September 30

Nothing like fall in the country with all the harvesting going on, fall/Halloween decorations and that little nip in the air.   My favorite time of year!   Dad enjoyed getting out and about and seeing what's going on with the farming - brought back lots of memories for sure. 

We took my Dad to a doctor appointment and then had a big rib fest at Ron and Vicki's with Bob, Linda and Jason who is home to help with the combining.   Back home, stuffed and ready for bed!

September 29

Great day to be out and about and EAT!!!    Went to the grocery store this morning and then with Kathy and Paul to meet Glen and Paula who were visiting from Florida, along with Paula's friend, Pam.   We all had lunch at Swinger's and chatted almost 3 hours non-stop!    Looking forward to all being together in February in Fort Myers.

Pam, Paula, Kathy, Paul, Glen, Pat and Mark

Went for a bike ride and then home to get ready to go eat again...

Had dinner with Ed and Donna Rae at The Ozark House and then back to their home for dominoes!

They play the Mexican Train different than us, so we played 4 rounds of their style and 4 of ours - we had a ball and enjoyed lots of laughs!!!    Mark won both games!

Mark is making a move...

September 28

I drove to Peoria and met Jane (cousin and fellow Sublettian friend) and she drove us to Moline where we spent a delightful afternoon with Barb.   We were all roommates in business school and Jane and Barb had not seen one another since we graduated in 1968.   That's a LOT of yakkin and catching up, but we had no problem in that area.    Had an excellent lunch at Miss Mamie's and then hit a few shops.   I got some Christmas gifts and just fun seeing all the pretties out for fall and Christmas.

Back to Barb's for a cold drink, more chatter and then on home.    We hope to start a tradition of getting together once or twice a year!   

Jane, Barb, Pat

Mark had a good day on the homefront, but had to deal with a delay in getting our hardwood for the family room - shortage of what we had picked out, so now waiting to hear back!   Always something!!!

September 27

Beautiful fall day and sounds like more of the same coming all week!   Mark and I had breakfast with the Monday morning group, then ran a few errands together.   I came home and he had more running around to do.   Cleaned out bedroom closets, drawers, etc.  

I was out and about this afternoon - had to take my Nook to Barnes and Noble (doing some strange things) - Todd was puzzled as he had not seen anything quite like this (skipping pages, sentences blocked, etc.).  

He made 2 calls to tech support and hopefully, it's all taken care of!

Mark and I rode on the trail and then I went to SF park with the Moneday Night Friends (probably our last time there with the early darkness and chilly temps.)

Liam and Connor were here for a short visit tonight...

Silly boys

September 25-26

What a fun, fun weekend with my "sisters" at the wonderful Diamond House in Arcola!   There were 10 of us (missed Nancy and Marilyn).  Where to start....one of the best memories will be the food which totally blew us away - they serve a 7-course breakfast each morning and the presentation and table settings were phenomenal.    Beautiful flowers and greens (herbs) graced each serving dish and most were edible.    These are all grown by our hosts - Bill and Lynne and their son, Dan and Tammy.

Lynne and Bill

Dan and Tammy

Friday night was spent catching up on the porch with plenty of yummy appetizers and wine. 

A rousing game of "Hand and Foot"

 Saturday was spectacular with those cerullean blue skies and pleasant fall temps.  After the big breakfast, some of us walked downtown and enjoyed the neat shops; then we took off and got a taste of the Amish life style as we trekked out in the country and shopped at Beachy's Grocery, Miller's Dry Goods and the Homestead Bakery at the Pumpkin Patch.

Some of us after stocking up on homemade bakery treats...

Karen, Lydia, Doris, Sue, Janet and Sharon

After a short rest back at the B & B, we were off to the country again for a typical Amish meal and oh my...........still stuffed from breakfast, we ate at 3:00 and had the family style platters and bowls of thee most wonderful home cooking prepared by Elsie and daughers!   What a treat visiting with Elsie and enjoying every last bite! 

Back in time for 5:00 Mass at St. John the Baptist and then waddled back to the B & B for cards, wine and laughs!   

