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Cooperstown Road Trip

(Silas took the two pictures above.  He wanted to take pictures of the flowers for Mommy.)

(Jonny here today.)

Last week Keats, Gabe, Silas, Job and I took a road trip to Coopserstown, NY for an epic baseball tournament planned a year in advance. We sold around one thousand boxes of doughnuts, worked concessions at several tournaments, and played bingo to get there. And, it was worth it. Not only because Keats and Gabe got to spend a week playing baseball, but because I got to spend time with my tiny guys in a beautiful part of New York State.
I don’t really do well at planning. Some families from our team booked a place to stay over six months in advance. I, however, didn’t make a reservation anywhere. My original plan was to get a school bus and turn it into an RV for this trip and to take the whole family. But, that went south when I blew all the money on a sawmill. Instead, it became a tent camping trip. I knew there were two state parks nearby (Glimmerglass and Gilbert Lake) that had camping available. We made it to Gilbert Lake State Park at 2:35 am. Not wanting to bother anyone, we just slept in the van. After several hours of not really sleeping, I drove Keats and Gabe to Dreams Park where I registered them and left them for the week. This was the first time our boys would be sleeping away from home without a parent. The littles and I went back to Gilbert Lake to register there and set up the tent. After downing some Cheerios I realized that I had to kill 8 hours before I needed to be back at Dreams Park. So, I strapped Job and Silas in their seats, and we added some miles to the van. We cruised around the countryside and eventually found ourselves on the shores of Otsego Lake and the beginning of the Susquehanna River. It didn’t take long before they were soaking wet.
We made it back to Dreams Park in time for the opening ceremony and the skills competition. Gabe participated in the Roadrunner competition. Each of the 105 teams playing in the tournament entered their fastest kid to run around the bases and be timed. Gabe got 2nd place. Not bad.
The next two days consisted of waking up early to go see the boys play, wasting time, then watching the boys play another game. It was hard to keep Silas and Job entertained while their big brothers played. But, I had plenty of help with the other moms and siblings, so, I actually got to watch a lot of the innings.
At some point, I found myself with the little guys back at Ostego Lake. This time I met a local with a giant gray beard. His name was Bern, and he was super friendly. We chatted for a long time about the Avett Brothers, dams, and ice fishing. It turned out that he had a house on the lake and he invited me to use his boats as I liked. I didn’t hesitate, and before long we were out on the lake in kayaks and paddleboats. The water was amazing. So clear and blue.
The week seemed to fly by. We spent the last night at Glimmerglass State Park just to do something different. The littles and I did a lot of fishing and swimming when we weren’t at the ball park. Keats and Gabe were able to hang with us sometimes when they weren’t playing. The goldenrod was amazing. I saw three dead porcupines in the road. I bought a Vermont Castings woodstove on the side of the road for $40. I love New York.

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Filed Under: family, The places we go · Tagged With: baseball, Cooperstown trip · 35 Comments

Ginny

I believe that when you slow down and savor the small things, you don’t have to wish for a different life; you can discover beauty in the life you already have. {Find out more here...}

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kerry says

    September 17, 2015 at 8:21 pm

    Johnny blogging his solo parenting adventures are the BEST!!

    Reply
  2. Louise says

    September 15, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    How did they do in the tournament?

    My neighbor’s boy was on a team last year and they won the whole shebang.

    Reply
    • Ginny says

      September 15, 2015 at 8:17 pm

      Not so great. 🙂 I think they ranked just above the middle going into the actual tournament part. I don’t think their hearts were in it, because by the time their week came around it was so late in the season that the team had mostly gone their separate ways, playing on new teams. This was kind of a last hurrah. My boys had a great time though, totally loved it!

      Reply
  3. Richard says

    September 9, 2015 at 11:06 pm

    I envy your road trip Jonny and especially the woodstove find! What an awesome deal indeed. Where will you be putting it?

    Reply
    • Jonny says

      September 10, 2015 at 4:03 pm

      It will be going in my office/shop.

      Reply
  4. Traci says

    September 8, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    This makes me smile. I would love to see the stove sometime. Man I would love to find a stove for 40 bucks.

    Reply
  5. Barbara says

    September 8, 2015 at 10:04 pm

    Fabulous job Jonny! (with your boys also…;-)
    Love your journaling and your photography.

    Reply
  6. Nicole Spring says

    September 8, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    You make me miss my home! What an adventure. I grew up in upstate New York but always loved traveling around (mostly due to horse shows growing up) to see all New York had to offer. Even though I lived there for 18 year of my life, I only went to NYC once and that was more than enough for me!

    Reply
  7. Sarah says

    September 8, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    I grew up right around the corner from Gilbert Lake! What wonderful memories I had there. Cooperstown is such a gem. I am glad you all had a wonderful time. You must be exhausted!

    Reply
  8. sonrie says

    September 8, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    Don’t get me wrong – I love Ginny’s writing and photos, but I’m just wondering if Jonny can write once in a while. Glad I am not the only one who counts roadkill on long car trips!

