Nick's Birthday Party

Yesterday Nick got to have a gathering of friends to celebrate his birthday, since as usual he was gone on the day. His wonderful aunt volunteered her family's lake as a location. Nick was very excited. The hard part was limiting the numbers to make transportation doable. He only went three over his limit, and a kind parent/friend drove the excess. I told Will he didn't have to stay, but he got cool and comfortable. I don't know how he could possibly prefer this to sitting on our hot couch that feels like an electric blanket wrapped around you.

The 13 teenagers had a great time. The girls were spitting mad when they checked out the mud pit and the boys got them muddy. However, after they jumped in the lake to wash off, they couldn't stay away from the mud pit. They seemed to enjoy it even more than the boys. Of course, Duane says the mud feels like silk. Apparently it's true.

Brenden was being babysat by Venisa. A fastidiously clean child, he clung to me as he watched the mud fights in horrified fascination, but didn't want to get too close. He just wanted to throw rocks in the water and eat watermelon and cake.

You can see the arm print on Nick's chest from an enthusiastic hug he had received just before eating cake. They built a fire and enjoyed it before we returned home at 10 PM. Five boys spent the night here and I actually slept well, not hearing anything. I must be getting old.

Wow it's Hot!

Can you believe how hot it has been? We don't have air conditioning. The head of this household doesn't believe it's appropriate to comjplain about being hot or cold. Did you ever notice how saying you're hot doesn't change anything? So he doesn't understand the point of talking about it. I certainly don't want to be called a weather wimp, so I try not to complain. But wow it is really hot.

Now that I finally have that off my chest. We've had a quiet week at home. Nick has had the most excitement. He and Will shopped for all the items on the Search and Rescue equipment list last weekend. I'm not sure who was more excited. Then there was the fun of packing all that stuff into the overnight backpack and the day pack.

Before he was even finished packing, he got a call to be at the Sheriff's office at 6:00 a.m. the next day to search for a lost camper. Sadly, the lost walked out of the woods while they were on the way up the mountain. So he spent the day up there helping take down their command center, because they'd been up there for three days. A news crew came up and Nick got on the news, standing in the background.

Then on Tuesday, we took a trip to the DMV and Nick walked out of there the proud owner of a permit to drive. With three weeks on the road to study, he got a respectable 93%. Now he's a total pain wanting to go somewhere all the time and wanting to drive even when it's not a good time. When we return home, he always goes to the far end of the loop we live on and drives around the entire thing. Oh well, he's the last one so we must enjoy every moment.

Eric's car broke down and had to be towed. It's fixed now, but he no longer has air conditioning because the price to fix it was a little to close too the car's value. Fortunately, Eric, like his father, seems somewhat oblivious to heat, cold, rain, etc.

Eric had to shave the prized beard. He trimmed it neatly and went to work to see if anyone would notice. They noticed. He has it down to a goatee now, which McDonald's finds acceptable. His blistered thumb is healed now that he once again has access to guitar picks. I also finally found a place that has shoes for freaks. Strangely enough, it's called Oddball Shoes. Somehow it failed to show up on my previous online searches. I ordered and already received a pair of black Vans, size 15. I don't know what I'll do now that I no longer have a constant quest for shoes for freaks. I shall have to find a new purpose in life.

It is really hot.

Day 19 Homeward Bound

Friday, July 14

As we were leaving Big Mountain this morning, it was evident preparations were underway for a weekend festival. They don't have Best Pots there, but we met a truck bringing in some "PeeWees".


We drove a little over 700 miles in our dented car today, and not one kid complained about being in the car so long. I was concerned that the Camry might be too small and cramped for such a long trip, but Will was the only one who felt it. Fortunately, he has no tolerance for wimps, whiners and crybabies, so I didn't know how uncomfortable he has been until today when he said he wouldn't take a long trip again in a car that was too small for him. After all this time, we know that Eric and Will do not fit well on the same seat in a restaurant booth, and they also should not sit directly across from each other due to competition for foot room.

