Back to Florida!

We got packed up and spent a restful night at the house. The next morning we loaded up and eventually left for Indy. We got there plenty early even for us. But when I am driving four hours to an airport, I like to have extra time in case we have problems. As it was, we didn't have any. Except that our plane was delayed, not once, not twice, but three times, then back to the second take off time.  Grrrr. We normally fly Allegient, but this time we flew Southwest. We flew into the main Orlando airport which is big and there is a lot of walking and with Terry already tired, that proved problematic. But we made it. We are here for ten days while the kids go to Montego Bay, Jamaica, on an incentive trip Brandon earned.

Brandon met us in baggage claim and helped us with our luggage. I do think I am going to get another piece of luggage. Mine is an old style and I really would like one with four wheels that I can push along. I may start looking. Also, mine is small to pack for a week. I've had the same suitcase for years, so I think I could spring for one.

We arrived on Friday the 26th of April and on Saturday Brandon took us to "Eggfest." A business, Wassi's, in Melbourne is the number one seller of the "Green Eggs" and every year puts on "Eggfest." There are over 200 eggs being used to cook anything and everything and the food is put out in samples for everyone to try. DO NOT EAT BEFORE GOING TO EGGFEST!  There was so much food and I started turning down samples because I was stuffed. We were there for several hours. There is an indoor pavilion where there is stuff for sale, accessories primarily, and entertainment. You can buy a "beer ticket" and Brandon had one but we didn't. I can't drink more than one beer and the ticket is for five! We had such a great time and it was fun being with Brandon. In late afternoon, they shut down the eggs, which are really ceramic type cookers fired by charcoal. Once they cool down, they are hauled off by people who had bought them prior to Eggfest. By buying one of these "demo" eggs, you get several hundred dollars off the purchase price. Brandon bought his last year which was an XL egg and has since bought the Mini-egg. He does a lot of cooking on it and he does a great job. The food is super good and tasty and he enjoys cooking on it.

The next day the kids were busy packing their luggage for their trip. We spent a lot of time with Brynlee and we were on our own on Monday morning as the kids had to leave shortly after waking her up to say goodbye. She is really sweet and so good for us. She never argues about getting up or getting dressed, etc. We always laid her clothes out the night before so she knew what she was going to wear. She wakes up in a good mood and is ready to start the day. We took her to McDonald's the first day since she had school, then dance class. It made doing supper easy for me. I did do some cooking for us all while we were there and Brynlee ate everything I fixed. Terry grilled for us one night. We only ate out the one night.

We also got to take care of maintenance while we were there. The guys came to replace Brandon's 65" television which had lines running through it. So we coordinated that. Megan's Pelaton had a bad screen as well, so we let the workmen in to fix that. It was a really busy week for us even though Brynlee was in school. The kids stayed an extra day to take advantage of the resort and that was fine with us.

We also got to take care of their new rescue dog, Lily. She's a golden doodle and quite the sweetie. We just love her. She loves to play and wants to be with you all the time.

We enjoyed our ten days in Melbourne. It seemed to come to an end too soon, but on Sunday, May 5th, we flew back to Indy. It was a late night flight and . . . once again. . . there were many delays. What's up with that Southwest? We got back to Indy after midnight and then to our hotel at 1:30 a.m. We decided to stay the night in Indy since it was so late. But neither of us sleep well in hotels, so once we got back home, we crashed and slept most of the day till late afternoon. But it felt good.

So now we begin the process of emptying out the house in Goshen. We are selling it; the buyer is lined up and it's all a go. So now we have to empty it and get it ready for the new owenrs. I can't wait to find something in Florida where we can live in the winter. Terry has to have warm weather, so that is why we are looking for something there.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Kid time!

After leaving the Universal area, we traveled on down to Melbourne for our 9-day visit with Brandon and family. We got into Wickham Park and we were pleased to see that it was a lot cleaner and nicer than when we were here in October. They had quite a few homeless in here then, but then an incident involving a murder (the murder did not occur at the park, but that is where the body was found) spurred them into cleaning up the place. It really wasn't a bad place to camp. . . the good outweighed the bad, but it's just better now. It's always been clean, but they have gotten rid of the riff-raff that would infiltrate the park. They have established some new rules that should help.

