Day 35 - Our Final Blog - We're on the road to home!

All the years of saying, “let’s do this again,” “let’s keep in touch,” “we should meet at a time other than weddings and funerals,” and “we’ll come visit” all finally became realized during this road trip. This trip brought us from Iowa, northeast to Vermont, south to Florida, west to Texas and then north to home. 6875 miles, driving through 25 states, making 34 stops and visiting 85 people in 15 of those states in 5 full weeks. A visit was generally one night, once as short as a half hour, and once for four nights while visiting with 4 sets of people.

Joe grew up in Chicago and Sandy was born in Vermont and grew up in Connecticut. Relatives are all over the country and some friends that we met in Iowa had moved away. A whole tapestry of people that encompassed our whole life: friends, neighbors, co-workers, people we knew from church, nieces and nephews who have grown up and moved on and cousins, lots and lots of cousins. We had always talked about a trip like this.
We called this trip the “Family and Friends Tour (East)” and it was just what the name implies. We planned the trip while spending a bit of time in Mexico (a retirement gift to ourselves). We brought a map of the United States, our Christmas card list and those tiny post-its with the arrows, writing every stop on a post it and plotting them on the map. Then it was a Mapquest to see the distance and time between each stop. We then put them on a big calendar and began the task of contacting everyone to see if they would be available on the date penciled in. We had a few time constraints: we wanted to be home by Easter, our daughter could only see us on a Friday, and we were coordinating a 4 day get together with 4 of Sandy’s high school classmates. Enough that we weren’t able to see all our family and friends in the eastern USA. And the friends in the western USA will have to wait for another trip, probably in the fall when we finish Route 66.

Although at times we were anxious to get home, we never got bored. Every day was a new and fresh adventure, new people, new food and new conversations. Without exception we were welcomed and made to feel at home wherever we went. It’s quite a humbling experience. Thank you so very much everyone! We are looking forward to returning the kindness you showed us.

Day 34 - Jim Brown, Joplin, Missouri

We find it ironic that the last stop on this trip is to visit one of the people who was present as we started our life together as husband and wife. Jim Brown stood up for Joe as his best man at our wedding. He was a room-mate of Joe’s way back when Joe had just finished his service as a VISTA volunteer and he was struggling to establish a career. As Jim said, “Sandy hung around quite a bit!”

Since we last saw Jim, he went on to continue his education at the University of Iowa, where he received his PhD in English. He taught for a while at Maharishi University in Fairfield, Iowa and now is a tenured professor at Missouri Southern State University. He has been here in Joplin for about 25 years now. Jim gave us a tour of Joplin, including where he is teaching writing classes (and we hope he is not grading these blogs!) and has presented several classes consistent with the international mission of the University.

Our tour included, in addition to MSSU, what Jim referred to as Joplin’s “moon scape”, which is actually the remains of the zinc mining that went on in the area. We also got a tour of the Joplin section of Route 66 – including a couple of things we didn’t see when we came through before: an old bridge and railway station, and some old giraffe houses. We also drove around where Langston Hughes lived.

We got to meet his 15 year old daughter for a brief time as Jim shuttled her from the mall to a movie to see what was playing and then to a friend’s house where she was spending the night. She is a beautiful young woman!

We worked together on supper: hamburgers, salad and beans – but Jim made us pay for it by bringing us to the YMCA to walk for a half hour. He didn’t really drag us, it felt good to get a real walk in. This is something we need to get back to doing when we get home. But most of our time was spent remembering old times and catching up on the past 36 years.

Day 32 & 33 - Ann and Ken Watson, Forsythe (Branson), Missouri

Today we arrived at the home of Ken and Ann Watson. Sandy worked with Ann – they were both Postmasters in Iowa, and Ken was in High Society Big Band with Joe. They moved to the Branson area about 2-3ish years ago. We can see what drew them here – beautiful mountains – their home is nestled in them, much entertainment, great restaurants. Ken is a dispatcher with the Branson police and Ann found a Postmaster position in a small town near their home.

We picked up lunch at Ken and Ann’s favorite fast food place (Backyard Burgers) and made our winding way to their house. After lunch we took a driving tour around the area, including a stop at Ann’s Post Office in Powersite. We went back home where they grilled steaks, potatoes and salad – another case of we ate too much! That evening we went to our first Branson show which just happened to be the Branson’s original show on the strip – the Presley’s Country Jubilee. What a fun show – it was a solid 2 hours of music and slapstick comedy. The Presley’s covered 4 generations of talent. After the show they made themselves available to the audience. Joe was pleased to talk to84 year old Lloyd Presley, the family founder and the person that opened the first musical theater in Branson. More food: after the show we stopped at Andy’s Frozen Custard – yummie! It reminded us a lot of Drew’s Frozen Custard that that we visited while on Route 66 in St. Louis.

Now we need to backtrack a little: let us tell you about the trip from Arkansas to Branson. Bridget (our GPS, we finally named it), took us on the “Scenic 7 Byway”. It was a beautiful route, but Sandy was terrified most of the way. This was through the mountains, up and down, hairpin curves with no guard rails and 2000 foot drops off the side of the road. We went much slower than the posted speed limits. With all that said, it was beautiful. We took a break about half way through. We stopped at the Rotary Ann roadside rest area, the first rest area ever in Arkansas. This site provided an excellent observation deck with a spectacular panoramic view of the mountains and the Ozark National Forest. We were all alone so Joe pulled out his pocket trumpet and played as loud as he could. Even with his best efforts he could not play anything as majestic as what we were seeing.

The next day Ann fixed a breakfast casserole – a great way to start a day of shopping in Branson. We started with Dick’s 5 & 10 – an old variety store that brought us back to our childhood. You could find most anything you wanted in this store, not to mention the stuff that you didn’t know you wanted! LOL! We had lots of fun taking our time going up and down the aisles. It took us most of the morning, so we went for lunch at Danna’s where we split a baked potato that was topped with butter, sour cream, coleslaw, beans and pulled pork. We can’t believe that Ann ate a whole one all by herself! We were full splitting one!

From Danna’s we toured Table Rock Lake and took a look inside the Chateau at Table Rock, the showcase of the John Q. Hammon hotels. We would LOVE to stay at this place someday – it was a cross between the Embassy Suites and the Hotel Patee if both of those were on steroids! Stunning! We finished the afternoon shopping at an Amish Sore, the Mountain Man Food and Nuts shop, and the Branson Mill Craft Store. And then returned home for a supper of a chicken casserole. It was outstanding!

That evening we took in another show: The Dutton Family show—an “America’s Got Talent” top 10 finalist. We had seen them on TV and really enjoyed them, so we were pleased to be able to see them in person. Tonight's show proved to us why they got has far as they did -they are a very talented family – 3 generations of them. They had the youngest generation singing a song from the Wizard of Oz and it was way too cute. They commented that these young upstarts were their retirement plan and we don’t think they need to worry! After the show we again went out for dessert, to a place called Cakes n Creams. We were served by waitresses in pony tails and poodle skirts. Joe had pecan pie and Sandy had the peach cobbler (warm with ice cream).

We had such a nice time – but it was once again time to hit the road. One more stop before home. What a fantastic five weeks!

Day 31 - Janet and Duane Smith, Russellville, Arkansas

Janet and Duane Smith are friends of ours from Des Moines. When our kids were young, and we were living in our first owned home, the Smith’s were raising their young family just around the corner. We went to the same church, partied with the neighbors and laid down a good foundation of friendship. As life goes, we moved out of the neighborhood, the Smith’s moved and eventually most of the other neighbors moved on also. Our kids grew up, we grew older. We’ve been through the major events of life: baptisms, graduations, weddings. Now grandchildren are coming into the picture. And even though we seldom see each other, those bonds remain.

Janet and Duane now live in Russellville, in a beautiful brick home nestled into the tall pines of Arkansas. We’d like to say they’re a stone’s throw from Lake Dardanelle, and they are – if you are David and the Lake is Goliath. They say Arkansas is a tourist/sportsman’s paradise, and we’d have to agree. It is stunningly beautiful here.

