Wednesday, August 15 - Tuesday, August 21, 2018 - More Time With Family in New York

Wednesday, August 15 - Tuesday, August 21, 2018 - More Time With Family in New York

Megan, Matt
Sarah, Josh & Sam

We had a great time with our family in New York - Matt, Megan and their three children Josh, Sarah and Sam.  The kids definitely kept us entertained.  It was great catching up with all that is going on in their lives. 

This past week we ate at few restaurants - a Mexican restaurant in Amhurst that was pretty good.  Dean ordered the carnitas dinner and I ordered taco carnitas.  The flavor was great, however the meat was a little dry.  We are used to having lettuce, tomato and cheese when we order these items back home, however there was no garnish with these.  They were served with rice and beans.  I used both of those and the salsa that came with the chips to doctor my tacos with, and they were pretty good.

Friday morning we had breakfast at a local restaurant on the island, Dick & Jenny's.  The food was delicious.  Dean stuck to the regular eggs, sausage, toast and home fries.  I chose their fench toast - which was made with their leftover breads to make it similar to bread pudding.  It was delicious!

Loved this picture in Dick & Jenny's

These plates were made by patrons of Dick & Jenny's - such a neat idea!

We went back to Amhurst the night before we left Grand Island to eat at a wonderful place called Tully's Good Times - Home of the Best Chicken Tenders on Earth!  I have to admit they are some of the best chicken tenders I've ever ate.  I didn't order them myself, but Matt shared some of his with me.  I knew I would be able to taste them, so I decided to order something different, and finally decided on their stuffed cheese shells and parmesan chicken combo dinner, which was also delicious.  Their menu was quite extensive and I had a very difficult time deciding.  I finally had to ask the waitress what was the next most requested meal besides the chicken tenders and she mentioned their burgers or the combo plate I decided on.  Dean and I both agreed this needs to be a stop every year we visit Matt  & Megan.

Best Chicken Tenders on Earth at Tully's Good Times

One morning Josh and I went to Bentley and made brownies.  That night we enjoyed brownie sundaes with ice cream and chocolate syrup.  He enjoyed putting all of the ingredients together, stirring them and pouring them in the pan - but most of all he enjoyed eating them later that evening.

Dean installed our new fireplace Thursday.   We ordered the exact same unit that originally came in Bentley.  It required only a minimal change to fit perfectly.  We'll be glad to have it as we move north and east where the temperatures are supposed to be in the 50's and 60's overnight.  Perfect sleeping weather!

Our new mattress arrived Friday.  I wish I had taken a picture of it before and after we took it out of the box.  It was wrapped in heavy duty plastic and then wrapped in a black plastic.  As we removed these two wrappings, we were amazed how it expanded.  It fit perfectly on the wood platform.  The first night was a little rough - not because of the mattress - it was great!  Both of us agreed our pillows no longer felt the same.  It seemed as if our heads were laying lower than normal.  I guess with those indentations in the mattress now gone, it made our bodies seem higher than our head!  It was a weird feeling, but it has improved so we believe we will soon adjust to this change.  We really like the mattress and think it was a good investment.  

Saturday we celebrated granddaughter Sarah's 2nd birthday.  Even though her birthday was over a month ago, Mom and Dad postponed her party until we could be here, which was very thoughtful of them.  Megan's family attended as well and it was good to see all of them again.  Megan made cupcakes in ice cream cones, iced them with pink frosting and put miniature Oreo's on for ears----for a Minnie the Mouse theme. The kids loved them, especially Sarah.  We also enjoyed pizza, wings and fruit. I think everyone had a great time.

Sarah was excited to finally eat one of her Minnie Mouse cupcake cones!  Are those pink lips cute, or what?

                 Papa enjoyed Sarah's hugs!

Sunday and Monday Dean worked on Bentley.  It is supposed to rain Tuesday and he wanted to get the work done before we leave.  Sunday morning he washed the roof with a UV product.  We spent the rest of the day hanging out with the kids.  That evening we had a weiner roast in the backyard.  Monday Matt had to go back to work, so Dean and I will keep Josh and Sarah with us.  It will be nice to have one on one time with these two.  Dean spent the morning caulking all of the seams on the roof, finishing around noon.  We planned to take Josh and Sarah to the zoo afterwards - and we finally managed to leave close to 1:30.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  We enjoyed the leisurely walk as the kids checked out all of the animals.  

Sarah with one of her birthday presents - heart sunglasses!

Josh at the zoo - with lion in the background.

Loved this picture - every once in awhile you get a really great shot - this was one of those times!

Tuesday morning the forecast for rain proved to be true.  We took the kids to the RV for awhile so I could do a few things.  They enjoyed watching "Toy Story 3" before we returned to the house.  They have dentist appointments at 3:00 today.  Megan picked them up around 2:30.  Dean and I left for Niagara Falls to pick up a few groceries at Walmart and Sam's - what a crazy idea that was!  I wish there was a standard layout that all grocery stores had to follow on where items are located.  Wishful thinking, right?  Once we had everything on our list, the wait to check out started.  The more I visit Walmart the less I want to go back.  We were just finished putting away the groceries when Matt pulled in, so it wasn't long before we were on our way to dinner at Tully's. They bring popcorn to the table for an appetizer before the meal.  The guys really loved that! The food arrived pretty fast for the number of people they were serving and as I noted above it was all delicious.

It was great to spend time with Matt and his family.  They plan to be in Kansas over Thanksgiving or Christmas.  We look forward to having everyone together then.  It's chaotic, but LOTS OF FUN!

Bentley, parked at Matt's house in Grand Island, NY

Wednesday morning we pulled out of Matt and Megan's headed to Dolgeville, NY where we will spend two nights.  Check back to find out what what we find to see and do.