“Erin Kelley" erinlkelley@hotmail.com                                                  7/3/02

Dear friends,
It’s been awhile since I’ve written, I know. The last few weeks, and indeed months, have been busy ones. At present, I am sitting in the apartment of a few friends of mine in Yerevan, Armenia. I’m overhearing a phone conversation in Armenian, a television program in Russian, and using an American computer. It just doesn’t get more international than this!
I have been here since Saturday and will leave Friday morning, when I head to St. Petersburg, Russia, to undertake a six-week Russian language course. My being in Yerevan is a good introduction to what I’ll face; Armenians are mostly bilingual – and these two, Sergey and Anoush, are tri-lingual (thankfully!). They’re also the most generous hosts I’ve ever had. I’ve seen more of Armenia than I thought possible, eaten the best barbecue ever, seen the oldest buildings I’ve ever seen, visited the most diverse geographic areas and held the most beautiful and adorable baby that’s ever been. (More details later – when I’ve got more computer/internet access.) And yes, I’m taking tons of pictures!
Before my arrival here in Yerevan, I spent a week in Vienna, Austria and St. Gallen, Switzerland. In Switzerland I visited with my aunt Sharon and her family. We took in the historic town as well as the splendid countryside.  Switzerland has got to be one of the more beautiful countries of the world!  Austria isn’t far behind. I visited with my friend Toni for a few days just after I left Slovakia. I also got a free day in Vienna to pick up my Armenian visa, airplane tickets and to recuperate from my killer cold.
It was a relatively easy departure from Slovakia. The stress of the weeks before COS (close-of-service) were enough to help me literally sleep through my last few days there. The final departure included a solitary train ride with a bicycle and a 25-kilo suitcase – it was an adventure! While running to switch trains, a Hungarian-Slovak who works in Vienna helped me with the suitcase. Some kind stranger helped with the bike. The conductor waited for me and blew the whistle as this angel of a man helped me get the bike (in a box) on the train. Made it! But not without a pool of sweat and profuse words of thanks to all of my assistants.
The cab driver in Vienna was Yugoslavian, so I practiced my Slovak-German language mix and we had a good ride. I had a similar conversation in the Moscow airport one week later. This time it was English-Slovak (a better combination for me) and it was with another Yugoslav. The conversations have all been good on this trip – but have left me without much time for reading up on St. Petersburg; indeed I am taking the time to sleep in as much as humanly possible!  I’m going to close here. Please let me know if you’d like to receive updates during the next 7 weeks – before I get back to the good ol’ US of A.  I’m looking forward to the return and to Cycle Oregon XIII! :)   Hope to see you soon!         Erin
P.S. My flights have been trouble-free and they should continue to be. :)   I’m using Aeroflot and it’s GREAT! May the friends and families of those who died in Germany find peace and hope for their futures.  P.P.S. Happy Independence Day in the USA! 

I have waited a long time in writing because I didn’t want to tell you about our health problems until we knew answers to tests that we have.  It seems we have to wait a long time for some of these answers

I seem to have all my Health problems under control and have also discovered what is probably causing my balance problem (that I have had for many years) A head xray revealed that some time in my past I must have had a light stroke as there is an old scar on the right side of my head.  Years ago I had to give up square dance and round dancing because of imbalance - - - I knew it wasn’t dizziness, lightheadedness or near fainting - - - I just feel like I’m going to keel over fully conscious.  I fell a couple of times like this!  I have a wonderful walker (I call it my Cadillac - - -I could even run a foot race with it!).

Louis was losing blood in some part of his “inerds” and “suffered” various tests with no answer until a test this week revealed a colon tumor that is benign.  He has the option to have it removed of live with it.  Since the bleeding has stopped and he is feeling in tip-top shape he is going to bypass surgery.  Doctors will keep an “eye“ on it in the future.

In the meantime both of us are continuing a very busy retirement.  Both of us have garden projects.  He is now harvesting grapes from the towers small vineyard and bringing them in for everyone that loves grapes.  He has a small strawberry “patch” and a few raspberry plants, turnips and tomatoes.  He belongs to a Towers Garden Club.  We are fortunate to have lots of blueberries and a number of various fruit trees that residents are free to pick and enjoy.

