Family Time

We've been so busy with family events that I've fallen way behind on doing pictures and blogging. Here's some catch-up:

Gregg's brother Gary is a Shriner who rides in the Famous White Horse Mounted Patrol, a 90 year old institution of Sioux City, IA. A highlight of our time in IA is visiting the stables of these gorgeous horses.

That's El Dorado, one of the performing white horses nearing retirement, watching his buddies perform.






This is the branch of the Schindel family that is descended from Jacob Schindel - most of us anyway, including in-laws. We were the biggest branch contingent of the 70+ person reunion that Gregg wrote about.

Many of the Schindel reunion participants attended the Melbourne United Methodist Church service and boosted their normal attendance of about 20 to over 50, nearly filling the beautiful little 150 year old church. It sits on the site of the now-defunct town of Melbourne, that gave up the ghost after the railroad and paved highway went through Hinton instead of Melbourne, about 2 miles from the Schindel Family farm.

One of the things Gregg and I love about going to church there is seeing our friend Margaret Spies, 100 years old last February, still self-supporting in her own home and sharp as a tack. Here she is with our one year old Great-granddaughter Jordie and Fiance-Granddaughter-in-Law Katie. 100 plus 1.

One of our reunion activities was a float down the Floyd River that runs through the Schindel farm. Lots of rain this year made for a very wide fast moving river, lots of fun and lots of mud!

Then we were off for Nebraska for more time with Gregg's kids and grand-kids. Found ourselves a beautiful new city park in Omaha (not really wanting to return to the one in which we were burglarized in May!).

Weather which had been oppressively hot and humid has cooperated so nicely for us. We had a little cooler spell for the 3 days of the Iowa reunion, then more hot, then cooler again for our Nebraska visits. Nice enough for eating outside again!

Hannah got to spend two overnights with us and get a lot of fishing time in. She fishes just like Gregg and me - fishing, not catching.

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Taylor modeled for me - the knit shoulder wraps that I have been making.

Now we are in Columbus, NE at Grandson Brandon's house and will stay here for some of the boys' football games.

Then... Wichita, Kansas next. Haven't been there yet this year!

Grandkid-Land

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