June 15

Our 35th wedding anniversary. Leo took the day off work & we retraced our steps back to before we were married ...back 36 years ago. We went to Waubonsie State Park down by Nebraska City...across the border in Iowa. At that time I was trying to impress Leo with my cooking skills & so I made some fried chicken & potato salad & we drove the 60 miles to the park & had a picnic. Well, the chicken was still a bit pink & the potatoes in the salad were crunchy, but Leo never complained - at least not then. Of course years later he kidded repeatedly that it was amazing that he married me in spite of the failed picnic. So today we returned to the same spot in Waubonsie and yes, I made chicken & potato salad that was done perfectly (with many more years of practice!) & I offically redeemed myself. We went back to Nebraska City & hiked around Arbor Lodge & had iced tea on the deck and even though we weren't where we had planned on going to today (to our favorite place in the world - a little island off the coast of BC Canada - where we have been going every anniversary for the last 5 years) - but we still had a very nice day. When we arrived back home, there in the mail was a box from our very special friend on the island, Sharon, and she so kindly sent things from the island to us this year - some of her fabulous homemade granola, some lavender soap(my favorite!), a cute notepad, some lotion, a very nice note and card, and some wonderful seashells that she had found on the beach the day before sending them - along with a beautiful piece of sea glass that she knows I love. So even though we didn't get to go there, the island came to us...and it made our day.