Our Last Week Out

After church Sunday morning we headed out to visit with our old neighbors from the last place we lived in Cincinnati.  It is amazing how years just melt away and you can pick up like it was yesterday.  It has been two years since Marge and Steve visited us in Celina, OH but it was many years before that since we had seen them.  They live in a different area now and have a gorgeous home on a huge lot complete with swimming pool.  We had a great time, delicious dinner and it was late when we left.  Visits like this are why we try to spend time in Cincinnati each year.  There are so many friends and so much family to visit.

We hadn't seen any of Ted's family so we met his two sisters and a sister-in-law for lunch on Monday.  Kath and Peg were on their lunch hour and Barb was heading to work.  In retirement you sometimes forget not everyone can just come and go as they please.  We had lots of laughs and got caught up on family news before it was time for them to return to the salt mines.

Since we were close to Sam's we stopped to get the brats we forgot to get at Kroger's.  We are now good to go!  We grilled some for dinner and just as we were finishing up Ted's brother Kevin stopped by the campground so Ted threw a couple brats on the grill for him.  I was glad he was able to spend some time with us before we left the next morning.

Tuesday was an 8 hour travel day back to Sikeston MO and dinner once again at Lambert's.  Ted wanted to stop at Vanity Fair to get some cotton slacks to take to Europe and after that it was showers and bed.

We only had a two hour drive on Wednesday to Marion, Arkansas.  We planned to spend the afternoon and evening with our camping buddies Rick and Brenda.  They have moved into a newly built cottage on his brother's property where he boards horses and has been building and improving the entire facility.  We went out to the pasture to see the four horses in residence.

They actually live in Millington TN but with the horrendous construction we chose to hold up on I-55, set up for the day and drive the rest of the way in the truck.  That way we can take the same detour today that we used on the way up. 

Our first surprise when we arrived was a Pinnacle 5th wheel in place of their motorhome.  They traded just the day before.  It is a 2013 and a terrific layout.   It is good they will get back on the road even if it is not full time.

Brenda arrived home from work and eventually we headed to the Pig N Whistle restaurant, housed in what was once an old general store.  The special was a half rack of ribs and we all got that but Rick.

Afterwards they showed us places where they lived growing up before going back.  

I did not kiss the pig!

When we returned Mike and Barbara were putting the horses in the barn for the night and we spent some time with them.  It was our first chance to meet Barbara.  Mike's wife Nancy died shortly after the last time we were there and he and Barbara have been married for a few years now.  She was delightful and obviously a hard worker.

The drive back through the construction with no street lights on in most places was a harrowing experience.  It was a relief to get back onto I-55 but the way to get to the southbound side where the campground is was darker than the construction zone, but we made it.

Today we head to Carthage, Texas.