Louis has just come in and announced that it is time to go down for brunch.  Yes, we don’t have to prepare our meals and also have a housekeeper that comes in does vacuuming and dusting and takes our bed sheets and towels to be laundered.  I still crochet lap afghans for wheelchair patients (I have given away 110 of them since I started this project 2 years ago.  Well, I better be going or I might miss my brunch which is always GOOD!                                 

Lovingly Yours,     Florence & Louis Gross  

This is a copy of the request I sent to my family. How about a list of family websites on the From...new website with a link? Also how about each News letter we feature one of the Sr.  and ask each of us to send a wonderful memory.  I suggest Uncle Charley or Aunt Josephine and Uncle Tommie For the first to be featured.  I think this is a very good idea to feature our Seniors.  We cousins could even tell fun stories about each other!!!          Love Janet

Dear Connie, Peace be with you. My life has changed greatly. I am now the Guestmaster and cantor. This means that I'm in charge of the retreat house and sleep there in case someone locks themselves out of their rooms in the middle of the night or some other emergency occurs. I usually give about four conferences per week in the retreat house and do a little spiritual direction. Other monks are available for spiritual direction and since my work load has been a little too heavy, more monk will help next year. Being Cantor really means simply being in charge of music. I'm still the organist nearly all the time. Br. Nicholas is learning the organ, but that takes time for some one who has no previous keyboard experience, so he just plays Compline on alternate weeks. We are experimenting with moving the monks to the front choir stalls and leaving the back ones we used to use for the retreatants. Since Dom Basil resigned in May, we are going through a transition year. Fr. Anthony is temporary superior for one year appointed by the Abbot of Getsemane. My prostate cancer therapy seems to have gone well. Between Cancer State Aide and the good will of Newton General Hospital and the Doctors almost all of the $90,000 worth of tests and therapy came gratis! Our Fruitcake industry is beginning to take off nicely. The Bonsai is beginning to pick up again. I hope to do a little of it in the future again and get the book published. Our community is going through a very important time in our history so please keep us in your special prayers. Many monks have new jobs. The "younger" monks all have new responsibilities that cover nearly all the major key positions in the monastery. This is quite a challenge for most of us! So this is truly a special time of grace. Our senior radiate deep holiness more than ever as they move into that final stage in life. It is a great time to be alive. God bless you all.  Yours in Jesus and Mary,  Br. Gerard David OCSO

PS I pray that you may have the best in this wonderful season of grace and light. Please give my love to Jim, Jay, Didi and their families. Love Gerard David  

It's so easy to get up to my eyeballs in matters at hand, so that's why you don't hear from me much.  This weekend is unusual for us at this stage of life‑‑we have an empty nest for a bit (Friday night to Sunday morning).  I can imagine how life will be much calmer and easier to decide what we want to do, when the kids leave the nest, instead of having to deal with the kids' requests and last minute plans, etc., like we do most of the time now.  Thankfully, Paul and I still enjoy doing things as just a couple.  I know that's a strain for some marriages, when the kids leave the nest.  I think of you and Jim there in Spokane‑‑making a new life together at the empty‑nest stage of life.  I'm sure you have your challenges, like we all do, but I'm happy for you that you both enjoy cycling, that your life as grandparents is so rewarding and your careers are going so well.  Congrats to you.Thanks for all your work on the newsletter.  I did check out the website, but got an error message of sorts before, but I just tried it again and got through‑‑it's wonderful!!  What a great job.  I'll check it out in greater depth later. 

