Where is Ron now?

February is for Lovers

2012-02-01T05:37:00.000-05:00

1 Feb. I love you! Smooch!

Another year. Already ?? !! 30 Jan update

2012-01-05T12:57:00.034-05:00

31 Jan: Ron brought Don and Ann S. a load of laughter listening to him smooching on the phone during a visit today. Ron picked up an old PC he left with them a gazillion years ago. It may still work. Cynthia is packing for a five day trip to Sacramento to visit aunts with her adult children in the AM.

30 Jan: Sorry to say that Ron & Cynthia are again separated by half a continent. HowSomeEver we are both getting things done, Ron photographing genealogy materials, Cynthia with doctors visits and packing for her next big adventure. During his second walk of the day, Ron called Joe H. who invited him for salads for dinner coupled with amusing electronic gadgetry.

29 Jan: Beautiful blue skies ensured that Smooch Smooch enjoyed a smooth flight from STL to Texas. We consistently get asked, "Where is home?" and just as often, people are puzzled when Ron says he is homeless or adds, "Wherever our feet are." Ron figured out a perfect answer, "Home is when I hold her in my arms." After being apart for 16 long days (the longest in 2.5 years!), we had a marvelous five day homecoming, voting each other the most popular at our party of two: he easily won the title Homecoming King and she Homecoming Queen. She is off to the lake house and Ron is back to work until 2 March!

We had a fun day on Friday afternoon at the Belleville LDS Library/, so we returned on Saturday PM when lunch plans with stepmother Helen were cancelled because she was ill. The Illinois genealogy section had early records of Silas and James Bankson families only twelve miles from Trenton, IL where Ron graduated from high school. Silas and James lived half mile from each other and about nine miles from the Trinity Lutheran Church. Dick E., a friend from Belleville Junior high stopped in at Denny's for a nice visit.

26 Jan: What a relaxing day to spend by the fire updating the blog and adding a few coins to Eric's site. Highlight tonight will be drinks at 8 with Lawrence and Margaret at the Fox and Hounds, the in-house tavern with a huge stone fireplace.

Warm Hearth at the Cheshire Hotel STL

25 Jan: Today's the day! Boyohboy! Smooch Smooch due to arrive tenish, weather permitting. Smooch Smooch I love you! (For those of you confused, Smooch Smooch is Cynthia and Smooch is Ron.)

What a wonderful homecoming !! Delayed, of course, by Texas weather, thunderstorms and tornadoes oh my, and Missouri weather, rain at 31 degrees; but the plane touched down at just before noon, Enterprise found us a rental car at 9am, Walmart provided flowers, and we were overjoyed to see each other again after 16 llooongg days apart. (Fortunately we both stayed VERY busy, so the time passed quickly.) It is easy to get lost trying to find Clayton Road from the airport, but MOST amusing to find ourselves driving by the Micro Center and Trader Joe's while lost. I wanna tell you that Nancy gave us the perfect advice to stay at a boutique medieval English hotel: Cheshire Inn. The rooms are named after English authors such as Beatrix Potter, John Milton, Evelyn Waugh, etc. Cynthia LOVES our room and the ambiance, the new management is delightful (Harry supervises a team of superstars), but we had to go out to eat until they finish remodeling the restaurant where, amusingly, we met Lawrence and Margaret last year for dinner. The roads were still clear of ice (at 31 degrees now), and we made it safely to a delightful trout and steamed veggies dinner at Oceana.

24 Jan: Ron had a busy day today: two photo sessions of genealogy papers; late breakfast with Carol at Denny's where Maxine sneaked up from behind to cover my eyes and play "guess who"; her husband Doug is another joyful delight; in the late afternoon, Ron and nephew Eric uploaded photos onto Eric's RPM coins website - special photos taken through a microscope.

Thanks to Maxine for the photo of Ron and evile sistah Carol.


Loving Older Sister Carol and Ron Yesterday and Today

23 Jan: Edwardsville, Illinois near Dunlap Lake, Eighty-one geese snacked on something in the front yard this morning. After counting, I moved to the window for a better view, and fully half of the goose necks extended straight up, and their noisy communication increased dramatically. Then the gooses went for a walk across the frozen lake, another amusing sight. Only two more days until my beloved Smooch Smooch arrives from Texas. I love you. Another cold, cloudy day = another good day to stay indoors photographing hundreds of genealogy papers (literally hundreds per day, thousands per week). The camera battery takes a couple of hours to recharge, so later, after shooting another couple of hundred pictures, I'll walk to Deals to get more cereal.

22 Jan, Sun: Photography continues in Illinois. In Texas while re-packing the car, Cynthia happened upon a poem evoking poignant memories of a visit to Jerry (now deceased) and Maggie. Jerry gifted us with a copy of the poem he wrote for his wife.

Whatever signs of age our years ensure
the states of love, un-aged, will yet endure,
and though our art and flesh are past their prime,
nothing in our bond can change with time.

Whichever of us goes, then none are gone;
there's no such thing as the surviving one,
Whichever stays, the other's also there
but gives no indication of just where.

Jerome Y. Lettvin

SMOOCH!

21 Jan: The Edwardsville Public Library has a good genealogy collection, but does NOT have the Rev. War Pension Applications books. Ron and nephew Eric met for "lunch" at Denny's and spent the afternoon inserting pictures into Eric's RPM Coins website after first uploading 40 photos to Picasa. Back in Texas, our Lexus, "Mom", strutted her stuff all the way home from the auto 'beauty' shop! Smooch smooch is even more pumped than "Mom."

20 Jan: Connie & Ann invited me to see the Monet "Lily Pads" exhibit at the Art Museum, so we drove over about 11:30 and were back by 4pm. The painting is 42 feet long ! and is marvelous because there are so many diffuse colors in the water. We arrived home just as the freezing rain was beginning. Connie reminded me that the 25th is only a few days away ... Oh joy, Oh JOY, Cynthia arrives that day. Smooch.

19 Jan: Another day of bone chilling cold. Silly me decided to walk to the storage locker for one small box. I sat in the office a few minutes to thaw before digging around in the locker. The box I wanted is in Texas, the other two boxes of interest were empty. On the return my nose and cheeks became numb leading me to suspect frigid temperatures, and sure enough, time and temperature at one bank said 4:45 and 27 degrees.

18 Jan: Where does the time go?? Fun, fun, fun. It is midnight-thirty, and I shoulda been asleep hours ago, but the techie in me just wouldn't let go of the search for ALL the right phrases to respond to one simple question, and 3 hours and 5 paragraphs later I hadn't done anything really useful. I hate meetings. OK, computer finished its job; goodnight. Joe H. picked Ron up at the Edwardsville library and carted him over to Micro Center in St. Louis where we both bought 2 Gigabyte SD cards for $6 each. Ron was overjoyed to find a Trader Joe's next door for more fat free bread.

Thank you, Linda B. for the marvelous poem:

Ron and Cynthia

on the occasion of their marriage in the church of their ancestors

May 12, 2011

Now the Old Swedes' Church
Prepares for their future life.
Scans its memories

Where did they come from?>
See their ancestor's bones dance
Within their bodies.

The swallow flew on
Through sun and stormy weather.
She found a warm roost.

Here the antelope
Finished his long migration
He knew he was home.

Thus bound together
On the winding path of life...
They motorcycle!

Spring gave beginnings,
Summer shaped their growing.
Now, pick Autumn joy!

17 Jan: Sister Carol again carted Ron to the storage locker to get two remaining two boxes, then we repaired to Denny's for nourishment. Amazing what one can learn at age 64; the lady at the next table tipped the waitress nicely, then pulled out two more ones for the cook.

16 Jan: You can shove as hard as you like, but you won't move a 1000-pound steel object. Ron and nephew Eric found that even with a hydraulic cart lifting the front 6 inches, we were still unable to move it much. But eventually we raised it enough to shove a 4x4 more than halfway under it. When we lowered the jack, the object teetered up onto the 4x4s, enough to be above the water line (we hope). The sledge and industrious shoving repositioned it within an inch of the wall. All is good, and tomorrow we will see who sprung what muscle.

14 Jan, Sat: Today's forecast was a balmy 40 degrees, so sister Carol volunteered to drive Ron to the storage locker to grab 14 boxes of genealogy junk. We ate breakfast at Denny's with nephew Eric. It is a delight to see my sister & nephew. Ron certainly got a fair exercise lifting boxes and carrying them up a short staircase.

13 Jan, Fri: Temp did not reach 30 degrees. BRRR. Breakfast was a bowl of cereal and three beers. Well! That was what was available in the refrigerator.

12 Jan, Thurs: Smooch Smooch phoned at 7:05 while Ron was walking [in the rain] with Jim Z to the Trolley Stop for breakfast. We managed some quick I love you's while Ron and Jim waited for the proprietor to open the door, ate and boogied back to the seminary to pick up belongings. We shoulda checked the train schedules; he missed the SEPTA train by 10 minutes and waited 45 for the next. Math computed quickly 9:45 + hour ride to airport + security lines = close call. Adding the rainy weather into the equation promised a later take-off. If the the flight to St. Louis, MO had departed on time at 11:40 AM, he would have barely made it. As it was the flight boarded only 10 minutes late. Arrival time in STL is mid-afternoon. Then the fun began as Old Man Winter said "Welcome home, Ron." It was chilly at the airport and waiting for the Metro, awfully cold walking to the bus, but downright brutal at 21 degrees with fierce winds walking the mile to Brian's. Ron ain't so smart, so he walked another mile back to Dierbergs to shop for cereal, etc. That mile was against the wind .. ufta.


8 Month Anniversary: Smooch and Smooch Smooch

11 Jan, Wed: Working away in "New Sweden." Enjoyed a marvelous dinner with John & Emily, a classmate of his & wife, Jim, and John P at Campbell's in Chestnut Hill.

10 Jan, Tues: Up at five AM - much work to be done in the Archives and on Peter Craig's computer. And much fun to be had at Trolley Car Diner and McMinamis Pub.

9 Jan, Mon: Heavy rain challenged my smooch driving the Lexus to the airport; passenger Ron enjoyed seeing how the torrential rain really filled the streams and rivers. (Even the lake is up several feet.) The normally heavy traffic was a bit lighter but came to a stop once or twice before we arrived at IAH with bare minutes to spare. Then Ron waited an hour because the airport closed briefly for the heavy thunderstorm to pass. After boarding and taxiing, there was another delay for the east-bound airways to clear. At 11:20 AM the flight to Philly finally flew "up and away" arriving at 3:38 Eastern time. Ron boarded SEPTA (Philadelphia transit trains) for an hour's train ride to the Mt. Airy station, four blocks from the seminary. Security anticipated his arrival with a lodging key in hand. Ron enjoyed dinner with the guys and the small bed in the seminary dorm provided a good night's sleep.

8 Jan 2012, Sunday: Packing Packing Packing! Ron is packing for Philadelphia


Water level at Lake House now Beachfront

Blue Heron

Rick and Crew catering at Lake House

Water Front now Beach Front

7 Jan: Montgomery County Public Library has the fourth largest genealogy collection in the state of Texas. Cynthia is entertaining kids and kidlets

6 Jan: MD Anderson Appointments for Smooch Smooch

5 Jan: Results are in. In doctor Gould's professional opinion, I am still alive. What a relief ! I cannot tell you the anxiety that we have both endured, thinking that he might deliver the opposite opinion. Cynthia is doing wonderfully well. On the other hand, two of my arteries are ENTIRELY plugged. Just consider me another of God's miracles. Life is good, and Cynthia is reassured after reading blogs of individuals who have lived for decades with such a condition. (Yes, Virginia, it is possible through an adaption called "collateral circulation." Motorcycle is running! Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!

4 Jan: Doctor Appointments! PET scan.
3 Jan: Fun at the Lake House - Home for Now
2 Jan: Point Clear, AL to Montgomery, TX in 9 hours.
1 Jan: New Year's Day in Point Clear at the Grand Hotel in pictures:


Sudoku Ron 2012


Hot Tub at Point Clear - Grand Hotel

Beach Walk Marvelous Homes

Family Friendly Grand Hotel

1 January 2012: Happy New Year!!!! See Photos

December: Oh, what fun! Oh, what fun! Oh, what fun!

2011-12-02T19:10:00.036-05:00

31 Dec, Sat: A short walk along the beach to Sharon's Cafe for a huge, hearty breakfast and we're off to visit genealogy cousin Martha L., about an hour's drive, en route to Point Clear, Alabama for New Year's weekend at the Grand Hotel. Wishing everyone a BEATTY Happy New Year!

Several amateurs and one professional fisherman

30 Dec, Fri: La Mananitas... the sun is now appearing (seems late at 7:07) and another day dawns, but our hotel isn't oriented for winter sunrises, so we see it only by leaning dangerously far over the balcony. Two hour walk along the beach holding hands while leering muscles were covertly working overtime. The temp of 73 degrees brought out the bikinis and bikini minded.


Sunset Mexico Beach, FL

29 Dec, Thurs: Seven hour drive from Macon on Hwy 91 southwest past acres of pecan orchards, peanuts and Plains, GA where Jimmy's Hot Dog Stands and stores capitalizing on the name Carter line the roads. We stopped in Andersonville Civil War Prison where an Overturff ancestor's brother was one of the 13,000 malnourished and ill treated prisoners that perished in the camp. Prisoners were poorly housed in tents made of pieces of clothing or blankets thrown over sticks in the ground. One stream ran through the 26 acres that gave provided drinking water and water to flush the trench dug latrines. Many had no shelter at all. Food had to be purchased. Speaking of food: don't plan to stop for food in Albany, GA; be certain to eat long before you arrive there. White's seafood was closed, and we walked into and backed out of Bess' Restaurant fast before fainting from grease fumes. After crossing into Florida from far southwestern Georgia we turned straight south on Florida 71. The drive was pleasant, with light traffic, but the scenery wasn't anything special. Cynthia subsisted on Wasa Crackers with fat free cheese and a protein drink throughout the day until our arrival at Bailey's Crab Shack in Port Joe, FL where she was happily crabby eating a bucket of delicious snow crabs. Total bill was $28.00 for the twos of us. Onward to El Governor Hotel (el cheapo) right on the beach and barely above high tide. The rooms are $69.00 per night. We splurged for a couple of days despite the damage to the budget.

28 Dec, Wed: Ron was up until 5am cloning and computering. He was pleased to have three clones of his beloved, antiquated hard drive. He slept for only a couple of hours before packing the car early, and leaving "on time" only two days late. We drove five hours from Columbia, SC to Macon, GA on GA Hwy 88 and were delighted that Cynthia's beautiful grandnieces, Camille and Danielle, could join us for dinner. They provided us with a marvelous evening and good memories.


Oohh La La, lookie the BEAUTiful girlies

27 Dec: Raining, cloning, hardly working, lunch at Lizard's Thicket to see Susan.


Great time with Vince, Mary and Dick at Bonefish Grill.

The manager of Bonefish remembered us (who wouldn't?)

26 Dec: The second Christmas card was delivered a day late, and Ron copied the sentiments from the PERFECT card that Cynthia found:
To my wife, my partner in love, my companion in pleasure, my soul's truest mate through this journey of life:
In your voice I hear it,
In your smile I see it
In your touch I feel it
You are all the things I love.
I've never loved anyone the way I love you.
I've never known anyone so well and still felt there was so much left to discover...
never been able to say, "I love you" and have it mean something beautifully different every time and enjoy vying for those "first I love you" points every day.
I've never known someone I could spend hours with and still long for more time to share...never felt so close to someone in so many ways.
And even though I'll never be able to tell you with words how much you mean to me... I hope you understand that the love I feel for you is more beautiful, more meaningful than words could every say. Merry Christmas with all my love! Thank God for Cynthia
(The original card was a big hit with Ron, the replay a big hit for Ron.)

We enjoyed the typical caustic male banter while walking with Jim, Steve, and Dick for miles in the subdivision. Ron spent the day cloning hard drive; Cynthia wrote until Mary, Vince and Dick joined us for dinner at Ruby Tuesday's.

25 Dec, Christmas Day, 2011: Merry Christmas to our family and friends.
Cynthia was SHOCKED to discover that Santa Claus had arrived early in the AM to drop presents under the tree of roses. (We couldn't even find the chimney at the Hilton Garden Inn, but Santa is too clever.)(Santa's eVile older sister woulda been proud that he finally learned to wrap a presentable present; his mother proud that he recycled previous gift wrap.) We walked with Dick while Ron tried to remember where he left notes about cloning a hard drive. Dinner with Dick at Ruth's Chris Steak House. YUMMY.

24 Dec, Sat: Early AM departure for Columbia, SC. (i.e. before noon) Long pleasant drive across rural South Carolina on U.S. highway 76 followed by dinner at Bonefish Grill with Dick R upon arrival in Columbia.

21 Dec, Wed: The seascape is marvelous whether walking the beach or watching from windows. Enjoying temps in the low to high sixties, sometimes windy, sometimes VERY windy.

Right after the usual breakfast, we walked on the beach to Fort Macon on the east end of the island; 2 hours round trip including the restroom stops. Fascinating to see former cannon housing and learn that the fort was in use through WWI. We are seeing several large ships enter the narrows --- maybe bringing service men home for Christmas??? Bro Dean googled the ships (United States Navy ship 21), they are Marine landing craft.

14 Dec, Wed: Ron rises early almost daily to work on endless writing projects. Cynthia is writing a new book about three men named James Lea of Caswell County, NC. We have two remaining weeks for our writing projects. This is a terrific place for writing besides the views and immediacy of the Atlantic Ocean: a restaurant is onsite for breakfast and lunch; two great restaurants are about a mile each way walking the beach at sunset. Plans are to return to NC for further research in March.

11 Dec, Sun: Its beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas! Oooo! Ouuu Oooo! A blast of Arctic air routed us from la-la land en route to breakfast. Dec. fleurs warm our hearts:

10 Dec, Sat: The CD's were mailed, but only after arriving at the PO without the fanny pack and money necessitating a turn-around to the condo and return to the PO. We walked about 90 minutes - maybe two hours on the beach, plus the walkity to Amos Mosquito's restaurant. Gorgeous sunset. Jethro... is the aka of tonight's waiter. The wait staff uses southern nicknames like Sweetie Pie, Sugar Plum, and Cutie Pie. Now we know Jethro, too.

