Last Euchre Club Tournament

This was the beginning of a really big week. We did a lot to get ready to depart by July 24. On Sunday (all members are retired) we played with our euchre club for the last time. Mike & Sherri have been part of this group since it started over 35 years ago. Nanc & I have played for more than 20 years while Tom & Georgie and Tim & Diane have been members for at least 9 years. As you can see by the pictures there were, as usual, winners and losers. (I came in first for a change.)

One Step Closer

Well, we received the call on Friday, 7/6, that our motor home was done and ready for pick-up so we headed to Indiana. We are now at the Newmar manufacturer and the motor home looks great. We have gotten things squared away and should be home on Friday.

Celebrating Independence Day

We went to the Pirates game for the 4th of July. Burgh's Pizza and Wing Pub sponsored the trip as a customer appreciation day. We took a bus to PNC Park, tailgated and went to the game. Thanks to Tom, Dan & Frank for a great day. If you are ever in Bridgeville, PA make sure you stop at Burgh's, it is a great place to eat and has a large number of brews on tap. Jen and Toni will take good care of you in the tap room.

Lake Norman State of Mind

We had a GREAT week at Lake Norman in North Carolina. We stayed with my brother Rick, his wife Denise and Lucy Crew. We went swimming and spent time on their boat. We also toured Lowe's Motor Speedway and the Hendricks Racing facility. It was very relaxing and we enjoyed spending time with Rick and Denise since we won't be seeing them as much after we take off in our motor home.

Getting Into the Swing of Retirement

Much has happened in the last two weeks. We went to Pymatuning Lake with our friends Mike & Sherri (picture) and did some fishing. I caught a couple nice walleye. They went from the lake to the plate in an hour. One of the great things about being retired is we went to the lake on Saturday with a plan to stay to Monday. On Monday afternoon we decided to stay another day. We could not have done this if we were not retired. We have gone out to lunch and dinner with various friends several times. We hosted our euchre club for the last time. We have been playing with this group for almost 20 years. Yesterday we went to the wedding celebration for our friends John & Patrice. This was another opportunity for us to say good bye to many friends.

School is out forever

Another very big week. Monday was the last day of school for the kids. Tuesday and Wednesday were clerical and meeting days. The middle school staff had breakfast for the five retiring members. I went around the building to personally say goodbye to as many of the 125 employees as I could find. Talking to them made me realize what a big move this is going to be. On Tuesday evening we went to the Greek festival in Canonsburg with a few friends from Crown. The young kids were doing ethnic dances and the Greek food was great. We can't wait to do these kinds of things as we travel around the country. On Wednesday after the last day of school the middle school staff had a house party. A great time was had by all. On Thursday we went to the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh. Once again, this is the type of thing we are looking forward to doing as we visit other places. As a teacher I have had summers off for a long time, but now with Nanc retired we get to do more things together, which has been great. I talked to Newmar on Wednesday and the repaint may be done sooner than expected. Our travel plans really depend on when that job is complete.

Wrapping things up

A lot happened this week. On Tuesday we sold Nanc's car. From Wednesday to Friday I went on my last seventh grade trip to Washington, DC. I had a great time and the kids were very well behaved and it was, as always, a very rewarding experience for all. This is one thing I will miss because I have gone on the trip almost ever year since I started teaching in the middle school in 1984. Friday was Nanc's last day of work and Crown had a really nice going away party for her. She said everyone was great and she was overwhelmed with their comments and generosity. She will truly miss the many friends she made while working there.