Life's unexpected turns

We got home from Arkansas and there was laundry to do and also the house to clean.  We often use our basement as a B&B for out of town guests.  A couple who work for CRU (initially known as Campus Crusade for Christ) were coming for a week to spend time with their children.   I guess I should just say B, not B&B.  Minus one B as these guests said they didn't need breakfast as they would eat with their kids.  

While I was cleaning, I got a phone call from my Uncle Mahlon, my mother's brother in Ohio.  Uncle Wally had passed away.  The funeral would be later that week.  That changed my week!  I would be taking an unexpected trip to Ohio!  We looked at airline tickets but we know people who have had trouble getting vehicle rentals at the airports, and many airlines are cancelling flights, so I decided to drive.  I like driving anyway.

I welcomed our guests when they came and then I left for Ohio.  I made a stop in Lawrence to see Allen's sister.   At a stop along the turnpike, I saw something that was a first for me.

I got as far as Decatur, Illinois just before dark.  The next day, I took 25 north to Lafayette.  How I love these nice country roads.  I will take these any day, compared to super fast interstate highways!  I purposely avoided Indianapolis, although that isn't a really hard city to drive through.

The road took me through Lafayette. What a pretty city!  I could never have navigated it without GPS!

I love these old buildings.

I took 24 to 224 and on to 30 and to Pandora, arriving around 4:00.

My mother's home place!

The people who live there have added on a garage to the house.  I loved the breezeway that was there, but can understand why they'd want a garage.  

Below is a picture of my parents and older brother, Dave, before they left for Japan, with the breezeway behind them.

Uncle Mahlon lives next to the old homestead, in a home he had built.  Below are pictures of my mom, her siblings and parents at the old home.  Uncle Mahlon is the "baby", the last sibling remaining.

I was so excited to see Uncle Mahlon and Aunt Anne!  After putting my suitcase in the guest room, we went to Findlay to meet the rest of the family.

What a good time I had with my cousins!  We haven't seen eachother in years!   And it was the first time meeting spouses and their children.

With Uncle Wally and Aunt Wanda missionaries in France and us in Japan, we didn't get to see one another much in our growing up years.

1956

1962

1969

(Good grief.  My mother cut my bangs so short!  How embarrasing!)

Wish everyone could have come!  There are many families who all live close to one another but we live all over the US, not easy to get together.  But, we are FAMILY.