February 24th - 2:30am - Operation "Florida or Bust!!" -
We left Phoenix before the crack of dawn this morning. I actually meant to write this when we did leave, but every ounce of my being was fighting getting out of
bed at this hour, so I gave in and stayed in bed. Besides, once Frank crawled out of bed to jump behind the wheel and embark on our cross-country drive, Cody
climbed onto my back and fell back to sleep. If you've ever had a groggy 3 pound bird crawl on you and fall asleep you too would know how hard it is to push off
the sweet thing and climb out from under the warm covers and the comfort of a morning snuggle.
February 24th - 7:30 am -
Cody and I finally wake up and join Frank in the passenger seat. Mind you I am still in my P.J.'s, with blanket and pillow in hand. Don't feel too bad for Frank.
When he signed up for this journey, he was well aware that his darling wife, although she would love to be, is not quite what one would call a morning person, nor
is his bird for that matter. However Cody is a bit more of a morning person than I am since it was his idea to get out of bed, and I just followed along. He climbed
to the end of the bed, tapped my leg and said "Come on!" He then climbed down off of the bed, took a couple steps toward the front of the motorhome, looked
back at me and again said "Come on!" I quickly followed, figuring that if I didn't, he would find a cupboard, or something else to destroy on his journey to find his
father. P.S. Frank did stop for a brief nap at about 5:30 this morning until about a half hour ago. When I noticed that the motorhome was no longer moving, I half
jokingly asked Frank "Did you stop driving to take a nap?" He answered, in a very groggy voice. "No, the roads are just so smooth here in Texas you can't feel
the bus moving." I laughed, but then realized, after a couple snores, that he was dead asleep and had no idea what he was saying.
February 24th - 8:00pm -
We have stopped for the night at a rest stop in San Antonio Texas, a mere 906 miles from our starting point this morning. Frank claims he will sleep until 8am or
so and then start driving again, but we will see if he sleeps that long. Once the man puts his mind to something, no one can stop, unlike his wife, who is a much
more pleasant person after 8 hours of sleep than 5. Trust me on this one.
February 25th - 6:00am - Day Two of the Florida Mission -
Just as I predicted Frank woke up around 6:00 to start today's drive. Cody and I, on the other hand joined in on the adventure around 8:20.
February 25th - 8:00 pm - Hooray! We are in the State of Florida! -
No we aren't home yet, but very close. You never realize just how long the darn Panhandle is until you have to drive across it thinking that at any time home is
just around the corner, or at the I-95 that leads you to home is just around the corner. We should be there by 2:00 or so tomorrow. I can't believe we made it this
far in such a short period of time. The smell of the trees here in Florida are wonderful. It already feels as though we are home, except for the fact that is freezing
cold outside and supposed to be in the 80's. Hmmm! Maybe we took a wrong turn and are driving North, where it's supposed to be cold.
February 26th - 12:15pm - WE MADE IT!!!! -
Yes that's right, we pulled into our driveway at 12:15 Eastern Time! About 6 hours ahead of schedule, and just after our renters left the site. It is a gorgeous day,
a little cold, but hopefully that will change by the weekend. Our friendly family of armadillos are still setting up house under the concrete pad on our lot, so we are
headed to Home Dept to put the little buggers out of their misery, and send them to Armadillo Heaven! I am one of the biggest animal lovers you will find
anywhere, but once they move in and destroy things on my property, and possibly cause harm to my friends, family and love ones, they've gotta go!!! We tried
nicely the last two years to get rid of them, and they paid no attention to our friendly requests to leave, so now it is WAR! We took a nice long bike ride not to
long after we arrived, and the birds are in heaven being out of their cages and back in the sunshine after three long boring days of lock-up!
We left Phoenix before the crack of dawn this morning. I actually meant to write this when we did leave, but every ounce of my being was fighting getting out of
bed at this hour, so I gave in and stayed in bed. Besides, once Frank crawled out of bed to jump behind the wheel and embark on our cross-country drive, Cody
climbed onto my back and fell back to sleep. If you've ever had a groggy 3 pound bird crawl on you and fall asleep you too would know how hard it is to push off
the sweet thing and climb out from under the warm covers and the comfort of a morning snuggle.
February 24th - 7:30 am -
Cody and I finally wake up and join Frank in the passenger seat. Mind you I am still in my P.J.'s, with blanket and pillow in hand. Don't feel too bad for Frank.
When he signed up for this journey, he was well aware that his darling wife, although she would love to be, is not quite what one would call a morning person, nor
is his bird for that matter. However Cody is a bit more of a morning person than I am since it was his idea to get out of bed, and I just followed along. He climbed
to the end of the bed, tapped my leg and said "Come on!" He then climbed down off of the bed, took a couple steps toward the front of the motorhome, looked
back at me and again said "Come on!" I quickly followed, figuring that if I didn't, he would find a cupboard, or something else to destroy on his journey to find his
father. P.S. Frank did stop for a brief nap at about 5:30 this morning until about a half hour ago. When I noticed that the motorhome was no longer moving, I half
jokingly asked Frank "Did you stop driving to take a nap?" He answered, in a very groggy voice. "No, the roads are just so smooth here in Texas you can't feel
the bus moving." I laughed, but then realized, after a couple snores, that he was dead asleep and had no idea what he was saying.
February 24th - 8:00pm -
We have stopped for the night at a rest stop in San Antonio Texas, a mere 906 miles from our starting point this morning. Frank claims he will sleep until 8am or
so and then start driving again, but we will see if he sleeps that long. Once the man puts his mind to something, no one can stop, unlike his wife, who is a much
more pleasant person after 8 hours of sleep than 5. Trust me on this one.
February 25th - 6:00am - Day Two of the Florida Mission -
Just as I predicted Frank woke up around 6:00 to start today's drive. Cody and I, on the other hand joined in on the adventure around 8:20.
February 25th - 8:00 pm - Hooray! We are in the State of Florida! -
No we aren't home yet, but very close. You never realize just how long the darn Panhandle is until you have to drive across it thinking that at any time home is
just around the corner, or at the I-95 that leads you to home is just around the corner. We should be there by 2:00 or so tomorrow. I can't believe we made it this
far in such a short period of time. The smell of the trees here in Florida are wonderful. It already feels as though we are home, except for the fact that is freezing
cold outside and supposed to be in the 80's. Hmmm! Maybe we took a wrong turn and are driving North, where it's supposed to be cold.
