Hello again Family & friends in and from Newton County. Fall is probably my favorite time of the year, weather being perfect in my opinion. However, a good rain would be very welcome.
The Collins Cousin Reunion was held yesterday (Saturday) at the Senior Center in Springdale. We were unable to go but received a report from others in attendance. Ben Collins was present and is now the Collins Patriarch, having turned 101 years young. Ben is Harrison Collins' s (Daddy's brother) son, making him my first cousin. His sister, Susie (Collins) Steele - Atchley, was very missed this year. She has been instrumental in getting the reunion together. She passed only recently at the age of 94. Approximately 31 people were there to enjoy the auction, dinner and visiting. Ted Collins had made some beautiful cutting boards for the auction.
My cousins Frankie (Faddis) Stevenson and Andra (Faddis) Hecht visited us on Wednesday. Thursday, our daughter, DaLane and her son, Brett, drove over from Oklahoma City to spend a few hours with us. Brett is on vacation this week.
Friday, my cousin, Donna (Collins) Birchfield and husband, Ron, came for lunch and she brought homemade dried apple fried pies. Yum, yum. They have moved to Gentry from Bentonville. I am very excited to have her this close. She is my double first cousin and seems like a little sister.
We have found a church here that we like, Caanan Land. It is only a mile or so from our house, works out perfectly for us. We visited our friends' church 3 or 4 times, but somehow it just wasn't a fit for us.
I enjoy facebook and am grateful it enables me to connect with people I would otherwise not know. Avanell Ewing Friddle is one of these people. I wish I could meet her in person. What a lovely lady she is with a wonderful sense of humor.
I talked to Mike Baker via internet. He says he and wife, JoAnn, love living at Limestone and have dug in permanently. I was asking him about his Uncle, Frank Faught. We tried to call Frank, left a message but he hasn't responded. Frank and I have been friends since school at Deer. We loved visiting him at Deer. We have also visited him numerous times at Atkins.
Enough of my gibberish now. Until next time, God bless and "Happy trails to you."
