Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 10-06-2009
We arrived in Carmel last Thursday and were warmly greeted by the wonderful Keys family. Our first order of business – parking our rig in their nice long driveway. We had to take apart their elaborate basketball hoop (no easy task) and then back in so the garage was assessable to all vehicles. Within a couple hours, we were set up and ready for fun!
Marcilynn is one of my very favorite people and it was so easy to “camp” in front of her house for 19 days! Her daughter, Rebecca, has known Nikki since they were both 4 years old and it’s been great to watch them grow up together. They seem to be growing closer as the years go by which is wonderful. Jessica is 14 years old and she and Andrew got along SO well, just hanging out and talking about life for hours. Jessica is quite the pianist and Andrew would ask her to play Pachel Bel’s Canon over and over. Seems he enjoys classical music! (Or simply the blond playing the music!) Benjamin is 7 years old and OH SO CUTE and he and Lauren had fun together too. Completing the mix-, David (Marcilynn’s husband) and Ken got along great too so we all had someone to play with!!
On our last full day in Carmel, one of Andrew’s best buddies, Austen Browne, arrived from Arizona. We picked him up at the airport and we have seen little of Andrew ever since. Austen fits right in with our bunch and we look forward to having him with us for the next 2 ½ weeks until we reach Montana.
Some of the highlights of our trip to Carmel include:
-Long bike rides down the Monon Trail to Broad Ripple and along the beautiful bike paths in Carmel
-Daily morning walks with Marcilynn followed by a latte outside (weather permitting)
-Dinner with Dave and Jeanette Tonne and enjoying Ken’s yummy smoked brisket! Great conversations with them as well as some other good friends including Brian and Paula Maier and Rick and Sharon Balak. What wonderful neighbors we had in Avian Glen!
-Visiting Connor Prairie and seeing Jessica and Rebecca at work in their costumes from the mid 1800s
-Dinner with the adults in Broad Ripple at Mama Carollas followed by a walk across the street to an amazing farm market
-Dinner date with Ken at our favorite sushi place followed by a stroll down Main Street and a drink at the “Library”.
-Drinking lemon drop martinis, drinknig margaritas made from the agave liquor we brought from Mexico, drinking period!
-Seeing Amy Fryberger again and enjoying her company and yummy cookies! She is one of the nicest people ever!
-Meeting friends of the Keys (Christine and Brian) who also dream of taking a long term RV trip one day
-Andrew’s friend, Austen, arrival from Arizona
-Watching Nikki and Rebecca emerge from their tents in the backyard in the morning
-Watching the kids play silly games down in the basement
While we spent a great deal of time in this one location, we never grew tired of the Keys company. It was a treat for all of us. We found the secret for a successful long visit is to bring your own HOUSE!! We had our own place and they had theirs and none of us ever felt like we were intruding upon one another’s “space” . Great set up and we highly recommended it! We look forward to seeing their whole family again next summer along the east coast. And Marcilynn will be coming to Melaque Mexico next January so that’s something to look forward to as well!!
Thank you Keys family for everything!
Hey, I’m pretty sure it was the SONG that Andrew liked. And we had just as much fun as you guys! Miss you lots and can’t wait to see you again!
Hey y’all! I have just spent an hour updating on your travels. You are all looking great! Save some of those potstickers for Celestino ok?? They look so gooooodddd!!!!! Ribs, ribs, and more ribs – your favourite family food???? Sallie, the last picture of you and your friend from Carmel – was that the morning after all the drinks???haha!! Glad to hear you are back into biking – we will have to saddle up in Celestino! Think of you guys often and look forward to seeing you again soon. Larry and Kim