Christmas in July

  Each year the family treats us to a Christmas in July so that we won’t feel so lonesome on December 25.  This year, Chris and Jeanne hosted the event.  Nineteen family members were able to come; we had a great time. 

 

The food seemed endless.

 

Granddaughter Emily planned the games…

… and a gift exchange to the fun music of Jingle Bell Rock.

It was a great celebration.  Who says you can’t have Christmas without snow???   

A Few Last Days with Relatives

 

  We spent Thursday through Sunday with granddaughter, Cassandra, in Muncie, assisting her with a move to a different apartment.  Friday, the three of us relaxed in the campground (Big Oak), enjoying the chance to visit.  Grandpa used his time to work on the chain he is carving for Cassie, also.  On Saturday evening, the family pitched in and painted Cassie’s new bedroom, and moved all her items into the apartment.

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Sunday morning found us on the road northwesterly as we moved to Lakeville, south of South Bend, IN.

 

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As we passed through the small town of Wabash, we noticed an interesting sign (which I later checked out online).  Wabash has the distinction of being the first electrically lit city in the world! Check out the website HERE.

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We joined Passport America this year for the first time, and are finding we are using it more than we thought we would.  We found a Passport park in Lakeville, Beaver Ridge, which placed us only a few miles from son, Tom and Liesel.  They joined us for lunch and the rest of the day.  We don’t get to see them as often as we’d like, so it was great having a long afternoon  for a leisurely walk and visit with them. 

Monday we backtracked a bit, driving to Milford, where I have uncles and aunts. 

Milford sits in the heart of Amish country, and the roadside scenes having you feeling that you’ve stepped backward in time.

We try to stop in Milford for a brief visit anytime we pass through northern Indiana.  It’s always fun to touch base and reminisce with each relative.  We didn’t have the chance to visit with any of the cousins this year, but were glad to get to see each of the aunts and uncles.

Howard and Mary Jean Vanlaningham

Hazel and Helen Vanlaningham

Esther Vanlaningham

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the way

We left Belton on May 17, and made our way toward Indiana, a little quicker than we normally would, knowing that the end of the week was bring Memorial Day weekend, and full campgrounds.

We traveled through northern Arkansas and were surprised to learn that it is a major rice producer.  Somehow, you don’t think of Arkansas when you think of growing rice.  Field after field was green with the tiny shoots.

We saw the brand Riceland on many of the storage buildings.

 

As we traveled on through Missouri and Tennessee, the rivers we crossed were swollen with flood waters.

 

More surprising was the appearance of the trees.  The destruction was similar to that caused by straight line winds, but continued on for hundreds of miles.  We learned that night that the trees were destroyed by a winter ice storm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent a night at the John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY, a favorite campground of ours.

The next two days we stayed in a small campground in Corydon, IN, to give us time to visit with family and friends in the area.

On Friday, we moved to Dania’s driveway, near Bloomington, where we spent the next 10 days.

 

Chris, Jeanne, Cassie, Cameron, Dania, Chelsey and Alyssa were all on hand for a cookout our first day there.   Chris prepared a delicious seafood boil.

 

 

 

 

 

We spent the remainder of our stay visiting, and relaxing, with lots of walks through Chris’ housing development, Foggy Morning Glen.

 

 

Pictured on the right is the site of Chris and Jeanne’s planned home.  The trees were cleared from the site just days before we arrived.

 

 

 

On Sunday, we made our last move for a while, to McCormick’s Creek State Park.  We will be working as camp hosts for the park for the next two months.  This is our third year to work here.