We Were Given This World To Protect and Enjoy

A Great Week

2012-02-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

The weeks events started on Tuesday with the Venture Out Boat Club's fishing tournament. I was able to go out with Blane and compete in my very first fishing competition. What a day it was. We came home with 27 fish. The days catch included two Cerro Mackeral which won 1st and 2nd place in that category. Wow! It was great.

Wednesday brought a visit from a great friend and his wife. John Jelinek has been a friend on mine since our days in high school. Now that's a long time ago, for sure, and yet there are times when it seems like yesterday. What great times we had remembering the events and conquests of so long ago. Yes, we still can remember that far back. Mary even said that we are like two peas in a pod.

John and his lovely wife Mary came for a short power packed three day visit. They arrived here on Wednesday just as I arrived home from a day out fishing. It was a great welcoming. We caught 20 yellow tail snapper and Jon's eyes got bright at the prospect of him being able to go out and catch some himself. The rest of the night was spent getting settled, planning the three day visit and attending the boating club's dinner. He and I bought some 50 /50 raffle tickets with the hopes of hitting it big. Low and behold we did win the 1st place pot. With our winnings, we decided that we'd stimulate the local economy the next day during our tour of Key West. Nothing like a free days outing.

So Thursday was spent seeing the sites of Key West. There were some places that Mary wanted to definitely see. First there was lunch and Sloppy Joe's Bar. As usual, the food was really good and the music and crowd lots of fun.

The second stop was Hemingway's House for a tour. That entailed a great 10 block walk which helped get rid of a little of the lunch. The tour of the house was a fantastic literary history lesson. They even have the famous 6 toed cats. They are currently numbered at 42 free roaming cats. That man sure lived life to the fullest but had a tragic ending for sure.

From there is was an 8 block walk back to the famous, yes you guessed it, Matheson's for the frozen chocolate covered Key Lime Pie on a stick. Mary and I had ice cream and Rose shared some of mine. John ate the pie with gusto. We also had to stop for our picture at Mile Marker 0.

It was then time for a walk through the shopping area and then on to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Cafe. Crazy busy with the cruise ship being in port. Then again this is a tourist party town and everyone is here for the winter time.

Now it was time to start heading to Alonzo's on the wharf for the tarpon feeding at 5 PM. Today was a little different though. The tarpon were there but so were a mass of pelicans. It was a fight for the food and for the most part the pelicans won. So much for seeing the ferocity of the tarpon.

I said it was time for our feeding at Alonzo's also. They have a great deal on their menu each day. All of their appetizers are 1/2 price along with ALL the drinks from the bar from 4 PM till 6:30 PM and we were here at 5:10 PM. We wound up having more food on the table than we could eat. Oh well, that just means leftovers. We ended the day spending just a little over our winnings of the previous night.

Then there was Friday, a day for the women and a day for the guys. Mary and Rose started with Yoga and then time at the pool catching the warmth or the sun's rays. It was a great day for just being quite and sharing good time together.

Tim & John joined Virgil on his boat for a day trying to bring home dinner. Well, they sure did bring dinner home. After about 6 hours, they came back with 29 Yellow Tail Snapper and 2 Grunts. That turned out to be about 10#'s of fish fillets. Virgil & Jo joined us for a great supper of fish, biscuits, steamed vegetables, salad and ice cream for dessert. What a bountiful feast it was.

As far as the fishing went, John turned out to be the winner of the day by catching the most fish. It was really a lot of fun seeing the look on his face as he pulled in the first three fish before anyone else caught anything. What a fantastic time with great friends.

Saturday morning came way too quick for us. Rose and I had our work cut out for us as we volunteer to serve at the pancake breakfast every other week and this was our day to help out. John & Mary slept in and then joined us for breakfast before coming back to pack up for their trip back to Ft Meyers to catch their plane to the cold up north. It was a sad time for us all. However we are so fortunate to have been able to share this precious time with John & Mary. We thank them both from the bottom of our hearts.

Mom's Visit

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Time sure does go quickly when you're having fun. Our grandson, William, left us after a wonderful two week visit on January 4th and here it is February 6th. A lot has happened sine then for sure. The fun part is we're smiling the majority of the time.

After William left, we had a few days to go through the rig and get everything put back to normal. We moved some things around so that he would have places to tore his things while he was here. Now we had to get ourselves setup for Tim's mom's upcoming visit. She was with us for 15 days starting on January 10th. It was wonderful being able to spend this precious time with her. We are very thankful and greatly appreciate it.

After picking mom up from the airport, we immediately introduced her to The Gieger Key Grill and their great dinner fair and a fantastic sunset. It brought back memories for her of her and dad"s visit to us in Spain and watching the sun set over the ocean there. Great memories for us, for sure.

The next day was set for mom and Roseann to compete in a Mah Jongg tournament. Well mom won at her table as was rewarded with her trophy pen. That was just the start of many days of her and Rose enjoying Dominoes and Mah Jongg game times.

Then on the 12th, we were able to celebrate her 91st birthday. What a great treat for us and special to us all. Her phone was buzzing all day as family called to wish her well.

There were football game parties, game nights, quite times, hot tub soaks and good sharing times. There was also the morning exercise Yoga class on Tuesday and Friday that we attended. The Friday TGIF gathering gave us good food, entertainment and meeting friends.

There was site seeing around Key West starting up at the southern most point in the U.S. picture. There was food at Sloppy Joe's Bar and frozen Key lime pie on a stick at Matheson's.

We were also able to attend a seafood festival at the park in Key West and sample great food and, of course, ice cream. Mom was able to do some shopping too. It was a fun day for all.

Most of all, there was our time to go fishing. Mom fished from the dock that was 5 ft behind our rig and from the nearby bridge. She did really good fishing from the dock but she kept complaining that they were all small. So it was to the bridge we went. There she did extremely well at feeding the fish. It's a little difficult for her to feel the fish biting. I briefly thought about going out on a boat but quickly gave it up because of the current weather condition making it a little rough.

Before we knew it, her time with us was over and it was time to take her to the airport. It was a special day. We know our time of having her with us on this earth is getting shorter and we will cherish these moments forever.

After mom left, we just sat back, took a deep breath and got the rig back to normal. Well almost normal. There was something left behind that needed to be mailed to her. Oh well, we were happy that is wasn't anything really big and heavy and we were able to include a little gift from the Keys.

Now we are fully back to normal and waiting for the fishing tournament coming up on Tuesday. The weather has really been bad lately giving rough seas so this will be an interesting time. No one has been able to go out and scope out the good fishing spots. I've joined the boat club and was able to get a ride with one of the members. This will be a fun time for sure. They will be giving only two very small prizes for each category but the more important thing will be bragging rights for the winners.

Caught Four, Landed Two, Kept One

2012-01-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well the fishing was just that, fishing. It was supposed to be, according to Windfinder.com, a really nice day for fishing. The winds were going to be low, small waves and sunny. I guess one out of three isn't bad. It was sunny for sure. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The temperature was a little on the chilly side though. It started out around 61* with low winds. The temperature gained only a few degrees but the winds really picked up and the seas got really choppy.

I wound up hooking four fish, one broke the line really quick. The second one came really close to the boat before it chewed though the line. Then came number three which turned out to be a blue fish but it was too small. Oh well, next time I guess. About 30 minutes later after much tossing about, the big strike came. The pole was bent over and the fight was on. I was out about 100 yards, the current was running fast, and I was pulling against the current. Oh what fun it was. It turned out to be a solid 18 inches, a good keeper. That was it for the day. Oh well, next time.

Life has been good here in the Keys. We've made new friends and met up with some old ones. We are also awaiting visits from my mom and a high school friend and his wife. These friendships and our activities are what make our life exciting. We are feeling really special in being able to share in the excitement of accomplishments of those around us. As we look back on our life, so many times we recognized happenings but didn't acknowledge them. Today we are able and excited to take the time to share in and enjoy the excitement of others lives rather than just recognize it.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T05:40:00.001-07:00

Wow! When I said we were busy here in the Keys, I didn't realize how fast time passes here.

Our grandson William came to visit us here on December 19th and it's now time for him to go back home tomorrow. We have had a ton of fun with him. I will admit though that I wasn't quite prepared for the eating habits of a growing twelve year old. There were only a couple of times when he finally said, I'm full. Success, I thought. Fat chance. One hour later, he starts grazing again.

While he was here we celebrated Roseann's birthday, went deep sea fishing for dolphin, went Yellow Tail fishing on a boat, fished off the bridge and from behind our rig in the boat canal.

We played Dominos, swam in the pool, sat in the hot tub, and visited with our friends Jo and Virgil. He made some friends here in the park and they would do the kid things like ride bikes, play "man hunt" at dusk, climb the coconut trees, and be kids.

We visited the aquarium, where he was able to find out some information about his life's dream from the people working there. We also introduced him to a frozen chocolate covered Key Lime Pie on a stick from Matheson's. Matheson's is also the home of the biggest and best hot fudge brownie sundae anywhere.

We introduced him to the world of snorkeling, riding on and driving boat small boats on the ocean. Yesterday we went to the Dry Totugas. It's 70 miles, 2 1/2 hr ride from Key West by boat. It was a long day finished off by a great meal on Big Coppit Key.

His last day here in the Keys is getting him prepared to go back to Albuquerque. It's windy and cold here now with more on the way. Tonight it's supposed to get down into the 40's. Ugh! I just may have to turn on the heat.

Besides all this, I also sang in a Christmas Cantata with a choral group in the keys. You can see a video here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS_Uf0l2c_Q&feature=g-upl&context=G26a5cf4AUAAAAAAAAAA. I also continued my cooking breakfast pancakes on Saturday morning for the RV park breakfast. Along with all the other activity, we had to change sites here in Venture Out RV Park on January 1st. That was the start of our New Year after a night of partying with friends.

I will close for now with a wish for all for great health, safe travels, prosperity in love and work, and the realization of all the blessings we receive each day from The Lord above.

Busy in the Keys

2011-12-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

I guess the old adage is true, when you retire, "When Did I Find the Time to Work?"is the mantra of the day. Each day as the sun sets, we turn around and look at each other and ask, "Is it Bed Time Yet?" or "Where Has the Day Gone?"

Morning typically will bring out the cooking in me. It's my time to get the day started for us with a great breakfast. Nothing better than starting the day with energy for what's to come. I'm a firm believer that in order to perform well, the body needs good fuel.

While cooking, it's usually the time for the sun to rise. We make it our special time to thank God for bringing us and our family and friends safely through the night and ask for a bountiful day.

We have volunteered to help out every other Saturday morning with the Venture Out pancake breakfast cooking. That means we are up at 6 AM to go and get things ready to start serving at 8 AM. By the time we are done cleaning up, it's almost 10:30. Then it's home to wash up and get rid of the vanilla pancake essence. Saturday is also our day for a little exploring around the Keys, along with any other day we feel like going.

Then during the week, there are the regular things like morning walks, bike rides, water aerobics, catching up on the latest national & political news, emails, telephone calls to family & friends, laundry, dominoes, mah jongg, cooking gourmet meals, up-keep on the RV, reading, and of course, fishing. It's amazing how the time just seems to fly accomplishing all this and more.

Then there are the special events. Our church here, St Peter's, recently had a friend of theirs, Jim Trainer, from New York here for a visit and a night of Christmas entertainment. It was a lot of fun joining him in singing Christmas carols.

For the Christmas season, I joined a choir and will doing a Cantata at three different venues this month, including St Peter's, Venture Out and the Methodist Church. I guess that's being ecumenical in the season. It sure does take a lot of practice to get it sounding decent.

We have also decorated the RV inside and the area outside with our lights. Many people in the park have decorated their units really nice. We enjoy it all.

Oh, I mentioned fishing as one of the occupiers of my time. Virgil & I went out on Wednesday for about 6 hours and came back with these fish. The one I'm holding is a Mutton Snapper that was 28" long and weighed in at 11 lbs. I must say that it was a really fun day. I also caught 2 others that we threw back because of size and caught 3 others that never made it on the boat. I came close on one that we identified as a dolphin but the other two are unknowns. Oh well, maybe next time.

Then there is just sharing good times with our friends here in the park. It always amazes me on how different the RV community is from the one that we lived in in the different cities. It this community, people get out and meet others through their walks around and just in the daily activities outside. In the city community, people were more apt to get inside the house and stay there. Here, life is more outside and prone to interaction with each other. It would be nice if more communities were like this. It reminds me much of the times when I was growing up and people spent more time visiting with neighbors and out and about.

I guess the lesson we are learning is that there is so much more to life than just work and we are glad that we have this great opportunity to experience it.

The rest of this month will be even busier with birthdays, family visits, community holiday happenings along with daily life. Hopefully we'll also be able to a little more fishing in with everything else.

A Very Special Day, Our 47th Wedding Anniversary!

2011-11-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a very special day for us as we celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary. We've had all sorts of weather changes, rain, wind rough seas and this evening with cooling breezes, calm seas and sunshine ending a wonderful day. I guess it was much like our life has been thus far. It all started some 47 years ago in Berwyn, Ill at St Odillo;s Church when I said "I DO". Oh wait, I think I meant to say "Yes Dear". Just kidding. This has been a wonderful partnership in life.

It's been a wonderful journey with Roseann at my side. Together we have shared some incredible times and events, too numerous to list. Today we get to share this day with our friends Virgil & Jo. Virgil & I went fishing for a while (or is it fed the fish) and Roseann & Jo played Mah Jongg.

