April 8th: Flagstaff again, Cleveland and the Peterson Wedding

  

I had a busy schedule suddenly! I was invited to attend Randy and Cindy’s daughter’s wedding in Hershey, PA April 14th. Erica and her daughter Eve were on the Disney cruise with me in January. Of course I said I’d attend. 

I was overdue for a physical in Cleveland so I decided I could combine that with the wedding making it one trip across the country. I could also visit with the Drouhard/Loudonville people and my sister and brother-in-law, Julie and Jim. Then I decided I could visit Tom again in Flagstaff on my way. We really enjoyed our last visit and flying from Phoenix would make the flight to Cleveland easier.

So it was off to Phoenix March 31st. We had another great visit. The last time I was there a ramp was planned to make it easier for Tom to get out of the house. His legs are weak and he cannot walk very far. The ramp was completed which makes Tom much more mobile. Herbert planned the ramp and Rob, Tom’s friend did most of the work. The ramp is very well done.

I asked Tom if he’d like to go anywhere. He said, “The Mexican bakery.” Sounded good to me. Tom ordered for us. He said I should try a Flan. It’s kind of like custard and very tasty. He also ordered a very large donut type thing, a giant sugar cookie, a muffin and a gellatino for dessert.  Of course all of these items have a Mexican twist to them.It was a fun outing.

It was a beautiful day so I decided to go for a walk in Tom’s back yard. It borders a forest. Molly, one of the four dogs living at Tom’s, came along. She is very friendly. There is a trail behind Tom’s house that is very nice to walk on.

Trail behind Tom’s house

Molly

I made a leg of lamb again because everyone enjoyed it last month when Pat made one. It was a great dinner. Medge brought a German Chocolate Cake and a great salad. Sunday I took Tom to Lake Mary, a Flagstaff reservoir. The reservoir was dry a year ago but all the snow and rain finally filled it again. It was a beautiful day but pretty chilly due to the wind. There wasn’t a wheel chair trail but we managed to go along the grass a little way. People were very nice to help us make it over bumps and little hills.

Lake Mary

Tom and Steve

The ice was beginning to melt so there were small cakes of ice washing over the dam. It was a gorgeous ride and walk.

Morel mushrooms

I called Tom before leaving California to ask him if he wanted me to bring him anything. He said, “Yes, morel mushrooms”. We always enjoyed finding them at the farm in Ohio in the Spring. Of course he was joking. But I talked to my daughter Rebecca and she suggested I try some dried morels for sale on Amazon. They were expensive but Tom is worth it. He was very surprised and they were pretty good. Not as good as fresh but definitely enjoyable.

I appreciated the full size wooden horse Tom brought back from Mexico in his pick up truck. Fortunately he has a large living room in which to display it. 

Pat, Becky,Dick, Warren, Bob, Sue, Donna,
Elin, Emily Marialice

I left Tom’s Sunday afternoon and drove back to Phoenix for an early flight to Cleveland. All went well. I arrived in Cleveland at 8:30 pm and drove to Loudonville. I was staying with my good friends Bob and Sue Brightbill. Pat helped me arrange a gathering at his mother-in-law’s house the next day. It worked out great. Even my niece Marialice and her friend Emily joined us. (Marialice lives 20 minutes away.)

I stayed with the Brightbill’s three nights. They have a dairy farm with 700 dairy cows. A very large family operation. The Brightbill’s two sons, and their 4 grandsons all work on the farm. Sue makes lunch for everyone every day and they play euchre for a break. I was recruited and they are very competitive. Unfortunately, my cards were terrible but it was fun anyway.

They work hard and eat hearty

Life on the farm is somewhat like a different world. I rode to a farm supply place with Bob to get parts. There were more tractors and parts than I have seen in a long time. They also had a very extensive selection of “Model, farm vehicles/equipment.” The salesman said his supply was actually a little low. Who buys this stuff? I guess farmers.

Grandson Blaise spent the afternoon Wednesday so I got to color Easter Eggs. It’s been a while! It was fun.

Here are a couple pictures of the farm and a newspaper article from quite a few years ago about the Brightbill farm.

A sign of Spring

The Brightbill homestead 

I left Loudonville Thursday morning and headed to Julie’s and Jim’s in Cleveland. On my way I stopped at the Cleveland Clinic for my blood test. My physical is next week so this way my results will be in before I meet with my doctor. It’s been cold but sunny. The daffodils keep trying!

Looking forward to Easter!