As Time Goes By

Impulsively on Sunday I got in the car and drove to Cono. (See August 21st blog). I have been home all summer, and I just needed to get away. I've wanted to go over there all summer. So into the car I jumped and sped away to the music of U2 Joshua Tree turned up so loud I couldn't hear the noise of the Scion roaring down the highway. I was pumped! I had hoped to arrive early enough for evening service and their good musical harmony, but the service started at 6, and I didn't arrive until 7. However, Hans Deutschmann was preaching! (They are missionary friends who taught at Cono for 20 years and are now in the Czech Republic. They will be in Omaha the end of September.) So I got to visit with Hans and Gretchen a little. I stayed with Andrew and MaryAnna and caught up a bit on their lives. Cono is absolutely beautiful! I didn't want to leave. More pictures forthcoming on Flickr.
I left Monday after noon and thought I'd go by our old house. We always drive by, but we never stop. So I thought I'd see if anyone was home and take pictures. No one was, but I took pictures outside anyway. This is our old farmhouse. My dad bought it in 1971, we moved into it 1972; they sold it to some friends of ours in 1978. So we really didn't live there for very long, and most of that time I was in college. But it was a great place to come home to.
A funny thing happened on the way out to the farm. I stopped at the four-way stop in Walker (population about 600) and there in a truck at the other stop sign was our old friend Dave! He was in my brother's wedding and a friend of all of us. We met up at the local convenient store for a quick catch up and a look at his new granddaughter's picture. Are we that old already?
More in the next blog about the rest of the trip.