Heinrich Maurer took us at our word and came for a visit Sept. 2-7. We enjoyed his visit and he made many friends in the short time he was here. On Sept. 17 we went to Maumee Bay State Park for a Monarch butterfly banding session led by Doris Stifel. Cliff went to Dr. Isaacson at Toledo Clinic about his skin problem. 10/13 Samuel Allan Long was born on Nov. 13. When we got the news, we all piled in the car & drove to Toledo Hosp. to meet the little guy. We were honored as BG's Family of the Year at the Church of Latter Day Saints. Mayor Ed Miller made the presentation. We got an engraved silver bowl & certificate. We went to Indianapolis for Thanksgiving at Sam & Jo's. Thad provided us with masks this time! We went the 24th, as did Ellie, Jack, Tom, Nancy & girls. We antiqued & shopped. Thad & Mindy returned early. After church & a stop at the Waffle House, we headed home & celebrated Kim & cliff's birthday. Dec. 21st was candymaking day at Rocks & we were joined by Steve, Jennie, Lori, Brian, Joyce Wallace, Hiltners, Maxine, Ching & Yeuli (Chinese friends of Rocks). It was fun & we accomplished our candy dipping. We went to the 7 o'clock service Christmas eve & then carolled at Graues, Mr. Graves, Rocks, Mrs. Reichert & neighbors. Cliff & I sang at 11. At church Dec. 25th, Thad, Mindy, Cliff & I "did" the advent wreath--not many in the congregation. While we were having dinner, the Millers trooped through! Different! The 29th Kim, Steve boys & we went to Winter Wonderland & then ate at Christopher's. New Year's Eve we went to a buffet at Rock's & then to Hiltners. 1989 Jan. 1 we went to Canada, visited John & Betty who had their family with them. Dinner was at Eyres & then back to J & B's for overnight. We visited Aunt Mary who was in the hospital with a broken hip & stopped to see Aunt Flo, Shirley and Bill on our way home. Cliff went to Phoenix in January to the MAA governors' meeting. Sammy got casts on his feet Jan. 27. In Feb. we went to Lawsons and later in the month, Fred, Louise, Sam and Jo came for a visit and we went to Ann Arbor to Esther Case's birthday party at Fran Lyman's. We went to Oglebay Park in Wheeling, W. Va. in May with Hiltners and visited the Hare Krishna center nearby which Peggy Hall had told us about. In June, Cliff and I went with the mission trip to Port Gibson, MS. Many home repairs were made in a poverty stricken area during the week we were there. We visited Vicksburg and toured the battlefield and museum accompanied by Jeanette Mahoney & had supper at Norma Jones' apt. Norma gave us a tour of Alcorn U. campus. Mark and Mindy annouced their engagement July 2nd. Andy and Anna came from Togo in July. We all went to Brown County for the family reunion from July 16-23. While there we went canoeing, some went to a Reds game, we visited Bloomington & toured Columbus. Mark, Mindy & Thad returned early. On Sept. 17, Andy & Anna left for Puerto Rico to pick coffee (Andy had met the guy who owned the plantation when he was in New York one time) and were married there on Oct. 30. Mindy coached softball and tennis. She "did" her methods in Maumee and her student teaching at South Main with Pam Makara. She attended outdoor camp with her class. She moved into an apt. with Lori Fox, acquired Jane Honda (which caused her all manner of problems). Thad went to Oklahoma for Dean Sergent's wedding & led the Olympics there. Kim and Steve went to San Francisco from July 27-31and we took care of Sammy and cliff. Lawsons came for a visit from the 25th -28th. Steve got a promotion at NFO...and tore ankle ligaments while playing basketball. We flew to Boulder where Cliff attended the MAA governor's meeting from Aug. 5-11 We stayed at Maurine Eaton's PEO B&B. What a wonderful hostess! After I went to church, she took me on a tour of Boulder & had a picnic for me. Another day she took another couple & me to lunch in Longmont. Butlers loaned us a car! We enjoyed "Can Can" at a dinner theater and "Love's Labor Lost" at an outdoor theater. Bohns were there & we were glad to spend some time with them. Linda Butler and we drove to St. Francis, Kansas to see Aunt Vera before we returned home. Cards were played! Cliff made a sound system cabinet for church. He served on session. We went to his 40th high school class reunion Oct. 27-28. Hawkins were there & others he hadn't seen for a long time. Cliff was recognized for 30 years service at BGSU. November 18th was the holiday parade & we were to ride in a convertible as the previous Family of the Year. It was so cold that we rode in an enclosed car! Wileys were here for Sammy's birthday party & his baptism and party the next day. The 20th we met Anna & Andy at the airport. The coffee plantation owner's wife wasn't fond of Anna & when the day came that she threatened Anna with a knife, they decided it was time to leave! We all, including Mark, went to Sam & Jo's the 23rd and we stayed at their minister's home. Fred, Louise & Sara came next day & Mark, Mindy & Thad left! After a pleasant stay, we went to church & brunch & then came home the 26th. Cliff got a tooth crowned the 30th. Mindy graduated Dec. 16th & we went to the Pheasant Room buffet afterward. Mark, Irv Hahn, Lisa Keil came for spaghetti that eve & Stantons came later. Cliff & I enjoyed brunch at Mayers the 23rd & later we went to see the zoo lights & Cliff & I took little Cliff to see a live nativity scene. We put out luminaries Christmas eve, went to the early service where Kim, Steve, Andy & Thad ushered & later carolled. The 25th we were happy to spend the day all together. On the 27th, Anna and I made tons of lasagna for a reception at Wintergarden Lodge honoring her & Andy & Mindy's graduation. Seventy were present to make it a special occasion. Seven stayed overnight at the lodge. Brad & Jean Strutner came from Calif. Maxine Miller & Lois Hiltner were wonderful helpers. Marek Przezdziecki and John Leahy got here late on the 28th & could only stay til the 30th. We went to Rocks for New Year's Eve. 1990 On Jan. 1, Andy flew to Miami to pick up his motorcycle and then biked to Tucson, AZ where he became a research assistant (under Don Myers!) and grad student. After we dropped Andy at the airport, we went on to Canada & enjoyed dinner at Leapers & stayed overnight at Eyres. Anna couldn't go, passport-wise so Mindy stayed with her. Andy visited Norma Jones in Vicksburg on his cold trek. We took Anna to Detroit Jan. 13th and she flew to Tucson after Andy arrived. We went on to Plymouth, MI to see the spectacular ice sculptures there. On Jan. 15th, Cliff and I went to Louisville where he attended the governor's conference and the MAA mtgs. I enjoyed the lovely Hyatt pool, visited the Presbyterian Center, the Derby Museum and we stayed at a PEO b&b the 17th (where they had quite a collection of piano rolls). Janet Blair joined us when we returned home the 18th. We all went to Elk Grove Village Feb. 9th & enjoyed a visit with Richards, Jeff Clark & Dolores & came home the 11th. Fran Lyman had car trouble the 22nd & stayed overnight with us. What luck that she was near BG! We were in Toledo the 24th, headed home early afternoon & weather conditions had become so bad we wondered if we'd make it home. We did! Shortly after, Maxine called to see if I'd help staff the Methodist Church shelter so I spent the night there...not very restful sleeping in the kitchen with lights on & refrigerated machines running! Mark's junior high team won a thriller from Perrysburg at Anthony Wayne on the 26th & another from Springfield on the 28th! Maxine & I got involved looking after bluebird boxes at Oak Grove Cemetery! Cliff was patching up the Chevy himself and I was involved with Great Books with some Conneaut students. Mindy & I went to the wedding at the mall & ordered her wedding cake! March found us in Calif. Cliff took Tom & me to the airport the 19th & we flew to LA. Cliff came later & the guys attended a computer graphics conference there. I took the train to San Diego and enjoyed some days of visiting the Noland family. We went to Elyse's & spent time at the Wild Animal Park & the boys' schools, had Italian dinner with Curt & Marlena, toured the Coronada Hotel & harbor area, to Bruce & Debbie's for dinner, enjoyed singing partner songs. Diane drove me to LA to meet the guys and along the way, we met Nancy & had lunch at Dudley's restaurant. We visited Eric's house (but not Eric), Huntington Library, met Ray and Eleanor Brown for dinner. We stayed at the Viscount Hotel and we flew back March 25th. Steve met us in Toledo. March 26th, Eunice Chase, Carol Joynt, Maxine Miller and I drove Miller's van to Herndon, VA where we visited Bill & Elaine Spragens. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and we went to Congressman Gillmor's office, a capitol tour, botanic garden, Library of Congress, Ford Theater, house where Lincoln died, art galleries. I was getting weary & rested while Carol & Maxine toured the archives. Someone thought I was a bag lady & told me I couldn't sleep there! We went to National Presby. Church for dinner & program (the one Spragens attend). We had lots of fun and returned the 29th. In June, Cliff went to MS with the church group for another week of building projects and repairs. He helped Steve build a "fort" at 886 Champagne. July 14th was Mark and Mindy Gedeon's wedding date--the culmination of a long time romance dating back to their friendship beginning in 3rd grade when they biked to their Little League practices together. It wasn't a surprise when they announced their engagement! Rick & Mary were overseas & couldn't come, nor could Eric or Bruce's family. The birth of Kevin Gammon was imminent so Tom & Nancy couldn't come either but sent Alicia as their representative! Everyone else was here, including Lila. While we were at the rehearsal dinner at Day's Inn, Steve and Kim hosted supper for the visitors--some friends who came too. We'd decided on the Pemberville American Legion as the site of the reception & it wasn't air conditioned. We lucked out! The day was a cool and cloudy one. Everything went well & it was a very special day and time. Lila, Kim, Diane, Elyse, Maxine, Andy, Anna, Mindy, Mark, Lisa, Irv and others decorated on the 13th & some of us ladies cut up a bushel of fruit. Maxine fixed lovely bouquets for all of the tables. Sue invited all relatives & some friends to come there for lunch! At church next day, nine of us sang a gospel medley which was received with applause! We served punch and fruit afterward and many of the guests went to the service. Some went to the church game the 16th and 14 went to "Carousel".There were lots of golf outings, we went to the zoo, 28 went to Cedar Point, 11 went canoeing on the Old Mill Stream in Findlay. People left gradually, Sam went to Washington. Three carloads of us went to the Hayes center to tour/shop on the 19th. By the 20th, all had left (Andy & Anna off to N.Y to visit). It was a pleasure to have the reunion here. We took Andy and Anna to the Detroit airport, took the ferry from Marine City to Sombra, visited Aunt Mary, went to visitation for Uncle Clarence & the funeral next day, then returned home. Sept. 1 we returned for Beth Leaper's wedding, stayed with John & Betty and for brunch at Leaper's next day. Not long after, we learned that Ed was diagnosed as having lung cancer. Kim, Steve and boys went to Tucson to visit Andy and Anna. cliff started preschool 2 days a week with Carol West as his teacher. From August 7th to 9th, Cliff went to Columbus for a special celebration of the MAA/governor's conference. I went to Chautauqua Aug. 8th with the King's Daughter's tour, meeting the bus in Bucyrus, along with Ranghild Stone and Rosa Crow. Twenty eight of us had a fine time, including a day at Niagara Falls and elegant meals at St. Elmo's & the Hotel Atheneum there. A performance of "Faust" was wonderful. We went back to the chapel after the sacred song service & got poured on! Sue Buck led the tour and I roomed with Donna McCreight at Florence Hall. Cliff met us in Bucyrus on the 13th..and then we froze corn! The week they were married, Mark, who'd just graduated, was hired as a math teacher in the junior high at Fremont. There were no jobs available for Mindy so she worked at Heinz as a seasonal worker until November when two elementary openings became available and she became a 2nd grade teacher at Otis. They rented a house at 412 Hayes Ave, moving there Aug. 9th. Mark coached the junior varsity basketball team. Sept. 8th we went butterfly banding at Maumee Bay State Park with Doris Stifel telling us how to do it! We hurried back for Pam Ensinger's wedding & then to Lee Miller's to see the Mahoneys. Thanksgiving was unusual. Lill Danuser, with whom Ed had been living, planned to be away on a short trip so we said we'd go to be with Ed (who by this time was using a morphine "pump" due to the pain) while she was away. She left before we were to arrive and Ed became confused & was hospitalized. We went as soon as we could--Thad, Kim, Steve & boys, Cliff & I. When we saw him, it was obvious he wasn't in shape to continue to be taken care of by Lill. The discharge planning people supplied lists of nursing homes and Cliff & I visited several before making a decision on which we thought would be best. Ed was admitted to the one we chose before we returned home. On Thanksgiving Day, Kim, cliff and Sammy & I went to the Brookfield Zoo--an unusual way to spend the holiday. Andy and Anna came for Christmas. Thad met them in Detroit the 19th. The 24th we went to the early service, carolled at nursing homes & other places. Mindy played "Santa" Christmas day. We had brunch, delivered Wheeled Meals, had a feast & a real gifting time. The kids gave to favorite charities in our names! Special! Kim & Steve had an open house the 27th. On our way to Chicago, Andy, Anna, Cliff & I ate at The Patchwork Quilt, went to see Ed before continuing on to Lawsons. He was in very bad shape...receiving oxygen & massive morphine by the time we left. Rita was in town & went to see him but we didn't see her. Andy & Anna went to visit Haas' while we were in town. Dolores was over for a visit. Rock's had a 50's party New Year's Eve with over 20 there, including Stantons, all appropriately dressed! (Done) 1991 As usual, we (Kim Steve, cliff, Sammy, Andy, Anna) went to spend New Year's Day with the Long cousins. We stopped to see Shirley & Bill, visited Aunt Mary at the nursing home, went to Longleys for dinner. Steve's family stayed with them while we other 4 went to John & Betty's. Next day, we returned home & went to Hiltners for dinner. Jan. 3rd, we got a call from the cremation society in Chicago and it quickly became apparent they were calling as a result of Ed's death. He had died on Jan. 1. He didn't want a service of any kind. Sue took Andy, Anna & a Chinese student to the zoo & art museum on the 4th. Our family had beautiful amaryllis in church the 6th in our honor. Andy, Anna & I went to Fremont the 7th & they spoke to Mindy's class about Togo. Maxine went with me to take Andy & Anna to the airport in Detroit the 8th. Two days later, we returned to Detroit airport, thanks to Hiltners, & Cliff and I flew to San Francisco where he attended the governor's conference/MAA mtgs. We went early so we'd have a chance to visit with Rita and also with Barb and Cathi. Bobby, Rita Marie's son was there, as were Nathan, Barb's son and Rachel, Cathi's daughter and we enjoyed our visit. At the time we arrived, Cathi hadn't yet heard of her dad's death. We stayed overnight with her & Rachel. From San Jose we went on to Yosemite and stayed overnight. The weather was lovely and we tried snowshoeing and did quite a bit of hiking in that beautiful, snowy place. Then we went to Sacramento and enjoyed visiting the Bogarts, eating delicious food with them & having a tour of the capital city. Pat (Horan) and I had been friends since nursing school days. The days