Arrived in Florida

We arrived at our new winter home in Florida on Tuesday, 12/30/08, around 5:30 p.m. We had a good trip to the South as the weather was warm and sunny all the way. We were very lucky we didn't even have any wind or rain.

So far we like our new site. It has a concrete pad for the trailer, concrete driveway, and a concrete patio. This sure is nice. The weather is warm about 74 today.

Sorry LaVon we haven't taken any pictures yet but we will later and get them posted. Well, I need to run and finish getting things done. We are going to the park's New Year Eve's party tonight. The people here seem very friendly. Will post more later.

On the Road Again!!

Whee, made it through Christmas!! We had a wonderful day with our sons and their families. The grandchildren, of course, makes it a fun Christmas. Emma, our 8 year old, was into it big time this year. She gets so excited over her presents and is the drama queen - we just love her!! Bronson, the 2 year old, was a little overwhelmed with all of it but had fun ripping open his presents and discovering there was toys inside. All of them had a wonderful time.

The tree and presents before the kiddies got here:

Bronson looking at his stocking's goodies:

Nico just resting and watching everybody:

Cathy Marie with her boys:

Emma (Miss Drama Queen) showing off her clothes:

Zack (and Bronson) looking at his World Series Poster with pictures:

Chad and Craig looking at their gifts:

This says it all - at the end of the day Bronson just laid down and looked at the snow globe as it played music. He was so tired.

We woke up this a.m. to 60 -70 miles a hour wind and thunderstorms - in December?? Yes, it was 68 degrees here yesterday but we paid for it early this a.m. and more. Some places had trees up-rooted and windows blown out. There are about 34,000 people without electricity. It is now about 36 degrees. Luckily, the rain is suppose to be out of here before it gets to freezing - sure hope so.

Jack went and got our fifth-wheel yesterday out of storage and we started packing it up for our trip to Florida!! Yippee - yippee!! Can't wait to get out this crazy weather. We are going to finish up loading it today and pull out tomorrow. The weather is to be sunny tomorrow and in the 40s. So hopefully we will have safe and calm trip.

I may not be able to blog for a few days on our trip down so I will catch up when we get there.

Winter is here and Christmas is Coming!

Well, this week we have definitely experienced "ole man winter" here in the Midwest. We have had rain, sleet, snow and very, very cold temperatures. I will post a couple of pictures that Jack took a couple days ago when the snow was falling. You know it is beautiful to sit in the house and look out at, but if you have to be outside and traveling in it, it is not fun.

We have been busy with some Christmas parties and get together, which is always fun.

On Thursday, December 12, we went to Craig and Shannon's house to celebrate our oldest grandson's birthday. I can't believe he is 14 years old. He is growing up so fast but is still a very sweet boy.

On Friday, December 12, Jack and I met three of my old co-workers for lunch (Sheila & Doug, Kathi, and Theresa). We had a real nice visit and was so good to see them. Sheila and Doug were in town for some medical tests. They now live in Ft. Worth - she was transferred with FAA a couple of years ago. She would love to get back to the KC area because her children and grandchildren live here. Hopefully one of these days she will get back. Kathi and Theresa still live here and we try to get together every few months to catch up on our lives.

On Saturday, December 13, our neighborhood had its annual ladies' brunch. This year it was hosted by Lisa, Nancy, and Peggy. We had 12 attendees and had a nice time. This is how we catch up with the neighbors that aren't close to us. We only have 19 villas that are sold. So we have a pretty small neighborhood. When all them are build and sold I believe we should around 30. So it is small enough to know all your neighbors.

Jack and I trying to get all our doctor's appointment in before we leave town. So we have had a number of them the last couple weeks. I believe we are done for this time frame.

Yesterday I attended a Christmas luncheon with my old office bunch. We had it downtown at our new Kansas City Power & Light District. This has been a rebuilding of the downtown area and it seems to be doing pretty good despite the economy. It was fun to see everyone but my office workforce is dwindling - as the FAA is consolidating offices and districts. When I retired 3 years ago we would have around 30+ people at our luncheons and yesterday we only had 13 and that included 3 retirees. It is sad to see all this happening.

Tonight we were to see our good friends, DeAnn and Bruce, but they are forecasting freezing rain to start around noon so we decided to cancel and try again next week. Hopefully the weather will improve.

Well, I hope everyone is ready for Christmas as it is approaching fast. We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and if you are traveling, stay safe.

