Road Trip 2011 - More Family Visits

We were back on our way after the morning burial, stopping for the night in Appleton, WI to visit with Tracy's Dad.  Again, it had been 6 years since last we saw him and we were all excited for the too short visit. He was able to meet us after work at a local park for a cookout. The children remembered his love for sharing "fudge-icles" and he was happy to oblige by bringing a box. We had such a lovely visit, my dad sharing stories of his military training and early years as a surveyor.  Benjamin, especially, enjoyed asking questions and hearing the details.  We enjoyed such a wonderful visit, I was sad it couldn't have been longer.

The children with Grandpa Gary

That night we bunked out at the local Walmart parking lot. The wind picked up and I thought we were going over!! I guess that storm hit a large area, because the next day, after several hours to the U.P., we found that a tree had gone down in my grandparents driveway from the same storm! Yikes! They were without power and water, so we did our best to be helpful. David helped clear the tree and we made a yummy dinner of bacon spaghetti (family recipe) in the camper.  It was fun to invite my grandparents in to our camper to enjoy the cold A/C on such a hot day.

My Grandpa Paul and Grandma Joan's house hold many, many dear memories for me.  I was picture happy while there, doing my best to soak up the favorite highlights of their house in our short visit. I savored the sight of my children playing under the same willow branches that I played under as a girl.

The welcoming sight of that bright red cape nestled among the gardens, lake rocks, and wishing well...

A perfect photo op next to the birch trees that my dad and uncles planted before I was even born!

And, of course, I begged for a tour of the flower and vegetable gardens. Every plant holds a story and some go back to my great-great grandparents!

That night, we headed to my other Grandma's house for an overnight stay.  She was gracious to allow us to wash the several loads of laundry that had piled up. We all showered and it felt sooooo good! We stayed up late visiting and watching Bambi (that I saw for the first time at a Drive-In with this same grandma as a little girl).

That morning we all enjoyed a time of family worship with Gram, sharing our favorite hymns together and bible reading. It was a precious time, sharing our love for the Lord with each other. My Grandma Laverne has spent many years praying for me and it's a joy to share with her the fruit of her labors. The children cherished their time with Grandma LaLa and brought home some little treasures to remember he by. Sadly, I only got one photo. Seems I was busy getting us all cleaned up, visiting, and thinking we'd see her again, so I missed my chance for more.

Bathtime snuggles with Grandma LaLa and Honoree'

Road Trip 2011- Family

Spending time with my (Tracy) family was very special. I hadn't been back to see my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents in 7 years, and it had been longer than that since I'd seen some. I greatly enjoyed introducing our children to my aunts and uncles that were such an important part of my growing up years. I loved seeing my boys become such close friends with my (second? third? however that works out) cousin. While visiting, we enjoyed some laughs and a little sight-seeing in the area.

I was grateful for some extra time visiting and sharing meals with my family, even in the midst of the heavy sadness that hung in the air. My cousin, Luke, was killed in a boating accident at age 29. It was a devastating event and many, many of his friends came to share in the funeral service and burial. It was a difficult time, but also a precious time, seeing our family come together to support and love one another.

Saying goodbye after the burial.

(Tracy, her mom (Nana), and the children)

My dear Auntie Tina hugging my dear oldest daughter. Precious memories being made.

Road Trip 2011 - The Way Out

We took an unexpected road trip last month.  We hadn't planned on getting in any vacation time, but, sadly, the untimely death of Tracy's cousin gave reason for us to reconsider.  After much discussion, we decided that we would make the trip to attend the funeral, hoping we could pray for others and have some time reconnecting with Tracy's family since our last visit that way, seven years ago.

So, Monday morning it was decided we would leave and Monday evening, at 8pm, we left the driveway. We spent the day cleaning out the RV, packing, cleaning the house, and finding homes and caretakers for our critters that had to be left behind. (I know we're a little crazy, but 9 people in the rig is enough. Not interested in loading up the cat, ducks, rabbit, and mice too. :-P )

Our first stop was a truck stop on the side of the road on the western edge of Massachusettes. No pics, sorry. I knew you wouldn't mind. ;-)

Next day we took on the grueling drive through upstate New York. Not saying that we don't love the gorgeous scenery, but after living in the tiny states of New England, trekking across the never-ending NY is brutal. It's always the tough part of our trips. We broke up the drive with trip to the Bass Pro Shop. We'dve been dying to check one of these places out and we were glad we did. Not only did we have fun seeing the unique displays, but I got some cool shades and the children got neato flashlights for night time reading and fun.

We decided to make a stop at Niagara Falls. The little girls had never seen it and were anxious to find a rainbow in the mist.

After making it out of Buffalo, New York, we were ready to be done driving for the day. We stopped at one of NY's lovely state campgrounds, Lake Erie State Park. Actually, this campground made our list of Top Ten campgrounds that we've visited and we all agreed that we'd make a trip again just to stay here. Our site was lovely, the price was reasonable, and I loved the sunset and my early morning walk and bible reading. 

We got up that morning ready to take on some miles.  Once we got near Chicago, we decide to make a run for it and try for our destination that evening.  Too bad "making a run for it" means sitting for several hours in Chicago traffic during rush hour. Blech.  We did have some great views of the city, though, while we inched our way long. :-)

After that challenge, we needed a break. We stopped at a quiet, uncrowded rest stop just over the Wisconsin border. We enjoyed a dinner of loaded baked potatoes (cooking in the crockpot while we drove) and David and the children used up some energy at the playground. I did my usual dinner prep and clean up alone in the quiet camper. I love that time of the day when we travel. :-)

Another hour or so down the road we got through Milwaukee (a lovely city, btw, even if I didn't take pics to prove it) and arrived at Tracy's aunt's house for our 2 day visit with family and to share our prayers and grief over Luke's tragic death.