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!

Escapades with Granddaughter

I couldn’t resist writing about our wonderful week with our granddaughter; my memory ain’t what it used to be and I want to remember all the fun we had. Writing it down definitely helps with that and I need all the help I can get. Before I go any further, I just want to thank our good Lord for the gift of grandchildren and having this focused time with our granddaughter.

As you can imagine, after not seeing her for a year, she looked so much older and so beautiful. How can this be, she’s only eleven? We had a wonderful first night together at her dad’s place. I love hanging out with an eleven year old. I got to ride bikes, go for ice cream, color, play Legos, and laugh a lot over some silly electronic game called Flash Pad. We let the adults sit out on the patio and catch up.

Monday we spent at the beach. We wanted to be sure to get that in as the forecast was looking pretty cool later in the week. Once again, I had a blast playing catch, building sand castles, and digging a water pit for our granddaughter to sit in and let the waves wash up over her. That was an ongoing project and we had so much fun doing it. Poopa as he is affectionately called by her got in a quick nap in his chair while we played. There was quite a breeze so the waves were strong enough to knock you (me) over, so I let Poopa go out and jump waves with her while I just relaxed and watched them have a good time. That evening we taught her a new card game (to her): Five Crowns & she loved it. I also got to color some more with her.

Tuesday was an exceptionally wonderful day. We had promised to take her shopping  for her Christmas gift (It’s a lot more fun for all of us that way. Instead of trying to guess what she’d like, mailing it to her, and then never really knowing if she’s enjoying whatever it is we sent, she agreed last December that this was a good idea.) So she was pretty excited to go shopping and, bless her, all she wanted was more Legos. Makes this Nana happy! More fun times with her. Wal-Mart here we come. She picked out: Minecraft – Nether Railway (and had it all put together within 24 hours).

You’d think after she found what she wanted, we’d be on our way out the door. But no-o-o-o, we decided to quick look at some different handlebars for my bike. The bike I had was an after show EAA find but the bike didn’t “fit” me after adjusting everything we could adjust. So Bill was trying to adapt it to make it a better ride for me. As a side note, we had stopped at some bike shops over the weekend and found the accessories and bikes were way more money than we wanted to spend, even for used. So-o-o-o back to looking for different handlebars at Wal-Mart. Across the aisle from the handlebars was a bright & beautiful magenta colored bike that actually benefits breast cancer. It was the exact style I was looking for but without any of the bells and whistles that a similar bike at one of the bike shops had for over $300 less!!! After riding it around the store for about ten minutes, we were all convinced that I had to get this bike. To our granddaughter’s delight this meant she could have my old bike. With that in mind, we decided to give her an early birthday present and bought a bell, a basket, a gel seat cover, and some blue spray paint to make her “new” bike more her style. Everybody’s happy!!!  Needless to say, we’ve done a lot of bike riding all over Wickham Park. FYI: This park is almost 400 acres and has lots of trails and roads for riding and walking.

On Wednesday the big deal was going to Andretti Thrill Park, one of our granddaughter’s favorite places to go. Me not so much. My stomach and head can’t take most of the rides there, but she loves it. Popop (his official grandpa name) went go-karting several times with her and I loved watching. We all played lazer tag and I did manage to go on the Family Coaster. It spins but isn’t very high, so I managed it a few times (she likes to hear me scream); I didn’t feel all that great when it was over but she was happy. The things we do for our grandchildren. J

Thursday was a VERY full day. Up early so we could arrive at the Kennedy Space Center by 9 a.m. opening. Our granddaughter was very excited about going and, if you’ve read past blogs, you know that we loved going to the Johnson Space Museum in Houston; this was bigger and better for the simple reason is this is where the launches actually happen. Once again, hard to put into (a few) words. Experiencing it with an eleven year old is different but still very wonderful. We stayed until closing which was 6 p.m. so we were all pretty tired and hungry on the drive home. I haven’t mentioned many of the places that we‘ve eaten and we’ve had a lot of good experiences. But this one is noteworthy. We stopped at a place called Gator’s Dockside. At first, I wasn’t happy as I could tell it was a very loud sports bar, but the menu was most enticing and we could sit on the patio. Bill had a Five Alarm Burger, our granddaughter had a Mac&Cheese Burger, and I had a Shrimp PoBoy (lightly breaded in a Cajun sauce). There was so much scrumptious shrimp that I ate it all with a fork and left the bun. Our granddaughter was still pretty wound up when we got home (she got a brief nap in the car on the way home) and begged to play another round of Five Crowns. That was one way of keeping Nana and Popop awake. The things you do for your grandchildren! J

 

On Friday we officially celebrated our granddaughter’s birthday (which isn’t until June but we don’t get to see her in June and we all know how well the delayed Christmas present worked out so why not do an early birthday too). She loved it especially when I picked up a Cookie Cake. There’s a huge ongoing joke between my granddaughter and me and it has to do with cooooooooookies. It’s one of those times where you’d have to be present to appreciate it. Just know that the Cookie Cake was an even bigger hit because of our ongoing joke. We took a birthday bike ride as well and our granddaughter came upon a rather large unspooked turtle eating grass very near our motorhome. We watched him for several minutes; something I can honestly say I have never done before. Seems a simple thing but it was real exciting for me. Doesn’t take much, does it? For those of you who don’t know, I lived a very indoor life before meeting Bill, so experiencing things like this is oftentimes a new experience for me. Praise the Lord!

