Quick family visit

We all piled in the family truckster Sunday and headed out to visit my family in New York State.

The trip itslef went remarkably well considering we had the potential for so many problems with our traveling crew (two young children and three of us who aren't exactly spring chickens). Also, throw into the mix that I worked into the morning the day we left, so my sleep time was limited and that I never got the car serviced before we left.

Well, the travel went well despite being brought to a dead stop in heavy traffic in Toledo and Cleveland. I didn't realize that July 8 was still considered part of the July Fourth holiday. And our only driving issues on the way back was heavy rain just entering Cleveland (I hate driving in Cleveland in the best of weather) and the uniterrupted construction in the entire state of Michigan.

I wish we could have stayed longer to visit, but I had to be back to work today. We also spent much of the time in air conditioning because it was hot. Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't have taken that kind of hot. We didn't go Niagara Falls or the zoo because we would have dropped from heat exhaustion.

So, we stayed close to home and forced my family into buying us lunch and ordering out for Chinese or pizza.

Our oldest daughter discovered real Buffalo wings and loves them (can't get them in Michigan).

Our youngest finally gained enough confidence to swim underwater in the hotel pool (we don't have hotel pools in Michigan).

A photo of the girls is above on my mom's garden frog.

Here are some useless trip facts:

-- One way route: 475 miles

-- Hours one way: About 9

-- Number of stops for pottie breaks: 4 or 5

-- Best rest stop: Vermillion on Ohio Turnpike

-- Worst rest stop: Indiana (the smell of urine is great in 90-degree temperatures)

-- Gas prices: High $3.39 in Michigan; Low $2.97 in Pennsylvania

-- Number of times I used the "F" word: 475 (mostly in Cleveland).

Thought: There are lots of people in Western New York and I really do live in a small town.