Back in Phoenix, Arizona, we would be fast approaching our first 100-degree day, while here in the Northeast, spring is just now starting to peek through the long winter’s doldrums of gray and cold. That red POS in the driveway is our rental car; we loathe that thing and wish we could exchange it for a normal car.

For some silly reason or other, we didn’t take a single note for today or tomorrow, so details are obviously lost, but suffice it to say the majority of our time was spent with family. My aunt Lillian and cousin Brian have to work, so Caroline and I will wander Buffalo until they are done. While we had breakfast with them, we couldn’t resist the indulgence of going for a big fat cup of custard from Anderson’s before we got serious about our exploration.

There is no plan on what to visit other than just trying to enjoy the nice weather. My shortsightedness tells me I need not worry about photos as it was two years ago that I captured everything I needed to when I visited with my mom. Maybe I should have considered the improvement in camera quality or that the weather is nicer, but then again it’s great to just wander around without any demands.

We slowed our usual pace to take a walk along the Niagara River as the day was simply beautiful and deserving of appreciation.

I grew up on Fowler’s orange chocolates, especially the ones that are shaped like buffalos. Even living in Arizona, I was able to maintain this connection as my mom would order a bunch of them every Easter; so seeing we are right here in Buffalo and the memory crept into my head, it seemed like there couldn’t be too much sugar in the day, and so here we are.

We weren’t away from the house all that long before my aunt was done with her bit of work, and we were able to spend the afternoon talking. When Brian and his boys, Johnathan and Jacob, joined us, it was time for the six of us to go for dinner. Our destination was a place I’d not been since I was a little boy: Santasiero’s Italian Restaurant at 1329 Niagara Street. This place has been a Buffalo staple since 1921.

After way too much coaxing, Caroline finally agreed to wear the bib. You would have thought we were asking her to have a root canal the way she fought the strong-armed tactics deployed for our own selfish entertainment. I am certain that nearly everyone in my family has worn a bib at this establishment at one time or another and now Caroline joins that long tradition.