Friends and Family

July 29th-August 3rd

After leaving Cleveland, we were excited to be headed toward family in Allentown, PA. Most of them the kids had only met once before. When we arrived (one day early, whoops!), several of them were there to greet us. It was such a warm welcome; we knew it was going to be a great visit. While there, we enjoyed lots of family time, several long walks in lovely parks, and a couple of picnics. The final night was a picnic with lots of family who all gathered to enjoy company, food, and a rollicking game of Apples to Apples. We also visited some local shops and the farmer’s market where we picked up some local fare to sample. We also took a tour of the Mack Truck Museum and got to ride around the test track in one of the new trucks. We stayed up too late talking, and probable ate too much food, and generally had a great time and enjoyed great hospitality. There were a few tears as we left, but we were excited to see some close friends at our next stop.

James and his cousins

Karen reading to the girls

Christine was so happy when Jack offered to leave his Martin for her to play while we visited.

 Our friends live just outside Philadelphia. James has known Chris and Kelly since his college days. The fact that they still like him says something about them (maybe poor judgment…).  Once again we felt a warm welcome, and our kids immediately rekindled friendships with their kids. They had a great time catching frogs and various other water creatures at the nearby creek. James and Chris took the older kids to visit University of Pennsylvania Campus, where they were roommates a hundred years ago. One of my greatest weaknesses is keeping in contact with people who live far away. While I feel a certain amount of regret for the relationships I have let go, I am really thankful for the ones that have somehow been maintained. Thank you friends and family for staying in contact with me. And thank you to Karen, Dan, Kelly, and Chris for taking in a family of 6 for a few days and letting us do laundry and for feeding us. We love you all!

Penn Campus

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