Day Ninety-three

Wrapping Things Up

Well, we leave Thursday for Syracuse and Gina’s graduation. She has received her degree and is now a Physician’s Assistant. We are all quite proud of her accomplishments.

Kathy has been in a frenzy at her mother’s house wrapping things up there. The house is almost empty as her siblings, nieces, and nephews have taken most of the contents home. Donations of clothes and televisions have been delivered to Shore Winds Nursing Home and to the Viet Nam Vets in Rochester. We are happy to be concluding this phase of our journey. While some elements of our visit have been unpleasant, having the opportunity to be with family has offset any negatives. Also, seeing Kathy in full Grammy mode has been worth it all.

Last Friday we had a cookout here at the campsite. Kathy’s dad and stepmother were in town from South Dakota and they, along with brother Dave and wife Jan, spent the majority of the afternoon with us. We were also surprised by a visit from my sister Terri, and husband John, on Thursday afternoon and they were here for the festivities on Friday as well. We cooked red and white hots, chicken, and sausage patties on the grill. We played games around the picnic table and concluded the affair with a campfire. The weather was cool and gorgeous and the day was a great success.

Today, Kathy is finishing up at the house and nursing home and I have pulled everything out of the underneath storage compartment in the fifth-wheel to reorganize and get ready for our departure. The Coleman grill is clean and stowed and almost all items to go underneath have been placed and secured. We also had rain yesterday so we have some drying out to do – we want to avoid a moldy situation.

This evening we are dining with Glenn and Rita at their home in Webster. Wednesday, Kathy will cook a pot of sauce for supper at Danny and Kim’s while he and I play a last round of golf before Kathy and I depart. It has been great to be so close by and, no doubt, Kathy will suffer Brayden withdrawal soon after we leave town.

Our plans had also included a side trip to Ontario, Canada to visit our friends there at Beacon of Grace Church but it just hasn’t happened. We have learned that it is great to be mobile, and flexible, but we have discovered that we can’t go everywhere we would like. Retirement has been anything but sedentary and our plates have been full. One may retire from their previous employment but it is difficult to retire from life and the many challenges and opportunities it brings our way.