heading south

I doubt anyone reading this really cares where we have spent the last week but I decided to think of this as just a journal to ramble on.   And I have some spare time while sitting enjoying the cool  evening in Tenn. where we are visiting my brother Doug and wife Wendi.  Tomorrow my niece Bethany is getting married here at Fairhaven ministries retreat center.  It is beautiful here.  It is tucked in the mountains with cabins throughout the woods.  Each cabin is situated near enough Roaring Creek to be able to hear the water.  My only regret is that it is not 3 weeks from now when the trees most likely will be in their fall colors...guess we might have to come back :)
We arrived in Hillsdale, MI  saturday evening.  It is like stepping back in time.  Everything slows down.  People sit on their porches and watch traffic go by, traffic goes slower and there are deer everywhere and can be seen almost any time of the day in various people's yards.  Of course the residents don't appreciate it that the deer make a meal of their flower beds but I enjoyed seeing them out in the open.  At times there are herds of them crossing the street in one area of town and it stops traffic. We spent a few days catching up with my mom.  She is 81 and doing remarkably well but definitely slowing down.  One day I attended her exercise class with her at the senior citizen center nearby.  what a hoot...but  I kept thinking that in about 30 years from now I hope I am able to move like those people there.  I am so proud of her for going 2-3 times a week.  Not only is it good for her to move but good for her to have the social time.
We also were able to visit my brother Mark and his family.  He has 3 sweet kids that I wish were closer to us so I could get to spend more time with them.
On Wed. Roger and I headed south.  We decided to take it slow and go on 2 lane roads part of the way.  Ohio is a very loo...ong state :)  We drove through so many small towns along the way and i began to see that they had a lot in common.  Each one had an old grand courthouse in the center of town, and a tattoo parlor...and a tanning bed place...and a goodwill store.  Just some random observations of things that survive when times are tough.
We stayed the night in a town somewhere along the way and were joking on the way there about how surely there would be an outlet mall nearby cause they are in random out of the way places.  Well as we drove to our hotel...there it was...an outlet mall.  Sad to say it only had 2 stores open.  Vanity Fair and Lee.  They were stocked with great deals and i was so excited to check a few things off my list of things I needed to buy for the upcoming trip.

Natural Tunnel self shot with sun in eyes

The next day we again spent some time traveling on roads we never have been on.  That is significant because we have made...umpteen trips to the north over the years and so a different route was nice.  We went through the Cumberland Pass in VA and stopped at a state park (Natural Bridge State Park) for an hour "hike"...and then arrived at Fairhaven around 4.
One of the things Roger and I have talked about was how every now and then we get a bit nervous about our trip.  You would think it had something to do with timing and his lack of job etc but no...its the concern of being away from home and wondering if we will get half way done and be ready to head home but then when we think of the friends we will see along the way and our goals for the trip we are sure it will be fun.  And we decided if we get to the point of feeling overwhelmed at being in other people's homes etc we will retreat for a few days alone.  Its all an adventure and the unknown is what is a bit unnerving.
And so tonight we are sleeping on the 4th bed since leaving home a week ago...good practice for what's to come :)
One thing that happened this week that has been hard was to hear that our friend Brian Denny's dad passed away rather suddenly from liver cancer.  Our hearts are hurting for his family and we are so relieved that we will be coming home in time for the memorial service.
So...another blog.  We are planning to head home early sunday in time to get back to Sandhills for church.  One of the things we will really miss on our trip :(