October 14, 2013

What a nice visit we had yesterday in Southfield, which is a western suburb of Detroit. Ahmose Daughters of the Nile meets at the Moslem Shrine Center, and at one time was a Jewish Mosque and Community Center. It’s beautiful! We had a great drive down from Saginaw once we got on the right road after numerous construction detours. One thing is for sure, a lot of money is being spent on road work across this nation, helping to keep the economy alive! Harold dropped off Margaret Ann and I at the Shrine Center, then found his way to the Brighton State Park RV facility. I hear it’s really beautiful there, you see I arrived in the dark and left in the dark; only thing I saw was the restrooms. It was so nice to have two reigning Queens in attendance at the Ceremonial, Queen Ellen from Saginaw, who rode to Southfield with us and sweet Queen Sara from St. Paul, MN. (Love that girl!)

 

Queen Ellen, Supreme Queen Margaret Ann, Queen Annette and Queen Sara.

 

 

 Monday morning, October 14^th – like I said we left in the dark, actually at 5:45 am to head to today’s destination of Fort Wayne, IN and the Official Visit at Teti-Sheri Temple No. 60. Since Michigan is on the western most edge of the Eastern Standard Time Zone, the sun didn’t rise until almost 8 am and how absolutely magnificent the sunrise was.

 

 

 

Well, almost to our next stop so I’ll be back later! Have a great day! Oh, don’t forget to check out www.donfdn.org for ways to support the Daughters of the Nile Foundation.

October 13, 2013 – First and foremost, this is a first for me - dumpster diving. No, I didn't participate in this activity but our Supreme Queen did in Webster, NY after the Ceremonial at Zama. See the photos for proof! Since our hiatus which began on September 18^th, we have traveled to Point Peninsula New York where we pretty much closed up camp for the winter and where we left Nila so we could travel to home by car and confirm that all was well on the home front. Our week at home flew by much too quickly however; we were able to spend time with my folks, my sister Karen and her husband Phil, our kids Jeff and Tracey, Chris and Rob and their families. Fall is soccer season so we had the opportunity to watch Ryan play in two high school boy’s varsity games (and I might add that he is awesome)! Grandsons Brennon, Brady and Devin all play on youth rec teams so we saw all of them play as well. Fun, fun, fun!!! We headed back to camp in a very loaded Mazda Protégé, (Harold’s summer beater car) to finalize the closing of camp, say goodbye to friends, reload Nila and hit the road for Chicago. Thank you Wal-Mart for allowing travelers to park in many of your parking lots overnight. On the way to Chicago we stayed in Erie, PA and Elkhart, IN. The third night on the road we had reached our destination of Yogi’s Jellystone Park in Portage, IN. The 2.5 day trek from upstate New York to Portage was wonderful; the landscape of the states which we passed through is gorgeous! New York and Pennsylvania and their acres and acres of vineyards, Ohio and Indiana with miles and miles of corn, soy, oat and livestock farms. The harvest season was in full swing with many of the fields already having been plowed and readied for the winter rest. The fall foliage was changing colors along the route; however, I didn’t see anything that mirrors the beautiful fall colors which we left in Maine. Love you Maine!!

We visited and toured the Shriner’s Hospital for Children – Chicago on October 10^th. Our tour guide, Cathleen Himes from the Public Relations Dept. of the hospital led us through this wonderful hospital, introducing us to many staff members as we were guided through the units. This hospital specializes in orthopedic surgical procedures especially spine and spinal cord injuries and abnormalities. When we arrived at the hospital and got out of the car, there was the wonderful aroma of chocolate in the air. This hospital is located next to a MARS candy factory, which very generously assists with special hospital events by supplying lots of candy! Yum! The tour was followed by a luncheon in the private dining room where we enjoyed the company of the hospital administrator Mark Niederpruem. Every hospital which we have visited has its own character and uniqueness, they are all different, but one common denominator with the hospitals in this network is the upbeat and happy demeanors of the staff! The positive attitude permeates throughout the halls of these facilities and you see the outcome in the faces of the patients and their families. Folks – this is what it’s all about!!

I have to add that when “Nila” and two of her inhabitants were on hiatus, Supreme Queen Margaret Ann was busy at work in the Northwest, visiting 15 Daughters of the Nile Temples and 3 hospitals. She joined us in Chicago. The next day we visited Aretas Temple in Michigan City, IN and were escorted from the noontime banquet to the Ceremonial venue by Orak Potentate John York. It has been amazing to me, the support that we have had from so many of the Shrine Temples, sitting Potentates, Divan members, Gentlemen of the Creek and Masons. Thank you all!

Past Imperial Sir Bob Bailey and Supreme Queen Margaret Ann Risk

 

 

We left directly after the Ceremonial at Aretas to get a head start on out drive to Saginaw, MI and the Official Visit of Makere Temple. It was another Wal-Mart night, this time in Lancing, MI. The ladies of Makere put on a wonderful ceremonial and their banquet was done by the Marsha Washington OES chapter; a fabulous meal of homemade cooking! Those OES chapters really know how to put out a meal! Today, October 13^th we are in Southfield, MI just a suburb west of Detroit, for the Official Visit of Ahmose Temple. Stay tuned.