Mentor!

So much has happened this weekend, so I'll give you the short version and the long version. Save the long one for when you have time to do some reading!


Short version: Friday night we met Grandpa and Grandma Lafferty in Mentor, Ohio. We got a lot of good use out of the hotel, introduced G&G to letterboxing, and stopped by Mentor's Festival on the Lagoons, where Bethany went on her 2nd boat ride. (The first being the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls.)Long version: Friday night we met Grandpa and Grandma Lafferty in Mentor, Ohio for our first meet-in-the-middle of the season. OK, second if you count the Indians game. Staying in the hotel was a completely different experience with Bethany than last year. She was all over the place, and had Grandpa taking her all over the hotel exploring. She even took advantage of the outdoor pool and did some splashing around! (It was a tad too cold for actual swimming.)We took Grandma and Grandpa shunpiking around Mentor looking for letterboxes. The first was in Wildwood Park, which had a beautiful Manor House that was designed by Pres. Garfield's son. People were setting up for a wedding while we were there! The second box was in Veteran's Park, which has the largest inland pond in the country.


After letterboxing, we went to see the Festival on the Lagoons. We got some real kettle korn, and Bethany was very stealthy and got a few kernels. We also had Captain Max come and show us some cool magic tricks. And then the coolest thing of all! We were able to get a free sailboat ride on the Jambalaya. Bethany was not too fond of having to wear the life jacket, but loved the water.
Before heading home, we explored a nearby beach (where another wedding was being set up!), had a yummy dinner at Smokey Bones, and ice cream for dessert! Bethany snagged a tiny bit of ice cream on her spoon... what a lucky girl.