Wild We Roam: Wilmington, DE

   I have been following this young couple, named Dana and Lou, on YouTube for several years and followed their adventures as they moved from New York to Berlin, traveled around Europe via "van life", then they lived on a boat for a while, and now they live in Hawaii and are expecting a child next year! Their channel, Instagram account, and blog is called Wild We Roam. Emma really seems to enjoy their videos, so we have been watching those a lot lately. I refer to it as "The Boat Show" even when we watch their non-boat related videos. 

  Since yesterday we have been watching videos from 2016 when Dana taught herself how to use a 35mm Canon film camera. Some of her pictures turned out super well and it made me want to take a bunch of film photos myself around town. Although, I would use my Polaroid cameras since that is what I have available. But since Michael is at work and we only have one car, and it's not safe to take Emma anywhere alone anyway, I edited a bunch of scenery photos that I took on my phone while we were in Delaware last month. I specifically tried to edit them to look like they are film photos. 

OUTSIDE THE HOTEL

   We were so lucky to get a free hotel stay at the last minute! Our plans changed the day we got into Delaware. We were going to stay in the hotel recommended by the hospital where they give a discounted rate, but Michael's aunt told us that she had six days worth of hotel points at a Residence Inn in downtown Wilmington, so we got to stay there for free! I really like the Residence Inn rooms because they are like tiny apartments. We had stayed in one before when we drove across the country to live in Los Angeles for most of 2013!

  The hotel did have a parking garage, but considering they have seven floors of rooms, and I heard they were at 75% capacity, they should really have more than 15 compact underground spaces. Or at least don't try to act surprised when we tell you there are no spots left and ask where else is available to park. I also saw on the check-out receipt that they charge for parking, even if you can't use it! (These minor complaints are definitely not in any way directed towards Michael's very kind and generous aunt. She just told us the address and made the reservation for us. I am pretty sure she had not been there before.) Luckily the parking garage we used each day was only one block away. We could see it from our window, and I was able to bring home a handful of extra mini shampoo bottles, as well as apple walnut oatmeal cups from the breakfast bar! Yay, hotel "souvenirs"! (Shhh.)

  Oh, did I mention that the near by parking garage didn't have any entry/exit slopes for the stroller? So Michael had to bump the stroller up and over the curb every time. What if someone was in a wheelchair by themselves? Come on, Wilmington. Do better.
  We had to get to the hospital before 6am the morning of Emma's leg surgery, and I got these pictures of Michael carrying Emma and the ventilator and battery packs. They look really good in my film edit, even with the blur! Maybe it even looks more realistic that way?

   After Emma got her hip spica cast and we were back at the hotel for a day and a half before driving back home to Florida, we all bundled up and took Emma for a walk around the block. I liked all the houses since they look different up North compared to Florida. It reminded me of Indiana where my cousins live. We didn't go far because it was cold, really windy and a little bit rainy.

^^ Emma being silly and wearing her glasses sideways.

 

DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON, DE

  It was a quick drive from the hotel to the hospital- less than ten minutes. There were lots of pretty views, and all the trees were changing color, which doesn't happen in Florida! The houses looked extra festive with their big trees in the yard, shading their front porches displaying multiple pumpkins and other festive outdoor decorations for Halloween (we were there October 24th to October 30th). I even liked the buildings we passed, though some of them looked run down.

^^ 12 Grimmauld Place?  (Harry Potter reference)

NEMOURS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

  The first photos shown in this grouping are of the Ronald McDonald House. We originally thought we would stay there, but due to Covid precautions, we decided to stay in a hotel instead. That charity house looks huge compared to the one we did stay at when Emma was getting a life-saving airway surgery in Michigan when she was a nine pound six month old baby. It would have been cool to get a tour of the one in Wilmington, just to see the difference. Maybe it just has a lot more rooms because the building was very long. 

Wandering the hospital parking lot the morning of Emma's pre-op appointments:

    On October 27th, during Emma's two day recovery, Michael and I went for another walk around the parking lot and were being silly, taking pictures with the pretty red leaves. He was also surprised to find that they had a huge Christmas tree planted. The first two photos are of the Meditation Garden.

^^ Michael showing off his elegant hand modeling skills.

   That is all of the scenery photos I have for now, from our October trip, but Emma is schedule to get her casts off in a couple weeks, so we are going back soon. Since she will just have daily doctor appointments, but won't be stuck in a PICU room for three days, I am hoping we can do some more exploring before or after her appointments. It is showing that the weather will be in the 40's and 50's then, but the other day 60 felt really good here in Sarasota, FL. Maybe 40 won't feel as cold as I think?  We did do a lot of walking around in 20 degrees in the snow and ice when we were in Michigan!

  When we stay in Wilmington next time, we will be in the recommended hotel with the hospital discount, and that is on the North side of Wilmington, just below the Delaware/Pennsylvania state line! It will be fun to see different spots and feel more like we have really been to Delware.