It is wonderful thing to be back in the Pacific Northwest. The flowers here are bigger and more beautiful, and the public toilets are equipped with paper seat protectors. I was shocked as we traveled to find these were non-existent in the other states. The national parks, Washington and Oregon were the only places where these could be found. I am truly blessed to live in such a civilized state.

As we shared our last meal out before arriving home, I asked everyone what their favorite part of the trip was. Eric and Nick really liked Bear Country, and Nick especially enjoyed the zip line and Will's part in the auction at the reunion. Will said he like leaving and coming back. They forgot to ask me my favorite part, but I told them anyway. Staying with my Aunt Jeannine and Uncle Lester and hearing their stories, and being with Aunt Lela and Uncle Gary were highlights for me. And how could I forget Uncle Kenny and his fabulous wood creations and historic photos. Eric and Nick spent the night at my cousin Sharon's when we were at Jeannine's. She also has three boys, with only one left at home. Eric said she and her family were "more hospitable than you can imagine", telling them to help themselves to drinks and make themselves at home, showing them all their video game systems and letting them play as late as they wished.

We pulled in our driveway about 10:15 p.m., having travelled a record breaking 705 miles in one day. Our trip meter read 5,075. Michael and Terri were out in front of their house and they all came out to greet us,so we got to see them and Brittany, Shorty and Jeremy right away. Eric had no time for pleasantries with them, he had to unload and head out to see his friends. Since he has been growing his beard the past three weeks, Molly really needed to see it. She approved.

I discovered Eric had a picture that should have been shared, so I leave you with one of my funniest memories of this trip. But my window is still smudgy!

Our kids probably, actually for sure, saw more mountains than they ever wanted to see, but I hope they remember all the good times we had together. This road trip is over, but we will continue to travel on appreciating the beautiful world God has created, laughing easily at all the funny things that come our way, and not whining about the discomforts we encounter!

Day 18 Glacier National Park

Thursday, July 13

After breakfasting in the dining room here overlooking the valley far below, we drove down the mountain to Glacier National Park. It was a beautiful day, but many fluffy clouds overhead. Since we were planning to take a cruise on McDonald Lake, Will was concerned for my well being since I had forgotten to pack a jacket of any kind. We stopped in Whitefish and went into a likely looking store. I was appalled to see price tags of over $100 on the first several racks of jackets. But I soon found the clearance rack. I found a lovely periwinkle blue fleece jacket for 70% off, a mere $21! I was quite pleased. As we walked back down the street to the car, we passed by a couple of old geezers sitting out in front of a saloon. Noticing Will’s hat, one of them said, “I’ve never seen a Mariner that big!” Another one said, “What’s this pretty little lady doing with all of you big ugly guys?” Will had a witty comeback, but what was it? I had opportunity to wear my new jacket as we cruised the lake. We met some very nice people from Wisconsin and enjoyed conversing with them. They took a picture of us, unfortunately with the burned area in the background. We enjoyed the awesome mountain views of Glacier and wished we had more time to spend there hiking. Someday we’ll return.

Eric has taken many pictures during the past several weeks, more than 700. His camera was set to bark when focused, and meow when the picture was taken. After hearing it so many times, I finally quit being startled. Today he changed it to a less noticable sound.

Subway had the family’s favorite sandwich on special today. We got some to go for dinner when we returned to Whitefish. We found a picnic spot halfway up the mountain on our way to our hotel and enjoyed the view of the lake below and the mountains beyond as we ate. We are in the same room tonight as last night, so are basking in the luxury of not having to move in and out of a room tonight. There are many comfortable seating areas in a loft above the main entrance, so Will and the boys are up there watching a DVD now.

Tomorrow we begin the journey home!