We enjoyed hanging out with the kids. Brynlee was in school every day, so I did go with Megan a couple times so I would know how to drop off/pick up when we come back the end of April for 10 days while Brandon and Megan go to Montego Bay. He earned another incentive trip from his company. Basically it's a week's paid vacation to a resort with all expenses paid. He is treated well, but he performs well for his company!

We took one day while we were there and scouted out a couple properties for sale. We just don't know what we want, but we plan to get something in Florida. We would like to have a property where we can keep all our "toys" in one spot, but we would still like to be in a sort of retirement community so that we have people around us and activities to keep us busy. Kind of like what we have in Texas, actually.

We went out to eat a few times with the kids and Brandon cooked for us on his big green egg. We had a great time visiting and going to all Brynlee's activities. She is active in many things and likes being busy.

When we left there the 29th, we headed north toward Virginia to see Jocelyn and her family. Love seeing the kids/grandkids.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Florida Family Time!

We are enjoying our time here in Florida visiting with Brandon, Megan, Brynlee and granddog Jax. The weather has been miserable, though. It's been hot with a super high humidity, so it's been uncomfortable if you are out and about. And then it rains about every day. There is a lot of flooding here which we thought was leftover from Hurricane Irma, but Brandon said they have just had so much more rain than usual and it's not from the hurricane. Many of the sites here at the campground in Wickham Park have now flooded or at least have substantial water on them. We have to walk through soggy grass from the car to the coach even if we park close to the rig. Poor Duchess gets her feet wet whenever we take her out.

Last night, however, a "cold" front came through. And cooler temperatures are to prevail for awhile. It was 64* when I got up and hasn't warmed up yet. I took Duchess for her walk and it wasn't all that cold, but there is a lot of wind and that makes it feel much colder than it really is.

I went with Megan the other day to pick Brynlee up from "school." She goes three times a week for five hours and that gives Megan some time to do some things on her own. That has worked out well because Brynlee really likes her school. She learns new things every day. Yesterday we went to gymnastics class. They do about the same things that Aenea does in her class. . . some tumbling and exercises and balance beam stuff. Both the granddaughters enjoy that.

Last evening we went to dinner with Brandon and Brynlee while Megan did yoga on the beach. It had rained a lot here, but not sure what happened out at the beach. They were able to have their class though.

Today I am going out with Megan and Brynlee to visit her Mom and then out to lunch. That will be fun.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Family Camping

Brandon, Megan and Brynlee arrived on July 2 and we visited with Mom on the way home from Indianapolis. We spent time with them at the house and they were able to visit with some friends and relatives and took time to watch fireworks.

On Wednesday, we drove the motorhome to Belleville, Michigan, near Ann Arbor to camp. Brandon's best friend from high school is getting married Friday and we are going to take care of Brynlee while they are at the wedding. So we are just hanging out here till Friday. We are camped at the Wayne County Fairgrounds and it is really not a bad camp. Kind of a no-frills place but there are a lot of RV's in here and it's a nice comfortable and safe place to camp.

Tonight is the rehearsal dinner and Brynlee and Megan can both go to that, so they will be busy this afternoon and evening. Tomorrow then we will get Brynlee and keep her all night. We will do fine. She is easy to put to bed and she is excited about camping in Grandma's RV. Saturday Megan will get her to take her to a museum where she is meeting a friend. Later in the afternoon there is a picnic for the bride and groom to which we are invited as well, so we are anxious to go. And then we will get Brynlee back in the evening and keep her for the next week, traveling back to Goshen. Brandon and Megan are flying to Denver for his annual sales meetings and they will return back to Goshen at the end of next week. And on Sunday they fly back to Florida. What a whirlwind of activity for them. Our part is pretty simple.

We did receive word yesterday that Terry's Aunt Frances passed away early yesterday morning. She had been in poor health and has had a difficult time since Uncle Bill died. Rest in Peace, Aunt Frances.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Boo at the Zoo!

