Busy November

Cousin reunion in Green Valley, AZ with my Aunt Miriam (90) attending also. We had lots of questions to ask her as she is the last one of her generation remaining


Vince and Mom Clark in Prescott when we went to get our shed/trailer


Our new leased site in Phoenix with everything 'in place' including our 'shed/trailer'


Larry using his drill press outside the trailer on one of his projects


Grandsons Shane and Alex on Thanksgiving


Granddaughters Bethany and Cerét on Thanksgiving


Our "kids" Dawn and Todd at our family Thanksgiving Dinner


Alex, Bethany, Adam (Cerét's beau), Cerét, Shane



The family for Thanksgiving minus one grandson who had to work


We started out November by going to the AZ State Fair with Vince and Dawn and spent over six hours there. We had a lot of fun, bought too many unnecessary things, ate too much "fair" food and got pretty wet as a big storm came in around 9 PM. On Election Day Vince took us to Prescott to pick up our shed/trailer to bring it back to our site in Phoenix. Dawn joined us when we arrived back in Phoenix and after we got everything settled in place we went to Applebee's to eat.

Once again my cousins had a 'Cousin Reunion' with all but one remaining cousin attending as well as our one remaining aunt/mother. We spent two days in Green Valley, AZ and had a good time reminiscing and eating.

On Nov 14 we went to the Golden Corral on 59th and Northern (along with hundreds of other vets!) for their annual 'honor Veterans day' free dinner. We stayed in line while Dawn and Vince went to WalMart to pick up a few things. Bethany also went with us and we all had a very good meal in spite of the wait. On the 19th the park had a free Thanksgiving meal for the residents and served 103 meals. The turkey was a choice of regular roasted or smoked and we chose smoked--it was fabulous! Then for Thanksgiving Day we reserved the park clubhouse for our family meal and 11 showed up (one grandson had to work all day at the hospital) We had a great time eating, catching up on events and laughing over the game "Tabu". Sunday Nov 27 Dawn (Vince was home ill) met us at Souper! Salad! in MetroCenter and then we all went looking for a new car for Bethany. We spent the entire afternoon looking,test driving, talking and finally leaving empty handed. Tuesday evening Dawn and Vince went back and ended up buying a new car for Bethany to use as long as she makes the payments and keeps it clean.

Back in sunny AZ

Snow on the Spring Mountains in Pahrump, NV taken from our campsite in Charleston Peak RV Resort



The ramp Larry fitted so he could enter the trailer easier. It is much easier on his back so he is a much happier camper now.




Larry working on a project at the Cocopah Casino with his new dentures in place.




Cocopah Casino in Somerton, AZ where we dry camped while we went to Algodones, Mexico for Larry's new dentures


After a week at Preferred RV in Pahrump, we moved down the road to Charleston Peak RV. After 100º weather for a week, we had a storm and snow on the Spring Mountains which was most welcomed. The snow didn't last long but we enjoyed it while we could see it. We made several trips to the Nugget buffet and met friends three different times. We always enjoy the Nugget and tend to eat more than needed. We went to Front Sight for a two day empty hand defensive course, learned a lot and were sore after using muscles unaccustomed to being used. We ended up buying a guide so we could review what we learned. After all, practice makes perfect.

We then headed to Cocopah Casino in Somerton, AZ so Larry could get his new dentures. The new ones look more natural (they are porcelain as opposed to plastic) and fit much better. He has had a few sore spots but is doing much better and is very grateful he doesn't have to spend half an hour anymore "preparing" his dentures with SeaBond!

We arrived at our leased lot in Phoenix last Friday and Dawn, Vince and friend, Jay came over and helped us get set up and then we all went out to eat at Sweet Tomatoes. Sat. Larry and Vince went to the gun show at the U of Phoenix stadium in Glendale.

It's supposed to be Fall!

Sunset at Cascade Meadows RV Resort in La Pine, OR


The sprinkler head we waited a month for so Larry could install the fire suppression system in the engine compartment


Foam canister in the engine compartment for the fire suppression system


Where we overnighted south of Gerlach, NV


Larry kept busy and finally was able to install the fire suppression system in the engine compartment of the motorhome that we purchased in Redmond in July. He needed another sprinkler head and we waited a month for it to arrive. Then we had to go to Bend to get the right fittings. He was able to finish the job just before we left OR which is what he wanted to do.