in San Francisco were lovely. We got travel passes & rode all manner of vehicles, esp. cable cars, wherever we chose. Those places included a bay cruise, Ft. Mason, Cliff House, Golden Gate bridge, Ghiardelli Square. By myself, I went to the zoo & Cameron House, took a Friends of the Library walking tour which included the Trans Am building, old mint, Wells Fargo. The Gulf War began the day before we flew home & we went to the Exploratorium that evening..practically had the place to ourselves!. Security was tight at the airport! When we got to Detroit, our flight to Toledo was cancelled so we bussed there. Kim and the boys met us. In February Cliff was trying to get Ed's estate cleared up so his debts would be paid & the insurance money would go to his daughters. It was stressful but he did it! On the 23rd, we (Thad, Steve, Kim and boys, Cliff & I) met Lawsons & Richards at the Angola Holiday Inn & enjoyed a weekend at Pokagon. We went on the toboggan slide and that was lots of fun and went on some trails. Cliff came home with a Bobby built bike. Fred and Louise drove here March 22nd and we drove on to Virginia to visit Sam and Jo, along with Diane, Ellie and Jack (they flew). While there, we went to the Pentagon to see Sam reaceive his meritorious service medal. All 8 rode in our wagon (betcha it was groanin'!) and then we went to Union Station, a capitol tour, had lunch & saw the National Geographic exhibits. Next day all but Jo went on a tour of the White House & then on to Williamsburg which we toured, stayed in 2 Howard Johnson rooms, ate at Cracker Barrel for the first time and enjoyed some hilarious card games. It got up to 83 degrees the 27th & we made good use of our Patriot Passes that day. On our way home next day, our car hit the 100,000 mark so Louise treated at the next McDonald's in way of celebration. Her Dad had just fallen and had to have surgery and wasn't in very good shape. He died a few weeks later. A man came to look at Ed's truck & bought it on May 21st! Cliff took Kim and Steve to Detroit & they headed for Hawaii that day and we kept two dear little boys til June 5th. They were very good and were fun to have around. It was warm so they spent lots of time in their pool. Maxine & Kim & we went to Dora's pool one day & Sammy fell in. What a scare! Rocks, Hiltners & we went to Tiffin to the antique show June 15th. We planned to celebrate Rock's anniversary at Pioneer Mill Restaurant. It was closed. Grr. Cliff and I went to see several productions of the Ohio Light Opera in Wooster in June. We stayed at Celia & Bob Gate's PEO bed and breakfast and toured Canton one day, including the Football Hall of Fame, McKinley memorial, Malone College, ate at Shreve in Amish country. We took our bikes along but it rained. We saw "The New Moon", "A Night in Venice" (Hollisters were there too) & "Patience". On the 28th, Mindy announced that there was going to be a little Gedeon in February! My 40th high school class reunion was held Abingdon in July. We left the 12th, dropped Andy at the airport in Detroit and took the long way to Galesburg! We stayed with Fred and Louise. and Diane, Elyse & the boys were already there. Fred had arranged an open house next day & we were happy to see former Delong friends, Killingsworths, Marjorie & Vivian Larsen. The pig roast/reunion was that eve at Ippolito's farm. Then we went to Brown County for our family reunion. On our way there, we stopped in Urbana to visit Prof. Ketchum who was in an Alzheimer's unit there--so sad! Golfers enjoyed the course at Brown Co. & Sam paid to walk. Some went to a Cinci baseball game & others to Ray Cramer's band concert in Bloomington. Some went on an architectural tour of Columbus while Cliff got a $300 water pump job on our car. There was swimming, ball playing, card playing, lots of chatting & eating. On our way to St. Olaf's, we stayed overnight with the Noonans in Danforth. We enjoyed a bike ride to the DQ several miles away. Next night we stayed at Mason City, IA of "Music Man" fame. We walked the Meredith Wilson Bridge, went to the Presby Church & were in Northfield and found our nice dorm at St. Olaf's. We were there several days & enjoyed returning to the town we'd spent 3 summers in. We had our bikes & found the hills a challenge! Cliff got a bladder infection while there so didn't enjoy our trip to St. Paul to see "The Grand Hotel" with Tommy Tune. We were almost so high up we needed oxygen! On our way home, we stayed in Rockford the 26th & arrived back home the 27th. Mindy began teaching 4th grade (a 2nd grade class was eliminated at Otis). She coached volleyball and softball and Mark coached basketball. Thad made an offer on a home ($56,000 app), 'twas accepted & moved to 516 Buttonwood in July. Anna went to Togo and spent several weeks there making arrangements to bring Tchapo back with her. They arrived in late Aug. & he started to kindergarten the next day! He picked up English very quickly and by the time they came for Christmas, could understand and speak English. Andy came here for several weeks but wasn't able to stay for the family reunion as he was going to an NSF conference in Wyoming. He had knee surgery for an unstable knee which wasn't completely successful. Steve and Kim built a deck on the front of their house (with John Krukemyer's help). Steve taught a course at BGSU (but didn't enjoy it!). Hiltners & we went to the Croswell to see "The King & I" August 9th, ate at the Hathaway House after our Entertainment book possibilities struck out! Longleys and Eyres came to camp August 16th. We went to the Pemberville Fair & the guys went to the tractor pull while the ladies shopped. The 19th we went to the Carousel Museum in Mansfield with John & Lois & found that very interesting. Cliff worked at the Toledo disorganized Habitat for Humanity the 24th & we went to the dinner celebrating Ralph & Donna Olson's 50th that eve.. Mindy & attendants had a shower here for Lisa Keil the 29th & we went to their wedding at our church & reception at the Atrium on Aug. 31st. I was Maxine's guest for lunch at the Fremont Woman's Club Sept 11th, we visited the Hayes mansion. Tim Robertson was a visiting math prof arriving for fall semester & Joan & I became good friends while they were here. Cliff, Vic Norton & Tom went to Purdue to a SIAM conference Oct. 1-2. We went to Malabar Farms with Toledo hostellers the 4th-6th. It was hilly & rained so we didn't do much biking but canoed 16 miles & had a good time. Cliff gave a talk at the fall meetings at John Carroll but wasn't happy with it! We got word that Aunt Vera had died the 30th...the oldest of her family & the one with most initial medical problems! November 1st the BGSU Danforth associates were hosts to the Ohio group & 60 came. Olscamps invited us all there for a lovely meal & evening on Sat. Dale Smith was having a big event at the planetarium so our PW group took care of refreshments & that involved some planning & preparation. I took estrogen awhile but didn't like it so quit. I served on the election board. Stantons moved into their lovely new home on the lake. Nov. 22 grandparents were invited to a preschool program and lunch. Cliff was a pilgrim, I an Indian, Next day we made candy at Rocks--Steve & Kim's family, Stantons, Hiltners & us. First Kim & the boys were in the holiday parade. After lunch, the boys flattened the candy balls for us! Then Rocks & we went to the Meth. dinner theater "The Man Who Came to Dinner". We'd seen "Annie" with Hiltners in Adrian the night before. Sam & Jo came the 27th to join us for the Thanksgiving holidays. Cliff Sam & I went car looking. The two couples went to Tony Packo's for lunch on Sat., to Maumee Bay, Berman's & Woodville Mall. Andy, Anna & Tchapo arrived from Tucson on Dec. 15th. The 5 of us, plus little Cliff went to see the zoo lights the 18th. The 19th we went to Fremont to help Mark & Mindy move. On the 21st, the neighborhood carolling party was held at our house with non-neighbors Rocks & Stantons joining us. We went to Maumee Bay next day & enjoyed racquetball, volleyball & swimming. Andy & Anna shopped on our way home the 23rd while Cliff & I "dickered" with the car guy. We ended up with a '92 Olds wagon for $19,000, including our car. Mindy called the 24th, wanting her tranquilizer Rx refilled...feeling anxious. We had our usual luminaries & Christmas carolling plus going to Hiltners open house. Christmas Day was another lovely one. Cliff, Sammy & I delivered W/M to 3 people. Mindy played & we sang. The 27th, Helen Lakofsky, Pat Cochrane, Andy, Anna & I fixed supper for Martha's Kitchen..40 eaters! Marek came for a visit by train on Dec. 29 & was here for an enjoyable few days. (Done) 1992 We took Andy, Anna & Tchapo to Detroit for their return flight to Tucson on Jan. 3. Leaving the airport at Phoenix, they had car trouble & needed a $200 tow! They spent the night in the car (glad to have the down pillows we gave them for Christmas!). On the 10th, we went to visit Lawsons & Richards.. Cliff made a podium for Mindy, at her request. Lois Cheney & I went to Monroe MI for a synod PW midwinter mtg. the 15th. The weather was abolutely awful but we made it there & back. Candidate David Young preached the sermon the 18th, was voted upon favorably & agreed to become pastor of BG First Presbyterian. We left on a snowy morning in March (Spring break!) with Thad as our chauffeur to drive to Toledo and catch a plane to Orlando. We left late but did leave! We drove our rental car to Cape Canaveral to catch our Premier cruise to the Abaco Is. Whoops, weather conditions prevented us going there so we went to Nassau instead. Sam, Jo, Ellie, Jack & Diane joined us & we had gorgeous weather, good food and a grand time. The entertainment didn't live up to previous cruises. Sam, Jo and Diane barely had room to turn around in their cabin! When we got back, we went to the Kennedy Space Center for an interesting tour and then to Disney World to our luxurious digs at the French Quarter. We spent 3 days exploring Epcot Center, MGM Studios & the Magic Kingdom & had a great time. I became moderator of Presbyterian Women in Maumee Valley Presbytery in April and went to Dearborn for a PW enabler gathering for an overnight in May. In May, Cliff and I went to our first elderhostel (even tho' I wasn't old enough to qualify). It was at Killarny Mountain Lodge, a little fishing village on the Georgian Bay, not far from Sudbury, Ontario We were the only people from the US there--many nice folks. Hiking & canoeing were featured along with classes on the brain & the geology, geography & history of the area. It was lovely. Cliff and I went to Albany in early June to a math/art conference. He really enjoyed it and began carving alabaster and then marble. Beautiful! In June the synod gathering was held at BGSU with over 400 in attendance. A highlight was a one woman production of "Lazarus". From there the mission trip to Neon, KY took off--12 of us where home repairs were made along with trusses, painting, cleaning up etc. One of the homeowners was so grateful that she cooked for us several times. Steve and Kim went canoeing with friends and cliff and Sammy stayed with us. We went to the Gray reunion & visited Aunt Ethel, Aunt Mary, John & Betty. The boys were so good! July found us at Brown County again with 37 present--including all of us. We left July 19th, stopping in Indy to see Sam & Jo's beautiful big new house. Diane returned home with us. We stopped in Indy. at the children's museum. July 24th. AAT headed off to Rochester with a rental car next day and were gone til the 28th. While Diane was here, we went to "South Pacific", softball games, did lots of looking thro' pictures & Andy's baby book..also the booklet about the Grays. She returned home the 28th. Mark and Mindy took summer classes, came to BG for lotsa softball games, went to Vermont to visit Lisa and Mark, announced that they'd be parents in February, moved into their own home on Fennimore St. in December. We were all available to help with the move! Steve and Kim acquired a doggie, Abby, in July and bought a new van. Thad re-met Debbie Harris in July and made many a trip to Buffalo where she was working. His furnace quit necessitating a new one, the clutch on his Nova gave out. He purchased a Saturn. Thad became intramural/sports club director. We met Debbie July 18. In September our kids hosted a party for us at Kim & Steve's in honor of our 35th anniversary. Kim made a beautiful counted cross stich "throw" with 12 Hummel pictures on it for us. Wow! She'd made 2 Hummel pillows for us earlier. Andy went to the bottom of the Grand Canyon to help Mike Evans celebrate his 40th bd. Anna continued working toward her GED. All three were here for the reunion & Christmas. When they were here in the summer, we enjoyed gardening, the zoo and a trip to Cedar Point. I had a biopsy of a place on my left cheek in the summer which proved to be basal cell carcinoma. In Sept. I went for a 2nd opinion with Cheryl Kosarek (thought it was OK). Soon it began to scab over again so on Dec. 1 I went to Dr. Shanahan for "further excision" & it looked like he took half of my face! I was not pleased! Mark and Mindy moved into their house at 934 Fennimore and had lots of helpers in doing so. We met Missy & Jon Detweiler. Sam & Jo joined us for Christmas & we went to Maumee Bay State Park for one night afterward & Debbie joined us. Fran Lyman stopped by for a short visit Christmas Day. Cliff took the pool table to Fremont the 28th & made needed repairs on the felt. We celebrated with Rocks New Year's Eve. 1993--The siblings met in Indianapolis over Martin Luther King weekend. We played cards, games, shopped, ate, generally had a good time. Presbytery was meeting in BG on Feb. 16th & we had a wonderful lunch prepared for them. Unfortunately, few got here due to the blizzard we had. We had a call from Mindy early that morning that they were heading for the hospital! My body was in BG but my mind was in Fremont as I wondered how things were progressing. By afternoon, a call to the hospital encouraged us that our grandchild would be born soon. Cliff had a annual periodontal appintment scheduled for that afternoon & as soon as we got to Toledo, I called the hospital & Alexis Lyn had just arrived and I was able to talk to her happy mother! We then headed for Fremont to get a look at the little darling. Steve had decided to take a job with IRI in Cincinnati so as we were gaining a grandchild nearby, we were losing 2 in BG. The four left Feb. 28th & that was a sad day. Cliff and I walked to Community Nursing Home to visit Bob Graves and found him dead. We notified the staff! Cliff went to Traverse City with me in April to a Presbyterian Women event. The cherry blossoms were in bloom & the area is so beautiful. We stayed at a PEO b&b, enjoyed going to Sleeping Bear Dune & looking way down from way up! We took a nature walk & saw lots of wildflowers, including jack in the pulpit The family reunion was held in Colorado Springs in July and our family drove to Indianapolis on July 10th and flew to Denver. It ws the first flight for Mark & Alexis & when we took off, we got a "thumbs up" from Alexis (with Mark's help). Mindy still prefers to be on the ground! Jo joined us & Sam was able to come for a few days later. The Cincinnatians flew with us and the Arizonians drove. Thad went to visit Mark Kepke and family and we stayed at the Red Lion in Denver. Mindy, Mark & Alexis visited Christy in Colorado Springs while we others visited Rocky Mountain National Park and that night Andy, Anna & Tchapo joined us at the Red Lion. We headed on to Colorado Springs the 12th where Diane had chosen a motel out of the AAA book & it worked out well. We were shocked to learn that Jack wouldn't be joining us..had angioplasty a few days before. Lila Oster & Linda Baker joined us for one day. We went to the Flying W ranch for a chuckwagon dinner & to be entertained by "The Sons of the Pioneers" one evening. At the Garden of the Gods, we came upon a rattlesnake who was putting on a performance! The motel pool got a workout from our group. The kids enjoyed it so much. There were 37 of us there. One day we toured the Air Force Academy and then went to the Hotel Broadmoor for lunch..Elegant! We also visited a nature center and took a mountain road to see a beautiful waterfall. We left the MelHaven Motel the 16th, visited the Olympic center, the statehouse & then flew back to Indy. We celebrated Stantons 42nd anniversary July 22nd & the Eyres & Longleys came to camp near BG. The 29th we drove to Canada to Aunt Ethel's funeral where Cliff was a pallbearer. Letchs invited us & others to their cottage in MI on the 31st. Mr. Boxley came to cut our large apple tree in the back yard on Aug. 2. It was leaning toward the house & we didn't know if the interior was dead (it wasn't) Cliff and I went to Fremont Aug. 4th where he helped paint and then we continued on to Wooster to see "The Birdseller" put on by the Light Opera & stayed at a PEO b&b. Such nice people! August 5th we toured Zoar Village and then went to the amazing Warther Museum in Dover. It was hard to believe that one man could do such extensive carving. That night we saw "Bitter Sweet". The following day we went to the Rubbermaid showroom and then returned to Fremont to take care of Alexis while Thad, Debbie, Mark & Mindy went to Cedar Point. Lawsons came the 8th and we went to the zoo concert featuring the Sweet Adelines. Next day we went to walk some of the boardwalk at Magee Marsh, lunched at Mon Ami before taking the ferry to Middle Bass Is. We rented bikes & enjoyed touring in that fashion. On the way home, we stopped to see the Gedeons. On the 10th, we enjoyed a day at the county fair. We hooked up the camper and went to Chain o Lakes Park in Indiana the 17th where we did some canoeing. The nervy coons ate the coffee cake in our cooler next day (thought we should be on a diet, I guess). We visited Shipshawanna & Gene Stratton Porter's home. On Aug. 22nd, we went to Chautauqua, NY to scout it out in preparation for a tour I was to lead the next summer. We went to Jamestown to buy curtains & bedspreads for the Ohio Room, went to the presentation on Palestine Park & saw a silent movie with organ accompaniment. While there I bought a bike, at Cliff's urging, in Jamestown before returning home the 24th. We drove to Sam & Jo's Sept. 3rd and went to Abingdon to celebrate Louise's 70th birthday. Our arrival didn't surprise her but the open house on the 5th did! Before that event, we attended the Presby. Church & ate together at Sirloin Stockade. We got home the 6th. On Oct. 7th, I drove to Dublin, along with Geneva Strausbaugh to the King's Daughters convention. While there, I sat next to a woman whose cousin's house we painted in Pt. Gibson during one of the church mission trips. Small world! We made 88 pints of mincemeat Oct. 26th and, at the recognition dinner that evening, Cliff got a framed falcon print. In November we went to Pat & Murray Mayieux's wedding reception the 13th, helped decorated a Habitat for Humanity float for the holiday parade on the 18th, had most of our immediate family here for Thanksgiving on the 25th (cliff's bd) and to celebrate Kim's birthday the 26th. Andy, Anna and Tchapo came for Christmas. They flew into Columbus & stayed with the Cincinnatians a few days before driving the Camry on here. We had enough snow to do some sledding! On the 27th, we went to Maumee Bay to stay in a 4 bedroom cabin. We got totry out the sledding hill & I had a very bumpy ride when I came off the sled! We also did some cross country skiing with skis Thad borrowed from the rec center. Eleanor and Jack came on Dec. 30th and on the 31st, we joined others at Sonnenburgs to celebrate New Year's Eve--a lovely time. Andy, Anna & Tchapo looked after the doggies for Thad. Thad moved into a lovely big office in the new field house, did lots of travelling...from Washington to southern Cal, acquired two Labs--Lincoln on Dec. 5 and Truman on Nov. 7th (7 weeks old)--owned jointly with Debbie! Debbie was back in BG, eliminating those trips to Buffalo! She continued in sales for US Surgical. Andy continued work on his dissertation, Tchapo was in 2nd grade & Anna was enjoying volunteering at U. of A. hospital. Mindy returned to teaching the end of March and Bunny (Carolyn Clark) became the caregiver for Alexis. Mark coached basketball & helped with softball. (Done) 1994--On the 11th, we took Andy, Anna & Tchapo to Columbus for their return flight to Tucson. On we went to cold Cincinnati where Cliff was given a meritorious service award from the MAA. It's given to an Ohioan every three years so he's in a select group! He was honored before the whole group & then we were guests for dinner at a fancy downtown hotel, the Netherlands Omni. On Jan. 26th, we headed south, staying overnight in Nashville. We visited the Opryland Hotel and saw the harpist/dancing water performance. Next day we had lunch with Lance at the Stockyard Inn, went to see their house, visited the Parthenon and then drove on to Huntsville, AL. We had too little time there to see and do everything we wanted to as we were to be in New Orleans at a PEO b&b that night. In New Orleans we did some sightseeing before going to an elderhostel in Thibodaux (Nicholls State). We saw a "spoof" Mardi Gras parade, went on a Mardi Gras walk with a ranger, visited the French Quarter, the Garden District & rode the St. Charles streetcar & saw some beautiful scenery. The dorm facilities at Nicholls State weren't elegant but were adequate. The classes on the Mardi Gras and The War for Southern Independence were very interesting. We spent one day in NO (travelled on a bumpy school bus) and had a tour of the facility that puts the floats together which are used in the NO Mardi gras parade . We attended a parade in Huoma and the Clydesdales from Budweiser were part of it. We enjoyed seeing all the gear that travels with & is put on them. Rain threatened but...the show went on, halted for a while by a broken axle on one of the floats. That allowed us to do some shopping while the repair took place. We got lots of necklaces (thrown by the crewes). We travelled north through Baton Rouge & toured some antebellum mansions along the way. Then we went to Vicksburg where we visited Norma Jones, our former BG associate minister now teaching at Alcorn State. We spent a day in Natchez & had the experience of going onto a gambling boat at Vicksburg--very fancy but discouraging to us to see all those people putting money into slot machines & games set against them--very little relating to other people! We enjoyed dinner in an Oriental restaurant with Connie & Norma. We came north via the Natchez Trace to Nashville, arriving Feb. 9. Andy had knee surgery next day. We went to Indianapolis for a sibling weekend on February 18th & again had lots of fun; played lots of games and cards, shopped. Cliff got a suit & green light jacket . One day we visited the war memorials, capitol and art museum. On March 4th, we returned to Indy & were joined by Lawsons, Richards, Swails, Dolores and Kay Lennartsen for another weekend at a very nice hotel in Indy. After brunch on the 6th, we went our separate ways. The weather was nice enough for tennis playing. In May we flew to Phoenix, looked up the Bruce Nolands before continuing on, in our rental car, to Prescott. We stayed at the hotel overlooking the courthouse and right next to Whiskey Row. The weather was so pleasant and we enjoyed hiking, birding, trips to red rock land, Red Rock Canyon & Sedona. Then we drove to Tucson to visit Anna, Tchapo and Andy. It was hot there! We visited the Desert Museum, Bisbee Copper Mine, Colossal Cave, the cactus in bloom, dinner with Myers, Reid Park zoo, to John Fife's church. We drove on to Flagstaff (where we saw the Cline library, went to Meteor Crater, Winslow, Holbrook, Canyon drive. On the way to Tubac, we stopped at St. Xavier mission & went to a Toros game in the eve. We flew back to Columbus the 27th, went to some St. Mark's tournament games there before heading on to Cinci for the night. After lunch at the Olive Garden, we went to the zoo. Thad & Debbie arrived that eve. We returned home the next day. June 3rd we had sigmoidoscopies done by Dr. Hess. Glad that's over! Cliff went to look at a house Martin Harris was looking at the 8th & took a marble along! (Martin didn't buy it!). June 11th I got glasses from Walmart (lost mine on the trip). We toured Hiltner's new condo the 12th. June 17th the KKK was in town. Grr! Cliff met the group leaving for Des Moines the 18th & they headed off to repair flood damaged homes. Cliff put in our Maytag dishwasher June 27th. Lawsons arrived that eve, we went to the church game, next day to Fremont to visit the Hayes home & museum & stop to see the Gedeons. They left next day. Cliff was helping with one of the HFH houses in Bloomdale. July 11th I had a root canal done ($500) by Dr. Peterson. Eileen Plocher & Esther Bucher arrived July 12th & we left for Ames, IA with Teresa, Ila Banbury, Johanna Knox early next a.m. for the PW National Gathering. We returned July 18th. The memorial service for Tom Apple was held on July 20th. The 23rd we, along with Sammy & cliff, went to Canada to Bob & Cathy Leaper's post wedding barbq. Next eve we went to Thane Norton's wedding dinner & Steve & boys went home after Kim's WWWW. The end of the month, Dr. Kelley put a crown on "that tooth". We picked Diane up at the Detroit airport July 30th, Thad & Debbie joined us for dinner. Mack drove with Harriet Dimick, Maxine, Diane & I as his passengers. We got to Chautauqua in good time but the buildings were locked. All's well that ends well! Aug. 1st a bunch of us went to the opera, "The Italian Girl in Algiers" & enjoyed it. Next day we had lunch at the Athanaeum Hotel & sat on the porch. Eighteen went for a ride on the Chautauqua Belle & went to Old First Night. Una May Gill fixed an elegant dinner the 3rd & entertainment was the ballet. We got home the 4th & the family was gathering for Thad & Debbie's wedding! On Aug. 5th, I went to Chases to see the Spragens before having lunch with Maxine Chen, Martha Wright, Florence & Diane. Then we decorated Stadium View party house & Brights prepared & served the catered meal (set up for 58). Alexis was baptized before the rehearsal & she screamed. It was a hectic but very pleasant evening. Next day the guys (mostly) golfed & then discovered their tuxes needed adjusting. People came here for continental breakfast. We were at the church for pictures at 11:45, Thad & Debbie were married at 12:30. The reception was held at the ice arena and the bride & groom, as well as others, skated! We were home soon after 6 & some went off to Golf. Some of us went to church next day (the original 5, AAT & Elyse). We had Ellie's spaghetti for supper & Thad & Debbie gave a tour of their home. Sam took Elyse to her plane the 9th, Rick, Mary & boys went to the zoo, Ellie Jack & Diane went to the fair & a movie; the rest of us went to Cedar Point. Most of us were home by 11. Ellie, Jack, C & I took Diane to Detroit to fly home the 10th & by the 11th, all were gone except for our immediate family. They were here to watch the wedding video & for supper. Steve's family left for home the 12th. We went to the Croswell with Hiltners the 13th to see "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". Cliff was busy helping Thad & Debbie with painting. Andy flew from Columbus on the 14th. Anna & Tchapo enjoyed the Pemberville Fair with us on the 20th & on to see Gedeons. They were with us while Andy & Steve drove from Tucson to Oshkosh with their belongings. BGSU classes started on the 24th. Hiltners moved Aug. 26th. The 29th, Sue joined us in the ride to Oshkosh. We picnicked along the way, arriving there by 4:30. We met Andy, saw the house he'd rented, toured the campus & stayed at a Motel 6. Next a.m. we had bkf with AAT, they took Tchapo to school & we headed home. Sue was a good navigator & drove part of the way. We were home by 5:30 on Aug. 30th. What a good friend Sue is to join me on that trip! Andy wasn't there for graduation but received his Ph.D. from the U. of Arizona..2 Doctor Longs! Mark & Mindy took summer school classes & we were happy to have Alexis with us often. Sept. 3rd they told us that Alexis ws to be a big sister in April. HFH had a fundraiser at the I 75 rest areas (counted $2300) & we were guests of Rocks at Lakeside & biked around the peninsula & to Johnson Is. Jim & Jean Shelley visited us Sept. 13th & we went to LaRoe's for dinner & they stayed overnight. Cliff helped Thad put Sauder furniture together the 18th. October 4th Mindy called to report she was spotting & wanted me to come. I was there the 5th (couldn't get into the doctor) & 6th. Her appt. was at 3:30 & Mark went too then she had an ultrasound. The baby had stopped developing. I cried buckets on the way home & the next day. Thad, Debbie & we headed for Chicago Oct. 8th & went to Sue Lawson's wedding. Steve's, AAT were there too & we had a good time. Next day we went to brunch at Lawson's. Mindy went in for a D&C on Oct 21st. Don & Ruth Myers came on Oct 22nd. Next day we went to Grand Rapids (they sang in the choir with us) for lunch & to ride on the canal boat. Cliff bought a DeWalt miter saw at Anderson's Nov. 1. A HFH hymn sing/supper on the 6th brought in few people but $500 was contributed! Steves family was here the weekend of the 11th & he visited NFO, had lunch & gave a talk for the stats dept. Thad & Debbie had an open house on the 20th. Sam & Jo joined us the 23rd & we had a big dinner with all the family here on the 24th. Steve's family joined the Wileys in Columbus the 26th & the Oshkosh/Indy folks left the 27th. I saw a girl searching for something Dec. 2 & found her blue contact! Cliff was doing consulting with Bob Maltby. On Dec. 9, we made candy at Rocks joined by Anne & girls, Woelkes, Thad & Debbie. We had a neighborhood carolling party at Johnsons the 17th & Thad & Debbie joined us. Andy, Anna & Tchapo got here the 20th. John & Cliff weren't feeling well so Lois & I went to Rock's party as the odd couple the 21st! Our Chinese international student, CN joined us the 24th for dinner, putting out luminaries, church & carolling. We had a great day the 25th, went to Maumee Bay St. Park the 26th & had a wonderful time there. The 28th we went our various way. Cliff & I went to Canada to the Long get together at the hall, stayed with John & Betty's. The 29th, Bill Miller joined us for bkf & we headed home late a.m., taking the ferry. That eve we went to Kirkbrides to plan our Hocking Hills trip. The 30th we went to Fremont to tour the Dillon & Hayes homes by candlelight along with AAT, Mindy & Alexis. Thad &Debbie were away the 31st & the dogs were misbehaving so AAT & we went down to spend the eve with them and watch "Jurassic Park" on their big TV! (Done) 1995 January 3-17 Flew to San Francisco for MAA meetings, on to Costa Mesa for Elderhostel, on to San Diego to spend time with Nolands. Rain, rain, rain--floods, mudslides! February Worked as election judge, PW had retreat at Nazareth Hall, to Indianapolis for ³original² reunion March World Day of Prayer celebration at First Christian, to Bucyrus to KD board meeting, to Indianapolis with Thad & Debbie; met Steveıs family, Lawsons, Dolores at Turkey Run St. Park. Cliff feeling bad with cold (sposed to have PWS women stay here but Peggy Boren took them Œcause he was feeling so punk). April Cliff to Ohio State with Jack Hayden for MAA meetings, I to Medina to KD district & another one at St. Paris later. Maxine had lumps removed from body. May \tab 1 Cliff played squash with Edsel (soft ball). Having muscle spasms when he came home 2 to hospital for blood test (had been told he had low HGB), walked over to see Dr. Wojo later 5-7 to Cinci to be with Wileys & go to Kimıs concert 12 full day! stopped at nurseries, went bird watching at Crane Creek, to Mon Ami for lunch, to Milan to look at museums. Got groceries for Davidsons & stayed for a visit. 