On Sunday, October 23, I went with the kids and Brynlee to the Brevard County Zoo's annual "Boo at the Zoo!" This is actually the second time I had gone and it was a lot of fun. A lot of the animals are in their huts for the night, but we did get to see a few.

The big event is to get families into the zoo and the kids all come dressed up in costumes. They have a path to follow and they have people passing out candy. They walk through the entire zoo and visit with other trick or treaters and gather candy in their baskets. It was a lot of fun for Brynlee and her friends. Because there is consider walking, they do get tired and we eventually started for home.

I'm glad that the kids include me in these kinds of things when we come because I enjoy seeing Brynlee participate in these activities and having fun.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Yesterday was our last day visiting with Brandon, Megan, Brynlee and Jax. We have had a very enjoyable visit this week. It has really flown by and we've had a lot of fun.

I went strawberry picking with Megan and Brynlee. We had to drive quite a ways north to Mims, but the strawberries were huge and delicious. They don't care how many you eat and they don't care if you bring kids. Sounds like a win-win. It didn't take long to get our fill, both in our baskets and in our tummies. I think I ended up with about 6-7 pounds. It was a lot of fun, but then I wondered what I was thinking with picking that many. It's just hard to stop, though, when you see all those huge ripe berries.

Once we got home to the motorhome, I cleaned them all and put them in bags. Later the next day, I mashed them up, put a little sugar in them and froze them. Then later we bagged them in airtight bags with the foodsaver. Oh, I did forget to mention that I made homemade biscuits and we did actually have strawberry shortcake! I like that with fresh strawberries or strawberry pie. Both are excellent, but I didn't think we'd have time to eat the pie, so I made the strawberries up for shortcake. Looking forward to enjoying that later.

The next day Megan, Brynlee and I went to Orlando. Megan had to go to a followup eye doctor appointment for her Lasix surgery. She is doing very well and seeing better than most people do. She is so glad to have had the procedure done. It was a long drive up there and a long drive back, but we did stop after the appointment and have a late lunch at Whole Foods. That evening, Terry and I babysat for Brynlee while Brandon and Megan went out for dinner and did a little shopping.

Saturday evening we went out to eat at Sonny's BBQ with the kids and Megan's parents, Percy and Diane. We had a very nice dinner and I got to chat a bit with Diane. She is also a teacher and is retiring at the end of the school year.

Sunday morning we had an Easter brunch at Diane and Percy's. We ate and then the kids all hunted Easter eggs. Brynlee and her two cousins all joined in the fun.

Later, Brandon, Megan, Brynlee, Terry and I all drove to Viera and went to a spring training baseball game. The Atlanta Braves were playing the Washington Nationals. I haven't been to a baseball game in 20 years or so. Not really my thing, but it was a lot of fun to be with loved ones and getting caught up in the excitement. Brandon almost caught a foul ball, but a tall kid in the row above has the souvenir. It was a hot day, 84 degrees, and sunny. We all had hats and sunscreen, but we were getting a little uncomfortable when the sun went behind a cloud and stayed there the rest of the afternoon. It dropped the temperature 2 degrees which actually helped and we were able to tough it out. The stadium there is very nice. It's not very old. All the seats were contoured and had backs on them. Brynlee got tired early and Megan ended up taking her home. It isn't very far from their house, so that is good.

It was a great visit and I'm so thankful our kids have wonderful families and lives. And so, we are off on our next adventure. . . to Charlottesville, Virginia, to see the other kids!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Elvis has left the building!

At Milton, Florida, we stayed at a park called Avalon. It was very nice and the staff was very accommodating. We took the last site available and it was a back-in, but no problem for us. It had rained a great deal on our trip across Mississippi and Alabama and north Florida, but the rain was done by the time we got into Avalon. It did, however, start to storm later and we ended up with two dogs sleeping on the bed with us! They usually jump down sometime during the night after all the stormy weather has passed.

We drove from there to St. Augustine for the night and stayed at a park called Stagecoach. We have been there before and it's decent for an overnight.

