With final packing and cleaning and chasing down the cats, we were ready to leave on our Kentucky trip at about noon. It was a beautiful, sunny day as we drove to Bucklin, Missouri to moochdock at the “old-fashioned farm house” (Aunt Carole’s description) at the edge of town. My cousins grew up thinking they lived in the country, and it does feel like that. There are a couple of barns for Uncle Larry’s tractors, lots of space to roam around, and horses, cattle, and other farm critters in neighboring fields. Hummingbirds were visiting the feeder that hangs on the treehouse. The nearby train tracks insure that train whistles are heard several times throughout the day and night.

We very much enjoyed an auto-tour around Marceline, childhood home of Walt Disney; Brookfield, where we had a delicious Mexican dinner; and Bucklin, where Bucklin Lumber is the largest business taking up many buildings on the main drag. It is so fun to hear about people and places from long-time residents who know the history of these small towns. We definitely need to see the Walt Disney museum on a future trip.

Aunt Carole is a retired (2005) school teacher who taught first grade in Cainsville then first grade in Bucklin and other extras like NHS, FTA and Quiz bowl that gave her contact with high school students as well. She worked with Early Childhood and Gifted Ed, too, being flexible in a small district. Uncle Larry, my mother’s older brother, retired in 2002 from BNSF. He worked for Rock Island & Santa Fe & BNSF for forty years altogether. They currently volunteer time with Meals on Wheels, delivering meals and checking in with clients on Mondays.