More great pictures

If you all want to see more great pictures of Runnemede -- pictures which I haven't posted to Facebook yet, pictures of the Downing school, inside and out, go to my niece's blog: http://www.lg-allbecausetwopeoplefellinlove.blogspot.com/day-4-school-visit.html

If this doesn't work, then just go to http://www.lg-allbecausetwopeoplefellinlove.blogspot.com/ and then go to her index on the right and pick Day 4 -- School visit. She took some really great pictures of the inside of the school including, ta da!, inside the boy's restroom. Go figure. It had to be at my brother's pushing. I mean who cares what the inside of a restroom looks like, right? Well, I guess some people do.

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We're home

The view from the condo in Wildwood.

It's so good to be at my "old people's" home -- where I currently live, not the place I shall always call "home" in Runnemede.

On our way home we stopped in Wildwood to spend time with Alan's family. The weather on the first day was bad, but the second day was beautiful, and so it was the day we left.

The trip home was really good. No traffic mishaps or stops or problems of any kind, and beautiful weather.

This entire trip was probably one of the best trips (vacations) Alan and I have ever had, and I know it's the best we've had in years. Alan handled the travel well. He was able to walk most of the time. I was able to walk most of the time, albeit painfully. And, except for what I wrote about our rustic accommodations in the non-Poconos, all went well. We both probably gained 20 pounds each, though, because we ate very, very well, and lots and lots of those good eats.

Again, I can't say enough about the folks in Runnemede who made our reunion/stay so very enjoyable. Our prayer is that the church blossoms and grows and spreads God's Word far and wide for another 100 years.

I'll be bouncing back and forth between here and The Fat Lady Singeth (http://www.thefatladysingeth.blogspot.com/) for the next days, weeks, months, years. Who knows?

This is me, signing out. TTFN

The view from the porch

When I was a child I played on the front porch from April until October. When I grew up a little, I sat and read books on the porch. And these pictures are just a couple of views from the front porch.

After we ate dinner last night we went to the house and gathered to look at old family photos. I was surprise how well that activity was received. And happy that there was so much interest in the family history.

So, I hope you enjoy the pictures from the porch. I always enjoyed the view.

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Gathering of friends and family

Pictures: Mark preaching, empty church, Micah Drexler singing, and friend, Faye Hopkins Bourne.

Well, today was the "big day." The beginning of a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary to Mt. Calvary Union Church. The family was gathered -- most of the living Drexler/Sbaraglia clan -- and so many friends joined us at church today.

My brother preached, I played the piano during the congregational singing, and Micah Drexler (my nephew) sang. And the service went long, but that was okay because we were having fun. At one point my brother was commenting on the fact that one of his "fold" in Goshen, IN told him ages ago that if he went too long in his sermon that he would stand up to let him know he was becoming long-winded. Well, Mark related that at the very beginning of his sermon. At which point, I stood up. It was good for a laugh, anyway. And maybe you had to be there.

Tomorrow we tour Downing school -- the school across the street -- and then we all head home. Such a joyful occasion, and now I feel the let down of the quietness hitting me. I want this time with family to last and last and last. A little taste of heaven, I guess.

It was wonderful to meet up with friends I hadn't seen for so many years and just laugh and, yes, cry together. My dear cousin, Joan, joined us. Joanie and I haven't seen each other since my mother's funeral over 20 years ago. But we've been facebooking and e-mailing for the last five or six years. I love modern technology. I never would have located her without real estate transfer listings. And so many of my friends from long ago were found via Facebook.

Won't it be wonderful to be with family and friends forever and NEVER GET TIRED! That was the big drawback this weekend, my being so tired. But I would do it again and again and again.
What a wonderful time. Wish my sis could have joined us.
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Hugs

This is a picture of my brothers (Mark on left, Carl (Dit) on the right) and me. My how we've aged.

Followers of this BLOG know that I have fibromyalgia. That diseases causes me to have pain when people touch me -- most of the time, that is.

So, I was really not so looking forward to meeting the entire family at dinner because I thought -- uh oh, painful hugs.

Well, God was good.

Most of the time children's hugs aren't painful because I can mostly control them. In other words, I do the hugging, the kids just stand there and accept the hug, except for the girl children. But even so, they don't have the strength at their young ages to squeeze quite as hard as an adult.

So, when I first met my youngest brother and his wife (my oldest brother knows of this affliction and doesn't touch me) I was reluctant to hug them, so I didn't. But we met prior to the dinner at the diner where we were all going to congregate, eat, and then head home for a night of reminiscing.

However, when the rest of the family arrived at the diner, I thought, oh well, I'll probably never see these nieces and nephews again, and all these grands again, so I'll bite the bullet and hug.

And hug I did. No problem at all.

I still hadn't hugged my youngest brother and his wife.

We all went back to the house and talked and looked at family albums for hours after dinner, and when my brother got ready to leave, I said, "Dit," that's his nickname, "Dit, give me a hug." Now this brother is big and strong, albeit 60. But what a joy to get that hug. No pain, just happiness that I could receive it.

Now, we're on our way to church where I'll be meeting and greeting friends and other family that I haven't seen for more than 20 years. God will be good again, I'm sure, and allow me those hugs.

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Pictures

Peace Rose.