The brought us to the Catfish N for dinner – a local favorite of theirs. It was a mostly catfish and shrimp buffet, with a couple of new twists for us: our first taste of frog legs and then there were hush puppies with jalapenos in them. Frog legs taste remarkably like chicken, but it’s a “lighter” meat if that makes sense. We also knew were still in the south as okra was in the salad bar and it was also a fried appetizer.

The Smith’s recently adopted two dogs , they were the cutest things. Both are small dogs, one white, one black. The white one is about 4 years old, had had several litters as a breeder in a puppy mill. She was very loveable, but also very timid. The black one was only 2 years old and was found on the streets, so was very “street-wise” and a bundle of energy. Boy could he jump! They got both dogs at the same time from Animal Resuce, which does things a little differently here: they “foster parent” all their dogs out and you go on line to find what you want. These two were at the same foster home and had grown attached to each other, so the Smith’s took them both. They’ve only had them for about a month and are in the process of teaching them the rules of the Smith household!

We talked a lot about Arkansas politics, our children and their grandchildren (their daughter Kathy’s art work was prominent around the house, she is VERY talented!), our retirements (they had a little head start on us) and their major trip to Italy. A member of their family (Janet’s nephew?) was ordained as a priest in Italy and several members of their family went. They got tours and saw things that most tourists to Italy don’t see, including having mass in the Catcombs and also at St. Peter’s in the basement under St. Peter’s altar (if you’ve been there, you’ll know what I’m talking about – between St. Peter’s tomb and Pope John Paul II’s tomb). Awesome!

We left after a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs and homemade bread. It doesn’t get any better that that. Duane suggested the scenic route, which we are on now. So, it’s time to take in the scenery and stop writing! LOL!

Day 30 - Kathy Mahler, El Salvador (via Arlington, Texas)

Who would have thought it? We just love modern technology! While visiting with Sandy's sister Shelley, we figured out how to do a web cam on Shelley's computer and were able to talk to our sister Kathy who is working as a Mission Co-Worker in El Salvador, Central America. What a hoot! We had so much fun and talked for about 45 minutes.

Kathy is now officially part of our trip. She even picked up her computer and carried it around from room to room to show us where she lives. She is living in Berlin, El Salvador. She is the liaison between churches in the Central Iowa area and their mission projects in the Berlin area. There are several kinds of projects - fair traded coffee that is sold in the states, water filter projects, building projects (churches, community buildings, schools), and educational projects. If you're interested go to http://oursisterparish.squarespace.com/blog/. Here you can read Kathy's blogs and even order coffee if you so desire.

Sandy has had the opportunity to see and talk to Kathy at a friends house before, but this was so special to be able to do it with all three sisters together.

Day 30 - Shelley Bernd, Arlington, Texas

Because we knew we had some time before Shelley got home from work, we were able to make a couple of stops on the way north. (We’re on the homeward trail!) The first stop was in the town of West, Texas. We had been told that this would be a good stop for Czech pastries. We found this true – and bought a dozen Czech Kolaches to bring to Shelley’s place.

Our second stop was for a haircut – after 4+ weeks on the road, we were looking pretty shabby. Eventually you need a hair cut! We stopped in a place called Hair Biz, and fortunately for us they were open on a Monday and were even able to take us. The employees working were even the first team – the owner cut Sandy’s hair. We feel 10 pounds lighter and well manicured. And looking our best for Easter which is rapidly approaching.

We got to Shelley’s about 15 minutes before she got home from work as a Paralegal with a local law firm. Not enough time for us to cause any damage. Shelley is Sandy’s middle sister. She lives with her husband Mac and their dog BoBo in Arlington Texas. Mac was out of town, so we were disappointed to miss him. Shelley had a fabulous supper all planned out – shrimp cocktail as an appetizer to go with the wine that we had already started (this was only a 3 cork stop! LOL!), rib eye steaks, salad, baked potatoes and the two “s’s” in dessert for dessert (duh – strawberry shortcake! LOL!) It was a long leisurely dinner. Good food, good family, good conversation.

After dinner Sandy and Shelley decided to see if sister Kathy was at her computer so we could Instant Message. It turned out even better than we imagined so we are writing a separate blog about that.

During pauses in our visiting, we walked around the house and saw their successes. There are many framed articles that Shelley has had published in Hot Rod magazines, pictures of Mac with Presidents and Governors, and Mac’s certificates of accomplishments(Mac just retired as Superintendent of the Arlington School District – one of the largest school districts in the nation). There were many pictures of their cars and hot rods and displays of their trophies. They even have a Harley Davidson motorcycle in their front foyer. Ok you may think that sounds a little strange, but it really works! It’s like a piece of sculpture. Shelley also has a hot rod website that she has created and it is doing quite well. You can visit it at: www.hotrodhappenings.com.

After a little more visiting, it was time for bed. Another wonderful visit under our belt.

Day 30 - Adam McKenna, Houston, Texas

On our way to Houston, we were reminded that the son of friends Bill and Rita McKenna now lives in Houston, so on our way to Arlington to see Sandy’s sister, we detoured into Houston proper to visit Adam at his place of employment: Chastang’s Bayou City Ford. Adam is definitely a chip off the old block: he seems to be following his dad into the truck business. Our visit was very short: only about a half hour, and during that time he was also busy with a customer. We were happy to hear that even though he’s far from home, he still keeps in close touch with friends (and a special friend) back in Iowa. Then he had a sales meeting, so we headed out. We’ve known Adam since he was around 5 or 6 years old, and we’ve watched him grow up into a fine young man. This was the shortest visit of our journey, but it was good to see Adam, if only for a brief time. We know his parents would be proud to see him in action.

Days 28 & 29 - Percy and Angel Thompson, Katy, Texas

It was a long day’s drive from Tallahassee to Katy: 743 miles and 12 hours. At one point, just outside of Houston, we were at a dead stop. Fortunately it was only a delay of about a half hour. And just for clarification: For all of you who thought we were going to see our Katy in Texas, NOPE! Our Kate lives in Brooklyn, NY (a previous blog). We were going to the TOWN of Katy, Tx.

We arrived at Percy and Angel’s place about 6:30ish, and the talking started – it was like there had not been a gap in time since they last saw each other about 10 years ago. . Percy is Joe’s closest friend from Angel Guardian Orphanage, where they spent most of grade school and high school together as classmates and friends. After we had settled in (we will be spending two nights with Percy and Angel), they took us to a fabulous Mexican restaurant called El Jarrito. They raved about the Chili Rellenos, and we were not disappointed. Chili Rellenos is one of Sandy’s favorite Mexican dishes, she orders them frequently and she said they were as good as they get.

Percy and Angel showed us around their home. They live in a beautiful neighborhood, and their home shows much influence of a trip that they took to Italy: photos that they took of different sights that were framed and looked so professional. There was also a framed print of one of the frescos from the Sistine Chapel. On their dining room table was a replica of one of the Bernini statues that they saw and fell in love with on their visit. They have a very beautiful home.

Percy sells industrial packaging materials and Angel is an executive secretary at a local hospital. They both enjoy their jobs but wish they had more time to vacation and travel. (Who doesn’t? LOL!)

On the way to Katy, we switched back to Central Time, and with the extra hour we had more time that evening to visit. But the time change did catch up to us and we hit the sack, quite exhausted.

The next morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of bacon and eggs, then set off to tour the city. Percy and Angel took the long way into the center of Houston, showing us different neighborhoods. We then toured the museum district and visited: The Menil Art Collection museum, which showcased the private collection of John and Dominique de Menil. There was much modern art, and sections with early Egyptian and African art and a section that showcased some of the masters. There were several Picasso’s and a couple of Andy Warhol pieces also. In the same area, we visited the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum that houses the dome and apse of a small Byzantine votive chapel of the 13th century. And we visited the Rothko Chapel, a sacred space open to all for contemplation. The literature provided describes the Chapel best: “The Rothko Chapel is oriented toward the sacred and yet it imposes no traditional environment. It offers a place where a common orientation could be found – an orientation towards God, named or unnamed, an orientation towards the highest aspirations of Man and the most intimate calls of the conscience.” If only ALL could live this way!

