Visit to Kay in Brighton, Mi. and Martha and David in Etowah, NC and

 

We visited Kay in Brighton enjoying a party with friends in Michigan. Bob and Rosann Sedler are progressives. Bob's son David's business partner David Axelrod left their PR firm. Axelrod worked on campaign for President Barack Obama.

Liz and Mike with Bob and Rosann Sedler. Bob teaches Constitutional Law at Wayne State.

Rosann Sedler and Kay Bruns

Bob Sedler and Mike

Joan Ritter, vegan, former neighbor and retired GM Test Engineer.

Kay Bruns and Gail Wyckhouse

Walter, age 97 and Kay

At age 97 ironically Walter is our newest friend. He and Kay met at Sailing Singles.

We left our RV in Kay's drive and dropped Kay off at DTW airport. Then we headed south for a 2 week road trip.


Then we headed to Etowah, N.C. to visit David O'Connor and Martha Rollefson. They recently retired to Etowah from Naugatuck, Ct.  Martha and I met in 1994 when we were both single working girls in Michigan. Martha moved to Connecticut and met David and adopted dogs Maggie and Scooter. Their backyard backs up to a golf course that doubles as a bird sanctuary. Etowah is a destination for both Northern and Southern birds.

Liz, Mike, David and Martha with waterfall cooling us off.  

Martha, Maggie and Scooter while Mike studies the water fall.

Mike's Mom's 90th Birthday May 15, 2016

Dianna Harrison and Fred Thelen

After Vevay, Indiana visit we headed to Cottonwood Campground in Lansing, Michigan for Mother's Day and Alberta Thelen's 90th birthday on Sunday the following week. We visited lots of family as per pictures below.

Chris and Dianna Harrison

Dianna







Sean Thelen visiting us in Cottonwood   

Sean and Mike Thelen

Chinese Buffet before 90th Birthday Party. Megan, Tirzah, Austin, Libby and cousin Thorin 

Sarah Rude and Pat Thelen

Mike, Canaan, Asher, Genesis, Solomon, Nineveh, Enoch

Dianna

Tirzah

Skylar, Dianna, Megan, Austin holding Tirvah

Skylar Walters

Mike's mom missed lunch and was in hospital with high blood pressure. She was released by 4pm.  

Skylar, Tirzah, Nora and Scotty

 Nora loves babies! 

Dan's daughter Betsy and Liz Thelen

Mike, Ann, Fred, Ted and Dan with Mom, Alberta in center on her 90th Birthday in Delta Retirement Center.

Mom with Liz, Tom and Pat.

Ward Family visit in Vevay, Indiana

In May 2016 we visited Megan and Austin Ward and their 8 children in Vevay, In. We stayed in an RV Park that caters to the nearby Belterra Casino where Austin worked nights as a cook. We caught plenty of rain which kept us playing games and chatting indoors.

Megan in Vevay, In

Skylar, Asher, Canaan, Tirzah

Enoch, Skylar, Tirzah

 

Tirzah

Megan, Genesis, Solomon

Canaan

Nineveh on the side of Genesis

Canaan and Nineveh

 

Asher, Canaan, Tirzah

 

Solomon, Nineveh, Genesis, Skylar, Tirzah in Crossroads Cruiser 5th Wheel 

Asher, Canaan and Tirzah

Megan

Mike and Tirzah

Mike and Megan. Genesis, Solomon and Genesis in foreground.



Enoch, Nineveh, Solomon, Genesis

 

Skylar and Canaan

Solomon and Enoch

 

Tirzah

 

Mammoth Cave April 2016

Mammoth Cave is the largest cave in the world. It is a national park and we toured it for 3 days.

Dismal Hollow is a section of Mammoth Cave created by a warm shallow tropical sea 8 degrees from the equator.  Limestone and huge sedentary rock are within. Water rarely gets in. Sinkholes gave birth to Mammoth Cave. Gypsum is a byproduct of limestone and was produced during Civil War. 

Imagine being lost for 39 hours. Imagine darkness, so hard to stay sane while only hearing your heart beat.

Inside Mammoth Cave

Even in 1863 tours were given to troops in gray and blue uniforms just not at the same time. Smoking was permitted. Slaves were tour guides. Smokey writing said "WAD WALLACE".  

The slaves taught by international guests became scholars on cave geology. 



Descendants of slaves guide visitors.   



 

Our guide Jerry Bransford was a descendant of original slave cave guides. He is an African American and a national park ranger. He had served in Vietnam in 1968, a year after Mike and is a year older than Mike. "God Damn Spit Shine Army." He retired from Dow Chemical but cares deeply about the cave and guests. 

 

No prehistoric remains of Native American people were found. They didn't live in the cave and seemed afraid of it. Steven Bishop, magnificent slave finds the snowball room. Bransford came from Britain and so did his slaves. 

People of Ky were promised: 1) no gate fee, 2) access any time of day for travel through, 3) graveyards undisturbed. 

Kentucky was a border state, not slave state. Bishop married when he jumped the broomstick with wife Parthena. He had 2 children sold away. How could slaves have feelings? 

Bathrooms and a snack bar are 272 feet underground. The cave exchanges its own air. Fallout shelter built in Mammoth Cave. 1963 cots, food, supplies provided per JFK.

Cooking and smoking damaged cave.

Not likely to divulge its final secrets said Bishop.

Boy, did that (ceiling ) fall!

Nick, a later slave raised  $400 to get freedom papers. "I would rather be a free slave in a cave." 

He was not well treated in Nashville as a free man.

 

Carbonic acid eroded the 400 mile cave. Sandstone formed the ceilings. Smooth ceilings look like a bad plaster job. Limestones laid down to form the walls and hold 130 species. Troglophiles go in and out of the cave. Troglobites live in darkness. No eyes. 

 

 

 

Tour of graveyard - Mammoth Cave

The night before leaving I discovered a lump on the back of my leg. I showed it to Mike and he did not recognize it. I made appointment with dermatologist who discovered a dog tick. I always wear long pants but I got bit anyway.