Praying Mantis on Patio Chair

Even though our magnificent trip is over, I could not
resist posting these shots of a Praying Mantis I took this
evening on my patio chair on the deck.
Besides, it gave me a chance to
experiment with a closeup setting on the camera.

I found it uncanny how the Praying Mantis followed me
as I moved around the patio table with its eyes. Click on the
photo for a full view. Quite beautiful, in my opinion.

9,000 Miles and Still Talking!

Today was our final day of our magnificent adventure.
We began at this music store in Pittsburgh
where you can find anything
you need for a church music program.
It is such a joy to visit here annually.

Since I did not take a long time at Volkwein's, Bill afforded me
the pleasure of going to the Mount Washington Overlook
to view Pittsburgh. Here you see the Monongahela River
to the right, the Allegheny River in the background to the right,
and when these two rivers join at the point in the center of the
picture, they form the Ohio River. That's your
geography lesson for the day.

I really am not a big city person, but I do like Pittsburgh.
I think this is a beautiful representation of the
skyline of a great city.

Another view of Pittsburgh from Mount Washington Overlook.

A long shot of the Monongahela River and Pittsburgh.

I am happy to be here on a bright and sunny day.

Heinz Field.

A Pennsylvania Farm House off the Turnpike.

Pennsylvania Landscape.
Yes, those are wind turbines in the distance.

I really had wanted to have a picture taken of me
hiding out in a cornfield, but it was not possible.
So, I decided to have Bill take a picture of me with a Scrub Pine.
This is truly a sign that we are back in New Jersey!

A beautiful sunset at the Jersey Shore.

Another view of the sunset.

We completed our journey at a very unique establishment here in
Toms River - Joshua Huddy's. Even after traveling 9,000 miles and
being together 39 days we are still talking to one another.
I thank God for this wonderful country and the people we have
met. I thank Bill for making this adventure possible.
My advice to you is take the opportunity to travel this great
United States. It is simply awesome!!! Amen!!!

Almost Home

Twenty five years ago the coal was excavated from this
land using the strip mine method. After the coal was taken,
the coal company was required to back fill the stripped land
and return it to pasture. This is in eastern Ohio.

Here I am at one of most delicious stores I have ever come
across. We had visited one like this two years ago in Abilene,
Kansas. Today we found this one near Cabela's in
Wheeling, West Virginia.

We had been here at Cabela's two years ago and knew they
were going to build something. We were amazed at how many
stores have moved in.

Yes, they even built a Target.

There is still a great deal of construction going on in Wheeling.
A number of hotels have sprouted up making this a destination
for some serious shopping.

Made It to Indianapolis, IN

This bed was a very welcome sight to two weary
travelers who had spent eight hours making their way from
Waukegan, IL (a suburb of Chicago) to Indianapolis, Indiana.

Overnight we had 5-7 inches of rain that flooded interstates
and local roads. Route 94 was closed and we spent over an hour
retracing our steps to finally make it to some sunshine
and temperatures in the upper 80's for the first time in weeks.
We welcomed Indianapolis with open arms, knowing we would
have a nice place to lay our little heads at the end of the day.

Elsie Stuhler, my former choir librarian and "adopted Mom",
is not fond of having her picture taken. I was able to steal this
great photo of her holding her great grandson, Will Comerford.
Elsie sends warm greetings to all at Holy Cross.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is me holding Will.
He looks just like his Dad, Billy Comerford, at his age.
Will does have his Mom's nose. A sweet little man.

Doesn't Bill look comfortable holding the baby?
By the way, we were at Linda and Tim's house for dinner.
Elsie's daughter and son-in-law were gracious enough to open
their house to a number of young people who were there to
see the motorcycle races at the Speedway this weekend.
Add the two of us to the mix, and we had a "full house" for dinner.

Billy Comerford, Elsie's grandson, and his daughter, Grace.
At five years, Grace is quite adorable and a joy to be around.

Grace with her Mom, Pam Comerford.

Cheese, Chocolate and Sausage

We decided today was going to be a day to enjoy cheese,
chocolate and sausage. What better way to enjoy "America's
Dairyland" than to sample its bounty.

I enjoy cheese and Bill likes sausage. We took turns being
silly at Carr Valley Cheese Haus.

Now it was time to check out the chocolates.
While I selected the chocolate, Bill thanked the cow at
a Chocolate Outlet in Wisconsin Dells.

Barns and out buildings along Route 12, Wisconsin.

Another picturesque farm scene.

We had lunch at the Bavaria Sausage and Cheese Haus
in a little town south of Madison, Wisconsin.
Mmmm Mmmm Good!

We finished the day at the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha,
Wisconsin. As a "culminating activity" we had summer sausage,
cheese, bratwurst, sauerkraut and BEER.
The end of a perfect Wisconsin Day.

Downtown Minneapolis, MN

Target Headquarters
700 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis

Main altar at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis.

Bill could not resist playing the "box 'o whistles" at Mt. Olivet.

This is the main entrance to the church showing the
new Youngdahl Narthex. It has two wheelchair lift elevators.

You can see from the sign they have four Sunday morning
services.

While we were there we met the custodian.
He mentioned that 500 were expected to attend
the first meeting for Confirmation tonight.

Just one of the dairy farms in Wisconsin, known as the
"Dairyland of America".

Minneapolis, MN

Can you believe that we are here at the largest mall in America?
Bill and I are not shoppers by any stretch, but we just had to take
a gander at what this place was like.

In the center court of the mall is a compete indoor amusement
park.

There are four floors surrounding the center court.

The amusement part has many attractions including a flume
ride. Miniature golf and multiple movie theaters are
also included.

Bill took the opportunity to shake hands with
the next president of the United States.

There were dozens of restaurants and cafes overlooking
the various rides.

Secluded areas of the center court feature gardens
and fountains.

Skyline of Minneapolis. The bridge in the foreground
is a pedestrian and bicycle bridge linking the two campuses of
the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis and St. Paul).

This is the approach to the new bridge that replaces
the one that collapsed last year.

Route 35W bridge that is still under construction.
The bridge should be open sometime this fall.