Old Man Winter has Arrived!!

We just looked at the temperature in Lake Placid, FL, and it is 77 degrees!! What are we doing in Kansas City.....

It is snowing and the wind is blowing about 30 miles an hour. It is about 29 degrees and is suppose to be down to 11 degrees tonight. So I think we need to start our packing for our winter trip!!

We can't wait, and are looking forward to loading up and heading out. We are looking at leaving here probably on December 27 - it really depends on the weather forecasts.

We have just been busy getting things ready for Christmas. We have got all the decorations up and have a lot of our packages wrapped. Still have a little shopping left but getting on the tail end of it.

Last week, Jack and I attended my FAA Retirees' Luncheon. It was nice to see some of my old buddies from work and catch up with them and their families. Had a nice lunch with about 45 people or so.

Then Saturday night, we had our good friends, Frank and Linda, and Marlin and Dora, in to play Tripoley. This is a old game but we have just started playing it again in the last couple months. It is a fun game with cards and pennies. We also went out to eat before coming back here to play. I had read an article in the KC Star about a restaurant that had opened up (Stephenson's) out South. This restaurant used to be open, and had been an established one for many years in Lee's Summit. One of the sons has now opened this one up again. Well, let me tell you it was not like the old one for sure. We were really disappointed in the food!! So for you local people, you might not want to waste your time.

Have a good week!!

Thanksgiving and Wintery Mix Weather

Thanksgiving week has come and gone, and we survived it all. We had a busy week just getting ready for the big day.

On Thanksgiving Day, we had 17 people in for dinner. We had our children, grandchildren, sister, niece and family, nephew and part of his family, and our friends, Warren and Jeannene. We had a great time with all the family and friends. Everyone had a good time visiting and of course, a wonderful time eating all the good food.

My goal for this year was to get an immediate family picture. You might think this is easy to do but with everyone's schedules it is not as easy as you think. But I knew that everyone was coming here at the same time for Thanksgiving so we decided that would be a great time to get one. Jack was excited to get to try out his new camera and use his remote control clicker and it worked great. Here is the outcome:

Left to right: Bronson, Chad, Cathy Marie holding Nico, Jack, Cathy, Craig, Emma, Shannon, Zack.

With the two little ones, we weren't sure how it would work out but overall it worked pretty good. Bronson had just woke up from a nap and wasn't in a very good mood.

Here is another family picture of Craig's family.

Chad's two little ones were not up to anymore pictures so we didn't get theirs done at this time. That is the way it goes sometimes.



On Sunday morning we woke up to a wintery mix of moisture. We had some on Saturday but then Saturday night, we had much more but not near as much as Chicago. Here is what it looked like in our front yard.

It is definitely getting closer to the time to head South. The wind chill was not good today. We looked at Lake Placid's temperature and it was 64 degrees and it was 28 here. Florida here we come -- right after Christmas!!

Branson and Big Cedar Lodge Trip

Boy, was it ever cold this morning - 16 degrees on our porch!! It is definitely getting time to head South. But two days before it was like 65, but of course it doesn't stay warm.

Last Monday, Jack and I went to Branson to meet our friends, the Likins, at the Big Cedar Lodge. This is located just outside of Branson and it is a beautiful place. For the ones you might not know, it is owned by the guy that owns Pro Bass so it is decorated all in the outdoors decor.

The plan was to meet up with them for a late lunch at Lambert's (a yummy place where they throw the rolls) around 2:00 p.m. Would you believe when I called Jeannene to see where they were we were within a mile of each other on the highway to Lamberts. So that worked like a charm. We had a nice lunch and then headed on down to the Lodge.

Here are a few shots from inside the condo:

How about that fish. This was the bench back for the table:

Got all checked in and were very pleased with our accommodations. It was really nice and roomy. The only thing Jeannene wasn't sure she would be able to sleep with the deer looking down on her!! We visited and then fixed the dinner and then we played dominoes until bedtime.

The next day we just stayed around the Lodge area (which covers a lot of acres and looked at things).

LaVon this tree picture is for you. Do you know what kind it is? It has orange balls on it.

After lunch we went into Branson and picked up some music show tickets and did some shopping at the outlet. Then we had dinner at the Hard Luck Diner. (LaVon I thought of you when we went there - sorry Jack didn't take the camera).


Went to the Jim Stafford Show - which I wouldn't recommend. It was all right but it was just too much Jim Stafford and not enough music and singing for me.


