Sunday, June 19, 2011

Sunday, June 19^th
This morning is sunny with prediction of some rain. Today is the day of the family reunion. David and I attended the same church we have been visiting the last 3-4 years. I was surprised the pastor remembered our last name and that we were from Conroe, Texas. Found out his youth group will be attending the Higher Things conference, and he has met Pastor Borghardt, our former Associate Pastor, until last October.
The threat of rain and the light shower did not dampen the fellowship of relatives at the reunion. Attendance is dropping, but they decided to change the date and location for next year in an effort to increase attendance.

2011 Davidson Reunion Group

Auction items to help fund the reunion.

Fish Pond Game  for the children

2011 "Door Prize" Winners, Ryan and Annette

On the way “home” near Port Jefferson, Ohio, we saw about 2 1/2 to 3 dozen geese that landed near a stream and were resting and eating. I never saw so many geese at one time. We turned around and were able to pull over so I could take several photos from a safe distance. One does not want to upset a mother goose when her young are nearby.

Also had a chance to take photos of hollyhocks before we entered Bellefontaine. I had not seen hollyhocks since I lived in Spokane, Washington. There was a variety of colors. These are such a nice old-fashioned flower; never see these in Texas.

The rest of our evening was spent visiting with our host and hostess.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saturday, June 18^thThis morning started out rainy. We experienced some heavy downpours for part of the morning. Saw some llama in a pasture with some cattle. Also saw two groundhogs. One was near the highway and was standing upright watching the traffic drive by; the other one was feasting in someone’s field. Near Indian Lake I saw three mallards resting along side the road. I wish we had a place to pull over so I could take a photo of the “Bed of Flowers” I saw in someone’s yard. It was a white metal child’s bed frame in the yard filled with yellow flowers…a bed of flowers. We spent the rest of the day and evening visiting relatives, both those who are alive and those who are dead. We went to the cemetery to plant some flowers by David’s dad’s grave for Father’s Day. Other relatives are buried there so time was spent visiting each spot.

Purple flowers planted by David.

We are spending most of the week at “Kerns’ Bed and Breakfast”

(the 101 year old childhood home of David’s nephew).

                                                              Our Room

                                                          The beautiful plants at "Kerns' Bed & Breakfast"

Friday, June 17, 2011

Friday, June 17^thAs we leave on this sunny morning, ready to put some miles behind us we head straight to the Interstate. After several miles down the road, we remembered we were going to purchase gas at the station near the motel. At $3.37 per gallon, it was the best price we had seen on the trip. By the time we purchased gas we had to pay $3.45,but that was much better than the price we saw three hours later, $3.87!!
It has become my habit to photograph the states’ welcome signs upon entering each state, as a “souvenir” of our trips. My first attempt to photograph the welcome sign coming into Illinois failed as we were crossing a bridge, could not pull over if we wanted to, and my timing was off. However, I got a nice photo of the
bridge span overhead.

After crossing the bridge...

The weather changed from sunny to cloudy.  By 1:00 we were ready to stop for a picnic lunch at the Rend Lake Rest Area in Illinois.

                 

These were some of the plants we saw. The one that looks like red-leaf lettuce was in the flower bed.
This is a lovely rest area with full facilities: an information desk, vending machines, restrooms, about 10 picnic tables (some covered and some out in the open) and a nice paved walking trail around it that incorporated a lot
of the natural plants and trees. The setting was nice and the temperature was probably in the 70s…very nice. In the distance we heard thunder. We decided it was time to end our break. Lunch was light but filling and we were ready to continue. This has been a pleasant trip. About two miles down the road we encountered something neither of us had experienced in quite a while…a rain storm! Not just a few sprinkles, but an actual downpour! This lasted about 1 1/2 hours!! I had mentioned to David earlier that the next time we stopped for gas, we needed to wash the windshield. We both decided we no longer needed to do that. The windshield and the car were washed very nicely. It was raining so hard that several people, including us, pulled to the side of the road and waited until we could actually see what was ahead of us. It really was a downpour! We finally passed through the rain to a cloudy day. Upon entering Indiana I was looking for the state welcome sign. Never saw a welcome sign upon entering. Then after driving two miles into the state, there it is. Due to construction on the highway, traffic comes to a stand still. Therefore I am expecting to get a good shot of this sign once we get closer to it. Well, my camera said, “battery too low to take photo.” (Note to self: make sure the camera has new batteries before leaving home on next trip.) I wasn’t expecting this to happen as I had no problem taking photos of some of the flowers at the rest area where we had our picnic. David chuckled at my failed attempts and mentioned it wasn’t meant for me to have these sign photos on this trip. Tomorrow I shall purchase new batteries before we set out on the road. There will be a welcome sign as we enter Ohio and I intend to get a shot of it. I shall persevere. As for Indiana, we will be entering this state on our way home so I shall have one more chance to get a photo, even though it will not be the same sign we passed today. It’s these little things that enhance the memories.