Yes, I'll be happy to send a note to Sharon and ask her to contact you.  You are thoughtful to suggest that.  Some folks are protective of their e‑mail addresses.  I can imagine that you've gotten a taste of that with all the communications involved with the newsletter.  One can be clueless about such considerations, otherwise.  I guess Mom told you that Dad is scheduled for surgery in December.  He has a benign tumor in his colon which requires abdominal surgery for removal.  They expect him to be in the hospital for a week and then to recover fully and have improved health, so we're optomistic.  But at the same time, cautious, knowing that at 89, this could be a turning point with regard to activity and independence.  One day at a time‑‑that's how we're taking it.  You know all about that.  Well, take care, Connie.  Hope this finds all well with the Gale clan.  Love,   Pat 

Dear Fromherz Clan~ 

Greetings from the Zollner household.  We are still alive and well, at home in Eugene.  Paul continues his work at U.S. Bank, and continues to enjoy his garage band hobby.   Katie got accepted into the Education program and is in her Junior year of studies at the UofO.  She works part-time, has her own apartment and is engaged to be married this coming summer to Jim Voss.  Monica is a senior in high school this year-- excelling in her clarinet playing and leadership abilities.  She's currently applying to colleges, hoping to go into nursing.  Tecie is a junior in high school this year--is especially active volunteering at church.  Christiana is a 6th Grader this year at our neighborhood middle school.  Violin lessons, Girl Scouts and basketball are a few of her extracurricular activities.  I (Pat) am still teaching private piano lessons--have 13 students at the moment--as well as directing music at our church.  We continue our family music-making--weekly at church and annually at Oktoberfests.  
It was a pleasure to visit with so many of you at our reunion last summer.  Thanks to Connie for her work on this newsletter and our website.  What a generous and loving gift to us all.  Please pray that all goes well for my Dad (Louis) with his upcoming surgery (12/17/02 in Salem) to remove a benign tumor from his colon.  
Love and best wishes to you and your families~  Pat Zollner 

A very Merry Christmas to all our family and friends.  We wish everyone good Health, fun times and a life of joy and peace for the new year.

Two years into retirement has been a wonderful time and we have not regretted leaving our jobs a little early.  Our new home has brought us much joy and we have made so many wonderful friends,  The street is now almost filled with houses, lawns and trees and less dust is flying.

Our travels this past year, in our 5th wheel, have taken us mostly in the same direction, Oregon.  We visited family in January working to help move Charlie's mom to a new assisted living residence and help brother Don sort through the house.  We returned in June for the Fromherz family reunion and then stopped in Freedom, California on the way home for Charlie to ride with his Easy Riders Group.  We again returned to Oregon the first part of August for Charlie's High School reunion.

In January, Charlie visited the doctor with a coldness in his chest while riding.  After a series of test we found he had 80% and 90% blockage in the heart.  In May he underwent surgery to insert 3 stents in two of the main arteries of his heart.  A couple of weeks of recovery and, boy . . . was he out riding again.  It is amazing how much more stamina he has now!  You can't stop him! 

Charlie continues with his recumbent riding and rides around 200 miles a week and has put around 8000 miles on his bike this year.  He enjoys Saturdays with his buddies, racing all the young guys to the beach.  He did Cycle Oregon in September with brother Don and friends Larry and Lemoyne --- a great time enjoyed by all and rode in the 108 mile Tour de Tucson race in November.

Marilyn continues with sewing and enjoys doing her embroidery.  She won a 1st prize on a doll she created for the Sulky Challenge in June and won 2nd place on a quilted embroidered Wall Hanging in a Heartfelt contest for Tacony Corp.  The Wall Hanging was published in a 2003 calendar for the contest and she has felt quite honored to be included.

Charles & Marilyn  

Connie,
     Sorry we are late with newsletter input.  Following are some short comments and Holiday greetings - - Dick and Sandy Gerding

     We have had a busy year with Dick still working overseas and building our new home in Corvallis.  Hopefully, our new home will be finished by the end of January.  Sandy has stayed very busy helping manage the construction of our new home, selling our current home, and taking care of all other matters on the home-front.  Dick will return home from his current job in Kuwait in early February.  Our family will finally be all back together again--hopefully for good.
     Our oldest daughter, Missy, her husband Chris, and our granddaughter, Maddy, are still assigned at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  Shelley, our next oldest, and her husband Eric still live and work in Boulder, Colorado.  Our son, Rick, his wife Tricia, our granddaughter, Maryn and our grandson, Austin live and work near us in Philomath, Oregon.
     Happy Holidays to all and may God bless all of you.
                                                                   Dick and Sandy Gerding 