After our tours of the museums, we headed back home, with a detour to the Central Market to pick up a few things for dinner. To describe this Market: think Gateway Market or Trader Joe’s on steroids. The produce section alone was bigger than some grocery stores we have shopped in. We sampled our way around the store, got what we need (and then some) and headed home where Angel fixed a scrumpious chicken and broccoli dinner, with an appetizer of crab legs and fresh Italian bread with dipping oil. Oh – and a couple of bottles of wine.

BUT between appetizers and dinner, Joe talked about his trumpet, and they mentioned that their nephew was learning to play trumpet and had to get a trumpet because right now he was playing a coronet. So, off we went to Angel’s sister’s house, where we met Manny, the 12 year old aspiring trumpet player. Now let’s go back a bit in history. When Joe got his first trumpet back at AGO, Sr. Sylvester told him he could keep it as long as he kept playing it. About 11 years ago Sandy gave him a new silver trumpet for their 25th wedding anniversary, so he hasn’t been playing his AGO trumpet very much. Long story short: we will be sending Manny Joe’s AGO trumpet. Sort of like passing the baton. We have been waiting for the right person to pass it on to, so we are so happy to send this important piece of Joe’s history on. We think Sr. Sylvester would be very happy.

After dinner and more conversation, it was time to call it a night. We can’t begin to tell everyone how much we are enjoying this trip. So many great people to catch up with.

Day 27 - Douglas and Donald Myers, Tallahassee, Florida

It was an easy drive up to Tallahassee from Spring Hill, only 209 miles. We did make a stop along the way: after passing many pecan roadside stands, we had to stop. We bought some praline pecans for Sandy’s mom and then some for ourselves too. We also got a few pecan rolls, but they will be gone before we get home. We wanted to get Vandalia onions, but with another week left in the car, we didn’t think that would be such a good idea.

We arrived at Sandy’s cousin Douglas’ place in Tallahassee early afternoon. Another of Sandy’s cousins, Douglas’ brother, Donald had just arrived also. Donald lives in Marianna with his wife Elaine and daughter Holly, about an hour west of Tallahassee. Marianna is also in Central Time, while Tallahassee is in Eastern. We need to remember that when we hit the road tomorrow! LOL!

Uncle Clayton’s kids were the cousins that Sandy saw most frequently while she was growing up. As a result, they were closer than the other cousins. And because of this, there was non-stop talking around Douglas’ kitchen table as they reminisced and got caught up with each of their families and with Sandy filling them in on the other cousins that she was fortunate to visit on this trip.

Douglas is the IT guru for a local hospital in Tallahassee and Donald works as a manager for the regional power company in Marianna. We didn’t visit Donald’s home, but Douglas has a beautiful place, a relatively new home on the out-skirts of Tallahassee. His front lawn has an enormous (and protected) live oak tree. This tree is close to 150 years old – it is very beautiful, but is beginning to loose branches which has been problem for the city because it is in the “parking”. He also has so many squirrels in the back yard that he gave up feeding the birds. At one point Joe counted 6 squirrels frolicking in the yard. There was constant motion back there!

Doug loves to play pool, and we felt quite honored that he gave up his Friday night pool playing to cook us an enchilada supper, accompanied by Sangria (yummmmmie meal!) and spending the evening visiting with us. Before Donald left we went into the back yard to take photos, and before long the playfulness of their youth returned as they made funny faces and rabbit ears.. We took many pictures before we got a non-silly picture. We’ll spare you those, but Sandy’s keeping them for blackmail purposes.

Day 26 - Clayton Myers, Spring Hill, Florida

We had the full day to visit with Uncle Clayton. Sandy squeezed in a couple of loads of laundry. The night before Uncle Clayton had said that he was going to fix us blue berry pancakes for breakfast, but he didn’t have any good Vermont maple syrup, so he wasn’t going to make them. HOWEVER! We had bought a pint of real Vermont maple syrup to bring to Kate and then forgot to give it to her. So, we gave it to Uncle, he made the pancakes in the morning and we ended up having one of the best breakfasts ever.

After breakfast we headed out to Homossassa Springs Wildlife State Park. We had visited this park many years ago, and had told Barb Kroon (previous blog) that it might be a good place to take her mom or grand kids. We thought more about it and thought we would like to go back. This state park has all animals native to Florida – and one misplaced hippo. The story with the hippo is that it was part of a private circus/road show, and it retired to the Florida park. When the park decided to go with all native animals, there was a letter writing campaign to the governor to keep the hippo. In order to keep with the “all Florida animals”, they made the hippo an honorary citizen of Florida. Right now the hippo is 49 years old and weighs around 6000 pounds. We also saw many alligators, bob cats, panthers, birds, birds and more birds, red wolves, red and silver foxes to name a few. (oh yeah, lots of snakes too.)

After the park we stopped at one of my Uncle’s favorite places to go when he is in this area. It was called “Margueritagrill” (yep, all one word). He insisted that we get three orders of the Buffalo Shrimp because he wasn’t about to share his and he knew we would love them. Think Buffalo Wings, only big crisp shrimp. He knew what he was talking about. We also ordered a serving of gator bites and some onion rings. And then we were too full for dinner, but that’s quite ok! Uncle also had a medium margarita, but the medium was HUGE – We put three straws in it, but we were drinking beer (Landshark beer: Jimmy Buffet’s beer), so we really only had a taste of his. Getting into the mood of Margaritaville, Joe noticed one of the waitresses had a Route 66 T-shirt on, and he asked her if she knew anything about Route 66. She said it was in Las Vegas, so Joe gave her a little history by singing the Route 66 song to her.

When we got home Sandy challenged her uncle to a game or two of cribbage. She got the lead early on, winning the first three games in a row. One more for a clean sweep and a skunk. But it rapidly turned around, with Uncle winning the last three games. And the last game he skunked Sandy, so that counted as two games, and he won. We’ll have to have a rematch!

Day 25 - Molly Constant & Clayton Myers, Spring Hill, Florida

We had no difficulty getting to Sandy’s Uncle Clayton’s place in Spring Hill, arriving around 2 in the afternoon. We would be spending the next two nights here. We visited for a couple of hours while waiting for Molly Constant to arrive. She was going to join us for dinner. Molly is Sandy’s first cousin once removed, the daughter of cousin Donna and Leo Constant whom we visited in Vermont earlier in this trip. Donna had asked us to bring her dad a couple of jars of home preserves (our grandma Myers’ pickled watermelon rinds and a jar of crab apple jelly). Fortunately she had also given us a couple of jars or Uncle Clayton might not have got his!

Molly arrived around 4:30 and shortly thereafter we headed off to Carrabba’s Italian Grill. This is one of Molly and Clayton’s favorite restaurants and we can understand why. Service was excellent and it was Wednesday which meant that all bottles of wine were $10 off. Joe and Sandy shared a bottle of Merlot, Clayton had a margarita and Molly a Cosmopolitan (it was also happy hour!). Joe had Linguini with shrimp, scallops and clams. Sandy had a brick oven pizza – she was tempted by all the other dishes but hasn’t had pizza in so long, she couldn’t resist.

It was so good to visit with Molly, she is a delightful young woman, very mature. She is a nurse at a hospital in Tampa. She met her boy friend at the hospital, he is an EMT in the Emergency Room. We had heard some nice things about him, so we were disappointed to not be able to meet him. We were also happy to see that Molly and her grandfather are very close.

