EASTER with FAMILY

Even though it was a bit more of a challenge to travel with a heavily bandaged left arm, we still made our trip back to Southern Illinois to spend Easter with Gerry's family.

I brought along the photo of my arm with the metal plate and screws, just in case I got stopped by security.

My left elbow - I'm still not used to having the metal as part of me!

 
We had a record crowd for the Easter Celebration.  40 of us (27 adults and 13 children) gathered in Decatur, IL at the home of Allan and Kathy, Gerry's brother and sister-in-law.  They have a beautiful, spacious house, which accommodated us all in style.  We feasted on Easter ham, turkey, potatoes, green beans, pasta salads, green salads, jello and bread.  Everything was delicious.

One of the five tables where we sat down to eat.

The youngest of the clan, Hayden, born Oct 19, 2015

After we ate, it was time for the traditional Easter Egg Hunt, in the front yard.  It was a cool, breezy afternoon, perfect weather for the kids to scamper around and find the eggs.

See what you can find when you look underneath the bushes?

Easter eggs everywhere - far and wide. 

What a score!

What a bunch of cute great nieces and nephews!

I had my share of candy, as well as Gerry's mom's famous homemade Easter egg cookies, with the colorful decorative icing, and Kathy's moist coconut cake.  The sugar buzz kept me going on the two hour evening drive back to Gerry's mother's house where we were staying.

Monday Gerry and I took a walk along the bike path near Gerry's mother's house.  We walked a little over 3 miles, which  under normal circumstances doesn't seem far.  However, when you haven't been sleeping well because of a bulky and sore arm, a 3 mile walk seems long...

I'm standing beneath a colorful flowering apricot tree Monday morning at the end of our walk.

Gerry's sister Ginny gave us a tour of the custom house she is building, about 10 minutes away from  historic downtown Alton.  It will be completed in May.  She plans to host Thanksgiving in her new house.  Hopefully we'll make it back....

We enjoyed lunch with Gerry's mom at My Just Desserts, a cute restaurant and bakery in downtown Alton.  Homemade quilts cover the walls and are offered for sale.  It's a quaint cafe and a step back in time.

Gerry and his mother Ann (who turns 89 next month.) 

We flew home on Tuesday afternoon, grateful that we made the trip this Spring.