9 Dec, Fri: 90 minute walk on the beach plus a thirty to forty minute RT walk to Amos Mosquito's Restaurant for delicious chicken dinner.

8 Dec, Thurs: We woke up to chilly weather! We walked: The warmth of the sun made the hour walk on the beach very pleasant despite the strong wind which was an invitation to surfers. We worked: Packages are ready to mail, letters and some cards are written. We played: Ron in the pool and Cynthia in the fitness center's sauna. We ate: The Channel Marker Restaurant was closed for a private party tonight; the kitchen manager recommended Amos Mosquito's quite close to the condo which proved to be outstanding. The waitress was named "Cutie Pie" and indeed she is a cutie.

7 Dec. Wed: Walking towards Fort Macon: Lots of seagulls parked on the beach enjoying the warm weather. After dinner at Ruby Tuesday's we returned to walk the beach but the wind was so strong only one of us walked with the wind to his back. Big Waves!

4 Dec, Sunday: See the sunrise at Atlantic Beach, NC, below. A gazillion birds were hovering over the waters. Sightings from two walks on the beach: Cars, jeeps, a few people, lots of seashells, dead jellyfish, a host of seagulls including a one-legged gull hopping, small birds with tall legs and short legs moving ever so quickly, a dolphin surfacing close to shore, and a marvelous sky scape. Ron wrote a grant proposal for the Swedish Colonial Society. Goal is to accomplish lots of writing: letters, record keeping, research, CD mailings. Dinner at the Channel Marker was tasty, the waitress friendly, but the asparagus was shiny (OIL!) She complied with steamed veggies and no oil. After the dine, wine and another walk, we are back at the computers. What a surprise to learn Cabernet Sauvignon has 17 gm sugar and far more calories than Chardonnay. The calorie bank has an overdraft tonight.

3 Dec Sat: We were on the road by six AM with nary a breakfast place to eat until we arrived in Fenwick at Dirty Harry's. Nice place, friendly waitress and a humongous omelet. The early morning departure meant we arrived in Atlantic Beach, NC by 3:30 PM. The condo is very pleasant - full ocean view - good space and wi-fi. The beach is close. The sunset walk on the beach was marvelous watching the pelicans dive bomb for fish along the way. This is a perfect place for serious writing and relaxation with a restaurant in-house, an indoor heated swimming pool, fitness center (haven't checked to see the quality), an outdoor pool and that important Wi-Fi. The bed is comfy, too. We opened the windows to keep the bedroom cool.

2 Dec Fri: A late morning followed by packing the car for a lovely drive down the Delmarva peninsula. Lunch at Jessop's Tavern in New Castle, DE was a delight! The wait staff wore period colonial clothing. The turkey salad was very good.

1 Dec Thurs: The SCS Archives Committee met at the seminary. The Ronald S. Beatty Collection was added to the Craig Collection. See photo of Ron presenting his work to Governor Sally Bridwell, Councillor Herb Rambo, Curator pro tem Beverly Walker, Archivist, The Rev. Dr. Kim-Eric Williams. The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde-Beatty is pictured with Curator Walker examining a new ForeFather application. The group lunched at McMenamins Irish Pub.

NovemBRRRR

2011-11-07T13:44:00.027-05:00

29 Nov: The schedule is to meet Kim and John at the Archives at 11pm, work for a bit, then grab lunch and a brew at McMenamis before finishing edits to the Colonial Records volume 6 in the afternoon.

28 Nov: We've enjoyed a lazy Monday back at the Hilton Garden Inn at Fort Washington, PA, a Philadelphia suburb. We did walk a mile or two after dinner, and it was exceedingly amusing to hear Cynthia say that I, Ron, didn't know how good it feels to be able to walk without pain.

27 Nov, Sun: It was a challenge for us to get to the church on time, but witnessing the Baptism of John Stockton Rambo at Trinity Old Swedes Church in Swedesboro, NJ was a delightful experience. Cynthia participated in the service and read the Gospel. The six month old was ever watchful and quiet despite having water poured on his head. The reception luncheon at the Riverwinds Restaurant was attended by lots of folks we know from the Swedish Colonial Society. Cynthia had the best seat in the house next to baby John; she thoroughly enjoyed holding him several times.

26 Nov: Photo above: Amazing sighting of the Beattys crossing the Delaware! ON FOOT! After checking out of the Thomas Bond house, we hiked across the Ben Franklin bridge from downtown Philadelphia to Camden, NJ and returned to dine at the Moshulu. The views from the bridge were very nice, weather was sunny and warm without unsettling breeziness, and we probably walked nearly five miles altogether. No one painted OUR portrait but we do have a picture to prove it! We relocated to a Holiday Inn in Swedesboro, NJ and were treated to the wonderful excitement of a fire alarm ! No mere drill, the lobby was filled with smoke after an exhaust fan in the lady's powder room overheated.

25 Nov: Ron helped to trim the Christmas tree at the Thomas Bond B and B. We took the city bus to the Museum of Fine Arts in the afternoon and returned in time for a lovely dinner at Poisatano's Seafood Restaurant.

24 Nov: Happy Thanksgiving! We give thanks for each other and for our friends and family. What a feast Sally and Nagle provided! The food was fabulous, the hosts were over and above gracious right down to the beautiful calligraphy place cards. The family was delightful; oh, what fun we had with the M and M twins age seven. Their mother is quite the story-teller. OH, what fun!!!

23 Nov: Our stay at the centuries-old Thomas Bond House in downtown Philly is filled with ambiance even though the room was crowded and too warm. We thoroughly enjoyed breakfast with a social worker who is the epitome of friendly in this city of friendship! Our hosts however were only able to feed us grapefruit for breakfast despite being forewarned of our diet when our reservations were placed and frequently thereafter. Here is a view of a colorful tree our bedroom window.

18 Nov: Overnight low was 31 degrees, so Cynthia's diet coke was too cold for her to drink. We slept well and got to the Lexus dealership early for mom's 50,000 mile beauty & maintenance appointment. We sneaked off to the Archives in a loaner car whilst mom was kept busy being pampered.

17 Nov: We enjoyed another day of riveting excitement examining Bankston and Lea documents from Caswell and Orange Counties at the State Archives and found lots of goodies. Earlier we indulged in a pint fat free sorbet despite the frigid temperature of 46 degrees after a night at a Holiday Inn Express since we failed to plan ahead for extra nights at the HGI. It was way out in the boondocks; they, too, were sold out tonight and through the weekend but amazingly we were able to book the HGI where we have been staying for additional nights through to Sunday morning.

13 Nov, Sun: Raleigh, NC. Lazy, lovely morning. Foodified, we phoned folks, worked on E-mail and mailing lists for the marvelous wedding DVD. Moving along to fitnessification: Cynthia hit the treadmill for fifty minutes; Ron walked to Wal-Mart (2 miles RT) and returned with a dozen red roses, two loaves of Artisan fat free bread and some diet coke (that most vital fluid) delighting the bride.

12 Nov, Sat: Celebrating our big six month wedding anniversary today, he said, "I love you" first, and she said, "Happy Anniversary" first! We both win points. Back to Yanceyville Library, we hoped to find someone to let us into the Museum for our computers we left yesterday. JUST as we were ready to leave town, the Museum director answered her phone with a cheery voice to let us know she would be delighted to open the museum. They deserve a nice donation and indeed received one. Onward to Hillsborough - site of the Battle of Alamance; the library was open until five; it was dark by the time we wound through traffic to the HGI four miles from the State Archives. Fixated on food, we thought to save time by eating at the hotel restaurant ... but it was closed for a private function. We had to "make-do" with the noisy sports bar, but the Mahi-Mahi was fine.

11 November, Fri: The vertical files in the Historical Museum have good Lea records. We enjoyed visiting with the volunteers so much we forgot our computers in the museum. OUCH.

10 November, Thurs: Arrived in Yanceyville, NC at two thirty to learn that the courthouse and library will be closed tomorrow on Veterans Day. Blessings to the volunteer who is going to have the Historical Museum open for half a day tomorrow. Two free nights stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Burlington, NC

7 November, Tues:
Fall foliage is fading but lovely driving over the river and to the woods to Walter's house. Pam prepared a heart healthy - not to mention marvelously delicious meal - we enjoyed tremendously - amidst lively dinner conversation about the benefits of motorcycle travel without a motorhome. Walt's fine wine was a continued enjoyment watching an old video "A Happy Christmas" filmed in Cleveland (although it says it was filmed in Indiana) in the seventies about a 1940's boy named Ralphie who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Walt and Pam watch it several times pre Christmas since it was filmed in Cleveland and now has become a museum in an historic district leaving the streets and homes a fond remembrance of times past. Thank you Pam and Walt! Your home is a mansion, the twenty acres of woods marvelous and the friendship magnificent! We gifted Walt and Pam with the "Yes Dear" sign given to us by Nagle and Sally.

Cynthia finished reading The Steve Jobs Story on her iPad; fascinating man - creative genius - and sometimes not such a nice guy.

The drive through Ohio was also delightful enough to want to return for a couple of months. We saw some lovely colors closer to Walters but the richness of the autumn colors is compelling. Cynthia continues to struggle with poison oak... but is much improved on all other counts.

We arrived in West Virginia about eight PM - 15 miles to VA hunkered down at a Hampton Inn for the evening.

6 November, Mon: Fort Wayne, Indiana, Allen County Public Library: how fun to see a Lincoln genealogy chart on display showing the Todd and Rambo marriage. Goody Goody - a whole day of research where even the librarian remembers the last visit; he said, "It was four and one half years ago." Despite rain drops, the short walk through a renovated downtown to the Irish pub for lunch was enjoyable. We tasted... yes... only tasted... Irish soda bread and stew; but neither compared to the Inn at Long Trail.

5 November, Sat: Chicago: Steve and Molly's marvelous wedding ceremony was held at a magnificent Basilica with the reception at the Misericorida Basilica:

4 November, Friday: A very brief timeline using photos from Sister Carol's farm, the too-much-over-filled storage unit and leaving more stuffs from the too full car, plus a gorgeous sunset en route to Chicago for Steve and Molly's wedding:

My Goodness, another month already ?? Oct 2

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30 Oct 2011, Sunday: Our breakfast omelets were sadly undersized, but that was perfectly acceptable since we had arranged for a late breakfast with Uncle Lawrence and Margaret at 10am at Schneithorst's in St. Louis and for a late lunch with stepmother Helen at 2pm. Sister Carol drove down early from Mt. Olive and rode with us. In the early evening, Ron enjoyed visiting with nephew Eric's family including Chelsea and Halloween-costumed Kyle and Erika.

29 Oct, Sat: Ahh! The luxury of sleeping late! After another great egg white veggie omelet at I-Hop, we changed hotels because the price of a room at a Hilton Garden Inn includes breakfast prepared by a chef, i.e. egg white veggie omelets for us. In contrast, most hotels do provide a hot continental breakfast with your choice of fatty, sugary foods that we cannot have - like those wonderful cellophane-wrapped, rubbery scrambled eggs with cheese - bleh! Cynthia was blessed with a peaceful, quiet afternoon while Ron drove out to Trenton to spend time playing baseball with old friend Don S. and his grandson and another couple of seven-year-old boys. Ron's scruples and better judgement were overridden by the necessity of "running" after baseballs and "throwing" the runners out at second; not optimal activities for an old fart with a bad knee and a bad shoulder. Lets' not discuss the number of errant throws.

28 Oct, Fri: We awoke this morning to the joyous celebration of Cardinal fans whose world turned brilliant red as they celebrated an incredible turn of events last night. Our lunch with the Stalcups was lovely. Ron rode with Don to pick up his grandson for a puppet show foregoing the last game of the world series for this precious time with a grandson. Cynthia visited with Ann. Tonight's World Series victory was spectacular.

27 Oct, Thursday: The glorious fall foliage through the Ozarks was so mesmerizing, so tantalizing, so tempting trying to get a good photo from a fast moving car. The photos cannot capture the kaleidescope of color. We arrived at the Corner George Inn in Maeystown, Illinois after dark and learned from Ron's friend David that the Cardinals were behind losing the sixth game of the World Series. Woe is folks in all of Missouri, especially everyone in the St. Louis area.

26 Oct, Wed: We arrived in Mena, Arkansas about three in the afternoon for a brief visit with Cynthia's genealogy Miller cousins - each one nicer than the last - and departed just in time for dinner at the Mena Cafe arriving in Clarksville, AR for an overnight at a Hampton Inn well after dark.

24 Oct, Mon: We reached Denton, TX too late last night to phone Dorothy B, but we did find her at home this morning and enthusiastically spent the day and evening visiting with her.

23 Oct, Sun: Good bye to the lake house:

22 Oct, Sat: First issues of the CD were burned, packaged and in the mail. Old tennis shoes are trashed with photos to prove it. Recycling reigns in the household. Packing and sorting boxes has consumed the day. It looks like an all night venture of packing the car for departure to Denton, TX to see Dorothy B before pushing onward and upward to CHI with stops en route to see relatives. We thought it would be good to see our precious two year old who lives with Auntie Carol in Illinois; she reads at a fifth grade level and her math skills are marvelous. Cynthia baked two loaves of bread today to use up the remainder of the flour. We have enjoyed using the bread bakery machine daily the past two or three weeks. Son Jon met us at the Yacht Club for a very pleasant dinner.

18 Oct, Tues: Answers to complex issues re: CD formatting were resolved while waiting for Cynthia in the car. Quiet the mind and the answer appears. We had a lovely lunch before the drive to M.D. Anderson.

17 Oct, Mon: Quality of life is at an all time high despite not getting as much work done. Restful sleep is wanting with Saturday's departure deadline approaching like a bullet train. Despite Cynthia's cancer and recovery issues, our happiness quotient is off the proverbial charts. Tired tonight! But the CD is about ready to roll.

13 Oct, Thurs: The Great Pumpkin (AKA Santa Claus) left, NOT a lump of coal, but instead, a recycled wedding gift wrapped package with a recycled ribbon from the Dali Museum. Tearing open the paper (carefully so it could be recycled) was the most fun. Wowie! Zowie! A MacBook Air! Plugged in, the thousand page licensing agreement is being read one word at a time. ONLY an MIT grad would READ that stuff! Rain Man??

A MacBook Air!

OH JOY! A present from the Great Pumpkin (AKA Santa)

Spectacular Sunrise 12 Oct 2011 - Lake Conroe, TX

12 Oct, Wed: A spectacular sunrise. Cooler temps and two inches of rain have have lifted our spirits and those around us. Rambo CD is progressing. Physical therapy and cortisone shots are working; four more days remaining on antibiotics to treat the staph infection. Lots of appointments ahead of us next week... important ones like pedicures, manicures, hair -do stuff. We plan to depart 22 Sept for CHI for Molly and Steve's wedding (5 Nov) (if we get the all-clear from M.D. Anderson) with stops en route to cousin Dorothy in Denton, a Miller cousin in Mena, and sister Carol in Illinois.

7 Oct., Fri: 3:00 AM and the two's of us were both awake preparing for the big events of the day: Over the river and through the woods to recycling center we did go. This is good news! The house overfloweth with recycling treasures one of us is very happy to see find a new home. But, first... we saw the radiologist oncologist at M.D. Anderson. While not quite so optimistic as the first visit, he said Smooch does not need radiation unless she cannot tolerate the Arimidex. We had a lovely lunch at the Rotary House at M.D. Anderson before going to the dump, to the dump, to the dump, dump, dump (recycling). The day continued to be pleasant and very enjoyable even enduring a trip to the Woodlands Shopping Mall. Smooch had an ulterior motive like buying a Christmas gift in October at the Apple Store. She was not quite as successful as pulling off the surprise birthday party (the only time anyone has succeeded!). We tried out the Apple MacBook Air... very light, thin, with the potential of using Virtual Machine software to allow Windows to run on the Mac too. Somehow we walked out of that store with a package from Santa Claus that will mysteriously appear on the 25th of December, no doubt, in Atlantic Beach, NC. We shopped two Wal-Marts, a Kroger's, bought gas for 2.96 and had a marvelous dinner at the Yacht Club with her son Jon and friends, Hank and Felicia.

6 Oct., Thurs: Cleaning day. Smooch had a lovely, pleasant lunch with her daughters in Cypress and she received updates on grandson Eric's football victory noted in the Houston Chronicle. See picture above

5 Oct, Wednesday: It is a stellar day on Lake Conroe. The sunrise is spectacular, the balmy breeze a blessing and freedom from rotator cuff pain marvelous. Donations (2) of five dollars arrived for the CD!

2 Oct.: 5:12AM - my beloved Smooch is still asleep. Mass e-mailing to Rambo correspondents sent mere minutes ago. Yesterday was very much routine: egg white veggie omelets for breakfast, 45 minutes on elliptical machine followed by minimal weight training, dinner at Caddy Shack, and to bed at 8PM. Friends will be amazed that I cook, even if nothing but omelets. Thank God that the weather is finally cooling; yesterday the high was about 80, and it was marvelous to work while lounging beside the lake listening to the water lapping on the new-found shore.

1 Oct: Here we are starting another month. Thank God for each day, and this morning Cynthia awakened very, VERY thankful that she had slept beautifully pain-free all night. Beside being thankful to awaken, I was happy to find no pain in my knee today; a couple of days of rest seems to have been extremely beneficial. Pardon me a moment whilst I venture outside to enjoy the rosy glow on the horizon, and a marvelous glow it is. Coffee is refilled, previous coffee spill has been sponged and blotted again, so onward towards the next project, a mass genealogy e-mailing announcing that The Rambo Book CD is being created for immediate distribution.
Wonderful to be back in touch with friends from my AT hike in 2008 (trail name Shakedown Cruise). Here is a photo sent to me by Rail Road King (thanks).

September 2 surgery went well

2011-09-02T08:07:00.022-04:00

29 Sep: Where does the time go? It flies.! Wowie, zowie, we just had five minutes of rain, and golly gee, is it ever hot outside. Smooch Smooch phoned to say she's returning soon, so I'll be driving to the fitness center for the usual 45 minutes of ellipticizing, weights, and sit-um-ups. The knee seems better for the two days of rest, and the new shoes might not be too tight. The promise to return e-mails as received failed for a few days, but I'll do better tomorrow - tomorrow - better better.

