2008 TENNESSEE Adventure

Mom, Steph, Steve and I arrived in Dandridge
Thursday evening and were ready for a night's rest...

Friday morning we visited 'Bible's Drug Store'
which was in town when Mom was a girl.
The old wood floor and soda fountain
were as Mom remembered them...

We attended the Maury H.S. reunion
at the Captain's Galley where Mom
knew most of the attendees from
the 1940, '41 and '42 graduating
classes. Mom and her 'childhood
friend', Doris (Walker) Briggs
had a good visit and we were
invited to her home after the
reunion for more conversation
along with Doris' husband,
Charles. Mom wore her class
ring for the event!!

Then onto Alcoa to visit Aunt Ina,
Carlene and William at 1002 Cherry St.
Mom and Aunt Ina enjoyed looking at
some old pictures and later we all
went out to supper together.

Time was spent at the cemetery
where we placed silk flowers on
Grandma and Grandpa Satterfield's
grave as well as Aunt Bertha's
and Eugene's graves. (Eugene
died in the farm pond at a young age)

Next stop was at cousin Lee Roy
Satterfield's home where we visited
with him and his wife 'Donna'.
Lee Roy's father and our
Grandfather George were brothers.

Dinner Saturday evening was enjoyed
at 'The Pointe' restaurant where
we ate dinner on the deck overlooking
the lake. It was a beautiful night
and just a tad 'warm'. The temperature
most days was between 92 and 97 degrees!!

A group of pirates arrived at
'The Pointe' restaurant via a
boat and I was elected to take
some group pictures. They were
definitely having a good time...

This picture of the old
Dandridge bridge crossing
Douglas Lake as viewed as
we left the restaurant..

We enjoyed sitting by the pool
at the hotel before retiring
for the night. It was probably
a cool 85 degrees at 9 o'clock pm.

Mom standing in front of the
old Maury High School where
she had posed many years ago
on the same steps at the age of '18'.

We took the opportunity to
visit Mary Ellen Satterfield
(Lee Roy's sister) in Knoxville
before departing for the trip
back to Ohio. Mom and Mary Ellen
had a good visit.

Then we were off for the
trip back to Ohio... this
is a view of one of the back
roads near Mom's old 2-room
grade school outside of Dandridge,
Tennessee.

APRIL 2008 "THIS & THAT"

My 'flat' of strawberries arrived and I worked two nights getting
my freezer jam put together. Nathan helped me one night and
insisted he stay until it was done.... Thanks Nathan, good job!!
April 6th arrived and Andrea, Mark and boys took me out to
dinner after church and then continued the celebration with
an ice cream cake!! Can it get any better than that???
Thank you Andrea, Mark, Nathan and Ben :)
LauraLee found a pretty outfit for Grandma Brinker which
I shared in and Mom really likes. The only thing
I had to do was shorten the slacks!! What's new, it's the
same thing I have to do for myself all the time.

Nathan got a taste of spring with his jacket and helmet on and

sitting astride his yellow 4-wheeler...

Ben seems to be saying "When are you going to start the engine?"

Mark attaches a lead rope to the back of it as Ben learns to ride.

Ben learns how and Mark stays in control (good thinking)!!

"The Littlest Mechanic" Nathan took a lesson from his Dad on

how to change the oil.

Nathan even tried his hand at using the floor jack (Mark had the

Ford Explorer on jack stands at this point) Nathan just looked

so cute imitating his Daddy!

Here the 'Riley Boys' enjoy a pretty spring day on the 4-wheeler

together. They accomplished a short climb in the backyard from

the field into our yard. Not as adventuress as some of the climbs

I've seen Mark do - but still FUN for the boys...

"Hi Grandma Shari" I imagine Ben saying... :)

Nathan...Nathan...Nathan... you are a joy!! Nathan could be saying,

(thinking) here, not another picture Grandma Shari... That's life

Nathan - I have to do it....

"HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY - NATHAN"

On Nathan's birthday (March 28th) the grandparents were invited to Nathan's
house for a "Birthday Party"!!! Pizza was good and then onto the TRAIN cake
that Andrea meticulously prepared - it looked great !!!
You can tell that NATHAN loved it!!!
The candles were lit, Happy Birthday was sung, now to dig in... but
most adults opted to enjoy the Apple Dumplings and ice cream that
Andrea threw together. Yummy!!! Nathan plowed into his birthday
cake with plenty of frosting...

Then Nathan started opening his gifts... Ben enjoyed hanging out for this part of the party.

Grandma Shari and Grandpa Dale got Nathan a Kids Cuttlebug... hopefully he will enjoy cutting out cute little trains and animals for a long time.. The book "Horton Hears a Who" was also in Nathan's gift bag... Happy Birthday, Nathan ;>)

Crazy Cousins 4-Ever

The Crazy Cousins 4-Ever went bowling in late December 2008
and had a great time together... Angie (Canal Fulton, OH), Cori
(Chesapeake, VA), Amy (Canton, OH), and Alisa (Dallas, TX)

What 'Shari' means:

Thanks to 'Angie Arthur' I had to find out what 'Shari' means:

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.

You have the classic "Type A" personality.You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

OKLAHOMA CITY...

This Oklahoma arch was at the state fairgrounds near the building where the wedding reception for Andy and Meghan Behrens was held 10/27/07.

Oklahoma state capitol - visited by Cori, Sally and Al.

Oklahoma state capitol rotunda...

This was a sobering moment as we visited the memorial of the Oklahoma bombing.

The gates of time mark 9:01 the time of innocence 'before the attack' and the wall at the other end of the street marks 9:03, the moment Oklahoma City was changed forever...

"168" chairs stand as a poignant reminder of each life lost on April 19, 1995.

At night the names of the victims can be read on each chair...

The chairs are placed according to the floor on which those killed worked or were visiting.

Many windows were blown out on the adjacent building but the 'Survivor Tree' still stands.

It's a 90 year old American Elm - The explosion burn marks are visible on the tree.

The shallow pool of gently flowing water occupies what was once N.W. Fifth St - which has a very calming sound as you stand and contemplate what happened there.

The reflecting pool during the day... the memorial chairs are on the left where the building was destroyed and the 'Survivor Tree' is on the right...

A rescue team wrote these words on the building across from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building that was destroyed and the words were later used in forming their mission statement...

The OKLAHOMA Experience...

The Riley's left Ohio after work on Thursday (10/25) and traveled approximately 18 hours to Oklahoma for the Wedding reception of Andy and Meghan Behrens (married 9/30/07). We visited with Sally and Al at their home in El Reno, OK on Friday...

Later that evening a dinner was hosted at the Hampton Inn for the family to meet and greet Andy and Meghan. An Italian meal was served and then we shared music and a funny skit by the Plattner family (Chad, Jesse and Javan). They made us all laugh!!!

Cori enjoyed getting to know "Jonas Plattner", her newest nephew!! Jonas looks like he was enjoying himself too.

Andy and Meghan Behrens (the Newlyweds). Sally, Susan and I helped to decorate the hall where the reception was held on Saturday (10/27/07).

Sally did a great job on the table decorations and favors!!! :)

The happy parents: Sally and Al Behrens

Joneses: Angie, Stephanie, Steve and Amy enjoyed the reception...

LauraLee and family enjoyed the party - even Jonas has on his Sunday best!!

Al's brother, Roger, and family from Shaumburg, Illinois visit with Alisa - Sally and Al's daughter from Dallas, TX.