The days have been nice and sunny but with pretty cool temperatures, especially at night. Ice has begun forming on the pond by the shop and on the water still standing in the ditches. It is making us anxious to get packed up and on the road to Texas before the snow flies.

This morning we headed up to church for the Sunday service and then spent the afternoon watching the Dallas Cowboys and Vikings lose their football games. John went out to the deer stand early this evening and saw a couple of does and a buck. Now that the weather is colder, the deer are coming more often to the food plots to feed. Deer hunting starts this Saturday, so it's good to know the deer are coming onto our fields.

I spent some time today listing a few more items on ebay. I had listed a Columbia winter jacket last night and someone bid on it less than an hour after I listed it. At least one item is sold--hopefully more people will bid on it and raise the selling price.

We spent the evening watching the World Series, NFL Football and the Amazing Race. The remote got a real work out tonight.

We were late getting home from the birthday party last night and after doing the blog, it was almost midnight before any of us got to bed. Hanna, John and I didn't get up until well after 9 a.m. John made us girls a nice breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. I then helped Hanna with her homework and when that was finished, we all played a couple of games of Blockus.

Matt called to ask Hanna if she wanted to go to Bemidji with him and Sam--she said "yes", so they stopped on their way to pick her up. Both kids need new shoes for basketball, so they decided to get them now so they will be all set when the season starts in a few weeks.

Since it was a nice sunny day John decided to go up to Matt's for another load of firewood. When he got home, he unloaded and stacked the wood. His wood pile continues to grow. When sorting through some of the winter clothes, I found some purses and a winter jacket that is too large for me, so I decided to sell them on ebay. I spent some time this afternoon photographing the items and getting them listed. Hopefully they will sell.

We spent the evening watching some college football, a little of the World Series, and a Halloween movie.

With clear skies and no wind, the temperature dropped to 25 degrees last night. It was by far the coldest night of the fall. We have finally been forced to turn on the heat in the house.

This morning Matt arrived around 9 a.m. and he and John loaded up the trim they finished last night and headed off to the job site. They spent the day putting up most of the window and door trim and will have to finish it up next week.

Everyone got together at Matt and Sara's for a grand kid birthday party. Since we won't be here for some of their birthdays, we have one party for everyone in the fall before we leave for Texas. We had a delicious meal of sloppy Joe's, pasta salad, jello, chips, and much more. Following the meal, the kids took turns opening their gifts. Everyone seemed to like what they got.


Hanna returned home with John and I as she is staying overnight with us. Sara and Rachel are going out of town in the morning and Sam and Matt will be bow hunting early. Since Hanna didn't want to go, she opted to visit with us. We ended the party with all the adults and Sam playing 31-- Matt was the big winner beating his brother by one point.

We had another stormy night and then, this morning, the rains finally stopped. As the morning progressed, the clouds began to break up and by noon, the sun was shining. We received almost three inches of rain--thank goodness it wasn't snow. The temps were well below freezing so we had to be careful venturing outside as the steps were icy.

John worked down in the shop most of the day as things are still pretty busy right now. I started sorting through clothes, trying to decide what to pack and what to leave home. Last winter was fairly cold in Texas and we didn't have enough heavy clothing with us. Right now it's very hot there, so the question is will it get cold like last year or will it be a warmer winter. Guess it is best to be prepared for both possibilities.

Matt has a job preparing and installing trim in a customer's house. The boards need to be cut to size and then stained and lacquered. Matt dropped the wood off in the shop this afternoon and this evening he and John both worked in the shop preparing the trim.

I spent the evening catching up on emails, reading, and watching a couple of favorite TV shows.

We had heavy rains and high winds throughout the night and they continued all day again. The temps dropped during the morning changing the rain to snow. There was just enough to cover the grass, but that melted off with the snow turning back to rain.

We had a rather lazy day as we were once more house bound. John was needed in the shop so he spent the majority of his day working there. I spent my time working on the computer, reading, and doing a couple of different chores. We enjoyed a quiet evening watching the World Series and Survivor. The weather is still stormy and suppose to stay that way into tomorrow--hopefully the rain will stop and the winds die down. At least we did not get the heavy snows that fell in North Dakota.

