Day Two: Bowling Green, OH - Upland, IN

Wow! I have five followers! I was afraid I would have this pathetic blog with no one even reading it. I remember when I first joined facebook and it said "Tim has no friends at Houghton College" on the sidebar....So anyway, the second day of our adventure has also gone beautifully - it began with JonDavid awakening me this morning at 6:30 am saying "I feel great now!" He looked over at the nice silver mixing bowl that Iliana had grabbed for me the night before when I told her that I needed something because JonDavid's migraines make him throw up. He surveyed it and said "Wow, this is my fanciest puking bowl yet!" My precious little boy - he cracks me up. Happily his migraines are becoming much fewer and further between. Nina and her kids had to leave early for a swim meet so we got up, packed up, made breakfast and a colorful thank you poster for them and then hit the road. It was another glorious day weather wise, and the drive over to Indiana was very pleasant, and not too far, only about 150 miles from Nina's to here. We got into the Trudeaus at about 1:45. (We've been visiting Skip and Jen Trudeau and their five kids for the past eight summers since Aunt Barbara had her stroke and landed in a nursing home near here, and the kids and I think of them as family, they are dear friends and great hosts.) Jen made omelettes for lunch that were great. You will notice that my accounts of my travels and adventures are very food-centric; my sister Mindy who requested this blog understands, this reflects our family worldview which essentially seeks to answer the time-honored question: "How was the food?" On that same note, I also need to report on a thoughtful bon voyage present from Uncle Bruce and Aunt Kathie who arrived on Saturday morning with a big shopping bag full of chips, candy bars, snacks, gum, cookies....a cornucopia of junkfood which has entranced all of us, particularly JonDavid! It has helped the miles to fly by as we discuss which bag of snacks to sample next! The other fun distraction in the car has been listening to the kids who have been watching movies and TV shows on DVD players. They are listening with headphones so the only parts I hear are when they all burst into laughter over funny lines. I love that happy sound--often Samantha repeats the funny line for them to laugh at a second time.

One aspect of this trip I have already recognized is that at every stop we are going to wish we had more time to enjoy our friends. We hated leaving Nina's house so quickly and I can already tell that we will want more time with the Trudeaus than we scheduled. But seeing as how we have to get back to New York before the snow flies (mid-August!) we will have to exercise some restraint. Another observation: I LOVE GPS - Mom got it for me for Christmas last year and it makes the trip indescribably easier. I just program in the address and let that amazing little gadget do the rest. It even knew where the Trudeaus live which is nearly as far off the beaten path as where we live. I keep thinking about how much my Dad would have loved one of these amazing devices.

I would say the highlight of day two was getting into Marion and seeing Aunt Barbara. I dropped the kids off to play with their Trudeau counterparts. They'll come with me tomorrow to see Aunt Barbara. When I saw Aunt Barb last at Christmastime, I was sure it would be the last time I would ever see her and it was terribly sad because she was so medicated and out of it, I think she only vaguely realized we were there. She was very non-responsive and I had to do all of the talking. She has cancer and I never even thought she'd live until this summer. And while her physical condition is still grave, she has bounced back mentally and was so much more her old self. She was thrilled to see me and wanted to talk, talk, talk. It was funny because her favorite activity when I visit is to haul me around the nursing home and introduce me to every single resident and employee always announcing that I'm a doctor. They always get an expectant look in their eyes as though I should be able to start handing out free samples of pharmaceutical products, and I have to mumble that I'm an academic doctor, not a medical one which immediately evaporates my star power! I always felt fairly awkward about it, but then when Aunt Barbara was so out of it on my last two visits...it made me sad. So today when she started it again, I gained a new appreciation for this ritual which is important for her. We had a great time sitting around and talking in her room tonight. She pumps me for stories about our pets and hangs on every word. After I told her the LONG story tonight about the adventures of Simba (being rescued from a window well at the College by JonDavid, impregnating our female cat AFTER being neutered, and returning fto us rom the dead this week) she exclaimed "I LOVED that story - I wish you had time to tell it to me again!" We also talked about Dad and how much she misses him, and some of my favorites, her reminiscing about her memories of their growing up. I love to hear her talk about that. It was really a delightful visit and now if I end up not seeing her again after this visit, I will feel so much better about it.

Two of the people she introduced me to today are a couple at the home. The wife has had some kind of an incapacitating health situation and seems fairly out of it both physically and mentally. But the husband is friendly, jolly, and healthy. He arrives every morning with their dog and spends the WHOLE day at the home with his wife. He takes all of his meals there with her and sits in the room while she naps (the dog jumps up on the bed and sleeps with her.) I was deeply touched by this portrait of true love. She doesn't seem to be conversant or even all that aware that he is with her, and having spent their whole life together, he is just doing what comes naturally and doing it joyfully as well. It was one of those life-affirming moments that I was happy I got to witness.

So now I'm back at the Trudeaus (Jen made Colorado Anazaki Beans and Rice with salsa, cheese, sour cream, and tortillas for dinner - yum! And the Libby (their eldest daughter) just made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies for our midnight snack. Anthony was in his glory because He and Maddie were shooting fireworks off their deck when I got home - they were competing with the next house down who would answer each volley with their own supply! So now the kids are eating cookies and watching one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, then they will all go out and sleep in the Trudeau's camper. I told Skip that if I end up without a job soon that we will all be moving into their camper permanently!

Tomorrow Skip and I are going out to lunch and then the kids will go with me to Marion to spend the afternoon with Aunt Barbara. Thanks so much for your interest in our travel adventures!