February 26th - 12:15pm - WE MADE IT!!!! -
Yes that's right, we pulled into our driveway at 12:15 Eastern Time! About 6 hours ahead of schedule, and just after our renters left the site. It is a gorgeous day,
a little cold, but hopefully that will change by the weekend. Our friendly family of armadillos are still setting up house under the concrete pad on our lot, so we are
headed to Home Dept to put the little buggers out of their misery, and send them to Armadillo Heaven! I am one of the biggest animal lovers you will find
anywhere, but once they move in and destroy things on my property, and possibly cause harm to my friends, family and love ones, they've gotta go!!! We tried
nicely the last two years to get rid of them, and they paid no attention to our friendly requests to leave, so now it is WAR! We took a nice long bike ride not to
long after we arrived, and the birds are in heaven being out of their cages and back in the sunshine after three long boring days of lock-up!
January 1st - Figueroa Mountain - Happy New Year!!! -
To ring in the New Year, we thought we would have a fun family day, so we packed up all three birds, a picnic lunch and headed up to the top of Figueroa
Mountain to take in the views. It was a bit windy at the top, and poor little Abbey almost blew off the rocks. Considering that on either side of the rocks were good
sized cliffs, our outdoor picnic quickly turned into an inside the Jeep picnic. Since the Jeep is 'an all terrain vehicle', we positioned it in such a way that we could
still see the great views of Santa Ynez and Solvang below . Next week, the Santa Ynez Valley is supposed to get three or four days of rain so there should be
some snow up here on the mountain. As we headed back down the windy road we met up with a couple cows... ... literally. By this I mean that they were grazing in
the middle of the road, okay so maybe a little off to the side, but still, when an animal that outweighs your vehicle by a few pounds is near said vehicle and may at
any time bolt into the side of said vehicle, it makes one a bit nervous. Needless to say the cow didn't attack us and we safely made it down the mountain.
To ring in the New Year, we thought we would have a fun family day, so we packed up all three birds, a picnic lunch and headed up to the top of Figueroa
Mountain to take in the views. It was a bit windy at the top, and poor little Abbey almost blew off the rocks. Considering that on either side of the rocks were good
sized cliffs, our outdoor picnic quickly turned into an inside the Jeep picnic. Since the Jeep is 'an all terrain vehicle', we positioned it in such a way that we could
still see the great views of Santa Ynez and Solvang below . Next week, the Santa Ynez Valley is supposed to get three or four days of rain so there should be
some snow up here on the mountain. As we headed back down the windy road we met up with a couple cows... ... literally. By this I mean that they were grazing in
the middle of the road, okay so maybe a little off to the side, but still, when an animal that outweighs your vehicle by a few pounds is near said vehicle and may at
any time bolt into the side of said vehicle, it makes one a bit nervous. Needless to say the cow didn't attack us and we safely made it down the mountain.
The beautiful views from Figueroa
January 3rd - The Renters Are Out, HOOOOORRAAYYY! -
Well to spare you all the details and make a long story short, our renters, who for all intents and purposes were great renters for almost two and a half years
when their money ran out, have left the premises quietly and promptly. Luckily Frank and I have the next three weeks to spruce up the house for the next family
to move in. However this time around we are going to sell it to said family, instead of re-renting it. We have been landlords long enough for both our lifetimes.
Well to spare you all the details and make a long story short, our renters, who for all intents and purposes were great renters for almost two and a half years
when their money ran out, have left the premises quietly and promptly. Luckily Frank and I have the next three weeks to spruce up the house for the next family
to move in. However this time around we are going to sell it to said family, instead of re-renting it. We have been landlords long enough for both our lifetimes.
January 15th - A day spent with the animals - Santa Ynez, CA -
A friend and neighbor of ours here on Menlo Drive has an animal rescue/rehabilitation sanctuary that is located in the beautiful hills of Santa Ynez. This time of
year her animal levels are low, compared to springtime when all the pens are full, and the feeding schedule is literally around the clock. Frank and I have various
cages that we had in our house here and in our previous motorhome, doing nothing other than collecting dust in our parents' garages, so we packed them up
and took them over to Happy Endings Animal Rescue Sanctuary and set them up so they will be ready to house songbirds, hawks and any other bird or animal
that needs a home in their safe confines. While we were there we were able to play with and feed all sorts of the animals that she is nursing back to health. The
raccoons were darling. They would run around try to pick up the pieces of fruit that we handed them. The younger raccoon would climb on CC's lap as though
she were a lap dog and comb her hair with her little paws, and dig in your pockets to see if there were any treasures that were being hidden from her. The deer
was sweet and would lean against us through the fence and position herself where we could scratch her head and ears. She would slowly start to get more and
more relaxed as her eyes closed and her ears would start to lay back. She was hit by a car some time back and her pelvis was broken so she cannot leap or
jump, and becoming pregnant would be the end of her. She is now an education animal, and is taken to various elementary schools and will live out the
remainder of her years here at the sanctuary. In the Spring, she will be the momma figure to all of the orphaned fawns that CC will get due to not such lucky
victims of car crashes and hunters. Frank quickly took to one of the horses that was sent here after her human mother was 'sent away, for a couple decades.
A friend and neighbor of ours here on Menlo Drive has an animal rescue/rehabilitation sanctuary that is located in the beautiful hills of Santa Ynez. This time of
year her animal levels are low, compared to springtime when all the pens are full, and the feeding schedule is literally around the clock. Frank and I have various
cages that we had in our house here and in our previous motorhome, doing nothing other than collecting dust in our parents' garages, so we packed them up
and took them over to Happy Endings Animal Rescue Sanctuary and set them up so they will be ready to house songbirds, hawks and any other bird or animal
that needs a home in their safe confines. While we were there we were able to play with and feed all sorts of the animals that she is nursing back to health. The
raccoons were darling. They would run around try to pick up the pieces of fruit that we handed them. The younger raccoon would climb on CC's lap as though
she were a lap dog and comb her hair with her little paws, and dig in your pockets to see if there were any treasures that were being hidden from her. The deer
was sweet and would lean against us through the fence and position herself where we could scratch her head and ears. She would slowly start to get more and
more relaxed as her eyes closed and her ears would start to lay back. She was hit by a car some time back and her pelvis was broken so she cannot leap or
jump, and becoming pregnant would be the end of her. She is now an education animal, and is taken to various elementary schools and will live out the
remainder of her years here at the sanctuary. In the Spring, she will be the momma figure to all of the orphaned fawns that CC will get due to not such lucky
victims of car crashes and hunters. Frank quickly took to one of the horses that was sent here after her human mother was 'sent away, for a couple decades.