We all went for dinner to No Name Pub on Big Pine Key. It was built in 1935, has wonderful food and their walls & ceiling is covered with one dollar bills. You can check them out at www.nonamepub.com. We opted for a spinach lobster dip w chips, garlic bread w marinara sauce and then a Royal Pub Pizza. This 14" pizza was enough for the 4 of us and was really really good. We finished it off with Key Lime pie, of course. It was a great night of fun & laughs for all. Then it was time to go home for entertainment. I'll leave that part of the story to your own imagination. Suffice it to say that we laughed and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

We are looking forward to many more years together. So far we are blessed with great health both body & mind. We pray that it continues that way as we travel together on our journey of life that began this day 47 years ago when two teenagers promised each other their hearts and had dreams that seemed crazy then but are being lived out today. Thank you!

Thanksgiving Dinner for 80 People

2011-11-25T03:28:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving day started like most days we've seen so far here in the Keys. We were given a spectacular sunrise. I used to think that only the mountains in the west provided gorgeous scenery. I've changed my mind and have seen the flat sea do the same.

We lazied around this morning. We had coffee on the patio watching the sunrise and had a simple breakfast because we knew what the afternoon was to bring. We were going to attend a potluck Thanksgiving dinner at St Peter's Catholic church in Big Pine Key. It was a great time to meet some of the parishioners from the church. There were 80 people at dinner. I cannot begin to tell you how great the meal was. Everyone brought the best dishes and the roasted and fried turkey was so tasty. It truly was a meal fit for a king for all who were there.

It turned out that we met a lot of people from the RV park that we are staying at, which was good. I especially enjoyed meeting Margaret & Bob. They have been married a really long time and shared their success story with us. At 92 Bob still fishes commercially and enjoys life to the fullest. What an inspiration they are to Roseann and I. We'll definitely be seeing more of them and Sarah and Ken during our stay.

Sarah and Roseann play Mah Jongg with some other ladies a couple of afternoons a week. I think that I'll be "shanghied" into learning this new game soon (in between fishing, swimming, walking, water aerobics and oh did I mention fishing).

Again, we are blest on our journey with new people entering our lives and becoming a new thread in our tapestry of life. How wonderful to have this experience. We are so grateful to all for sharing themselves in our lives.

Full Timing Lifestyle Blessings

2011-11-22T03:49:00.001-07:00

We are often asked how we like this lifestyle of not having a place we call home. We are most asked about the holidays and sharing of those special days or birthdays, graduations, marriages, and births with our families and especially the grandchildren. There are always more questions than answers but the one answer that keeps coming up the most is that we are following a dream and fulfilling a promise I made some 47 years ago to Roseann. I asked her "Marry me and I'll show you the world". Well here we are exploring the world and enjoying each day.

I was reminded this morning, by an email from a friend in Colorado that we made from this lifestyle, about the gifts that we have received from this lifestyle. The people that we have met and the friendships that have ensued from those meetings are beyond value. We cherish each one of them and hold them dear in our hearts. The friends are from all parts of the USA and Canada and yet we always feels their presence either through meetings on the road, phone calls or emails. They are always close by.

We have also encountered God's creation up close. This was our sunrise two days ago. It lasted long enough for me to get 2 pictures. That shaft of light pointed right at the door of our "home". What a way to begin our day.

We also have encountered some fun times with God's creatures. While we are here in the Keys, I am able to go fishing right behind us in the canal. Some of the fish are just not what I want but there are those who want whatever I want to throw back. We named this one "Mikie" because he will eat anything I give him. He knows that he'll at least get one.

This is why we travel, The friendships, the beauty of the land and God's gifts to us, our world.

Friends - We Are Blest With Many.

2011-11-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

This has been a great year for us in reconnecting with our friends from Saudi Arabia and Hawaii. Since September of this year, we have met up with 3 of our friends from Saudi Arabia either in person or via Skype.

Lorne & Shelly live just outside of Dallas and we stayed with them and then with Jon & Mary Lou in Brownwood, TX. We had met them in Saudi and had stayed in touch all these years. Then we met up with Rich & Judy, from our Hawaii days, in Marietta, GA. The memories they all brought back were fantastic.

Then through the wonders of the internet, yesterday we were able to spend almost an hour talking and seeing our friends Glenn & Judy in New Zealand. That was a fantastic time.

Friends are chosen by each other. It is a blessing for us to have been chosen by these people to be their friends. We must say "Thank You" for this blessing.

It Was a Hard Days Work!

2011-11-19T16:58:00.005-07:00

We are in the Florida Keys At Venture Out because of our good friends Virgil & Jo Allmond. We visited with them here this past February. They had invited us to consider coming here for the winter months this year instead of going to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. It sure was the right decision.

Virgil had a boat in storage this past summer and when he went to pick it up, he found that someone had stolen the motor. A few bummer days followed until he found "Doll's Dusky" while he was parked in Ft Lauderdale. I rode with him up to Ft Lauderdale to pick his "new" boat. WOW! It is great. The next couple of days were spent getting things cleaned up and set for the Coast Guard inspection. It was then time to try out the boat for fishing. The first day was kind of a "dry" run. We hooked a few but didn't them into the boat.

We then waited for a few days until the wind died down and hit it good. We started in 90' of water with no luck. Then after and hour we shifted into 60' of water and it was jackpot. We hit 14 Yellow Tail snapper for 9 lbs. of fillets. It sure made for a great meal with some headed to the freezer for later.

It's a New Day in Paradise!

2011-11-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

As you can see, it has been some time since our last post and a lot has happened. We are currently parked at Venture Out Resort in Cudjoe Key, FL. We wake up and get to see the sun coming up from the ocean and stream it's light into our living room. It is a blessing that we are able to experience this beauty.

So what's happened in the time since our last post? We have continued our travels around the country and have met some very wonderful people, renewed old friendships, visited great places, and we're able to participate in some milestone events.

We've stayed in some awesome RV parks and some overnight spots were one night seemed to be forever. Fortunately there were only a couple of those and they are our list of "No Stays". Our favorites thus far and in no particular order are the Air Force Academy, Creede, CO, Ft Sam Houston RV Park @ Canyon Lake, TX, Bentson Palms RV Park, Mission, TX, South Padre Island, TX, Kirtland AFB, NM, Ft Myers Beach, FL and Cudjoe Key, FL.

To help a little on the geography, Cudjoe Key is at mile marker 23. That means we are 23 miles from Key West and all it's excitement. The place where we are parked looks over the Atlantic Ocean. I step out our door of the RV and walk 10 feet beyond the rear of the RV and drop my fishing line into the boat canal. We are able to have a 35 ft boat park at our spot. Who knows what'll happen while we're here.

Some of the milestone events that we participated in were seeing the Brickyard 400 up close from the infield of the track, being at the Grand Ole Opry when the Oak Ridge Boys were inducted into their membership, being at Graceland for the anniversary of the death of Elvis, and being with my friend Virgil when he picked up his new boat, a fully decked out used 2004 Dusky 233.

There were also family milestones that occurred. Our granddaughter Jessica graduated from high school. Considering all that she has been through in her life, we were thrilled to able to witness and celebrate that great day. Then there was the wedding of our grandson Mac to Jenifer. As far as I'm concerned that was the 4th best wedding I ever attended, ours, our daughters and his. The only problem with it is that it means we are definitely getting older. Although we are not feeling it at all.

Our health has been blessed. Rose and I are feeling extremely well. Our biggest issue is finding all of these excellent restaurants around the country. It means that we really have to exercise more than ever. I'm sure that we'll get plenty of that here in the Keys.

Well enough for now. We are going to work harder at keeping up the blog on a regular basis. We've had many requests from our friends who want to share our travels.

May 19 - Albuquerque, NM

2010-06-02T20:00:00.000-06:00

We were once again settled in at the Sierra Vista RV park along with our host & good friend Joy. We enjoy staying here and helping her out when ever we are in town.

Becky is getting better as the days go by. She is doing her exercises very religiously. Hopefully she'll recoup faster than expected. She can drive next week. HURRAY!

We were also able to spend some extra time with our faith sharing group. Bob Rodgers is on the recoup from his fall, thank God. He's really looking good. He did not recommend his method of weight loss though. I tend to agree with him too. It was good to see everyone else too.

This was a lot of time for visiting with friends and family. We spent an afternoon with my uncle Rich & aunt Joyce. This was the first time that they saw our setup. It was a fun afternoon for us catching up on family news.

Then there was our time spent with Larry & Roz Gibble. We haven't laughed this much in a long time. Larry sure had a big smile on his face when we went for a ride in the truck. He's a Volvo car enthusiast and is currently restoring an older Volvo. He really is meticulous about it too. He does that in between his 100 mile bike rides with Roz. They have this really neat tandem bike and just finished the "Santa Fe 100". My butt is sore after 10 miles. I can't imagine 100 miles.

We popped in at Missy & Gerald Simnacher's place to see their remodel project. Oh how it reminded us of our big project. They had the kitchen down to the studs and then some. It's going to turn our really good. To our surprise the person doing the remodel was an old friend of ours.

Dinner with Fabian Gagnon & my mom was again a fun filled evening. It was laughter and remembering the good times we all have had together. Besides Fabian is a really good cook.

Then there was dinner with mom & Joy. Mom surprised us with our special quilt. WOW! What a mom. We will cherish it forever. It looks great on our bed too. It really dresses up the place.

Mom sure hasn't forgotten to cook either. As always we were treated to a great meal. We are truly blessed to have her still with us and for us to be able to share some really great times with her. We have the "million dollar" memories of our times with her. We wish her many more years of good health and thank her very much for all that she has done for us through out her life.

It seems like all we did was visit friends and eat. We had a special treat when we visited Mike & Chelsea. He taught us how to make bar-b-que grill pizza. It was soooo good. That's the only way to eat pizza as far as we're concerned. Those others will never taste the same again.

We were able to get some time in with my brother Stan & his wife Joyce. They were hiding out from the kids. As he said he just needed to get away for a little bit. I just can't understand why with two teenagers home for the summer. Ha Ha. I remember those times well of needing a little peace and quite.

Well now it's time to pack up and get on the move, finally. We are getting anxious to head up north for our summer excursion. Besides it's supposed to hit 100* this week in Albuquerque.

May 13 - Moriarty, NM

2010-05-19T20:00:00.002-06:00

It's time to get some annual maintenance completed at RV Sales. There's not much to do but I like to have Ralph and his crew do the things that need done for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, they are real good at what they do. They know their stuff. If they spot something that I've missed, they will let me know and fix it. There are also things they can do that I can't because they have the equipment.

This is also the weekend for the annual "flea market" at RV Sales. They open the lot to the community people to have a place to have one huge sale. It also helps on their exposure. We were able to help with answering questions about our setup and what it's like to live full time in the RV. All in all a fun time for everyone.

Sunday and Monday was spent visiting friends from the surrounding area, Kathy & Robert Andrews. We have known them since the mid 80's and have watched their son grow up into a fine young man. Rose worked with Kathy for many years at the New Mexico Organ Donor Services.

By Wednesday afternoon all the repairs and maintenance was completed and it was time to head back to Albuquerque.

May 4 - Albuquerque, NM

2010-05-12T20:00:00.003-06:00

We arrived back in Albuquerque before the high winds blasted the highways once more. It was great to come back and visit with our good friend Joy and her 2 dogs Sammy & Foxy and the 2 cats George & Tizzie. We were amazed at how we were greeted by the animals. They just made themselves right back at home. We continually find George on our doorstep. I think he's trying to edge his way into our home before we move on again. I don't think so. There is just not enough room for George in this rig.

Our 1st visit was to the Smart car dealership to show them just how their Smart car was transported on the back of BigBit. Carlos was happy to see the setup and took his share of pictures. We hope that it'll help with his sales.

Then it was time to unload. We now have a good feel for the time it really takes us to unload because this time we didn't have a large gathering watching us and asking questions. I was surprised that we were able to unload in just under 40 minutes. That's setting up the ramps, unloading the car and then storing all the equipment. It wasn't a contest to see how fast I could do this but just a measurement of the time it takes to unload the car. Loading the car adds about 20 minutes to the time.

There must have been something in the air this past week causing people to lose teeth. Our 2 granddaughters had their wisdom teeth pulled and Roseann had her last wisdom tooth pulled. This all happened over a three day period. Our granddaughter here in Albuquerque, Anna, had the worst time of all. It caused her to miss three days of school because of a swollen jaw. No fun.

Then our daughter Rebecca had to have surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder. UGH! Not anything I want to have done soon. They tell her that she could have full function back in 3 -4 months. I know that she'll do it too. She's tough when it comes to rehab. I watched her rehab a busted up knee from skiing a long time ago.

Then it was Anna's confirmation day. It was busy from the start because now we have been charged with getting the kids to school. Yea, remember Rebecca just had surgery and no driving for a while. School, then errands with my mom, then my errands, visit with and show our friend Arnie Bigbit, pick up Anna from school, take her to the dentist for a check on her braces, pick up her friend for a visit at her house, take her friend home on our way to church at 6 PM for the confirmation service at 7 PM, save seats for the rest of the family who will be there around 6:45 PM. The service ended at 8:40 and I was there at 5:50. By my calculations, that's 2 hr & 50 min on the hard church bench. I hope that gets me a higher and softer seat some place when I die. My backside sure was flatter after that. What I really learned today, is that being a mom or dad never ends and is truly a labor of love. My hat is off to all the mom's ( dad's too) who have to run around and do all the things I did today plus HAVE A JOB. I salute you!

