DATELINE: Thursday, July 8th - Sunday, July 11th at home in Holt County, MO.

What a time we had with family in the old Elder stomping grounds of Holt County, Missouri!  We arrived in time to meet Suzi and Rich Meyer at the local Mexican restaurant.  Now several years ago we went out for Mexican food with the Bloods while we were all at an Elder reunion in Topeka, KS and it was simply awful - laughably awful.  I don't know when I've been more entertained than I was by Albert repeatedly trying to make the server understand that he wanted CORN tortillas.  He kept thinking he was having some mid-western language barrier (clearly that place wasn't even close to being run by actual south of the borderites) but when it became obvious that the oblivious server simply had never even heard of a CORN tortilla Albert simply resigned himself in defeat.  That, however, was not the end of that -- with a flourish she placed his order in front of him and he was staring at an "authentic" mexican dish made with - Velveeta cheese!  Boy did we laugh!  Anyway, Maria's in Platte City, MO was a much better experience and we enjoyed a great private reunion with Rich and Suzy and even Brittney who dropped in on her way home from work.  (Now for those of you wondering who all those folks are - never fear - they are all cousins - I have dozens and dozens of cousins in Missouri.)

Did you all know that Missouri has sunsets that rival the beaches of Hawaii? Well maybe not Hawaii but it sure is pretty!

I don't know what it about going to Missouri but as the roads grow more familiar I feel more and more like I'm home.  I guess you just can't have that much family history in an area and that many genetics floating around without that wonderful warmth of nostalgia. 

The women-folk (no...this doesn't mean I'm not still a feminist) spent Friday evening putting together the food for Saturday's family gathering but Rich and Barry were off to the tractor pull!  This was such a high power tractor pull that this time around they had actual big high power tractors instead of the garden tractors they saw last time... They must have had a great time because they didn't show up again until the next morning.  Barry had a big happy grin on his face because Rich let him drive a big John Deere 9200 machine thing.  He didn't look anymore pleased than I did though cause Brittney gave me a call in the morning and I got to catch and groom and saddle and ride the horses.  Way fun! 

We had a wonderful family gathering with Hank and Mary Elder, Lowell Elder and his friend Suzy, Don and Kay Brader, Denny and Barb Elder, Sue and Rich Meyer.  Brittney (Suzy & Rich's daughter ) and Tim Moore graciously opened their home to this crazy group and we were even able to celebrate Aunt Marguerite's 90th birthday! 

Tim in particular was amazingly generous and gracious.  He worked like a slave manicuring and mowing his horse pasture so that we had lovely scenery to watch the horses from...That pasture and the surrounding yard lawn were magnificant and there truly wasn't a blade of grass longer than 1.5 inches to destroy the view.  After so much sacrifice on our behalf allowing us to take over his home and kitchen - the mowing and sweating, etc., one might think Tim was a lovely and kind person but any notion you have in that regard must be soundly and definitively denied.

For those who have been following this blog you have become aware that Beth has a teeny little problem concerning midgets.  Unbeknownst to me, Tim put his obviously active mind and creativity to work attempting to frighten the midget respecting Beth.  Well, there is just no real way to describe his treachery other than to show you his rotten little trick:

It nearly scared the liver out of me!  I'm telling you it certainly made me reconsider the loving embrace of my dear family!  Come to think of it he probably wanted to make me run right out of there! Crazy good time with the kids on Guitar Hero and Brittney and the horses and the breaking and entering of the Oregon beauty parlor with my cousins Suzy and Kay Elaine.

I love all these guys more than I can say.  It was so good to be "home" if only for such a short visit.