We continued our push on toward Melbourne, but it was becoming difficult to find any campsites available. At one point, I tried to add a few days to our reservations at Wickham Park, but they showed they were full every day, so there was no point in trying to arrive a couple days early. Eventually we called the International RV Park down the road from Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona Flea Market. It has been years since we have been to that flea market and we love to browse. Gets us out and moving and it's fun to look at all the "junk" that's for sale.

We checked in on Saturday around noon and the owner invited us to a "Fabulous Fifties" party that evening. It was put on by the park and was completely free. That's right, FREE, including booze if you want it. He gave us free tickets so that evening after we fed the girls, we walked over to the hall. They started with appetizers which were very good and a salad bar. While everybody was chowing down on that, they started calling tables. We were called fairly early so we got our food quickly. They served beef tri tips over rice, green beans and a roll. . . along with the salad and appetizers we had eaten earlier. It was very good. I had a couple cups of beer and thoroughly enjoyed it. Kudos to the owners who treated everyone to such a great evening. Dancing followed and even Elvis put in an appearance. The park residents say the owners do a free dinner for everyone once a month. Wow!

When we arrived at this camp, we had some difficulty with our leveling jacks. We have replaced three of the four, plus a control panel. One of the four already replaced is ratcheting and grinding. We are smart enough now to know the "signs" of failure and know that if it breaks in the down position we are pretty much screwed. It would take awhile to get going because when the jacks go down it dumps the air. When a jack is broken in the down position it continues to dump the air anytime you try to go because that is a built in safety feature that you cannot move with a jack down. In that case we have to pull fuses, try to disconnect or remove the jack and then manually pump the airbags up. It is quite the process which we have done before, but Terry didn't really want to mess with it. Fortunately, I was able to raise it and it locked back in, so that is where the jacks are staying until it is fixed. It means we cannot use the jacks to level, so we have to do some jockeying to get as level as we can before we deploy the slides. But at least we are able to run now, so all is good.

We left there Sunday around 11 a.m. and drove on in to Wickham Park at Melbourne, just about five minutes from the kids. Brandon came out to see us after we got setup and then we joined them all for dinner a little later. He had made pulled pork in the crockpot and potatoes, etc. Wonderful meal and wonderful company. Brynlee is just as cute as ever and is learning to say "Grandma" better. She says "thank you" anytime you do something for her and it's adorable. We got to babysit for her today while Megan had a business meeting. Brandon essentially works from home now, but he is in his office most of the day, so we were glad to help out with Brynlee.

We finally made it. We are glad and we will have a great week! There is a launch tonight at 11:05 p.m. of an Atlas 5 rocket. Skies are clear right now and expected to stay that way. We are hoping nothing happens to postpone it. Brandon says we will be able to see it clearly from the park. I mean, it will pretty much look like a fireball, but we should get a good view of the flash from here. Terry's making popcorn.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Florida Time!

We drove for three days, some longer days than normal for us, but we wanted to get to Florida and spend some time with Brandon. He had a couple days off while Megan was gone to a Plexus seminar, so we got to spend some rare time with him on a weekday. He wanted to attend an event on Saturday, so we got to babysit. That was soooo easy. They don't even have to sneak out of the house. They just tell Brynlee bye and that Grandma and Grandpa are staying with her while Daddy goes away for a bit and she's fine with that. I find that pretty remarkable for a two-year old!

I got to go to a swim lesson for Brynlee, but they wouldn't let me take pictures. She enjoyed the water and got to play with Megan in the pool. She's certainly not afraid of the water. I know Megan and Brandon want her to learn enough to save herself at this stage if she were to fall in the pool.


We had really good weather while we were there. It was sunny and temperatures were mild. But there was some wind for several days. No hurricanes or anything, but we went out to the beach one day to look at the surf and it was really wild. It was a little hard to even stand up. There were small craft warnings and, of course, no swimming or surfing. The waves were really big.

