[Mama_Bear]

[Mama_Bear]

This post is actually a continuation of yesterday's thread, but I decided it was too large to post on the thread itself as I had originally intended. I talked to Billie and she agreed. It needs it's own separate post. I am sure that those of you with dial-up connections did not want to see this endless table of photographs in your "pings" this morning. ;-)

MamaBear, JustAmy, DollyCali, Dutchess, WVNan, PrissyMissy and Babychick hope you enjoy traveling to the beautiful state of West Virginia today. Those of you who missed Part I, click HERE.

If you would like to be added to the Finest ping list, we would love to have you! Click -----> PLEASE ADD ME.
If you would like to be removed, click -----> PLEASE REMOVE ME.

[Kay]

Wow!

Is the "Untied" United States meant to be a joke (on the bottom last flag) or is it supposed to be "United"? We are a little "untied" these days so it makes sense.

[Aquamarine]

Finally!

What a fun read to get up to this morning.
(Grits are much better after your Southern mom and aunts have explained to you before your first taste how they grew up on them and how much they loved them). :)

[Pippin]

See!

Y'all had a great time!

West Virginia is lovely

Next stop!

MARYLAND! :o)

C'mon down!

[DollyCali]

Outstanding!!!!!

You did an awesome job of tying everyone's remarks together Lori.. Lovely presentations. Such fun to read of everyone's adventures & perspective. We can all be at the same place, doing the same thing & have a different take on it. (just like the untied pledge?) I think that was a little subconscious slip.

I believe Babychick & PrissyMissy need to give me some HTML lessons..

what a hoot about the shower stall.. I think I would have tried to repair it myself. I am such a klutz and always breaking things that could have been me as much as you, Lori.

I love WV. Never been to Nan's community but been to many along the 77 corridor heading south from Marietta. The colors in fall are breathtaking. I esp like Charleston & the area that slips into the Blue ridge..well, there is so much I like about West Virginia

I am taking a quick break from the "drudgery" here & some unpleasant tasks. will try to stop by later. Looking forward to the Mama_bear selection next..

[DollyCali]

Mr. Mama_bear & Chachi... a team... mama takes em both or not at all I believe that Mr. is saying.

:-)

[snugs]

I have dial up at present whilst my normal computer is getting some TLC and by the time I had read the text with the photos they had loaded so for me no problem really enjoyed the presentation. Look forward to more.

[snugs]

I downloaded that gospel track it was really great thanks for the link

[GretchenM]

OH MY GOSH

OH MY GOSH!

I just got my DSL working and the first thread I hit was this one -- one I have never been able to view with dial-up.

OH
MY
GOSH!

How did I ever manage with dial-up? The pictures on this thread were coming up almost as fast as I could scroll through them.

[Mama_Bear]

Okay, it's my turn now to share a few of my thoughts about our trip.....

There were so many memorable highlights during our trip to Ohio and West Virginia, I barely know where to begin. Most have already been shared by Amy, Dutchess, Nan, Dolly, PrissyMissy and Babychick, but a couple high points have not yet been mentioned and definitely should be.

For me, getting to see WVNan's church was a real treat. Now, each and every Sunday morning I will be able to picture our Nan giving the sermon and ministering to her parishioners here at this pretty little white church on a hill in beautiful Point Pleasant, West Virginia. I have no doubt, this scenario and recollection of visiting her church will make me smile for many a Sunday to come. :-)






A second highpoint of our visit was getting to meet Nan's talented son, Roy, and his wife and their precious little girl, Emma.


I thoroughly enjoyed Nan's tour of Roy's studio and the opportunity to chat with him about the ups and downs of running a photography business.


We also got a chance to hear some of Roy's music. Unfortunately, we didn't get to hear him play live, but Nan showed us a video of one of his past performances with his group "Idletymes". She also sent me home with a cd of his music so I could upload it and share it with all of you.

This is one of her favorites, "Talk About Suffering", a haunting Gospel song featuring Roy playing the fiddle. It is a large MP3 file and will take a while to download, but I promise you, it is well worth the wait.

Click on the graphic below.

(I photographed this pretty West Virginia
country road through the car windshield
near FReeper Its_Me_KET's home.)


My sincere thanks to Mr. and Mrs. WVNan for their warm hospitality, to the people at the Camp Meeting who welcomed us like family into their fold, to scubachick and Babychick for joining us in Point Pleasant and sharing this adventure with me, to DollyCali for going above and beyond in planning a wonderful picnic get-together for us and to Molly Pitcher, OhioWFan, DrDeb, boxerblues, dubyaismypresident and Commiewatcher for joining us. I enjoyed meeting each of you.

And, to my dear sistah dutchess, thank you for a lovely day at the zoo. What can I say? You are exactly as I expected you to be - sweet, sweet, sweet! I never had a sister, but if I had one, I would want her to be just like you! :-)

And, last but definitely not least, thank you, JustAmy and PrissyMissy, for inviting me to tag along on this adventure. It was wonderful, from beginning to end!

[MinuteGal]

Thanks so much for the photos of "Freeper Gals' Big Adventure". Sure looked like lots of fun.

I had a picnic viewing and reading every bit of your movable feast.

Leni

[LadyX]

Oh, my! Outta town most all day, and after dinner began reading through the whole thread, with the Finish Line always moving "a few more yards!"
LOL

I just know this is my Sistah Nan tapping her foot
waiting for me to catch up!!
[mama always said I was the slow one]

=============================================

All of the write-ups and the photographs have been just wonderful, and throughout it all, I harked back to those glorious 20 hours we spent with Nan and Jack, meeting in Spartanburg, SC two years ago. They both are so special!

We'd been to a luncheon meeting of Carolina (NC & SC) Freepers in November '98 (@ 40 present), finding them all quite intelligent, articulate and thoroughly nice!

Nan and I certainly made the most of our time together, finding so many overlapping circles and experiences, and exchanged photographs and Life Stories until after 0130, while the fellows had crashed around 2100..:))

We were wise to meet outside our respective turfs, deftly dodging the "whose gonna cook what?" issue - LOL. Ate out [with gusto] for dinner and breakfast the next morning...no dish detail, either. [smart, we were!]

How grand it would have been if we'd met the whole lot of you in person, too, on this trip, but your descriptions did indeed, as MEG33 said, made us feel as if we had.

Imagining a Group Hug, Emma and babychick and Marissa, too!!

Thank You, Lord, for gathering so many to become this Finest Family, where we praise and worship You and help one another navigate the rivers of our lives...all of us joyously flowing together back to You.
Amen.