13 Severe muscle spasms. Went to E.R. in eve. Dr. Sanchez ordered x-rays. After reading them told us he was looking for bone cancer...Cliff does have arthritis 14 Motherıs Day. MM&A, T & D here for a picnic in living room--Cliff sleeping in recliner 15 To Dr. Wojo. Said go ahead & go to osteopath....whatever helps...pinched nerve?? Cliff having tingling in little fingers 16. Phone call from Dr. Wojo upon receiving radiologistıs report (read on the 14th!!!!) Cliff has serious problem, come to hosp. at 3 for MRI, x-rays of long bones, get cervical collar on. Thad & I manage to get Cliff in car (not realizing he has a broken neck!), losing feeling in fingers & toes. Dr. Laporte in, Dr. W. contacted Dr. Sullivan, transferred from Wood Co. to St. Lukeıs by ambulance, got there around midnight, had cat scan done. 17. Dr. Sullivan in to see Cliff in E.R. around 2. Checked reflexes & said Cliff would be paralyzed if surgery isnıt done soon. Rearranged his schedule to do surgery at 11. Steve here by 7 a.m., Long day for Thad, Debbie, Steve & me. Stantons came with care pkg, David Young came. By 6 Mark & Mindy, Andy were there. Dr. Sullivan explained the procedure--3 incisions...bone from hip put in cervical area where vertebra no longer were, more surgery in lower back. C. woke up in ICU wearing a halo; was just glad to wake up!! 18 Kim & boys arrived, quite a gang of us in ICU!! Dr. Sullivan in, ³Move to regular room². 19-24 Making good progress, going to PT & seen by OT, looking forward to going home! 22 Fred & Louise arrived to lend their support 23 Bone marrow biopsy done which finalized multiple myeloma diagnosis. Cliff alone in room so Andy or Thad staying with him at night 24 Asked when Cliff might come home. A bit later, ³How about today?², Made arrangements for hospital bed, to Flower Hosp. for radiation marking before heading home. So glad to be here! 25 Fred & Louise headed home, to hosp. for first radiation treatment, took taxi van. Alexis with us sometimes while Mark & Mindy take classes 26 Mel Johnson over to put up railings so Cliff could navigate the stairs...& eliminate the commode! 27 Tom Hern, Vic Norton brought computer from school, connected Cliff to the global community 30 Andy returned to Oshkosh; lotsa visitors; pain free, taking walks using walker 31 To Dr. Sullivan for check up, halo adjustment June 3 To E.R. at St. Lukeıs for brace adjustment by Dr. Kalb 7 2nd phone line put in 8. Bob & Doris here, Andy, Anna & Tchapo arrived. Watching many videos at night 15 Cliff to Tchapoıs softball game 17 Long guys enjoying using camera connected to computer 20 First appt. with Dr. Brown 22 Last of 20 radiation RX, still having shoulder pain, to high tea at hosp., talked to Mike Miesle 23 Bob Maltby here. To Schafer for 2nd opinion 24 Mindyıs comps are over! I attended PW of theSynod gathering at BGSU July 5 Halo removed, cervical collar replaces. Ulcerated area at end of incision on back 8 Diane borrowed Samıs car after arriving in Indy & drove over 9 Bruceıs family stopped by on way to Brown Co. for family reunion 10 To Riverside Hosp. for first chemo. Caravaned to Brown Co. with Thad, Mindy, Diane, Alexis 14 Returned from Brown County, nice reunion 20 Guys scanning Abe (cut his head off!) 24 Lila here 26 Lila headed on; AAT returned to Oshkosh, took tent camper 28-29 To Chautauqua, NY for Order Night with Mary Jane Parker. Steve here with Cliff 31 Left for Alaska August 12 Returned from Alaska 15 2nd chemo, I have shingles! 18 Had MRI, Sullivan technique 24 Picked up new computer 25 Thad with us to talk to Chet Marcin about a living trust, decided to do it Sept. 1 Andy called with new address, phone number in Ripon 3 To Lakeside for picnic & overnight 5 Dr. Vanketesan ordered x-rays, morphine 6 Rebecca called to say more radiation is needed 7 New refrigerator delivered, Cliff feeling bad, choir restarted. 8 Signed trust, wills, etc. 11 Maxine & I to Bucyrus to finance mtg. Mack took Cliff to radiation for shoulders (first of 10) & hips & feet were x-rayed 12 Chemo 13 Scott McEwen here--afternoon & eve 14 Left for Ripon after radiation. While there we went to a math picnic, Cliff showed his models, we went to Oshkosh & toured EAA Museum, went to church, Anna, Tchapo and I went to part of a football game 18 Drove to Lawsons via Edgerton & Woodstock (couldnıt find Morozinks). Dolores, Sue, Bob & Richards there for a nice meal & evening 19 Home 27 Got seat belt fixed in car, last radiation for Cliff 28-30 K, S, C, S here. Mindy predicted arrival of baby the 29th. She was wrong! Oct. 2 Jack David arrived at 6:30 a.m. To Sueıs Optical for eye checkup, ordered glasses 4 Cliff feeling weak, tired 6. To colloquium 10 To chemo; Maxine & I addressed Habitat fund raising letters 12 To Heimlich talk--use for drowning victims, chest tubes, create esophagus 13 Dolores O. here--Steveıs too. To Gedeons, picked apples, Habitat hymn sing/supper. 17 To retiree group meeting 20 John, Betty, Gloria, Bill here 24 Andy has offer to go to Loyola (post doc at medical school) 25 To school. Made mincemeat at church 28 To called mtg. of KD at Bucyrus, Cliff & I on to Mansfield. HFH dinner/auction in eve 30 Bone marrow biopsy at Mercy Hosp. Nov. 2 Diane flew to Toledo, to Cinci to visit til Mon., on to Nashville, visited Lance & Karin, stayed at Vanderbilt Loweıs & Cliff attended SIAM meetings. To Cinci the 9th, home the 10th 13 Took in 24 hour urine spec. Mindy returned to teaching 15 Chemo followed by W/M, lunch at hosp. 1995--The year started out well with a trip to sunny (?) California. We flew to San Francisco for math meetings there on Jan. 3. Not only didn't we see the sun, there was so much rain that there were mudslides and floods which were very much in the news. We rented a car and visited special friends along the way to Costa Mesa (stopped at Hearst Castle in San Simeon where it was so foggy we couldn't even see the ocean!) where we attended an Elderhostel (stayed at a Holiday Inn & had great food..Cliff met a fellow participant who he worked with at the Naval Ordnance Lab in Wash. D.C. in 1960). On to Alpine from there to spend a few days with Diane and Al. We went to an interesting after church session at their church & then visited with Elyse, Curt and their families. Special! We played a lot of bridge & watached their pond fill up! They'll hire us as rain makers! We did see the sun on the 17th when we flew back to Toledo! Jan. 20th, we left in snowy, slippery weather for the trip to Lake Hope with Kirkbrides & Millers. The winter walk at Old Man's Cave was next day. There were lots of people there for the 6 mile walk! The scenery was beautiful & we had cornbread and soup after 4 mi. We came home the 22nd, another slow trip. In February we spent the President's Day weekend in Indianapolis at Sam & Jo's along with Fred, Louise, Ellie and Diane. Unfortunately Jack had fallen down their icy back steps & wasn't feeling up to coming. One special event while there was hearing the Purdue Men's Glee Club. We did lots of reminescing, laughing/ playing cards, looking at photos. March found us back in Indianpolis--Thad, Debbie & we met Steve, Kim, cliff & Sammy at Sam & Jo's. Next day we headed on to Turkey Run State Park (where we'd gone a few times when we lived in Champaign) to meet the Bob Lawsons and Dolores Oberg. All 18 of us found enjoyable things to do...swimming, hiking the trails, eating, chatting...a great time. The usually healthy Cliff was feeling punk with a cold during much of the month & didn't engage in his usual physical activity. On May 1, Cliff resumed squash playing but came home complaining of muscle spasms in his chest. . The muscle spasms were so painful that he couldn't sleep in bed so, for a couple of weeks, he slept in the reclinier. A visit to our GP on May 2nd resulted in some pain medication for the spasms. Blood work was done & he was questioned whether he was a vegetarian since his hemoglobin was so low. We'd planned to to to Cinci May 5-7 during which time Kim's parents were there too & we took in the performance of her musical group, the Forest Aires (good job!) On May 12, we'd planned to go to Lake Erie to view the bird migration. Even tho' Cliff wasn't feeling great, he thought he'd feel no worse engaging in some activity instead of staying home so we did lots of binocular viewing and then went on to Milan (where Thomas Edison was born ) to look through the interesting museums there. The next day Cliff was having really excruciating spasms so we went to the local emergency room. Xrays were ordered and Dr. Sanchez came back to tell us he was looking for bone cancer but only saw arthritis. Whew! Hot wet packs & muscle relaxant were his advice. We had a Mother's Day picnic in the living room with Thad & Debbie, Mark, Mindy & Alexis so Cliff would be as comfortable as possible in his recliner. On May 14 we had another appointment with Dr. Wojciechowski. He gave Cliff some Demerol & said he thought he had a pinched nerve & had no objection to our going to Mindy's doctor in Fremont, an osteopath, next day. Ah, that next day...the 16th! I was out planting one of my rosebushes received for Mother's Day when the phone rang and Dr. W was on the line telling me that Cliff had a very serious medical problem. The report of the readiologist of the x-rays taken in the ER on the 13th had just reached his desk!! Cliff was to be at the hospital for an MRI & should have a cervical collar on. Thad & I managed to get (drag!) Cliff to the car. He was starting to lose feeling in his hands and feet. He was admitted to the hospital, seen by Dr. LaPorte, an orthopedic specialist, who recommended that Cliff be seen by Dr. Daniel Sullivan, a Toledo specialist. It turned out that Cliff had been walking around with a broken neck since May 1. Late that night, we went by ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee. Dr. Sullivan appeared around 2 am., examined Cliff, told us he would be paralyzed if something wasn't quickly done, rearranged his schedule and Cliff went to surgery at 11 a.m. By then Steve had arrived and Andy was on his way from Oshkosh. Funny how things work out! He'd just finished grading his last finals, turned in the grades & headed for St. Luke's. Debbie, Thad, Steve & I had a long day of waiting and wondering but Dorothy and Al came with a care package and to commiserate and David Young, our minister, came. Mark, MIndy and Andy arrived shortly before Dr. Sullivan came to talk with us at 6 pm. (How can anyone do surgery for that length of time..or longer??). He sketched what he'd done (removed a piece of bone from Cliff's hop to transfer to his neck where the vertebra had disintegrated, done additional surgery on his lower spine and put a "halo" brace" on to hold the bone graft in place--during surgery, a person from OR came to ask what size jacket {which held the halo in place}he wore and that gave us a start! The sketches were reproduced by Cliff's children so they could be explained to Dad! We got to see him a little later in the Intensive Care Unit and he was alert & talkative. Kim and the boys arrived the next day and during that weekend, we more than filled his hospital room. The staff was wonderful in dealing with our big group and turned his room into a private one for most of his stay. That enabled Andy or Thad to stay overnight with him so someone was always available to help him (or keep him from pulling his IV out, as he did once{before they started staying with him}!). Fred and Louise came to offer their support and help. By the 24th, Cliff had been to physical therapy several times, been seen by the occupational therapist, had a bone marrow bippsy which finialized the diagnosis of multiple myeloma and was rarin' to go home! When I asked when he could go, the nurse came back to say, "How about today?". Arrangements were quickly made to get a hospital bed (in the dining room), we went to Flower Hosp. to get him "marked" for radition and headed for home! Getting in and out of a car wearing a halo brace isn't easy! Cliff was so happy to be home ..& we to have him here. Trying to sleep while wearing a halo isn't easy and he watched parts of many videos during the time the brace was on. May 25th Cliff went for the first of 20 radiation treatments aimed toward taking care of the tumor in his spine. Next day, our neighbor & friend, Melvin Johnson came over to put railings on the up & down stairs & make 3 levels of our house accessible to Cliff (especially bathrooms!). On the 27th, Tom Hern & Vic Norton, friends from the math dept, brought Cliff's BGSU computer over and hooked him up to the global community! He and Andy spent many happy hours on projects during the summer! Andy returned to his family in Oshkosh the 30th and then Anna and Tchapo returned with him June 8th, after they'd finished school. Cliff kept busy with some consulting, many visits from colleagues and friends and lots of good times with family during the summer. Mark & Mindy took classes at BGSU in the summer so we saw them a lot and had the pleasure of entertaining their enchanting little daughter many times. Mindy took her comprehensive exams for her master's degree in late June, passed them & received her degree at the Ausgust graduation. Anna & I enjoyed gardening & reaped a good harvest. Tchapo was on a Little League team, softball team, played soccer and enjoyed being helpful to Grampa. Steve, Kim Cliff & Sammy were up often to check our progress. Cliff had almost no pain until the jacket to his halo brace was adjusted. Since then, pain has been a problem but mostly controlled by pain medication. He used a walker briefly & then a wheelchair if great distances needed to be covered. He continues to have tingling in his fingers & toes but sees that as a minor nuisance. On July 5, the halo came off. Hurray1! It's saved for posterity. There was great danger of infection in the post area which fastened into his head and Debbie and Andy were diligent in cleaning those areas every day & Cliff had no problems with infection. Diane flew into Indianapolis for our Brown County reunion July 7th & decided to join us in BG. Jo lent her her car. Bruce & his family from Phoenix were visiting in the east & stopped by to see us the 9th on their way to the reunion. On the 10th we went to Riverside Hosp. where Cliff had his first chemotherapy and then Diane, Mindy, Alexis, Thad & we headed for Brown Co. to join the others. We were there til the 14th & had a grand time. It was very hot (thank goodness for A/C!). Andy, Anna & Tchapo headed back to Wisconsin July 26th, taking our tent camper with them. We were pleased to have cousin Lila Oster stop by for a visit. I made a quick trip to Chautauqua, NY for Order Night in connection with my King's Daughters responsibility. Mary Jane Parker agreed to go with me, bless her! Steve came for the weekend to give Cliff a hand..& did our packing for Alaska! When we were together in Feb., we'd agred to go on a U. of Ill sponsored Alaskan trip ....& Cliff insisted we should still go! Thad took us to the plane in Toledo July 31, we put our luggage on & that's the last we saw of it til we got to our cabin on the cruise ship in Vancouver! We were well looked after & enjoyed those days with the Gammons, Fred and Sam Clines. Cliff bore up very well. He was supposed to keep his weight up and being on a cruise was the ideal way to do that! They could've rolled all of us off the ship--Cunard Dynasty! We learned it rains a lot along the inner passage! We managed to keep dry on shore excursions and twice rented vans & Sam chauffered us around. We stopped at Skagway (totem poles!), Sitka (Russian influence) and Juneau (the capitol). We saw whales and glaciers...