Our granddaughter spent Friday evening and all day Saturday with her dad and we were thrilled for them to have some one-on-one time together. We had a wonderful relaxing day. Took a really long bike ride and saw areas of the park we had never seen before. So many trails and lots of vegetation, one could easily get lost if they had my sense of direction. You’d never know that you were in the middle of a city. We rode almost five miles. So grateful for my new bike as this ride never would have happened otherwise. Early in our ride we stopped by the equestrian facility where it appeared they were having horse and buggy training. Another first see for me.

We had one more main event before pulling out tomorrow (Sunday 3/19) morning. We met up with our son and granddaughter to watch the Atlas V rocket and missile warning satellite launch off Cape Canaveral, literally on Cocoa Beach which is about five miles from the launch site. What a great spot. Lots of people scattered along the beach but not at all crowded. Such an awesome sight to see and hear (not real loud but very bright) and to think we were just there two days ago. Love this life! Thank you Jesus! Until next time, be blessed & be a blessing!

This is crazy!

This is crazy. It still boggles my mind that I can get up in the morning from a great night’s sleep in my own bed in one city and be sitting outside my home on our patio relaxing with a good book in another city miles away just a few hours later. Who does this? I would have never imagined that it would be me!!! J Thank you Lord for this amazing journey.  

I don’t think I’ve mentioned lately about the wonderful job Bill does in maneuvering our 40 foot home and car dolly in some very tight spaces. We stayed at a very nice RV resort; the corner turns were a bit tight but Bill did a great job. I’m getting better with the anxiety (PTL) when it comes to traveling and parking our home; Bill’s expertise is helping a lot. I remember what our niece said after we only had our motor home for a short while. “So, Share, how’s Bill been doing so far?” Great, I would say. “So why should it be any different this time or the next?” Thanks, Jenna! I hear you in my head more than I’d like to admit. (Lord, forgive me for not trusting You and him more!)

Look close...swimming pigs.

So we did the Florida Strawberry Festival thing and it was a lot of fun (but to be honest we had to work at having fun as we got some really devastating and sad news from some very dear friends of ours while at the festival and we were extremely sad that we couldn’t be with them during this time). The festival reminded me of a really  really  big fair; lots of vendors selling all sorts of merchandise, services, and lots and lots of food.  There was also a midway with rides and things but we didn’t even venture in that direction. No, that would have distracted me from watching my first ever pig race. Seriously, these people said they’ve been racing pigs at the Strawberry Festival for 30 years. So now I’ve seen it once…it was cute but once is enough. So on to the main event (for me anyway) of the festival. Scotty McCreery puts on a great show. He had great stage presence and interacted with the audience just enough. He shared why he wrote certain songs and how grateful he was for the American Idol ride and all those who voted for him. It had been six years since he won, and I could definitely see how he had matured. Funny how we think we know someone we have never met. We both thoroughly enjoyed the concert. On our way out, we bought some kettle corn which tasted so delicious and reminded me of art fairs in Oshkosh. Yes, I still think of “home” sometimes, but not in a homesick sort of way; more of a very fond memory.

I must correct myself. In my last blog I said we were going to be at Grove Ridge RV Resort in Dade City for two nights…nope, it was three which means we had a whole day after the concert to see what Dade City had to offer. Oh boy, I was excited! “Dade City’s Wild Things” here we come. For those of you who have been reading my blog all along, you know I love zoos. Well this is a very different, very unique  sort of zoo. It is done by tour only and we were the only ones on our particular tour. The zoo is on the property of the Zoo Director’s home and he even has some of the baby animals living in the house with him. Would have loved to have seen them! Anyway, we did the walking tour so we got to see the animals pretty close (sorry no pictures allowed) and hear lots of interesting, “I never knew that” facts. There was an option to have some interaction with many of the different baby animals for an additional charge, but we passed on that. We may go back so I can get some one on one time (ten minutes) with a griffin monkey all for the low price of $19.99. Oh yah, we’re also thinking of taking our granddaughter there when we’re parked near her mom’s home (later this month) as it’s only an hour away and our granddaughter loves  animals. (And then I get to go again!)

