Home Sweet Home

So my awful summer is over, and I'm home in Kino Bay for good. But first!

Our Minnesota Trip

We drove to Tucson on Sept. 9 so Ron could be seen at the VA there. However, someone in their eligibility department had cancelled his appointment without notification. Now rescheduled for early October. It had already been a headache of a day, because the truck was making a loud "something's dragging" noise the whole way, and Ron couldn't see what it was. Nor did he want to get it looked at before it became something horrible. (I think I heard my dad rolling in his grave.) In Tucson, we found a Big O shop by the VA that advertised brake repairs, and drove away 3 hours later with a new drive-carrier-thingy and minus $300. Not too bad. Got a motel room and crashed.

Flew out of Phoenix the next morning to Minneapolis on Southwest. Rented a car, and drove to daughter #3 Julie's house in St. Paul. SO great to see those faces! Just a quick visit, then drove to St. Cloud to stay at Jon's overnight. More great faces! Next day a reunion dinner at daughter #1 Caprice's house, and my friend Kristin joined us with her daughters. LOTS of great faces there! That night back to Julie's. Next night at Jon's. Then up to friends Brian and Joy's place in Dalbo. (That was poker night at a lakeside bar. None of us won, but had tons-o-fun.) Then a night at Caprice's house (shopping and Olive Garden for me and Caprice, billiards for Ron and Don), followed by the last two nights at Julie's with backyard campfires.

Flew back to Phoenix Saturday, where Ron proceeded to have a cardiac event: racing erratic heartbeat, sweaty, fatigue, short-of-breath. He didn't want to go to the ER, but we weren't anxious to leave the vicinity of medical care should it be required, so we stayed at the Desert Diamond Casino Hotel. Next morning, he was OK, so we drove home. Oh! We'd left the new air conditioner on in the casita the whole week FOR THE CAT and it was 68 degrees in there! YAY! Still summer here, upper 90s with high humidity.

Now we need a vacation from our vacation. Here are some photos:

Chef Don, Ron, Kristin

Jon

Caprice, Leben

Julie

Nora, Eli, Dylan

Max

Ruby

Nora

Eli, Ruby, Ron

Almost the whole family, plus one...

All because two people fell in love...