We camped at Wickham Park again. They have really made improvements in this park and we have come back to it after several years' hiatus. There were gypsies living in it years ago and they just took over the comfort stations and had derelict rigs and hardly ever followed the rules. It's been cleaned up a lot since then and we are enjoying camping there once again. The sites are so spacious it makes for a comfortable stay. This time they were in the process of putting up the Christmas lights and just about every night when we arrived back after dark, another section would be lit. They do that at night and then go around changing and adding bulbs. It's a lot easier to see them at night.

An extra special treat was seeing two eagles in the park. They were on light poles and were quite a ways from me, but I was able to snap a couple decent pix with my Sony. They were beautiful birds and I got to see one take off and soar around.

We babysat again for Brynlee while Brandon and Megan went out to eat. It was so much fun to be able to play with her and listen to her. She talks a lot and I was able to understand a lot of what she says, but not everything. But if I tell her I don't understand her, she doesn't get mad. She just goes on to something else. LOL

As usual, our time there ended way too soon and we found ourselves headed out of Florida toward cousin Gary and Jo's in Zachary, Louisiana.

Till next time. . .

Dale

More family time. . .

Jocelyn and the kids left just before the 4th because they wanted to spend the 4th watching fireworks from their favorite site in Charlottesville. I got the house cleaned and ready for the next "wave" of kids to come.

After they left we were able to squeeze in a closing on another duplex! Whoo hoo! Three down, one to go. The fourth is actually under contract and we have a closing date of September 14, so life is good. We are keeping the "storage condo" for now because it provides a nice place for the kids and their families to stay when they come to visit other family.

Thursday, July 9, we picked up Brandon, Megan, and Brynlee at the Fort Wayne Airport in the evening. We had a cup of coffee while waiting for their plane and once we retrieved their luggage, we headed for Goshen. We got them all situated in the house and then we left for the campground.

We spent the next few days visiting with them and helping Brynlee celebrate her birthday. Since her birthday is later in the month and we won't be able to be there, we decided to give her our gifts so we could watch her unwrap them. I got her quite a few clothes because I found some really cute things on sale and we also got her a kids' Kindle. It is quite versatile. . . not quite a I-pad, but much cheaper and is able to hold a lot of kids' movies and books and things that they like to look at. She is also quite adept at "2" at maneuvering her way around an I-phone, so the Kindle will be a breeze. Aenea is good at that too. Brandon had made the suggestion because when they travel, Brynlee is always wanting to use their devices, so now she will have her very own. I think she really liked it. Brandon showed her how to do some things on it and it didn't take long before she was using it on her own. We enjoyed getting to see her open her gifts.

We really enjoy having the little ones in the house, but the dogs seem to enjoy the peace and quiet of the motorhome after we leave the house! In some cases, Butterscotch can be found on somebody's lap, safely out of reach of toddler hands. Most often, Duchess is hiding under the desk in the kitchen!

The kids are here because cousin Kellie married Tommy on May 8 and is having a reception on Saturday the 11th. We are taking our little motorhome down to the woods at Nita's and staying there with our dogs. The kids got a hotel room. This one picture is of Mom, Dad, Brandon and Brad. They are the only grandsons and are 10 months apart in age.

They got to spend some time with Mom and Dad before and after the event and we got some great pictures. The kids have always enjoyed spending time with Mom and Dad and my parents appreciate the time the grandkids make to visit with them.

Here are a couple of pix with Mom and Brynlee, ages 90 and 2 and Dad and Brynlee, ages almost 91 and 2.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Kid time!

We've spent the last week visiting with Brandon, Megan, Brynlee and Jax. Sorry I haven't posted, but we spend every day with the kids doing different things and when we get home it's usually late and I'm too tired to post. So I spent the week enjoying our time immensely and will just try to recap the week.

We stayed at Wickham Park again, which is now only about one-and-a-half miles from the kids since they have moved. We alternated with time spent at both their house and the motorhome. A couple mornings Brynlee and Megan came out to the playground at the park. We would meet them there. I am really impressed with Brynlee. She goes down the big slides by herself and can hold onto bars and pull her legs up. I think that's pretty good for 20 months!