We have had a steady, heavy rain most of the day. The morning started out with no wind at all and just light off and on again showers. By this afternoon, the winds started coming up and the heavier rains started. There is a chance the rain will change to snow overnight--maybe 1-2 inches. They are getting over 8 inches out in North Dakota with blizzard conditions. I think we are just on the edge of this big storm and hopefully we will escape the worst of it.

Since we were house bound due to the weather, John spent most of the day working in the shop. I kept myself busy getting more of the finances organized and just doing little odd jobs that I had put off for some time. We spent the evening on the computer and watching a couple of our favorite TV shows. This weather is suppose to continue all night and all day tomorrow. Should be interesting.

The gloomy, misty weather of yesterday carried over into today and is suppose to stick around for a couple of days. John had an 8:30 a.m. doctor's appointment in Bemidji so we had to be up and out of the house by 7:30 a.m. They were running pretty much on time so we were in and out in about 45 minutes.

From the clinic we headed over to Wal Mart to pick up a few groceries. While walking through the bakery section we both got the craving for something sweet. We managed to resist the packs of donuts, but decided to stop at Burger King for a box of their Cini-Buns, coffee, and orange juice. That was just enough to stop the donut attack. We made one final stop at the bank and then headed home.

After lunch John headed down to the shop to make some parts. It is getting busy and his help will be needed for several days. Since the afternoon was so cold and gloomy, I decided to warm up the house a little by baking a pumpkin pie. It will be a nice snack to have while watching the NFL tonight.


The National Weather Service is calling for a Winter Storm Watch for the northwestern part of North Dakota and Minnesota with near blizzard conditions. It should stay north of us, but we'll have to wait and see what tomorrow's weather brings. Time for a piece of pumpkin pie.

We woke up to overcast skies and cool temps. It looked like it could rain at any moment, but it held off till later this afternoon.

John decided to have a hot breakfast this morning and made some scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. After such a tasty meal we headed up to church for the Sunday morning service. Several of the folks knew that John is a Phillies fan and asked how he was doing after their loss. He actually had a hard time sleeping last night but now is on the road to recovery.

We pretty much had a do nothing afternoon watching the NFL games along with resting our eyes once in a while. John went back out to the deer stand this evening to see if they were moving--he saw absolutely nothing . We ended the evening watching the Vikings and The Amazing Race.

John and I had to get up nice and early this morning as we had an insurance agent coming to our house at 9 a.m. We had received notice from our medicare advantage company that the plan we had was not going to be offered next year, so we had to enroll in a new one. After an hour of having our options explained, we signed up and are now all set for medical coverage for next year.

After we got that business taken care off, John went back up to Matt's to cut more firewood and brought another load home. I spent my day working on finances and getting some laundry done. We ate an early supper because John wanted to sit out in the deer stand to see if any deer were coming into the feed plots. The deer hunting season starts in two weeks and he's thinking about hunting this year since he has taken the past couple of years off.

John spent the evening watching the Phils and Giants while I watched some college football.
Sorry to say the Phils lost.

Today's weather was just about perfect--high temps in the low 60's, bright sunshine, and no wind. The weatherman told us that today would probably be the last warm day we will see for quite awhile. Our forecast is calling for much colder weather next week. Since it was so nice outside, we decided that this was the day to get the rest of the pre-winter chores done.

John worked down in the shop this morning and while he was busy with that, I started washing the living room windows. After we ate lunch, John unloaded the firewood he cut yesterday and then he helped me get the rest of the windows finished. It's great to be looking through nice sparkling clean glass. With that job done, John then cleaned out the gutters along the front of the house. They were full of leaves and since rain is in the forecast, this was another job that needed to get done. There are only a couple of more jobs that need to be done and then the outside chores will be completed. We hopefully will get to them tomorrow.

John and Jo invited us up to their place for supper and games. We had a delicious roast beef dinner and then we taught them to play "31" followed by some poker. It was a fun evening.

