Ohio

Longaberger Home Office---building 7 stories and handles 3 stories.

We left for Ohio on the 27th, with our trailer, without the dog. We knew we wouldn't be around the trailer much and Tora would have to be left alone for many hours, so we left her in good hands.

We met Rich's dad and stepmom in Ohio. On Thursday, Rich, his dad and Alec took a road trip to Dayton to the air museum at Wright Patt. They had a blast! (I'll let Rich post those pics with his descriptions). Rich's stepmom, Kaitlin & I went to Longaberger. We had all been before, but it's still fun to go. We spent one whole day at the Homestead. We hit the shops, toured the factory, made a basket and found some good bargains (really!!). You get a whole new appreciation for the baskets when you go to the factory to see how they are made. (still a bit pricey, but neat).

Mel and Kaitlin inside the home office.

Kaitlin weaving Mel weaving

Mel & Kaitlin with our instructor Jodi. She was great! She has been a weaver for 24 years. She made each of us a flower out of the weaving materials, just for fun.

On Friday, we waltzed through the little town of Dresden. They have lots of shops catered to Longaberger. They sell retired items and some knock-off items. We had lunch at Popeye's. It's a diner that Dave Longaberger (former CEO) worked at as a teen. He also bought the place a few years ago and is now run by Longaberger. That was a neat place for lunch.

Popeye's Restaurant

The next day, we hung out at the trailer for a while, trying to slowly put things away for our return trip on Sunday. We found a park with hiking trails nearby. We took a two mile hike through the woods. It lead us by a gorge. It was a neat walk. The weather was superb. It had rained while we were there and was a bit chilly during the night and early morning. The kids enjoyed running through the woods. I'm not sure how we all escaped Poison Oak.

Later that day, we drove back to the Longaberger Homestead. They had an afternoon and evening of kids activities planned followed by fireworks. We stayed for the fireworks, it was some of the best we've ever seen (perhaps as good as D.C.--they definitely lasted longer).

Sunday was a long day getting home. We were all worn out. It took a few hours on Monday to unload the trailer and put everything away. We had a great time and the kids enjoyed it too.