Last week, I went to Joe and Judy's in Brainerd, MN. This was July 18-21. I'd never been before. Mom and Dad had been a few times--not sure how many. I flew. Airports make me think of Mom and Dad because I never traveled with anybody else. The last time I was in the Minneapolis airport was the summer of 2006 with Mom, Dad, and John on our way to Yellowstone. The airport is bigger than Indy's and we rode one of those carts to get from one end to the other. We had a long layover, so we took some kind of shuttle thing over to the Mall of America. John and I got ice cream at the Häagen-Dazs store. I got a new battery for my watch. We ate at some place like a Friday's. The things you remember. On the tram thing we were convinced we were going the right way but Dad thought we were wrong--he was right. I took some one day air trips with Mom, so flying makes me think of her, too. I missed them. Then when I got to Joe and Judy's, I missed them more. I had never visited Joe and Judy alone before. It felt odd them not being there. Something (two people) were missing. But Joe and Judy treated me great. We went on the pontoon every day. We saw loons and herons and ospreys and Mom would've loved it. She would've had her binoculars out. They took me to Itasca State Park where you can walk across the headwaters of the Mississippi River. We have pictures of when they did this with Mom and Dad. Mom in the water with her pant legs rolled up. Dad just walked across the log,but he did it, too. I was the last one in the family to go there. I'm glad they took me, but again, I kept picturing Mom and Dad there. I love that picture of Mom we have. The trip was bittersweet for me.

When I got back, John came to take Dad's gas grill. We weren't using it. However, it was in pretty bad shape so we just junked it. So Dad's grill is gone. It was a fixture on the patio for so long. One time he even got too close to the house and melted the siding a little.

So that's where we are. We are getting closer to having our Oolitic house up for sale but geez. It has taken sooo long. It weighs heavily on me. I just want it sold and out of my life.

I put the hummingbird feeder out a couple of weeks ago, but no takers yet. It may be mid August before they come.

Love, Susie

Another 4th of July without Mom and Dad. John called this week. He was feeling down because people were letting off fireworks and he thought of how we all used to gather for a fireworks "show". Mom liked the fountains and Dad liked the "artillery shells".

When we were kids, we would go over to Uzal and Dorothy Johnson's house for the 4th. They lived where the new pool is now. Back then, the city fireworks were let off at Wilson Park and you could see them from Uzal and Dorothy's house. Every year, Uzal would get a TON of fireworks--both legal and illegal. It was so much fun.

So then later on, John started going to Tennessee to get fireworks. Sometimes we went to "The Forty" with the Drehobls on the 4th. After they started selling the good stuff in Indiana, I used to go buy it and John would come home so we could let it off in the back yard. I'm probably repeating my post from last year, I don't know. Anyway, Dad would always have pieces of board ready so we could have a flat surface for these things. And a bucket of water to put the used ones in. Mom would sit in her lawn chair and watch. After we were done, he would always clean up. I think they enjoyed it. They seemed to. So it was always our thing--letting off fireworks. Both John and I agreed we mostly did it for them because neither one of us wants to do it anymore.

Tonight we went up the street and watched the city fireworks from the Church. I remember Dad and I doing this a few times.

Holidays are still strange without Mom and Dad. Even if we didn't do much, I still always spent the day with them. I miss them very much.

Love,
Susie