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at FOX RUN in Novi.

Brutus, 13, has made four roundtrip car trips from Detroit to Florida.

The group ended their journey at
Michele’s house in California, before
Patty flew home and Peggy drove
back to New York, dropping Pam off
in Michigan on her way.
“We kept a journal together and
Peggy made a book and sent it to
each of us with highlights from hers,
along with quotes and photos,” Patty
said.
The women insist being in close
quarters with limited wi-fi and
friends who broke into song at the
drop of a hat — or in the case of
Winslow, Ariz., at the site of a city
sign — worked out just fine.
“We had the time of our lives,”
Patty said. “I forgot how incredible
it was to be with these three girls
I’ve known my whole life. It was very
powerful. We love each other. But
when I got home I couldn’t wait to
drive my own car again!”

TRAVEL BUDGET

While living in Winnepeg, Manitoba,
far from any other major city, and
with the nearby airport “espe-
cially expensive to fly in and out of,”
Tikvah Ellis said her family learned
the most affordable way to go pretty
much anywhere was by car. During
the seven years they lived in Canada,
Tikvah, her husband, Rabbi Ari Ellis,
and their children, Hodaya, 11, and
Elishama, 9, made the eight-hour
trip to Minneapolis often.
Vacations have included drives to
meet with family from California in
a midway city, and several trips to
a North Dakota airport to take less
expensive flights to visit relatives,
often stopping to see attractions
like “a fabulous children’s museum
in Fargo,” said Tikvah, whose fam-
ily now lives in Southfield. They
also have flown to Los Angeles and
driven with family members to stops
that include Las Vegas, the Grand

Jim and Sydonia Gajda during a road trip

Canyon and Yosemite, sometimes
visiting family along the way.
The kids each travel with a back-
pack with toys and books — and
sometimes, outdoor toys — but the
family mostly listens to music and
sometimes Torah classes.
“Sometimes, if Ari is driving I will
read aloud or look in guidebooks or
online and tell everyone about what
we are seeing,” Tikvah said.
In the hotel, they often watch TV
cooking shows, use their tablets,
read, play cards and utilize a coin
laundry, if available.
Keeping strict kosher, the Ellis’
bring along groceries, food prepa-
ration equipment — like a toaster
oven — and sometimes cooked
items, and look for hotels with
kitchen suites, often kashering the
microwave.
“We think traveling like this is
great for the kids” Tikvah said. It
teaches rolling with the punches
and coping with change, how to live
as an observant Jew in diverse cir-
cumstances, the expansiveness and
majesty of HaShem’s world — and is
a ton of fun!” •

FREE 38-PAGE
BROCHURE
WRITTEN BY
THE RETIREMENT
EXPERTS!

The comprehensive
Fox Run brochure is packed
with the crucial information
you need—and the exciting
details you want—about
carefree senior living in Novi.

Call 1-800-917-8169 or visit
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September 7 • 2017

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