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.

Day 4 - Chris Ellis & Lorelle Lindo, Chicago, IL

There is always something to do when planning a wedding. So, on the schedule today for Joe was to get fitted for a tux. He was leaning strongly towards a fedora and zoot suit styled tux, especially when the attendant said he’d throw in a watch and fob. Chris put the kibosh on that. While Joe will not have the fedora and zoot suit, he will look just dandy.

With the wedding invitations completed, addressed and stamped, the Post Office was the next stop. This turned more into a social event as Sandy took this opportunity to compare notes with the Clerk at the Post Office. Did you also know that there is no single international rate? Different countries have different rates and Australia’s rate is considerably higher than most.

Tonight we played Trivial Persuit - a well fought game, with Chris and Lorelle winning. We had a yummie vegetable stir-fry dinner at home.

Day 3 - Chris Ellis & Lorelle Lindo, Chicago, IL

The distance from Jamie’s house in Crystal Lake to Buck Town in Chicago is 45 miles. We will be staying At Chris and Lorelle’s for 4 days, leaving Saturday. There are also a number of other people we are planning to see while in Chicago. Joe grew up in Chicago before he made his home in Iowa. Those Chicago ties still exist. Also, nephew, Rashid Ali lives in Chicago and we’ll be seeing him during this stay as well.

We settled in at Chris and Lorelle's place and visited with Chris for a while before we headed to a Lorelle’s first game in a volleyball tournament. Her team won and the victory celebration was a trip to McFadden’s Sports Bar where we joined the celebration with the team. This also gave us an opportunity to meet a number of people that will be at Chris and Lorelle’s wedding and in the wedding party.

We ended the evening by helping stuff the wedding invitations and do the last minute preparations for mailing them. It’s always great to have a Postmaster in the family, even if retired. The invitations are absolutely beautiful. Chris and Lorelle spent a lot of time on these and it certainly shows

Day 2 - Jamie & Chris Ewing, Chrystal Lake, IL

After our visit with Nathan and Amie, we headed off to our next stop: Jamie and Chris Ewing and their two boys, Owen and Elliott. Jamie was a close high school friend of our son Chris and was frequently at our house. What a delightful family and home he has now. Jamie and Chris met when they were working at Sam Goodys in Iowa City. They've been married nearly 10 years now.

So often kids are shy with strangers, but Owen and Elliott were our new best friends right away. Even their dog Dexter tried to get into the act. Owen gave us a tour of the house - or at least the parts of it that were important to him: his room, his library books, his trains in the basement family room. And through all of this, brother Elliott followed close behind. Owen did show us the room we would be sleeping in also.

Jamie and Chris commute to Chicago everyday, so we waited at the house until their trains arrived, updating our blog and downloading some pictures. Just sitting in their driveway while waiting for them, it was nice to see that this is a very family oriented neighborhood they live in. We had a nice visit over dinner (lasagna, salad, bread and wine), catching up on their life and reminiscing over old times and discussing plans to meet again.

Day 2 - Nathan & Amie Gieseke - Madison, WI

A non-scheduled - but very much welcomed - stop! We had a full day to drive just 220 miles, so when Joy suggested we accompany her to her son's house we jumped at the chance. Nathan was a classmate of our daughter Kate's, and we haven't seen him since he graduated from college about 8 years ago. He has since married Amie, a lovely young woman who went to Central College at the same time he did. Nathan has lived a few places around the United States before coming back to the Midwest, and he and Aime now have a very active one-year old son, Oliver. What a delightful child Oliver is!

We left as Nathan and Amie headed off to the doctor for a check up. It looks like another Gieseke is on the way.

We stayed only long enough for lunch, but it was a very enjoyable visit.

Day 1 - Joy Gieseke, Mineral Point, WI

Arrived at Joy’s around 3 p.m. She was waiting for us at the door. She lives in an apartment overlooking Mineral Point’s downtown main street. Just two doors from where she works as the Executive Director of the city’s Chamber of Commerce. Joy has been here in Mineral Point for 8 years! It just doesn’t seem possible that she’s been gone from Huxley that long. Her apartment is full of natural wood trim, built in bookcases and cabinets and two sky lights. It is a very homey, comfortable place.

We had a wonderful visit – talking about our past lives, our kids, people we know in common, Huxley, our jobs and grandchildren: actual, anticipated and hoped for. We noticed books in every nook and cranny of her beautiful apartment – and she told us the story of how they came to be. Besides the fact that she loves to read, and hasn’t owned a TV in 8 years. She went to an auction, where there were 3 flatbeds of books among all the other household belongings. I guess the woman selling the stuff loved to read also. She bid on books that were auctioned on a cost per book basis. Got those. Then they continued to auction the books. At the end, she bid $1 for 1/3 of a flatbed of books. The auctioneer told her she could have the whole flatbed for $3.00, so she said ok. She conservatively estimates there were 600 books. She had to borrow a friend’s pickup to get them all home. She has since given many away (even gave one to Joe), but still has lots and lots and lots and lots of books.

