The 4th, Family, Friends

Jim and Barb just completed 2 road trips over the past 10 days, with just two days off in between. It started on July 3rd, when they headed to Lake James, Indiana, for a family gathering at Dave and Myra's lake house. It was a great opportunity to connect with family and be entertained by the antics of the younger generation. Great food, weather, and fireworks rounded out the stay.

Myra successfully corrals all four of her grandchildren. (Hayley, Harper, Ida Jane, Evan)


Rudy and Jenny Lucas, friends of the Zolls since they were neighbors in Delphos in the 1960's, drove down from Lake Columbia, MI to join in the party. Here they are pictured with Lois and Dave.


Amy, Ben and Jen catch up on family news. Amy, Ben and family were in from D.C. for the week.


Mike is giving his son, Evan, some tips on how to "park" the new boat. Mike gave Jake and Jonah some wild tubing rides, and also provided lake tours for the less adventuresome. Does that boat have speed!


Jonah returns a tube to shore.


Jen and Tom are content to just chill...no tubing for them!


Hayley is content to sit on her great granddad's lap.


Harper (15 months old) and her dad, Ben, share some laughs with Hayley (5 months) and Grandmama.


Barb, Ida Jane and David catch their breath after a rousing game of chase. (Okay, only Barb and Dave have to get a breather - Ida Jane is the original energizer bunny.)


Jim and Barb headed from Lake James to Columbus, enjoying a relaxing drive on some backroads through the Indiana and Ohio countryside. In Columbus they caught up with Jim's family, where Patti and John were hosting a 4th of July cookout. Mike, Marcia and Laura were in from North Carolina, and Margaret, Keith and Kathy drove down from Cleveland.

Here are four of the five Pearce siblings - Kathy, Mike, Margaret and Jim.


After doing some fabulous grilling, John still had the energy to take on the group later that evening in a rousing game of progressive gin rummy. Who won, anyway?


Laura's a cat lover, and poses with one of Patti and John's adorable cats.


Margaret and Keith enjoy the lovely setting on the deck.


There was also a festive birthday cake to commemorate the spring birthdays of Patti (40), Margaret (60), and Barb (55.)


After several days to recoup, Jim and Barb packed up and headed to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, to meet up with Ray and Birgitta. What a wonderful spot for relaxation, the theater, wine tasting, history, and the arts.

Here's Birgitta and Barb on the mainstreet in what's called, Old Town. Check out the beautiful flower beds and planters - the entire area is a botanical delight.


A stop at Fort George was in order, where we saw a musket firing demonstration, enjoyed a fife and drum performance, and learned about the time period during the War of 1812. It was fun to get the Canadian perspective of the events.


There are over 30 vineyards in the area, and the group enjoyed a delightful tour of the Chateau de Charmes. What better way to top off your tour and tastings than with ice wine and ice cream.


Ray inspects the vines at the only certified organic winery in Ontario - Frogpond Farm and Vineyard.


We found the perfect spot to enjoy a sunset after a great day. Across the lake you can make out the skyline of Toronto.



Here's one more shot of a gorgeous Canadian sunset over Lake Ontario. We did hear, however, that there are even more beautiful sunsets in the Port Elgin area, where John is moving this summer. Looking forward to checking that out and comparing!

Recent Fun!

The annual Zoll family Indians game took place last week. Here are some photo highlights.




Pre-game activities included a picnic and tree climbing.








We visited Melanie and Mo in Florida. Mo greeted us with a culinary delight for dinner. He prepared seafood Bastilla, the "national dish" of Morocco. Take a look as Chef Mo explains.

Melanie and Chef Mo.

Chef Mo serves homemade macaroons made from scratch.

















One day we went for an airboat ride in the Everglades. This video takes you aboard.

Recent fun also included a special dinner for Mother's Day featuring Dave and Lois, Carly and Jen and Tom.

Meet Willie

Melanie recently shared these photos of the newest member of the Ridaoui family--Willie, a Dachshund - German Shepherd mix. Meet Willie!

New York Visit

Jim recently visited New York where he helped Jeff, Lexi and Michaela on their project to convert the garage into an extra room. It's part of their preparation for the arrival of The Cupcake. They cleared out the garage, re-organized the shed, installed some insulation and wallboard, and painted the floor. A lot was accomplished. Granddad and Michaela even had time to play and sit in Michaela's new "secret club house."

Michaela demonstrates her work gloves.

Break time!

Michaela poses in her Sunday outfit.

Then Jim spent a few days with Nicole and Darrell in their new co-op apartment in the historic Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. What a lovely, spacious and bright apartment!

Their apartment is on the first floor.
Beautiful wood floors like this exist throughout the apartment. There is also a lovely working fireplace visible in the tour video below.
They enjoy this picturesque view from their front window. Out back there is an expanisve grass courtyard which all the building's residents enjoy.

Here is a video tour of Nicole and Darrell's apartment.

Spring Break Getaway and Easter

We went to Ohio's Hocking Hills for a spring break getaway and had a wonderful time. The area has many hiking options through sandstone formations left behind by the glaciers. It rained almost all the time we were there but our spirits soared--with the help of rain gear!

Our secluded cabin.

Caution!

A picturesque meadow.

Here's an interesting shot.

See what we found at the end of one trail. This looks back at the grotto we just hiked.

Later in the week we did an overnight getaway to Detroit to sample the casinos there. Our group included Lois and Dave, Aunt Ann and Uncle Ed. Sharman, Barb's cousin, joined us for a most enjoyable lunch. Special thanks to Sharman's son, David, who helped arrange luxurious accommodations at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, which was recently renovated in grand fashion. A great time was had by all!

We celebrated Easter in Fostoria with a family gathering that began at church followed by an Easter feast at Lois and Dave's. What a great time everyone had! We also celebrated in Cleveland the prior Saturday with a terrific luncheon prepared by Margaret and Keith. Kathy, Tammy, Christian and Emma joined in the festivities.

Everybody loves to hold Baby Hayley, and she always poses for the camera!

Emma has success in the egg hunt! Christian was a great egg hunter as well.