It has been awhile since I have posted so thought I should do a little catch up. Guess I should have checked to see what was my last post....
...so a quick summary and will elaborate in more detail in the days to come.
We had a great time at Ron's Aunt Erma & Uncle Rex's in McNeal, AZ. The highlight, well one of two, was the gals beating the guys 5 games to one in spades. But even better was watching the Sand Hill Cranes coming in to roost for the night. That was so interesting, the sunset was brilliant and so fun to walk around the lake with Aunt Erma and just get caught up on each others' life.
We then took two days to get to Kerrville, TX where we met up with one of the gals from the Womens RV Forum that I am a part of. Even got my official welcome and flamingo wine glass (I do have pictures to post later).
Then last Sunday, February 20th we pulled into Lone Star Corral in D'Hanis, TX just before noon. Funny the address is in Hondo, the park itself is in D'Hanis. We got parked into our site and some of the setup done before we headed out for lunch with Bonnie & Ed Mason. Bonnie is the VP of Board of Directors of the park. Forgot to take the camera to lunch but you should have seen the pepper steak that Ron had. He ate half and brought home half and had enough for the two of us to share in the evening. We then got a quick tour of D'Hanis and saw where the bat colonies are (under the bridge of the overpass).
Came back and got more things done around the motor home. Then we went to the ice cream social where we were introduced to the campers. They had so many choices of regular and sugar free ice cream as well as birthday cake. We only stayed a little while and then returned to the motor home to finish getting things organized.
We had to go into Hondo to call DirectTV to set up an appointment to have them come out...we could not get a signal at all. Also spent about an hour on the phone with Verizon as we have little to no cell phone coverage at the park. We did what the customer service rep said to do but to no avail. We have to see about getting another cell phone or figure out what we are going to do. We do have the land line that we can receive calls on ~ we just can't make long distance calls on them. If you want our land line # or our address here in Texas give us a shout out and we will send it on to you.
Our first two days of work have gone real well. I keep getting told "it's not usually this crazy, it's usually much quieter around here." I think things have gone pretty smooth and not so crazy at all. Ron is learning lots of new things too. Today he read all the electric meters in the park and I made bills for all the units. Tomorrow I hear it can be pretty crazy as everyone rushes in to pay their bills. Wonder if I should put out a tip jar?
We have felt very welcomed by everyone. Tomorrow I get to lead the social hour at 4:00 p.m. I have to give a report of how many members and guests are here, ask if anyone has any announcements, and pass the basket of chocolate. Don't think I will have a problem with that. Jeanette the Assistant Manager said she gets in there, says what she has to say and then gets out of there ~ she doesn't like to be in big crowds.
Saturday we are going to our first dinner here at the park. It is a chili cook-off. Should be lots of fun.
DirectTV came out today and we now have TV ~ didn't realize how much I missed hearing the news. Was sad to hear about the earthquake in New Zealand and the four people killed who had been kidnapped by the Somali pirates. If you think of them say a prayer for the survivors and families of the victims.
PRAISE ~ we are so thankful for all our friends and family who prayed us here to Texas. God was faithful all through our trip even when my faith waivered.
Need to close for now will get to writing updates in the next few evenings.
Need to share a funny with y'all ~ last night we Skyped with Brandon and his family. Christopher was so cute. They have a hand held mike that they use and he kept trying to give it to us to hold. He would hold it up to us at the screen for us to grab. He then called the camera Grammy's eye is looking at him. That got a huge laugh from all of us. It was so good to see them all.
Proud to say that Max got all A's and 2 B's on his report card. He is working at getting all A's so he can get $50. We are proud of him as he was struggling at the beginning of the year with his classes.
Okay for reals now, I am closing for now. Love you all. Remember we love to hear from you so feel free to leave us a note and if you want our land line number or our snail mail address give me a shout out.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sightseeing Around Scottsdale
Our first stop in Scottsdale was the West World to park our motor home. It is a huge equestrian complex. Equestrian sounds so much better than a horse place. We got all checked in and then found where we were supposed to park the motor home. Ron unhooked the Jeep and I jumped into the drivers seat. I can back this thing up you know. Things got a little tense with Ron telling me to turn this way and that. The problem was his hands went one direction when he wanted me to turn the wheel the other direction. But in the end I got it parked. See!
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| See how close I got to the pole marking our spot. I am thinking I done real well! What do y'all think? |
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| The view from our back window. We back right up on the polo field. |
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| Another view of the polo field. |
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| Various views of West World. |
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| Top of the line horse trailers. |
We have done a little bit of sightseeing while here in Scottsdale.
It has been fun to play tourist though I am sure some of the drivers wish we knew where we were going. Maggie does not always give us enough time to make those crazy lane changes.
Yesterday afternoon we went into Old Town Scottsdale.
Saw some crazy things like a gal riding her horse through the traffic of cars!
Here's a movie of our time in Old Town. Sorry it is another silent one. I did learn how to add music to the movie (Thanks Rick) now I just have to figure out how to get the songs onto my computer to put them to the movies I make.
We had a lazy morning this morning but decided to go to the Penske Racing Museum in the afternoon. Ron had wanted to go there for quite awhile. It was interesting to read about the different cars. We were told we could not take pictures of any of the orange & white cars do to legal issues between Penske and Marlboro. I took a picture of one of the statues that was right next to one of the orange & white cars and the gal there was immediately by my side asking me if I had taken a picture of that car. No mam, just the statue. I told her she could
check my camera but she said no that was okay. Hope you enjoy these pictures as much
as Ron enjoyed checking them all out.
I even got up close and personal with a couple of Bentley's.
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| Which one should I choose? $125,000 or $245,000? You decide. |
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Our Trip to Texas so Far...from Blaine to Quartzsite
Thought it was time to show you some of the places we have been so far on our trip. I have put together collages of different people and places we have been. I have also made one movie (silent at that because I can't figure out how to put music to a video much less figure out where to find said music). Hope you enjoy travelin along with us.
Breakfast with the Workentin Family on Sunday, January 23, 2011
Isn't Miss Opal the cutest little girl around?
Then onto services at Northwood Alliance Church
Lunch with Kristen, Jade & Coral
Wednesday, Janury 26 saying good-bye to my bestie, Dee
Enjoying a farewell southern breakfast with Gerald & Sandra
And visiting with Brandon, Danalyn, Max & Christopher
And more fun times with the grands!
From Lewiston, ID to Bend, OR ~ January 31, 2011
And then we went to my Aunt Joan & Uncle Don's place which is known as Noyes Ranch.
We spent 4 nights and three days there. It was a good time of restin and relaxin. The drive in can be very nervousin at times so I took lots of pictures. Decided to put them into a movie to make it easier to see. Just wish I knew how to put music to the movie.
This is the hunting lodge and caretakers residence at Noyes Ranch.
This is where we saw our first daffodils of the season!
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| Guess I liked the daffodils so much I posted the picture twice :) |
In the kitchen at the hunting lodge. Uncle Don is our usual chef for breakfast but he was in Napa for Friday night & Saturday morning so Aunt Joan did the cooking. Look at all the different spices behind the stove. Wish I had the wall space to do something like that here in the motor home.
And then we went to Santa Nella to the San Jouquin National Cemetery where Alice's Dad is buried. He was a Korean War Vet. Their memorial is the picture with the flag to the left.
And then onto Fresno for time with Ron's cousins. We had a fun breakfast with Wes, Belva, Sharon & Jim. Shared lots of laughter, old memories and made lots of new ones.
And then onto Edwards AFB to see Jenn & Mike and their two little ones, Brooke & Adam.
It was so fun to get more hugs & kisses from the little ones.
And then to Quartzsite, AZ to meet up with Sheila & Larry.
Sheila and Ali are Forum Sisters on Womens RV Forum.
We met at Bad Boys Cafe for breakfast and visiting.
And now you are all caught up with us on our travels.
Next stop is Scottsdale/Phoenix for a day of restin and relaxin.
Come back soon and see where are travels take us next on our journey to get to D'Hanis, Texas
to start our adventure of being campground managers.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Fresno, Edwards AFB to Quartzsite, AZ
Wow what a few crazy kinda days!
Tuesday we had a great breakfast with Ron's cousins: Wes, Belva, Sharon & her hubby Jim. We laughed so much and shared so many memories and stories of how the Lord has been working in our lives.
