New Jersey - a Canine Perspective (With human commentary)

My family is very confusing.  About two months ago my things began disappearing.  My couch went onto the front lawn.  My favorite chair in the office was moved out. Great mountains of cubes were stacked around the house.  And then one day a big truck appeared outside and all of the cubes and furniture - even my crate - were gone.  They took that big truck away and a few days later we got in the RV to take a trip.  I love going on trips!  It means I get to lie in my bed next to mom in the RV and ride for hours without even having to move.  And I always get extra treats and bones for no apparent reason at all.


Three days after we left our house we arrived in New Jersey to see Grandma Chris and Grandpa Don.  I have been here before - there is lots of room to run.  But then my family did something unacceptable - they left one day with their suitcases and they were gone a VERY LONG TIME.  I did not like that they were gone, but it turns out that I am persuasive at getting Grandpa Don to play with me.  They bought me toys and bones and played with me, multiple times a day!  Unbelievable!  I soon discovered that there are all sorts of wild exciting things to chase here too - at night there are lightening bugs and in the morning there are deer, cats, squirrels, rabbits, butterflies, the list goes on and on.  I love a good deer chase.

Then one night my family walked back in the door.  I had just gotten used to sleeping with Grandpa Don and now I had to figure things out all over again.  But it worked out okay, we all stayed together this time.

Now I find myself concerned again.  Mom and Dad are loading the RV with the suitcases and I have to wonder if we are going away again.  We have never been in one place so long away from home.  I am confused.  And I miss my best dog Daisy.  I don't want to play Frisbee without Daisy.   I will content myself with my new toys.

Here I am, not playing Frisbee while all the rest of them practice throwing.

Here we are playing with a helicopter.  

And I had better see my stuff again soon.  Ahem.   Hint, hint mom.

Mom's commentary:

Sophie turned three this year.  She has traveled to 37 states and will pick up another before the summer is over.

We have been out of a house since May 31.  That is a very long time to be away from "home" where ever that might be.  We are leaving on Monday to make the drive to Alabama in order to close on our new home next week.  I honestly don't know what we would have done if Chris and Don hadn't opened their home to us this summer - we've been here off and on for two and a half weeks, and Sophie has been here for a month and a half.  It has been a wonderful summer, but it is time to get our lives moving again. 

Our temporary New Jersey home.  Thank heavens for friends who love us!

And for play structures in the front yard.

And for quiet times

For exciting times (Greenwich Point, Greenwich, CT)

For Jersey humidity (NOT!)  Can you believe the humidity fog on this lens?

And for Don and Chris who have fed and housed us and kept our dog alive all summer long.

 Without them, this summer would have been miserable.  You guys are angels on earth!

New York

We took a trip up to Saratoga Springs, New York this week to see Michael's Aunt Janet and Uncle Rob.  Janet took us on a walking tour of the lovely city of Saratoga, and then we huddled down at their apartment in Malta to stay out of the rain.  After Uncle Rob got home from work he and Michael went to a motorcycle dealer to get a testosterone dose.  They really liked that.

They had planned a picnic in a nearby state park, but the rain just got more torrential as the day went on, so we had our picnic indoors instead.  The kids loved that!  
And what picnic would be complete without s'mores?  Such fun!

Uncle Rob and Luke

The next morning we went to the state park and filled up our water bottles with fresh spring water. They don't call it Saratoga Springs for nothing!  After a fun driving tour we walked around the garden at Yaddo - an artist retreat in Saratoga.  The owner of the estate built a beautiful garden for his wife in the early 1900s, and now that garden is open to the public.  It was lovely.

We really enjoy the opportunity to see  our family no matter how far we (or they!) are from home!

Aunt Janet and the munchkins on the staircase at Yaddo

The house!

Michael and I drove down to Alabama for a very quick day of details.  Details like actually stepping foot in the house that we are buying, meeting with our mortgage broker, signing the kids up for school - all the important things that we were physically incapable of doing from Europe.  We were thrilled to find that our house is exactly what I wanted - it needs a good scrubbing, some tree and shrub maintenance, and a few other odds and ends, but I love it.  I can't wait to buy it and move in!

I forgot to take a picture of the full front of the house, so I borrowed this from the listing.

Side view of the front porch.  I LOVE this porch.

Close up of the side of the porch. It was on my forever home list.  Its 44 feet long!

View of the neighborhood from the driveway.

Master bedroom

2nd bedroom. 

Landing upstairs

Bedroom 3.  The picture of bedroom 4 is fuzzy, but its the same without the corner bookcase.

Bedroom 5 is on the main floor.  It'll be the guest bedroom - and it has its own bathroom! 

  We are so relieved that things are finally starting to fall into place for our move.  We hope to close within the next two weeks.  The sooner the better!

Ancient Civilizations Tour Statistics

This vacation we had some unprecedented experiences!   And the summer isn't over yet!  But our next adventure is less of a vacation and more of a necessity, so perhaps I won't tally those statistics.
(I mean "Days Homeless" is a very awkward tally!)

2015 "Ancient Civilizations Tour" Vacation Statistics

Days:  25

Number of flights: 6

Number of hours on a ferry:  8

Countries visited: 5 - Norway, Spain, Italy, Vatican City, Greece

Cities visited:  10 - Bergen, Barcelona, Rome, Vatican City, Perissa, Thira, Oia, Chora, Athens, Oslo

Places we drove: Santorini

Places we took the Metro:  Barcelona, Rome, Athens

Places we hiked: Everywhere

Average walking/hiking distance per day: 6 miles

Places we swam:  Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Katerina and John's Hotel pool, and Pension Irene

Worst Medical issues:  Gabi's bloody nose in Barcelona and Gabi getting sunsick  in Santorini

Delicious things we ate:  Tapas, Paella, Real Italian food, Potato and Rosemary Pizza, Gelato, Gyros, Moussaka, Rabbit, Goat, Lamb, Chicken Slouvlaki, Swordfish, Baklava, Honey Melon, Apples with honey and cinnamon

Favorite Food:  Gelato

Funniest Kid Quotes:

Luke:(while we were trying to encourage him to enjoy the scenery) But I can't turn my brain off!

Isabel: (After Michael finished driving in Thira) That was amazing!  Terrifying, but amazing!

Gabriela: (After returning from the beach in Barcelona) I saw A LOT of naked people at the beach today.

Favorites:

Michael: Santorini's Perissa Beach, the Vatican, Ancient Roman ruins, Sagrada Familia, the FOOD, Ancient Greek Ruins

Debbie: The Vatican, Sagrada Familia, Ancient Greek and Roman ruins, seeing friends, the breathtaking views in Santorini, swimming in the Aegean Sea,

Floor level of the Colosseum and the rooms underneath.

Luke: The Colosseum, Eating lots of different seafood, Santorini's Perissa Beach, the Parthenon, Font Magica



Isabel:  Naxos' Agios Georgios Beach, Gelato and Pizza in Rome, the Vatican, Font Magica, Museu de la Xocolata, Park Guell

Gabriela: Naxos' Agios Georgios Beach, Font Magica, seeing Ms. Anderson and Ms. P, Museu de la Xocolata, Gelato, the Vatican

Who knew such things could be carved out of Chocolate?