Gardening and Helping our Neighbor

December has been a busy month for us.

We did some work on one of our flower beds and dug out all of the old plants except for a few Dracaena marginata plants that were already in there and we had a few growing in different places in the yard and we moved them to the flower bed with the others.

We bought 3 Drift Roses at Lowe's and planted them in the flower bed and added red mulch. We had to dig out some of the dirt to allow for the mulch and I did the digging and Mike emptied the wheelbarrow.

I have a "Janet Craig" Dracaena on the back patio and it is blooming!

 

Barbara (she's 82), our neighbor across the street, called us on Dec. 7 and told us she had fallen in her garage and that she had managed to get back in the house. Mike and I rushed

Florida Pioneer Descendants Certificate Ceremony

Fletcher drove up from Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday Nov. 7 to stay for a few days. On Sunday we drove over to Kissimmee to visit with my brother Cyril who hasn't been feeling well lately. While we were there, Fletcher used his own stethoscope and blood pressure cuff to check Cyril's blood pressure

and compared his results against the ones Elaine got with their blood pressure machine and to see what prescriptions Cyril was taking.

On Tuesday Nov. 10 Mike, Fletcher and I drove down to the Vero Beach Library to attend the Indian River Genealogical Society's monthly meeting. Pam Cooper (Past President of the FL State Genealogical Society & Supervisor for the Library's Archives & Genealogical Department) and Pat Giordano (FSGS Pioneer Descendants Committee Chairman) presented Mike and Fletcher their FL Pioneer Descendants certificates & pins and I received my FL Pioneer Researcher certificate & pin for researching Mike's 3rd great-grandparents Silas & Avis Fletcher who settled on Indian Key in the 1820's. I also accepted a Descendant certificate for Mike's brother Chris who died earlier this year.

After the genealogy meeting Mike, Fletcher and I drove down to Mrs. Mac's and met

New Flower Bed Planted & October Stuff

We spent most of October just working around the house. We did make a day trip over to Kissimmee on the 4th to visit with my brother and family.

Then we got ambitious and bought about 20 croton and 12 Ti plants at Home Depot on the 24th for the flower bed in front of our garage.

The flower bed isn't very wide but it is about 20 feet long and needed to be dug out in order to plant the crotons and Ti plants. Mike started out doing the digging, but it hurt his back so much that I took over. Well, it turns out that even with my lower back problems I am now the official "digger" and Mike became the wheelbarrow handler and dumper. It took us a few days to dig out the flower bed completely and then a couple of days to put in the plants and the mulch.

I waited until today to post because I wanted to take photos of our work on the flower bed  and didn't get them taken until today.

In the time between our visit to Kissimmee and putting in the new flower bed -

Update on our water situation

In my last post on Sept. 21 we had just gotten home from a 9-day trip and found out we had no water at the house and were hooked up to our neighbor's house so we would have water.

It turns out that the pump for our well water died while we were gone and will need to be replaced (that was the new pump Mike had put in not too long after we moved in to the house). We called the Indian River County Water and found out what we needed to do to have county water hooked up. There was already a meter box installed, we just needed the water meter hooked up to the county line and then to our house.

We went to the county office and paid the $1145.00 impact fee and a $50.00 deposit to have the meter installed. Then we went to Maxwell & Sons Plumbing here in Sebastian and paid $530.00 to have them run water lines from the house to the water meter. So by Friday Sept. 25 we had county water hooked up. Thank goodness we have a great neighbor next-door, since we were hooked up to his water for about 3 days.

Last Thursday was my birthday and Mike and I went to Ruby Tuesday for dinner. Mike had the Asiago NY Strip and I had the Mushroom NY Strip and we both had a loaded baked potato and a glass of merlot.

This week I ordered the Florida Pioneer Descendants certificates and lapel pins for Mike, Fletcher and Chris (Mike's brother) and a certificate for myself for doing the research. There will be a presentation ceremony later this year at an Indian River Genealogical Society meeting in Vero Beach.

Big SURPRISE when we got back home

We got up this morning and loaded the few things we had brought in with us back into the car and thanked Mike and Gayle for their hospitality in letting us spend the night on our way back home. Mike offered to fix us breakfast before we left, but we said no - which was really hard to turn down because he makes a TERRIFIC breakfast! We said we would get something on down the road since we have over 500 miles to drive today.

We left their house about 8:30 and headed south on US-231 to US-84 in Dothan and stopped at the Burger King on the Circle and W. Main for breakfast. After breakfast we stopped at the Raceway on the south Circle for gas ($1.899 a gal) before heading south on US-231 to I-10 East. We took I-10 east to I-295 in Jacksonville and then I-95 south to the Sebastian, FL exit.

