2026, Jun 30 - Where Has the Time Gone?

 Dearest Dahlin',

Good grief... where has the time gone? I didn't realize it had been this long since I wrote.  I guess that's what happens when life settles into a routine. The days just sort of run together.

Since I last wrote, Barnhart flew me over to Michigan to pick up a company truck.  Now tell me... who would've ever thought I'd be flying to another state just to pick up a pickup truck? Certainly not me.

The drive back was nice. I kept seeing little places that made me think, "Ooh... I need to stop there." I even pulled into one of them.  Then common sense kicked in.  I was tired, still had a good drive ahead of me, so I decided it'd still be there another weekend.

One thing I'm learning is that I don't have to see everything at once.  I'm here for a while.

This weekend I got another wild hair and decided to head southeast just to see what I could find.  First stop was a little nature center over in Portville.  Then I made my way toward Olean to knock out an Adventure Lab.

Well... Before I got there, I stumbled onto a little festival. You know me. If I see a festival, I'm stopping. So I parked and wandered around. There were little craft booths, food vendors, folks milling around, and somebody singing.

Bless their heart. Some people are called to sing. Some people are called to listen. These folks probably should've stayed in the listening category. Anyway...

I am almost embarrassed to admit how long it took me to realize what kind of festival I'd wandered into. You'd think all the rainbow shirts and decorations would've been my first clue. Nope.

I was halfway through looking at handmade soaps and candles before it finally dawned on me. "Cynthia... You're at a Pride festival."  I just stood there and laughed at myself.  Sometimes I'm just a little slow on the uptake. But I had a nice time anyway. Walked around a little, people watched, then got back in the truck and headed on my way.

That's kind of how this whole New York adventure has gone. I set out looking for one thing... ...and end up finding something completely different.

Now...

There's something else I wanted to tell you. I've been dreaming about you again.

Some really strange dreams. 

Last night's dream has stayed with me all day.  I dreamed that you had faked your own death. For eight years.

Eight years!

And somehow everybody knew about it except me and the girls. You'd moved in with another woman. Y'all had two more babies. Your whole family knew! 

Nobody told us.

Charlie...

I was devastated. I remember crying and asking over and over, "How could you do this to us?" Not because you had died... But because in my dream... ...you chose somebody else. 

It took me several minutes after I woke up to convince myself it wasn't real. Then reality hit. You didn't leave me for somebody else. You didn't start another family. You're just... Gone.

And somehow that hurt even worse. Funny how the mind works. It can sure play some cruel tricks while we're asleep.

I think about you every day. Some days are easier than others. And then there are days like today when a silly dream can leave a bruise on your heart that hangs around all day long.

Anyway... That's about all that's been going on around here. I'm still taking my little road trips. Still finding places to explore. Still wishing you were riding shotgun beside me.

I miss you tremendously, my sweet man.

Love,

Me

2026, Jun 4-6 - Girls Weekend in NY

 My Dearest Charlie,

Gosh, I can't believe I waited this long to give you an update.  Let's see... Since I last wrote, I had company!

Wednesday night around midnight, I drove up to Buffalo to pick up Dana, Remi, and Mel for a quick three-day visit.

Thursday, I had to work, so they spent the day exploring Ellicottville while I earned my keep.

Friday was our big adventure day.

We loaded up early and headed to Niagara Falls. We got there before most of the crowds and managed to find a parking spot close to the visitor center. That felt like a major victory right out of the gate.  We wandered around for a bit trying to get our bearings and eventually bought trolley wristbands.

Thank goodness we did.  Those trolleys saved my knees.

Our first big attraction was the Maid of the Mist.

Charlie...

We got soaked.  Not damp.  Not sprinkled.  Soaked.  It was fantastic. The closer we got to the falls, the harder the water hit. We laughed, got drenched, and loved every minute of it.

After that, we rode over to Goat Island to see the falls from another angle and had lunch at Top of the Falls.

Then came the international portion of our adventure. We crossed into Canada. Everybody had passports or passport cards, but apparently my little car had never visited Canada before and had to be inspected. I apologized to the border agent for the condition of the vehicle. After all, there had been four women traveling in it. He seemed to understand.

Once we were officially welcomed into Canada, we headed to the Butterfly Conservatory. Along the way, I saw several places I'd like to go back and visit later. Thankfully, I'm going to be here long enough to do that. After the butterflies, we headed back toward the falls and explored some more.

We rode Niagara Takes Flight, which reminded me a lot of Soarin' at Disney.

The girls wanted to do the zipline, but there was a two-hour wait. Nobody wanted to stand around that long, so we went looking for supper instead.

We ended up at The Flying Saucer, which seemed fitting for our little adventure. After supper, we returned to the falls for the lights and fireworks.

Beautiful.

Of course, once the fireworks ended, approximately everyone in Canada decided to leave at the same time. Traffic was ridiculous. So I found an alternate route back across the border and eventually got everybody home. We slept really well that night.

The next morning, we headed over to Holiday Valley and rode the Mountain Coaster. That was a lot of fun. Then we spent the afternoon doing what we do best—driving country roads, browsing Amish shops, hunting down Lucille Ball statues, visiting her gravesite, and generally wandering around without much of a plan. Honestly, those are usually the best days. By about 7:00 that evening, we were all running out of steam.

Then came the painful part. The alarm clock. At 3:00 a.m. We had to get everyone back to Buffalo for their flight home. After dropping them off, I came back to the apartment, took a hot bath, swallowed a muscle relaxer, and slept most of the day. I was absolutely whooped.

But I wouldn't trade those few days for anything. I sure enjoyed having them here. And I especially enjoyed having Melody here. I miss her already.

Maybe when I come home for my doctor appointments in August, I'll just bring her back with me. That sounds like a pretty good plan.

I wish you could have been with us. You would have loved watching all four of us pile into that little car and take off on another adventure.

I miss you tremendously.

Love always,

Me