Farewell Summer

Family time in Pennsylvania

Over last seven years, our travel schedule was largely dictated by appointments with seemingly endless fertility doctors and ongoing treatments, so I haven’t have a chance to make it back to Pennsylvania during the summer for some time. With that world now behind us, I took the opportunity this year to make a trip home to my parents house in Pennsylvania before the end of summer for some long overdue family time.

Maxwell is an excellent engineer who loves to “drive” the train to the terminal at the airport.

Miss Mila and Mr. Max hanging out at the Orlando International Airport (MCO) on the way to Meema’s house.

The day we arrived I took a walk with Mila, let her sit and play in the soft northern grass, and my mom and I showed her the farms by the house where I grew up (where my parents still live).

Sitting in my parents front yard.

After everyone regrouped from the flight, we packed everyone back up in the car and drove to nearby Delgrosso’s park. This small amusement park has been open for nearly 100 years. It has traditional amusement park rides like the Scrambler, Tilt-a-Whirl, and an old carousel that I rode as a child, my mom rode as a child, my grandma rode, as did her mom before her. I was full of nostalgia watching Max experience rides that I experienced as a child with my parents…

Five generations of my family have now ridden this carousel…

The following day, my mom and I took the kiddos to spend the morning visiting with my grandma. We stopped at a Mennonite market to buy some baked goods afterward, and took the long way home to look enjoy the farms and rolling fields that look like they are straight out of a children’s book.

Mila with Meema Dorothy, my mom’s mom, both flashing their winning baby blue eyes!
95 years young, and Grandma has always had her nails done.

Max checking out the tractor at Peach Hill Orchard, and mommy was mesmerized by the pretty farm. My dad designed market here, so it was extra special to visit.

At the market we found these… some people call them whoopie pies, but every true Pennsylvanian knows they are called “Gobs”!

Connie, pretty much my second mom since I was born, and still next door neighbors to my parents.
Hanging with PapPap!
No way I would miss taking photos in the cornfield by my parents house.

On Saturday we spent the morning exploring the mountain, streams and bridges around my dad’s cabin that he’s been slowly building and adding to over the last twenty years. We played the “Goin’ on a Bear Hunt” song while hiking the trails around the cabin (but secretly hoping we didn’t!)

“Goin’ on a bear hunt”, and exploring all around the cabin with Max.

Later that day went to the Fabina family reunion (my Dad’s side) and spent time with relatives I had not seen in years. All of my dad’s four brothers, his uncle, cousins and my cousins were all there, so it was pretty special. We ate lamb and pirogies and listened to my dad’s cousin play the accordion and sing Croatian songs. (Max even danced!)

A table with my dad and his brothers at the family reunion.
My Uncle Sam singing along to a Croatian song while his cousin Butch plays accordion.
My second cousin Billy has taken a lot of time to create a very thoughtful Facebook page where he’s posted all sorts of cool old photos of the family. This is my grandma (dad’s mom) in the middle with my great grandparents and great uncles in then back and on the sides, respectively.
A photo of my Grandma Bellock (Dad’s mom) all dolled up in her 20s.
My second cousin who was picture above playing accordion as a child.

This year it was a little too cool outside for lightning bugs to be floating in the fields, but we enjoyed toasting marshmallows by the fire. And my very favorite thing was going to bed with the windows open listening to the cicada bugs singing us to sleep.

Toasting marshmallows with Meema in the back yard of my parent’s house.

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