A cold day at the beach, Marisa, Me and Nonna!

Eggplant Parmesan on top of Big Pocono State Park, Caleb, Nonna and Marisa.

Highlight…Thomas and Rose Dougherty  wedding, beautiful bride, wonderful day!

My mom and all of her great-grandchildren at once!

Country boys shed cowboy boots for a late afternoon swim.

A nice short stay with our in-laws, at the Sows Ear Farm………..nice, neat gardens and a whole lot of hospitality from the Dougherty’s!

A fun pizza party at the Sullivan home, amazing pizza and great folks!

Peter’s grandfather, Fr. Ray Ryland with Blase, one of his four great-grandchildren. A beautiful contrast of the generations!

Picnic at mom’s with Jessica, Marisa and Francesca.

These were a few of our highlights………I simply do not know how you city folks can stand all the heavy traffic and speeding vehicles!  It is beyond crazy and dangerous.   I love our dirt roads and leaving a trail of dust in my tail lights!

It’s great to be back in Minnesota.  We all had a very good time.  There were many short visits with so many different friends and family all fit into almost two weeks.  When we made it home, we had a ton of green beans ready to freeze which we did that very afternoon.  The girls at home had made cherry jelly already and there were zucchini, lettuce and basil to deal with.

I can hardly believe how much the gardens grew in such a short time.  How grateful I am for the hard-working kids Fred and I have, not to mention a husband who understands my need to “go home” at least once a year, especially now that our kids are growing older and travel is a whole lot easier!  Going back East also helps me to be more grateful for the rural lifestyle that we have out here.  The contrast is amazing.  We thank each of you who made our trip so special.  Especially Anet and Jim who watched the small kids! Life is good by golly; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise:)