Day 17 Travelling

Wednesday, July 12

As we headed toward the north entrance of Yellowstone, we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs and walked around to see the sights. There was much climbing stairs involved in this trek. I made sure I was always behind Nick when descending stairs.
The rest of the day was a travel day as we made our way toward Glacier National Park, through Missoula, planning to stay in the Kalispell area. Road construction as well as heavy rain and winds slowed us down a bit. We enjoyed the views of the enormous Flat Head Lake as we drove through Polson and Lakeside. I had not been able to find any Montana guides that show motel listings, so we were not able to call ahead for lodging,

We are spontaneous travelers, not making lodging arrangements too far in advance in order to be free to see and do whatever we come across at the moment. Who would have thought that every motel in Kalispell would be booked? The first one said there was one motel with vacancy back in Lakeside, 10 miles or so. “We are a destination, and many people come during the week to avoid the weekend.” The clerk at the next one said there were not likely to be any rooms between Kalispell and Missoula, and of course there were no rooms available between Kalispell and Glacier. I refused to believe it. I picked up a motel guide and made a few calls in Kalispell. They all confirmed full. So I started calling in Whitefish, 17 miles farther toward Glacier. The first one listed was Alpenglow Inn. The cheerful woman who answered said yes, they had rooms available. The price came down as we chatted, I booked the room, and she told me it was seven miles off the main road up the mountain at a ski resort. Way better than a Super 8 or Motel 6!

We stopped for dinner at IHOP where we had an interesting dinner, a waiter who smiled so much Eric said they’d never let him work the grill at McDonalds (Eric’s preference) because they’d want him in front all the time, an incident with Will’s pocketknife disabling Nick’s annoying two straws hooked together to make one long straw, and a narrow avoidance of a collision between Will’s backside and a four-year-old running full speed to his table. To thank us for coming in, our waiter surprised us with a free dessert, apple pie with caramel sauce, which we shared. Delicious.

In Whitefish, we turned off on Big Mountain road which wove up through several switchbacks, ending up at the Big Mountain resort and our lodging. We had a wonderful view room with a queen and two bunkbeds, making the boys very happy because they still have been taking turns sleeping on the floor. The view from the restaurant deck overlooking the valley’s twinkling lights at night was awesome, although the height of the deck made certain people a little nervous. A woman brought her laptop to a table out there. I was tempted to do the same, but it was easier to do it in the room.

Day 16 Yellowstone National Park

Tuesday, July 11

After breakfast this morning, we walked around the Old Faithful geyser area and settled down on a bench to wait for the eruption predicted to start at 9:50, give or take 10 minutes. At 10:16, it finally erupted. Well worth the wait.

We drove down to Grand Teton National Park and had lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge. Absolutely gorgeous. We were entertained by eavesdropping on a conversation nearby between the waiter and diners. All the staff wear name badges that have their name and home state on them. If I were college age again, I think I would go work at a national park for a summer. But not as housekeeping staff.

So the day was spent pleasantly and uneventfully driving and walking around the beautiful sights of our national parks. We didn’t see as much wildlife today, but I get as excited about all the gorgeous varieties and abundance of wildflowers as most people do about wildlife.

More Eric and Will car talk: After conversing about past history of battles to take over someone else’s territory, from Napoleon to Indian wars, Eric said, “No one has tried to take over the world for a long time – since Hitler. Why is that?” Will replied, “Because the Sheriff won’t let me. I have a plan in place, starting with…” But I dare not divulge this confidential information. They discussed these plans and made some improvements on them.

We are staying at Canyon Lodge tonight. Another beautiful rustic room with log furniture. Here’s Eric relaxing with his guitar in front of our lodge (Dunraven).

Trip Day 15: Collision in Cody

Monday, July 10

Happy Birthday to my brother Mark. Are you really 51?

What a day. After the worst “complimentary” breakfast ever at a motel, (packaged pastries and muffins, orange juice and coffee), we prepared to depart. As Nick was going downstairs, he tripped. Fortunately for him, Will was in front of him and broke his fall as he plunged down the stairs. He dropped the laptop, but it seems to still work. He seems ok other than a sore back. After we got in the car, Will thought we should check and see if there is a National Registry for Oafs in Cody. Maybe if we got Nick signed up, we could get some free gifts and discounts in the membership package. Gracefulness is not one of Nick’s primary attributes right now.

