Day 2: Just Peachy

August 11, 2018:  It is so hard to blog about vacations because I want to remember everything, more than I can record here.  The day began with a huge feast delivered to our door at 7:45.  There were eggs cooked at least three different ways, huge sausages, a stack of pancake waffles (flat like pancakes but with the waffle grid on one side) and a variety of fruit.  It fed us all with some leftover for lunch.  I am sad to say that this is the only B & B we will be staying in during our vacation.  These breakfasts will spoil us!
We decided with Niagara on the Lake today.  On the way, we stopped at a scenic overlook and met a couple who recommended the peach festival in the downtown area.  We took Niagara Parkway and passed a huge number of wineries and amazing homes.  The scenery was breathtaking.  One establishment we passed advertised a winery and biking tour that looked fun.  Maybe next time!
Old Town Niagara on the Lake was packed for the festival but with persistence, we found a parking spot and proceeded to check it out.  There was a lot to see, do and taste at the festival and we walked the length of it before deciding on peach ice cream.  Madeleine got her ice cream with a crepe and Chris opted for peach frozen yogurt.  It was all delicious.  While we were walking around, one of the girls observed, "I'm getting Epcot vibes".  In the sense that it was very clean, well kept and picturesque, that was about right.
Leaving Old Town, we headed back toward Niagara Falls and stopped at the flower clock where we took pictures and enjoyed a picnic.  A couple of the girls had books with them and read while Ella led the rest of us in a game of two truths and a lie.  No one pulled off a lie.  I guess we know each other too well.
Mass was next on the agenda and then dinner back at the B & B where Chris grilled.  Afterward, we headed back to the falls to enjoy the scenery at dusk and watch the fireworks.  Though brief, they were beautiful and I had fun taking pictures of them.  In fact, I have very much enjoyed going back to using a real camera this trip.  The camera on my iPhone is so convenient that is has become my go-to but there is something about the feel of a real camera that still draws me.  When I put the photo card into my computer tonight, I found 100 old photos and videos taken by Ella a couple of years ago.  A fun surprise to end a fun day.

 A feast more for giants than hobbits!

 The water at Niagara Falls was an amazing blue.  Having grown up near the Potomac River, I expect my rivers to be mostly brown and murky.  This water was right out of a movie.

 Feeling peachy at the peach festival

 One of the many quaint buildings

 Crepe eating tourists

 When you see a lemonade stand...we patronized this little boy's booth where all proceeds went to charity.  Little sparks of goodness.

 I love this pic of G.  One of five reading machines living in our house.  

She said this book was excellent.

 C and me at the flower clock

 Back at the B & B:  Sunflower or shower head?

 Friends

 Candid girls

 Horseshoe Falls.  Check out that spray!

 Watching the lights on the falls while waiting for the fireworks

One of Ella's surprise photos that showed up on my photo card.   Baby mine.

Canada, Eh?

The next few posts are from summer vacation 2018 when we spent two weeks with our neighbor to the North, land of moose, hockey and all things maple.  Most of the posts were written on the trip at the end of very long days.  I would literally spend ten minutes before bed capturing what I could.  Which proves that something is better than nothing and, in fact, something can really be worth doing.  Enjoy!

Canada Day 1:

