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Trick or Treat 2012
What a busy day this Halloween was for us. After a quick visit to see Peg we went to James’ school Halloween parade, grabbed a buffet lunch, got home in time to greet James coming home from school still in his skeleton costume, took some pics of him in his skeleton costume, gave him a bite to eat, took some pictures of him in his Mario costume, turned on the decorations, and it was off trick or treating for 2012.
This year we made it from Parker to Lincoln, not a whole lot of kids on the streets this night probably due to the weather but there were still enough to know that it was Halloween.
Probably due to the so so turnout, James ended with a lot more candy than he usually gets. He also got to interact with the people more since there were very few lines this year.
Mom handed out candy while Dad and James brought home the candy. Mom said the house got more compliments this year probably because you could see more (we did not put the inflatables out this year due to the weather).
Halloween at Manuels Taco Hut 2012
At James Halloween Get Together one of our guest tipped us off to this little gem of a place. During the year its Manuels Taco Hut, but they close for one week in the Fall and decorate the entire restaurant for Halloween. Its a great atmosphere with black walls, plenty of Ultra Violet lighting, and creepy skulls, ghost, and skeletons adorn the entire restaurant.
Mom and Dad had chicken burritos and beans while James stuck with his usual chicken nuggets and french fries. The food was great and nothing was left on anyone’s plate at the end. Mom liked the animated Michael Meyers best, Dad liked the talking sculpture best, and James liked the singing pirate skeleton in the treasure chest the best.
Manuels Taco Hut is on Ecorse road between Pelham and Allen road on the North side. We heard from their website that they do something similar for Christmas.
James Halloween Party 2012
James held his second Halloween Get Together in as many years on Oct 27th and he did a real nice job as host. The event lasted from 2 – 7 and we refer to it as a Get Together because there are no scheduled events or time frames. People can stop in and say hi and leave or people can stay for hours. No need for families to have to hurry to meet a time frame, simply show up and stay as little or as long as you like.
This year we decided to decorate the entire house for the party, even though the party was held mostly down stairs. Our bedroom became the “Exorcist room”, our office room became the “Bates Motel Office”, the kitchen became “Hades kitchen” etc.
The kids appeared to have a good time, playing games, making Halloween crafts, eating Halloween cake, etc. Big thanks to all who attended especially James’ teachers from Hoover Elementary. Grandma came by to help upstairs, unfortunately Aunt Peg could not make it but was there in spirit by providing a whole bunch of candy for the kids.
After the event, James continued to work on some of the projects and crafts in the Un-Living room.
James Birthday Surprise 2012
James gets a surprise in a card from Uncle Ken and Aunt Criss
Pocono Speedway 2012
While driving along on the Pennsylvania interstate we saw a sign for the Pocono Speedway Exit and Mary immediately recognized the name since she is an avid Nascar Fan. We took the exit and went a few miles then came across the raceway. There is a real nice gift shop that seems to be open most of the year and sells souvenirs, shirts, etc.
The Pocono Speedway also known as The Tricky Triangle among Nascar fans, its one of the few tracks located in the mountains, actually in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania to be specific. The race track is one of only three NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation, the dominant track owners in NASCAR. The other two tracks that hold this distinction are Dover International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
A Drive Through Pennsylvania 2012
About half the drive from Michigan to New York is through Pennsylvania which has the highest elevation on I80 East of the Mississippi. The terrain is nothing but hills and is very beautiful to say the least. We were fortunate enough to see the sun rise in this beautiful country and the next day watch the sun set in the same terrain. Some of the highlights of the trip were a stop in the Pocono’s to visit the Nascar speedway there. Mary has often said the only Nascar track she has ever seen in person was Michigan so now she can no longer say that. Also the Deleware Water Gap, a National recreation area where the Deleware river cuts through the Appalachian mountains on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey was quite spectacular. The early morning mist settling in the valleys as we drove through the high land of Pennsylvania was truly beautiful and haunting.
Statue of Liberty – Liberty Island 2012
It had been quite the whirlwind tour but finally James got to see what we promised him, the Statue of Liberty. We had communicated with James teacher before we went to make sure James would not miss anything important in school and it was his teacher who suggested we take him to the Statue of Liberty (originally we were thinking the top of the Empire State Building).
From the first time he saw the statue James exclaimed “its big”. Upon leaving the ferry we walked around Liberty Island, had our pictures taken as a family in front of the statue, then stopped in the gift shop and bought some souvenirs and reviewed our pictures. Liberty Island is really a small island and you could walk around the whole thing in about 20 minutes or so. After shopping for a bit we walked around the island again continually snapping pictures of the Statue which would have to go down as one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen.
Not only was this the first trip to Liberty Island for James, it was also the first time for Mom and Dad. It would be a tough choice to pick who was impressed the most.
THE NEW COLOSSUS
Emma Lazarus (1849–1887)
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Ellis Island 2012
The first stop on the Liberty Ferry was to Ellis Island which is located right next to Liberty Island in the New York Harbor. Ellis Island was the place most immigrants were processed into the United Stated including James ancestors from Europe. Ellis Island closed in the mid 50’s and was added to the Statue of Liberty National Park in the mid 60’s. It is now a museum.
A little history about Ellis Island. The first Ellis Island Immigration Station was made in 1892 and made of wood. It burned down in 1897. Three years later the second Ellis Island Immigration Station (the one most of us are familiar with) opened on Dec 17, 1900. After 1924, Ellis Island became primarily a detention and deportation processing station.
Liberty Park 2012
To visit Ellis Island and Liberty Island (aka Statue of Liberty) we had to take a ferry from Liberty Park which is located in New Jersey.
At this location is a monument to the World Trade Center and (as you can see in the picture to the left) if you take a picture of it head on it recreates the New York Skyline with the Twin Towers. In front of this are a couple beams from the wreckage of the towers. I had heard about this display already because an atheist group says it is in the shape of a cross and should be removed since it is a religious symbol. Believe me, when I saw this the last thing I associated it with was a crucifix or any religion.
James did his own honor to the fallen by striking up a “Liberty” pose with souvenirs he had purchased from Liberty Island.
Once we got home, James went a grabbed an encyclopedia from his room and put batteries in his “torch” flashlight and asked us to take one last picture of him in his Statue of Liberty pose before he went to sleep.
Visit to Sleepy Hollow New York
We stayed right next to this small historical town in its sister city of Tarrytown NY. Let us give you a little history on this city from Wikipedia and you will know why we made a visit.
Originally incorporated as North Tarrytown in the late 19th century, in 1996 the village officially adopted the traditional name for the area. The village is known to many via “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, a short story about the local area and its infamous specter, the Headless Horseman, written by Washington Irving, who lived in Tarrytown and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Owing to this story, as well as the village’s roots in early American history and folklore, Sleepy Hollow is considered by some to be one of the “most haunted places in the world”.
