Happy Holidays to all my family and friends. This year I was able to travel a little more, which I love to do. Just after Christmas last year, I drove to Marysville, Ohio, to research the Wygle family history. Then in May a group of us went to Des Moines to check out the new mall, go to the theater, and attend the Pella Tulip festival. A week later, three of my friends and I flew to Williamsburg, VA, to visit our friends Arliss & Bob. The historic towns of Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown were very interesting. When the others returned to Iowa, I rented a car and visited cousins Rick and Alia in Quantico, VA. Rick works at the Quantico Marine Corps base and he drove me around the base in his zippy Mazda convertible. Sightseeing in a convertible is extra special because you can see the tips of the trees as you're flying down the road. The last day of my vacation was spent in Hardy Co. WV, again reseraching the family history.
My friends and I still meet for "Girls Night Out" once each month and, as you know, I have a lot of fun playing bridge. I am also attending fancy dinners arranged by the Culinary Arts students at Kirkwood College. So far, I have been to three dinners. The first, an Italian meal, was coordinated by a guest chef from Italy, the next dinners were Southern American and Chinese. I frame each menu and hang them on my kitchen wall.
My sister-in-law, Karen, and I organized a family reunion for our immediate families in August. We rented a cabin at Hickory Hills Park south of Wateroo and invited thhe family to camp in the park with us. The cabin where my mom, my brother Jim, Karen, and I stayed had 2 bedrooms, air conditioning, a kitchen, a living room, and a full bath. Perfect "camping"!
In September I had great fun helping Jim and Karen move into town after living in the country for 25 years. (It was fun for me, but stressful for them!) The move took 1 month. They gave me many treasures, including some family items, interesting "yard art" and even my schoolwork from the '60's when we lived in Orlando, FL.
When our friends Arliss and Bob moved from Williamsburg, VA, to Minneapolis, MN, my friends and I visited them again. This time there were 8 of us and we rented a large van. We had a wonderful time talking, shopping, and going to the theater. On the trip there and back, I pointed out the towns where my cousins lived. My friends are suspicious that I seem to have so many cousins and threatened to stop and ask if we were really related!Larry and Rick are both doing well and live in Cedar Rapids. Larry had surgery in April for a hernia. He is currently in the process of moving to a different apartment.
