Today was our traditional trip to take care of my mom's stone.  We always pick the first Friday we are in NY, weather permitting, to do this so we can go to the cheese factory and then get some Amish goods. 

When we were young, Mom and all 5 of her kids, would do this trip to see her parents.  We have such fond memories of these trips.. for instance: the blue tower (we knew we were getting close to grandma's), stopping for a dozen Amish donuts along the way and eating half of them before we got there, the silo where Uncle Lynn fell in and didn't make it out (not a fond memory), riding the horse, picking up cheese for the shop picnic..  

Those days are gone now but the memories remain.

 Now as we have gotten older, we make our own trips and make our own memories. The countryside is still so beautiful and I love seeing the Amish and windmills at work. 

 Yesterday we took the truck to Erie for an oil change. Since Erie is about an hour from us, we always like to make a day of it.  Last year we went to Presque Isle and drove the peninsula.  This time we went to the Port Erie Bicentennial Tower and saw Presque Isle from the top. It was such a beautiful day.  We drove back through Westfield to see the grape vines and ended the day sharing a campfire with our friends.