I worked on Friday until late in the afternoon at the West Ohio Conference Center. And then I went on a little road trip over to Indiana. On the way I popped by Piqua Ohio just long enough to drive past the house where my Grandma and Grandpa Larger lived - 815 Caldwell.
Then I met up with Rael and her fiance Wesley in Richmond Indiana for dinner before going back to their house in Liberty for the night. In the morning, their front yard was a beautiful carpet of leaves!
Rael and I got to walk her dog Cooper through downtown - so incredibly beautiful with all the fall leaves and the crisp weather.
I drove south after that to Franklin County to Bath where my Grandma Keller was born and raised. The old Miles family farm is still there - both the main house and the small house. My grandparents were married in the big house on January 1, 1942.
Around the corner is the Springfield church. Unfortunately it's no longer UMC. This is where Grandpa and Grandma's funerals were in 2004 and 2007. You can see the marker still over the door showing it was a Methodist Episcopal Church when Grandma's family helped build it.
Just down the road and up a hill surrounded by farmland is the Springfield cemetery. Most of Grandma's cousins are buried here, people I knew and loved growing up - Marjorie and Donald Finch, Carlos and Adelpha Miles and Mary Jeanette and Morris Drake. The Drakes lived across the street and we visited with them often and stayed at their house. They also came to Florida for our wedding.
Bob Martin is buried there too. He and his wife bought the old Miles family farm and used to let us visit it. His wife has moved away to live near kids.
Then I drove south a bit more to Mr Carmel where Grandma and Grandpa Keller are buried right next to her parents. There are bunch of other Miles, James, and Seal relatives buried there too.
Then I drove back to Columbus and met up with one of my Larger family cousins Rebecca. It was SO good to be able to see her in person and hear the wonderful stories she had about the family. She has three boys too and her oldest is getting ready to graduate from high school like Wesley.
I closed out the day with a visit to a labyrinth at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Columbus.
