Beautiful Day....

The older I get, the quieter I like my birthdays. That coincides with it also being 9/11. So today was just about as perfect as it could get as the day before my birthday.

Registered a brand new church for workcamp. Then JR came home from the Fort Lee course and I scooped up his Toyota. Mine is still being repaired. We loaded Al's TV in the truck with bungie cords and I headed to Richmond. I absolutely love CHURCH HILL and the area. It's so historic. I really want to go up and do the tourist thing one day....St John's Church, the Poe Museum, the Holucaust Museum....just see it all.

I've been looking on Ancestry at the census and now know who was living in Al's old house during certain decades. SO MUCH FUN! She & Jill have even been venturing to the state library in Richmond to nose around!

Allie and I went to TRADER JOE'S ....late lunch at the Hill Cafe....then I headed back to Prince George.

Lazy time watching documentaries with JR about 9/11....and of course, The Daily Show & Colbert!

I called the Plotts and they are up for our visit, so JR & I are heading down to Toano to have lunch with them. The perfect birthday!

The photo is of Al's house in Church Hill!

End Of Summer...Oh NO!

Our lives continue to be full and we are thankful for it all! There have been some bumps this past week, but the hilltops overshadowed them.

Ellen's wisdom teeth extraction turned sour. She developed "dry socket" and has been in much pain. We believe they have remedied it and she was to head to first day of high school today.

Al is VERY excited. She heard from a prominent member of an investigation team in Pennsylvania and feels so good about the connection. I am so thankful for her. She loves living in Church Hill even more than The Fan! She kept Paul's little dachsund overnite while he is in NY. It was a match made in heaven.

JR's 73rd birthday came and went, and that's the way we like birthdays now! Of course, Al and I gave him BOOKS....he has his nose in one all the time! We gave him the "Writings of Josephus" included in the stack.

Glenn came thru his surgery with flying colors. JR and I hope to go down on Saturday to visit he and Sheila. (Hope u guys are reading this!) We'll bring Subway!

I continue to swat the honey bees from the hummingbird feeders!

The photos are of our Labor Day fun. The first photo is of John's great-grandaughter "Sylvia". Part of the Crowder *(Romaine) gang came up from Newport News. Also traveling from Newport News was Jeffrey, Brooke and her three terrific kids. The middle photo is of Jeffrey & little Megan. The last photo is of John and his daughter Mary. Al took many more photos. Jon David and gang were also up. Had a terrific time with them just sitting on the porch and yakking until later....

Taking the van to Wood's Automotive today...they will repair the fender this week. I will be homebound but it is a good thing. I must make myself dive into the workcamp finances and make everything balance for the year. Writing a couple of grants also....so, I need your prayers!

I LOVE THIS WEATHER!!!

Ellen's wisdo

The photo is of all the family at workcamp week two. From left to right, Lizzie Long, Jeff Long, Jon Long, Allie, me and Jennifer Long. We all look pretty worn out, but it was taken Saturday morning at the final get together.

Well, the big move is over. Allie is now an official resident of Church Hill in Richmond. She is only 1 block away from St Johns's Church where Patrick Henry made his famous "give me liberty, or give me death!" speach. She is a couple blocks from the Edgar Allen Poe Museum. She is about 4 blocks from Chimborozo Park which was the Civil War Hospital where my ggggrandfather was treated during the 'wo-wah". It's a beautiful area....she is near the monestary that overlooks the city of Richmond also. I think the girls will be happy there.

Hurricane Earl is heading in and Jeffrey is battoning down the hatches in Newport News. We are hoping that Earl take a big turn to the right soon!

Now that Al's place is really getting into shape, our house looks like Earl already went thru here! Today I am just regrouping after all the hauling and logistics of yesterday.

John went to the Toyota dealership today expecting a great bargain. They are advertising one and not giving one. He was sorely disappointed with what happened there. It's too complicated to spend time on, so needless to say, they lost a customer!

