So, once again we find ourselves hitting the road. Yup, we be traveling. The reasons are mixed . . . we’re attending a funeral and a birthday celebration; the funeral today, the birthday celebration tomorrow.

The person who died is . . . was the husband of one of Melisa’s cousins, and he was my age.

The birthday celebration tomorrow is for one of Melisa’s aunts . . . celebrating her 100th birthday, she is.

And that’s all Iwant to share about those two events . . . so let me get to some photos.

The “W” stories are jockeying for the top spot with just six days — or five days , depending on how one counts them — before the voting closes.

We often have a rash of last-minute votes, so it’s still anyone’s guess which story will win the round. Reader’s choices have surprised me a number of times before, and also how narrow the margins of victories have been in many recent rounds. It bolsters the argument that in these voting rounds, a single vote — and sometimes one more — determines the outcome, so consider participating.

If you’re a reader of our stories and someone who votes, the writers wish to express their gratitude and appreciation. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge W-Stories” are HERE(link) Votes will be accepted until  Noon (Central Time) on Monday, January 25th, 2021.

So, gourds . . .

These were all photographed on the Note 8 at an orchard in Michigan during our September visit with friends and family.