The Haining Family in Pella

We were privileged to have the Haining family visit in our home prior to their music performance.  Since they had a few hours to see the area, we took them to one of our favorite towns Pella, Iowa. They saw the canal and huge Ver Meer Windmill. They sat on the steps of the Tulip Torem. They wondered through the Scholte gardens and visited the Scolte mansion. We even had Dutch letters for desert. 

Top row in the photo of the Haining Family Singers are Peggy, Mike and Ruth. Second row is James, and Grace. Pearl is sitting on the steps of the Tulip Torem on the bottom step.

 

Wouldn’t it be great if their travel schedule of “ Front Porch” songs could include Pella Tulip time so they could see the Dutch dancers and street cleaners by the Tulip Torem? Perhaps the weather at Tulip Time will allow them to see the tulips in the Scholte gardens. I think that they would like the evening parade with it’s      many floats but anytime is a good time to visit with this family and to visit Pella.     

The Haining Family Singers

Guitars, fiddles, a banjo, auto harp, big bass fiddle, mandolin, mouth organ and even kazoos accompanied the family as the Haining Family Singers sang and played at the Trinity United Methodist Church in an hour and a half performance on September 19.  Their “Front Porch Family- Style Music” included gospel, blue grass, old time music and even yodeling.  

Members of the family are left to right Peggy, Ruth, Pearl, Mike, James and Grace Haining.

Terry and I were given permission to take photos, put them on my blog and give you their web at www.HainingFamily.com if you are interested in having these very talented people come to your town.
 I’m sure they will bless you as they have blessed us. 

Jason and Sue's Wedding

 

Our grandson Jason married Sue in a double ring ceremony on Labor Day in the park in Ottumwa, Iowa. Terry took the traditional pictures of the rings, the kiss, and the first piece of cake. 

. The bride prepared an enormous amount of delicious food for the reception.  

The new family picture included l to r the groom, Jason, his daughter Angelina, the bride Sue, the mother of the groom Shelly, the father of the groom, Richard and the couple’s niece, Mercedes who was the ring bearer.

The bride wanted something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. There were several new things.  The borrowed item was the pen from the guest book and the blue was the bride’s shirt. Someone old (me) pinned the old rings from the bride’s mother on the bride. Yes, Terry and I were the oldest people at the wedding. I guess that I need to get used to that.

August 2012

 August was a busy time for us. My dad was living in his own apartment the 1^st of August and even driving his own car. He became ill on Sunday August 5 and was taken to ER where extensive tests diagnosed bladder infection.  He returned home with antibiotics. On Wednesday the 8^th, he was hospitalized with kidney failure. On Thursday, the 9^th of August, he was moved to the hospice area of the hospital.  One of us children stayed with at him 24 hours a day.  He died on Friday the 10^th.  at the age of 91 years and eleven months.

He was buried on the 17^th of August in Liberty Cemetery, which is about a mile from our house. See the May 21, 2012 blog called “My Birthday Party” for photos of Dad.

Then us six kids met several times to clean his apartment and sort through papers and photos and other “stuff.”

We also went to Galesburg, Illinois for their Heritage Days re-enactments. Smoke and Fire News will be publishing my article about it. We met Benjamin Franklin at the pre 1840’s encampment and Abraham Lincoln at the Civil War encampment. These are photos that weren’t sent to Smoke and Fire News. 

      

On Friday August 31^st, we went to Old Threshers Reunion at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa for the “steam festival” as Terry calls it. We especially liked the 1856 era portrayed in the Log village. These are photos from the festival.