Siblings and Friends

This is October 31^st.  We left our home in California over four months ago.  And chances are good that we will be home in another month, thus ending our Odyssey around the USA and Beyond.

Today also marks a stay with the last of our siblings.  First we visited Dave’s brother, Mark, in Indiana (see Indiana blog). Then Jane’s sister, Fran, in Tennessee, Jane's brother, Jay, in Florida, and lastly, Dave’s brother, Chuck, in Georgia.

Lake house in Tennessee

Our weekend at Fran and Bill’s lake house in Tennessee provided a peaceful interlude, the pleasure of cruising on the water, and a joyful reunion with high school friends.  We also had the pleasure of meeting Jessie, the newest addition to niece Jill's growing family. 

 

Sunrise over Lake Loudon

Jessica Nell on Nana's shoulder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jay & Julie near Miami

Sunrise in Cutler Bay, FL

Jay and Julie provided a quiet rest for us at their lovely house as well, while our Jeep was in the shop yet one more time. 

And it is always nice to visit Chuck and Evelyn and getting to see niece, Erica, (home from college) was an added bonus.  We went hiking, played games, celebrated the Reformation, and welcomed trick-or-treaters.  Evelyn gave Dave a much needed haircut and beard trim, so he wouldn't scare the little children.

 

Evelyn & Chuck near Atlanta

Along the way, we met friends from our Tennessee, Virginia, and Scotland days whom we had not seen in years.  Steve and Ruth West gave us a memorable yacht ride on the Tennessee River.  Parks and Ann stopped by Fran's house for drinks.  Brad and Phyllis came to dinner at Cousin Jimmy’s house in Simpsonville, South Carolina.  Dianne and Tom welcomed us warmly in Aiken, South Carolina.  And we spent a fun evening catching up with Linda and Bob in St. Marys, Georgia.

Dianne & Tom

Bob & Linda

Later we got a rainy, but happy, welcome from Dave’s cousin, Jon, and Ellen in Bradenton, Florida, where we ate fresh Atlantic salmon for dinner and omelets for breakfast.  Delicious!

Cousin Jon & Ellen

PS. I (Jane) had a heck of a time with the formatting of this particular blog.  But, as always, just click on a picture to enlarge it.  Enjoy.

Carolina Cousins

Half of Jane's first cousins still live in the Carolinas, so we spent the last week or so zig-zagging across these two states.  We were also fortunate to have a chance to visit with two aunts, a nephew and his young family, and assorted other relatives on her side of the family.  Jane felt really fortunate to have the chance to hook up with so many of her cousins since we live so far from them.  Below are captioned photos of these blessed encounters.

Cousin Ginny & Jack in Hot Springs

Cousin Jimmy & Sandy in Simpsonville

 

 

Cousin Robert & Kathy in Columbia

Glennis & Stephanie in Charlotte (missing Mike)

Cousin Steve in Charlotte

Aunt Mary Lou & Cousin Mike in Garden City

Stepmother Dean in Charlotte

Nephew David & Kelsey with Averie in Charlotte

Nora, Palmer & Marion in Columbia

Back in the USA

We're back!  After a delightful month in Britain, we are learning again how to drive on the right side of the road.  Our current location is Knoxville, Tennessee, at the lovely lake home of Jane's sister Fran and husband Bill.  We have enjoyed a few days of much-needed rest here and are now ready to continue our camping odyssey.

Our UK route outlined in red

We were in the UK exactly one month.  Half our our time was on a coach tour of southern England, organized by Marriage Encounter friends David & Jean.  Twenty-two couples, including Dave's cousin Kathy and husband Greg from Wisconsin and several other long time friends, signed up for this "Waters of England" private excursion.  The trip was well balanced between group activities and opportunities to explore on our own.  Starting in London and ending in Cambridge, we visited so many cathedrals, castles, museums, stately homes, and beautiful gardens that our lasting mental images have tended to run together.

For the other half of the UK trip, we rented a mini-sized Fiat Punto and visited folks that we first met while living in Scotland in the mid-1980s.  We stayed two days with friends in each of six locations, three in England (Bury St. Edmunds, Southend on Sea, and Grantham) and three in Scotland (Perth, Letham, and Brechin).  Each reunion was very special in its own way.

We had hoped to catch a military hop back to the USA from RAF Mildenhall, but the flight schedules and available seats did not match up with our needs.  Therefore, we exercised plan B, using frequent flier miles to return from London Heathrow to Washington DC.  We stayed two nights at Curt and Cindy's ranch, where our travel trailer was stored during our absence, catching up on our sleep and laundry and beginning to plan our southern route back to California.

Our itinerary from here is rather complicated, with hopes to see relatives and friends in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.  We have hard dates to be in Chicago (Nov. 3-5) and Tucson (for Thanksgiving), but are flexible in between, adjusting our travel to match the availability of our hosts.  We'll see how it all unfolds...