GRANDKIDS

we just returned from a pleasant 2 hr breakfast with our PA g/kids....we went to a perkins and were glad we arrived when we did ...because when we left maybe an hr and half later there must have been 30-40 people waiting to get in...but we were just enjoying ourselves so we ate talked and drank coffee...all three seem to be doing fine...mellissa has to do her homework thou...but hat is not uncommon for teenagers...

john says he is all set to go into the army and has signed on the dotted line leaving at the end of june 2011..and he seems excited abut it now he knows he has to graduate so he is buckling down..between school and his job at wendys he will be busy...says he got a good semester report...acarl is now in charge of the kitchen at the nursing home where he works but his hrs at 1pm--9pm so he puts in some long days...so it seems that all is well with the pa g/kids...it was good seeing them..we had seen mellissa in july but hadn't seen the boys in some tome carl the longest as he did come for thanksgiving last year but carl we think it has been since his graduation...carl is gong to be 22--john is 18 and mellissa will be a teen ager at 14..so time flies and they just seem to grown up fast...

life and grandkids are good...

PICTURES FLIGHT 93

OK I'M GOING TO TRY TO PUT SOOME PICTURE OF FLIGHT 93 ON THE BLOG...we are in a better wi-fi campground and i hope they go...yesterday was a perfect fall day..but guess what we didn't do much to enjoy it...left one campground drove for 4 hrs then set up camp again..today we are going to go take three of our g/kids out to breakfast...they are lisa's three who live here in pa..it has been awhile since we have seen them all together..we of course saw mellissa this summer when she was visiting lisa for the month but haven't seen the boys...so it ought to be interesting catching up with them...carl is working (graduated several yrs ago) --john is a senior in high school (planning on going in the army) and mellissa is a freshman...

2 MORE NATIONAL PARKS

yesterday found us going to 2 more nationa; parks the first one was the johnstown flood back in 1889..where a dam broke and took 2,2009 people with it...there had bee warnings but the residents just didn't listen or the line of communicaton was't like is it today--none the less the warning were't listened to...the flood wiped out sevferal small towns along the way but the most famous town was johnstown...heard the history of the place..

then several miles away was the alleghany trail portage park..we knew nothing about the place but soon found more about it..it was started as a canal across pa. designed after our famous erie canal..but in pa there are the alleghany mts which needed to be crossed..so some smart person said lets bring the canal bpats so far then put them on a train to take them over the mts which they did..it was quite a feat to do...then when it was finally finished and some boats were taken up and over the mts with rope and the rope broke on some of the boats --again someone said why not use chain so they did for awhile..in the mean time there was someone else making bigger and better trains so instead of the boats gong along the canal then up and over the mts by train it was decided to use oly train..so the canal boats in pa were out of business...oh well progress is our most important product so we think...anyway again most interesting and we spent 2 1/2 hrs...oh i even got another junior ranger patch..so i'm happy...

SOBERING EXPERIENCE

We decided to change our travel route and not sure what it was to begin with anyway but the new one found us heading to the flight 93 memorial in shanksville, pa...what an sobering experience it sure was...we can relate to it like the viet nam memorial-oklahoma federal building..anyway you get the picture...the government is in the process of building a hugs memorial for those who lost their lives saving many others...to look out to see where the plane crashed and why didn't it go several more miles and crash into homes and building no one ever will know..

we talked to a lady who has the park surround her property and wasn't able to return home for 2 weeks after the crash was most interesting to talk to..the whole area lives sure have been changed forver...and we can say that we were lucky and the good lord was watching out for us..

i also got a stamp there...

we are in a campgropund with very poor wi-fi so i am not going to try to add any pictures so maybe when we get home i will...

BEREA, KY

we spent the day touring around berea, ky...it is an arts and crafts community that has a college in the middle of it...the students can attend without paying any tutition but of course have to qualifty...their income has to be in a certain range and also their grade average has to be in the top of their class a great deal for the students...there are several majors that they can take...but what is most interesting they also have to work in the crafts dept..learing woodworking-weaving-pottery-and also blacksmithing.....when they arrive for the freshmen year they are assigned a job and learn the craft...they have to pay for their room and board and that is also income based..the young lady who took us on the tour says she only has to pay 2,500 a year for her education...it is also engouraged that they travel abroad one of their semesters...there are only 1,600 students...and nice little campus and most interesting...

first we took the historical tour then the craft tour...each was free...berea seems to be a nice quiet town and has alot of history..it is just tucked away in kentucky...

moving on tomorrow and not sure where we will stop for the night...and who knows about wi-fi.....

OK HERE IS THE PLANE

FOR SOME REASON THE PICTURE DIDN'T GO OR I CLICK ON THE WRONG THING...AND IT WAS PROBALLY ME HAHAHA...

MORE PICTURES

finally i got the picture of my camera so how i can show you the traffic build up also som of the other things we've been busy doing...i am standing in front of john kennedy presidental plane...it is the same one that transported his body after dallas and lar was stationed at andrews at that time and saw them take the casket off the plane...he als did the dishes from it when he was on KP duty back in the 60's......

