As this journey is documented you will find some redundancy. One of the reasons is that the segment that you are reading has a relationship with material in other segments.

Early after our initial conversation with Mary Jo on January 6th I talked with her sister Karen and of course my new sister of Greenbay, WI. Karen is married to Lowell and they have four children. What an incredible family. I am really enamored with the Thomas’, just outstanding people.

Anyway, talking with Karen she mentioned that one of their daughters, Jill DeRoy, lived in the Kansas City metro area that they visited several times a year. She (Karen) said they traveled by car car frequently and in April of 2019 they would be passing through Des Moines taking Interstate 35 to Kansas City. This might be, she said, an opportunity to have coffee or lunch as they passed and we could meet. Great, I said, let me know when you are going through Des Moines to visit Jill (their daughter).

Karen let me know mid April 2019 that instead of driving they were flying to Kansas City. At that time she mentioned that, if we were willing, they would extend an invitation for brunch if we would like to visit them at her daughter Jill’s in KC. My daughter Sara happened to be in Grinnell at the time and would be heading back to Vero Beach. So, Judy, Sara and I traveled to Kansas City to meet them. Sally had other commitments that day and Sue is teaching school north west of Atlanta.

Driving up to Jill’s we all embarked, sister Karen and I embraced and we were bonded, in part, to a new family, By in part I mean that we are half brother and sister and had not the others yet. Sister Karen and her family were most warm and accepting (but I already knew that) and inviting for this special time. Jill was very gracious and Lowell was a guys kind of guy. Everyone was conversational and we caught up as best we could for the time we had. Jill’s husband was at work and her children were at school.

Mid afternoon we had to take Sara to MCI (Kansas City airport) as we arranged for her to fly out of there instead of Des Moines so she would have the opportunity to meet Karen and her family.

Next segment Washington, DC/Dumfries, VA