On the way up, we stayed at the Lafayette Hotel in downtown Marietta, Ohio. We discovered this beautiful old hotel that allows dogs last spring. This year we got to see a gingerbread contest.
Breakfast overlooking the Ohio River
We took a short excursion into Windsor, Ontario, and played in a park along the Detroit River. Here are the happy cousins.
Milo threw some rocks into the river.
But the most fun was to be had by stomping on ice near the underpass.
Side note: The restrooms in this public park in the middle of winter were unlocked, functional, clean, heated, and contained wheelchair-accessible, padded baby changing stations. (In case there was any doubt in your mind that Canada is a more civilized country.)
We had Christmas, Part II, at Nini's house. Nini got Milo a double-sided light saber (actually a sort of lighted baton for twirling at Grateful Dead concerts and the like). Much fun was had by the kids chasing and being chased and lightsabered.
We went skating downtown at Campus Martius.
Lucie lost a tooth at the rink. (She wiggled it out.)
We went sledding! This doesn't look like much snow, but the ground was totally frozen, so it worked fine. The only problem was that it was really cold.
Someone left a bathtub out there.
Here comes Maria.
Elaina and Lucie
A sign of change spotted in downtown Detroit
On New Year's Eve, the girls dressed in "Victorian" clothes and played a role-playing mystery game.
Poor Milo had a fever.
Later we watched the ball drop and listened to the gun shots. When Chris and I finally settled into bed, around 1 am, we heard a bullet hit the roof right over our heads (a loud thud, followed by the sound of a rolling metal cylinder).
Playing Apples-to-Apples at Lloyd and Hazel's with second cousin Maraena
Waiting for breakfast at Nini's
In the hotel in Charleston, after getting candy sticks at Cracker Barrel
We had a good trip and are ready to do it again. Have minivan, will travel! It was great to see everyone this Christmas.
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