    Reply
  9. Kris Sherrill says

    September 8, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    Sounds like your guys had a great time. And way to go Gabe!! That’s amazing! I would have loved to see that. I’m glad they are all back home and well and that you have a new wood stove. Cool.

    Reply
  10. Laurie says

    September 8, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    Our son’s baseball team went to the same ball park 18 or 19 years ago and it was a blast for boys and parents alike!

    Reply
  11. Lisa G. says

    September 8, 2015 at 6:09 pm

    Great deal on the stove! And wonderful memories for your boys. (good goin’, Gabe!)

    Reply
  12. Eileen says

    September 8, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    What a great trip-and wonderful pictures Jonny!

    Reply
  13. Erin says

    September 8, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    Gotta love a post that references three dead porcupines in the road! Cool.

    On a more serious note, it really does sound like you all had a lovely time. I do envy people who can go with the flow–I am an over-thinker and an over-planner.

    Reply
  14. Mavis says

    September 8, 2015 at 4:18 pm

    Love everything about this post!!

    Reply
  15. Sarah o says

    September 8, 2015 at 3:44 pm

    Gorgeous photos Ginny!!

    Reply
  16. Melissa McIntyre says

    September 8, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    THAT.WAS.AWESOME. 😊

    Reply
  17. brooke says

    September 8, 2015 at 1:31 pm

    $40!!! Amazing…and the rest of the trip too….

    Reply
  18. karisma says

    September 8, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    What an amazing memory to share with your boys! Your pictures are so beautiful! Thank you for sharing

    Reply
  19. karen says

    September 8, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    sounds like a super fun time, I love your writing voice! Tell Ginny that those two photos that Silas took for her are frame worthy 🙂 congrats on the new stove!

    Reply
  20. fish dog farm says

    September 8, 2015 at 11:56 am

    Aww. I wish we knew. We live only a couple hours from Cooperstown! Looks like memories made. Glad you had fun.

    Reply
  21. Tknight says

    September 8, 2015 at 11:12 am

    The best deals on antiques are upstate! Next time try to find a local auction. The people watching alone is worth an hour there. You can anything from rubber bands attached to old bottles of wine to used sheets (ewww!) oh what I used to find. Love your blog.

    Reply
  22. Jean G. Woodhouse says

    September 8, 2015 at 10:39 am

    Jonny is quite a husband, father and super human to take on the photographing and journalling as well on this trip.

    Ginny, you are blessed.

    Reply
  23. Heidi says

    September 8, 2015 at 10:35 am

    For not planning much you did fantastic! My husband is a lot like you & would have handled the trip similarly. I would have planned it to death & it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun or relaxed! Love the narrative! You & Ginny are a great pair!

    Reply
  24. mary louise says

    September 8, 2015 at 10:11 am

    a vermont castings stove for just $40? wow, you struck gold! we have had several vermont castings and loved each one. what model did you buy?

    Reply
    • Jonny says

      September 10, 2015 at 10:34 pm

      It is an Intrepid II.

      Reply
  25. helene says

    September 8, 2015 at 9:49 am

    Let’s just say I am in awe of the ‘no planning, laid back, one week, 5 boys and their dad’ all neatly wrapped in a nice and matter-of-fact narrative. Bravo, wow !

    Reply
  26. Maria says

    September 8, 2015 at 9:40 am

    Glad you had a good time in NY! (Just don’t come here in the winter, because then all your good impressions of this state would be ruined and you wouldn’t love NY anymore!)

    Reply
  27. Gwendolyn says

    September 8, 2015 at 9:12 am

    Loved the pictures of the boys. It’s so cute to see the little ones hang around each other and the big ones are getting so grown up. I’m glad you helped give Ginny a break and got to have some great memories as well in your travels.

    Reply
  28. Tracey says

    September 8, 2015 at 9:11 am

    I’m so happy you were able to make these memories Jonny . Wonderful score on the woodstove!

    Reply
  29. Jessica White says

    September 8, 2015 at 9:05 am

    Oh man! You guys were less than an hour from my house!

    Sounds like you had a beautiful memory-making adventure!

    Reply
  30. Pom Pom says

    September 8, 2015 at 8:39 am

    What a nice adventure! I like the photo of the tent in the cabin door.

    Reply
  31. laura says

    September 8, 2015 at 8:30 am

    What a great trip, and how great to take the littles with you. I know it was great memories for everyone. Pretty great deal on the stove. Love the pictures!

    Reply
  32. Elizabeth says

    September 8, 2015 at 8:24 am

    how special!!! wonderful too for the boys to have such nice “Dad Time”!!! Yay!!! Loved all the pictures and the stories! God bless you all! (So neat also how you worked hard to get there, that’s the best!!!)

    Reply

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Hello! My name is Ginny. I believe that when you slow down and savor the small things, you don’t have to wish for a different life; you can discover beauty in the life you already have. {Find out more here…}

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