Rain, Rain, & More Rain

Seriously, I mean REaaally? I can’t imagine how Mrs. Noah must have felt. It is definitely the rainy season in Missouri (and apparently throughout the Midwest). We had a bit of a break on Thursday (4/26) after very heavy rains last Wednesday when flash flood warnings begin to appear throughout the state. After all we’re in the foothills of the Ozarks with lots of hills and valleys. Praise the Lord, we’re on a hill and up until yesterday (Sat 4/29) the rain didn’t stop us from our comings and goings.

I have to admit my sleeping hasn’t been good. Heavy rains, and I’m talking heavy rains, and loud, sometimes constant claps of thunder, just put me on edge. Not sure when I became so leery of storms; but I’m sure it has to do with our first days and months of motor homing when we had lots of storms and tornado warnings, and for the first time, I had no basement to hide in. To be honest, I felt guilty about that…trusting my basement more than my Savior. Anyway, as a good friend of mine once told me that she loves thunderstorms because it shows God’s amazing power. I wish I could say the same. I’m sad to say, that doesn’t help me. (You can pray for me, please and thank you.)

Yesterday morning, we actually watched a movie (on DVD, the TV reception is terrible here, even in good weather). Can’t remember the last time I watched a movie during the day and I wasn’t even sick. Later in the day, I needed to do something productive so I made some cards (got four done…the most I’ve done in one day since we started this new season of life) and Bill & I played some gin rummy. I don’t think Bill ever left the rig. I did for maybe 15 minutes. It was still heavy misty raining but I just had to get some fresh air. It was more heavy than fresh, but I still embraced it. I took a short walk out the drive of the camp just to see if any water was coming over the drive at the bottom of a slight hill. There was, but just a little bit coming over the road…I wonder what it looks like now? (I’ll be checking it out as soon as we get a break in the rain; that is, if we get a break in the rain.)

Speaking of bad television reception, that doesn’t help my weak knees during these storms. I like watching the weather reports that refer to the particular counties. Yes, I can check on my phone but it’s not as helpful or specific. I feel a bit isolated as both our neighbors (co-workers) pulled out early Friday morning and we haven’t seen much of the camp staff. Everyone is staying indoors.

Until NOW! (Mid-Sunday afternoon.) HalleluJAH! The rain has finally stopped and the sky is starting to brighten, so Bill and I took a walk down the drive which wasn’t as flooded as I anticipated. More water is covering the road than yesterday but nothing like other places we have heard about. Note, at the end of the video, what you see is not a river but a horse pasture. Hopefully, you can hear the movement of the water as it is a bit hard to see in the video. After our walk, and a bit of lunch, we finally had the opportunity to hang outside for a bit of talking to the camp staff that lives on the property. So fun watching a half dozen little kids playing in the huge puddles (large enough for a plethora of frog eggs) and mud. I can’t say I remember those days, as most of you know, I don’t like to get dirty. Still don’t! But it was fun watching them and finally spending some time outside and talking to someone other than each other. And so the adventure continues. Hopefully, the waters will recede and the rains will cease for a while so that we can pull out of here (Camp David) on Tuesday as planned. We will keep you posted.

Until next time...be blessed & be a blessing!

Camp David of the Ozarks

Located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, you can see God’s handiwork all around you. It is absolutely beautiful here. Good thing it is so beautiful, it helps me keep my focus and mind off the steep and narrow roads. Most of you know how much I dislike roller coasters and heights. Well, we’re in the midst of what feels like both of those and we’ve taken several road trips to explore some well known and not so well known caves.

We spent one afternoon on a tour of Meramec Caverns which was pretty incredible but not too frightening (for me). After all, there was a guide leading the way down a well maintained walkway. Then there was the opposite experience but, honestly, just as incredible (even more so), only different (and frightening).  Miller Cave is located on the base at Fort Leonard Wood and is open to the public as long as you have your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of vehicle insurance so you can obtain a pass to go on base. Oh, and leave your weapons at home

Here’s a condensed description from the website about the cave. The cave can be accessed by way of a narrow, but well maintained (that’s very debatable) trail that winds down the steep slope and into the cave. It has a total of four entrances. The primary entrance is located in a bluff approximately 150 feet above the Big Piney River. Two more openings face the river and provide a spectacular view of the Big Piney River Valley. The bluff below these openings is nearly vertical, making it a deadly drop-off.   (Oh yeah!).

