The view from here...

We're home! We had a fast, but fun-filled road trip to NY, Kevin's home for the first 35 yrs of his life. He showed me all the places that were part of his history in Friendship, NY. Was great for me to see some of the places and people he has told me about many times. He had surprises (God's favor and blessings) waiting for him there. Will explain below. But first....

Kevin wanted to fix the wheel on Trey's John Deere tractor (was Trey's birthday gift when he was 2 yr old) so that Ethan and Kaylin can ride it when they come to see Gpa and Gma Jordan. I do believe Kevin is as excited to see those grandkids as I am. Off to NY....

Deb and Bill were gracious to put us up as their home was about the halfway point on the way to NY. (Deb, Bill(y), Bill. Matthew wasn't home at the time of this picture) Deb is still a great cook! Bill has funny stories to tell....and Bill(y) shares his dad's talent for telling stories. We're so thankful he's home safely from the Middle East. We had a delightful time sitting at the table after supper one evening.

Deb and me (Penni) in her beautiful flower gardens. Was a great picture, except my camera was cold from setting next to some frozen items. Rats!!! On our return trip Kevin and I were able to spend 2 nights and a whole day with Deb (Bill was at work)...it went way too fast for us girls. Thanks, Deb for taking the day off. Always a treat when I get to spend time with you.

Of course, my expected barn picture. I have a fascination with old barns. There were many old barns in NY where we were, so I took advantage of some photo opps.

This is at Kevin's cousin's, Karen, place in the Alleghany mountains where she was a gracious host to us for a night and day. (Her husband Skip is quite the outdoorsman extraordinaire. I hope to meet him in Oct when he's back here.) She has even seen black bear on their property.

To Kevin this is a common sight, but to this Iowa girl who has never seen these mists during a rainfall that rise up in the middle of the maple trees in the Alleghany Mts, it was absolutely beautiful!

...more mists

Kevin's Uncle John and Aunt Shirley were so wonderful! Their home was our headquarters while we were in NY. I was delighted to get to meet them, and Kevin enjoyed his time spent with them as he'd not seen them for many years. They are a delightful Christian couple and we truly enjoyed their company. Thanks, John and Shirley!

This was Gpa Jordan's farm in Friendship. Kevin spent a lot of time with his Grandpa while growing up. Wish I could have had the pleasure of meeting him.

Members of the Rotary that sponsored the bike ride fund raiser. This was the reason we came to Kevin's hometown in NY.

Friends from school, Jim and Pam.

Walking down the street of this small town, people kept calling out, "Kevin Jordan", much to Kevin's suprise and delight! He found out this was the weekend of his class reunion....which was unknown to him because they didn't have his current address. He was having a great time seeing old friends! I should say that this was one of the blessings that God poured out on us. It was so much fun for me to watch Kevin have so much fun and to have so many great surprises. Another blessing from God was that it was pouring rain the 2 days prior to the scheduled ride and the weather forecast was calling for more rain. We prayed and asked for a nice day for the ride (not seeing ANY evidence of let-up)....we woke up on Sat to a partly cloudy day that became increasingly warmer and sunny. Thank you, God.

Some of Kevin's classmates...(clockwise: Kevin, Penni, Yvonne, Chuck, Dawn). Kevin didn't actually graduate with these friends because his family moved his sophomore year, even though Kevin still considers these friends his classmates.

Kevin with more classmates...Diane, Rick, Kevin, "Vonn"

The first family home on Factory St. Kevin's dad planted the Scotch Pines in the back.

The family's house on Maple Street...where all the maple trees have since been cut down :o(

The house Kevin's dad, Ray and Kevin and brother, Robin built on "The Hill". Can you believe the view??? This is the property where Kevin and his dad built a barn on which Kevin painted 3 different murals on the whole side of it that faced the road, over the years that he lived there.

Us at Skip's and Karen's. It was so quiet there....the absence of noise from busy streets and nearby interstates was so welcome.

Sitting on the front porch going through a family photo album. (Karen, Kevin, and their Aunt Ginger)

More family...Kevin's cousin, Todd and his family, Aunt Lucille, Aunt Ginger, cousin Karen. (I was disappointed this picture wasn't more crisp because otherwise, it's a great picture)