Life in the Bristolwood

Greetings, and may you be in good health! Strange salutation, huh? Well, yesterday, I spent hours and hours, getting our camper prepared for a little trip….yes, it is once again time for Kingdom Bound, and the kids are nearly silly with excitement!

We left home and drove to the campground, setting up and getting things in order. After setting up, we drove off to Buffalo for some dinner and to pick up a few things on our shopping list.  We had stopped by our local convenience store on the way and picked up a sub for lunch.  By dinner, I was so thirsty, I just wanted water. Mark stopped by McDonald’s for a snack, and I ordered a little hot fudge sundae.  After shopping, Mark and the kids ate at a taco place, but I really wasn’t hungry at all.

After arriving back at the camper, I felt sick. My stomach looked bloated and it hurt! I went in to lie down and hopefully sleep, but ended up being awake the entire night. I got violently ill around 1 am.  No idea what it was….flu? Food poisoning?  I spent most of today sleeping, feeling like I was burning up and as though I had been the victim of a hit-and-run. Mark called a pharmacy this afternoon, as my head felt as though it was clamped in a vise. The pharmacist advised that I take some Tylenol or Ibuprophen and also that I should drink Pedialyte to replenish electrolytes. Mark went out and bought some Pedialyte ice pops for me….they are so tasty!

I am almost all better now. Not too bad. 24 hours…I can deal with that! Poor little Michelle looked at me with her incredibly expressive brown eyes and asked if we should just go home. I asked which was better…..being sick at home, or here in the camper. I explained that since everything I need is here in the camper, we could just wait this thing out.

Living in the woods, I am always amazed by nightime skies when I can see them….cannot see much through all the trees we have! So, last night, while in Buffalo, I took these photos:

Kingdom Bound began today, and there were some bands i really wanted to see. But, I am resting and getting better so tomorrow will be a GREAT day!

Well, I was going to write about “today” (Friday), but as I was loading photos, the clock struck midnight, indicating that today is now Saturday!

So, yesterday, we took the kids and two of their friends to Darien Lake Theme Park for the day. This past week was “Homeschool Week”, in which homeschoolers are encouraged to come for a day or two. (or, a week!)

Before the friends arrived at our house, I watched as a tiny little male Hummingbird kept landing on my (terribly in need of a painting!) shepherd’s hook that I hung the Petunias on. He would sit there and preen himself and just look as though he was rather enjoying himself!

These pictures were taken through the French doors, and they are terrible. Every time I tried to catch a male at the feeder, he would fly away. The females really are much tamer and more sociable!

For my readers not familiar with exactly how tiny a hummingbird really is, here is a photo that might give one an idea of their size in comparison with the big world! (the male is sitting at the top of the shepherd’s hook!)

The kids arrived at the house and I fed everyone tacos before we left. We were on our way about 12:30. By the time we arrived at Darien Lake, the temperature had soared to about 88 degrees. We had some brief thunderstorms pass before we left and instead of cooling things off, the air seemed to grow thicker with intolerable (to me) humidity. To my surprise, Mark dropped the kids off and asked what I would like to do! Aha! The heat was getting to him as well!

We took a quick drive to Buffalo. Buffalo seems to be famous for two specific foods. The first is Beef on Weck, and the other is Buffalo Chicken Wings! Mark had read that Duff’s had been voted as the best wing establishment in all of Buffalo….so, he thought we should check it out!

Mark loves lots of fiery sauce coating his wings. He usually orders them “wet”. This time, he just ordered 10 wings….5 “medium”, and 5 “hot”. I picked them up when they were ready, and I was surprised at the warning label stapled on the bag! (so was Mark!)

The wings were very good. And, they came with some baby carrots, celery, and bleu cheese dressing.

We drove back and took the kids for dinner. Afterwards, they went back to the park until about 9:15.  While we were at dinner, there were majorly powerful thunderstorms passing through the area. We went in the restaurant and as we were sitting there, the power went out for a few seconds. Hmmm….I am beginning to wonder….seems like that happens a lot to us lately!!!

We got home at about 11. A very long, hot! day….at one point, the thermometer in the truck read 95 degrees!  Getting home feels soooooo goood!

Last night we decided that we would go out and attend to some necessary chores today. We needed to take a trip to Rochester, as I had ordered contact lenses at Sam’s Club and it was time to replace my other pair.