Getting to and from the different cave openings was waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my comfort zone but Bill was right there with me to give a hand and an encouraging word. Going inside the cave was incredible. So very beautiful. The pictures don’t give the depth and detail we saw, but I’ve included them anyway for you to imagine what it was like. If I hadn’t been there with Bill, I know he would have crawled through many of the smaller openings further into the cave. I begged him not to; and, thankfully, he obliged.

We continued our explorations in the foothills of the Ozarks each weekend where we also found a few good wineries, a brew house, and a place called “Just a Taste.” First time I’ve been to a place where you could taste just about everything on the shelf (for a fee, of course) and there was plenty to choose from. So much so, I didn’t choose anything.  Bill tried a few of the spirits. We enjoyed lunch at one of the wineries where I experienced the best quiche ever. (Meremac Winery - Bistro d’Vine in St. James along I44.) So good, I can’t begin to describe it.  We’ve also discovered a new favorite restaurant…we love the Colton’s House & Grill (Southwest Chipotle Tips & Chipotle Chicken Nachos). We checked it out, honestly, just because of its name (in honor of our dear friends, Jason & Jessica Colton). We’ve been back there three times.

Another one of our explorations was in search of a handgun for me. (Obviously, we did this before we went to any wineries.) Now that I have my conceal carry, Bill thought it would be a good idea for me to actually have and practice shooting a weapon. Initially, I was not at all comfortable with the idea, but we found an excellent gun shop and range in a nearby town where you can rent a gun and use their range. I was doubly blessed with a few lessons from a very knowledgeable and understanding female. (No offense to the men who have tried to teach me about gun handling, but working with this woman helped me tremendously not only get over some of my nervousness but better equipped me to handle one.)

The project is going very well. I’m loving the ladies’ first work assignment. Organizing the Princess Room. Let me tell you a little bit about the mission of Camp David, so you understand the purpose of the Princess Room. The
camp is specially designed to bring hope and healing to children and youth who have a parent that is incarcerated as well as equipping them to succeed. Week long summer camps are offered to these children and one of the activities is a Princess Party for the girls. The room is filled with gently used formals, shoes, jewelry, make up, and tiaras for the girl’s to dress and primp for the Princess Party. It’s quite a formal affair! We’re having lots of fun going through all the dresses (yes, I admit, I tried one of them on; would have tried more but there were just too many to choose from), seeing if they need to be mended or cleaned, putting them in size order, and; well, you get the picture.

Our next ladies assignment was preparing (making beds and cleaning) some of the cabins for a special weekend retreat. The camp is branching out and doing retreats for the women of those in prison. The kids bring sleeping bags but the women get nicely made beds and, as an extra treat, breakfast in bed. We were praying for a mighty move of God for these ladies and after talking to the camp directors we can Praise the Lord for answering our prayers.

Really, Bill? sitting down on the job!

Our men have been working diligently on a new shower house. The walls and roof were done before we arrived but the men have been working hard on the interior. They built some false front walls, did a ton of staining and sealing tongue and groove boards for the ceiling and walls. And, Bill gets his kicks being the guy on the scaffolding installing the ceiling boards. There has also been a few odds and ends, like laying an electric line from the emergency generator to the water pump.

We had a wonderful Easter celebration. First we watched the sun rise as we drove through the foothills to attend a service at a local church and then shared in the yummy breakfast that followed. Our group was invited to Easter dinner at the camp directors’ home where we enjoyed pork, turkey, and ham plus lots and lots of trimmings. We were all asked to share our favorite part of the Easter story. Mine was “He is not here.” After cleaning up the dishes (and there were plenty of helpers), in the tradition of our host’s growing up years, we sang Easter hymns. Ya gotta know, I loved that!!! What a blessing to spend Easter in a family setting. 

Although the project officially ends on Friday of this week, we'll be staying through until Tuesday. Our next project is only about four hours away at Little Galilee Christian Camp in Clinton IL. So, we're staying here a few extra days (maybe we'll get to go to Colton's again) and arriving at our new project a few days early. What a blessing that everyone is so accommodating. 

So grateful for this journey. Glad you're along for the "ride." Be blessed & be a blessing!

Florida to Missouri: What a Hoot!

Since leaving our February project in Texas we have traveled through nine states and have parked our rig overnight in eleven different locations ranging from one night to one week.  A former client of mine referred to us as choosing a gypsy lifestyle. After these past six weeks, I’d have to agree with him if it weren’t for the fact that we do get to sleep in our own bed each night. For this I am so very grateful!

Our granddaughter loves animals,
including her pet pig.