After breakfast we made a stop at the parts store and then went back to the motor home. The end result was that we had to replace the starter, get a new battery and change some fuses. Ron finished up all that with the help of a mobile mechanic. So thankful he could come to the motor home as we were dead in the water as they say.
Tuesday evening we had dinner with Jim & Sharon and Belva. Sharon sure is a great cook. We talked and visited till about 8:30. Jim had to be up early the next morning to fly to Phoenix for some time with his brother so we left him to pack and went back to the motor home.
Wednesday we had a surprise good bye visit from Belva. It was good to see her and share a couple of more hugs. We then went to Tehachapi to drop off a rocker for new mommy Elizabeth and baby Timothy. The rocker was from her parents Keith & Beth. Beth had used the same rocker for when Elizabeth was a baby. So fun to share in this special delivery.
And then we were on our way to Edwards AFB to see Ron's niece and her family. It was fun to see Brooke who just turned 2 and baby Adam who is now 9 months old. Mike & Jennifer were great hosts. Jennifer made a delightful dinner of Tater Tot Casserole with a green salad. It was fun to catch up with them and to meet their friend Fowler. We were able to park right in front of their home and connect to their electricity for the night. It had been a long time since we had seen them and we so enjoyed our time with them. And of course, getting lots of baby hugs and kisses were an added bonus.
We were back on the road this morning about 9:30. Our route today was from Edwards AFB, near Lancaster, CA to Quartzsite, AZ. It was a great day of traveling. I did have a slight accident getting back into the passenger seat and banged my head quite hard on the TV. (The TV is attached to the shelf above the driver and passenger seats). I took a 2 1/2 hour nap. It is so nice to have the comforts of home while toiling down the road. We arrived in Quartzsite about 4:00. We had dinner and now are settled in for the night.
We are so thankful for all your prayers for us on this journey. God is Faithful and is providing for us in ways we could not imagine. We are truly blessed! Talk to y'all again soon.
Tuesday we had a great breakfast with Ron's cousins: Wes, Belva, Sharon & her hubby Jim. We laughed so much and shared so many memories and stories of how the Lord has been working in our lives.
After breakfast we made a stop at the parts store and then went back to the motor home. The end result was that we had to replace the starter, get a new battery and change some fuses. Ron finished up all that with the help of a mobile mechanic. So thankful he could come to the motor home as we were dead in the water as they say.
Tuesday evening we had dinner with Jim & Sharon and Belva. Sharon sure is a great cook. We talked and visited till about 8:30. Jim had to be up early the next morning to fly to Phoenix for some time with his brother so we left him to pack and went back to the motor home.
Wednesday we had a surprise good bye visit from Belva. It was good to see her and share a couple of more hugs. We then went to Tehachapi to drop off a rocker for new mommy Elizabeth and baby Timothy. The rocker was from her parents Keith & Beth. Beth had used the same rocker for when Elizabeth was a baby. So fun to share in this special delivery.
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| Isn't Timothy so cute sleeping snuggled up next to Mommy Elizabeth. |
And then we were on our way to Edwards AFB to see Ron's niece and her family. It was fun to see Brooke who just turned 2 and baby Adam who is now 9 months old. Mike & Jennifer were great hosts. Jennifer made a delightful dinner of Tater Tot Casserole with a green salad. It was fun to catch up with them and to meet their friend Fowler. We were able to park right in front of their home and connect to their electricity for the night. It had been a long time since we had seen them and we so enjoyed our time with them. And of course, getting lots of baby hugs and kisses were an added bonus.
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| Baby Adam ~ another miracle baby in our family. He weighed just over 2 lbs when he was born. He is now 9 months old and just over 10 lbs. He is a very happy little guy and we are so thankful for him. |
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| And big sister Brooke. She is showing me her dance steps! |
We were back on the road this morning about 9:30. Our route today was from Edwards AFB, near Lancaster, CA to Quartzsite, AZ. It was a great day of traveling. I did have a slight accident getting back into the passenger seat and banged my head quite hard on the TV. (The TV is attached to the shelf above the driver and passenger seats). I took a 2 1/2 hour nap. It is so nice to have the comforts of home while toiling down the road. We arrived in Quartzsite about 4:00. We had dinner and now are settled in for the night.
We are so thankful for all your prayers for us on this journey. God is Faithful and is providing for us in ways we could not imagine. We are truly blessed! Talk to y'all again soon.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Hollister to Fresno, California
Yesterday afternoon we arrived at Thousand Trails just outside of Hollister, CA. What a trip to get there. First the fuse blew that controls the radio and the cigarette lighter. We don't smoke but use the cigarette lighter to plug in Maggie (our GPS). Thank goodness we have VZ Navigator on our cell phones. At least we could get the directions to the preserve right? Wrong! It didn't recognize the street address. So I used our wireless card and got online to the Thousand Trails website and got the directions.
Well the directions need to be updated!!! There is no dead end road. It is not 29 miles from Hollister to the preserve. And you don't turn before the store and Post Office in Paicines. But we found it. And we got there before the Super Bowl started. We quickly got the motor home hooked up and went over to the Family Lodge. There were about 12 people there and I think I was the youngest one of them all. And we were all Packer fans! Lots of cheering for most of the game though things got quiet for a little while and then loud again. Everyone brought goodies to share. It was a fun evening.
And then we went back to the motor home and settled in for the night. It was a very long night...first I had a headache, then Ron's computer kept shutting down (so hate thermal shut downs) and then we both went to sleep. Then I hear all this banging around. And it is pitch dark inside and out. Ron is opening and closing the electrical control box and fumbling around. I got up asked if he had looked outside to see if anyone else was without power. NO he hadn't even thought of that. I looked ~ the park was totally dark. So back to bed we went. Thank goodness it was warm and not 18' like it was in Bend.
We were up a couple of times in the night and it was still dark. We were up about 8:00 this morning and still had no power. No power means no coffee :( so we got the motor home ready to go. Ron changed the two fuses that he saw were blown. Nope didn't fix the cigarette lighter. As we made our way out of the park we saw the power company's truck parked by the gate. Sure hope they get it fixed for the other campers.
We then headed towards Fresno with a planned stop in Santa Nella at the San Jouquin Valley Veterans Memorial Cemetery where my dad is buried. First stop was for gas. We paid $3.51 a gallon for regular!!! Can't believe these prices but we don't really have a choice do we. Got gas and back on the road. Found a truck stop about 5 miles from the cemetery where we were able to park the motor home and unhook the Jeep. We then went to the cemetery. It is so serene there. We took lots of pictures. I will post them later. After spending about an hour there we went back and tried to start the motor home ~ nope it wouldn't start. So we hooked the Jeep up and jumped the motor home.
Remember we are having problems with the battery starting the motor home in the mornings. And usually use the house batteries to start ~ well remember we had no power for the night thus the motor home would not start. So we jumped it with the Jeep. And we were back on the road. And promptly got on the freeway going the wrong direction. Got turned around and then started climbing a steep hill. We slowly made our way up the hill but we made it up the hill.
Then onto Fresno. Had to take a detour into a neighborhood to get turned in the right direction. There is no way our motor home towing the Jeep can make a U-turn on a four lane road. Whew we finally got pulled into the Blackstone RV Park. At first glance we both wondered where we would park our 37' motor home ~ the sights looked pretty small. But going around the corner it opened up and we were in a pull through spot. Yippee!! We got set up, unhooked the Jeep and then Ron called his cousin Belva. Made dinner plans and then I started balancing our checking accounts (2) and of course mine would not balance. Left it till we got back from dinner.
Had a great dinner at Marie Callendar's and then Belva drove us over to see Fresno Pacific University (the Mennonite brethren College) and then to her home. She has a lovely home with cathedral ceilings and the prettiest stained glass windows in her master bath. And then we headed back to the motor home to settle in for the night.
Tomorrow we will be up early as we are having breakfast with three of Ron's cousins and two of their spouses. It will be fun to see them all again.
On another note - Ron's sister Judy had her surgery today to repair what the doctors thought was three hernias - nope, turns out she had six! She came through the surgery just fine and will be in the hospital till Wednesday or Thursday and then recuperating at her Aunt Vern's for a few days.
Thank you for praying for her these last two weeks and we ask that you keep her in your prayers as she recovers. She will be off work for two to three weeks.
