If you didn't stop you could probably make it in about 7 hours but it took us 8 1/2. We arrived at 9:30 pm their time so the first night's visit was brief. It wsa the first time Elise and I saw Jane and Phil's new home and it is very, very nice. If I recall, there are 3 bedrooms upstairs with a hallway bathroom, a master bathroom, and a bathroom shared by the other two bedrooms. There is a small den (or office) in which they keep their computer. The formal dining room and living room (plus lengthy hallway) separate the master bedroom from the other bedrooms. Finally, you have the kitchen and small eating area. I say small but nothing in this house is small. This eating area contains a table with about 8 chairs plus a rocker, reclinder, two person couch, a fireplace, and a mounted flat screen television.
Off the kitchen is access to what I call a 4 season room, a window/screen area which is basically a playroom for the grandkids. One door leads outdoors and the other onto their deck which faces their woods.
The garage is a two car garage plus a small area for their tractor. The yard looks very nice and the home sets well back from the road (350 of my steps; that's almost 3 minutes for me to walk from the garage to their mail box). Of course, they have a lot of farm land plus the restored barn and silo.
The downstairs of the home is also finished. I saw 2 bedrooms there plus another bathroom. There is a large play area on one side of the stairs and a home theater on the other. The theater area has a couch, some chairs and tables, a fireplace, and a large flat screen projection unit. This room has 4 separate remotes and I found it challenging to turn on the television!
I know I have left things out describing the home but maybe you'll see some snapshots elsewhere. Now resuming our vacation...
Thursday morning I met Phil in Butler and went to the school district admin offices where he works. In the building next door, Phil introduced me to some people heading up a new program in the district called "The Crossing". These folks are teaching drop outs who, in some cases, they find on the streets and bring them in. The program is one of President Bush's "faith based initiatives" and heavily uses the Bible. One of the men I met explained he had formerly led the youth in a local church but was now helping in this effort. The school board has given its blessing to this program and to the use of the Bible to help these kids. This IS a public school! I was quite impressed by the entire program. Has anyone heard of this type of program going on in Missouri?
We basically chilled out most of Thursday and just talked. On Friday morning, the schools were off so Phil was home all day. Debbie, the girls, and I went to Sechlers to pick up some pickles. They are as good as ever. Later in the day, Autumn and her four kids dropped in. Brett and Katie also showed up with their three (including the 7 month old twins). Of course, Laura and her two children live with Jane and Phil. It was pretty wild. I grilled burgers, dogs, and brats on their grilling pit. The pit utilizes wood and charcoal and has NO flame/heat adjusting device. I burned virtually everything. At least I don't believe anyone found any pink on the inside.
That afternoon, Phil drove the tractor around his property and his brother's across the street (presently restored to a natural wetlands). He pulled a hay wagon and most of the kids and I rode on the wagon. The weather was great and the tour was quite interesting. Lots of different animals, fowls, plants, etc.
On Saturday morning, Laura went to Autumn's and brought back Sydney and Simon to spend the night. Greg, Kelli, and Ian stopped by for several hours as well. Early in the day, our troop went back to Sechlers to buy MORE pickles then went into Grabill to check out the antique store. We were there for about 45 minutes but made no purchases. We also stopped at the Old Church Shoppes in Spencerville and Elise bought something. Finally, before returning to Jane's, we stopped in at Miller's Service Station in Spencerville to get a drink. Some of you will remember the place. It's where we bought fountain drinks many years ago but couldn't drink them because they tasted like eggs! This time we bought bottled drinks.
That was pretty much our trip. Our intention was to hang around the house and visit and, with few exceptions, that is what we did. It was nice to see my sister again and the area (my first visit in 5 years). Maybe we can make the trip a little more frequently in the future.
Thanks to Phil and Jane for allowing us to stay with them. We really had a great time.
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