We woke up refreshed Sunday morning, ready for the excitement of the day. Making our way to Perry, we attended church at the Perry United Methodist Church where Charles' family had once attended (before moving to Florida). It was wonderful being in this 180 year-old church again! And there were people there who remembered the Alkula family and welcomed us into their fellowship once more. There was a number of folks who remembered Charles' sister, Sandy, who had been active in the church youth group.
After worship and fellowship time at the Perry UMC, it was a drive past the first home of Charles on Perth Road in Madison. It was the first time Charles could remember seeing the house (the family moved from Madison when he was 11 months old).
Our next stop was to visit the cemetery where Charles' grandmother (on his dad's side) Adabelle is buried. This was the first time Charles had ever been there and taking the time to clean the mud from the recent rain was an act of love. Cousin Karen had shown us how to find this place, otherwise we'd still be searching!
Leaving Lake County, we drove into Cleveland and we're happy to find a Cracker Barrel for Belinda! We then noticed a sign for the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame . We had not intended to stop but figured since we were so close we'd "check it out." What an amazing place!!! The only thing that would have made it better for Charles would have been if Jimmy Buffett had already been inducted into the Hall, as it was, he got some buttons for his collection which made the stop worthwhile :)
Leaving the Cleveland area, we made our way past Chicago, listening to the baseball playoffs on the radio. We finally stopped late at night, tired, but happy with the new memories we'd acquired.
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