I saw two deer today, one was feasting in someone’s field and the other was along the side of the highway. Yes, it was alive and enjoying his evening meal. Also saw one rabbit in Indianapolis as we took a small side trip when the driver did not follow the navigator’s suggestion as to which way to go. We still managed to avoid Indianapolis traffic and made our way closer to Ohio. We found a nice quiet motel to spend the night and prepare for tomorrow’s journey.
One thing we do as we travel is to look at the different license plates. Of course we are not surprised to see fewer Texas license plates the further north we travel. Besides seeing the plates of the state we are in as well as its neighboring states, we saw Florida, Massachusetts, California and New Mexico. It seems that Indiana, like Texas, has a variety of designs for the license plates. Our favorite Indiana license plate is one that incorporates “In God We Trust”. We saw a lot of these.
Another we thing we saw that was interesting is a number of billboards proclaiming the Gospel. Fantastic.                                                      

Summer Vacation 2011

Thursday, June 16^thToday we finished loading up and prepared to leave. David said,
“Things are not going as smoothly as it usually does.” So true. As we were leaving he noticed the brakes on the camper were not working quite right. After going about 1mile we smelled something burning. After returning home we moved everything from the camper and truck to the car, since it has better gas mileage. Understanding this could have been God’s way of protecting us somewhere on our trip from some serious situation, we left a little later than we had planned. Using “Plan B”, we are ready to go and hope that this is the worst that happens on this vacation.
We leave on a sunny, hot day. Good weather and minimal traffic make for a nice start on this journey. We found some gas at $3.47 and filled up in Marshall, TX. Watching gas prices and seeing how they fluctuate has become a common pastime as we travel.
We arrive in Little Rock, AR around 7:30 and found a newly remodeled motel where we will spend the night. A nice light supper and a refreshing shower is a good way to end our first day.

　View from our room

Memorial Day

I've heard that for 4 out of 5 Americans, Memorial Day is more about barbecues, baseball and the start of summer than it is about honoring the sacrifice of those who died in military service to America.  So many Americans do not know the real reason we celebrate Memorial Day. Memorial day is a day of remembrance and honor for those who have died in our Nation's service.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day—a day when the graves of Civil War

soldiers were cleaned and decorated. General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the

Republic first observed the holiday in 1868 when he declared, “the 30th of May, 1868, is

designated for the purpose of… decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of

their country.”

The 1868 celebration was inspired by previous observances of the day in towns  across

America. Several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.

In 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of

Memorial Day.

By the late 1800s, many American communities had begun to celebrate Memorial Day, and

after World War I, observances began to honor those who had died in all of America’s wars.

After World War I, the red poppy became synonymous with Memorial Day. All over the world,

people wear poppies or place them on graves to honor soldiers who died serving their nation

during war.

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday of

every May.

Most Americans are familiar with the major wars—Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican

War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War,

and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—but few think of those killed in "minor" conflicts.

Examples of the lesser-known actions range from the Franco-American Naval War

(1798-1800) to the tragedy of the USS Cole. No American death is too insignificant to

remember when that life was lost in the service of one’s country.

In December 2000, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed in

Congress. The resolution asks that at 3:00 p.m. local time, each Memorial Day, all

Americans “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance

and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to

Taps.”

We can also commemorate Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers

on the graves of fallen heroes, by visiting war memorials, by flying the United States flag at

half-staff, or by simply educating ourselves about the great sacrifices that so many soldiers

made for their country and for the safety of the world.

Customer Loyalty Month

Are you aware that April is Customer Loyalty Month?  That's good news for anyone making a purchase from Sunshine Corner Gifts this month.  You will receive FREE shipping on anything you order, even if the order is less than $50.00, plus you will receive a discount for any future order made by June 1st.  So order this month, April, and get FREE shipping, plus a discount on what you order next month, May.  This offer is only made available to you using Promo Code:2011 April/May.  When ordering from either http://www.sunshinecornergifts.vpweb.com/ or http://www.mysunshinecornergifts.com/ , go to "Contact Us" and fill out the form with the Promo Code in the comments section.  Any postage which may have been added during checkout in the month of April will be refunded to you and sent with your order or sent through PayPal, your choice.
Remember Mother's Day is in May (May 8th)!!
I'm ready to help you spread sunshine and smiles into your corner of the world.

Only two weeks...

Before you know it, the next two weeks will be here and then disappear.  The 50% off sale will end on April 21st for  the Name Prints found at http://www.sunshinecornergifts.vpweb.com/ .  Don't delay, order today, even if you don't need the Name Print as a gift until a later time.  For those considering this as a graduation gift and you haven't received your invitation with the graduation date, purchase the art print and it will be put on hold until you are ready to have it printed.  A Single Name Print that sells for $9.00 is now only $4.50.  As for weddings bells ringing this year, a Double Name Print that sells for $10.50 is now only $5.25...what a deal!
These are personalized gifts for any occasion: birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, birth of a child, graduation, honor someone retiring or a member of the armed services. You don't really need a special occasion.  You can give this gift just to show someone you think they are special.  Watch their face light up with a smile.
Now is the time to spread sunshine and smiles into your corner of the world.