Sunday.....another 7-course bountiful feast and then we all packed up and thanked our hosts BIG time for their wonderful food, ambiance and hospitality.   Lots of hugs and  then the 18th annual sisters' weekend was a blur of special memories and stretched-out tummies! 

Front:  Sharon, Joan and Janet

Back:  Beth, Doris, Theresa, Pat, Karen, Sue and Lydia

Mark had a productive weekend getting stuff off Daisy and setting up our surround sound system on the TV in family room (waiting for hardwood floors to be installed).

Anne and I went to Sam's this afternoon and tonight Mark is at week 3 of his scuba lessons!

Chilly out today and definitely feels like fall.

September 24

After a rainy morning, we are enjoying a gorgeous afternoon of pleasant sunshine and temps. 

   Sincere sympathy to our friend, Susie in FL......her John lost his 5-year battle with cancer early this morning but what a valiant effort he showed throughout with such an amazing attitude!   

I had therapy with Lee and he's thinking this may be coming to an end (with the pros), so I'll see him on the 8th and then determine what's what.   In the meantime, I can ease up a bit at home, too.   He was pleased with my movement!!!  

Got a manicure and then met Anita for lunch at Station 220.   Anita lost her dear Russ to cancer 3 weeks ago tomorrow.......we had a good chat and reminisced.

Mark and Daisy arrived home this afternoon!    And I'll be leaving soon for Sisters' Weekend....wishing you a really good one, too!

September 23

Today was officially the first full-day of fall, but it felt more like a typical summer day - hot, sunny and very windy!     More cleaning and then a fun bike ride to meet Carol on the trail and enjoy some milkey way yogurt at Emack and Bolio's.   After resting in the shade with our treats and a good chat, we rode a bit together and then parted ways each taking a different trail route to our homes.

My new biker buddy, Carol

After a refreshing shower, I ran a bunch of errands and now settled in - supposed to be much cooler next few days!   Mark put in a big day on Catrina and coming home tomorrow!

Enough of this fall cleaning for a few days.....going to "Sisters Weekend" (Mark's sisters) at an

 Amish Bed and Breakfast tomorrow afternoon till Sunday morning!

September 22

After a rainy/stormy night, today is fresh, sunny and warm!    I did more cleaning, washed my lace sheers, and pulled some weeds.  Amazing how much mold/mildew is around - lots of our rocks in landscaping are green as are the trunks of the trees.    Way too much heat and humidity this summer!     

 Had lunch with Exchange club and after missing out on several weekly luncheons/meetings/entertainment, it was good to be back with this group!

Really warmed up after lunch.   Sigrunn and I rode bikes for 10 1/3 miles and did a part of the trail new to me!   We had a great visit and ride!  

 I had dinner with Ed and Donna Rae at their retirement home and then to friends, Joe and Phyllis for a glass of wine - very nice evening with good friends!

Ed, Donna Rae, Joe and Phyllis

September 21

Happy Birthday Philip!!!  

Happy 34th

  Had a good chat with the birthday boy this morning along with cleaning the living room and making stuff for tonight's supper.   Ran some errands and then we celebrated the last day of summer which went out with a bang....92 and windy here!    Around 5:00, it really rained hard but didn't last too long.

Marty, Anne, Patrick and boys came for the "Last Hurrah of Summer" picnic supper on the porch.   We had brats, macaroni salad, baked beans, deviled eggs and tomatoes topped off with angel food/butter finger cake.   And we sang "Happy Birthday" to Uncle Phil..

Connor and Mr. Marty

Liam, Anne, Connor, Patrick and Marty

Mark had a good day of waxing Catrina and nice dinner with friends, Ron and Pat at the Lake House.

September 20

Mark left at 4 AM this morning for Muskegon (wanted to avoid Chicago traffic) and had stuff to do before Catrina's liftout - plus he had to spring forward to the eastern time.    But all went well and Catrina is out of water and stored indoors tonight with Daisy parked right outside.   Tomorrow....the washing/waxing begin!!!