& lots of water. We disembarked at Seward and motorcoached to Anchorage. Then we flew to Fairbanks where Sam & Jo had an 8 pm tee time & played 18 holes...in the light! We went on a paddle wheeler there to an interesting village to experience how life might've been in the past. Along the way, Susan Butcher stood on the bank of the river to tell us about her Iditarod race experience; we saw some of her dogs, her husband and baby! We went by train to Denali National Park but were disappointed not to see Mt. McKinley. (Apparently only 5-10% of those going there actually see the peak). We were going to take a helicoptor ride but it was too cloudy to see the mount even that way. We went on a 7 hour ride on a school bus (Cliff didn't go) to see the wildlife and were lucky to see grizzlies, moose, caribou, Dall sheep..& a fox carrying many ground squirrels in its mouth. Dinnertime! Back to Anchorage and we went to an interesting museum there. We flew home on the 12th via Salt Lake City & Cincinnati & there were Debbie and Thad waiting for us in Toledo. Right after we got back, I had my second bout of shingles (take L-Lysine!). Cliff had an MRI done on Aug. 18th. The computer he'd ordered earlier was delivered the 24th & has had lots of use. We set up our living trust. Spt. 3rd we went to Lakeside for a picnic with others at Rocks, went to the closing ceremonies, stayed overnight, had lunch at the Marina next day. Andy had a teaching job in Ripon. Cliff had a painful area in his back/shoulders and x-rays indicated more radiation was needed. He got 10 more treatments starting Sept. 11. We left for Ripon the 14th so a few were postponed. Cliff was asked to bring some of the beautiful mathematical surfaces he's carved (wood & stone) to share with math students & faculty at a picnic there. Cliff had never made it to Oshkosh so we went there so he could see where they'd lived the year before and visited the Experimental Aircraft Assn. museum (busiest airport one day a year!). We toured the Birthplace of the Republican Party, attended the Congregational Church on campus and generally had a good time. On the 18th, we headed for Lawsons in Elk Grove Village and enjoyed a wonderful dinner and time with them, Richards & Dolores Oberg. We got home the 19th. What a blessing to have a community of friends and family to bring food, take us places, invite us for meals & fun times. God is good! We don't understand why things happen as they do but surely something can be learned from each life event. Another blessing of the year brought us Jack David Gedeon who arrived on his due date, Oct. 2, at 6:30 a.m. weighing in at 9# 5oz. Wow! Mindy retired from her 4th grade classroom for 6 weeks & during that time, we went to Fremont at least once a week to be with her & her little ones. Dolores Oberg came for a short visit & we did some apple picking in Fremont (besides visiting the Gedeons!) John & Betty Miller, Bill M and Gloria McLaughlin came for a brief visit too. Mark was named varsity basketball coach and moved from junior to senior high math teacher. His first game was against BG and Lisa, Irv and Ed came from Vermont, Chicago and Ann Arbor for the occasion. Mindy returned to teaching Nov 13rh. They're lucky to have Bunny, a wonderful sitter. Diane flew to Toledo Nov. 2, the 3 of us drove to Cincinnati (stopped in Wapakoneta at the Neil Armstrong museum) for a nice weekend with Steve's family. We had a ride in his "new" red (white interior) '90 Mustang convertible--too cold to have the top down! On we went to Bowling Green, KY where we toured the Corvette plant and then to Hendersonville, TN for a brief but lovely visit with Lance and Karin Gammon. Our trip from there to the lovely Vanderbilt Lowe Hotel in Nashville was in heavy rain, in the dark, glaring headlights from heavy traffic...not fun--but we made it! The Lowe was the headquarters for the Society of Industrial & Applied Mathematics convention. Cliff went to meetings & Diane & I toured. We strolled down Music Row , walked to the Parthenon & enjoyed the art there. In the evening we went to the Opryland Hotel. Diane found it noisy and dark & preferred Bob Evans to the restaurants there! Diane & I toured Belle Meade, house & grounds, picked Cliff up, drove to the Cinci airport & Diane headed west from there on Nov. 9th. On returning home, we learned of Louise's breast cancer and she had a mastectomy on Nov. 13th. Our Thanksgiving visitors arrived on Nov. 22--Steve, Kim, Cliff & Sammy, Sam & Jo, Ellie & Jack, Andy & Tchapo. Anna took a nurses's assistant course in Oshkosh & started working in a hursing home in Ripon in Sept. She hadn't accumulated any days off to come for Thanksgiving. Some of our visitors stayed with the hospitable Thad & Debbie. Fran Lyman stopped by for a brief visit on the 24th. Sam, the boys & I went to the planetarium show (always good for a nap!). Debbie & Sam played tennis, the guys played in the turkey bowl, Jack & the ladies shopped. We watched football, played cards & ate. All departed by the 26th. Dec. 12th we drove to Sarnia and met John & Betty Miller, Leapers, Eyres, Longleys & Les & Rosalee Long for dinner. We stayed with Longleys & Lorne & Cliff enjoyed woodcarving talk. Bill Miller joined us at John & Betty's for lunch & then we headed home. We had sleet after leaving Bill & Shirley's in Detroit and were happy to arrive home safely! Steve's & Andy's families arrived Dec. 23 & some went to Fremont to the game. We had dinner at Thad & Debbie's next day; Sammy helped get the luminaries ready. We lighted them after supper, went to the church service, carolled, came back to chat & have hot chocolate & cookies. Christmas was another lovely one & we felt lucky to be together for it. We went to Maumee Bay to stay in a 4 bedroom cabin the 26th. Andy was feeling punk & Thad too, part of the time. We went to the lodge to exercise & swim, to the nature center & did lots of game playing. On our way home the 28th, we had lunch at Tony Packo's. Thad & Andy were still feeling congested & feverish--a bad way to end the year. (Combine) 10 1996 1996--Jan. 8--Thad, Andy and I removed the living room mural after all these years. Andy was very sad to see it go! Thad painted the living room/dining room while we were gone. Bless him! On the 9th, Lisa Elderbrock, Andy, Cliff and I drove to Columbus and flew to Orlando. They attended the MAA meetings. I spent a day at Epcot Center. Sam & Jo were visiting Applebys and they came by one eve and, very early next a.m., picked me up and we went to watch the space shot. Wow! The 12th we drove our rental car to Punta Gorda where we were warmly welcomed by Joe and Gloria McLaughlin. We enjoyed our overnight stay with them and tour of the area and then headed for Ft. Myers next day where we toured the Edison/Ford homes. We got to Rock's rental condo that eve on Sanibel Island. We went to church at Chapel by the Sea next day and then we went to the Ding Darling preserve where we saw a multitude of unusual birds and even a crocodile. It was wonderful! We also did lots of "shelling" at that special spot and brought many home. We met Lisa at the airport and flew home the 15th. Mike Peake was our house guest the 30th & 31st and gave talks at BGSU. He brought us almonds from CA & bought toys for Cliff! Feb--We went to Indy on the 16th for our sibling weekend, went to a 40's Radio Hour play, did lots of game playing, eating, card playing & generally enjoying being together til the 21st. Kim, Steve and boys came the 23rd, Mindy & kids stayed over the 24th--lotsa activity! March--March 11--Fred had surgery for bladder cancer, 12--Andy came on the bus for Spring break & the guys did lots of computering. Steve came the 15th and MMAJ the 16th. All returned home the 17th. 21-23--Alexis and Jack were here while Mark & Mindy were at the state bb tournament. We had fun making snow people. The 23rd we got our glider/rocker. We went to see "Cats" in Toledo with Thad & Debbie on the 24th. The 30th we went to Cinci for a nice weekend. We came home April 1---snow (April Fool!) so the Reds home opener had to be postponed! Cliff's ear had been stopped up since we flew so he had a tube inserted on April 4th. The 12th & 13th he & Tom Hern spent in Akron at the spring math mtgs. I went to Bucyrus the 13th & gave a report, including slides, about Chautauqua. April 19th we met Lawsons, Dolores, Kim, Steve & boys & stayed at the Indy Omni. Fred & Louise, Lashley-Clines were visiting Sam & Jo so we had dinner together Sat. eve (21 of us). Bobby L. thought it was a buffet & ran up quite a bill at the cafeteria! Home the 21st. May 2 we went to the newly renovated Detroit opera House to see an opera performed with Mack & Maxine. Maxine's son-in-law had been working on it & gave us free (wonderful!) tickets! Next day we headed for Galesburg for Helen Harshbarger's 95th birthday celebration. AAT were there too & Andy treated the whole bunch for Sun. lunch! Whatta guy! Jim & Jean Baldwin joined us in Galesburg and we enjoyed touring the Knox campus, visiting Carl Sandburg's birthplace, visiting Bishop Hill. We got home May 7th. Cliff started getting aredia, a bone strengthening drug which is administered IV every 4 weeks. Dr. Brown thinks it's made a BIG difference. Thad was on the parks & recreation board & had invited us to a special event at Wintergarden Lodge on May 17th. He picked us up (we'd been at the Senior Extravaganza at BGSU all day & then I helped with Martha's Kitchen a little) and we drove over to WL. What a surprise when we opened the door--all of our immediate family there along with many friends--a celebration of the first anniversary since Cliff's surgery--Carpe diem! They'd prepared a wonderful meal with many cakes (each child got to decorate one!) & it was a very special evening and weekend. Cliff was asked to ask the blessing before the meal after Eileen Townsend's wedding on the 25th. We sat with Ralph & Phyllis & members of their family and had a wonderful time. On the 30th, Thad, Cliff and I drove to Ripon. On the way we stopped in Long's former neighborhood & got some pictures of the present owner--8940 Emerald Ave. We shared a room with Dorothy and Al Stanton at Best Western & next day was a busy one. We toured Ripon & garage saled & then Andy got the UHaul trailer & we started loading up for the move to LaGrange, IL. Dorothy fixed a wonderful meal for us & we played cards in the eve. Andy had everything measured & knew where it all was to go. He's getting to be an expert! We drove to LaGrange June 1 & left Andy, Anna & Thad to unload while Tchapo & we went to Lawsons for dinner, joined by Dolores & Richards. AAT came over later & stayed overnight. June 2nd we helped assemble furniture & set things up before returning home. June 3rd Alexis had a lymph node removed and biopsied & we went over for that. It was reactive hyperplasia. The zoo had a lovely dinner for 25 year members on the 5th with program to follow. On the 18th, Florence & Stuart Givens & we went to the presbytery meeting in Ottawa for dinner and to hear the moderator of the general assembly, Marg Carpenter. She has a message! Mission! We went to the Croswell Opera House with John & Lois Hiltner the 21st for dinner at "The Grasshopper & to see "Crazy for You". We also saw during the summer, "Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up" and "Damn Yankees". Their theater group does a wonderful job with musicals! The Presby Women in the Synod had their annual gathering at BGSU & I went to it the 22nd & 23rd. We met AAT & MMAJ in Cinci June 27th-30th for another nice weekend. Decided to get a new freezer. July 9th I went to see Dr. Smith and he told me the rainbows I occasionally see are optical migraines! On the 20th, Thad, Debbie, (Mark wasn't able to go as he was taking summer classes to finish up his master's) MAJ, Cliff & I flew to Rapid City (Steve's family drove & had an extended trip). After breakfast next day, Thad said he should've paid for two for what Debbie had eaten..the announcement that there's to be another little Long! We drove to Custer in our rental van & joined Diane, Elyses family, some Gammons & Clines (42 of us) for another great reunion. Mindy, Steve & had had special shirts made up for everyone for the occasion. The facilities were great--mini golf, swimming, etc. and we went to a wood carving museum, to Mt. Rushroom (the four guys, according to Alexis) in the evening & for the light show (where we saw the Brian Youngs). We went to a chuck wagon dinner/show & Nancy Jo ended up being one of the performers! Fun! Our arrangements to fly to & from Rapid City didn't work out as planned & Mindy didn't have to take the small plane either way. Mark drove his family to Detroit & picked them up there! Funny how things work out! Got home the 25th. Aug.--Sue & I picked elderberries along the Slippery Elm trail, avoiding poison ivy as we went. Never again! the 17th we had a neighborhood picnic at Jo & Rodney Vernon's with 44 there. Andy, Anna & Tchapo returned from their several week visit in Togo. Andy reported a rash and feeling "jittery" the 24th--anxiety difficulties. Steve came the 24th & went to the Long reunion with us at Cathcart Park. He went home the 26th; Clinton's train came thro BG & I went over to wave! All the kids were here for Labor Day weekend. Kim, Anna, the kids & I went to the zoo Aug. 31 & Met MMAJ there. Some of us went to the pool next day & had a cookout that night. All went home Sept. 2. The memorial service for Beverly Barnes was held Sept 6; Rachel Hendrix was here for a visit & we met Stantons & celebrated our anniversary at Croy Supper Club. The Black Swamp festival was "on". We learned Thad had a kidney stone Sept. 20th (hope this doesn't turn into an annual Sept. event!) whiich he finally passed on the 27th. AAT were here for Martha & Melvin Johnson's lovely 50th anniversary dinner/dance on the 21st . Lawsons arrived the 30th. Next day we went to Perrysburg where I chose clothes for the hospital guild style show (former presidents modelled). We went to the 577 Foundation, shopped & went to explore Side Cut Park. Mack & Maxine Miller & Sue & Bill Rock came in the eve & we enjoyed some harmonizing. Next day we had lunch at Mon Ami on Catawba Is, ferried to Kelley's Island where we golf carted around & looked at the famous glacial grooves, on to Marblehead lighthouse & stopped at Gedeons on Jack's first birthday. We picked up Doug Meade, former BGSU math student, Oct. 3 & he was here til the 5th. Maxine M. & I went to the King's Daughters convention in Bucyrus the 4th & 5th. The hospital guild luncheon and modelling was Oct. 9th & we wore furs in addition to the chosen outfits. How elegant! I didn't buy any new outfits! The 20th we drove to Lagrange; AAT joined us in the ride to Sherry's & some of the guys & kids went to the Orion/Knoxville game. Fred & Louise took us on an extensive tour of Knox County (Spoon River Days) the 12th and a gang of us went to the firemen's chicken fry in Abingdon that eve. After church, Sunday School and a meal at Abby Lanes, we headed back to Lagrange next day. The scenery was lovely on our return home the 14th. The big celebration of the diamond jubilee of BG First Presby Church was on Oct. 20 and around 230 came for lunch. HFH had taken that on as a fund raising project...and it involved lotsa people! Cliff went to Granville to the fall math meetings with Tom H. the 25th. Ruth Putnam, fellow King's Daughter & nurse, & I had lunch in Grand Rapids & enjoyed some time at Otsego Park. Other events the end of the month were mincemeat making at church, receiving 6 $100 vouchers for our airline delay in the summer, Ralph Townsend's heart problem, anniversary dinner with Pat & Murray Mayeux. We drove to Cinci Nov. 1 and while there went to a woodcarving show. The quartet Steve's in sang at a special event Sun. eve. They're good...almost as good as the Long foursome! Home the 4th. Helen