I'm running away, I'll be back tonight.  

Aunt Ruth & Uncle Al's House was to the left of what is now Miller Hall

     When my brother and I were young we spent a lot of time at the local park that was

just a quick walk through the woods down over the hill from our house.  I spent a lot of time at that ACORD Park. My dad was on the board and my mom worked at the concession stand from time to time. Ruth and Al Miller were the caretakers of the park were good friends of our family and my brother and I (and many other kids from the neighborhood) called them Uncle Al and Aunt Ruth. Their house was at the foot of the hill and a perfect place to stop and catch your breath before heading up the very large hill. Aunt Ruth always had something cooking and I fondly remember her stew.  This was also a place that Rich and I would go when we wanted to get away from home because we were angry etc.  We’d run over the hill and Aunt Ruth would be there to welcome us in and talk to us about why we were upset.  I still think she’d call my parents to let them know where we were.  It was so nice to have a safe place to go and be until we cooled down and she was always there and offering us whatever was cooking on the stove. 

The Pavilion (was the Dance Hall)

     I also remember how Aunt Ruth would take us into the large hall that was attached to their home where she would meet racoons at the window. This building sat on a hill above the lower level of the park so where the tree met the window was pretty high up and the racoons would be nesting high in the tree. She would go to the window, call them and they would come and get a treat from her. They were so gentle and sweet. One time the momma racoon had a bunch of babies and we got to not only see them but pet them too. It was so neat. Al worked so hard and kept that park so beautiful. You would ALWAYS see him riding his tractor or his truck keeping busy from dawn until dusk. I was so sad when they passed away and I dearly miss them. They were a special part of my youth.

Mayernick Hall replaced Grimstead Hall

     Like I said, this park was a big part of my life. We had my mom's 40th birthday there and I remember watching my mom and dad dance in the Dance Hall, they were like Fred & Ginger on the dance floor. When I was a senior in high school we actually had a haunted house in one of the old buildings behind the Dance Hall that they hadn't used in years. We had a great time and raised a lot of money for our class.  The park has really changed through the years with some of the old buildings being replaced with new modern ones which actually makes me sad. My High School alumni even had one of our class reunions in one of those new buildings. It's beautiful but I really miss the charm of the old building it replaced. At least I have wonderful memories.

Lemon & Lime Cookies

Meyer Lemon Cardamom Crinkle Cookies

     

These Meyer Lemon & Cardamom cookies offer an exotic flavor with a gentle crispy exterior and cake like inside.

Key Lime Meltaway Shortbreads

These Key Lime Meltaway Shortbread cookies offer a nice punch of fresh lime flavor with key lime juice in the cookie and then key lime juice and lime zest in the frosting. This is a nice refreshing change to the typical holiday cookies and will probably remind you of summer.

Tragedy strikes in our neighborhood

I woke up this morning to find out that a family of six in our school district lost their home earlier this morning in a massive fire. The Rogers family (mom and dad and four kids) were able to escape the flames but they lost their two Golden Retrievers as well as everything else in the house. Lane (the only boy) is a classmate of my son David's.

Please keep the Rogers family in your prayers and if you are able to help them financially please consider the GO FUND ME account that has been started for the family 

http://www.gofundme.com/i6incw

Thanks for reading and have a great hump day

Ron