Anna Grows

Anna with the Cats  Anna made her annual summer visit to Grandma & Grandpa's house on July 23-26.  Cousin Aidyn was also there for the duration.  Anna flew into Dayton, where her grandparents picked her up.  Shortly thereafter, Grandma and Grandpa found themselves in the back of the van with Anna driving and Aidyn riding shotgun (it is unknown if they watched cartoons, but it is likely that Grandpa fell asleep). There was sad news on Tuesday night when they found out that their long-time neighbor and friend,  Linda Dangler , passed away.  Linda lived right next door and was a frequent visitor to the front porch.  She and the grandparents always looked out for each other.  She was a great friend and will be missed. Anna and Aidyn were able to distract their grandparents a bit during the visit.  While there do not seem to be many photos from this trip (this is the summer of no photos), there were lots of activities, including: A trip to  Shipshewana, Indiana   - Anna joined Grand

Enjoy the July 4th parade  The heat is on in Northern Virginia this summer!  So far it seems we are on pace for one of the hottest summers on record.  July 4th was no exception.  Despite the heat, Joe and Theresa opted for one July 4th tradition:  the annual Fairfax parade.  Anna opted out, preferring to stay in bed after working the night before.  The parade did not disappoint and included all of the requisite bands, local politicians, Shriners, and of course the Fairfax Library book cart drill team (always a crowd favorite).  Everyone hid in the house for the afternoon and the 95 degrees + heat.  Fortunately, thunderstorms rolled through prior to the fireworks (Anna did reluctantly join her parents for the Fairfax fireworks). Since Anna has been working hard and this is her last summer before college, the family decided to do a last-minute beach trip to Virginia Beach.  As luck would have it, after no real rain for weeks it rained every day from the first full day until the last full