Goodbye

I am going to stop the blog.  For photos and status updates, please check Facebook or email me.

Potluck

 Patrick & Teresa Hockaday were visiting from Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday, so there was a potluck in their honor so we could see them.

 Wesley, Patrick, Teresa, Lynn & Donnie Hockaday

 Donnie in the kitchen putting on his apron, with Paul & Kurt supervising.

 Roylene, Margaret Ann and Teresa

 Charlotte & Don Shaner

 Teresa, Renee and me

 Inez and Chris Synan (her husband passed away this summer)

Renee & Mindy

JHU Parents Weekend

 Friday evening we spent with some of the young friends in the Baltimore area who were having a chili feed & cheese tasting. 

 This couple's house is where Devin leaves his truck parked and where we stayed for our weekend visit.  They are wonderful and Devin thinks a lot of them.

 This is the Peabody Library (part of Hopkins) which houses a special collection of books, none newer than 1940.  It is very unique & beautiful.

 Devin & Josiah in their room.  Kind of tight space, but they get along well.

 Hopkins campus is very beautiful and you wouldn't even know there is a city on the outskirts of it.

 Goofing off in the Sculpture Garden on campus.

 There are a lot of interesting & expensive pieces of equipment at the school.

JMU Parents Weekend

 We were glad that the Parents Weekends for the boys' schools were not on the same date.  Derrik's was first and we had fun doing our traditional activities such as the football game, Kline's ice cream, the a cappella concert and the truly fine feast they put on in the dining hall.

 There is a female student who is the same height & weight as James Madison.  She dresses up and stays in character as him at school events.

Lunch in the Park

Christy & Mason joined me for lunch in the park several times during the month of September. 

Blue Heron

This lovely bird walked along the trail ahead of Rocky & I when we were on our return home.  It then flew into our yard and hung out there for awhile.

Hopkins Student Exploring Baltimore

Devin and some friends spent part of a day in the Inner Harbor.  None of these boys are Devin's roommate.  You will notice that there is a predominantly Asian student population at Hopkins.

Hopkins Move-In

 Devin looking at us from his second floor dorm room window. 

 This is Devin's dorm building that he is walking from.  His window is the left one in the middle section on the second floor, so just above and to the left of the black roof of the security building.

 This was in the driveway getting ready to leave.  He took his truck and left it with a professing couple nearby so he could use it to come home occasionally.

 A picture of me taking a picture of Devin.

 It's a beautiful campus and though it is supposedly smaller than Derrik's at JMU, we still logged over 10,000 steps each day just getting around from point to point.

Washington

 It was sad to lose my grandma, but it was a happy thing to have time with family.

 My cousin Cami drove over from Montana.

 Cami's son, Lance (4), took this neat photo on our walk.  You can see the Narrows bridge just over the vegetation on the left.

 My cousin Gary and his family came up from Oregon.  He is a cousin on the other side of the family, so it was especially sweet that they made the effort to come up.

 My mom with two cousin's wives, Sam & Larissa - three beautiful ladies.

 My dad with his siblings.

 My parents, aunts & uncles.

All of my grandma's grandkids who made it to the funeral, with the exception of my brother who was unaware there was going to be a photo session.

 This is the grandkids with spouses.

 My Uncle Carl's family.

 My Uncle Loran's family.

 My crazy cousin, Tony, who makes me laugh and wastes my waning camera battery.

 We got a photo with my Dad's branch of the family the next day to include my brother & his wife.

 My mom & I in their front yard.

 Candy & Steve Roloff are friends of my cousin Cami and joined us for Sunday lunch.

 The guys having a game of croquet.

 Mom & Dad winding down.

 We went to the LeMay Car Museum.

 We spent one night at my brother's house.  Another family also spent the night, Victor & Julie Lucero and their four kids. 

In the airport, we ended up in line behind Lisa Miller Foster (a childhood friend) and her adopted daughter's biological sister.