Finally a morning where we did not have to be up early to get to some appointment--it felt good to have a day with nothing scheduled. This morning John worked down in the shop making and assembling some parts. I decided to give the kitchen a good cleaning and to take stock of what food we have on hand and what, if any, should go south with us.

Following lunch, John tilled the garden one final time. Now, when he gets a chance, he can get the tiller ready to be stored for the winter. He then unloaded the wood he cut up yesterday and headed back up to Matt's to cut another load. He is getting quite a pile of firewood.




This afternoon we received a call from our Fort Clark friend, Ralph. He filled us in a little on what has been happening around the fort and wanted to know how the weather was up here. I told him the weatherman mentioned the "S" word in the forecast. In case you don't know, the "S" word is snow. It's suppose to be much colder next week with a chance of some precipitation--depending on the temps, that could come in the form of rain or snow. I think winter is coming faster that we would like.

This evening John watched the Phils beat the Giants while I watched a couple of my favorite Thursday night shows. Needless to say, John is very happy about the Phils victory.

This morning was another early one--I had to be in Bemidji by 8:30 a.m. for a doctor's appointment. I thought since my appointment was so early I would be in and out rather quickly. I ended up waiting over half an hour before being called back into the doctor's exam room and then waited another 15 minutes for the doctor to come in. So much for having one of the first appointments of the day. I breezed through the visit and got my flu shot--hopefully my arm won't be sore.

After leaving the clinic, I made a quick stop at the mall and then headed to Burger King for lunch. The final stop was Wal Mart for some groceries and ink cartridges for my printer. While I was busy in Bemidji, John spent the morning working in the shop and then this afternoon he went back up to Matt's and cut up another load of firewood.

I had picked up a little roast today, so we had a nice supper of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and lima beans--all of John's favorites. Following supper we headed up to church for Bible Study and then spent the rest of the evening watching the Phils and Giants.

The days are getting shorter all the time. Since the sun comes up later each morning it makes it hard to get a walk in when one or both of us have to be somewhere early in the morning. That was the case today as we had appointments with Sara for haircuts. Since John was helping Matt today, he drove separately so he could leave right from the salon and go to the job site.

After my haircut I visited with Sara for a bit and then went into Clearbrook to gas up the car. From there it was back home where I spent some time sorting through summer and winter clothing and trying to decide what we will need for the stay in Texas. I did manage to get a couple of boxes fully packed and ready to go.

John got home around 4:30 and watched the rest of the Giants/Phillies game. Unfortunately, the Phils lost and now trail in the series 2-1. He spent the rest of his evening on the computer and watching the Yankees and Rangers while I watched The Biggest Loser.

It was another beautiful sunny day. The weatherman said that we have had over 20 straight days of sunshine. It's amazing that after all the heavy rains of the summer and September, that folks are saying it's getting too dry and we could use some rain. I, for one, have been enjoying the sunshine.

Following breakfast, John headed outside to start bagging up the leaves with the lawn mower.
He had tilled the garden yesterday and wanted to put the leaves on the garden before tilling it again. It was pretty much an all day job.





I did some laundry today and started sorting through some books and DVD's to take to Texas. Even though we have about four weeks until we leave, I know the time will fly by, so I try to get a few more things together every day. Matt stopped over and asked me to help compose a special invoice and then print it on the computer. It was noon before we finished, so he stayed for lunch before heading off on another errand.

John spent the evening watching the Rangers and Yankee's game and I tuned into Dancing With The Stars.

This morning was another chilly one with the temps at 30 degrees when we left the house for our walk. I think I will have to dig out some mittens to wear tomorrow so my hands don't freeze. At least the sun is just breaking over the horizon when we walk and that helps to warm us a little.

We decided to have a hot breakfast, so John made scrambled eggs, bacon, tea, and toast. It sure tasted good after a cold walk. Following breakfast we headed up to church--it felt good to be back after being gone for three weeks.

