Niagara Falls

We had a good time at Niagara Falls.  We weren't actually there for too long.  You really don't need to spend a lot of time looking at the Falls, not to mention people are constantly there wanting to get their own good look.  So, everyone kind of moves along the railing that spans the falls after looking for a bit and taking pictures.

There was ice on all the surfaces (the railings, the roofs of building and trees) which gave the place a cool, winter look.  The water was flowing- I actually thought it would have cool if the water was frozen.  It wasn't freezing cold, but quite cool.

We did a couple of things that we don't normally do when we're at the Falls.  We went into some of the tourists shops to buy Niagara Falls crap  souvenirs.  I wanted to find a hoodie for myself and thought the girls would like some trinkets with the Niagara Falls picture or logo on it.  Abby loved a Niagara Falls bag (girlfriend likes her bags) and some little trinkets for her American Girl dolls.  Alyssa got some junk, too, including some stuffed animals.  Jacob and I both found hoodies that we liked.  Donnie, not surprisingly, was the only one who emerged from the stores with no plastic, stuffed animals or apparel that indicated he had spent time at the Falls :-).

In the vicinity around the Falls, there are all sorts of tourist traps places to visit (for a fee of course).  There's a wax museum, a Ripley's Believe or Not and "haunted" houses.  The girls spotted an "upside" house that they wanted to enter.  The house was indeed, built to look like it was built upside down.  The girls begged to go in it.  We decided to let them go in it.  As we read about it, though, Abby changed her mind.  A sign indicated that some people get dizzy once inside the house because they are so disoriented with the "walking" on the ceiling and seeing the "ground" above them.  Abby decided she didn't want to go in it.   Donnie, not surprisingly, did not want want to go into it either so they walked around the block to a few more stores.  Katy and I determined that the odd sensation that could make one dizzy was the fact the floors were tilted, not the disorientation.  Either way, it wasn't worth the fee (I don't remember exactly, just that it wasn't worth it!).  But, the little girls did love it.  So that's worth something :-).

Katy and cousins

Us

Katy and Ceci and Sophie

Nicy (nice and icy- I just made that up!)

Daddy and Abby

Abby puts an icicle to her mouth (grody!)

Abs and Sophie

Three Rineer kids

The Falls

The Upside Down house

Standing on the "ceiling" of the kitchen

Jacob and Ceci in the bathroom

The  bedroom