Susan and Matt--the big adventure: New York and Pennsylvania

Dang, it has been awhile...
Quick summary--cold days and nights, two days (and a night in the parking lot) waiting for repairs at the Mercedes Dealership, driving on blue highways through small towns in New York and Pennsylvania, and witnessing the explosion of SPRING!!! The trees finally have leaves, and the rolling hills are in color!
Matthew and I also had a great visit with some AWESOME friends in Syracuse, New York--Nancy and Allen!! We met them (and Jake, their dog) at Padre Island National Seashore. One of those "immediate connection" joys. (Nancy introduced me to the phrase "wowee kazowee"--it describes her perfectly!) Allen is a doll. For Mother's Day, he picked a bouquet of flowers for Nancy and me. How much sweeter could you be? (Hey, that rhymed--smiles!) Allen, like my father, is a very punny man. Nancy, Matthew, and I were thoroughly entertained by his wit and knowledge during our stay! THANK YOU! Matthew was able to get in more "dog time" and loved walking Jake in their neighborhood.
The last day of our stay, Nancy and I read through some volunteer options in SE Asia. She has decided to meet Matthew and me in Cambodia (Feb 2015). We are planning to do two volunteer experiences there--community and elephants. Then, jumping over to Vietnam, we will work with handicapped children...Will let you know more details when we are accepted into the programs. (I told you she was awesome!)
While with them, we--
Visited the Everson Museum of Art to watch the "paint-by-number" community event.