At our first baby shower, thrown by Clint’s step-mother Mary, we received as a generous gift from from several members of the family – mainly: Mary and Dad, Clint’s sister Mandy, his brother and sister in law Jake and Trish, His brother and sister in law Chris and Missy, Grandma Hall (Florence The Great as we call her), Aunt Linda, and cousin Sherry. This gift was what is known in the world of baby equipment as a ‘travel system’. It was a car seat that snapped into a stroller with all the bells and whistles. This stroller had a temperature gauge for the out side temp, a built in clock, and cup holders, and let me tell you travel we did!
For the next 5 years that stroller went up mountains, over part of the Appalachian Trail. It wheeled through shopping malls and on trips to the ocean. It went to foot ball games and was ferried across Lake Champlain. It made monthly trips to pay the water bill, bi weekly trips to the park, and has been pushed through science centers and historical centers from New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts to Virginia. It has been pushed through baking sun, pouring rain, sleet, snow, and everything in between. It has made trips through John Ball Zoo, Great Wolf Lodge, and uncountable circles through Fred Meijer Gardens. We wore out 2 additional sets of wheels besides the wheels it came with. By age 4 Caelun had really out grown it but it didn’t stop him from wanting to ride in it. He would get it out of the shed climb in and say “Wet’s go mommy!”
Outside the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream plant in Vermont
Collecting Easter Eggs at the farm
At the look out at Niagara Falls
On a trip to the park
Headed in to city hall to watch mommy vote
At Meijer Gardens
At Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia checking out the scenery
Downtown Cedar Springs on Red Flannel Day
Caelun getting the stroller out all by himself and asking to go for a trip to the park
At Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City
On the Campus of Cornell in upstate New York
At historic Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.
Doing the Church Street Experience in Burlington Vermont
Outside the Echo Science Center on Lake Champlain
The orchard at Fort Ticonderoga and the King’s Garden
Another lap at Meijer Gardens
Picking raspberries on The White Pine Trail
We were headed back from a trip to drop off the water bill when we hit a pop up drenching June rain shower. We started to make a run for it and one of the wheels completely snapped off. I put Caelun on my back and we piggy backed it home. I told him it was an adventure but I had to drag him away from our old friend. It did feel like leaving a lame horse beside the road. “No mommy! We can’t leave it!” Clint went and picked it up with the truck and pronounced it DOA. The entire wheel structure had snapped off and it is made of of plastic – so the verdict it can’t be fixed. Caelun insisted ‘daddy fix’ no honey it can’t be fixed. Silly me I didn’t cry – but I almost did. We stuck it in the garage until the next trash day and then said our final goodbyes. The kid across the street fished it out of the dumpster after Caelun went to bed and took it apart for the scrap metal. That seemed like some consolation. I promptly went inside and logged on to craigslist to find a replacement, and find we did, an orangeish red 3 wheeled jogging stroller that is designed to carry up to 150 pounds. I told Caelun that when he is to big for it he can push me. I wonder if we can wear the wheels off this one.
The last view of our old friend.
Heading out for fireworks in our new wheels.
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