This afternoon we took on a job we have been putting off for weeks--cleaning out our big upright freezer. We took everything out and stored it in a couple of containers to keep it cold while the freezer defrosted. It took an hour or so to remove the built up ice, dry it out, and repack the frozen foods. We learned a good lesson--don't wait so long between freezer cleanings. It's one of those chores you just keep putting off for another day.

While waiting for the freezer to defrost, we watched the Vikings beat Dallas. It was a must win for Minnesota. Tonight John watched the Phillies beat the Giants while I watched the Amazing Race.

We woke up to bright sunshine, but howling winds, so the morning walk was canceled for today. After breakfast John again headed up to Matt's to cut more firewood. He was back home just before lunch and after taking a little break, unloaded and stacked the wood. My goal for the day was to finish cleaning out the files and giving the office a good fall cleaning. I also thought it might be a good day to wash windows. I got the windows in the office cleaned inside and out, but my fingers just about froze off, so I decided to let the rest of them go until a warmer and less windy day. Most of the office stuff we need for Texas is now packed and ready to go--the few things we still need to use can be packed up right before we leave.

John spent the afternoon getting rid of the rest of the weeds in the garden. He cut back the grape vines instead of getting rid of them. He's not sure if he really wants to be done with grapes, so he'll let them winter over and make a decision on their fate next spring. The only thing left to do to the garden is tilling. That may get done tomorrow.

In between the different jobs today, we managed to catch some college football and the Yankee's game. Tonight we are watching the Phillies and Giants. GO PHILLIES!!!

The temperature was 33 degrees this morning and there was frost on the ground when we left the house for our walk. We are now getting into the true northern Minnesota fall weather--freezing nights with afternoons in the 50's. While walking we still see water standing in the ditches, but so far haven't seen any ice. That will most likely change over the next two weeks.

Since the days have continued sunny and cool (perfect weather for cutting and stacking firewood), John went up to Matt's again this morning to get another load of wood. After lunch he started cleaning out the garden--cutting down weeds and pulling tomato plants--and getting it ready to be tilled. I tackled the job of cleaning out the files in the office and gathering the info we will need to take to Texas so we can do our taxes after the first of the year.

After supper, John cut up the carrots he pulled yesterday and then I blanched them and put them into bags for the freezer. They should be very tasty in stews and soup.


One of the best things about the fall is the sunsets. Tonight's was especially pretty. We spent the rest of the evening watching baseball and CSI New York.

It was another nice morning for a walk down the road. The sun is rising later each morning, so it is almost 7:15 a.m. before we leave the house. We wait until it is light enough to see everything--we don't want to run into a critter that might not be friendly.

After breakfast John went up to Matt's to cut some firewood. When the pipeline ran another line on his property, they cut down quite a few trees and and left the logs there. That is what John is cutting up for firewood. He cuts the large pieces into smaller logs and hauls them home to stack by the furnace in the backyard.

Today I started some of the winter preparation chores. First on the list was to remove the screens from the windows and store them in the basement. Since it was such a nice day I managed to get a couple of windows washed as well. I also started to gather up some of the items we want to take to Texas for the winter. Our tentative departure date is the middle of November after deer hunting.

Today we learned that Jenni won an award for the best fire prevention poster, so after supper we ran up to John and Jo's to see her prize. She got $10 for first place in second grade and a plaque for the best poster in all the competing grades. Her picture was also on the front page of the local newspaper.


While we were at John's, Julie gave us a little concert on the piano. She just started taking lessons from her Mom and really seems to like playing.


Since we were right around the corner from Matt's place, we decided to swing over and see Sam. He got his cast off yesterday and we wanted to see how his arm looked. He has a lump where the bone healed and his wrist is a little sore from not being used for over a month. Other than that, he is good as new. He just has to be careful of the arm for the next month.


We ended the evening watching a couple of our favorite TV shows while John cleaned a few more knives.

We had another beautiful fall day--sunny skies and cool temps. Each day the high is a couple of degrees cooler than the day before. By next week our highs will only be in the low 50's with nighttime temps in the 30's. We are slowly returning to normal temps for the middle of October.

