Dressing Up

One of the games we played involved dressing in wild outfits.

Ben and Eleanor

Mrs. Carlson and Mom

Mrs. Strand

Anna

Abbey and Megan

Luke

Daniel

Daniel and Stuart racing for the finish.

4th of July weekend

Three very special children, who have blessed each of our family's lives.

Fun and Games at the Hill's

This past weekend we had a few friends over for some silly games and to visit. The day was beautiful and the fellowship great. The kids are playing a game of "Sharks and Minnows".

Abbey was giving directions for the game that was about to be played.

Cotton ball race

Beginning the noodle race.

It's a Ford

Justin knew at once it was a Ford, (he has a book of Fords.) or he tends to think cars that look like they are from this era are all Fords, but it was a Model A Ford.

Supposedly, Dee's Granddad drove a Model A Ford from WV to Chicago for the Chicago World's Fair, 1933, he would have been about 21 yo. That drive would have been an amazing feat at that time. Also, Bob's Grandmother Routenbush attended the world's fair, coming from MI, I would think. Bob's dad also attended, being 4 yo at the time, I'm assuming that meant his mom &/or dad went with him, not sure if they were living in Chicago at that time or were coming from PA. Anyway, if I get lots of comments with info. maybe we can get the story right.

Wendy's imitation of the "Sound of Music"

Pre-Jamestown backyard visit.

Purity, Joshua, Steven and Justin.

WV

Most of us at the school reunion.







Picture of my dad's cousin, she attended Wheaton College with Elisabeth Elliott. She said she actually was in Jim Elliott's class and knew him better. I had always wondered about this and finally was able to ask her.


At the school reunion, the event that brought everybody else to Granny's, right away we met a man from IN, with an adult son, who was born in Korea.
The class reunion was for anyone who had attended Forest Hill School, which would include my mom, dad, Granny, Aunt, Uncles, etc.

Granny's house, well over a hundred years old.








Three brothers: Uncle Mike the youngest, Uncle Harold the oldest, my dad is second born (my aunt is between dad and Uncle Mike.

Justin napping at Granny's. We must have run to town and he managed to sleep some. Notice he is holding PaPa's presents, or at least three of them.

Continue visit with family

With our stop in WV, we got to see MaMa and PaPa, yeah!


Abbey, still trying to complete projects.
Wendy looking over the view, pretty impressive.
We also got to see Aunt Judy and Uncle Don...it was their 4th wedding anniversery and we got to spend it with them at Granny's. They were both all smiles.

This is the first time I had seen all my uncles/aunt and their spouses, plus my parents at the same time since my Uncle's wedding, 40 years ago. We didn't get a picture of the event, but it was great to see everyone.
(fyi: 2 uncles live right by Granny, my Aunt lives near Richmond, VA and my parents live in SC, so not too far from each other.)

Visiting family in WV, 6/6-6/9

We thought we'd start our trip out with a monument. This one is the "Confederate Monument" in Hinton, WV. Interesting, there is no Federal or Union monument in town, that I have ever noticed.
Justin and Granny reading the paper together. He is definitely looking at cars.

Traveling in WV

run away truck ramps.
Run away truck ramp that hugs up around the mtn.

Not
some-

thing you see in IL...





since most of the Jamestown crowd drove this road either coming or going, I thought I'd make some comments:

Before you come to this part in the road, if you are traveling east, you have traveled from mtn. top to mtn. top across bridges, that you just don't even notice how far you are up in the air.

This picture is taken on I64 traveling east, just past Beckley, at the top of Sandstone mtn. There is a manditory truck stop for all truck drivers to pull off the road and make a visual inspection of their truck, plus check other things; before they head on down the mtn. Both my uncles say if you think the grade is 7%, you are quite mistaken.











Starting down the mtn., just in case you missed something on your inspection there are two "run away truck ramps." We always muse, would we want to drive into the sand pit that ends at the side of the mtn., then heads straight down or would we want to wait and use the one that goes up and around the side of the mtn. Many times we have seen trucks in each of them. We met a family from WV at Liberty Day this past Feb., and then again at the Jamestown 400, they thought it was so funny that there weren't any turns to be found as you drive out across the praire (IN and IL), we really understood where they were coming from.

At the bottom of the mtn., you cross the New River, then you can take the exit towards Hinton, that's the way we go to visit much of my WV family.

Stay tuned for the boy's trip.

Here are a couple pictures of some of the sights that Bob and Daniel saw while in Canada. They'll post more pictures later.

Back home from our trips.

Bob and Daniel arrived home Sunday morning, early. They were able to get some sleep and then head to Kurts for a Father's Day gathering with the Hill side. The girls and Justin arrived home in Union around 3:00 PM Monday. It is good to be home. Dee, Wendy and Justin all came home sick. Wendy is beginning to feel better and is playing in a soccer tournament at this moment. Justin and Dee are left at home, (so this is Dee writing at this moment and I'll continue in the first person, for it will be much easier.) With Wendy, Justin and I sick, Abbey has been very busy taking care of things, plus taking care of Isabel and then she helped strip wallpaper at some friends newly purchased home. So no one has been able to attend to the blog for quite some time. I'll try to catch everyone up, as Justin is playing on the floor with his cars and singing "How great thou art", (he really gets into the "then sings my soul part"), I have some time to work on this.

When Justin arrived home he found the cars he'd left behind and they were like old friends to him, he marveled at each car as he was reaccainted.








Picture above Justin traveling with his tray and playing Mr. Potatoe head, why he puts the muscle arm in the head, we're not really sure. Next pic. he is getting some wiggles out at the hotel in KY, where we stayed the first night. We were one of the last people to leave the hotel that morning, for we didn't need to be at Granny's till the afternoon.

2 down...

Wendy finished up her dress and it looks great. She breathed a sigh of relief as she finished. Now our family is ready for our trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg. (well the packing is not complete.) Abbey has basically finished up the third dress, she will do a final fitting tomorrow and then finish up all the hand stitching. The boys will be heading to Canada for a fishing trip, so we have piles for both trips all over. We've been preparing for meals for both trips. Packing. I just hope that we don't end up with fishing lures in VA or the boys with colonial slips with their tackle boxes. :)