Stop Number 2

As we set out on our long summer journey, I was unsure of how poor Abby would take all the traveling. Before this trip away, we had only been on the road for two week stretches. Six weeks was an awful long time.......Week number two took us from Canada to Cincinnati, OH. First, we had to make the 10 hour drive through the Canadian countryside, across the U.S. border, and into Michigan. Canada was beautiful, almost completely farms. There was so much open space, I could hardly believe life like that still existed. This week was a big one, especially for Jim. There was a big focus onhim playing in his hometown. He took it all very well and enjoyed the spotlight.

We had a nice week with family and friends. One focus for me was to catch up on the Herman's side genealogy.I have been working on a complete family tree since January and hadn't really had a good chance to sit down with the Herman's. Jim's Grandfather, Edward Burke, was so much fun to talk to. He had everything saved; so many wonderful papers, stories, and family trees.Our week in Cincinnati also brought Jim's parents 40th anniversary and my 30th birthday. Our celebrating began with a family dinner at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on the Ohio river. Everyone's favorite, ribs and of course the famous barbeque sauce. We were also fortunate enough to have some very good friends of Jim throw a party for our friends and family. They surprised me with a beautiful cake and an angelic rendition of "Happy Birthday". The tournament was well done, for it's first year. Chiquita was the title sponsor and they had so many cool things to see and do at the event. The golf didn't go quite like we had planned, but you can't win 'em all, right!? Anyhow, missing the cut gave us a great opportunity to spend some quality time with the family. Another hot week in the books.....and on to stop number 3.