OK, so it has been a while since I posted. I know it’s been long since even my father asked if I was still writing. Wish I could have posted more but circumstances have been unfortunate. I post 95% of the blogs based on RV trips we take. Summer has come (and gone) and I didn’t post. Why!? Simple…no trips. UGH. The last trip we took was to Ohio in May for my parents’ 70th anniversary. It was great and great to see family. However, on the way there, we had a driver pass us and hit a piece of tire in the road which flew under our RV and went “thunk”. We stopped in Berea, KY to spend the night and I checked underneath the engine. Seems oil of some sort was leaking. I checked ... read more

WOW!! Mom was going to be celebrating her 90th birthday in November and Dad and the kids had been planning this for some time. Originally it was to be a big party with lots of people (like Dad's 90th last year, hosted and planned by Mom) but on reflection, Mom decided it was too much; too much noise, too much money, too much confusion. So we went with a smaller, family oriented celebration. The luncheon was at the Welshfield Inn in Burton and was Mom's choice. We had a private room and it was well catered. Mom knew family was coming, but not exactly who, so she was very pleased to see all three sons and spouses, Karen's husband Jay Wilkinson, most of her grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren. In addition, I had contacted sister Karen's best ... read more

The "big" reunion events were over and Trish and I took Julie back to her hotel. But she had suggested we come and swim in the hotel pool to relax. Seemed like a great idea so we had packed our suits and were ready to go. But first, we took her to a local cemetery so she could visit her parents’ grave site. We went along to pay our respects. After she had spent some time, Julie told us several stories of how her father selected the site, and how the skies had paused the rain long enough for a burial ceremony. We then drove to the hotel, changed to our suits and spent time swimming, exercising, and relaxing, both in the pool and hot tub. Delightful as it was, we only stayed a short time ... read more

In the heat of June, we decided to take a couple of days and go visit Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport, AL. This is someplace we have wanted to go but it was about an hour and a half drive and we knew the visit would be short. So we opted to find a campground nearby and spend a couple of nights to relax and enjoy. Russell Cave is an archaeological site with one of the most complete records of prehistoric cultures in the Southeast. Thousands of years ago a portion of Russell Cave's entrance collapsed, creating a shelter that, for more than 10,000 years, was home to prehistoric peoples. Today it provides clues to the daily life of early North American inhabitants dating from 10,000 B.C. to 1650 A.D. People from the Paleo era ... read more

We left for Delaware early the next morning and drove the car to see our niece in her new retirement community. It was a pleasant drive across the Potomac near Dalhgren and then north on 301 to Annapolis. We drove through delightful farmland to just south of Dover and found Lynn in her beautiful retirement bungalow. As always, it was tastefully and artfully decorated and she explained that rather than 3 bedrooms, she had the builder eliminate one of them in favor of a larger dining/living area. Great idea! The patio had been enclosed and made into a screened in porch usable easily in 3 seasons. Nephew Rob and his wife Linda arrived with daughter Erika and we had a rollicking good family reunion and dinner. The laughter and stories reminded us of brother Jack who ... read more