Posts Tagged ‘Family’

We’re Shuffling Off to Buffalo

October 23, 2008

Betsy and I will be heading to Buffalo, New York, later this morning.  We’re making a quick trip up there to visit my daughter Kelly and her husband Chuck.

Kelly and Chuck moved to the Buffalo area a little over a year ago, and are eager to show us around.  It will be good to see them again.  They actually live in Depew, New York, a suburb south of Buffalo proper.

Betsy and I were in the Buffalo area in 2002 when we went to Niagara Falls.  At that time we stayed on the Canadian side of the border and only drove through the area around Buffalo on our way back home.  So it will be good to see more of that part of New York State.

I’m sure I’ll have much to share when we get back home next week.

Hurricane Ike Refugees

September 20, 2008
Lily, Clem, Betsy, Bert and Matt.  Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  September 19, 2008.

Lily, Clem, Betsy, Bert and Matt. Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. September 19, 2008.

Yesterday we had a visit from son Bert, his girlfriend Clem, and her two children, Matt and Lily.  The four of them are refugees from Hurricane Ike and are currently staying in Chattanooga with Bert’s father.

Bert and Clem live in Galveston and work at Pointe West, a resort community on the western end of Galveston Island.  They know that their house is still standing, although it did get water on the first level.  Fortunately they had moved their most valuable possessions up to the second floor, so they feel that most of their things are safe for the time being.

But of course Galveston has no water, no electricity and no working sewer system.  People are not allowed to return for now, so Bert and Clem have no idea when they can go back to even check on their house.  It certainly doesn’t sound as if they will be able to live there any time soon.

Point West received relatively little damage, but they have no electricity.  Since Pointe West is at the extreme western end of the island they will be the very last to get electricity.  There is so much damage between the city of Galveston and Pointe West that Bert thinks it will be after the first of the year before electricity gets to Pointe West.

Bert and Clem have many decisions to make over the next few weeks and we certainly will have them in our prayers.  But yesterday we just enjoyed being with them.

Happiness Is A Blueberry Muffin

September 18, 2008

The picture above is of my mother enjoying a blueberry muffin at lunch yesterday.

Mom is truly a remarkable woman.  She developed macular degeneration more than 20 years ago and has been legally blind for most of the time since.  But most people meeting her would never know that.

She and Dad had gotten along quite well until several months ago when Dad was diagnosed with macular degeneration.  He, too, is now legally blind.

They now have to rely on members of their church to get them around.  Yesterday a church member took them to the doctor and then to their Bible study.  After the Bible  study our good friends Judy and Charlie picked up Mom and Dad and took them to lunch.

Charlie took this picture of Mom with her blueberry muffin.  It looks as if all’s right with the world.

A Young Ninety-Six

August 30, 2008
My Dad on his 96th Birthday.  August 29, 2008.

My Dad on his 96th Birthday. August 29, 2008.

Yesterday Betsy and I went to Hendersonville to help my father celebrate his 96th birthday.  When we got there he was working in his back yard with my brother and sister clearing some brush.  It’s typical of Dad that he wouldn’t even take his birthday as a day off.

It’s  not often that my brother, Ken,and my sister, Janet, and I can all get together at the same time, so it was rather special to have the three of us — and our spouses — together to celebrate Dad’s birthday.

I’ll have to admit that Dad has slowed down a little bit, and we found out last week that he is now legally blind.  But even that hasn’t stopped him — he keeps doing the best he can.  I’m proud to be his son.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

A Family Reunion

August 5, 2008

In July Betsy and I went to her hometown, Big Stone Gap, Virginia, for a Bruce/Cummings family reunion.  Betsy is related to the Bruces and Cummings through her mother.

Betsy knew some of her cousins as a little girl, but she had not seen most of them for years.  Of course, there were many other family members that she didn’t know at all.  So the reunion gave her a good excuse to go back to Big Stone Gap and the opportunity to get re-acquainted with people she hadn’t seen in years.

Betsy is very interested in family history, as is her cousin Ellen who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Betsy and Ellen spent quite a bit of time exchanging information on the Bruce family.

Not only did Betsy get to meet people, we were able to enjoy the beautiful southwest Virginia countryside.  We think we live in a beautiful area here on the Plateau, but those mountains around Big Stone Gap are also very beautiful.  All in all it was a wonderful weekend.

To see more of our weekend, click HERE.

Sean Franklin Adams

July 24, 2008

Isn’t modern technology wonderful?

My grandson, Sean, his father (my son, Robert), Sean’s friend, Zack, and Zack’s mom went to the mountains of North Carolina, over the Fourth of July weekend.  From what I’ve heard, they had a wonderful time.

When they got back home Robert put together a DVD of their vacation.  The DVD featured both a video and a slide show, and was very well done in my not-so-unbiased opinion.  Robert also put an album of pictures on the web, which is where I got the above picture.

As you can see, Sean is a very handsome young man.  Unfortunately I can’t take any credit for that — Sean looks much more like his father than he does his grandfather.

I’m sorry that we don’t get to see Sean more often — he is growing up so fast!  But I am thankful that Sean has a father who is using modern technology to keep in touch with those of us who live so far away.

What a Doll

July 20, 2008

See that adorable baby in the front seat of the car above?  That’s my beautiful bride with her father in Big Stone Gap.  Since Betsy and I are still in BSG, I couldn’t resist publishing this picture.

Both of Betsy’s parents had passed away by the time I met her, but I would have liked to have met them.  Doesn’t her father look like the proud Papa in this picture?  I’m sure he was, but I suspect he was wrapped around a certain girl’s finger as much as I am!