28 Sep: Cynthia's chronic pain flare up continues to plague. She tosses & turns all night, sleeping fitfully, then finally falls asleep about daybreak for a couple of hours. Today she hopes to get a shot of cortisone in her shoulder. Ice helps, but the physical therapist's manipulations seem to have aggravated more than benefited.

27 Sep: Visiting Dorothy is always such fun, not only is she an inspiration at 95 years old, but she still teaches me useful things like the use of rutin & vitamin A to prevent glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Besides our animated conversations, her house is a visual treasure trove of watercolor. It is just beyond unfortunate that Cynthia has been experiencing fierce pain from shoulder, hips, and back radiating throughout her body. The pain killer prescribed for her shoulder is doing nothing to help, and the doctor's office failed to get a prescription for anything more effective to the pharmacy.

I'm slogging my way through the address book, sending links to our wedding photos (see sidebar) or copies of several photos via surface mail. If I'd been clever, the links to wedding photos would have had a picture attached. (Maybe I should try again. Oh, I could do that for non-responders. Goodie.)
Work on the Rambo genealogy CD continues every morning at 4am. Version 1 of the CD will be created later this week, and a mass mailing to correspondents will be my next task. It is always a huge disappointment when a correspondent changes e-addresses without informing me. (Are you listening Mike O'Dea?) I've decided to offer the CD free to any Rambo descendant who sends me a reasonable biographical sketch of their parents and grandparents.

It remains hot, hot, hot and dry (parched) here in Texas. Lake Conroe is down about 8 feet, so there is less and less activity on the water. We have been worried about wildfires in Bastrop and Magnolia which were distant but threatening to friends and ourselves. We did get one small splash of rain (.7") last week, but many trees are brown instead of green, so wildfires remain a significant threat.

My knee has been aggravated for the last week from daily use of the elliptical machines, but my sense of well-being is bolstered by the 45-minute aerobic workout followed by a quick 20 repetitions of 7 weight-lifting exercises.

25 Sept, Sunday: Wonderful fun to visit with Jon, Lauren & study partner, Samantha, Steven, Samantha & Jacoby. The food was pretty good too. Another 6 hours later (at 55 mph and 30 mpg) Pappadeaux in Fort Worth is immediately, conveniently off I-30, and we refilled our tanks. Arrived at Dorothy's in Denton towards 8pm and stayed up way too late visiting.

22 Sept, Thurs: UP at 1:45 AM to work on the Rambo CD and back abed by 5AM. Smooch Smooch slept better after beginning work with the physical therapist for torn rotator cuff on Tuesday awakening at seven thirty today --- YET, she fell asleep on the veranda after returning from her PT appointment early afternoon and slept for two hours.

21 Sept, Wed: A strange "plane" that looks like a kite or an ultralight plane that also skims across the water landed across the lake. The craft behind the kite plane may have been taking photos. It had the appearance of a tall antenna rising out of the craft. The sand bar evidenced in the photo is the result of lake depth dropping eight feet since Houston is piping drinking water from it. The lake house on the tip of Bentwater Island is the home of Baird's Bakery owners, I think.

19 Sept. Mon: And the rains came with a marvelous display of lighting in the wee hours of the morning. It will take at least two years for the lake to regain the water loss. See photo below of the blue heron standing on the new "beach" that was created when the water level of the lake dropped 8 feet; this is the view from the kitchen window. A couple of duckies were nearby appearing to be doing a mating dance. He was showing off for her by bobbing up and diving down in the water like a silly goof.

Photos instead of words today: 1.) Ron at the hospital doing a puzzle. 2.) Blue Heron 3.) Ron is hardly working in the kitchen cooking this morning's omelets.

18 Sept. Sunday. RAIN. Beautiful bountiful rain. Maybe five to ten minutes? Cool temps along with gentle rain made morning veranda time quite marvelous. We both have aches and pains... Smooch Smooch is icing sore muscles: hip, knee and rotator cuff anxiously awaiting an appt with a physical therapist next week. She is industriously doing Sudoku intermittently with a Beatty YDNA study.

Interesting to learn that genetically Ron is a Little/Lytle (paternity). This means that a Little/Lytle had a NPE with a Beattie//Beatty//mother who maintained her surname (female Scots did that!). This likely occurred between the 14th through the 16th centuries in Dumfriesshire/Eskdale Scotland. The earlier origins of the Littles may have been Celtic first mixed with Flemish who went Viking around as well as the Scandihoovians. By 1005 AD they were on the border between Scotland and England crossing back and forth - mixing with many other nationalities which appear in YDNA subclade test results. The early origin of the Littles may have been Celtic first mixed with Flemish who went Viking around as well as the Scandihoovians. During the 14th through the 16th centuries the Beatties and Littles are noted historically as part of the Borders Reivers (robbers). I think they were victims. Ron's YDNA is called the Scots Modal.

The Plantations era ushered in a migration wave from Scotland to Ulster, Ireland followed by another wave called the Undertakers. Both terms can be googled in Scots or Ulster history along with Orangemen. Numerous Beatties/Beattys and Littles participated in those migrations. The earliest documentation for John Beatty - progenitor of the Beatty clan in SE Iowa is early in the 18th century. John's son, Benjamin Beatty was the immigrant. Enough history for tonight. Time for dinner at Pappadeaux.

12 Sept. Mon: Waiting. Interminable anxiety. Apprehension.
3:30 PM: Riiiinnnngggggg! Hello??
This is M.D. Anderson's oncology department.
Don't breathe.
I have your full pathology report: Clear margins: they "got it all!" No cancer in the three lymph nodes removed! Tumor is grade 1 meaning unlikely recurrence: lazy little thing.
Sigh! Whew! Breathe!
See you tomorrow and Wednesday for your appointments with the oncologist and surgeon regarding radiation."

30 seconds pass...1 2 3 4.... ,etc.,

JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY!

A joyful noise is heard in all the land (Ps. 66.1) and especially in our hearts!
A joyful heart doeth good like medicine (Prov. 17:22)

11 Sept. Sun: A good day for reflection on this day ten years ago. Today brings its own troubles: 176 Texas wildfires have burned thousands of acres with the closest (2) fifteen miles away. 1600 homes destroyed throughout the state. Thousands evacuated. The temperatures escalate to record highs of 103 again the next few days with no rain forecast. Houston is draining Lake Conroe to use for drinking water; the canals are drying up. Sand bars protrude above water level - beaches appear under the boat ramps where water was once eight feet higher. Few boats are on the lake because it is too shallow - or because it is impossible to download from the boat slips. But - we did have a lovely time with Bill and Merry S. from Waller and Hank, Felicia and Katy from the lake community, plus son Jon at the Walden Yacht Club brunch. Guess who ate dessert! Well - Texas carrot cake has no comparisons. Smooch and friend Katy in the photo. We await that full pathology report... hopefully tomorrow!

6 Sept. Tues: The week that was has been mighty quiet and restful; good news today from the oncologist who is confident that the surgery was successful in "getting it all" with great optimism that it is not aggressive, unlikely to recur in that breast or the other one that has a large benign mass. Brachytherapy radiation is likely - next Wednesday. And the good news is that she will not have to take Tamoxifen or any of the other hormone suppressors. Whew! Everyone has on happy faces!

2 September 2011: The surgery went well. Dr. Akay was very pleased and cheerful afterward; she was confident that they removed the entire 5-mm tumor. Cynthia's expression was "Did you see the truck that hit me?" The right breast is very colorful now, a brilliant green on the underside. I'm up early again, typing until the sun comes up to provide enough light to thread my mending needle.
The mended clothes look mighty spiffy! We left the Rotary House International after lunch, stopping at Wal-Mart for foodstuffs, arriving home right after the florist delivered a lovely bouquet from Cynthia's sister. We have lots of questions about the surgery, but we won't know the answers until the pathology report is available in ten days or so. The report will provide directives for treatment beyond the surgery: radiation or chemo or both? Rate of recurrence? And that dreaded hormonal therapy that suppresses all estrogen in the body,

1 Sep: We were awake for half an hour before the wake up call at 6am, the start of a long day. No breakfast before surgery, and we reported at the 4th-floor outpatient surgery desk at 7:15. We were sent to the 6th floor for vitals, etc. (which included coffee and jigsaw puzzle for me). Back on the 4th floor, Cynthia changed into the cute hospital gowns and was carted off to the pin-cushion lab which inserted a needle to bracket the cancer. She came out with an interesting shape due to the protective cup taped over the surgical site. Then we waited interminably for the surgeon to finish an earlier surgery; (I felt sorry for that earlier patient - and certainly hope that her surgery was successful). A cast of thousands had been hired for the nursing staff and physicians, and every one of them asked Cynthia for her name & phone number. We had seen one anesthesiologist earlier, but a different one came to put her under. My beloved smooch was disoriented in a few seconds and out in a very few more - at 11:30. So I returned to the 6th-floor coffee and jigsaw puzzles to wait for the pager to summon me - which it did at 3pm after we had finished one surprisingly difficult puzzle. Dr. Akay reassured me that Cynthia was fine and that I'd be allowed to see her in recovery when she awakened. Cynthia was not even close to coherent or awake when I saw her, but she was in pain until the nurse hooked up a pain-killer to the iv. Unfortunately the pain-killer put her back to sleep and the monitor kept screaming for her to breathe. The nurse hooked up an oxygen nose-piece as the final accessory to the cute post-op hospital outfit. Cynthia was soon alert, so the professional wheelchair pusher guided us to the pharmacy and propelled Cynthia to the Sky-Bridge. I took over the wheeling from there to the Rotary House hotel restaurant where I shared my salmon with Cynthia and she shared her fruit plate with me. They do a marvelous job in that restaurant; it was even better than Pappadeaux. After dinner the pain-meds wore off, so Cynthia's dessert was a tiny tablet -- that put her to sleep in fifteen minutes. With no jigsaw in sight, I pulled out needle and thread and commenced mending a couple of shirts. After Cynthia awakened at 8:30 and took another pain-pill, I returned to the fitness center for 45-minutes on the tread mill, hoping that the exercise would again allow me longer periods of sleep throughout the night. Goodnight.

August in Texas = 100 + degrees day after day. vegetation dying for lack of water.

2011-08-02T20:52:00.023-04:00

30 Aug, Tues: We plan to stay at the Rotary House Hotel connected to MD Anderson for the prep work tomorrow, surgery on Thursday and return home on the 2nd. Son Jon will oversee house cleaning, etc. in our absence.

29 Aug, Mon: Amazing to see seven deer (four fawns and three does) in the early morning hours as we returned home from the walk to the fitness center. We hardly worked today... and prepared for the trip to the hospital tomorrow night. After running errands we enjoyed a great dinner at Pappadeaux followed by a shopping spree at Borders Bookstore during its close out sale.

28 Aug, Sun: Another 107 degree day is forecast for SE Texas. We are sitting outside on the veranda gobbling up egg-white veggie omelets while enjoying the magnificent lake sparkling with sunlight. Ron's culinary skills shine, too! He even does the dishes, not because this is a fun job, but because he thinks one of us wastes water. Harrummph! More from later in the day: 2:30 PM, the temp reached 106.3 but "feels like 112." The temp forecast of below 100 continues to be pushed back further in the week with reports that this El Nina drought situation could last for another year. It has rained .3 two or three times since last October. YUK! This evening we completed a 45 minute workout at the fitness center after a very lazy day; Ron is working on the Rambo CD; Cynthia is doing data entry for two new manuscripts.

23 Aug, Tues: Sunrise at the lake house was a marvelous red ball of fire. No surprise to read today's forecast of sunshine with no rain and triple digit temperatures continuing to break records for driest and highest year to date. The lake is down 5 feet. Houston is now drawing water from our lake. We pray for rain ... but not the mini-storm/tornado that came through Friday night at son Jon's house two miles away; it blew a huge limb across the hood of his car and left 1000 people without electricity for a few hours. Lucky us'ns: no storm here. Granddaughter Lauren is taking a break from Rush at TX A&M to spend the day.

Our Wandering was rudely interrupted by a diagnosis of breast cancer for my beloved Cynthia. The cancer is only 5mm and not aggressive; surgery is scheduled for September 1, probably followed by a course of radiation and then estrogen suppression.

My plan for these months is to recount earlier adventures in greater detail, like the day Cynthia was lost on the Appalachian Trail.
22 Aug: Awoke at 3:10 and figured out which files of my Rambo genealogy are most current. Unfortunate that my old Dell computer died, followed soon after by the Medion jump drive I used as the primary backup. Everyone in the profession knows that you need at least two (2) backups of anything critical. The big excitement for the day was finding on-line a copy of the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography containing Early Swedish Records" which was a source Beverly Rambo used without giving correct bibliographic details. Cynthia and I again walked to the fitness center at 6am for my 15-minutes on the elliptical machine. My knee continues to complain as it has for six weeks now. I rinsed recycling, did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and straightened up my messes throughout the house. It is nice to have a relaxed day without a defined agenda.

21 Aug, Sunday: We drove to the fitness center in the afternoon and spent 45 minutes on the machines, then we went to the Magnolia Diner for an early dinner of flattened chicken, and to Walmart for foodstuffs, potting soil, and a multi-colored bouquet for Cynthia.

20 Aug: Awake at 3:30. Today we discovered at the terminus of our 45-minute walk that the fitness center doesn't open until 8:00am Saturday and 10am Sunday; not a big disappointment since we were able to return home while the sunshine was still moderate. Most of today I spent figuring out which files are on which jump drives in order to determine the most likely most recent files to resume working on the Rambo CD.

Yesterday was quite peaceful and pleasant beginning with our 6am-7:30 walk to the fitness center for 15 minutes on the elliptical machine. Speaking of peaceful and pleasant, the entire drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway at 45 mph was magnificently relaxing. At 45 mph, the cruise control netted us 36 mpg. The Natchez Trace is a National Parkway similar to the Blue Ridge Parkway, so it is maintained and patrolled by the National Park Service. Both roads are two-lane limited-access roadways off limits for commercial traffic and trucks. Traffic was next to none except near Tupelo and Jackson, so the entire trip was stress free. Beware that the entire route is rural, so gasoline, food and accommodation may be unavailable for 50 miles. The Char restaurant in Jackson was excellent, and Cynthia was enchanted by the luxurious Fairview Inn which was rated the best inn in North America in 2001 by Conde Naste magazine. Cynthia found it in the directory of the Select Registry of Inns.

19 Aug: Awake at 4 am again to work on stuffs. Hopefully Cynthia will sleep longer this morning [nope]. We are at the lake house near Houston for the duration of Cynthia's breast cancer surgery & treatment - prayers gratefully accepted. The day was restful after our 6am walk to the fitness center for a 15 minute workout on the elliptical machine. Smooch smooch got her nails pedicured and manicured; she is happy. We enjoyed a pleasant dinner (pear salad & trout) at the Caddy Shack with her son Jon.

18 Aug: Up at 4am, Cynthia arose at 5am, and we walked 45 minutes to the fitness center starting at 5:55am. After 15 minutes on the elliptical machine, we returned and were caught by sunrise at 7:12am. It had been pleasantly warm albeit a bit muggy, but the early sunshine turned things hot. Forecast high was 103. At noon we drove in light traffic to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for a discussion with Dr. Lee about the need for estrogen suppression for Cynthia's particular cancer. (Fooey.)

17 Aug, Wed: UP UP and AWAY to MD Anderson Hospital for a grueling, exhausting day with the surgeon and other staff - donated blood for Cynthia's pending surgery on 1 Sept for breast cancer diagnosed the first week in August. It is a small cancer and caught early. All will be well!

16 Aug, Tues: Jasper Texas lacks lots of amenities including a fine dining restaurant or even one for breakfast besides the usual fat city stuff. Post breakfast - the drive to our lake house took two hours. We arrived shortly after lunch.

15 Aug, Monday: A couple of Rambos were discovered in some old books in the library of the Fairview Inn. The drive through Natchez was hardly remarkable but the drive to Jasper, Texas continued the pleasant experience of travel from New England. It is a truism: Jasper Texas is not a tourist attraction. The trailer park city lacks lots of amenities including a fine dining restaurant or even one for breakfast besides the usual fat city stuff. But - we arrived about 8 PM to find lodging at a nice Holiday Inn Express where we were upgraded to a suite all of 94.50 big bucks.

14 Aug, Sunday: Breakfast at the IHOP in Tupelo deserves an honorable mention because of Betty, the delightful waitress. The 45 MPH drive on the Trace Parkway has been most pleasant with lots of compelling history to discover. We arrived at a Select Registry Inn in Jackson, MS at dinner time: The Fairview Inn -built in 1908 - a wonderful old mansion elegantly appointed. After dinner at Char's (good food) we toured the Inn and formal gardens.

13 Aug, Saturday evening: Tupelo, MS. The Old Trace has a fascinating history. So, too, the mysterious death of Meriweather Lewis that is being researched anew with surprising discoveries since the book was published, "The Death of Meriweather Lewis" and the History Channel Series a year or so ago. We stopped at the burial site and marker. Imagine a guy compellingly honest and ethical - Governor of the LA Purchase - en route to Washington, D.C. to finalize edits to his journals - found shot with two different guns (his), money gone but expensive guns remaining, with a report of suicide coming from his servant Neely who lied about his whereabouts. We enjoyed the fitness center at the Hampton Inn.

12 Aug: Oops, sudden change of plans. We spent the night at the Oaks (Select Registry) in Christiansburg, VA and are en route towards the Natchez Trace this afternoon.

Our Wandering throughout August, September, and October and Wondering where serendipity will blow us next --- was rudely interrupted by a diagnosis of breast cancer for my beloved Cynthia. The cancer is only 5mm and not aggressive, but it is one that "requires" estrogen suppression.
... i.e Cynthia's planning & organization skills are now at rest while Ron's spontaneous peripatetic lifestyle resumes ascendancy. We are looking for a cool (temperature) lakeside/oceanside view with a nice 5-mile hike just outside the front door - - (all suggestions welcomed and appreciated. The winning suggestion will receive a huge Public ThankYou on this blog.)