Thursday morning. It's moving day for us. The rig needs some annual maintenance and a few minor additions & repairs. It's out to RV Sales for Ralph & his crew to do their magic. I have to remember though that we still are driving the kids and helping to take car of our daughter. Oh oh, I think I'll be putting some miles on LilBit. Thank goodness for good gas mileage.

April 27 - Alto, NM

2010-05-03T20:00:00.006-06:00

After leaving the Excel RV rally in Las Cruces, NM, we traveled to Ruidoso, NM to meet up with our Full Time RVing mentors, Mel & Karol. It's been about a year since we last spent some good time with them. We are looking forward to a week of lots of laughs.

This has been a winter to remember for sure. We have not been able to find a "winter haven" where we could spend our days in shorts enjoying nice balmy weather. Here we are at Little Creek RV Park in Alto, NM and it has NOT been shorts weather. I guess we'll keep our long pants & warm jackets available a little longer. The weather had cooperated a little. The sun was out most of the time except when we experienced 60+ mph winds, rain, hail & snow. Did I say snow? For sure because we awoke Sunday morning to 2 inches of snow. It was absolutely gorgeous. The only thing we missed this time here was seeing the deer near our rig. In our past visits, the deer were all over the place. We saw deer in town and there were fresh signs of deer in the parks but they not to be seen.

Alto, NM is a suburb of Ruidoso and is just very beautiful. We were able to spend Thursday morning exploring one of the famous sites of the area, the Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts. They offer a comprehensive tour of the facilities every Tuesday & Thursday morning. We were amazed that such a facility would exit in this small mountain town in New Mexico. The more we travel around this country of ours, we are finding little treasure like this "hidden" under our very noses. We are still learning just how to approach each stop with greater a curiosity.

After a week of fun, laughter and just great times with our friends, it's time to move on to Albuquerque, NM for more closs time with family and friends. It'll be good to visit with everyone.

April 20 - Las Cruces, NM

2010-04-26T20:00:00.003-06:00

It's time for the Spring Excel Rally. Each spring & fall, the Excel Owners Club of New Mexico has a big get-together for a weekend. Some of the owner will come early and stay later, if they can. We can, so we did.

We arrived on Tuesday mid-afternoon, got everything setup and unloaded the car. That's becoming a real crowd gatherer. The official time of the rally if Friday through Sunday, so there are only a few people here.

We were able to see our friends, Joy & the MacAlexander's that evening. It was a time to catch up on all of the happenings with each other. God my side hurt from all of the laughing. They are all a really great bunch.

Then our friends Mel & Karol arrived from their winter home in Arizona. It's always great to see them and share stories. Mel is going to be one of the seminar presenters this weekend on "tips & tricks" of owning and maintaining an RV.

Then we took a side trip to Deming, NM to visit the St. Clair winery. You can get wine there straight out of the cask into your own jug. We had them mix the wine and walked out with our own special blends. Now the best part is that there are no added sulphates in the wine. That means that Roseann can enjoy a glass every so often. Total cost of this fine wine is $3.25 / qt.

Thursday start to bring in more & more rigs. All in all 60+ rigs showed up and we had a great time. I spent a lot of time answering questions about our setup with the truck and car. People were really surprised to find out what bottom line costs were to do it the way we chose. Now that they know it's affordable, we just might see more big rigs on the road as rv tow vehicles.

We received some good news from our friends Daryl & Cindy this week. They are going Full Time in their rv after they leave the rally. They go back home, pack things up and move on down the road. We'll see them in early June as they begin their journey north to South Dakota to get their driver licenses.

I was able to get the truck washed and waxed while there. That's always a trick because the truck is 13.5' tall. Getting to the top and waxing it gets to be a challenge. A lot of people got their rv's washed and waxed while they were there. A company comes around and makes everyone a special deal. For a lot of folks, it's a lot easier for someone else to do it.

Monday came fast. It's now time for us to load the car and be ready to close up tomorrow for the move to our next stop on our journey to enjoy the sights and sounds of the U.S.

March 26 - Ft Sam FamCamp, Canyon Lake, TX

2010-04-18T20:00:00.011-06:00

We sure are glad that we are retired and able to be very flexible with our schedule. Three weeks into our five week stay in Mission, TX, we received a call from our daughter Jean telling us that she was going to have surgery the next day. She had had previous surgery and there were some complications that developed from that time. Nothing serious but it was going to keep her down for a couple of days and needed some help.

Well, that afternoon we loaded up the Smart car in getting ready to move up to Canyon Lake the next day. Wouldn't you know it too. The weather was finally warming up really nice after a cold winter. Fortunately we were heading just a little north and there would be some fishing. I hadn't been able to do too much up to this point in Texas. It's just been too cold and rainy most of the time.

On our way to Canyon Lake, we seemed to have picked up a extra piece to our rig. Just on the south side of San Antonio, we went through a highway construction zone. We have no idea what happened but when we stopped, we found this piece of rebar stuck in the front of the trailer. I have no recollection of going over anything in the road. We were very grateful that it didn't penetrate any further because it possibly could have gone through a propane tank. I just perish the thought of the possible consequences of that event.

We were very fortunate to get a great spot at Ft Sam Houston's FamCamp at Canyon Lake near Jean's house. I say fortunate because it is a 1st come 1st serve facility. There are no reservations taken. Ada, Jim, Billie and their spouses and the rest gang were really great.

We also had a little more excitement there than we needed. Early Friday morning, I was sitting watching the morning news and I heard the fire engine sirens in the distance. I was thinking that they were on the main highway. Well the siren kept getting louder and louder. When I looked out the door, I saw it coming down the access to the park. I ran out of our rig and saw a bunch of my neighbors at a rig three doors down with fire extinguishers in hand and smoke just pouring out the side of the rig. Not what anyone ever wants to see. It seems that the refrigerator caught fire. It was due for a recall fix the following Monday. Needless to say they didn't need that appointment on Monday. Instead they had one with the insurance company. The rig was a total loss.

We made sure that Jean was well recouped and we had good times with our granddaughter, Jessica, and our grandson Mac & his girl friend Jennifer. Mac's a pretty good cook. He learned a lot from working at the Olive Garden. I learned that pasta is pasta and nothing else. Every time I used another name, I was reminded that we were having "pasta".

Fishing was good. I caught enough to have a good fish fry for us and the family and then still have enough in the freezer for about 4 more meals. The fish were crappie, large mouth bass, perch, catfish, & carp (I threw that back). Roseann finally said that we had enough and if I caught any more I had to throw them back.

We got to go to Austin and visit with our friend from Albuquerque, Sherry. She's doing very well and really enjoys Austin.

We also visited with our other FTing friends, Alan & Ann, who came down to Canyon Lake from their current stay in Austin. We always enjoy our time with them & sharing our adventures.

Everything is now OK with Jean. It's time to head out and go the Excel rally this coming weekend in Las Cruces, NM. We are really looking forward to that. We'll get to see our good friends, Mel & Karol, as they get back on the road after hunkering down for the winter south of Tucson. We have the Smart loaded and we'll leave in the morning, Monday.

As you can well see, Roseann sure has a big smile on her face when she is driving BigBit. She's actually getting very good at it. Shifting is still in need of more practice but time behind the wheel will cure the ills.

March 20 - Mission, TX

2010-03-19T20:00:00.000-06:00

We are now half way through our stay in Mission, TX. It has really been nice here. The weather is finally clearing and warming up. We have actually been able to spend some time in the sun at the pool except for today. We are able to have great times in the picnic area which is right across from our rig. The grounds here are very well maintained.

Last week Wednesday we decided to go to Albuquerque and get some needed doctor visits done. We flew in and stayed at our daughter's house and helped her celebrate her ??? birthday on Thursday. It seems like yesterday she was born in Idaho Falls.

Thursday morning we were "treated" to SNOW. We've been trying to get where it's warm with sunny weather this winter to no avail. It was nice to see the snow though. It was a typical snow for Albuquerque and by the afternoon it was all melted. We also had snow off and on throughout the day on Sunday. I'm sure glad we brought our winter clothes with us.

On Saturday Roseann, my mom and I were able to see Anna in a club volleyball tournament. That sure was a very very long day. They took about 9 hrs to finish. WOW! Anna's team, Blaze, came in 2nd. I think they're really good for just starting the team in the club ball arena.

On Sunday, our son-in-law, Joel, was given command of the New Mexico Air National Guard's Air Craft Maintenance Division. We sure are proud of him. He's done very well for himself. Now he's is charge of making sure that the F-16's are ready to go and do their job for our freedom. Thank you Joel for your dedication and service.

Rebecca recently retired from the New Mexico Air National Guard as a Captain after 25 yrs of service. It seems like yesterday that I swore her into the Guard and she was starting college. We're really proud of her accomplishment of going from enlisted to officer. Not many people are able to do that in the military. Without a doubt both Rebecca and Joel have sacrificed much in order that the rest of us can continue to enjoy our freedom.

We came back home to Mission late in the evening on Monday. Now we are hoping for warm & sunny weather for the rest of our stay. However, here it is Saturday and the wind is up gusting to 35 mph and it's 62* with clouds all over the place. We're still optimistic though that the sun will come out real soon.

The RV parks here are starting to clear out. With Easter around the corner, more and more people are starting to head back home. Also the Canadians are starting to go back home because of the 6 month rule for them. We'll be here until after Easter and then start heading up north through Las Cruces, Albuquerque and Colorado Springs.

We also spent a day in Progresso, MX. It's a very small border town who's main industry is dental work for the foreigners. I'd swear that there were 100's of places to get dental work done. Then there are the pharmacies and the knick knack shops. We did meet our friends, Tom & Donna Clapham, there for lunch though. It was good food and lots of fun.

March 2 - Mission, TX

2010-03-02T12:28:00.002-07:00

Today was moving day. We left Alamo, TX and moved all of 24 miles west to Bentsen Palms RV Park in Mission, TX. We didn't load LilBit because it was too much work for such a short distance. It is right next to the World Birding Center Headquarters and the Bentsen Rio Grande State Park. We are looking forward to hearing all the sounds of the birds as we walk around the area.

The rest of our stay at Casa de Valle RV Park was better with each day that the weather got better. It finally got good enough for us to spend some quality time in the pool and hot tub.

We were also able to spend real good times with other Excel owners. It's always great to hear of their travels around the country, where they stayed, about the local area and the people they met.

This was the fifth time we had to hitch the big truck to the trailer and it went really well. Roseann sure is good at guiding me into the hitch. She reminds me of a ground crewman guiding an airplane into the gate. She's right on the money.

Hopefully we'll be seeing some warmer weather without all of the wind real soon. I'd like to be able to put the awning down, sit out and listen to the sounds of all the birds around us.

Where has the time gone?

2010-02-12T20:00:00.002-07:00

I decided to get back on track and continue to journal our travels. As you can see it's been a few months since my last post. A lot has happened to us and the family during this time. I'll try to catch you up on the last few months events.

We spent all of September in Creede. CO. What a wonderful time we had watching the fall changing of the Aspins happen right before our eyes. When we got there everything was an emerald green. Then by the 2nd week, the green started to fade and the yellows, oranges and brown hues started to appear. Every morning we'd walk out of our door, look up to the mountains and just be amazed by the glorious colors. It was great to see the full thing happen.

There were 2 Excel rallies held while we were in Creede. First it was the Colorado group and then the New Mexico group. All in all there were some 80 Excels there over the 2 weeks. We really had a fun time with everyone. We even made plans to catch up with a few during the winter in the Rio Grande Valley.

The fishing in Creede was fabulous. Our fridge was full of Rainbow trout when we left Colorado. We finally finished it all just a few weeks ago. It sure was good.

We then spent October and November helping our friend Joy Sierra get her house and property ready for sale. We were able to stay on her property with our rig during this time. It was great to help her achieve what almost seemed like an impossible task. We sure made a lot of runs to the dump. I actually wore out two sets of leather gloves.

With all that was going on we just had to take a 'vacation'. early November found us in Cancun at our favorite place on the Mayan Riviera. We were there for a week with our good friend, Barb & Howard, from MN. We were very lucky to being missed by the last hurricaine. It passed just to the east of Cancun. We wound up with two days of rain and then a lot of clouds during the week. We were able to take a side trip to the Mayan ruins. That was really something to see. All in all, it was a nice break from making 'dump runs'.

October also brought a big change to us. While we were in Creede, we met Virgil & Jo. They are also Full Time RV'ers and use a HDT to pull their 5th wheel. Needless to say, I asked for some help to get some questions answered about their setup. We had some issues with our truck during our recent trips through the mountains of Colorado. I was beginning to think that we were going to have to look at a larger truck to insure our safety in pulling our trailer.

Well, we wound up buying a new truck, selling our old truck and buying a Smart car all within a two week period. The Dear Lord had taken care of everything for us. We just knocked on the doors and they flew open real easy. We found a '06 Volvo 670, 465 hp, 13 speed, that was really clean in Rochester, MN. I flew up to see it and wound up buying it. From there I drove it to Herrin Welding in Kilgore, TX for a make-over.

Larry Herrin did his magic so that we'd be able to put the Smart car on the trucks back and haul the trailer wherever we went. That was a six week project and finally finished up the 1st week of December. Roseann and I drove out to Kilgore in the Smart car, LilBit, and picked up the truck, now named BigBit. We loaded LilBit on the new bed and headed back to Albuquerque to pick up our 5th wheel. Two days later we were off to New Braunfels, TX to see our daughter Jean and her family for the holidays.

We spent Christmas with Jean and Marshall's family. What a fun time we had. We stayed at Fort Sam Houston FamCamp for the time. I tried fishing but it was just too cold.