My men allowed me a little time in a fabulous scrapbook store there in Cody while they went to some outdoor store. I have never been in a store with such an incredible array of paper, stickers and other supplies. That was worth the trip alone.

As we were headed out of town, we spotted a Wal-Mart, the first one we’d seen since Nebraska. Eric needed socks and guitar picks (no luck there) and Will wanted a Sudoku puzzle book and a compass for the dash of the car. So we made a quick stop. As we were about to pull onto the highway, there was a sudden crash behind us. A city bus had rear ended us. The damage was fairly minor, a dent to the bumper, but the driver had to call the police, and soon two policeman arrived, followed by a city supervisor, then a public works supervisor. About 45 minutes later after all the reports were filled out and pictures taken, we were on our way.

Eric and Nick had become bored with the proceedings and got permission to take a walk “to see what we can see” down the street in the direction we were heading. We drove a little way and didn’t spot them, so pulled over to call them. When Eric answered the phone, he said, “How did you know we were here?” I looked around. “Know you were where?” Then I saw them coming out of the Cody Fireworks store next to where we were parked. Should have known.

When we entered Yellowstone, we spent the first half hour driving slowly in road construction. But we saw six or seven bighorn sheep up the hill near the end of it. I exclaimed on our good fortune to see them so soon, Will remarked that they were tethered up there. We talked to a man later that day who said he’d been in the park looking for some for three days.

The rest of the day was pleasantly uneventful as we drove and walked around sightseeing. It is so beautiful, and we saw many animals, including elk, antelope, deer, coyotes, and of course bison everywhere. Even spotted a bear down a slope briefly before it disappeared. Mysteriously,our new compass showed that we were going west or northwest all the time. It's now in the trunk.

We are spending the night at the Bear Lodge at Old Faithful. It is a gorgeous room with character. It even had soap shaped like a bear. I opened the bathroom door and squealed with delight. “It has two white bathrobes!” When Will came in the door, I repeated it to him. He said, “I know, I could hear you clear down the hall.” Oops. But how luxurious. The lodging here in the park does not have internet, TV or air conditioning, so that we can enjoy our wilderness experience to the fullest. There is a fan in the room but we didn’t need it – we kept the window open. This place has nothing in common with a Super 8 – including the price!

Day 14 Cody

We went to Grandma's Ice Cream Parlor for breakfast this morning. That's where the fabulous Super 8's continental breakfast was served! No ice cream was on the menu this morning though.

So we headed down the highway through the ever changing landscape. Our windshield has been bugging us because it was a little foggy on the inside. I had some handy dandy Rainex wipes for that purpose, so when we stopped at a view point, we cleaned it. As we headed down the road, we realized it was even smearier looking than before. We pulled over at the next viewpoint and Will said he would get something to polish it. He got back in the car with a pair of his folded underwear. He did his side and handed it to me to wipe down my side. I got to laughing so hard I could hardly do the job. I couldn't believe I was sitting by the side of the road in the Bighorn Mountains wiping my windshield with underwear. (He promised it was clean.)


We had lunch at a city park in Cody where the boys were able to indulge their inner child. Will tried to climb it but he said his feet were too big. Then we went through the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which houses five separate museums. It is huge. We took a drink break out in the beautifully landscaped garden, and I asked everyone what their favorite part was. Mine was the gallery of western art, Nick's was the firearms museum, Eric's was the Plains Indian museum, and Will said his was the one we hadn't seen yet - the museum of natural history. We spent many hours in there. The gift shop was pretty cool too, but we resisted Nick's request for a peace pipe as a souvenir.