It looks like we'll have a friendly little group together on the 14th to begin JR's fall Bible study. Really looking forward to that.

We are still counting our pennies and hoping for London in February. I miss Tim so much.

Ellen is swollen up like a chipmunk after having all 4 wisdom teeth pulled.....she's doing OK tho.

I talked with Glenn & Sheila....he was being discharged from the hospital as we were talking. So thankful!

I love it...the hummingbirds are chasing each other around the feeders. I guess I better go down to the pool and take the umbrella down before Earl's wind gets here. I imagine we'll have a breezy time by tomorrow morning. Glad he won't be a guest at our Monday Labor Day gathering!

Here We Gooooooooooo

So much is happening. I'm thinking of even adding more onto my plate, but that's another story! Tomorrow we pick up Bob's truck & trailer, load Al's stuff and head to Richmond! The photo above is of the house she, Jill and Elle are moving into. It is big and old and spacious and has quite a personality. Their landlord is terrific...There will be more stories to tell as the year goes on.

John has decided to start a Fall/Winter Bible study in our home on Tuesday nites. We have invited a mixture of people, so we'll see what the turnout will be. I hope it's a small group. Al of course says I have to clean the house more carefully before they come. Boy, I can't wait until she is in her 50s and she remembers all the things she tells me!

I have been piddling around the pool getting it ready for Labor Day. We are having a last hurrah before school starts, so family and friends are coming for a picnic and swimming on the holiday. Can't wait to see everybody!

Folks are already trying to register for next year's workcamp. I am struggling with the website...it is just not cooperating with me for some reason. It's the pitter patter of these little things that makes me nuts!

I finally replenished my hummingbird feeders. The little things kept coming to our bedroom window and looking in. I LOVE hummingbirds.

I also love sitting on the screen porch now that it's comfortable and the nites are getting cooler. Al & I go down to the pool and float at nites. I am going to miss her when she leaves, but everything is so good for her! Alicia has been away, and then she now works part time up at May Memorial Baptist Church in Powhatan, so I see her less and less. She is helping moving day....not sure about Ellen tho. She is having her wisdom teeth pulled tomorrow!

Last but not least, I had a big fender bender the other day getting onto Washington St from I95...and yes, it was my fault. The fellow I ran into is a minister and is the chaplain out at Central State....really nice man and we had a great conversation while waiting for the police.....Just another day in my life....Aghhhhhhhhhh!!!

Home Sweet Home

It's good to be home....even tho it is much hotter here! Allie & I went to see the movie "EAT PRAY LOVE" . That may just be my new favorite movie now! Al went to see it again with her girlfriends a second time in Richmond.

Al signed the lease and she moves into the old historic house with two other friends on August 31st. It's in Church Hill in Richmond....Hmmmm....next post I will put a photo of it on the blog.

This weekend is Lynda Smith's show at Donk's, but we are passing on it. We went down a couple weeks ago to the Mullins Sisters show and it was awesome! Alicia has been at Camp Kehukee all week with a children's camp and I miss my partner in crime! Will be glad when she is out of camp mode.

The top photos are of Allie & her cousins - Melanie, Al, Valerie & Deanna....

The second photos is of Allie and her Aunt Gracie (John's sister)

I am fighting with the website program for workcamp....it's making me a little nuts, but I hope to have it remedied soon. I know all you kids want to see the photos.

Hhhmmmmm.....maybe some genealogy today!

Back From NY

Well, we're back to the land of heat & humidity! We left last Thursday for upstate NY to spend time with John's family and attend a couple of happenings. First the yucky.....TRAFFIC! In all of my life I have never seen traffic on I95 like it was coming back...both north & southbound lanes. There, I'm done!

We arrived mid afternoon on Thursday....unpacked at John's brother, Vic's. He & Betty had dinner waiting and Grandma Harriet came over to join us. The next morning, John used Vic's car to tool about visiting old friends and golfing while Al & I took the van and drove about. We had breakfast in Groton; drove to Freeville to see where Grace used to work and visit a small Christian commune there; then drove up the finger lake 50 miles to Willard, NY. It was there that we sneeked onto the grounds of the old abandoned state hospital where Rita Romaine, John's mother passed away. Al has turned into an incredible photographer, so she took some great photos. She has always felt a special connection with her grandmother even though they never met.

