This morning marked our last day as residents of Delaware. We did some last minute packing, a quick sweep of the house and said our good-byes. We will miss our family. Sam has found best friends in his grandparents and their presence is irreplaceable. Hopefully, through phone calls and web chats, they'll be able to keep up with each other!
We left Wilmington at around 7:30 am and headed north through Pennsylvania on I-476/I-81. Right before you hit the New York border, there's a small highway that cuts east. Travel on this 2-lane road for about 15 minutes and you arrive at a monument that records the site of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. Pretty cool! (For anyone who doesn't know Church history, this is where John the Baptist descended and conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, thus restoring the authority to baptize.) Then, off to the side of the monument, there was a little stand that showed a map of how to get to the actual Susquehanna river bank that this happened at. We drove the car as far as we could and then hiked down to the bank. This same bank is very likely the river bank that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery met John the Baptist, received the Aaronic Priesthood, and baptized each other having full authority from God. What a really cool place to visit!
After leaving this area (which used to be called Harmony, PA), we headed in New York and along I-88. Sam once again established his manhood on the way by peeing in the bushes because he wouldn't go when we were in PA. We arrived in Cooperstown, NY by 1:30 pm. Cooperstown is most famous for the Baseball Hall of Fame, which we will be going to tomorrow. However, that's not the reason we came. Cooperstown also lies on the southern end of Otsego Lake, a large and absolutely stunning lake. This lake is the same lake featured in "Deerslayer", the first book (chronologically) of the Leatherstocking Tales, written by James Fenimore Cooper. His most well-known title is probably "Last of the Mohicans". Cooper's father, Judge Cooper established Cooperstown by buying up all of the land and selling it to farmers for very cheap, giving him the opportunity to create a town the way he liked it.
Lake Otsego is gorgeous. We drove up to Glimmer Glass (the name of the lake in the book) State Park at the northern end of the lake and did a little hiking. After an adventurous descent to the water's edge, we were standing in the clearest and most beautiful water I've ever seen. It was amazing. We didn't take our camera because we weren't planning on going there until tomorrow morning, but we'll bring it with us then. Can you fall in love with a place? If so, I have. I could most definitely see myself living here someday. I'm just taken aback at how perfect a place can be. You'll understand tomorrow.
We came back to the hotel and did a little swimming. This included bringing Ellen to the pool for the first time. Once she got used to it, she really liked it! Stay tuned for more adventures!
He shows his love with a lot of affection.
He's really smart - continually pondering upon the mysteries of the universe.
He's supportive. Always telling you "You Can Do It!"
He can protect our family - he's a tough guy!
