Headed South

On Wednesday, December 12th - two days later than planned - I got everything put away, hitched up and headed towards Jackson, MS.

10 minutes out I run into a standing still traffic jam on I-81. Unfortunately, it didn't stop until just AFTER the exit that would have been my escape route. So it took me 90 minutes to go 30 miles. Not a great start.

The rest of the day was uneventful and I only hit serious traffic in Knoxville, TN.

I stopped for the night at the Wal-Mart in Scottsboro, AL. After an hour on the roughest stretch of road I've ever been on with the Airstream. It was an old fashioned poured concrete highway with expansion joints that seemed to be 10 feet apart. Whatever the distance, it hit a resonance at 60 mph that made me think the Honda was going to bounce right off the front of the truck. 50 mph only rattled the fillings out of my teeth.

I was so happy to see that Wal-Mart sign. I was the only RV in the lot and I had a quiet night's sleep.

Here's a map

I intended to get an early start but realized as I started out that I had no trailer brakes or lights. Half an hour of trouble-shooting later I was on the road with everything working.

I was still able to make it to Timberlake Campground in Brandon, MS by 3:00, thanks to the change to Central Time. It was important that I get there before 5 because the campground office closes then. I did not have a reservation. I had read on an RV review site that reservations were all placed in the concrete jungle right next to the highway. "Drive-ups" are given their choice of available spots and there are many beautiful spots right on the waters of Ross R Barnett Reservoir. The really strange part is, if you make a reservation and find the place mostly empty when you arrive, you'll forfeit your "one night's deposit" on the bad spot in order to park in a good spot. So I took my chances. I was told there were only 5 spots available. When I went to check them out I found that they were all on the water. Apparently there are a whole bunch of people who wouldn't pay double for their first night to get a lake front spot. So they're all sitting on the concrete, listening to the traffic. While I'm enjoying a waterfront site, listening to the ducks.

Here's a map of today's travels.

Brandon, MS is where my friend Lesly lives. The campground is less than a mile from her home so I would have stayed here regardless of the spot, but I am happier on the water.

We had a quiet dinner Thursday and Friday we went to Canton, MS for the Christmas Festival. All the shops around the Historic Square are open and lighted with many competing in the "Mulled Cider" competition. We aren't sure, but I'll bet that the one shopkeeper offering spiked cider won. It's a beautiful little town. Someone has donated a large collection of animated store figures. Many were true antiques but I also spotted several from the original Disney World's "It's a Small Small World." I wondered where they all went.



Local history says that the citizens of Canton weren't really supportive of seceding from the Union and didn't fire at the Union Troops. So the Courthouse and surrounding buildings were not burned. It's one of the oldest still original cities in Mississippi.

Lesly and I had fun shopping and people watching. Saturday was supposed to be Honda day, but it dawned cold and rainy.

Saturday evening we went to see The Nutcracker, put on by Ballet Manificat, a Christian Missionary dance group. A truly professional group with a very different version of the story. Instead of a nutcracker, Grandpa gives Clara the family Bible. The battle is between the Devil and Angels. Clara visits Heaven and sits with Jesus while the nations of the world pay homage to Him in dance. It was a beautiful story, beautifully presented.

On Monday I headed back to Irish Bayou and found a worse stretch of road than the one in Alabama. I drove most of the length of I-55 at 45mph, with everything in and on the truck and Airstream bouncing all over the place. But I arrived at Vince and Lonnie's safe and sound.

Map

I'll only spend one night here. Then I'll fly to State College to be with my grandkids for Christmas.

Although it still gets a little hectic sometimes,

Life is Good !

A Short Stay in Salem

We arrived back in Salem on Friday, November 30 in time for me to go to a party at the home of Phylis and Wayne Parker, long time friends from Church. Phylis prepared several wonderful hors d'oeuvres and some incredible desserts. We all ate WAY too much. I'm sure everyone there would agree with me that they're great hosts. It's so much fun to go where it's obvious that the hosts love being hosts.

I stopped back the following week to talk with Wayne. I was his excuse for stopping lawn work for a little while. Just reminded me how much I love my new life style.

