This summer's adventures involved trips into our pasts. We started off in May with the celebration of my cousin's 80th birthday in Pueblo. And then we attended the retirement of three former colleagues ( Monica Ashby, Ellis Northcut and Gary Sleap) from Hinkley High School in Aurora. It's always fun to get together & reminisce about the "good old" days.

In June we were off to Wisconsin for my husband Bob's 50th class reunion at Lawrence College in Appleton, WI. A highlight of the reunion was the class of '58's combined contribution of 25 million dollars to the school's endowment fund. Lawrence's president, Jill Beck, was not only grateful, but completely surprised. It was the largest gift by far from any "milestone" class.

From Central Wisconsin we headed south to Indiana, stopping in Chicago to visit briefly with my nephew and his wife. We all "pigged out" on the biggest ice cream sundaes I'd ever seen. Next morning we walked some of it off on the shores of Lake Michigan, among the Indiana Sand Dunes.

Eastern Indiana was significant in the early days of my family, the Tapeys. Using Richmond as our base, we visited various birthplaces, homes, churches & cemeteries connected with my father's side of the family. One house was not only still in-tact, but occupied. Another had been replaced by a school.

One cemetery was out in the midst of farmland, far from any town, and not easy to find as different segments of a country road had different names, depending on local preference. In one graveyard we found the tombstone of my great-great-great-grandfather, Gerhardt Imhoff.Born 1775, Died 1882. Yes, 107!

We found an interesting horse-drawn barge ride on part of the old canal system that has been restored in Metamora, IN. And before heading back west, we swung into Ohio to have lunch in Oxford. Bob taught international law and politics there in the late 1960s, at Miami University.

On our way back to Colorado we stopped in Springfield, IL, to visit Abraham Lincoln's home, tomb, and museum. The museum really brought the Civil War era to life. One gallery reviewed the times and issues of each of our other presidents.

After about six weeks at home, we returned to Wisconsin in August for an off-year reunion of Bob's high school graduating class in Neenah. They were the class of '54, so they decided to celebrate their 54th anniversary.

There celebration was a more casual affair than the college reunion, with more camaraderie. Friday evening, we had supper at the "Fin and Feather, followed by a cruise on Lake Winneconne, aboard a replica of an old side-wheel paddle boat.

Saturday evening we had a slightly more formal banquet, including comments by a former baseball and football coach, who had also been Bob's freshman science teacher. It was fun to hear all the stories from days gone by. Only one other person attended who had been a classmate with Bob all the way from their country elementary school through high school. A lot of history unfolded in those 12 years. They say you can't go home again, and I guess it's true. But you can come close sometimes, in your mind.

One bonus of an "odd-year" reunion was that the Class of '53 was having their 55 th reunion in the next banquet room. When our program ended, the partition between the two gatherings was opened, and there were those who graduated a year earlier. Very prominent among them was Bob's old debate partner. They had a great time, recalling how they were so good, but just missed going to state their last year together.

From there we set out for northern Wisconsin, stopping first to visit with Bob's sister-in-law in Woodruff. This was a bit sad as Bob's brother had just passed away in July. Their place on the lake looked pretty much the same, but it sure didn't feel the same without Bill there.

We continued on up to Bayfield, WI, where we stayed two nights at the Northern Edge, which consisted of a bar, a restaurant, & a 2-room "motel." It was quiet & handicap accessible but didn't have much of a view, unless you had room #2. We were #1.

Still, we did have a nice boat ride on Lake Superior, out amongst the Apostle Islands. I am not sure why they were called this, because there are more than twelve. But, never mind. It was a beautiful day, although a bit hazy due to the previous day's rain. Some of the islands feature historic lighthouses, but we didn't get to stop at any. We'd have to sign up for another tour.

After a trip back to the hotel, we decided to take the regular ferry over to Madeline Island for supper. It wasn't as touristy as Mackinac Island in Michigan. It was more rustic & a good place to camp, or even have a summer cottage. We found a place for sandwiches & salads as well as pizza.

The next morning before starting our trip back south, I tried the Bayfield's municipal indoor pool for some lap swimming. It was different in that they did not use overhead lighting, just underwater pool lights. It was very relaxing, especially using the hot tub afterwards. On our way out of the area, we bought fresh blueberries to take along, & then drove down to Copper Falls.

Bob was told that the circuit to see the various falls and formations was a 1.7 mile hike, with 100 or so steps up and down. We decided to try it & found out there were more like 350 steps, and they were not regular at all. We made it, but were worn out by lunch time. We were glad to get back to Woodruff to rest, and then continue on down to Neenah for the memorial service for Bob's brother.

The memorial gathering was another excursion into the past, seeing some relatives and neighbors that Bob had not seen since they were kids. With no "reunion" directory, it was a more difficult memory test than the other get-togethers, but still a pleasant experience despite the circumstances.

After this final undertaking, we headed back to Colorado.