Update: the previous Huxtable.org web site and gallery will be available until June 2012.

Christmas 2010 was spent in Madison.  This isn’t anything new; we’ve spent holiday time back in Wisconsin for years.  The big difference was that we didn’t even attempt to visit the family further north in Winona (MN).  Recent years when we’ve ventured farther north (and west), we’ve been thwarted by the weather.  Not this year; we only targeted Madison for the holidays.

We flew into Milwaukee and had an uneventful drive to Madison.  The highlight of the trip was the annual holiday get together that was hosted at Doug and Sue’s house.  As it was a surgical strike visit, we departed through Milwaukee after visiting friends in our old hometown.  The weather was beautiful the whole visit (if not cold).  We probably could have made it to points north.

We live in the outskirts of Pittsburgh.  They have a football team.  We are from the midwest (most of us born in Wisconsin).  We were terribly excited when the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers met in the Super Bowl.  Actually, we were so happy with the Packer’s progress in the playoffs that Kate bought a small (11″x15″) Packer flag for our lamppost.  We hung that flag with pride while the Packers beat the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game.  We decided to keep it up for the next game, too.  The Packers won 31 to 25.  We hosted a Super Bowl party with some of our Packer and Steeler friends.  The next morning after the game, the Packer flag was missing.  It never returned.

Right before the big game, a funny thing happened.  Brian had to go in for a medical procedure the Friday before the Super Bowl.  The hospital was decked out with Steeler paraphenalia.  The nurses found out Brian’s sports allegiance and threatened to tattoo ‘Steelers’ across his forehead while he was under.  Upon waking, Brian was relieved to realize that he did not receive said tattoo; however, the nurses were atwitter bringing Kate back to show that he had won a Terrible Towel (from a hourly patient drawing they held).  The towel was properly displayed, with great respect, at the Super Bowl party to prevent any ill omens on the Packers.

The rest of the winter was boring.  It was cold with a few snow storms.  Luckily there was no 30″ snowstorm like the previous year.  The snow was no match for new tires on Brian’s car, and Kate’s newer Sienna.

Around the start of Spring, Brian’s Dad visited western PA.  For his Winter driving trip he decided to visit friends in Orlando, FL.  This did not sit well with the grandkids; I believe they think fun is wasted on non-kids.  Anyway, Grandpa didn’t care.  When he was thoroughly tanned and rested, he made his way north.  He first stopped in Cary, NC to visit with Jeff and Kathy, then he made his way to Cranberry.

Springtime in Pittsburgh can be a very magical place.  Not this time, though.  It was quite chilly although warm enough for the snow not to stick around.  A brisk hike through McConnells Mill on Saturday was in order; being careful of the patchy ice.  The next day Brian and Grandpa took a drive to the Ohiopyle area to see the two Frank Lloyd Wright houses, Kentuck Knob and Fallingwater.  Kentuck Knob was a Usonian style house.  This was a mass-produced, every person home, with all the trappings of Mr. Wright.  The home was commissioned by the Hagen family.  They owned a creamery in the area and lived in the house for a number of years.  Kentuck Knob is a deluxe version of the usonian style since the Hagens had some coin.  The family room was expansive and looked out over the wooded hillside.  The dining area included a versatile built-in dining table which seemed small and crowded for the area.  Bedrooms were reasonable.  The land around the home included a walking trail through the sculpture garden.

Fallingwater was discussed earlier (the house has not changed!).  This was Dad’s first visit to this house and I think he was impressed.  This time of year the waterfall was significantly more active.

For the Easter weekend we traveled to Lawrenceburg, Kentucky to visit Kate’s sister (Jennie) and her family.  That Saturday we loaded up the van and travelled down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mammoth Cave.  Located in the Mammoth Cave National Park, the cave is the largest cave system in the world.  The cave was formed over a few years as underground water eroded the limestone on it’s way to drain into the Green River.  Above the limestone is a sandstone layer that makes the cave system very stable.  We did the walking tour that went over the history of the cave and some of the various uses it served over the years (saltpeter production facility and church being most notable).  The guide also talked about the early explorers and then turned out the lights and (with the lights on) led us through some very tight spaces.  We also walked a bit around the park near the cave entrance.