And we continue to seek your prayers for safe travel as we continue our journey to Texas. We will be leaving Fresno Wednesday morning and heading to Tehachapi and then Lancaster and then onto Las Vegas then Phoenix. We will be in Phoenix Saturday and Sunday. Then Monday to Tucson and then onto McNeal, AZ and then taking three days to Kerrville, TX on Saturday and then to D'Hanis and the Lone Star Corral Escapee Co-op park on Sunday February 20th. And then begin our new adventure as Office & Property Manager for the campground.
Will work on pictures tomorrow so I can do a couple of posts of pictures. Hope everyone is having a good week.
Well the directions need to be updated!!! There is no dead end road. It is not 29 miles from Hollister to the preserve. And you don't turn before the store and Post Office in Paicines. But we found it. And we got there before the Super Bowl started. We quickly got the motor home hooked up and went over to the Family Lodge. There were about 12 people there and I think I was the youngest one of them all. And we were all Packer fans! Lots of cheering for most of the game though things got quiet for a little while and then loud again. Everyone brought goodies to share. It was a fun evening.
And then we went back to the motor home and settled in for the night. It was a very long night...first I had a headache, then Ron's computer kept shutting down (so hate thermal shut downs) and then we both went to sleep. Then I hear all this banging around. And it is pitch dark inside and out. Ron is opening and closing the electrical control box and fumbling around. I got up asked if he had looked outside to see if anyone else was without power. NO he hadn't even thought of that. I looked ~ the park was totally dark. So back to bed we went. Thank goodness it was warm and not 18' like it was in Bend.
We were up a couple of times in the night and it was still dark. We were up about 8:00 this morning and still had no power. No power means no coffee :( so we got the motor home ready to go. Ron changed the two fuses that he saw were blown. Nope didn't fix the cigarette lighter. As we made our way out of the park we saw the power company's truck parked by the gate. Sure hope they get it fixed for the other campers.
We then headed towards Fresno with a planned stop in Santa Nella at the San Jouquin Valley Veterans Memorial Cemetery where my dad is buried. First stop was for gas. We paid $3.51 a gallon for regular!!! Can't believe these prices but we don't really have a choice do we. Got gas and back on the road. Found a truck stop about 5 miles from the cemetery where we were able to park the motor home and unhook the Jeep. We then went to the cemetery. It is so serene there. We took lots of pictures. I will post them later. After spending about an hour there we went back and tried to start the motor home ~ nope it wouldn't start. So we hooked the Jeep up and jumped the motor home.
Remember we are having problems with the battery starting the motor home in the mornings. And usually use the house batteries to start ~ well remember we had no power for the night thus the motor home would not start. So we jumped it with the Jeep. And we were back on the road. And promptly got on the freeway going the wrong direction. Got turned around and then started climbing a steep hill. We slowly made our way up the hill but we made it up the hill.
Then onto Fresno. Had to take a detour into a neighborhood to get turned in the right direction. There is no way our motor home towing the Jeep can make a U-turn on a four lane road. Whew we finally got pulled into the Blackstone RV Park. At first glance we both wondered where we would park our 37' motor home ~ the sights looked pretty small. But going around the corner it opened up and we were in a pull through spot. Yippee!! We got set up, unhooked the Jeep and then Ron called his cousin Belva. Made dinner plans and then I started balancing our checking accounts (2) and of course mine would not balance. Left it till we got back from dinner.
Had a great dinner at Marie Callendar's and then Belva drove us over to see Fresno Pacific University (the Mennonite brethren College) and then to her home. She has a lovely home with cathedral ceilings and the prettiest stained glass windows in her master bath. And then we headed back to the motor home to settle in for the night.
Tomorrow we will be up early as we are having breakfast with three of Ron's cousins and two of their spouses. It will be fun to see them all again.
On another note - Ron's sister Judy had her surgery today to repair what the doctors thought was three hernias - nope, turns out she had six! She came through the surgery just fine and will be in the hospital till Wednesday or Thursday and then recuperating at her Aunt Vern's for a few days.
Thank you for praying for her these last two weeks and we ask that you keep her in your prayers as she recovers. She will be off work for two to three weeks.
And we continue to seek your prayers for safe travel as we continue our journey to Texas. We will be leaving Fresno Wednesday morning and heading to Tehachapi and then Lancaster and then onto Las Vegas then Phoenix. We will be in Phoenix Saturday and Sunday. Then Monday to Tucson and then onto McNeal, AZ and then taking three days to Kerrville, TX on Saturday and then to D'Hanis and the Lone Star Corral Escapee Co-op park on Sunday February 20th. And then begin our new adventure as Office & Property Manager for the campground.
Will work on pictures tomorrow so I can do a couple of posts of pictures. Hope everyone is having a good week.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
On the Road Again!
We are on the road once again. I have lots of blog posts I need to do but wanted to let everyone know we are doing well.
We arrived at my aunt & uncle's Wednesday afternoon, February 2nd. They live just north of Middletown, CA on Highway 29. I will be doing a post of our journey to their place. Took lots of pictures that I want to make into a slide show for ease of watching. We did not have access to the internet while we were there which is why I have not made any posts. We left Middletown this morning about 9:30 and arrived here in Paicines, CA at San Benito Thousand Trails about 3:30. We made a quick beeline over to the family lodge to catch the Packers ~ Steelers game. Lots of cheering was happenin all around us especially when the Packers won!
Now I need to get to making dinner and then to doing some blog posts. Sure hope everyone is having a great weekend.
We arrived at my aunt & uncle's Wednesday afternoon, February 2nd. They live just north of Middletown, CA on Highway 29. I will be doing a post of our journey to their place. Took lots of pictures that I want to make into a slide show for ease of watching. We did not have access to the internet while we were there which is why I have not made any posts. We left Middletown this morning about 9:30 and arrived here in Paicines, CA at San Benito Thousand Trails about 3:30. We made a quick beeline over to the family lodge to catch the Packers ~ Steelers game. Lots of cheering was happenin all around us especially when the Packers won!
Now I need to get to making dinner and then to doing some blog posts. Sure hope everyone is having a great weekend.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Sunny California ~ Corning to be Exact
Greetings from Sunny California!!!
It is 71' in the motor home and 65' outside and we are enjoying the warmth just fine! We arrived here at Rolling Hills Casino RV Park about 3:45 p.m. As we pulled in we both thought of Bruce & Margie as this was one of their favorite places to stop for the night. Bruce & Margie were dear blogging friends who were killed last October while in Pismo Beach.
We had a good days drive, leaving Bend, OR about 8:45 this morning. We stopped just outside of Weed and made lunch. It was sunny so we decided to take a walk. It was a short lived walk as it was freezing outside and very windy.
We climbed multiple summits today with no problems. Was even able to use the auxiliary gas tank. While we were at Cascade Diesel Ron talked to John about the second gas tank the problems we seem to have with it and John told Ron to just use when he can, get that gas moving in that tank and use it up. So that is what he is doing. By using the front tank some it made our gas mileage go up a little because we only now put gas in the main tank. Yesterday our average gas per mile was 4.87 today it was 6.86!!! Well at least it looks good on paper.
Thanks to Stacey who was online with me as we climbed one 4500' summit by Mt. Shasta...she prayed right along with me on Facebook via chat that we would get up the summit with no problem. Ron kept it at a steady speed of 30 mph and the motor home climbed slow but steady. And then we rejoiced because we were going downhill once again.
Once we got to the south side of Weed the sun was shining and it started to warm up in the motor home. In fact, we stopped at a rest area so we could both take off our sweatshirts and gloves! Think we can pack those away now. I can't believe I am sitting here and the sun is shining in through the windows, we have the door open and the window behind the sink letting in lots of warm fresh air!
Tomorrow we will drive to Middletown, CA where my Aunt Joan & Uncle Don live. We will be there for four nights. It will be so good to spend more time with family.
One thing Ron will be working on is the fuse for the heater/defroster blew again this afternoon so now the hydraulic jacks are not working again. Also for some reason after the motor home sits over night we have to jump it with the house batteries. He is going to talk to Uncle Don about what could be causing that problem.
While at my aunt's I don't know if our cell phones will work up there. They are out in the boogie toolies on some beautiful acreage. I know I can use the internet as they have a router set up at their place so I can keep in touch that way. We are both looking forward to having time with them.
Well Ron is taking a nap and I think I am going to go and join him.
It is 71' in the motor home and 65' outside and we are enjoying the warmth just fine! We arrived here at Rolling Hills Casino RV Park about 3:45 p.m. As we pulled in we both thought of Bruce & Margie as this was one of their favorite places to stop for the night. Bruce & Margie were dear blogging friends who were killed last October while in Pismo Beach.