We left for Corpus Christi on December 28th. We needed to get warm. Were we ever in for a surprise. Rain, Rain, Fog and more Rain. We spent the month of January there and only had about seven nice days where we were warm. UGH! No fishing in Corpus Christi. Every day that was nice we went exploring the area.

We did find that we could get all the fresh shrimp that we wanted to eat. That was a huge benefit for both of us. We did have fun though, even with the foul weather. On January 28th we headed further south to Alamo, TX in the Rio Grande Valley for hopefully warmer weather.

Well that brings us up to the present. We are now at the Casa de Valle RV park in Alamo, TX. Guess what? The weather hasn't changed. It is still rainy & foggy most of the time. It's been a little warmer here but still not warm enough. This weekend is supposed to be sunny and warm. We can only hope.

August 22 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-08-22T20:00:00.001-06:00

Doctors, doctors, & doctors. This was the week for all the annual appointments. It looks as though we managed to keep ourselves healthy this past year. Now we are ready to hit the road.

August 15 - Pendaries RV Park, Rocidia, NM

2009-08-15T20:00:00.004-06:00

This has been a great week for Tim. It was filled with sadness, great joy, and pride. Many years ago, 1976 to be exact, Tim met Dr. T. John Gribble and little did he know how his life would be changed forever. John became Tim's teacher, mentor and close friend. Tim became involved with the pediatric hematology / oncology division at the University of New Mexico Hospital. John taught Tim everything he needed to know to become a nurse specialist in pediatric hematology / oncology. Together they developed the clinical oncology nursing operations, the NM Hemophilia Program, and the pediatric oncology program. John wanted Tim to continue on to follow in his foot steps. Tim chose to join the Air Force and complete his military career. Today the program has expanded Tim's wildest imagination. He's just so happy to see that.

John, unfortunately, had passed away before his time. This week though brought great honor to Dr. T. John Gribble as an endowed chair was established at the university in his name. It was wonderful to relive John's accomplishments and hear the praises of his peers.

It was also a great time for Tim as one of the parents of a Hemophilia patient came to him and thanked him for the advice he gave them when he first met them 30 years ago. Their son has grown into a fine young man with a family and they felt that Tim had played a big part in his well being. Needless to say, Tim was flying high.

It was also great to see the Gribble family. The only problem was that we realized just how much time had passed and how grown up they had become. That just means that we got a lot older. Still a great time for us all.

We're then left to go back to Pendaries RV Park. This is a great place for us to hang out with a bunch or other RV'ers. We have laughed and laughed this week. Saturday was hobo night too, more laughs.

August 8 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-08-08T20:00:00.001-06:00

This was kind of a lazy week. We are still at "Sierra Vista RV Resort". That's our friend Joy's front yard for those who don't know Joy. She's a fellow Excel RV owner and has invited us to stay with her and keep her company. I also offered to help her as much as possible to get ready to have an estate sale later in October. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. You just can't imagine how much stuff she her husband had accumulated. OMG! Glad we could help though. Besides next week we'll be going out with a group of other RV'ers for a while into northern NM.

August 1 - Phoenix, AZ

2009-08-01T20:00:00.008-06:00

This week brought us two birthday parties and a wedding.

Our nephew Daniel celebrated his birthday and is growing so fast. He really reminds me of his dad when he was young. It'll be fun watching to see if he follows his dad's ways.

The high point of the week though was our very dear friend Cass Wenz got married. Now this is not just any wedding. We've known Cass since the time we lived in Hawaii. She was Rose's boss at the contact lense office. This was one event we were not going to miss, even if it was in PHOENIX, AZ. Can you imagine Phoenix in July? We can and it meant HOT, HOT, HOT and more HOT. We arrived Wednesday night and at 11:00 PM it was still 100 degrees. That's right 100 degrees. Oh well, we'll have fun for sure. I guess we'll just have to have lots of cold drinks to help us tolerate the heat.

With the wedding on Friday, we decided to do our errands on Thursday. First stop, Cabela's Sporting Goods to see what I "need". We wound up buying more things for Becky & Joel than for ourselves. I did wind up with a great deal on a PFD, personal flotation device, that I'll use with my new float tube. We also looked at some of the bass boats that they had on display. WOW, they were something else. Too bad I can't tow one of them behind our rig.

Then there was supper with Cass and her future husband Mike. What a neat couple. We wish them the very best.

Friday morning found us running errands, errands and more errands for the bride to be. I was volunteered to take movies of the whole event and had to learn how to use the camera. That was easy compared to the event that happened while I was fooling with the camera.

While I'm checking out the camera, the caterers show up and are asking for Cass. I direct the man to one of the other people there and then turn around to look out the window at their vehicle. I immediately spot FLAMES shooting out from under the truck and see that the asphalt under the truck is also on fire. Then I see the two helpers, who were still in the truck, look out the rear view mirror and get a look of great fear on their faces. I call for someone to call 911 and get out the fire exstinguishers to put out the fire. Another attendee and I run outside and find the diesel is free running. The ignition is off and the engine keeps speeding up. One other man jumps into the truck, while it's on fire, puts it in gear and stalls the engine. About this time the fire truck shows up and finishes up the job. Thankfully no damage was done to the food and the wedding went on as planned.

Saturday was a day of travel with a side trip to the Painted Desert in eastern Arizona. I think this is what we like the most about our life choice of traveling. We get to experience the beauty of this land of ours. Each day we are on the road, we are more confident that we made the right decision.

July 25 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-07-25T20:00:00.001-06:00

We finally got back into Albuquerque on Wednesday from Jemez Falls State Park. Spent Wednesday evening at a potluck dinner with our Faith Sharing Group and some of the priests from the Newman Center Church. It's been a while since we've seen everyone and it was good to catch up on all the happenings.

The rest of the week was spent taking care of little things around the rig. Saturday gave us another fun day with our grandson William. It just amazes us on how fast he is growing up.

July 18 - Jemez Falls, NM

2009-07-18T20:00:00.007-06:00

What a wonderful time we had this week. We decided to go to Jemez Falls, NM and spend time with our daughter and her family. We took our grandson, William, with us and waited for the rest of the family to join us later in the week.

William was in heaven. He had a bike to ride when ever he wanted. He had trees to climb, hikes to take, and yes there were even chores to do. I got tired just watching him play. We even took some time to try our luck at fishing at the local hatchery. The hatchery is setup for children under 14 yrs to fish without restrictions. Unfortunately our luck wasn't good that day. We did get to see a snake though. That brought a little excitement to William's voice. We took a road trip to the Valles Caldera, http://www.vallescaldera.gov/ and to Bandlier National Monument, http://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm It was really neat cllimbing with William up to the cave dwellings.

Then the rest of the family came and it was food, hikes and "hand & Foot" card games. Laughs a plenty.

July 11 - Pecos, NM

2009-07-11T20:00:00.002-06:00

What an experience I had this week. Our long time friend, BJ Ruiz, asked me to join him and his father for a weekend of fishing at his father's cabin in Pecos, NM. We left late Friday afternoon to join his father who was already there.

Now I'm talking about being in the near wilderness of the Pecos. There was a steam running right through his property that we were able to fish. Fish we did. Over the three days we caught enough trout for all of us to have a meal plus enough to take home and have a great meal with our families. WOW! Thank you sooooo much BJ for a great time.

July 4- Pendaries, NM

2009-07-04T20:00:00.004-06:00

What a great way to spend a holiday that celebrates our freedom. We are here at Pendaries RV Park. It's located about 20 miles from Las Vegas, NM and what a great place. The sites are level, the people are great, and service has been wonderful. Besides the fact that we are here with a great group of friends. Fortunately for us we are able to stay a little longer than everyone else. What an opportunity to explore the local sites once again.

We found a local herbalist that, I think, has something for everyone. It's amazing, to me, that we can have so many different ways to address our health issues. We just need to take control of it and do it.

I tried my fishing luck at Morphy Lake and Storie Lake. Out of both lakes I was only able to wind up with one small trout. At Morphy Lake, the people in the boats were doing the best. I watched 3 people pull 8 good sized trout out of the lake in 40 minutes. They were only about 50 yds from shore too. It'll be so much better when I get the float tube out. Oh well, we'll be back.

We all gathered at the Walker's place for an evening get together. What a wonderful evening, eating great food, watching the sunset, and great friendship. Steve and Pat have really done a super job in fixing the place up. It's their get away place for now. His gazebo is really a work or art. It even has a fireplace to help stay cozy as the night cools down.

We also got to share in the Stegman's joy of traveling for the 1st time in their 35 ft Excel TKE. I was able to help out with a few tips & tricks on living in it and running the various pieces of equipment. That's the fun part of RVing, sharing experiences with others.

The other nice thing about being here over the 4th was the fact that there were no fireworks allowed. Don't get me wrong, we enjoy seeing them but not hearing then at midnight. The park did not allow any fireworks of any kind because of the fire danger. It's just not worth the risk to life and property.

June 27 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-06-27T20:00:00.002-06:00

We are back in Albuquerque for a short time. We need to take care of some issues with our house and get it ready for the renters. We contracted with a great management company, Tyson Properties, and they got the job done. Hurray!

The plan now is to stay around the Albuquerque region for the summer until our doctor's appointment are finished and then head out for the winter.

Being here in Albuquerque also gives us a time to help out our friend Joy as she gets things ready for a HUGE estate sale in October. There is a lot of work for her to complete and with our extra hands, we can share our time and lessen her load.

June 20 - Heron Lake, NM

2009-06-20T20:00:00.004-06:00

This was our grand daughter's, Anna, week at the academy sports camp for volleyball. Friday came and she was ready to go. They really work them hard during the camp. Friday's play-off game was a bummer. Anna's team came in second. Oh well, there's next year.

Now we are off to Heron Lake, NM to pick up parents and great grandma Eleanore. We had a smooth drive other then a slight delay due to construction on I-25.

The pull through the Chama pass was interesting, to say the least. We really had to slow down to keep from over heating the engine. I guess I'll have to do a weight check just to make sure that we're not putting our safety at risk. The drive to Heron was just beautiful through the mountains. The setting sun put off some very vibrant colors on the mountain sides. We are so privileged to be able to see the wonders that occur during our trips. We are learning each day more about the gifts and blessing that we have received.

Heron Lake State Park is really a nice place for staying a while. Not all the sites are full H/U but are great for everything else. Ours was very wide and deep beside having water and electric. We can go about 10 days with out empyting our tanks. This is perfect for the next six days.

We went to the lake to fish from the shore and only wound with one large sucker fish for the whole time. This is definitely a lake that you either need a boat or a float tube. Hopefully I can get a life jacket soon and use my new Father's Day gift, a float tube.

June 13 - Colorado Springs, CO

2009-06-13T20:00:00.006-06:00

We are at what is, so far, one of our favorite places to stay. The United States Air Force Academy, located in Colorado Springs, really has a beautiful FamCamp. It's surrounded by pines with large full service sites. The base is located in a very beautiful mountainous setting. It's a great place to stop and "smell the roses".

We're here this time because our grandson, William, was attending the swim sports camp at the academy. It's 4 1/2 days of grueling training. He was the youngest here but kept up with the "big" guys. He sure has slept well each night. The only complaint he had was that he'd get cold by the end of the day. That's from him not having enough muscle on him yet. He sure did learn a lot though. I highly recommend this sports camp for any child that participates in a just about any sport. Next week is our grand daughter's 3rd year in volleyball camp. It sure has helped her in many ways.

There is also some great fishing here on base. We met up with our full timing friends, Mel & Karol, and Mel & I have done some good fishing. So far we've pulled 21 good sized trout from the lakes on the academy grounds. William has pulled his share of crayfish. He thinks they're neat pets until one "got" him good. Talk about great tasting fish. WOW! It's superb.

We took a ride up towards Denver to spend the day with one of our grand daughter's friends from the sports camp. We had a great time with everyone including the pets. On our way back we ran into one of the worst storms ever. The rain was so hard it brought us to a stand still on the highway. I never saw so much water at one time.

June 6 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-06-06T20:00:00.002-06:00

Sunday came so quickly. It's time to leave Smith Center. We are again traveling back to Albuquerque with Joy and Ralph. It' can only a 2 day trip back because we all have things to do on Tuesday.

The drive back was froth with high head winds. It really affected the gas mileage. We went from 10+ mpg to 7.5 mpg. Oh well, sometimes we'll get a good tail wind and make up for it.

The first night took us to a small park in OK. It was a self serve place, if you can believe it. For an overnight, it was great. On Monday, we stopped in Moriarty at RV Sales so that Ralph could help me out a little. THANK YOU, Ralph!! You're the best.

Tuesday brought us back to Joy's place. She needed some help getting ready for her next journey. It works for all of us.

The rest of the week was filled with making sure the grand kids got to places they needed to be and getting ready for our summer journey. We were on the go from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. I'm ready for Saturday to get here.

It's here Saturday and we are hitched, jacks are up and we're on our way. It's back to the Air Force Academy. Our grandson, William, is attending the swimming sports camp next week and granddaughter, Anna, goes to volleyball camp the following week. This is a time for both kids to grow by leaps and bounds in their sport.

The ride up to the Springs had a great tail wind. See, I said we'd make up for the head wind from Smith Center. Rose drove a good part of the way. I was glad to catch a nap. She's a great driver, so I can really relax and take naps along the way. Setting up was smooth and we have a great site. Looking forward to visit from our good friends next week. Lots of excitement next week.

May 23 - 30 Albuquerque, NM

2009-05-30T20:00:00.003-06:00

What a rushed week this was. On Monday, we flew back to Albuquerque from Chicago. We had the roughest flight ever as we were coming into Albuquerque over the mountains. It was up down and side to side for about 15 minutes. I sure am glad those planes are put together so well.