Day 25 - Diane Andreano Butler, Tampa, Florida

While Sandy was checking her Facebook, she received a message from a grade school/high school friend, Diane Andreano Butler, who saw that we were in Florida. Diane asked where we were and suggested maybe we could get together. We saw that she was in the Tampa area, so made arrangements for an early lunch. We met at a Chili’s in Tampa which was not far from where the Yankees were playing an exhibition game.

Diane was able to take a long lunch break from work so we had plenty of time to visit. We spent most of our time visiting and, uncharacteristically, less time eating. As a result both Sandy and Diane took left-overs home. The time went by quickly as they caught up on each other’s lives and talked about the classmates each kept in touch with. Sandy and Diane met in elementary school and way back then were known as “Mutt and Jeff” – she was always short and Sandy was always tall. So, whenever they were together, the contract was pretty evident. As you can see from the picture, they still are!

Diane came down to Florida about 25 years ago. Her folks followed her down and still live about 30 minutes from her. She has one daughter who married recently. She likes the area and gave a definite “No!” when we asked her if she ever thought about going back to Connecticut. As they visited and shared events in their lives, there was no doubt that the friendship they shared as classmates has spanned the years.

Days 23 & 24 - Barb Kroon, Celebration, Florida

We arrived at Barb’s place around 3 p.m. on Day 23 after our visit with Joe’s sister Marcy. Joe knows Barb from work at the State of Iowa. They worked together for 23 years, although he’s known her longer than that. Barb was the State’s selection expert and its chief influence in developing workforce planning strategies. She also worked with Joe on the State’s Affirmative Action program. For a time she was Joe’s supervisor. Joe had a great deal of respect for her abilities and her work. The graciousness that she showed as an employee for the State was also shown during our visit with her.

Our first afternoon with Barb, we toured Celebration. This is a planned community with 7 villages, manicured lawns and tree lined streets. It is very clean, neat and, as the brochure says, “a showcase.” It is a very very pretty town. There are about 8,000 residents, many of whom are seasonal. There is a lot of walking traffic, every street is 25 mph and not a single horn honking. Sandy felt that this community came right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Close enough, it was originally built by Disney for it’s employees. Disney is now out of it and they have their own association. There are lakes, community centers, pools, walking paths, shopping areas and a theater. Each village has it’s own architectural style. Celebration has everything you could want and we can see why Barb and her husband Veryl chose this place for their retirement home.

Barb was working at her computer when we arrived. She now does her first love full time: she is writing her first novel, and already has plans for many more. We’re anxious to read them! We took her picture by her three favorite authors (Linda Howard, Nora Roberts and Janet Evanovich) who hang near her computer as inspiration. Barb’s condo is beautiful, with north and south windows that bring much sun into her home. We sort of claimed the breakfast nook – it was a great place to sit and update blogs and check emails.

Our first night with Barb, she fixed us Beef Stroganoff. She was organized enough to put us both to work chopping, slicing and stirring. The end result was delicious! We went through a bottle of wine too! This is what we like best about our trip: good friends, good food and good conversation!

We went to lunch with Sandy’s cousin Kathy on our second day (Day 24 – another blog), and then went with Barb for pie at the Market Café when we returned. Talk about a piece of heaven! Then later that evening we went to one of Celebration’s fine restaurants: Columbia, a Spanish restaurant, for dinner. We sat outside, and had one of the finest meals of our trip (and we’ve had a LOT of fine meals on this trip!): Sandy had the Shrimp Criollo (large shrimp sautéed in olive oil with garlic, green peppers, tomatoes, platanos, potatoes and splashed with Vermouth and paprika). To die for. Joe had the Chicken Salteado which was chicken with yellow rice, platanos, peppers and sausage in a really thick sauce. Joe was a happy camper also. BUT as good as the food was: you should have been there for the Sangria de Cava – a white Sangria made with simple syrup, a small bottle of champagne, an orange liqueur, a brandy and oranges and limes. We ordered a pitcher, but we wished it was two! It was the most refreshing and delicious drink I have ever tasted.

We had such a good time visiting with Barb, it was hard to say good bye the next morning.

Day 24 - Kathy Montambault, Apopka, Florida

Kathy was waiting for us outside of the IHOP in Orlando, where we planned to have lunch together. She’s been living in Florida for about two years, since she transferred to the area when she was working for Walgreens. Kathy has a serious boy friend who is a roofer and unfortunately was unable to join us.

Since we saw a number of Kathy’s (and Sandy’s!) relatives during our visits, we talked about those visits how they were doing and brought her up to date on the latest gossip we were aware of. All catching up was going on while Kathy was enjoying an egg breakfast, Joe a salad and Sandy a tilapia plate. Even though we were outside of Disney World, our waitress, Daria from Russia, assured us that she was our “Cinderella. “

Kathy is in between jobs right now and Joe was happy to share his HR experiences with her. We continue our visit talking about work and about our Route 66 plans in the Fall when we expect to see her parents in Oklahoma.

It was a great visit. Kathy looks great, and Joe said he could see the family resemblance between her and her sister Rosie (from CT). She also has her mom’s great laugh.

Day 23 - Marcy and Bill Sheck, Leesburg, Florida

We hated to leave Kathy Harkin’s place, but it was time to move on. We are just begining our 4th week on the road – and we are now on the homeward bound trail. We headed west for Leesburg, Florida where Joe’s sister Marcy and her husband Bill live. After surviving a good deal of road construction and missing two tolls (we found out that the I-Pass doesn't work here in FL!), we arrived at their place a little later than we had originally planned. Marcy was sitting outside waiting for us.

We got a tour of the house, it’s quite nice, nestled in the trees in a wooded neighborhood with a nearby lake. While we were at the house we also met Bill’s cousin Cindy and their many cats. Marcy and Bill took us for lunch to a Chinese buffet – and as usual, we ate too much! LOL! But we did have opportunity for good conversation and a chance to catch up on each other’s lives. Marcy and Bill moved here from the Miami area a year or so ago to help out with caring for one of Bill’s relatives. We’re not sure how far of a move it is mile-wise, but they said it was 20 degrees cooler in Leesburg.

After lunch, we drove back to their place, via a tour around the lake. We visited a little more in their kitchen, and then were on our way. Once again, the visit was too short. We are noticing a reoccurring theme to all of our blogs: our visits are too short and we are eating too much.

Day 22 - Kathy Harkin, Barefoot Bay, Florida

We were spending 3 nights with Kathy. She showed us the sights and we're eating way too much--So what else is new? We had grilled pork chops, baked potatoes and salad the second night. Later in the evening we heard that there was going to be a “redneck wedding” on the Country Music TV station that was filmed in Bussey Iowa. Oh my goodness. Tacky tacky tacky! But we did get a good laugh. Kathy really knows how to entertain us! LOL! (those were her words, not ours!).

Our last day with Kathy was quiet. We had planned to go to the beach, but it was rainy and cool in the morning. We went to church and then sat around until the sun came out, about mid-afternoon and we went over to the community pool. We listened to a lounge singer at the pool lounge, sat by the pool for a while, tried our hand at shuffle board and then walked along the nearby lake and noticed a sign that read, "Beware of Alligators." Then we prepared dinner: fajitas with pie and ice cream for dessert.

Later, Kathy packed up a suitcase to send home with us, and we updated our blog. Kathy insisted we not talk about her wind-tossed wrap around hair style or how many times we went to the bathroom. So I won’t.

After three days living in a retirement community, we learned a few things: First: eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. Second: the older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for. Third, never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night! LOL!! And today we learned that shuffle board is not for wimps.


Before we left home we arranged to have some mail sent down to Kathy's. Among the bills and other notices, we had a letter from some dear friends in Iowa. Both husband and wife are facing serious health problems. One of the comments they made was, to "tell your loved ones how much they mean to you." This seems so appropriate as we make our way around visiting so many people that we care for. Please keep Jim and Joanie in your prayers.

