Matt Best arrived about 5:15 on Monday evening, February 24, 2014, to have dinner with Al and I as the first stop of his drive to Utah to spend two weeks as a Forest Ranger at Canyonlands National Park near Moab.

He vacated his apartment in New York City, and the moving van is on its way to Rochester, NY to store his furniture until his return from the Peace Corp.

Since our great trip to Yosemite in 2012 he has wanted to spend time in the West, and this interval in his career was the perfect opportunity.  He expects to be in Chicago later this week, and reports on Sunday March 2 to begin life in a trailer without electricity. Afterwards he plans to spent about two weeks visiting friends on his way home by the southern route. On April 28 he will leave for 27 months in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia close to where the Sochi Olympics were held.

When he left after dinner he drove to Camp Hill to visit Ray and Stephanie Smeriglio there. Today he posted these photos on Facebook:

He said this is his new best friend, Sparky.

It is fun to have a grandson with so venturesome a spirit, and we wish him the best of luck in all that encounters along the way.

Al and I were delighted to see Barby and Paul Ruskin at Willow Valley on Saturday, February 22, 2014, especially since we had last seen them at Geoff and Amanda’s wedding last September. Barby had surgery on her neck in December, but is now fully recovered.

We opened their Christmas gifts, which included a beautiful crystal bowl.

They had also framed a newspaper article from a Lancaster newspaper printed shortly after we moved to Willow Valley in 1994 about Al’s woodworking hobby.

We had a great afternoon talking about all that had happened since we had seen them – Becky and Dan’s new daughter, Cora Jane Shirer, born January 23, 2014, Anna and Mike’s family’s busy life, and all the Christmas activities.

We had dinner here, and they left shortly afterwards to go to Macungie to be ready for the skiing trip with Anna’s family to Jack Frost resort in the Poconos on Sunday.

We are grateful for their thoughtfulness, especially the memories that the framed article of an important part of Al’s life brought to all of us.

On Sunday, February 9, 2014, Anna and Mike Himes brought Ryan, Molly, and Leela from Macungie after Sunday School to Willow Valley in time for Sunday dinner. They had planned to come in January to help me celebrate my 88th birthday, but Mike’s two week trip to Thailand and Ryan’s strep throat postponed the celebration.

We had a good time hearing about all that had happened since we saw them at our December 27 Christmas dinner. Mike was on business from Air Products, and had some extra excitement because of the protests in Thailand.  FaceTime on the iPad helped to keep the children in touch with Daddy.

After dinner watching Ryan play games on his iPad replaced earlier games that could no longer compete.

Swimming was the main activity, as usual. Ryan and Mike played football, and Molly learned to duck her head under water. Leela was not quite ready for this stage.

Mike gave me another lesson on the use of my iPhone, helping me to take and send photos.

Anna had baked Mimi’s buttermilk cake recipe and brought it for our belated birthday celebration.

Afterwards they left for Macungie in another one of the many snow storms of this endless winter, arriving home safe and sound a little later than usual.

Al and I are so blessed to have occasions such as this to enjoy the sunshine of a happy family visit, and watch great grandchildren grow and mature.

Our grandson Matt Best returned from a 32 day vacation that began on December 18, 2013, his last day at NY City Hall, and came to visit Al and I at Willow Valley at 12:30 PM on Sunday, January 26, 2014.

We had Sunday dinner, and he reviewed my photo album, as usual, to catch up on what the rest of the family has been doing since his last visit in December.

He had spent 6 days in England with friends, and Christmas with friends in Cape Town, South Africa.

The last 2 weeks he and his friend, Terrance Carroll from New York City, traveled  throughout the country, hiking and seeing the sights.

He told us about his travels that he had posted on Facebook.  He was buying a car that afternoon in Leola from David Raffensberger, his cousin, and driving to Rochester to see his family.

When he returns to NYC he has dentist and doctors appointments in preparation for his departure on April 28 to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, where he will spend 27 months in the Peace Corps. He will be assigned to a community as a Individual and Organizational  Development Facilitator and help them develop their capacities by training, consulting, and advising on project design and management, strategic planning and grant development.

I had asked Matt about the language and this is part of the e-mail he sent me:

The first 3 months in Georgia will be focused learning the language and culture. There are 33 letters in Georgian: 5 vowels and 28 consonants: (all phonetic). It is read and written from left to right; (good, not too strange). There are no capital letters; (this helps). There are many consonant clusters; (this may make it more complex). All nouns end with a vowel; (good fact). The stress (very light) is always on the first syllable; (makes things simpler). Dialogue:

ქეთი:    მე ქეთი მქვია. შენ რა გქვია?

თენგო:  მე თენგო მქვია.

ქეთი:     სასიამოვნოა!

თენგო:  სასიამოვნოა!

Yikes!

In March he plans to drive to Utah where he will serve as a volunteer Park Ranger at Canyon Lands National Park for 2 weeks and then travel and hike in the West with friends.

It all sounds very exciting, and he is very enthusiastic about it. It is fun to follow him on Facebook and we look forward to hearing all about his many adventures.