We had a good days drive, leaving Bend, OR about 8:45 this morning. We stopped just outside of Weed and made lunch. It was sunny so we decided to take a walk. It was a short lived walk as it was freezing outside and very windy.
We climbed multiple summits today with no problems. Was even able to use the auxiliary gas tank. While we were at Cascade Diesel Ron talked to John about the second gas tank the problems we seem to have with it and John told Ron to just use when he can, get that gas moving in that tank and use it up. So that is what he is doing. By using the front tank some it made our gas mileage go up a little because we only now put gas in the main tank. Yesterday our average gas per mile was 4.87 today it was 6.86!!! Well at least it looks good on paper.
Thanks to Stacey who was online with me as we climbed one 4500' summit by Mt. Shasta...she prayed right along with me on Facebook via chat that we would get up the summit with no problem. Ron kept it at a steady speed of 30 mph and the motor home climbed slow but steady. And then we rejoiced because we were going downhill once again.
Once we got to the south side of Weed the sun was shining and it started to warm up in the motor home. In fact, we stopped at a rest area so we could both take off our sweatshirts and gloves! Think we can pack those away now. I can't believe I am sitting here and the sun is shining in through the windows, we have the door open and the window behind the sink letting in lots of warm fresh air!
Tomorrow we will drive to Middletown, CA where my Aunt Joan & Uncle Don live. We will be there for four nights. It will be so good to spend more time with family.
One thing Ron will be working on is the fuse for the heater/defroster blew again this afternoon so now the hydraulic jacks are not working again. Also for some reason after the motor home sits over night we have to jump it with the house batteries. He is going to talk to Uncle Don about what could be causing that problem.
While at my aunt's I don't know if our cell phones will work up there. They are out in the boogie toolies on some beautiful acreage. I know I can use the internet as they have a router set up at their place so I can keep in touch that way. We are both looking forward to having time with them.
Well Ron is taking a nap and I think I am going to go and join him.
Three States in One Day
Today we traveled through three states. Kind of.
We started out in Clarkston, WA where we had been staying since Friday evening. Clarkston is right across the river from Lewiston where our son, Brandon, and his wife, Danalyn and our two grandsons, Max & Christopher live. But y'all already knew that didn't ya!
First thing on the agenda this morning was to take Christopher's swimvest back to their place. When we returned to the motor home last night that is the first thing I saw was the little blue swim vest sitting in the sink. As it was close to 11 p.m. we decided to just wait till this morning to take it by. After another hug and see-you-later (Lewiston, Idaho) it was back to the motor home to get ready to get on the road. We pulled out of the campground (in Clarkston, WA) at 11:02 a.m. Then we had to go to Costco to get gas and a few groceries for the trip. We actually got on the road to begin this leg of our journey at 11:50 a.m. Not bad considering Ron really wanted to be on the road by 10:00 this morning. Oh well, we have tomorrow to try to get an earlier start.
It was mid afternoon when we crossed from Washington into Oregon. Ron did most of the driving except for an hour and a half. I only made Ron a little nervous a few times. At one point when i was driving on I84 heading west towards Portland I did comment that "this is really nervousing to me." It was at that point I was driving on the outside lane of the highway with one lane to the left between me and the mountainside and a guardrail and a little bit of shoulder and the Snake River. A little later Ron said I did a great job driving today. I think he only said that because he keeps saying he wants me to drive over the new bridge between Nevada and Arizona by Hoover Dam. I think NOT! What do y'all think of his crazy idea?
We stopped about 6:00 p.m. to eat some chicken and to get warm. With the heater still not working in the rig it gets mighty chilly even with a sweatshirt, two pairs of slipper socks, and two blankets along with a pair of gloves. It was at that time we decided to continue to Thousand Trails at Bend/Sunriver. It was only 86 more miles. I was so glad Ron took over the driving as it started to snow just outside of Bend. We arrived here about 8:45 p.m. After checking in at the ranger station and finding one of only two pull through spots we are settled for the night.
I made some chicken with wild rice soup and now we are catching up on emails and writing my blog posts.
If you are interested I started another blog. It is called Alice's Restaurant ~ Dishin Up Food for Thought. I will be writing some devotions, sharing some of the stories I have written and reflections of my heart. Feel free to follow along.
Thank you for your many prayers for us as we make our way to D'Hanis, TX. We continue to seek your prayers for safety on the road, no more mechanical problems with the motor home and for our finances.
We started out in Clarkston, WA where we had been staying since Friday evening. Clarkston is right across the river from Lewiston where our son, Brandon, and his wife, Danalyn and our two grandsons, Max & Christopher live. But y'all already knew that didn't ya!
First thing on the agenda this morning was to take Christopher's swimvest back to their place. When we returned to the motor home last night that is the first thing I saw was the little blue swim vest sitting in the sink. As it was close to 11 p.m. we decided to just wait till this morning to take it by. After another hug and see-you-later (Lewiston, Idaho) it was back to the motor home to get ready to get on the road. We pulled out of the campground (in Clarkston, WA) at 11:02 a.m. Then we had to go to Costco to get gas and a few groceries for the trip. We actually got on the road to begin this leg of our journey at 11:50 a.m. Not bad considering Ron really wanted to be on the road by 10:00 this morning. Oh well, we have tomorrow to try to get an earlier start.
It was mid afternoon when we crossed from Washington into Oregon. Ron did most of the driving except for an hour and a half. I only made Ron a little nervous a few times. At one point when i was driving on I84 heading west towards Portland I did comment that "this is really nervousing to me." It was at that point I was driving on the outside lane of the highway with one lane to the left between me and the mountainside and a guardrail and a little bit of shoulder and the Snake River. A little later Ron said I did a great job driving today. I think he only said that because he keeps saying he wants me to drive over the new bridge between Nevada and Arizona by Hoover Dam. I think NOT! What do y'all think of his crazy idea?
We stopped about 6:00 p.m. to eat some chicken and to get warm. With the heater still not working in the rig it gets mighty chilly even with a sweatshirt, two pairs of slipper socks, and two blankets along with a pair of gloves. It was at that time we decided to continue to Thousand Trails at Bend/Sunriver. It was only 86 more miles. I was so glad Ron took over the driving as it started to snow just outside of Bend. We arrived here about 8:45 p.m. After checking in at the ranger station and finding one of only two pull through spots we are settled for the night.
I made some chicken with wild rice soup and now we are catching up on emails and writing my blog posts.
If you are interested I started another blog. It is called Alice's Restaurant ~ Dishin Up Food for Thought. I will be writing some devotions, sharing some of the stories I have written and reflections of my heart. Feel free to follow along.
Thank you for your many prayers for us as we make our way to D'Hanis, TX. We continue to seek your prayers for safety on the road, no more mechanical problems with the motor home and for our finances.
Friday, January 28, 2011
On the Road & Now in Clarkston, WA
Quick update ~ got the motor home fixed! We are on the road again!!! Heading to Lewiston, ID. Not sure if we will make it all the way there tonight or not. Don't know where we will stop so don't know when I will update again.
Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement ~ we are feeling them!
Will update when we can. You can always give us a shout on our phone if you have our number. If we are friends on Facebook you can get it there.
Wrote the above as soon as we got on the road but then lost my internet connection. So am now updating this at 8;30 p.m.
We arrived safely in Clarkston about 8:10 p.m. and had no problems on the road EXCEPT for getting stopped by the local boys in blue in Pomeroy, WA. We now have a burnt out headlight - was working when we left North Bend ~~ go figure. Ron will fix that tomorrow.
We give thanks to the Lord for the repairs to be less than $1000 and for a safe trip to here. Now to relax and enjoy a few days with our son, Brandon, and his family. Can't wait to see them all tomorrow.
Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement ~ we are feeling them!
Will update when we can. You can always give us a shout on our phone if you have our number. If we are friends on Facebook you can get it there.
Wrote the above as soon as we got on the road but then lost my internet connection. So am now updating this at 8;30 p.m.
We arrived safely in Clarkston about 8:10 p.m. and had no problems on the road EXCEPT for getting stopped by the local boys in blue in Pomeroy, WA. We now have a burnt out headlight - was working when we left North Bend ~~ go figure. Ron will fix that tomorrow.
