Sunday, 12-August-2007 - Veghel, NL - Arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to a big welcoming committee: Chris, Marij, Katherine and Martin. Katherine made big posters with my vacaton snapshots. Drove home to Veghel where Rosan was waiting to make the reunion complete. I'm happy to be home safe and sound. It was a great vacation!
Saturday, 11-August-2007 - Detroit, MI - Said goodbye to Marlyn and Jared (and Lucy). Drove to Metro Airport. Met a firefighter and his family. Also met Toby and Ricki at Chili's. Took off about 2200.
Friday, 10-August-2007 - Metro Beach, MI - Skated to Metro Beach and back--about a 16 mile trip. Marlyn and Lucy got me headed in the right direction. Got to cool off my feet at the beach. Had a very nice Polish dinner at Angelo's. Tasted pierogi for the first time. Saw a real nice '57 Chevy. There was a special show at the Best Western motel across the street to commerate the 50th anniversary of the 1957 Chevy and the 40th anniversary of the Camaro http://www.classicchevy.com/ . Went to Jared's new school, Peace Lutheran on 24 Mile Road, and helped move furniture back into the classrooms. Met Josh and Sara, Bill Schmidt's daughter.
Thursday, 9-August-2007 - Clinton Township, MI - Watched Jared put items on the curb for recycling. Went shopping with Marlyn. Had a nice dinner and saw a good movie.
Wednesday, 8-August-2007 - Clinton Township, MI - Spent the day with Marlyn.
Tuesday, 7-August-2007 - Detroit, MI - Today is my brother Jared's birthday. After a good night's sleep, visited with my wonderful sister-in-law, Marlyn. Went with Jared to see the Detroit Tigers play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It was a truly a memorable experience: great stadium, great game, great brother.
Monday, 6-August-2007 -Brighton, MI - Checked out at the hotel. Drove to Kensington Park to rollerblade. http://www.metroparks.com/parks/pk_kensington.php What a wonderful recreational area! Went skating with Mike, once around the lake--about 8.5 miles. Drove to Brighton to visit Barb and Fabian, my Delta College buddy and family friend. Had a very nice Mexican dinner at Los Tres Amigos. Drove to my brother Jared and Marlyn's home in Clinton Township. Listened to the Tiger ball game on the radio on the way over.
Sunday, 5-August-2007 - Amelith, MI - Got up at 0800 to attend the 11:00 o'clock outdoor pavilion service at Amelith. Spoke when Jeanne, Bob, Jennifer, and Kevin before the service. Had lunch afterwards with Jeanne, Jim, and Sally. Said goodbye to Mom.
Saturday, 4-August-2007 - Essexville, MI - Got up at 0615 and met Dorothy and Gary at 0715 before Dorothy went to work (I forgot to bring Dorothy's gift on Tuesday). Had a short visit with Mom before getting ready for the reunion. Had a great time at the reunion--we were all glad to see each other. Those who came really wanted to be there. We wore picture name tags. I found myself very often needing to refer to the name tags to make the link back to the future. Some people, however, didn't hardly change at all--I could recognize them easily: Fred, Brenda, Rita, Naomi, Dan, Chris, Warren, Mary Jo, Farrell. Got to know some classmates better--talked with some classmates and spouses for the first time. Stayed 'til the end. Continued visiting at the Stein Haus in Bay City. Got in at 0200.
3-August-2007 - Shepherd, MI - Visited a T.L. Handy classmate, Larry Leddy. It took me a little over a hour to drive there using country roads. Went biking and skating in Mt Pleasant Island Park--a fantastic place! Even saw a deer in the park! Drove by the Soaring Eagle Casino. Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Made tatar sauce. Ate a fine walleye dinner, watching the sun go down.
Wednesday, 1-August-2007 - Saginaw, MI - Shopped for flowers for Mom. Met with my brother, Wayne, at 1800. Had a nice dinner. Talked 'til 0100.