Motels in Cody are expensive, and after checking around, we reluctantly returned to the Super 8, where I had to return to the front desk to ask for soap and toilet paper. Then we gathered up our laundry and took a family expedition to the laundromat. When we returned to the motel, Will told the boys it was time they learned the McAnulty way, not the mommy way, to pack, and they sorted, folded, rolled and packed away the clothes with a minimum of rough housing.

Day 13 Buffalo

Saturday, July 8

We went right to Custer State Park, where Will got quite excited after being told we would see burros among the wildlife at the park. (We had seen some the day before also.) He said, “We’re putting our place up for sale when we get home. I want a place where I can have a burro!” You heard it here first.

I requested a stop to photograph wildflowers, and became aware of some commotion behind me in the car. No one seemed to want me to know what happened, but apparently Eric, who was in the front, managed to knock my coffee out of the cupholder as he reached back . (I assume he was trying to give his brother a loving pat.) They did a good job of cleaning it off my seat and the floor. We had a little more excitement when Will sent a hornet out the front window to the back where I sat, but I managed to back hand it out the window.

We had a wonderful lunch buffet at the State Game Lodge, a historic building that Calvin Coolidge called his summer White House. The buffalo stew was delicious, and there was even berry and apple pie for dessert.

We saw beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife again, but we were about to leave the park and still hadn’t seen any burros. I wasn’t sure Will would allow us to leave with that desire unfulfilled, but fortunately, they showed up near the end. There were two babies that were very cute. I had to dash back to the car and roll up the window because one wanted to get a bit too friendly with me. My guys thought that was funny. I have a picture of the boys with the burros, but I can't get it to load.

Eric drove most of the day, and Nick and I chuckle and look at each other and shake our heads as we listen to their conversations. Although I did learn a lot about the difference between mules, donkeys, and horses. I also learned about DNA when Eric said, “This road is much windier than the map showed – perhaps a bit like DNA – but not really.” So I had to ask what he meant. Then they were talking about the power of the mind over the body, and regurgitation was mentioned. Will said he hadn’t done it since he was 14. Eric said, “I got you beat.” Will looked at him, speechless for a moment. “How?” “I haven’t done it since I was 11!”

We ended up in Buffalo for the night. The desk clerk was exceptionally bright. I told her we had two adults and two teenagers, and she said, "So they're both over 12?" Here's your sign. As we finished getting registered, a gentleman came up and asked for clean sheets. He had pulled them back and it was obvious they were dirty. I was afraid I was going to be sick. We went to our room, turned on the lights, pulled back the sheets, and were satisfied that they were crisp and clean. Gotta love these motels.

Day 12 Custer

Friday, July 7

We drove through the Badlands to Mt. Rushmore. The weather has been amazing so far, the reunion days were a little warm and humid, but not bad. The temperatures have been at the mid-80s and sunny. But as we drove into Rushmore, it began to rain. We sat in our car and waited for the shower to abate. Will told the boys about his bad memories of the last time we were there 14 years ago. They had been sleeping in the car and woke up cranky, not wanting to get out. They were very whiny. I have a picture of Eric eating an ice cream cone and Craig climbing on rocks, but no pictures of Mt. Rushmore for some reason.

It has been completely redone since then, and there is about a half mile of board walk to walk around for views, including many steps. So we got our exercise and many pictures. Speaking of pictures, as I got the boys and Will into the obligatory pose I mentioned to Will that sometime perhaps he should take a picture of me with the boys so that future generations could confirm that I had actually been along on the trip. So of course he had to take one then and there, and me with wet hair. I checked the picture when I got the camera back and had to laugh. The boys and I looked ok, but he cut off the heads of Mt. Rushmore! So we re-did it. The boys believed it must be a tradition for us to get ice cream there, so we indulged, sitting in the dining room with a great view of the mountain.

The boys really wanted to drive through Bear Country USA. It was fun, lots of close up views of elk, buffalo, antelope, and of course bears. At the end of the driving tour, there’s an area to walk around and look at the baby bears. There were two climbing a tree. Soon another joined them. Then another. After awhile there were ten little bears up the tree. Can you find them all? They were very cute and entertaining.

