Turtle Tales: Home, Family and Celebrations!

We left Winchester, Virginia around 8:30 A.M., and arrived at Jim's sisters' house around 1:30 P.M. At about the half-way point on the road this day, the weather turned ugly, gray and cold with an occasional rain shower; a big difference from 80 degrees and sunny! We are in the north central part of New Jersey, which is for the most part comprised of small quaint towns and miles of beautiful countryside dotted with farms and vineyards. As I mentioned in my last post, due to a late spring, the flowers and blossoming trees are just now reaching their peak and they are spectacular! Everything from Dogwoods to tulips, irises and daffodils provide a palette of color befitting any impressionist artist! (I'm thinking Claude Monet here) Simply beautiful.......

Saturday morning was spent shopping with Penny, Karen (our nephew Billy's wife) and Karen's mother Barbara at the Amish Farmers Market, which was a lot of fun and very interesting. Fresh produce, Amish handicrafts and sweets galore! When we finished shopping we had lunch at the Amish café and the food was delicious! The Amish are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships, closely related to but distinct from Mennonite churches, with whom they share Swiss Anabaptist origins. The Amish are known for their simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology. To learn more about the Amish history, beliefs and practices, go to: www.religioustolerance.org/amish.htm An interesting read......

Saturday evening we drove to Bound Brook, NJ to celebrate Rob Auld's (Jim's brother) birthday! Everyone in the family knew we were going to be there except Rob who appeared to be surprised when he arrived at the restaurant and saw us there! (He did mention he wondered where we were in our travels, as there had not been any recent posts on the blog.....:)) After a great meal, we drove to Rob and Rita's house to continue the birthday celebration with cupcakes, coffee and interesting conversation! It was a fun time and a great way to end a wonderful day! Our New Jersey family is a lot of fun and I always enjoy spending time with them!

Today started out by going to church (Stanton Reformed Church) with Penny. We always enjoy visiting her church as the church family is very welcoming, the message meaningful, and their classical pianist/organist provides beautiful music!

After church, my sister-in-law Rita, Karen and Karen's mother and I made a quick trip to Coldwater Creek, as they are going out of business and were having a big sale - and the ladies were sure there was some article of clothing calling their name, and as it turned out, they were right!

When we returned home from our shopping expedition, Billy and Karen hosted a delicious Mother's Day meal comprised of baked ham and turkey with fresh produce and salad from the Amish Market. Another opportunity for conversation and a perfect ending to a great Mother's Day!

I did receive Mother's Day calls/texts from all our sons, including our son currently serving in Afghanistan, which made my day all the more special.

Our plan for the next few days is to make day trips from our current location to visit with friends and family and to see lighthouses in New York and Connecticut.