Here are Dennis, Anita, Grandma Clink, Wanda and Doris posing for the camera.
It was so much fun to see the "Okies" again.
Here's LaDonna making sure everything is in place for the birthday party. The cakes were baked and decorated by Joanne and the centerpiece came from Gordon, Diane, Sherri and Patricia.
Here are Adair and Linda in front of the group. Adair was on hand to accompany Happy Birthday and he sang many family favorites. Linda looks to be warming up her Karaoke act or maybe doing an audition for American Idol.
Once again, we strike out on the open road. This segment will be our homeward bound leg and if all works correctly, we should be home Thursday night. There are lots of miles to cover and since it's late in October, the weather could always be a surprise. Today was an example of surprises!
Take note of the clear blue sky!!!!!! It was sunny and warm and only mild breezes. The wall we are driving next to is a wall of sand bags that were put in place to protect a highway from the Missouri River floods this spring. This road is open to traffic, unlike many other East / West roads near the Missouri River. There is still lots of standing water and you can see the high water marks in the brush alongside the roads. It's pretty intimidating when you can look out the car windows and see the high water mark at exactly the same height as you're looking. That would mean you're driving a submarine?
We stopped in Lincoln to visit our friend of many years and managed to get a snapshot of LaDonna and MarJean in front of Old Gold. I should explain the name a little bit. Mar Jean is short for Marjorie Jean. I have not put any last names in this blog to preserve a little bit of privacy. LaDonna and I have enjoyed singing in different church choirs over our years together. Mar Jean and her husband Doc sang in the church choir in my old home town. Doc and I used to provide emergency medical services many years ago in the service of our local volunteer fire department. We're sad to say that Doc passed away some time ago. I am proud to say I knew him and glad to stay in touch with Mar Jean. We will be friends always. We're glad to be able to stop by for a visit on our way home. The sling reminds me to be careful.
Speaking of stopping by, we stopped by my old hometown on our way back. This is a picture of the house I grew up in. It looks different now with extra landscaping and a new color but, still looks like a grand old home in the center of America. We're sorry that we don't have any pictures of LaDonna's childhood homes. There are only cornfields where the homes once stood.
Mid America is not all flat! We took a side trip through a corner of Utah to one of our favorite places. It's a really cool part of the country to drive an Old Gold Corvette! According to the map program on our computer, this leg of the trip was nine miles shorter and added fifteen minutes to the drive time. Since we were on the road ten hours today, we thought the scenery made it worthwhile.
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