January 12th - John's 40th Birthday - The Red Barn -
One of our very best friends hit the big one today (or at least the first of many big ones to come!) We attempted to throw him a surprise party, but John, in his
infinite wisdom, figured out what we were all up to and let us all know that he figured it out. Anyways... ... it was a very fun evening with lots of old-timer jokes,
good friends, great food and lots of old memories remembered and shared. P.S. Since 50 is the new 30 than 40 is really the new 21, right ?????
One of our very best friends hit the big one today (or at least the first of many big ones to come!) We attempted to throw him a surprise party, but John, in his
infinite wisdom, figured out what we were all up to and let us all know that he figured it out. Anyways... ... it was a very fun evening with lots of old-timer jokes,
good friends, great food and lots of old memories remembered and shared. P.S. Since 50 is the new 30 than 40 is really the new 21, right ?????
Just one of the many joke gifts
Wendy and David
The deer loved her ears rubbed
It's a bit tricky to pick up fruit without thumbs
Frank bonds with the horses
The nocturnal raccoons were a bit sleepy
being woken up while the sun is still out
being woken up while the sun is still out
January 18th - The house is finished and ready to sell -
Almost three weeks later, sixteen gallons of paint, fifteen hundred pounds of trash and green waste to the dump and twenty (plus or minus a few) hours of
scrubbing away cobwebs and three years of gunk, we are finally done. Can you feel the relief in my on-line voice??? If I ever see another paint brush again as
long as I live, it will be too soon. It's a bit too monotonous for my taste, but then to each their own. One plus of these three weeks is that my shoulders and arms
are a bit more muscular from painting ceilings for days on end, and the overhead stretch of the paint roller is a new move I have added to my work-out routine.
We painted the entire inside of the house, closets and garage included, pressure washed the entire outside and repainted all the eaves and fascia. The house
looks amazing, and the backyard is unbelievable. That is... after removing 800lbs of brush, leaves and overgrowth. The Jacuzzi is back to it's old self, so the new
owners will have a complete house, in full working order. The best part of this renovation project is that we were able to do it on our own time schedule, and we
were able to bring our sweet babies to work with us. Cody's favorite part, along with sitting in the tree watching over us, was sharing lunch breaks with Frank, and
eating an entire bean burrito on his own. Abbey would sit with me inside the house, gazing out the windows to her old backyard and attempt to attack Cody every
time he and Frank would pass the window she was in. It seems like an entire lifetime ago that we lived here and had lives in this town. It's a great town, but we
realize that after traveling all this time we really are explorers at heart, and we have found exactly what God always intended us to do.
Almost three weeks later, sixteen gallons of paint, fifteen hundred pounds of trash and green waste to the dump and twenty (plus or minus a few) hours of
scrubbing away cobwebs and three years of gunk, we are finally done. Can you feel the relief in my on-line voice??? If I ever see another paint brush again as
long as I live, it will be too soon. It's a bit too monotonous for my taste, but then to each their own. One plus of these three weeks is that my shoulders and arms
are a bit more muscular from painting ceilings for days on end, and the overhead stretch of the paint roller is a new move I have added to my work-out routine.
We painted the entire inside of the house, closets and garage included, pressure washed the entire outside and repainted all the eaves and fascia. The house
looks amazing, and the backyard is unbelievable. That is... after removing 800lbs of brush, leaves and overgrowth. The Jacuzzi is back to it's old self, so the new
owners will have a complete house, in full working order. The best part of this renovation project is that we were able to do it on our own time schedule, and we
were able to bring our sweet babies to work with us. Cody's favorite part, along with sitting in the tree watching over us, was sharing lunch breaks with Frank, and
eating an entire bean burrito on his own. Abbey would sit with me inside the house, gazing out the windows to her old backyard and attempt to attack Cody every
time he and Frank would pass the window she was in. It seems like an entire lifetime ago that we lived here and had lives in this town. It's a great town, but we
realize that after traveling all this time we really are explorers at heart, and we have found exactly what God always intended us to do.
Along with playing in the trees, Cody also liked showing off on the Realtor sign and playing hide and seek. He would run down the hallway and into the closets.
Once he saw us looking at him, he would do a little dance, run from one side of the closet to the other and pretty much turn into a crazy bird. We were in tears
we laughed so hard at him, and he was having a great time. We finished off today with mowing the lawns and spreading a bit of fertilizer, so hopefully the shades
of green on the lawn will darken. Our fabulous neighbor has agreed to keep up the landscaping until it sells so it will stay in it's current glorious state.
Once he saw us looking at him, he would do a little dance, run from one side of the closet to the other and pretty much turn into a crazy bird. We were in tears
we laughed so hard at him, and he was having a great time. We finished off today with mowing the lawns and spreading a bit of fertilizer, so hopefully the shades
of green on the lawn will darken. Our fabulous neighbor has agreed to keep up the landscaping until it sells so it will stay in it's current glorious state.
January 16th - An Evening of Dinner and Music - Solvang, CA -
We spent tonight with Frank's sister, her husband and their two fabulous daughters, our nieces, Hayley and Torrie along with their darling new puppy, Diesel.
Frank brought his guitar, and the girls just happened to have their very own, so Frank gave them each a couple lessons. Torrie, with her long fingers, enjoyed
learning a few chords, while Hayley and Diesel showed off a few tricks. Maybe by the end of this season the girls will have a few more lessons under their belt.
We spent tonight with Frank's sister, her husband and their two fabulous daughters, our nieces, Hayley and Torrie along with their darling new puppy, Diesel.
Frank brought his guitar, and the girls just happened to have their very own, so Frank gave them each a couple lessons. Torrie, with her long fingers, enjoyed
learning a few chords, while Hayley and Diesel showed off a few tricks. Maybe by the end of this season the girls will have a few more lessons under their belt.