We arrived at Sam’s and I went into the store by myself….Mark had a short list of things he wanted me to pick up, as well as the contacts.  As I made my way to the meat case, I had to pass the flowers.

These colors just really brightened my day! Oh yeah, what do you suppose Mark and the kids would be saying if they knew I was in the store snapping pictures?

And I had to photograph the potted Tulips. They were so stunning, sitting up above the flower case. Sam’s was so crowded, I thought I would never make it back out again! I loaded the groceries into a cooler we brought along with us and we were off…..

We had purchased season passes to Darien Lake, as this is such a fun place for the kids. They enjoy the amusement park so much and the passes only cost about the price of two visits per person. We always go for Homeschooling Week and the passes get us in without further cost. And so we were off again, this time heading to Darien Lake to redeem our vouchers for season passes.

The weather this morning was very dark, grey, and drizzly! (in Scotland, this would be referred to as “dreich”) After stopping at Sam’s this afternoon,  the skies began clearing and turning a beautiful blue! Every other year, the park closed at 5 in the afternoon during May. This year, under new management, the park remains open until 8 pm. All the better for us, as we didn’t arrive until about 4:30.

I love the fountain below….it is fun the way the water flows from the mouths of the fish.

After getting our new passes to the park, the kids were off to ride and have some fun! Mark and I went into the park and wandered around a little. There is a new roller coaster that was added and he wanted to see it.

In walking to the back of the park where the new ride is located, we crossed over a small wooden bridge. There are machines on the bridge filled with food to feed ducks and geese. Since I was sporting the new camera, I coerced Mark into throwing the little food pieces into the water, one piece at a time!

As soon as we turned the handle to get our food from the machine, this goose became quite interested in us!

I don’t think I have ever been so close and afforded such a grand opportunity to photograph a Canada Goose as I was today!  Just look at that face!

If you observe the next photo closely, you will see a very large fish swimming in the water…many of these fish appeared to be approximately 3 feet long! (no fish story, here!) Every now and then, a large mouth would appear, breaking the water, and gobbling up the food meant for the ducks and geese!

For once, I didn’t need to quack….not even once….this little fellow was food-driven, and he certainly knew to come as soon as he heard the grinding sound of the machine turning!

Darien Lake Theme Park offers two different types of accommodations for guests. The first is rental campers…..

Or, hotel rooms. Either way, the rates ares somewhat pricey for us. We do camp while visiting the park, but take our camper to Darien Lake State Park, which is located only a short distance from the theme park.

Mark and I finally reached the new “Moto Coaster”.

The kids rode and had fun traipsing about the grounds. Mark and I retreated to the truck, where we sat and watched Home and Garden TV on the laptop. The Scotties were thrilled to sit with us rather than being crated!

We left the park at about 8, and boy oh boy! Did we have two very tired teens by the time we got home!

Yesterday was Labor Day in the US. We had tentatively planned to take the kids to Darien Lake, but weren’t sure.  Mark had been feeling quite poorly on Sunday. In fact, one of the events I had planned for the weekend was canceled for us….

This weekend was also the great Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival! Mark loves, loves, loves chicken wings.  He attended the University of Buffalo, and while there, became enamored with those tiny wings smothered and dripping in sauce that would make a “wimp” run!

We had thought that after Saturday morning’s balloon outing, we would hook up the camper and head to the park for a couple of days; it just didn’t work out as we thought.

Mark felt much better yesterday, so we were on our way, leaving the Scotties kenneled.

The park was packed when we arrived,  but the lines didn’t seem too bad. The weather was absolutely superb. We could not have ordered better weather! Mark and I just kind of hung back while the kids rode.

The roller coaster below is Michelle’s favorite.  It is a rather rickety behemoth that sounds like it is falling apart!

This planting of red begonias looked aflame with color. The flowers all look especially beautiful. I think it is the lowering sun that washes everything in a different light!

This fountain in the lake is always eye-catching. With the tree framing it, doesn’t that bench look inviting?

This picture appears to be overexposed, but look at those black-eyed Susans. They look like they are going to jump right out at you!

We had a delightful day, and as we drove back towards home, I was anxious to see the Scotties.