The way back to Lawrenceburg was under the threat of storm.  At Lawrenceburg the torrential spring shower was manifest.  This made for a soggy walk across the parking lot of the local Cracker Barrel.

The two girls finished school in June.  On the last day of school we were planning to pack up the Sienna and head to central PA.  However, Kate fell while cleaning out the minivan and hit her head.  She ended up with a shiner (sorry, no photos), and spent the night in the hospital.  Needless to say, our trip to central PA was placed on hold.

The following weekend Brian and the kids were tired of sitting around so, headache or no, we made the trek to Gettysburg.  We signed up for a Cannons ‘N Coasters package at the Wyndham Gettysburg.  This was a well-rounded package that included 2 nights hotel stay along with a family day pass for HersheyPark and admission to Gettysburg attractions.  To get there we traveled on the Turnpike over and through the mountains.  At some point we merged with the Lincoln Highway, and eventually exited, as our GPS suggested, at Highway 30 (which is the Lincoln Highway).  Highway 30 is one of the worst roads to travel on; winding through the foothills then across the flatlands through many small towns (Brian was not happy driving).  We did see a sign for the Appalachian Trail which was exciting for Kate.

The next day we traveled to Hershey, PA and HersheyPark.  The amusement park included 12 roller coasters.  Brian and the girls rode 10 and the girls re-rode 2 and ventured on an 11th all by themselves (#12 was closed for the day).  There was one surprise at the park, Kate and Brian had one of the best brats ever at the food court.  This brat was better than Brian can make and better than most consumed in Wisconsin (sorry cheeseheads).

On the way back to the hotel in Gettysburg, we took a detour through Harrisburg to check out the Capitol of this state of ours.  Harrisburg seems like a nice city on the river.  Not too many hills.  Too bad they declared bankruptcy recently.

The next day we traveled around Gettysburg including the Gettysburg National Military Park and visitor center.  The visitor center is home to the battlefield cyclorama and film (which we viewed).  We then toured the battlefield and saw monuments everywhere.  We did find the MN monument; and you can’t miss the PA monument (you can actually climb up it and get the lay of the land including where Pickett’s Charge started, Little Round Top, and Big Round Top.  Very good views.  After touring the battlefield we stopped at The Pub & Restaurant (yeah, it’s called that) for lunch.  We rounded out the day visiting the Robert E. Lee Headquarters Museum before heading back to Pittsburgh.

It has been our recent intention to move to Charlotte, NC.  We like it there and have a number of friends who have relocated to the Queen City.  Brian’s company has an office there, and there was a very good chance that his job would move there.  At the end of June we found out the relocation was not happening.

The news of our stuckness in western PA was delivered on the eve of our trip to the Midwest.  That did not dampen our enjoyment of that trip.  We drove back to Madison and dropped off the kids at their cousin’s house for a sleepover.  Kate and Brian traveled to La Crosse, WI to participate in Kate’s (number withheld) class reunion.  We made it back to Madison late to prepare for the festivities the following day.

The following day we traveled to Milwaukee to partake in a Brewers game and tailgate at Miller Park.  Brian’s brother (Doug) and friends have a pack of tickets for the Brewers.  The whole family was there: Dad, Jeff and Kathy, Sue, and the cousins.  They also like to tailgate; and they have a website.  For this Brewer’s game, the rest of the Huxtable family joined Doug and friends to see what this was all about.  On the grill was pizza, deep dish pizza, cheese bread, lasagna, cookies, etc.  It was a lot of good food and beer, and the Brewers beat the Twins.  After the game the cousins were able to run the bases at Miller Park.