Day 21 - Gina and Trevor Wilkerson, Deerfield Beach, Florida

Our friend Kathy lives in pretty much a retirement community. It’s not restricted to 55 plus, but that is the end result. We started the day with Kathy and Sandy taking a walk and Joe riding Kathy’s bike around the golf course enough times to get him lost. Kathy tried to give him directions from the map but those were more complicated than just going out and having him follow her back to the house. One obvious difference being in this community was the number of people that were out early in the morning walking, jogging, bicycling, playing golf and doing a wide variety of other physical activities.

Now fully energized for the day, we cleaned up and headed to Vero Beach where we had arranged to meet Gina Wilkerson and her family. Gina is Joe’s niece. The last time we saw her was at her dad’s funeral (Joe’s brother). We were both looking forward to this visit. Seeing Gina and her family reminded us of how long it has been since we’ve seen her. The toddler, Alexi, was now an engaging, bright teenager, who enjoyed talking about her success in school and about her plans for the future (she’d like to be a dessert chef! Count us in as guinea pigs!). Gina also had two additional children that we had never met. Skyler is a 5-years old girl who is very pleasant. She started off a little shy, but warmed up after a bit and loved following Sandy down to the beach where she was quick to play in the water. Legend, a 2-year old boy, was probably the most curious child we’ve ever met and he constantly wanted to touch and experience everything around him. He also was very willing to following Sandy to the beach where he was knocked over a number of times by the waves but each time yelled out that he loved the bubbles. Nancy, Gina’s mom had re-married since the last time we saw her and it was nice to also meet her husband Cecil. Trevor, Gina’s husband, got the family to the meeting point within minutes of our arrival. We enjoyed seeing him again and complimenting him on what a nice family he and Gina had.

We had lunch at an ocean-side restaurant called Waldo’s at the Driftwood Resort in Vero Beach. We had a beautify view of the ocean and in the background a couple of blues performers were entertaining. While the food was excellent, the most important thing going on was the brief time we had to share. After a while Sandy went down to the beach with the kids (Sandy LOVES the ocean and takes any opportunity she can to be on the beach!) and this gave time to Joe to visit with his niece and her mother. This was a long overdue opportunity to remind each other that we are family and we should keep in touch more. Once again, the time spent together was too short. This seems to be a reoccurring theme of this trip. Guess we’ll have to come back again!

Day 20 - Kathy Harkin, Barefoot Bay, Florida

Traveling from South Carolina to Florida wasn’t as far as from Connecticut to South Carolina but it seemed as far. We went through large sections of construction and it also took us several hours just to get to I-95 South, where we ended up spending most of the trip. Of course, not having our third driver also made a difference—Thanks Marilyn.

We arrived at Kathy’s house about 5:30 p.m. Kathy is our friend from Slater, Iowa who was also the postmaster in that town. After retirement she moved to the retirement community of Barefoot Bay and now lives in a nice place near alligators, egrets, inlets and a lot of water.

After visiting for a while, Kathy took us to the home of mutual friends, Pam and Dave Games. Dave is also a former postmaster but from Kentucky and Kathy and Sandy originally met them when Dave was the national president of NAPUS---National Association of Postmasters of the United States. We had dinner together at one of the many seafood restaurants in the area. It was good food, (Joe and I shared a broiled fish platter with extra shrimp…. Yummie!), with good friends in a casual and comfortable setting. What could be better?

Day 19 - Connecticut Friends, Conway, South Carolina

Today we toured the Conway/Myrtle Beach area. Conway is an older, historic town with lots of little shops. Myrtle Beach is the big touristy area with too many good restaurants to count. We had lunch at a place called “Drunken Jack’s”. Joe had excellent Clam Chowder and a salad, Sandy had the Sampler Appetizer Platter as her meal: a taste of bacon wrapped scallops and shrimp, crab cakes and blackened beef tips. We shared an order of French fried sweet potatoes that we think had cinnamon on them. Pretty darn good eating!

We walked the River Walk where the restaurant was located, watching peacocks on a little island in the wild, and had fun feeding some pelicans bait fish that a fisherman was getting ready to throw out. We drove around an older portion of Myrtle Beach that had some of the old big southern houses that you picture when you think of the south. Not the plantations, but the in town homes. We also drove around a new development – one where there are condos over the upscale stores, similar to what we saw in Ohio.

We went back to Colleen and Danny’s for an afternoon nap and some relaxation before it was time to go out to eat our last meal together. We went to the Fishbone Grill, a very popular restaurant and one that us girls had eaten at the last time we visited Myrtle Beach. Delicious! Sandy had grilled Tilapia with a mango salsa and Joe had Sea Bass. A wonderful ending to a wonderful stay. It is always good to get together with old friends. And Sandy, Susan, Colleen and Marilyn have been friends for over 45 years. Sandy knows that when she gets in the car, she will already miss them. Joe says that they are all completely different people, but they each bring something special to their friendship, and it just “clicks”.

Oh – and the cork bowl ended at 19 corks. It’s not whether you win or lose, its how you play the game!

Day 18 - Conway, South Carolina

First the good news: Kate has a job with benefits! Hurrah! She will be working at a small firm that does family law - a little bit of everything. She is thrilled and so are we.

That was the best part of yesterday - although it was a fabulous day before that too. We drove to Southport, South Carolina, to take a 35 minute ferry ride (car too) to Wilmington, North Carolina . On the ferry Joe bought some peanuts for a snack but the sea gulls had a different idea and ended up with most of the nuts. Sandy tried feeding them also, very cautiously!

From the ferry we went to a nearby aquarium at Fort Fischer - got to touch different sea creatures - living star fish, horseshoe crabs, manta rays, anemone and some other things that felt like slimy wet marshmellows. This was a really neat and interactive place that we enjoyed very much. And to Marilyn's delight, a there were a lot of turtles. We continued our tour into Wilmington proper for an enjoyable lunch at "The George on the Riverwalk " which was located right on Cape Fear--remember the movies? I got to taste a Soft Shell Crab Po' Boy. We took a trolly tour around the historical area of Wilmington--home of Michael Jordan, David Brinkly, Woodrow Wilson and the third most filmed area in the country--before heading home.

We got back to Colleen and Danny's place where it was our turn to provide/prepare dinner. We grilled pork chops and served it with broccoli, salad, new red potatoes and of course, Iowa's own Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce. Then we played WII. We bowled (Sandy won! Imagine that, the first game of bowling that she ever won was on WII! LOL!). We played baseball, and we did balancing games. If Sandy had really been skiing, she would have broken every bone in her body! She couldn't even do virtual skiing!

Day 17 - Conway, South Carolina

Ok, I'm doing something different for Day 17: I am giving everyone here a chance to talk about the day. We are at Colleen and Danny's place, with Marilyn and Susan and Susan's husband Gary. And here are some comments:

Colleen: Look at the picture, do I really need to say more?

Gary: Wine, wine, more wine!!

Danny: Oh my God! Miles of pleasure.

Sandy: I loved the beach, I picked up sea shells and got my feet wet! And I got to snuggle with Colleen - see the picture!

Joe: I like these tourist destinations, plenty to do, plenty to see. Even better when shared with good friends.

Susan: Chicken Cacciatore, She-crab soup, Hummingbird Cake, Bruschetta, Tzatziki Dip. (That was all in one day!)

Marilyn: Riding in the back of the car like a kid again, running on the sea shore with my good friends, great food with great people: it doesn't get any better than this!

Day 16 - driving to South Carolina

Today we drove 13 hours, 5 minutes (805 miles) from Wolcott, Connecticut to Conway, South Carolina. We drove around NYC instead of through it, it added a few miles, but saved much time. This was at the recommendation of friend Colleen who drives it often. GPS wanted to send us through the city, so we turned off the sound and ignored it. OH - and if you're ever driving down I-95 in Virginia - watch out for speed traps. We were warned, so we stayed within the speed limit, that changed from 55 to 60 to 65 and bounced around without apparent rhyme or reason. We think this whole east coast would be a great place to come on a less structured trip where we could stop and do the touristy thing. There is so much history here!