WE'RE HERE

it has been some time since we've had some wi-fi but tonight we happen to be in a campground with it...as a matter of fact we are in berea, ky...it is an arts and crafts town and tomorrow we plan on going on a tour given by the college students...we have spent some time in dayton, ohio touring the wright brothers flying national parks..i even go more stamps along with a teddy bear...but the bear had to do with going to 6 out of 9 dayton ariplane places...and a cute little bear it is...

spent some time with pete and stehpanie in marysville, ohio school friend of lars...had a good visit and went to an old farm store that had about anything you might need or want..we did buy a couple of things but didn't have room for everything we needed hahahahaah...some of you might get their catalouge. LEHMAN"S BROS..

then on to anchorage, ky where we spent the weekend celebrating birthdays..lar's is the 19th and his brother doug was the 18th and he was turning 60 so he needed lar there to help celebrate it...and a fun time we all had...on sat doug and iris daughter karen and her childrens came over for a cookout...fun having kids around..lar even had a sword fight with a 10 yr old..not sure who won...olivia who is three was a cute as a button and most entertaining...then yesterday we went to william roger clark brother of lewis clark homestead and had a private tour (no one else was there at the time)..so it was longer than most..we got to go in the house which is normally locked and i must say i'm glad i don't have kour house painted nor wall paper form that period of time...not anything i liked..then on to ice cream for the birthday boys..

left this morning and headed south-north-west-east and ended up at a bourbon factory or distillery..this one made four roses and of course after the tour we got samples it was before noon so it just happened to be 5 o'clock somewhere so we had a taste or two...must say the more expensive was the better...not to worry it was really only a small taste not a whole shot...then on our way to berea..

that's where we are now...now i will back up to tell you about the trip to pete's...we left columbus after getting gas only to get on the interstate and oame to a complete stop..it then took us 3 hrs to go 14 miles..there was an accident ahead and the took us off the interstateand rerouted us..must say that is the worse we have been in any traffic tie-up...heard later that one of the truck drivers had died it was a truck loaded with paper and the firemen were having a heck of a time getting it out..

this is almost like traveling in july..it is hot...

MITCH'S FRIEND

WE HAVE STARTED OUR FALL TRIP..oops...first we visited fram lar's mom for a couple of days then on to outside Pittsburgh to visit jake-sally and jon ..it is lar's younger brother house and they have lived in it a couple of years and this is the first chance we've had to visit them there ...a nice pleasant place out in the woods and you'd never know pittsbrugh was only 15 min away....when we were there the blue angles were doing an air show at the airport...one of the pictures is of the planes...we could see some of the show frm their porch....moved on sunday and headed to zanesvills, oh...there is alot to see here and it is the home of zane grey and there is a museum here..we have been so don't think we will go again...also it is a big pottery area and amish..

then a wee bit later today we are heading to marysville,oh so lar can vist an old school friend....after a couplkf of days there we are heading to the yellow spring area as there is suppose to be a great bike trail in the area and the bikes need to come out of the rig so we can go on a ride...

we need to be in kentucky for the weekend so the brothers can celebrate their birthdays... oh before i forget the great dane with mitch is moses jake's dog..they always seem to play together good...not sure which one it the dominate one...

have noticed some trees are beginning to get some color so i guess fall is on it's way...

enjoy fall

OPENING DAY!!!

this is lar and mitch's opening dasy of early goose season...sure looks like mitch has been busy retriening!!!!!!! for them it was a nice walk in the woods with th gun but at least they got out...things came up around the house that lar needed to get fixed like the ice maker ...he like ice in his afternoon refreshment so in order to enjoy that he needed to get it fix...2 trips to lowes and it got done..we bought a new ice maker only to find out when we got home it had already been used..we bought an allready opened box (i thought maybe we ought to take one that hadn't been opened but i didn't next time) so when it had water/rust marks on it ..off we went back to lowes..nnow ice for the afternoon refreshment...

so mitch and lar had opening day the second day of the season..it was a lovely summer day hot...NO geese flying around where they were too bad they didn't find a golf course near by cause that's where we hear they like to be...again this morning they are off to anpother place to see what they can shoot at and maybe mitch will have to go for a swim to retrieve...

we are getting ready for our sept adventure...leaving town on wed for the rest of the month...heading to kentucky to visit lar's brotehr doug and iris...but first a visit with his mom--visit with brother outside pittsburgh-an old school friend of lar's-dayton air museum-kentucky and then who knows wherewe might just land to do some sightseeing etc..

the garden is winding down a bit..have canned a coupkle of batches of tomatoes-pickles-dug a few potatoes -froze peppers-now aiting for the wingter squash to ripen..so not planning on having a garden this year we feel lucky that we were able to plant some stuff and eat from it...just going out to the garden to pcik and eat is such a treat...also have picked at least a bushel of pears and apples glore..can not say how many buckets of drops we have taken to the woods to feed the wild creatures and the trees are still loaded with them...

so all well here on the home front as we get ready to adventure forth..enjoy fall..