Then on Wednesday, we got up and went out to Silver Dollar City for their Ole Time Christmas. If you haven't been to see all their lights it is definitely a trip to make. They have millions and millions of lights on everything. We really lucked out as the weather was at least 70 and sunny so we really enjoyed the day and night. They had some really nice Christmas shows and it wasn't too crowded. Had a great time!! Jack didn't take the camera - that is one thing about his new "big" camera he doesn't like to take it everywhere.

Then on Thursday, we went to breakfast and then we split up as we both had places we wanted to shop and then we were going to head home. I got some Christmas presents bought at the Landing. We got back to Kansas City around 5:00 p.m.

We picked up Brandy from our sitter's house and boy was she glad to see us.

Now I need to serious about getting Thanksgiving's menu established and assign the dishes to everyone. We usually have around 17 - 18 at our house. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!

November 14, 2008

Here we are in the middle of November. Where does the time go? Just six more weeks and we will be heading South to Florida. We are getting excited just thinking about it. It will be another adventure for us as we have not spend the winter in Florida before. We are looking forward to the new adventures it will bring. One couple we met in Arizona last year left for Florida last week. Looking forward to seeing some of the couples we met last year when we get there.

Things have been pretty quiet around here the last couple weeks. Nothing too exciting just doing our routine things.

Last Friday, we had the two little grandsons for the day. That was a fun day. They are so cute and fun. Then Emma called and wanted to know if she could come spend the night with us so that made a full day and night. But we enjoy all of them.

Jack went back to his foot doctor this last Wednesday for a follow-up. The doctor told him he was doing fine and he should keep doing what he has been doing. Jack is back go walking his mile and a half each morning. He still has some swelling with it but the doctor said that was to be expected. He said it could take up to 6-months to not have the swelling and some pain. But he did tell Jack no jogging!! LOL Jack never jogged in his life!!

Yesterday I went to the dentist to start the prep-work done for a crown. I tell you that was not fun. I was in the chair for over an hour with my mouth open wide. Man am I glad that is done!! Go back in a couple weeks to get the permanent one put on. Oh well, just another thing to happen as we enter our "golden years"!!

Next week Jack and I are going back to Branson, MO., to see all the Christmas lights. Silver Dollar City is one beautiful place at Christmas. They advertise that they have over a million lights and I believe it. We are going to meet our friends, Jeannene and Warren Likins, there. Sure hope the weather cooperates for us.

Nico's Baptism and Activities

Can't believe it has been so long since I have gotten on the blog and wrote, but it just seems I don't take the time to get things down in writing.

The weather here in the Midwest has just been beautiful. It has been dry and sunny for the last week or so. It is in the 70s in the day and gets down to around mid-50s at night. We can't ask for a better fall than we have had so far. We have had one hard freeze but it only lasted a night or so. Hopefully this weather will hold out for couple more months and then we will be heading South!!

Jack went out one day last week to look for some pictures of the fall leaves. Here are a few of them.

Let's see what we have been up to lately. Jack went to the dermatologist to have her check out a couple new spots on him. She thought they weren't too bad but to be on the safe side she froze them off. That is good.

On Saturday, October 25, we had our newest grandson's baptism. This was a joyous occasion for our family. Jack took some pictures which I will post below. We had a nice time and afterwards we all went out to eat. Nico did very well and didn't even cry until it was all over and that was just because he was getting hungry.

Here are a couple of pictures of the baptism:

Jack and I had dentist appointments and all went pretty good. I do have to go back and have one tooth checked to see if I might need a new crown. Sure hope I don't.

On Halloween, we went to our oldest son's (Craig) house and his family to celebrate Halloween. This has become a tradition for us. We all fix food - usually chili, soups, cornbread, and deserts and just have a good time. We have a few pictures of the kids (big and little). Here is Craig and Emma:

Here is Bronson as "Elmo":

Here is Grandma and Nico:

Last night, we got together with our good friends (Linda, Frank, Dora & Marlin) and went out to dinner and then played games. This is always a great time and we really enjoy getting together with them. We have been doing this for many, many years so this is definitely good time to have for sure.

Hope everyone gets out to vote on Tuesday (if you haven't already done so). Jack and I did our early voting last week so we won't be one of those standing in the long lines.

Have a good week.

