Whirlwind Trip North

 Tom and I spent most of yesterday in his Prius, threading the roads to Findlay, then Deshler and finally Waldo. We started about 9 am and didn't pull back into my driveway until 6:30 pm. The four legs of the trip were:

Farmersville to Findlay: 123 miles
Findlay to Deshler: 23 miles
Deshler to Waldo: 84 miles
Waldo to Farmersville: 108 miles
Total Trip: 338 miles

 First stop was in Lima at a Cracker Barrel just off I-75. The idea was to get a meal before the noon rush. That part worked. Beating the traffic didn't.

 I ordered a vegetarian plate: macaroni and cheese, potato casserole, fried okra and slaw. "It's all yellow," Tom laughed when the waitress sat down the plate. She said she had noticed that, too. Well, it was great food anyway. Tom got a large salad (with chicken) and a baked potato.

 Next stop, Edith Avenue in Findlay where Tom grew up. This is his childhood home. There have been some additions but Tom said the basic look is much the same as it was all those years ago. He lived here from birth to when he left for college at Miami University.
 I took a picture from across the street when a lady stepped out of the house. We explained who we were and she invited us to "look around" all we wanted.

 Tom's always been into planting trees - just like me - so he had a chance to visit a couple of old friends, including this walnut, preparing itself for winter. It was already mostly bare.

 And this tulip poplar. He remembers when it was no more than a sapling.

 Then we went to Maple Grove Cemetery, almost on I-75, Tom's parents and little brother are buried here.

 Here's Tom's brother's grave, right beside his parents.

 A wider view of the family's headstones. They are almost hidden behind a thick shrub at the side of a nearby grave.

 Then to Deshler where we visited  Tom's step-mother, Clara Buhler. She'll be 99 next month. She recently sold her home, a blue farmhouse, not far from the nursing home where she now resides. She lives at Oak Grove Healthcare Center on Water Street.

 We picked a good day to stop at the nursing home. There was little traffic on the country roads leading to the home and Tom was able to park near the front door.

 Final stop: Waldo, Ohio, where we dropped off an accordion with Pam Beery who met us in  the parking lot of the Norton Sporting Goods store there. By late in the day (4 pm) a cold front had crossed the area and a cool breeze was blowing.
 We got home about 6:30 pm, a little later than we hoped, but early enough to help Mom with her nighttime chores and get her to bed. So, lots of miles in a short time, but a great day nonetheless.