Baptisms and History

Last week, Grandma and I had a very nice trip to the east coast. Nice because of the time we were privileged to spend with family, and nice because of the chance we had to visit some of the very special historical sites of our great country.

We flew to Baltimore on Saturday, Sep. 18. On Sunday after attending church with the Duncans and Matt and Amanda's family, we had the privilege of participating in the baptism of Katrina and Lydia. I must confess that what makes me feel the oldest is watching other people's children growing up. It seems to happen so fast! Those girls are so grown up and we are so very proud of them.

On Monday (20th) we had a great play day. Matt and his kids took us to a very nice miniature golf course. It was like a regular golf course in miniature. Lots of curves and water traps, bumps and other challenges, but no windmills, clowns, or other gimmicks. Each hole had a net available so that you could fish your ball out of the water, and those nets got a lot of use from us. It was especially fun to watch Miles and his very creative counting of strokes. We then had lunch at Red Robin, spent the afternoon at Deep Run park near the Duncan home where the kids had a blast playing on the playground equipment. And, the day was made complete by attending a movie at a very historic old theater in Richmond. The Byrd theater has been beautifully restored and maintained. Look it up on Google. We watched "Despicable Me" which surprised me because I actually enjoyed it.

The next day, we drove to Philadelphia. I say "drove" but it was more like "creep". There were accidents along the beltway that caused us to literally double the drive time from Richmond to Philadelphia. We did make one fun stop at a diner at Tyson's Corner near D.C. and near where we used to live in Vienna, VA. It was called the Silver Diner and it had a complete 1950s theme including music from that era. It even had an old jukebox control box at each booth.

Our visit in Philadelphia was awe-inspiring and humbling. To see the Liberty Bell. To see the place where the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed, and to feel the presence in that room of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and others..... I was a bit overwhelmed. We owe those men so much -- so very much. Note the chandelier with candles. And, that very hard to see small box on the floor that looks like a kitty litter box was an old time spittoon.

We visited the Betsy Ross house and the picture that I am providing is her workroom where the first American flag was created. We also visited the grave site of Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah.

I can't tell you how affected I was by visiting these historically hallowed sites. Where would we be today without those dedicated patriots. And, how far have we strayed as a country from the ideals that were revealed to and exemplified by those great ones.

The following day we drove up to Danville to visit with Heidi's family. We had a great time there including attending church with them and attending a Saturday soccer game starring Rachel. We got a lot of enjoyment from a subsequent phone call from Heidi after we got home. On Monday, while we were on our way home, Rachel's team had another game and Rachel scored a goal. How proud we are of her and of all her sisters. They are beautiful girls.

We returned home on Monday, Sep. 27. As with any trip, the best part is getting home again.

One very sad note. While we were out there, we received an email from Mindy telling us that her father-in-law, Dennis Brown, had very suddenly and very unexpectedly, passed away while he and his wife were on a visit with Jason's brother's family in Illinois. We knew him and admired him. He will be sorely missed by all of his family and friends.

We love you guys and hope that you enjoy the pictorial tour we have provided. I have more. If you will just drop in for a visit, I will be pleased to share them with you.

Dad/Grandpa