We headed to the Kentucky/Ohio border area. Rented a BIG house in a teeny tiny town along the Ohio River. The house was perfect for our group and gave us plenty of room to spread out. The riverfront was just a block away and the playground and baseball/kickball field was just a block the other way. And well, the town only really went about a block in all directions. Teeny tiny. We did most of our meals ourselves....and there were definitely some good meals.
We headed to the area because mom really wanted to experience the Ark Encounter. And well, we all like to try to make mom happy. Not because she's demanding or opinionated.....but because she is kinda the opposite of that and usually does everything she can for everyone else.
We all got in on Wednesday a little before dinner time. Explored the house and the area.
Thursday was slated to be a cruddy weather day, so we decided to just chill and get acclimated and relax. The guys all went somewhere at some point....They said they were park scouting, although they had nothing to show for their time (not like the girls when we checked out the Gap Clearance Center on Sunday afternoon).
On Friday, we headed to the Ark Encounter. Very cool to take in the massiveness of the boat. There was a lot of information to read and they've spent a lot of time researching and thinking through so many aspects.....everything from the timeline/geography.....to "why" God sent the flood....to the significance of the doors.....to how the species of animals were represented....to how they would feed/water the animals.....to how they would've gotten rid of the waste....to displays of animals that may have been on the ark that are now extinct....and more. To be honest, it wasn't the greatest for young kids - not a lot of "hands-on" opportunities for them to engage with. And well, I scoured the internet for a coupon....nope, nada, nothing. Its a little pricey. But, we had a good time. And we all look pretty good standing in front of it.
On Saturday, we went to the Cincinnati Zoo. Busy day, but lots of animals and exhibits to explore. Fiona, a prematurely born baby hippo, was slowly being introduced to the public and was the big hotspot. Who knew a hippo could be so adorable?!?!
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| I kinda really like big gorillas. (And yes, this was the zoo where the notorious Harambe was from! Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about. I do like people more than big gorillas though.) |
On Sunday, we walked to the small church next to our rental house. And spent the afternoon relaxing (with a little bit of shopping mixed in).
On Monday, we headed to downtown Cincinnati. There is an AWESOME park along the Ohio River. We easily spent the entire afternoon there before catching pizza for dinner. A few of us had already packed up and had plans to head home from there in the evening, while the others left the next morning.
When I write it down like this, the vacation doesn't seem we did much.....but honestly, the majority of our time was just enjoying being together. Cooking and eating meals. Kids playing hide and seek. Throwing rocks in the river. Playing baseball/kickball. Playing board/card games. S'Mores. Chatting. It was a very good time.
Oh, and I *almost* forgot to mention that I continue to be the reigning champion in our Mother/Children Ticket to Ride Vacation Showdown. It was down to the wire, but I continue to be the leader in strategy, skill, and expertise when it comes to building with small plastic train cars.
Heath totally loved all of the attention that he got from his teenage girl cousins.
He was really good at mooching rides off of them.
Overall, it was a really great time! Hmmm....now what to do for Strahm Vacation 2019?