We had a simply delightful second week with our granddaughter. After leaving Wickham Park (park #6) in Melbourne FL near our son’s place on March 19th with our granddaughter along, we returned her to the Belleview area where her mom lives and we settled in at Southern Oaks RV Resort (park #7). We stayed at this park last year and we’re happy to return. It’s close enough to our granddaughter’s school and activities that we were able to take her to and from school each day, no problem. While she was at school, we had a wonderful tour and visit with a junior/high school friend of mine that spends three months in The Villages. Quite the community but a bit too overwhelming for me (she said I’d get used to it but I rather like our current lifestyle). Another day while our granddaughter was in school we took a drive to Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards in Clermont FL at the recommendation of some very good friends who know about these things. Beautiful setting. We were not disappointed. In the evenings, we just enjoyed our granddaughter…riding bikes, playing shuffle board (yes, you read that right; she loves it), playing bags (a/k/a cornhole), swimming, and we taught her one of our favorite card games “Five Crowns.” She asked to play several times. Love it when we hit on something we all can enjoy together. 

Watching grandson's basketball tournament.

One interesting side note during this time is that our oldest grandson was playing in a National (Middle School) Basketball Championship in Indiana and we were able to watch it online. They lost their second game and went in to the consolation division and took that trophy home. Way to go guys! The crazy thing about that final game is that Bill and I were already on the road heading out of Florida and we stopped at a rest area to watch that game. Sure glad we did!

On our final night with our granddaughter we did something that Bill and I hadn’t done since before we met. The three of us went to a drive in theatre. Of course, we had to go buy some movie candy. Bottle Cap candies for our gjrl, Whoppers for me, and ordinary popcorn for Bill. So fun to watch the new release of Beauty and the Beast in the comfort of our car. It was nice enough to sit outside but I could hear better in the car as we tuned our radio to the appropriate number. That was different from the way it used…oh no, I never wanted to be one to use that phrase (“the way it used to be”). Yikes!

Sad to say goodbye to our granddaughter, but excited to be heading towards our next project (Camp David of the Ozarks near Rolla MO). We had two weeks to get there and couldn’t resist the opportunity to swing by Nashville (as Bill would say) to visit a dear friend. The normal route would be going through Atlanta but both Bill and I agree to avoid Atlanta at all costs. Wasn’t a high cost at all. We took a great route through the panhandle of Florida into Alabama where we boondocked at another Wal-Mart (“park” #8) in Troy AL. It almost didn’t happen! I always call ahead to the chosen Wal-Mart to confirm that they allow overnight parking. When I called this place, I got an immediate “no.” When I told her that my on-line information said that they did alow it, she told me I would have to speak to a manager. I waited on hold for quite awhile. Thinking she forgot about me or was trying to get rid of me, I hung up and called back. J Unfortunately, the same thing happened. At that point, we decided to find a truck stop for our overnight. Until, that is, we came upon that very Wal-Mart and we could see various semi-trucks parked along the side of the parking lot. I yelled (sorry Bill) pull in, they must allow parking. As we pulled in to the lot there were signs all over saying “no overnight parking.” Whaaaaat’s with all the trucks. Because we were both pretty tired and had nothing to lose, I went in to the customer service desk. There were three women, one of which had a manager’s tag, so I immediately went up to her (looking as pitiful as I could) and told her that we saw the trucks in the lot and assumed they allowed overnight parking but then saw the signs. She was so sweet! She says they are trying to look out for the safety of their customers but that they don’t enforce “no overnight” and no one would bother us if we wanted to stay. Praise the Lord!!! So glad I’m not one to give up to easily. Bill was pleased as well.

So glad we came through Alabama. It is a beautiful state. Lots of rolling hills and valleys with colorful trees. I almost thought it was the beginning of fall not spring. There was a lot of bad weather forecast, but Praise the Lord (again!) we only got rain. We picked a campground (park #9) about 30 minutes from Huntsville AL for four nights so we could spend some time at the U.S. Space and Rocket Museum. As if we haven’t had enough of space and rockets. What can I say? We’re big fans! Each one is different in some ways. Besides, the one in Houston, we had limited time; the one at Kennedy we enjoyed with our 11 year old granddaughter; and the one in Huntsville we could take all the time we needed which was such a delight. The other cool thing about this museum is that we got in FREE because of our EAA membership. Had we known, we could have stayed right on the grounds of the Museum as they have an RV Park available to the public. Oh well, we enjoyed a different experience of being at a campground that doubled as an RV storage place. It was nice enough and the people there were great, but the place didn’t have much of a park feel.

