Spent the week from June 13 to June 23 on vacation in Indiana. Left on Friday and took two days to get there. Spent the night at the KOA in Terre Haute and then drove to Auburn IN on Saturday.
Sunday started out as a beautiful day. In fact, it was so nice that we did something that we have NEVER done before when camping. We left the awning down. We drove out and visited Beth’s mother and then stopped at the farm to visit with her brother. While we were at the farm the sky started to cloud up a bit and the wind started to pick up. Concern over the awning had us heading back north of town but we were too late. The awning had torn about half way across. Of course, we had to replace it since we were trading in the camper when we got back to St. Peters.
Went up to the public library on Monday. Met with some of the cousins that we had not see since 2006. Margie, Jane and Dean, Bobbi, Karin and Lori (who we had never met.)
Tuesday we went to Shipshewana. Kelly and the kids rode along with us. We met Linda, Tom and Ashley there. Didn’t quite make it all the way through but close. We didn’t buy too much this time.
Wednesday morning we spent time with Beth’s mother again and in the afternoon we drove over to Ohio to just over the state line. There are two Roop houses there. The first that we visited is in a high state of disrepair and probably won’t be there much longer. It is one of the oldest houses in Van Wert county. Next we drove to a farm that was once owned by my great-grandfather, George Wesley Standiford. The house burned a few years ago but the barn was still there. The slate room has been replaced and the siding has been covered with metal but we were able to go inside and see the barn from the inside. Seemed like that gave us a real feel for what the barn would have been like. Next, we drove to a second Roop house that is about 1/4 mile from the first. This one is being restored.
On Thursday we drove to Wren OH. We had been trying to get into the Wren mausaleum for about 6 years. One of the Roop cousins made arrangements for it to be unlocked on this morning. We took pictures of all of the headstones. Next we drove to the Wren Cemetery. I have two great-grandfathers buried in this cemetery. At this point we headed back to Ft. Wayne for dinner with Kelly and the grandkids at Chuckee Cheese.
Friday morning we got up and took the camper to Ben Davis RV in Auburn. They did a great job of installation. Took a little longer then we hoped but still reasonable. We made good use of the time from 9:00 until sometime after 10:00 trying to call the campground to make reservations for Fourth of July weekend. After the awning was repaired we pulled the camper down to Bear Creek Farms just south of Geneva IN. Set up camp and then went and helped set up for the reunion on Saturday.
On Saturday we visited with cousins that we had not seen since the reunion in 2006. Roger and Martha Barnhart were guest speakers. They discussed the SAR and DAR. I have known Roger for about 40 years. We both started working at Central Soya at about the same time. It was great catching up with Roger and Martha and also hearing about some of the other CSY folks. After lunch we everyone talked a bit about their ancestral line, the auction was finalized and the tombstone contest (which Beth sponsored) had the prizes awarded.
Saturday evening we hosted a campfire at our camper. Kathleen was there with her guitar and other unusual musical instruments. She led us in song. I believe everyone had a great time.
Sunday morning we had a small worship service led by Bob Richards. Kathleen led us in singing some hymns. Beth blessed us with her singing of ‘Amazing Grace.’ After the service eveyone said their goodbyes and headed for home. We went back to the camper, broke camp and headed for Terre Haute. We got to Terre Haute KOA in good time, got set up and were able to spend a relaxing evening and early to bed.
Monday morning we got up bright and early and hit the road. We took the camper to the house and unloaded everything into the living room. Amazing how much stuff a camper can hold. After the camper was empty Brian and I gave it a quick washing and then Beth and I took it down to Freedom RV and dropped it off. They are going to install the 5th wheel hitch in the truck. We will pick it up next weekend.