812 August 24– October 6, 2022 Time With Family and Friends

Our time in Maryland was short but packed with lots to do.  We had lots of evening meals with Kyle and Allison and an Orioles game and nice morning walks.  We also helped with some mowing and garage cleaning and a dump run. 

We were able to see a few friends.   We enjoyed an evening with Terry Brothers.  We hadn’t seen him for a long time and it was so nice to reconnect.

We had ordered a new washer for the RV.  It arrived and Tim and Kyle wrestled it into place.  Installing it was a bigger job than I imagined.  The wood trim had to be removed and Tim had to invent a way to stabilize the stackable units.

Our last mission for the time we had at home was to find a replacement for the Jeep.  The old Jeep was proving to be more and more trouble.  The way we travel, we must have something dependable.  On the very last day at home, we found a Rubicon that suits our needs.

We had a lovely party to celebrate Mom’s 80^th birthday.  We were a little early but it was nice to have everyone together.

On September 8^th, we left home and headed south.  We stopped in Clayton, North Carolina to see my dear school friend, Lee Anne.  We had a beautiful visit.

On Friday we traveled the rest of the way to Atlanta.   We were happy to be with David and his family.  The first week, we spent doing errands and ordering a new bike rack, tow hitch, and door shelf for the new Jeep. 

Oliver had a couple of half days and we were able to spend some time with him.  We surprised him by going to the Fernbank Museum and he was so happy!

We went to a Salsa Festival in Decatur Square.

We took the boys to swimming lessons. They have made a lot of progress with their swimming skills!

On Sunday the 18^th, we all went to an Atlanta Braves game.  It was very hot so the boys were tired after 3 innings.  Dre and I took them home and Tim and David were able to stay and watch baseball together.

Later, the kids were really excited to play real baseball in the backyard!

We went to Savannah with David and his family the following week.  We had fun walking along the river, eating out, playing on playgrounds, taking the trolley, riding on the river ferry, and going to the beach on Tybee Island. 

David and Dre got a date night.

We went to the Children’s Museum of Poole and the boys loved every minute!

Fun with friends.

When we got back to Atlanta, Tim and I helped to do some painting.  We didn’t get very far, but there is always next time.

Austin and I made ziti together.

We left Atlanta on October 3^rd.  As usual, we were sad to go and the boys were sad as well.  As they get older, it gets harder to leave.  We just have to squeeze as many memories as we can into the time we have together.

We met my childhood friend, Joanne, in Warner Robins, Georgia on Monday evening.  We had fun catching up.

Tuesday, we traveled to Yulee, Florida and we were able to spend an evening with Tim’s cousin Curtis and his wife Janice.

Wednesday, we drove to Ocala and stayed overnight at a Harvest Host site.  The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing was pretty cool.  The Garlit family has carefully preserved many of Big Daddy’s race cars.   There was also an entire building filled with over 90 antique cars.

One last visit with my Aunt Mary and Nabi in Sun City Center. We had a great, authentic Italian dinner at Vineyards in Apollo Beach. it was a beautiful time spent together and over much too quickly.

We are on our way now to Lake Okeechobee. Let the adventures begin!