When I unlocked the door and opened it,  instead of two kenneled boys, I was greeted at the door by a rather bouncing Angus! His little tailed whipped about happily as I came through the door. Murphy, still in his crate, gave a loud “Rrrr…..rrrr…..rrrrroooooo!!”, as though telling on his “brother”! Angus, being the elder, and less adventurous Scottie did just fine outside of the crate. Upon inspection, we discovered that a couple of the parts that lock into place weren’t together, and Angus discovered that in leaning against the end of the crate, it “popped” open….leading him to freedom!

I was going to add some pictures from a concert Mark and I attended with the kids at Kingdom Bound, but I forgot! Yikes!

The name of this group is Stellar Kart. They are, I am told, from Canada. When I won the tickets from the radio station , I also won a Stellar Kart CD.  They are quite good, but the volume was *just* a tad bit loud for my old ears!

 Wow! These guys are not only loud, but full of energy, as well! hehehe

As I panned around the crowd, I found this forward-looking couple with their little one protected from the *loud*. Did I mention the music was L-O-U-D?

 Yes, this concert was held right next to the wonderful (no, I did not ride it, nor will I ever!) Superman roller coaster. So, of course, I *needed* to photograph this group on the vertical drop….wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

 The concert was very good, although the temps were soaring into the 80′s, making it too warm for me. I needed to (sulk) trudge off to the Dippin’ Dots stand to take cold refreshment and revitalize my poor hot self!!!!

We also saw a few other concerts that I didn’t photograph, but it sure was a fun, albeit TOO hot,  few days! What a terrific way to spend some family time!!!!

Early yesterday morning, we began to pack everything up and make ready for our trip back to the Bristolwood.

While the kids were enjoying seeing lots of bands that weren’t *quite* as major as the ones appearing at the big tent every night, they had a fun time running around on rides and seeing the concerts with their friends.

It was with some sadness that we loaded up and got ready to head off for home. But *wait*! The fun wasn’t over….not yet!  One of the kids’ friends was going to have a little party, as she will soon be going off to college! The kids looked forward to this get-together with anticipation.

We got home at about 2:30, and the party was to begin at 4. We rushed things out of the camper and brought the perishables from the refrigerator, as we couldn’t find the adaptor for the electric plug to keep the camper electrified! (I found the plug in the laundry basket (???) this morning!) Michelle and I took quick showers and we were out the door once again.

The party was about 25 miles from our house, and we made a quick stop at the store to buy a card, as well as a bag of sweet treats. Then, we were on our way.

Mark and I dropped the kids off, then made our way to Dansville, where we stopped at Arby’s and ordered one baked butter and sour cream potato and a toasted Philly sub. It was, as always, yummy, and the poor Scottie brothers only watched in dismay as Mark and I gobbled our food and commented on how tasty it was!

Poor pups….but not for long! We swung on over to McDonald’s and pulled through the drive through.  Mark ordered the “regular”….IE, one double cheeseburger with no salt, no condiments, and no bun. And, as always, the order-taker asked if we really only wanted two hamburger patties with cheese on them? Yup! And, as always, the preparer set the lonely little patties on a bed of lovely green lettuce. If only they knew………

Yes, Angus being the elder of the two Scots, prefers to take his sustenance from a fork! Both Scotties devoured their patty with the  greatest of gusto!  Now, let me assure you that our boy Angus *never* EVER ate lettuce.  He considered lettuce “sissy food” for poodles or other less stately curs!

Last evening, Angus discovered that the lettuce that was sitting under those delightful burgers actually had some of the juice from the meat on them! Suddenly, Angus grew a *bit* more interested…..

 He picked up each piece of lettuce and chewed…..

 And chewed a little more. As soon as he was absolutely entirely sure that no meat juice remained on the lettuce, he would allow us to give Murphy the remains. Murphy, AKA , “Murphy the perforator” quickly swallowed the lettuce with reckless abandon. Who cares, after all, WHAT it tastes like….it all ends up in the (ahem) same place, after all!

Mark and I laughed as we watched the Scotties eat, then we caught sight of such a wonderful sight

Ah, yes, the wonderment of a hot air balloon! Even though I think I would not be inclined at all to fly in one,  there is still a magical feeling in seeing their brightly colored “bulbs” soaring in the winds that carry them about.  Dansville is famous for balloonists.

 And, what better than a hot air balloon? Another one! 

We watched the balloons for a bit, then took a small ride down country roads before heading back to pick up the kids.

And so, another lovely ending to a full day!

