Jolly Rogers: And We Are Off. 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

We were on the road at 9:30 with the Expedition packed to the gills! Our first stop was a new truck stop with a Denny's. We made our bathroom trips and shared a freshly fried peach pie crescent and Ted had coffee. So good! Sorry waistline. I walked around the store a bit then we went on. Next stop was a roadside park to have lunch, take my walk, bathroom break. We stopped at the Arkansas Welcome Station to get motel books and free coffee for Ted (bathroom break for me) and eventually stopped for gas before finally pulling into our motel in Bryant, Arkansas south of Little Rock. We had packed a bag just to be brought into the motel and eventually left for dinner at Brown's buffet. We have driven past this place almost every year for 16 years and finally tried it. They had a great selection but their fried chicken was all coating and no chicken and their baked chicken was mushy from being over baked. The salads, vegetables, sides and desserts were great though. Ted had shrimp and pulled pork and he liked them. All in all I would go again but skip the chicken!

We woke up on our own Monday, dressed, had a bowl of cereal at the motel breakfast room and were on the road before 9:00. We planned to stop on the other side of Nashville but it was only about 3:00 so we pushed on to Bowling Green KY. There is a Russell sportswear store there where Ted likes to shop. They have some Vanity Fair ladies things so I bought some underwear and one pink top. After checking into a motel we left for supper. Ted wanted to go to Cabella's afterwards so he dropped me off. When he returned the Bachelorette was coming on so we both got ready for bed to watch. It was a good travel day.

Tuesday was another easy day. We woke up on our own, had another bowl of cereal and headed out with a stop in Shepherdsville at the Zappo's shoe outlet. A pair for me and one for Cassie was all we found. There was a lunch stop at a rest area, a restroom stop in Florence KY and just a hop, skip and jump into Cincinnati. We made it!

We were welcomed by Karen and Ron who had our room all ready for us. We had to bring in more than we had taken into the motels but we still had lots left in the car. When it got to be dinner time we all went to LaRosa's for our favorite pizza. While there, Ted's oldest cousin (#1 of the 31 Keehan cousins) came in with her husband. They are in their late 80s but still getting around. We had a nice chat with them after we ate. A little serendipity there.

Wednesday started our marathon of meeting friends over lunch and dinner. We ate smaller meals to avoid overeating and we chose local, small restaurants instead of chains. Wednesday lunch was at Ron's Roost with old friend Marilyn and her sister. She lives in Alabama now but happened to be in town. She and her husband were our best camping buddies for many years. He passed away some years ago. It was a delight to see her and she looks exactly the same! I had a cup of turtle soup and a small hot bacon slaw, two other Cincinnati favorites of mine!

Niece Cindy put together a small family group for our visit and Karen's birthday. I was so happy to see some of the folks I missed by not attending my family reunion. I am on the left side at the end!

Thursday we once again had just juice and coffee for breakfast. We were meeting my oldest friend of 67 years, also named Donna. She and I started kindergarten together and graduated high school 13 years later. We were inseparable in high school. To my surprise another friend who was with us along that journey joined us and we were equally happy to see her. The four of us had a great visit!

Larry and Kristin landed in the afternoon so they joined us and my niece, Jill, for dinner. It lasted 2.5 hours! I gave her my two bags of T-shirts to make my T-shirt quilt and she gave me Gerre's latest quilt that she had done the quilting on. So we were a little ahead in the emptying out scenario.

Friday we had lunch scheduled with our best man and maid of honor who married two years after we did. It is such a delight to spend time with them. It was a 3 hour lunch! My choice? A Kentucky Hot Brown! They even admit the recipe is from the Brown Hotel in Louisville KY. I know you can buy a plate at the Louisville airport with the recipe on it. So good!

While eating, my sister-in-law's best friend Judy walked in. After hellos she said she was coming to our reunion on Saturday. She went to sit with a group of 8 or 10 women and we went back to chatting. Then a lady at the end of that table mentioned to my friend she knew her from Lourdes. In Westside Cincinnati this means you were a member of our Lady of Lourdes parish and went to school there. They figured out maiden names and the lady said her group was the last graduating class of St. Xavier high school. I asked if she knew my friend Diane and up she popped from the end of the table. You just have to love Cincinnati as your hometown!

The kids all arrived in town and we opted to go to the family cookout at the swim club. Not everybody was there but we got a good jump on most of the crowd.

Saturday was Reunion Day at beautiful Fernbank Park along the Ohio River. The weather was perfect!

The Rogers Siblings (Tim passed away in 2006)

Tom, married 61 years in September. Last Labor Day we were in Phoenix for their 60th anniversary celebration. Missing is son Brian's family. He died in 2009 joining his brother Dennis who died in 1966.