Aug 24 - Little League WS

On a warm Thursday night in August, we decided to drive ~2 hours west towards Williamsport, PA a catch a game at the Little Leage World Series!  Nadine & Dave played LL so it was certainly a great kickback to our childhood summer nights playing softball and baseball.

On out way there we stopped for dinner at a Mexican road-side stop that made it into a 1000 Places to See Before You Die book.  The food was worth the wait, and there was a funny sign about Trump & The Wall.

We got to Williamsport in time for the evening games and found a great spot in the outfield.  It was a great atmosphere and the weather was perfect.  The game we were quickly got out of hand, as one team got ahead by 15+ runs.  So we decided to walk around the grounds, dodging 12 and 13 year kids, and decided to head back to Scranton before it got too late.  We had a great time!

Near I-80/I-81 Exchange - Amazing Mexican Food

Williamsport, PA - Home of Little Leage





Our seats in the outfield

 Look at the steep slope of outfield grass!

We decided to call it a night after one team had a 15+ run league (Lemur Face!) 

Aug 19 - Ukrainian Festival Rochester

We headed up to Rochester from Scranton to join Olga & Ralph for the Ukrainian Festival.  The festival was on Saturday, but on the Friday before we stayed overnight with Nadine's cousin Matt and his fiancee Meghan.  They just bought a new house in Irondequoit and we joined them for dinner at the restaurant that Meghan worked at.

On Saturday we joined Nadine's parents in the early afternoon, and spent the whole day at the festival.  There were dances by kids of all ages, even by the older boys that could do the traditional dance to kick up their legs!  We also enjoyed lots of amazing Uki food & Uki beer...and also bought some nice souvenirs!

Overall it was a great day celebrating Olga & Nadine's Ukrainian heritage!

St Josaphat's Ukrainian Festival in Rochester, NY

  

Aug 11/12 - Portland, OR

We decided to head out to the west coast to visit Stephen & Steph Foster in Portland, OR.  We made the 6+ hour flight on Thursday night from Newark to Portland.  We got in late, but Stephen & Steph picked us up at the airport and drive us right to their home in Ridgefield, WA.  We all had a beer to catch up a bit, but then got some rest.

We woke up rested on Friday, but the wildfires in the region were making the visibility pretty small, so we skipped trying to see Mt St Helens, and instead went on a hike recommended by Stephen.  Steph had to work that morning, so it was just us 3.  We had a great time, the weather was perfect and the hike was the perfect blend of tricky yet scenic.

After the hike we returned home for a quick shower, and then headed out for some Friday afternoon wine tasting.  Steph joined us at the first winery and then we headed to a 2nd winery, where Kyler and Hanna Knowles joined us!  They drove up from Corvalis, OR and spent the weekend with us.

On Saturday we headed into Portland and first stopped at a Homemade Oregon Bike Show.  We saw lots of neat bikes and concepts, and also came across a mobile brewery on two wheels!  Next we into the downtown to check out the river market.  We look at all the shops, grabbed some lunch, then decided to head to the adidas HQ!  We made a quick stop (Nadine almost worked here!), and then ended the day at a local bar, the first non-profit bar in the country!

On Sunday we boarded an early flight back to Newark, then had to drive back to Scranton.  Another great trip!

Friday Morning Hike

Friday evening wine tasting (Kyler & Hanna joined us here)

Saturday Oregon Homemade Bicycle Show

Look at that mobile brewery on two wheels!

Downtown Portland

Adidas HQ in Portland, OR

Dinner and drinks after a long day of exploring Portland

Aug 4/5 - Chicago

In early August we decided to visit Maliha in Chicago, and also check it out as a potential city we'd move to (by the time we flew there, we each had our interviews setup with Wilson in late August.

We flew in on a Friday night, and flew out on a Sunday, so it was a quick trip, but we got an AirBNB  in Bucktown, so we down in the heart of the action.  We got in late on Friday but in plenty of time to still grab a bite.

Saturday morning we woke up early and headed out on the Chicago bike share to check out some of the trendy neighborhoods up and down the Blue Line....Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square, etc.  We cruised around for ~2 hours, stopping along the way to learn where we were, and if any of these towns looked like an interesting place to live.

We got back and found a great brunch spot, and had Maliha meet us there.  After the meal, we hopped in her car and headed for the city.  She got settled into her hotel and then we headed for a Chicago River tour.  It was amazing!  We cruised up and down the river, and learned all about history of the city & the building architecture, and a little harmonica at the end!

We then headed to Millennium park for quick snapshot of Lollapalooza, and then it was up to the North Shore part of the city for some dinner and then onto a Second City Show!  We got there early to Second City so Dave could look at all of alumni there, and take in the scene...and when the show started we laughed for 2 hours straight.  After the show ended we headed out for a final night cap, and caught an Uber back to our place.

Sunday morning we woke up early and got back to Scranton by Sunday afternoon to charge up for another week!

Saturday Morning Bike Share in Logan Square

Saturday afternoon Chicago River Cruise

Exploring the North Shore -- Signs for Vilnuis Lithuania!

Headed to Second City