Diane and I are back from our one-month “vacation” to New Jersey to see two of our daughters, Tammy and Dani, and their families.

We had to skip two years during the coronavirus pandemic. Even now, you see a lot more people wearing masks there than in Nevada or Arizona.

We stayed with the LaBancas (that’s Tammy’s family) in West Orange.

We had two wonderful meals at Appian Way Italian restaurant. We reminisced with owner Bruno LaBanca, who operated a similar restaurant in Fountain Hills for a number of years. The Fountain Hills restaurant was where Tammy and her husband, Brandon, met.

The LaBanca grand- kids are all doing well with good grades in advanced classes and after-school activities.

Brandon is 14 and is on the track team running sprints. He also had the most physical changes of all the kids since we last saw them. He has been lifting weights in preparation for his second season on the school football team. He plays wide receiver and defensive back. He looked so different to us with muscular arms and long hair. He was always so thin before.

Brody, 12-1/2, received a letter from his principal while we were there, inviting him to a special luncheon that was to be held for students with high academic achievements. He also plays drums and he hopes to play the saxophone in the school band next year.

Brylee, 11, performed at her school’s talent show while we were there. She was part of a trio that sang a song from the Broadway musical “Hamilton.” She also played a piano solo.

Brielle, who I have always said is eight going on 21, is taking gymnastics and cheerleading lessons. And she loves putting on makeup and brushing her extremely curly hair. She also has the most outgoing personality of Tammy’s four kids. She received her first holy communion in the Catholic Church while we were there.

Daughter Dani and her family live on one of the most scenic lakes in all of New Jersey. It is called Lake Hopatcong and is located on the west side of the state. Her soon-to-be husband, Casey, has a well drilling and servicing business. They have a son, named Damien, who is seven.

The lake is lined with many trees, homes and restaurants. Casey and Dani have a pontoon boat and a jet ski tied to a small dock behind their home.

We ate lunch at a very good Mexican restaurant that was also on the lake just down the road from their house.

It was surprisingly good, especially since we were in

New Jersey and you felt like you were dining at an outdoor Mexican beach town restaurant.

New Jersey is really a nice place to visit. We have heard plenty of jokes about the state that came from the reputation it gained when Newark International Airport was built on swampland that contained oil wells and storage tanks. That combination used to create some pretty foul odors that you smelled when you got off the plane. For most people, that was their only exposure to New Jersey. Comedian Jay Leno used to tell a lot of jokes about New Jersey on his late-night show.

Its nickname is the “Garden State,” and with all the rain they have had this year, the flowers in people’s yards are quite colorful and helping maintain that nickname.

I’m sorry to report that one of my best friends passed away while I was gone. Fred Pulve, who last year celebrated his 50th year as a Realtor, was a major contributor to the betterment of Fountain Hills in its early years. He served on the Fountain Hills School Board and he worked hard on the passage of several School District bonds.

Fred was elected to the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame in 2012. He also became a part of The Times’ history when he ran the first classified display ad in our newspaper’s history. Others followed.

I’ll return to writing about our Fountain Hills History Lessons next week.