For supper she fixed homemade bread (recipe to follow), a spinach-artichoke-chicken casserole and salad. Yummie! She said the bread was really really easy to make, a yeast bread that requires NO kneading! So I asked for the recipe and here it is:

Joy’s No Rise Bread (from Sullivan’s Bakery in NYC)
3 cups flour
1½ tsp salt
¼ tsp yeast
1 5/8 c. warm water
Mix flour, salt and yeast. Add water, mixing by hand. Cover w/plastic wrap and let set for 18-20 hours. Stir it down and let it rest for 15 minutes. Fomr into loaf the best you can (use flour if necessary). Use flour to form loaf. Place on a towel covered with flour (NOT terry cloth!!). Use plenty of flour because it’s really sticky. Let rise 2 hours. At 1½ hours, place covered roaster or dutch oven in oven at 450 degrees. Let it warm in there the final ½ hour that dough is resting. Place loaf intopan with corn meal on the bottom. Cover it, Bake ½ hour. Take lid off and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

Joy is rightfully proud of the work she does – and got Joe’s attention with a map/brochure/website (in the works) that details 30 bike tour routes within a 3 county area in south west Wisconsin. Some of these routes will be quite challenging – and are being considered in Chicago’s bid proposal for the Olympic bike rides for 2016. We have all the information and I’m quite sure that this will be a separate trip in the future. There is also a new theater here in the community that performs all original works. We’re anxious to try this out too.

Day 1 - Thom Mahler - Parkersburg, IA

Our Family and Friends Tour (Part 1) has begun! We left the house at 8:20, later than we had planned, but, duh, we forgot about Daylight Savings Time! LOL! Thanks to Sandy’s mom at 7:21 (“why is she calling us at 6:21??”), we got up and got moving. Fortunately the car was all packed and it didn’t’ take much to finish the last minute stuff – AND change all the clocks!

We stopped at Casey’s, filled up the gas tank, set all the controls to “0”. We also picked up a copy of the Ames Tribune which has a BIG front page picture of the Ballard Girls Basketball team winning the State Tournament. (Kate, we’re bringing it to you!)

It’s a wet, rainy, dreary day. But our spirits are up and we are excited to start this trip. The car is riding smoothly, we’ve got XM Radio and a new Verizon card that allows us to use the internet while driving. We’re slow to get new technology, but we really really love this!

First stop: Visiting our 23 year old nephew Thom (Sandy’s sister Kathy’s son). He lives in Parkersburg Iowa, the town that got wiped out by a tornado last year. An interesting thing about that: he got his first teaching job as Band Director after graduating from Central College and shortly after that the high school was destroyed by a tornado. So he is now teaching in temporary quarters in Aplington while the new school is being built.

We arrived at Thom’s about a ½ hour early – and found out that we weren’t the only ones whose alarms weren’t set for Daylight Savings Time! LOL! His phone didn’t convert over to the new time. He thought we were 1½ hours early! But it didn’t take long for him to whip up breakfast – crab omelets, toast and raspberry tea. And we quickly learned that he has a new roommate. In addition to his pet rat and fish, he now has a tabby kitten named Lilly. Cute little thing! We had a wonderful visit. Thom showed us all the things he’s done with his house and what he plans to do. He’s got a good start on his future.

We’re now on the road headed to visit with Joy Gieske, and old friend from Huxley. She now lives in Mineral Point WI. She has a son that was a class mate of Kate’s, and a daughter that was a class mate of Chris’.

The Day Before - Huxley, IA

It's Saturday, March 7, and we are finalizing getting ready for the trip. Everything we touch has to be finished, for we won't see/deal with it for 5 weeks. Perishable food must be eaten or given away, laundry done, house picked up (nothing worse than coming home to a messy house!), linens fresh, talking to the neighbors to keep an eye on things. Mail has already been stopped and newspaper on temporary hold.

We are really excited to be going. This is a long over due trip that goes back to before we were married even! When our VISTA projects ended in 1971, we took a trip to Florida to visit Joe's mom. We had money in our pocket and all the time in the world (no jobs yet). But we were still back to Iowa two weeks after we left. What were we thinking?? NOW we are taking a longer trip and time wasn't a factor. In making our plans, it worked out to 5 weeks, and that's just fine!

And since we're doing Route 66 in the fall, on our way home we will do Part 2 of our Family and Friends Tour in the Southwest.