Friday, October 24, 2014

ALABAMA BOUND

We cut our time in the West short and did not go to MAPS convention along with a few other planned stops, as we were needed in Alabama.  One daughter lost her job and needed our help in moving.  Of course, there is always a Daddy-do-list from each daughter.  We are always busy when home and need a vacation when we leave here. 

We have been in Alabama for almost a month.  Allan and I have had numerous doctor and dentist appointments and still have a few to go. I have had a problem just getting a mammogram.  It all stems from my gyn doc retiring and choosing a new doc.  At least half of our doctors have retired, left their practice to be a hospitalist or choosing not to take insurance.  We have seen a few friends and taken our daughters out to eat. 

I had my first experience with signing in paperless with a little tablet like device.  It was an easy experience for me (I pity the older people who have little or no experience with computers), but it was very time consuming.  It started asking me questions related to psychiatric problems like depression, anxiety, abuse ... ( I felt like I was being abused by the time I finished with this contraption)  I was waiting to see if it asked me if I owned a gun.  That would be the last straw.  After I completed that section it started with advertisements for medications and wanted to send me updates on these medications to my email.  I have enough junk in my emails.  I don't need any more.  This was obviously provided to the doctors by drug companies. 

We plan to be here as usual at least through the end of the year.  I hope I will have time to catch up on our blog.  I am still so far behind.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

MOUNT RUSHMORE

On Saturday Allan did a solo to Mount Rushmore.  This was not his first time there, but it reminds him of his heritage and the Presidents that have made such an impact on our nation.  It was a nice up and down hike with many stairs, 300+. 

Saturday, August 30, 2014

NEEDLES HIGHWAY

Today we drove the Needles Highway in Custer State Park.  There were a lot of people out and since it is Labor Day weekend, it was not a surprise.  We saw the evidence of at least two weddings.  The scenery was very beautiful on every road we took. 

We also saw Crazy Horse although we did not go into the attraction.  They have been working on this for many years.  It is a whole mountain that is being sculpted not just the face. 

Allan had to stop at the Bobkat's Ice Cream and Pie Shop for a sample of their strawberry rhubarb pie that they are famous for.  There was a line waiting to be served the whole time we were there.  After I drug him out, we drove through the rest of the town of Custer. 

The shortest route home was back through Custer State Park which was a good choice as we ran into a herd of bighorn sheep.  We stopped at Walmart and as we were walking out a big storm had arrived bringing wind, rain and lots of lightning.  The storm passed rather quickly, but later we were sitting in the MH and the wind started rocking us.  The news tonight said we had 60 mph winds.

Friday, August 29, 2014

BEAR TOOTH HIGHWAY

After leaving Wisconsin we traveled to Montana to visit my favorite place which is Bear Tooth Highway.  At the top, the elevation is just shy of 11,000 feet.  Half way to the top there is a fair size parking area with restrooms and a beautiful view for picture taking.  There are resident, begging chipmunks and ground squirrels.  They are not afraid of people.  At the top the road takes you into Wyoming. Both sides of the mountain look different probably due to the amount of rainfall and temperature. There is a pond/lake that I have been trying to walk down to.  We hiked the farthest we have ever gone before, but were stopped due too much mud.  All the snow was in melt mode.  I was not able to make a snow angel either, but we did bring our chairs.  We set up in the parking lot and just took in the cool, clean air and the sounds and sights.  The temperature was between 42 and 52 on the mountain, depending on how much cloud cover there was.  We had a thunder storm while on top.  That was neat to watch it come in and leave very quickly.  We also ran into a group who were back country riding on horseback with several pack horses.  We learned this was one of Ken McNabb's week long schooling trips.  What a wonderful trip this was!  God is good.