Happy Holidays Everyone!
I hope this letter finds you all in good health and great spirits. All of us are getting along quite well. We grandkids aren't really "kids" anymore. . .and while I never really appreciated being compared to a goat, I sometimes miss it. We are all still discovering the amazing things life has to offer us, only now it is in High School and College. (Not quite to the stage of marriage or great-grandchildren.)
The Fromherz's- Liz and Buz- continue to run their business in West Linn, Oregon. I have been working on business of my own in art and music promotions. For those of you who heard of my nasty illness - well, it is completely under control. (yea!) Betsy is working hard to carve a niche for her paintings and artwork. Adelia Renee has stepped into the family tradition of pipefitting, and has become quite an asset to Buz Mechanical.
Karen is officially a teenager, and is currently focusing all her adoration on Anakin Skywalker of Star Wars fame.
Anyway, our family wish all of you a new year filled with health, love, safety, and most of all wonderful memories to share during the next holiday season.  Merry Christmas from the Heart,  Felice Noel Fromherz  Christmas 2002  (Jim Sr. + Mary Fromherz = Dennis "Buz" + Liz Fromherz = Felice) 

You are very welcome!!!  Thanks for the invite.  If you guys will be in town for the holidays, come on out to my birthday party. Friday, December 13th at the bridgeport brew pub. I would love to see you guys again. (You can find directions at www.attheverge.com.)  Love,  Felice       
(Jim Sr. + Mary Fromherz = Dennis "Buz" + Liz Fromherz = Felice) 

Not much to add here just working away on the genealogy of the FROMMHERZ surname and learning quite a bit about Annie Mariah Allen King and her Bangs family line.
Come visit my web site www.McKenzieValleyMarket.com please write and tell me what you think of it.
I am the List Administrator for:  FROMMHERZ-L@ROOTSWEB.COM  The surnames connected to my paternal and maternal grandfathers are: Lounsbury; Penoyer; Guion; Lauber; Bachle; Baier; Schlageter; Gerspach; Matt  and  KINGE-SALEM-MA-L@ROOTSWEB.COM   The surnames connected to my paternal and maternal grandmothers are: Busse; Pribbernow; Allen; Bangs; Howe; Norton; Haskins or Hoskins; Caswell; Cole; Windthrope; Mitchell; Cooke; Birdsall; Goldthwaite; Scudder; Browne; Tuthill; Swayze; Dibble--
Daniel David Lewis Frommherz  (Art's Dan)       

 Roy still plays golf every chance he gets.  He has been traveling lots, but has been close to home the past month.  He travels to Washington DC toward the end of this coming February (he's gone there for 12, or so, years, now, to "lobby" for his agenda...eradicating noxious weeds, and using "bio-control" (bugs that eat the hearts out of the weeds) to control weeds, too), and, I may be able to join him THIS year (2003)!!!
He's always gone with a group of people from Wyoming, and, I'd just join them, all.  My mother's only living sibling, my Aunt Marty, lives with her nephew, and my cousin, Dan Bendele, who has a growing family, about 26 miles West of Richmond, Virginia, which isn't too far from DC...maybe we'll get the chance to connect. 
Roy and I have been doing back stretching and strengthening exercises, which have really toned us up.  I've been walking, fast, on our treadmill, watching, either, TV, or, a video, for an hour a day lately...I've, also, been lifting a 5lb. weight, to strengthen my arms and upper body.  All this exercise, plus, showering, etc. can take up a good part of my typical day!!!  I still manage to shop, do laundry, dishes, cook, and, occasionally, clean the house, plus any errands that need done.  Roy rewired our garage, so, now, it is safe (it didn't have heavy enough wire for the electrical load, before he fixed it...), since he wants to get another garage door opener working, so he can put his truck inside this Winter  (he bought a Ford 150, 4X4, 1984 pickup, and a topper, so he could have a truck and haul around anything that he wants...you know how guys are about trucks?!!!).
We see Marge and Ryan, as often as they can visit.  They, both, are studying, and working full time.  Marge will get her Master's degree in Weed Science this Spring, and Ryan is studying and working to get his license as an architectural engineer.  They are taking care of our 20 year old Siamese cat, King Tut (he's, actually, Marge's), and they have another cat, named "Gizmo", who is a cute ball of fur, and runs circles around old King Tut.  They have a new house, built on a small lot, in Laramie, Wyoming, and, they love it!!!
Better go, now...Love, to all, from Roy and Rita, out here, in Wyoming!!!