Very warm and sunny here today.   I took treats to breakfast with the Monday morning group in honor of Marty's birthday last Friday - those were enjoyed by all (Grove Street Bakery is soooo good)!   BIG news is that Todd has finished painting - I'm sure he's very glad it's all done!    The family room/dinette are a soft green and the kitchen is spiceberry (raspberry/red).   Quite a different look, but very happy and Todd gets an A+ for his meticulous work!!!

I cleaned the front porch today, finished the kitchen cupboards, picked up a bunch of sticks - the fall cleaning is well underway!

Todd and I went to Firehouse Pizza for supper and now he's on the train heading back to St. Louis!    Was fun having him here the past 2 weekends!

September 19

Happy Anniversary, Michael and Brooke!    Lots of special memories from 12 years ago today!   Where-oh-where have the years gone, but these two blessed us with 3 adorable grandsons!

September 19, 1998

Went to 8:30 Mass and then back to  housework, cleaning, painting (Todd) and ironing (still ugh, but making progress)!    Anne and boys stopped by for a short visit.  She and Todd and her friends had a fun time listening to "Jury's Out" last night.

Got a nice 3/4" rain overnight and this morning!   Mark is at Week #2 for the scuba class and Todd is still painting away - he's staying one more night and plans to finish in the kitchen tomorrow!

Mark and Daisy are leaving early tomorrow for Muskegon and a few days of waxing Catrina after she's lifted out for the season tomorrow afternoon.

September 18

Sure looked like rain was coming and had thunder this morning, but all passed by.    Mark and I got a lot of "stuff" done around home and outside.  I started cleaning kitchen cupboards and got the laundry caught up (ironing still waiting - ugh)!!!    Patrick sold the rest of our family room furniture and the folks came to pick up this mornng.    Todd is painting away...

Tonight, Mark and I went with Lee and Tamara to the ElPaso Country Club for a great dinner and visit and then to Jim's Steak House for drinks.    We get together once or twice a year and always so much to yak about - tonight was fun as always!!!

 

Lee and Tamara

Anne and friends (visiting from Las Vegas) and Todd went to Hammond to hear Patrick and his band "Jury's Out" play!     Todd put in a big day of painting and it looks great!   Raining tonight!

September 17

Very pretty day and enjoyed a nice visit from Barb who came to measure my porch cushions for how much fabric I need.    Barb will do this project over the winter.    Mark and I took Marty (next-door neighbor) to lunch at Schooner's for his birthday.

Mr. Marty (as our grandsons call him)



  I picked up Donna Rae for PEO meeting and dessert social and then we stopped at our friend Sue's garage sale afterwards.

Back home and off on a bike ride with Mark and also got a few groceries.

Liam was "God's Special Child" all week long in his kindergarten class and brought treats each day and had other special privileges.    Today, Anne was there to read a story and share in Liam's special week!

Liam and Mommy

We picked Todd (our nephew) up at the train station - he's back to paint!   Yeah!!!

September 16

Funny kind of weather day - looked like rain most of the day with bits of sunshine here and there.   And it was windy, but only got a few sprinkles and has really cooled down!

Got more stuff straightened up around the house (still a long ways to go).   Mark and I went for a short bike ride in the neighborhood and then went to the nursery and bought mum plants.

I had lunch with the BBB (Babies, Books & Bridge) friends at CJ's.  Always fun to be with these gals and catch up along with our book exchange.  We missed Ruth and Sharon!

Karen, Pat, Sue, Holly and Cathy

This afternoon, Mark and I bought the paint for the remodeled rooms.   And then Fran stopped by for a nice visit.    She and Ed moved to Sturgeon Bay, WI and she was back visiting her Mother in the area.    So good to see her!    And here she is..........

Fran

After a yummy supper (at HOME) of BLT's, I went shopping for 2 baby girl gifts - what fun to buy PINK!   And then to a meeting for Power & Sail Squadron (I'm Public Relations person) and so good to see several of our boating friends!

September 15

I left at 8:00 this morning for Mendota to visit Dad and also attend a meeting with the various departments of the nursing home.    My sister-in-law, Linda,  Dad and I, along with 5 gals discussed various concerns and issues and got the update on Dad's health care.   It was a good session!   Linda and I went out for Chinese  lunch (great stuff) and then back to see Dad.   I left for home at 1:45 and stopped for a few groceries at Meijer before going home.