We traveled a different way down to Alturas, CA since we left from LaPine this year. We stopped in Silver Lake at the free OR weigh station to see how all Larry’s efforts to get the weight off the front went since we have the Yamaha in the front now. He did a great job and actually had to move the hitch down one notch, which he did when we stopped for the night.

We dry camped about 50 miles south of Gerlach, NV and 30 miles north of Nixon, NV, basically out in the middle of nowhere and in twelve hours we saw 12 vehicles but the night sky was incredible because there was no light pollution. I had forgotten just how many stars there really are and how beautiful the night sky can really be!

We arrived in Pahrump, NV Thursday morning to 100º weather and the A/C hasn’t been off yet. What a change from having the heater on every night for the last two weeks before we left OR!!

In a Rut

We have spent the entire month of August at Cascade Meadows in LaPine, OR. This is a great park and the weather has been fabulous. However, Larry overdid his projects and hurt his back so we haven't done much of anything except go to the chiropractor in LaPine many times. We have been to Bend a couple of times to get needed items and enjoyed a pizza from Costco and Blizzards from DQ. Again, since we are in Oregon where there is no sales tax, we try to "anticipate" what we will need for the next year and make our purchases here, so it seems like we are getting things in the mail, by UPS or FedEx every day!

We had our first taste of fall weather last night when the temperature dropped down to 22º but today was lovely at 71º and by this weekend back into the mid 80's. We decided to extend another two weeks here since it has been so hot in Pahrump and since Charleston Peak has been sold and we don't know if we will be able to stay there or not. We still have reservations for two weeks there Oct 6-20 (originally we had five weeks reserved) and are hopeful they will be good when we get there. Many things are changing fast in the RV world! We are grateful to have eight + wonderful years of fulltiming under our belts.

Summer in Central Oregon

Larry putting the new brake line fittings on the new axles so we could leave Merrill. It was finally summer and since Larry's thermostat doesn't work we had to make a cover for him.

The new windshield that Larry modified to fit his Yamaha

Larry standing like an "S" after moving wrong and messing up his back

Cascade Meadows RV in La Pine, OR, our new Oregon 'home'.



After several tries, we finally left Merrill for good on July 9 and traveled to Bend/Sunriver, Oregon. Larry had to put new fittings on the brakes of the new axles as the old fittings were rubbing. We had to have them next day aired to us so we could leave on the 9th. I’m so grateful he is so handy with mechanical stuff as well as many other things. We would not be able to fulltime if he weren’t so handy!

Several times we have gone out with our friends, Rosie and Forrest, who sold their home in Pahrump, NV in Jan and are now “traveling” wherever the wind takes them. It is always fun seeing friends from the early years of our traveling.

We went to The Rally in Redmond, OR and bought up to date fire extinguishers for the motorhome, trailer and an automatic one for the engine compartment. We have toyed with the idea of an automatic fire extinguisher in the engine compartment every since friends lost their motorhome to fire, that started in the engine compartment, in 15 minutes. They lost everything including their towed vehicle as it was too close to the fire to be unhooked without endangering the ‘unhooker’. Installing it will be Larry’s next project. (You know he HAS to have a “project”!)

Larry bought a universal windshield and with some adjustments, made it to fit his Yamaha motorcycle. Of course he did a great job and it looks like it was made for his bike. He took a ride up to Paulina Lake one evening and said it did a great job of stopping the bugs.

Larry moved wrong and got his back out of alignment and fortunately there is a wonderful Chiro in La Pine who has helped him very much. He is once again walking straight.

With all the uproar with Thousand Trails and ROD, we decided to buy a membership at Cascade Meadows where we are currently, so we could still have ROD. Larry has always liked this park and we have been coming here since 2004 so it seemed the logical thing to do. Even gives us an Oregon ‘connection’ since we sold the OR place! Now as members we can stay longer and have decided to stay until mid Sept. when we will head to Pahrump,NV for our next go-around at FrontSight.

Life is good and we are grateful for each day together.

Busy,busy June

Hail in June!