Marilyn Moffo is with us and we are meeting up with Sandy's high school friends: Colleen Malloy Wells (and finance Danny Franek - also a Wolcott HS Class of 66 alum), and Susan Snow Beadle (and husband Gary). We arrived shortly after 6, Susan and Gary were already here. We'll stay here the next 4 nights (3 days).

We had a wonderful leisurely supper - Danny had made 2 crock pots full of pot roast, carrots, fresh green beans, potatoes. Colleen had made carrot cake and lemon meringue pie that was as good as my mom use to make (and that is the highest compliment I can give!)

OH! and did I mention wine? When us girl friends of 45+ years get together, we collect the wine corks. We've started the bowl and we're up to 6 corks. (Marilyn and I brought the 2 corks we started in CT.) A good start to a good visit.

Day 15 - Patty Manganero and family, Waterbury, Connecticut

After our trip down Memory Lane (Connecticut style), we went over to visit Sandy’s cousin Patty Manganaro and her husband Tony. Patty is Sandy’s Uncle Ralph’s daughter. Patty and her husband live only about 5 minutes from Marilyn’s house. Tony is retired and their son Joe works in an Italian restaurant with his Uncle Jimmy. He is hoping to get his GED and go to the Police Academy. They live in a very nice neighborhood in Waterbury, just near the border of Wolcott.

Cousin Jimmy Myers and his son Chris, and Cousin Rosie and two of her daughters and two of her grandkids were there also. Rosie’s husband is from Columbia and even though he wasn’t able to join us, he made lunch: a pork shoulder roast and rice. Patty added cooked vegetables and a salad. It was a very nice meal.

We spent some time looking at family photos and getting caught up with everyone's life. It was good to touch base with cousins from our childhood that we rarely see.

Day 14 - Marilyn Moffo, Wolcott, Connecticut

We arrived at Marilyn Moffo’s place around 7:30. Sandy is HOME! Wolcott is where Sandy grew up and Marilyn is a high school best friend who is living in her childhood home. She had sausage and peppers waiting for us, with great Italian bread, home roasted red peppers, pepperoni slices and cheese. You haven’t lived until you’ve had Marilyn’s sausage and peppers. Oh my goodness!

Oh, and did I mention wine? It wouldn’t be good food and good conversation without the wine! LOL! We sat around visiting for several hours before calling it a night. The next morning we joined her at her church before heading off to have lunch with Sandy’s cousins (a different blog). Marilyn attends church in Southington - it is a parrish that was established in 1724, and the current building was built in 1830. It is typical New England!

And then we took another trip down Memory Lane (this one in Connecticut): Going by the house Sandy’s Dad built and her grandparent’s home. But they just didn't look the same. The current owners of Gramma and Granpa Myers' were outside, so we chatted with them for a little bit. They've added an addition to the house, so it really looks different. And there were NO flowers or strawberries anywhere in sight. The whole neighborhood seemed so different - but it has been nearly 40 years since the Burke's lived there!

After another evening of visiting with Marilyn, we hit the sack early – we’re getting up at 4:30 a.m. for a long day’s drive down to South Carolina. Marilyn will come with us – we’ll be meeting other high school friends in the Myrtle Beach area: Susan Snow Beadle (who will drive in from Iowa with her husband) and Colleen Malloy Wells and Danny Franek who are now engaged.

Day 13 - Kate Ellis, Brooklyn, New York

The 350 mile drive from Vermont to NYC seemed to pass pretty quickly. We had mountains for about two thirds of the way, and we drove along Long Island Sound as we headed into New York. We arrived while Kate was still at work, and that gave us the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood, enjoy some coffee at a cute local coffee shop and find a great parking space.

Kate (we’re assuming that everyone knows Kate is our daughter!) had made reservations at a trendy Italian place called Aurora. It was only about a 10 minute drive from her place in Brooklyn. We got there around 8 p.m. and were surprised that it wasn’t very crowded because it had had such good reviews. However, by the time we left at 10, every table was filled and there were people waiting. We ended up sampling a good cross section of the menu, we ordered 3 appetizers to share (a flatbread with cheese, scallops and a raw shrimp dish in a light sauce) and they brought them one at a time. For the entrée we all chose something different, but tasted everyone’s choice. Kate had the special – a fish and scallop dish, Sandy had linguini with clams, Joe had a whole deboned white fish that was baked with lemon and fennel inside, and Mo had a steak that melted in your mouth. Her friend Mazique (“Mo”) Smith was able to join us. He is a very nice young man who Kate has known since she started law school. After dinner we went to a club for a night cap before returning to Kate’s apartment.

In the morning Kate had a 2nd interview for a job with a general practice law firm. She was interviewed by one of the partners in the firm who is also a State Senator from New York. She thought it went well. We have our fingers and toes crossed! She dropped us off at a Farmer’s Market where we could shop and get a walk in while she had her interview. Joe brought his trumpet and was able to earn $76.93 – just enough to cover parking. And while we had a good time, we sure weren’t in Iowa anymore: instead of fruits and vegetables, they sold small squares of grass, canned pears, plastic apples and gift certificates for the local grocery store. Ok, we’re just checking to see if you’re paying attention! LOL! It was a pretty nice farmer’s market, but because of the time of the year, it was pretty small, only about a dozen booths. So we found a coffee shop and lingered there, then went for a long walk – long because when we got near to Kate’s place we turned the wrong way and walked about a mile before we realized it…… In the process we walked through the middle of a Hassidic Jewish neighborhood. And of course it was then another mile or so back once we realized our mistake!

When Kate got back from her interview, we visited a while longer, then headed out for a “slice” – pizza. We went to her favorite place, and Sandy just loves New York Style Pizza. All the toppings go on top of the cheese. We visited there for nearly an hour, then went back to her apartment to gather our stuff and move on. We hated to leave, it seems like way too short of a visit. It was so hard to leave her. But! We are retired now, so we can come back and visit our beautiful daughter Kate more often.

Day 12 - George and Flo Myers, South Burlington, Vermont (Gail and Dean Kirby and Gary Myers)

During the day we had been in contact with Gail Kirby, another cousin of Sandy’s, who told us where we could visit with Sandy’s Uncle George and Aunt Flo. George is Sandy’s mother’s younger brother. We headed right to the Starr Road Nursing Center. Flo had recently had a heart attack. Fortunately she had it while she was in the hospital for another condition. She looks GREAT, and should be going home very soon after an infection in her wrist clears up. While Aunt Flo went off to physical therapy, we had a few minutes to visit with Uncle George. They have recently moved to a condominium after the airport bought out their house.

Uncle George talked about his new home, his kids, his grandkids. And as he was pulling out a photo of his great grandchild, I noticed another picture in his wallet: a picture of Flo that she had given him 55 years ago when they were dating. I commented on how beautiful she was, and he replied that in his eyes, she hasn’t changed a bit over the years. We were very touched by how after 54 years of marriage, they still give each other little kisses and say “I love you” to each other.

After a while, their son Gary arrived. Sandy had not seen Gary since he was a little boy. He recently moved back to Vermont from California. It was nice to catch up on his life over the past 40 years. Then cousin Bob Cota and his wife Terry showed up (we had visited with them the day before). And shortly after than cousin Gail and her husband Dean arrived. Gail and Dean both work at the University of Vermont. We all went to dinner at a Texas Roadhouse. Once again – the time we spent together was way too short, but we are thankful that we get to spend at least SOME time with people that mean so much to us.

After we left everyone, we took a little drive down Memory Lane. We drove down past where Uncle George’s house use to be (now a vacant lot), where Sandy’s Great Grandparents Cota lived (now a long term parking lot for the Burlington International Airport), where Grandparents Myers lived (that house is still there), where Great Grandparents Myers lived (now a bank and Post Office). We then drove by where Uncle George now lives in a condo and took a picture for Sandy’s mom. We wish we could have seen inside, but maybe another trip.