From:michael.e.holt@att.net                                                                                                            Sent:Tuesday, December 10, 2002 7:18 AM                                                                      Subject:Awesome (Click on Awesome to go to Chris Holt's page)

Hi Connie,  I just got done looking at the web sight again. I check it out every couple of days. I am enjoying watching the changes. The letter that Uncle Jim wrote about Adolf was great I really enjoyed reading about the life they lived back then.

I thought I would update you on what is going on here. Chris is doing wonderful and getting back into sports. He has been able to practice with his team for a couple of weeks. Still has the Hickman (port in his chest) he will be getting that out on the 18th of December. When he was first admitted to the hospital on June 9th we did not think at the time that it would only be 6 months. The Doctors told us that is was because of Brian's "Kick Butt Cells" we have been so blessed that they have come so far in cancer research. One of the new meds. that he was on that basically saved his life. (The Philadelphia Syndrome would have made it impossible for him to have the bone marrow transplant) Gleevac that was discovered at OHSU and has only been available for 5 years was what put his Leukemia into remission. We have been so blessed with family, friends and pray that is has made this journey easier for us. Mike and I have signed up for any study that will help other families and I am mentoring a family from Idaho that has a 2 year old. Mike's family has helped in so many ways and my family especially Judy and Marty and her family. My Mom and Dad, Jane, Carrie, Russ, Ernie, Art, Len, Lou have all been great. 

Brian continues to be doing great in school. We are very proud of him. He is also playing on the tournament basketball team for Keizer. It is so fun to watch them play. He has a tournament in Sisters this weekend that has been a lot of fun in the past.

 Travis is going to preschool and is constantly coming up with new ways to make us laugh. His favorite word currently is Option. When I tell him to do something he says that is not on option mom. I think I might have used that word to many times.

Mike is working for Portland Community College as a financial aid tech II, but  has applied for an advisors position in the same office. He has had a second interview and is waiting to hear if he gets it or not. He takes the boys to most of there basketball practices and stays to help out. I am keeping busy with all the Doctors appts. Tutoring etc... It is very weird to not be working. I have always worked since as long as I can remember. I am looking forward to when Chris is well enough for me to go back to work.  If this letter is to long feel free to edit it. Take care and keep up the good work.   Love Mary, Mike, Chris, Brian and Travis Holt 

Hello Family,   Hope all is well this holiday season. Things my way have been great and wish you all the same. College was a big step for me this year, that I took with my shoulders squared and my head high. Taking basic courses at the moment at Linn Benton, unsure of the future and what will be coming. Thinking of vetinary or business major at the moment, cause I want to do something to stay on the farm but don't want to farm.   My luck in hunting season has come to an end. This was the first year in 3 years I have had a tag I didn't fill, the elusive elk eluded me this year, but it wasn't from a lack of trying and I had a lot of enjoyment as always, an experience of a lifetime I may never forget was when I had a 5-6 point bull at 15 yards that I bugled in during archery season and over shot by about 3 feet because I thought it was 40. fun stuff, fun stuff. Have a Great holiday everybody and I promise to make it to a family dinner some month. Greg Silbernagel

From: Judy Fromherz  JFROMHERZ@kc.rr.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 9:55 PM
Subject: Newsletter from Mom & Dad

Connie and Family,  I know it has been forever!   I have been going to school all day and 2 nights per week since the beginning of August!  It is a challenging school and the night classes are towards my Masters degree in Telecommunications Management.  If all goes well, I will graduate from both in June.  Most of my evenings are spent hitting the books! 

Twitch is doing well for her age.  She is blind now, but just as loving as ever.  I am not sure what I will do if I get stationed in Hawaii next.  There is a 6 month quarantine which will be hard for both of us!  Please wish us luck.  On top of that, if I do get Hawaii; I will be stationed on Oahu and will have a room available for guests.  Please let me know in advance when you are coming so I can book your reservation. 

