Last Wednesday morning, Todd, Lucy, & I made the 6.5 hour drive to Laporte, Pennsylvania, in northeast Pennsylvania, to stay at our family's cottage and also visit with some extended family. I was really excited to go this year so that Lucy could experience it for the first time and see some family she had either never met or hadn't seen in quite a few months. My dad, brother, and sister-in-law had already been there for a few days when we arrived and we all were staying at the cottage. Some of our extended family (aunts, uncles, and cousins) as well as a few of their friends were staying just about a half mile away at the 2 houses that they own (a few of them went in on purchasing each of the houses). The cottage is over 100 years old but is still in pretty good shape (although it lacks heat and air conditioning so it's really more of a summer cottage). While we spent most evenings at the other 2 houses around the fire, we still came back in the evenings to the cottage to put Lucy to bed and then make a fire in the fireplace for s'mores.
Our cottage, Wake Robin
Porch which overlooks Lake Mokoma (although you can't even see it with all the trees now)
Family room with fireplace
The road is really wooded but has several other cottages on it
That hill is the short cut to the other 2 houses which goes through the woods and then is another quarter of mile walk on a paved road
We got into Laporte in the late afternoon on Wednesday and hung out at the cottage for just a little bit before walking over to the other houses for dinner. We spent a couple hours over there before coming back to the cottage for the night.
Lucy immediately started playing with Aunt Meghan (my sister-in-law) once we arrived
Some of the my family playing Spider ball at the other houses
Eating dessert with Lucy while sitting around the fire pit
Meghan, Jeff, my dad, and myself hanging out back at the cottage after Lucy went to sleep (Todd is the one taking the picture so he was there too!)
On Thursday morning, we got up, had breakfast, and then we walked over to the nearby park so Todd & I could work out while my dad & Lucy played on the playground. It was a little chilly that day so after lunch, we drove over to Worlds End State Park to show Lucy the creek and let her run around & throw some rocks in. She loved it and probably would've jumped in if we had let her!
On the porch enjoying the mountain air
Eating breakfast
Todd & I doing an Insanity workout on the basketball court at the park
Lucy leading Grandpa around the playground
Going down the slide
While Todd & I worked out, Lucy spent quite a bit of time posing for Grandpa on the rocks; there were about 5 or 6 all right in a row and she wanted to sit on each one while he took her picture
We walked to the general store from the park to grab a couple things we forgot to bring and bought some fresh blueberries & peaches from the farmers' market stand which was set up on the honor system
Todd helping Lucy play the ring game (you throw the string with a ring on the end of it and try to get it on the hook on the wall)
Walking over to put the ring on the hook
No trip is complete with a porch swing photo
Setting up all of her "friends" on the stool
Checking out the creek which was really high from all the recent rain
Walking a bit closer to the water
There were quite a few other people along the creek but I thought the water was pretty cold to actually get in
Another view of the creek (which is more like a small river)
Checking out what's in the water
Going out further onto the rocks (and if Todd wasn't holding her hands, she totally would've jumped right in because at one point, she was in up to her knees and we had to drag her back out)
Throwing rocks
Each family took a night to cook dinner for everyone else so Thursday night was our night and everyone came down to the cottage. We grilled out burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and brats and made a variety of side dishes. It was no surprise that the hit of the night was Todd's famous grape salad! After dinner, we all walked back up to the other 2 houses (there's really no yard at the cottage and the family room is too small for 20+ people so the porch is the only place for everyone to hang out so it's nice to go to the other houses to spread out and sit around the fire pit).
We made the side dishes during Lucy's nap and Todd prepared the burgers right before everyone else arrived
Todd grilling out with a couple of my uncles (good thing was that since Todd, me, and my dad did most of the cooking/grilling, Jeff & Meghan were in charge of clean up & dishes)
Lucy gnawing on her corn on the cob
Some of the group eating on the big porch in the back...
and a few of us ate on the side porch at the table
I'll post a recap tomorrow (along with more pictures) of the rest of our trip which included a beautiful day at the lake on Friday and a cold, rainy 4th of July on Saturday.
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