Anyway, we finally got back to our home, the 5th wheel remember, and now had to get ready for our trip to Peterson Industries in Smith Center, KS for the Excel Family Reunion. Every 3 yrs., Peterson Industries, the maker of the Excel 5th Wheel, throws a "family reunion, for the owners. It allows everyone to get together, share stories, visit with old friends, make new friends, attend seminars and have fun. They also used this time to announce a new model, The Winslow, and a new interior wood, Hickory, to the market place. WOW!

We left on Friday, together with Joy, to Raton, NM. There we met up with Ralph & Kathy from RV Sales, the Excel dealer and friends, in Moriarty, NM. We stayed at a neat little park just off I-25 on the south end of town. The owner, Buddy, is a hoot. He and Ralph go back a ways and the stories they tell. Your right, we're laughing again.

Saturday took us all to the Air Force Academy FamCamp in Colorado Springs, CO. The weather was OK for travel but with little grey skies. While there we visited the famous chapel. This was graduation week so there were many weddings going on there. The cadets are not allowed to be married until they graduate. Something about being distracted with family affairs while going to school. It made me proud to see the new officers knowing that these are the men and women who will continue to help keep us safe and enjoy our freedoms.

Sunday we went to visit the Miramont Castle Museum. This was a fascinating place to say the least. The rooms just go on and on.

Then there was the experience in the Tea Room. A simple lunch took 2 hours. It was a lunch that I don't think we'd like to repeat. We had a Psychology student as our waitress who was new to the job and gave us the eating experience that will be cause for a lifetime of laughter.

While at the restaurant the rains started. Did it ever rain. Parks were being closed because of the flooding. We headed back to the FamCamp on base. Fortunately the rains had let up and quit during the night. We were able to leave Monday without rain.

The ride to Prairie Dog State Park was pretty clear except for the rare spotty shower. There were a few clouds that we paid close attention to though because of the shape and color. We arrived at Prairie Dog at 4:00 PM and the rains started at 6:00 PM and did not end until very early Wednesday morning. Something close to 2.5 inches fell in the 48 hours. The front support jacks on the rig were in water. I hate it when that happens. The best part though was we were going 60 miles west and they only had 0.1 inches in the last 48 hours. Everyone was happy about that. We had hoped to spend time with some of the other 30 Excel owners who came there with the idea to start the party early. Instead we all spent 2 days inside.

Then it was Smith Center, KS and let the fun begin. This was our first time attending a reunion so we were looking forward to meeting some new friends and visiting the "old" ones. There were around 310 rigs from all over the country attending. There was even a 1972 rig. We sure have come a long way since then.

It was also going to be our first Full Timing Seminar presentation to a large audience. We have been doing a Full Time seminar to small, 20 people max, gatherings for about 8 months now. It has been very well received thus far. This though was going to be a little larger crowd. We had about 50 & 80 attending the seminars and great reviews. The main comment was that the seminar was way too short. We couldn't cover it all in 45 minutes. Who knows, maybe this our new calling in life.

There was the food and more food. We had breakfast and dinner served most days. We sure didn't go hungry. That was really evident when I stepped on the scales. There was more than enough for us. There was the special chili cook off by the various state Excel clubs. The different tastes challenged our New Mexican palats and gave us a new experience.

The best part for some people was that is was an opportunity to buy a new rig. In our opinion, this is the ultimate setup. It has the power to tow a heavier load, go up the steepest of hills, stop a lot quicker and handle a large level of testosterone. The rig can store more fishing poles for Tim and carry more "stuff" to quench Roseann's needs. Oh well, because I can dream, I might as well dream HUGE. Who knows what tomorrow brings.

May 16 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-05-16T20:00:00.010-06:00

This was a great week. We flew to Chicago to celebrate Roseann's mom & sister Mary's birthdays. Her sons David & Jason, with daughter in-law Jamie, took her & us out to a Greek restaurant in Chicago. Can you believe 3 + hours for the meal and drinks. Definitely a good time was had by all.

The food was the best Greek food we've had in a long time. It must have been an exceptional place to eat because when we were leaving at 10:30 there was still a line waiting to get in to eat. Way too late for us "old retired" folks to be out and about.

It was also a time when we were able to cherish the moments with Roseann's mom. As she matures, we realize more and more how precious our time with her is. We have been gifted with her presence for many long years and look for many more to come.

We were also able to visit with Roseann's aunt Ann and my aunt Florence. Longevity runs in our families. I just hope that we've inherited them.

Then there was the surprise visit from our niece Jennifer and her boyfriend during our dinner with my recently married sister Margaret & husband Paul. What a great time we had that night. I just hope that we didn't scare Paul too much with our stories.

May 9 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-05-09T20:00:00.002-06:00

Here we are in Albuquerque working on the storage shed again. Wow I can't believe how much stuff is gone. We are working on having an estate sale to get rid of most of it now.

We stayed at our friend Joy's house this time. She has a full hook-up site and we are able to help her out with the things she can't do by herself. Besides she keeps us laughing with her stories. Laughter is great for the soul.

May 2 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-05-02T20:00:00.003-06:00

We left Las Cruces on Monday and headed to Caballo Lake State Park, NM. What an awesome view. It's a real treat to wake up each morning and enjoy the sounds of the migrating birds, the local families of dove & quail and the sound of silence. How restful and comforting it is.

Some friends from the New Mexico Excel group joined us for a few days before heading their own seperate ways. Some we'll see later this week and others later this summer. It's always great to spend time, share meals and tons of laughter with them. Help keep my blood pressure way down.

I tried some fishing this week and got nothing other than good practice in casting with my new minnow lures. Had a few nibbles here and there but managed to only lose a few hooks in the rocks. Overall, fishing was slow for eveyone.

Friday saw us packing things up and heading for Albuquerque. It's back to working on ridding ourselves of so much stuff in storage. The big goal is the take thing down to a minimum kept long term in storage. So far so good. It's amazing how much "stuff" we thought we'd need to keep and when looked at a 2nd time we decided to let it go. It really is a relief to see the pile reduced to almost nothing.

April 25 - Las Cruces, NM

2009-04-25T20:00:00.000-06:00

This has been a busy week. We finished up The Rally on Tuesday and headed to Elephant Butte Lake State Park for three days. We were just here with the grand kids but now I have my fishing license. Caught a Striper Bass and Catfish. They made a great supper.

It sure was windy for a couple of days here. The weather is a lot warmer than it was in Albuquerque. I'm beginning to like the fact that I'm back in shorts and sandals.

Friday we headed to Hacienda RV Park in Las Cruces, NM. The NM Excel Club is holding their spring rally here. There are over 60 Excels gathered in one park. It's always nice to catch up of what everyone been doing and their travels.

Mel & Karol, Rose & I gave a seminar on Full Time RV'ing on Saturday. There sure is a lot of interest in extended and full timing. People asked us questions all weekend long. It great to able to share what we have learned in the short time that we have been living this lifestyle.

April 18 - The Rally, Albuquerque, NM

2009-04-18T20:00:00.000-06:00

"THE RALLY" - What an expereince this is. There are thousands of RV's at Balloon Fiesta Park for Good Sam's "The Rally". It's hard to believe how fast they got us all parked. We are with, Mel & Karol, Pat & Becky & Roy & Betty. What a fun time with them.

The entertainment has really been good. It's been Neil Sedaka, Rita Coolidge & Osmond Bros. for us. Then there are the constant laughs when we all go out to eat. What a great time with everyone.

The seminars were very informative. They covered all kinds of topics, travel, RV repairs, RV cleaning tiips, cooking, RV parks and much more. Rose and I would split up so that we could attend more of them. There were a few that we caught together. All in all, it was well worth the effort.

Then there were all the people that we met. They came from all walks of life but with the common goal of enjoying the RV experience.

Walking through some of the new RVs was an experience in itself. I'm not sure I'd ever bring myself to spending some of the money they were asking for some of those rigs. They looked nice but I'm not so sure about functionality of them for full time RV'ing. I could not figure out why in the world I would ever want a drop down porch on my RV. They had that and much more. They are fun to look at though.

There were bunches of vendors for every one's wants, needs & desires. They also had those things that you didn't know you needed until you saw it there. We left those things there. It's real easy to fill the RV with those kinds of things.

April 11 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-04-11T20:00:00.001-06:00

We're still sorting the stuff. It's getting easier though. The "for sale" pile keeps getting bigger & bigger. We should be done pretty soon. Thank goodness. I want to go play! Oh well. next week is "The Rally" from Good Sam Club. There is supposed to be a few thousand people at the conference. It should be loads of fun.

April 4 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-04-04T20:00:00.003-06:00

Grandkids are home and now it's working on sorting through all those things we thought we needed to keep in storage. Oh why did we ever think that we needed all this stuff. We should have listened to our mentors, Mel & Karol. They said that we'd wind up doing this someday. I'm glad we're doing it now and not waiting another year or two. I'll be glad when we're done and the only things we have left are pictures and other mementos from our travels.

March 28 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-03-28T20:00:00.000-06:00

This was spring break for our grandchildren, Anna & William and they wanted to spend the time with us knowing that we'd do something different with them.

We sure did. We stayed at Elephant Butte Lake State Park, http://www.truthorconsequencesnm.net/area_eb_lake.htm. There was the afternoon at the Hot Springs in Truth or Consequences, NM. This was not like anything they've done before.

They wanted to go to the lake. William fished for a while and then started throwing rocks at the bobber. Oh well, we can always go out for fish dinner. Anna on the other hand was interested in getting the tan thing going before summer. It was a little too cold for my liking.

Then there was the trip to Chloride, NM. It was an hour drive on winding roads to the town. There are now only 10 people living there but what a history. You can find more information with pictures here, http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/chloride.html.

It also happened to be a time when the March winds kicked up. The last night there, we had very high winds. William kept asking if the RV would blow over. He sure did cuddle up that night.

March 21 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-03-21T20:00:00.001-06:00

We are going to try something a little different with the blog. Rather than post every time we move, we are going to try a post each Saturday with a recap of the weeks events. We hope you find this blogging informative, interesting and a way to share in our life's adventures.

We left Smith Center, KS and headed back to Albuquerque. We had some of the best fried chicken ever in Hays, KS at Al's Chickenette. It was fabulous and so was the atmosphere. We'll definitely stop there again when we're in the area.

We stopped in Moriarty at RV Sales to say "HI" and decided to stay for a couple of days. We always enjoy the company there. We wound up giving a seminar on "Full Time RV'ing" on Saturday. There really is a lot of interest in our lifestyle. Next week, more excitement coming.

March 15 - 16 - Smith Center, KS

2009-03-16T20:00:00.002-06:00

Did we ever luck out. The weather has been absolutely on our side, PERFECT. Smith Center is the factory location for Peterson Industries, the makers of our Exce RV. We are back here for some work that was scheduled back in December. As usual, the work was completed ahead of our expected time and still with the best customer service around. During this time in the economy, I'm especially glad I have this Excel. The company, in my humble opinion, is the best.

We spent the days traveling around the countryside and enjoying meals in the local diners. It is truely a treat hearing the world's problems being discussed by the people in the heartland.

The center of the U.S. is also nearby to the East. There were fun times meeting other Excel owners too.

March 14 - Russell, KS

2009-03-14T20:00:00.005-06:00

Our drive to Russell, KS was uneventfull as far as weather was concerned. We left Dalhart with fog and freezing temperatures and great care. The further north we went though, the warmer and clearer it became. Hurray! It was a beautiful drive through the roads of Kansas arriving at the Triple J RV Park in the late afternoon.

Did you know that just 17 miles west of Russell, KS stands one of the 8 big attractions of Kansas? Saint Fidelis Church, built in 1909, is known as the "Cathedral of the Plains". What a magnificent structure. The stained glass windows were just georgous. What a role this church played and continous to play in the community.

We also drove around Russell and found that the streets are very similar to those that we had where we grew up on on the west side of Chicago. They were brick paved and who knows how old they are? You don't need speed bumps on these streets. You have to drive slow or else!

This is definitely "Heartland U.S.A." We really enjoy visiting these small towns and experiencing on a small scale how they influence the growth of our country.

March 13 - Dalhart, TX

2009-03-13T20:00:00.003-06:00

The weather seems to be on our tail. It was a grey day for travel but no rain. We stopped in Moriarty at RV Sales & Service to turn in a warrenty part and wound up spending time with new RV owners John & Margaret. THey were just moving into their RV and had lots of questions regarding our experiences. Finally after 45 minutes, I had to suggest to Rose that unless she planned on a late night arrival, we had to leave.
Arrived at Dalhart, TX as an intermediate stop. Hopefully the weather will hold up. It's not looking too good for tomorrow. We just might have to wait out the storm. We'll see in the morning.

Feb 15 - March 12 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-03-12T20:00:00.002-06:00

Back in Albuquerque and our job of helping with the grand kids begins. We had them stay with us in the RV for the whole time. That meant up early to get to school by 7:30. Nothing like trying to get up and going a full 30 - 45 minutes earlier than normal for the kids. Only for a short time, then the parents get to get them back. I wonder how well we can spoil them some more in a week.
We got more than we bargained for from the kids. We drop them off and come down with real bad colds. It was time to rest for a few days. The cough is the worst part.
Then it was time to work on the storage shed. Yes, we still have "stuff" in storage but have decided that it's time for it to go. We'll be resorting everything to get the "estate sale" over soon. Then we will really be "free" of the stuff.
It's amazing how fast time passes when you are busy. A month has passed already and we have to leave. We need to get warrenty work done on the RV, It's a trip back to the factory for this one. Hopefully the weather will be nice to us. Smith Center, KS isn't exactly a tropical island this time of the year.