Monday, August 25, 2014

WILD HORSE SANCTUARY AND WIND CAVE

Today found me touring the Wild Horse Sanctuary near Hot Springs, S.D.  The story behind this place is amazing.  The gift shop and the cafĂ© are the first stops before the actual tour.  We loaded the bus with 6 people plus our tour guide.  There are about 11,000 acres for the 600+ horses to roam.  We were driven to the top of a cliff for a breathtaking view of the visitor center and home of Dayton Hyde, the founder and horse facilities. 
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
We were able to see two bands of horses from above grazing in the valley near the Cheyenne River.  Our group was met by several friendly bands of horses throughout our stops.  I was so surprised when quite a number of horses came very near us.  We were able to touch a few.  Remember these are wild horses. 
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
Most of these horses are BLM rejects that did not sell.  We were entertained by several bands of horses running nearby. 
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
The little girl that was in our party was chosen by one of the horses to stay with her.  The horse did not leave until we all had to board the bus for our next stop.  
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
How about the white mascara and eye shadow on this horse? 
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
We were told these were Spanish mustangs. 
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
This land was the home to many Indians in the distant past.  One of our stops included a rock wall of petroglyphs.
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave

After my adventure, we drove to Wind Cave National Park for Allan's adventure.  I don't do caves.  Wind Cave has 142 miles of twisting passageways and reside under only 1.2 square miles of surface area, creating a maze of tunnels deep under the rolling hills of the park.  It does not have stalactites and stalagmites that other caves have.  It does have thin calcite fins known as boxwork and other formations referred to as popcorn.  It also does not have bats because the natural opening is so small.  The tour that Allan took lasted 1 1/2 hours and covered 1/2 mile and over 300 steps down.  Fortunately, they got to take the elevator back up.  At times there was low clearance and he had to duck his head and other times he had to turn sideways to get through the tight walls.  There are other tours that go to different areas and one you have to crawl.

From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
On our return home we drove through part of Custer State Park.  We had several animal sightings.
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave
From Wild Horse Sanct & Wind Cave

Sunday, August 24, 2014

BADLANDS

This morning we went to church.  The Sunday School lesson was on end times which was very interesting. 

After lunch we drove to the Badlands since it was a much cooler day.  It was about 70 miles from Rapid City.  We traveled the Loop Road which took us through hills and valleys which were eroded by wind and rain over the years causing various shape formations.  We were expecting it to be all barren, but were surprised to find green vegetation in areas along the road.  You could see for many miles in the distance.  In one location we observed two herds of bighorn sheep.  One herd was crossing the road near the cars and grazing in the fields.  The other herd was scattered over the steep slopes of the Badlands terrain.  You could not help but notice all the different colors in the soil of the area.  My allergies (started coughing) kicked in while in the park.  The wind had picked up and must have stirred up something in the air.  I stayed in the car with the A/C running most of the time.

Allan spied a sign that said pies at Wall Drug so we had to make a stop for PIE on the way back.

While traveling to the Badlands on the interstate we saw a doe and two fawns in the median.  We couldn't imagine anything good about that situation.  But on our return to Rapid City we did not see any signs of the three, dead or alive.  I was so relieved.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

LEAVING WISCONSIN

How long has it been?  April since we last posted.  I have been without a computer for over two months and the hard drive died.  That is not the bad news.  I lost all my genealogy, financials and pictures.  I thought I had backed up some of my things on an external hard drive, but it appears someone didn't know what they were doing.  ME.  I have been hoping I would find some CD's, thumb drives or whatever that will have some of my information backed up.  When we knew I was having trouble with my computer, we did not delete any pictures on Allan's camera.  This weekend I put these pictures (1100) on Picasa.  Also, when I was looking for something in our closet, I found a number of CD's that are labeled as pictures and financials for 2010 and 2011.  Not sure what I will find on these, but I am happy.  I may have to start from scratch on the genealogy.

We have been in Richland Center, Wi. since the first of June working on a church project.  This is my first time in Wisconsin and I have been pleasantly surprised how nice the weather has been and how beautiful it is.  We have been so blessed while here.  We have had five RV's for the majority of the summer.  Some couples have stayed a few weeks, but another couple would take their place.  All the workers were new to us except for one.  Now we have lots of new friends that we hope to see down the road. 

Once again, we had the privilege to lead a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class.  This gives people a financial plan for their lives and helps them get out of debt using Christian principles.

Today is a sad day as this is our departure day.  When I stay a while in one place I start growing roots and it hurts to pull them up.  The day was overcast which made it much cooler.  We did encounter a few short, light showers, but nothing to complain about and it looks like they needed rain all along our travels.

Friday, May 16, 2014

CRESTWOOD PROJECT AND HOLLAND, MICHIGAN

After leaving Lexington, Ky. we drove to our next project, Crestwood Camp, near Louisville, Ky. on April 27th.  Allan worked on maintenance and repair with Frank for about two weeks.  We visited Churchill Downs and we watched the Kentucky Derby on TV rather than fighting the crowds.  While at the camp, Allan had me practice changing the tire.  The big question is ?? will I be able to physically change the tire and remember what I am suppose to do when and if I am presented with a flat tire.  Hope so.

