Hello Friends and Family!  We’ve been somewhat negligent in putting out another post but, forgive us, we only write when the mood is right.

My, my, my, so much to get caught up on but we prefer to start with our recent return to CT.  We were back in CT for the month of October specifically to find “the dress” for Nikki and Dan’s wedding as well as being in CT when Katie and Mike were in US for Mike’s sister’s wedding.   When we visited, our sister-in-law, Jackie, pulled together a Peterson family reunion in ME.  It was perfect – just the family love we needed.  All were present except our nephew, David, and our sister-in-law, Lisa.  Both were missed, but those who were able to attend had so much fun!

What did we do?  We hugged, talked, laughed, ate and drank, played Uno, and the boys even played flashlight tag.  And, we had the best bonfires ever!  Great job on those Billy!  We were so blessed to have such loving energy all in one place.  Thanks to Patty, Bill, Jackie, Brett, and Kari for housing everyone.  The next time we will all be together will probably be at Dan and Nikki’s wedding.  We are looking forward to it!

Special thanks goes out to John Rudy, Kenny’s lifelong friend.  He was kind enough to have us stay in his home in Suffield.  And a shout-out to Herbie and Patty for allowing us to leave the RV on Herbie’s farm while we were visiting.  We were both missing our time with Christie and Shelly so it was great to spend time with them.  (See pic above of our hike to Heublein Tower).  And, Debbie was so grateful that Joan Y. managed a girls get together with former coworkers and girlfriends.  Thanks to everyone for making our visit back to CT so much fun!  If we missed you while in CT, let’s be sure that we get together next time.

Prior to our return to CT for a visit, we have traveled back across the country meeting new people, seeing more sights, taking in more hikes, and just enjoying life.  Too many activities to put pen to paper but we hope to provide you with some highlights.

During Labor Day weekend we stayed in a quaint little town, Dillon, MT, where we attended our first rodeo!  It was so thrilling and completely amazing that no one got trampled.  Those cowboys are totally crazy!  One event was having a cowboy rope a wild cow, milk it, then run back with a certain amount of milk.  How on earth would you even practice for that event?  We also attended Dillon’s Labor Day parade which lasted almost two hours with more people in the parade then watching the parade.

In ND, we were lucky enough to spot the feral horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  We saw two colts that were still nursing their Momas.  Since we were the first to see them, we were at fault for causing a horse jam in the park.   Actually, we were very happy to cause that jam.

In Custer, SD, we rented an ATV and did some back roading one afternoon, visited Crazy Horse Monument, and (icing on the cake) on 9/11 attended the lighting ceremony at Mt. Rushmore.  It was very emotional when all current and former military were invited to the stage for the striking of the colors.  At least 100 men and women (including Kenny) were honored and I, of course, was moved to tears.

In Spearfish, SD, we met a great couple from Idaho, Ty and Betty, that we hit it off with immediately.  Kenny talking to Ty about cigars led to combining and sharing dinner and a bonfire.  Such nice people!  We plan to keep in touch.

After our time in CT, we headed to Bird in Hand, Amish country! There we had a buggy ride and a tour of a working Amish farm that was very interesting and informative.  (See pic above). The Amish are very private and very hardworking.  If you are ever there, we suggest viewing the film, Jacob’s Choice, which can be seen locally in Bird in Hand.

We are now in Flagler Beach, FL, staying at Bulow RV Resort.  Flagler Beach is located between St. Augustine and Daytona.  That will be our base for the next few months.  From here, we will take shorter trips/adventures to more State and National Parks and, of course, beaches.  If you are going to be in the area, please let us know.  We’d love to host you (dinner?  housing?).

Until next time, we lift our wine glasses and toast to you:

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.  Yogi Berra

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  🦃