Trip to Ohio, Washington D.C. and New York

 We started the trip in Ohio, staying with Grammie and Grampie, having a lovely dinner out on the terrace.

 The next day we went to Amish country, just south of Akron, and went into Lehman's Hardware Store, which is huge.

 The sign told us to watch for horse and buggies. . .

 . . .and we did.

 It was a lovely day. . .and the hills of Ohio were beautiful and green.

 We also visited the Guggisberg Cheese Factory, where they have the best Baby Swiss Cheese ever.

 Here we are just before we left for Washington D.C. in front of the Finlay's home.

 We stopped at one of my favorite places. . .Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

 Coco wanted to be the "boss" of the Reese's Pieces.

 We hiked along the C and O Canal and are looking across the Potomac River here back at Harpers Ferry.  Harpers Ferry has been a strategic location militarily for decades because it is at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers.

 The Shenandoah Mountains in the background were lovely in spring.

 Here we are at the World War II Monument, with the Lincoln Memorial in the background.

 The California representatives of American Mothers, Inc.

 We took the ferry out to Liberty Island.  Here we are waiting for that ferry, with the skyline of Lower Manhattan in the background.

 Coco and Gavin look at the Statue of Liberty from the ferry, not unlike what two of their great grandparents from Ireland and Hungary must have done when entering New York Harbor in the early 1900's.

 Coco dressed up like the Statue of Liberty.

 Out on Liberty Island - the statue is being repaired and will open again in October of this year.

 Freedom Tower at Ground Zero just surpassed the Empire State Building as the tallest building in Manhattan - very impressive.  It will eventually be 1,776 feet tall.

 One of the favorite children's books of the kids is "The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge".  The bridge is the George Washington Bridge, crossing the Hudson, and if you look at the base of the bridge, the little red lighthouse actually exists.

 After spending the night in Edison, N.J., we drove across Pennsylvania but had a stop at Hershey, PA. We all loved the tour of Chocolate World.

 Uncle Evan was a big hit in Lowe's in Akron because he could ride the kids around on the cart.

It had just rained and the kids loved driving fast through the river in Sand Run Park in Akron.  It was a great trip and we covered a lot of ground.  Thanks for your hospitality Grammie and Grampie.