On Saturday, Megan and Brandon went to a movie and we got to babysit. It's so hard with Brynlee. She just plays and plays and when you tell her it's time for bed, she walks into the bedroom. Change her pants, put her jammies on and put her in bed. That's it. . . no drama. She lays down, I turn the nightlight on and the sound machine and she goes to sleep. And it's like that every night. We babysat for her when the kids went to trivia night at Buffalo Wild Wings and it was the same scenario. She seems to be getting a little fussy from time to time, but she is cutting FOUR molars at the same time, so she's entitled to that. Tough gig for a wee one.

On Easter Sunday, Brandon and Megan hosted dinner. Megan's Mom Diane made most of the meal, which was roast pork loin and twice baked potatoes. Megan contributed roasted vegetables and I brought a fruit plate. It was a very good dinner and we all had a good time. Diane and Percy  played Easter bunny and organized an Easter egg hunt for the little ones, so Brynlee and her cousins Kerrigan and Kaiden all got in on the hunt!

We went to the zoo one day. That have a little water park for the little kids and we met her friend Pepper there. They put their swimsuits on and played in the water. They had a great time. It was really fun to watch. She and Pepper and best friends and it's fun to watch them interact.

It was pretty hot while we were there. It was in the 80's and Terry was complaining. Course he was complaining about the cold in Texas and now the heat. But it's not the heat so much as the humidity. That has been the hard part. We aren't used to that. It gets hot in Texas, but it's a "dry heat." Big difference. We had maybe one rain storm, but it was at night, so it didn't bother us much.

We went to "Tumbleweeds" a couple mornings with Megan and Brynlee. It's kind of like "Gymboree" but a little more advanced. Brynlee really likes trying all the bars, trampolines and balance beams out. She can walk across the beams really well. I was impressed!

We were not disappointed with wildlife sightings at Wickham Park this time. We normally see a lot of armadillos and we didn't see but one. That was late at night on our way back into our camp. It was sauntering across the road. We stopped and waiting for it to cross. We have occasionally seen gopher tortoises there and they were out every day this time. They are pretty big. Their shells are contoured around their legs and head. They really don't like being around people, so it's hard to get a picture up close. I had to take their pictures with the zoom lens. They come out of the scrub and eat the grass. They are curious little animals.

Our last night there on Thursday night, Megan had a Mom's group get together, so we stayed at the house and "helped" Brandon watch Brynlee. He has really made me proud of the way he handles his father duties. He is a very good dad and Brynlee lights up every time she sees him. My son-in-law Tom is a great dad too. My grandchildren are really blessed to have not only great moms in their lives but also dads! This is a picture of Terry and Brandon. Love these two men!

Our time with them was too short, as it always is. But we will see them again. We leave Friday morning, the 10th, for Virginia to see the other kids/grandkids!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Where do I start, part deux?

We drove three days from Virginia to Florida and got settled into our camp in Wickham Park. This is a very nice county park which has upgraded to full hookup sites. We stayed here years ago but it was quite a ways from Brandon's house and then there were those itinerant gypsies who took over one loop of the campground. They have since moved on and since Brandon and Megan moved, they are less than two miles away from the park! Whoo hoo!

The kids had just closed on their house on the Wednesday before our Sunday arrival and had not stayed at their new place till Thursday night. I was amazed when we got there, however, at how much they had accomplished. Brandon had actually emptied the two storage units he had as well as the pod sitting in the driveway. A lot of the stuff was in the garage and there were a lot of boxes in the house to be emptied, but furniture was set up and the first night we were there, Brandon got the entertainment center up and the TV working. By the time we left, almost all the boxes in the house were emptied and put away and the garage was emptied enough to put Megan's car inside. They worked every day and we helped out while we were there. I watched Brynlee and Terry had several projects that required his expertise. Brandon wanted new fans in the a couple of the rooms, so Terry helped with that. This time around, however, he supervised and Brandon did all the work!

They have a lovely lanai in the back, with access from several rooms. It is all screened in and there is a pool. It's lovely and we sat out there in the evenings and enjoyed the bug free environment.