Dad and friend, Doris (card-playing buddies).

Doris just happens to be my Sublettian friend, Debbi's aunt - small world!

Sat and yakked with Mark about our day and then I was off again to eat..............tummy is groaning!   OINK OINK!!  Four of the Sublettians met at Fuji Grill for Asian cuisine - wow!    More good eating!    Had plenty of entertainment while our server/preparer did his thing with the fire, utensils, etc.

Ready to start the show...

Debbi, Pat, Ann and Jane

We sat and laughed and reminisced about the good ole grade school days, former teachers (nuns), etc.   What a fun time with these very special friends!!!

September 14

Another pretty day and we kept busy with inside/outside jobs.   I washed windows, screens and woodwork - very dusty from all the drywall sanding!  Mark did more stuff to Daisy and I  loaded up a bunch of things for him to take off whenever he gets the call that Catrina is ready to be moved to another marina and the waxing begins..

We took a long bike ride on the trail - what a pretty spot with a canopy of trees - the shade felt good.  Can't wait to see this in a few more weeks with the fall colors.

Went to our friends, Wayne and Myrna's for dinner - Wayne and Mark worked together long ago.    We had a wonderful dinner, great visit, rejuvenating time in the hot tub and then awesome Razzle Dazzle Pie alamode!

Wayne and Myrna

September 13

Beautiful day....Mark and I rode our bikes to breakfast with the Monday morning friends/neighbors.   Pat and Brenda stopped by to look at paint samples (I had 3 colors that I painted on 3 pieces of poster board to get a better idea up on the walls).    Josh, our contractor stopped by and he's ordering our hardwood flooring.   I scrubbed the kitchen walls and straightened up a bit.

Mark did Daisy jobs most of the day.   We went for a bike ride this afternoon - stopped at Beer Nuts and then rode the Constitution Trail - so much fun and hope to make this a daily ritual!

I went to SF Park with the Monday night gals.   Mark is using Daisy in the driveway as our family room and out there watching TV tonight.   Hopefully in another few weeks or so we'll have a bit more "normal" around here?

September 12

Spectacular Sunday with clear blue skies and 80 degrees.   After 7:00 Mass, Mark, Todd and I left for St. Louis after a quick stop for goodies at Panera.   Yes, we Nomads are back "on the road again"!   We had planned to take Todd to the train station this morning and on home to St. Louis.    Mark said "Well, we could drive down with Todd,  plus get to see our kids!"   Philip, Annette and Ryan were all there for a wedding yesterday.    So, sounded like a no-brainer to me and off we went.

Met the kids at the hotel along with their friends, Jeff and Ryan (female) who were married August 1st.    Those two got engaged on Catrina when they were doing the boat delivery with Philip and Annette last December.   Great to see them again.    We went to "Little Hills" in St. Charles for lunch and sat out on the patio.    Annette told our waitress that Philip had an upcoming birthday (9/21), so she brought him out a mousse parfait that was delicious (he shared like his Mama taught him)!!!

Philip

Todd, our nephew, the painter who will be back next weekend to finish up!

Back to front:

Todd, Mark, Ryan, Philip, Ryan, Pat, Annette and Jeff

We were there only 1 1/2 hours as Mark started his scuba diving class tonight (5 Sunday evenings) and that started at 5:00.    I drove most of the way home as he was reading the first chapter (100 pages).

Anne called and invited me to join them for ice cream at Gene's.   They picked me up and we enjoyed yummy treats!

Liam and Connor (with Daddy's help) climbing the tree at Gene's.  

  It was a really neat weekend!

September 11

Busy day...Mark, Liam and I left for Mendota and visited with Dad at the nursing home.   He seems to be doing much better!    Liam played with legos and cards and our nephews Todd and Matt stopped by for a visit.   Liam asked Great Grandpa Pete if he could borrow a pair of his suspenders as he wanted to wear some to hold his pants up!   So, until Deember 1st, Liam has Grandpa's Christmas suspenders (red with green Christmas trees) - this was Liam's choice!

Liam and Great Grandpa Pete in their suspenders!