We spent one night in Indianapolis, In. and another night in Michigan City, In. right on the southern coast of Lake Michigan. I was surprised at how large Lake Michigan was.  Not sure what I expected.  That night a terrible storm with high winds arrived so we pulled in the slides and hunkered down. 

We purposely planned our arrival in Holland, Mi. a week after the Tulip Festival to avoid the crowds.  This was a fortunate decision because the tulips were just coming into full bloom when we arrived due to a late winter departure.  The flowers were absolutely magnificent.  I never realized there were so many colors and shapes of tulips.  I really liked the town of Holland.  At our campground we had a pair of Canadian geese who were the proud parents of lots of babies.  I never could get a picture with all of them together. 

We are having to go back and do belated posts due to problems with my computer and later a crash of the hard drive.  It appeared that I lost everything including genealogy, pictures for the last 7 years and financials as my external hard drive did not back up or should I say the operator, me, was not techy enough to know how to do it properly.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

IN BETWEEN PROJECTS

It has been over a month since we made our last post.  We are between projects and have traveled through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Our first stop was in Georgia to visit our dear friends, John and Sue Delong, who introduced Allan and me 35 years ago.  We drove to Social Circle where I used to live and had to make a circle around the "Blue Willow Restaurant" where Allan and I ate several times.  People come from Atlanta to eat at this old southern mansion.

I was able to get some genealogy research done in South Carolina.  We then moved to Charlotte, N.C. to check out the area.  The plans were to visit a cousin of Allan's, but there was some kind of bug going around the retirement facility so we opted not to take a chance of catching it.  The Blue Ridge Parkway was beautiful, but Spring was only starting in the higher elevations.  As we came out of a tunnel much to our surprise two elk were grazing along the roadside.  This was near Cherokee, N.C.

We moved the MH to Heiskell, Tn. at Raccoon Valley Campground for a few days.  We visited Cade's Cove where we saw deer and turkey.  Allan waited on me while I checked out the cemeteries.
It was not too crowded so the drive was a slow but a peaceful drive.  No bear sitings.

We put our MH in storage at the campground for a week and drove the Jeep to Birmingham where our middle daughter was married on April 17 at Tannehill State Park.  Spring was in full bloom in Alabama.  We did have a night of 32 degrees though. 

On our return to Heiskell, Tn. we drove to the Smokey Mountain National Park and made it to the top to Clingman's Dome.  There was a mama bear and her two cubs seen on our way up the mountain, but they were too far away for decent pictures, but on our was down the mountain the bears had moved a little closer to the road so Allan did get some pictures. 

While parked in Heiskell we put the Jeep in for maintenance and repair issues as we were not able to get this done while in Birmingham.  They kept it two days and were able to take care of all the issues, but the repairs turned out to be more extensive than we anticipated.  At least we have a car that is in good shape and ready to roll.  Tomorrow will be a moving day as our destination will be Lexington, Ky. to visit some of Allan's relatives.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

WORK AT JESUP, GEORGIA

We have extended our stay in Jesup, Georgia through March.  The guys are trying to finish the duplex before we all have to leave. 

From 2014-03-11
From 2014-03-11
From 2014-03-11
From 2014-03-11
We have enjoyed our time here.  Most of the bad weather has been north of us, although we have had a few nights below freezing.  The lakes here on the property are very peaceful and have visitations from many different kinds of birds.  There is quite a large family of turtles that call this area home.  Just recently one of the boys saw an alligator, but we have yet to get a picture.  He is very elusive.

Allan and I have made several trips to Savannah, Brunswick and St. Simons Island.  I attended a craft fair in Savannah and while there a fire broke out near the bridge we had to cross.  It was a warehouse full of raw rubber which burned all day and into the next day.  Black smoke was billowing up above the skyline.  We have been to St. Simons Island three times so far.  Barbara Jeans Restaurant was recommended so we ate there and drove around the island.  There were revolutionary and civil war veterans buried at Christ Church cemetery.  Allan toured the Fort Frederica which was built when Georgia was a colony.  There is not much left of the fort now, but there is a visitor's center.  Our second visit was with our group.  We attended church in Brunswick where several of our workers had help construct the church a few years earlier.  Of course, we went out to eat afterwards on St. Simons Island.  Last Sunday was Jeanne's birthday.  Gene and Marilyn went with us to the same church and we had a birthday dinner at the Olive Garden.  That afternoon we went to a play at St. Simons Island called "Busybody". 