The week included seeing my Goddaughter, Erin for the last time before her 21st Birthday. She's too grown up to suit me now. It'll really be hard to see her next spring after her birthday. I didn't get to go to this Christmas Party, but it's the most recent picture of her I have



I invited some friends to join me at the "Holiday Pops Spectacular" with the Roanoke Symphony, Salem Choral Society, Roanoke College Children's Choir and UNA Dance Theater. Becky Kiser and her daughter Alex, and Carol Wheeler were to be my guests. Carol and I got to the Civic Center early. I was very sorry to receive a phone call from Becky, about 30 minutes before curtain to tell me that both she and Alex were sick and couldn't come. That nasty winter "thing" that was going around had hit both of them at the same time.

I just couldn't stand to waste two tickets so I went to a couple waiting in line to get to a ticket window. When I asked if they were waiting to buy tickets or were they in the "will call" line, the lady said, "We're waiting to buy tickets. The show is almost sold out, so I know they'll be way in the back but my husband was out of town and we weren't sure he'd be back in time so I didn't buy them in advance."

I said, "Well, here are tickets for two really good seats. Enjoy - and Merry Christmas." When they sat down next to us and we started talking we discovered that she had been a substitute teacher and knew all three of my kids. It really is a small world, especially in a town the size of Salem !

I had friends in every one of the performing groups but I especially wanted to see Maria Jessee dance. She's the young lady I talked about in my October 10th blog. It was a major "inbetween" just learning that she was dancing. When I had talked with her in October she told me she was dancing in The Nutcracker but the performance was after I'd be gone. So I didn't think I'd get to see her dance again this trip. But I saw Unurbat Gunaajav, the director of UNA Dance Theater in the grocery store and asked him what they were doing for Christmas. He told me that they were dancing with the Roanoke Symphony. Even though Maria was dancing with another group, he said that he had asked her to dance for him as well. She agreed. Oh, and the only reason I saw Unur was that I had forgotten something and had to make a second trip to Kroger's. AND it would be the first time I'd get to see Maria "en pointe."

The concert was great and the dancing was exquisite. Thanks to the wonders of cell phones, Maria's mother was able to direct me to the "stage door" after the performance so I could give Maria roses

I haven't seen them at Church because they've been going to the Saturday evening Mass so it was great so talk with the whole family, even for a short time.

One more performance before I headed south - Emily Milan (see Dec 13th blog) was performing in "A Christmas Story" at the "Showtimers" theater. Emily is on the far right on the poster. And, again "Tinkerbell Jerusalem" came through. All performances were sold out and with little-to-no encouragement they put my name on the waiting list for cancellations. The day before the performance I got a call - one ticket available. Funny, funny show. When I went back stage to see Emily, I also saw Jane Brill, the Director. She was Tom's English teacher at Salem High. I DID say that Salem was a "small world" didn't I?

I'm so Blessed to have so many incredible young people in my life. It's hard to leave them, but after a couple of days running errands it was time to head south. Email and cell phones do keep us all in touch. And I'll be back next year to see them again.

State College, PA

Home of JoePa and the Nittany Lions

The Monday after Thanksgiving I picked up my daughter, Lena at Hollins Manor Home for Adults and we headed up Interstate 81 on our way to State College, Pa. We arrived at Thomas and Ann's house after a dreary, rainy, foggy but safe and uneventful 6 hours.

As soon as we walked into the house, my 15 month old grandson Ben



gave me a great big hug. I grinned from ear to ear and told Ann, “That made the 6 hours worth it – anything else is just icing on the cake." And there was lots of icing over the next few days !

On Tuesday, Ann fixed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner for all of us, and her Mom and step-dad joined us. Then she left early to take Casey to get ready for her role in The Central Pennsylvania Arts Council version of The Nutcracker. While Ann stayed backstage and herded little girls, Lena, Thomas and I sat out in the audience and enjoyed a wonderful performance by the Ballet, the LIVE orchestra and the Children's Choir. It's been years since I've been to a Nutcracker with live music. It makes such a wonderful difference. Casey was beautiful, of course and it was so much fun to watch her dance in that beautiful theater.



On Wednesday night, Ann went with her Mom and step-dad, and Sarah and her friend Nina







to enjoy the show as part of the audience instead of the back stage crew. Thomas and I stayed home and babysat Ben while we watched Penn State's men's basketball team beat VA Tech – on TV, but we did get to see it!!

Sarah is now going to Kindergarten at Corl Street Elementary School where Casey is in the 4th grade. I had lunch with each of them on separate days. When Ms. Davis, Casey's teacher from last year saw me in the hall, she yelled, “Grandpa's back” and gave me a hug. I got to spend some time in each of their classes after lunch. They seemed pleased to have Grandpa visit and I know I had a ball.