5 Aug: Oh Boy, oh boy, ohboy, Smooch returns this afternoon, and I already got the biggest job done: reservations for hotel = Hilton Garden Inn in Burlington (amazingly less expensive than other Boston area accommodation).

4 Aug: Dinner with Drew & BD, Mike & Irja & Robert, Rick & Sherry, Beanie & Ed, and Ed & Anna was marvelous. Ed is certainly the proud papa; Anna is a delight and is delighted with her YMCA camp job although South Carolina heat and humidity are exhausting. It was wonderful to see Irja's improved mobility, but distressing to remember that Robert had Lyme disease and now has a cold. Everyone else was too far away for my limited hearing. The Pasta Loft in Milton served excellent food (and the Thursday lobster special was a big hit). Drew, BD, and I got lots done earlier in the day once BD started whipping us into activity. Now I'm gonna take a break and read another chapter of her newest library borrowing, Stuff.

3 Aug: Drew and Ron flew to Portsmouth, ME and Nashua, NH already by noon; flying is certainly a speedy way to enjoy the scenery Maybe I should encourage Smooch Smooch to resume her pilot's training. Personally I'd rather ride than fly because flying looks like too much work, but I could enjoy co-piloting and sightseeing. I do miss my Smooch Smooch but have been busy visiting friends hither, thither and yon. (Richard; Bob & Rachel; Dave, Kris, Kelsey, & Shayna; Beanie & Ed; Ed & Mary; Mike & Irja; Drew & BD)

2 Aug, Tues: "Where is Ron now?" -- wonder no longer. Thanks to Greg Gowdy's prodding, Ron has a contribution to forthcoming MIT newsletter:

MIT CLASS NOTES FOR RON BEATTY

Ron Beatty has married a wonderful, beautiful, talented, and intelligent woman. Anyone who knows Ron will be amazed at any and all of that. Cynthia is an over-achiever who planned, orchestrated and executed a magnificent wedding at Old Swedes Church in Philadelphia. Ron held up his end of the deal repeating frequently "Yes Dear" (as was mentioned at the reception).

"The wedding of Ron Beatty and Cynthia Forde was unique, in that it was obviously planned by Cynthia for the maximum benefit of the attendees. Most weddings are planned for the two that wed. It is their special day and of course we all were there to honor Cynthia and Ron at this momentous day in their lives. But this wedding has allowed us from MIT and Ron's friends that knew him in Boston to renew our friendships as we celebrate Ron and Cynthia's wedding. And I am certain that my comments are applicable to all Ron and Cynthia's friends and families," said Walter Maurer. (Ron: this is a direct quote from Walter by email today)

12 May 2011 Ron Beatty and the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Vold Forde,a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , were married in a 17^th Century Swedish Colonial ceremony at Gloria Dei “Old Swedes” Church in Philadelphia . Ron and Cynthia, eleventh cousins, are descendants of a founding father of the congregation, Peter Gunnarson Rambo, who emigrated to “New Sweden” in 1640 and died three years before the building was consecrated in 1702.

MIT alumni in attendance, besides Walter and Pamela M__., were Rick and Sherry H__, Jerry and Cathy S__, Greg and Donna G__, Larry W__, Dave E__, Hans and Audrey P__, Eric and Jean C__, Jan and Dorothy W__, Ed M__, Carlton S__, Bob and Rachel W__, Drew and Barbara Deane G__, Ed M__ and the Hon. Mary G__, and Mike L__ and Irja L__. Most of those alumni appear in the "Wedding photos" (sidebar link ->).

Ron was shocked and awed by his bride when she took the microphone and announced that this was really just a surprise birthday party for Ron. He reciprocated later during the reception by stripping to the waist to reveal the SMOOCH tattooed on his chest by a mischievous 11th cousin. (Thankyou Sharon and Marissa, you imp.)

After a honeymoon to Ireland and a cruise of the UK the newlyweds returned to Philadelphia to for a few weeks to continue archiving the Craig Collection for the Swedish Colonial Society where they were honored as "Fellows" Ron has published five volumes of the Rambo Family Tree documenting the descendants of Peter Gunnarson Rambo and his wife, Britta Mattsdotter. The newlyweds continued a honeymoon travel to cooler weather hiking in the mountains of Vermont. Tom S__ and his delightful wife, Kim, flew to Rutland for for a marvelous evening.

The guy in clown clothing is Ron; the Magnificent beauty beside the clown is my Beloved Smooch Smooch.

Hey Wall, Irja, Thanks for the laptop battery latch repair and the salmon dinner. Irja, seeing your improved health and mobility was a marvelous balm. Coffee on your porch was marvelously relaxing and promoted meditation and the realization of total contentment. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.

Happy Birthday Smooch: July

2011-07-11T17:39:00.017-04:00

31 July, Sun: Hardly Working: edits continue on the Swedish Manuscript for Kim-Eric. Herding kitties occupied the AM (they are not accustomed to the joys of outdoor life having lived indoors in Portland, OR for many years). The "round-up crew" went skinny dipping in the pond of Beanie and Eddie's VT farm house.

In the meantime and in-between time, Smooch Smooch is enjoying the sunny south with Rachel.

30 July, Sat: NO COFFEE: Woe - oh Woe. A bare cupboard sans caffeine requires a trip to the big city. Eddie watered the apple tree in the front yard while Ron watered the apple tree in the back yard smooching away on the phone.

29 July, Fri: Drove to Battleboro, VT to spend a few days with Eddie and Beanie - meeting them at a restaurant in town. They have quite a lovely farmhouse complete with a greenhouse.   The well cared for yard & garden, brook & bridge, are oh so charming.

27 July, Wed: Talk, talk talk ... with Dave E. until four AM!
26 July, Tues: Dinner and marvelous evening with Bob and Rachel W.
25 July, Mon: Dinner with Richard
24 July, Sun: Reached Kennebunkport, Maine in time for an outdoor lunch at Mabel's Lobster Shack -- highly recommended by one of the guests at the B&B in Montpelier -- deservedly so. Smooch Smooch spotted a cute couple across the veranda who had also stayed at Harraseeket Inn last night; we enjoyed "cross the table's" talk about Cynthia's vacation in Vietnam. From there we set sail for Boston Logan Airport so Smooch Smooch could catch a flight to Texas for a few days with her children. Ron is left alone without adult supervision!

Ron waked with Richard and Jasper (who is mighty protective and territorial about his Master! Richard has walked Fresh Pond about the same time every day for seven years or more photographing the same location - day after day after day. He makes money playing like this! Richard discussed eating MEAT! OMG! MEAT?

23 July, Sat: Breakfast at Betsy's was delightfully delicious before departure towards the Harraseeket Inn at Freeport, ME; the drive through the southern portion of the northeast kingdom (NE Vermont) had marvelous vistas in the vicinity of Mt. Washington. AWESOME! Lunch at Arthur's Diner in Johnsonbury (don't do it), the screaming toddlers were NOT Ok. How frustrating that parents will not remove the noisy tots.

We stopped in a pull off near a corn field to access les hommes des toilettes; one of us was shaving while en route to and from the corn field.   About twenty miles distance further down the road l'Homme started searching for the razor, but it was not where he thought it should be. Being a brilliant techie, he retraced his steps in his mind until he had an AHA moment -- and boogied back to the corn field certain that he must have placed it on the roof of the car -- being the convenient shelf that it is -- and perhaps fell off the car driving away. It did indeed== In the middle of the highway. Intact. As he walked to retrieve it, an oncoming car swerved across the center lane and smashed the razor. Oh well. We arrived at the lovely Harraseeket Inn in Freeport about five PM - both of us'ns right rotator cuffs worth cussin' about.

22 July, Friday: Packed up - we departed The Inn at Long Trail after one last lunch of Irish soda bread and nursing torn rotator cuffs on the right shoulder. Ron has been doing trail maintenance for weeks, but the last week using the ax took its toll. We drove northeast on Hwy 100 winding through marvelous views reaching Montpelier about five PM. A stop at the Visitor's Center proved fruitful: the congenial attendant sent us to Betsy's B and B. We went to bed very early after a lovely dinner at Kismet (a throwback to the 60's).

Photos on Picasa:
https://picasaweb.google.com/rsbeatty/VERMONT2011

19 July: Tom (MIT roomate and alum) and Kim S. flew to Rutland for the most marvelous evening. What a special guy - she is a delightful personality!
18 July: Back to the Inn at Long Trail for four days
17 July: moving Beanie and Eddie - dinner at J. T. Buckley's - fabulous food
16 July: Brattleboro, VT - Hickory Ridge Home B&B - Historic house built in 1808 - fascinating. Cynthia's birthday celebration
15 July: Cynthia Tripped on a root in the trail and fell flat! Her left calf is a beautiful black and blue!
14 July: Hiking and trail maintenance have filled our days!

10 July 2011:

Natalie and Jack -Hikers from Hawaii

Kiddo (Shayla), Friend from Burlington, Crimson Tide, EuLe

7 July, Thurs: Southside and Pam met us at Lovers Lane west of Londonderry en route to his resumption of his Northbound AT trek to Katahdin, Maine. Our GPS found Lovers Lane despite the missing sign (imagine people stealing a sign for Lovers Lane). We arrived about the same time and had a quick breakfast before saying good-bye to Pam with plans to hike for awhile with Southside. It was a nice hike if that had been the end of the story, but, it turned into an eight hour nightmare. The short of the story is that after hiking with Southside for two hours plus up the mountain we turned back. Ron stopped at Stile Summit ( BIGROCK) to roll up a soggy sleeping bag someone dumped alongside the trail. Cynthia said she would continue hiking back to the car, but she became confused and turned northbound instead of southbound. WRONG WAY SMOOCH SMOOCH! After 2.5 hours of increasing concern that she was going the wrong direction, she started re-tracing her footsteps, blowing her emergency whistle LOUD and LONG and OFTEN! Onward she trekked believing she was the only person alive on the mountain this late in the day. A father and two sons heard the whistle and turned back to locate her; they phoned Ron who did not answer so they left a vox mail message. Trekking on - she encountered a German man with a patch over one eye who told her Ron was planning to call Search and Rescue: he was WORRIED! Trekking ON and ON she met a lovely young woman who was calling, "Cynthia, Cynthia, Cynthia!" and delighted to discover she had indeed found Cynthia. She tried to send Ron text messages and a phone call but did not reach him. She turned back too trek with Cynthia for a ways to make sure she was OK. Cynthia also tried texting and phoning to no avail. Now Cynthia's phone battery was nearly dead. Finally, she reached the BIGROCK and panicked for the trail had NO marking southbound. It was as though this was a dead end to the trail. She ate, drank some water and decided to hunker down until a rescue ... maybe in the morning?????? About fifteen minutes later, another northbound hiker approached and showed her the southbound trail over and below a huge boulder. Clambering over the boulder - down the trail she trekked ON. And then. AHHH. TEARS of JOY! Ron had hiked up to that summit FOUR TIMES searching for her. The happy couple -in -love was delirious with joy at being reunited. He called 911 to report that the lost hiker was INDEED FOUND. A four hour hike turned into an eight hour hike by the time they reached their car. Do you know where one can buy a retractable leash for an independent woman??????

Southside and Pam

6 July, Wed: NOT More of the same. We hiked the Long Trail to the junction of the AT and followed the AT loop back to Route Four - - with lots of ups and downs with one mile up up up hill to the Inn once we reached Route Four. Nearly seven hours of hiking and exhausted we went to bed mighty early.

5 July, Tues: And MORE of the SAME!
4 July, Mon: More of the same.
3 July, Sun: Another long hike and trail maintenance. The Irish Soda Bread at the Inn at Long Trail is very low fat. 108 calories per slice. YUM.

2 July, Sat: We hiked the Long Trail to the Meadow and enjoyed seeing the fruits of the trail maintenance. JOY! This is good. This is very good!

1 July, Fri:Up Up and Away to Glens Falls, NY for lab tests (the closest LabCorps location) and into a marvelous day following a humongous egg white breakfast to end the fasting for the tests. The drive through along the charming scenic route through the Adirondacks was a delight for the eyes. The ferry crossing at Essex to Burlington was also a treat - but even more so was the delicious meal at Jenny's Inn and Restaurant - oh happy chance.

June: There's No Place Like Home.

2011-06-03T06:34:00.025-04:00

Once again: Super thanks to Sally and Richard, this is a link to the Swedish Colonial News online E-Communique showing our work at the Lutheran Seminary Archives in Philadelphia:
http://www.onthenosedesign.com/E-Communique/009_jun11.html

30 Jun, Thurs: We are switching rooms at the Inn at Long Trail because our room has been rented over the weekend. We like the new room better so we will stay in Rooon 17 until the 17th of July when we head to Guilford, VT to help Beanie and Eddie move into their new lodging.

29 Jun, Wed: Hiked the Long Trail - impressed that the trail was better today after Ron's work on clearing it yesterday.
28 Jun: Tues: Hiked again on Long Trail three hours to the clearing that is half an hour from the summit. Ron is doing trail maintenance routing the standing water on the trail.
27 Jun, Mon: Hiked on Long Trail about two hours. Huffing and puffing.

26 Jun, Sun: The rain stopped - the sun came out. We drove a hiker who looked like such a sick puppy the previous two mornings at breakfast, suffering from Lyme disease, to Hanover, NH to catch up with his hiking companions and treated them to lunch at the Hanover Inn. After lunch we hiked through Hanover and Norwich on the AT to meet and greet the rest of the group. Oh were they surprised to see US, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

25 Jun, Sat: And MORE RAIN. A thousand piece puzzle has been completed at the Inn. Cynthia read four books on her IPad. We joined a fitness center and did an hour workout.
24 Jun, Fri: RAIN, RAIN, RAIN
23 Jun, Thurs: RAIN ... SIX WEEK ANNIVERSARY!

22 Jun: Wed: Rain
21 Jun, Tues: We've gone hiking each of the last two days. We are trying to break Cynthia in slowly so as not to inflame the bursitis, so the present limit is about two hours. We haven't had any luck finding flat and level around here.

First night we stayed at the Inn of the Six Mountains, but were disappointed with desk staff and continental breakfast, so second night we stayed at the Inn at Long Trail, an icon of the Long Trail and of the Appalachian Trail. Breakfast suited, bed suited, price suited, temperatures cool for sleeping, so we've booked a week.

Over breakfast I chatted with an obvious hiker sitting alone, then with another who is recovering from brain surgery. I got them confused and later offered the wrong one a ride ... but on the plus side his girlfriend (my assumption) sat on his lap during the 1 mile ride to the trailhead. In the afternoon while Cynthia and I were hiking along the AT several miles away, we were VERY surprised to run into the girl again ... and I was even more surprised to learn that she had started at Springer Mountain in Georgia on the 22nd of March ... so she has walked about 1700 miles already, averaging about 20 miles a day. THAT is FAST. The (presumed) boyfriend had started in Tennessee. Boyfriend/girlfriend status now very doubtful. She has a deadline to report to grad school at UC Berkeley.

I had cell phone signal, so called a few of my friends from my AT hike in 2008. (Not one AT hiker friend came to the wedding, not one Florida Keys friend came to the wedding. I was very disappointed, but I've learned, and Cynthia and I will not schedule the our next wedding for Thursday. We will just have to wait until my birthday falls on a weekend.)

While talking to Ed K. in NY, ahead of Cynthia on the trail, Ron took the trail to the Falls for a big surprise; the water flow had increased dramatically since the trip up the mountain. Cynthia ... being busy swatting a gnat out of her eye....missed that turn off the AT, but she did see a bright red fox on the boardwalk crossing the marsh; it turned tail and scampered back. Surprised not to see her follow on the Falls trail Ron retraced his steps to fetch her to "hurry back and see the waterfalls, now." By the time we arrived at back at the Falls, someone must have turned the water off on top: a small stream of water was once again flowing over the rocks and rills.

Now it is time for me to resume computer work. (Cynthia is still sleeping. I awakened about 2:30 am and decided to get up rather than lie abed awake.)

Later - much later - after falling asleep again, breakfast, computer work, and lunch at Sugar and Spice, we hiked around Chittendon Lake; it was supposed to be a 2.9 trip around the lake - flat. "About two miles into the wilderness, water washed out the trail so we turned around and Cynthia fell FLAT! Just another one of those osteoporosis tests she passed again: no osteoporosis, no broken bones or torn skin. A red-headed woodpecker spotted in the woods. The 80 minute hike was about four miles.

20 Jun, Mon: Cinnamon French toast piled HIGH on the plate, mouth-watering stacks of pancakes with REAL maple syrup, bacon and eggs, home-made strawberry jam... MMMM. It looks so delicious on the table next to ours with YOU KNOW WHAT: egg white veggie omelets.

Super thanks to Sally and Richard, this is a link to the Swedish Colonial News online E-Communique showing our work at the Lutheran Seminary Archives in Philadelphia:

http://www.onthenosedesign.com/E-Communique/009_jun11.html

19 Jun, Sun: Not on the recommended list, The Inn of the Six Mountains in Killington, VT. The irritating night clerk was obviously irritated at leaving a more pleasurable activity to work. We declined the Continental breakfast at the Inn opting for a highly recommended Sugar and Spice Breakfast and Lunch Restaurant in Rutland. Sunday (treat day for Smooch Smooch) being the occasion, she ordered a silver dollar size blueberry pancake which arrived the size of a dinner plate. Overjoyed, she ate half of it without butter and a tiny dot of real maple syrup. YUM! The restaurant deserves a high five! Our two hour hike on the Long Trail was long enough for a first day. We will stay at the Inn at Long Trail in Killington for a week. Good food, fireplace in suite and hiking right out the door. Besides, one of us enjoys visiting with EVERYONE a lot.

18 Jun, Sat: Departing by one PM to hike in Killington, VT we detoured for the scenery in the Hudson River Valley. Marvelous. That was wonderful visit #2 brought about by the Hillsdale destination. So I felt curious to see the place responsible for our delightful jaunt through New York and the Hudson River Valley. We took the Taconic Parkway north to New Lebanon and found a marvelous restaurant, Mario's, on State Highway 22.

