We had a very successful trip to Cincinnati, Candy visiting with high school friends and her sisters and especially Mom. The kids and I had fun swimming at Mom’s apartment, which was free, and making friends with Candy’s friends. Her high school friends Bret and Sandi invited us into their home for five nights and plenty of good conversation and movies and a fantastic tour of Cincinnati by the river.

Our first and last destination was my brother Chris’ home in Dayton. He and his wife Jan are so hospitable and have always made us feel at home. The boys went to the Air Force museum, with free admission, and the girls did light shopping and we all had plenty to eat and movies to watch and good conversation.

We didn’t spend any money on lodging, with special thanks to Chris and Jan and to Bret and Sandy. We passed up the popular IKEA store so that we could get some free heirloom furniture. A special thanks to Mom for that.

The only glitch in the trip came when I tried to use our Traveler's Cheques. The big stores like Kmart and Walmart took them, but not any of the smaller merchants. I have concluded that for a trip it’s better to take a little cash and use a debit card.

The real heroes of our trip are our three children, Natalie, Nicholas, and Georgiana. They played enthusiastically with cousins, enjoyed our tours and movies, and constantly reminded us not to spend money on expensive things. They came home with most of their trip money still in their pockets.