We give thanks to the Lord for the repairs to be less than $1000 and for a safe trip to here. Now to relax and enjoy a few days with our son, Brandon, and his family. Can't wait to see them all tomorrow.
Still sitting, waiting and wondering
We are still here at Cascade Diesel. They believe they have identified the problem ~ a relay switch that is supposed to get the power from the gas tank to the thingy to make the gas go from the tank to the carburator or something like that. In my pea brain is it something that is supposed to pump the gas from the tank to the fuel pump to the carberator...can you guess that I don't have a clue what I am talking about??? Good thing the mechanic knows what he is doing. We don't know if this can be fixed today or if we will be here through the weekend for them to finish it up on Monday. So here I sit in the waiting room, Ron is hanging in the motor home and the mechanic is doing his thing.
Have been relishing in the wonderful way the Lord lets me know we are not on this journey alone - phone calls from a couple of friends, emails and facebook posts that brings a smile to my lips and heart.
We have been thinking of our journey to Hondo, TX and some changes we need to make on our route. We have been putting in different routes on Mapquest, checking mileage and figuring where we could stop for the night, for how long we can take to get there. Our deadline to be in Hondo is the 20th of February ~ ready to start work on the 21st. We know we won't be able to stop and visit everyone we planned originally but know that they will understand. Once we are back on the road we will do the figuring of miles, driving days ~ we don't like to go more than 250 to 300 miles per day. And where we think we will be when.
We know the Lord is watching out for us and will provide for us...we just have to follow his leading and connect the dots. Not always easy but we know we can do it.
Thank you for praying for us along this journey! We feel your prayers and see Gods hand in things.
Have been relishing in the wonderful way the Lord lets me know we are not on this journey alone - phone calls from a couple of friends, emails and facebook posts that brings a smile to my lips and heart.
We have been thinking of our journey to Hondo, TX and some changes we need to make on our route. We have been putting in different routes on Mapquest, checking mileage and figuring where we could stop for the night, for how long we can take to get there. Our deadline to be in Hondo is the 20th of February ~ ready to start work on the 21st. We know we won't be able to stop and visit everyone we planned originally but know that they will understand. Once we are back on the road we will do the figuring of miles, driving days ~ we don't like to go more than 250 to 300 miles per day. And where we think we will be when.
We know the Lord is watching out for us and will provide for us...we just have to follow his leading and connect the dots. Not always easy but we know we can do it.
Thank you for praying for us along this journey! We feel your prayers and see Gods hand in things.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Quick update ~ agh!
Are you wondering where we are? Did we get on the road?
Well as a matter of fact, we did get on the road. Just not very far down the road. We are in Northbend, WA at Cascade Diesel Truck & RV Repair. Yes we have been here before and find ourselves here again.
We left Blaine yesterday afternoon about 3:00 p.m. As we started up I90 towards Snoqualmie Pass the motor home just didn't want to go. It chugged along and Ron said he was pulling into Cascade as they have worked on our home before and Mark, the owner is a great Christian guy and it shows in his dealings with people and situations. Because it was after 5:00 we could not call ahead for Mark to put the power cord out so we just parked in his lot.
About 7:00 p.m. I crawled into bed. I was still not feeling well, it was dark outside and the battery on the mifi died. I slept till Ron's alarm went off about 7:15 this morning. I got up, got dressed and then promptly returned to my bed. I slept till about 9:30.
By 9:30 this morning Ron had already talked with Mark and they had a plan. I have spent most of the day in the waiting area using Mark's power for the computer and mifi card.
It is now 3:00 and they have found a bad cellanoid (sp)...so not real sure what is happenin'...Don't know if it can be fixed today or not. Will just have to wait and see.
Prayer request ~~
~ for me to feel better. I have a horrible cold, sore throat and a headache
~ for Mark to figure out what is wrong and to be able to fix the motor home to get us back on the road
~ for me to keep trusting God in this....I worry about the money. Lord help me to keep trusting you and not fret over things which I have no control.
Will update when I know something.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Countdown Begins~
Jury duty is done! Now onto getting for the big trip to Hondo!!!
I think the easiest way to let you know what we are doing is just to list what's on the agenda between now and when we leave on Wednesday, January 26th.
Friday, 1/21 ~ had a terrific dinner with Jim & Mary. We laughed and reminisced about when our kids were in sports together, what our kids are doing now with their own families. And we talked about the coming year and changes in both our families...us moving to Texas, their daughter going to Germany, each of us welcoming a new grandchild...we will definitely miss our visits together. Thanks Jim & Mary for the orange marmalade and blackberry jam and of course the wonderful leftover dessert.
Saturday, 1/22 ~ meeting Tim & Dee at the storage unit. We will be putting totes back into storage, taking more totes out of storage and then Ron & Tim are goin to remove the hard top on the Jeep. Then they will head over to Gerald & Sandra's to drill holes and put the soft top on the Jeep. Dee & I will get in some visiting while moving stuff around cleaning out a few cupboards. In the evening we will be fixin to go to Jerry & Lynda's for dinner and more visitin!
Sunday, 1/23 ~ we will be gettin together with Ron's siblings + Jamie, Suzanne & Opal and maybe our niece, Andrea & her family for breakfast at Big Al's. Then we are off to church at Northwood Alliance. Don't know what the afternoon will hold but in the evenin we will be hangin with Chris & Gina and their two kids.
Monday, 1/24 ~ I am meeting a fellow blogger, Laurel for coffee at Woods in Birch Bay Square. Then have a few errands to run picking up last minute prescriptions, going to the bank and fixin things up in the motor home as we continue to prepare to go to Texas. Ron has a few plumbing jobs that he needs to finish up. Hopefully all three jobs will go smoothly. In the evenin we are goin to the Clarke's & DeLong's for supper (or is it called dinner in Texas - the evenin meal?)
Tuessday, 1/25 ~ I will be doin the never endin job of laundry (we always try to start out with all clean clothes). Ron & Pete plan on transferring the gas from the front tank to the back tank and fixin the front tank so we can use it on the trip. I will be workin at Northwood for a few hours on the annual report. In the evenin we head to Sudden Valley for dinner with Norm & Kristy. While visitin Ron will put in a new garbage disposal for them.
And then on Wednesday, 1/26 we will wrap up anything that is left on our to do list, share a meal with Gerald & Sandra, stop at the Post Office and then get on the road. Not sure how far we will get down the road...our goal is to get to Hells Canyon RV Park so we can hang with the grands and Brandon & Danalyn for a few days.
We want to say thank you for all your prayers for us as we travel along on this journey we call life and especially as we prepare to move to Texas for 13 months. I hope to update each night how we are doing with our To Do List. We will be busy the next 5 days but yet want to say if you are a local (Whatcom County) friend and want to see us before we leave...give us a holler and let's at least share a hug.
I think the easiest way to let you know what we are doing is just to list what's on the agenda between now and when we leave on Wednesday, January 26th.
Friday, 1/21 ~ had a terrific dinner with Jim & Mary. We laughed and reminisced about when our kids were in sports together, what our kids are doing now with their own families. And we talked about the coming year and changes in both our families...us moving to Texas, their daughter going to Germany, each of us welcoming a new grandchild...we will definitely miss our visits together. Thanks Jim & Mary for the orange marmalade and blackberry jam and of course the wonderful leftover dessert.
Saturday, 1/22 ~ meeting Tim & Dee at the storage unit. We will be putting totes back into storage, taking more totes out of storage and then Ron & Tim are goin to remove the hard top on the Jeep. Then they will head over to Gerald & Sandra's to drill holes and put the soft top on the Jeep. Dee & I will get in some visiting while moving stuff around cleaning out a few cupboards. In the evening we will be fixin to go to Jerry & Lynda's for dinner and more visitin!
Sunday, 1/23 ~ we will be gettin together with Ron's siblings + Jamie, Suzanne & Opal and maybe our niece, Andrea & her family for breakfast at Big Al's. Then we are off to church at Northwood Alliance. Don't know what the afternoon will hold but in the evenin we will be hangin with Chris & Gina and their two kids.
Monday, 1/24 ~ I am meeting a fellow blogger, Laurel for coffee at Woods in Birch Bay Square. Then have a few errands to run picking up last minute prescriptions, going to the bank and fixin things up in the motor home as we continue to prepare to go to Texas. Ron has a few plumbing jobs that he needs to finish up. Hopefully all three jobs will go smoothly. In the evenin we are goin to the Clarke's & DeLong's for supper (or is it called dinner in Texas - the evenin meal?)