Todd came back with us as he's going to paint - starting with primer in the family room and dinette.

Todd covering the cranberry wall...

Anne and Connor came over to get Liam...the boys had fun with this little ladder I gave them using it for their many animal friends.

Connor, Liam and furry critters

I did a bunch of laundry this afternoon and straightened up.   Mark broought Daisy home from a friend's shed where she's been stored.    We all got cleaned up and went to Los Potrillas for delicious Mexican dinner.

September 10

Friday started with therapy at 8:30 with Lee; 9:30 haircut; 10:30, Brenda stopped by to look at paint samples; 11:30, she and I  met 7 friends at Biaggi's for lunch as Patty was visiting from FL and so good to see her.

Around the table from the left:

Brenda, Sue, Fran, Nadine, Ruth, Tamara, Pat, Patty and Marsha

After lunch, Brenda and I were on the hunt for more paint samples (this is not my thing making paint choices and one decision after another)!    Mark and I shopped for hardwood flooring and brought samples home - more decisions!    HELP!!!

Anne and the boys came over - Liam is spending the night!

Liam sleeping in his Bus!

September 9

Up and at 'em this morning finishing up the final stuff to take off Catrina and end our boating season.   Leon came and he and Mark took Catrina to Torensen's Marina where they will check the engines and get her in tip-top shape before winter storage.   I met them in the truck and after saying good-bye to Leon and a big thanks, we were on our way to  HOME SWEET HOME.    We sure enjoyed our time in Muskegon!

Catrina making one last little trip

Leon

Made a few stops along the way and had lunch at Brewster's Italian Cafe in New Buffalo, MI (a favorite spot from a few years ago).   It was sooo good, but one of my favorite shops with lots of neat gifts and Christmas galore, is no longer....a sign of the times!

We dropped our bikes off for a good check-up at the bike shop and then home around 4ish.   After unloading the truck, I finished stripping the kitchen wallpaper - ugh!    Glad that is done!!!   Now time to choose paint colors, some major fall cleaning and enjoy being HOME!

September 8

The winds blew ferociously all night long, but have calmed (still windy,but not those 45 mph gusts).    After breakfast we got the bins and started packing up our stuff and carrying to truck!    It was very cloudy, breezy and only 62 today, so felt chilly and my shoulder is soo achy!    I'm thinking this is weather-related and due to the chilly conditions.

Went for a "short" bike ride and a guy (Dave) came from Lansing to look at and fix our sliding screen door and will be installing a sliding screen for the front window.   

My Dad is home from the hospital - he sounds so tired and said he hasn't slept much, so hopefully, will be better tonight in his familiar surroundings!

Ron and Pat came to pick us up for dinner and off to the Hearthstone Bistro - what a great place.   We all had something different and all very happy with our choices!    Neat atmosphere, great service and superb food.    We look forward to seeing Ron and Pat in Florida this winter!

Ron and Pat

September 7

Greetings from VERY WINDY Muskegon!    It's been crazy all day up here and the ferry canceled all trips!   We ran some errands this morning and Mark earned a bunch of "atta boy" points taking me to various stores checking on supplies for a Christmas project I'm soon starting for our grandsons.   It  was a sunny day and went onto Grand Haven (south of here).  Cute shops and fun browsing around.

Back to Muskegon  and had chocolate malts at the Lakeside Emporium.  This fun place is just outside the gates of the marina and full of wonderful delicacies and all homemade chocolate candies.  we've been frequent customers (oink oink) and wanted to try a malt as they were highly recommended.    Well....they were very, very good!

Onto Catrina as the winds continued to howl.   Took a short nap, read and did e-mail.    Went for a short bike ride (3.4 miles) as it was so-so windy and then along our bike path, came across a big downed tree.   Decided we shouldn't be riding along here wtih the high winds and all these trees.   The city was just arriving to put up cones to keep bikers/walkers away from the area.   We drove out to Lake Michigan to see the big waves crashing into shore and then to the BLT (Bear Lake Tavern) for supper.   I had a wonderfu lake Perch Reuben!    Good to be hunkered down on Catrina as the winds keep on.... 

Tomorrow we start packing up bins, bags and all our stuff to take off Catrina....our boating season is almost over!