Branson Trip and Bronson's Birthday Party

Jack and I left KC for Branson on Monday, October 13. We got there about 3:30 p.m. and on the way down we stopped at a restaurant in Ozark, MO., for lunch. For people who haven't been there, it is called Lambert's, and it is known for their hot rolls. Actually the waiters throw the rolls to you. The food is wonderful, good ole home cooking. They are well known, especially in the Midwest, so we had to wait about 45 minutes to get a table. The tour buses always stop there too, so you almost always have to wait for a table. But it is worth waiting for.

When we got into Branson, we went to the complex where we were staying. Some friends of ours have a time share there with the Wyndham organization. This was the first time we had been there and it was very nice. It was a one bedroom condo. Monday night we decided to go to one of the music shows, Pierce Arrow, which was pretty good. The comedian makes the show. We laughed so hard we were sore. So it was good for us to go and enjoy the evening.

Tuesday morning, we met my uncle and his two daughters from California, for breakfast. This uncle is 88 years old but you would never know it. He comes back every year to his high school reunion, which is a small town in Missouri (they only had 35 people graduate) and this year they only had 7 people come to the reunion. He said next year would be their 70th year and it would be the last one since they hardly have any people left. But he has always thoroughly enjoyed seeing his old friends. He plays golf twice a week and still works out at the gym. We had a great visit with him and my cousins. After breakfast, we went down to the Landing shopping area and looked around.

Wednesday we went to Silver Dollar City. The weather forecast was not too good as it was suppose to rain but we really lucked out and it only showered one time while we were there. It really turned out to be a great day - sunny and nice.

Thursday we shopped around the outlet centers and actually done some Christmas shopping. Went back to the condo and took a nap. Then for dinner we met my uncle again and had a nice dinner with them as we are leaving tomorrow.

Friday we headed back to KC. We needed to be back by 12:15 pm as Jack had an appointment with his orthopedic doctor. He was delighted as the doctor told him he could come out of his walking cast boot!! He was getting really tired of it. He had it on over for 5 weeks. The doctor told him to start walking and working his foot and ankle. So far things are going good. He has to go back in 4 weeks to have it checked.

Friday night my niece and her three little ones; ages 1, 3 & 4; my brother and his wife all came up to see the new baby. My niece and her little ones stayed at our house and my brother and his wife stayed at my sister's. So our house was a busy one to say the least!!

Saturday we all went to our grandson, Bronson's second birthday party. So it was like a mini-family reunion. We all had a great time and Bronson was a little overwhelmed with all the people. They had it at the local Pizza Shoppe. Everyone left on Sunday morning and Jack and I laid around the rest of the day. Here is Bronson with his birthday hat on!


Yesterday Jack and I kept our youngest grandsons for most of the day. This is the new baby and his brother. Their Mother needed a rest as she was not feeling well. Things went great with them. This was the first time we had kept the baby but he was no trouble at all. He just sleeps and eats. We thoroughly enjoyed having them. Here is Bronson and Nico.

Fun week with Friends

We have had a busy and fun week. Our good friends, Warren and Jeannene Likins, came to visit with us last Wednesday. Jeannene and I met and worked together at the FAA over 30 years ago. We have kept in touch with each other over all these years. They left KC and moved to Iowa and then transferred back to Columbia, MO., but we kept in touch throughout the years. They were in town for a class reunion.

I had dinner for them on Wednesday night. We visited and caught up with our families. Then on Thursday, we took them to see our new grandson, Nico. Then they went to meet some other friends over in Kansas City, KS and to see Jeannene's sister.

Then Friday morning, we got up went to garage sales. We had a great time and found some pretty neat items. You never know what you will come up with from these sales. Jeannene even found some elegant glasses (which she already had) but she needed some more since she had broken some. We couldn't believe that they were the same pattern, in good shape and an excellent price. Then they went to one of the reunion activities Friday night.

Saturday morning, Jack and I went with them to a breakfast they were having at their old school - Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas. There is another couple who we both know that also graduated with Warren. It was fun to see and visit with them. After this we took them downtown Kansas City, Missouri, to see what all had been build since they had been there. We now have a beautiful downtown and it is coming back alive with all the new construction - - new downtown arena; a new area with bars and restaurants; up-dated new lofts and apartments. It has changed a lot in the last few years. Then Saturday night they went to another reunion activity. Jack and I met some other friends for dinner and then went to play a game, Sequence, with these friends. Warren and Jeannene and us got home about the same time and then of course we had to hear how things went at their reunion so it was a late night but fun!!