Tuessday, 1/25 ~ I will be doin the never endin job of laundry (we always try to start out with all clean clothes). Ron & Pete plan on transferring the gas from the front tank to the back tank and fixin the front tank so we can use it on the trip. I will be workin at Northwood for a few hours on the annual report. In the evenin we head to Sudden Valley for dinner with Norm & Kristy. While visitin Ron will put in a new garbage disposal for them.
And then on Wednesday, 1/26 we will wrap up anything that is left on our to do list, share a meal with Gerald & Sandra, stop at the Post Office and then get on the road. Not sure how far we will get down the road...our goal is to get to Hells Canyon RV Park so we can hang with the grands and Brandon & Danalyn for a few days.
We want to say thank you for all your prayers for us as we travel along on this journey we call life and especially as we prepare to move to Texas for 13 months. I hope to update each night how we are doing with our To Do List. We will be busy the next 5 days but yet want to say if you are a local (Whatcom County) friend and want to see us before we leave...give us a holler and let's at least share a hug.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Answering the Call in Faith
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| How we are continually facing life! |
What a crazy day. Sorted three totes of clothes...some to the clothing bank, some to a friend, some back to the storage unit and then some to take with us to Hondo. Then a friend stopped by...had a great visit with her and then was just getting ready to start dinner and we got a phone call that Ron's sister, Judy was going to the Emergency Room. So off to the hospital we go. Now we are playing the waiting game. The doctor thinks it might be appendicitis so they are running some blood tests and doing a CAT scan. When we hear more I will post an update here.
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| And this is how my head seems to be spinning about now. |
We have lots to do...
...reservations to change
...family members to call
...an ignition switch to be replaced into the motor home (hard to go anywhere with no ignition switch :) our friend, Tim is going to put it in on Friday evening)
...have to switch the hard top on the Jeep to the soft top...Ron mentioned having to drill a zillion holes...think he is planning to do that on Saturday so hoping the weather cooperates
...a few dinners with friends
...breakfast with the family on Sunday morning before church
...pick up some prescriptions
...go to Seattle for an eye appointment on Thursday (thanks Dee for being my personal driver...you are my bestie)
...Ron has to finish two plumbing jobs: redo some drain lines and replace a garbage disposal
...having coffee with my bestie
...and who knows what else needs to be done
...if you think of something I am not thinking about feel free to send me a note
...suggestions will be welcome
And this is how I plan on ending each day:
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| Sleeping like a babe... |
Got the Call!
This is how my morning went: I was sleeping, it was only 8:00 a.m. and I had been up till after midnight last night, and got a call from Bonnie from Hondo, TX...to say no, come at original
date 3/11. Okay. sent a text to my hubby who is on jury duty.
Thought about the situation and thought this is just one more time God
wants to see if I am really flexible to his timing of events. Felt
peace about whole situation. Another friend called invited us for
dinner on Sunday at noon, then promptly called and changed it to Monday
night instead - there is that darn flexible thing again.
So finally got out of bed,
gathered my Bible and devotional and opened the devotional to today.
Hebrews 11:6 is the verse for today: "By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go." Okay the sermon on Sunday was the first in a series on Hebrews and Faith in the Lord. Again, thinking the Lord just wanted to see if we were willing to go when he called us. We truly believe the Lord has opened this job up for us in Hondo, TX and it means we are leaving behind all our family and friends.
Then in James 1:5-6....I get God will provide for all our needs when He calls us to do something. To ask EXPECTING him to answer somehow someway. So I start praying and my cell phone rings. It is Bonnie again. She starts the conversation with "come as soon as you can." I just chuckle to myself....flexibility, going when called, God sure has a sense of humor doesn't he. So finished my time with the Lord and sent a text to my hubby, who is in jury duty...we go now....
I feel such at peace - I KNOW it is the Lord. I had even prayed this morning that I was not feeling anxious about leaving family and friends but the anxiety of can I get everything done? Yes I can, with the Lord's help. I see some long days/nights in my schedule ahead but God is good and He will get me through them.
Some of you have asked about Ron being on jury duty. The jury should get the case today and deliberations should only last a day or two so we should be good to go. We plan to leave next Wednesday, 1/26...just not sure what time. We will be working on our itinerary, checking with friends and family that we had planned to see along the way to see if our new schedule meshes with theirs, changing a couple of reservations and once that is all done I will post the itinerary here in my blog.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Ali & Ron
Hebrews 11:6 is the verse for today: "By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go." Okay the sermon on Sunday was the first in a series on Hebrews and Faith in the Lord. Again, thinking the Lord just wanted to see if we were willing to go when he called us. We truly believe the Lord has opened this job up for us in Hondo, TX and it means we are leaving behind all our family and friends.
Then in James 1:5-6....I get God will provide for all our needs when He calls us to do something. To ask EXPECTING him to answer somehow someway. So I start praying and my cell phone rings. It is Bonnie again. She starts the conversation with "come as soon as you can." I just chuckle to myself....flexibility, going when called, God sure has a sense of humor doesn't he. So finished my time with the Lord and sent a text to my hubby, who is in jury duty...we go now....
I feel such at peace - I KNOW it is the Lord. I had even prayed this morning that I was not feeling anxious about leaving family and friends but the anxiety of can I get everything done? Yes I can, with the Lord's help. I see some long days/nights in my schedule ahead but God is good and He will get me through them.
Some of you have asked about Ron being on jury duty. The jury should get the case today and deliberations should only last a day or two so we should be good to go. We plan to leave next Wednesday, 1/26...just not sure what time. We will be working on our itinerary, checking with friends and family that we had planned to see along the way to see if our new schedule meshes with theirs, changing a couple of reservations and once that is all done I will post the itinerary here in my blog.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Ali & Ron
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday Talking
Tuesday Talking...
...lots of little & big things are a happening...in no particular order...
~ plans...can change in an instant. Got a phone call yesterday from Bonnie, the VP of Lone Star Corral asking us if it is possible for us to arrive in Hondo earlier than March 14th. So out went the prayer requests, arrow prayers, figuring out the calendar, more prayers, more figuring and the decision made ~ yes, we could arrive earlier. I called Bonnie this morning to say yes we could arrive earlier. Now we are in the waiting game stage...Bonnie has to check with the board members to make sure things would work out. She will call as soon as she knows.
~ IF we leave before our February 13th scheduled departure date it will be on Wednesday, January 26th...yes that is only 8 days from now!!!
~ so I am now working in warp speed...attacked the kitchen cupboards, updated the food storage totes, pantry, kitchen cupboard and the freezer. Now I know what we have on hand and did some meal planning.
~ tomorrow I will attack the clothes totes to figure out what stays and what goes. Hope to also get to the bathroom cupboards and drawers. I am not only wanting to organize but also simplify and get rid of the stuff that sits in those cupboards but never gets used. I am sure there is some old makeup that is hiding that just needs to be tossed.
~ appointments needing to be changed and fit into a new accelerated schedule. Prescriptions need to be filled, stuff put into the storage unit and repack and organize stuff in the motor home.
~ yesterday, our friend Tim Griffith came over and took the ignition switch out of the motor home so we could get a new one. The old ignition switch did not connect like it was supposed to and has been draining the battery thus the levelers have not been working correctly. So today Ron is taking the parts to Napa Autoparts in Lynden to get new ones. Tim will put the new one in later this week. So thankful for friends who can help out in areas we have no knowledge of.
~ yesterday I took down the Christmas decorations and put up my Valentines Decorations...now it looks like (from the outside) that we live in the red light district :) I just love the soft glow of colored lights so try to put up a string or two for each holiday. Got all the decorations packed away though I don't understand how all the stuff can fit in one tote prior to the holiday and after the holiday it takes two totes and the stuffing of 4 things under the bed. Now I just have to hope I remember next Christmas that I have decorations under the bed.
~ today I am hanging with my friend, Dee. Doing some much needed laundry. Funny how it just seems to pile up even when you do it once a week. We have drank lots of coffee, shared lots of laughter plus watched last nights episode of The Bachelor. Sure hope my gal, Emily is the one for Brad. I think they make a cute couple and share many of the same goals/values in life.
