We awoke this morning to a dusting of snow on the ground. After Michelle got her kids off to school we had a light breakfast and headed out to tour Notre Dame. We enjoyed walking around this beautiful campus with lakes and well manicured grounds. We went inside some of the magnificent buildings to see the art work and also to warm up on this cold but clear winter day. The Main Building's golden dome is Notre Dame's most enduring symbol. It is covered by about 1,250 paper thin strips of 23-karat gold leaf. Inside the Main Building is the restored mural on the interior of the Gold Dome and the twelve Christopher Columbus murals, all painted from 1882 to 1884 by Luigi Gregorio, a Vatican portrait artist.
It was fun to see the mural of "Touchdown Jesus" near the football stadium. This building-size artwork is visible directly behind the goal post from within the football stadium.
We also visited the Basilica of the Sacred Heart with elaborate stained glass windows, exquisite paintings and a sanctuary offering masses for the students and faculty! Jeff and Michelle were super hosts and tour guides. We are planning to get together sooner than 10 years for our next reunion.
Upon arriving in Dempseytown, north of Franklin, Pa., we had a double reunion. Mark and Lil hosted in their home, while Kent and Lisa drove an hour from Sugar Grove to join us for the evening. Mark's and Lil's son, Ben, also spent a little time with us old folks (their other son, Nick, was away at school). Mark, Kent, and Cam were all stationed at the dental clinic together in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and all 3 wives were pregnant with their first babies during the same year - must be something about those cold Wyoming winters that keeps everyone indoors! Lil prepared a meal using recipes she learned from the various dentists' wives while we were all at F.E.Warren Air Force Base. We recounted stories about one another, as well as about many of our co-workers (mostly nice, all of them funny!). We laughed so hard, so long, and so loud that Karen and Cam were grateful to have eaten at the house rather than in a public restaurant. Kent and Lisa had to leave early to make the drive home, but the rest of us stayed up to continue our visit.
We drove 367 miles today.
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