A Rest Day and A Family Day - Tues. & Wed., Oct. 14-15, 2014

Monday's blog was so long that I saved part of it for today. After we finished at The Henry Ford Museum, we drove 45 minutes to Chelsea to meet Connie, one of my younger cousins I do not remember meeting before, her husband Mike and their three boys: David, Jack, and Nicholas. My camera battery was dead from all the photos at The Henry Ford Museum, so no photos.

Our family has a private family campground on a pond in the country. We were invited to stay there and were checking to make sure we could get in and out with the 5th wheel. Connie, Bob, David, Nicholas and I walked down to the camp area. It is lovely, so bucolic with beautiful green hills, fall colors and a small lake. We loved it! Family history was discussed while we walked.

We'll be going out to spend Saturday night and possibly Sunday night. Plus another cousin and her husband will be there Saturday during the day and we'll all have lunch together. On Sunday I'll learn more family history. This time my camera will be charged up and ready to go.

Tuesday we hung out at the 5th wheel which was nice for a change. Throughout the day it rained on and off, but the temperature was about 69 degrees. When it wasn't raining we had our windows open. The rain sounded so nice on the RV roof. Bob remarked we didn't move the truck all day.

Bowie loved the open windows

Bowie posing

A couple of times during the day, a red-tailed hawk sailed past our 5th wheel low to the ground, then landed on a fence near the RV storage. I was able to get close enough for photos.

Red-tailed hawk

Wednesday, we shopped at Costco. My Aunt Flora and Uncle Omar invited us to their home at 2 p.m. where we chatted the afternoon away, had snacks, and looked at photos Aunt Flora had of family history. We loved seeing everyone when they were younger. I had never seen a photo of my dad when he was little, and blonde! Flora also told me my dad's father worked on a freighter on the Great Lakes. I never knew that before either.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time reconnecting with Aunt Flora and Uncle Omar. I have not seen them for six years. While we were sitting at their dining table talking, Mom called. She was able to talk to Aunt Flora too.

Flora and Omar took us out to dinner at Metzger's, a German restaurant in Dexter, Michigan. Their daughter-in-law Mary, grandson Daniel, and Mary's sister Lori joined us. We all got to know each other better over dinner.

Aunt Flora and Uncle Omar

Cousin-in-law Mary and her son Daniel

Mary, Daniel, Lori

Daniel with mussels

Restaurant decor

Uncle Omar and Bob

Mary, Daniel, Lori, Flora, Omar, Bob, and my coat

Cuckoo clocks on the walls

German restaurant

 I made a new kitty friend, Ollie the ragdoll cat.

Omar, Ollie and me, Daniel

Ollie again

When we were at Aunt Flora and Uncle Omar's for after-dinner dessert, Daniel sat down at the piano and started playing Rachmaninoff! He has never had formal training, just picked it up. We loved listening to him play. He had quite a playlist, including Claire de Lune, and The Entertainer. I had a video here, but the sound didn't work, so I took it out.

Aunt Flora served homemade apple cake which was yummy! We talked more and everyone headed home at 9 p.m. What a lovely day.

Travel Bug out.