The Newsboys is a group that hails from “Down-under”.  If you have listened to Christian music, you have probably heard them. If you have little children that enjoy the Veggie Tales videos, you might have heard them sing “In the Belly of the Whale”!

This concert, I had already recovered from my “blond” moments and attended with my trusty old Olympus camera in hand. I was so excited that I finally remembered I *could* take pictures!

The Newsboys appeared in concert on Wednesday, the final day of Kingdom Bound. Earlier in the day,  I went to the park with the kids so they could ride some of the rides before the concerts started later.  Just after walking into the park, wondering how I was going to spend 3 hours in the sweltering heat, I ran into a dear friend and past roommate with her son!

Laurie told me that her son had spent money to bring himself and his mom to Kingdom Bound….When we had to leave the park to go back to the campground for dinner, I kept thinking I wished there was some way we could bless Laurie and Nate.  Before leaving, I told Laurie we would be seated way down in the front so please look for us. Well, she did, and as the concert started, she and Nate were given chairs to sit with us!  Nate *loves* the Newsboys, so he was thrilled to be getting such a good view!

Here are some random photos I took of the concert.

Laurie told us after the concert that Nate had wanted to camp, so they were going to see if they might find a place to pitch a tent. Well, back at our campground, there were literally hundreds of tents pitched all over! We told them they could stay on our site, as we had so much room on the grounds.  They followed us back to the campground and decided since it was so late (midnight) they would fold the seats in their van and sleep in there instead.

The next morning, I ran to the store before everyone was up and I was able to make breakfast for everyone. It was such a special time, as Laurie and I had not seen one another in years. We had so much fun!

As I was preparing breakfast, Laurie called for me to look….I had taken my Fuchsia plant along with us. (so silly I know) The plant had nearly no flowers on it, as I had placed it in too shady a spot on the front porch. About a week before we left, I placed the plant in a much brighter spot, and it was overflowing in beautiful flowers! Since it needs more frequent watering than most other plants, I saw no option other than to take it! Well, as I was bustling about, a little hummingbird appeared from nowhere and was visiting the Fuchsia plant!  I was too busy to stop and try to photograph the little hummer, but thought I would surely do it on Friday.

I did sit for a few hours Friday morning at the picnic table, camera in hand. The little hummer never made an appearance! So,  we were able to bless Laurie in several ways with her little visit.

Although I felt a sadness at the close of Kingdom Bound, I also felt so blessed and happy that the day ended with a wonderful concert, and a visit with my friend.

WOW!  That is my first comment…I remember when I was a little girl, I used to go to Camp Findley.  I would have the time of my life, camping with other kids and making new friends. (Believe it or not, I still have a friend I met there when I was about 12 years old!)  When I returned home from camp, (with GREAT reluctance) I wanted to share everything, but when I *tried*, words just didn’t seem able to explain the intensity of the experience. It was always so disappointing….

Well, I guess that is the same now. The Apostle John said there were no words to describe the things that had been revealed to him when he was given heavenly visions. I guess some things are so spiritually potent, there are no words to tell others!

While Kingdom Bound began on Sunday, we had a few things we needed for our camping adventure, so we shopped a little on Sunday evening and grabbed a pizza and wings for dinner. We were only a short distance from Buffalo, so we ventured off to some of the suburbs and relaxed a bit, knowing the next few days would be filled-to-the-brim!

Kingdom Bound is held at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort. It is an amusement park that seems to be located in the middle of “no where”. The park houses a huge tent called the PAC. (Performing Arts Center) During Kingdom Bound, the park has four different stages set up for bands, with the largest names performing at 9:30 pm, in the PAC. This year, the venu was Casting Crowns on Monday night,  Toby Mac on Tuesday night, and The Newsboys on Wednesday night.  We went to all three concerts and totally enjoyed each one.

During the day, there were even more concerts to attend, as well as workshops. There were tents with all sorts of merchandise to explore.  The entire experience was so stimulating, I think I am still processing some of the events!  The radio station we won the tickets from also had a tent set up where they broadcast in the morning and later in the afternoon.

While I absolutely adore my new Nikon camera, I cannot afford *super lenses* that allow me to take really great photos of performances from a distance, especially with the special effects lighting that everyone now does.  So, I decided not to lug my Nikon to the Casting Crowns concert. Regretfully, I chose not to photograph the Toby Mac concert, either. It was *only* on Wednesday that my brain began to function again, that I realized my Olympus COULD photograph the concerts very well.

