As a kid I used to love to look at maps so I could find the places that characters that I read about in books lived, like Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would spend hours staring at them trying to imagine how people lived in other places. So when my BF and I met and he said he loved maps too, I knew we were a match.
It was destiny. 
We are going in June. The boy's are really looking forward to that, as is our DD. No hubby.
Thanks, I feel really good. I'm just waiting for the DD to tell us how hubby takes the news.Glad to have you back on too, Bets!
Really enjoy you visiting with us when you can, as always...!
Continued prayers for your good health and for all the other craziness to subside.
That was a great story and thank you. Your dad was very resourceful. And maps are so useful--I feel sad when some people I know don't use them anymore, and just rely on GPS or similar electronic type directions. There's nothing like a paper map, and if nothing else--they should at least keep them as a backup in a car. Electronic devices don't work everywhere. (I like to stare at maps and find new places, roads, etc. Fascinating--the only geek side I have in me.) And by the way--
Hubs and I drove out to a site in a mountain range in western MA last year. I had the route all mapped out and wrote down my directions, and brought my trusty paper map. He wasn't interested--just used his electronic directions from his phone, hooked into the car speaker (I forget what program it was.). Well guess what? On the way back home, the signal would not pick up in the mountains, so I pulled out my trusty old fudd paper map (and my hand written directions) and we followed that, and took the correct turns out of there. Once we got on a main road away from the mountains, his signal turned on again at that point, and we went home following his method again.
Even if you hate paper maps, people, always have a PLAN "B"!!!
Cartography has always interested me...so many people had to spend so time surveying all of that, and there was immense pressure to get it all correct. Mind boggling, if you think about it, especially way back in the day. 
(They're particularly handy if you're thinking about hiking in a new area that you've never been to before.) 
O.k. @ajrwdwgirl , @MySmallWorldof4 , and @donaldtoo , don't forget about topographical maps, too! Those intrigue me, learning about elevations and landforms.
I plan to, I am going to go to the local park and just sit.
Me too.
We always went to the welcome center, out here and got the topo map. It was fun to see how much the elevation would be. With the length of the trail, we could usually tell if we could tackle it. Sometimes we got a surprise.O.k. @ajrwdwgirl , @MySmallWorldof4 , and @donaldtoo , don't forget about topographical maps, too! Those intrigue me, learning about elevations and landforms.
Really? Cause that Armadillo sure did look scary.
Hmmm...wonder why my brain just leaped to the Richard Scarry interactive children's books. Gads that was a long time ago.
Another leap to our weekly readers we use to get at school. Had saved many over the years, Space ones, VP's and Presidents resigning, civil rights, women's rights boy they were Highlights but sanitized highlights they were.
EwooEwoo Highlight Magazine. Only good part of the Doctor and Dentist waiting room.
Really? Cause that Armadillo sure did look scary.
Hmmm...wonder why my brain just leaped to the Richard Scarry interactive children's books. Gads that was a long time ago.
Another leap to our weekly readers we use to get at school. Had saved many over the years, Space ones, VP's and Presidents resigning, civil rights, women's rights boy they were Highlights but sanitized highlights they were.
EwooEwoo Highlight Magazine. Only good part of the Doctor and Dentist waiting room.
back there in my memories, too. 