Ann and the girls were busy making cookies before I arrived.



Lena and I picked up the girls from school on Thursday afternoon and we went to the Creamery for some of the world famous Penn State Ice Cream. The new Creamery is big, bright and airy, but somehow lacks the charm of the old building, which was torn down this summer. The ice cream, however, was as good as I remember when I was there 40+ years ago.

Here's another picture of Sarah



We got up bright and early Friday morning to return to Salem on a beautiful sunny day. The Shenandoah Valley is such a pretty drive. I started missing the Grandkids almost before we got out of town. But I'll see them again in a few weeks for Christmas.

Life is Good !

Thanksgiving in Salem - VA, not MA

The Milan family "adopted" me three years ago when they invited me to their family Easter dinner. Some years before they started having their Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinners in the community hall of our Church. And they invited a few lucky friends to join them. I had a wonderful time, met many Milan's that I had not met before, enjoyed the food, the games and the conversation.

The following year they decided to do Easter at Nancy and Barry Trent's home. I hesitated to go. It just seemed less appropriate to crash a family party at someone's home than it did in the Church Hall. But two different Milan's invited me, so I went. I had even more fun than the first time. I sent Nancy a thank you note. She replied that the thought was very sweet and appreciated, but for future reference, family did NOT send thank you notes to family for family gatherings. I'll not miss a Milan gathering of any kind when I'm in Salem !

This year was great, as always. Wonderful dinner, fun games and lively conversations. I sat for dinner with Rick Milan and his two daughters, Laura and Emily, and his son, Kerry. We then retired to a side room where Rick taught us all that you should never play Blogger with the guy that brought the game. I won't embarrass us patsies with the scores. But Rick's score had more digits than anyone else's.

The "Emily" is the young lady I introduced to you in my October 10 blog as "Another 13 yr old that I've known from Church since she was 2 or so..." An incredible young lady. When I went back to find the date, I re-read what she had said the day before..."even school's been great - you know that warm feeling that you get when you're spending the day with friends, all laughing, smiling, joking, and you suddenly really appreciate life and your spirits rise to the point that you could almost start crying from joy? I have experienced that at least five times every day for the past, I dunno, two weeks or so. It's been wonderful."

Can you see why I love to talk with her? We weren't able to get together before this dinner. So it was great to catch up on her school, orchestra, and acting news.

Here are some pictures

Some of the kids



Food Line



Nancy and Barry with their son, Will



Emily's family plus Laura's boyfriend, Nathanial

left to right, Kerry, Nathanial, Laura, Rick, Emily



Emily and me



So much to be thankful for on such an appropriate day !

The Monday after Thanksgiving I drove to State College, PA to spend a few days with Thomas, Ann and the 3 Grandkids. Stay tuned - I WILL catch up and it will NOT be a month between posts again.

GATLINBURG - BRRRRMMMM BRRRRRMMM

On Sunday, October 28th I got on my Honda Shadow and headed down I-81 to Gatlinburg, TN. I try to avoid Interstates - it's just not as much fun "slabbin' " as the bikers call it. But it was about 4 1/2 hours on the I-81 vs 12 hrs on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

And since Lesly was meeting me there to go riding in the Smokies, the Interstate won.

An uneventful 5 1/2 hours later (I stop and stretch often) I arrived at TreeTops Resort, a beautiful Time Share, complete with Jacuzzi and fireplace.



On Monday we rode through the Park to Cades Cove. The link will provide lots of info, but you really have to ride the loop to appreciate the quiet beauty and isolation. I got lots of "slow riding" practice as the cars in front of us stopped to watch deer. The leaves were at their peak and it was a beautiful ride. A motorcycle is definitely the way to do it - unless you're a LOT younger than I am and would like to do it on a bicycle.

Tuesday was a shopping day. I found a pair of snowboard pants that are perfect for keeping me warm on the Shadow. And Lesly found a BIG candle in a bucket that provided us with warmth and fragrance for the whole week.

I had told Lesly that Dollywood was a "must see" because we had to spend a lot of time listening to the Bluegrass and Old Tyme music that is a part of these Tennessee hills. But I hadn't realized that there would be bands playing all over the place. Several locations in town and at lots of shops along the "Arts and Crafts Community" road.

Here is one of the "side walk" groups that we went back to listen to several times. The banjo player is 14 years old and is one of the best I've ever heard.