Lakofsky, Mayeux, neighbors & we went on a tour of Lifeformations the 12th. What skill to make figures so lifelike! Steve's family arrived on the 26th (Kim's bd) & AAT & MMAJ next day. We went to Thad & Debbie's to eat...or they were here. Sledding was enjoyed the 27th & later in the day Sam, Jo, Ellie & Jack arrived. We had a big dinner & fun card playing. Sam had car trouble the next day. He picked up the car in Toledo that eve & we all met in Fremont (some went to the Hayes complex) for lasagna & the BG/Fremont game. Fran Lyman & a friend stopped in next day. We went to Grand Rapids to explore, made a quick spaghetti supper when we returned so the coaches could go to Napoleon to scout! All headed home Dec. 1. Dec. 8th we made candy at Rocks with the help of Hiltners, Woelkes, Hiltners, Stantons, Debbie & Thad. AAT came for the holidays on Dec. 20. I went to Dr. Dillon to have some spots on my face "zapped" on Dec. 21. Steve's family came next day. Christmas Dad Mark and Jack weren't feeling well. We received a video telling us a bench at Otsego Park was being given in our name! Lovely! The 26th we went to Tony Packo's for lunch and watched "Babe" at Thad's in the eve. The 27th many of us went to the rec center for basketball, swimming, volleyball, etc. Fun! How quickly 1996 has passed-- Each year more quickly than the last! In January we headed for Florida sun To Orlando math meetings; Andy joined in the fun. To a middle-of-the-night space shot went Joıs parents, Sam, Jo and I. After some waiting, that ³bird² took off, lighting the sky. In our rental car, to Punta Gorda we wended our way With the hospitable McLaughlin cousins to stay. Beautiful scenery was on their tour-- In BG, palm trees seen are fewer! On to Sanibel Island to visit the Rocks from BG Where wondrous shells and birds we did see. Too soon Œtwas time to head back to the north But a mild winter turned out to be forth. February found us in Indianapolis for a five Cline gathering-- Lots of eating, reminiscing, laughinı and blathering! Andy joined us in March for his Spring break And with math & computer problems the guys hours did take. Alexis and Jack came for a short stay While Mom & Dad to the state tourney went to watch, not play. We were visiting Kim and Steve on the Redsı opening day; There was a snowstorm so ball they didnıt play! To Akron went Cliff for the Spring math meeting Started getting Aredia Where colleagues and friends he was glad to be greeting. Back to Indy in April Steveıs family/Chicago friends to meet. As a meeting place city, itıs hard to beat. A trip to Detroitıs renovated opera house was a May treat Where scenery, costumes and musicians were really neat. Then to Galesburg to celebrate a 95th birthday Joining relatives and friends, what a nice stay! TheBaldwins from Missouri met us there-- A several day visit with a special pair. What a surprise we got on the 17th of May-- A party celebrating Cliffıs one-year-since-surgery day! Our supportive kids and friends surrounded us. ³Carpe Diem²! Cliffıs lived it! What a plus! ŒTwas a wonderful weekend weıll not soon forget And we treasure each day; on that you can bet! In June to Ripon went friends Stanton, Thad and we-- Helpers in the move to LaGrange to try to be. Andy, Anna and Tchapo had many boxes packed And for carrying/loading help didnıt lack. Andy has a ³post doc² at Loyola Medical Center And of a nice home and yard theyıre currently a rentor. To Togo the three flew off later in June... Hadnıt been there in many a moon! Seven northwest Ohioans from Detroit to Rapid City flew Nonstop? Nope! Though stops made were few. Mark stayed at home, attending classes at BGSU So in August his masterıs diploma would be due. To Custer, South Dakota we headed in ³our² van Where Cline family members gathered--our clan. Forty-two of us were there in a Cline cluster Swelling the population in our host town of Custar!! Mt. Rushmore is known to us now as ³The Four Guys²-- A name given them by Alexis, (three year old size). Swimming & miniature golf were played by the hour And scenic drives we enjoyed, with mountains that tower. An important announcement was made by Debbie and Thad! Theyıre going to be parents! For them weıre all glad. An August weekend, Steve came and we went to a reunion of Longs. (When all 4 Long guys are here, we hear barbershop songs!). All our family was here for the weekend celebrating Labor Day Probably better noted as a day for play. We returned to Galesburg in October for Spoon River Days And with our LaGrange family and Fred & Louise had lovely stays. The scenery was lovely, the weather was great For good times like this, Œtis better not to wait. For Thanksgiving, guests from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri came; Nineteen including Gedeon, Gammon, Cline, and Long name! Four couples stayed with Thad and Debbie at the ³Long Hotel². Their hospitality is outstanding; they do it very well. To Fremont for Markıs first basketball game; They won! (Thirty Gedeons & Long family came). Steve, Kim, Cliff and Sammy Cincinnatians still are; In summer, enjoying their Mustang convertible car! Theyıre busy with church activities, Scouts and sports In summer toured Yellowstone, the Tetons and forts. Teaching and coaching keep Mark and Mindy busy as bees. Activities and family make them long for more ³zzzzıs²! Jack (one) and Alexis get along very well. Whatıs their favorite pace? Youıve got it--pellmell! Debbie and Thadıs blessed event in March is to be-- Thad's kidney stone--Sept. 18-27 Changes in life their two Labs canıt foresee! Thadıs painted for us and comes when ³help!² he hears; Helpful and hospitable are these two nearby dears. On a maintenance basis Cliff receives chemo Oft goes to his office and we keep ³on the go². We hope Œ97 will be a good year for you With good health and happiness visiting you anew. We keep hoping for that nebulous ³peace on earth² And that all earthıs inhabitants will celebrate His birth. 1997 In January we drove to Columbus (the 7th), went to the Ohio Hist. Soc. Museum & stayed at the Quality Inn. Next a.m. we flew to San Diego. Diane met us & we walked along the harbor, went to the math mtg. to hear Cliff & other retirees talk. Andy arrived in time for the talk & then we headed for Alpine. A car was loaned for the guys to get back & forth to the mtgs. Diane & I went to Coronado to play bridge and have lunch next day & I went to choir practice with them. Next day we went to the LaJolla eye clinic with Elyse. Her "freckle" is OK. PTL. We ate at Alpine Inn that eve. We met Elyse & Tyler at Julian the 11th & it was cold. Next day we all went to church & the Blacks joined us for lunch & Curt's family came later. Andy headed back to Chicago the 13th & we next day. We got in lots of bridge playing while there! On our way home from Columbus, we stopped at Woody's for a nice meal & to see their Christmas decorations (we'd heard about them). Steve, Kim & boys came Jan. 17th and the adults headed for New Orleans the next day. We went to Maxine's 70th bd party that eve & cliff & Sammy enjoyed it too. The 19th, sledding was enjoyed by the boys & I, the Gedeons came later. We learned we're to be grandparents in August (Eric). Jack & Alexis stayed overnight. There was a King's Daughters 90th anniversary tea on the 20th. We met Wileys in Bellevue & cliff & Sammy went home with them & we dropped the Gedeons off. Jan. 31 we had an overnight PW retreat in Fremont with Emily Conklin as leader. On Feb. 6, I started on this herstory. Cliff gave a talk at KME the 12th & showed his models. He made the living room plate rail. We went to Indy the 14th & had a great time with the rest of the family. Sam was having some back problems. Sun. we met Steve's family at the children's museum after lunch & they joined us for dinner along with Sam & Jo's English friends. After the others left on the 18th, Sam, Diane, Cliff & I had some bridge marathons. We came home next day. On the 25th, no protein showed up in Cliff's 24 hr urine test...remission. PTL! Cliff gave a talk at St. John's School in Toledo March 4th & I went along for the ride; we shopped & Cliff got new luggage & we got an adjustment on our new pingpong table. On the 7th, Lawsons & Dolores arrived, along with Steve & Andy's family. We went to the Fremont-Mansfield game next day which was a thriller won by Fremont! Mark as coach got his team through the sectional & district and advanced to the regionsal for the first time in Fremont's history! We all went to church Sun. for brunch & then the out of towners headed home. On March 17th, Thad, Debbie & Becky left for Blanchard Valley Hosp. early for Debbie to be induced. Connor Allan arrived at 2:56 pm, weighing in at 8#, l oz. We went to see the little darling and met Eric Scheurman. Mom and baby came home next day! Jack & Alexis came to stay with us the 21st while their Mom & Dad were in Columbus at the bb tournament. Connor was in the hosp. & losing weight the 22nd. Alexis was awake early March 23re and so sick. Poor little dear! She wanted her Mommy and Daddy! They arrived near noon, went to see Connor, now at home, before heading for Fremont. I started writing Mom's history. Easter was the 30th. Jack & Alexis stayed here while M & M went to St. V's to see Ben. Thad & Debbie joined us for supper, Gedeons too. Dee Maltby was under the weather so we took lasagna & ate with them the 31st & saw the Hal-Bopp comet. We went to Brian Pfatlzgraf's concert April 5th. Stantons came for dinner & I burned the counter, along with the brussel sprouts! We went to hear Karl Haas talk & play at the Peristyle on the 6th. I paid Dr. Smith $115 April 8th to have him tell me that "meteors" in my eyes are normal! Cliff wnet to the math mtgs in Youngstown the 11th. Lisa Elderbrock came from KY & stayed overnight here. Steve & Andy's families came the 18th. The men's chorus invited alumnae to join for this concert & Steve did! Their concert next day was really fine and it was a wonderful weekend. April 26th we drove to John & Betty's to have lunch, supper at Donna & Lorne's along with Janice's family. That eve we celebrated Jim & Rachel's 40th anniversary. Next day we went to church at 6th Line, had brunch at the golf course, stopped to see Shirley & Bill Hoy in Detroit, ate at the Erie Frog Leg Inn & went to the Toledo Symphony casual concert featuring the Chenille Sisters. Good! May 5th we headed for Marietta via Buckhorn Children's Center. We had a tour there & stayed at the historic Lafayette Hotel in M. Next day we went on a paddle wheeler on a Nature Conservancy trip and stopped at Blennerhesset Is. It was an all day trip & much enjoyed. On the 7th, we toured the Fenton glass co. across the river in WV. Campus Mauritius and the riverboat museums were enjoyed that day too & we drove to Athens for overnight & met a friend of Cliff's in the motel lobby! We went on to Waverly the 8th & toured the Pike Co. Welfare House. Our guides were Max & May Russell & they wanted to adopt us!! We wanted to eat at a local place but they wanted to take us to a steak house (Ponderosa!). They didn't want us to leave but we headed on to Steve's & Wileys were already there. Kim's show next eve was very good and...what a surprise...when we returned, our whole family was there..Carpe diem! It was a great weekend and the guys fixed bkf for Mother's Day. We returned via Wilburforce & Central State. Thad painted our kitchen ceiling while we were gone (it "blistered" when we were away in Feb.). I was hostess for PEO May 20, Anne Jones co. Steve changed jobs. Cliff had a born marrow test at Riverside June 6th. Andy & Tchapo were here & they went to Thad's soccer game, along with Cliff. Alexis & Jack were here while M & M went to Amanda's graduation. Thad & Debbie became members of First United Methodist June 8th. A retirment part for Cliff was held at Jack Hayden's--a lovely meal and bountiful gifts; many there. Dr. Brown reports no multiple myeloma in Cliff's bone marrow. PTL! June 20th we drove to Galesburg to surprise Diane at her 50th class reunion. Al was there too. At Jumer's, we sat with a Congressional Medal of Honor winner! While there, we went to see Ruby Killingsworth in Macomb, Helen Harshbarger, had a surprise open house for Diane on Sun & saw lotsa people. We went to Lagrange the 23rd to visit AAT, met Lawson's at McCormick's estate/home/gardens/war museum (Cantigny) next day & had dinner with them. We came home the 25th & the next day, Norma Jones came for dinner & a nice visit. Our kids came for the weekend & joined Norma & us for dinner the 28th. Fourth of July found us at a concert at the Hayes Museum, along with Hiltners. Mindy & kids found us in the crowd! Alexis fell asleep & slept through the cannon firing during the 1812 Overture! We picnicked with Hiltners. July 9th Florence, Ila Banbury, Jean Henze & I drove to Louisville for the PW National Gathering. We stayed in the Galt House. Such lines! I was one of the "honored witnesses" & had the opportunity to talk to Millard Fuller who was there to speak about HFH. We returned home the 13th. July 19th we headed to St. Louis, going thro Indy--495 mi. to Gammons new house. The rest of the Gammons were already there & Diane & Tyler arrived late. We drove to the Ozarks next afternoon & stayed in a nice cabin with 5 bedrooms! There were 41 of us there. (all of our family but the Gedeons). It was very hot during the time we were there & the pool got a workout. Steve rented a speedboat one day & that was a hit..riding, skiing, tubing. Rick got his arm caught & got a rope burn. Lots of videos were watched & cards played! We celebrated Ellie & Jack's 50th anniversary. Ellie, Cliff & I went to Osage Beach to shop. We were to meet Jim & Jean Baldwin in Branson the 27th but the car wasn't working right. We limped into town & it quit at the motel! That eve we went to "Shepherd of the Hills" play. In Galesburg we'd learned Ray Cramer was at Branson with his Indiana Brass group so I contacted him & he arranged for us to have tickets to the show July 28th. We got to meet Molly & enjoyed the show. We also saw the "Jennifer" show that day. Next day we went to the Hughes Bros. show, visited our sick car & they said they'd have it ready tomorrow. We went to the Bald Knobbers show that eve--the original! Jim & Jean took us to the garage July 30th & the fuel pump/filter was all in by 11 & we headed home. We lunched at Rolla, were thro St. Louis by 4, stopped at Fazoli's in Indy & got home at 1:45 a.m! The 31st we saw "South Pacific" with Hiltners at the Croswell in Adrian & ate at "The Brass Lantern". Sat., Aug. 2nd we headed for Chautauqua with Millers & Kirkbrides drove their RV. We moved into Florence Hall & went to hear opera highlights. Sun. we ent to the ballet, an art exhibit where Jason DePue was playing (!), to the sacred song service. Margo Evans & her mother joined us for lunch at Hotel Atheneum on Aug. 5. Elegant! We came home the 6th. The 12th, Cliff & Thad made a ramp for T's shed. Bobby Krist's (Stanton's grandson) wedding & reception was Aug. 16th and Connor was baptized next day. He was a good boy! We had lunch at Thad & Debbie's afterward, to Elsass's 50th anniversary & the zoo concert with Bill & Sue. Mindy called at 7 on Aug. 19 to announce that Eric James arrived at 2:30 a.m.