We stopped for gas a little after 6:00 at the Sunoco just after exiting I-95 and paid $1.959 a gallon. Then we stopped at Little Caesar's for a pepperoni pizza and a Crazy Combo (breadsticks and sauce) to have for dinner. We arrived home at 6:30 after driving 504 miles today - one of our longest days driving on this trip.

Well - you know how good it feels to get back home after a trip? That's how good we felt until we found out

Meridian, MS to Ozark, AL

This morning Mike took Tinker out for a walk and got a luggage cart on his way back to our room. He put Tinker on it and took a photo of Tinker riding on the cart.

 

We checked out of the La Quinta in Meridian, MS at 8:30 and went to the

Jacksonville, TX to Meridian, MS

We checked out the La Quinta in Jacksonville, TX this morning a little before 8:00 ($81.36 for the room). We stopped at the Denny's near the motel for breakfast and we both ordered the Scrambled Eggs & Cheddar Breakfast (Senior).

We took US-79 up to Henderson and then TX-43 north to I-20 east and stopped at a Raceway in Shreveport at 9:30 to get gas ($1.789 a gal),

We didn't stop for lunch since we had had such a large breakfast and we arrived at the La Quinta in Meridian at 4:30. We did stop for bathroom breaks and to walk Tinker.

After checking in at the motel and checking out our room, we went to the Pizza Hut nearby for dinner and ordered 2 individual pan pizzas and Mike had the salad bar. By 6:00 we were back in our room for the night.

We drove 417 miles today. We used our La Quinta Rewards for tonight's room, so it's not costing anything.

Granbury to Jacksonville, TX

This morning we left Carole's house and started our trip back to the east. Carole offered to make us breakfast before we left, but we said we would just get something on the road since she was leaving this morning to go spend a couple of days with some friends. Carole did give us some snacks to take with us. We were on the road by 8:45 and were heading south to go to Centerville.

We stopped at the Burger King in Glen Rose about 9:15 for breakfast where we had our usual croissants with sausage for Mike and bacon for me with orange juice and coffee.
After breakfast we drove south along county roads and passed through Meridian where I took a photo of the Bosque County Courthouse.

and from there we drove to Waco and then east to Centerville.

I wanted to stop by the Leon County Genealogical Society in Centerville to do some research on Mike's Fletcher and Manning ancestors that lived in that county in the 1800's. We arrived in Centerville about noon and found a parking place on E. Main Street by the courthouse. The genealogical society doesn't open until 1:00, so we walked Tinker and then sat down on a bench and ate some of the snacks that Carole had given us.

While Mike stayed with Tinker, I walked over to the circuit clerk's office to do some research, but didn't find any new information. Then I walked back over to the Genealogical Society's office (it was a little after 1:00) and it was closed. I checked with the office next door and they said someone had just left the society and was going to be gone the rest of the day. I would have called the society's phone to be sure someone would be there today, but they don't have a phone number listed on their website.

But I did get to see the restored courtroom for the district court. It's on the second floor and I took a few photos. The current courthouse (the 3rd courthouse) was built in 1886 on the site of 1858 courthouse that burned down in November 1885. The courtroom was restored to its

Visit with Carole

Yesterday morning we checked out of the La Quinta in Bossier City at 9:00 and paid $55.25 for the room. There was a Burger King near the motel and we went there for breakfast. We both had croissants (Mike had sausage, egg & cheese and I had bacon, egg & cheese), orange juice and coffee.

I did get a call yesterday from Clyde from the Florida Genealogical Society. He is checking over the application I sent in for the Florida Pioneer Descendants and he said that I had omitted correcting a couple of items. He said that if it was OK with me, he would make those corrections for me and then the application could be approved. OF COURSE, I told him to make those corrections for me and thanked him again for his help and advice. Now Mike and Fletcher will get their Florida Pioneer Descendants certificates and I will get a certificate for doing the research. I had also submitted Mike's brother Chris for a certificate and had hoped that it would be approved while he was still alive because he was really interested in the Fletcher family history.

We were on the road by 9:45 and heading west on I-20 to Dallas where we connected with US-67 south which took us to Pecan Plantation where Carole lives. We arrived at her house a little after 2:00 yesterday after driving 255 miles from Bossier City.

This was a difficult visit for us since Mike's brother Chris died just 3 weeks ago on Aug. 27. We didn't come out sooner because no memorial service has been planned yet.

We've spent the last 2 days just visiting with Carole and talking about Chris. Carole is still in

Visit with Lance and Ann

Yesterday morning we checked out the La Quinta in Tallahassee a little before 9:30 - our room cost $46.75 which isn't bad, but it sure is more expensive than our camping fees were.
We decided to not have the free breakfast at the motel and have breakfast at the Cracker Barrel near there. Mike had the biscuit and gravy with sausage and I had scrambled eggs with bacon.

It was about 10:30 when we left Cracker Barrel and we stopped to get gas ($2.039 a gal) before heading west on I-10.

