The first April "event" was Penney's formal induction into the Berea Power Squadron, where she joins Bob as a member of the nation's largest boating safety and education organization. She is currently taking the "Seamanship" course and practicing tying knots.
P/D/C [Past District Commander] Doug Sewell (L), an old friend from St. Thomas, hands Penney her Certificate. To his right are outgoing Squadron Commander Wayne Powers and his wife, Debbie.
Penney's induction was a complete surprise to her (Bob knew), and was arranged by Marion Sewell, Doug's wife, to take place at the Change of Watch ceremonies April 5 at the Cleveland Yachting Club.
Penney explains how she decided to join the Squadron after a tense moment on their cruise last summer. Wayne Powers watches.
Here we are at the 35th Anniversary dinner of the Peoples' Community Church, Berea. Their Pastor is a longtime colleague and friend of Bob's.
Bob has come to know several members of the congregation on his occasional supply preaching assignments.
Below:
We spring for tickets right behind the Indians' dugout for the Tribe's game against the Boston Red Sox on April 15th (yes, we got our taxes in first!)
We sat two rows from the field, right behind Home Plate!
Bob (l), with The Rev. Leroy McCreary, Pastor of the Peoples' Community Church (center) and the PCC's former Associate Parts, The Rev. Pat Hunt, who is now Passer of Berea's Heritage Congregational Church.
The Red Sox won the game, but we enjoyed the game anyway.
Paul almost got cropped!
One of the ritual gatherings of the Winter clan takes place each spring, usually around Patriots' Day (April 19, for those of you not from Boston), when the guys head up to near Baldwin, Michigan, to my cousin's "cabin in the woods." The official object is to cut , split, and stack firewood for an upcoming hunting season a few years downstream. Unofficially, it's a male-bonding thing, forged by eating unhealthy foods, drinking (for some) vast quantities of beer, peeing against trees, playing poker until bedtime, and (if possible) doing a little fishing after the work's done.
Below are some of the photos from this year's gathering of Winter men and honorary Winter men.
Here's the Boss Man and Clan Patriarch, John Egbert ("Pete") Winter, my first cousin (our dads were twin brothers)
"Before" (the target tree is a dead oak in the center of the photo; the pine to the right proved something of a problem, catching the oak on the way down).
"During" — The woodsman is John Winter, my late cousin Jerry's son; he is tough enough to wear the kilts to local football games without worry!
"After-Ia" — The tree is down, dropped perfectly by John.
"After-Ib" — The white pine to the immediate right of the oak also had to be dropped, which was a shame, but it had hung up the oak and was dangerous.
"After-IIa" — The logs are loaded on a trailer made decades ago from part of a 1937 Chevy. Every year it seems to be ready to breathe its last; every year, we vow to rebuild it; every year, it manages to get those logs up to the cabin!
"After-IIb" — These are serious rounds of wood and had to be carried on the bed of Pete Bolline's truck (yes, there are a lot of "Petes'" around!— that Pete is married to my cousin Pete's daughter, Ellie; the Pete by the truck is Cousin Pete).
—Photo courtesy of Pete Bolline
"After-III" — The splitting specialist is Charles Hartger ("Chuck") Winter, my first cousin, once removed (He's the son of my cousin "Pete"); Chuck has a son named . . . Peter (he is captain of his track team and they had a meet, so he couldn't bethere this year.).
I took this myself, and was concentrating on trying to position the camera (Andrew is a master of this technique and I'm trying to learn!); I wasn't really as angry as I look . . . just concentrating!