Getting ready

The new picture is of John/Mary/Henry/Liam and Audrey.  I will change out pictures of the kids as the weeks go by.
Here is my sister Joan and husband Ron.  You see Ron talking and explaining as he gave Joan a beautiful diamond ring for the occasion.  At our Lee Family Reunion last July they celebrated their 50th.  Brother Dave and Marlys have 4 years to go.  Of us 6 kids they most likely will be the only 50s unless Helen and Mike live to be into their 90's and Terry and I live to be 114!!!!!!! 
Terry and I had a great time yesterday.  I played tennis at 7:30 in the 74 temps with very humid conditions.  My glasses kept fogging up because of the humidity.  I have been playing with a friend from Hudson WI who has come to love tennis this fall.  He has improved so much in the last 2 weeks it is fun to see.  We spent some time together Wednesday too.  I think the last time I smoked a cigar was perhaps a year and a half ago.  Well we met at the Tikki bar at the club and had a beer and a cigar.  I think it will be at least another year and half before I have another one!!  Anyway it was kind of a fun time.  I can not remember ever doing that kind of thing.  Even when I was teaching I would not stop at Plums on Friday for a beer with the rest of the staff.  I always was in a hurry to get home and to this day I would rather be home than sitting someplace visiting and having a beer.  I remember when I was 22 and got a job at Lake Ready Mix in Devils Lake for the summer.  I started on a Monday and on Friday the guys just assumed I would stop at the local tavern with them before going home.  I asked why?? and they said they did it each week.  Well I did stop and I just could not believe guys did that every week.  I remember I was the first to leave and they made fun of me for leaving so soon.  Saturday morning (we worked half days on Saturday) half of them did not show up for work because they had too much fun Friday.  That had a lasting impression on me as I just could not believe that guys did that kind of thing.  I know, it took me a while to really get to know the real world.
Back to yesterday.  Terry and I have tickets for a series of 6 book reviews and the first was yesterday.  It was something I had never experienced and it was fun.  Dr.Elaine Newton, who has a most impressive resume, talked for 90 minutes about the book, the author etc.  A different but really fun time.  My thoughts drifted at one time during the talk to the contrast of the day with a day maybe 54 years ago.  Back then I was in the middle of the Dakota prairie running around most of the time with no shoes, no shirt and using the lake for a bath tub and the wonderful three holer for other needs--today here I am sitting with khaki shorts, a knit shirt, slip on shoes and listening to a world famous professor explain how this book reflexes our culture of the day.  One person, two different worlds and they merge over the span of most of a life time--interesting.
In the afternoon we drove to an outlet mall to get a few things for the trip.  We spent most of the afternoon walking and watching people purchase things they most likely don't really need but they do because they can!  We did get a few things and for sure we NEEDED everything we purchased!!
I think we will spend much of today and tomorrow deciding, packing and just getting things ready for being gone for 2 weeks.  I am excited to experience Cancun and Cozumel as so many people I know have spent time there and I have never been there.  I remember how much fun was had in Hawaii snorkeling so hope we can do some of that.  I got myself a new hat and Travis send the sunglasses we forgot so I should be set. It is hard to believe that we will be gone for 2 weeks and when we return it will be December 3rd.
Ed Schwab called yesterday to make sure we knew about Anne Pinc's death.  I tried to explain how nice the weather is down here but he kind of cut me off--not really but I do hear it is getting chilly in MN.  I know that I always figured that anything in the garage that I did not want to freeze needed to be in the house by Thanksgiving.
We talked to Grandma Saunders last night.  We shared with her that we just ate the last of the tomatoes from the plants she gave Terry last spring.  I shared with her that we are now eating oranges from our tree just like she and grandpa had oranges from their tree in CA.  Of course grandma knows that CA oranges are the best and we know FL oranges are the best--kind of funny I would say.
Once again the french press is near the bottom of the cup and God is waking up the world with a bright sun which says time to get tome things done.