We arrived at our friends' house at 2:00. It has been too long since we've seen Lance and Ann. They are living in a rental house since their beautiful home burned down earlier this year. They managed to get out of the house with just the clothes they had on. The house was a total loss and both of their vehicles were in the garage and they were destroyed.

Lance and Ann are waiting to have their new home rebuilt on the same lot and we drove over there yesterday afternoon to see the progress. The foundation is done and the outer walls are being put up now.

Lance and Ann took us out to dinner last night to one of their favorite

Sebastian to Tallahassee

This morning after breakfast we loaded our suitcases and Tinker's bag into the car and left the house at 11:00 and started on our trip out to Texas. Since we were going to spend the night in Tallahassee there was no need for us to get an early start today.

Instead of heading north on I-95 this morning, we drove north on US-1 up to SR-50 just north of South Titusville and then drove west on SR-50 to US-27 at Clermont. We stopped at 1:30 for a late lunch at the Wendy's at the intersection of SR-50 and US-27 before heading north on US-27.

We took US-27 north up to where it intersects with I-10 east of Tallahassee and then drove west on I-10 to Exit 199 to get to the La Quinta where we are spending the night. We arrived here at the La Quinta at 6:00. After checking in at the front desk, we went up to our room to check it out before heading out for dinner.

We drove down to El Jalisco Mexican restaurant on US-27 South for dinner. We both ordered the Steak Fajita Quesadilla for dinner and ice tea. By the time we got back to the motel from dinner, it was 7:30 and we were ready to relax.

We drove 352 miles today and tomorrow will be a really short trip when we stop in Pensacola to visit our friends Lance and Ann

Trips to Kissimmee and Ft. Lauderdale

We took our new Subaru Outback on a road trip over to Kissimmee. My brother Cyril has been having health problems and is in a rehab facility there. We met my sister-in-law at their house and took her out to lunch at Perkins Restaurant before going over to visit with Cyril. We stayed for a little over an hour and had a good visit with him and Elaine before it was time for us to head back home.

I got an email from Clyde who is the final reviewer for the Florida Pioneer Descendant application and he said that I needed to write a Statement of Proof for Mike's great-grandfather William Howe Fletcher, Jr. linking him to his parents. I had to state what documents I had (there is no birth certificate since he was born in 1845) showing his

Our new Subaru Outback

We picked up our new 2016 Subaru Outback last Saturday at the dealer in Vero. We traded in our 2007 Saturn Vue on it.





We had our neighbor Barb over for dinner last night. She is doing pretty well after Bill's death. She has a lot of ladies that she goes to different events and luncheons with and that is helping keep her busy at this time.

We had to go to Vero this morning for an appointment and decided to have lunch at

Mike's brother Chris

We got a call this morning from Carole that Mike's brother Chris had died earlier this morning. Chris was diagnosed last December with inoperable liver cancer. He had started chemo earlier this year and then had started radiation therapy in July. Earlier this month Chris had a MRI done and the chemo and radiation were not successful and the doctors told Chris and Carole to contact Hospice. We were planning on taking a trip next week out to see them.

Fortunately some friends of theirs had spent the night with Chris and Carole, so she wasn't alone when he died and they were there to help her.

We spent this morning calling Mike's cousins to let them know about Chris.

The last time we visited with Chris and Carole was in February of this year and we had a really good time with them.



Chris and Mike

Our Friends Bill and Barb

This has been a sad week for us. Our neighbor across the street Barbara and her friend Bill had come up last week from Vero (they live in his condo on the beach in Vero) to stay in Barb's house. Bill suddenly became ill after dinner and was taken to the hospital here in Sebastian. Barb called us last Wednesday morning to tell us that Bill had died - Bill was 96 years old, but you would never know it.

Barb and I drove down in her car and Mike followed in ours to help her move her things out of the condo and back up to her house. Barb and Bill had been together for 10 years and had lived most of the time at his condo. They had us over for dinner at the condo last December and had a great time.

This morning Mike and I went to Bill's funeral in Vero. His son and two daughters and grandchildren were there. A son-in-law had taken their family photos and made a slide show for the service. It was really nice to see photos of Bill and his family as they all grew up and grew older.

We did have some good news this week when I found out that my Florida Pioneer Descendants application and documentation had been assigned and sent to the first reviewer. Once he is through examining it, he will forward everything to the second reviewer and he will be the one to contact me to let me know if it's approved or if more info is needed.

A Lot of Eating Out, A Few Home Repairs & Getting a New Car

I've been looking back at what we've done the last 2 weeks and we sure ate out a LOT - especially this last week. We ate at Ay Jalisco, Squid Lips, and Sandwich Shack here in Sebastian and twice at Wendy's in Vero.

