Odds and Ends

Early, the other morning I was driving my car to Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania and as I came to the top of the steep part of Kreinbrook Hill, I could see the sunlight reflecting from the buildings in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The distance was approximately fifty miles. The clouds opened for a short time and with the leaves gone, the air had minimal humidity, and the sun poured through to make the windows of the buildings glisten.  Although the view is not quite as spectacular, it almost rivals coming out of the Fort Pitt Tunnel from the airport and having the night lights of Pittsburgh catch you off guard.

My mother-in-law, Retha Morrison had friends in Sheraden, Pennsylvania. She would ask us to drive her down to visit for a week or so. The Auel family, Conrad and Dorothy, were wonderful people. My major problem with them is when we visited, they would take us to different places, but when we returned, they would drive a completely different direction. They figured, if we didn’t know the way, we would be back to travel with them, and it worked. This was a time before GPS and maps of Pittsburgh are confusing, especially with the hills and one way streets.

At Christmas time, Connie would set the Christmas tree, the village, and the train set on a large platform that took up nearly half of their living room. It was always a live tree and the room kept the fragrant aroma of pine. They decorated the tree with faded construction paper chains saved from Christmases past and old ornaments, some hand made by their kids.

My mother-in-law and the Auels have since gone to heaven, but I’ll bet they still enjoy Christmas together and each other’s friendship.