This morning, they got up and left pretty early as they were going to Warren's sister's to have brunch. We had a wonderful time with them and really enjoyed their visit.

Jack and I went to our son, Chad's, to celebrate his 37th birthday. We picked up bar-a-que and ate at their house. I made his favorite cake so we had a good time with all of them. This is the house that has the new grandson!! So we ate and played with the kiddies. Jack and I are leaving tomorrow for Branson, Missouri for five days. So we have been a little busy lately.

That's all for now. Have a good week.

Busy, Busy Week with New Baby, etc.

Baby Nico and Mama are doing pretty good. Nico is a very good eater so I think he will start making up for lost time real soon. They have been taking him to get weighed every day or so just to make sure he is gaining and he is - as of Friday he was back up to 6 pounds and 1 and 1/2 ounces. He had lost down to 5 lbs. 8 ozs. So he is doing fine. Their household is getting a little more adjusted and Chad went back to work today. Jack and I went over and picked up Bronson and kept him most of the day so Cathy could get some rest. We have been going over at least every other day to help out; taking food or taking Bronson so they could get some extra rest.

Last Monday, Jack had his colonoscopy. Everything came out (LOL) just fine. This one was a follow-up from a couple years ago when he had some polyps removed. The doctor gave him an all-clear for another 10 years. That is great!!

Last Thursday, I volunteered at the hospital. I worked the surgery waiting area and when you work there you definitely learn to appreciate your good health.

On Friday, Jack and I went to our granddaughter Emma's school to have lunch with her. She was being recognized for demonstrating the virtue of "caring". So that means that their parents or grandparents can bring lunch to them from the outside - i.e., McDonald's and eat lunch with them. She was really excited about this. Of course, we were very proud of her.

Saturday, we went to Zach's football game. Like Shelly and Bud, we try to go all his games that we can. He is playing linebacker this year and is really enjoying it. They won 42 - 7. He has had a good season so far. Hey, did anyone catch the Missouri Tiger's game on Saturday night? They played Nebraska Huskers and won. Good thing we have the Tigers to watch since our Kansas City Chiefs have gone to pot!!

Our good friends, Warren and Jeannene Likins, are coming to visit this Wednesday and staying with us through Sunday. They are coming into KC to Warren's 50th class reunion. Looking forward to their visit.

Have a good week!

New Baby Montgomery - 9/26/2008

On 4:50 a.m. on September 26, Jack and I got a telephone call. I just knew that it must be something to do with our new grandson coming. Sure enough, it was our son Chad calling to see if I could come over to keep Bronson, they needed to go the hospital. Man, did I jump up and get moving!! I made record time getting to their house. Jack had to take care of Brandy before he could get over to their house. But he moved pretty fast (even with his boot on). One reason we were so surprised at this call was she was not due until October 26. So I was very worried about our little one being a month early.

At 11:35 a.m., Nicolo (Nico) Joseph Montgomery was born. He weighed 6 pounds and 1 ounce; he was 18 1/2 inches long. He has lots of dark hair. He looks so much like his big brother.

We did have a little scare right after he was born - he came out screaming but stopped so they rush him to the nursery and put him on oxygen and in a warming bed. But he was checked out from top to bottom and everything seems to be fine. They kept him for about 3 hours and then brought him back to the room. So we didn't get to see him or hold him until then. He is beautiful, of course!! They are going to keep him an extra day and keep him on monitors when he is in the nursery. But so far everything is doing just fine. But of course with him being a premie, we will have to keep a close eye on him and make sure he continues good health.

Here are a few pictures Jack took when we first saw him:

Mama with Nico:

Daddy with Nico:

Please keep Nico in your prayers. Thanks.

Beautiful Fall Weather

We definitely have had beautiful fall weather here in the Midwest. It has been in the low 80s and cool 50/60s at night. This morning was the first day we had had rain for over a week or so. The rain didn't last long - only until around 9:00 a.m. and then the sun has come out. We have really enjoyed our screened-in room this fall.

Jack is doing pretty good with his foot. He got his stitches out last Wednesday. Actually, the pain has been minimal; his foot is still swelling and he sure doesn't like having the boot on all the time. He is off the crutches, which is good, but it is very slow moving with one of these boots. He didn't change boots, he still has the walking cast; but he is getting better on getting around in it. One good thing the doctor told him, he only has to keep the boot on another 3 weeks from this Friday. That is a little better than the original time.