Last Sunday we bought a Network Extender from Verizon to hopefully help with our cell phone signal at home. Our cell phones will sometimes drop calls depending on where we sit in the house and it is really aggravating at times.

Mike's been researching new cars for quite some time and we have decided on the 2016

Florida Pioneer Descendants Certificate application done!

I finished up my Florida Pioneers Descendant application and had all my documentation organized and mailed the packet July 13 to the Florida State Genealogical Society. I've included documentation so our son Fletcher and Mike's brother Chris will receive certificates in addition to Mike. I will also get a researcher's certificate for doing the work.

A lot of the documents I had to make copies of were legal size and our current printer/copier could only copy letter size, so I got out our OLD flatbed scanner to see if it would still work. It's a HP8200 legal size flatbed scanner that we bought in 1997. I couldn't get the original HP software to work with it, so I ended up purchasing VueScan Scanner software and the scanner worked great!

So now I just have to wait for the review process to see if my application is approved. The application goes to 1 reviewer and then they pass it on to a second reviewer. If everything

Visiting Navy Seal Museum & Local Eateries with Mike & Gayle

Our friends Mike and Gayle from Alabama are traveling here in Florida and stopped by for a few days' visit on July 10. We took them to one of our favorite local restaurants here in Sebastian for dinner Squid Lips. Gayle ordered Fish N Chips, Mike had the Shrimp Basket, I had the Salmon Dinner with Citrus Butter and Mike (my Mike) had a hamburger.



On Saturday the 11th we took Mike and Gayle down to the Navy Seal Museum in Ft. Pierce. We stopped in Vero Beach for lunch at Mrs. Mac's Fillin' Station before heading down to the museum.



We arrived at the Navy Seal Museum a little before 1:00.



We didn't take a lot of photos at the museum because Mike and I had already been there a few years ago. But we did take a photo of Gayle as a Navy Seal.



Sunday we took Mike and Gayle on a drive along A-1-A up to the McLarty Treasure Museum at the Sebastian Inlet State Park. 



On July 24, 1715 twelve ships loaded with gold, jewels and other treasure departed Havana

Learning to use an iMac for the first time

I've been spending the last 2 weeks getting used to my new computer. I am going through a learning process with the Mac operating system. I bought the Mac version of Quicken and am working with it and the Windows version I've used for years just to see which one I prefer.

I decided to take the iMac in to the computer shop and have them install Parallels and install Windows 7 on it (I still had the original disks that came with the laptop). They also transferred my data from the laptop's hard drive and everything is working great.

We have had computers for YEARS - our first one was a Commodore 64 in the early 1980's and then we "upgraded" to a computer named The Clone made in Texas - yes, that really

Lunch at Mrs. Mac's and a dead laptop

In my last post I mentioned that my 17" Dell laptop was giving me serious problems and was that ever an understatement! I took it in to a local computer shop in Sebastian this morning to see if they could find out what was wrong and repair it.

Mike and I had some errands to run down in Vero and stopped at Mrs. Mac's Fillin' Station for lunch.



It reminds one of the old roadside restaurants that used to exist years ago. Everything there is "geared" to automobiles. We love the license plate menu covers!



The silverware is wrapped in shop towels (clean, of course, no grease) instead of the usual napkins. We enjoy the atmosphere and the food is excellent.



After we got home this afternoon, the computer shop called to tell me that the motherboard died on my laptop! He said he should be able to restore my data from the hard drive.

So after talking about it, Mike and I drove 83 miles down to the Apple store in Palm Beach

Mike's birthday & a malfunctioning computer

Wednesday we had 4½" of much needed rain. I'm still working on the Florida Pioneer Descendants application and documentation. I didn't get to work on it last week while Symphony and Dot were visiting - we had a good time and it was a welcome break from working on the application.

I not only have to have proof of birth, marriage, and death for all direct descendants, but also prove Florida territory residency for Mike's 3rd great-grandparents and 2nd great-grandfather. Then I have to list and number each document chronologically and by generation and enter that number by the event it corresponds to on the descendancy chart. I can use census records or other types of records for birth and marriage if no certificate exists, but then I have to have 2 documents to substantiate that fact. I have most of the documents I need, but I'm still missing a few records.

Saturday was Mike's birthday and Fletcher drove up to spend the weekend with us. We went up to the theater in West Melbourne to see the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron to watch it in 3-D and on the Imax screen. After the movie, we stopped at 5 Guys for hamburgers and fries which is what Mike wanted to have for dinner. Fletcher left Sunday morning to go back home.

I started having problems with my 17" Dell laptop last week and it got worse over this weekend. I'll be working on something and then the screen will go black and I can't get it to

Visitors from Alabama

Thursday of last week Symphony arrived in her Winnebago Brave motorhome to visit for a few days.



She brought her friend Dot with her and they have been traveling around Florida visiting with their relatives the last couple of weeks. We had not met Dot before and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her.

