Memories

Although you probably have no burden to see photos of our extended family, I know you will indulge me in sharing a few from our trip. Although the occasion for travel was a McMillen family reunion, Rick suggested we go early so we would have time to see my grandma, too. We don't get to see her often enough, and since she'll be 99(!!!) in September, I jumped at the chance.

We took Grandma to Pizza Hut, one of her favorite places, and were met there by my uncle and aunt and their two grandsons (who are working on the farm with grandpa this summer). After stopping by Dairy Queen for dessert, we drove on out to the family farm near Otis, KS for a quick visit. I lived there briefly when I was very young, and visited many times over the years. John Denver's song "Matthew" reminds me of that place and time; I still choke up every time I hear it.

On our way back to MO, we stopped in Manhattan, KS, where we spent the first four years of our married life while Rick attended vet school. We took Brian through his dad's alma mater, and even located the first place we lived there - a little four-plex (we were in the bottom-right unit). NOT such fond memories of that place! When the two college students upstairs were visited by their varsity boyfriends, we called the antics that ensued "Monday night football." Our unit was burglarized while we were gone one weekend, and we were finally flooded out. After that we lived in three different rentals in the country, where we were much happier.

There were over 80 people at the reunion; the George McMillen "clan" (Rick's grandfather) wore lemon yellow for the main event. Brian loved playing with his second cousins (younger) and first cousins (teenagers), and didn't want to leave.

There was a George Washington Carver National Monument near the family reunion in Missouri that I would really have liked to visit while we were there. Alas, there was no extra time. Carver was an amazing man in so many ways; did you know that in 1941, Time magazine dubbed him a "Black Leonardo"? Having visited the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry twice, I can think of no higher comparison. Brian and I will definitely be covering Carver's life and accomplishments in homeschool - maybe after enjoying a peanut butter sandwich for lunch!

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." George Washington Carver

That's it for now from . . .