RECENT TRAVELS
 |
Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
|
This past year has been, perhaps, the busiest year of our 37 years together as we continued working our regular jobs while moving full-steam ahead with St Francis Cottage. Although life is jam-packed with work, commitments and responsibilities and at times is stressful, taking time to catch up with family and friends is invaluable and the core of our life.
 |
| Nancy's extended-family reunion |
In July, we went to the annual Clemens Family Reunion in suburban Indianapolis, which never fails to be a time full of laughs. Watching the children play is delightful, and the food is always to die for. Many thanks to brother Joe and wife Jenny and to my sister Connie for their hard work in making our gathering a splendid weekend. We can't wait to see everyone again this year . . . maybe at St Francis Cottage.
We were ecstatic to have two visits within two months with our daughter Hannah and family. In August, we headed up to Winnipeg, Manitoba to play with GrandGirls Grace and Amelia for a week while Phil and Hannah were in China and Singapore for a wedding.
 |
| Taking a break from the fun at Tinkertown near Winnipeg, MB, Canada. |
 |
| Amelia, Nancy, and Grace building a bird house at FortWhyteAlive nature center south of Winnipeg. |
 |
| Clowning around at FortWhyteAlive vistor's center! (The Bison didn't even flinch) |
 |
| Trying our hand at rowing. Grace did a yeoman's job rowing us later in the excursion. |
 |
| Phil's parents, Nancy and Bill with us at a park near their house in Winnipeg. (Yes, Grace and Amelia have two grandmother's named Nancy. Phil's mom is Nana, Hannah's mom is Grammy.) |
In October, they came down to Chattanooga on their way to Miami for
Phil’s partner’s retreat with MNP. Auntie Suzie (Susan Loraine Anderson) came up from Atlanta
for the day, and we enjoyed lots of outings and a Christmas-in-October
celebration.
 |
| Exploring the Enchanted Maize (Rock City) in Chattanooga. |
 |
| Picnic fun with the Caveys and Auntie Suzie at Red Clay State Park, east of Chattanooga. The park site was the last seat of Cherokee national government before
the 1838 enforcement of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 by the U.S.
military, which resulted in most of the Cherokee people in the area
being forced to emigrate west, and is part of the Trail of Tears. |
 |
| This creek is fed by a wonderful natural spring at Red Clay State Historic Park. That's Auntie Suzie photo bombing us in the background. |
We took a quick trip over Labor Day Weekend to visit Wallace’s brother Bruce and wife Barbara in Silver Spring, Maryland. The weather was gorgeous, so we toured the U.S. National Arboretum in D.C. followed by an incredible meal at the Old Ebbitt Grill.
 |
| Bruce and Barbara Braud |
The next day we hiked the beautiful Brookside Gardens Conservatory and enjoyed their butterfly garden exhibit while Wallace took tons of photos, gathering ideas for our future gardens.
 |
| Have a BEAUTIFUL day at Brookside Gardens Conservatory |
Barbara spends every minute of her spare time crocheting, and she donates all the blankets, scarves and hats that she flawlessly creates. She sends them to Operation Homefront for baby showers for our U.S. Military families, or to the homeless shelters in San Francisco, where their son Ryan lives and works as a computer programming engineer.
Barbara also prepared her favorite breakfast and brownie recipes for us, and they were the best-ever. We can’t wait to serve her Lemon Pancake and Peaches n Cream French Toast recipes at SFC.
 |
| Lovin' those Brownies!! Thank you, Barbara! |
No comments:
Post a Comment