Here is a link to the Swedish Colonial News online E-Communique showing the work we have been doing at the Lutheran Seminary Archives in Philadelphia:

http://www.onthenosedesign.com/E-Communique/009_jun11.html

17 Jun, Fri: Fishkill...! Kill is the Dutch name for a stream. Fishkill likely means a stream with good fishing. This is a charming town with lovely, pleasant people in the local Wal-Mart and at the post office. The downtown is quite delightful, too. Marissa and family will not be going to their farm for the weekend after all; Susannah (three year old) has strep throat. Thanks to the plan to visit Marissa... we had the surprising opportunity to visit Cynthia's cousins and Paddy-O, a great philosopher and provider of trail magic for hikers on the AT. We enjoyed seeing Cynthia's cousins tremendously - and would have picked a different route if we had not intended to visit Marissa in Hillsdale.

From Newton, we drove to Harriman State Park on the AT in NY to visit with a favorite hiker who spends his off-time (mechanical engineer) providing refreshment and food for hikers as a memorial to a special friend who passed away. The first thing Cynthia noticed (backing away quickly) was the ripe, pungent air near the hikers who had likely not bathed for a few days. See Photo of Paddy-O left, hikers with aroma middle and Ron right. Paddeo and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing each other again and talked for three hours. Unfortunately Cynthia could not hear Paddeo since his lips don't move a lot and the wind and traffic noise confounded her hearing. Besides, the bugs liked her, so she retreated to the car.

16 Jun, Thurs: Jane is just as pretty as Cynthia remembered ... with the same beautiful blue eyes. Garrick is handsome and looks like his dad. We had a marvelous visit over coffee at the CheddarAlley and spent a wad of money on a gift and cheese to take to Marissa.

15 Jun, Wed: Car is packed, delightful last lunch with Rev. Kim-Eric at the archives, thank you cards, packages mailed and departure. Hillsdale was a wonderful destination since it took us through Sparta, NJ. this afternoon; as we blew through that town, Cynthia suddenly came out of the fog with a start, asking, "Sparta, New Jersey???" Yup. "I have a cousin I'd like to see there." Let's stop. "Oh it would be too rude to drop in unexpectedly." Yes Dear!!! Why don't you just call & say hi? "Oh I couldn't." You could just tell them that we suddenly found ourselves passing through town, so you called. Who knows, maybe they'd like to say hi. "(sounds of furiously fast texting)" "They are going to Nantucket." By now we are 10 miles from town and darkness is descending rapidly, so I pull over to pee. (The unusual part is that there was actually an authorized pee place there, a porta-potty in the park.) The GPS only works at rest, so we looked for a hotel and the closest recognizable brand was 10 miles behind us in a town named Newton. The conversation continued -- Why don't you call again and tell them that we've booked a room at the Holiday Inn in Newton. "They are going to Nantucket."   Have they already left? "I don't know." If you don't call, we won't see them; if you call they might want to come later. Besides Newton is pretty close to Sparta. "(sounds of more furious texting)" "Wonderful, they can meet us in town for breakfast - it is only 10 minutes from their house."

14Jun, Tues: Forefather's SCS database work, thank you cards, etc.
13 Jun, Mon: Writing thank you cards in process. Wonderful lunch with Jean and Eric in Bryn Mawr.
12 Jun, Sun: A quiet day. After we cleaned, the maid was actually allowed into clean our room. Smooch Smooch uploaded and identified wedding photos taken by the Gregory's (thanks, Clark and Elizabeth) and honeymoon photos; "Beatty Bahd Cohds" and cloudy skies prevented taking many photos. Funniest photos are of cousin Marissa's professionally applied "Smooch Tattoo" on the groom. Each day for eight days we took a photo to see how it would hold up... until Marissa explained she forgot to mention it is permanent. She is one delightful IMP! Smooch Smooch also uploaded all of the photographer's photos. Here are links:

https://picasaweb.google.com/rsbeatty/WEDDINGIMAGES
https://picasaweb.google.com/rsbeatty/RonAndCynthiaWeddingPhotos12May2011
https://picasaweb.google.com/rsbeatty/20110612Weddinghoneymoon

Going through the cards, gifts and wonderful messages of love and support from the great group that attended to the multitude that could not attend... we are heartened by the love and joy at our happiness.

11 Jun, Sat: The week that was included learning Family Tree Maker and deciding it doesn't work for Geeks (maybe the Master Genealogist program for the database for the Swedish Colonial Society). We had a good meeting on Wednesday with the archives committee, a fabulous dinner with the Rambos to celebrate Herb's retirement and a marvelous evening with Sally and Nagle on Thursday night. The week that was did not include getting over a cruddy cold, but Ron was amazing! He has written MOST of the thank you notes!

6 Jun: Mon: Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania, slightly NW of Philadelphia, in our usual Holiday Inn (at an exceptional rate that includes egg white veggie omelets). Today Ron paid bills and caught up on e-mail. Next task is to do a little on Family Tree Maker before commencing to write wedding gift thank-yous. The pile of "things" on the back burner represents a four-alarm fire hazard.

5 Jun, Sunday: We attended the opening of a new exhibit at the Swedish Museum and saw a real, live princess (Princess Madeleine of Sweden). The leading lady of the performance was Esther Ann McFarland whose ancestors were the focal point for the new exhibit, and the directing star was Sandra Pfaff. It was a delight to see Herb & Zophia, Sally & Nagel (with their handsome son and two lovely granddaughters), Alfred & wife, Tina (in costume), and several others whose names escape me. (I could mention Alfred's wife because our conversation revealed that she remembers names no better than I do.)

3 June, Fri: 4:45 wake up call in order to eat an unsatisfactory breakfast before the 6 AM departure to London Heathrow for a three PM flight to Boston and on to Newark where shuttle arrived in minutes to "whisk" us to Fort Washington, PA by 10:10 PM. What a bummer !! Ron shoulda remembered that rum & diet coke contains caffeine. He was awake for the entire 6-hour flight despite being desperately tired and headachey, still suffering cold symptoms including clogged head and dry cough. Smooch smooch flattened her seat into a bed and slept a few hours on each plane and additionally on the shuttle.

2 June, Thurs: Paris and the Louvre.

1 June, Wed: Smooch Smooch is confined to quarters sick abed. Ron is visiting varied and sundry folks like a 90 year old mortician, a social studies teacher and doing Sudoku besides checking on his bride.   By three she was out of bed to attend the wine tasting but coughed incessantly wondering if that was a mistake. We spent the day at sea.

MERRY MARRY MERRY MARRY MAY!

2011-05-02T16:29:00.034-04:00

31 May, Tues: Queensferry, Scotland: Smooch Smooch is suffrind from a bahd cohd! An early breakfast hour suddenly evaporated making us late for our 7:00 tour departure at Queensferry. The previous tour had departed a good 20 minutes late, so we were unconcerned and Ron made a precautionary pit stop while smooch proceeded alone to the Explorers Lounge to check in for the tour. Poor smooch was hustled off alone, sent ahead to board the launch to shore. However she was turned back at the launch and instructed to return to check-in and find Ron. Meanwhile Ron explained the situation at the check in station and was hurried to another craft headed to shore. Upon return to check-in Smooch Smooch wailed, "Two weeks is too soon to lose a husband!" She was ushered to another launch with a promise that Ron would be awaiting her on the pier. Meanwhile, at the bus, Ron was perplexed that there was no smooch smooch on board, and the guide suggested that his new bride might be on the next launch to land. Ron walked again the length of the pier wondering if he would ever see his beloved smooch again. There she was, and the lovers enjoyed a breathless reunion as they "raced", wheezing, to the tour bus. Guide, driver, and fellow passengers were graceful about the delay, and the driver made up the 1/2 hour by the time they reached the Abbey on the Scottish "Borders." Good sights: ruins of a Cistercian monastic abbey dating to the 12th century, the grave of Sir Walter Scott, a castle belonging to the Duke of Roxburough (the most important man in Scotland), quaint Scottish towns, the names of Beattie and Little on a brochure about the Borders Rievers (raiders), homes of poets, authors, building where the first Harry Potter book was written. A sick Smooch Smooch had a hot toddy in an old restaurant that once was home to a man who reputedly became the character of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Scotland is rightly proud of its many brilliant scientists, inventors, and literary giants. Smooch Smooch went to the doctor on the ship with an elevated temp and hacking cough - not to mention unceasing high pitched whine and wailing. She swigged down the cough med and antibiotics with instructions to be in isolation for 24 hours.

30 May, Mon: (thanks to the ship navigator for cruise details)

Rise and Shine… well, not exactly. Smooch Smooch bounced out of bed shrieking, “Its eight AM!” rushing to breakfast to catch a tour of Invergordon departing at eight-thirty. The dining area empty and no food lines looked mighty strange until the waiter said the dining room didn’t open until five-forty-five AM. Telling time can be a challenge for a Smooch Smooch. The spectacular sunrise was marvelous - beautiful blue skies over Scotland as we passed Helmsdale Point on the starboard side proceeding southwest through the Moray Firth. Cynthia has inherited Ron’s cold and succumbed to the notion of spending the day in bed instead of cruising Loch Ness and climbing in the center of the Highlands. Oh, well. There is no Nessie after all: the Loch Ness Monster hoax was finally brought to light in 1994 when one of the hoaxters confessed to rigging the photo of a toy against a photo of the lake.

Sunday, May 29, 2011: Sea Day meant we could sleep late and enjoy the view of the water out the windows but it is too cool to sit on the balcony with head colds. We had a late lunch brunch before going to a Sommelier wine tasting where we lost all sense of time. From the ship log we learned the ship crossed the Little Minch early in the day – and the beautiful islands of the Outer Hebrides ion the port side and the Northwest Hebrides on the starboard side. From there we entered the North Minch Channel with the Isle of Skye on the starboard side. Ron enjoyed the fitness center before dinner with very delightful people: Annie and June from Texas and a couple from England. It was the last formal night and someone looked like a gorgeous HUNK in his tuxedo after Samuel (the steward) buttoned his collar and fixed the bowtie. Evening we passed in between the NE tip of Scotland and the Orkney Islands before heading into the North Sea.

Saturday, May 28, 2011: Greenock, also known as the Port of Glasgow was the stop for today. Smooch Smooch forgot we had excursion tickets for a tour so we missed the planned tour. Instead, Ron went to bed with a head full of cold stuffs. She took the afternoon tour of the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond and the picturesque village of Luss located on the west shore of Loch Lomond. In Gaelic, Luss means plant or herb and the village in spring is a riot of color from roses and wildflowers. With Ron outta sight she could not resist tasting toffee and fudge Orkney ice cream now that she knows of her Orcadian ancestors from the iron age when it was a Norse province). It was marvelous to see the stone cottages and walk out on the pier for a mouth dropping view of Loch Lomond before driving onto the stunning Highland Glens, Be Thankful overlook, Loch Eck and Holy Lock before boarding a ferry across the River Clyde. Our dinner at Sebastini’s was ok – but not as good as Michelangelo’s.

Friday, May 27, 2011: During the night we crossed the Irish Sea and made port in Belfast where we disembarked to walk to the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland once again. The records are sparse prior to 1800. Ron found the deed between James Ager(Edgar, Eger), James Ewing and John Forbis, but the microfilm was very hard to read; perhaps when we reach Salt Lake City once again we may find the deed has been transcribed. Now we know the parents of the immigrant ancestor, Benjamin Beatty who married Margaret Jeffrey Forbes whose Forbes, Ager and Ewing ancestors are being researched.

26 May: Shipboard for the day again. Liverpool might have been fun to visit since we coulda woulda shoulda paid homage to the Beatles by visiting them in person. Although the plugged head is better, another restful day seems advisable ... besides, who wants to pop outta bed at 6:30 am two days in a row ?? Breakfast was again pleasant although Ron was surprised that his fever has so successfully burned calories that he appears a bit thinner despite eating almost non-stop. Who knew that this ill "wind" would blow that particular advantage.

25 May, Wed: Dublin and Glendalough by bus, our first day off the bus, first day out of the sickbed. Tour buses have wonderful big, expansive windows, but I would still rather be on a motorcycle (no doubt driving on the wrong side of the road occasionally.) The stops and countryside scenery were wonderful, especially the St. Patrick's Cathedral (with grave of Jonathan Swift - not at all swift now) and the ruins of St. Kevin's Monastery from the 4th century when the Irish were at the forefront of Christianity and education. The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain, the rain in Ireland mainly stays. It was fascinating to watch the vegetation fly by only inches from the bus windows - obviously pruned daily by bus & truck shears. The roads were so narrow that opposing buses and trucks almost always slowed to a crawl to pass safely with inches to spare - or fractions of inches to spare. The luncheon stop was late for most passengers, about 1pm, especially wearing since the bus loaded at 7:30. The guide was neither bright nor informative and seemed clueless that his passengers were so slothful and quiet much of the morning. Good God, is the man unaware of the dangers of coffee deprivation ?? Lunch was very nice since Ron guessed upon entry that this was going to be one meal fits all and asked for turkey plain and steamed vegetables as he was being seated. The servers are all on auto-pilot, so beef and gravy magically appeared in front of us three times before our (undressed) turkey finally came. Methinks that the turkey was more tasty.

24 May, Tues: Fever abated - good sweats foul smell on sheets. Smooch Smooch moved into the spa. Woe is I, driven from bed and room by a sick & stinky mate. We stayed onboard - with plans to disembark AM in Dublin, Marvelous sunset.

23 May, Mon: Good night sleep but fever raging. St. Peter's Port - monastery on island outside our lovely stateroom with balcony. Smooch Smooch went to spa for acupuncture on torn rotator cuff. Tomorrow Cobh, Ireland.

22 May, Sun: five thirty wake up call! Hammie made the airport trip in time - flight went well - so did trip by bus to Southampton to the Crown Princess dock and even through another security check. Smooch Smooch completed the health form that said we were both healthy. Hah! We were until three PM - high fever - time to hit the bed. Cruise started at five PM.

21 May, Sat: Outline: County Down, Culloden Hotel, Londonderry Family Trust, Royal County Down Golf Course and Sleive ? Hotel lunch by the sea before return to Belfast. Pack. Library. Dinner. Departure 6:45 AM. Thank you Hammie for another delightful day!

20 May, Fri: Details will follow outline later:
Mr. Hamilton (Hammie) Lowe is the most marvelous, congenial guide who drove us to County Antrim and the North Coast - stopping at the Giant's Causeway so we could hike to the causeway and waited patiently while we posed for SMOOCH photos in front of the magnificent view. Onward to lunch next to some Texans with beautiful SMU collegiates; and Yo Ho again to the track of the North 200 ...where we drove on the motorcycle track (in a car bumper to bumper) watching hordes of people poured into the hamlet for the big race at ten tomorrow, Following the N Coast line through small villages we found Irish lace for a granddaughter before heading back to the hotel for dinner. OH. we looked for a cottage to let for next summer but failed to locate the exact one. BushMills Distillery - oldest in the world. Lunch at BushMills Restaurant and Inn not to be forgotten.

19 May, Thurs: We arose before eight AM - surprising the chef who quickly popped the fat free bread into the oven while super-sizing the egg white veggie omelets. Smooch Smooch spent the morning in the first class fitness center; it sits high atop the hotel overlooking the city scape in all four directions. The elliptical machine is not so compatible with the knee. She enjoyed a sauna and steam room. Imagine sitting outdoors in a rooftop hot tub six floors high! We walked a mile or so to the Presbyterian Historical Society located next to Union and Queens College for a most delightful conversation with the historian. Not only was she very knowledgeable but also very charming. She was worth the trip. The folks at PRONI do a fine job but lack historical knowledge.
Today is our first week anniversary! WE ARE MIGHTY HAPPY! Thanks for the photo, Janina!

18 May, Wed: Beal Farst... is the Irish pronunciation of Belfast. PRONI records do not have the needed records accessible yet.   It is not a wasted trip. We will return - maybe not here - but at least to the countryside to explore this magic isle.

17 May, Tues: Belfast, Ireland. Dining and lodging are marvelous. We plan to move here next year. Well, for three months maybe? Amazing, delightful people in this city. We slept until nine-thirty (well we ARE honeymooning), had one of the best egg white veggie omelets ever, walked to the City Hall, had lunch with a most delightful young woman and her auntie who plan to visit the US next September. Smooch Smooch found Irish linens to send to Texas for gifts - shipping was free because the linen shop gets the VAT tax returned. From there we walked to the Titanic Dock and crossed the street to 2 Titanic Row for a visit to PRONI (the Public records of Northern Ireland). Ron disappeared in 33 miles of records with his eyes glazed over. YDNA testing revealed a strong connection to the Little/Lytle line that lived near the Beatties in the mid-1600's. Today we found Beatty records dating to 1100 AD and a Garrett Beatty.   Dinner at the Merchants Hotel was again splendid.

16 May, Mon: Belfast, Ireland - Merchants Hotel in the DECADENT DINING ROOM. Ya just gotta see this room to believe it. The rooms in the hotel are either Art Deco (ours) or Victorian,. Amazing amenities. The Groom's tattoo, painfully applied by a sadistic cousin, retains its initial glory, shining forth:
SMOOCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12 May, Thurs: Hooray! Hooray for the Twelfth of May. Now to change the blog title - Where ARE R and C? The day was incredible. Life is good. And we have pictures to prove it!

This is the link to the images posted on the web by our terrific photographer, Mark James of Philadelphia: www.mjamesphoto.com/Cynthia&Ron

We are off to Ireland followed by a Princess Cruise of the British Isles departure 15 May. Love to all - love love love!

10 May, Tues: the Smooch Smooch is beautified and the vows are memorized (well almost but not quite) the friend are arriving from hither and yon! Life is Good! Here we are... Here we stand. or... horizontally inclined. amazed at this love that encompasses us. Awesome!
9 May, Mon: Moving recyclables out of hotel room only took two days. Not too bad for a six weeks sojourn. After loading three cases of beer in the rear hatch it was challenging to find space to store the stash. Fortunately Smooch Smooch did not have to stay behind.   Thanks, Walter, for the photo labeled, "my motorcycling friend who grins from ear to ear,"   and the warning, "I hope he has better shoes and socks than the last time I saw him." HA! Does the King of Frugal change spots or socks?

