Traveling

Whew!  It's been quite a week so far!  Ken and I left Tuesday for New York.  I am currently in "Kenny's" hometown of Akron enjoying the absolute quiet!  I thought I knew what quiet was living in the High Desert, but I have discovered that we live in a noisy area.


In Akron, everything but the bars close at 8 pm.  No, really.  8 pm!  I don't think that it would be a big deal, but with Ken and I running all over the place to visit people, we usually don't get back here until after 8 pm.  When we get back, everything is closed.  Ha!


There are very few street lights here, so everything is quiet, dark and still. However, there is nothing to worry about here - everyone is friendly, honest (mostly) and really nice (there are a couple of exceptions, but it's really great).  We went for a walk at 11 pm one evening and not only were we not bothered by ANYONE, but it was quiet and restful.


We are lucky enough to have Mike Donovan.  Ken and he have known each other for about 19 years.  I met Mike at my wedding with Ken, and he is definitely a friend to love. He has a kind heart and is a wonderful friend.  He opened his house to us again, and Ken not only loves being central to everyone, but he swears that there's something "magical" about waking up in the Village.  We enjoyed a late night drink with Mike in his new bar.  Ken and Mike worked to get the Jim Beam plate on the front.

So, you can see where the Bourbon Buddies have been stocking up their treasures from their trip.  They are still on a mission to discover other Bourbons to try.

I love the difference in Ken when he gets home.  His smile is brighter and he is just a little happier.  While I know that Ken is completely happy with me and the girls in California, there is just a little difference when he has Akron back in his blood.  


The center of the Village has a great park.  There is a play area and a Gazebo surrounded by lots of greenery and flowers.

We met up with Ken's dad, Ken (the NOT uptight one - hahahaha!) on Wednesday.  Dad took us to the Iroquois Wildlife Refuse area for a canoe ride.  The weather was a wonderful 80 degrees.  There are so many places here where the road just ends.  Really, what is the deal??

 Ken and his dad got the canoe ready, and I carefully got into it - making sure that my "center of gravity" was center in the canoe.

So, we went through the creek or swamp or whatever it's called.  We had a great time!  Of course, I say that as the person who wasn't rowing.  My job was to keep my large butt in the center of the canoe and not tip us over.  Apparently, the current was harder than expected, so Ken and Dad had their work cut out for them.

Here was my view the entire trip

You can see how nasty the water is

And yet, everything is green and pretty

Ken and I enjoyed some seriously great thunder storms while we were here.  Of course, I think I enjoyed them more than anyone else because it's something that we used to have in Cali, but they seem to have disappeared over the years.


There is so much more to come.....