We have had a pretty quiet week. Just the routine type activities. Volunteered at the hospital with a fundraiser. We sold fall mums and were we ever busy -- we sold 280 mums in about 6 hours. It is a great fundraiser for our auxiliary and we always have people to contribute for a great cause. Played bunko last night with my girlfriend's group. I just substitute when they need one. It is a fun game, but I wouldn't want to do it every month.

Tonight we are going to Zack's football game. Last Saturday we went, and it was their first real game. He was so excited and they won; 42 - 0. Tonight's game will be much closer as the team they are playing is a tough team.

Have a great week!

Hurricane Ike is gone - sunshine again!!

Oh boy, have we had the rain!! We had about 7 inches in two days all from the hurricanes coming to the Midwest. Yesterday it was so nice to get up to sunshine. We are having wonderful cool mornings and now sunny afternoons. We will soak all this in over the next week or so.

Jack is improving with his from his surgery. He has had minimal pain from it but it is just a real pain trying to get around with his walking cast. Taking a shower with a plastic bag over the cast is not the easiest thing to do either... but tomorrow will be better as he gets the stitches out, the bandages off and then gets a more mobile type walking boot. This boot can be removed to shower, etc.

We have had a pretty quiet week so not much to report. Emma spend the night with us Saturday night. Today is our oldest son's birthday - he is 41; oh my, does that make us feel old!! Happy Birthday, Craig!!

Yesterday we had Bronson for the afternoon. Here are a couple of pictures we took with Jack's new camera (Nikon D-80). The bear in the picture with Bronson is one we bought while we spend the winter in Texas from some friends, Fred & Joan, from South Dakota.

Notice our dog, Brandy, had to be in the picture too. She is a little jealous of Bronson on Popo's lap!!

Family Get Together; Birthday Celebration; & Jack's Foot

We have had rains again in the Midwest. One day last week we got 3 inches of rain in about 4 hours. August was a dry month but so far September is making up for it. With all the hurricanes coming to shore, next week we will probably have rain every day.

Last Thursday, my brother, T. C., and his wife, Sandy, came to Kansas City (they live at Stoutland, MO) and spend a few days. It was great to have them up here. T. C. is not too excited about coming into the "city" - he is a country boy. Friday night, we had our sons and families; my sister and her son & grandson; all over here for a mini-family reunion. I fixed dinner for everybody and we had a great time. Not very often do we all get together - usually it is just around the holidays.

Sunday evening we took our oldest son, Craig, and his family out to dinner to celebrate his 41st birthday. His birthday isn't until the 16th but we decided that since Jack was going to have his foot surgery this week, we had better do it early. Lavon, we did remember the camera. Here are a few:

Zack, Shannon, Emma, Craig and me.

Craig & Emma (for the Quail Run Friends - they are ones that visited with us last winter)

Today was Jack's foot surgery. He was to have his bone spur removed. His surgery went well. Believe it or not the doctor was even 30 minutes ahead of schedule. He was in surgery around one hour and the doctor said things went well. The spur was a little larger than we believed at first but it was all removed. The doctor said it had some scar tissue around it which is why it had gotten larger this last year. We were home by 3:00 p.m. Jack has a beautiful, black walking cast boot which he will wear for one week. Then we go back next Wednesday to have the stitches removed and they will put on a different type boot. He will wear this boot for another 5 weeks. So he won't be running any races for a few weeks. So far he has had just a couple of pain pills so hopefully the pain won't be too bad.

Gustav reaches the Midwest

Gustav has reached the Midwest. We woke up this morning with rain and cool temperatures. It is to reach 64 today and tomorrow - cool fall weather. We did need some rain and so far it has been a slow, easy rain. Southern Missouri is forecast to get 6 - 8 inches of rain the next couple days. Sounds like there are a number of hurricanes coming out of the Caribbean the next week or so. Hopefully they will not be to0 severe to the Gulf and Eastern Coasts.

Jack and I went camping out to Smithville Lake over the holiday weekend. This is a nice, small lake North of Kansas City. It is only about 15 miles from our house so it is very convenient for us.

Normally we don't go out camping over holiday weekends but decided we better go since Jack is scheduled for his foot surgery a week from today and he probably won't be up to camping for the next month or so.

The campground was completely full for the weekend but we lucked out and had a very nice family next to us. They had three children - 13, 11 and 4 ages - all boys. The man worked for the government, USDA, so we had that in common and enjoyed visiting with them all weekend. The 4-year old was a hoot. He would come over and help Jack with playing the Yard Golf game.