I did the trick, where's my treat?
Wanna buy our old house? Here's the info!
Lunchtime in the tree with Cody
Wanna play hide and seek?
The side yard with full working Jacuzzi
The backyard
January 21st - A final weekend with California friends -
As we get ready to head out on our 2008 tour of the U.S, we said our final
goodbye, for now, to everyone. It was a very busy weekend, but a lot of fun. Friday
night we had dinner with friends in Solvang. Cindy, Rochelle, Shelby and I hung out
in the warmth of the indoors, while Frank and John braved the chilly evening with a
good cigar and a bit of Cognac. Saturday night we headed a little north and met up
with Gwen and Chris for "An Evening with the Guitar" which was a concert put on by
the PCPA Theatre. There were two groups of players. The first group of men were
amazing. The each played an acoustic guitar, and sounded wonderful together.
The second group were Flamenco style, which we have now learned, is not quite
our taste, but very entertaining. Sunday we spent with friends in Lompoc for a
As we get ready to head out on our 2008 tour of the U.S, we said our final
goodbye, for now, to everyone. It was a very busy weekend, but a lot of fun. Friday
night we had dinner with friends in Solvang. Cindy, Rochelle, Shelby and I hung out
in the warmth of the indoors, while Frank and John braved the chilly evening with a
good cigar and a bit of Cognac. Saturday night we headed a little north and met up
with Gwen and Chris for "An Evening with the Guitar" which was a concert put on by
the PCPA Theatre. There were two groups of players. The first group of men were
amazing. The each played an acoustic guitar, and sounded wonderful together.
The second group were Flamenco style, which we have now learned, is not quite
our taste, but very entertaining. Sunday we spent with friends in Lompoc for a
bar-b-que with Madison, her parents Tim and Sharon, along with Janice and Ben who we may not see at the end of this year due to the fact that may be being
transferred to a different Air Force Base. Again, since it was a bit of a chilly day, we only braved the outdoors long enough to see Tim's remote control helicopter
take a few laps around the block and then back inside next to the fire, where Uncle Frank and Madison read a few books to each other and we watched the
Patriots break a new record! I guess we shouldn't complain too much about the chilly weather here, since in Green Bay it was literally only 1 degree. Brrrrrrrr!!
This morning we met with our Realtor one last time, joined up with Frank's parents for breakfast and hit the highway. It sure feels good to be back on the road.
transferred to a different Air Force Base. Again, since it was a bit of a chilly day, we only braved the outdoors long enough to see Tim's remote control helicopter
take a few laps around the block and then back inside next to the fire, where Uncle Frank and Madison read a few books to each other and we watched the
Patriots break a new record! I guess we shouldn't complain too much about the chilly weather here, since in Green Bay it was literally only 1 degree. Brrrrrrrr!!
This morning we met with our Realtor one last time, joined up with Frank's parents for breakfast and hit the highway. It sure feels good to be back on the road.
This area gets it's energy from windmills
January 22nd - Palm Springs, California -
We didn't actually stop here this year, but the views of the snow capped
mountains from the highway were beautiful. We did attempt to stop here last
year and take the Aerial Tramway to the top of the mountains and see them a
little closer. After driving up a 16% grade to the point where our poor little bus'
motor was beyond overheated with no outlets to allow us to turn around, we
finally hit the top, only to find that nothing larger than a Yugo would fit in most of
the lots. Where they tried to make us park the bus made driving down the
Grand Canyon look easy. Needless to say, at this time Frank was a bit
perturbed, told the guy what he could do with the parking lot, and coasted slowly
down the 16% grade. The motorhome obviously survived, but we have sworn
never to exit the freeway here to do anything touristy. Ha! That'll show them!
We didn't actually stop here this year, but the views of the snow capped
mountains from the highway were beautiful. We did attempt to stop here last
year and take the Aerial Tramway to the top of the mountains and see them a
little closer. After driving up a 16% grade to the point where our poor little bus'
motor was beyond overheated with no outlets to allow us to turn around, we
finally hit the top, only to find that nothing larger than a Yugo would fit in most of
the lots. Where they tried to make us park the bus made driving down the
Grand Canyon look easy. Needless to say, at this time Frank was a bit
perturbed, told the guy what he could do with the parking lot, and coasted slowly
down the 16% grade. The motorhome obviously survived, but we have sworn
never to exit the freeway here to do anything touristy. Ha! That'll show them!
January 23rd - Firebird International Raceway - Phoenix, Arizona -
Tomorrow starts the 2008 Test-N-Tune here at Firebird. Last night we stayed
in Quartzsite, home of 'The Big Tent' which is the country's biggest RV and RV
supply show. We needed a couple things that you can only find there, so we
did a bit of shopping, spent the night in the hills where the sunsets and moon
rises are beautiful. The camera didn't quite capture just how close the moon
looked or how clear you could the Man in the Moon, but perhaps you can get
some idea. We are looking forward to testing, since there are quite a few new
faces on both teams and the test sessions are always far more laid back to
get to know everyone versus the first race of the year where tensions are high
and everyone is busy. The nights here are perfect for sitting outside by our
new campfire listening to Frank play the guitar and Cody sing along.
Tomorrow starts the 2008 Test-N-Tune here at Firebird. Last night we stayed
in Quartzsite, home of 'The Big Tent' which is the country's biggest RV and RV
supply show. We needed a couple things that you can only find there, so we
did a bit of shopping, spent the night in the hills where the sunsets and moon
rises are beautiful. The camera didn't quite capture just how close the moon
looked or how clear you could the Man in the Moon, but perhaps you can get
some idea. We are looking forward to testing, since there are quite a few new
faces on both teams and the test sessions are always far more laid back to
get to know everyone versus the first race of the year where tensions are high
and everyone is busy. The nights here are perfect for sitting outside by our
new campfire listening to Frank play the guitar and Cody sing along.
January 24th - Rawhide Steakhouse and Old West Town -
Kenny and Sheryl, team owners, took the whole lot of us, 30 to be exact, out to dinner tonight. The first day of testing turned out to be a lost day, due to weather
and track conditions, but it made for an early evening off of work for the guys. The restaurant which was once just an open field across the way from the
racetrack has now been built into a huge western town. The different buildings include a saloon, two mercantiles, a horse boarding facility, blacksmith, small bank
and every other item that you would imagine the old west to have, including gunfights every so often in the middle of the streets. Since it was very cold and very
rainy tonight we didn't wander too far from the warm and dry confines of the restaurant, so we will have to come back another day to walk through the streets.
