Happy Monday morning to you. I hope you have an excellent week planned full of joy and happiness. It is a warm morning already around here and I think the temperature is going up to ninety degrees again today Summer really is making alast gasp effort to hang on despite the fal that is is autum already.

We had a busy weekend filled with chores and guests dropping by the house. For a visit. How often does that happen any more to have someone just drop by to visit? I think that "living rooms" have practically become a thing of the past. We have a living room where one would normally ((at least in "olden" days) sit and visit with company, and we have a "family room" where we watch TV and visit with folks and we have the sunporch which is where we really sit to visit if folk come by. Saturday our pastor came by for a visit and he and I sat out in the sunporch for a couple of hours and visited.

Ms. Kate has already made an apple pie this morning. As soon as we get cleaned up and the last of the packing done and in the car, we are heading off on our vacation today. Yes, I know it is a day early, but that is the way we are. We'll head out and get through St. Louis today and spend the night in Columbia, MO. Tomorrow night we'll bee in Independence , MO and that will be the last of the "big cities" until we start heading back home and a week or so. Wednesday will be a 600 mile travel day which for us is a long day. After that it will be short days and lots of sight seeing.

So, --- my writing will be somewhat sporadic for the next couple of weeks but I will try to keep you informed of what we are seeing as we go along so you can vacation with us. Of course, this coming Friday is the Buffalo Roundup which prompted  this whole trip in the first place.

I ask that you keep us in your prayers for safe travel as we zip along the highways and by-ways. And I will keep each of you in my prayers that you have good days full of the joy of God Almighty. Pray also for our nation and other nations that peace may become the watchword of the day. As my favorite song lyrics say, "Let there be peace on earth, --- and let it begin with me."

See ya' on down the road. Peace.