Then it was off to MN.  We stayed in La Crosse and visited Kate’s family in Winona, MN including spending time at Round House Farm.  After Winona, it was back to Woodbury to hang with our previous neighbors and visit the MOA.  The week was rounded out back in Madison for dinner with the extended family and a rest before driving back to PA.

July and August were reserved for golfing.

At the end of August, Brian’s Dad ventured back to PA to watch Rebecca’s soccer tournament.  Rebecca’s team didn’t do too well.  Dad stayed for the weekend then headed back to WI.

September came and the kids went back to school; however, our travels were not complete.  As per previous agreement, Brian and the girls met Brian’s Aunt (Pat) at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH.  The weekend was sunny and cool.  Everyone stayed on property so we entered the park an hour before the general opening.  This gave us time to get on Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force before the throngs joined.  Cedar Point has 17 roller coasters.  We hit the two biggies and about 5 others.  The park was very busy and most rides had hour-long waits.  We called it a day shortly after sundown and drove back to western PA.

That’s our short update.  Enjoy the Fall.

Gallery of images from visits and travels Spring and Summer 2011.

We used this opportunity to see a Pirates game. They played the Colorado Rockies (and won), but that was secondary to the promotion. That evening’s game was also a SkyBlast which features fireworks and a live performance (George Thorogood for this SkyBlast). As with all games Jeff and Brian see together, this one took an awful long time and went into extra innings. The fireworks and band didn’t get started until after 11:30. With tired kids we weren’t able to stay for the whole hour-long show.

In mid-August the family returned to Disney. This time staying in the Beach Club which is a few steps away from the side entrance to Epcot. The Beach Club hotel was adequate, but for such a sprawling complex there were few elevators. The pools that the Beach and Yacht Clubs share are great, with sand bar, a lazy river, and plenty of activities. It’s too bad the room isn’t as magical as the Contemporary was last year.

This trip we only stayed 5 nights. We did have more success at Animal Kingdom than previous trips. This was probably due to the Extra Magic Hours in the morning (we rode Expedition Everest twice in 30 minutes!). While avoiding the dreaded Safari ride, we were able to (finally) get on the Kali River Rapids, and check out the nature trail, It’s Tough to be a Bug!, and DINOSAUR.

Other new-to-us venues were the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom, Muppet*Vision 3-D and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Hollywood Studios, and Mission: SPACE at Epcot. We also spent a good deal of time riding the favorites. Space Mountain was reopened this year, and Captain EO starring Michael Jackson replaced the Honey I Shrunk the Audience attraction (1986 pop and sci-fi, you can’t beat it). On a sad note, Toy Story Mania was down for refurbishment (I’m not complaining that It’s a Small World was also down). Also, we had a bad streak going at Magic Kingdom when a number of rides were temporarily broken (Haunted Mansion, PhilharMagic, Peter Pan…).

This time we took advantage of the Dining Plan. We had reservations for the San Angel Inn (Mexico), ate at Via Napoli (the new pizzaria in Italy), and had lunch at Rose and Crown (UK). The highlight, though, was the 50’s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios. That is a neat restaurant. It started with the ‘Huxtable kids’ being called to their table, and then our cousin Josh (didn’t know we were related) served us real meat and potato meals on a formica table (that you better not rest your elbows on…). The TV was going the whole time showing vintage shows.

On our final day we checked out of the room and spent the afternoon at Epcot. That was fine until the heavens opened up about an hour before we had to catch our bus to the airport. We were soaked from the downpour and had to buy new t-shirts for everyone to have something dry to wear on the flight back (our luggage was shipped off hours before).

We made a video of our Disney Trip (video not available).

At the end of August school started up again (hurray!). This is the last year for both girls at their current schools. Natalie will be heading to the big campus next year (6:40 bus pickup time), and Rebecca will be heading to Natalie’s current school.