--8#, 1 oz. PTL We went to Fremont to see the sweet baby and stayed with Alexis & Jack later. AAT got here Aug. 20th & left for Wash. D.C for a Peace Corps reunion next day. They stopped in Fremont to see Eric & family. I got my lovely watch at Osterman's the 23rd. The 27th I rode to Lima with Debbie & Connor; AAT got back that eve. With others, we went to Venedocia for a Welsh "sing Aug. 31. They make the rafters ring! Sept. 2nd we met Diane's plane & the festivities began! We went to Grand Rapids the 4th & Tchapo fished & we shopped & had lunch. Fred & Louise arrived! Next day we went to get Pat at the airport. Lortons, Richards, Lawsons, Dolores,Ellie & Jack, Hawkins flew in plus all our kids. We had spaghetti & a wonderful evening! On the 6th, the kids served lunch at the ice arena lounge & family & good friends surrounded us, followed by a wonderful program & loving words. The Long guys sang and were quite a hit! We then adjourned to Thad & Debbie's for supper & 31 of us went to see "The Music Man". The BGSU band came in to play "76 Trombones"! We had bkf with Pat the 7th & then Thad took her to the airport. Dear Jo had brought lasagna & that's what we had for lunch. Rog Hawkins gave airplane rides to anyone who wanted to go. The 8th I took Diane to the airport early. Rog & Bonnie were next to depart & then Fred & Louise. Tim Snipes had supper with us. Tom Hern brought photos by of our big event. We went to Herb Hollister's funeral Sept 9th. All 4 kids participated and it was an inspiring service. Connor was with us early on the 10th while Thad & Debbie went to the hosp--another kidney stone! Neighbors & friends came over the 14th for dessert & to wish AAT "bon voyage". The 15th we took them to Detroit to fly to Benin where Andy had a Fulbright scholarship for the year. Cliff was having more tingling so on Sept. 23 we went to Toledo & he had an MRI done. Dr. Sullivan looked at the films & said more vertebra have collapsed but they're not pressing on cord. We went to Cinci the 28th, saw Steve's new office in Milford & had a nice weekend. Oct 3rd Cliff had a hernia repair as an outpatient with Dr. Bielefeld the surgeon. He got along fine. Steve's family was here for a visit the next weekend. We picked apples with the Gedeons at Clyde. On the 14th, Cliff went to a kidney specialist who recommended he eliminate Daypro. We went to see Mindy join Grace Luthrean on Oct. 19..& hear Alexis sing with the cherubs. Lawsons came that eve & we went to Crane Creek next day. They treated at Kaufman's to celebrate our 40th. The King's Daughters convention was held in BG Oct. 24-35 with Maxine & me in charge. It went well. Cliff went to Portsmouth with Tom to math mtgs. on the 24th. The 31st Cliff went to Dr. Neville who said his eye was ulcerating probably due to a virus. Hiltners came to tell us of their trip to NZ & Australia. We were back to Dr. Neville a couple of times about Cliff's eye before we departed for Australia/NZ. He assured us they have doctors there, should we need to see one so off we went. Thad was there to meet us when we returned at 2:30 on Nov. 26 & we were home by 4. We needed to get busy as company was coming! ( While we were gone, Ackerman painted our oven door & surface unit.) Sam & Jo came the 27th & Steve's family was here along for the Gedeons and we had a lovely meal at Thad & Debbie's and wonderful time of togetherness. Steve's family left for Lodi the 29th, dropping the Gedeon kids off on the way. We went to Becky & Eric's wedding in the eve & Sam & Jo kept Connor. They returned home the 30th. In December we went to several of Mark's basketball games. The team was doing well. On the 6th, I went to a brunch at St. Mark's with Sue & then to give blood at St. Mark's My BP was near 160--probably from standing on my head in the other hemisphere!? We made candy that eve with the help of Hiltners & Stantons. Steve's family came the 24th, Thad, Debbie & Connor joined us for chili, church & carolling. Mindy & kids dropped by. Christmas Day we called Andy & all had a chance to chat. All were here for a big dinner at 4 & gift opening. We met at COSI the 27th (Poor Alexis lost her NanO puppy) and then went to Tony Packo's. Steve sang the song he'd written for us. The 28th we were up early and to Fremont for the 9:20 service where Eric was being baptized. He was a good boy. We had brunch at M & M's afterward with only Topher representing the Gedeons. Some of us went to the Hayes Museum to see the special displays. (Done) 1998 From Mari-lyn and Cliff '98 started, for me, with a bad case of flu. Cliff's a good nurse and didn't get the flu (whew!). In February, to Cinci where theyıd had a Big Snow To see little Cliff as one of the stars of a show. Then to Indy for a reunion of 5 ³kids² named Cline With spouses attending; we had a time fine. March--Lawsons visited as did Gedeon kids three (Mark & Mindy went to the basketball tourney) Which kept Grampa n Grama busy as could be! In April, Andy came from Benin for a job interview. The week he was in Bowling Green just flew! Back to Cinci in May for another performance To see Kim & friends emote, sing and dance. To Toronto for math meetings we drove in July. Where we went in the summer, temperatures were high! Then to Indiana to a lodge near French Lick For a reunion of Clines--good location to pick. Of our total number, Longs were nearly half Lotsa eating, card playing, and many a laugh. From there to a Presby Women synod event in BG Where friends and special events I did see. Then Cliff and I flew to the City by the Bay And from there, to Bogarts in Sacramento to stay. Royal treatment we received at their hands; Sonoma, Napa Valley Wine brunch trip, brunch on They did everything but hire brass bands! a paddlewheeler on the Sacramento R. To a math/art conference at Berkeley we went Where Cliff displayed sculptures; a special event. To Chautauqua, New York for our next expedition. Soaking up culture & info our mission. Our African trio in August returned With many things taught and many things learned. Items stored in Thad & Debbieıs basement were removed As the job and move to Ann Arbor were approved! To the Long reunion we 5 went soon after, Canadian relatives to chat with, much laughter. In September of sister Dianeıs anemia we learned; Elyse was convinced she had lymphoma Low hemoglobin & weakness have kept us concerned! & her diagnosis proved to be correct In October to Oxford (Miami) we wended our way Sept 27 to pick apples & fish. Where Cliff showed his models; then on to Cinci to stay. At the Stratford festival we were joined by Louise & Fred To see plays enacted, previously read. An Eastern Europe trip was a November treat; Interesting scenery, nice people to meet. Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna, Prague were cities seen And we bussed through the countryside in between. The castles & cathedrals were sights to behold; No wonder that part of the worldıs called old. Now free from Communist rule, those nations. We hope thatıs always cause for celebrations. Thanksgiving has more meaning each year As we join to celebrate with family dear. Next day after leaving BG, brother Sam had a heart attack; Angioplasty, a stent...and a fast comeback! That was cause for more thanks giving Some minor adjustments heıll make to his style of living. Now Christmastime is fast approaching... And Markıs basketball season (4th year of head coaching). Our number will increase early next year With the arrival of Debbie and Thadıs little dear. Cliff keeps busy with projects galore.. Were he totally healthy, heıd even do more! Weıre thankful for doctors and chemo and pills; For such helpful service, you donıt mind the bills! Enjoy the festivities of this advent season-- The gift of baby Jesus, the wonderful reason. An update on the family: Steve and Kim, Cliff(12) and Sammy(10) live in Cincinnatti, OH Andy and Anna, and Tchapo(12.9) live in Ann Arbor, MI Thad and Debbie, Connor(1.7) and ? (-.2) live in Bowling Green, OH Mindy and Mark, Alexis(5), Jack(3) and Eric(1.3) live in Fremont, OH (Rewrite) The flu bug got hold of me in Jan., '98 & held on! There was a surprise birthday party for Mindy's 30th birthday but we didn't get to go. Mark was busy with basketball and we went to a number of the Fremont games. In Feb we went to Cinci to see Cliff perform in the school musical. Thad, Debbie & Connor went too. They'd had a lot of SNOW there. We didn't! On the 13th we went to Indy for our annual sibling gathering. We did lots of card playing, including bridge & cribbage, singing & went to hear the Purdue Glee Club. On our way home, we stopped in Ft. Wayne to tour the Lincoln Museum. A PW retreat was held at Nazareth Hall with Margo Connor. Around 30 were there & I won the flower centerpiece! Steve's family came the last weekend & we celebrated birthdays. Mark, Mindy, Alexis & Jack came & stayed over. We went to Elk Grove Village March 20th and enjoyed visits with Dolores & the Lawsons, including their kids. We went to St. Charles to browse on our way to Richards, sang in the Meth. choir & had a nice get together with Dave & Lou Lindemann. Townsends, Leetchs & we took Graues out for dinner the 25th & said goodbye as they're moving to Fla. Three little Gedeons were here the end of the month while their parents were at the state tournament. Alexis fell down the stairs & wonders why we don't have carpeting! She & Jack enjoyed a tea party! Andy flew to Detroit from Benin on April 2. He was here for a job interview (and accepted). The rest of the family joined us in several get togethers before he returned the 9th. Tom Hern & Cliff went to John Carroll U. the 17th & gave a short talk. Alexis came here for the children's play. Our 4th Wood Co. Habitat for Humanity house was dedicated on April 19th. May 6th we went to a retiree gathering in Columbus & on to Cinci. Thad's family & Mindy's joined us there for another celebration of Cliff's anniversary since surgery. We went to Kim's program with the Forestaires...very good! Thad broke his wrist while playing soccer on March 29. 'Twas a bad break and on June 6th, carpal tunnel like surgery was done. His plans to put together playground equipment in the backyard changed slightly. Cliff helped & Thad was supervisory capacity. June 19th Steve's family was here & we enjoyed lunch at Tony Packo's (Maumee) & the zoo where MM & kids joined us and some pool time was enjoyed by several. Cliff had some surgery performed by Dr. Cichocki (Thad's kidney stone guy). John & Lois Hiltner joined us for the 4th of July concert at the Hayes mansion & later for a picnic here. We went with them to the Croswell in Adrian to see "Brigadoon", "1776" & "State Fair". It's a long way to go but they're so good! Cliff made a "pentagon" around the tree in the front yard-first wood, then bricks...looks nice! We went to Canada the 14th & took the Miller cousins out for dinner. Next morning we had breakfast with Longleys & eyres at the golf course & then went on to Toronto. We stayed at Ryerson Institue which was a wonderful location. I enjoyed their pool, enjoyed a ride on a ferry, visited the Royal Ontario Museum where an exhibit from Victoria & Albert Museum was featured. Tom Hern, Cliff & I went to a Blue Jay game in the Astrodome & they put the roof on while we were there! We came home the 18th. We made a quick turnaround and left next day. We caravaned with the Gedeons to French Lick, IN. We stayed in a lodge (cattle ranch?) which was very nice. There were 34 of us there to enjoy shopping, a hymn sing, tour of the hotel in French Lick (where people came to drink & bathe in the sulphur water {yuck}) and W. Baden (domed, huge & under construction). We got home the 24th & I spent the next two days on BGSU campus at the Synod PW annual gathering. July 31 we drove to Columbus, flew to Cinci & on to San Francisco. My old friend and nursing classmate, Pat Bogart met us & we were on our way to Sacramento. Next day we took the Napa Valley wine train tour and had an elegant brunch. Then we went to tour the Sebastiani Winery where the casks are carved & on to Sonoma to an art fair. Dick prepared a gourmet dinner for us that eve..they're trying to fatten us up..& succeeding! We had brunch Sun. on a paddlewheeler on the Sacramento R. & another fabulous meal! Then they took us to Berkeley to the art /math conference which brought us there. Cliff displayed some of his models & thoroughly enjoyed the conference & people he met. I took BART to San Francisco & toured some museums, took the ferry to Sausalito & back (on a hot day, that was a good idea). I toured the botanic garden on campus (tho' I was a little nervous when a sign at the ticket booth reported sighting of a mountain lion!) and spent time at interesting Lawrence Hall of Science. We got home Aug. 6th. We made another turnaround and left for Chautauqua the 8th. Millers & Kirkbrides went too & we enjoyed some more restful days in that lovely setting. On our way home, we stopped at Cayahoga R. National Res. and explored some of the canals and biked. We also had a tour of the estate of some of the rubber barons, Stan Hyatt. Cliff went to see Dr. Shocka, kidney specialist, who thinks Cliff is doing OK. August 22nd was the day AAT returned from Benin and we met them in Detroit. Mark & Mindy had organized a bone marrow testing in Fremont and 159 came! The Fremonters came nexxt day & helped get dirt to fill our pentagon! Faithful Al & Dorothy STanton were prestent on the 24th when the move to student housing at U. of Michigan was made by AAT. Kind Debbie & Thad had volunteered their basement to store their belongings so many got moved to Ann Arbor that day. The next day we had a huge rain & water sprayed onto the belongings still remaining, including a lot of books. Thad & I carried things up onto the drive to start the drying out process! Cliff & I joined the Rocks at Lakeside the 26th for some restful time with good friends, even took a bike ride! AAT came that weekend & we transported more things to AA and then went on to Canada. We had lunch with John & Betty & then went to the Long reunion at Jim & Rachel Eyres & had a fine time. Alexis started to all day kindergarten the 31st--Mrs. Warga her teacher The kids were all here for Labor Day weekend and we had a fine time. A call from Elyse alarmed us as she said Diane wasn't well and Elyse was concerned that she might have lymphoma (it took the doctors til Dec. to make that diagnosis). We went to our first Grandparen'ts Day the 11th, visitinig Alexis' class & picking her & her brithers up later & enjoying them for the afternon. The Black Swamp festival was Sept. 13th & Cliff went to look at the art work after church and ran into....Fran Lyman! We found a note from her when we got home saying she'd return, & she did! She was on vacation from her Peace Corps experience in Morocco. AAT were still moving! Sue Rock & I gave a talk about Elderhostels at Carolyn Hollister's on the 16th. Nice lunch, nice ladies. AAT were here & we went on a lantern tour at Ft. Meigs the 19th. The reenactors told us about their experiences &, at one point, an ambulance siren fit right into the scenario! Funny! On Sept. 27th, we went to Fremont and Andy & Tchapo chose to fish near downtown while we others went to pick apples in Clyde. That activity was fun and we returned to pick up the fishermen only to discover the nearby bridge closed so we took a circuitous route home. We learned there'd be a truck/train accident at the bridge and Andy and Tchapo had been observers. The driver was thrown out of the truck into the river. Horrifying! Mark went b ack to get their gear later and came back with a fish on one rod (which they returned to the river). Oct. 2nd we went to Miami, models in hand. Cliff displayed them and was available to give more information about them. I went to the art museum and enjoyed walking around the campus. We went on to Cincinniati and the next few days Cliff helped Steve with a plate rail, we got to hear the guitar group play and sing at church and went to a choral practice of a group Steve was in. When Andy and Anna came the 17tth, we learned Anna had swallowed a pin & gone to the ER, had anesthesia but no sign of the pin. Fred and Louise came the next day. Oct. 19th we took a picnic to Ft. Meigs, on to Ann Arbor where we saw where Andy worked & met some co-workers & stayed overnight. Next day we drove to Stratford, Ontario where we stayed at Albert Place. When we went to pick up our tickets, there was a message for Fred & Louise to call home. Louise was sure something had happened to her mother but in fact, a friend