Where did September go? The pah-tee!

This month has flown by, and here it is the last day of September! Mom and Dad came over from Dayton, Ohio, on Friday afternoon to go with us to our youngest family member's birthday party in Akron. We drove to the Akron area on Friday afternoon to a beautiful park in Medina County. My niece, Abby, and her husband Stan Boyce had a great party for their baby, Gabe, who was one year old on Monday. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm just going to post some photos and let you enjoy.

Mommy (Abby) and Birthday Boy Gabe

Gabe's New Lawn Mower!!!!!

This must be a McHenry mower. It seems to be getting a tune-up!

Uncle Neil and Grandpa talk while Katy checks out the contents of Greg's shirt pocket.

Another notable thing about the day was that I got to drive my new car on the turnpike and 1) go over 45 miles an hour, 2) use the fifth gear, and 3) try out the cruise control. Woo Hoo! My brother, Neil, said he didn't think the HHR looked much like me; he said it was too much like an armored car----but he understood that I needed to be able to carry my string bass around and needed the room. However, he also said that he was surprised to see that I got a manual transmission. This cuts me to the quick! What kind of a McHenry would I be if I didn't drive a stick shift? Besides, the terrain here in Pittsburgh really makes a stick shift more practical. Since the car is a 4-cylinder, you kind of need the lower gears to keep from crawling up the hills around the 'burgh. So, Neil, in case you are reading this, you can take the girl out of the country and give her a city job, but I can still drive a pick-up truck with the best of them, bro! Want me to come over and drive your garden tractor sometime? Love you, buddy. **