Ehmann Family

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Joan and Ed's 50th

We convened in Letchworth State Park for Mom and Dad's anniversary celebration

Now all the cousins were reunited

Aunt Carol brought 3 delicious pies for the Wednesday night dinner

Elder and younger generations were able to catch up

On our day in the park, Tessie practiced driving

a chess-like game was played

and we hiked in the Genessee River gorge with Aunt Cathy and Uncle Brendan

steering clear of the wildlife

We held a reception at the Stone House before dinner at the Glen Iris Inn

Up to Geneseo for the Ehmann family reunion

Monday, August 28, 2017

Part 1 of the Joan and Ed 50th anniversary celebration was a three-day stay in the Buffalo Niagara region. Infamous for its winter snows, in summer it's a fantastic place to visit with oodles of family-friendly activities

"15 miles on the Erie Canal" was more like 300 miles on our trek across NY state, where we met Katy's crew in Lockport. There they have one of the original "flight of five" locks hand-cut through stone to enable a single-site, 60-ft elevation gain on the way to Buffalo.

Canal craziness

Check out the movie below for the packet boat canal experience

Canal kids had hard lives, something these ones can only imagine

Nearby was an orchard from the days of the Underground Railroad. Visitors hoping to see the station under the earth are in for a disappointment.

At the vacation house on Grand Island all the cousins were reunited

and chillaxed in the hot tub

The view of the Niagara River from the front steps. Lots of power lines, and well-appreciated after our visit to the NY Power Vista

You wouldn't think it wise to swim in the Niagara River, with the falls just downstream, but at the south end of the island, where the river bifurcates, there is a huge state park. From Saratoga Springs to Fire Island and now Grand Island, we've done some great swimming in NY state parks.

The kids loved the clay deposits, free modeling material!

Now to the jewel of NY state parks, the Falls. What they lack in their paltry power, the American and Bridal Veil Falls make up for in their accessibility and serene surroundings. Take that, you hordes on the Canadian side!

The Maid of the Mist delivered a memorable voyage

I take exception to the Financiers contributing any Genius, Courage, or Industry to those intrepid Engineers and Scientists, but we all should marvel at their visionary effort to see the potential power in the Falls.

Further along the Falls state park, we hiked down into the gorge to see the frightening power of the river. We also gaped at the new Great Wolf Lodge across the way in Canada, right next to the adventure zip-line course. Way to honor the Falls, Ontario...

Can't resist an Old Fort, and Fort Niagara fit the bill with plenty of buildings to explore and history from the US-Canada battles of the early days of America.

And then we had few expectations for the New York Power Authority's "Power Vista", a visitor center built right on top of the enormous Robert Moses power plant, but wow was it fun. Completely free, each visitor got a photo ID badge used to compete in power-related interactive video displays. How long does it take to charge a cell phone riding a stationary bike? Why can't electricity be stored effectively? What is the grid? There was a regular movie about how electricity works and a 4-D movie about hydro power. Best of all, it was practically empty.

Spoken like a true canal boat-era kid, it was powerful fun

Power Vista, indeed. And with all these destinations it clear to see that the New York side of Niagara Falls is superior to the Canadian side

We did drive over the border to be sure, where yes, the Falls looked spectacular. But the mounds of people everywhere, the overflowing visitor center, Tim Horton's hats, and no Power Vista in sight were detractions.
Nice T-shirt, Brad.

Way more fun than the Falls was the Swiss Chalet lunch

They didn't want to give them out, but we asked and received the post-meal lemon soup

fingerbowls

Back in Buffalo, we indulged the itch for wings at Duff's. They were as good as ever.

and then it was time to pick up Heather and Tessie and move on to Letchworth. Tessie kept telling everyone that she was going to see Buffaloes, because hey, why else would they name the city?

Meanwhile, the older girls completed their Erie Canal journey at the end of the line at restored Canalside in North Tonawanda. Aunt Katy couldn't resist touring the naval destroyer to relive her days at sea.