Family Time - Reunions and Visits

Joe and I had a full schedule of visiting today. We started with a visit to Uncle Dick and Aunt Sue in Ney, Ohio. Uncle Dick gave us root stock from three of his rose bushes which he grew from root stock belonging to his parents (my grandparents).

They also gave us two handfuls of ground cover roses for our yard and zucchini and yellow crookneck squash (for our tummies) from their garden. While Joe and Uncle Dick were digging up plants, Aunt Sue shared an album of the greeting cards she created for Uncle Dick for special occasions. 

Aunt Sue is blessed with the gift of creativity. I am impressed with how she conceives of an idea and then teaches herself the necessary skills by reading instructions or watching videos on the internet. I am including photos of the cards and a video of one of the cards because it is too cool for me to adequately describe.

The folds and cuts on this "opened" card shows the complexity 

of Aunt Sue's card work.

The front of one of her cards.

When opened, the card above has a popout "Love."

Aunt Sue and her cool card!

We left Ney and headed to Bryan for the Hudkins family reunion. This year we had twenty-three people attend. I enjoyed catching up with kinfolk! I am sharing photos taken today by family members and shared on Facebook.

Oldest and youngest family members today - Judy and her great-grandchild Addilyn Rayne (Dean and Jennifer's granddaughter). Joan and Gary in background.

Jorge and Denise in from Pennsylvania!

Earl Jr. (our traveling companion this trip) with Michael, Jeff, and Tom in the background.

Almost everyone at the reunion today!  A few people had left. 

Thanks to Jeff Zimmerman for taking the photo.

Cody and Mackenzie - Addilyn Rayne's parents

Dee and Dennis

Judy (in front) Michael, Jorge, and Denise

Jennifer and Dean - Addilyn Rayne's proud grandparents!

Judy and Joan

Addilyn Rayne with her Uncle Aaron.

Tom (holding photo of Shawn who passed away 2 years ago at this time), Gary,

and Alan (standing). Gary is uncle to Tom and Alan

Alan and Sue

Joe, Doug, and Beth

Jeff and Cynthia 

We ended the day visiting with my brother, Jeff, and his wife Kathy, in Coldwater, Michigan. When we arrived, Jeff had just finished painting and upgrading to the family lake cottage. Kathy arrived a little after us as she is working this weekend. The company she works for is in the middle of physical inventory.

They shared photos of their recent trip to Deadwood, Yellowstone, Crazy Horse Monument, and Mount Rushmore and we caught up on life in general.

After dinner, Joe and I headed back to our hotel in Ohio. Our goal was to get back before dark, so I didn’t need to worry about deer. Sure enough, we saw fourteen deer in the fields and one “road leaping deer” (in front of us) within the first mile of leaving the cottage. We got lucky and did not see another deer until we were on the Indiana Turnpike. It is a relief to have made it back to Ohio without a deer imprint on our Subaru.

Tomorrow morning, we leave Ohio to return home to Minnesota.