After breakfast, John once again headed down to the shop to do some more assembly. While John was busy with that, I had the pleasure of heading off to the dentist's office for my semi-annual teeth cleaning and checkup. This is really not one of my most favorite things to do, but I got through it and had a good report--NO CAVITIES!

John was finished in the shop by the time I returned from the dentist. We ate lunch and then headed into town to the post office for some stamps and then to Bemidji to do some banking and grocery shopping. While I stowed the groceries away, John finished storing the potatoes he dug up yesterday.

When we were back east, John picked up several rifles and a whole box of hunting knives that once belonged to his uncle. We picked up some bass cleaner today, so this evening John started sorting through the knives, looking them up on the internet to learn more about them, and began cleaning them. They should look like new when he gets them done.



I spent the evening watching Survivor and a couple of other new shows as well as getting started on a new book.

Today the temps were about ten degrees cooler than yesterday--looks like our warm fall weather is over for now. After breakfast John headed down to the shop to help make some parts and to do some assembly work. I did the rest of the laundry from yesterday and hung around the house waiting for a repairman to come.

While we were driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a rock flew up, hit the windshield, and left a little starburst crack. I filed a claim with our insurance company over the internet and they called right away and set up an appointment for a glass technician to come out to our house and repair the windshield. The guy called a little after 8 a.m. this morning and said he would be at our place in about 2 hours--it was more like 4. The job took about 20 minutes to complete and now the windshield looks good as new.


Since the afternoon was cool but sunny, John decided it was a good day to dig the potatoes in the garden. He only planted a couple of rows, but they sure produced a good crop. He still has about a half row of carrots to pull and then the garden is done for the year.



John spent the evening watching MLB while I watched The Biggest Loser--it was a pretty quiet night.

John had an early morning PT appointment today, so we were up and out of the house by 8:45 a.m. His therapist was very pleased with the progress he has made over the past three weeks--his range of motion is almost 100%. Mandy told John his remaining therapy will consists of strengthening his shoulder muscles. She gave him exercises with stretch bands that he will do once a day for about the next six weeks. He does not have to see her again unless he has some questions or problems and has no restrictions as to what he can do.

When we returned home, we found Joanne and the kids were here--Jo was working in the shop and the kids were playing in the yard. This is the first we've seen the kids in two weeks, so they had much to talk about. Julie's big news was a loose tooth and Josh and Jenni filled us in on what has been happening in school. Pop Pop ended up playing some football and baseball with them while I visited with Jo in the shop.

This afternoon was the final 7th grade football game which was played in Argyle, MN. This little town is about two and a half hours away and just 50 miles from the Canadian border. We met Matt, Sara, and the kids at their place so we could follow them to the game. The Bears lost, but put up a good fight.


After the game we all stopped at Pizza Hut for supper before we started the long drive home. Sam's cast might be coming off this Wednesday, so he will then be able to start thinking about playing basketball.


After John and I got home, we spent the rest of the evening watching Monday Night Football and catching up on blogs and emails.

John was feeling slightly better this morning and wanted us to get back into our routine, so we took our usual walk. The morning was clear and fairly warm--60 degrees. We met our neighbors, Dave and Sheila Otting, along the road. They were busy cutting some brush by a pasture gate to clear the access to the field for loading and hauling their cattle back to the home place. They told us they have a calf missing. Seems like something spooked the cattle and caused them to break through the fence and one of the calves wandered off. They hope it wandered into another pasture with some other cattle.

We didn't attend church this morning as John still didn't feel 100 percent and didn't want to give his cold to others. He spent a little time outside on the lawn mower gathering leaves and getting the yard cleaned up and then came back inside to watch the Sunday football games. I managed to get the suitcases unpacked and at least one load of laundry done. The evening was spent watching both Sunday night football and the Phillies game.

John and I were up early this morning even though we did not get a good night's sleep. John's cold kept him awake most of the night and thus I did not get much rest either. The motel had one of the best breakfast selections we have ever seen and we were able to have a good meal before getting on the road.

Since the traffic was so light today, we were able to reach home by 3 p.m. We had stopped in Little Falls, MN for a late lunch and then made another stop at Dairy Queen for some ice cream. Another stop was made in town for some milk and fruit for tomorrow's breakfast.

