day so that he could join Christian in his fishing adventures. They both had a lot of fun as we tried out different spots all around the island. At one little pond we met a family from South Africa and the kids borrowed a pole and did some fishing with us. On the lake itself we saw some big fish jumping, but none of them took a bite. I spent the day reading A Little Princess which I'd picked up at the magical bookstore.

James and Christian fishing

Eventually, around sunset, we left the island and went back to the canal of the night before. And finally Christian caught a fish! First was a little one who fell right off the hook as he brought it up. But then at the very last he hooked a big bass! This one fought him and made Christian work to bring him in. It was a perfect ending to our day and fishing trip.

Fishing at the canal

A real paddleboat!

Small bass

Big bass!

We finally went back to the hotel and I realized that we'd been out for 10 hours! I rewarded myself by doing some more reading in the room's giant whirlpool tub, and James and Christian did a little swimming in the hotel's heated pool. Despite the illness this has been a really great trip. Christian and I spent more time together this week than we ever have, and it was almost all pleasant. He liked having me nearby, especially whenever we went to a new fishing area. And even though we were doing different activities, it was really nice to spend that time with him. I hope he knows how much I love him.

A week in North Conway

 This, as best we can figure, is our 8th year of Zoller family vacations. I've never written about them because they aren't really that type of vacation. We don't do anything exciting or go particularly far from home. But what we have is so special and precious to me that this remains my favorite week of the year. And this year I thought I'd share some of the pictures. 

The point of this vacation is lots of family time. My side of the family rents a large house, most recently in North Conway, and we all live together for a week. As many people as can make it come for as long as they are able. This year we had 17 people staying at the house, 5 people who came up only for a day, and 8 people who weren't there at all.

This year we went back to a house we've stayed at before and loved. I'm including some pictures I took of the house before we all got comfortable. This was the first time James and I have ever made it to the house first, but all of us were very motivated this year. James and I have stayed in 4 of the 9 bedrooms here over the years. 

The kitchen has two dishwashers, a lifesaver!

The pool room is a big hit

This is a nice livingroom but it needs more light!

There is a hot tub on the porch which is a big favorite with almost everyone. The kids enjoyed it during the day, the adults had great conversations in it during the evening, and the older teens spent time there well into the night. 

Ryland enjoying the water

This was Zilly's first vacation here and honestly most of my pictures include her. She is always a delight and was thrilled to be around so many people who love her. I only wish Daniel, Lauren, and my nephew Val could have come, we really missed them. But next year I expect Zilly and Val will be toddling around terrorizing everyone. 

Zilly enjoys some pizza crust

The three little girls

Ryland and Zilly play peek-a-boo

Zilly loves Ryland, he is such a good cousin!

Aunt Elisa gets some baby time

Chillin in the living room

Our tradition on this vacation is to all take turns making dinner for the family. Breakfast and lunch we do independently, we all buy food which is available for whoever wants it. But dinners we do together and since we have some great cooks in the family, we always eat well. This year was Jon's first time making a meal for the whole the family.

Dinner together on the porch

Zilly tries ribs for the first time

Don't worry, she didn't take a bite, just enjoyed the sauce

She loved them!

Christian and Isaac brought their bikes and went on numerous riding expeditions. There is a 3 mile trail that runs from Cranmore Mtn to Walmart and it is well away from the road so it was perfect for biking. At first James drove them to the trail but we soon discovered a back road that the boys could take to get there themselves. 

Isaac looking cool on one of his rides

Playing in the yard

Emmy reads to Zilly

Chatterbox

Game nights are one of our staples on these vacations. We didn't play as many as we normally do, but we still got many good games in and had a great time playing together. We also failed to complete one puzzle, and did many crossword puzzles together. This is our second year without Uncle Duncan here and he was very missed. He and Aunt Nancy have been the heart of this trip from the very beginning and they have always loved playing games. Uncle Duncan was the champion at Liar's Dice. The first year I think we had 13 people playing together and Uncle Duncan crushed us all. 

Monster Mayhem

Isaac was a menace in this game!
He killed me right away. But oh he had so much fun doing it. 

Zilly and Uncle David play with dice

Liars Dice

Zilly really wanted the red cups!

One night we had a campfire. And one night Uncle Jacob organized our yearly night time hide and seek game. That's a favorite with all the kids. We very much missed Will who wasn't able to make it this year. But Jon stepped up and he and Saph took Isaac, Ryland, and Christian to the Army Supply store, another family tradition. Jon and Saph also got out on their own and took Zilly to see Cathedral Ledge. And we were so happy that Danny and Delilah were able to come up and introduce us to Delilah's boyfriend, Richard. Although we all learned not to bet against Uncle Danny in pool!

Delilah and Richard get some baby time

Sitting by the campfire

Delilah after she takes a shot

Uncle Danny teaches Isaac some tricks

Dada and Zilly

Mama and Zilly

Beautiful girls in a tree!

That tooth!

The mornings were full of little kids while many in the house slept in. The afternoons were for reading, napping, talking, a game or crossword, or general relaxing. The evening usually held a group activity, we had a movie night, campfire, and games. Then of course time in the hot tub talking. Elisa and I finally got to watch Anne of Green Gables, something we'd been wanting to do for years and years. (It is SO good! Megan Follows is the perfect Anne)

David surrounded by kids in the morning

Uncle David and the girls

Opa and Zilly read a classic

Hanging out on the porch.
Out of sight is a game of Settlers on the other half of the table

Aunt Nancy is the baby whisperer!
Zilly and Val both love her

Ryland feeding Zilly

Lily and Zilly play quietly in the morning

Great Grammie and a drool machine

On the last day we decided to head to Diana's Baths. It was Saph's idea, but the parking lot was full so she and Jon decided to just head home. But the rest of us were able to get a spot without waiting too much longer. I didn't get a lot of pictures because we were pretty spread out over the falls. Christian and Isaac ran up and down them and I followed... just in case they did something foolish (ha!) and got hurt. Thankfully they didn't, even though they did get to slide down waterfalls and jump into the deepest and smallest pool at the falls. 

Ryland at Diana's Baths

Elisa helps Lily down

Josiah gets the picture

Aunt Bethany and Lily

I love this girl!

Christian and Isaac at the very top pool

Playing at the falls

Unfortunately we failed to get a family picture. We were waiting until the maximum number of people were there, but some people had to leave earlier than expected and others came a little later, so we never got the group together. Hopefully next year! For now I'll leave you with a picture of Echo lake at night. We never got to go during the day, but James took Christian fishing there a couple of times. 

Goodnight!