In September, Brian’s mom was diagnosed with cancer. It was her second time through this; she survived breast cancer back in the late 80’s. The surgery to remove the damaged organs and tissue was mid-October. Brian made a trip back to Madison a week later to help with the recovery. However, Mom took a turn for the worse and ended up in HospiceCare later that week. She died the morning of November 5.

Yesterday (November 12) was the last day Brian worked in the Monroeville office. The new office in Cranberry is complete and he starts there on Monday. Gone are the 45+ minute commutes on the dreaded PA Turnpike (honestly, will they ever finish the construction?).

The drive from Western PA to Charlotte takes you through West Virginia the long way. Then you traverse Virginia and North Carolina through the short parts. In all, it takes a good 7.5 hours of car time to get there.

We arrived in Charlotte Thursday evening. There was not much to see at that time of night. Our tour started on Friday after a morning sprinkled with work (including spending some time in the office). We met with a realtor in the afternoon and checked out neighborhoods. Charlotte is big, and the suburbs flow into South Carolina. We needed a second day with the realtor to check out a few more areas. We toured over a dozen homes in the two days. That’s always fun, and the kids did remarkably well.

Saturday afternoon we spent driving around, checking out other parts of the city (NASCAR Hall of Fame!). Followed by a visit to a co-worker’s new home. We retired early to prepare for the return to Pittsburgh on Sunday.

We left western Pennsylvania Friday afternoon for the 5(ish) hour road trip. Having to stop in Hagerstown (MD) for dinner, we were able to find a Panera Bread Co. It’s amazing that you can find a Panera at most city exits of the Interstate Highway System. This is good; better than fast food anyway.

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in DC which is just a few blocks from the Ford’s Theatre. That’s where we started our adventure on Saturday. It seemed to us that the area around Ford’s Theatre has sprouted quite the tourist trap since we last walked around there. There are cheap souvenir stores and a Hard Rock Cafe on that same block; pity. We didn’t go into the theatre because the lines were too long.

Saturday was the walking day. After leaving the Ford’s Theatre district, we headed West to the White House. It has been a good decade since the last time we were around the White House, and it was impressive how much of the area around the building has been cordoned off to both car and foot traffic. The view from Pennsylvania Ave is nicer without all the cars zooming by.

Our walking tour took us onto the National Mall. We walked around the new (to us) World War II Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. From there we went to the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial (the Wall and the other statues), the Washington Monument, and then to the Smithsonian Museums.

It was a bright and sunny day. The temperatures were in the 90s. It is amazing how large the Mall is when you are walking it in those conditions. Needless to say, the kids let us know their opinion throughout the walk. However, if you weren’t walking that day you would miss the very accomplished frisbee players warming up before some kind of game (?), and the not-so accomplished adults playing an organized game of kickball (yeah, with those red rubber balls from the 70s…).

It was time to get out of the heat so we popped into the Smithsonian Nation Museum of Natural History for lunch and an IMAX movie. Lunch was chaotic in the Atrium Cafe. There are too many stations and too many people. The food was OK, but a bit pricey.

The IMAX movie was Wild Ocean. After seeing a few of these large movies, you know the drill. See beautiful nature, see how man is screwing it up, see this glimmer of hope that we will take credit for if our dire prediction doesn’t happen. I fell asleep for some of the movie. Why do these movies have to be so bad?

The exhibits were interesting at the museum. There are fossils, sea creatures, butterflies, reptiles, and the Hope Diamond. There was also a nice exhibit on the first 100 years of the museum.

We then crossed over to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. That’s just how I remember it, planes and rocket ships; except now there was a McDonald’s at one end.

We took in another IMAX at this museum. This museum is not about making you feel bad. We were pretty confident we would see some cool stuff: distant galaxies (Hubble 3D), space flight (Journey to the Stars), or a pure adrenalin rush (Legend of Flight 3D). Timing, however, was not good for us and we ended up with the dated To Fly! There is no adrenalin rush in a hot air balloon.

Did I mention there is no admission charge for these museums? That was helpful. It looks like revenue is generated by overpriced food and movie tickets.