On the way back down the other side of the lake, we stopped in Seneca Falls for some coffee & street music. We drove thru miles and miles of Amish country.

We arrived back at Vic's just in time to get cleaned up for a family cookout at Val's (Al's cousin)....it was only two doors down from where we were staying. The top photos are of some of the family there. It was so much fun to reconnect with everyone. As the sun went down, we had a fire and roasted marshmellows....the kids ran around while we sat by the fire and sipped wine. It was a terrific evening.

The next day, the three of us went down to Joe & Amy's restaurant for lunch. John met up with a couple that he knew years ago at Elim Bible College.....Saied & Esther Adour. It was a quick lunch. John went home to nap and Al & I hit a couple of antique shops.

Then, we headed to a place about 5 miles away called THE CASCADES. About 15 of John's old high school classmates from the Class of 55 - Moravia Central School had gathered for dinner & conversation. John enjoyed it immensely and it was fun for Al & I to watch!

We are back in VA now. Al signed her lease yesterday, so she moves in with Jillian & Elle to their historic home in Richmond on September 1st. Alicia is running a children's camp out at Camp Kehukee this week so Tuesday tonight I plan to go out and enjoy the evening entertainment.

Mr. Lilley (Paige's father -in-law, Grover's dad) passed away while we were gone. Al & I hope to attend the funeral on Wednesday. John's newest great grandbaby was born last week....Isabella "Bell" Corrine Leone.

We are rejuvinated, yet it's hard to go back to the grind and the pitter patter of workcamp loose ends!

Long Hot Summer!

It is so hot....we are huddled back in the bedroom while the air conditioning man is in the basement trying to make sense of it all. Last Thursday, the storm knocked out our electricity for several hours....when it came back on, our air conditioning did not. And that's all I have to say about that! Just pray!

Camp is over....it was one of the best years ever. If I can figure this out, I can give out a link to the photos for this summer. They are incredible!

It was so good to spend time with old friends and new. I can't begin to express how much it means to have all these people in our lives. They are good, good people....giving people...funny people.....godly people....

We are trying to make the most of our summer before it all disappears. Allie is moving back to Richmond on the first. She, Jillian & Elle are moving into an old house in the up & coming CHURCH HILL section of Richmond. It's a wonderful place...wonderful landlord...going to be quite an experience for them. Al says it's only one year for her and then she is moving on. She wants to use the year to decide whether to go back to school, ....really just figure out where she's going and what's she's doing. I'm so proud of her.

She & I went down to the old Pottery for a day of gathering things for her new living space. We went in the antique mall also....it was a good day. We had wanted to surprise Glenn & Sheila on the way home, but we were both whipped....and hadn't announced our traveling to them.

We leave for upstate NY this Thursday. We're off to see John's family and he is attending his 55th high school reunion dinner on Saturday nite. We love going up there....I know there will be plenty of pics to share from that excursion.

The pool is great, but almost too hot to get in during the day, so we float around in the evenings with the Scudders and listen to the owls.

John awakes each morning and is typing on his laptop before golf. He's full of ideas and thoughts....and his messages are so good...

Al & I had wanted to go to London the end of November.....Edith is getting older and we miss Tim and all of them over there so much. I have airmiles saved for my flight, but am short about 14,000 for Allie's ticket....to fly economy it would take 80,000 air miles and I have something like 66,000....so, we'll sock away some $$ and plan on going over in February. Crossing our fingers.....Wish we knew Richard Branson! We LOVE to fly Virgin!

I'm trying to get the website up and running with the new photos.....I'll post it when I get it figured out.

Stay cool.....stay cool.....stay cool.....

P.S. The photo is of Allie & Delaney......2009