When we leave Jesup we will have been here 11 weeks and Katie has been a happy kitty.  I have included a picture of her sunning herself on the dash.  Our original plans were to be here through February which would have put us in areas where they had snow and ice so we are happy we stayed put.
From 2014-03-11

Monday, January 20, 2014

NOKOMIS BEACH, FLORIDA AND JESUP, GEORGIA

We picked up some food from our favorite German deli and traveled to Nokomis Beach across the bay from Venice for a picnic.
From 2014-02-03
There was a boardwalk to the ocean so we were able to take Paul in his wheelchair and view some beautiful sights and smells.  This guy was parked on the railing, resting.
From 2014-02-03
I saw several black cats and began talking with a couple.  They live near beach and come every day to feed the cats.  People come for vacations or longer stays and leave their cats when they return home.  These two have survived quite a number of years.  One cat had a litter of kittens, but has since been spayed.  They were very healthy looking.
From 2014-02-03

We had dinner with 12 of the family at Der Dutchman.  More food than you could ever eat and lots of laughs and family memories filled the night.  This is a picture of the pie brothers
From 2014-02-03

We drove to Durrant, Florida and spent two nights at a church project.  We attended the Tampa RV Show with Alan and Robbin.  Allan and I ran into several friends we had not seen in a while. (Joe and Carolyn,  Howard and Linda, Jack and Danielle, Bob and Molly, Don and Barb)  We didn't buy one, but we sure did look at a lot of RV's.

On January 17th the motor home pulled into what will be our home for at least two months.
From 2014-02-03
From 2014-02-03
From 2014-02-03
From 2014-02-03
Don't you know Katie will be happy.  We are about 10 miles from Jesup, Georgia out in the country.  Allan has gotten good pictures of wildlife, mostly birds.  There are three resident dogs here.  They would like to have Katie for lunch.  She sits on the dash and just stares at them. 

Sunday, January 12, 2014

HEADING SOUTH

Before we arrived in Birmingham, Fall 2013, Allan and I discussed the need for an exit plan in case our health changes.  We both would feel better having some information prior to anything happening to one or both of us.  We are in good health now, but a plan beats no plan.  Having to make big, quick decisions under stress is not ideal.  While in Birmingham we looked at the cost of rental houses and independent and assisted living facilities.  Because our three daughters live here, this would be the obvious location to investigate first. 

Our plan to leave Birmingham after Christmas was set for Jan. 6, but the weather forecast of possible ice/snow and cold weather changed our minds and we left a day early.  We headed south to Florida to visit Allan's brother who had a stroke last year.  We stayed in Bushnell, Florida at Sumter Oaks Escapees RV Park.  We talked with them about their ERPU lots.  Everyone was very friendly as usual.  We joined the group for a pulled pork meal. 

We visited a high school classmate of Allans, Jenny, who moved to "The Villages" about 4 months ago.  This is a 55+ retirement community of about 101,000 people with their own town.  They have every kind of restaurant, shops, banks and anything else you would ever need.  They use golf carts for most of their transportation.  It is a community of single family, one level homes which encompass three counties.  They have medical doctors, their own hospital and nursing home.  Activities abound with 2000 clubs, swimming, golfing, tennis, bowling, pickle ball and adult education to name a few.  We found a one bedroom house that would fit our needs near the polo fields.  Of course, we are not ready to make that move yet.
From 2014-01-12

Hopefully, we have given Paul's daughter's a little rest as we have taken him on little day trips and to some restaurants with PIE.  Pie is in the blood of the Webster clan.
From 2014-01-12
 Robbers were encountered on one of our trips to the beach. 
From 2014-01-12
 We were pleased to find Paul was doing well and his three daughters and their families were taking good care of him.  He uses a wheel chair most of the time, but is able to walk short distances with a cane.   Paul, his daughter and son-in law, whom he lives with are taking a missionary training course.  He hopes to be able to actively put this training to use in Sarasota.  He would like to get back into his jail ministry.