It was amazing to see how much change had taken place over the two weeks we were gone. When we left here on September 24th, our trees were just starting to show their fall colors and now most of the trees are completely bare. I feel like I completely missed the fall season. However, we did get to see some beautiful fall colors traveling through Ohio and Wisconsin.

John fired up the outside furnace while I unloaded the car. We got a few things unpacked, but decided to let the rest go until tomorrow or Monday. John's cold is really wearing him down and we're both pretty tired after not getting much sleep last night. The evening was spent watching major league baseball and college football. GO PHILLIES!!!

Thought I would finish up what we did yesterday first. Katie had a church meeting last night, so Gus took us out for supper at Bob Evans. This was our first experience with this restaurant chain, and we found the food to be delicious. The three of us then took a little stroll through their local Wal Mart so John could get some cold medicine. Carol and Bill returned from their trip with colds and John managed to catch it before we left--he has spent most of yesterday and today sneezing and blowing his nose. FYI--I won the poker game.

John and I were up early this morning and got on the road by 7 a.m. Our first stop was McDonald's for breakfast and then we hit the interstate. The weather was sunny and warm--perfect for traveling. We stopped somewhere in Illinois for lunch and made it to Black River Falls, WI before pulling off the road for the night. We found a nice Cracker Barrel for supper and then spent the evening watching the Phillies and Reds play again. Tomorrow is the final leg of the journey--it'll be good to be home again. We had a wonderful time visiting with friends and family, but there's no place like home.

Darlene-My knee is doing just great. Thanks for asking.

Today I am writing my blog entry at Borders. For those of you who don't know what Borders is, it's a book store with a cafe and free wireless. Katie and I came here so I could do my blog and then take some time to look at books. Actually, Katie is browsing the store while I am writing this update.

Yesterday afternoon Katie and Gus treated us to some real Cincinnati chili after our trip to the antique mall. The guys couldn't learn anything about the sword because all the dealers where gone--so it was decided we would bring the sword home and take it with us to Texas and see if someone down there might have some information about it.

Last evening was the first post-season game for the Phillies and Reds. A member of Gus's church invited us over for pizza and the game since Gus doesn't get TBS at his house. John and I were the only Philadelphia fans there and he did a good job of restraining his enthusiasm for the winning Phils. Tim and Molly were very gracious hosts and have a beautiful new home. We had many different delicious snacks and pizzas to eat--even a big Phils and Reds cookie. Folks starting stabbing the Phils name at about the 7th inning. It was a great game if you're a Philadelphia
fan. We stayed to watch just a few minutes of the Yankees and Twins, and then headed home.



We had spent a pretty quiet morning around the house. John and I did take a nice walk down the road and back. The weather is just beautiful today with sunny skies and warm temps. Gus insisted that we play cards so we spent the rest of the morning playing some poker. The game is on hold for now, but I think I have the most chips. We will head out for home tomorrow morning.

My blog update is a little late because Gus did not have good internet access at his house, so this morning we went into Cincinnati to a Panera's where they have wireless internet. I will update you all on yesterday, but not sure I will be able to do it again until we are on our way back to Minnesota.

Tuesday morning we left New Stanton around 8 a.m. and, once again, drove most of the morning through rain. The traffic was very light so it wasn't a problem. We stopped for lunch right outside of Columbus and by the time we finished eating, the sun was shining. Gus called wanting to know where we were, and told us we should be at their place in a little over an hour. He was right--we pulled into his driveway around 2 p.m.

We had an enjoyable evening visiting and recalling many funny incidents from the past. Gus and John were their usual obnoxious selves with each other. For today's adventure we are heading off to an antique mall where the guys are taking the sword John got from his cousin. They want to try and find out if it is authentic or something about it's history.

Well, gotta go. Maybe we'll go somewhere else tomorrow where I can update the blog and add some photos.

When planning our trip to Gus's in Ohio, we decided to make the trip over two days rather than one long one of 12 hours. By leaving Pop's a little later in the morning we were able to spend some additional time with Bill and Carol (and also avoid the rush hour traffic through Philadelphia).