8 May, Sun: Happy Mother's Day Moms! Thank you Eric and Jean for a marvelous Mother's Day dinner at their club overlooking the golf course near Villanova: food we can eat and then some, Eric treated us to some rare beer that has been discontinued and very pricey; it tastes a little like champagne, Two bottles of the beer left and he owns them both, And now there is one. We can thank Eric the connoisseur of ale for three cases made in his brewery (he is one of the owners). The beer will be a treat at the reception along with Aquavit and wine.

Nina Farana, friend, artist and poet from Santa Fe wrote:

Unto her –
his eyes –
If water
was a flame –
lift and chase
the sparkle
in her veins –
Not a rock
is he –
Or a stone –
But a canyon
with a thousand
depths –
The red core’s
heart –
The lips
that taste
the marrow
in her bones.

09/25/09   Thank you, Nina!

7May, Sat: Good news: organization of the SCS books and surname boxes are completed. Bad News: it needs to be reorganized again. A new and better plan was hatched which means that every book shelved will be re-shelved. Does the search system work? It does. But it can be better. The Rambo Family Group Sheets and church burial records are providing corrections to some of Beverly's work. Email correspondence is caught up. Packing begjns tomorrow. Monday night we move to the Sheraton. Guests begin arriving Tuesday through Thurs. Walter promised a drunk lunch and extreme embarrassment. Smooch Smooch is going to the spa and not come out for two years or maybe it was two days?

Thanks to Herb and Zofia for a marvelous evening at their home and dinner at BoneFish Grill. Delightful couple!

3 May, Tues: Instead of the usual dive into the archives at the seminary we took time for a neighborhood walk to meet Spring.

2 May, Monday: Merry! Marry! Ten days. The time-line is ready, guest count is totaled, dresses shipped. We are READY! Smooch Smooch! I love you, too!

30 April - A Great Day at the Farmstead!

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2 May: Hi there my beloved Smooch Smooch. It is time to create a new post. I love you and look forward to the wedding at Gloria Dei in Philadelphia in another ten days. Love & smooch smooch.

30 April, Sat: A Rambo Apple tree planting was held at the "New Sweden" Farmstead near Bridgeton, NJ. The Bridgeton mayor and lots of NJ Swedish Colonial Society members participated in planting and clean up. Student history intern, Lloyd Frisone, received a five hundred dollar Sappington scholarship from the Order of the First Families of Maryland established for Colonial History projects. Lloyd will inventory the artifacts for the Farmstead in preparation for the 375th anniversary of the Swedes arrival along the Delaware River.

27 April, Wed: The rector of Gloria Dei wrote a marvelous recommendation to the bishop for permission to marry in that congregation:

"Ronald Beatty, etc., etc., baptized...etc., ... He was, to quote him, "a geek before it was fashionable." His interest in technology has sent him around the world a number of times. He is intelligent, quick witted, and loving. His life experience is varied, variegated and fascinating to hear,. He has always been independent and unimpressed with material things. This has allowed him to travel, to work in a number of vocations and locations, and to discover people and places beyond the scope of most of us. He is a joyful presence and a delight to be with. While not a regular church-goer, Ron is a faithful man who clearly, "lives the Gospel out loud." His loving presence, his patience and care for all around him, and his delight in God's good creation are evident to all who meet him,"

26 April, Tues: Ron is archived again. Smooch Smooch visited a sports medicine specialist to discover she has a torn rotator cuff (push-ups).

25 April, Mon: SEPTA (commuter train) was a surprisingly easy method of travel to City Hall in central Philadelphia for the marriage license. The train runs UNDER the subway with long underground shopping centers. Ron lost points for giving away Smooch Smooch's age. Fortunately, this courthouse did NOT have tight security and take away his prize pocket knife despite having to obtain a visitor's pass to get into the courthouse, The clerk was quite delightful and made the trip worthwhile. We celebrated at McCormick and Schmick's with champagne.
Smooch Smooch is pointing at Peter Rambo's name on the plaque affixed to the outside wall of City Hall The city center is a-blooom! It was a stellar day!

blue heron at the lake house

24 April, Sun: 3:30 AM! We asked for it: a wake-up call - knowing we would not awaken on our own despite arising at that hour the past two mornings. Groggy, we groped to dress for the Easter Vigil at Gloria Dei. Prepared for an hour drive, one of us was surprised to find the freeways and toll-roads almost empty; we arrived at Penn's Landing in a short twenty five minutes.

Yes. we arrived before the priest. But the delightful music director was standing outside easily recognized by his bare feet and super giant size height; the sexton's wife remembered Ron from earlier visits to the church when he camped in the churchyard amongst the gravestones. Street light illumined the Rambo apple tree blooming (18 days too early). Sexton Jim distributed candles and service bulletins.

There we were - a small gathering of worshippers huddled in the hush of the graveyard, twenty-one counting the organist. The priest passed fire to our candles and led the procession into the sanctuary with the Paschal candle held high bringing light into the darkness. Seated in the ancient edifice, we maintained vigil listening meditatively to the Word, pausing for silence and prayer while the sunrise slowly sparkled mystically through stained glass windows high above the altar. Caught up in the experience, two of us forgot to extinguish our candles until reminded.

Joy. Easter JOY! Even the priest is named Joy. Joy is Easter's message.

23 April, Sat: 19 days. I love you!!

22 Apr: Smooch & Smooch Smooch suffered through another day of separation. Cynthia is in Texas for doctors and family. The Seminary is shut down for Easter, so Ron is finally above ground and breathing again. Now the big question is, "Can he straighten up the mess in the hotel room before Cynthia returns, or will he have to pony up the bucks for another room?" Scoogi's, a wonderful restaurant, and Melissa and Al at the Ft. Washington Holiday Inn all need to be recognized and thanked, but it is near dark, and I need my exercise first. More later unless I fall asleep at the post. Ooooh, yes ! Spring is gorgeous hereabouts recently.

20 April, Wed: Title for a new book: "Archived." The long day's journey (9:30 AM) into the archives does not end until ten or eleven P.M.

18 April, Mon: Smooch Smooch has departed for Texas leaving no adult supervision in the archives for five days. Returning Saturday with wedding plans as her only focus. I love you - love you - love you!!!

15 April, Fri: Thank you, Nina! What can we say to the marvelous gift of prose and art collage written, designed, created, blessed and birthed by our dear Santa Fe friend, Nina Farana for limited edition gifts to the wedding guests. Nina's work is incomparable. The printing done on fine papers from a 400 year old German mill, hand-tied with a ribbon and ribbon marker in apple green is magnificent. We will share prose she wrote for us in the blog when given permissions. We are blessed with your friendship. You are loved, God danced the day you were born! Thank you.

12 April, Tues: One month to the day! "Are you excited,"Janina asked. "Yes! YES on all counts, but Cynthia expresses it more."

Tony Rubbo wrote a special song for us to be sung during the ceremony and reception:

We’ve Traveled Through Time

A very long time ago

Before this world was known

The spirits of two lovers

Were destined to travel alone

Until they found each other

Until they found their home

And the name they carried

The day they married

And the love they’re giving

Through the life they’re living

Are all part of their story

All for the glory

We’ve arrived at this moment

With a new life to share

We’ve traveled through time

To find ourselves here

And now we walk the trails

And travel the roads

Guided by His peace

Everywhere we go

And though the world is changing, and the seasons, passing

Our love’s remaining a love everlasting

And the name we carried, the day we married

Love we’ve been given through this life we’re living

Are all part of a story, all for His glory

Through the seasons of change

And this world we’ve discovered

We’ve traveled through time

To find each other

Through these hundreds of years that I’ve waited for you

Apple trees still blossom in the spring,

And the Old Swedes church bells still ring

But now there’s something new

Now, there’s you

We’ve arrived at this moment

With a new love to share

We’ve traveled through time

To find ourselves here

Is this nice or what?? BUT... just wait till you see our dance! Ya ain't seen nothin' yet!

9 April, Sat: The first ever Wine, Food and Film Festival was held tonight at the Main Street Theatre in Bridgeton, NJ. The film was "The Big Night" (Italian) and the cuisine Italian ... of course. Creative idea! The tickets were sold out weeks ago.

8 April, Fri: It is raining. Of course, it is supposed to rain in April to bring May Fleurs (and apple blossoms, like RAMBO Apple tree blossoms). Rambo Apple Photo thanks to Alfred N. of the SCS.

A cold and rainy day for us'ns to have fun. Arrived at the West Chester Historical Society to meet delightful Rambo cousin Donna S. Smooch is foregoing research to create menu scrolls out of parchment paper. Unfortunately she tied 130 bows too big. The ribbon thingies have to be UN-tied and RE-tied. The Historical Society has not yet frowned upon the mess she has created on the library table.

Tonight's dinner with Kim-Eric and some of the SCS members was at the Four Dogs Tavern in a little hamlet in the hills of West Chester (Marshalltown) . The tavern was so loud it was almost unbearable. But the company ever so fun. It is located next door to the historic Inn where Washington stopped, slept and certainly drank at the bar that is unchanged.

5 April, Tues: We met Lovely Niece Sweet Sarah, a navy JAG, to choose wedding stuffs and then walked in the rain to dine on Latin American Cuisine at Amada's. Too noisy. IMAGINE ...only fourteen minutes over parking meter time out and there is a $36.00 ticket on the windshield. 14 minutes!

4 April, Mon: Sleeping later than late, we managed to arrive at the Archives by nine thirty still asleep. Today's high was a balmy 74 degrees; spring's sleepy eyes are beginning to open, too. Daffodils a-bloom, trees putting forth. Soon and very soon it will be a flower wonderland in Philadelphia.

3 April, Sun: 119th Anniversary of the first ICE CREAM SUNDAE. Great lunch at the Black Pearl restaurant - newly opened two weeks ago.

2 April, Sat: The high today reached 52 degrees. Another long day in the Archives. Dinner with Eric and Jean at the Brewery was a marvelous treat. The beer is unique. Cynthia was surprised to discover a light ale she enjoyed. We had a limited food selection for our dietary restrictions, but Eric had marvelous sweet potato french fries. Jean was the designated driver returning us to their house to make sure we could drive soberly back to the hotel. Can you believe the stupidity... STUPIDITY... of the hotel maid who emptied the glass of water for the flowers and left the flowers on the console with NO water. STUPIDITY!

1 April, Fri: Snow. Heavy snow. Lots of heavy snow. Fools rush out where angels fear to sled. Melting by mid-day hope prevails for May flowers. Smooch Smooch promised the wedding guests that Philadelphia's cherry and those all- important Rambo apple trees would be in full bloom the week of the wedding. The wedding will have to take place when the blossoms put forth. Worked in the Archives until eight PM before going to dinner with John P. at Bonefish Grill.

31 Mar The Lion's Roar in PA, 1 March-in' Florida

2011-03-01T10:06:00.022-05:00

31 Mar: The Irish Pub is a great place for lunch; we especially enjoyed conversation with Kim-Eric. The weather is cold and wet!

28 Mar: Archival work commenced once again at the Lutheran Seminary of Philadelphia. It will take us awhile to figure out where we left off last spring.

We will wear our new ribbons proudly... as Fellows of the Swedish Colonial Society,

27 Mar: What a surprise! We were astonished and delightfully surprised to receive Fellow of the Swedish Colonial Society status at the annual Forefather's Luncheon. The organization thanked us for archival work with a Fellows Pin and Award. Thanks really goes to the late Dr. Peter Craig for his outstanding contribution to the history of the Swedes on the Delaware or we would not have this honor. The "fellow-ship" and food were quite marvelous; we loved seeing Rambo/Bankston cousin Jill D' with her delightful hubby Michael.

26 Mar: Yup. Still chilly. Free breakfast coupons warranted a five dollar tip to the server. Nice day for staying indoors. Very nice!
25 Mar: A high of 45 is forecast for Philly today with minimal increase over the next few days. We are ensconced at the Hilton Garden Inn following a delicious dinner at Bone Fish Grill.
24 Mar: Columbia, SC departure ca. 4 PM; on 81 in VA by sunset with marvelous views of spring en route. Everything at the Gowdy's has been organized ten times over with the recycling taken to the dump, too.
23 Mar: Columbia, SC.
22 Mar: Columbia, SC.
21 Mar: Columbia, SC.

20 Mar, 2011, Sunday: Breakfast at Lizard's Thicket was wonderfully enjoyable again. Dick was suitably disgusted with my hot-sauce smiley faced grits and broiled fish and egg whites. Susan was again the delightful waitress and the coffee helped. Once I knew the names of the other waitresses, but too much time has passed for my memory. The two additional 12GB hard drives have been paid for ($26 including shipping), a bag of pine straw provided impetus for the daily walk, but the knee is still complaining. (Insert) Smooch Smooch Ahoy in Texas! She is finally over a bad cold and appears to be ship shape for arrival in Philadelphia Friday at 2: 40 PM.

19 Mar: Columbia, SC. Awakened before dawn to avoid the neighbors' barking dog. Late afternoon I tore into Donna's computer and exposed most of it's innards without breaking anything (I hope). Ruby Tuesday's salad bar provided a filling meal although light on the protein. Clark & Elizabeth, Greg & Donna proved entertaining as usual.

18 Mar: The 12GB hard drive is ordered from eBay and totals a mere $17 (PayPal-ed). I shoulda done this three days ago. It was a big surprise that another laptop bid for $30 succeeded (add 15 shipping). Two other bids are still highest with a day of bidding left. The administrator password for my XP system still eludes me, so today's project is thrashing through all the paper hereabouts hoping to come across that password while separating recycling for the next dump (& recycling) run. Today's other goal is to surprise Mary Lou with a gift bag of pine needles. Third goal is to mail a few things.

17 Mar: Amazing how big a holly bush can grow when neglected for an entire year. Dick was sick, so today's exercise was a shorter walk & talk on cell phone to smooch who is still sickly. Donna and I enjoyed a pleasant lunch and afternoon with Mary; her back yard landscaping is looking wonderful with spring in the air, flowers blooming, and trees leafing. More mending until sleepy at 11 PM.

16 Mar: 6:40 AM in Columbia, SC. I woke up at 2 and was still awake at 3, so got up & found the clone computer, cleared space, dug for stuffs, and am now set up for the day. 72 degrees forecast for high today; 48 degrees now. It rained gently last night as I was setting up the tent to sleep out. The tent leaked, so I threw tarps over it.

15 Mar: Smooch is off to Texas for ten days. She started missing me upon awakening, 10 hours before the plane left. Our exercise program is recovering: 45 good minutes on the elliptical machines, upper body weightlifting, and a couple of dozen sit-ups preceded by IHOP omelets and followed by Ruby Tuesday salad bars. (Ashley from NJ is general manager and was indeed at the Lexington IHOP last year.) Once Cynthia was en route at 4PM, the lawn & shrubs occupied me until Greg came home with bad news about his vertebrae - 5 discs are trashed. My threadbare "Key West" shirt is now completely mended.

14 Mar: Smooch's sunglasses mysteriously disappeared for a time, then showed up in an impossible place. Gold's Gym was incredibly noisy.

9 Mar: Good grief - where does the time go? There are just so many fun things to do daily ... and having a smooch smooch in tow reduces available time to zip. We have been having lotsa fun and are now in Lake Wales, Florida. I'll post a picture of my brand new Fla driver license as soon as I have one. The clerk at DMV in Key West was delightful and helpful with all the paperwork, the machine testing my eyes obviously enlarged the letters to my benefit, and my smiling face did not break the camera (even though it had to exercise its craft twice).

8 Mar: We got on the road in Ft. Meyers early to deliver "Mom" - our mobile home - to the Lexus dealer for her 30,000 mile maintenance. Don't you wish you could have your joints tightened and fluids refreshed in a couple of hours? The nearby IHOP had just fed us egg white omelets (not as good as the Big Pine Restaurant), and we had paid $2 to cross the bridge onto ?? when the dealer called us to return the 2011 loaner Lexus hybrid. We scooted up the coast to St. Petersburg and into the Dali Museum for a few hours - MARVELOUS. Vic and Nola insisted that we stop in to visit in Lake Wales and treated us to a fine Grouper dinner at the Cherry Pit. Wonderfully fun couple.

1 Mar. Tues: "Raindrops keep fallin" on my head..." anndd intoooo the car, (despite windows cracked down the tiniest bit). A mop job and Ron's ON THE ROAD AGAIN by six-thirty AM. Nearing Tampa at eight, patches of blue sky hold forth promise of clear skies for seven sunny hours to Big Pine Key; nearing Naples at eleven the skies are pure Willie:
"Blue skies keep smilin' at me, nothin' but blue skies do I see...
Never saw the sun shinin' so bright
Never saw things goin' so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly by."

By-passing Naples at noon-thirty, Ron talked his way down the Tamiami Trail....arriving in Big Pine Key before seven to surprise Greg, "Happy Birthday, Greg!"

Smooch is dismayed to find HER lost day: she arrives in Key West a day later... Thursday and not Wednesday. We have reservations at Parmer's in Big Pine Key.

28 Feb: I love you too

2011-02-05T11:22:00.020-05:00

Crystal River

28 Feb: It was a delight to see Tom and Dot again; too bad Smooch smooch is still in Texas with commitments. Tom & Dot have gone off kayaking for a few hours and left me at home with a magnificent view of Crystal River from the picture window (duckies, wind, and manatee dive boats adding interest).

27 Feb, Sunday: Breakfast this morning with Martha Frank en route to South Florida. Martha and her son Dave are wonderfully entertaining conversationalists. She is a closer cousin to Cynthia, and Martha's brother's 67-marker DNA matches exactly some of the Bankston cousins descended from Lawrence (born about 1704). After a pleasant day of conversation, humor, lunch, and show-and-tell (dollhouse and Baltimore mirror), Ron finished "the last" cup of coffee and commenced driving towards Crystal River on the interstates. Eight hours and several conversations later, at 1AM, the GPS directed me onto a narrow "cart track" that is North Circle Drive. Sure enough, Dot left the light on, the bed made, and the key hidden as described. In the morning I puzzled over my readiness to sleep indoors until the no-see-ums convinced me of the merits of shelter.