Feb 13 - 14 - Moriarty, NM

2009-02-14T20:00:00.001-07:00

RV Full Timing! That's the theme of the 2 one hour plus seminars that Rose and I gave over the past two days. We are finding that more and more people want to sit and find out how they can get to live the life that we have chosen. It was a real joy to share the stories and laughs that we have had over the past 10 months.
I wonder if there is a book in here somewhere? Time will tell.

Feb 11 - 12 - Albuquerque, NM

2009-02-12T20:00:00.001-07:00

Well, we are back were we started from last April, Albuquerque, NM. We stayed at American RV Park on the west side of Albuquerque. It has the all important hot tub and if we want, a continental breakfast.
Our daughter, Rebecca, and son-in-law, Joel, are in the New Mexico Air National Guard and are scheduled to have an inspection to test the readiness of the unit. During this time, much like if they were deployed, they need help with the children. That's where we come in. It's our blessing to be able to help them out, support their efforts to insure our countries liberties, and spend great time with the grand kids.
We were able to surprise Anna and William by picking them up from school. The hugs were worth the world to us. Grand kid hugs are always invaluable. We can't believe how much they have grown in such a short time. It won't be long and they'll be adults.
Now it's off to Moriarty and RV Sales & Service for a couple of days.

Feb 5 - 11 - Elephant Butte Lake, NM

2009-02-11T20:00:00.007-07:00

Lakside RV Park in Elephant Butte, NM was our stop for a few days. This is a very active RV park with a lot of long term people. There is the morning coffee with donuts meeting to help share information and "solve" the world's problems.
This is a good time for us to take a drive to Emory Pass in the Gila Forest. Talk about scenery. It was absolutely georgous. The road was winding and thank goodness we didn't attempt it with the RV. We could have made it but it would have really been slow going. We found out that there was a huge silver mine and there used to be a railroad to the top. Wow! What people had accomplished in days of old can be mind boggling at times. What they did by hand, mule and whatever other means available, they were a real hardy bunch.
Then is was a stop in Hillsboro, NM for a snack/lunch. Remember, our goal is to find the best eating across the U.S. This cafe was opened in 1879 and from the looks of some of the antiques inside, there is some of the original things still there. They sure make a great breakfast buritto. Talk about "filling the void." Then it was a walk through the art galleries. It's a good thing we only have so much room in the RV. We enjoy the work and leave it all for others who follow us to also enjoy their work.

On another day, we spent the time exploring the area around Elephant Butte. We were able to see the reason it got it's name. Here also, like Canyon Lake in Texas, the water level is really low . I hope that this coming year will bring good rain fall to all.

Now it's off to Albuquerque.

Feb 3 - 4 - City or Rocks State Park, NM

2009-02-04T20:00:00.004-07:00

What a gem in the middle of "No Where", New Mexico. Popping out of the flat lands north of Deming is the "City of Rocks" State Park. We had attended an astronomy class here one night in January and decided to come back for a few days to explore it a little more.

There are wonderful walking trails through and around the rocks. One can spend days exploring this magnificant place.

One of the other surprising things we encountered was the absence of sound, silence. It came almost as a shock as we stood on a lookout point and stopped. We heard nothing. there was no wind, road or animal noises at that time. Nothing but the sound of our breathing. What an experience. We were amazed at just how noisy our everyday lives are.

The park is very nice for camping. We had water and electric at our site. We were very comfortable. This is a place that we will revisit once again.

Jan 3 - Feb 2 - Deming, NM

2009-01-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Little Vineyard RV Park in Deming, NM is our home for the next month. Pool, Hot Tub, trips to Mexico, hamburger cook outs, game nights and new friends were all found here.

We had Tres & Paula, our Navy friends since our time in Spain in '73 - '75 and Tres's sister Donna visit us. Paula & Tres with us for 5 days while Donna stayed in her Class C . What a great time we had with them. There was a lot of walking and hiking in the various parks nearby. The Catwalk, City of Rocks, Columbus, NM and Palomas, Mexico were just some the places we visited with them. It's always a fun time when we are with them. Many memories over the years that we'll never forget and cherish always.

We decided that this also was a time to get our bodies back into some shape, but pool areobics? Oh boy! I'm not too sure about this 9 AM in the pool thing. This is WORK!!!! Thanks goodness the pool is fairly warm. It is a lot of fun though at the end of the day and I'm feeling better. A lot more limber for sure.
The Gila Cliff dwellings was on our places to visit and explore. It's hard to believe that people actually lived in these caves. Talk about simple living. One thing for sure, they had spectacular views from their "living rooms".

Then there was the special night at the "City of Rocks". There was the astronomy class that was 2 hrs and seemed like 30 minutes. It was amazing. All those stars that can be seen when there are no city lights to interfere. The heavens are alive and there is definitely a God. The things we don't see because we just don't take the time to look and listen. This is our time to stop, look & listen to the world around us.

Silver City was another one of those places that we hadn't taken time to visit when we lived in New Mexico. Our walk through the downtown area was really full of exploring. There was the information about the historic floods that carved out the city's park. The multiple art shops brought all kinds of peoples dreams and visions to our eyes. The colors, shapes and forms were interesting to say the least.

Let's not forget our visits to the local vineyards. Deming's St. Clair winery has wine on tap. You bring your own jug and they'll make a special blend just to your liking. I've never seen Rose enjoy wine like she does theirs.

Time to head back to Albuquerque.

January 2 - Ft Stockton, TX

2009-01-02T20:00:00.001-07:00

First stop on our way back to Albuquerque. Ft Stockton RV Park is really busy with RV'ers on the move. It's a very nice park with good Bar-B-Que ribs. I told you we're on the hunt for great food during our travels. We got in late and left early. Onward to Deming, NM

Dec 3 - Jan 1 - Randolph AFB, Canyon Lake, TX

2008-12-31T20:00:00.022-07:00

December brought lots of visiting with friends and celebrations with family.

Our visit with Roseann's former workmate, Karolyn Mau & her family was a treat for sure. Karolyn, AKA Frau Mau, runs the best bakery in Columbus,TX. Besides baked goods there are the breakfast burritos. A great taste for sure. What a day is was. We spent most of the day touring the area with Karolyn and 2 of their children.

John, her husband and former NM Air National Guard pilot, is also quite the entrepreneur. He is producing custom made coolers with fantastic "plasma cut" metal logos of your choosing. When we get our next "Stick & Brick", John's cooler will be in our backyard for sure.

We then spent some time visiting their home in the hills. What a beautiful place to raise her children. Lots of room to run, family nearby and animals to great them everyday.

Then it was the special occasion of helping celebrate our granddaughter's 16th birthday. Her mom and dad blessed her with a teenagers dream, a small pickup truck. Oh well, another teenager on the road. Watch out! They had a big barbecue for our granddaughter and friends. My son-in-law, Marshall, sure can cook some great tasting ribs & venison sausage. We all ate very well that night.

Lester and Rose Graham brought tons of memories and laughter. Tim worked with Lester in the MICU at the VA Medical Center in San Antonio, TX back in the 83-84. What memories of those nights working with the veterans who had served our country. We shared a great discovery, Lucky's in Canyon Lake, with them on that day. Really, the bread pudding at Lucky's is something worth traveling there for. It was big enough for all of us to share. Fabulously delicious.

Time is passing quickly for sure. It's Christmas time already and we're off to visit our friends, Roger & Marilyn Parker, and take in the Christmas light show in Whimberly, TX. What a great night. There were Christmas carolers, hot dog roasting, hot chocolate, somemores and the Christmas lights all put up by different organizations in the town. The highlight of the night though was when Roger asked Tim to him raise the service flags at the Vietnam Memorial there. Roger was one of the people instrumental in getting the memorial built. Thank you Roger. You are truly an American hero.

Our travels have brought us new friends too. We first met Alan & Ann Morrison in Colorado just before they started their Full Timing journey. Our paths have crossed again with their stop here in Austin,TX. We spent the afternoon visiting the Air Museum in San Marcos,TX and sharing lunch. Great times with fellow FT'ers. We look forward to seeing them again in our travels.

Christmas Day was spent with my son-in-law's family. What a holiday treat it was for us to see his family again. I can't believe we drove that much though. It was especially great seeing his grandmother Noreen. God has blessed her well.

Work continued to address the shrinking level of Canyon Lake. There was an additional 20' of concrete added to make sure that the fishing pier stayed accessable to the millitary personal able to use the Ft Sam Houston facilities. Hopefully they'll start to get rain to regain some water in the lake.

And so it was to come, the end of our visit with our daughter, Marshall and the family. We spent our last night with them at the resteraunt laughing and enjoying some more good food. What a great time we had with them these past months. We look forward to our next visit with them.

As a final note, one of our goals during our travels is to find unique dining places around the country. Besides Lucky's in Canyon Lake, we found Mrs. Bush's Pies near the damn and the there was Flapjack's in Sattler, TX. Pancakes like you've never had before. We'll definitely be back for more.

December 1 -2 - Ft Sam Houston, Canyon Lake, TX

2008-12-02T20:00:00.005-07:00

Our move here was part of the game. Part of the rules imposed by some of the FamCamps is that you have a maximum time to stay without moving. Well, here the rule is 30 days. So we decided to move for two days so that we wouldn't have to start the New Year out by having to move from the Randolph FamCamp.

Ft. Sam Houston RV park is a little closer to fishing so it's not a bad move at all. Now it takes me all of two minutes to get down to the fishing dock. As you can see the fishing was great.

November 1 - 30 - Randolph AFB, Canyon Lake, TX

2008-11-30T20:00:00.011-07:00

We came here to Canyon Lake, TX to spend the the holidays with our oldest daughter, Jean, and her family. We stayed at the Randolph AFB FamCamp. What a wonderful place. Our spot was nestled in the trees with great protection from the wind and cold.

It also was visited each day by a group of deer. It was so much fun watching them interact. They protect the young until a certain time. Then they are treated just like other adults. The dominent doe seemed to rule until "big daddy" buck came around.

There were also great trails to walk on anytime of the day. One would always be able see some deer grazing and only stopping to acknowledge your presence. It started to help get us back into shape. It's just too easy to sit around and do nothing.

This is the longest time that we planned to spend, so far, in one place since we started our Full Time RV travels. It gave us a time to reconnect with our grandchildren and their lives. They have turned into fine young adults before we knew it. Such a treat to see them.
Enjoying the sites, sounds and smells of this world is what we work each day to accomplish. One of the sights that we were privileged to witness was the Monarch Butterfly migration. The trails along the Guadalupe River were filled with the butterflys. They looked like "grape clusters" hanging from the trees. Absolutely awesome sights witnessed.

There was also the fall season changing of the leaves. We found out about the "Lost Maples State Natural Area, Vanderpool, TX. We decided to make the day trip and what a trip. The colors were really awesome. then there was the stopping for lunch and a great tasting piece of pie. I think that's the best part of all these travels, the food experience.

We were also able to reconnect with friends from our time in the early 80's that we spent in San Antonio. Chris and her "beau", and Roger & Marilyn to start with. Great times shared with great friends. It was really fun to see the kids and how they've grown up. It was wonderful to sit and share life's experiences with each and every one of our friends. What full lives each has lived thus far. So much fun reliving the old times, seeing how much has changed and how much is still the same. We are so grateful to our friends for sharing their time and lives with us.

Last but not least, I was able to do "some" fishing and enjoy the company of some new friends. It was sooooo nice being only five minutes from some great fishing. Canyon Lake is like all the rest in the area, low and getting lower. That area of Texas was 17" short of annual rainfall and the lake showed it. Just during the time that we were there, the was a huge drop in the lake's level. It's really sad to see it happen. Hopefully they will get rain up north so that the lake can recover. I was told tht last year it was really high and the drop I saw was just over the last year. Scarry when you stop to think how vital water is to our survival. All in all I caught enough fish to feed all seven of us many meals. The 22" catfish was just one of the many catfish, bass, crappie, & perch. We ate more fresh fish than ever before.

This was an exciting time for Roseann & I. November is a very busy month for us to celebrate much. This was the first time in many years that we were able to spend this time of celebrations with our family here in Texas. What a treat.

The first special occasion was Tim's ??? birthday. This one was extra special because it was the first one he celebrated as a retired person. Yes, he finally decided to "retire" but he'll still work when it comes his way. He's just not the type to sit around and do nothing.

The next special occasion was Thanksgiving. My mom, Eleanore, came to visit from Albuquerque for a week over the holiday. We are always glad to have her with us. She had a special time feeding the deer each day. She couldn't believe that they would come so close to the RV. The deer would wait for her each morning and night. If she was late, they would stomp their feet in the hopes that she'd hurry up with food. A treasured moment for sure.We spent the day at Marshall's sisters house and ate and ate and ate. Such great cooks, Christy & Marshall. They'll never starve, for sure. This is Jean, grandma & Marshall enjoying the moment together.
Then came our wedding anniversary, 44 years. We have been so blessed during that time. Up & downs but great times never the less. A special day and time for sure. I'm definitely still in love with this special woman.

October 20 - 31 - Ft Hood, TX

2008-10-31T20:00:00.000-06:00

Sunrise from our RV at Belton Lake, Ft Hood, TX was a beautiful site. Ft. Hood, so I was told, is the 2nd largest Army base in the U.S and I believe it. This place is massive. It's also a pleasant place to visit. When passing through the gates, you are greated by the guard with "Welcome to a great place". When shopping, the same greeting and thanks is given by the cashiers. They make your stay very pleasant.