I even got to jam a little with Jerry and Joan Paul of the "Lost Mill String Band". Jerry was nice enough to let me play his 1935 Bass.



Of all the banjo players we heard, Joan Paul was the ONLY one playing "old timey" style clawhammer or "frailing" banjo. I'll probably hear from some purists who'll ask me, "Which was it? Clawhammer or Frailing?" She called it "Clawhammer" and after 44 years, I can't tell the difference. She was VERY good and it was a real pleasure playing a tune with them.

Jerry introduced me by saying, "We haven't seen a good Bass player passing through these parts in a long time." I said, "You still haven't." He said, "Oh yeah, you wouldn't have accepted the offer unless you had some talent." I said, "You're wrong. In my case, 'no talent' goes along well with 'no shame.' "

Wednesday we went to Tellico Plains, TN to ride Route 129 over the mountain to Deal's Gap, NC. This road was discovered by motorcyclists about 25 years ago and has become world famous among bikers as "The Tail of the Dragon". It has 315 curves in 11 miles. Many of them look like this but many others are much tighter.



I MUST go on record as saying that Lesly is the best passenger in the world. We rode the Dragon both directions at safe but still exciting speeds. And she didn't scream, "Oh My God, I'm gonna die" one single time. Not even when I started dragging the footpegs.

We did stop at some overlooks to enjoy the views.



Thursday was another day of shopping and hanging around downtown people-watching.

One more day of riding - this time in the car - took us to the top of Clingman's Dome. For those of you who don't click on the links, it's the tallest point in the Smokey Mountain National Park at 6,643 feet high. And, as promised, it was COLD and WINDY. But worth the drive and then the hike to the top and the observation platform.

Lesly took these wonderful pictures






What a wonderful week it was! We went late in October to accommodate Lesly's work schedule even though the leaf color typically is gone by then. But, just like New England, they were at their peak while we were there.

Another uneventful ride on the Interstate got me back to Salem safe and sound.

NEWS FLASH - at least in TN, Waffle House is now smoke free !! YEAH ! GREAT omelettes and no cigarette smoke ! Haven't checked out VA yet, but it's on my to do list.

"Life's Not FAIR" - Thank you God! If life was fair, I'd not be having NEAR this much fun !

BACK IN SALEM FOR TWO HAPPY SAD DAYS

October 25th -Arrive back in Salem around 11:00pm.

October 26th - collapse for a day of rest.

October 27th - Memorial Service for dear friend Bob Myers in morning. He passed away quietly in his sleep. Bob's wife, Loretta and Mary Ann had been good friends, brought together at Church by her incredible Granddaughter Emily. Loretta passed away in 2004, 3 months before Mary Ann did. Here's the letter that 7 yr old Emily wrote to me when Mary Ann died.




When Mary Ann died, Bob was still pretty much a basket case, but he was three months less of a basket case than I was and he was a major inspiration that helped me through the initial grieving. And Emily was there every Sunday hugging and loving on me. She was, and still is, an incredibly Faith filled young lady and it's a major Blessing to have her in my life.

Bob and Loretta had moved from Baltimore to Roanoke because their Emily and her brother, Andrew were here and his passing will leave a huge void in their lives. On top of the loss of their Grandpa, their recently separated Mom is struggling with her new life as a single parent with a difficult ex-spouse. I took the kids out for Pizza before I went to New England. And we all went to a Christian Motorcycle Association skate party last Monday. Carol (the Mom) and I have talked on the phone for hours and we're now sitting together at Church, taking turns crying depending on the Hymns that are played.

They've found a place in my heart that feels like I have a new family. I hope that I have been some help to them during this hard time.

God is still providing me with Blessings. Emily and Andrew came to Church with Bob and Loretta. So I didn't know Carol. I called her to offer to take the kids for an afternoon or evening and we talked for about 3 hours. My motive was simply to try and return some of the love I'd received from the kids at my time of need. And God Blessed me with so much more than I've given.

As I've said here before,

My favorite Meister Eckhart quote is:

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice”.

And as the publisher of "Tinkerbell Jerusalem" says, all that is required to develop Belief is "SUPA" - "Show Up and Pay Attention". If you do, you'll see God at work in your life.

I see reasons to say, "Thank You." every day. And the more I say, "Thank You.", the more reasons I see and the stronger my Faith grows.

Life really is good.

John and Gwen VanderLinde, Hillsborough, NH

I'm composing and will be posting this entry while riding a train from Boston to Lynchburg, VA.