We did more touristy things then drove to Custer to spend the night.

Day 11 Valentine

Thursday, July 6

We had a great time with Lela and Gary, but we left them after breakfast. She and Will were still going around about the proper way to give directions - she says corner, Will says intersection. After a morning on the road, we had lunch at Niobrara State Park with a panoramic view that overlooked the Missouri River. The view was great and it was good that we are all large people, because the wind kept attempting to blow us all away! As we headed down the road, we stopped and took a little walk to see the state’s highest waterfall at Smith Falls State Park. Later we drove through the Fort Niobrara Wildlife preserve, seeing mostly elk and prairie dogs. We spent the night in Valentine, where they really play up their name. It’s a good thing I like hearts.

We went to dinner at a local restaurant, and the boys decided a man was stalking us, because they had seen him at the falls, the motel, and the restaurant. Nick knocked over a full glass of water and we were amazed at Will’s quick reflexes as ice water splattered toward him. Now Will is the only one who hasn’t spilled water on this trip…We’re waiting.

Reunion Trip Day 10

Wednesday, July 5

All of us Troyer siblings went on a tour of the area to see some places where my parents and grandparents lived and went to my Uncle Ron’s grave. Then we met a cousin and her husband in Lincoln for lunch. The guys went on a tour of the state capitol and rode go carts, and the women went to the mall. In the evening, we had a room at the local pizza parlor where some cousins and my Uncle Kenny, Aunt Phyllis and Aunt Grace, who got back from a trip to Oregon late the night before, joined us. I learned that 50 some years ago, Phyllis had stayed with my parents helping with their three small children after my mom fell and hurt her back. They paid her $5 a week, which she used to buy her $75 wedding dress! After dinner, I finally got to see Uncle Kenny’s woodshop and some of his creations. I had to have the music box pictured that says "Peace on earth".

He also had a wall of old family pictures. Wow. Pictured here is my Troyer grandparents wedding picture and flowers and ribbon from the wedding. The original marriage certificate is in the frame above.
There were many beautiful and interesting things to look at, but we soon went back to Lela’s for dessert with the relatives.

Reunion Trip Day 9

Tuesday, July 4

At breakfast, Uncle Gary and Will were discussing the malfunctioning hot water heater in the 5th wheel. Our RV hot water heater had recently quit working also, and Will had figured out it had a re-set switch that needed to be flipped. He looked this one over – same thing. A flip of the switch and it fired up. The shower is nice and big so we are living very well. Will really wants a 5th wheel!

We really enjoy sitting at the table watching the birds at all their birdfeeders. We saw many beautiful ones, including Baltimore orioles, red-winged blackbirds, meadowlarks, and cardinals. I think Will will be getting our birdfeeders out when we get home.

The boys made several trips down the street to a fireworks stand and were on the front driveway making a lot of noise all afternoon. For some reason the boys enjoyed tossing them in the culvert. Very annoying, and they have lots of the noisy ones left. I think they’re probably both broke now. Eric couldn’t believe his good fortune that he could buy Roman candles.

The boys and Will went out to my cousin Jim’s place where my brothers Dave and Doug were staying. They have a dog business, breeding and selling pugs, Yorkshire terriers, toy poodles and standard poodles. Right now they have 35 dogs, including 11 puppies. One was born just before they got there. They spent a good bit of time there holding puppies. When they came back, I heard Nick was looking for me. He gave me a big hug, patting my arms and rubbing my head, a little more enthusiastic than a normal hug. Then Eric came along and said, Nick did you give mom a hug yet? Then I understood. I have an odd little quirk about animal germs and I always want them to wash their hands after they’ve been holding dogs or pet rats, etc. The little brat was spreading dog germs all over me. Then he had the nerve to tell me that Jim had a retarded Pomeranian and he would give it to us for free. It would make a perfect birthday present. Ha.