August 10, 2018:  We left between 10 and 11 AM as planned.  11:05 to be exact but who's counting?  We're on vacation!    The drive to our first destination took about three hours.  We arrived at Hoak's on the Lake at 2, a seafood restaurant highly recommended by Chris' coworker.  It did not disappoint and we had no leftovers.  After lunch, we wandered down to Lake Erie where we skipped rocks, collected rocks and, amazingly enough, did not get wet.  The day was beautiful with perfect temps, blue skies and just the right number of fluffy white clouds.
When we got back on the road, we headed to Niagara Falls, NY/ Niagara Falls State Park.  We walked to one of the observation areas and got our first glimpse of the falls.  The view was partial and, for that reason, a bit underwhelming but we were all so excited to be here that we were easily satisfied and impressed.  We noticed that below us, on a platform at the bottom of the falls were yellow ponchoed people standing nearly under the falls, getting completely soaked and having tons of fun.  After walking around a bit, we bought tickets, were given our own yellow ponchos and went on the "Cave of Winds" tour.  We started off in a small museum about the use of the falls for energy and for the appreciation of beauty.  Then, we watched a movie, the theme of which was "The World Changed Here".  The star of the documentary was Tesla, a brilliant scientist/ inventor who discovered a way to harness the energy of the falls, turn it into electricity and send it over a distance, a revolutionary thing at the time.  After the movie, we were given extremely stylish footwear for our tour that we were allowed to keep.  Then, it was an elevator ride down to the self-guided tour where we walked along layers of decking for a wonderful view of the falls.  The "Hurricane Platform" was the highlight of the tour.  It was there that we experienced hurricane force winds (category 1) and were literally bathed by Bridal Veil Falls.  It was truly amazing.  At one point, I stood with my arms raised and eyes closed at the edge of the platform facing the falls, a wall of rushing water.  I heard the roar and felt the power and, for one second, fear.
Soaking wet and chilly, we climbed in the car and drove to the border where we were asked questions about our plans in Canada, whether we were planning to leave anything behind at the end of our stay and whether we were planning to meet anyone.  No and No.  It was a bit intense but we passed and were allowed to continue on our way to our bed and breakfast.  We have our own little apartment, a breakfast delivered in the morning and extremely friendly hosts who gave us a full run down of the must-dos of the area.  We will run out of time before we run out of options!

 Hoak's on the Lake 

(Wish we'd gotten a family pic there as it was the first stop and first meal!  

I think we were all too hungry!)

Beauty and the Mama

 Piggies in Lake Erie, picture by G

These two bonded while the rest of us hunted interesting rocks.  We came home with a ton.  Literally.

 Niagara, New York side

 Five Fearless Frodos

 As you can probably tell from this photo, I loved every minute of the Cave of the Winds tour

 And I love him more (true story)

 These two stuck together exploring the decking.

Amazingly, they take it down at the end of each season and rebuild it all the next year!

I love this photo.  Grace, open mouthed yelling something to her little sis'.

Those falls are fierce: powerful, loud, majestic.  It was worth every penny to be right in there.

Glad Game

On our way to Arkansas at the end of April, the girls and I listened to Pollyanna, a story with which we were familiar but one that easily grabbed our attention again.  I could digress here and talk about the fact that audio books are a true gift from heaven and make long car rides not only bearable but anticipated but I won't do that.  Instead I will observe that of all the details of Pollyanna, the one easiest to recall is her glad game.  Pollyanna literally changes her whole town by teaching people to play her game of finding things to be glad about in the face of adversity.  Of course, after an accident that paralyzes her from the waist down, Pollyanna struggles to play.  It takes her a long time to find something to be glad about again.
I can relate to that.  Sometimes life's bleakness blocks out the light and while hope hasn't completely raised the white flag, it at least goes into hiding.  It is in this state that I turn back to my old friend Frodo (Seven).  When I started this blog back in 2008, I intended it to highlight all of the goodness in my life, especially the little things I took for granted.  And it did, beyond my wildest dreams.  When I surf the blog, I find so many treasures in the form of memories of my sweet girls and my own thoughts as a young(er) mom.  The girls (mostly Grace) have asked me often to start the blog again but like anything set aside, it has been hard to pick up again.
I hope that today's post is the first in a new series of reminders that life is good because God is good and He loves us.
So let's see--I am glad for my family and am glad to have so many daughters.  I am glad for our recent trip to Canada and for the photo below taken at Prince Edward Island.  I am especially glad for Faith.  Without it, there would be no Hope at all.  Until next time!

Frodo Seven   August 2018

Dogs, Cops and Being a Neighbor

Last weekend, the Doyle Dames plus dad and dog piled in the car and made one of our not infrequent trips to Virginia.  First, we visited Camp Kreitzer and spent time with Grandma and Paka.  Next, we journeyed to Manassas to celebrate Baby Charlie's first birthday.  Saturday night, I returned to St. Mary's Academy for the first time since I graduated.  The evening exceeded my expectations and, between the reunion and hearing Prince's music everywhere, I was filled with nostalgia.

