Southern Roots And Snow Boots: 4th of July Week and On The Road

Whew...its finally July 5th!
We have been having so much fun with the family on the lake, that today's date took us all by surprise. It was hard to believe that the day was here and it was time to leave. We hit the the road in true Joca fashion, 20 minutes behind schedule and leaving a few things behind :).

Let's start with the fun stuff...The week of 4th of July. This week in Rangeley is when summer really begins. It started off with rain and ended with lots of sunshine and swimming. Each year on the 3rd the town of Rangeley has a Children's Day Parade. There are several categories and each entry is judged. Every kid gets a free ice cream at the Pine Tree Frosty, but if you win the top three then you get a ribbon. This is our fourth year participating! The first year, Molly got honorable mention and a spot in the paper. The second year, Molly and her cousins we were the fireworks over the statue of liberty and got second. Last year, we were the 4th of July Picnic and also came in Second. This year I wasn't sure we would even enter, but the kids pulled it together and came up with "Red, White and Blue Team." "All American Kids...Made In The USA." We got THIRD. Can you believe it?

We spent the rest of the week tubing on lake, watching fireworks, eating smores, and setting off sparklers and fireworks. Life could not be any better!

Alas, today we said "See You Soon" and make our way to Syracuse, NY. I have learned that using maps, and planning a course with today's technology isn't normal. So we did our trip, with two google maps running on cell phones and using the in car GPS. All had different routes, but we took the shortest and arrived in Syracuse NY 9 hours later. I also learned I need to take a few more pictures from the road to include the Hoosick Big Moose Deli and Country store, which was covered in cows of all shapes and sizes, Troy NY, home of Uncle Sam, and so much more.

The kids did great. Molly started asking if we were in Alaska, 15 minutes into the trip...BUT...we did see 1 average moose, a mom and baby moose, and deer.

Enjoy the pictures. We are off to Cleveland tomorrow!