LAST STOP BEFORE CAL EXPO

We're back in Shingle Springs - one of our favorite Elks lodges - closing in on Sacramento for our usual fall visit. We've been extraordinarily busy since we arrived.

The condition of our Jeep has been troubling us for a few months. Another round of repairs was not the solution, as we realized we had lost our faith in this old vehicle... after each repair, we are hypervigilant, awaiting the next problem. We arrived here well prepared to move forward on a purchase, so have been involved in a time-consuming round of test-driving and deal-making. Looks like we might have our next vehicle identified; I'll let you know next week.

We had a great time last night at a small family reunion (Laurie's family). This is not one of those huge affairs with unknown cousins coming from afar; if we have unknown cousins, they have remained that way! Sydney and Frank came from Bisbee, AZ; cousin Jeff, and his family (Noni, Sterling and Roman) from the LA area; our cousin Steve from the Bay area; and all the local relatives - Aunt Dorothy in Rocklin, my parents Bev and Bill from Shingle Springs, and my sister Nancy and her family (Doug, Patrick and Claire) from Sacramento. It was intimate and lively, a great way to kick off our visit to Sacramento.