Great Anniversary

The build up to this day has had me experiencing all sorts of feelings.   Part of me wanted to have a huge celebration/party.  Then I would think of how stressful that could be.  I was thinking that the kids should be here.  But, they were not at our wedding, so there's that.  And the hassle for all of them to even try to get here or do something.  I know that they all love us and I know that  they don't have to prove it.

We got cards, gifts, flowers and emails from all over.  We were taken to dinner.  Got to reminisce with cousins we have not seen in years.  

We love each other.  Yup, that's still there.  We have been through a lot together.  Losses, disappointments and fights.   But when it comes down to it, we really like each other.  We enjoy each other.   We really love each other.

That's as good as it gets!!

June 24, 1972

 

Fifty years of marriage and we are still smiling

 

Eight years ago I had brain surgery (the first one anyway)

 It's been eight years.  Hard to believe it ever happened at all.

This is what my sister wrote on Facebook

Carol Thompsen Hestvik

podoserntSJ0ein231752h6740m 8lu1 ,0401u5m1  · 

We (my sister, her husband and their daughter from Oregon) are all tucked in for the night at the Best western in Baltimore....clocks set for 4;15 a.m. for brain tumor surgery.....its hard to believe it is here....we have to be at Hopkins by 5.....hope all goes well and she will have a good recovery...

Got a bunch of staples in my head

Dale- it's been 21 years

  

Washington post

 

June 15, 2001

Dale Alan Thompsen

Safeway Employee

Dale Alan Thompsen, 51, a Silver Spring resident and 33-year Safeway employee, died at a hospital in Baltimore June 15 from injuries he had received that day in a traffic accident in Laytonsville.

A spokesman for the Montgomery County police said Mr. Thompsen was riding his 2001 Harley-Davidson Classic motorcycle northbound on Route 108 when he collided with a Ford Taurus driven by a 21-year old Laytonsville woman who was pulling out of the Laytons Village Shopping Center shortly after 8 a.m. Police said that it appeared that the car driver had failed to yield the right-of-way.

Mr. Thompsen, an Oregon native, came to the Washington area in 1961 and graduated from Northwood High School in Silver Spring in 1968.

He had worked for Safeway mainly in Northern Virginia and was a night stocker in its Burke store at the time of his death.

Over the years, he had participated in motorcycle rallies, including the Memorial Day Rolling Thunder rally in Washington this year. He was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Rebos Club, and had received awards for aiding alcoholics.

His marriage to Janet Thompsen ended in divorce.

Survivors include his daughter, Molly Thompsen of Burke; his mother, Ruth Naumowicz of Silver Spring; and two sisters, Carol Hestvik of Ellicott City and Nancy Sherwood of Reston

Jet lag? From Driving?

The United States Capitol 

 We got home on Monday and it is now Friday. We both feel like we have jet lag even though we drove both ways.   We drove from Maine to Connecticut, overnighted in Connecticut  and then drove home to Virginia the next day.  

Since we had Buddy (dog) with us, we did not eat at any sit down places-instead doing drive throughs and gas station shops.  I suspect sitting for hours, eating crap and not sleeping on your own bed all contribute to the fatigue.   

I had a nasty fall shortly before we left Maine, and I think being bruised and achy takes a lot of energy as well.

Maine is really beautiful.   I know I have posted pictures and comments before.  But it really is.  The only downside (aside from falling down) was the bugs.  So many bugs.  I got bitten and chewed up every time I went outdoors!   Of course we have them here in Virginia too, but not as bad as Maine.

This sign made me happy.  This is just outside of Scranton, PA.   I saw it on the way to Maine, but didn't get my camera ready in time.

I have to say, Buddy is a great traveler.  We have moved all over the world with pets, but not actually in the same vehicle- they flew to their/ our destination.   Before this trip, we got Buddy a "jacket" 

and a sort of bed/ seat cover for the back seat.  It had a built in seatbelt, so we felt that Buddy was pretty safe there.  He did really well with it:

My sister's granddaughters, my grand nieces, watered our plants and kept them alive as well as bringing in the mail.   They did a good job and we were glad we didn't need to worry about that.

There still seems to be Covid-19 in the world.  People, like us, are traveling.  We have cousins from the west coast coming in a couple of weeks.   We are all vaccinated, so we cross our fingers and hope for the best.  

The January 6 hearings are going on now.  January 6, 2021 there was an attack on the US Capitol. 

These hearings are Reminiscent of the Watergate hearings in 1972- just before we got married.  But the insurrection at the Capital was a lot more frightening.   

More later....

We are spending our last night in Maine

 After two plus weeks in Maine, we are heading back to Virginia tomorrow.

Austin went to SOAK in Oregon and we have been house and cat sitting.  Molly, the cat has spent time at our house, so she knows Buddy and they put up with each other.  I actually think that they like each other but don't want to let on.

Buddy & Molly

 

We moved out of Austin's house when he got back so we wouldn't get in each other's way.   The place we are staying is a part of a converted barn that has been made into a sweet, self contained "apartment", an Air B&B called Spellbound Farm.    The owner has 30 chickens and gifted us a dozen fresh, non GMO eggs!

We had lunch with Austin at the Flipside Coffee Shop.   They had vegan food for Austin and gluten free for me!   And regular food for Nick.  There were a couple of yarn bombed posts which as a knitter I had to photograph it

So much more to say and more pictures to share, but for now, it's bedtime

Yarn Bomb

Austin & Nick at th4e Flipside Coffee Shop