Ain't technology amazing?

One of the first people I met in Salem, VA in February of 1969 - Yes, that's '69 - was Gwen VanderLinde. Mary Ann hadn't even moved south yet. Gwen was very pregnant and her soon to be born son and Jeff were neighbors for a few months in Stonegate Apartments. We bought a house, then they bought a house but we were never more than a mile or two apart until they moved to Ohio. We still visited each other regularly for a few years and then they moved to Hillsborough, NH.

I found a client in Beverly, MA, so we still visited at least once a year, usually at Thanksgiving.

We didn't see each other for a several years except for their son's wedding in NY.

One day last year I got a call. "We're going to a wedding in Northern VA and want to stop on the way and have lunch." When I pointed out that Salem was 5 hrs out of the way - EACH WAY from their shortest route, John said, "Well we talked. And we don't know when we'll be closer. So we're coming." Those, folks, are called true friends. We had a wonderful long lunch and caught up on all kinds of family stuff.

I couldn't come to New England and not see them. Even if I didn't have any transportation. My plan was to rent a car on Monday and go see them for the day while Vince, Lonnie and Jan finished their touring of New England. But Sunday night Vince said they were leaving for Niagara Falls in the morning. So I called John and he drove an hour to pick me up in Haverhill, MA.

I stayed with them until EARLY this morning when John got up at 4:00am to drive me to Manchester, NH. I caught a bus to Boston to catch the train to VA. We had a great restaurant dinner Monday night and an even better lasagna dinner that John and I fixed (I chopped the onions and separated the noodles - HE cooked the noodles and assembled the lasagna with "Made From Scratch" sauce that was out of this world) on Tuesday. Their daughter Cindy and son-in-law Craig joined us. Along with their two dogs, Misty and Hudson.

Tuesday afternoon we went to the local reservoir to let the dogs get in a good run while the weather stayed warm.





John stayed home from work Tuesday and we had a great time catching up on things. Yesterday (Wed) I stayed home with the dogs. They are mixed breed, male and female from the same litter that Gwen and Cindy got from a shelter in NY state. And they are SO smart. There are two sleigh bells hanging on a ribbon at the back door. When they need to "go out" or when they're just bored and want to go out, they ring the bells.

What an incredible Tinkerbell inbetween this entire trip has been. Just like my life, things didn't work out at all as we planned and everything was wonderful anyway. There was only one moment of panic when, after driving several hours to get to Acadia National Park, we saw a sign that said, "Closed for the season." It was referring to one of the Visitor's Centers, and the other one was open. So even that was a short moment of panic.

Ferry to Nova Scotia closed? No problem, we'll tour New England.

We don't speak French and only have a little 3" square map of Quebec City in a Rand McNally Atlas? No problem, we'll know where we are when we get there.

Leaving a day earlier than planned for Niagara Falls? No problem, I'll spend three days with my friends instead of one.

Start the trip with no idea how I'd get home? No problem, take a train.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Plan the trip for three weeks after the leaves should peak. No problem, the leaves will peak three weeks late this year.

Life is GOOD !

Tom va à la ville de Québec

On Sunday Vince decided we should take a tour of Northern Maine along the "Old Canada Road". It starts about an hour North on I-95 from our campsite.

Here's the route.

When we got off the Interstate and asked "How far to the Canadian border?", we were told, "Oh, about 2 1/2 hrs." Well, gee, it's be a shame to be this close and not go to Canada.



Then we saw a sign that said, "160km to Quebec City".

Gee, it's a shame to be this close and not go to Quebec City. Sooooo - on we went.

Here's where we went.

Vince did all the driving - actually Vince did all the driving every day. We all offered but he's a recovering long haul 18 wheeler jock and apparently needs a major mileage fix almost every day.

Thank you Vince for letting me a pure tourist. And while I'm acknowledging things, a BIG thank you to Lonnie and to Jan for taking all the wonderful pictures.





We found a Farmer's Market on the waterfront. Lonnie bought some French Bread and fresh Mozzarella cheese. I mean FRESH - like the lady made it last night. It was wonderful. We met a French Canadian, Quebec City native who struggled to talk with us in very broken English. He kept apologizing for his English and we kept saying, "Please don't apologize. We don't speak your language at all." Here he is sitting with us.



YES ! We're sitting outdoors on a bright sunny 65 degree day. Our friend asked how long we were staying in his city. When we said, "Just today." He said, "Ooooooh, soooo luckeeeee." The typical temperature for this date is 38.