Then at 0100 hrs, when you hear the "sound of freedom" at work, you don't mind so much. Yes, we awoke one night to the booming sound of ordinance going off in the distance. Bombs, missles, or gernades. We couldn't tell except that they were there and we could hear it. We just listened for a few moments and then rolled over a went back to sleep.

We took some time to visit the Army's museum complete with tanks and helicopters. As I laughingly told my retired army friend, Col. Arnie Sargeant, here we are at the home of the calvery and I didn't see one horse except for the iron one's.

We also attended a say for retiree's. They had a very complete health fair with all types of screening. Rose found out that I really am part deaf and not just tuning her out. I sure was greatful for that bit of news.

They had a very well equipped gym that we used too. It was nice to get into the water and swim. One day we may be able to swim as far as our grandchildren. I have a lot of work to do, for sure.

I also got to try my hand at some fishing at Belton Lake. My 1st days catch wasn't a belly filler but it was a start. We wound up full meals of perch and more than enough catfish for us. It's a fun way for me to reconnect with the kid inside of me.

If you ever get the chanch to come through here during the holiday season, be sure to check out the holiday lights. We were able to watch the setup and testing and it sure is impressive. I was told that this time of year is a high spot in the lives around Ft. Hood. It brings people from all over to see the display.

October 17 -19 - Lake Whitney, TX

2008-10-20T20:00:00.000-06:00

Part of the reason that Roseann and I are on this journey is to look at other areas of the country for a possible retirement spot to settle down. We are trying to keep a list of places that are interesting and fill our other requirements for a place to lower our RV jacks for a final time. One place that had been recommended to us is Lake Whitney, TX so we decided to see for ourselves. Our friends were right. This place has possibilities. Great fishing, quiet, and still close to children, for right now.

You can get information about the site at http://www.lwrvcommunity.com/LWRVmain.htm and see for yourself why we like it. We were able to attend an owners community meeting and learn more about the people and the community.

Then there's the other part of the reason for our travels. To reconnect with friends and that we did. Lorne & Shelly Waters came down from Dallas to visit for the day. Their son Blake had other ideas for having fun than to sit down with us "old folks". What a wonderful day. We look forward to seeing them and traveling with them in the future. Never a dull moment.

Sept 17 - Oct 17 - Canyon Lake, TX

2008-10-18T20:00:00.001-06:00

Life at Canyon Lake has been good. We are 9 miles from Jean & Marshall's house so visiting has been great. Jessica is a lot better now and back in school full time. She has a lot of catching up to do.

Roseann and I are settling into a daily routine of waking up to the sights and sounds of the beauty of the surrounding area. Morning walks around the park have been very enjoyable. During the week we have had this place pretty much to ourselves. The only other people here have been a few other retirees like ourselves and the workers. It's been good for the spirit to be free of the stresses from our past working times.

Besides all the new people we've met, we have our daily visit from our park residents. We've had as many as 11 deer in our backyard at one time. Being that we've lived in the city all our lives, this has been a real treat for us. It has been very interesting watching them interact as a group. It'll be fun to see how much they will have grown by the time we leave here in January.

We've been able to reconnect with some of our friends from when we lived here before. We spent a wonderful evening with Roger and Marilyn Parker of Whimberly, TX. It was a time for catching up on all the family happenings and happenings there were. They moved into their home from the cabin we last stayed in. Roger and Marilyn did a superb job designing and building it. From the second you walk in you know you are welcome in a house the God helped build. Truly great friends.

Then there was our picnic day with Chris Hassen and her work mates from Ft Sam Houston. Chris and Roseann go back to the days at Incarnate Word College and Santa Rosa Children's Hospital. It seems like forever ago but then again only yesterday. We've known Chris for about 25 years now. We've watched her family grow to include grandchildren and the joys they bring. It was a great time to catch up on all the happenings in her life and listen to her dreams for the future. We've been blessed having Chris be a part of our lives.

We are looking forward to catching up with other friends in the San Antonio area and being with Cris and Roger & Marilyn again during the coming months.

September 18th - Texas Style Bar-B-Que

2008-09-20T20:00:00.001-06:00

We are now in New Braunfels, Texas for a while. Our granddaughter, Jessica, had recently been ill and in the hospital in Houston. We decided that we were coming down here to see her and help out. She also had the excitement of riding out Hurricane Ike in the Houston hospital's ICU. According to her, that's one thing definitely off her bucket list. She's doing a lot better now.

Jean, Marshall, Mac & Jessica belong to the New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein Shooting club. It was originally organized July 4, 1849. They took us out to a practice shoot Friday, Sept 18th and I was introduced to what I believe to be the best grilling machine ever made. It's made from an old propane tank with a lot of ingenuity.

I was also able to try my hand at shooting. My hat is off to Marshall. He's a great shooter and teacher. These guys take this sport real serious. I was amazed at some of the guns they had. To check out their activities, go to http://www.nbsv.org/

August 29th - Sept. 4th - Pendaries RV Park

2008-09-05T20:00:00.000-06:00

The gathering of friends took place in Pendaries RV Park. We stayed for a week and just tried to get ourselves to stop and smell the roses and everything else around us. This place really allowed us to start to realize just how fortunate we are to have chosen this life style. We are seeing things that for so long we just took for granted. We were traveling through life at break neck speed and not realizing all the wonders around us.

We found this neat little restaurant in Mora, NM and saw a sign with this life's motto. We had a good laugh with it. There is a point of truth to it though. No would of''s, could of''s or should of''s when were done. They sure serve great burritos there. The chili is tasty & spicy.

There was a neat fair held on Saturday and Sunday at the old mill. Lots of good things to try and buy. I was amazed at the history of the Mora Valley. Besides the beautiful scenery, a lot of things happened there in the early days of our country's formation. Choke Cherry Jelly was the purchase of the day.

Time to Relax

2008-08-08T20:00:00.001-06:00

It's been a long drive this summer. We covered 5,200 miles and are ready to just park and go no where for a while. We are looking forward to having the wheels quite. We are parked at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque for the time being and are planning to sit here until the end of the month when we will go with friends to Pendaries RV Park in Rociada, NM (that's near Mora).

Right now we need to catch up on a few things here and get some small maintenance items completed. With all the traveling this summer, I've let a few things go and now need to get them done. This is really the first time since we took off that we've not had someone with us.

We've been asked to give a short one hour talk at RV Sales & Service in Moriarty on our Full Timing experience . Rose will cover some of what we've learned so far and I'll go over how to best say "yes dear" and stay out of sleeping in the truck. :)

August 2 - Albuquerque

2008-08-02T20:00:00.001-06:00

We made a quick stop n Moriarty, NM at RV Sales to say hello to all our friends there. It was good to see how well things are going for them with all their changes.

We're back in Albuquerque at Kirtland AFB Fam Camp for a short stay. It was time to turn the grandkids back to their parents. It sure is quite in the RV now. Ahhh! The sound of silence.

We'll finally get to really experience our life of Full Timing in the RV.

August 1 - Santa Rosa, NM

2008-08-02T20:00:00.000-06:00

We're back in New Mexico and staying the night in Santa Rosa. This was a long drive today and all everyone wants is a cool dip in the pool. We're staying the night at the Santa Rosa Campground and there is a pool. First stop though is Blue Hole for a cooling dip. William also wants to try the jump into Blue Hole he'll have to when he get certified in Scuba next year.

It was then back to the campground for a good long playtime in the pool. What a great way to bring a summer of travel to a close. We spent a long time just chasing one another and having fun getting wet. What memories for us all. Thanks to all who contributed to the experience.

July 31 - Dodge City, KS

2008-08-01T20:00:00.000-06:00

Dodge City, KS and it's Cowboy Days. We're only here at the Water Sports RV Park & Campground over night. It's 104 degrees so we're looking forward to getting back to Albuquerque and the cool high desert air.

We got a late start so we had enough time to set up and get supper fixed. It was then off to bed because tomorrow is a long day. Ugh!

Sunrise was really beautiful over the lake here. It's great hearing the birds sing and watching the rabbits begin their day.

July 29 - 30 - Smith Center, KS

2008-07-30T20:00:00.000-06:00

Now you may ask, "What's in Smith Center, KS?" Well, it's the home of Peterson Industries, the manufacturer of the Excel 5th wheel. We're here to get a tour of the factory and also some get some minor warranty work completed.

Wouldn't you know it. Mel & Karol Nefzger are here also. They came from Idaho to also get some work completed. The service area is first class. They have a lounge that is open for clients 24 hours per day.

The factory tour really impressed us all, especially William. It's amazing how it all comes together. Now we know why this is such a great 5th wheel. It confirms our decision to go with the best. The people working there really take pride in their work. It sure gives one a lot of confidence in their product. Thank you to everyone at Excel for all their work.

July 27 - 28 - Offutt AFB, NE

2008-07-29T20:00:00.000-06:00

Offutt AFB, where we stayed, is just south of Omaha, the home of our niece Amanda Price, recent dental graduate husband Jason, son Jaden and the newest addition, daughter Jordin. What a fun time we had at Dave's Barbecue. They are getting ready to move so seeing them was a real treat. Our granddaughter Anna especially liked holding the baby.

William found a great playmate in Jaden. They really got into the DS play system. Almost didn't know they were at supper because of the intense play between them.

We had to do laundry and thankfully we were at the base. They usually have very good facilities and Offutt was no exception. The commisary was where we picked up some great corn fed beef. You could cut it with your fork. Oh soooooo good.

July 25 - 26 - Des Moines, IA

2008-07-27T20:00:00.002-06:00

Well, we leave Savage, MN and sure enough the weather man was right. We just finished hitching up Endeavor II and the rain started. It was pretty heavy to start but then ended when we crossed into Iowa. We're headed to Des Moines for a two day stay at Cutty's Des Moines Camping Club.

They were celebrating Christmas in July here. There was an exchange of gifts and other celebrations. Something different, for sure.

This is the largest park we've been at yet. They have 525 sites. We found five other Excels here too. It rare to find one other Excel so five was unheard of. The park afforded all amenities including the beloved swimming pool for the grand kids. They had a great time swimming and playing minuture golf.

The best part was the fresh corn from the stalk. It was so sweet. I'd forgotten how good fresh corn is. We're glad we stopped here.

July 21 - 24 Savage, MN

2008-07-25T20:00:00.003-06:00

We decided to come back to Savage, MN and check some things out. Our time here before was too short for doing some of the things we wanted. We went back to the Town & Country RV Park and really enjoyed ourselves. So far on the trip, I'd have to say that this has been the best park.

There is a very peaceful trail behind the park, if you can tolerate the mosquitos. We used lots of special formula repellant. It worked pretty good with only an occasional bite. It's a great place for quite thinking.

We were unable to connect with John & Mary Jelinek again but did meet up with Howard & Barb Schacht for a great evening meal in St Paul. Howard turned me on to a the author Lee Child and I was able to return three of his books after having them for just ten days. He is a really good writer of the type of books I enjoy.

This week was just for doing research on some possibilities for travel next year. Most of our questions were answered and it looks like we'll be back here for the summer. We met with David & Jill Olmstead, RV park owners, and found a friendship in the making. We look forward to seeing them again next year.

The weather has really held up for us so far. Rain is forcasted though on Friday when we're scheduled to leave. Oh well, it'll help wash Endeavor II, I hope.

July 6 - 19 - Great Lakes NavalTraining Station, IL

2008-07-21T20:00:00.014-06:00

Wow, it's been 45 years since I passed through these gates for the 1st time as a new recruit. I felt a relief knowing that this time I was only a visitor. I have to admit though that there was also a great pride knowing that I had completed a "journey" that changed my life forever.

We are scheduled to stay here for two weeks to attend a wedding in Chicago on July 12th. The campsite was about 100 yards from the Lake Michigan looking south east. Morning sunrises were spectacular over the water. We were actually able to see a portion of the Chicago skyline from the beach on a real clear day. There are great breezes coming off the lake too. They help to beat the humidity.

Every morning we were awakened by the cadence call of the sailors out for their morning run. I sure was glad I wasn't part of that run. The final hill was a killer for sure. Then there was Tim G on the beach. He was a recent graduate of the Basic Underwater Demolition School and getting himself ready for the rest of his training as a Navy Seal. I'm not too sure about the running with an arm full of a large tree or the doing push ups in the cold water of the lake. According to the women with me, he sure was in "good shape".

Then there was the real reason we were in Chicago. The marriage of Jason, our nephew, to Jamie. It was held at the Palmer House and was a real fun time for all. This will truly be a day for them to remember.

We have now picked up our grandson. This will give us some good quality time which is very hard to come by these days. It'll be a great time for us seeing them exposed to new experiences.

Chicago was Chicago. Big city with $25+ parking, traffic, traffic and more traffic. Oh yes, there is Millennium Park. Chicago has done a great job of changing things for the tourist. It's a lot more interesting than what I remember. Then again a lot changes in 45 years.

Seeing the family was also a great time. We were able to go to 6 Flags Park with my sister, Marge, and the boys John & Nick. It was more roller coasters and high rides. The best part was when my grandson wanted to go on the Giant Drop. It's a ride that climbs 200 feet into the sky before dropping riders into a high-speed free fall. Well, two thirds up the ride, he says, "Papa, you know I'm afraid of heights". Talk about being committed with nowhere to go but up and then down. He made it through OK. Needless to say he did not want to go again.

