Category: Family


20,000 Days since Alice and I met back on September 18, 1966. Our lives haven’t been the same since!! First day of Summer, and National Selfie Day are eclipsed by our special day! We’ve lived in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Ohio. We also lived in Northwestern Ontario and Dhaka, Bangladesh! I have worked in 4 different hospitals as a Medical Technologist. Alice worked in three hospitals as an LPN. I was also Principal at four different schools. I piloted little two-seater planes in NW Ontario for 440 hours. We have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and three grandsons. We have hiked in the Southern Rockies, as well as the mountains of the Banff, Jasper, Waterton and Glacier National Parks. We have hiked the Grand Canyon three times, the foothills of the Swiss Alps, and the Himalayas. We’ve hike in the Smokies, and a volcano in Bali. We have slept under the stars at the Upper Chukuni near Red Lake, and on the sandy desert of Western India near Jaisalmer. We were both saved from drowning, and Alice is a Cancer Survivor!! God has been good!!! As the plaque says on our porch, “Welcome to our Porch, where we enjoy the lazy days of summer!” If you want to hear more of our story, we could oblige you. Maybe even a cup of coffee, or ice tea! If you from another state or country, we have spare bedrooms also! P.S. We got married 1,000 days after we met!

Family Time!

My Aunt on the left, and my standing in the center, talking to my cousin.

This is a list of their 12 children!

Last week was a special, since I was able to visit all my Aunts and Uncles, some in Ohio, and some in Iowa!

Paying Respect

On the Mother’s birthday, I took her and 5 of her 10 daughters to visit friends and relatives all day. They stopped at this cemetery to respects to someone.

Done Shopping!

All Aboard!

My wife, Alice, and our son, Dustin enjoying an early morning walk during the late Winter snowfall.

We meet a neighbor, and Alice joins her to catch up with the latest news. This is a close-up, and the next photo they qualify for a “Where’s Waldo” photo!

Another friendly neighbor is out making sure the squirrels have some food handy with this late snowfall. Do “April Showers Bring May Flowers” even if they are snow showers! It’s now April, so Spring should be right around the corner.

That’s me leaning on the hoe, second from the left. I would have been a freshman in High School, but maybe in 8th grade. The rest were Uncles and Aunts, Siblings, and Cousins. They had come from Ohio to visit us in Iowa. We had been hoeing weeds in the strawberry patch. In the background you see the green tent in our yard, where us boys slept since the guests were using our bedroom.

Home Sweet Home

In looking for an appropriate, I decided to choose this one from 4 years ago, when our son was home, and we had a meal similar to one I had yesterday at noon. I surely wish a Happy New Year to all my friends, whether fellow bloggers, or friends and family, across the world! With our German heritage, Mashed Potatoes, Sauerkraut, and Sausage (oops-hot dog substitute) are a must. This year it was cheese-impregnated venison, hotdogs a gift from one of my taxi customers.

Santa (Jim) has been visiting this family for a long time. Santa brought gifts to the Mother of this home when she was a little girl! Like Santa said, “That was a long time ago.” He said he can’t afford to visit all the children of the children of the first family he visited, but he visits at least this family and one other one, because he kind of took a liking to them. The same has happened to me. Maybe biased, since the children say I am their favorite taxi driver!

The Thinker

My Aunt!

I picked up this young lad, his siblings and Mom, to take them home. His young cousin stepped up to the window to talk to me. He asked me what I do at home! It made my day. He was a young fella that I also had as a passenger many times with and without his parents. It made my day that he wanted to chat with the taxi driver. Maybe it helps that I give the children “smarties” when they ride with me!

When I called to schedule a visit at the assisted living facility where my 97-year-old Mother is, they said, “We were just talking about your mother!” At the table during a meal, one of the residents was crying, and my Mother got up out of her chair, went over to the lady and gave her a big hug. Wow, how sweet is that? I had a nice visit with her on the porch. She said, “I would give you a “howdy do” handshake but I think it is against the rules!” LOL