Statistics

All totaled Karla and George traveled over 9,700 miles in the 33 days they ventured forth.
3000 by air
5220 by Vanagon
1480+ by car

The VW Westfalia Vanagon camper (with new rebuilt engine) drove 5,030 miles using 278.1 gallons of gas.
An average of 18 miles per gallon.

We started in Sutton, Vermont.........drove to Manchester NH to fly to San Diego, Ca.
Picked up the Westfalia in El Cajon and limped to sister Sharons' in Temecula. After returning the van to El Cajon for repairs, we ventured to Santa Barbara with Sharon. Returning to Temecula, we decided to return a car and proceed with the vacation. While driving to Las Vegas (to see Penn & Teller), we wandered over to Death Valley. From Las Vegas to Zion National Park and on to Bryce Canyon for a few days/ Then took a round-a-bout loop back to Temeula....down to El Cajon (to pick up the re-engineered vanagon), back to Temecula..then off to Flagstaff, Arizona. The rest is documented in the blog..........What a trip it was.....

And ..."they proceeded on...."  the Westfalia Vanagon adventures have just begun..........

Off to Connecticut and on to HOME

                    We left Fred,Vicki and Kyle early Friday morning, after Fred cooked us breakfast.

                                                     Fred cooking, Nancy with java

Kris & Kyle

  With Grammy in tow......and Karla driving.....

                                                    500 miles to Greenwich, Connecticut.

                We managed to beat the Memorial Day traffic, got through New York City and arrived.........

Grammy ordered pizza delivery, (comfort food)...and we all crashed.

In the morning our friends Meg and Steve Montaperto visited for breakfast....

Then away we went,  north >>>>>>>

a stop in Columbia,Ct to see Mom & Dad at the cemetery

Then to Willimantic, to drop in on Wally & Kim Pocius

we toured the grounds around their house, to see Wally's latest projects.....

the kubota......

Then back in the car for the final 250 miles

Yay Vermont !!!!!

we hit some rain

then the skies cleared and we saw a rainbow....

FINALLY   HOME 

the grass is green !!!!!

Mabel the dog 

and our kitties..... Wiley, Vinnie 

& Vito

and Casey ( without whom, we would never have felt comfortable leaving home). 

           THANK YOU,  CASEY  (and Alannah)

Life with Fred,Vicki & Kyle in Ohio

  We have had a great time hanging out with the Ohio   Schmalings.......

                                             Fred (Karla's brother), wife Vicki and son Kyle........

                                      Along with Karla's Mom  "Grammy"........lots of laughs.

Multiple games of parcheesi...... inside

and outside.

                                                Today Kyle graduated from high school.

               Karla's brother Kris and wife Nancy came down from Chicago to join the fun.

The house is really nice........

with a half acre pond in the back yard....

Thursday was multiple celebrations......

Kyle's graduation

Nancy & Kris  32nd anniversary

and my birthday............

Libby the dog was not impressed

Congratulation Kyle

Kyle's Graduation

Kyle graduates tomorrow at 9:00 in the morning.  YEAH KYLE!!!  Kris and Nancy have their 32 wedding anniversary tomorrow (the 31 is clocks, and the 32 is vehicles, per Google.)  And George has his birthday (59)   tomorrow..... WOW!

The Marshland

Vicki and I went to the Marshland today, while Fred and George worked on the Vanagon.  Vicki is dealing with an elbow that was infected.

Kyle, Vicki, and Fred Schmaling....

We came in to the Schmaling's in N. Ridgeville, Ohio, just minutes before my Mom, Arline drove in from the airport.  Vicki and Fred have a new home, and we have the new Vanagon, so there was a lot of catching up to do.  Kyle is graduating from H.S!!

Visit to Dundalk, Md

  We stopped in Dundalk Maryland yesterday to visit my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Roy for a few hours.

 Peggy is not well and is confined to bed. Roy is amazing....at 85 he does everything for her.
My cousin Ron, a registered nurse at John Hopkins, comes in twice a day and gives uncle Roy a hand, they are quite a team.

    Brother Geoff had perfect timing, he  happened to call my cell phone just when we were talking to aunt Peggy...put him on speaker...he got to visit too.........We were able to talk to Roy  for a while,  it was nice to catch up....told stories and listened to a few........

                                     

  When it was time to leave Roy had Subway sandwiches ready for us to hit the road with...perfect.....
                                       
it was early enough in the afternoon to avoid Baltimore traffic, so we made great progress to our next destination,  Loraine, Ohio, home to Karla's brother Fred, wife Vicki, and son Kyle. We are attending Kyle's graduation from high school.
   Made it all the way to Donegal Pa....a little town on the western slopes of the Appalachian mountains......
off the Pennsylvania turnpike.......next stop Loraine (just outside (west) of  Cleveland).

Lake Caroline, Virginia

    We have spent the last 2-1/2 days in Virginia at Pam & Bruce Sharpe's home (my sister).

Great weather, great food, great time.  The south has received a lot of rain over the past few weeks, crossing the causeway to get to their house meant driving though 6-8 inches of water flowing over the dam.....eerie ...

  The lake house is more amazing than the last time we were here.

Bruce and Pam have landscaped the property to the Nth degree.

The interior of their home is beyond rivals.

 They have collected sculptures and art from around the world and have portrayed  them tastefully.

(the Sharpe family portrait)

     Greeted by nephew Matthew, dogs Sophie & Mandy, my sisters Pam and Linda, and our host brother-in-law Bruce, we quickly relaxed after our journey north from Apex.  After a  tour of the grounds, a showing of the Vanagon,

                                              and a delicious grilled steak dinner,

we settled in for conversation and a good movie.

    Saturday, we had more family arrive. The other Sharpe boys,

                                     Stephen (with his wife Lesley and son John Bruce 14 months)

                                                   David with sons  Quentin 10 months

                                                           and Cameron 15 yr

 We headed over to sister Linda's house (2 miles) for a surprise early birthday party for Cameron and I.

                            (Artie, Linda's  chihuahua was not pleased to see such a large crowd).


   Sunday,  Linda treated us to a super breakfast,

 then Bruce took us to the Virginia Elizabethan Renaissance Fair/

(Matthew with The Queen)

 It was a great way to spend time together while perusing the fair grounds.

  Back home Pam cooked another wonderful supper, conversation, then some entertainment by Thomas and Karla's performances at the Moth Radio Hour recorded in 2010. Later, I watched Game of Thrones at Linda's ( gotta keep up).
    Tomorrow we leave......off to Baltimore to visit my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Roy. With any luck perhaps cousins Ron & Tom.......then push towards Cleveland........