We Had A Weekend!

This weekend was the annual Sternwheel Festival here in historic downtown Marietta, OH. People come from all over the country to join in the festivities. The downtown area streets are closed off, and people by the thousands peruse the local shops, eat entirely too much of your typical street-fair delicacies, cheer on the participants of the boat races, and dance to the music played atop a barge in the mighty Ohio River. The smell of hot grease and kettle corn fill the air.

Saturday evening there is always the grandest fireworks display that this area ever sees. And it was 6 years ago, on that Saturday of the Sternwheel Festival, that Adam and I exchanged vows in the beautiful St. Mary Catholic Church. The fireworks were the best cap to the evening then, and now bring a sense of nostalgia for us each year. It is a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.

This Saturday, Adam came home at 6 pm from work (YEAH!). We had dinner here - yeah, no junky deep-fried grease balls for us - and packed the kids in the car to head downtown. We made our way through the crazy crowds to get some kettle corn and talked to some friends on the way. To my delight, there was a booth selling kettle corn to benefit the Humane Society, and to Bella's delight, she got to munch on some as a rare treat (her food allergies keep her from corn products). On our way to the Harmar Walking Bridge over the Muskingum River to watch the fireworks, with Max sound asleep in the wrap, a good-humored lady stopped us and said, "I was going to say, you are REALLY pregnant, and it's legs are hanging out!!!" One of the funniest comments I've had on the wrap. The fireworks were spectacular, and watching them from the walking bridge framed by the old railroad bridge was an added bonus. If I could have only had my camera and tripod...

Sunday we went to mass in the a.m., had a hearty lunch, and headed back to the festival. We watched the Sternwheels race while eating ice cream by the river, and listened to some bands playing from the barge. I left Max with Adam and took Bella and Kane down to the dock to take some pictures of the boats. We went walking through the crowds looking at cars in the car show, played in the fountain, then headed for Muskingum Park to top off the day. Bella and Kane collected buckeyes with Adam, and Max ate some leaves (his favorite summer past-time).I went camera crazy, and took tons of pictures. We walked the bike trail some, stopped to visit friendly folk with friendly dogs, and set the timer on my camera (for the first time!) for our family picture. We ended the day with dinner at home and relaxation, along with early bed times for tired children! And of course, Colts football... It was a wonderful weekend, filled with hundreds of pictures, and I'm so happy to be able to share it with my friends and family right here! We had our first "weekend" in a long time, and it felt good.