Last time to see Merrill peonies

Insulation and ceiling in our trailer-shed



Our leased site in Phoenix

Our trailer-shed in AZ


June started out with a hailstorm. Fortunately it wasn’t very big hail so no damage.

We closed on our Oregon place June 10 but we were not ready to leave. Our buyers have been very gracious to allow us to stay in the side yard to finish getting ready.

Goodyear stepped up to the plate and allowed us to exchange the two remaining tires dated 2008 for newer ones. That is a definite Praise the Lord!

Larry has been sorry ever since he sold his Zuma scooter in 2005 so he bought a Yamaha TW200 motorcycle. Oregon requires a motorcycle endorsement for a license so he also signed up for a motorcycle refresher course. It was an all day class on a Saturday. The following Monday we went into Klamath Falls so he could get his endorsement. The license branch had been closed for a week for upgrades so the wait was about an hour and a half but the good thing is he passed!

Since we are leaving Oregon we decided we needed to take our “valuable stuff” in storage to AZ and ended up buying a utility trailer to make the move. That way we would have to move the “stuff” only once. Our across the street neighbor agreed to allow us to use his pickup truck that just sits in his backyard to take the trailer to AZ and we took four days for a fast turn around trip. We are SO glad that is over with and our “stuff” is safe in AZ at Larry’s mom’s house for now. We leased a site in Phoenix for a year about a mile from Dawn’s place and will take the trailer/shed to Phoenix when we arrive sometime in Oct.

We have been very busy getting everything ready for our “final” move from Merrill. Larry agreed to help our buyers repair some water damage to the hall ceiling in the mobile home and still has that to do. We are hoping to be ready to go by July 6 and will head to the TTN preserve in Bend, OR.

Today is a very special day as our across the street neighbor who loaned us his truck asked Jesus into his heart! It is awesome to see how God works and this is what our ministry is all about, pointing people to Jesus. Praise the Lord!

Cool May

Class picture fifty years later where fourteen of seventeen gathered



The 'Motley Crew' of the class, friends for many years



Sat morning reunion brunch



Friday night pre-party dinner for the reunion



Where we stayed for the reunion--one of my classmates' home



Step mom, Reba and Ellen on Mother's Day



Snow in WY on the 11th of May! We even accumulated ice on the windshield



We stopped to view the Great Salt Lake outside of Salt Lake City, UT



Antelope we saw soon after entering Oregon


We started out the month going to my long awaited 50th class reunion and had a fabulous time! It was such fun seeing many classmates for the first time in fifty years and ‘reliving’ the past. Details one would forget, another would remember so we reconstructed our high school years’ highlights. Fourteen out of seventeen remaining attended and we spent two fun filled days together.
We spent Mother’s Day with my step mother and took her out to eat at MCL cafeteria (her choice) and enjoyed watching the parade of hats that the black church ladies were wearing.
Monday May 9 we set out to make a beeline for Oregon and our home base. We encountered 97º weather in Council Bluffs, IA and a white out snow storm in WY. We arrived at our home base on May 13 and promptly sold it to the folks who had called us in April. We close on June 10 and then set out to be really ‘fulltimers’.

Larry has been busy repairing the trailer as we had another tire lose its tread and blow, causing damage to the trailer fender and side. This makes four of the original six tires we purchased in July 2008 that the tread has come off. Did we get a bad batch of tires? We are a little leery of using the remaining two tires for fear they, too, will lose the tread and possibly damage the trailer AGAIN. We are talking to Goodyear about the issue. Through it all though, God has been faithful to protect us and provide for us. Praise His Holy Name!

Busy April

Sunset behind road bridge over the Tennessee River, taken from the Railroad Bridge we were walking on in Muscle Shoals, AL







Larry and his grandfather, who will be 107 on May 28, 2011 in KY







Formation in Frozen Niagara Tour at Mammoth Cave in KY








Us at the Historic entrance to Mammoth Cave, KY












Brother Bill and Larry on Resurrection Day at the family dinner in Richmond











Sister-in-law Nancy, niece Cyndi and Cyndi's grandchildren, Gavin(5)and Alexa(2 1/2)











Niece Emily, with her daughter, NoraLee and son Cole, with Reba and hands of my brother-in-law, Steve at Golden Corral in Noblesville, IN










