Death Valley National Park

On August 16, 2014 we went to Death Valley National Park. I was really excited about going there because it is not a national park you hear a lot about. It is stark but beautiful and has a variety of types of scenery. It's below sea level, and very hot. We got to go because it was only 113 degrees; had it been over 115 the bus would not have been able to handle it. It is very hard to choose just one picture to include.

I like this one for the textures and colors:

Grandma Ida

Grandma lived in Ironwood, MI. We lived in Maryland, and our rare visits to her farm were highlights of my childhood. She cooked and baked on a wood stove, and we kids loved adding things to the fire. She usually didn't mind, but we did it one very hot day and heated up the kitchen even more. She rarely got mad at us, but she sure did that day. (She still used the wood stove even after she got an electric one.)

Where to start?

A new blog and where to start? Near the beginning seems like a good place to try. 

1943. Dennis, Laura, Bill, and Lenore (now Lynn). Dad was scheduled to ship out the next day, but when morning came, he was very sick. Instead of going to sea, an ambulance took him away, and Mother, who was a meticulous housekeeper, cried and cried while watching the ambulance drive away and wiped her tears on the curtains. He had pneumonia, which was usually fatal. Penicillin saved him.