26 Feb. Saturday: We walked to the fitness center and to the nearby recycling before Ron departed alone alas at 12: 15 PM: east on 105 to Beaumont en route Big Pine Key, FL. Rte 105 proved to be a nice, quiet, pleasant back country road. In Baton Rouge, Pat was entertaining the family and was unavailable for dinner, so I continued driving until past Mobile, AL. Thirty miles from Pace, Florida the gauge was nearing empty and Love's gas was $3.19, so, so I filled up and decided to sleep next door at the Bay Inn Motel, "newly remodeled." Smooch discovered that her flight to Key West is WEDNESDAY and not Thursday! She lost a day someplace.

Sunrise at the Lake House, 25 Feb.

25 Feb: Ron awakened early and put the time to good use cleaning leaves and slop out of Dorothy's gutters. The "behind-the-back-pass" motion catalyzed a "muscle memory" convincing me that I've done this before, and the focus needed to land the slop in the yard (not on the porch, not on the railing) convinced me that I've cleaned Dorothy;'s gutters before - and forgotten it entirely. Dorothy was also amused to think that the muscle memory is better than either of our mental memories. By early afternoon the gutters were cleaned and the gutter-guard screening was re-installed, and Dorothy was delighted to accept my offer to trim a few limbs overhanging the roof. The Verizon phone repair showed up just after we had trimmed a couple of 8-inch limbs overhanging the street (to quiet the city's inspectors). The Verizon guy was sociable, but DSL is his biggest problem. DSL wouldn't sync until the modem was disconnected; it read 2.8 MIPS when the house wiring was disconnected but only 0.5 MIPS when connected to house wiring. Dorothy disconnected all but one phone inside the house, we bypassed the surge protector, and Dorothy now has high speed internet - Thank God. Smooch didn't want her daughter to catch her sinus infection, so she decided to sleep at home, and the allure of another night with my Smooch drew me back to the lake house in Montgomery. During a stop at Kroger for gas and raspberries, a lovely bouquet of yellow roses screamed "BUY ME," but smooch intercepted me just inside the door, so my attempt to surprise her "failed."

24 Feb: The DSL issues are not resolved (Dorothy's "machine.") Testing the lines tomorrow.

23 Feb: We celebrated two years by packing furiously. Boxes of papers strewn throughout the game room were efficiently (or almost) whisked away into the car or closet. Smooch was promptly delivered to the car rental by one PM, and Ron was en route to Denton once again to retrieve a bag of important papers, cell phone chargers, etc., left the week before by a sleep deprived Someone. Not to mention names... but that same Someone and Dorothy talked last night way into the wee hours: TWO AM!

19 Feb: Workers are gone until the end of the week. Quiet, peaceful day followed by a repeat of last night's moonscape turning the lake water into molten gold.

18 Feb: Smooch drove home because Someone was too tired. The sunset on the lake was marvelous, the moon was an incredible golden orb that filled the eastern sky.

17 Feb: Smooch walked for two hours while Dorothy and Ron worked on computer issues and began indexing her new book. After dinner, Dorothy and Smooch went to sleep. Someone else stayed up the entire night to finish the index for chapter one.

16 Feb: Two Blue Herons perched on the boat slip enjoying the sunrise, too. After lunch at the Caddy Shack we drove to visit cousin Dorothy in Denton, a sprightly and delightful watercolor artist of some renown. Dinner was delicious: stuffed grape leaves.

15 Feb: Another early morning. This afternoon the Dr. will take the stitches out of my toe and admire his handiwork. I wondered what my Smooch was doing in the wee hours of the AM. This Feb 14 entry explains her mission.

14 Feb: Happy Valentine's Day! Smooch! it was a stellar day, roses, roses everywhere. The trip to the Montgomery County Recycling left the house empty. We had a lovely lunch at Hyden's and Valentine's dinner at the Caddy Shack. Happy Days are here again!

13 Feb: Rachel and Ryan visited around dinnertime. I was not at my best, having little sleep for 2 of three nights while preparing to start traveling again. The big accomplishment was addressing and writing a note in each of the 75 annual letters going to friends without e-mail. Oh, and opening 6 months worth of mail to do my financial accounting - I'm not broke yet.

8 Feb: Goodie, Cynthia uploaded a good close-up picture of my colorful toe. The Dr. calls the red stuff a splint. Sorry that the snow is not more vivid in the picture; it was certainly cold on the foot ! The laptop has frozen four or five times now. Your neighbourhood geek knows how the scare the living snot out of it; take it apart and spray that icy electrical contact cleaner all over it's innards; threaten it with EBay.
The second CD "chapter" is on the web today ... only ten more to go. Google books and Open Library and Internet Archives AMAZE me with the text of so many genealogical books on-line. It has helped resolve errors but has tons of time because "prospecting" for answers is just too appealing and is usually unsuccessful. 3 blocks walking today.

7 Feb: My old laptop provided me quite a scare today when the screen suddenly went dark. Once I realized that the Caps Lock indicator wasn't lighting, it was obvious that the system had crashed and a reboot was unavoidable. Fortunately the reboot worked, leaving only the question, "Why?" The fan has been making more noises, and all the plaster dust in the air has probably reduced air flow and caused overheating. [Good theory, but no dust devils in there.](Where does one buy a new fan for a 10-year-old laptop?)
The remodeling crew was back at work after the weekend off, and the entire house smells of aerosol from the texture spray. That huge wall should be nearly finished this time tomorrow.[it is] Once the computer failed and the house was filled with noxious fumes, a long walk seemed like a healthful idea, so I walked around the block and talked with brother Dean for the duration. The toe formerly hammer-toed never hurt during the walk, thank God.

6 Feb, Sunday: Cynthia was up at 5:30, omelet-ed, and off to church by 6:30. Her hearing aids enabled her to enjoy the sermon, and she was delighted to see Jim & Julie & Eric. After all those days of a cold house, it was nice to be comfortable again. We ate lunch at Hydens and were surprised to find absolutely no flowers at Walmart. (Cynthia thinks that the SuperBowl addicts bought the entire supply to try to avoid marital discord during the game.) Amazing how relaxing it can be to be home alone without a remodeling crew providing "amusement."

Well, the Dr. SAID to ICE the toe!

5 Feb: Last post was just minutes ago ... in January? Smooch smooch has again been enjoying egg white veggie omelets for breakfast at home. The Rambo CD is progressing ever so slowly despite huge investment in time, but is still very satisfying. Toe is healing nicely, but I'm still in bed with foot elevated and iced most of every day. The house is still full of plaster dust and cold air, but remodeling is nearing completion. Setting the thermostat at 83 degrees overnight didn't even maintain the 65 degree temperature we enjoyed most of yesterday. Thank goodness that Cynthia's study receives morning sunshine thermal gain. (No problem for the chronic hypothermic. Gosh, I betcha that "chronic hypothermic" alone will Google my site only. Fooey, it is a medical situation, and even discussions in Greek and Japanese show up ahead of me.) Air conditioning maintenance was called and replaced the filters. Amazing that clogged filters can cause the system to pump out only chilly air.

4 Feb: Dinner last night with the "work crew" and Katie was again a wonderful treat for us all. Jim and Cindy, who are working semi-professionally at remodeling as a retirement hobby (you may have to read that twice - it is an outrageous concept), showed up on their normal day off to complete working on the 20-foot high wall. I knew they would because ...

3 Feb: ... when I sneaked upstairs to work on the CD last night, the scaffolding and ladder was nearly blocking the entire staircase. (Amusing that lying in bed all day reduces the amount of sleep needed at night.) This evening we took Jon, Jim & Cindy, and Hank, Felicia, & Katie to dinner at the Caddy Shack. Everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly again, and our waiter, Matt, was more sociable than his usually sociable self. We decided that he was smitten by Katie because she is a "water girl" and had terrific fun tubing despite 50 degree lake water temperature. (Besides the fact that she is cute, smart, sociable, fun, mature-for-her-age, and good with sodoku.) The big event of the day was the visit to Dr. Ehret to find out if my toe was still alive. Again reassuring to have the professional opinion that it is still there. He was very pleased that I hadn't done anything stupid to retard healing. I was happy to hear that everything looked excellent to him but was disappointed that the stitches didn't come out and that the next appointment is 10 days from now on a Tuesday. He encouraged me to spend as much time as convenient in bed with the foot elevated and iced. I'm allowed to wear shoes that don't cause pain and to be up and about more gradually. The big shocker to me is that nowadays a medical "splint" is nothing more than gauze and a compression bandage. We are "training" the "soft tissue" to lie in alignment with the other nearby toes. (Never mind that one of those looks to be beginning to hammer.")

2 Feb: Sub freezing temperatures forecast, and the house takes forever to warm up in the morning. I suspect that the heating system is dead or dormant.

31 Jan: Best continuing Wishes for a Happy decade

2011-01-03T02:33:00.013-05:00

31 Jan: Another lazy day in bed, although we have BIG plans to grocery shop and dine out this evening.

30 Jan, Sunday: Smooch surprised me by posting pictures again. I'm still satisfied, making good progress on the Rambo CD; the Companion Volume is mostly complete. This AM Smooch mentioned breakfast out, but cooking omelets in sounded better to me. After cooking the egg whites veggie omelet for Smooch Smooch, I called Dick Richards since I was too late to catch the Gowdys or Gregorys at breakfast. It will be fun to see everyone at the wedding.

29 Jan, Sat. AM, Lake Conroe, Texas: The Sunrise is spectacular! The patient amazing. Smooch!

Speaking of amazing, my cholesterol labs results are in: total cholesterol 116, HDL = 58, LDL = 49, triglycerides = 43, but the evil LP(a) is still elevated at 35 - way down from 130 a year ago, but still a substantial risk factor.

28 Jan: WOW, the pain last night was intense several times, but fortunately for only a few seconds until I moved and relaxed. I wonder if it is the pressure of the sheets now that the toe is more exposed.

27 Jan: Dr. Ehret pronounced me a "good boy" for keeping the foot elevated and iced. It is healing faster than normal since I'm soooo good.

Not a bad view for the bed-ridden. This morning a huge flock of birds gathered right out front until a power boat scared them all into flight. By opening the back door, Cynthia spooked the great blue heron away from the boat cover.

I don't understand how Blogger decides where to put my typing; it won't let me type next to the picture.

The perfect patient !! Cute ... and bald

25 Jan: No pain !! Amazing that I've had NO pain throughout the six days since surgery Wed. eve. Contrary to the expectations of most everyone, I've stayed in bed 24/7 with foot iced and elevated above my heart throughout the day. (Nordic Ice is pretty amazing.) About the fourth day, Cynthia expressed her affection with the endearing words, "You poop." I guess she had more pain from her hammertoe operation years ago. Until now my "techie" solution for hammertoe has been a slit cut in the top of my shoe, but she needed the operation in order to wear cute shoes. (Yes, sadly, my smooch is addicted to her cute shoes)
I've only done a sudoku or rwo a day and have spent most of my time working on the Rambo Companion Volume of Reference and the CD. It is so very satisfying to be making such progress; the time in bed is actually rewarding and pleasurable. My mending is still awaiting the day I don't feel like doing anything else.
Dr. Ehret will see me again Thursday; maybe he'll let me walk next week. I'm very curious to hear from Dr. Gould about the results my cholesterol blood work after a year of meds and limited fat intake (10 grams a day, total for all fats & oils).

21 Jan: Newest link is to http://www.BornerPower.com which demonstrates a more efficient engine design.

20 Jan: Dr. Ehret cut & pasted my hammertoe, and I'm now (self)-confined to bed. It is 20 hours since the surgery and nothing hurts yet. He is a marvelously efficient and competent surgeon besides being a "friend" of Cynthia's son, Jon. A cold front is arriving, the wind is gusty, and the lake quite excitingly choppy. Not a bad bed to rest in. The Rambo proofreading is progressing satisfactorily; 250 pages done, an equal number yet to do. Companion volume progressing nicely too (simultaneously). The CD is also progressing nicely, but the amount of work needed there is staggering.

19 Jan: Another day at the fitness center. No more fitness for a week after surgery this evening at 5pm. Walmart Pharmacy here is a farce, rude staff, incompetent lazy help, a huge demand, and totally irritating. Only one pharmacist, Angelena, seems to do any work, and she is endlessly busy.

18 Jan: Hank & Felicia, Jim & Cindy, Jon & Katie, and Smooch smooch & I thoroughly enjoyed a dinner at the nearby restaurant. It was a little noisy, and I was the most casually dressed (substantially), and we stayed up late for us, 10pm.

15 Jan: We are moved into the lake house (despite much remodeling/painting clutter) yesterday after Dr. Gould confirmed that I'm still alive. Blood was drawn for the several tests including especially my genetic heritage, the evil LP(a) cholesterol. I'm still wondering how Dr. Gould knew that I ride a Beemer.
OK, 'nuf blogging. Time to resume proofreading.

12 Jan: The DNA cheek swab is sent off to ??; I became interested after release of this latest "Family Finder" test that crosses the male/female boundary to provide more specific relationships within 5 generations. An empty Schenck family website is up for cousin Jean to modify and she has acquired the gmail account needed for accesss.

11 Jan: Luncheon with the Lutheran Bishop was wonderful. Michael Rinehart is a very nice guy, and he gave me good advice about website, and he expects to be notified by some Google bot that this mention of his name has been posted anywhere on the web (Hi Michael, don't forget to misspell your name as Michael Reinhardt. It is even Ok to add a line like "Please don't misspell my name as Michael Reinhardt or Rinhart.")

9 Jan: Lots accomplished. I'm a Wiki contributor - to the Peter Gunnarson Rambo page. The first new chapters of the Rambo Family Tree CD are published to the rambofamilytree web site along with a few other improvements. The CamblinBook website has another generation and a few links. It is nearly time to print the annual letter with pictures for mailing. Goodie, goodie, dumbdrops. Paint is still "drying" on this rainy day in Texas. Nice dinner last night at Caddy Shack with John & Hank (Ron) and Felicia.

7 Jan: My Oh My, How time flies. We've been in Montgomery, Texas for 24 hours now, and I've caught up with sleep, correspondence, and organization, so it is time to update blog & web sites. The biggest news is that the MIT Alumni Association had a couple of addresses for long lost buddies, Acorn & Weino. The wedding invitation list is completed. We are presently camped out at the Best Western while waiting for paint to dry at the lake house. Cynthia is just returned from running errands, so we will leave for dinner at the Caddy Shack ASAP. Cynthia tells me there are new pictures in a Hawaii10 Picasa album.

5 Jan: We enjoyed a lovely drive with Jean to Kapaa, ate at the Wahoo Seafood Restaurant, found the Farmers' Market, and enjoyed the open air atmosphere and street side balcony of the Olympic Cafe. Jean impressed us with her command of the Hawaiian language. Cindy at the Koa Kea was a lot of fun; she and I exchanged cheerful banter on several occasions.

4 Jan: We arrived on Kauii without incident, crammed like sardines into tiny seats on the Hawaiian Airlines Inter-Island flight. After renting our car from Enterprise, we checked in at the Koa Kea hotel, and Cynthia changed into a swim suit. The drive around the island to Honalea Bay was scenic but wearing after the lack of sufficient sleep two night in a row. Once there with Eric & Jean and Jason, Rachel and Ian we found ourselves enjoying the vacation & company tremendously. Little 10-month-old Ian had no problems with his drool and sand beard, but rubbing a tiny sandy fist in his eye was traumatic. He learns quickly and only did that once. Incredibly, today Cynthia and I both got wet in the ocean. We exited after a cresting wave bigger than I am pasted us and put a taste of salt in our mouths. Fun, fun, but that beach is shallow with an uneven bottom, so Cynthia swam three strokes, and I swam 0.

3 Jan: As we embarked on our daily walk, we took a path uphill through the grounds and found ourselves on a golf cart path. Cynthia entered the club house as I entered the lavatory. She did not reappear, but instead seated herself and ordered a glass of wine and salad. We enjoyed the lunch with a nice view before resuming our walk, again following an unused cart path. This part of the course was obviously closed and neglected so we felt quite comfortable and well pleased with the solitude and magnificent views of the ocean. Imagine our dismay when an authoritarian employee arrived en carte to insist that we leave this deserted course immediately with him on his cart. His brusque, unpleasant synopsis is that, "In the resort, you are an asset to us. Out here you are a liability."

2 Jan 2011, Sunday: The last few days have been pretty eventful, and we've had a lot of fun. Today George let us take a brand new Kawasaki 900 motorcycle for a test ride. The bike was good, but we decided to test ride a few others before making a decision. It was indeed fun to ride on two wheels again ... even if the ride was only ten miles around the airport. Hawaii is expensive; the taxi to & from the airport was $60 each way. We hadn't made dinner reservations, but we've eaten at Spago's so many times that the hostesses and wait staff know us, so we were given a nice table in a wonderfully quiet corner, and of course the meal (mahi mahi) was perfect as usual. Cynthia hadn't know the price of the glass of wine and declared that she'd drink dish water henceforth.

1 Jan: Happy New Year - we've heard, but haven't tried the Hawaiian for Happy New Year; Mele Kalikimaka twisted our tongues badly enough for now. Today the skies were much clearer, but we only walked an hour on the road towards the parks and surf. It was fun to see details up-mountain that had been obscurred previously - like the line of electric generation wind mills marching in a ragged line up the mountain across the bay. We enjoyed dinner with George, Ghee and their two kids, Gheo and Ginger. George has a new job at the Harley shop selling motorcycles, so we arranged to test ride a Kawasaki. The stars were bright and clear, unusual in our experience these eight(?) days on Maui.

31 Dec: Wayne with Hike Maui tours guided us to a magnificent 400' waterfall on the opposite side of the island. The ride started with a 6am pickup after a cold breakfast in the room. Sunrise came while we were inside the truck "barn" getting food and gear. We circumscribed (Is that the right word?) the mountain on a twisty road that puts the "Tail of the Dragon" to shame - something like 600 turns in 20 miles, many of them one lane hairpins. The hike in to the waterfall was more strenuous than our previous Hike Maui hike to Twin Falls (that one was a stroll); this time we hike uphill for about 2.5 miles and crossed a knee-deep stream twice. As we were changing shoes prior to the stream crossing, the mist turned to light rain. The mist/rain combo intensified as we approached the waterfall, preventing us from taking pictures, but the waterfall was magnificent, awesome even due to the additional water. After the waterfall, the ride back was overlong despite several stops at scenic water including an ocean cave, a black sand beach, and some awesome crashing surf. Whenever the van was moving, we were constantly thrown against each other as Wayne tried to make good time over this snaky road.

