What a wonderful week I have had reconnecting with friends and family.  On Monday cousin Jeff and I went to Wapak, Wapakoneta for those not from the area.  The Neil Armstrong Space Museum is there and I needed to get a pressed penny.  See picture below.  Wapak is where Neil Armstrong grew up and is only about 6 miles from Botkins.  Jeff and I didn't go through the museum since Jeffrey and I actually went through it about 3 years ago.  I did get several post cards to send to friends and family along with my pressed penny.  One of the post cards had a recipe for Buckeye Squares.  Of course when we got back to the house I had to make some!  But back to the museum, it is very interesting and I highly recommend it.  As you walk in the door, down the entryway, pictures hang of all the astronauts from Ohio.  The number who have roots in Ohio is very impressive.
         After returning to Botkins, Jeff and I stopped by one of my classmates, Linda Limbert.  She bought her childhood home after her parents passed away and along with help from her brother, Ed, and assorted relatives has been remodeling it.  What an amazing job she has done!  She has moved walls, installed bathrooms, plumbing, wiring, etc!  If I ever build a place, Linda will be the first person I call!
        A little about Wapak retrieved from Wikipedia.  It says that Wapakonta sits on the Auglaze River and was first settled by the Ottawa Indians followed by the Shawnee and Seneca.  By 1808 there were more than 500 living in the area and the Indians had the first saw mill and grist mill in northwest Ohio.  Wapakoneta is a Shawnee name meaning, "place of white bones".  Sadly in 1831 the Treaty of Wapakoneta and Treaty of Lewistown forced the Indians to move west of the Mississippi.  Current population of Wapak is a little over 9800.  Botkins is a small village south of Wapak on I-75 with population of 1150.  According to Wikipedia it was named after a surveyor but when I was growing up we did have an older couple in town with the name of Botkins.  Also the sign as you come into town says, "Where The Waters Divide and The People Unite".  My father always said that in this area the water splits and there is a geographic line where water north of line flows toward Lake Erie and south of the line it flows towards the Ohio River.  I am not sure of the accuracy of this statement.  Another little interesting tidbit is that Kent Boyd, a runner up on the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance" grew up in Botkins.
       Tuesday was another delightful day of visiting dear friends.  I walked 3 miles around town with dear classmate Sara Kreitzer.  Then I drove to Huntsville and visited long time family friends, Jim and Sandy Duff.  They were such good friends with my parents and are just considered part of the family as far as I am concerned.  After a couple hours of visiting I drove to a high school friend's house, Paula Nash.  I spent a delightful evening with her and her husband Don.  Don grilled us some unbelievable filet mignon!  Of course where ever I go, I have to share about my dear Jeffrey and everyone is always so gracious and listens.  Thank you!
       Wednesday, after another walk with Sara, I drove down to Miamisburg, south of Dayton, and visited my sister's dear friend Charlene Jarvis who had a total knee replacement on Tuesday.  Being one day post op, she was not a happy camper.  Hang in there Charlene!  Better days are coming!  I will stay with her for several days starting on Sunday.  Since she was like a sister to my sister and Charlene's whole family considered Sandy part of their family, she to is like a sister to me and I like to take care of my family!  Today, Thursday, I walked with MaryLou Pitts, another good friend and classmate from Botkins.  What a delightful visit we had.  I guess I can visit best when I am walking or eating but unfortunately, from the scales, it appears I have been eating more than walking.  To prove this point I had a wonderful visit with several friends over lunch at the Inn Between.   If you are ever in Shelby County, you must stop and have their famous fried chicken!  I was pleased to see they also had sweet ice tea.  It wasn't quite as good as Texas sweet tea but close.  Lunch was with Mary Jo Raberding, Kathleen Freeman, Marty Koenig,  Evonne Schnippel, and Lyn Degen.  These ladies were a few of my mother's dear friends and so when I return home to Botkins it is always so good to reconnect with them and strenghten those ties.  Thank you Mary Jo for arranging this delightful get-together! See picture below.
     

Yes! The precious pressed penny!  This museum is a must see!

The recipe for delicious Buckeye Bars.

Need I say more?

Lunch at the Inn Between with dear friends.

Left to right: Marty Koenig,  Lyn Degen, Evonne Schnippel, Mary Jo Raberding, and Kathleen Freeman