Day 8: Amazing Town, Great Family, Phenomenal Food

I tend to be a very positive, loving life, loving Jesus and low intrusion kind of person....so I must ask you in advance to forgive the plethora of photos I included in today's blog. Why? Perhaps the reason will come into focus...we spent such a lovely, relaxing, enjoyable, family filled, truly wonderful day with Bill and Pat and their amazing family...mom and dad, Norm and Faye, and brother and sister in law, Tim and Martha.

After an hour walk with Pat along the beach, boardwalk and local park, we were greeted with fresh fruit like you read about...Jim, they had Goobs Bloobs...

Then the day got under way with Norm taking me and Sam to the Railroad Museum of Conneaut, where he is a major volunteer. We even found a web site that had a photo of Norm back perhaps 40 years, helping replace the siding on the train engine on display in the back section of this museum.
Nearly 47 years ago, and since then...memories...
When you sidle up to a behemoth like this engine, you realize the intense skill and massive industry the trains were for our country..."cotton rag" loved the nostalgia...
Every young boy's dream when I was growing up...a train set with painted backdrops, life like town and 2 trains going in opposite directions. Man was this cool to see...
Norm then took us to the Historical Museum to enjoy some great relics and photos from days gone by...
This projector contains a full reel of film, and the towns folks have never unwound it to know which film it is....Even Bill couldn't figure it out...
Talk about Bill...the Historical Society had all the yearbooks from nearly every year for the last 60...Jim, you have loved this.... Can you see the young man, graduated in 1968, that is all smiles...yep that's our very own Bill Gross...you can see why he's known as a heartthrob, even to this day.
Norm continued our town tour, and we visited their Baptist Church which was built at the turn of the century...
A lovely facility and congregation that deserves prayer for increased attendance and continued community impact.
Some have asked for more pictures of me...well just my mom has asked....actually no one has even mentioned it...nonetheless, my best side....
Okay, so what about lunch at a classic drive in, diner or dive? The White Turkey perfectly fit the bill. Just today Pat learned that they sell turkey sandwiches here...
Not your huge chain...but a very fun outdoor soda fountain where Bill ran into 2 separate groups of folks that he knew 40 years ago in high school...
When was the last time you bought turkey by the quart? What??? Don't make me even visualize the turkey-o-matic needed to make quarts of turkey...and juice. eeeeej
They dressed their mini cones up to look like white turkeys...this place was starting to freak me out...
Peggy's root beer float was amazing, as the soft vanilla ice cream was swirled at the top of the glass, and then with perfect timing, started to melt into the root beer for the perfect, albeit messy, afternoon treat...
Did I mention messy?
We then met Bill's brother at the boat dock to take a tour of the coastline from the lake. At the shoreline, a little history...1796 and the man whose name landed on the city with the Rock and Roll Hall of fame...Cleveland Ohio. Yet first Moses came here to Conneaut...
This is Tim in the driver's seat, Peggy and pat looking at the water and me hanging on for dear life...looking straight ahead, focusing on the horizon, getting fresh air and not thinking about the journey...I made it without an "incident"...
This 858 foot ship, the Roger M. Blough had a broken engine and was waiting for a repair to get back to moving iron ore from Duluth to the steel mills in Pittsburgh. Conneaut was the center of it all, back then...
Just next to the ship we got to see the country's only 4 lane swinging bridge, that partially swung open when it was first completed...the tracks started to sway, and they swing it back into position and since then it has never been swung open again. An amazing construction effort never used...
Here's a closer look at the mechanism at water level that was designed to swing the tracks 90 degrees to allow boats to pass through...but oh well...the best laid plans...
Sitting down around sunset for dinner, just out of their back patio, the birds started their return pattern
Peggy chatting with Bill and Pat's next door neighbor, only 87 years old, and a hoot...Barbara Rhodes.
Sam enjoying the patio..however, notice she is not moving....there are at least 3 spiders in the vicinity, and until they are destroyed,s he is frozen solid...
The sun peaked out under the clouds to show us God's amazing creative skill...what colors!
Talk about creative skill....Bill, the master of phenomenal food, is doing what he knows I love best...grilling vegetables....
Talk to me...there are folks with cooking skills and then there are folks with cooking gifts (Peggy, Christine, Stu) and Bill. Whatever they touch turns into taste delights that can not easily be described. Sorry you didn't get to eat this meal....combined with an Amador Zin from Folie a Dieux (Scott Harvey)...you can't imagine how perfect the experience was.
My plate, even out of focus, gives you a small idea of the blissful joy awaiting me.
This was a day for the record books. When it comes to joyful family, friends and food... on a 1 to 10 scale...an 11. It's sad that we'll need to leave in the morning, but Lord willing, we will be back...sooner than later.. Thanks to Bill and Pat, whom we love and will dearly miss...