Travelog for: Willy W.

Today was Mel's day to take photos, so we started at a state park known for it's waterfalls! 

This is the first one we saw, before we walked all of the way up the stream inside the gorge!  It is called Entrance Falls.



This is another falls inside the gorge.  The whole length of the creek looked a lot like this!  Very pretty!  Mel took so mnay photos of the water!



This is a falls outside the park.  It is right on the edge of a town, and you can see the falls down the main street.  There was a nice park there to pose in.



For the evening, we went to the Corning Museum of Glass.  It was very interesting!  Here a man is making hand blown glass ornaments, that they then gave away to the viewers.  Mel got a hummingbird, and meema got a mouse!



We also explored displays of artowrk made from glass, from all through human history!  Some was amazing, and very beautiful!  These were windows made for Frank Llyod Wright, a famous designer.



We got back very late that night, since we saw so much!  Mel took a ton of photos and we learned a lot, too!

Today was Mel's birthday!  In the morning, we drove to Seneca Falls, New York.  It is famous mostly for being the "Birthplace of Women's Right,s"  the town where the women who started America's suffrage movement met and planned.  We visited both the National Women's Hall of Fame, and the Women's Rights National Park. 

In the National Park, we all posed for this fun photo!  I decided to be a construction worker!  Everyone got jobs that they would like to do. 



In the city's tourist information building, Alex_Lion and I played firemen for real!  The city was the home of the factory that inventing the pumps for these old fire engines!  Could you imagine having to fight big fires while pumping by hand?  Even if you were bigger than us?



After Seneca Falls, we drove to meet real Seneca people!  We went to a living history event at Ganondagan Historical Site as they had an education day for people to learn about the city that their ancestors built, and the culture of the tribe.

This is a longhouse like the people would have lived in long ago.  It was full of people now, and also smokey.  We didn't stay inside long.



We settled down on the lawn to watch a reenactment of when the French Voyager Lasalle came to ask the Seneca for help in exploring the Great Lakes. 



We stayed in a really nice hotel foom that night!  It had a pool and super comfy beds, Mel enjoyed her birthday, I think. 

Today was Mel's Mom's birthday!  She wanted to start heading back towards Michigan, but not quite yet.  So we went west to another State Park, this one calls Letchworth.  It was a lovely valley with huge waterfalls!  The weather this day was the best of the whole trip. 



After that, we kept going west until we got to Pennsylvania.  We were only there for a couple of hours, there is just one tiny bit of that state that sticks up to touch Lake Erie.

Then just as quickly we were in Ohio!  Three states in one day?  We stopped for a quick break to see Lake Erie.  The lake was interesting, but I had more fun reading about the construction project that built the park!



Then another hotel for the night, because the next day it would be back to Michigan!  But we had the whole day to get there, so we made a sight seeing stop in Marblehead, Ohio.  It is near Cedar Point, a famous amusemnt park, but the park was not open.  We could see it from accross Sandusky Bay though.  The day was rainy and windy, so we did not stay long.

This is the lighthouse at Marblehead, one of the oldest on the Great Lakes.



It was nice to get back to the house and rest!  But it was also a very fun vacation.

October and November were a blur!  Mel was busy making up for her vacation, and they started to work on fixing up the house, too.  So I am going to pile all of the fun that we had into one or two posts, okay mum? 

Halloween!  We used it mostly as an excuse to dress up!  Alex the doll wanted to be a Jedi and he talked Raven and Amelie into playing along.  But then of course we all wanted to dress up, too!  I got the coolest costume, I made this one myself!  Do you know which Star Wars character I dressed as?  I can only imagine if I had had the right tools, it woudl have been even better!



Then Sunny_HH came!  We have a new friend!



At the end of November, the USA celebrated Thanksgiving.  Mel had to work on the day of, so we did our big dinner the day before.  We helped decorate!  Tyler and Madison helped us, they colored the pumpkins.



Look at all of the food!  I want some of the mashed potatoes and gravy! 



And now we are decorating for the Decemeber holidays!  So we are still busy, but at least Mel finally got my travelogs caught up so I can post new photos for Christmas and Yule!  No snow yet, but we keep hoping.....

We are getting ready for the holidays!  We helped Mel decorate the tree.    I found an ornament that is a red bear!  Mel has had this ornament since she was a tiny baby!



The tree looked so pretty when it was done!  We did a good job!


Then we helped Mel and Madison send greeting cards!  We helped Madison tell which stayed in the USA and which needed special international stamps.



Sunny, Sveni and I found a card going to Germany!  That made us miss home, but we are happy to be safe and warm here with Mel for December. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS MUM!  We celebrated here a day late, because Mel had to work at the hospital, but it was worth the wait!  Tyler and Madison had stockings waiting for them when their mother brought them over for breakfast and gifts....



