New Year's Eve.

Today Lisa drove us over to Leon's for the afternoon.  We visited with him and Lynn, then he took us over to see the new unit he has purchased in the Condominium Complex he lives in.  The new unit is double the size and is just studded out.  He is having the work all custom done with upgraded finishes rather than the standard condo finishes.  It is quite impressive. 

The Architects have been in and drawn up the plans for all the changes

It`s a very nice complex

The new unit will have an upper balcony as well as the lower porch. 

We`ll get to see it finished next time we come down for a visit. 



We then went back to his first unit and Loreen and Carmelo and Brittany and her boyfriend joined us. 

We visited with them for a while then called it a day and came back to Lisa`s. 

We spent a quiet evening at home while the others went out to celebrations elsewhare this evening.

A Visit with Georgie, and Chinese Food

We took the day off on December 29th and just hung out around the house.  We vegged out and watched TV and visited with Lisa and her twins Racheal and Micheal, that is when they were not working.  Lisa has the whole week off, but the kids both have steady jobs they have to go to, when they are not at University, which doesn't resume until mid-January.  We needed a good rest after the long drive, but yesterday we were raring to go.  So, off we went to Akron for a visit with Georgina, my old school chum, and the widow of Dan's best man, whom we haven't seen for years.  We had a nice afternoon at her place.  A few drinks and a lot of laughs, reminding each other of old times and old memories.   We also met Bill, Georgina's friend and companion of the last number of years.  Georgie and Gary's son Steven stopped by for a visit. 

My goodness, if it weren't for his stature, which he certainly inherited from his father, Gary Holcroft, I would have sworn, I was sitting talking to his Grandfather Garnet McClelland.  His looks and mannerisms were so much like him.  I haven't seen any of the children for sometime and it was nice to catch up and put the memories of them, as little children, into the prospective of grown adults.  All in all it was a very pleasant visit and stroll down memory lane.  When we got back to Youngstown we decided to make a night of it and go out for Chinese food.   So, that's the latest from Ohio.  . 

It's Tomorrow, So, Here's the Update.

We tackled Chicago early yesterday.  Oh, how I hate those big cities.  I'm sure glad we did not have the trailer with us.  The traffic is insane, but I have seen it worse.  It was not rush hour or anthing like that, but mid-morning.  Thank God for GPS, I don't know how we used to do it before we had GPS, but we did.  Of course the city itself was not as large or traffic laden as it is today.

The rest of our drive yesterday was just long and boring.  That's a long drive through scenery we have seen many times before, so it is kinda something to be indured, rather than enjoyed.  Arriving in Youngstown on the other hand was wonderful.  Everyone here is fine, Warm and wonderful.  We met Leon's significant other, a very nice girl named Lynn.  Lisa and Micheal Jr. and Racheal are the same as we rembered.  Happy and healthy.  Pictures to follow tomorrow.   

Youngstown Ohio

We arrived safe and sound in Youngstown.  We are celebrating, so I will update you tomorrow.

Wisconsin Dells

Well we got away at 6:00 am as planned.  So, off we went.  It was cold and dark and who wants to be on the road at that time, except those that have to go to work.  There was not much traffic anywhere on the roads.  The boarder crossing was no problem and very quick. 

Usually the thing we are looking for as we head out on our winter vacation is "Brown Grass", which means no more snow.  Today we acheived that as soon as the sun came up.  I'm sure the feilds were clear in Manitoba as well, but it was still dark when we went through there. 

All in all it was a great day to travel.  The sun was shinning, the roads were dry, and not too much traffic.  We made our way all the way thru the Wisconsin Dells and will loop past Chicago tomorrow morning. 

We Are Ready

It doesn't look like there will be any impediment to tomorrows journey.  The truck is packed, my puppy is healthy and happy again and the weather looks good.  Just a system much further east that should be moved on by the time we get there.  So, it's to bed early and on the road by 6:00 am (we hope).  Will report from our next stop, somewhere in Wisconsin.  Till then.

Back To Blogging Our Travels

It's December and as usual I'm not really hyped about Christmas, but instead, I am making my lists and checking them twice for our journey south.  And on that list is "Re-activate my Blog".  I don't know why I don't keep it active all year.  I could easily do a once a week post, during the summer, but I usually see most of my friends regularly in the summer and there is Facebook, so it seems unnecessary.

Maybe now that we have a more permanent home in Texas, we will make some Winter Texas friends that we can keep in touch with all summer.  I will not be posting regularly until we are travelling.  We are heading out December 27th, heading first to Youngstown Ohio, to visit our Nieces and Nephew, for a couple of days, then it's off to Texas.

If you read this, be sure to leave comments from time to time, so I know I'm not just talking to myself.  lol