It's early in the trip but DH has already developed a unique way to express her enthusiasm with respect to each of the many sights and eccentricities offered up in the U.S.. If she decides to wait in the car while I grab the photo as part of this extended scavenger hunt we’re on, she’s definitely not tingling with excitement (particularly if she insists on leaving the car running). I discovered this new rating system when I parked the vehicle facing away from the "World’s Shortest Covered Bridge" and was given the DH stare-down suggesting that I could have planned the parking situation such that the Princess would not have to exit the carriage. I’m really trying hard to mix in a number of exit worthy sights, because if I don’t, her sweater ends up covered in cookie crumbs and she gets a strange faraway look (like she’s trying to imagine a life with a guy who didn’t think the a Really Large Rocking Chair was a cool thing to see).

One thing I know she gets excited about is visiting friends, so on our way through Ohio we made a point of dropping in on Chris and Rebecca. Chris has been a good friend for quite some time and although we don’t see him often enough his updates rival some of the best update stories we get. Admittedly they are particularly captivating because he always seems to end up in jail for some significant portion of the story. Whether he’s in Afghanistan for no discernibly good reason, adopting orphan kids whose parents are both still alive, or suing hillbillies in West Virginia, there’s no denying the compelling complexity. After flipping through the most recent mug shots we made our way to the guest room only to find the bedside table stacked high with ammunition for an AK-47 that was presumably hidden under the bed. We decided not to ask too many questions.

The next day, Rebecca, in particular, refused to take us to the highlight of the town, the childhood home of Thomas Edison, because of a traumatic experience with recent guests but they did take us to the Merry-Go-Round Museum. At the end of the tour we were allowed to take a ride which brought back a number of good and bad memories for DH. Apparently if you didn’t move fast enough you got stuck with one of the chairs or benches (bad) but if you got on quick you got one of the outside fast horses (good). It’s times like this that make me glad that my childhood memories are pretty much non-existent.

We had a great time catching up with Chris and Rebecca (and always have a ready supply of bail money), and, once again, we do apologize for making you sit through travel videos but you did have that great theatre screen in the basement.