We also managed to find two nice microbreweries in the area. I even liked a few of the beers. With names like Raspberry Blonde, Pumpkin Madness, and Vanilla Porter what’s not to like. I know Bill and most true beer drinkers wouldn’t like these, but that’s why I did. Tastings are perfect for me as that’s about all the beer I want. Bill, now that’s another matter. He likes a nice dark beer once and awhile.

Finally, we’re on our way to Nashville. Well actually, we’re staying in Kentucky. Really hard to find a nice reasonably priced campground near Nashville (heading towards MO). I really didn’t want to travel through Nashville but for a big city the traffic wasn’t too bad. PTL! I hardly freaked out at all. We ended up in Franklin KY (Dad’s Bluegrass Campground park #10) about a half hour from Nashville. Had a wonderful time visiting our dear friend, Courtney, who left Wisconsin only last August to fulfill a dream of living in Nashville. (No she’s not a country singer wanna be, but she does like country music and Nashville, in general.)  She took us to a few local spots including lunch at Wildhorses Saloon.  Too fun! It was just a blast hanging out with Courtney and having her as our first adult overnight guest. We found a great church In Bowling Green with a lot of similarities to our home church in Oshkosh: Community/New City. So wonderful to praise loudly and worship and receive a powerful message.  Once again, that’s the one thing I miss most about being on the road and that is worshiping powerfully and Spirit led with “family.” On our way back to our rig, we stopped at a winery right off the highway close to where we were parked. So glad we did. Very homey atmosphere, extremely friendly people, and a delightful (& huge) gift shop. Made several new friends; oh, yes and tasted some delicious wine.

As many of you know, there has been some interesting weather where we’ve been. Thankfully, the good Lord has kept us out of most of it. Our last night in the Nashville area, Bill woke me up at 2 a.m.so he could move the bedroom slide in. He knew I’d freak out if I awoke while he was doing that. The winds were pretty strong and we have a tear in the bedroom slide awning. To keep it from getting worse, Bill decided to wake me. I’m glad he did, even though I had trouble getting back to sleep. I’m such a big baby when it comes to wind and rain.

You would think by now, after all it’s been over a year, I’d be a bit more relaxed about the weather and going from place to place but such is not the case. I had a month or two when I was doing so much better but I still get such a nervous stomach as we prepare to leave one RV park for another. I actually enjoy the packing up part (a place for everything and everything in its place) but I still struggle with other drivers, depth perception, and the whole no control passenger seat. Trust me, I sure don’t want to drive the big rig but I sure would like to enjoy the journey more. My prayer has been and will continue to be to trust God & trust Bill. Please Lord, take away my nervous stomach and sweaty palms!

Look closely...
Bill is hugging a tree.

Park #11, Redman Creek in Wappapello MO, our final stop before heading off to our April project.  What an awesome place. It is a campground maintained by the Army Corp of Engineers and is part of a huge recreational area that surrounds Wappapello Lake. Beautiful. Quiet. Relaxing. Wondeful. Just what I needed after our long vacation and prior to jumping back in to a project site. Our first day here, we hiked the trail near our campsite. A mile or so of beauty. Yesterday, Bill decided to go to one of the other trails about 20 miles away…this one was five miles long and the literature said “primitive trail open to foot traffic only and offers outdoor enthusiasts a unique view of the Missouri Ozarks.” It was wonderful but a bit strenuous at times. We postponed our hike for about an hour as rain was passing through. Guess what, it decided to pass through again when we were on the trail. Fortunately it was just rain and we could see it through the trees coming over the valley. So we each hugged a big tree for about a half hour until it passed. Hardly got wet. We were both pretty tired and decided to treat ourselves to a wonderful dinner at a local café and ice cream shop afterwards. Bill had the Double Chili Burger with extra jalapanos and a cherry butterscotch malt. I had the shrimp and catfish dinner with dessert first:  a scoop each of chocolate fudge & chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. What a treat. I’m full and I’m beat! Time to hit the sack!

Okay, so I didn’t quite get this posted last night, but I was too tired to insert pictures and format. So I can now say we have safely made it to our April project at Camp David of the Ozarks near Rolla MO. The drive was absolutely beautifully but very challenging for Bill. It was very windy today and you sure could feel it as we traveled along. Once again, Bill did a great job. Thanks, Hon!

Until next time: Be blessed & be a blessing!