Mom and Grampa came to town this week in Grampa's truck, pulling his camper, which he had decided to give to Beth and me. We're blown away. We have wanted to get a camper for a while now but didn't have the cash for it at this time...AAAAAAnd it just so happens that a friend at work is selling his old van for under $3000 so we're going to buy that and use it as a tow vehicle. I just wish it was the beginning of summer now. Oh well, we need to do some cleanup and maintenance on the trailer anyway. Mom and Grampa stayed until Wednesday before heading for Oklahoma and a stay with Laura before on to Phoenix. Quite a road trip.

We went to visit some friends camping at Chain O' Lakes State Park today, then had league bowling. A pretty pathetic day of bowling it was for both of us, too. I bowled 126-138-120 and Beth 135-90-118. Neither of us were very good today.

Beth and I just got back from Maine yesterday. My step-grandmother died last Thursday and we went for the funeral. We made some last-minute arrangements on Trip.com and found two round-trip tickets from Chicago to Boston on ATA for $550. I forgot about the little penknife on my keychain and got busted with it by airport security in Chicago. The flight to Logan was...cramped...but only a couple hours, and my pregnant wife did fine. I picked up Mom and Laura in Manchester NH on the way (they flew Southwest) with a rental car (I was concerned at first because the rental reservation said economy car...and said 'comparable to Chevy Metro or Hyundai Accent' which might have room for 4 people or their luggage, but not both...but I got a Dodge Neon which was plenty big enough). The first night there was some confusion about where we were going to all sleep, which ended when Grampa volunteered to sleep in his recliner. Laura, Beth and I refused that offer and got a motel room. Motels in Lewiston ME seem expensive (Super 8, $79...Motel 6, $59 but only smoking rooms left...Ramada, $110...Maine Motel, no check ins after 10 pm. We took Super 8). If only we'd known about it, there were beds in relatives houses available, but there was some confusion as to where. The rest of the visit Mom & Laura slept in a camper and Beth and I at my step-aunt Marlene's. The visitation was Sunday and the funeral Monday. Tuesday, Mom, Laura and I drove Laura back to the Manchester airport, stopping on the way to visit Mom's old college roommate, while Beth stayed behind and helped clean the house with my step-aunts (didn't want to be in a car all day). Wednesday Beth and I came back home. Mom stayed behind to help Grampa take care of things, then they're going to drive Grampa's truck to Arizona. They'll stop here on the way.