The food, live guitar entertainment and company of teammates was a lot of fun. I can guarantee you all that this year is going to be a lot of fun, with all the
different personalities and humor of the guys on both teams. Not that we don't miss the faces of last year, but it's fun to have a new group to work with. It makes
things feel new all over again. The evening was complete when the balloon man made us a Top Fuel Dragster balloon and a Funny Car one as well, even though
the colors were a little off. The Funny Car balloon made it out the door before I could snap a shot of it, but the Dragster had enough character for both of them.
Kenny and Sheryl, team owners, took the whole lot of us, 30 to be exact, out to dinner tonight. The first day of testing turned out to be a lost day, due to weather
and track conditions, but it made for an early evening off of work for the guys. The restaurant which was once just an open field across the way from the
racetrack has now been built into a huge western town. The different buildings include a saloon, two mercantiles, a horse boarding facility, blacksmith, small bank
and every other item that you would imagine the old west to have, including gunfights every so often in the middle of the streets. Since it was very cold and very
rainy tonight we didn't wander too far from the warm and dry confines of the restaurant, so we will have to come back another day to walk through the streets.
The food, live guitar entertainment and company of teammates was a lot of fun. I can guarantee you all that this year is going to be a lot of fun, with all the
different personalities and humor of the guys on both teams. Not that we don't miss the faces of last year, but it's fun to have a new group to work with. It makes
things feel new all over again. The evening was complete when the balloon man made us a Top Fuel Dragster balloon and a Funny Car one as well, even though
the colors were a little off. The Funny Car balloon made it out the door before I could snap a shot of it, but the Dragster had enough character for both of them.
January 27th - Phoenix Arizona -
We spent one last day of testing with the team, watched them go down the track a couple of times and then headed back to Santa Ynez for a funeral for Frank's
Great Uncle Daryl. It was a beautiful drive with all the rain and the rainbows. There are actually three rainbows in the picture above, but you can't quite make
them all out. The service for Frank's Uncle was very nice, and had almost the entire town in attendance which meant so much to the family. Daryl was one of the
founding father's of the Santa Ynez Valley, he built more than half the buildings and started quite a few of the hotels there, including Pea Soup Anderson's which
had made the Valley almost world famous. He will be greatly missed as his house was where all the holidays were held when the nieces and nephews were small
and all the family reunions of the last few years took place. It was wonderful that we were able to head back for the services.
January 28th - Abbey Gets A New Oven Mitt -
Yes that sounds like a crazy thing to buy a bird, but for some reason her favorite thing is to climb in the drawer where I keep my oven mitts and tear them to
pieces, so I have learned to get her her own and put it on the floor of her bed. The third picture is what was left of her last one, only 3 months old and the far
picture is what the third picture looked like brand new. Yikes! Apparently an oven mitt ticked her off at some point in her little life and she has taken revenge.
We spent one last day of testing with the team, watched them go down the track a couple of times and then headed back to Santa Ynez for a funeral for Frank's
Great Uncle Daryl. It was a beautiful drive with all the rain and the rainbows. There are actually three rainbows in the picture above, but you can't quite make
them all out. The service for Frank's Uncle was very nice, and had almost the entire town in attendance which meant so much to the family. Daryl was one of the
founding father's of the Santa Ynez Valley, he built more than half the buildings and started quite a few of the hotels there, including Pea Soup Anderson's which
had made the Valley almost world famous. He will be greatly missed as his house was where all the holidays were held when the nieces and nephews were small
and all the family reunions of the last few years took place. It was wonderful that we were able to head back for the services.
January 28th - Abbey Gets A New Oven Mitt -
Yes that sounds like a crazy thing to buy a bird, but for some reason her favorite thing is to climb in the drawer where I keep my oven mitts and tear them to
pieces, so I have learned to get her her own and put it on the floor of her bed. The third picture is what was left of her last one, only 3 months old and the far
picture is what the third picture looked like brand new. Yikes! Apparently an oven mitt ticked her off at some point in her little life and she has taken revenge.
If you look close you can see Frank and I
Frank reads to Madison
Yes it once looked like the one on the right
February 3rd - Super Bowl Sunday - In California??? -
Yes we are actually in California, however it sure didn't feel like it since the temperature was about 52 with a wind chill of somewhere in the 30's. You'd think we
were actually in New England somewhere watching the game. I will say I love to watch football, not every week, but every so often. This game was well worth it.
Shirl, Candy, Helen and I were the first ones outside sitting in the front row of the big screen TV on Helen and Richard's motorhome with five layers of clothes, a
couple down blankets, and our handy heater to keep us warm. Shirl, as you can tell by the picture, is a Patriots fan, and since my favorite team wasn't in the
Super Bowl this year, or anywhere near as usual, I thought it would be fun to cheer along with the undefeated team. Deep down however, and please don't get
too offended all you New England fans, I love it when the underdog wins. Soon after the game started and all the rest of the gang joined us Shirl and I ended up
further and further away from the heater somehow, and as you can see above Frank, Jim and Meagan took full advantage of it, along with sweet little DeeDee,
Helen and Richard's new puppy and the mascot of the game. She actually only stayed out for about 5 minutes since she is so tiny and it was freezing out.
Yes we are actually in California, however it sure didn't feel like it since the temperature was about 52 with a wind chill of somewhere in the 30's. You'd think we
were actually in New England somewhere watching the game. I will say I love to watch football, not every week, but every so often. This game was well worth it.
Shirl, Candy, Helen and I were the first ones outside sitting in the front row of the big screen TV on Helen and Richard's motorhome with five layers of clothes, a
couple down blankets, and our handy heater to keep us warm. Shirl, as you can tell by the picture, is a Patriots fan, and since my favorite team wasn't in the
Super Bowl this year, or anywhere near as usual, I thought it would be fun to cheer along with the undefeated team. Deep down however, and please don't get
too offended all you New England fans, I love it when the underdog wins. Soon after the game started and all the rest of the gang joined us Shirl and I ended up
further and further away from the heater somehow, and as you can see above Frank, Jim and Meagan took full advantage of it, along with sweet little DeeDee,
Helen and Richard's new puppy and the mascot of the game. She actually only stayed out for about 5 minutes since she is so tiny and it was freezing out.