Aunt Lela hosted a big barbecue potluck in the evening and many cousins and the one aunt and uncle who were in town came. We took a group picture of the cousins and their spouses. That was quite an experience. I hope someone else’s turned out better than mine but here it is. Will tried to stand in the front row and I was perfectly willing to stand behind him but it didn’t seem to work out for everyone else. Can my brothers identify all these people?


Then there was quite a fireworks show on the front driveway. We learned there is a good reason some of these are illegal when one that shoots high in the sky tipped over and was still spinning, shooting fire at the spectators. One cousin was burned on her foot, another one’s shirt caught on fire and her side was burned. Yikes!

That evening, Will asked Eric for his impression of the past two day. Eric said they’ve gone really fast. Why is that? “Maybe because I didn’t get up til 11:00 both days!”

Reunion Trip Day 8

Monday July 3,

We woke up to find Aunt Jeannine bustling around the kitchen frying bacon and cooking pancakes. After breakfast she insisted I bring her my shirt from the day before so she could get the stain out. (Becky had dropped a fork and splattered me in an unmentionable place.) So Jeannine Sprayed and Washed, scrubbed vigorously, rinsed and hung it to dry after I declined her offer to bring the rest of my laundry out so she could do it for me.

The boys and I went shopping and lunching in Grand Island with cousins while Will took a solitary exploratory drive. Occasional solitude is necessary for him to maintain his customary good humor. The mall had a Best Buy so the boys were very happy. I unsuccessfully continued my quest for a store that a carries shoes for freaks. We went to a great book store that had new and used books and CDs. They were having a sale of used books 4/$10. Wow. Aunt Jeannine loves to read, and it seemed a little tacky to buy used books as a hostess gift, but I knew her thrifty soul would appreciate them more than new books. Eric was please to buy two CDs that cost a total of $5.

Then to a grocery store to buy a birthday cake for Nicholas. Happy 15th, Nick. If he wouldn’t have been right there, I could have bought a day-old, half price cake decorated with pink flowers. But no, he didn’t like it so we had to buy him a fresh appropriately decorated one for full price. I guess he’s worth it.

Upon our return to Cairo, we met up with my four brothers and went on a driving tour of some of the places we used to live. Will was a bit shocked when Galen drove into the driveway of the farm house east of Cairo and got out, greeting the homeowner who was in the midst of an outdoor party of many people. We didn’t know that our cousin knew the homeowner and had made arrangements for Galen to buy bratwurst from him. He showed us his meat shop and offered to take us inside the house, but we declined. The barn, chicken coop and other outbuildings were gone, as well as the grove of trees that I used to consider a “forest”.

As I looked at this house where I had lived from about age 5 to 9, I recalled a time that I had prayed on the front steps. My mother had received a card with the verse about God moving mountains if you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, and it included a tiny mustard seed. I had never seen a mountain, but I thought it would be great to have one in my back yard. So I sat on the front steps and asked God to please move a mountain into my back yard. I also asked him to make my older sister Linda be normal instead of mentally retarded. I went into the house to check on Linda – no change. I waited awhile and checked the back yard. Nothing. I still had faith, though! I kept watching for a mountain to show up in the back yard and I continued to pray for Linda.


My cousin Jon and his wife Bert hosted a barbecue for the extended family in the evening. Great food and company again. Nick had a blast driving their go cart (pictured with his cousin McKenna) and jumping off a shed on their tire swing.

My cousin Sharon told me that after my mom's cancer surgery, they used to come over and help us clean house on Saturdays. She used to get mad at me because I would come across a book and sit down and read when we were supposed to be cleaning my room. I appreciate her forgiving me for that!

Once again we had to say goodbyes. Time to head for the Troyer relatives. We left for Aunt Lela and Uncle Gary’s house in Milford after dinner, arriving around 10 PM. My brother Mark and his family are also staying there. We get to stay in Gary's large comfortable 5th wheel, which has a slide out and queen size bed. Will really wants a 5th wheel!