And then all of the presents were under tree!  We helped wrap some of them!



But before we could open gifts, we had pancakes!  Special Swedish pancakes, which is a family tradition!  They don't look like much but were SO yummy! 



Mel got a new camera case and a flash drive shaped like a turtle and some cooking gear, she liked all of her presents very much!  But even more fun, the kids liked what Mel got them - Tyler got snowboarding gear and Madison got books and pretty clothes.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday, mum!  New Year's is soon, and Mel tells us we will go to a party, but only until 11pm, because then she has to work!  maybe meema will keep us at eth party with her until midnight so we can celebrate! 

Have a wonderful 2012, mum!

Mel has been sick for too long, but she is finally feeling better, even though now she has to get dental work done again.  Almost over! 

The weather here has been very not-wintery!  I was showing my new friend Tatanka that there are spring bulbs growing already!  I hope that there isn't to much snow later, so that they can bloom.



You will remember Tatanka, he just came from home!  He brought me a nice postcard!  Well, not all for me, but it mentioned me, and invited me home!  I am so excited!  I am going to leave very soon to come back to you, mum! 



After Tatanka got settled, we helped Mel with postcards for postcrossing while watching Ghost Hunters.  It was a nice relaxing afternoon.


Then Mel gt invited out to dinner with her mom, and she invited Tatanka, Batty and me to go along!  On the way we stopped downtown to see the winners of the Winterfest Photo Contest.  They were on display in the winter of the local museum, but the museum wasn't open.



The downtown of Grand Haven is small and not many people were there - it was too cold and windy to be that near the water!  At the end of the street here is where the Musical Fountain is.



This is on a deck overlooking the river in Grand Haven.  Way in the distance is the pier and Lake Michigan.  I was so glad for my warm sweater!  I am sure it is much nicer in summer.



And now I am off to the post office with Mel!  Amelie and Justin are going too, they are going back to their artist for repairs.  Also all of our postcards have to go out I am in charge of them.  I will see you soon! 

I came home today, bringing a lovely postcard with me.

Fimbo_Fimble, one of my Mum's Toyvoyagers, came also home today, what a happy coincidence. He brought a real voodoo doll with him



Thanks a lot to kessalia for hosting me in Minnesota, showing me interesting events and taking me to a DIY-store.

I think I will stay at home for a while now, but some day I will continue travelling. It is so much fun!

Willy W.

Mummy told me that I was invited by cocoaby to visit her in Japan. That sounds so exciting!

Of course I packed my things immediately. Thankfully Mummy bought her favourite chocolate today, so I pinched some of those tiny bars to enjoy them with my next host



Japan - I'm coming!!!

Willy W.

White owl of home delivery of Yoko brought a lot of letters.
Hojicha(twin brother of TV Matcha) say "cheers for great work" and  received.
It was a small packet  and Postcrossing's card.
Hojicha and White owl  tried to open carefully.
"Konnichiwa!"(It means Hello!)
Willy W. came out of the envelope.
Residents were warmly welcome Willy W. from Germany.
Hojicha give Willy W. hot coffee because Today is cold.
Willy W. gave chocolates and many used stamps and postcards.
Yoko was sincerely grateful.
Journey was comfortable and high speed!
Willy W. talked  variety of wonderful travel .
Everyone want to listen more and more.
Willy W. is a TV first came to this house.
Enjoy Japan!

I found "The Hina Matsuri ".

The Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival or Girl's Festival) is celebrated on March 3.
The Hina Matsuri is a festival when we display hina dolls and pray for young girls' growth and happiness.
The custom began during the Heian period(about 794-1192 A.D.) and the dolls were dressed in gorgeous ancient court attire.
Usually the dolls are placed on seven steps, hinadan, with the emperor and empress at the top, followed by three ladies of the court and five court musicians lower down.
We also display peach blossoms, rice cake cubes and diamond-shaped rice cakes on the steps.

It is wonderful!

Next week Yoko's son have test,he looks very tired to study, so I give a hand to him.
It's easy for me.

Good morning, Katja!
Hojicha has showed me Japanese postcard of a popular　of Postcrossing.
It is GOTOCHI card.
They need three times the normal cost to send international mail this card.
Hojicha said
"You go to Yokohama of this postcard today!"

30-minute train ride, I arrived in Yokohama.
Yokohama is Japan's second largest city with a population of over three million. Yokohama is located less than half an hour south of Tokyo by train, and is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture.
There are a lot of people!people!people!
I saw "Yodobashi Camera" Japanese famous electronics store and  department store "Sogo".

Change trains, we have moved to Sakuragi-cho.
I have found a vending machine where state-of-the-art.
This vending machine to buy a drink by touching the screen.
Also This machine depending on  customer's age and time and  temperature,  For customer introduce the product.
Amazing!
What are the recommend to Willy W.?