Sweet Home Indiana

I love Indianapolis. I truly think that it is my second favorite city. Where else can you get great biking and a State Fair that you can pedal to? (And get $1 off admission for doing so!)(Let me know if you know of anywhere else like this, we might have to go there.)We started our time in Indy by eating dinner with my wonderful "kid" brother and his equally wonderful bride. They introduced us to L'Enorme Frittes at Brugge. Mmmm ...
The following morning, however, we were distressed to see that our activities of the previous evening had aroused the suspicions of the local secret service -- look at them surrounding our poor minivan. We are unsure what we did to offend them as they never actually spoke to us but it was kind of freaky. (Yes, we know that the secret service does not really use that kind of car but having 5 of all of the same car surrounding us was still kind of weird.)
We then did a spot of geocaching before heading out for a ride and a visit to the Indiana State Fair.
At the fair we found lots of fried food. Mmm ...and really large things.

Like this chicken
and this bunny (which we think ate a snake, it was sooo large and kind of snake shaped)
and the world's second largest boar ...
right next to the world's largest boar!
There were very large wheels for those who needed to roll ...
and very large shoes for those who chose to walk.
Of course there was the extra large shoe lace to go with the extra large shoe ...which might belong to this guy.
Of course such a large guy needs his vegetables equally large.
For some reason, the sheep were normal size but seemed to be embarrassed about it, hiding their shame behind these masks so we should not know their true, puny identities.These horses were also normal sized though they seemed huge to us. My brother was bothered by the fact that he was the only one applauding for the ribbon winners.


There were of course rides for the small ones.
Yes, they are wearing John Deere hats.
And Papa Squid joined Squidette on the flume. No pictures of Mama Squid braving (or cursing) on the roller coaster with the thrill seeking pre-teen. (Actually there are photos but they are still on Papa Squid's camera -- you 'll see them in a day or two.)

Finally we pedaled back to lil' bro's place for a relaxing meal of pizza and some jigsaw puzzling.

Saturday dawned cloudy but your intrepid Squid prevailed and grabbed my fearless brother for a bike ride. Poor Josh is not a cyclist (though a fantastic athlete otherwise) and was a bit saddle sore for this second ride. He pushed and persevered and did manage to keep up with us for 20 miles of Indiana goodness. I love a nice flat state!

Lunch was burgers at Bub's ...
and then back to bro's to find a feeling better sis-in-law and a yummy dinner of lamb, orzo and Indiana corn. Yes, I am feeling somewhat fat today.

Tonight we are in West Virginia and tomorrow, if all goes well, we will be back in our beloved NYC. Yes, there is much knitting to talk about but see if you can wait until we get settled back in. There is also a couple of really neat photo series still to come once Papa down loads his photos.

Baby, If You've Ever Wondered ...

Wondered, whatever became of me ... (with apologies to T Wells and H Wilson)I'm riding round the streets of Cincinnati,Cincinnati, WKRP.Got tired of packing and unpacking,Town to town and up and down the dial.Things that you and squid were never meant to see,
Cincinnati, WKRP.

Indianapolis 500

You knew it was only a matter of time ... the coinicidence is eerie, however, and the title of this post just popped into my head while I was showering.

The Squid have broken the 500 mile mark for family cycling this summer all thanks to my brother -- who wanted to go for a long ride today. While in Indianapolis we have ridden a total of 35 miles. Not earth shattering for the Squid but a nice accomplishment none the less and a good reason to have schleped the bikes all these miles.
I promise more details of our Midwest / South adventure in future posts. Ride Happy!

Kentucky Woman ...

(with apologies to Neil Diamond)

O.k., if you are expecting me to compose this post aka Neil Diamond, you are sadly mistaken. John Denver was easier but I do not know any J.D. songs about Kentucky.

Instead you get pictures of fauna,
and lovely, wide open skies

and jerry-rigged knife sharpeners.
Apparently a very important piece got left at home and the price of lodging at my brother-in-law's was sharpened knives.

So we improvised.
Yes, that is a number 8 knitting needle and lots of o-hooks.

The view from the porch. Very relaxing to sit out there with no traffic and no neighbors.

The kids got their first taste of legal fireworks ...


the sparklers were duds ...but some of the other stuff was kind of cool.

We're Going To Kentucky ...

We're going to the fair, (in Indiana)

To see the kitties, horsesAnd others who live there.

Almost Heaven ...

West Virginia ... (with apologies to John Denver) now keep the tune in your head as you read the rest of the post ...

All those tunnels leading through the mountains. (In Pennsylvania)Now our Squid they're driving through the country.

Live is good here, prices are so low,

Dinner ran us less then New York don't you know.

Minivan, take me West
To a place, I can bike,West Virginia, is the first stop,
MinivanTake me West.

Some NYC and the Second Annual Squid on Wheels Contest

Yesterday the kids and I did some touristy stuff combined with our errands. Periodically my squidlings get commercial on me and actually want something. Since this happens so rarely, I tend to give in. This time, however, I was only willing to give in if they spent their own money. And they did.

We went to the Build-A-Bear Workshop on 5th Avenue where they got a lesson in economics as well as marketing. Oh yea, and a cat, each. Below is Little Squid's cat -- notice the pants only half pulled up. Kind of like how Little Squid used to dress himself. Later, at home, the kids got busy making beds, pajamas and underwear for their friends.