September 6

Hope you all had a nice Labor Day?   Ours has been very wet here in Muskegon.  It was raining all during the crossing last night on the ferry, during the night and this morning, along with thunder and lightning (the whole shebang)!   Finally at 3:00 the sun came out with strong winds and off we went to ride our bikes (brought them back with us) and enjoyed an 8-mile ride on the Lakeshore Trail which meanders around Muskegon Lake, downtown, past lovely homes, etc.  

And now more on the ferry ride from last night....it was a good crossing with very pleasant surroundings.   We sat in nice big chairs with table for our laptops - quite comfortable for reading, visiting, napping, etc.   They showed a movie, have food, drinks, etc.    The Lake Express is 192' long and 57' wide.  It holds 248 passengers and 46 vehicles and 12 motorcycles and cruises at 34 knots or 40 mph.   Fun experience!

It's funny how things work out - we were disappointed that our auto pilot wasn't working and so decided not to go to Racine by boat.   Well.............if we had been there on the boat, it would've been the end of the week till conditions improved for crossing back to MI as the winds are going to be very strong next few days.  And the ferry does not cross when the lake has extremely high waves (like last Friday) and so, we are happy to be on Catrina here in Muskegon away the from rough seas (12-15 footers predicted) - NO thank you!!!

This was the first time that we crossed the lake with Mark not at the helm of his own boat.   It was his 22nd crossing and my 20th!

Well, I pulled a goof....in last Saturday's blog I had a picture of Michael with his boys on their boat.   Duh....can't even tell my kids apart.   That was BROOKE with the boys!   She's the photographer in the family and at a glance, thought it was Michael (so did Mark).    Sorry Brooke.....you know they say sometimes after being married a while, a  couple starts to look alike?   Anne is the one who set me straight!

Had lunch at Max and Marley's Dog House again....Reuben Dogs today and boy, were they good!

This morning a couple came aboard to see Catrina as they are interested in a PDQ power cat.    What delightful folks from Kalamazoo - Dick and Inge.   Inge is the designer and producer of the "Towel Tog" which is made of micro fiber and a piece of "clothing" for your dog (in 5 sizes) that will dry him/her off after getting wet.    The fabric is quick drying and dries poochie at the same time while he/she is wearing their little outfit.     Petco stores are going to start carrying them soon.   If anyone is interested in the website, let me know!    We use the micro fiber towels on the boat and they are great for quick drying.   Inge may really be on to something here?    Enjoyed our visit out of the rain!

It was supposed to be 80 here today and slight chance of rain.....the last "hurrah" of summer botched a lot of outdoor plans - last night when we got off the ferry, the marina was full of vehicles; today, they cleared out with all the rain.   It just got to 69.

September 5

We are sitting in the car-ferry terminal in Milwaukee waiting for our 7:00 cruise to Muskegon (2.5 hour trip).

Woke up this morning to hear the very sad news that Russ, husband of my friend Anita died of pancreatic cancer after just a 2-month diagnosis.   Our hearts and prayers go out to her....

Had a good chat with my Dad and also the nurse.

After visiting with Mark's parents and sisters at the hotel, we packed up and left for Racine.   So good to be back as we have many happy memories of our 11 years of boating here.    We stopped at Borzynski's (a favorite shop) and browsed around - sooo awesome with all the gourmet foods, fresh veggies/fruit, and fall decor galore!   It is wonderful!

Vistited with 3 long-time couples on E-12 where we docked Catrina all those years - lots of catching up.

Laura, Pat, Carol with Molly and Cathy

Ken, Mark, Bill and Bob

Met Paul and Kathy (we had both been to Chicago weddings yesterday) at the Yardarm and had a really good lunch and visit.    They went to their boat and we stopped at a few more spots,including Milaeger's (another favorite) - oh, great, fun, pretty stuff including all the Christmas!!!

Paul and Kathy

And now...waiting for the ferry to take us back to Catrina!

September 4

We left Ron and Vicki's and went to hospital to see Dad who was doing pretty good - he had eaten a good breakfast, and while he was getting his bath, Mark and I went to look at paint samples for the kitchen, dinette and family room.    Dad was in his recliner and enjoyed lunch and we left around 1:15 for Chicago.   He told us to go and have a good time!   