What a total DOPE I was!!! Because Mark is disabled, we were able to sit in the first rows to see each concert. We could see so very well, and this was too cool, as the “tent” (hehehe) holds a “mere” 20,000 people! (that is nearly as many people as in my hometown) The sound was nearly deafening, but ears would recover after a good night’s sleep! We had soooo much fun!

I have no pictures at all from the Casting Crowns concert, as I just forgot all about the Olympus camera.  On Tuesday, I wised up (only a bit, I fear) and asked Michelle to take some photos with her Olympus camera. She took only a few, but they were nice. I will do another post about this concert to follow….

Yes! just in case you might have *missed* me, let me tell you, we were on a bit of a vacation! A vacation from house, home, AND technology. Can you believe it? Normally, when we travel, we remain “connected”, but this time, the only time I used my computer was to play Hoyle Word Games

The above picture shows our site we were on from last Sunday until the following Friday morning.  I had won tickets to Kingdom Bound, and we were so excited to go! The only problem was going to be finding a place to park the camper.

Mark looked online and saw that the enitre state park where we usually stay was booked solid. You can actually make reservations for NY state parks 9 months in advance, so the likelihood of any sites coming up was really, really slim.  The next day, Mark looked again, and there were 2 different sites listed as available!

Mark quickly reserved one. As we talked about it, we came to the realization that the site we reserved was generally used for tenting. Mark decided to call the park and talk to them directly. One of the questions he asked was, what if the site was too small for our camper? The girl he spoke to assured him that if that was the case, the park would give us a more suitable site. Hmmm…..

We arrived on Sunday and as we drove into our reserved site, we realized it was WAY too small! The camper would take the entire space with NO place to park the truck. And, there was a small ditch behind the camper, meaning if Mark were to back up too far, the camper would go over!  We went back to the office and one of the girls wrote the numbers of sites that we could choose from.

We drove around the campground, looking over each site. As we drove past #37, we nearly screamed in delight! YES! This is a very long site….we have always seen those BIG class A’s parked in this particular spot. We nearly *flew* to the office in a cloud, claiming site #37 as our new home for the next few days!

We arrived at Darien Lake yesterday at about 3 pm. Although the skies were a little foreboding, it had not rained all day, and we thought we were fairly safe.  The kids got in a ride or two, and then……..this!

Suddenly, all of the game arcades were full of people seeking refuge from the downpour. And, I *do* mean downpour! The rain hit the ground and bounced so high.  This little girl seemed not the least bit disturbed by the rain. In fact, she seemed to be rather enjoying the deluge!

Carly had taken the big kids over to another ride, before the rain approached,  and Erin decided to stay behind with Mark and me.  We remained inside for about half an hour. We went back out after the rain stopped and within minutes, the scene repeated itself!

Carly said the kids had gotten onto a ride when the operator of the ride was relieved by another employee.  As the change ocurred, the heavens opened up….on the ride AND the kids. The relief operator had to put on his raincoat before running the ride.  The kids were getting soaked clean to the bone! But I do believe they had fun anyway! They definitely had a ball, in spite of the soaking.

As you can see from the picture below, we were caught in a cell of dark skies and threats of yet more rain.

Since the kids were so wet, they decided to hike on over to the water park.  As we walked along, I spotted this Hibiscus, which remained cheerful and beautiful, no matter how much rain fell on it!!!

Welcome to Hook’s Lagoon! We had to wait outside the gates until the storm cells passed, as there had been some thunder accompanying this storm.  The lifeguards stayed at their posts,  and we anxiously stood in line.

The big barrel below is one of the highlights of the water area. When it fills up…..

The kids gather underneath it and…………….

We remained here until nearly 6 pm. Then we left the park to grab some dinner.  We went on down the road to a small place called John and Mary’s where we enjoyed a delicious sheet pizza.  The kids were able to hang out and relax a bit while we waited and we ate outside.

We returned to the park at about 8, and the kids rode and played until about 9:30.  I never realized jusst how tired I was from our Wednesday adventure until we were on our way home!

Mark took the picture below….the sky was so beautiful before the day came to an end. All in all, we had a very good time, and it was especially perfect because Erin’s birthday is TODAY! Happy 8th Birthday, Erin!!!