Dyer's Mill

 

 

Hallo  - Norwegian

I slept soundly until 810am then quietly rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, and headed downstairs where I promptly started a pot of coffee. It was a cloudy and cool start to the day but more importantly dry, at least for the time being. Online, I checked the day’s forecast since we planned to go hiking at Darby Battelle park. Calling for cloudy skies all day but with temps in the 50s. No rain until Sunday.

I enjoyed coffee and internet for a good 45 minutes before preparing for a run. Mindy was up around 9am, which was a little earlier than I expected. We hung out for a bit before she headed up for a shower and me off for a run. Mindy expressed disappointment when she saw all the clouds. Apparently she hadn’t seen the revised forecast which had been calling for clouds since Thursday. Last she knew, it was supposed to be a sunny day.

I had a little piece of bagel and peanut butter just ahead of my run. It was in the mid 40’s but felt a little cooler than that. Bella and Makayla were up when I left for my run. I asked that they make sure and walk the pug while I was away. Bella said she would.

Like most Saturday’s, I ran three miles. It was an easy run. I felt good throughout. I was back at the house around 1015am. Even though Mindy talked about making scrambled eggs, I enjoyed a couple bagels slathered in peanut butter. Yum! By then, Jacob was up and begrudgingly working on one of his chores – vacuuming upstairs and down. It was something he was really supposed to do on Friday but we didn’t push it since he had company over after school. He wasn’t too pleased about doing it Saturday morning but Mindy was insistent.

Good thing I ate the peanut butter bagels. Mindy decided against making the scrambled eggs somewhere along the line. Instead, while I headed for a shower, Mindy organized stuff for our Darby park hiking trip. We’d be missing the OSU football game against Illinois. Most were predicting a blowout so I wasn’t too concerned. I did, however, plan to DVR the contest and watch it later. Unfortunately, I forgot to set the DVR before we left the house, which was somewhere near 1130am.

Jacob brought his soccer bag, which held everything he’d need for an overnight birthday party for his good friend Josh, the kid he visited in upper Michigan late summer. His family was in town for the weekend and celebrating his birthday at the Homewood Suites in Mill Run. We planned to drop Jacob there after our hiking adventure. We took the back way to Darby park, once again taking Fisher Rd all the way out to Amity Rd. It’s a short jaunt from there, to West Broad St then just a few miles south on Darby Creek Rd.

If it looked past peak last Saturday, it looked like TG time this week – drab grays and tans as far as the eye could see. Of course the cloud cover only added to the drabby look. We easily found the park entrance that we couldn’t find the week before. I had the map in my back pocket just in case. It didn’t look like much, and initially we struggled to find a trail head. The trail is called something like, Dyer Mill trail, named after an old grain mill from back in the early 19th century. It doubles as a cross country ski trail in the winter. In fact, a sign points out that the trail is closed to hikers when it snows.

We walked the wide grassy trail for about ¼ mile before going off trail and down towards Little Darby creek. No doubt, this side of the park is a lot less traveled. We didn’t see anyone else until we were back in the woods, or about a mile from the parking entrance. Bella and Jacob fussed with each other through most of the easy hike. Bella was in a somber/sour mood, and once Jacob picked up on that he wouldn’t leave her alone. For the most part, we let the two of them work it out on their own until Jacob had Bella in tears. Mindy believed they were both being a PITA due to hunger. Bella scampered off alone more than once.

We took a few offshoots from the main trail into the woods, which were covered in a thick blanket of leaves. We stumbled upon what looked like an old millstone wheel covered in leaves. We took a picture or two. We took the trail beyond where the cross country ski portion ended. With Bella well out of sight, Jacob agreed to go back and find her while Mindy and I walked on. Mindy decided to climb a rather steep ridge to get a look at what lied just beyond. I kept going on the trail several hundred yards ahead before heading up myself. About the time I reached the crest, I saw Mindy down below on the main trail again. Too funny!

Time to turn around and head back to find the kids. The kids weren’t too far from us. And as Jacob pointed out, hiking back went a lot faster than hiking in. For what it’s worth, I pointed out that the thick leaf cover was as thick as it can ever get given that the leaf fall was fresh and hadn't a yet minute to decompose. Winter’s coming! Can feel it in the air.