Mom & Dad flew out last night after spending 10 awesome days with me.  I was ill for a couple of days and having mom around for some TLC was very nice!   We had a number of wonderful visits with the Bauder family (our Kansas Cousins).  They are very nice and it is an honor to be stationed here and have the opportunity to get to know them.  Mom, Dad, and I drove to Lincoln, NE to spend T-day with Carrie and family.  We spent one day at the Omaha Zoo and saw a biographical documentary on “Lewis & Clark”.  It was a very good show!  The Omaha Zoo is a wonderful place and really works hard to house the animals in “natural” environments.  The Lied Jungle is completely open with birds able to fly around, otters playing, waterfalls, and trees hanging across the walk-ways.  They even have a rope bridge that the “kids” can cross and get splashed by another waterfall.  The aquarium is also very cool with a tank that you can walk-through and look up at shark swimming above you….kind of creepy, but cool too!   We also walked through the Desert Dome and the Cat Complex. There is a lot of indoor exhibits since the weather was really cold and the wind chill added to that.  Mom & Dad’s visit was way too short and I really miss them.  Well, I should go and do some homework.  Love to all and hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!    P.s.  I am attaching Mom & Dad’s newsy letter.  Since they were visiting, I took the opportunity to type mom’s letter so we could email it to you.   Mom wants me to add my name to it since I typed it and a lot of the news involves me (I was there too) but this is Mom & Dad’s news so I decided to add my own note separately.   

Hello to all!  Merry Christmas and hope you have a wonderful year to come!  Our year has been full of happenings!  Thank God for his blessings and getting us through the challenging times….Thank God also for giving us the good times in between!

Art received his High school diploma from Lebanon High School through the Veterans’ administration.  As many may know he (and many others) left to fight in WWII before they received their graduation certificates. 

Chris (Mary & Mike Holt) was diagnosed with Leukemia in June and has spent many weeks in Doernbecker Children’s Hospital in Portland.  Mary (mom) stayed by his side the whole time!  Thanks to the Holt family for the many hours they spent helping!  As many may know, Chris received Stem Cells’ from his brother, Brian, and is well on his way to a full recovery.  Blessings on the entire family for their prayers, blessings, and thoughtfulness throughout this ordeal.

The ladder that I have been climbing (in the garage) for the past 20 years broke, which caused me to fall and break my leg this past June (ouch)!  I was very lucky, it could have been a lot worse!

The Family Reunion 2002 was a huge success!  Aunt Alice was even able to join us for awhile at the picnic, which was wonderful!  It was a beautiful weekend!  Included was the golf tournament and bowling.  Art golfed and bowled, but Winnie was only able to watch since she was still wearing a ski boot (cast).   Hope next year is even better – God willing (and the creeks don’t rise).  The final Reunion weekend event was the “Seniors’ Birthday/Anniversary Dinner” at the Buzz Saw Restaurant in Albany.  We welcomed Sue (Al & Margaret’s), Judy (Art & Winnie’s), and Don & Tam Van Etten.  The entire evening was very nice!

In July, Judy made the move to Fort Leavenworth, KS to attend the Command and General Staff Officers Course (CGSOC) for a year.  She will move again in July and it may be to Hawaii for 3 years!  She is taking reservations now for those that want to come and visit.    Also in July, Art & Teri renewed their wedding vows and had their marriage blessed in the Catholic Church.  This was a very special event and a wonderful ceremony that was attended by bunches of friends and family from around the world.  They had houseguests from Virginia, California, and North Carolina.  The reception following the ceremony was at their home in Aumsville with lots of food, a wedding cake, games, karaoke, and lots of fun!  Father Brady from Shaw attended for awhile and blessed their home and the meal!  Russ and family have had a number of challenges this year.  Please keep them in your prayers!   On a great note, Kevin was awarded his Eagle Scout this past February and will be graduating in June.

Carrie and family moved from Salina, Kansas to Lincoln, Nebraska.  Their new address is 1129 Aberdeen, Lincoln, NE  68512.  Jonathan is doing gymnastics with the University of Nebraska team and improving every day!  He has a meet in February and Judy hopes that she can attend.