Tuesday, 31-July-2007 - Bay City, MI - Had a nice breakfast at the restaurant adjacent to the hotel. Visited the computer room at the hotel. Drove to Gary's home in Bay City. Had a fantastic ride along the Bangor Railtrail northwards (about 25 miles round trip). At the end of the paved trail, met Alan, the father of Torino 2006 short track bronze medalist, Alex Izyrowski. Dorothy came home with pizzas to top off a super day.
Monday, 30-July-2007 - Bay City, MI - Woke up to another wonderful sunrise. Did my morning exercises. Said goodbye to Tyler, Joel, and Cecily before they went off to work. Caught a cicada (Cicadoidea), which had clung to my skateboot when I brought it inside from drying--found its moulted-skin shell when I was packing my suitcase. The insect was crawling under my feet. Had a nice chat with Jane at the kitchen table. After saying goodbye, had a nice drive up to Bay City--windows down and listening to country music. Got in at the hotel around 1730. Took a quick shower and made it over to Bergers around 1815. I was great seeing everyone--six of the nine graduates where there. It was 40 years since I had seen Ron Johnson. The stories that went around the table were great. We remembered Mr Gremel's discipline at the one-room East School. We laughed about geography lessons, learning where Moscow (Ma's cow) was located. After a great meal (I had baked salmon), we went over to Sally's and sat around the fire bowl and told more stories.
Sunday, 29-July-2007 - Harlan, IN - Woke up to the sun rising over the corn field next to my bedroom (thanks Tyler). Played with the kittens. Attended services at the Apostolic Christian Church in Leo. Went skating with Whitney. We skated to Harlan and back (about four miles). Treated ourselves to ice cream in Grabill. Had corn on the cob for supper. In the evening, visited with Shane, Laura, Kiara, Tyler, Joel, and Cecily. Played volleyball with Whitney and Steve until dark. Couldn't get Whitney tired out before I gave up. 
Saturday, 28-July-2007 - Harlan, IN - Had breakfast with Mom and Jane. Jared and Marlyn would be coming to stay with Mom for the weekend. Went to the St John Lutheran Cementary at Amelith to respectfully remember. Met Principal Jennifer and her father Ian. They were tending to the plants and flowers around the school. They both gave me a tour of the new school addition. Later mother Kiefer and Pastor Starke joined the other gardners. Drove to Jane's home in Harlan, IN. Whitney and Steve greeted me. Jane arrived about 15 min after I did. We went to Fort Wayne to see beautiful flower gardens. Afterwards went to dinner at an Italian food restaurant.
Friday, 27-July-2007 - Saginaw, MI - Had a lunch and a nice visit with my e-mail buddy, Sally. After Jane's spaghetti supper at Mom's place, had a nice visit with Norman. It must have been 40 years ago that we seen each other. He showed me his cars that his was fixing up.
Thursday, 26-July-2007 - Bay City, MI - Spent the day with Uncle George Weiss. Had a nice meal, and went to the Bay County Historical Museum. Met and spoke with Alan Flood and other volunteers.
Wednesday, 25-July-2007 - Bay City, MI - Had a good night's sleep. Jogged on Delta, Fraser, Weiss and Mackinaw roads. Met Beth Engerer, Roger Rueger, and the Wiecks along the way. Met nurse Lynn, home caregiver Jill, and physical therapist Piotr who take care of Mom. Ministry Assitant Mr Opel visited Mom in the afternoon. Went out to eat Japanese food with Jane.
Tuesday, 24-July-2007 - Bay City, MI - Had breakfast and drove to Bay City--a change of plans. I was originally going to go to Harlan, IN. The plan is now to drive to Indiana on Saturday and stay until Monday morning. Arrived at my Mom's place around 1245. Was greeted by my sister, Jane. She had been staying with my Mom since my Mom's back surgery on 2-July. Gave them both big hugs from Marij, Chris, Katherine, Martin, Rosan, Clyde, Patti, Matthew, Michael, and Mitchell. Walked around the yard with Jane and talked about things we remembered when we were growing up here. Took pictures of memories. Had a meal together. Watched a fantastic sunset.