30 Dec: The highlight today was Cynthia's first frightening exposure to the thrills of hitchhiking, even though we hitchhiked unintentionally. The dead-end road to the State Park is narrow with many blind corners and hills, so I started giving "thumbs up" to indicate a clear road for cars approaching us from behind. We were both shocked and surprised when a car pulled to a stop alongside us. The driver & passenger were smiling & friendly, so I hopped in ASAP while Cynthia entered into a state of shock, climbed into the car, and begged them to treat her nicely. She was kinda shell shocked by the experience, but we did get out to the park at the end of the road quickly with time to hike a mile along the ocean, thrilling to the surf crashing onto the lava rocks, sometimes pounding and sounding like canons and sometimes throwing water thirty feet into the air. The white rock scattered along this remote beach is a puzzle; later our guide Wayne explained that the white rock was either coral or basalt lava.

29 Dec: Cynthia has resigned as scribe. Sorry to predict that updates will be less frequent and pictures will be fewer. Despite the loss & disappointment, I certainly thank Cynthia for all the work she has done on this blog. AttaDear.

MELE KALIKIMAKA - Dec. 27

2010-12-02T00:47:00.032-05:00

MELE KALIKIMAKA

27 Dec 2014: My annual letter is posted on the web at http://sites.google.com/site/rsbeatty/christmas-letter-2010

The Makena has a good breakfast buffet with an omelet chef, so we are fat and sassy again this morning. I need to get busy editing my Picasa albums, but it is probably time for Smooch Smooch and I to go for our after-breakfast waddle. More later again. Christmas dinner at Nick's Seafood down the street at the Fairmont was fabulous with open air on the patio and all the sunset and bikinis that either of us could want.

25 Dec: Mele Kalikimaka. We arrived at the Makena resort in Maui towards evening, so today was our first walk & look-around. The hotel grounds are spectacular, arranged around an interior courtyard with waterfall and nature trail. Our balcony overlooks the ocean, the beach, the sailboat, and a couple of islands. I've taken a couple of pictures and will post them soon. The only drawback is expensive (or limited internet access): $60 per week in the room, free in the lobby. So now I'm hungry and ready to search for food. More later.

24 Dec: The transition to Maui went smoothly. The cabbies were friendly and talkative (me too, surprise, surprise). We are both happy with the progress genealogically during December. Cynthia is beginning to commence to start working on another book, this one about the 3 James Leas in Caswell County in the 1700s. Ron's Camblin website shows up well now. The Rambo CD is progressing nicely, although there is still an incredible amount of work ahead.

18 Dec: Today I omeletted in the condo, snacked at noon, and computered outside covered with a sheet to thwart the mosquitoes. Now it is getting too hot for me outside and the sunshine is creeping towards my toes.

17 Dec: Dinner at 5:30 oceanside at Huggo's was perfect with a bright sunset, good waves, and wonderful Ono (that's fish). Cynthia prefers Huggo's to Jackie Rey's for a wider selection of fish, better sunset views, and the ocean almost underfoot. Breakfast at Bongo Ben's was less than perfect, although the 13-year-old family member who waited on us was delightful. Our shoreside walk after breakfast was delightful, as was the evening walk to dinner.

15 Dec: The luncheon at Lava Java was wonderful. Mike was in town looking for a new, used pick-em-up truck, so the girls talked and the guys talked and a fine time was had by all. Excitement runs high today because we have a luncheon date with Wendy (and hopefully Mike) at Lava Java. Wendy assures me that they have good, healthy food and nice salads (and obviously coffee).

Cynthia is beginning to worry about over-crowding at our wedding. We have nearly 100 confirmed attendees already and the facilities are comfortable for 125 to 150. We gotta have a dance floor at the reception; we may have to "recept" in two shifts, early & late. There are a number of people I've not yet invited (usually for lacking ANY address). We may have to invite them to the Friday brunch only. Hmm, since several are AT hikers, they should be comfortable outside ??

14 Dec 2014: Breakfast at Bongo Ben's this AM. Highly recommended for anyone in Kona. They do a wonderful job with egg white veggie omelets, and the nearly ocean side seats have pedestrian traffic for added amusement. The walks to and from were perfect, cool and comfortable; not overlong.
After spending too many tedious hours editing the Camblin material for acceptable presentation (and drinking coffee all afternoon), I was still able to resume work on the Rambo CD until midnight. The work is more fun on the lanai in the morning because of flower fragrances in the air (although the bugs and a few mosquitos lessen the pleasure). By mid-afternoon, it is far too muggy: pleasantly warm but very humid.

I wonder if Cynthia has yet become a "follower" of this blog. Blogger tells me that I have 0 (that's a big fat goose egg) followers. [15th, ohhh, she added a widget to the margin and is now a follower. Smooch, smooch, smooch I love you. Thank God for Cynthia.] Where is Ron Now finds me first, and this sentence corrected the problem resulting from mistakenly Googling Where's Ron Now. Once again I'll just have to Google myself to rise in the results rankings.

Maybe my beloved will download the newest Waikaloa pictures from my camera onto another Picasa web album. (Thanks Google. Thank you Cynthia. Thank God for everything.) [15th Ron, you Dummy, always, always, ALWAYS remember to remove pictures of your beloved that are un-flattering, no matter how amusing.] I doubt I'll ever convince her to post the "cute shoes" picture even tho' I think it is marvelous.

13 Dec: Returning the rental car to Waikaloa went wonderfully well. After waiting an hour for the commuter bus, the miracle is that it is a free ride. Amusing to think that NO ONE on the hotel staff has any knowledge of it for the tourists. Dinner at Jackie Rey's was as satisfactory as always; when the chef owns the restaurant but prefers to stay in the kitchen, good food happens.

12 Dec, Sun: Test for day two: What was the white stuff atop 13,000-foot Mauna Kea this morning? SNOW ! In Hawaii ?? They musta shipped it in from the Midwest where we are told they have an oversupply. Now we can vicariously experience camaraderie with our friends and family who are housebound after being nailed by the big, early blizzard of 2010.

11 Dec Sat: Are you ready with paper and number 2 pencil? Eraser? This is a test: Where did Ron and Cynthia eat dinner the last night at Waikoloa? OHH! You peeked. Yes, it was at the HAMASUTRA! Who surprised us? WENDY (and her hubby Mike)! Yes. Right again. Wendy was our favorite staff person at Waikoloa both times we were here in 2009. She looked beautiful and gave Ron a huge hug. AHHH! The staff at the Kamuela Provision Company keeps "our" table right at ocean side every night. They have been marvelous! And the ocean views table side are the best garnish any meal could ever have. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou Tiffany.

We saw one of the two the big barracudas in the boat canal during our walk last night.

10 Dec: Wow, clouds and rain today; Cynthia also loves cloudscapes. We are still spending way too much time indoors, venturing out only to eat dinner at the Hamasutra restaurant. (The real name is Kamuela Provision Company, but I cannot seem to remember that name.) Yesterday was productive in terms of the Camblin genealogy, so today's focus is communication (hence this update).
Oh, as an aside to my dear friends who view my sleeping indoors as a MAJOR life change, I have to tell y'all that I'm now cooking omelets for breakfast whenever convenient; even I view this as major change.

7 Dec: Another beautiful day in Hawaii. No wonder that the Hawaiians are all such happy people. Our condo is in the middle of the golf course, but we've not seen any of those interesting black goats yet this year. [Cynthia saw several from afar on the 8th] The stars were wonderful at 5:30am, and I did see a mongoose slink across the lawn early today. The computer and I are on the back porch at ground-level in bare feet and short sleeves. Cynthia and I have not done much sight seeing, but we are making terrific progress on our sundry projects relating to correspondence, wedding, and genealogy.
Perhaps recapping, we've eaten dinner at sunset nearly every night overlooking the ocean at the Kamuela Provision Company at Waikaloa; our helicopter ride over the volcano this year was even more awesome than previously, but only the granddaughter & friend took pictures. We flew right over Mauna Loa's crater and later saw a lava flow on the surface dropping over the cliff into the ocean. The pilot pointed out "silvery" lava that was just now cooling and had thought that a home twenty feet away would be in flames by then. He showed us the 1983 flow that had frightened Hilo residents (which was already very overgrown and green) and also told us that the lava flows around Waikaloa were about 5,000 years old but were still black because the leeward side gets only about 4" of rain annually vs 170" in the mountains.

4 Dec: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Where IS Ron NOW? Decking the halls? Decorating Trees? Kissing under the Mistletoe? Jumping for Joy? Riding on a one-horse-open BMW? Dashing through the Snow white Hawaiian sand? Roasting coconuts on an open fire? AH!

IMAGINE! JUST IMAGINE! Another glorious, sunny day in Hawaii. The bright, blue ocean beckons. But Ron is focused on his computer sitting on the lanai near the beach (and bikinis) with his eyes FOCUSED. He has more SAVE THE DATE cards to mail and addresses to update. He does NOT trust Cynthia's methodical record keeping of those who have sent RSVP's, so he is emailing again so HE can keep his own list. IMAGINE! Cynthia has her Christmas letter written, all of her gifts purchased or ordered, everything is finished except to fill the stockings. IMAGINE!
[RSB Strange to see the meanderings of the female mind in print. I could never imagine all that without a accomplished guide. I would have imagined that Ron wants to find addresses of friends who have dropped out of sight since last correspondence, casualties of his single-minded focus on publication of five volumes of Rambos.]

3 Dec. Hawaiian Sunset at the Kamuela Provision Co.

3 Dec, Friday: Oh... what a relaxing day. Smooch Smooch had a pedicure and manicure while Ron gazed at bikini bodies! [RSB there have been a few bikini bodies, and Cynthia alerts me by yanking my arm viciously out of socket whenever she sees one.]

Koi and Duckie

Howza bout this for a spa location? And Howza bout the Hawaiian Siesta? [RSB Thank goodness Cynthia didn't post the really embarrassing pictures.]


Rare Chicken (Eat Your Heart Out Carol B


Unique Koi


Pink Flamingos

2 Dec, Thurs: Rising early, we finished breakfast by eight AM. The buffet is not only delicious, but it is enormous. Sally is our favorite waitress. She studied English in her native Thailand for six months before emigrating to Hawaii right at the time Waikoloa Village Resort was under construction. Despite rudimentary English language skills, she applied and was immediately hired. Sally loves her job and it shows because return guests request a table in her section. She is a charmer!

1 Dec, Wed: We have just been simply too busy - too many fun things to do since our arrival in Hawaii. Sat night the girls (granddaughter and college roommate) returned to the Mainland after astonishing views during the helicopter ride across the island and over the active volcanoes. They proclaimed this day "The MOST FUN ever!" Previous to the helicopter ride, the Luau on Friday night had been best because of the hunky male dancers!

Ron's Rambo Companion Volume of Reference is moving along nicely as is the CD compilation. Cynthia is focused on file organization and is having WAAAAAAYYYYYY too much fun with a new I-Pad. Next time she will do the driving so Ron can play with the I-Pad. It is quite a novelty. Her hip bursitis (caused by four hundred miles of hiking in four months) is improving daily with icing. Soon she will out-run Forrest Gump.

Sunset 1 December 2010

Sunset at Hilton Waikola Village Resort

Hiking Hawaii

2010-11-22T18:34:00.002-05:00

25 Nov Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

24 November, Wednesday: Hilton Waikoloa Village, Kailua-Kona, HI. The girls (granddaughter and college roomie) arrived in Honolulu yesterday; we met them at the airport and flew here ready for sleep. The girls hit the swimming pools, took the tram and boats through the moat before meeting us for dinner at the Kamuela Provision Company. It is clear that the resort does not have the kind of night life that college seniors enjoy - but everything is new and unique so that makes up for it.

21 Nov. Sunday - What a treat to meet Dale's delightful wife, Sherry! We hiked the Makiki Valley Loop Trail with a guide, sometimes in mud, sometimes with bugs, and always straight up! Cynthia is pointing, "You are Here!"

November Thanks N' Giving N' Going

2010-11-15T13:41:00.005-05:00

19 Nov., Fri: Jet lag abounds. Yet, we awaken before dawn and jog on over to the Hyatt to eat Dale's delicious omelets before starting computer work or another Sudoku and off we go for lunch at Duke's on the beach. Today was a marvelous sunny day with gorgeous blues from ocean to sky. The brilliant reds, golds, and oranges in the sunset were awesome to behold.

18 Nov. Thurs. Awoke at 4:30 AM but waited a decent time to hoof down to the Hyatt for one of Dale

s famous omelets; we were surprised to see him looking so skinny! The photo is the sunset taken last night from the beach.

17 November Wednesday: The trip to Honolulu was terrific... especially considering the tickets cost ten dollars apiece for Business First RT thanks to Continental One Pass mileage. Dont' try the shuttles from the airport. We tried; one showed up (cab) with our name but took someone else who may have made a better offer. We waited and waited and finally called a cab to the tune of $42.00. Our hotel, the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio is reward travel ... NO cost ... plus they upgraded us at no charge to a great room with an ocean view. We had dinner with Paul G. at the Tiki Lounge overlooking the marvelous beach on Waikikki with Diamond Head in view to the side of us.

15 November Monday: We have perpetual vistas. The sunrise from the east (above) and the sunrise in the west are simply marvelous when we don't have clouds or fog. The lake view is magnificent rain or shine. Our November days are dwindling down to a precious few before we leave for Hawaii Wednesday morning. EARLY! During our time at the lake house, Cynthia turns into a contractor. Ron is editing and perfecting the Mailing List for YOU KNOW WHAT! Ron cooks egg white omelets. Is that amazing or what???? She says they are the best she has eaten. So what more could one want? We walk to the Caddy Shack for dinner every evening and onto the Fitness Center (about three miles RT). We enjoyed a visit from Bill and Merry S. Sunday and a visit from Jay A.(a good friend of Cynthia's on Saturday.

Sunrise at Lake House

October Rocky Mtn Trails

2010-10-06T12:56:00.013-04:00

25 October Monday: Drove from dawn to dark. We will be stationary until the 17th of November 0 the departure date for Hawaii.

24 October Guadalupe Natl Park. The hike to the summit of the highest point in Texas was a three thousand foot ascent in four miles. It was a great hike but hard on the knee.

22 October Ruidoso, NM... discovered a Mechem Street that library sources say was named after Gov. Mechem.. . but don't know if this is the father or son; both are cousins (were).

20 Oct. Wed: The bike was loaded, the car packed but plans to stop at Tia Sophia's for breakfast with LInda were put on hold because the traffic downtown Santa Fe is too much to maneuver. Instead we boogied down to ABQ to the airport. From there to visit Charlie B. and his wife, Sam, along with their charming daughter and granddaughter. Thanks Charlie ... for the overnight hospitality.

More photos uploaded to the Rocky Mountain Picasa album of Moab and Aspen Vista.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rsbeatty/201010022010RockyMtns#5530103489057539682

19 Oct. Tues. Norma and Ron hiked a portion of the Aspen Vista trail with Norma's doggy whose age does not allow for the long hikes any more. Movie star Cynthia had a "girl day" at the hair and nail salon. OH what fun dining at Ristra with Nina.

18 Oct. Mon: Smooch Smooch took the car into be serviced and a BATH. After three months in a storage unit in Boulder... she is mighty dirty. We met Janie at Ristra for a great dinner.

17 Oct. Sun: Our waitress/hostess, Maria, remembered us from a year ago and recited our order perfectly! She is anticipating a new baby her four year old son tells her is a girl, "Just trust me, mom!"

The breakfast was wonderful and Sudoku riveting - causing us to miss a walk because we had visiting to do! How fun to see Tony and June ... and learn that they plan to attend our wedding along with daughter Liz and grandbaby. From there we raced to Trader Vic's for wine and flowers to bring to dear friends, Linda, John, Bob and Lupe. Linda prepared a marvelous feast of turkey and all of the delicious trimmings. Thank you, Linda!!!

16 October Sat: We are winding up a three month tour of the Rocky Mountains via motorcycle - ten thousand miles - a fabulous journey impossible to express in photos or words. The views from the bike are beyond description. We will return for several months next summer now that we know we know we can tour comfortably. In the meantime-and in-between time we had a great hike today to Aspen Vista after biking up to the ski basin. The colors are awesome. Dinner with Nina at "Dave's Not Here" was a delight. From there we journeyed to Stewart and Judy's for wine and cheese and fun conversation.

15 October Friday. Why does Google mess up a good thing? Now the blog photos are automatically aligned center. Oh well. Thanks Google for the free space. Where IS Ron NOW? Homewood Suites at Buffalo Thunder near Pojoaque, New Mexico. He has been neglecting "shoulda" activities to struggle to identify Nancy Bankston's daughter's ancesters on Ancestry; now he is neglecting address book & phone calls in order to pacify his beloved Smooch smooch to write "a couple of funny lines for this here blog; enough neglect back to Smooch smooch for chronicling. I promise to review it later tonight or tomorrow.

Last night we had a fantastic dinner with our dear friend Nina at Ristro's. She is awesome - beautiful - and a joy. NOW.. This is the week that was: We had a marvelous time with Lance C (see bottom photo) in Moab and spent a great day hiking in Arches National Park. The middle photo shows the rock that Cynthia climbed up on the trail and slid down on her rear because of the sheer exposure on both sides. Leaving Moab we had a cold but nice drive to Georgetown, Colorado to visit Pat A. (top photo)

7-8 - 9 Oct. Thurs. Moab... 10 Oct. Sun. Grand Junction, CO to Georgetown, CO to Taos, NM. We have pictures to prove it once we have time to upload and detail the trip.

6 Oct. Wed. Zion National Park: And the Rains came down! I never dreamed I would see waterfalls in Zion, my favorite park, this time of year, much less to see so many of them. Cynthia counted 31 that were not there yesterday. What an amazing and incredible sight to see. We hated leaving this wonderful park so we shall return next summer. Lots of waterfall photos are on the Picasa web album ... so follow the last link in Sept. posting. We are en route to Moab to visit Lance C. via interstate because of the rain. We arrived in Richfield, UT to spend the night... very chilly.