07.29.06 Al Elser's homegoing

America lost another one from the "Greatest Generation" this week. Albert Elser...my sister-in-law's father, had his homegoing on Wednesday. I came up to Lowell for the services and saw all the Elser family.

He was a good man.

I don't have a picture handy, but here are some of his beautiful children:

Asking for comfort and peace for you all.

Directions to here: Main Street to 32 to 65 to Rt. 2 to Sheets Funeral Home to this truth: There is a balm in Gilead (this phrase has been on my mind since Jolene's memorial)

07.26.06 = "I do" x 31 years

Congratulations Mike and Verna!

Directions to here: take "I do" times 31 years = 11,315 days - 24/7

Monday's road back to here....

Work...Vacation's over.

Directions to here: 173rd ave to I-65 south to 865 to 465 to Michigan road to 86th St. to parking lot to 8 hours of retail reality

Sunday's Road and the birthday girl, sister #3

The last day of this vacation....went according to the original vacation plan...and was spent with Sister Susie...the birthday girl seen here with her grandkid entourage:
We had a lazy afternoon down at Ellis' pond and a great Sunday dinner where we sang Happy Trails to Shelley, who was getting ready to blaze her own road down to TEXAS to spend the next year of her life. But I have to say my heart was heavy most of the day from the news that came from South Bend about Cody being in the hospital after an accident saturday night. He's thankfully okay...but facing some serious days ahead.
It's been a good vacation, but also a long and emotionally taxing week. But thinking about Jolene...makes me appreciate the days and minutes I have, no matter how light or heavy they are...at least I have them.

Directions to here: 41 to 10 to I-65 south to SR 2 to Colorado to 173rd to sister susie's kitchen bow our heads and pray

Saturday's Road...Bobble and the racers and sister #2

Saturday morning, Patty and I continued our quest to the "corner"...by heading up 31 and hitting the antique places we had been to last year with the antique "speeders..."we're done here"...Susie and Sandy. We came to "Picker's paradise" and took a slow stroll thru the one side and I crossed over to the other side....only to find the "corner" that used to be filled with all kinds of paper, that they didn't let me even go in last year, is GONE...packed up and GONE. Now, this would be like me moving my books, moving my apartment...I can't imagine where this guy went? Anyway, there was a heavy sigh...but I did find some treasures, none the less. We had lunch and I got to see the eldest Hoshaw child...and then I was off to the Lake Village Raceway to see sister #2...official ticket taker at the track, Janet.


Man, those karts go fast!
Here I am trying to keep up with who's on first:

Moore Motor Sports had a pretty good night....that's Casey #5 behind Bobble...

And the Checkered flag goes to Casey Moore! Darold looks good with that big smile!


Directions to here: 23 to 80/90 to 421 to 10 to 41 to ticket gate to racetrack turn and go round and round and round and round...20 laps

Friday's road...Bobble and the Amish and sister #1

I woke up on Friday with a new plan for the rest of my vacation:

3 days...3 sisters.

So instead of heading south I headed east toward South Bend...but had to wind a little south to see who really is from Hicksville USA...


I wandered up and over...up and over... toward South Bend and passed thru Amish Country. Now, I know that the Amish don't like to have their pcitures taken...but they just look so darn cool...and then there is the Bobble head dog Chronicles to keep up so I just couldn't resist:


I ended up in downtown Mishawaka and met sister #1 - Patty at Eddie's Collectibles and we took a SLOW look at EVERYTHING(unlike other sisters I know). I found a few paper treasures...cause I don't have enough paper in my apartment. Then I back tracked a bit to Elkhart to take more photos of signage...and ended up in The Hoshaw's backyard watching the end of childhood...as the tree house got moved to the neighbor's yard.
Directions to here: RR 2 to Indiana 101 to SR 6 to 9 to SR 20 to the tollroad by mistake to Capitol to BR 20 to 19 to tollroad 80 again to 23 to Jeff and Patty's back yard

Thursday night at the Plaza

Thursday afternoon found me with 3 days of vacation left and back in the midwest.
After Jolene's service, I back tracked a little to Delta Ohio and spent an hour or two at a few antique shops I had passed that morning. As I drove the country roads and came into downtown Archbold ( Jolene's hometown)...I couldn't help but wonder how many times Jolene had driven by these sights.
I passed the Arch motel...another antique mall...and then in downtown Archbold came across a feeling of deja vu as I passed a diner in the middle of downtown. I did a double take...and parked...grabbed the camera and crossed the street to take a picture. As I saw the small neon milkshake and hamburger signs in the window...I laughed out loud. Jolene and I had always talked about visiting each others hometowns...and as I stood in downtown Archbold...I said out loud, "Jolene, I have already been to your hometown!" I'm 95% sure that I drove thru Archbold in '99 while on tour with a band. I remember saying slow down as I took video of a small restaurant with silver and neon signs. Sure enough later that night I passed the community college where the concert was! I mused in my head that Jolene was probably in high school and maybe even hanging out when I passed the restaurant back then. Last night, talking to a friend from her home town...I found out...(incredibly)...that she WORKED at that restaurant as a waitress...so who knows maybe she's even in my drive-by video...it was a definity a surreal movie moment. I know Jolene is shaking her head in wonder, just as I was as I stood and looked at the diner!
After seeing the sights in Archbold and driving thru Bryan...where I took in a car show......(I NEED a car with fins), I decided to head to Indy via back roads. On my way out of Bryan I stopped at the Plaza motel to take a picture...and realized how very tired I was...having only slept two hours the night before. So...I pulled in, got a room and spent the rest of the night taking a drive thru Defiance and sitting in the lawn chairs outside my room using the free internet!! Mom and Pop motels forever.



