HAPPY 4th OF JULY
************ HAPPY 4TH OF JULY ***********
I’m sitting on QAR here in
Youngstown on our nation’s birthday. I know I haven’t updated the blog since our trip to Iowa – so here we go……
We drove to Des Moines for Bradley & Stacy’s wedding & spent the 3 days there before the wedding seeing our doctors, dentists, CPA, financial advisor, Nancy for a haircut, a mammogram, etc. Plus, seeing friends & preparing for the wedding on the 27th. Our friends Jim & Karen offered their “guest suite” to us which we most appreciated!
CONGRATULATIONS TO BRADLEY & STACY on their wonderful wedding!!!!!
They’re so happy with each other & we’re all so very happy for them…..We all had a fabulous time!!! On Sunday the 28th we had a large group for breakfast at the hotel & then we put the newly-weds on a plane for Las Vegas. Afterward, we got to spend time with our other son Henry before his flight back to San Diego. We had 8 family members at the wedding & Stacy had lots & lots – her parents are each one of 9 siblings! Bradley’s got a great new wife & “new” family!
The dentist in Des Moines noticed “drainage” from a tooth & thought I should see an oral surgeon to determine the cause. We know an oral surgeon in New York, so I got my friend Heather to call for an appointment. We arrived back in Youngstown on the 30th & the next day (July 1) I saw the oral surgeon who sent me to an endodontist in Buffalo (July 2) who said that “yes”, I did need a root canal & his associate could do one tomorrow (July 3). Dr. Sandy kept me in the chair for 2 hours while she performed the root canal (it went just fine); but I was informed that now I have a temp & will need a crown for that tooth – no offices we tried were open on Friday the 3rd, so nothing will happen about that until Monday morning the 6th. So far, I’ve seen 5 dentists, had 5 x-rays, & have handed over the credit card to the tune of about $1,500. And I don’t have the crown yet! I haven’t had any symptoms, but we didn’t want to get up into Canada & have problems develop. If we have to stay here a few days longer than we’d planned, we can’t think of any other place we’d rather be this time of year!
We took 2 days to drive back from Des Moines & spent the night of the 29th in Chicago at our cousin Judi & Mark’s home. It’s about a 10 hour drive from their home to Youngstown – we drove thru Canada this time & crossed thru customs at the Lewiston/Queenston Bridge. We decided to stop there to get a “Form I-68” which we had been told would expedite our re-entry into the US after a couple of months in Canada. It took 1½ hours to accomplish something that should at most have taken 15 minutes! Plus there was some “criminal” right next to us in handcuffs & leg chains! And the place had that “dirty” feel to me. We’ll see how our re-entry goes in a couple of months!
We were so tired, but glad to be back to our home – Queen Ann’s Revenge. July 1 was Canada Day & we were treated to wonderful fireworks that evening across the Niagara River in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Our friends Jude & David have entertained us at their home with a reunion of the “Original Little Shooters of Western New York” – Jude, Heather, Patty & Ann – and an Original Honorary Little Shooter – Annie. We revisited the “old days” of our wonderful friendship of more than 20 years ago.
We also have visited Don & Heather whose home is filled with most of their family home for the holiday weekend — a house full of young people & 1 grandchild! I don’t know where they put them all!!
Jude & David went to Toronto for the weekend, but left their car so we could do laundry at their home & shop a bit – and go to dentists. We are most thankful….
And Friday afternoon Phil Marshall (aka “Harry Chest”) & his wife Cheryl came to YYC for a short visit (abbrevated because of my sore mouth from the root canal). He & Hank were roommates at Colgate University over 40 years ago & it was good “catch up” with them — I’ve always loved listening to their “war stories”!
We’re tied up here at the yacht club dock, so we’ve had lots of company & have seen many people from our life here in the 70s & 80s – what fun it has been for us. Youngstown is such a beautiful village with many lovely homes & we have so many great memories of our time here.
Fort Niagara is about ½ mile down the road & this weekend is a re-enactment of the battle between the French & British during the French & Indian War 250 years ago. We walked through the encampment this morning – about 2,500 people in authentic costume playing “war” (this is supposedly the largest re-enactment in the country this year). Someone told us that there are more people here this weekend than there were in the actual battles in 1759!
I just got a call from friend Doctor Jack here at the yacht club who called his dentist friend who is going to see me at 8:30 on Monday…………..yeah!!!! It is good to know people!!
There were really 10 members of Brad’s family at the wedding. Ann, you didn’t count yourself & Hank! It was a sweet wedding service & a rocking party at the Davis’s afterward.