Our nephew Tim married Nicole and it was a lovely wedding and reception.    So much fun visiting with Mark's family and celebrating this special day!   The weather was perfect - breezy, sunny and upper 60's.

Tim and Nicole

Wanted to share some cute pics of our grandsons and their Daddies taken yesterday!

Michael and his boys enjoying the water at Lake James

Liam and Connor helping their Daddy wash his big truck

September 3

What a day....started off with a great report from Lee at therapy -"Hip Hip Hooray"..."Yeah"..."Tah Dah"!!!   All of my measurements showed big improvements in my range of motion and I am now at 75%.    Lee was pleased, I was pleased and will just keep truckin' on!!!   YIPPEEEEE!

Came home and did some laundry, started packing for the wedding and for back to the boat next week.    Had lunch with long-time friend and fellow boater, Carolyn at Destihl..   We had not seen one another in over 2 years so lots of catching up over a really yummy lunch.

Carolyn and Pat

Back home and  changed into grubbies and washed off the walls in dinette as Mark was stripping wallpaper in kitchen.   I got a manicure/pedicure and then my sister-in-law, Linda called to tell me Dad was in the hospital.   He has some pneumonia and breathing issues going on. 

We had planned to visit Dad tomorrow morning before going to our nephew's wedding in Chicago, but quickly finished packing and left late this afternoon.  Dad was alert and had good visit with him - he's on  oxygen and getting antibiotics, so....we're hoping and praying for the best.   We are staying with my brother, Ron and Vicki tonight.   Bob and Linda stopped by - had pizza and now settling in and will be back at the hospital in the morning!

Wishing you all a safe, fun Labor Day weekend!

September 2

Rain, rain and more rain.    We left Muskegon at 7:20 (eastern time) this morning and drove thru rain almost all the way home.  Stopped in Ottawa to pick up our truck, dropped off the rental car in Streator and on home. We emptied out 1.5" from our rain gauge.

Got the washer and dryer going full speed and unpacked.  The family room looks good - fireplace is gone, new drywall is up and ceiling finished.    I got a burst of enegry and started stripping wallpaper in our dinette.   Picked Liam up from school and he was a big helper, too.   We talked about kindergarten and how tthings were going.....I told him I was going to pay him for helping me and he said "Oh NO, you don't need to do that".   And I said: "but you were such a good helper" and he looked at me and said "No Gandma, I'm serious".   I just cracked up!  

Liam working away at getting that paper off!

Anne and Connor came for supper (pizza) and the boys stayed with us while she went to open house at school.   And then the heavens opened up again and another 1.5" of rain fell in a very short time!    Streets flooded, hail in some places, etc.   Connor helped with stripping, too, and was a good "cleaner upper" after we finished!   Big job out of the way....now onto the kitchen!

Grandma will be giving her "helpers" some fun $ for being such good doobies.

September 1

Welcome September and the happy thought that fall is coming soon!   Today with rain and cooler temperatures, it felt that way!    As much as I love spring and summer, fall still gets my vote for favorite season!    Bring it on...

Mark got a haircut this morning and I started gathering our stuff to take home.    We spent a wonderful afternoon/evening with long-time boating friends Ron, Pat, Helen and Leon at Ron and Pat's super neat clubhouse at their Lakeshore Yacht Harbour.   We laughed and reminisced about all the boating memories, our families, etc.   We've known these folks since 1986.  

Ron and Pat served us a wonderful meal with Ron grilling cornish hens marianted in an orange/brandy sauce.   Oh my.....and Pat prepared all these other wonderful dishes and all topped off with blackberry/raspberry pie a la mode.    We said our good-byes

 and plan to get together next week when we return.

The "Gulls" - Pat, Helen and Pat

and

 

The "Buoys" - Leon, Mark and Ron

Mark got the rental car and tomorrow morning, we are going home.  I have therapy on Friday; nephew's wedding on Saturday, etc.   We plan to bring our bikes back as there's a great bike/walking path right past the marina.