The first night there, I went with Megan and Brynlee to "Boo at the Zoo." The zoo was decorated for Halloween and the employees were passing out candy to the kids. It was a fun time and I think Brynlee enjoyed it. When it got dark, however, you couldn't see any animals.


Yesterday Megan took us out to where the manatees hang out in the winter, but there weren't any there. It's been pretty warm there, so imagine it would take cooler water for them to head for the canals. We went to a boardwalk and walked out on the steps to take pictures of the ocean. It was really beautiful and Brynlee was mesmerized by the sand. I think she liked it on her feet, but after we got back in the car, she wanted the sand off her feet. Hah. That's a toddler for you!

Yesterday little Brynlee had surgery for a "lip tie." This occurs when the upper lip is tethered to the upper gum. Brynlee's actually passed through her front two teeth causing a gap there. The doctor said it definitely needed to be "released" so that it wouldn't interfere with talking, etc. So yesterday was the day. The kids had to take her in early, but the procedure only lasted a couple minutes. Brandon said they were very surprised it was so quick. They just cauterize it and release it from the upper gum. She was fine after the procedure but her lip did swell up a little. Understandable. We just joked that she had had a "botox" treatment. LOL

We enjoyed our time in Wickham Park, although we weren't there much. The girls stayed in the motorhome while we were gone, but we were there most mornings, came back for lunch, then out again, then back for supper. So they really weren't alone that much, got lots of walks in, chased squirrels and "observed" the armadillos. I don't think I would want the girls to try tearing into one of those, but I'm sure they would give it a shot. They were certainly curious about them and mostly just stood very still and watched them.

We saw hawks, blue jays, scrub jays, and ibis. And also in the park we see tortoises once in a while. We saw two large ones (could have been the same one) and one small. They are very timid and it you try to get close to take a picture, they will head for the brush. Luckily, I had my good camera when we saw one out and I was able to get a few shots of him.

We really enjoyed our time with the kids. They let us come and spend time when we could and we tried to help out as much as we could as well. I especially liked taking care of Bryn. After the first night, when she saw me come in the door, she would toddle up to me with her arms up. That melt my heart! Hated to leave the kids, but we will be back in the spring.

We are headed west, spending tonight in Lake City, Florida.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Time with the kids!

On Wednesday, May 7, Brandon, Megan and the baby Brynlee arrived via plane in Indianapolis. They drove on up to Goshen, stopping on the way up to see Mom and Dad. They enjoyed seeing the baby, as they had not seen her yet and she is almost 10 months old.

They arrived in Goshen in the evening and we were ready for them. I had some new toys out and planned to spend as much time as I could with the baby. I knew I wouldn't see her again for awhile, so I want her to remember me when she goes back home.

We had a fun filled few days with them and the baby seemed to enjoy the dogs and vice versa. They were very tolerate of her and when she got just close enough, they would get up and move. Hah. On Saturday we had all the cousins in. Brandon got to see cousins he hadn't seen in years. Also there were aunts and uncles there he hadn't seen for awhile either. We invited George and Dorothy, our managers and Aaron, Brandon's friend from high school and also Dave and Jenna, friends from Purdue. It was quite the time, with about 30 people there. Fortunately the kids headed for the basement and played games down there. Occasionally a couple of the guys would go down there and torment them. I had bought food for the day and got most things already prepared and just set it out and let people eat. Fortunately they were hungry and I got rid of a bunch of the food I had bought. It was an easy food day for me and that meant I got to spend more time visiting with everyone. We started at 2 and the last ones left around 9 p.m. It was a great time and I'm so glad everyone could come. We had two babies. . . Bella, who is my niece Staci's 6 month old and Brynlee who is almost 10 months. They are second cousins and were really cute together and I have a picture of them with my Mom who would be great-grandma.

The next day which was Mother's Day we had dinner down at the Honeywell Center in Wabash. We have been joining Mom and Dad and my sister and family for several years. It was a special treat for me to have Brandon, Megan and Brynlee there. Thanks so much for coming kids and being a part of our celebration.

Till next time. . .

Dale