out and about

It’s summer. And all my babies are home.

My most favorite time of year.

And there is so much I want to squeeze into the time we are all together – all fun stuff, of course.

But the truth is, we just don’t get out a whole lot.

For several reasons.

1) I am a homebody

2) “We” is a whole lot of people

3) For this mama to get this crew rolling, it has be good. And it has to be affordable

So when we found out that this much-talked-about, National Historic Landmark, 20th century blast furnace was open to the public, (and free!) we were all in.


Especially because it sounded like fun for the big kids.

Big kids meaning these two. (Really they’re adults now, but they’ll always be my kids.)


And it sounded like fun for my mom and the cousins, visiting from Atlanta, too.

Finding something fun and free for 3 adults and 14 kids aged 4 to 24 is enough to get even this homebody into her good jeans.


Two full vehicles and 30 minutes later and we were there.

And it was awesome.


As a person who loves texture and things steeped in history, I was immediately smitten.

And as children who love to run around and explore, find rocks and get dirty, they were pretty smitten, too.

Except for Lula and Poppy. Who, when they weren’t happily exploring, were acting offended by the smell of the 100 year old site.

We had free rein over the entire place, and we took full advantage, venturing into pretty much every crack and crevice.

It was glorious.

Ninety minutes later we’d toured the whole place. And we felt wiser. More cultured.

(Okay, maybe just some of us.)

But we all felt a whole lot hotter.

So we headed across town to Steel City Pops for some refreshment in the form of the best. popsicles. ever.

Specifically the Buttermilk Pop. Although others might have a different opinion.

But I didn’t get a picture of the place.

Or my pop. Or the kids enjoying their pops.

I was too busy eating.