I'm at the point that I have to check at when I last posted so I don' t repeat myself.  It seems like longer than Wednesday last (the 4th) but it isn't.  We've been busy. 

Thursday morning we three, meaning Gracie also,  left for Middletown, NY ( It was a three-plus hour trip.) to pick up Brenda and Emma who arrived there the evening before, on the 4th, from San Jose.  They'll be at our house about a week and a half before they're on their way to Germany to visit Lina, and her family.  If you don't remember:  Lina's the foreign exchange student who was with them this past year.

They didn't have any adventures on this trip, but my goodness - there were a lot of sit and waits.  Their first stop was in Dallas for an hour or so, and then La Guardia with an hour wait for the shuttle into the city to Grand Central and the train to Beacon Station which got in  late night, early morning.
 Cousin Eric and Lyndsay picked them up at the train station.
 
Then they spent the night at Lyndsay and Sue's house,   til we came the next day to pick them up.    Thursday, Sue was away on business, and Lyndsay had to work, but Eric was there with  our lunch - delicious deli sandwiches.  So - we ate, spent time with him,  and then started back.  Paul said it was just about the same mileage we'd travel in a day from Fla.  It was a full day.

Friday evening Brenda had a chance to visit with friends in Ithaca, and Emma went to Sharon's house to be with her cousins.

 So Paul and I were alone - to pick up Lue at the airport from Washington, DC.. It was suppertime, so instead of going home first,  Lue joined us for dinner at the El Monte's Inn.  While there we saw two friends we knew from Marcia and Hal and Florida - Bev and Tom.  It's a small world!

Yesterday we went to the Amish marketplace, The Windmill.  About a little over an hour's trip.

We were just a short distance from Sharon's home when she called and asked if the kids could come along.  Of course!   We had the van and it was big enough for them to sit in the last row of seats.  -    We just swung over and picked them up.

 It had been cloudy and ominous when we left, but as the seven of us got to Seneca Lake and Watkins Glen area, the sky got very dark, the wind began to blow, and the water looked really really rough with big rolling white caps.  No boats were out. The skies opened up - and even the lake disappeared on us.

 It lasted through the town of  Dundee, (halfway) but by the time we got the the Windmill it was just cloudy and cooler.  Couldn't have been better weather for walking around.  We toured the outside shops and then the buildings. I did a lot of walking., And if I must say so myself. . . my cane and I did well.   We got Ida  a pink, soft,  bunny/pillow that she wanted.   The boys got sun glasses. 

Brenda wanted to get some hand-made amish quilted table runners  as gifts  for Lina's mother and step-mother. She found some, bought them, but checking the tag when we got in the car to go home, found out they were Made in India.  That's pretty bad. Who wants to get a gift from the Fingerlakes that's made in India?

 Paul noticed a sign for Quilts on his GPS machine. It was a half-mile away.  So we went. What a nice shop/house - set off from the road a bit.  There was a pretty blonde youngish girl (teenager?) running the shop and working on quilts.  She had the most gorgeous quilts and handmade runners, etc. Brenda found two beautiful ones and returned the others to the shop at the Windmill - telling them the reason.  The gal at the W.M.  tried to make things right by saying - the material was from this area.  Brenda thought but didn't say  - yeah. . . from Walmart.