Gandy and Stapleton Nebraska

Hey Bloggers, today was really exciting for me. We got up this morning in Cheyenne, Wyoming and drove to North Platte Nebraska. Then we turned North and went to two little towns (and I mean LITTLE towns) where my Dad and his family lived a very long time ago. Our first stop was the post office in Stapleton. We had a chat with a very nice lady there and she said she didn't know of any Kelleys or Applebys in town now. She did know an Albert Kelley which was my Great Grandfather's name, but this Albert Kelley was much younger and as far as I know, my graddad didn't have any brothers or cousins or anyone named Albert.

The Post Office lady told us about a church bazaar/flea market going on at the Presbyterian Church just down the street. So off we went, located the church (not hard to do in a town with a population of 220) and entered the social hall where about 20-30 people were milling around. I located the one who looked the oldest (no, I didn't tell her that was why I spoke to her) and introduced myself and Wayne and told her what we were looking for. I asked her if she had lived in Stapleton very long. She straightened her back, put her shoulders back and with all authority and pride she said "Have I lived here very long? Only all my life.....85 Years !" She was so cute and obviously very proud of living in the tiny little town literally in the middle of nowhere.

I told her what we were looking for and she started to tell me about some Kelleys she knew and mentioned a few names but no one I recognized. She seemed to know a lot of them though. Then another lady walked up and joined the conversation. I explained it to her and she said right off "Well I knew a Ray Appleby"..........that was my grandmother's brother! It was so exciting making connections with someone who knew a member of my family! We stood and exchanged names and anecdotes and I took their picture with Wayne. They thought that was really great to have their picture taken with "that young fellow"..........

We looked around their sale items and Wayne found a wooden folding yardstick which was imprinted with the name of a hardware store from long ago in Stapleton. He thought it would b nice to have since it had Stapleton on it. A lady walked up to us and began talking and explained that her husband's brother owned that hardware store a very long time ago. So, being the prolific picture taker that I am, I asked if it were alright for me to take her picture with Wayne and the yardstick. Both pictures of Wayne with all his new girlfriends will be posted tonight.

We then left Stapleton and went to Gandy which was "just across the road" as one of the ladies told us. Let me tell you, Gandy makes Stapleton look like a huge metropolis! Gandy has 51 happy souls living in it. It was incredible! We drove all around (took about 2 minutes), took some pictures and couldn't find anyone to talk to so we left. That little town has so much personality, both of the towns really are quaint and full of such good vibes, you just know very nice people live there.

We then drove north to Valentine Nebraska where we are tonight. There is a big rodeo in town, something about the MidState Finals or something, but we are both pooped and it's a bit too chilly for us to sit outside in a rodeo.

Note to Cameron: We took your suggestion about making the reservation from the parking lot. We drove around, decided to stay at the Holiday Inn Express. We parked in the parking lot, Wayne got the laptop out of the trunk, made a reservation online, pulled around in front of the hotel and went in to get our room! According to the desk clerk, our room normally rents for $85 and I'm not sure it wouldn't have been more if we just walked in with no reservation. We actually got it for $76. The website said the room rents for $85 - $120 and we got it with AARP discount for $76. Not bad, huh? Thanks Cameron for the suggestion!!!

Not sure where we will go tomorrow but we plan to be in Sioux Falls on Sunday. I have been forgetting to tell you about our little game we are playing. During the 3rd or 4th day out, we started noticing lots of different license plates. We started writing them down as we saw them and currently we have 32 different states on our list! I know, I know, simple things make simple people happy. As of today we have been in 7 states and tomorrow will be 8 when we get into South Dakota.

Thanks to all who are reading this and we would really appreciate comments and emails anytime.

Note to Lisa: Nice talking to you today. Really want you to know I love you very much.

Hope everyone who is reading this is having a fantastic time in their lives just like we are.
We love you all and please keep reading.
Love
Wayne and Colleen