Day 12 - 3 Girls from Chile, South America, somewhere in the mountains, Vermont

On the way down the mountain after seeing Jackie and Larry, we went through a town where there were three young women hitch-hiking. We haven’t seen or picked up hitch hikers in years, so this was a surprise. Thinking about our own daughter and the other young women we know, we decided that we would circle back and give them a ride. Better us than someone “strange.”

They were from Chile, working at a resort in Stowe and were headed into Burlington for a day of shopping. We were happy that we could give them a ride all the way to their destination. They asked if they could take our picture, and we decided to take their picture also.

Day 12 - Jackie and Larry Larsen, Lake Eden, Vermont

We left early to have breakfast at Jackie and Larry’s lake cabin. This is when we found out GPS doesn’t do private roads. Nor do cell phones work in mountains. So…. We made it to Eden, then panic set in when all our modern technology failed. We found a General Store and they were kind enough to let us use their land line so we could call and get directions.

Jackie is Sandy’s Uncle Clayton’s second wife. Sandy still considers her an Aunt. She is now married to Larry Larsen, and we were happy to have the chance to meet him. They live in a cabin on Lake Eden year round – and outside their bedroom is the most stunning view of the lake surrounded by trees with the Green Mountains in the back ground. The lake was still frozen over.

Jackie fixed us “Breakfast Sunrises” – their home breakfast specialty that consists of pan fried onion rolls, topped with Swiss cheese and fried eggs and mayonnaise. On the side we had fresh fruit, turkey sausage, donuts and orange juice. Breakfast was not only delicious, but we also didn’t need to eat again until supper!

Jackie retired from teaching school several years ago. Larry spent a number of years in the Navy as a Navy Seal. More recently he has had some health problems, but he is very positive of the recovery he has had. He attributes his recovery to the power of prayer. Jackie and Larry seem very content with the life style they have chosen, and we were happy to share that – even for such a short while.

Day 11 - Donna and Leo Constant, Duxbury, Vermont

We arrived at Sandy’s cousin Donna’s house in time for supper. Donna and Leo live outside of Waterbury VT, in a house they recently built on their 135 acre side of a mountain. Sandy hadn’t seen Donna since their Grandmother’s funeral, so there was non-stop conversation that night and the next (We stayed with them 2 nights, using them as a home base – and we really did feel at home!)

Donna is a Para-Educator in a local school working with special needs kids and a union official with the ESP (Educational Support Personnel) Union. It takes a lot of her time, but she sees the value of being involved. Leo works with the local power company and is hoping to retire in the next two years. He goes to work early and works late –that’s the good Vermont work ethic! Leo is a hardy, very pleasant man who enjoys whatever he is doing. (Although he had a hard time getting a word in with Sandy and Donna’s reminiscing and catching up!) They have two grown children: Molly is a nurse in Florida and we hope to see her when we are at her Grandfather Clayton’s house later in this trip. Max will graduate from Sterling College with a degree in Environmental Sciences in May. They also have a 13 year old Pug named Oliver. Oliver waits at the door for Leo every night and has a staircase to the bed.

Their home is so beautiful – all on one level, with radiant heat in the floors so the temperature was constant. The house also has an art studio for Donna. Donna's art work is on the walls throughout the house, she is quite the artist!!! They have a fabulous view of the mountains and Donna encouraged us to come back in the summer when the trees have leaves. When Leo retires they want to do more landscaping behind the house – building a permanent barbeque grill into the side of the mountain, and terracing the ground behind it. They have a camp further up into the mountain that we didn’t’ have a chance to see this trip (there still a lot of snow on the ground here!)

Oh yeah! Both mornings, as we were getting ready to leave, Joe pulled out his pocket trumpet and serenaded the mountains! The mountains make a perfect amphitheater!

Day 11 - Bob and Terry Cota, Tom and Theresa Pratt, Nancy Hanley, Colchester, Vermont

It was a harrowing trip the remaining way to cousin Bob Cota’s in Colchester, Vermont. We took few major highways and in the process passed two deer and a beaver in the road. GPS is wonderful, but we were a little nervous – their version of the “quickest route” was to literally take us over the Adirondack Mountains on back, sometimes single lane, roads. Joe was surprised to not pass the Donner party! That being said, it was amazingly beautiful!

We arrived at Bob’s place just 2 minutes after the original GPS projection. Bob is Sandy’s first cousin, once removed – actually Sandy’s mother’s cousin. Also there were Theresa and Tom Pratt and Nancy Hanley, also cousins of Sandy’s mom. Theresa would babysit for Sandy when Sandy was just a baby. Sandy’s Mom used to babysit for Theresa, and Theresa was able to share some interesting baby sitting techniques that Sandy’s mom would use.

Bob, along with Sandy’s Uncle George, is the keeper of the family genealogy. We talked a lot about what has been happening on every side of the family, and Bob showed us the bound family history books of the Cote family from which Sandy is descended (Sandy’s mother’s mother was a Cota, which is the modern spelling of Cote) We showed pictures of the Burke decendents, and copied several to a thumb drive for Bob.

We only were able to stay a couple of hours, but they were very enjoyable hours. Then we headed off to Duxbury, VT to visit and spend the next two nights with one of Sandy’s first cousin’s – Donna and her husband Leo.

Day 10 - Azim Ali, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

After bidding Clare good bye, we headed off for Pittsburgh to have lunch with our nephew Azim. Within an hour the terrain started changing. We can see some mountains in the horizon and it is a welcoming gateway to the East.

We got to Pittsburgh a little early, so we found a post office and then after finding our meeting place we began the search for a parking space. We ended up in an underground parking garage, 4 levels underground (thank you again GPS!). We were at a spot where the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University meet. Students and their cars were EVERYWHERE! We passed by the U of Pitt’s, 40 story tower called the “Cathedral of Learning.” We had a few minutes to kill before meeting up with Azim, so we stopped in – and we felt like we had stepped into a Harry Potter movie (picture the dining hall, high vaulted ceilings, very impressive!). We also detected a lot of school pride with U of Pitt’s #1 seed selection in the NCAA tournament.

We met Azim, right on time at the Urban Grill for lunch (Joe and Sandy shared a Philly Cheese-steak sandwich and fries. The sandwich was HUGE!). We had great conversation and then Azim took us to his office that he shares with 4 other students on a NASA project.. Azim is doing his graduate work at Carnegie Mellon, working on some project that we really didn’t understand - something like virtual reality, but not. We’d like to say it was NASA top secret work and if we told you, we would probably have to kill you. But, that’s not the case. The truth is that we can remember when the first remote controls for TV came out and people were afraid of them. This is really really new new technology, and we’re clueless.

In the hall way near his office, there is a bulletin board of pictures of all the students working on various projects. There were “conversation bubbles” on many of them. Azim’s only had a bubble with a Dallas Cowboys logo, so we added another that said “Mom would be so proud!” And we know for a fact that she IS!

Tonight we will stay in a hotel, probably somewhere near Syracuse NY, on our way to the Burlington, VT area.

Day 9 - Clare Wichman, Avon lake, Ohio

Clare Wichman is one of the few grade school/high school classmates that Joe still keeps in touch with. This trip gave us an opportunity to visit with her at her home instead of occasional class reunions. To our surprise, she lives within blocks of Lake Erie, marking the second Great Lake we were able to walk along on this tour.

Clare lives in Avon Lake, Ohio, close to her son and daughter and their families. She has recently retired from teaching 4th Grade and her daughter has followed in her footsteps but doesn’t admit that it was her mother that motivated her to go into teaching. We got to meet two of her grandkids, Cara and Dominic, such delightful kids!

We felt right at home immediately – she has a beautiful home in a neighborhood that reminded us of our own – only with bigger front lawns. She is friends with all her neighbors (no surprise there!) and is totally immersed in many service and social activities that go on in her town. She has a wide circle of friends and does a lot of traveling – a woman after our own heart! In fact this morning, a couple of hours after we left her, she was heading to Las Vegas for a week.

