05-13-11 St. Paul, MN

 My cousin Gloria wanted to celebrate her birthday at a restaurant in St. Paul.

 Some of the guests, mostly relatives, some from as far away as California.

 My cousin Gloria.

 A group of guys, know as Vulcanus came in and stopped at our table.

 They sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.  Everybody got a big laugh out of them.

 It's time for Gloria to make a wish.

Hopefully, it came true.

05-12-11 Stillwater, MN

 Our first day in Minnesota and we traveled with my cousin to Stillwater to shop for antiques.  We always eat at Leo's when we are there.

 The interior is a 50's decor.

 Their burgers and shakes are to die for.

 Step out of Leo's and turn left and you are headed for Wisconsin.

 Downtown Stillwater is full of antique shops.

 Love from Minnesota!

 Lynda is window shopping.

 My cousin Gloria.

 In the evening, we met several of my relatives at the Twin Cities Grill at the Mall of America.  From left, me, Lynda, my cousins Gloria, Judy, Julie and Carol.

Chatting after dinner in the Mall.

04-30-11 Valdosta, GA

Lynda and I, along with our friends, Mark and Patty, decided to spend the day at Wild Adventures.

 We spent some of the day on rides.

We also checked out the animals. 

That's a pretty high dinner table!

This is one of the roller coasters we rode. 

 Checking out the wild life from the tram.

Zebra!

 Tiger!

Enjoying the view.....

An aerial view of the park

Back to the event area to watch the.....

Doobie Brothers in concert!

Each of the band members were excellent on their instruments.

 Some of the band members are the original musicians.

Tom Johnston is one of the original members.

 And he puts on a really great show.

 Talk about a tight band!

Performing for an encore.

 As they have throughout their career, the band employs two drummers.

And the show is over, ending a really great concert.

04-24-11 Monticello, FL

 It's Easter and Neil is out running for eggs.

 Melina and Auburn are racing to the woods.

 Neil is making sure no eggs are left behind.

 Auburn and Melina are looking for the "gold" egg.

 Savannah Lee is on her very own expedition to find the "easier" eggs.

 Lori's sister and her two children also participated in the egg hunt.

 Lori, her mother Karen and Lynda are discussing the egg hunt.

 The kids are checking out their spoils.

 Savannah Lee is showing Lynda some money she found in some of her eggs.

And the final shot of every one's bounty.

04-23-11 Tallahassee, FL

Auburn warming up in the outfield before the first inning of her softball game.

Reach,

crank, and

throw.  Pretty good form, huh?

Auburn gets a hit.

Waiting on second base to be driven in by one of her teammates.

Auburn scores!

Pretty good, huh coach?  Coach?  Coach?

Coach giving her team instruction.

Coach and team celebrate a victory.

Melina's game starts and she is up to bat.

Melina takes a good cut.....

and gets a hit.

Nothing like the exhilaration of scoring after getting on base.

Waiting on first base for a throw from one of her infielders.

A little high on the throw, but she got it!

Waiting on another throw.

Gotta stretch for this one!

Not going to get there on time.

But she caught it anyway.

Snagging another throw.

Getting walked.

Melina does NOT enjoy the lack of opportunity to hit.

Finishing up the game where she loves to play, at first base.

 Neil is getting ready for his baseball game.

 After chasing a ball in the outfield, he is making his throw back into the infield.

 Check out that determination!

 He hits the ball into the outfield.......

and hits a homerun in front of the admiring family.