I am told that I made a grave error in our last update to this blog. I mentioned that the bluebells were prolific this year when in truth they are bluebonnets, the Texas state flower. My apologies to all you Texans out there.

The end of our last entry had us in Grove Okla. From there we moved to Branson, Mo., a drive of a little over 100 miles. We really enjoyed our stay in Branson, not that we took advantage of the many shows that proliferate the area. The part we enjoyed was the Ozark Mountains. They were beautiful in the spring and the weather was wonderful with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. We visited a few of the local wineries and took part in some of the wonderful food that is available in the area.

Our next move took us to Junction City, Kan., just outside of Fort Riley, where we spent seven years of our military careers. All three of our children were born at the post hospital. While in that area we were able to visit some old friends, Jerry and Peggy, whom we served with while stationed there. The area has seen great changes in the past 30 years, although the historic buildings on the military base are still the same on the outside. We were able to find a few good wineries in the area and even picked up a few bottles to sustain us during our travels.

Our next move took us to Omaha, Neb., and the Offutt AFB Family Camp for a weeks stay. We visited three of the diners, drive-ins, and dives featured establishments in the Omaha area. All three lived up to the hype of the Food Network TV show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." We were able to find a local winery and enjoyed the produce of their vineyard.

One of the highlights of our driving tours in the southeast Nebraska area was observing the farmers putting in their crops. Times and technology have changed a lot from our childhood years, and watching the farmers complete numerous tasks with one pass of the field is intriguing. Also, the speed that they are able to drive their tractors while planting is surprising. We had a wonderful time in Omaha and will return in the future to continue to explore this area.

This past week we have moved twice, once to Onawa, Iowa, to visit a cousin of Julie's, Denny and Sue. We had a wonderful evening with them catching up on the family changes. We then moved to Storm Lake, Iowa, another 100-mile move, to meet up with our old friends Nick and Ed. We have had a wonderful time with them enjoying the restaurants of Storm Lake as well as catching up on their families and old times. Leaving here, we move to Aberdeen, S.D., for a visit with Julie’s Aunt MJ.