Autumn Colors on Shade Mountain

It was a strange but interesting day that included lunch out, a birthday party for my 90-year-old aunt, travel to visit family, some views of lovely autumn colors, and oh yes, that juncture we can't forget wherein I apparently began tossing hundred-dollar-bills out of my bra.

A number of weeks back, my husband and I received an invitation to my Aunt Betty's 90th birthday party, which was to be held up at the camp where we have our annual family reunion each July, on the Sunday closest to Grandma Colyer's birthday.

My mom's birthday is also the 17th of October, and so we had to decide when in October was best to visit. My husband and I have been doing lots of backpacking on the long weekends as weather permits, and so it's been a busy time.

But in the end, we decided to go to Betty's party. Along the way, we would get lunch at the KFC in Lewistown, visit my sister Pat who is in assisted living, go to see my Mom and Dad, help sort through some of my sister Barb's things, and bring home a huge air conditioner my parents no longer want.

I know it sounds like a simple plan, but it required execution like clockwork. We were not in any place long. First, we missed our exit for the KFC and had to figure out how to get back to Electric Avenue. (Which we did in the end, but I'll admit that initial moment my husband pronounced "Well, I guess there's no lunch for us!" was one of the sadder moments of my day.)

We had a lovely visit of about an hour with my sister Pat, whom I hadn't seen in months and months. And then we took off for Betty's party, which featured both chocolate and white cake (baked by my brother's wife) and lots of family and friends.

I did seize the opportunity to give my aunt a big birthday hug, and I also hugged as many other relatives as I could find. I had my camera with me, of course, and captured some fun moments where my Aunt Ella Mae (my father's oldest sister) and Aunt Dorothy (his younger sister) were sitting on each other's laps, so much enjoying each other's company: SISTERS FOREVER!!!!!! You may see that delightful shot in the extras.

Above is a photo of the road (route 235) that goes up the hill over the mountain, near the camp. Look at that little sign: yes, it is a winding road! And I am here to prove it. My parents live on this road so I learned how to drive a car here, and I don't think there are many more challenging courses to learn on.

After the party, all of my immediate family members went to my Mom and Dad's house, where we sorted through my oldest sister's possessions. She died in late July and my little sister Julie has been managing all of the estate details since then. They have kept her very busy and she's been doing a great job.

In October, my parents usually give me money for birthday and Christmas (both in December). So at one point, my dad handed me two crisp hundred-dollar bills. I had no purse with me, and so I tucked the two bills into my bra, where I promptly forgot about them.

After that, there was much loading of stuff into our car. My brother and husband actually managed to fit the huge air conditioner into the back seat, against all odds. And then we finished packing up, said our farewells, and left for home.

On route 322, between Mifflintown and Lewistown, there was a vehicle on fire in the eastbound lane. This didn't affect us, as we were traveling west, but it was belching big clouds of gray smoke, there were tons of emergency vehicles, and both lanes of eastbound traffic were stopped. It was very upsetting to see, and I always say a simple prayer: please, let no one be hurt.

My husband and I got home before 7 p.m. and unloaded the car, and fortunately, getting the air conditioner out wasn't as hard as we expected. We brought out a little wheeled creeper that mechanics use for working under cars and put the air conditioner on that, which made it easy to wheel it into the garage.

We finished unloading and walked into the house to find the phone ringing. It was my sister-in-law Cindy. "Did you LOSE something?" she asked. "No, I don't think so," I said. And she asked again: "Did you lose something IMPORTANT?" And I grabbed my chest, checked my bra: NO MONEY! IT WAS GONE!

After we left my parents' house, my two brothers-in-law walked out into the drive way and found two hundred-dollar bills lying there. Apparently, I had dropped them while packing the car. It was a breezy day and boy, even though I get the Dunce of the Day award, I am also the luckiest girl around, for the money was found before the wind took it into the woods! Wow!

So that was the story of my day, embellished with some pretty autumn colors and lots of love and hugs from family, which is as it should be. My family has a great story to tell about me now: the girl who threw hundred-dollar bills out of her bra. They want a recreation of the whole episode next time I visit, and I admit I am curious myself to see how it all transpired. And no, I will never live that one down. Probably not ever.

So for a day that took us hither and yon, here is a soundtrack song for the girl who should have just done this: here's the Steve Miller Band, with Take the Money and Run.