Along the way we worked on Little Squids knowledge of his environment, quizzing him on the layout of Manhattan and how he would get home from various places. He still needs a lot of work but I think he got the clue.Ganesh outside a restaurant on the Upper East Side.

It speaks for itself. If I actually I.D. it I will just get spammers on the blog.

***

And finally, the second annual Squid On Wheels contest.

If you read this blog from the main page, you may have noticed the Squid On Wheels totals over on the right. The mileage has been creeping up over the summer and we are close to passing last year's total. Weather permitting, the mileage will continue to rise right up through the end of the year. It is your job to guess how many miles the Squid Family will ride by October 31, 2007.

Note that I only include miles ridden by two kids and at least one adult. The adult-only rides from earlier in the summer did not count. If you need some help putting your guess together, go back through the archives to get a hint of at least one ride that we have planned for September.

Rules:

One entry per person.

All guesses must go in the comments for this post so everyone can see your guess and so I have them easily accessible.

Contest entries close at the end of August 31.

Prizes: A skein of high end sock yarn (enough for a pair of socks) of my choice and some yummy NYC chocolate. And maybe some other NYC swag. (Yarn will be chosen with contest winner in mind and will not come from my stash.)

Caveats: If a family member wins (extended family, not immediate squid) then the yarn will be transformed into socks. Squidlings and Papa Squid are not eligible in this forum.

The 2007 Squid on Wheels cycling jersey.

What Do Squid Do After a Trip?

Ten minutes after entering the apartment ...

Where in the World Were the Squid?

This starts a series of interrupted blog post where you get to follow the Squid on their summer travels outside, yes, I said outside, of New York City. Everyone gasp now!

For our first installment we have our annual trip to Pennsylvania Dutch Country where our intrepid Squid venture every year for a dose of the great outdoors and some quality time lost in a corn maze.

This year they wimped out and, instead of roughing it in tents, opted for a "Cozy Cabin." Let's hear it for the wimps making a good choice. It POURED and lightninged and thundered most of the second day so our Squid had a porch to play games on and a watertight, no worry roof over their head at night. And a bathroom.

***

This years trip started out with a visit to the National Watch and Clock Museum where we learned all about Horology. (The study of timekeeping, get your minds out of the gutter!)

Many interesting clocks were viewed -- click here for more photos.This clock did just about everything except vacuum the floor!One of my favorites -- I like unusual clocks.

Lunch was at Hinkle's Pharmacy for some good, authentic regional food. Yum! This pharmacy with lunch counter has been around since 1893!
We explored Columbia, PA for a bit and then headed to our camp ground for a quick stop to unpack. The we were off to join members of the Lancaster Bike Club for an Ice Cream Ride to the Oregon Dairy where we feasted on locally made ice cream. (For more bike cam pictures, click here.) Definitely NOT New York! After 10 miles in the heat, with the sun rapidly setting we trouped back to the cabin for showers and bed. The cabin had two bunk beds so we each had our own, off the floor, accommodations, with the kids on top and the parents below. It also had air conditioning.

In the morning we dined al fresco, the last such meal of the trip.

A little reading,
a little goofing,a little crossword action and then we were off.

In the 90+ degree, 100% humidity, we headed in to the Maze and found ...a bike. How fitting.And, a bull. Which this story is not.And lots of corn.And, finally, our way out! After 2 hours of purposeful wandering we did it! This seemed to be the hardest of the mazes that we have done so far. We spent the first hour or so seemingly going in circles and then finally hit on some new sections of the maze and quickly got on the right track.

After finding our way out, the kids did some pedal carting and then we headed to Good and Plenty for lunch. Just as our meal was served, the skies opened up. It did not stop raining until ... well, um, I think it is still raining. (Actually, there was a break in the rain this morning so we were able to cook our breakfast on the camp stove and eat on the porch.)

Since outdoor activities were out, we went clock and pretzel shopping and then retreated back to the cabin for a couple of rousing games of Scrabble and Set.

Our adventures will take us further west this summer and should include bike rides in four other states and a visit to a midwest state fair. Stay tuned!

Dear Upstairs Neighbor,

I know you don't notice it, or if you do, it is only a minor annoyance, one you probably hear a dozen times a day and think, "I really should oil that door hinge." Then you go on with your business. I understand, I'd probably ignore that squeaky hinge too, except for the effect it has on my, um ... personal life.

During the day I don't notice it. Probably has something to do with the fact that both you and I are at work. At night however ... it seems that you go to bed about an hour after I do. And sometimes I am not yet asleep but am engaging in ... shall we say adult play.

When your door squeaks and my husband and I are ... enjoying each other's company ... we suddenly stop and yelp "who's there" at our door -- even though we know our own door does not squeak. It's a Pavlovian reaction.

Even when we are simply sleeping, your door squeak has the same effect -- we think one of our children has escaped from their beds. This is not as damaging to our psyches when we are sleeping as when we are ... snuggling. But doesn't every parent fear the day their children manage to catch them ... um being close? It does, however, tend to jerk me out of that happy, half-asleep place that I tend to be in at that time of night.

So I ask nicely, please, please, please, for the sake of my sanity ... OIL YOUR BEDROOM DOOR!

And send my best to your kids,

Mama Squid