The weather was great all weekend. Temperatures were in the 80s but had a good breeze and a good shade tree.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

The campground:

We took this picture on Tuesday morning and as you see we pretty well had the campground to ourselves.

Jack trying to play Yard Golf:

Here I am making all the rings!! Not really. I blamed it on the sun going down and not enough light.

Here is Brandy watching what was going on:

Here is another sunset. We had some really nice ones.

We had a couple nights with the camp fire:

Overall, we had a great time.

Nice Fall Weather in the Midwest

We have had beautiful fall weather in the Midwest for the last few weeks. We even turned off the air conditioner a couple of times and opened up the windows. This has been an exceptional August for Kansas City. Beautiful!!


We took our little dog, Brandy, to the vet this last week to get her annual checkup. They did her blood work and found out her triglycerides were out of sight. They are suppose to be around 350 and hers were 1100. I asked them what would cause this and the vet seem to think it was her diet which I can't believe since we have her on Science Diet for Seniors. Oh well, she is now on a prescription dog food (which I found out DeAnn's dog is on too) and we are to cut down on the amount we give her plus change her treats. Then have it checked again in six months. You know they say your dog begins to look like you after so long, well I guess your dog picks up their master's health problems too!!



Last Friday night, we went to another summer concert in our downtown area. It was country star, Tracy Bryd, who has been around for a while. It was the best concert, he was on stage for over two hours and sang all his number one records. The weather was great - couldn't ask for more for a "free" concert.



Yesterday we met our friends, Donna and Bill Rinne, for lunch. For you Quail Run friends, they were the couple that came and stayed for a month last year. It was great to see them and catch up on all the things that had been going on in their lives and hear about their camping trips. They have bought a new Hitchhiker and are enjoying it. Here is a picture of them:

They have made their winter reservations in Mesa, AZ. They have a granddaughter who attends the University of Phoenix.


Today I went to my old office, the Federal Aviation Administration Regional Office, in downtown Kansas City. They were having a 50th Year Celebration. It was nice to see some of my coworkers that I hadn't seen since retiring and it was nice celebration for all.


Jack went to his bone and joint doctor today to see about a bone spur he has on his heel. He has had this spur for a long time but it just keeps getting larger and it has really bothered him more the last six months. So today the doctor decided it does need to come off so he is scheduled for surgery on September 10 to have it removed. I hope he knows what he is in for as it doesn't sound like it will be a "walk in the park". He will have to wear some type of case for the first week and then be in a walking boot for another five weeks. But then it should be fine. Please put him on the pray list.

Have a fun and safe Labor Day Weekend!

August 18, 2008

What wonderful weather we have had the last week here in KC. The lowest have been in the low 60s and highs in 70s and low 80s. It seems like it is like late September instead of August. We have really enjoyed it.

Last Sunday, Jack and I took our bikes for a ride at a State Park north of Liberty. It has a real nice trail - 4 miles around a lake through the woods. It was the first time we have had our bikes out since we got home from Arizona. That is bad. Hopefully we can get back to riding them more often now that it is getting cooler.

Last Monday, we had Emma, our granddaughter, for the day. We told her it was her last "fun" day before her school starts. We took her shopping for a few new clothes for school and she wanted to go to eat lunch at Red Robin. Red Robin is a gourmet hamburger place which is a good place for adults too. Her school started last Wednesday and she is off and running in the Third Grade. She likes her new teacher and has already made some new friends. Good for her.

On Tuesday, I met a couple of my friends from the office I retired from. It is always good to see them and catch up with their lives. I really miss all the people I worked with - you know you spend almost as much time with the people you work with as your family. So when you leave you feel like you have left part of you. These girls are a lot of fun and we had some really good times together.

Our grandson, Bronson, was over on Tuesday afternoon to visit. His Mother had a doctor's appointment. The new baby is due in October and everything is coming along just fine. She hasn't been near as sick this time. We can't wait!! Then Tuesday night, we met Chad and Cathy for dinner.

Our good friends, Dora and Marlin, had a couple of extra tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs Football Game on Saturday night and invited us to go with them. This was a pre-season game but it was a beautiful night to go and we really enjoyed it. The Chiefs' didn't win but we had a good time anyway. Thanks, Dora and Marlin for the tickets!! Here are a couple pictures we took at the game.