Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2005: 4

   In mid-May we headed to the Atlanta area to visit with our new granddaughter Sarah and her parents, Bill and Stacey. The midday traffic on the Washington Beltway leading to I95 caused Bill to swear and swear-off this route south. We spent an overnight at a Hampton Inn near Greensboro, SC on the way to Georgia. We enjoyed meeting Sarah and having the opportunity to help out with some of the domestic details and errands.

   Our son Bill's birthday fell on a beautiful spring day. While Bill worked, the rest of us took a drive to the outlet stores north of Cumming. Sarah seemed to enjoy riding in her stroller as we walked around the large complex. Later, Bill went out to pick up Indian meals at Andy's Indian Grill in Alpharetta. We enjoyed an Indian birthday dinner and cake when young Bill arrived home.

   Bill learned from a newspaper article that the landlocked striped bass in Lake Lanier, which can grow to over 40 pounds, can be caught with top lures during May and June. So Bill bought a new spinning rod and reel to replace those that he lost in New Orleans last winter. Armed with a good lure and legal with a fishing license that he acquired on the Internet, Bill spent a couple of hours from pre-dawn casting at the Six Mile Creek boat ramp area during the second week of our stay. Although he saw lots of fish jumping, Bill wasn't able to catch any.

   After a great 2 week visit with Sarah and her parents, we headed back home on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. Bill decided to use I81 to link up with the PA Turnpike in Carlisle. We left shortly before noon and stayed overnight in a Hampton Inn in Blacksburg, VA. We enjoyed revisiting Blacksburg, especially with very few people in town or on the Virginia Tech campus. We ate dinner at the Backstreet Cafe, where we have eaten a few times with Katie and Tom. We drove around campus and visited the new construction at the football stadium. We got off to an early start on Sunday and enjoyed light traffic and good weather for the whole trip. We were home by mid-afternoon. We plan to remain here for the summer.

        Bill and Cathy