=
+
February 1st -
Our sweet little Bradley was playing on his pirate ship today. Since the last three weeks his pirate ship was outside in the somewhat sunny weather of the West
Coast, we hadn't yet stuck it to the counter. Needless too say, it toppled over. The sad thing is, is that it was right next to the edge of the counter, and as it fell off
the counter top and crashed to the floor, so did he! Poor Bradley ended up underneath the ship once it made contact with the tile below and screamed like a little
kid for about 20 seconds, ran to Frank's arms and would leave the comfort of his shoulder and neck. We of course checked for wounded wings and hurt feet and
ankles, but all seems okay, except for a good size lump on his head, a black eye, and a vengeful look in his eye every time he sees his beloved pirate ship. It is
back safely stuck to the counter with earthquake putty, so hopefully he will brave boarding his vessel once again in the near future.
Our sweet little Bradley was playing on his pirate ship today. Since the last three weeks his pirate ship was outside in the somewhat sunny weather of the West
Coast, we hadn't yet stuck it to the counter. Needless too say, it toppled over. The sad thing is, is that it was right next to the edge of the counter, and as it fell off
the counter top and crashed to the floor, so did he! Poor Bradley ended up underneath the ship once it made contact with the tile below and screamed like a little
kid for about 20 seconds, ran to Frank's arms and would leave the comfort of his shoulder and neck. We of course checked for wounded wings and hurt feet and
ankles, but all seems okay, except for a good size lump on his head, a black eye, and a vengeful look in his eye every time he sees his beloved pirate ship. It is
back safely stuck to the counter with earthquake putty, so hopefully he will brave boarding his vessel once again in the near future.
February 10th - Winternationals, Pomona, California -
We have nicknamed this weekend as the weekend of fires. Every morning when we get to work, Frank lights the pilots lights in the kitchen so Eddie and I can
cook lunch for the teams. Thursday morning, one of the burners was cracked just enough to release a stream of propane that burst into flames as Frank went to
light it. The flame was big enough to singe all of Frank's eyelashes off, trim his eyebrows pretty good and singe the hair around his ears and face, but thankfully
not big enough to do any skin damage, aside from a very dry and flaky nose. The second fire of the weekend was one of the Funny Car drivers, Tony Pedregon,
when his car literally burst into explosive flames halfway down the track. The flames burned through his fire suit and hurt his hands a bit, but he was back at the
track in full health with minimal bandages later this afternoon. Our hospitality tent was the center of attention this weekend with a D.J., great music and a full
house. Neither of our teams did too well in competition but it's the first race of the year, so hopefully things will improve and the rest of our Sundays will be better.
We have nicknamed this weekend as the weekend of fires. Every morning when we get to work, Frank lights the pilots lights in the kitchen so Eddie and I can
cook lunch for the teams. Thursday morning, one of the burners was cracked just enough to release a stream of propane that burst into flames as Frank went to
light it. The flame was big enough to singe all of Frank's eyelashes off, trim his eyebrows pretty good and singe the hair around his ears and face, but thankfully
not big enough to do any skin damage, aside from a very dry and flaky nose. The second fire of the weekend was one of the Funny Car drivers, Tony Pedregon,
when his car literally burst into explosive flames halfway down the track. The flames burned through his fire suit and hurt his hands a bit, but he was back at the
track in full health with minimal bandages later this afternoon. Our hospitality tent was the center of attention this weekend with a D.J., great music and a full
house. Neither of our teams did too well in competition but it's the first race of the year, so hopefully things will improve and the rest of our Sundays will be better.
Frank and Suzy hard at work
New driver Tommy with Brandon and Kenny
The crowd was dancing
February 12th - Two Springs RV Park - Palm Springs, California -
Back when we were in Quartzsite, Arizona, we received a coupon book with free nights stays at various RV parks around the country. Most of them were 'stay
two nights get one free', but the coupon for Two Springs was 3 days 2 nights absolutely free, so we took them up on their offer. As our good friend Shirl says "If
it's free, it's me!" We now see why they were giving out this promotion, since they are pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and the sites are very barren. You
can buy your own site here, much like our place in Florida, but the amenities are scarce, as is the greenery and the only water view is that of an old half dried up
man made pond, but it does have a few goldfish in it. You also can't build much on your site here other than a storage shed and dress up the cement area of
your pad with stonework or pavers. The first day we were here the weather was gorgeous. It was about 85 degrees so we took the top down in the Jeep and
drove over to Palm Springs for lunch and a walk around the town. Palm Springs is a very nice town with lots of stuff to do, but again if there aren't green hills and
meadows and lakes and wildlife I can leave it behind. The views of the mountains are pretty, but you see a great deal of the wind generators as you look across
them, so those take a bit away from it, and considering they have hundreds and hundreds of the wind generators I have to believe it must get pretty windy here.
Tomorrow we might drive to Indio and look at the Outdoor resort there. We have heard it is an amazing place with lots of lakes and the sites are all customized.
Back when we were in Quartzsite, Arizona, we received a coupon book with free nights stays at various RV parks around the country. Most of them were 'stay
two nights get one free', but the coupon for Two Springs was 3 days 2 nights absolutely free, so we took them up on their offer. As our good friend Shirl says "If
it's free, it's me!" We now see why they were giving out this promotion, since they are pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and the sites are very barren. You
can buy your own site here, much like our place in Florida, but the amenities are scarce, as is the greenery and the only water view is that of an old half dried up
man made pond, but it does have a few goldfish in it. You also can't build much on your site here other than a storage shed and dress up the cement area of
your pad with stonework or pavers. The first day we were here the weather was gorgeous. It was about 85 degrees so we took the top down in the Jeep and
drove over to Palm Springs for lunch and a walk around the town. Palm Springs is a very nice town with lots of stuff to do, but again if there aren't green hills and
meadows and lakes and wildlife I can leave it behind. The views of the mountains are pretty, but you see a great deal of the wind generators as you look across
them, so those take a bit away from it, and considering they have hundreds and hundreds of the wind generators I have to believe it must get pretty windy here.