On Friday and Saturday, Mike replaced the water filter on Symphony's RV and did a few odd jobs on it that she needed to have done.

On Saturday I took Symphony and Dot up to the Grant Antique Mall about 13 miles north of here. We pass by there whenever we drive up to Melbourne on U.S. 1, but have never

Landscaping & Sue called for jury duty

May has continued to be a busy month for us.

I've made quite a bit of progress in putting together my documents for the Florida State Pioneer Descendants Certificate for Mike, Fletcher and Chris. I'm submitting documents to prove that Mike's 3rd great-grandparents Silas and Avis Franklin Phelps Fletcher and 2nd great-grandfather William Howe Fletcher, Sr. were Florida Pioneers before it became a state in 1845. I've already put in a lot of hours and still have more to go. I've been researching our families for over 30 years and I find that working on this project has helped to

We bought 2 dozen red Penta plants when Home Depot had them on sale this month and we planted them along the back wall of the Florida room. When Fletcher was here for Mother's Day, he suggested Pentas because they do well in sun and that area gets a LOT of sun since it faces west. We put down landscape edging and mulch where we planted the
Pentas. Hopefully the sun won't be too much for them.

Mike got a call from the VA to go to Orlando to have a hearing test done for hearing aids at Hearing Associates. So we drove over there on May 20 for his appointment. Of course, we don't yet know what they recommended. On our way home we stopped at the Olive Garden in West Melbourne to have dinner. Mike and I both had the endless Soup and Salad.

On May 26 I drove down to the Indian River County courthouse in Vero Beach to report for

Mother's Day & Sue's 51st High School Reunion

We've been busier the first half of this month than we have in the last couple of months.

On the 8th I took Tinker in to the vet for his annual checkup and shots. He weighed 22 lbs., so the weight management dog food he's eating is helping him hold his weight.

Fletcher drove up for a visit for Mother's Day and he took us out for dinner. We went to Woody's Bar-B-Q and Fletcher had their Bacon Cheddar Burger and Fried Okra and Mike and I ordered the smoked turkey bar-b-q sandwich. Fletcher really likes their fried okra which he has learned to eat since he's been on his own.

I attended the May IRGS (genealogical society) meeting on the 12th where two of the members presented talks - one on Discoveries in the Cemetery and one on using Evernote - both very interesting and informative. That was our last meeting until this September.

I'm still working on putting together my packet of documents for Mike, Fletcher and Chris to receive their Florida State Pioneer Descendants Certificate from the Florida State Genealogical Society. I'm spending every free moment working on this.

My high school class reunion was held on the 15th & 16th in Lake Worth. It was our 51st reunion since no reunion was planned for last year which would have been our 50th year.
We had asked our next door neighbors who they had for a dog sitter and Lilly said instead of

April 2015 Update

Since I haven't posted anything since last month, I guess this month wasn't too news worthy!

On Apr. 14 I attended the monthly genealogical society meeting in Vero. Our speaker was Debra Fleming (The Ancestry Detective, genealogical research firm) and she spoke on the role of religion in genealogy. She discussed the different religions and how their beliefs could affect genealogical research in respect to the kinds of records about life events that might be or not be recorded.

I've started gathering my documentation to submit an application for Mike to the Florida State Pioneer Certificate program. I'm also going to submit Fletcher and Mike's brother Chris for certificates. I have a lot of the required documents already, but everything has to

Visit with my brother

Most of this month was spent doing normal everyday stuff.

I forgot to mention in my last post that the weekend of March 7-8 was the 55th reunion of the Lake Worth High School Class of 1960 in Lake Worth. We had originally thought about attending, but decided not to since we would have only been home a few days after our trip to Texas.

We drove over to Kissimmee 3/28 to visit with Cyril (my brother) and Elaine. Mike brought our pressure washer so he could clean their front walkway and driveway. Cyril had never used a pressure washer and he was curious about how it cleaned. Mike had brought our rolling mechanic's stool to sit on instead of standing while he was pressure washing, so we had Cyril sit on the stool so he could use the washer.

March Genealogy Meeting & FL Pioneeer Descendants Program

I attended the March meeting of the IRGS (Indian River Genealogical Society) in Vero Beach today. Part of our meeting is called "Member Share" and I spoke about how I found on the internet 3 college papers that contained information on Mike's 3rd great-grandfather Silas Fletcher. I had learned how to specify what I wanted to find on Google search at our Valentine Seminar last month when our speaker was Lisa Louise Cooke. Several years ago Mike, Fletcher & I had visited Indian Key where Silas and his family had lived and the young lady who took us by boat to Indian Key had written a college paper on Silas! But I didn't think to get her name or any info about her paper. So what I learned at the Seminar not only helped me locate her college paper but 2 others that written about Indian Key and Silas and his family!

