It’s good to be back in the U.S.! We are staying in the beautiful town of Marietta, Ohio, about a 30-minute drive from our daughter’s home in Waverly, West Virginia. We are loving our new grandson, Hugh! He is a sweetheart and we are already over the moon for him.

We have been really soaking in the time with Lauren, Bo, and the kids, so not a lot of earth-shattering news here. We have enjoyed the yummy food at Chez Lauren (she’s such a good cook) as well as trying to find some good food here in town. The weather here has been hot, hot, hot, but we’ve still found opportunities to hang out at the pool, jump on the trampoline with the kids, and take walks by the mighty Muskingum and Ohio rivers. We also took this prime opportunity to visit our dentist, Dr. Bo. It was also nice to go to church and to know what was being said!

We are in an AirBnB in Harmar Village in Marietta. This town was the first to be settled in the Ohio Territory in 1788. We knew years ago that Lauren and her family would be moving here after Bo’s dental schooling. When we visited the town for the first time, we learned that a branch of Nathan’s family (his maternal grandmother’s side, the Putnams) had a prominent role in founding this area. So, it’s been fun to learn more about the history and how we are linked to it. There is even an excellent book about this area by David McCullough called The Pioneers. I recommend it.

We have some business to take care of in the next couple of weeks, so that’s going to take some work. We will also be returning to Utah soon for a whirlwind tour to visit Nathan’s dad, Max. Max is getting on in years and he broke his arm about a month ago. We want to see him, help with a few things with the family, and take care of some of our chores, too. Of course, we will bring you all along on those adventures as we go. Have a great week!