Reunion Trip Day 7

Sunday, July 2

Sunday morning we had a worship service in the little chapel building. Eric played the guitar with the worship team which was mostly made up of teens. Once again my heart was warmed with thankfulness for this spiritual heritage as my aunts, uncles and cousins shared about God’s faithfulness and blessings in their lives. My Aunt Jeannine talked about the year that each of the six Oswalds siblings had a baby. (My brother Doug was one of them.) Her 7th child born that year was “such a poor-looking baby –tiny and bald”! You would never guess from looking at Jewel now that she was a poor-looking baby!

It’s always so hard to say good-byes when it’s time to leave. Will found a good place to be when they dragged on a bit too long for him. He's relaxing in that lovely gazebo.

Fortunately, we were heading to my old hometown of Cairo where my Aunt Jeannine’s family still lives. There were five of my original eight siblings back for the reunion, and the Cairo relatives put us all up for a night. We were honored to get to stay with Aunt Jeannine and Uncle Lester. I believe they are age 76 and 80, and they have survived and thrived in spite of many different health issues. Lester has had a seed and grain trucking business for over 50 years there in Cairo, and he still runs a branch of it in Arizona They live in Arizona and have a cute “summer home” (a small mobile home) in Cairo. Aunt Jeannine is quite petite, and her husband is not a tall man. Their furniture is chosen for comfort for small people, and my men had to duck to avoid the ceiling fans. As Eric was ducking his way out of the house that night, he said, “This is like a little gingerbread house!”

Aunt Jeannine is quite a hostess, and you would never leave her place hungry, thirsty, or with dirty laundry if she could help it. We got our digital voice recorder out and recorded the stories she told of the old days. I learned a lot of things about my family that I had never heard before. She and my mom were the oldest siblings, and their families both lived in Cairo for many years.

Their daughter Becky and her husband Scott from Oregon also stayed there in their RV. Becky was writing in her RV journal, and she looked back to the Colorado Reunion in 2000, where she had written that the price of gas was outrageous - $1.52!

Reunion Trip Day 6

Saturday, July 1

We had found the gravel road (there are so many of them in Nebraska!) that led to the place where the reunion was to be held Friday afternoon after making an unscheduled stop at the Arch Monument. It was very educational and interesting about the westward trail up to today's transportation with big screen video allowing us to experience a buffalo stampede coming at us and witness a Pony Express rider exchange. The Chuckwagon restaurant there was reasonable priced and our boys enjoyed a late lunch of buffalo burgers.

We made sure we were not late for breakfast. Our aunts warned us several times the night before that this place required everyone be there by 8:00 sharp. I was concerned because our boys didn’t show up. We had big dorm-style rooms with bunk beds, and Uncle Doug had invited them to stay in his room. When I checked on them after breakfast, the room was dark and they all groaned when I turned on the lights. What would they do without mom/big sister to wake them up? (Anisa wasn’t there to take care of Doug so I had to help out.)

The day passed quickly with so many wonderful people to talk to. The kids enjoyed the lake with nifty toys like a water trampoline and an inflated floating climbing wall. We had the zip line from 2:00-4:00 p.m. There were two lines, and Nick and Venisa went at the same time. Apparently it was quite thrilling. I was happy to just watch. Somehow Nick talked his Aunt Carol into going with him the second time. Nick enjoyed it much more than Carol, but she wasn’t the only one to back out once she had the view from the top.’’

Three of my lovely aunts watch the preparations for a jump.


Saturday evening was the auction to raise money for the next reunion. As the auctioneer’s helper, Will displayed a talent for suggesting unique ways to use various items. When a lovely teapot lamp was up for bidding, he said if it raised a certain amount, he’d sing “I’m a Little Teapot.” It was quite a performance, and I really hope we have it on video. My family history scrapbook went to my uncle Lester for $100, and he expressed his belief that it was worth much more. I gave each of my aunts and uncles a photocopy of it. They all expressed appreciation for it which made me very happy.