Home at Last

Tony and my trip home on the airplane was long and tiring. I was very happy to give Greg the Poticia Vita made for him and it is delicious

Most difficult Good Bye

This is very hard to finish my blog and say good bye to my friends. Milan and Vita, You are very generous souls and loving for your family. Thanks for teaching me to cook Slovene and making it fun. Tina, I will never forget your show of affection and kindness. Vesna, the hostess with the mostest. I enjoyed every minute with you. You make me smile with your big heart and loving ways. Jorgi, who was snapping our pictures. I can not Thank you enough for all of your help. My research of the Novak family is almost complete because of your help. Thanks for showing me the love for your mountains of Slovenia

Water Pump

This water pump sits by the side of the house and I drank water from it. At this time Bronko washed his hands after fixing the wheel barrel. I think we all need a water pump on the side of our house. Now it is time to say good bye to this happy fun loving family. ps this water makes the best Blue Berry Schnapps I have tasted.

babies everywhere

Enough with the babies. Vili is expecting a little girl cousin in December. Mommy Hana is on the left and Vili's Aunt is on the right.

Mom Hana

I gave Vili a little gift which made all of us smile.

Vili is happy too

Vili is a good little baby and he loved all the attention. He also has two new teeth

Grandson Vili

Polana showed me the pear trees but Vili is who we came to see. He brought along the blanket and the Teddy Bear I had sent to him.

Vesna's Happy Friend

Polana is the happiest person I know. She is a care free artist and helps many people around her. This is some of the pears from her orchard. I guess the pears are not as plentiful this year due to the drought.

Last Church on a hill

This is Laško again on our way back to Vesna's house. Tony and I spent our last evening with her family.

GoodBye Damijana

I find I hate goodbyes and this is sad to say them again on this program. Damijana was the best person I could have to help me translate. I am very happy she agreed to be there for me. She was a great support in more ways then just speaking for me.

My last morning

Damijana came to pick me up and we went to visit AnaMarija. AnaMarija is the person I like to talk to the most as she is very knowledgeable about the Novak Family History. Her mother was very friendly to all the relatives so AnaMarija learned the stories as a child. Damijana was super wonderful at translating for me.

Yummy Dessert

Vid and Laura it was well worth the visit.

Laura and Vid

Laura and Vid bribed us to come to their house with pizza and dessert. They own a home is a great part of Ljubljana. It is very nice for them to walk their dogs. But notice Vid is freshly shaved cause they knew I would be taking pictures

Saint Gregory Church

Tony passed St Gregory three time so I asked him if I could stop and get photos. Father Košir told us it was a beautiful church.

Mountain Flower

As Jorgi drove us through the mountains I could see these unique flowers. I could nnot get a picture when we stopped so here I found one in Marija's home. I saw these cows while traveling to visit family.

Wooden Gifts

Wooden gifts are what the area is known for. Marija gave Tony this wooden carrying case which said "beer is cool" So Franc gave him some beer to put in the case. Tony thought that was funny. Marija gave me some spoons over the head.

Blacksmith shop and home

More photos of the famous and most talked about Blacksmith in Bloke which was built in 1800. Franc moved to the home in 1895 because it was near the road where travelers might need help with their horses.

Bloke

Tony and I made a quick visit at Bloke to see the place where Franc Novak, brother of Anton, raised his family. Only a small part of the Blacksmith walls remain for us to see.

Adam

Adam is the third cousin to Tony. He stopped home during his lunch break to say Hi. The cow bells are the awards Adams mom and dad earned with their award winning cows.

Adamkovih

The means the House of Adam and it was built by Adam Novak in 1720 in Velike Poljane. Greg's grandfather was born in this home and his brother Janez inherited it to raise his family. Cirila and her son Adam live here and she made us feel at home. We began our visit with a toast of schnapps. The ancestry tree is hanging on her wall showing how the two families grew and merged together.

Cemetery next door

Cemeteries tell us many dates for genealogy. This is where Franc's grandparents, parents, and his brother are buried. The graves are very well maintained, daily, in Slovenia. Then it was time to say good bye to my new friends. Franc remembers meeting with Matthew Novak when he came in 1976 searching the same information.

Franc Košir family

In his brothers home hung a photo of newly ordained Father Košir. Tony, Franc, Ruth Ann, Ljubomira and Jurij posed outside the their home. Franc is a second cousin to Greg.

Franc and Ljubomira Košir

We drove right to Franc's house, in Sodražica, and caught them off guard. They made us feel welcome and sat us at their formal dining room table. Loved the table cloth. We were served the best tasting deep fried smoked sausage pastry. I loved the dessert, too. I want to go back.

Time for group photos

I am in the middle of two Tonys!! Father is very proud of his church and encouraged Damijana to come a attend a mass.

Father Tone Košir

I was a wonderful feeling to finally meet Father Košir and he made us feel welcome. My friend Damijana joined us and we share a toast with schnapps. I was able to set the descendant chart straight and left with plans to go see his brother.

Kurešček

We drove through IG and climbed a hill to find the St Mary's Pilgrimage Church. Greg's second cousin is a priest associated with this church. His mother was Marija and I need to have him help me with the descendants of his family. Father Anton Košir showed us the beautiful mural on the outside of the church