Al and I were delighted to receive this e-mail:

January 23, 2014 4:40 PM

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

We welcomed our new baby today! I had a c-section at 8:30 as planned and all went well. Cora Jane Shirer was born just before 9 AM weighing 7 lbs 10.8 oz.  Grandma, we hope you don’t mind sharing your name!

We will send more pictures tomorrow!

Love

Becky

Of course I was elated to share my name with Cora!

The next day we received this:

January 24, 2014 5:26 PM

Hello everyone-

Just before 9 AM on Thursday we welcomed the newest member of our family into the world.  Cora Jane Shirer is a 20 inch long, 7 lbs 10.8 oz bundle of joy. She was born by planned C-Section and both she and Becky are healthy and doing well.  If all goes as planned they will come home on Sunday. Unfortunately because of the significant flu outbreak this year, Evelyn could only visit Mom in the waiting room. She is very excited to meet Cora when she comes home.

Dan

I can’t wait to see photos of four year old Evelyn meeting Cora!  She knew she was to have a baby sister like her cousins, Molly and Leela Himes. The Shirers live in Albany NY. Barby called to give me the details of the big event, and plans to go to Albany in February to see her new granddaughter.

Al and I are so thankful that we have lived to see 12 great grandchildren enter this world, and look forward to seeing all the Shirers soon.

On Saturday, January 18th, 2014, I celebrated my 88th birthday by seeing my 11th great grandchild for the first time.

Suzy and Fran, Andy and Meghan Talarowski brought 25 day old Amelia Rose Talarowski from Philadelphia to Willow Valley for the first time. We had a wonderful time getting acquainted.

We spent the afternoon taking turns holding her and deciding who she looks like and that she does not have my twin toes.  She and Meghan are doing very well.  Amelia nurses every two hours and slept much of the time, although she demonstrated her impatience with wet diapers.

We had dinner in the menu dining room and she slept through most of dinner.

It is such a joy to see four generations of our family together and hear all that is going on in their busy lives. We are thankful for another healthy great grandchild, and look forward to lots of Faceboook photos to see how she grows.

In the afternoon of December 27, 2013, part of the family gathered at our apartment in Willow Valley before our Christmas dinner at the Stock Yard Inn.

It gave Suzy a chance to explain to the rest the photographs she had taken of their first grandchild, Amelia Rose Talarowski, born on Christmas Day.

We met Nancy’s family there at 5 PM and had a chance to socialize before eating.

The youngest kids had fun running around and enjoying some activities brought by well prepared mothers.

I like the idea of all the family present eating at one table together at least once a year, and that was possible again this year.

This dinner together is one of the high points of our year, and we appreciate all the  efforts of so many who made it another great success.

Could anything be better than to have your first grandchild on Christmas Day?

Amelia Rose Talarowski weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces and was 21 inches long when she was born on December 25, 2013, at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, Upper Darby. She and Meghan went home the next day.

On Friday, December 27 Fran’s sister Paula joined them for the first Christmas in their new home.

Celebrating Christmas 2013 for Al and I began with a Christmas Eve pizza supper with Elly Bennett at Nancy and Gary’s home.

It gave us a chance to catch up with what is happening in her life in Washington law. House hunting is beginning to bear fruit, and she seems very happy with her job.

We were delighted when Andy Talarowski called after breakfast on Christmas morning to say that Amelia Rose Talarowski had been born at 4:14 AM after 41 hours of labor.

We rejoined the Bennett celebration about 1 PM with all four of their children’s families, including four little boys and three dogs.

We enjoyed the usual delicious Christmas banquet at the table with the 14 members of the family.

It was our first Christmas with Reed Lassman, now 16 months old , and Uncle Geoff seemed to be one if his favorite people already.

After dinner the males resumed their play in the living room and the women stayed and talked.

The boys and others joined us for dessert.

It was another wonderful, loving day with family, and Al and I left for home realizing how thankful we are to be able to have celebrated all of our 72 Christmas times together.

Most of our extended family had already gathered at Nancy and Gary’s house in Lancaster by the time Al and I arrived about 1:30 PM on November 28, 2013.  The many cooks were busy preparing the feast.

Michael and Rachel Lassman brought Henry and Dillon from Scotch Plains, NJ, Geoff and Amanda Bennett came from Abington, and Elly Bennett from Washington, DC. Suzy’s family had arrived from Philadelphia, and Rachel’s father, George Strutt, from Baltimore, MD.

Meghan’s baby is due December 24, and she and Nancy had lots to talk about. Grandpa Strutt kept Henry and Dillon busy while the meal was placed on the table, and Al and Fran Talarowski caught up on the news.

Everybody helps with the food and, as usual, everything was delicious.  Elly had time to tell us about her first three months in the real world of law in Washington, DC, and Andy and Meghan Talarowski got reacquainted with Henry Lassman.

Dillon is never far behind, and had to show his new toy to Geoff and Amanda.

Suzanne Strutt arrived from the Baltimore airport with daughter Merideth, who had just flown in from Louisiana.

After the great dinner there was, of course, football and relaxation, but Nancy and Henry used the time for working on his many new first grade skills.

It was a wonderful family day, and we were all so thankful for another opportunity to have fun together. We look forward to hearing the good news of the arrival of the newest member of the family, and then Christmas and our dinner together at 5 PM at the Stock Yard Inn on Friday, December 27, 2013.