Directions to here: Alternate 20 to 66 (ohio) to SR 2 to vintage neon...room #1

Thursday's unplanned road...

A road I never planned on taking, led me to the graveside service of my dear friend, Jolene Miller.

She was killed Friday night in a car accident, only three blocks away from the safety of home.

Jolene. Kind friend, sweet girl.

Jolene worked with me at the bookstore and had only recently left to take another job. There are those who move on from the store and I do miss them when I think about them..but Jolene, I missed everyday. The quality of my bookstore days changed after she left…and I was aware of her absence everyday.

She was a remarkable person...as sweet as all the many desserts she made for each of us on our birthdays. Lovable, kind, generous, caring, funny, flirtatious (in an endearing way), energetic…the list of words does no justice to describe her. She was an animated storyteller and an even better listener. She patiently listened to my random thoughts, observations and stream of consciousness storytelling and accepted all my ramblings about my likes and dislikes from everything from “the right” sofa to sweet snack, salty snack…coke rituals. She accepted my quirkiness and made me feel loved. We both shared a fierce love for our families and the joys and cares of being sisters and aunts. She was loyal to her friends. She had an infectious laugh and a beautiful smile.

It does not seem real that her life is over at 23 years old. I picture her around the corner, up at the register, across the table over lunch or one hundred other places…but not gone from us.

And I have asked “why” over and over this week. But I have a feeling that even if God explained it and answered all my questions…it still wouldn’t be good enough. Because what I really want is for her to have made it home. Made it thru to another day. Made it home to visit her family and on to the next year and year after that…On to the next time we saw each other and hugged and talked and laughed together…and made more plans to see each other again….and again…and again.

Jolene…you are my kind friend…sweet girl… I love you dearly... and will miss you greatly.



directions to here: SR 23 to I-80 to SR 20...look up to heaven and weep

Wednesday's road into Thursday

Wednesday night was when I had to leave Jersey, if I was going to make it to Jolene's memorial service...so after another trip to the diner and lots of photos, I said goodbye to my Jersey friends and headed down a back road that would lead me to the mind-numbing Interstate for the 9 hour trip to Ohio.
Driving past a deli, I lamented the fact that I didn't even have time to get a real east coast bagel while I was in Jersey...let alone see all those Jersey shore kitschy motels!
...and then it happened...
i had just passed a recreation area with a lake and a pier on the right hand side of the road...and a pretty large restaurant on the left...when, i saw a large dog crossing the road. I slowed down and the dog seemed to be apologetic for being in the road and picked up it's pace...to get across into what looked like someone's yard. Then I realized that it wasn't a dog...it was a BLACK BEAR...crossing the road in the middle of RESIDENTIAL NEW JERSEY! I could not believe my eyes...especially since the next sight I saw, just a half block later was a woman walking her small dog!
I picked up my phone and called the Nichols'...as if somehow they could confirm that I had really seen what I just saw. And much to my furthur surprise they didn't seem that alarmed that a bear was walking loose in the middle of suburbia. As a matter of fact, they seemed surprised that I would be surprised that I saw a bear crossing the road. Apparantly, West Milford is KNOWN for it's wandering bears...and they aren't dangerous (???). I asked, "well, shouldn't I report it?" and Ginny told me I probably be laughed at if I did...which to me, only proved to me that I really was in New Jersey...where the phrase "shut up, you're an idiot"...is in all actuality a term of endearment.
So, I may have been facing a 9 hour site-seeing-less drive on the boring turnpike...but I had one heck of a site seen that amused me for quite a few miles of the 750 yet to come. I"m just sad that I didn't have the camera in hand....could you imagine? Bobble and the bear!!!! Well, actually, bobble has met a bear before...here's bobble when Brownie Hoshaw visited.

directions to bear crossing: Echo lake road ??? ...aka...twilight zone

tuesday's road

my jersey trip may be cut short, but we still found time for the best thing about jersey..."the diner".

directions to here: S.R. 23

sunday's winding road

Here's what sunday's winding road led me to...

It is real, I've seen it with my own eyes...my friends, Joel and Danielle are parents!
It was fun watching new parents and new grandparents with a new baby...their first...it's been since 1968-9?? since that happened in our family...not new baby...but first baby, first parents, first grandparents. There's always baby wonder...over any baby, but it was fun seeing their experience of "firsts".

Directions to here: 465, I-70, U.S. 40, I-76, I-81, 297, S.R. 23

everyday is a winding road...

Everyday is a winding road...we get a little bit closer...
(according to Sheryl)

And so it is...here begins the winding road about justagirlon66 and all the people, places and things along the way.
Check back often to see what's further on down the road.