Then we had Roseann's mom, sister, Mary, and nephew, David, out to the base for a visit of our "condo on wheels". We shared some very fresh lake salmon and a great time was had by all.

Wednesday we were able to meet up with old friends from Albuquerque, Al Mason, Joan Carter and their son Jeffrey. It's what our journey is all about. Reconnecting with people who have touched our lives along our journey of life. We'll see them again for sure.

Laundry day and clean up the RV. Rain is coming down with a vengeance. We haven't seen this much rain in a long time in Albuquerque. I hope the RV floats. :)

Friday brought our niece Jennifer out for a visit. It was good to see her and hear about her life's dreams and aspirations. We wish her the best. She was able to share in attending a USO concert given by Lt Dan's Band, Gary Sinise of CSI: NY fame. What a thrill. Picnic supper on the parade grounds, Navy trainees all around and great music. What a way to spend a Friday night. We'll remember that for a long time for sure.

Can't believe it's already Saturday. Two weeks have just flown by so quickly. Time does fly when you're having fun. Time to pack things up and move on down the road tomorrow. It's been great.

July 20 - Portage, WI

2008-07-21T20:00:00.010-06:00

Stayed at Sky High Campground & RV Resort last night. What a great place except for the "bumps" in the internal road. It caused the RV to pitch a little more than I would have liked. All is well though.

They have everything that will keep the kids occupied. It's a place built for entertaining families. This is only for a night so the pool is the place to hang out.

I can't believe the road conditions. I haven't seen this many pot holes and rough spots in a long time. Thank goodness for Air Lifts. They really help smooth things out. Northern IL and Wisconsin have been the worst so far. I hope they don't have rough winter.

July 3 - 5 - Wisconsin Dells, WI

2008-07-06T20:00:00.001-06:00

The trip to "The Dells" was the toughest so far. The roads were the roughest and then we got stuck in accident traffic. Took us over an hour to go just 8 miles. Seems that a large truck had run off the road and burned. This was the 1st accident we've seen this trip. There have been a lot of tickets being given by the highway patrol in all the states. They have been on the lookout for sure. All in all, the driving has been smooth and stress free.

Belonging to the FT'ing RV family has the benefit of meeting new friends. We had the pleasure of spending time with fellow FT'ing Excel owners, Tom & Donna Clapham. It was a great way to celebrate the 4th of July, hamburgers, hot dogs, beans, potato salad and some drinks. Fun for all. We look forward to seeing them again down the road.

Roller Coaster, Roller Coaster & more Roller Coasters and after all that there is always the Wave Pool. That was the order of the day at Mt Olympus Park. As with any of these parks, you arrive early (0930) and then stand in line to get on the rides. The parking attendant was very nice though. He made me park over 4 slots to make sure that I wouldn't be "trapped" in the parking lot. We also ran up the stock price of the sun screen makers for sure. I felt like a grease pit at the end of the day but no sun burn.

The "Dells" have been hit hard by the recent rains. One of the lakes got drained by a broken levy. We saw a sign renting a pontoon boat for $0.95 / 4 hrs. The only thing was there was NO WATER and it was stuck in the mud. Funny but sad. The town wasn't really busy for that weekend holiday. At least not like I expected it to be. There were lots of deals to be had from the local merchants and the parks. Two for one sales abounded every where.

So far the weather has really been our freind. We're just trying to used to the bugs and humidity again. The air conditioning has been running more than ever. Then one steps outside and you feel like it's time for another shower.

Up early and off we go to our furthest East destination, Great Lakes, IL.

June 30, July 1 - 2 - Pine City, MN

2008-07-03T20:00:00.004-06:00

We moved to the north side of Minneapolis to Pine City. Here we were able to meet up with our other friends, Barb & Howard Schacht. They were gracious enough to guide us to the shopping mecca, "Mall of America". Not being a super shopper myself, I was still impressed to see so many stores under one roof. It is an "experience" that one should have one time. I'm not sure about a second visit.

We were able to spend a quite evening with them at the RV Park sharing supper and catching up on all the happenings. Being nurses and also military, there were lots of stories to be told.

Driving around through all of the construction really wasn't too bad. Then again our travelling was limited to mid day. I'm not so sure I'd venture out during rush hour here. The I-35 bridge is almost complete. It's my understanding they're looking at September for an opening date. That should help out a lot.

June 28 -29 - Savage, MN

2008-06-30T20:00:00.005-06:00

After finishing up business in Sioux Falls, SD, Roseann and I decided to move on and stay in the southern part of Minneapolis at the Town & Country RV Park in Savage, MN. I would definitely recommend this park any day. The people were really friendly and helpful. The facilities and grounds were very well kept. It's quite and still close to everything with easy access.

The biggest thrill was meeting up with high school friend John Jelinek and his dear wife Mary. What a surprise & treat when they suggested we go with them to the LPGA US Open golf tournament. We watched Anika Sorrenson on the 18th hole fire an eagle from 197 yds. out. I'm not a golfer but I sure did enjoy the day. The lake salmon dinner was a great topper to an already fantastic day. We'll be back for a longer visit. We' look forward to seeing them again.

The worst part of the stay was our reintroduction to mosquitoes, ugh! We'd forgotten what pesky pests they can be. They grow them big here too.

June 25 - 26 - Sioux Falls, SD

2008-06-27T20:00:00.000-06:00

Stayed at Jellystone Park for three nights. Sioux Falls is really geared towards the tourist. Lots to do & explore around the town. Lots of things for the kids to do at Jellystone too. Now it's off to Savage, MN to visit a long time friend.

June 25 - Wall, SD

2008-06-26T20:00:00.001-06:00

We're on the way to Sioux Falls and just had to stop and see the famous "Wall Drug Store". We stopped for breakfast and a look around. They had a real good buffet. Unfortunately we didn't allow enough time to see everything. I guess we'll just have to go back and spend a few days just browsing through all the history there.

June 24 - Wild Life

2008-06-24T16:39:00.005-06:00

Today was an up early day to check out the wildlife of South Dakota. We were not let down at all. The day started gently with deer grazing in some of the biggest fields I ever saw.

Then came the biggest surprise ever. We rounded a bend and there in the field was a herd of what I thought were buffalo. Then I read the sign (Double click the picture) and thought that Texan's don't have the biggest of everything and New Mexican's should never complain about their prarie dogs again. Truely these are magnificant animals and to think we almost lost them. We MUST protect our environment for the future.

From there we traveled to Hot Springs, SD to see the Mammoth Site. Fascinating to say the least. I feel as though I've entered school again. According to the guide, they will be digging there for another 20 years.

June 23 - Mount Rushmore

2008-06-23T17:14:00.006-06:00

As we travel the winding road and admire the scenery, we see a sign that tells us the buffalo are dangerous. Watching intently for our first sighting, we come across a heard of wild donkeys that are begging for food along side the road. Oh well, maybe later for the buffalo. The scenery along the way is awesome and GREEN. That's something we haven't seen in New Mexico for a long time.

Then we're at Mt Rushmore. Awesome!! The work is more than impressive. The dedication needed to complete this work will be forever appreciated by those who stand in admiration of this testament to freedom. We sure do appreciate it. From there, it was lunch at the Alpine Inn in Hill City, SD. Then through a rain & hail storm, it was back to Hermosa for a rest from the drive through the winding roads. Having the dually on some of these roads is really "eye opening" to say the least. I sure was glad that we didn't have the 5th wheel with us. Tomorrow it's going to be the "Wildlife Loop" in Custer State Park.

June 21 - FE Warren AFB, Cheyenne, WY

2008-06-21T21:00:00.000-06:00

Spent the day here in Cheyenne, WY. We were able to stop at the capitol building and see the statue of Esther Hobart Morris. Roseann definitely follows in her footsteps as a very stong proponent of women's equal rights and is working on teaching her grandchildren the same.

After a hard day of walking and seeing different sights, there has to be time for one to gather their thoughts and comtemplate the happenings of time. Maybe it's just a time to listen to the world around us and be in the now Tomorrow we're off again to continue our jouney.

June 11 - 20 - Air Force Academy

2008-06-20T21:20:00.000-06:00

We're here for 10 days while our granddaughter, Anna, attends volleyball camp. Peregrine Pines is a very nice FamCamp except for the trains that have to sound their "chimes" all through the day and night. Being on the academy grounds has all the benefits of any military installation and then some.

We found the Farrish Campgrounds high above the academy. What a quite and peaceful place with three different lakes to fish and spectacular views. It's a 7.5 mile hike from the academy or a 45 mile drive. Seeing as how we are still working up to long hikes, we chose the drive. Sure glad we did too. The scenery was wonderful.

We also had the pleasure of helping our friends Jim & Donna Rowland celebrate Donna's birthday. It's always neat to be with friends at special moments. Jim is a long time friend & architect who helped design the remolding of our former home in Albuquerque. He's just finished a large military project in Colorado Springs. It's always fun seeing them both. We had a evening of good food and lots of laughs.

We were also able to help our full timing RV friends ,Alan & Ann Morrison, celebrate Ann's retirement. They are currently living in their RV and getting ready to "hit the road" in mid July. The South African wine and local micro brewery beer were great but the chicken was the best. I'm sure that our paths will cross again during our travels across the US. We look forward to sharing our travels and more good wine & food.

Las Cruces Spring Excel Club of NM Rally

2008-05-01T07:59:00.000-06:00

This is our clubs semi-annual gathering of the members. Now that we're FT RV'rs, we were able to arrive early and stay later. We pulled into Hacienda RV Park, http://www.haciendarv.com/, on April 23rd and stayed until the 30th. This is always a fun time for everyone and it's a great park. They even have a nice breakfast each morning, if you want, and a Margarita party on Friday.

We had a great spot near the club house and was assigned the spot next to one of the other FT RV'rs, Mel & Karol Nefzger. Karol met us and guided Roseann into the spot. Yes, Roseann drove from just south of Albuquerque to Las Cruces. It's so nice for me to be able to experience the scenery and not worry about the driving.

By Friday everyone was there and we just had some great time catching up on all of the goings on from everyone. It also the time for us to catch up on the latest changes from the Excel RV world. The surprise this time was the new color introduced by Excel. It's a grey and looks sharp. I just imagined all the cleaning because of the dirt that it will show.

Mel and I spent time "shopping" for the "must haves" for the RVs. We scouted around and found a different whole house water regulator. It sure gives a lot better water flow than the original one that we got when we bought the trailer.

There was time to explore each others RVs to get ideas for decorating and just neat added living amenities. It also a time when the guys get together and try to solve some of the day to day issues that arise from having a "condo on wheels in a constant earthquake". It's a time for laughing, crying as we remember those friends who have passed on, and praying for the health and safe travel of all. We were represented by only 5 different states this year, NM, SD, CO, AZ, & AK. Last year I think we had 13.

By Monday night there were only a few of the club members left. We spent quite time and went out to visit the pecan farms south of Las Cruces. It is some operation. It depends on who you ask, but NM is either #1 or #2 in pecan production. They sure taste great when they're real fresh. Dark Chocolate pecan brittle is UMMMM Good!!

Wednesday was back to Albuquerque for the final pack out from the house. It's now time to finish up everything and begin our lives on the road.

Very Large Array

2008-04-07T07:59:00.005-06:00

We spent April 3 - 6 in Magdalena, NM, 27 miles west of Socorro, NM, with mom and the grandchildren mainly to visit the Very Large Array, VLA, located on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, NM. If you've ever seen the movie "Contact", this is the place. Unfortunately it was cold and windy the day of the tour and none of us were really up to freezing that day. We still were able to experience a lot. You can read more about the VLA at http://www.vla.nrao.edu/.

We found, what we consider, the best hamburger ever. In Magdalena, there is what else but the Magdalena Cafe. They serve what's know as the "Magdalena Burger". From this small town cafe came this very very large burger. It was 18 ozs of great tasting hamburger with Hatch, NM green chili and cheese. All this for just $6.75. Needless to say we split it in four and had 2 full meals from it.

Magdalena really is a neat town to stop and visit. We went to visit the old Kelly Mine above the town taking in the breath taking views of the surrounding countryside. Went to see a highschool ball game, walked to the old corral where cattle were brought for shipping, the old train cars and much more.

We were especially blessed by a visit from Fr. Andy Pavlak. It's hard to believe how much time has past since I attended his ordination in St. Louis, MO. A lot has happened in his life already. It was great to see and visit with him and then attend the mass he celebrated at the local church.

We also had a visit from Charles, one of Roseann's former workmates at the VA, and his 2 dogs. He has a small cabin south of Magdalena and caught Roseann up to date on some of the most recent happenings. She's just wondering who's cleaning the break room dishes? Gosh, will she ever quit worrying about the break room?

Sunday it was back to Albuquerque to take the grandchildren and mom home. We still have a little more packing & cleaning out to do to clear out of our house. It's still hasn't sold though. The right person just hasn't found it yet. Oh well, it's just a matter of time.

The Full Time Rv'ing Adventure Begins

2008-04-01T18:00:00.000-06:00

And so the journey begins. It's time to pack it up and head out for the country that Tim spent years defending. It's about time to see it and experience the wonders of it all.

It's also going to be a time to reconnect with our family & friends. We are looking forward to catching up with everyone.

This is not exactly what I had in mind for the 1st day of FT RV'ing, but Tim & I spent the day going through Endeavor II, our 5th wheel, and seeing exactly what's in it and what's not. There was also a lot of reorganizing. Going from part time RV'ng to FT really requires different thinking. There's no more, "we'll get that from the house for next time we go out". There won't be a house to come back to. We'll have it with us. I'm sure we'll have many changes along the way. Thank goodness we're flexable.