This weekend Dennis' Uncle Carl will be laid to rest. There's an extremely long story about how Uncle Carl and Aunt Elsie became Aunt and Uncle. (as some of you know know Dennis had a childhood with many people filling the role of parent, other than the real thing) I had the privilege to meet Uncle Carl twice at two of the family reunions. When I met him initially he was gregarious and active and clearly the patriarch of the family. He was the last of the original Butler children to pass away and now they are all together. I hope Uncle Carl is in heaven now playing golf and hunting. He had not been able to enjoy his favorite activities in at least a few years as his health had been deteriorating. As the family gathers in Vegas, those of us who can not be there will be there in our minds and our hearts. As cousin Patty and I started discussing (at this past Christmas with the family) we needed to try to get one more family reunion scheduled this coming summer. Well, maybe we can still pull that off and Uncle Carl and his siblings can have their reunion too. RIP

You gotta love this picture. We attend the Wizard World Comic Book Convention every summer. This is my friend Teal who comes in from Northern Michigan and the three of us go to the show together. For the last several years this guy comes to the show all dressed up like Jack Sparrow. He's darn good at the job. He does the voice and the mannerisms and it's very amusing. Teal will be coming to visit in a few weeks and it will be nice. We don't see each other nearly enough. We were roommates for several years and then relationships came in to play and then distance. But despite it all, we are good friends and se see each other a few times a year and it's great fun. She helps me out with flowers (which she is a fabulous designer) and with issues regarding animals. See you soon Teal!