Unfortunately, the weekend did not end the way it began.

Sunday morning, we got up early.  We had to get back to Pittsburgh early enough to deliver Mia to a youth group event in the afternoon and allow Chris to catch his flight to Houston.  Our Mass options were limited. We decided on an 8:30 AM Mass at Holy Trinity in Gainesville, VA.  The drive to the church put us 20 minutes closer to home and allowed my brother and family to attend Mass with us.  At the last minute, we realized that we would have to leave Alfred in the car during Mass but did not see that as a problem because it was early morning and chilly out--48 degrees when we got to the church.  He likes being in the car with the windows open and usually naps.

Arriving at the church, we put our plan in place.  As we were walking into the vestibule, a dark haired woman approached Chris, "Are you the ones who left your dog in the car?."  He told her "Yes, but the windows are down and the temperature is low.  He is fine."  She responded, "Well, I'm not comfortable with that."  Then added, "I am going to call the police."  Chris, generally calm under pressure, responded kindly, "Please don't call the police.  There's no need for that."  She was unconvinced and walked off.

Alfred at the Christmas tree farm 2015

We had a dilemma.  Chris proposed that he attend Mass in the vestibule, half keeping an eye on the van in case she did call the police.  I on the other hand could not participate in Mass while wondering if someone in the church had called the police to come break into our van and rescue our very happy, well-loved dog.  So I left the church full of what I can only describe as impotent anger.  I put Alfred's harness on him and we went for a walk.  I had to run a bit to warm up because my light sweatshirt was not enough that morning.

Happily, our little walk-run calmed me down and I arrived back at the van with enough time to make a breakfast run.  As I was about to back out, I saw a policeman stopped behind me looking at me with a kind of questioning confusion.  I debated ignoring him and continuing on my way.  After all, we had done nothing wrong and I didn't owe him an explanation.  But, I got out of the van.  Yes, he was there about the dog.  He'd gotten an anonymous call.  He was very nice but told me that in Prince William County people are serious about dogs and call on owners often.  I wanted to say, "Wow, you must love your job!" but refrained.  I wonder how much time he spends writing up reports on anonymous calls about dogs in cars.  And how much that costs the county.  And whether this is what he dreamt life would be like as a policeman.

Some of you reading may be thinking--you should never have left your dog in the car.  I would have called too.  Others of you, like me, understand that life is full of choices between two or more less than ideal options.  Sure, we could have left Alfred at my brother's but we would not have been able to get Mia back to her important event.  We could have skipped Mass but that goes against our personal beliefs.  I could have offered to go to Mass later and stay with Alfred as I ended up doing but I thought that going together as a family was important.  We made the decision we thought best in the situation and it in no way would have jeopardized our dog's health or well-being.  If Alfred had been consulted, I'm sure he would have told the woman that.  He is a very sensible dog.

In fact, that woman may have a love for dogs in general but we love our dog.  I have written several times about how special Alfred is.  He is part of the family and jumps in the car anytime we go anywhere whether he is invited or not.  Because we love him and also because we own him, it is our right to decide what is best for him, not a crusading stranger.

For me, the worst part of the incident was that it happened at church.  If there's any place we should be able to expect respect and concern--and not to have the police called on us!--it is church.

Rather than call the police, the concerned woman could have asked us why we had our dog at church.  She might have suggested a compromise like checking on Alfred half way through Mass.  Even better, she could have offered to do it.  The interesting thing is that she had no idea who we were.  Holy Trinity is a very large parish and we could have been fellow parishioners.

Bishop David Zubik of the Diocese of Pittsburgh published an article last week titled "Encourage Each Other".  In it he said,

We can-and must-show in all we do how much we care for strangers, care about evil and social injustice.  But if we forget our neighbor, if we forget about those kneeling beside us in our churches, if we are not building up and encouraging them, we will accomplish nothing.

I was angry, hurt, and humiliated Sunday morning by someone who should have been my neighbor.  Of course, that is a perfect reason to strive to be a better neighbor myself.  To reach out with love and compassion and not judgment when I find myself in the place of the concerned church woman.


Still--if you live in Prince William County--you might want to consider a cat.