Monday, 23-July-2007 - Detroit - Got up at 0500. Matthew and Clyde were in the kitchen when I came downstairs. Clyde drove me to the airport. Had a good flight. Took mexican dinner leftovers with me to eat on the plane. Sat next to Mike and Jeremiah. Got a rental car and drove to Aunt Bertha and Uncle George. They took me out to dinner, and I stayed the night.
Sunday, 22-July-2007 - Portland - Went to see another championship game at Lakeside Field. For my last evening meal on this visit, we went to Chevy's for a fine Mexican food dinner.
Saturday, 21-Jul-2007 - Portland, OR - Went to the Oregon State Championship to watch Michael and the Lakers play their first game. After the game, skated uphill to Matthew's high school.
Friday, 20-July-2007 - Portland - Today was a day in between games. Went to downtown Portland with Clyde, Matthew, and Mitchell. Had fun at the water fountain. Watched Mitchell jump rope with the girls. Walked along the riverfront and met George (73) running up the steps. He was very interested in the U of M (Clyde's shirt) since U of M plays against Oregon. Ended the day with a good meal and a game of scrabble.
Thursday, 19-July-2007 - Lake Oswego - Went jogging with Clyde--Matthew on bike. Michael and Mitchell gave me a trampoline lesson. Played scrabble. After playing catch in the cul-de-sac with Michael and Clyde, watched Matthew play a tournament game.
Wednesday, 18-July-2007 - Lake Oswego - It was a rainy day. The baseball games were cancelled due to the danger of lightning. After a delicious pancake breakfast, went shopping at the mall.
Tuesday, 17-July-2007 - Lake Oswego - Had a good night's sleep. Came downstairs to find Clyde reading the paper. Had my first cup of strong (Clyde) coffee on this trip. Clyde made breakfast for everbody. I had his scrabbled eggs and bacon. After breakfast, we went to watch Mitchell workout in his gymnastics class. His teacher praised his ability. Before lunch, went jogging and bike riding with Matthew. We stopped by the nearby fire station to thank them for helping saving Patti's life in 2001. Matthew helped also by calling 911. That afternoon we cheered Michael and the other Lake Oswego (LO) All Stars in another playoff game--they won 8-6).
Monday, 16-July-2007 - Lake Oswego, OR - Got up at 0400 today to make my 0915 flight to Portland. Tried not to make too much noise to wake up Amanda and Kevin. Had breakfast. Saw a beautiful sunrise on the way to the airport. At the airport, had my first cup of coffee since I left Holland. Had a good, but no-frills flight to Portland. I should have made a lunch--I got a big hole in my stomach--no food served on this four-hour flight. Sat next to Marty and Dave on he plane. My brother, Clyde, was waiting at the airport to pickup me up and drive to his home in Lake Oswego. Mitchell, Michael, Matthew, and Patti were there to greet me with big hugs. After a tour of the house from Michell, had a most welcome lunch and a nap. Went to watch Michael play in the Little League Baseball All-star game at Alpenrose http://www.alpenrose.com/little.htm. After Michael's game, we went to see Matthew play a practice game at his home field Westlake. 
Sunday, 15-July-2007 - Ann Arbor - Slept well. Heard the birds at 0500. Got up around 0530. It had cooled off at night. Did my morning exercises and went jogging at about 0630 to explore the area. Met Melanie watering her garden on the way back home. After breakfast, Amanda and Kevin agreed to accompany me on their bikes, with me on rollerblades. Talked to Jane and Mom on the phone. Mom asked me to take plenty of pictures of Amanda and Kevin's new home. Had a nice meal, while watching the Tigers play the Mariners on TV. http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com
Saturday, 14-July-2007 - Ann Arbor - Got up at 0400 today didn't hardly sleep. I think I was too nervous. Today is the first day of my vacation. After saying goodbye to Marij and Rosan, I went over to Chris's place. He then drove me to Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam. Had a good flight. Sat next to Nathan on the plane. Got a rental car and drove to Kevin and Amanda in Ann Arbor. We had a great pizza dinner. http://picasaweb.google.com/dale.weiss.planet/Vacation_day_01
Sunday, 08-July-2007 - Saginaw, MI-Veghel, Nl - Sally and I are planning a Amelith Kids Class of 1963 Get-together.