~ Ron is still serving on Jury Duty. Someone asked did he like it? He says it is interesting but he wished the jury could ask the witnesses questions :) He was a bit frustrated today as he drove into Bellingham, 20 miles one way and then the jury was told that court was canceled today because the defense attorney is sick. Why the court bailiff couldn't call the jury members I don't know...I am sure the attorney knew when he got up this morning that he was too sick to report to court. Oh well, at least Ron gets paid gas mileage.
~ question was asked when are we heading South...well we are scheduled to leave on February 13th but as I mentioned earlier that may change once we hear from Bonnie. I will let everyone know as soon as I do when we are leaving and what our planned itinerary is in a blog post as well it will be posted on the left side of my blog "Where We are Headed."
~ another comment we got was that Ron and I should check into playing Santa & Mrs. Claus...what a great idea, we had never thought about that. We will keep that in mind for the next Christmas season. Will just have to figure out how to advertise that and what we should charge for that. And then will have to find a good Santa suit for Ron. I have lots of Christmas sweaters so a nice pair of jeans or black slacks with one of them and I would have an outfit.
~ we have had some fellowship with friends since we have been home. Last Friday night we had a great steak & potato dinner with Sean & Stacey. We shared stories of our travels, parenting teenagers and different cars we have owned. They just got a new Forerunner and really are enjoying it. On Saturday night we took dinner over to Gerald & Sandra's. I made another soup pot full of Gumbo. We laughed, talked, watched some football and then visited a whole lot more. Then last Sunday, after a great service at Northwood we went to Tim & Dee's to watch the Seahawks and eat lots of goodies. Definitely the goodies were better than the game. Oh well, guess they can try again next season. Sunday evening found us at our pastor's home with Pastor Charles & Margaret along with friends Dick & Carol Molcar. It was a lot of fun hearing about some of their recent travels and sharing about our time with the carnival and our stint as Christmas tree sales people. Monday night found me attending the Writer's Group that I belong too. I shared a couple of poems I had written. And listened to some other great writings from the other ladies in the group.
That leads me to a project I am trying to figure out how to do. I would like to share the different stories and poems I have written. I really don't want to start another blog so am trying to figure out how to just have multiple pages/tabs on this one. I know it can be done as I have seen it on other blogs. I just can't figure out how to do it with blogspot. Maybe it is not possible...but I will definitely be working on that in the near future.
Well the last of the laundry is waiting to be folded so I will end my post for today. Will definitely be writing again soon to let everyone know what is happening with our trip to Hondo.
...lots of little & big things are a happening...in no particular order...
~ plans...can change in an instant. Got a phone call yesterday from Bonnie, the VP of Lone Star Corral asking us if it is possible for us to arrive in Hondo earlier than March 14th. So out went the prayer requests, arrow prayers, figuring out the calendar, more prayers, more figuring and the decision made ~ yes, we could arrive earlier. I called Bonnie this morning to say yes we could arrive earlier. Now we are in the waiting game stage...Bonnie has to check with the board members to make sure things would work out. She will call as soon as she knows.
~ IF we leave before our February 13th scheduled departure date it will be on Wednesday, January 26th...yes that is only 8 days from now!!!
~ so I am now working in warp speed...attacked the kitchen cupboards, updated the food storage totes, pantry, kitchen cupboard and the freezer. Now I know what we have on hand and did some meal planning.
~ tomorrow I will attack the clothes totes to figure out what stays and what goes. Hope to also get to the bathroom cupboards and drawers. I am not only wanting to organize but also simplify and get rid of the stuff that sits in those cupboards but never gets used. I am sure there is some old makeup that is hiding that just needs to be tossed.
~ appointments needing to be changed and fit into a new accelerated schedule. Prescriptions need to be filled, stuff put into the storage unit and repack and organize stuff in the motor home.
~ yesterday, our friend Tim Griffith came over and took the ignition switch out of the motor home so we could get a new one. The old ignition switch did not connect like it was supposed to and has been draining the battery thus the levelers have not been working correctly. So today Ron is taking the parts to Napa Autoparts in Lynden to get new ones. Tim will put the new one in later this week. So thankful for friends who can help out in areas we have no knowledge of.
~ yesterday I took down the Christmas decorations and put up my Valentines Decorations...now it looks like (from the outside) that we live in the red light district :) I just love the soft glow of colored lights so try to put up a string or two for each holiday. Got all the decorations packed away though I don't understand how all the stuff can fit in one tote prior to the holiday and after the holiday it takes two totes and the stuffing of 4 things under the bed. Now I just have to hope I remember next Christmas that I have decorations under the bed.
~ today I am hanging with my friend, Dee. Doing some much needed laundry. Funny how it just seems to pile up even when you do it once a week. We have drank lots of coffee, shared lots of laughter plus watched last nights episode of The Bachelor. Sure hope my gal, Emily is the one for Brad. I think they make a cute couple and share many of the same goals/values in life.
~ Ron is still serving on Jury Duty. Someone asked did he like it? He says it is interesting but he wished the jury could ask the witnesses questions :) He was a bit frustrated today as he drove into Bellingham, 20 miles one way and then the jury was told that court was canceled today because the defense attorney is sick. Why the court bailiff couldn't call the jury members I don't know...I am sure the attorney knew when he got up this morning that he was too sick to report to court. Oh well, at least Ron gets paid gas mileage.
~ question was asked when are we heading South...well we are scheduled to leave on February 13th but as I mentioned earlier that may change once we hear from Bonnie. I will let everyone know as soon as I do when we are leaving and what our planned itinerary is in a blog post as well it will be posted on the left side of my blog "Where We are Headed."
~ another comment we got was that Ron and I should check into playing Santa & Mrs. Claus...what a great idea, we had never thought about that. We will keep that in mind for the next Christmas season. Will just have to figure out how to advertise that and what we should charge for that. And then will have to find a good Santa suit for Ron. I have lots of Christmas sweaters so a nice pair of jeans or black slacks with one of them and I would have an outfit.
~ we have had some fellowship with friends since we have been home. Last Friday night we had a great steak & potato dinner with Sean & Stacey. We shared stories of our travels, parenting teenagers and different cars we have owned. They just got a new Forerunner and really are enjoying it. On Saturday night we took dinner over to Gerald & Sandra's. I made another soup pot full of Gumbo. We laughed, talked, watched some football and then visited a whole lot more. Then last Sunday, after a great service at Northwood we went to Tim & Dee's to watch the Seahawks and eat lots of goodies. Definitely the goodies were better than the game. Oh well, guess they can try again next season. Sunday evening found us at our pastor's home with Pastor Charles & Margaret along with friends Dick & Carol Molcar. It was a lot of fun hearing about some of their recent travels and sharing about our time with the carnival and our stint as Christmas tree sales people. Monday night found me attending the Writer's Group that I belong too. I shared a couple of poems I had written. And listened to some other great writings from the other ladies in the group.
That leads me to a project I am trying to figure out how to do. I would like to share the different stories and poems I have written. I really don't want to start another blog so am trying to figure out how to just have multiple pages/tabs on this one. I know it can be done as I have seen it on other blogs. I just can't figure out how to do it with blogspot. Maybe it is not possible...but I will definitely be working on that in the near future.
Well the last of the laundry is waiting to be folded so I will end my post for today. Will definitely be writing again soon to let everyone know what is happening with our trip to Hondo.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday Words
Catchy title don't you think?
Just kidding...wanted to write a post but could not think of a title that was eye catching. Oh well,.
We arrived at Beachwood about 5:40 p.m. 4 minutes after Maggie (our gps) said we should so that was not too bad.
We woke up on Sunday to about 6" of new snow in Cle Elum. We had breakfast and then Ron took a little drive in the Jeep to check out the roads and to see if it looked like we could make it with the motor home. Normally we would not have been super eager to get back to Blaine except Ron was to report to for jury duty on Monday morning.
Ron came back and said it looked like it would be okay to hit the road. So we readied the motor home for travel. The owner of the campgrounds came and plowed the road and in front of the motor home so we would not have any problems getting out. Ron took off in the motor home and I followed in the Jeep. Ron pulled over when he got a long clearing so we could hook up the Jeep. (Thank you sweet Santa for the tow bar ~ we love it and so appreciate it!). We got on I90 headed west at mile marker 84. At mile marker 71 we pulled over to put chains on the motor home as required. All vehicles over 10,000 lbs had to do that. There were lots of semi's pulled over as well. I did notice a motor home pulling a Jeep Cherokee go flying past us. After getting the chains on we got back on the road. About 3 miles up the road that same motor home was pulled over along with a few other vehicles and a cop car. Better them than us we both said.
