Blog update, Monday, May 24

Lisa is at work so Randi and I are alone, mainly catching up on the blog. We truly intended to do much better at staying up to date, but it has become more difficult than we thought. We hope those of you who are following will keep checking in. We will eventually fill in the gaps.

More yard work, Sunday, May 23

Grandson Trent (almost 10), spent the night here with us last night and he is anxious to go out early to help Grammie and Aunt Lisa in the yard. Actually, he was anxious to ride the mower, which took him all of 10 minutes to master. I could see that it would only be another leaf burning, dirt blowing day and decided the best thing for me would be to go shopping. Happy is the man who is not far from Best Buy, Lowe’s and Gander Mountain. While browsing in Gander, I was completely surprised to see Bill's brother in law, Leon. We had a great impromptu visit for about an hour and half. At the end of our visit Leon's wife (Bill's sister) arrived from her shopping and said she was wondering what had happened to leon because he was gone for so long.

Hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill brought this happy day to a close.

Mowing, Saturday, May 22

It is good to “stay put” today. Randi has a true love for “mowing” (go figure) and spent 14 years taking care of six acres of land when she lived in Jacksonville. She has taken over the riding mower today and worked along with Lisa (who loves it too). I have enjoyed watching them from inside as they mow, collect and burn leaves, and just get really dirty. They did allow time for pedicures at the end of the day, in preparation for dinner with son Jason and family.

Castillo de San Marcos, Friday, May 21

Curt, Yvonne, Randi and I spent most of the day in St. Augustine, FL, an hour south of Jacksonville. It is the oldest city in the continental United States, founded in 1565. One could spend days seeking out its history. Randi spent a lot of her childhood visiting there, including every New Year’s Day, which was a tradition her father initiated. We had time only for a few highlights, one being the Castillo de San Marcos, a Spanish-built fort (1763).

St. Augustine lighthouse, Friday, May 21

Lunch and a stroll down famed St. George Street (only open to pedestrian traffic since the 60’s), still left time to drive to the St. Augustine lighthouse built in 1824. We all climbed the 214 steps to the top, which was high on Yvonne’s list of things to accomplish. From the top, the view of the city and the intracoastal waterway, was awesome.

The "Benches", Thursday, May 20

We visited the “benches”, which are a memorial to our granddaughter, Jordan. Jordan was killed by a hit and run driver in 2007. The bench on the left is engraved with "Jordan R. Williams 4-7-90 12-12-07".

The bench on the right is engraved with "A Life Worth Watching" which is an excerpt from a card Jordan had written on shortly before the accident. The card read…”they say before you die, your entire life flashes before your eyes…make it worth watching!” The magnolia tree was planted at the same time the benches were placed. The benches are located in a public park in Atlantic Beach, FL.

Jacksonville Beach Pier, Thursday, May 20

After visiting the benches we went to the end of the Jacksonville Beach Pier where in 2007 about 400 friends had paid tribute to our little surfer girl after the memorial service which was held in the Fletcher High School auditorium, with over 1000 in attendance. Lisa picked a bud from the Magnolia tree that had been planted at the memorial benches and tossed it from the end of the pier.