Summer Travels and "The King and I"

Before leaving Durant we, of course, had to search for a few geocaches. In a local park were these horse sculptures:

Now, where could that cache be?

Hmmm? You don't suppose?

Then on to a local cemetery:

There it is!!

On the way home we spent one lovely night in Round Rock, Texas with our good friends Jim and Barb. They were married the same summer that we were. Great supper and visit!!

The Austin Scottish Country Dancing Alliance held its Second Midsummer Ball in June and we were there. Live music, a beautiful hall and beautiful dancers! We're already planning on next year's!

Lydia reached her 9th birthday in July and we celebrated at her house; here she is on her new bike

This called for a sleep-over at Nana's. She stayed for three days and went to a lovely vacation Bible school at a local church in Canyon Lake.

A travelin' lifestyle gives us the opportunity to see old friends as well as make new ones.

Bob Hahn, a lifelong friend of Roger's, is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Lockhart, Texas, along with his wife Lois. We look forward to every visit with them that we can manage. They fixed a great lunch for us on the first day of our trip to Florida and Stacey's.

That evening and the next morning we spent with Nili and Joel Kerich, two dear friends from our Kenya days. Nili was one of my nurses in our hospital and Joel was a nursing student. They have been married for many years and have settled in east Texas. We found each other again through FaceBook.

Our Daughter Stacey has a beautiful voice and is a consummate actress. Each of the past four years has seen her starring in the summer musical of the Citrus County Arts Playhouse: Marian (Music Man), Maria (Sound of Music), Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls), and this year, Anna in "The King and I." It was fantastic seeing her this time. She and the King, Dennis Love, brought the house down more than once!! The audience never realized that she did the entire show with a fractured left arm which she had broken just before opening night! "The show must go on!"

Our granddaughter Ashley was one of the many children of the king; she's in the red long dress to the right of Anna; she performed her role perfectly.

Our birthdays came while we were at Stacey's and we surprised Meg with her own cake...can you tell?

After the show closed we began our trip to Texas and this time with a little extra: we brought the whole Griffis Family along! Darren was able to work the entire time because we planned to stay in RV parks with Wi-Fi connections. We left Hernando on a Friday night and travelled on the weekend. On Sunday we were in Pensacola and ate a fun meal in nearby Foley, Alabama
at Lambert's Cafe, the "Home of the Throwed Roll."

I took this video with my iPhone.

We spent two lovely days in New Orleans Jackson Square Saint Louis Cathedral Is that Ashley? Touring the above-ground cemeteries of New Orleans. Soon we'll be in San Antonio for our Family Reunion.

Summer of Reunions

A Bruce Reunion, the first in many years, was announced over a year ago, and the time finally arrived! Our branch of the family Bruce is descended from a James Bruce who came from Midlothian, Scotland as a two-year old, settling with his family in Culpepper County, Virginia in the mid-1700s. We have since spread out to both coasts with the majority of the family living in the middle US states: Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas mainly. For this reunion folks came from Oregon and Louisiana as well.
We met on Friday evening at the motel for gab and get-acquainted time around the pool,

but we officially opened in the morning with prayer.

Here my Aunt Debbie takes a little break.

Food and talk, much of it about our genealogy and heritage, made up most of it. Some O'Neals, and others from parallel family lines, came from Arkansas.

Her Granddaughter Kelsee, who leads the Choctaw, OK High School Cheerleading Team.

Cousins and more cousins!

My cousin Mike.
My uncle Bill with Marianne

More cousins: Cory, Deena and Sheena

Marianne took pictures; she's the official photographer for the Oklahoma State athletic department.

Three of my father's siblings: my uncles Bill and Dale and aunt Betty

We finished up on Sunday morning with devotions and communion together.

Before leaving Durant my uncle Jerry and wife Annette took us out to dinner at a local restaurant. We had a wonderful time getting acquainted/reacquainted with so many relatives from around the country. Hope your next family reunion is just as meaningful for you!