Family Reunion

I arrived safely at my Aunt Trudy's house in Mt. Gilead, Ohio on Saturday evening around 6:30 p.m. It took me 7 1/2 hours to get here, which included a wrong turn. (I need GPS in my next vehicle. *sigh*) I treated myself to a cherry dip cone at the Dairy Queen in Kentucky (it is my favorite ice cream treat and I cannot get this in Tennessee.) The traffic was good and I relished the solitude of my car. It was just me and John Denver on the road singing "Take me home, Country Roads, to the place where I belong. . . " There is something special about driving down the country roads and seeing the fields, farmhouses, barns, and animals. I feel like I am home again. Both of my grandparents lived on farms and I spent many years in the country visiting them. It is nice to get away.

The fresh air is wonderful and I love hearing all the sounds of the country. No city sounds at all. . . I'm hearing a lot of tree frogs and crickets, usually at the same time. The tree frogs sound interesting because their song increases and decreases in volume constantly. I’m also hearing birds everywhere. Even though I'm away from the city, it is still not that quiet! I'm hoping to hear an owl while I'm here. . .

Sunday was a family reunion (my mother's family) and was fun. It was only about 20 minutes away from Trudy's house and I saw many relatives I had not seen for a long time. There is nothing like good old country food like fresh corn on the cob, vegetables from the garden, deviled eggs, potato salad, homemade pies, etc. Here are a few family pictures. . .

This is me with my cousin, Becky. Can you see the family resemblance here?These are my mother's three brothers, Bill, David, and Richard Thurston

This is me with Aunt Janet and Uncle Richard. My uncle is a minister and married me and Steve 30+ years ago.