Tomorrow we might drive to Indio and look at the Outdoor resort there. We have heard it is an amazing place with lots of lakes and the sites are all customized.
February 13th - Outdoor Resort, Indio, California -
WOW!! What a difference between parks. This outdoor resort is beautiful. You
hardly feel like you are in the dessert anymore with all the grass and flowers and
trees and lakes that connect. You can take your boat from your own private dock
and drive to the pool, or the restaurant or the bar. Lots of people had peddle boats
which looked like the way to go. You could travel via water and get a bit of exercise
as well. The sites are truly customized. Some people have put close to a million
dollars in upgrades on these sites and have everything from a sushi bar to full
gourmet outdoor kitchens to their own pools and spas in the backyard with swim up
bars. It was nice to see and quite impressive, but again, it's still in the dessert and
the dry heat is not to our liking. Not to mention there isn't a beach 5 miles away.
WOW!! What a difference between parks. This outdoor resort is beautiful. You
hardly feel like you are in the dessert anymore with all the grass and flowers and
trees and lakes that connect. You can take your boat from your own private dock
and drive to the pool, or the restaurant or the bar. Lots of people had peddle boats
which looked like the way to go. You could travel via water and get a bit of exercise
as well. The sites are truly customized. Some people have put close to a million
dollars in upgrades on these sites and have everything from a sushi bar to full
gourmet outdoor kitchens to their own pools and spas in the backyard with swim up
bars. It was nice to see and quite impressive, but again, it's still in the dessert and
the dry heat is not to our liking. Not to mention there isn't a beach 5 miles away.
February 14th - Valentine's Day at Glamis -
We joined up with a group of friends here at the sand dunes of Glamis just about 150 miles outside of Phoenix, Arizona which, handy for Frank and I, just
happens to be our next stop. With two sand cars and 8 quads we all have a vehicle to drive around the dunes, or ride with someone else. Yesterday, we ladies
took a long ride all around, which was perfect since it hasn't gotten too busy, and all the sand dunes have no tracks on them since the wind shifted the night
before and smoothed them out. We were out for about 2 hours, and had a great time. Eventually the guys met up with us, and we all went a little further into the
dunes and hit the bigger ones. One dune, which was incredibly steep made Stephanie and I a bit nervous, so we stopped for a moment at the top, noticing Greg
and Frank behind us Stephanie quickly turned her quad around. Not knowing what Greg was planning, I crept forward on my quad slowly hoping by just leaving
the brake off, the quad would slowly get enough momentum down the tip of the hill. Just as I thought I might chicken out, Greg pushed the back of the quad and
over I went. All I heard was "use your back brake" off in the distance. It turned out to be quite an exhilarating ride, and I only had to use the brake a bit. By the
end of the day we all went up and down it about a dozen times and then headed back to camp. It was just about dusk, so we lit an enormous campfire and hung
out outside until the evening winds picked up again. Once the wind hit we all headed inside where Stephanie baked a ton of enchiladas for everyone. The wind
isn't too fun at night, but it makes a great new set of dunes each morning, and wipes away all the tracks of the crowds from the day before so the sand is fresh
again for the next day and nice and smooth. As the weekend goes on the crowds will grow and the winds will lessen so the new sand is to be enjoyed to the fullest
these next few days
We joined up with a group of friends here at the sand dunes of Glamis just about 150 miles outside of Phoenix, Arizona which, handy for Frank and I, just
happens to be our next stop. With two sand cars and 8 quads we all have a vehicle to drive around the dunes, or ride with someone else. Yesterday, we ladies
took a long ride all around, which was perfect since it hasn't gotten too busy, and all the sand dunes have no tracks on them since the wind shifted the night
before and smoothed them out. We were out for about 2 hours, and had a great time. Eventually the guys met up with us, and we all went a little further into the
dunes and hit the bigger ones. One dune, which was incredibly steep made Stephanie and I a bit nervous, so we stopped for a moment at the top, noticing Greg
and Frank behind us Stephanie quickly turned her quad around. Not knowing what Greg was planning, I crept forward on my quad slowly hoping by just leaving
the brake off, the quad would slowly get enough momentum down the tip of the hill. Just as I thought I might chicken out, Greg pushed the back of the quad and
over I went. All I heard was "use your back brake" off in the distance. It turned out to be quite an exhilarating ride, and I only had to use the brake a bit. By the
end of the day we all went up and down it about a dozen times and then headed back to camp. It was just about dusk, so we lit an enormous campfire and hung
out outside until the evening winds picked up again. Once the wind hit we all headed inside where Stephanie baked a ton of enchiladas for everyone. The wind
isn't too fun at night, but it makes a great new set of dunes each morning, and wipes away all the tracks of the crowds from the day before so the sand is fresh
again for the next day and nice and smooth. As the weekend goes on the crowds will grow and the winds will lessen so the new sand is to be enjoyed to the fullest
these next few days
February 16th -
This afternoon we ladies took another ride to the "smaller dunes" on the other side of the road. From a distance the other side of the road looks like a bunch of
little trees and green bushes, but the closer you get the more purple and pink start to show, and by the time you get over to that side you are surrounded by
beautiful fragrant wildflowers. It's amazing that these flowers can bloom in the dessert with virtually no water all year long. Soon after we left a couple of the guys
found us, and we all headed back into the big dunes to explore. Funny how that seems to happen each time we girls go out on our own. We ended up going
down a few big dunes, but today I was much more confident, and Stephanie and I each had a radio in our helmets, so we could talk each other over the next hill,
or up the following dune. About two hours before sunset we all drove over to watch what they call The Sand Drags. Coming from the very organized and
regulated Drag Races of the National Hot Rod Association, we figured there would be some rhyme or reason to these drag races, but no, hmmmm imagine that! It
is pretty much a free for all where all the different sand cars race down a long and mostly flat area of the sand. There is one area that has a bit of a bump, and
this is where we parked the cars and watched because this spot was where all the cars and quads got air. Before we parked John did drive his car down the drag
strip, and it was great! When the car lifts in the air and comes back down it is the softest landing you can imagine but the greatest roller coaster feeling ever as
well. Greg went down the drag strip about a dozen times in his car and got quite a bit of air, as you can see in the last picture. We used John's car as tiered
seating so we all had a good view above the strip. After sunset The Sand Drags end, so we drove back to camp and John made carne asada tacos that we all
enjoyed by the campfire again. Tonight the wind was completely still so it made for a nice late evening.