Ellen with great nephew, Cole, 5 and great niece, NoraLee, 19 months









My step mother, Reba at her home after our family get together





We had several nice days while we were at Cherokee Landing. They have common areas with huge fire rings and they provided the wood. We enjoyed campfires two evenings with our neighbors and saw four deer one afternoon while walking. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera and I didn't have my phone either so no pictures. I'm not sure I would have been able to get one even if I had my phone as they turned tail and bounded off as soon as they saw us!
We traveled to Muscle Shoals, AL to meet friends from seminary days and had a great time. They took us to the Railroad Bridge on the Tennessee River where their daughter was married last May. The bridge has an interesting history and it was fun walking to the end of it since it does not cross the river--it goes to an island in the middle. Of course, it is no longer used for train or auto traffic.

We stayed in Cave City, KY to visit Mammoth Cave and took a short ride to look up Larry's biological grandfather who will be 107 the end of May! We took just two tours at Mammoth Cave and that about did Larry in. I particularly enjoyed "Fat man's misery" and the beauty of Frozen Niagara. We ate our lunch at a picnic table in the park and enjoyed all the spring flowers and trees.

We arrived at Indian Lakes Preserve in Batesville, IN on April 15 and have been hunkered down ever since because of all the severe storms and tornado watches and warnings. Thankfully, they have missed us but we do have a lot of standing water around us. We were told they have received over 300% more rain in April than normal!
Larry's brother and sister-in-law visited us Palm Sunday and we went out to eat at a small café in Sunman, IN and tried 'goetta', a local food to the Cincinnati area consisting of pork shoulder and oats cooked for 5-6 hours. It was quite good.

Resurrection Sunday we drove to Richmond and visited Larry's brother's church and then had dinner with their family. We had not seen their grandkids in 25 years so needless to say, they have changed quite a bit! We also met their great grandkids for the first time. We had a very enjoyable day.

April 30 we traveled to Fishers to visit my step mother and then on to Noblesville to meet the rest of the family for eats at Golden Corral. There were nine of us and I really enjoyed my great nephew and niece. Cole was two (now 5) the last time we saw him and NoraLee is nineteen months. Little ones are so much fun but you have to have a lot of energy to keep up with them! I know why you have children when you are young.

Heading East

Our view from St David, AZ


Neat graphics on a shopping mall wall in El Paso, TX where we overnighted


Entrance to Tres Rios RV Park in Glen Rose, TX


Our huge site at Lake Tawakoni, TX with the wild flowers. There were also little purple ones but they didn't show up because they were so short.


Larry in front of Kitchen's Hardware and Deli in Mineola, TX



Inside Kitchen's Hardware in Mineola, TX


Our site in Cherokee Landing, TN where we backed the entire rig into the site


We stayed pretty close to home in St David so Larry's mouth could heal. He is still having a few issues and some pain as bits of bone have worked their way out. A friend said that isn't unusual.
After leaving St David, AZ we spent three days on the road crossing TX and found another trailer tire with the tread gone but still inflated when we stopped for lunch one day. We must have bought some defective tires as that is the third tire to do that in the batch of eight tires. We ended up at Tres Rios RV in Glen Rose,TX, a new park for us but very nice. We were greeted by folks we have seen the last two years in AZ and met new folks. We met friends in Cleburne for lunch one day and had friends from Larry's seminary days come to our place another day. We enjoyed both visits and it is always good to see friends from the past, no matter how far in the past!
After a week we moved further east to Lake Tawakoni, TX about 60 miles east of Dallas and liked the park so well we changed our plans and stayed another week. We took a day trip to Mineola, TX which is a real touristy town and saw Kitchen's old fashioned hardware store. On the way back we took a detour and visited several yard sales and came away with something we needed, (surprise!)

Today we arrived at Cherokee Landing in Saulsbury, TN on opening day and were the first "campers" to arrive so we had our pick of sites. We were able to back the trailer and the motor home into the site and decided to extend here too since the site is so nice. It is great how accommodating TTN has been about extending at the last minute! Since we are staying here longer, it will give us more opportunities to visit the sights around Memphis. To get here today, we traveled 120 miles and were in three states (TX, MS, and TN). What a great country we live in to be able to travel so freely! We are taking full advantage as that may not be true in the future.