Our plan was to leave Pop's at 10:00 a.m. We got out the front door on time, but as we were standing outside saying our final good-bye's to Bill and Carol, a neighbor from the old days came walking down the street and stopped to chat for awhile. Needless to say, we were a little later leaving Oaklyn.

We had smooth sailing all the way through the city and onto the PA Turnpike. After leaving the city, the rains started again and we pretty much had rain off and on for the rest of the day. At lunch time we pulled into a service area and had lunch at a Roy Rodgers. This was our first time eating at this food chain and found they had good hamburgers, but cold and soggy fries.

The ride through the Pennsylvania countryside was very pretty with the leaves showing their fall colors. We pulled off the road for the day at New Stanton and checked into our motel. The Garmin found us a Cracker Barrel near by and we enjoyed a nice quiet dinner. After eating we returned to our motel and took a swim in the heated pool. The evening ended by watching Monday Night Football.

John and I were up a little earlier this morning and started organizing our things and getting them ready to load in the car. Pop decided he wasn't up to attending church this morning, so John and I went by ourselves. This is the church where we were married 46 years ago. We saw a few folks we knew from the old days and spent some time after the service visiting with them.

Following lunch we did some more packing and then headed over to JB's to help him with a computer problem. As he has two TV's set up we were able to watch two different NFL games at the same time. Personally, I found it hard to concentrate on two games at once--must be a man thing. After an hour or so, we said farewell to JB and invited him to come to Texas this winter. He is seriously considering giving us a visit sometime after the first of the year.

I almost hate to write this, but we stopped for another Philly Cheesesteak on the way back to Pop's. This time we bought just one and split it--this will have to last us until we come East again.

Carol and Bill arrived home just as we were finishing supper. They had spent a week in North Carolina and had rain just about everyday of their vacation. Yesterday was their only sunny day--it started to rain again as they started the drive home this morning. Even though the weather was poor, they had a great time with their friends.

We all spent a quiet evening hearing about their trip and catching up on what has been happening in our lives and the lives of our kids. Tomorrow we head out on the next leg of our trip--a visit with John's brother in Ohio.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect today. After the heavy rains of the other night and a week of cloudy weather, today's sunshine was very much appreciated.

I spent some time out in the yard just enjoying the nice day and then had to get down to the business of starting to gather our belongings in preparation for leaving here on Monday. Laundry was the number one job for today. I have all the clothes cleaned and now just need to repack them in the suitcases. Tomorrow I will go through the house and make sure we have all our stuff--camera charger and batteries, laptop power cords, etc.

John and I decided to have one more cheese steak, so we walked a couple of blocks to the store and got cheese steaks for all of us for supper. They sure tasted good. We spent the evening watching college football. Carol and Bill will be back by Sunday evening and we will hit the road for Ohio on Monday morning.

Most of the night we had very high winds along with heavy rains which resulted in the Philadelphia area receiving almost 10 inches of rain. When we looked out the back door this morning, the creek, which runs behind Pop's house, was overflowing its banks. There were many branches down in the yard and a lawn ornament is missing. Maybe it will show up when the water recedes.

After lunch we headed off to Long Beach Island to visit some friends we have known for over 40 years. We were anxious to see how things were on the island after this storm had passed. The first thing we noticed when driving over the causeway bridge, was that the bay was exceptionally high and rough. We drove out to the end of the island to get a look at the ocean. The surf was very rough and high and a good portion of the beach had eroded away.

After spending some time looking at the ocean and walking a little on the beach, we headed over to the Kelley's house. We spent an hour or so visiting and then they took us out for supper. Many of the business establishments have closed for the season, but we found a cute little cafe called the Chicken and Egg that was still open. We all enjoyed a delicious meal was we reminisced about old times. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the city. We arrived home in time to visit with Pop a little before he headed off to bed. John and I spent the remainder of the evening watching the Phillies on TV.

(I had some trouble getting the pictures on the blog this evening, so I had to put the shore photos at the top of the page.)