Our speaker at the meeting was Clyde Stickney and he gave a talk on researching at the county courthouse. Clyde spoke with me after our meeting and wanted to know if I had

Valdosta, GA to Sebastian

We were up early this morning (early for us) and had a quick breakfast at the motel. We checked out of the La Quinta ($72.24 for the room) a little after 8 a.m.

We took I-75 south and crossed into Florida.



We stopped at a Pilot station on I-75 near Jasper, FL to get gas ($2.299 a gal) before making our connection with I-10 and then went east to Jacksonville to I-295



and then south on I-95.

We arrived in Sebastian around 1 p.m. Before going to the house, we drove over to the Sandwich Shack and got lunch to eat at the house. Mike had his usual Philly cheesesteak sub and I had the Turkey, Avocado and Bacon Wrap.

We had a nice trip (except for that 100 mile 7 hour drive at Dallas), but it is nice to be home.

I went up to Little Caesars and got one of their Hot 'n Ready Pepperoni pizzas for dinner tonight.

Symphony's to Valdosta, GA

We got up this morning and had a quick breakfast. We loaded up the car and left Symphony's house at 8:30. We had a nice visit with her and Chrissy and her new dog Buddy, but we are ready to get home.

We drove south to Leesburg, AL and then east on US-411 into Georgia. Mike had Ashby ancestors who settled in Floyd County in the early 1800's, so I took a photo of the county sign as we went by.



We continued east on US-411 to Rome. We decided to stop at a Hardee's in Rome for an early lunch.

Shortly after leaving Hardee's, we saw some road signs saying that we were driving on part

Visit with Symphony

Sunday we went with Symphony to the Collinsville Baptist Church. It's a small church where everyone knows everyone. Pastor John greets everyone by first name and he remembers Mike and I even though we have only attended church there a few times. After the church service we went downstairs to the dining hall and had a pot luck lunch. They have some really good cooks at that church! We have never gone away hungry from one of their pot luck meals.

We spent the rest of Sunday and today just relaxing and visiting with Symphony & Chrissy. Symphony is one of those really good cooks that I mentioned at the church, so we didn't go hungry while we were here.

Tomorrow we are leaving and heading home. We're going to stop at a La Quinta in Valdosta, GA to spend tomorrow night just so we don't have such a long drive to get home.

Texarkana, TX to Symphony's house

We got up earlier than usual this morning since we have almost 600 miles to drive today. We all are still tired from yesterday's long slooooow drive. We decided to have a quick breakfast at the La Quinta. We checked out of the motel at 7:30 - our room cost $48.73. We stopped at the Raceway near the motel and got gas ($2.139 a gallon) before getting on to I-30. 

We continued north on I-30 to Little Rock where we connected with I-40 East. The roads were clear (no snow) and traffic was moving along nicely - such a nice change from yesterday!

We stopped at a Flying J in West Memphis (which is in Arkansas) at 12:30 to get gas ($2.259 a gal) and decided to have lunch there. We fed Tinker his lunch and then went inside to have ours. Mike and I ordered the chicken tenders with fries. We were back on the road by 1:30. Shortly after leaving the Flying J, we got onto I-55 and crossed into Tennessee.



We took I-55 south of Memphis to I-240 and drove east to TN-385 south down to US-72. We crossed into Mississippi. We stopped in Burnsville, MS to buy gas ($2.179 a gal) before crossing into Alabama and on through Huntsville.



I took this photo of Mike smiling while he's driving - we're only about an hour away from

7 hours driving 100 miles leaving Dallas

When we got up this morning, we found out that it had snowed during the night and we had just a little snow on the ground.




After a quick breakfast and coffee, we packed up the car and said goodbye to Chris and Carole and left their house at 8 a.m. We wanted to get on the road and out of the Dallas area before the snow got any heavier and the roads became a problem. Mike took a photo of the outside temperature that was displayed on our rear view mirror - 22° brrrrr!



Well, our plans to beat the snow didn't work out as you can see by the photo above. We stopped to get gas in Granbury ($2.339 a gallon) before getting on Highway 377 which would take us up to I-20. 

Once we got on to I-20 south of Fort Worth our day got worse. More snow had fallen and traffic was going really slow. At first the traffic wasn't backed up too much, but the closer we got to the south side of Dallas it became bumper to bumper and moving at a crawl. 



Tinker says he's tired of all this stop and go driving, especially when we stop and he can't get out. Boring!!!!!




We stopped for lunch at a Wendy's at 2:00 at Exit 465 on I-20. We had driven 75 miles since

Our last day visiting with Chris & Carole

This morning Chris & Carole took us to the country club here at Pecan Plantation for breakfast. We've spent the rest of today relaxing and visiting and watching the snow flurries.





We've heard that the roads around Dallas and Fort Worth are now clear from the snow we had earlier this week.

