After an uneventful 500 mile drive, stopping only for Long John Silver’s and White Castle, I’m back in Indiana for a week of genealogical research. I’m spending the night in Richmond, just over the border from my home state of Ohio. Tomorrow I’ll visit the Friend’s Collection of genealogical records at Earlham College to begin documenting the marriages of my great-great grandfather, Samuel Barker. There are many family stories of Grandpa Sammy and my primary goal of this week is to gather evidence for them.

Since I’m far to the north and west of my current home in North Carolina, I’m disturbed by how light it is late in the day but this extra daylight gave me a chance to visit the grave of my maternal grandparents. Their ashes are interred at Quaker Hill, in a location marked only be a tree. When I visited tonight, three cats were hanging around, one of whom posed for me. I don’t know his name and, of course, he wouldn’t tell even if I’d asked.