Dear [Lynn],
Hi there.
I’m home.
Just read through your emails and will respond to them all over the next couple days.
Lots of wedding pics, which I’ll send if you can view pics. And got some good ones of the family and of Mom’s house in the country.
Going up to the store right now to grab some supper. But will be back to respond to some of your correspondence in about an hour.
More soon.
Tom Hesley
Dear [Lynn],
Here’s a pic of two of my sisters (they are twins) and me, at the church. I’m normally not a dress-up kind of person. But it was fun putting that best foot forward this weekend. 
This is a shot of the table where they had the wedding cake and ice cream, along with these luscious strawberries . . .
Did those ramblings about the tubes really bore you? Mom and I discussed this a bit over the weekend. I used to be so interested in electronics as a kid that it was always hard to imagine someone NOT being, at least, curious about it. Anyway, she says that this illustrates the differences often found between men and women. Like you, she has always trusted in the fact that something works, and never really ponders as to why or how it works. In fact, I never met any women who loved radios and broadcasting concepts, until I went to trade school. And even there, only a small handful attended. So, at least back then (20 years ago) it must have been a guy thing.
It really was a nice trip. Lots of trees had turned all sorts of pretty shades. And even though their peak was about two or three weeks ago, there was still enough color left to qualify the weekend as a hue-filled albeit sunless autumn extravaganza. Here’s a pic of what was observed this weekend when standing behind Mom’s house and looking away from the house, toward the mountain (east). True, the leaves up on the mountain already fell for the most part (fall happens a week or two sooner up there). But the few remaining colors down below, speak of what was, just last week.
Seeing all the family again brought back that same warm, cozy feeling I used to get when arriving home from elementary school on a cold afternoon. Mom would be there with some cocoa, and the girls and I would all gather around the TV to watch the after-school cartoons. Timeless, some feelings are.
Watched the Rain Man movie on Sunday afternoon.
Played cards with Joann, Diane, and Roger ( Diane’s boyfriend) on Sunday night.
Did a little reading and a lot of thinking. Going back there now and then really is quite therapeutic. Answers that elude me here in this noisy city often come without effort at all, in the clear mountain winds of home.
Thanks for noticing my apparent organization. Guess I have you eating the chocolate off that ant. Hey, and guess what? I’m already unpacked after returning.
Hey, send me some pics, please. I still don’t know what you look like.
Yes, I ended up getting on here earlier than expected. Got everything put away and now am just getting ready for bed. Back to work at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Now that our release is installed successfully, things will be a bit slower for the rest of the year.
Anyway, sleep tight. There was just a news item on TV today about how getting enough sleep each night helps slow down aging in humans. I suppose that gives new dimension to the saying, “Get your beauty rest.” Plus, it keeps you healthy.
Going to the dentist tomorrow to have my teeth whitened. My sisters did it recently and the difference was quite pronounced. So, I thought I’d give it a try. Is that vanity? A bit of white chocolate on the ant? I know I know. You’re probably very sick of that metaphor by now. But you were the one who invented such an applicable one to the recent themes of our discussions. So it’s bound to come up often.
On your family pics, yes, please send them too. Put both your feet forward, not just the best one. Oh, and don’t put them both forward at the same time, lest you fall and break your nose. Ooops, there’s another old metaphor. We’d better invent some new ones.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Later,
Tom Hesley