I've waited until tonight before I wrote about the medical diagnosis Chris received last

Snow in the morning and lunch at Mi Familia

It was 33° and lightly snowing when I got up this morning. We had light snow off and on this morning. The sun came out about 10:00 and the ice and snow started to melt.

Mike and Chris installed the under-counter filters in Chris and Carole's kitchen this morning. They will use the filtered water for drinking and cooking instead of buying water in 5 gallon bottles which they have done since living here.

The streets are clear of ice and snow, so we decided to go out for lunch instead of dinner just in case the roads should ice again.

We all went to lunch at Mi Familia in Granbury. Chris ordered the Chili Relleno dinner, Carole ordered the Shiner Bock Brisket Street Tacos with rice and beans, Mike had the Beef Fajita Quesadilla and I had the Taco Beef Quesadilla. Everything was really good and the service was great.

On they way home from lunch, we stopped at a frame shop to pick up a photo that Chris and Carole had framed. When we got to their home,

More cold temperatures and ice still on the ground

It was 28° with a wind chill of   this morning when I got up. There was still ice on the ground and roads from yesterday.

Tinker had a good time running in the snow this afternoon and chasing a ball around the yard.

From February 2015

Chris had bought an under sink filter system for the kitchen and he and Mike

Cold with Sleet

It was 27° with a wind chill of 18° when we got up this morning and we had had sleet during the night and the ground was covered with it.

From February 2015

Tinker wasn't too sure about the sleet on the ground when I took him out this morning. But once he checked it out, he started running around the yard having a great time.

From February 2015

Carole fixed a sausage, egg and cheese casserole for breakfast with home fries and some oranges.

We've spent the day watching movies and the weather reports for the winter storm that was moving through the area. We're just glad that we

It rained all day while driving

We got to sleep in this morning because Tinker didn't know how light it was outside because of the room darkening curtains in our motel room. It was 41° with a wind chill of 36° this morning. We packed everything back in the car and drove over to Denny's for breakfast.

Denny's was packed! There were a few empty tables, so we didn't have to wait. I ordered the ham and cheese omelet and Mike got pancakes. By the time we finished breakfast, there was a long line of people waiting for tables - we definitely got there at the right time!

It was almost 10:30 by the time we left Denny's and we stopped at the

Driving to Bossier City, LA

We got up this morning at 7:00 and it was a little warmer than yesterday morning - 42° with a wind chill of 36°. By 8:00 we had loaded the car and said goodbye to Mike and Gayle. We're hoping they can come down to Sebastian later this year for a visit.

We stopped at Hardee's in Ozark for breakfast and then headed north on US-231 to Montgomery to take US-80 west to get on I-20 at the Alabama and Mississippi state lines. Just east of Selma we saw hundreds of

Visiting with friends in Dothan

It was 25° with a wind chill of 18° this morning when we got up. Gayle fixed oatmeal for breakfast and cut up some oranges to go with it. We spent the morning relaxing and visiting before Mike and I (and Tinker) left to drive down to Dothan.

We had planned on eating a light lunch at Ms. Boomer's in downtown Dothan, but it had closed back in November. I had worked at the original Mrs. Boomer's for 7 years as the day manager. The restaurant had moved back to its original location a couple of years ago and it would have been fun to see it again. Oh well! We decided to go to Bojangles for lunch and had some chicken tenders with fries for lunch.

After lunch we drove by our old house in Dothan and it had been painted white (it had been a light beige or eggshell color).

From February 2015

We drove over to WalMart Supercenter on US-231 north and got gas ($1.999 a gal) and to do some shopping. We found a soft plush throw for Tinker and he could hardly wait for me to unwrap it when we got back to the car.

We still had some time before we were to see our friends W.T. and Glenda, so we stopped at Dakota Coffee and got a couple cups of coffee. Then we

Traveling to Ozark, Alabama

We got up at 7:00 this morning. It was 42° then with a wind chill of 35°. We drank some coffee, packed our suitcases and stuff in the car and cargo box and left the house a little before 9:00.

We drove west on CR-512 to I-95 north and then got on US-192 at West Melbourne. This morning we saw several groups of wild turkeys (the most we've ever seen on US-192) and I managed to get a photo of a few turkeys.

From February 2015

We got onto the Florida Turnpike ($4.50 toll) at St. Cloud and drove north to Lake City. We stopped at a Marathon station at 1:00 and got gas ($2.359 a gal.) before getting onto I-10 west. We saw this warning sign at one of the rest areas we stopped at on I-10.

From February 2015

We exited I-10 at exit 130 and drove north on US-231 to Dothan and around the Circle to US-231 North to Ozark. We arrived at our friends' house at 5:00 after driving 470 miles today. The temp was 37° with a wind chill

Last minute errands & packing for our trip

We've been busy the last few days getting things together for our trip to Alabama and Texas to visit with family and friends.

