And we're off....

.  Our house plans got the okay from the committee on Monday, and Wednesday the guys showed up to begin clearing the lot.  It hurt me to see trees come down, but the tree specialists were very careful to clear only what was necessary for construction.  You can see what I mean by this picture of our car parked at our place, after the tree cutting was completed.  You can hardly see the cleared area.

Here is where we will call home soon.

And this is some of our firewood for the next few years.  We had to find a way to replace you, Matt, although feel free to come help us saw this into usable sizes.

It is really HOT here where we are living at the base of Signal Mountain.  It is usually 10 degrees cooler up on the mountain  though, and today there were sprinkles up there while it was just humid down here.  This weekend we are heading to Ohio for a few weeks.  Not only are we looking forward to seeing the kids and Julia, but we are catching the last day of  Dennis and Leanne's visit so we get to enjoy time with them as well.

Becky, Dan, and Krista - we are very proud of each of you.

We're Volunteers

Yesterday was our day to take care of necessary things like changing drivers license and car tags to the Tennessee version so we  headed to the DMV.  There was a line, but it was fun that around us people were speaking German and others were speaking  French.  I was in my glory and was reminded of the Wizard of Oz - Dorothy, we're not in Kansas anymore.  The multicultural aspect is due to the business and industry climate in Chattanooga which has some companies headquartered here and other companies with a large presence.  Volkswagen is opening its large US facility here next year so there is a great influx of things German coming in. 

We met with our builder yesterday and walked the front section of our lot, identifying trees to keep as specimen trees in the front and back yard.  The house is being staked out this week and the necessary underbrush and  weak trees should be removed next week.  We're looking at a January completion.

Have a happy July 4th,

Judy

Welcome to the world, Alya Rose Sozio and Ryder James Purkiss

Another Tattoo

 No, I haven't gotten the urge for permanent body decorations.  This is tattoo in  the military sense which is a celebration of the military - veterans, incoming recruits, and just a general party.  Wright Patterson Air Force Base puts on a great show each year featuring live bands, flybys, and spectacular fireworks.  Everyone brings lawn chairs and settles in for an enjoyable evening.  This year was a special tribute to the veterans of Korea. We have managed to be here for three of these tattoos which we so enjoy.

This is the F-22, one of the jets in the flyby at the Tattoo.

 You may not know that my childhood had a military influence.  My father was a commander in the navy and he continued to serve in the Naval Reserve.  That meant that every summer he served active duty in Norfolk, VA so we became a military family every summer as we joined him there.  (Not bad considering that we got to stay at Virginia Beach many times).  As children we were very much aware of everything Navy;  part of our sing-a-long repertoire on car trips were the songs of the various branches of the military!  In addition, my Aunt Eva was a Marine.  Then, of course, Gary is a veteran of Viet Nam.
So military tradition is  a part of life for me.  I guess that's the reason I find these tattoos so enjoyable; they fit comfortably with who I am.

So, what's a good way to celebrate a 38th anniversary?

Why, take a canopy tour on a zip line course!  It was great fun.

Bits and pieces of May

We are finally on our way to the construction of our new home.  We have closed on our property, have chosen a house plan and a builder, and, thus, have started the wheels in motion.  Our house plan is now in the hands of the Architectural Review Committee but the excavation should begin by the middle of this month. 

On our last visit we walked the whole 5 1/2 acres, back to the end where there is a ledge of rocks which will make a nice place to sit and relax with an adult beverage.  Most of the acreage will remain wooded although it would be nice to cut a few trails in to get to some berry patches.  Wouldn't it be great if we could celebrate Christmas in our house, tucked in the woods? But that might be a real push.

We had a wonderful visit with family and friends in Frostburg.  It is our youth that we have in common with all of you there and that makes every visit special, causing us to reflect on what what has shaped us as individuals and what is truly important in life.

Thanks to Lynn and Kenny for sharing three generations of your family with us.  We are glad we timed it to see all our your children together even though we did add confusion to what was already a hectic time.

Linda and Stan, the evenings at your cabin are always a treat for the soul.  Past, present, and future take on more meaning after one of our cabin/wine evenings.  It's too bad that we didn't think of taking a picture before the darkness set in, but everyone needs to know how fabulously beautiful (Linda,was that what you told me to write?) you looked..

Pat and Tom, thanks for allowing us to settle for a few days with you.  Macy and Max loved running through the grass and I'm sure they felt it was a great adventure to be able to see horses from their spot on the porch.  I loved going through the crate of pictures!  Julia certainly enjoyed her short visit with you on the way back from Washington.  Barb's slide was as big a hit as the plane ride for her.
This is the beautiful field of phlox and buttercups that we enjoyed from Pat and Tom's porch.

 It was great being able to reconnect with people we hadn't seen in awhile; the next time we are in town we will have to be sure to include more visits.

Here are my two favorite recent pictures of Julia.


Love to all of you who are reading this.  I think of you often.
Redwood, have a good end of the year!

A few big pieces of news

First of all, congratulations to Jacob and Calvin for completing this year of BTSA.  Jacob, you are on your own and I know you will do well.  Calvin, I'm sorry I won't be around to finish your second year, but I am sure you will have a support provider who can help you along.  

Now to our news - we have found our next place.  As of next Friday we will own 5 1/2 wooded acres of Tennessee property.  Although not as high up in the mountains as our intended North Carolina, we will be on Signal Mountain, just 20 minutes outside of Chattanooga.  Our property is in a development of large lots, some as large as 14 acres, but most are our size.  Most of the people living there are our age, or at least in our stage of life and we feel very much at home there.  So, we have been studying house plans seriously for a few weeks and have two contractors pricing one out for us.  It's a very fun way to spend retirement time.

The next big news is that the mother ship has called Danny home.  Kroger has its headquarters in downtown Cincinnati and Danny was there last Friday to receive a job offer.  It's a nice promotion for him, so although he has mixed feelings about leaving California, he is excited about the opportunity.  Instead of a buyer he will now be a category manager.  The fun part is that he will be only 45 minutes from Becky and an hour closer (about 5 hours) to Chattanooga.

Krista is once again paying the price of CA budget problems.  Three of the counselors at her school are being cut and, of course, she is one of them.  Last year there was money found and she was called back, but this year is looking pretty grim for that.  So, Krista is on the lookout for an opening for a school counselor.  Somehow she always seems to land on her feet so we are hoping for the best for her.

Love to you all.

A busy few weeks

Just after I returned from California Julia celebrated her second birthday.  The house was full, with relatives from both coasts visiting.  If you want to see more about Julia's birthday, click on the Burdick family link on the right. 


 Here are just a few recent random pictures chosen from the many we have taken.

Lovin' the wind in the hair!

Peeking over the deck to the neighbor's "jumpa jumpa"

My four favorite girls

Julia reconnects with her Auntie Titta

Here are a few pictures taken on Easter

We were happy to be here to celebrate Becky and Scott both turning 30

   

   Becky couldn't believe how much  smoke comes from blowing out 30 candles.

Gary, Scott, and Krista shared turns with the tickets for the Final Four in Indianapolis.  Of course, Krista was hoping that St Mary's would have made it that far, but all three said the games were exciting all the same.

 Krista, Gary, and I drove to Cleveland to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's right along Lake Erie and it was strange to think that I used to live about 100 miles east, right along the same lake.

Krista left for home today.  We will miss her so much and I know Julia will miss her auntie.

We're hoping for a visit from Dan soon.