Our first stop was in Redmond, WA. We met up with Chuck from Noel's Tree Farm who we had sold Christmas Trees for. We were dropping off the tote with all the supplies that we had used. Found out Chuck had had a mini stroke on New Years Eve and had just gotten out of the hospital. We made arrangements for him to mail us our final check and told him we would talk to him later this week.
Back on the road we continued North on 405 towards Whatcom County. From 405 we got on I5 heading North. One of the things we needed to do before arriving at Beachwood was get propane. We stopped at the Alger Shell station. It was a tight turn and so we had to unhook the Jeep, get propane and then hook up the Jeep again. I offered to just drive the Jeep the rest of the way and Ron said no way. The last time we were driving in two vehicles we had motor home problems. Nope wasn't going to have another problem. So Ron hooked up the Jeep and we got back on I5 and continued on our way. As I said we arrived about 5:40 p.m. We got settled into our site. Decided to just hook up to their cable instead of trying to set up the satellite dish in the dark. Made a quick dinner of chili w/polish sausage and tater tots. Tasted good and was easy to fix after a long day of driving.
Ron called to find out about jury duty. He was to report at 12:30 on Monday afternoon. We just settled in for the night with both of us reading blogs, forums and getting caught up on Facebook.
Monday morning I was off to coffee with my best friend, Dee. Ron went to jury duty in the afternoon. Dee and I had a good day: first we went to Woods Coffee, then to Bobs Burger & Brew for lunch and then to her house to await Ron's call saying he was on his way home. It was a great day of relaxing and visiting. Ron was selected to sit on a jury. Guess I will hear all about it (and then share with y'all (don't you like my practicing of speaking Texan ;)
Tuesday I spent a lot of the day cleaning and working on trip and schedule plans for our trip to Texas. Can't believe in one month and one day we leave for our month long trip to Hondo. Ron reported for jury duty and is now known at juror #1. We had been hearing for the last two days that a bad snow storm was due to hit our area. Because of this a friend and his son were going to stay in one of the trailers here at Beachwood so we made plans for them to join us for dinner. I made spaghetti and garlic cheese biscuits for dinner. The spaghetti was pretty tasty but the biscuits were a little dry ~ not sure what to do to change that the next time I make them. We had a delightful evening of visiting and reconnecting with them. By the time they left at 9:00 p.m. the snow had started falling. It sure was pretty.
Woke up this morning to everything covered in white. All the schools in Whatcom County were closed except for the local community college and university. Ron returned to Bellingham for the third day of jury duty. He called me about 10:45 this morning to let me know the courthouse had been evacuated to a "suspicious package" found on the 2nd floor. They were not allowed to return until close to 2:00 p.m. Don't know what they found but all was clear for court to resume.
I had a very lazy day at home. In fact, I stayed in my jammies all day. I watched the snow begin to melt, the roads get plowed and the weather turn to rain. I did make Mexican chicken and rice for dinner. And as Ron said "it was finger licking good." A pretty good compliment if i say so myself.
Would like to ask for prayers for us as we continue to plan for our trip to Hondo. We have lots of friends we want to see, a granddaughter to see, hug & kiss on, stuff to get out of storage and put more stuff in, organize the cupboards and storage spots on the motor home, doctor and eye appointments, a granddaughter to love, kiss & hug on, post our itinerary, visit with friends and more visits with our precious Opal Rae and her mommy & daddy too!
If you are nearby we would love to see you. Give us a holler on the cell phone or send me an email or a comment on this post so we can set a date to get together. We also hope to connect with as many of you as we can who live along our route.
Take care everyone! And have a blessed day!
Just kidding...wanted to write a post but could not think of a title that was eye catching. Oh well,.
We arrived at Beachwood about 5:40 p.m. 4 minutes after Maggie (our gps) said we should so that was not too bad.
We woke up on Sunday to about 6" of new snow in Cle Elum. We had breakfast and then Ron took a little drive in the Jeep to check out the roads and to see if it looked like we could make it with the motor home. Normally we would not have been super eager to get back to Blaine except Ron was to report to for jury duty on Monday morning.
Ron came back and said it looked like it would be okay to hit the road. So we readied the motor home for travel. The owner of the campgrounds came and plowed the road and in front of the motor home so we would not have any problems getting out. Ron took off in the motor home and I followed in the Jeep. Ron pulled over when he got a long clearing so we could hook up the Jeep. (Thank you sweet Santa for the tow bar ~ we love it and so appreciate it!). We got on I90 headed west at mile marker 84. At mile marker 71 we pulled over to put chains on the motor home as required. All vehicles over 10,000 lbs had to do that. There were lots of semi's pulled over as well. I did notice a motor home pulling a Jeep Cherokee go flying past us. After getting the chains on we got back on the road. About 3 miles up the road that same motor home was pulled over along with a few other vehicles and a cop car. Better them than us we both said.
Our first stop was in Redmond, WA. We met up with Chuck from Noel's Tree Farm who we had sold Christmas Trees for. We were dropping off the tote with all the supplies that we had used. Found out Chuck had had a mini stroke on New Years Eve and had just gotten out of the hospital. We made arrangements for him to mail us our final check and told him we would talk to him later this week.
Back on the road we continued North on 405 towards Whatcom County. From 405 we got on I5 heading North. One of the things we needed to do before arriving at Beachwood was get propane. We stopped at the Alger Shell station. It was a tight turn and so we had to unhook the Jeep, get propane and then hook up the Jeep again. I offered to just drive the Jeep the rest of the way and Ron said no way. The last time we were driving in two vehicles we had motor home problems. Nope wasn't going to have another problem. So Ron hooked up the Jeep and we got back on I5 and continued on our way. As I said we arrived about 5:40 p.m. We got settled into our site. Decided to just hook up to their cable instead of trying to set up the satellite dish in the dark. Made a quick dinner of chili w/polish sausage and tater tots. Tasted good and was easy to fix after a long day of driving.
Ron called to find out about jury duty. He was to report at 12:30 on Monday afternoon. We just settled in for the night with both of us reading blogs, forums and getting caught up on Facebook.
Monday morning I was off to coffee with my best friend, Dee. Ron went to jury duty in the afternoon. Dee and I had a good day: first we went to Woods Coffee, then to Bobs Burger & Brew for lunch and then to her house to await Ron's call saying he was on his way home. It was a great day of relaxing and visiting. Ron was selected to sit on a jury. Guess I will hear all about it (and then share with y'all (don't you like my practicing of speaking Texan ;)
Tuesday I spent a lot of the day cleaning and working on trip and schedule plans for our trip to Texas. Can't believe in one month and one day we leave for our month long trip to Hondo. Ron reported for jury duty and is now known at juror #1. We had been hearing for the last two days that a bad snow storm was due to hit our area. Because of this a friend and his son were going to stay in one of the trailers here at Beachwood so we made plans for them to join us for dinner. I made spaghetti and garlic cheese biscuits for dinner. The spaghetti was pretty tasty but the biscuits were a little dry ~ not sure what to do to change that the next time I make them. We had a delightful evening of visiting and reconnecting with them. By the time they left at 9:00 p.m. the snow had started falling. It sure was pretty.
Woke up this morning to everything covered in white. All the schools in Whatcom County were closed except for the local community college and university. Ron returned to Bellingham for the third day of jury duty. He called me about 10:45 this morning to let me know the courthouse had been evacuated to a "suspicious package" found on the 2nd floor. They were not allowed to return until close to 2:00 p.m. Don't know what they found but all was clear for court to resume.
I had a very lazy day at home. In fact, I stayed in my jammies all day. I watched the snow begin to melt, the roads get plowed and the weather turn to rain. I did make Mexican chicken and rice for dinner. And as Ron said "it was finger licking good." A pretty good compliment if i say so myself.
Would like to ask for prayers for us as we continue to plan for our trip to Hondo. We have lots of friends we want to see, a granddaughter to see, hug & kiss on, stuff to get out of storage and put more stuff in, organize the cupboards and storage spots on the motor home, doctor and eye appointments, a granddaughter to love, kiss & hug on, post our itinerary, visit with friends and more visits with our precious Opal Rae and her mommy & daddy too!
If you are nearby we would love to see you. Give us a holler on the cell phone or send me an email or a comment on this post so we can set a date to get together. We also hope to connect with as many of you as we can who live along our route.
Take care everyone! And have a blessed day!
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