After a long drive back to Freeport, we collapsed for the night.

Tomorrow we part ways and I visit friends in NH.

Tom's in Maine

Lonnie found a beautiful, tree filled campground just outside Freeport, ME. We'll base here and explore Maine in a rent-a-car.

Our first day is VERY foggy. We went to the coast and enjoyed wonderful colors all the way. MAP



Then we found a waterside Lobster stand and enjoyed our first Maine lobster of the trip.



Lonnie found a new friend



On Saturday we went to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The sun came out, traffic was light and we had an incredible day. Jan's main goal of the trip was to see waves crashing on rocks on the Atlantic Coast.




Been there, done that.

Vince just kept saying, "It's just like the postcards."





North Maine and Canada tomorrow !

Hello from Maine

Tom, with New Orleans friend Vince Saltaformaggio and new Little Rock, AK friend Jan Price this afternoon on I-95 in Maine, with Vince and Lonnie's Airstream Motorhome in the background.



Cayenne, Lonnie and Vince



Oh, you didn't know I was going to Maine.

That's "OK".

Neither did I.

If you've been reading my blog since March, you may remember that I met Vince and Lonnie in FL, partied with them in MS and followed them home to New Orleans. I stayed with them on Irish Bayou for a few weeks before going to MS for the summer.

Tuesday Lonnie called and left a message, "We're in VA and can't remember exactly where you live. We're headed North on I-81 and plan to spend the night in a WalMart parking lot in Salem. Is that anywhere near you?"

After the first Margarita they said, "We're taking Jan to Nova Scotia for her birthday. Come with us."

After the second Margarita I said, "Sure. Why not. When are you coming back?"

They said, "We have to be back in Little Rock on the 28th. But we're not coming back down I-81. We're going across to Niagara Falls and home through Indiana."

After the third Margarita I said, "That's OK. I'll figure out how to get home from NY."

So Wed. afternoon, after getting a failed alternator belt replaced in Salem, we headed North. We spent the night at a Flying J Truckstop in Carlisle, PA.

This morning we got an early start and are now in a WalMart parking lot in Biddeford, ME. The drive through PA, NY, CT, MA, NH and into Maine was absolutely beautiful. The leaves are running about three weeks late so we're here for what is peak season in many areas.



Vince, Jan, Cayenne and me at lunch. Someplace between PA and ME.



Unfortunately the campgrounds didn't take the late color into account and most are closed for the season. Lonnie is calling around now to find a place.

And the ferry to Nova Scotia has also stopped running for the season.

So it looks like we'll settle in here in Maine through the weekend and head back across NH and VT (That's VERMONT, NOT Va Tech) next week.

I'll either take a plane

or a train

or a bus

or a rent-a-car

or find a ride on Craig's List

Or something else.

Dunno yet.

Life is so far beyond good !

SO many "inbetweens"

If you're new and don't know about "inbetweens", please go to my June 13th entry to learn about them.

The past couple of weeks have been full of them. From meeting a whole new group of friends at the Christian Motorcycle Association, to hearing from TWO different people that were at Camp Hope in MS this summer.

I was very conscious of my "Protect the Children" training so I never asked for email addresses or phone numbers in MS. And I didn't take any pictures. I gave my email and blog addresses to lots of people, posed for a bunch of pictures with the kids and adults and asked them to contact me.

But no one did. I was a little discouraged - WHEN will I learn?? All of a sudden, I'm emailing people from TWO of the groups. One in Maryland and one in Greensboro, NC.

I will probably go to Greensboro in a couple of weeks to attend one of their youth meetings and dinners, just to catch up.

Last Saturday I went to a soccer game where two of my little girls were playing. Mia is the younger daughter of my Chiropractors. I went a couple of weeks ago to watch her and found out that Megan, who is the daughter of a friend of almost 30 years is on the same team. They were MAJOR underdogs and fought to a 1 to 1 tie. I haven't lost my "soccer spirit." At one point, the assistant coach - who was on the opposite side of the field called Megan's Mom, Kristine,on her cell phone and asked "that man" to quiet down. I asked, "Can I really get in trouble for saying 'Thank you' to the ref?" Kristine said, "In THAT tone you can."

In the afternoon I went to a Ballet recital by Southwest Virginia Ballet.