We've been watching the weather forecasts for the places we'll be staying at on our trip and it is going to be COLD! I went through our closets and got out our cold weather clothes so we could pick out the things we would need for our trip.

We took Tinker in this morning to the groomer's to get a bath and give him a little trim. We didn't want them to give him his usual short cut since it's going to be in the 20's and 30's for low temps where we're headed.

I had a dental appointment this afternoon and had Mike drop me off at the dentist's so he could pick Tinker up when he was finished at the groomer's. After Mike picked Tinker up, he just came on to the dentist's to wait for me and then we did a little last minute shopping and then stopped at the

Valentine's Day

This morning Mike and I drove down to Hale Groves to check out their retail store. We have driven past there many times and have never stopped in. They had a lot more than just citrus fruit. They had vegetables of all kinds, shelves and shelves of products made from citrus - jams, jellies, marmalades, salad dressings, barbecue sauces, hot sauces and the list could go on. We tasted some of the samples they had out for temple oranges, honeybells, red and white grapefruit to name a few. We will definitely come back after our trip and do some shopping.

We stopped at Sebastian's Roadside restaurant for lunch and actually had breakfast. One of their specials was a Cheesesteak Omelet with peppers and mushrooms and it was REALLY good. Mike ordered hash browns and a biscuit and I ordered grits and a biscuit to go with the omelets.

Today is Valentine's Day and we decided to just eat dinner

Visiting with Family & House Painting

We made a trip over to Kissimmee on the 1st to see my cousin Frances and her husband Jack at their time share and have lunch there. Frances had invited my brother and sister-in-law, but Cyril didn't feel like going out.

Frances fixed a meat loaf, roasted potatoes, corn and green beans and then a yellow cake with chocolate frosting for dessert - everything was delicious. Everything is furnished at the time share, Frances and Jack just have to bring their clothes and food.

From Visiting with Friends & Family

After lunch we all drove over to Cyril and Elaine's to visit with them - at least today we did take pictures. We have been known to bring our camera and then forget to take photos.

From Visiting with Friends & Family

Mike and I left about 3:00 to head back home. We did stop at Tractor Supply in St. Cloud to buy a couple of bags of corn to feed the squirrels in our yard.

Mike finished painting the walls on the house on the 4th.

From House Painting

I finished painting the white quoins (masonry blocks) on the front corners of the house and had started painting the window trim. The north and south walls of our house have a high peak and Mike measured the wall and it is

New Paint Color on House & Cousins Drop By

On the 13th I attended genealogical society's monthly meeting and the guest speaker's topic was DNA testing and genealogy research - something I was really interested in learning more about and I learned a lot that day. Mike and I had just sent off our DNA samples to Ancestry the week before and we're curious to see what the results will be, but it will be weeks before we are notified of the results.

Mike went to Home Depot on the 14th and bought 5 gallons of blue paint and 2 gallons of white that we are going to paint the house with - plus all the rollers and supplies we'll need.

Mike started painting the house on the 15th and I have noted on the photos which is the old color of the house and the new color we're painting it.

From House Painting

We had planned on going to the MOAA luncheon on the 23rd but Mike started coming down with a cold the day before, so we didn't go.

I've been checking on Ancestry to see when they received our DNA samples and when they would start testing them. They started the lab testing on mine on the 23rd and they started on Mike's on the 26th, we're excited to see what the results will be for our ethnicity and see if our DNA

Fletcher's Visit and Good Friends Stop By

Fletcher drove up from Ft. Lauderdale for a overnight visit on the 3rd. I made chocolate chip cookies before he came and used my new KitchenAid hand mixer I bought a few days before. I had noticed the last few times I used my old hand mixer (I think we got it for a wedding gift 47 years ago) and I could smell it getting hot and figured it must be time to replace it. I really love this new KitchenAid mixer - it's like night and day compared to my old one. We went out to eat for dinner at the Sebastian Roadside restaurant which has become one of our two favorite places in town to eat at. Mike ordered their Reuben sandwich and Fletcher and I had their French Dip.

Before Fletcher left on Sunday afternoon we went to lunch at Woody's Bar-B-Que. We had met our friends up there for lunch once and Fletcher was with us and he ordered fried okra. Fletcher said he was craving some fried okra and he remembered eating it at Woody's. Just before Fletcher left to go home, I handed him a box filled with chocolate chip cookies I had baked before he got here - I actually made 2 batches and hid one while he was here. I wonder how many cookies were left in the box by the time he got home?

Mike had his 2nd laser surgery to take care of the cloudiness of the back membrane on his lens implant on the 6th. It only takes a couple of minutes to do the laser surgery.

On the 9th our globe-trotting friends Bob (Bob is responsible for Mike and I meeting) and Beverly stopped by for a quick visit. They had returned to the