A Party for Tramp

Tramp, Dog of the Hour, Birthday Boy Extraordinaire

Tramp turned one last week.  We know this because the tag he wore when he was gifted to Ella told her when he was born and even his name.  Of course naming a pet is the exclusive privilege of the owner who loves him and Ella loves to call him "Tramp".  

A little over a week ago, these small pictures began to appear on the walls of our home.  Adorable as they are, I confess that at first, I did not know what they were.  Can you guess?

Balloons!  Of course they are.  Ella informed us that she was giving a birthday party for Tramp and that these were decorations.  Over the next week, Chris and I helped her with the details of planning.  I helped Ella print out a series of coloring pages for one of the party games.  Chris collaborated on the menu and took Ella shopping.

Sunday morning was busy.  I got called to fill in for a sick lector at the 8 AM Mass, not our normal choice.  We all got up and dressed and to the church not only on time but early.  After that, there was CCD for everyone except Chris who went home to prep the party feast.  Finally at about 1:30, we were all ready to PAR TAY--or at least eat lunch!

One of the party details was that each guest had to bring a stuffed friend.  To make it authentic, Ella asked us all to go outside with our "date" for the day and knock on the front door.  Then, each guest had to pick a party hat for his or her furry friend.  The party hats?  Socks from the lonely sock box.  Perfect! And something I never would have thought of.  The sock hats may have been my favorite detail of the day.

From there, we moved on to a fantastic lunch of chili and fruit salad.  I may or may not have gone with the frito option for my chili.  After lunch came the games.  There was a bowling game, Simon Says, Copy my Dance Moves and a coloring contest that no one actually won.  After that were photo booth photos and a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday dear Tramp" followed by ice cream indulgence.  

Can I just say I haven't been to a party I enjoyed this much in a long time?  Ella did a great job.  

Not every day is like Sunday was in our family.  But days like that make me so grateful.  Including for a little grey dog named Tramp.  

And many more buddy.

Hostess Ella saying grace before lunch

Simon says.  "Simon" included a lot of burpees.  Very glad was I to be the photographer!

Zootopia page from C to me.  He colors really well, no?

 Photo Booth Photos:

Tramp with his treat.  His eyes were bigger than his stomach.

Photographer selfie.  Pooh Bear was my date for the day.  Don't you love his hat?

Sophie's First Communion Day

"Somehow or other, it came just the same.....it came without ribbons!  It came without tags!  It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

This morning, after a longer preparation time than most, Sophie Ruth Doyle received Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time.  Last year, when she was the age to make her first communion, Sophie dragged her feet on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Rather than pressuring her, we let her wait.   She was finally ready a month ago and met Fr. Larry after daily Mass to make her first confession.  Yesterday, she asked to go again in preparation for her first communion today.  She's come a long way.

Without a doubt, Sophie's first communion happened with the least amount of fanfare of any Doyle Dame thus far.  I was not occupied with planning a special Mass or hosting a huge party.  We ordered Sophie's dress and shoes on Amazon because the day we were supposed to shop, Grace sliced her forehead and got eight stitches.  Our shopping outing turned into a mommy/ daughter perusal of online offerings from the comfort of our back deck.

Despite the lack of frills, Sophie's first communion was beautiful.  I had so much time to fuss over my sweet baby, her hair and her pictures.  I was present with her as we waited in the back of the church for her time to process in with the priest.  She was nervous and asked me to read to her from some of the books left in the cry room for the little ones.  She sat on my lap and I enjoyed that time so much.  Not once did I wonder about food not prepared or gifts unwrapped.

Next week, an aunt and uncle and cousins will be here.  We will have cake and celebrate this very important event in Sophie's life in a louder way.  But without the party and noise, Jesus came today.  He was with Sophie and He was with us.  I felt His presence both in my little family and in our parish family.  Perhaps my heart, often small with all of its worries and cares, even grew a few sizes today.

 Our gift to Sophie

 Flag Day photo!

 She's come so far!

 Sophie with Fr. Larry and Deacon Don

 Our family

In Texas, we were regulars at Sonic after Mass.  It's a much longer drive to a Sonic now so this was a rare and special treat for the first communicant.