Joelle (Marty’s youngest) attended Space Camp this year after winning a National Essay Contest through IGA food stores.    Marty and Family also spent a few weeks in Alaska over the summer as part of their Volcanic Education for Science Teachers (VEST) group.   This group has met in Hawaii, Bend, and Washington in previous years.  This next year, they are headed to Italy as Jaima’s choir group will be singing in various cathedrals under the same conductor that led them in England a couple of years ago.  Jen is a graduating senior this year. 

Ryan (Art’s oldest) left for Marine Boot camp in November; he had planned to go in January, but the recruiter called to see if he could go early.  Please keep him in your prayers; he will do an outstanding job….his dad is a retired Marine.

Our berries became ripe almost all at once.   Thanks to some dear friends from Stayton, they got picked every other day.  They kept some for themselves, but insisted on leaving the bulk of them with us.  If you don’t know, we have Raspberries (2 kinds), Boysenberries, Logan Berries, Marion Berries, Blue Berries, Black caps, Nectar Berries, Cascades, and Strawberries.  Our strawberries didn’t turn out so well since I wasn’t able to get out there and weed like I am used to (broken leg) so the pickers couldn’t see the berries through the weeds (forest through the trees).

As many know, we make it a point to attend the monthly family dinner at the “Old Country Buffet” on Lancaster (near Center) every 3^rd Wednesday at 6 pm.  We average 20 every month and sometimes more…..put this on your calendar and join us….All are Welcome!     By mid-growing season (berries), I advanced to a cane and was able to supervise and eventually pick the berries myself.  Our friends wouldn’t let me pick when they were there so I was only able to watch and chat!

We have met Jim and Mary at the Hubbard Inn for steak dinners a few times.   It is a special place for us to meet.  On one occasion, Shirley & Bob and Art & Terri joined us for dinner.  Jim & Mary’s sidekick and very good friend of all of us (Lyle) always joins us too!

When the weather cooled off, Art replaced the screens on the sun porch with the winter windows (plastic covered) so that Winnie’s plants could have a home for the winter.  Len built the sunroom and it is great!  Winnie doesn’t have to haul the plants upstairs and we use it all the time during the summer.  We play cards, read, eat dinner, and chat with friends and family that happen to drop in. 

Our Walnut crop failed this year with almost no yield, but the filberts are great!  We have cracked and sorted all of them (only keep the good ones).  Winnie bags them up in 1 pound sacks and sells them.  We can hardly keep up on the demand! 

We had dinner at the “Wooden Nickel” in Sublimity with our dear friends (Jerry & Helen Falk) and then played games at their house just before leaving for Kansas.

Our trip to Kansas was fine.  We had a special dinner at Judy’s (she cooks!) on Saturday.  Carrie, Jonathan, Nellie (Jane’s) and husband, Jeremy, were also able to join us from Nebraska.  Nellie and Jeremy are both stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha.  We had not seen Carrie or Jonathan for 4 years and got to meet Jeremy for the first time (he is a very nice young man)!  On Sunday, we had brunch with Art’s Cousins’ at their home.   We were able to meet Joe & Leslie Bauder, Sister Marianna Bauder, Tom & Tammy Bauder, Ellen & Keith Hustings.  All are the children and family of Elmer & Gertrude Bauder (you can find them on page 46 of the family book that Aunt Florence wrote).  Father Eric Albertson who is an Army chaplain and a classmate of Judy’s was also able to join us after saying Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Leavenworth.  We met the Bauders’ again for dinner at a local restaurant and will go to see the Christmas lights with them in Kansas City on Sunday after returning from Lincoln Nebraska where we will spend Thanksgiving with Carrie, Dennis, and Jonathan.   We finished out the week in Leavenworth, Kansas and got to see Joe & Leslie Bauder again for a trip to Kansas City, MO to see the Christmas lights.  What a very nice evening and the culmination of a wonderful visit!   We are even considering returning in June for Judy’s graduation from Military school (CGSOC).  She will also be receiving her Masters degree in Telecommunications Management from Webster’s University. 

All in all it has been a great year with lots of blessings, challenges, and fun times.  Blessings on all of you!                  Love   Art & Winnie