4G-LTE coverage was decent. Checked the Buckeye score on our walk back to the Pilot. The Buckeyes were ahead 28-7 with 7 minutes left in the 1st half. And by the time we made it to the car it was halftime and we lead 35-14. Everybody was hungry. We took Gardner Rd all the way to West Broad St then headed east. I suggested Roosters, and while no one really objected to their menu, Mindy & Jacob figured it would be packed for the OSU game and suggested Wendy’s instead. We ended up at the Wendy’s near Westland H.S. It’s one of the recently remodeled stores, complete with a fireplace and sofa type seating. I like the look. However, despite an article I read recently where they're attempting to differentiate themselves in the hotly competitive fast food burger segment, the food is just OK. I had the #1 combo.

Without questions, both kids were much easier to deal with once their bellies were full. Thank goodness! After lunch, the plan was to make a quick stop at Target in Mill Run so we could pick-up a couple birthday cards and an iTunes gift card. Then, after the Target stop, we’d drop Jacob off at the Homewood Suites just around the corner.

Got to Target around 245pm. We picked up everything on our list and then some. By the time we headed to the checkout, we’d spent $120. Yikes! The Buckeye game was nearing the end. The Buckeyes lead 53-35 with 4 minute or so remaining. Frankly, I was a little disappointed that we let Illinois score so many points. Mindy headed in the hotel with Jacob to make sure the hand-off went well. Bella and I listened to what was left of the Buckeye game. By then the outcome wasn’t in question, only the final score.

Headed for home around 320pm. The Buckeyes scored another easy TD on the final leg of our drive home. Won the game 60-35. We had only 90 minutes before the grand kids were due to show up. We were expecting Rocky, Landon, and Olivia at 5pm for an overnight. We picked up a few things to keep them busy while we were at Target. We planned on doing dinner at Minelli’s around 630pm. The key is keeping the kids occupied. If not, it can get a bit chaotic in no time. Yikes!!

As often is the case, I got a little nappy as soon as we got home and comfy in the family room. I turned on the TV and watched part of the Michigan State/Nebraska game. I tried to dose off a time or two but couldn’t. 5pm came around fast. Daughter Ashley brought all three kids. All three were happy to see us, but without question, Olivia the most expressive. She always shares just how happy she is to see us by jumping into our arms. So cute! Rocky was a little disappointed to discover that Jacob wasn’t home. The first few minutes were a little choppy as he tried telling us what and where he was going to go. But Mindy quickly put the kiboshes on any of that.

Of course, the kids wanted to play Wii but we were watching football. We steered their attention elsewhere. Once everyone was settled, they were actually pretty well behaved. Got everybody in gear for dinner at Minelli’s around 605pm. Invited Makayla to go to dinner with us. It was me, Mindy and five kids. AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We seated ourselves in the far corner taking a booth and the table right next to it. We then did a seating switcheroo, ending up with all the kids in the booth and then Mindy and I at the table next to them. That worked out OK. We ordered an extra-large pizza, but Mindy & Rocky didn’t want pizza. Mindy ordered spaghetti & meatballs, and Rocky ordered a hamburger and fries. We all drank soft drinks even though Kathy shared that they are able to serve drinks from the bar next door. No thanks! Maybe later when we get home. Kathy was a bit louder and more forward than usual. I wondered if she'd been drinking.

The kids were getting antsy. Kathy noticed their impatience and brought them a bowl filled with pepperoni and cheese. Smart move. That kept the kids occupied until our food arrived. The pizza was delicious – extra pepperoni and half sausage. We were there until about 8pm. I paid the bill.

At home Mindy baked cookies while everybody got into their PJs. The kids had already picked Elf as the movie of choice. We searched Movies on Demand earlier to see if there were any fun family movies out there but couldn’t settle on one. And even though we’ve all seen Elf perhaps a hundred times, it never seems to get old. The kids love it!

During the movie, I sipped two Jack & Cokes while Mindy enjoyed a spiced rum & Coke. Mindy sat at the foot of the family room chair to watch the movie. Very cute, both Rocky & Olivia snuggled up next to her. I fell asleep for the last 10-15 minutes of the movie but woke to see the credits run and then to help see the kids off to bed. Lucky for us, Landon upped on his own and headed for the guest room. He's way too heavy to carry up the stairs. Once Mindy and I were in bed, we watched the end of the USC/Stanford game.