had died and Fred was requested to be a pallbearer for her service on the 22nd. We went to the matinee of "The Miracle Worker", had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant, went to see "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie". On the 21st, we were up early & made a beeline for BG. Fred and Louise left almost immediately so they'd be there for the visitation in Galesburg. Little did we know that that was the last time we'd see Louise alive. Bob and Doris Lawson came Oct. 23, as did AAT. The next day we all went to tour the ore boat, Willis Boyer in Toledo, on to Tony Packo's for lunch, toured the Stranahan mansion and had a nice walk at Wildwood Park. Ben Gedeon was seriously ill with leukemia. He was at Cleveland Clinic where it was hoped he'd have a bone marrow transplant. Instead he was getting worse so the decision was made to fly him to MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston. We went to Fremont the afternoon before he was to leave and stayed with the little Gedeons while Mark, Mindy, Amanda and Hannah went to Cleveland to be with him til he left. On October 31, we drove to Columbus and next day flew to Kulles, JFK and then Finnair to Helsinki. There were 42 on the SmarTour group with us touring Eastern Europe. Our first stop was Warsaw, Poland where we stayed at the Forum Hotel. November 2nd we toured Old Town with out guide, Bettina. After looking around at length, we decided to walk back & saw a beautiful rainbow as we did. A couple from Fostoria took public transportation and both lost their wallets! Cashing traveller's checks wasn't easy, even at a bank..ATM's work better! Nov. 2 we toured the Warsaw ghetto, saw the Jewish memorial, went to the nearby Palace of Culture. It was built by the Russians (& then the bill sent to the Poles) and looks like a wedding cake! That evening we went to a Polise dinner and dancing. The dancers asked us to dance, Cliff several times! We became friends of Lynda & Dick Kroboth that eve. On we went to Jasna Gora Nov. 4, eth spiritual center of Poland. There we wawthe black Madonna, a richly adorned icon in a chapel where mass was said often. Our guide led us past the madonna during mass which made us quite uncomfortable. Healings are said to take place there & many medical aids were adorning one room and another room held beautiful treasures given in thanks for healing. Auschwitz was next..the concentration camp where so many lost their lives. The grey, gloomy weather matched the somber setting with rooms displaying possessions taken from inmates when they came there...and so many died there. We continued on to Cracow and had dinner near one of the downtown squares. Our hotel was a distance from downtown. We had a tour of Wawel castle the 5th, the cathedral, went to St. Mary's cathedral to see the panels changing (a daily happening) and the trumpeter playing. A member of our group discovered the loss of amber jewelry, camera, wallet, etc. while we were on the square. In the afternoon we went to a salt mine and toured the art work, all made of salt! Cliff was suffering from diarrhea the 6th as we headed to Budapest, Hungary. We went through Slovakia on our way to the city. Dinner was at the hotel & Cliff went but didn't stay long. He didn't feel like doing much the 7th. I went to the national Museum with Lynda 7 Dick. Cliff did go on the bus tour. We saw St Stephens & the Coronation Church as we went to hilly Buda. It got dark so early! Our Danube Bend trip was on the 8th but Cliff didn't go. He went to the National Museum. We saw Estergom Cathedral, the torture museum at Visegard Castle, shopped at Szenterden (I looked for a ceramic bunny members of our group wanted who'd gone on the trip the day before..found it! $41!).That evening several of us went to the Hungarian Folk Dance Ensemble by streetcar...not Cliff. We went to Vienna on Nov. 9, had lunch, toured the ringstrasse, Belvedere Palace, a strange house. Next day we went on a tour to the Vienna Woods. We visited Holy Cross monastery at Hekzkedreaz built in 1133, went to Mayerling chapel, visited Baden. In the afternoon we went to Schonbrunn Palace..quite a summer place! We headed toward Prague the 11th, stopping in quaint Dunnstern a hilly town next to the full Danube. We also stopped in Telc before arriving at the Hotel Don Giovanni. We walked to the Lazy Daisy cafe and had a nice meal & heard wonderful piano playing. On our tour of Prague the 12th, we went to St. Vitus Cathedral, saw St. John's casket (which contained 2 tons of silver), walked across Charles Bridge with many statues along the way, viewed the astronomical clock at St. Wenceslas Square. That eve Cliff & I took the subway to the opera house to see "Swan Lake". Karlstein Castle was our objective the 13th. It was very hilly & we could've taken a cart up but we chose to walk. Quite a view! It was built for storing relics! We had a farewell dinner at the hotel that night. We flew to Helsinki on the 14th. It was dark when we got there but we got to see a modern church built into a hillside on our way to our hotel. We had dinner with Froboths. Next day we flew on to JFK and from there to Dulles. At the last momemt, we got "bumped", got $300 vouchers and finally ended up at a Fairfield Inn at midnight. We took a cab to National at 6 the next a.m. went to our Am West flight which was cancelled! Finally we gon on a USAir going to Columbus via Pittsburgh & got to Columbus at 12:30, home at 3:30. We collected meal vouchers along the way & ended up with donuts & pizza! Nov. 22nd we picked Rocks up in Detroit, returning from an elderhostel in Australia/NZ. They'd had a marvelous time. Steve came the 24th and we learned there was to be a change in his job situation. Gammons and Clines came next day and everyone was here for Thanksgiving Day on the 26th. 'Twas wonderful! Sam was able to golf on the 28th. We 5 elder statesmen went to Grand Rapids & had a nice time. Some of Steve's family were sick & they decided against going on to Lodi. It seemed very quiet after they all left! We got work on the 30th that Sam had had a heart attack! Angioplasty was done & he started changing his diet some..maybe too many biscuits & gravy while here!? Tom Hern suggested a math dept. potluck at the Presbyterian Church and we helped with that on Dec. 11. Alexis came for Breakfast with Santa at the senior center on the 12th and then we went to see "The Nutcracker" in the afternoon. A big day! Our candymaking at Rocks was the 18th with Hiltners and Stantons present to help--a fun time! I had a bone density test the 21st and discovered I have osteoporosis in my spine and one hip. Initially I took Miacalcin but switched to Fosomax & Evista. Cliff's last day of chemo was on the 22nd. We learned that Eric Noland had a new job as travel editor on the 23rd. The kids were all here on the 24th & 25th. Ben and Cindy stopped in for a visit which pleased us a lot . The Long guys recorded their reportoire of quartet numbers in the recording studio at Thad's neighbor. tchapo stayed with us during vacation while his folks were working. On the 29th, we went to tour the decorated Hayes mansion & went to the Bowsher/Fremont game. (Diane had her first chemo that day. Next day we tried to visit the Wolcott House and see the zoo lights. Neither worked out so we went on to Ann Arbor and returned home the next day. 1999--Louise wasn't feeling well and we learned she'd had gallbladder surgery in January and her liver didn't look "right". Sherry told us Louise had liver cancer. Cliff talked to her to encourage her to have chemo which she was reluctant to do. Diane was having a bad time. Her hemoglobin was exceedingly low at times and she had a lot of transfusions, problems with blood clots and spiking fevers. The bright spot in January was the arrival of Rachel Elizabeth to Debbie and Thad on Jan 21. Connor came to stay with us the 20th and Debbie was induced at St. Vincent's the next day. Thad called to tell us of Rachel's arrival (12:50 pm, weighing 7#, 15 oz). We took Connor up to meet his new sister. The Harrises had been with Debbie through the delivery. In February we went to Cinci to see the play Cliff was in (Kim helped with the directing). When we got back, we got word that Louise was disoriented and a call the 11th asking us to come. Cliff had to get his aredia & we wanted to wait for Andy to join us so we didn't leave til 3. Before that, we learned that Louise had died. Members of the Cline (Steve rode with Sam & Jo) and Seckler family arrived the next few days, including Thad, Debbie and their little two. A light moment in the weekend came when we sang Happy Birthday to Steve on the 14th & Morozinks "Ziggy" howled along! (We discovered he howled to any music!). He also ran off with my panty hose during the middle of the night (I didn't have them on!). Paul and Eunice Noland came the 15th and all of went to the church for lunch prepared by the church ladies. Visitation followed and the service after that. We went to Meridien Cemetery for the commital service and headed for home after that. It was early morning when we got here & then Andy left in good time to get back to Ann Arbor. Bowling Green Presby. Women had a retreat at "Our Lady of the Pines" retreat center Feb. 20th. Mindy came over during the day for a little visit. Ben Gedeon and faithful fiancee Cindy were in Houston waiting for his bone marrow transplant. None of his siblings was a match but the person who was said he'd go anywhere, any time. Each time the transplant was imminent, something would happen to prevent it. Mark and Mindy went to visit them and we kept the kids. Eventually Ben was told that his condition wouldn't warrant a transplant and he was sent back to Toledo and hospice was called in. Mark and Mindy went to see him and be of help whenever they could and the little Gedeons were here often during that time. We went to help with Ben on April 14th. It was heartbreaking to see the life draining from that wonderful young man and see the tragedy of the impending separation of Ben and Cindy. Lois Hiltner and I went to the historiacal museum to create Ukranian eggs (pysanky) March 12th. Some of the eggs were just beautiful. I still have mine and it's still heavy. As a last resort, Diane decided to go to MD Anderson in Houston and Elyse and Al went with her. They weren't able to perform any miracles so she too returned home. The Gammons, Fred and we met in Indy at Sam & Jo's from April 16th-19th. Diane had just gotten home and was "ready to go". We got word that Ben had died on April 22. Andy and Steve were here for his service at St. Thomas More on the 24th. Mindy spoke, among others, and did so well. The next day, Cliff, Andy and I drove to Indy, caught a plane to San Diego. Originally we'd planned to go on to SD after our weekend with our siblings but that didn't work out but the best ticket price was from Indy so.... Jeff met us and said Diane had been having a bad time..diarrhea due to something Bruce thought would help. From the time we got there, Diane was bedfast. Someone stayed with her all the time; Elyse and her family were there all the time. Steve flew in the day after we did and Nancy got there the 28th. Diane was so weak and anxious to leave this world and be with Mom and Dad. Al agreed to hospice and the nurses were great. Diane left at 4:52 on April 28th with Elyse leading us in singing "Amazing Grace". Eric & Clare had just gotten back from Europe but were with Diane before she died. Next day Elyse gave Nancy and me the jewelry and clothes Diane wanted Ellie and me to have plus other clothes and shoes. then we went to Blacks. Nancy 7 Elyse wanted us to see the fields of flowers growing nearby so we toured those. That eve we were guests of Blacks at a mexican restaurant--Nancy & Eric too. We flew back to Indy on April 30 and drove on to Cinci. Kim's Forestaire show was May 1 and we enjoyed it along with the Wileys. Andy, Cliff & i headed back home the 2nd. We stopped for dinner in W. Liberty and then toured the nearby Mac O Chee castle. Andy then headed on to Ann Arbor. Later that week, Thad, Debbie and Rachel flew to San Diego to be there for the celebration of Diane's life. Connor was with Becky and then came to stay with us the 7th. AAT came for the weekend and we planned to have Mother's Day brunch at the BGSU Union along with Rocks and a bunch of other people. Sun. I went to church, sang in the choir, cried when the minister announced that my sister had died, talked to people afterward. I remember none of it. On the way to the union, I announced that I didn't know where I was or where we were going. My family walked me around & gave explanation but i still wasn't "with it". We went to the ER & a neurologist said I had global transient amnesia & would be OK in a few hours. That was a relief to Cliff who was tiring of answering the same question over & over! I was admitted overnight and "came to" in late afternoon. In the meantime, someone stayed with me & the rest of the family enjoyed a cookout! The claim was that this condition was brought on by stress. I certainly got a lot of attention, as a result, including 3 hanging baskets! On May 24th, we drove to Battle creek and met Doris and Bob Lawson. It was cold & windy but we got out to do some walking, toured the cereal factory, went to the Kellogg bird sanctuary, went to the charming town of Marshall and enjoyed touring the Honolulu house and looking at the rest of the interesting architecture there. There was even a soda fountain there & it'd been awhile since I'd had a soda! We came home late on the 26th. I got our Mitchell Rd. garden planted the next day. We went to Ann Arbor the 29th and had the pleasure of hearing a throat singing concert at "The Ark. Very different! Tchapo, Andy, Cliff and I went to Greenfield Village the next day. There were reenactors all over the place and it was very interesting to see them "doing their thing". I especially enjoyed the music. We were invited to the zoo June 3rd for those who'd been members for 25 years or more. The food and beverages offered were wonderful and the special exhibit was an albino alligator..if you see one, you have good luck for a year! Andy and Thad were playing on the same soccer team and when AAT got here June 4th, we were sad to learn that Andy had broken his wrist (The claim is that he's a copycat as he had knee surgery after Thad did and then broke his wrist after Thad did!). Next day he went to see Dr. Barker who put on a more permanent cast. We all were present for Rachel's baptism on June 6th & then enjoyed having brunch with Debbie, Thad and the Harrises. The synod gathering of PW was held on the BGSU campus June 12-14. I got in on most of it. Cliff was busy painting trim on the house. All but Steve's family were here to celebrate Father's Day with us on June 20th. Mindy was in charge of Bible School for their church. On the 21st, Jack went to Bible School with David Detweiler and they had the misfortune to collide. Jack's top front teeth were pushed back so Mindy brought him to Dr. Pace the 22nd. We were having lunch at Rocks so Alexis & Eric stayed with us during the appointment.. We drove to Wooster June 24th and stayed with Eloise & Lloyd Dunn, PEO b&b & went to the Ohio Light Opera. That night we saw "La Vie Parisian". Our plan was to go to Amish country the next day but alas for plans! The car was leaking so we went to some repair places & got various opinions. The universal one was not to go a distance without refilling the radiator often! We stayed in town & went to garage sales. We came to one at the home of Linda Sweeney & for the benefit of The King's Daughters! We were so surprised to see one another! That night we went to see "The Victorian Trilogy". On our way home next day, we stopped to refill the radiator often!! It was all fixed up by June 30. Our peach tree split on July 1. I'd have cut it down earlier but Andy t