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Readers relate tales of their summer adventures
By VANESSA FRANKO, Staff Writer  Sasha Baker cuddles with a live bear in Moscow, Russia For the Baker family of Davidsonville, their summer vacation was more than just a trip. It was a homecoming. Brenda and Bob Baker adopted son Sasha when he was a year old from a Latvian orphanage. For Sasha's 11th birthday and 10-year anniversary as a member of the Baker family, Mr. and Mrs. Baker took him to Russia and Latvia. The Bakers weren't the only local family to make the summer of 2005 a memorable one. Many Capital readers sent in photos of how they spent their summer vacations, both abroad or just a few hours down the road. Mrs. Baker, who runs an international adoption agency, was on a business trip with her husband in April when they decided to plan the trip. The family flew into Moscow and took trains everywhere else. The trip included a stop at the Kalkuni Orphanage in Daugapils, Latvia, where Sasha lived before he was adopted. Once there, he got to tour the facility and meet his caregiver. "It was like going back to the hospital where you gave birth," Mrs. Baker said. Mrs. Baker said Sasha's favorite sight on the trip was St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, but the highlight for her was seeing Sasha's reactions. "Watching him and seeing all of the excitement and grasping the culture and the language. ... I could live through his eyes," Mrs. Baker said. The Bakers weren't the only family to head overseas. The Cattano family of Arnold took a trip to Africa from the end of July to the beginning of August. They spent 10 days visiting various places in Kenya, such as Nairobi, Masai Mara and Mount Kenya. David Cattano, 11, said it was the first foreign trip for him and sister Danielle. "Everyone there was friendly. Strangers would come up to you and start talking and being really nice," he said. The family spent some time on game preserves, where they saw lions, elephants, giraffes, gazelles and impalas. "My favorite part was seeing all of the animals on safari," David said. The Cattanos even had a chance to glimpse life in the wild when they saw some lions eating a zebra and a python eating an impala. David said it didn't gross him out, though. "It was pretty cool," he said. He said the scariest thing was a stork that would occasionally try to come in their door at one of the hotels. Elsewhere in the exotic locale department, Richard Marks of Gambrills spent some time in China and Tibet this summer. "It was the trip that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend to anyone who's looking for a new travel adventure," he said. Mr. Marks went to Beijing, Xian, Chengdu and Tibet. He said his favorite part of the trip was a cruise down the Yangtze River. He also stopped at the Great Wall of China. "On the day I was there at the Great Wall of China, there was elbow-to-elbow traffic of people," Mr. Marks said. A world traveler, he said this was his first time in mainland China. "It's getting more and more difficult around the world to find a place that's truly different," Mr. Marks said. Other families enjoy staying close to home. Jessica and Ted DeGraff of Odenton spent a day at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware earlier this month. It was their first vacation with 11-month-old daughter Samantha. The DeGraffs said she did well on her first time out and were looking forward to more trips in the future as Samantha gets older. "We may take little trips, like to Sesame Place," Mrs. DeGraff said. For other families, summer vacation is an annual routine. Gloria Beard and her granddaughter Heather, who both live in Edgewater, have been making an annual trip to New York City since Heather was 9 years old. "We start planning it right after Christmas," Ms. Beard said. This year she and Heather, who is now 16, took in "Movin' Out," featuring the music of Billy Joel, while in the city. "We always get tickets to a show," Ms. Beard said. The pair from Edgewater also had another plan: back-to-school shopping. They spent some time shopping in SoHo and Chinatown. "It's a great bonding experience between a grandmother and a granddaughter," Ms. Beard said. They have other traditions on the trip, too, like having dessert in Little Italy. But the traditions don't stand in the way of new experiences. "There's always something new to see in New York City," Ms. Beard said. Published August 21, 2005, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. |