Lunch with Cousin Joe

Sunday, May 21…

My dad had 4 siblings. Three lived on the East Coast, and w of those provided me w/ 3 cousins, one of whom died a year or so ago. Daddy’s older sister lived in California and had kids who I never met or knew anything about. Today we’re going north to take my cousin Joe out for lunch. He’s 75, made his living as a butcher (like his father) and then some higher up management jobs relevant to meat. (He must’ve had a pretty high up position b/c there was a photo of him & his wife at the White House w/ then President Clinton & Hilary.) We ate at “The Coop” (Coopersburg Diner), a local fave that serves breakfast all day plus about 10 pages of just about anything you could dream up – wraps, sandwiches, hoagies, gyros, burgers, platters (chicken, veal, fish), desserts…

We had a nice visit. The usual catching-up (very generally – it’s been at least 40 years since the last time we were together), but no aha moments. I hope to see my other cousin when we go through Maine in late June. 

Zero pictures today, but I'm still hooked on...

trees, so I'll share these 2 Siamese trunks. 😃

BlogThought…  We’ve been in this general area for 3 days, and I just love the feel of it. Very peaceful. The Amish (and Mennonites) may be “different” in their lifestyles, but they're certainly also “equal” (respected) and integrated into regular society – their specialized skills are both appreciated and requested by the greater community. (In a couple days we'll be visiting a 19th gunpowder factory. When the old steam engine that ran the mills needs repair, they always call on one of the Amish brethren.)