Clare gave us a tour of the town, we walked out on the pier at Lake Erie, and we went to dinner at a Cheesecake Factory that is located in a new upscale outdoor concept mall, with some friends of hers from church. Paul and Lynne are special friends and we are so glad we got to meet them.

This trip gave Joe an opportunity to talk to Clare about their common background of growing up at Angel Guardian Orphanage, catching up on other classmates and nuns that each of them keep in touch with. Clare said that one of the best things Joe did was marry Sandy, which was interesting considering that today is our 36th wedding anniversary.

Day 9 - Jamil Ali, Ann Arbor, Michigan

After leaving the Currey’s we drove into Ann Arbor to meet our nephew Jamil for breakfast. Jamil is working on his Masters of Business Administration at the University of Michigan. We met at the Boken Egg Restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor. The Currey’s had also suggested that place, so we were excited when Jamil picked that same place. We can see why they both like it. It’s comfortable and more importantly, the food was excellent.

If you ever want to find out about the economy, talk to an MBA student. We were impressed with Jamil’s understanding of the current market and it’s implication on not only the USA market, but the International market as well. We’re certain that the employer that hires Jamil will be fortunate to have him. Jamil graduates the end of April. He will take a couple of months off before he starts work with CitiBank in NYC and will start his new career with a 10 week corporate training program.

Even though we saw Jamil when we visited Rashid in Chicago, it was nice to have some one-on-one with him on his own turf.

Day 8 - Joanne and Don Currey, Chelsea, Michigan

We left Donaldson after going to Mass with Sr. Johnilda and headed off to the Ann Arbor, Michigan area where the Currey’s and our nephew Jamil live. We arrived at the Currey’s around 2:30ish and felt like we had arrived home. We were welcomed with open arms. The Currey’s lived in Huxley, and moved to Michigan about 3-4 years ago. Their house is beautiful (Rita: the walls are painted and decorations are up and “appropriate”).

We started our visit with wine and appetizers, and much conversation and updates. I think Joanne knew more about what was happening in Huxley than we did! LOL! She talks to our mutual friend Rita frequently and Rita keeps her up to date.

Then they took us on a driving tour of their town Chelsea. What a nice nice town! We hope some day to be able to visit in the summer when the town has a lot of outdoor activities going on. Actor Jeff Daniels lives in Chelsea and even has his own theater there. Currey’s said there are a lot of good plays there. Chelsea is also the hope of Jiffy – biscuit, corn bread, cake mixes. I understand they give tours, and throw boxes of their mixes out at parades (think candy – only boxes!). There are also several beautiful lakes in the area, so in some regards it reminded us of Clear Lake, Iowa.

We continued our conversations over dinner (NY strip steaks, green bean casserole, a baked home-fries type of dish, and salad. And then there was dessert: a mixed berry pie with ice cream– yummie!) I’m afraid we’re going to be gaining weight on this trip and we just can’t let that happen! We will need to find more time to get in some walks!

We hit the sack around 10 p.m., and for the first time in months (not just this trip), Sandy slept all through the night without getting up even once. We said our goodbyes as the Curreys prepared to leave for their jobs: Don in a management position with the Michigan Farm Bureau, and Joanne as the Executive Assistant to the President of an area retirement facility. Everyone goes to work on Monday except us! And we love it!

Day 7 - Sr. M. Johnilda Mannhard, Donaldson, Indiana

We did it again. This time it wasn’t Daylight Savings Time, it was a time zone change. When we arrived Sr. Johnilda asked what took us so long, we didn’t think much of it until we realized all their clocks were an hour later than ours. Duh. We shouldn’t have a problem with time again until the last week, somewhere around Louisiana or Texas.


A little history: Joe met Sr. Johnilda at Angel Guardian Orphanage while he was in grade school. A bond developed and he continued to keep in touch with her, through High School, College and beyond. We’ve been to the Mother House several times over the years. Joe’s first visit to the Mother House was when he was in the AGO grade school band and they took a field trip there to play a concert.

We spent the night at Lindenwood, a retreat area that is part of the Ancilla Domini Convent center. Sr. Johnilda’s order is the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ (Ancilla Domini in Latin), and she has been a nun for 73 years. She will celebrate her 93rd birthday on May 24 this year. She is an incredible lady.

We also ran into Sr. Kenneth who spent a couple of years in Ames Iowa at our home parrish. She is back at the Mother House now. And we had a brief visit with Sr. Leandra, who was Percy Thompson’s cottage mother (we’ll visit Percy later in this trip). And Sr. Leandra was also known to Clare Wichman, who we will visit tomorrow.

Day 7 - Rashid Ali, Chicago, Illinois

Before we left Chicago, we met our nephew Rashid Ali for an early breakfast at his downtown condo. We were pleasantly surprised to see his brother Jamil there also. He was in town for the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Rashid fixed us “Mommy McMuffins” as his mother called them when she would make for them when they were growing up.

Rashid works for Hildebrandt International as a Consultant. He spends most of his week in New York City working with clients. He is a Manager in Hildebrandt’s Infrastructure and Business Process Practice. I’m not sure what that all entails, but it sounds like it keeps him very busy.

It was a very short visit, but a very enjoyable one. Then we hit the road again, heading off for Donaldson, Indiana. On the way to Donaldson we thought we had some time to kill (see Sr. Johnilda’s blog for THAT story), so we stopped at Dunes National Park in Indiana. WOW! It was almost like being at the ocean – except for the lack of waves. We went for a short walk on the beach, picked up some stones and then continued our journey.

Day 6 - Edelmann/Hernandez/Pedersen, Chicago, Ilinois

This will be our last night with Chris and Lorelle. We spent the day getting ready to go out with Mary Lou, her children Meg and Jerry, and their families.

Joe met Mary Lou and her husband at the time, Pete, when they would volunteer at Angel Guardian Orphanage. He often thought of them as “step-parents” and lived with them during the summers when he was in college. He was even staying at their house when Meg was born (he was at college when Jerry was born).

Now Meg and Jerry have their own families and we try to see them when we can. Meg and Murillo Hernandez have three children: Elena, Jacob and Matthew. Jerry and Mary Ann Pedersen have two children: Francesca and Peter. They are all gifted children. One would think they came from Lake Wobegon because they are all above average (and that’s NOT a joke!).

We all met for dinner at Marcello Father and Son Restaurant for pizza, then Mary Lou and Meg’s family went back to Chris and Lorelle’s condo for a cup of coffee. It was fun to see the littlest, Matthew (age 3ish), interact with Sarge, C/L’s dog.

This was a great ending to four days in Chicago with Chris and Lorelle.

Day 5 - Chris Ellis & Lorelle Lindo, Chicago, Illinois

Today was a laid back day. We went to Trader Joe’s in the morning to stock up on wine to share with the people who would be putting us up (or is that putting up with us??). Trader Joe’s has gotten to be a regular stop for us every time we go to Chicago – but it’s appeal came long before Chris moved to Chicago – Sandy’s mother use to bring and send us treats from Trader Joe’s in California. We’re just keeping the tradition going. And we really really need a Trader Joe’s in the Des Moines area.

That evening we had tickets for the four of us to go see the NPR radio show taping of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” This is an oddly informative quiz show, humorously focusing on the news and events of the week. We laughed for two hours. The most notable person on the panel this week was the comedian Paula Poundstone, and she is so very funny. You might also have heard of Peter Sagal, the host or Carl Kasell, the announcer, who is also the host of NPR’s Morning Edition. It was a great show.

After “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”, Chris had a gig at Cubby Bear’s, a popular bar across the street from Wrigley Field. The band was “Divebar”, and they have plenty of CD’s, so if you’re interested in one contact Chris at falsenorth@gmail.com.

When we got home, we started another game of Trivial Pursuit, seeking redemption for our thrashing the previous night. Sadly it wasn’t to be and they gloated all the way to bed.