Twilight Riverboat Cruise

Gulls

Eagles Nest- There are 42 on the 83 mile stretch of river we were on.

At the Mississippi and Marine Museum in Dubuque

Mark Twain- He looks like a relative of Thomas Jefferson! That's a joke.

 Lots of Pelicans!!

 Looking to see how close the boat is to hitting the Lock. It bumped and they had to back up and try again.

American Pickers in LeClair Ia

Class of '61 plus

Johnny Hamilton, a member of the class of '61, invited us all to his and Alice's Lake Panorama home. Many members of this class have remained connected throughout the years. Here are some of them.
At Lake Panorama

 Butch Brooker

Sue Durlam Lucht

Charlene (Newcom) King

Andi (Siegenthaler) Blume

Carol (Wilson) Zwicky

Donna (Kafer) Lawson

 Mickey (Sanders) Starr converses with Dwight Tomes

 The "Boys" L to R Jack Harmer, Butch Brooker, Johnny Hamilton, Ed Lawson

The order of things...

The order of things may be a bit wonky because the last week has been one whirlwind after another and I am having a bit of a quandary deciding where to begin. As in the past, it works for me to fall back on pictures. Thanks to all who took pictures of our big 60th Anniversary Surprise and sent them to me. I am usually the one taking pictures so this is different what with finding them, mostly on Facebook, copying them and incorporating them amongst my own.

GreatGrands belonging to the Rich and Donna branch. L to R- Skylar, Scarlett and Nina

Our 3 Sons Rich, Gary and Jason

 Opening presents!

Surprised at something Susan said?

 L to R- Dick J, Bill B., Marlene K., Georgia B., Don B., Butch and Leo

  Nina, Skyler and Scarlett!

Nina Grace is very photogenic

Quickie Post

We survived the river cruise and it was worth every penny. We will be home tomorrow and I will start the process of getting caught up with lots of different endeavors. Till then!

On to the next big thing!

As many of you know, we planned a trip on the Mississippi for our 60th anniversary. And now that the surprise party is part of the happy past it is time to turn our thoughts to getting ready for the trip. I do not feel I have had time to give the party, the pictures and the well-deserved Thank You's the proper attention. I assure you it will happen but now it will have to wait. Asking for your patience.

60th Anniversary Pictures

These are the first ones I have received and edited.

Stormy Day

 Lightening took out a transformer at the Casino

 And created a fire...a small fire

 We knew none of this as we were watching the storm from home while worried about the kids driving from Boone ...which they weren't as they were at the Casino

  Brooker purebloods. Bill, Marlene, Don, Butch and Leo

 Add a couple of cousins- Dick Jorgenson, left and Georgia Bair center

"That's a picture of what?"

 Laura, Jason, Butch, Barb, Gary, Susan, Rich and Donna

 Nicole, Laura, Ethan, Jason, Butch, Barb, Gary, Susan, Nina, Ann, Rich, Donna with Scarlett and Skylar in front

Surprised on our 60th Anniversary!

I woke up in the middle of the night and said to myself. "Did that really happen?".

Jason called us yesterday afternoon and asked if we wanted to go to the casino for supper because a coworker had told him about a fantastic Keto casserole they had there. I was skeptical about the casserole thing because, for the most part, I do not know of anyone who brags about the casino food. But I said yes we would go and try it. There were some pretty wicked storms that came through in the afternoon so I texted Jason and Laura to warn them but didn't get a reply. So finally they came to pick us up. When we walked into the casino hallway I spotted Mickey and wondered what she was doing and assumed she was standing in line for a show. And then I started recognizing more and more faces! They totally surprised us!!!! They were all there to celebrate our 60th Wedding Anniversary and we did not see it coming not even a little bit. It was perfect! And I recommend this to everyone. We had none of the planning, none of the mental anguish over it all coming together, none of the little glitches that always seem to pop up along the way. We came, we were surprised beyond measure and we visited with lots of friends and family for a very enjoyable evening. It was perfect!

I do not at this time have any photos so I cannot post any but there were many promises that they would be forthcoming. So you will see them when I do.

Now for the other side of the story. I wasn't involved in all this so my second-hand version may lack authenticity but you will get the gist.
First off when I sent the blog entry out about our Mississippi cruise down the river I had no idea I was interfering in some ready-made plans. That was way back in February. So the first change was the designated weekend.
And then the Missouri kids were here in town early and doing their best to not be seen by us. We did wonder why Leo was calling so often when in fact he was trying to keep track of us.
And then it was a stormy day, a very stormy day and lightning struck a transformer behind the casino and knocked out power as well as starting a fire. Now, this was after the party room had been all set up but they were told to evacuate and in came the firemen. There was smoke. Much excitement and hullabaloo and then it was over. Still no electricity though. This all happened less than 30 minutes from our supposed arrival time.
So they moved the party to the hallway and they carried on. I say 'they' because Butch and I had nothing to do with it. It was the very most troublefree party I have ever attended and if there is ever another one I hope it happens in the very same way.
We thank everyone who came and all the many people who made it turn into a perfect day and a perfect party. We are truly grateful for all of our many friends and family.

Ride to the bridge

 Keri and I rode the trail as far as it currently goes. It was a very warm morning so we made our own breeze.

 Notice the 3 sheered off pylons,

Busy at everything but posting!

Monday Butch and I took a road trip to Rockwell City to touch base with my little sis Myrla. We had not seen her in quite some time. I talk to her on the phone every few months but it is not the same.
Myrla is a dog lover and she recently lost one of her fur babies, Peaches. Her other fur baby is Hewy and he is going on 15 which makes him a very old guy in human years, say about 115! Hewy weighs in the neighborhood of 150 pounds. He is descended from Wolf, the German Shepard, and Mastiff.  He has quite the lineage! He suffers from severe arthritis in his hindquarters and getting up and down is very laborious for him. Myrla helps him by putting a towel under his back legs and tummy to assist in the lift. We all grow old together.

I wanted to get a good picture of Hewy standing next to Myrla but Hewy wanted to lay down so I was only partially successful.

 Myrla is not overly fond of cats. But Hewy is, so Tippy is Hewy's cat.

 Best of Friends!

Subway is Keto Friendly!

Jason told me about getting a salad at Subway. He sounded positive about it but having been disappointed in trying to eat healthy in a fast food place before I was slightly skeptical. But while on a road trip yesterday we decided to give Subway a try and was most pleasantly surprised. For one thing, I think there has been a change in their menu because on the big board I read  " order any 6" sub as a salad". As luck would have it, a fellow a couple of spots ahead of me was ordering a salad so I paid close attention. Subway now has a special bowl and a chopping tool they use when you order a salad. Maybe they always have but I never noticed it before.
So I ordered a 6" Subway Club "as a salad"! She grabbed her trusty bowl and added all the ingredients they would normally put on a 6" Subway Club, asking me what kind of cheese I wanted and then what veggies I would choose just like usual with all of it going in the bowl. The next step was did I want lettuce or spinach or both. I opted for both and a healthy couple of handfuls also landed in the bowl. That was the bread replacement. Dressing? Yes, Ranch. And then do you want it as is or chopped? I chose chopped and she chopped away. She upturned the big bowl into a serving bowl with the final question being do you want crackers or croutons and I said neither. It was delicious!!! It is very reassuring to know that there is a fast food place to fall back on while on the road.