On the road again

We are heading upstate NY this weekend.

Well actually, we are leaving at 4 am Saturday morning.

Driving 6 hours to one of my favorite places....Holley NY.

We will be driving back on Sunday.

My Great-aunt is slowing down a lot. I thought it would be a good idea to take Mom and Dad....and poor Micky up to see everyone before something happens.

Its a long drive...but I love it.

Ive made the trip countless times.

As a child, my Dad would pile all of us in the car (Mom, grama, my sister and me) usually with my uncle in another car right behind us with his wife and two sons and we would leave at midnight. The reason being is that the adults HOPED the kids would fall asleep and stay that way until we arrived at our destination....WITHOUT the badgering.

"Daddy are we almost there?" (just when we pulled out of the driveway)
"Daddy how many more minutes?" (5 minutes after the last time we asked)
"Daddy I have to go to the bathroom"
"Daddy how much longer?

And we have our traditions for this trip that we stick to every time - of course it revolves around food as everything does in this house.

My grandmother always made peppers and eggs on white bread and brought a HUGE bag of grapes (probably why we had to stop for the bathroom so many times).

We still do this but we have added many other treats as well.

Only now its me driving...and my MOTHER asking "how many more minutes"!

My Dad's family is very large. Most of them stayed right in Holley NY so when we go there are always lots of cousins to visit with and revisit all the good times.

So many of my great-aunts and great-uncles have passed away. My Aunt Mary is the only one left. They have always stayed close together. I always loved that sense of family and close knit community up there. Its country living that always seemed so simple and easy.

Id move there in a heartbeat if it wasnt so cold for 10 months of the year!