So here we are, just hours after leaving “home” in Grove Ridge, we find ourselves at Wickham Park in Melbourne FL settling in for a few days before we get to see our son and granddaughter. It was last year right around this time, we first came to this park; we loved it then, we love it now. And, it’s the first time since we started this journey that we have come full circle. It may sound crazy but for me it’s a wonderful feeling to actually know the park we’re heading towards.  We’re even getting to know the area quite a bit. We had all day yesterday (Sat. 3/11) to bum around and that’s exactly what we did. We went to a bike shop, a music shop, a hardware store, a used book store, a thrift shop, an ice cream shop, a grocery store, and, of course, we spent a couple hours on the beach. This morning we found a wonderful vibrant church to attend (that meets in a movie theatre – reminiscent of times gone by) and this afternoon while we wait for the call to hop in the car and drive to Palm Bay (about 20 minutes away) to see our son and granddaughter, we’re getting a long overdue project completed.  Bill stained and taped off, and I’m painting a game “board” that his brother made for us last fall from a picture I sent him. It’s a game that a lot of the ViMMers play called Jokers & Pegs. It’s great fun and I’m anxious to have one of our own. The “board” comes in pieces and can be put together for four to six players; very easy to store in a motor home. 

Not sure how much blogging I’ll be doing in the next couple of weeks as we’ll be focusing on our granddaughter, so until next time…be blessed & be a blessing.

Thank God for new friends

THANK YOU, LORD for the gift of new friends, great hospitality, wonderful fellowship, a beautiful setting, and some great fun with trains. We arrived on Wednesday (Feb 28^th) at the home of fellow ViMMers (Dave & Roberta) who we had not met prior to pulling our rig onto their property and we’re immediately told we could stay as long as we’d like. So, here we are almost a week later; still here and we’re lovin’ it. We are in Florida, but not by much as we are only about seven miles from the Georgia state line where we have gone to shop and eat a few times. It has been truly a wonderful relaxing time on this beautiful woodsy property, but the best part has been getting to know our new friends and learning about God’s creation in this area. I swear (but I won’t) they know every kind of tree and flower on their property and along the road ways. They have given me a new appreciation for even the smallest of flowers. They truly take time to smell the flowers. 

This place is not only beautiful but also very quiet unless the boys are splitting wood or the trains are running. But not the kind of trains you may be thinking of. Instead of trying to tell you about this…let me show you.

Notice our home in the background.

Isn't this an amazing set up!?!?!?!? And beautiful? It takes the train approximately 15 minutes to run amongst the trees, past the ponds, through the tunnel, past the church and country homes, over the bridges, along the cliffs, past the farm, and through the village. Whew...I think I got most of it covered. Absolutely loved watching this run and Bill even got to be engineer for awhile. So fun!

Bill and I managed to tear ourselves away and take one side trip to the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park located on the Suwannee River. This isn’t your run of the mill state park; nope, not at all. Besides all the interesting Stephen Foster stuff, it had a craft village where various arts and crafts were demonstrated including a skilled dulcimer player who offered to give me a few pointers if and when I could come back. Had I known, I would have taken my dulcimer with me. I think it absolutely amazing that God keeps putting dulcimer players in my path. He’s awesome! We also visited what’s left of the White Sulphur Springs House; in its day people flocked there to get healed of all sorts of ailments and diseases. 

Another thing I loved about this past week is the slow moving mornings. We had no place we had to be (thankfully, the bookkeeping work that I still do for His House Christian Fellowship can be done, for the most part, on my timetable) so I could take my time getting up in the morning. I just love being able to have a cup or two of coffee in bed as I leisurely spend time with God. I read a few devotions, write in my journal, pray, and often reflect on whatever it is God lays on my heart that day. Ohhhhh, how I love these mornings…the slower the better. I’m finally learning how to slow down and this is one of my favorite ways of practicing; for this I am very grateful.

Tomorrow (Mar 7) will not be a leisurely morning as we will be packing up and heading to Dade City about four hours south by motor home. We will be staying at an RV park there for two nights so we can go to the Florida Strawberry Festival. Truthfully, strawberries are not the draw. Not even close. We have tickets on the 8^th to go see Scotty McCreery (tenth season winner of American Idol which was the first time we ever watched the show and I liked Scotty from the very beginning). I’m not real big on concerts, but we thought this might be a fun thing to do on our way to see our granddaughter and son which starts this coming weekend. HalleluJAH!

Until then, be blessed and be a blessing!

Unbelievable! Amazing! Wonderful!

Unbelievable! Amazing! Wonderful! It can’t be. Oh but it is, it truly is. What’s this you say? ONE YEAR ago today (actually it was Feb 29^th J), we purchased our new home and began this God designed journey.  We are so very grateful to be part of Volunteer Mobile Missionaries and the places it has taken us and for the friends we have made through this organization. We bought our beautiful home from a couple who is part of this great organization. And last night we arrived at the home of new friends, a couple we hadn’t even met yet but have been part of this organization for years as well. They put out an invitation to any ViMMers traveling through Florida to swing by and hookup on their property for whatever length of stay desired for some great fellowship. God's timing is so perfect.  It will be an absolute delight to celebrate our one year anniversary with this couple. We praise God every day for this unbelievable, amazing, wonderful journey that He has us on.