With the museums closing we metro’d back to the hotel. Dinner was Papa John’s pizza. We miss that pizza. They closed the one near us a few years back…

Sunday morning was spent at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park (or, the National Zoo). We were mainly there for the pandas, who were pretty active that day. However, it was another hot day as we walked around most of the park. There is a lot of construction going on and some of it really isolates sections of the park (not to mention the long walk around). One thing that is cool about the zoo is the areal path the orangutans can use to get from pen to the other. It’s impressive to see these animals out of their cages and 100ft above you…

After the zoo we headed back to Pittsburgh.

• Carnegie Science Center (done)
• Carnegie Natural History Museum
• Carnegie Museum of Art
• Heinz History Center (done)
• Frick Art and Historical Center (done)
• Fallingwater (done)
• Phipps Conservatory (done)
• Andy Warhol Museum (done)
• Mattress Factory (done)
• Ride the Inclines (done)
• Station Square (done)
• Watch the home team win a Super Bowl (done)
• Watch your team play the Super Bowl Champions (done)
• Watch the home team win the Stanley Cup (done)
• Pirates Game at PNC Park (done)
• Strip District
• Point State Park/Fort Pitt
• David L. Lawrence Convention Center
• Host the G20 (done)
• Bike Moraine State Park (done)
• Hike McConnells Mill (done)
• Pittsburgh Zoo (done)
• National Aviary
• Eat at Primanti Bros (done)

When that is complete, there are the regional things to do:
• Erie (done)
• Gettysburg
• Hershey/Hershey Park
• Niagra Falls
• Philadelphia
• Washington DC
• The Beach – New Jersey/Delaware style

Our last car, a Honda Odyssey, lasted a good 9 years. We enjoyed it for that whole time. However, the pep was gone and the amount of electronic goodness put in the new van was too tempting for us. So we took the leap.

We decided to not buy another Odyssey. There is nothing wrong with the van, we just had one for 9 years. It was time for something new.

The real decision was between van or crossover. We were very close to getting a Highlander. So close that I can guarantee that we will not keep this second van for 9 years.

It’s road trip time!

The parents arrived on Friday, and we showed them around Cranberry Township, including the new Westinghouse offices. Following that, we spent some time at the Seven Fields Carnival.

Arriving in Pittsburgh is an event for anyone, and pretty much every person in the free world has some tie to Pittsburgh (whether they like it or not). So, when my dad mentioned he was heading to Pittsburgh a co-worker asked him to bring back a case of Iron City Beer to maintain his connection to the city. On Friday we made a stop at our local Save on Beer and picked up a case of bottled IC. Little did we know the guy wanted cans. On a personal note, I prefer Yuengling even though it’s more of a Pennsylvania beer than a Pittsburgh beer.

On Saturday we headed to downtown Pittsburgh. We first stopped at the Andy Warhol Museum. After dropping a small fortune in tickets ($15/adult, $8/kid), we proceeded to the top floor and worked our way down.

The Andy Warhol Museum is a public museum. I thought it would be set up for general consumption. However, there were a number of signs that identified that a particular gallery included adult content. What do you do with the kids? The good news is that Kate wasn’t (isn’t) really into the whole Andy scene so she took the kids to the tame galleries and then to the activity center in the basement. The activity center allowed the kids to create Warhol-like art. The staffers were non-helpful that morning, so the kids art was mostly unfinished.

The museum had a few galleries. Some of the exhibits covered the film, video, and art of Andy. One fun exhibit was the Silver Clouds room. There were also exhibits on the Playboy Bunny and one dedicated to Bunny Yeager (not for kids). There was also an exhibit on ink blots; which was a complete surprise to me since I had no clue that could be considered art!

The remainder of the day was spent around Station Square and the Duquesne Incline (the Monogahela Incline was being maintained) followed by a cookout. The parents started their return trip on Sunday.

The girls are very excited about the kittens and have shown them to many friends.