This is a local organization, founded by another friend from Church in 1990. It's a school that is entered by audition and is free. It has incredibly talented staff and students - who attend other Ballet Schools during the week and then work with SW VA on the weekends. It's a really grueling schedule for really dedicated dancers - AND parents.

Maria is a 13 yr old who stole my heart at Church 8 or 9 years ago. When her Mom told me about the performance AND that Marie was a featured dancer I HAD to go. I stopped early Sat morning and picked up roses for her. I was worried about them because I had to get them early and the performance wasn't until 4pm and they wouldn't fit in my fridge. And I'd never tried to carry fresh flowers on the Honda before. But they survived nicely.

When I saw in the program that she was only in the first half, I worried that she might leave the theater during intermission and I wouldn't see her to give her the roses. I went to where the dancers check in and planned to ask if Maria was leaving early. But when I mentioned her name, the "door Nazi" interrupted and said, "Oh, do you want to take her around front to watch the second half?" I said, "Uh, well, SURE !" She said, "We aren't supposed to do that unless you have a ticket for her." I told her I had been House Manager and a ticket was NOT a problem. So she got Maria.

When we sat down, an adorable little 3 yr old across the aisle started to come over to us. But she kept stopping at her Grandpa's knee and just staring at Maria. I asked Maria if she knew her and she said that she didn't. Finally Grandma brought her over to us and said, "Well, tell her what you wanted to say." About 4 times. Finally the very shy little girl said, "You are SO beautiful and you dance so good." Maria was so kind and sweet to her and she just floated back to her seat.

Another 13 yr old that I've known from Church since she was 2 or so has been keeping me posted on her life via email. She also has a very hectic life with school, church, orchestra, stage work, etc etc.

I got an email yesterday that said, "even school's been great - you know that warm feeling that you get when you're spending the day with friends, all laughing, smiling, joking, and you suddenly really appreciate life and your spirits rise to the point that you could almost start crying from joy? I have experienced that at least five times every day for the past, I dunno, two weeks or so. It's been wonderful."

This from a 13 year old.

I don't have to give her a copy of "Tinkerbell Jerusalem", she's already figured it out.

I am so Blessed to have such incredible young people in my life. They are such an inspiration.

Life is Good !

More WEDDING Pictures

Well, OK - they're mostly my KIDS and GRANDKIDS pictures, but they were all taken at the Wedding !

Adam, Tyler and Thomas



Thomas and Ben


Ho Hum, another beautiful woman kissing me


Shanna and Casey Ann

Fall in Salem

I woke up this morning to a temperature of 42 degrees. And bright blue skies with little white puffy clouds. It warmed up quickly and I rode the Honda to church. As usual, I attended the 9:30 Mass and then stayed to work the nursery for the 11:30. Not like usual, I rushed home, changed clothes and returned by 1:30 for the annual "Feed the Poor" Picnic. Wonderful bar-b-que pork and chicken with all the sides. Admission was some non-perishable food items for the local food pantry.

I had a wonderful time because I got to see many of my kids who no longer come to nursery. I was talking with a newcomer adult when a mother walked by with her 3 yr old son. I got down on my knees and he ran over and gave me a big hug. The newcomer said, "Oh, is that your grandson." When I said, "No." one of the other ladies said, "Tom has about 100 'almost grandkids' here."

Yesterday had a couple of typical inbetweens. I thought it was about time for Morris Fiqueiredo to be visiting VA from his home in Bermuda. I called his US cell phone and he answered. He was in the VA Highlands about 45 miles from Salem at a regional rally of the Christian Motorcycle Association. Here's the inbetween. He'd been there a couple of days and this was the only time his cell phone worked. He was surprised. Of course, I'm no longer surprised by things like this. I just say, "Thank you." and expect more.

I jumped on the Honda and joined the 150 or so people for some motorcycle skill contests (I observed, laughed, clapped and cheered. I did not participate.) Then we spent some time catching up on family news. I had not seen him since last Sept. After a spaghetti dinner I rode back home and rested up for today.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be back at the nursery for Somalian Bantu children which goes for 90 minutes on Mon and Wed while their mothers take English classes.

Here's a pictures of three of the "Little Ones" -



See why I keep going back?

Life is so good.

WEDDING PICTURES

Here are some wedding pictures - I hope to have more soon.

The Bride



The Groom



The father of the groom escorting the mother of the bride down the aisle



Just the cutest Flower Girl and Ring Bearer in the world - Son of the groom, Tyler Cook and his cousin Sarah Cook



The Wedding Party