Back of church.


Iris

The fifth picture is a holly bush/tree. My mother transplanted a small seedling from my holly bush (in Cincinnati) 27 years ago. And this is the result. Next is the 2nd Ave view of the school across the street that I attended for K-2, then grade 8. The name of the school is Grace Downing School, and the family is scheduled for a tour of the building at 7:45 on Monday morning. The Bridge Deli used to be Vince's Deli, where I bought hoagies for years and years and years. I went there today, and got a hoagie from the new owners. It was just as good as Vince's. Sooooo good. I shared it with Alan.

There is a picture in the group of my mother's iris, at least the late-blooming ones. Most of the iris in her garden were finished. The pink rose bush is a climbing bush and the roses are a very soft pink. Beautiful. I got a closeup of one of the roses. But the rose pictures in this group is a peace rose -- one of my mother's many rose bushes. Her name was Rose and I suppose that had something to do with her love for roses. I was dismayed, however, that her rose garden is now grass. There are only a few of her rose bushes left in the yard. The west yard has no roses left. It contains a shed and about 10 garbage cans. Not a nice view. And I added a picture of the back side of the church. That's the view from our house's back door. I didn't mention that the back porch was dry-walled making it a true three season porch. I imagine if a space heater was put out there it could be used year round.

I will take pictures of inside the house tonight, and my "view from the porch" at that time as well. I didn't have anyone to help me get up the steps today to get to the porch.

I have more pictures that I took around the town. I drove all around and took pictures from my car window. I'll get them posted another day.

I'll just say, ttfn.

Arrived

To say "We've Arrived!" is saying something. The road to Runnemede from our last "pit stop" was basically one parking lot after another. We got to the Valley Forge exit of the Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike with no problems. Then we got on the Schuylkill Expressway. I used to know the way to Runnemede from there. And Ms. Garmin was helpful. If only there weren't so many automobiles. However, nothing seemed familiar to me, this time. So I was glad for Ms. Garmin.

My objective in leaving our non-Pocono retreat was to get past Philly before 4 p.m. Well, I could have just forgotten that objective. I discovered that Friday -- all day -- is rush hour in the Philadelphia area. Add to that a baseball game -- the Phils were in town. We left our rustic abode around 11 a.m. and should have gotten to Runnemede by 1:30 or 2:00 at the latest.

From the Valley Forge exit of the Turnpike, it took us 2 hours to get to the Ben Franklin Bridge (Garmin's preferred way to get us to Runnemede -- I would have gotten us to Runnemede via the Walt Whitman Bridge). Since I was following that voice, I got going in the wrong direction. Once we got to the BF Bridge traffic FINALLY was moving faster than 10 mph. Until, that is, we got to the NJ side of the bridge. Then again, we hit another parking lot.

Well, because I recognized names, I took us off the expressway, and wove us in and out of side streets and got us to the Black Horse Pike in Bellmawr. Okay, we're now within sight of our hotel at 9th & Central in Runnemede. We're up to 30 mph and bam! Another parking lot which began at Exit 3 of the Turnpike. Two blocks to go. I zipped up the middle lane -- not exactly lawful -- to 9th Avenue and turned left onto 9th, went to the Comfort Inn and checked in around 4:30 p.m.

My brother, Mark, had already arrived and was antsy to get dinner, so we headed over the "THE DINER" -- that would be the Phily (spelled incorrectly -- their choice, not mine) Diner. Another parking lot. This one a real parking lot with no available spaces. The place was jammed at 4:45 in the afternoon. I parked behind the diner, my legs were aching and I walked around the front. All three of the handicapped places were taken. And valet parking hadn't started up yet.

I have to say the food was something else. Wonderful doesn't even come close to describing my meal.

I met with the banquet coordinator and we're all set for 38 for dinner tomorrow night at the same eatery. Can't wait.

It seems so many things have gone wrong in the past few days, and I won't go into those details in my BLOG because frankly their family business and not everyone elses. Just need to say my sister can't be with us this weekend, nor can my niece, Jennie and her brood. My brother Mark, has to leave right after church on Sunday because of the loss of one of his church people in Indiana.

On the plus side, another one of my nieces, whom I haven't seen for years, joined us for dinner -- a surprise for all of us, and we spent hours talking to her. It was a real treat for Mark and me as well as Alan and Sue.

I was so tired after dinner that I left the house -- we all went there to wait for the rest of our family to arrive -- early (around 8:30 p.m.) and headed back to our hotel and went to bed. Now it's 12:30 a.m. on Saturday and I'm wide awake. Amazing how 2 hours of sleep can do that for me.

Tomorrow is picture taking day. I'm still determined to walk the block, which is so very much changed from what it was like when I grew up. Our neighbor's picket fence, which was there for at least 50 years is gone. Now there is lawn from our house clear up to the end of the block, where before there was a large yard surrounded by a white picket fence. As I was leaving the side yard -- where we parked our car -- I was watching for the fence, because I didn't want to hit it (habit). It wasn't there, so I didn't have to be so careful.

Everyone was commenting on how small the house seemed. I didn't notice the smallness. It just seemed like home. Different decorations, but still home.

Hopefully, I'll get some pictures up tomorrow, but I'm not promising anything because it's going to be a very, very busy day.

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