memorial day in ohio

Kurt and I traveled to the great state of Ohio to visit his parents over Memorial Day weekend. Apparently, all that fresh, country air doesn't quite agree with me, and I was knocked out by my allergies for a good portion of our travels. Regardless, in between sneezing fits, we were able to take part in a few fun activities.

After visiting Kurt's uncle for lunch one day, we stopped to check out the town of Wooster. 

Kurt's mom is always finding the best stuff in Ohio at yard sales and second hand stores, so I requested that we do some thrift shopping in hopes of scoring some cheap/interesting objects. (Think that Love Machine will fit in my carry on?)

[I am such a chair lady. If we had any extra space in our apartment, I would have scooped up those bent wood/padded seat numbers.]

We jokingly call this treasure hunting and man, did we find some treasures. Sadly, a lot of the loot was fragile and/or a flight hazard, so we will have to wait to enjoy the goods until the next time Kurt's parents drive to NYC.

We really enjoyed walking around the cute town and even getting a taste of the College of Wooster campus.

On Sunday, we went to a barbecue at the farm Kurt used to work at through high school. Kurt showed me around the tractors and laughed at me for not knowing what a "combine" is. Isn't he the sweetest?

The entire weekend was on the cool side (freezing temps overnight even!) but luckily the middle of the day was sunny and warm.

There was good food and a rousing game of kids vs parents wiffle ball. 

After the barbecue, Kurt's friends Nick and Ben took us to this awesome beer store/bar called Vintage Estate. They have an amazing beer and wine selection from all over the world. You could sample something on draft or take any bottle off the shelf and have them pour it in a glass for you.

We even found Kurt's favorite Slovenian beer Laško. (I can't believe its been 3 years since we went there!)

After a few tasty beers, we went to Nick's house to grill and hang out in his back yard. I was lucky enough to enjoy a fire built by three Eagle scouts.

Memorial Day was actually rainy and gray (typical weather for Ohio, I'm told) but we still went to Downtown Salem to watch the annual parade. I can just imagine little 12-year old Kurt marching in his cute Boy Scout outfit! 

Kurt and I wanted to do some more exploring around Northeast Ohio, so we decided to check out Akron. 

Granted, it was a holiday, but the downtown was horribly sleepy and uninteresting. We walked around and got lunch (at the one open restaurant) but left kind of disappointed.

In hopes of redeeming our expedition, we took the back roads home and decided to swing by Kent, Ohio (home of the Golden Flashes). It was actually super cute and vibrant! There is lots of development going on to try to connect the historic downtown to campus. 

And before we knew it, we were on a plane back to New York. I guess vacations have to end eventually. Thanks, Ohio! You were fun! But next time I want better weather!