Scranton

I haven't had the proper time to address the Scranton trip with Sean (and I really don't now, either) but I don't think I need to do a long-winded post to say, simply, "awesome."

All of the pictures are here.

We didn't need this trip to make us closer.  Trust me.  If anything, it enhances our closeness.

I scooped him up straight from school, and his reaction was, well, like any kid.

"Aw..."

He wanted to play with his friends, before remembering that it was the big day of our trip.  We stepped outside, here he did a "punch buggy" on me, seeing a gray one in the parking lot.

Hmmm, I said.  Let's see what happens when I press this button.

His eyes lit up.  That punch buggy was, for that weekend, our punch buggy.

We were in Scranton before 6:00, arriving at the wonderful SpringHill Suites in Moosic.  Sean had never seen such a place, and I've set the bar a lot higher than a Motel 6!

After some coaxing, we went to PNC Field, home of the Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders.  The ballpark was completely rebuilt in 2012, so it had only been opened for a short time when we strolled in - procuring seats behind the first base dugout.

We stayed until the end of the 7th inning, after watching some of the game, walking around the whole place, and visiting the gift shop.  Sean needed a new miniature bat, along with a hat.  Paul Silverfarb (who isn't my son, by the way), also needed a new hat.

Our room had a view of the stadium, with thanks to the nice girl at the front desk.  A perfect vantage point for some fireworks.

 The next day, we went to the main attraction.

Then it was on to Steamtown National Historic Site, where we rode a train.  We looked at trains.  We saw a lot about trains.  And trolleys at the Electric City Trolley Museum. But when you see this face, how can you resist it?

We drove a lot.  We jumped in the pool at SpringHill Suites.  We ate Krispy Kreme and more Waffle House.  We - at Sean's insistence - went to Wawa for sandwiches.  We found the Scranton photo-op sign in the Mall at Steamtown, where we also saw a reference to Dunder Mifflin (of "The Office").

Incidentally, Scranton hosted a big farewell to "The Office" the following week.  They were at PNC Field and partied downtown.  Funny for us to see.

We had Old Forge pizza (not quite New York, but I'm biased).

We went to the really cool Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour.

We talked.  We laughed.  We played.

We had a blast.

Instead of having too much time, we almost ran out of time!  I loved it.  Loved it all.  Hated to go home and I think he did also.

We'll do it again.

It was a priceless experience.