This afternoon we ladies took another ride to the "smaller dunes" on the other side of the road. From a distance the other side of the road looks like a bunch of
little trees and green bushes, but the closer you get the more purple and pink start to show, and by the time you get over to that side you are surrounded by
beautiful fragrant wildflowers. It's amazing that these flowers can bloom in the dessert with virtually no water all year long. Soon after we left a couple of the guys
found us, and we all headed back into the big dunes to explore. Funny how that seems to happen each time we girls go out on our own. We ended up going
down a few big dunes, but today I was much more confident, and Stephanie and I each had a radio in our helmets, so we could talk each other over the next hill,
or up the following dune. About two hours before sunset we all drove over to watch what they call The Sand Drags. Coming from the very organized and
regulated Drag Races of the National Hot Rod Association, we figured there would be some rhyme or reason to these drag races, but no, hmmmm imagine that! It
is pretty much a free for all where all the different sand cars race down a long and mostly flat area of the sand. There is one area that has a bit of a bump, and
this is where we parked the cars and watched because this spot was where all the cars and quads got air. Before we parked John did drive his car down the drag
strip, and it was great! When the car lifts in the air and comes back down it is the softest landing you can imagine but the greatest roller coaster feeling ever as
well. Greg went down the drag strip about a dozen times in his car and got quite a bit of air, as you can see in the last picture. We used John's car as tiered
seating so we all had a good view above the strip. After sunset The Sand Drags end, so we drove back to camp and John made carne asada tacos that we all
enjoyed by the campfire again. Tonight the wind was completely still so it made for a nice late evening.
February 15th -
Today was full of wild rides. John and Greg both took their sand cars out so Frank and I went with John. Apparently John's transmission wasn't built as well as it
should have been, because half way up a fairly good sized hill that shouldn't stress the car at all, the transmission went out. Of course we were turned at an
angle so it took the three guys from John's car and the two guys in Greg's car to turn the car around, get it pointed straight down the hill and tied to Greg's sand
car for the tow home. Once back at camp John, Frank and Greg drove over to the parts store near by, haggled down the price of a new transmission, took it
back to camp, and with the help of Julio, Steve and Rick, the five of them took the old engine and transmission out, replaced it with the new one, put back the old
engine and took it for a test drive. The first time out John only had one gear, so back in the shop it went. The "shop" was the sand car backed into Greg's trailer
as far as it would go with the front wheels of the car lifted up on the back tires that were removed and replaced with smaller tires for the time being. By the end of
the evening John's car was back to it's old self, and actually better than before since the new transmission was a step or two above the old one.
Today was full of wild rides. John and Greg both took their sand cars out so Frank and I went with John. Apparently John's transmission wasn't built as well as it
should have been, because half way up a fairly good sized hill that shouldn't stress the car at all, the transmission went out. Of course we were turned at an
angle so it took the three guys from John's car and the two guys in Greg's car to turn the car around, get it pointed straight down the hill and tied to Greg's sand
car for the tow home. Once back at camp John, Frank and Greg drove over to the parts store near by, haggled down the price of a new transmission, took it
back to camp, and with the help of Julio, Steve and Rick, the five of them took the old engine and transmission out, replaced it with the new one, put back the old
engine and took it for a test drive. The first time out John only had one gear, so back in the shop it went. The "shop" was the sand car backed into Greg's trailer
as far as it would go with the front wheels of the car lifted up on the back tires that were removed and replaced with smaller tires for the time being. By the end of
the evening John's car was back to it's old self, and actually better than before since the new transmission was a step or two above the old one.
February 18th - One last night in the desert -
This evening was the perfect finale to the weekend. Frank and I took a ride with
John and Andrea, since the four of us hadn't been out together in one vehicle all
weekend. We found a really great jump out in the dunes that was the perfect drop
where we stayed airborne and weightless for about 3-6 seconds. We tried to find
the same jump on our way back home, but since all the sand looks the same it is
quite hard to find a certain location unless you mark it on your GPS, which we
failed to do. We had a potluck dinner with Rick cooking the meat, which included
shrimp, tri-tip and bratwurst, with each of the other couples bringing a side dish.
We had a very fun group photo session with the crazy guys posing all sorts of ways
with a new face with each shot. The first few shots everyone smiled, but with our
guys, we knew the nice smiles wouldn't last, and we were right. One sequence we
took from a bit of a distance, and the other a little closer. Some are not quite family
friendly so they have been left off the web page, however a few of our weekend
attendees wanted them posted. Earlier today, after most of our neighbors vacated,
I got a great shot of our campsite from the down slope of the dune that we were
parked on. Yes the picture looks as though we were parked in the middle of the
sand, but we are all actually on very secure pavement with a light layer of sand
between our wheels and the pavement below, or at least it appears that way, we
will let you know in the morning if it's as easy as it looks to get back on the road.
P.S. No worries, we all got out fine with no one needing any assistance.
This evening was the perfect finale to the weekend. Frank and I took a ride with
John and Andrea, since the four of us hadn't been out together in one vehicle all
weekend. We found a really great jump out in the dunes that was the perfect drop
where we stayed airborne and weightless for about 3-6 seconds. We tried to find
the same jump on our way back home, but since all the sand looks the same it is
quite hard to find a certain location unless you mark it on your GPS, which we
failed to do. We had a potluck dinner with Rick cooking the meat, which included
shrimp, tri-tip and bratwurst, with each of the other couples bringing a side dish.
We had a very fun group photo session with the crazy guys posing all sorts of ways
with a new face with each shot. The first few shots everyone smiled, but with our
guys, we knew the nice smiles wouldn't last, and we were right. One sequence we
took from a bit of a distance, and the other a little closer. Some are not quite family
friendly so they have been left off the web page, however a few of our weekend
attendees wanted them posted. Earlier today, after most of our neighbors vacated,
I got a great shot of our campsite from the down slope of the dune that we were
parked on. Yes the picture looks as though we were parked in the middle of the
sand, but we are all actually on very secure pavement with a light layer of sand
between our wheels and the pavement below, or at least it appears that way, we
will let you know in the morning if it's as easy as it looks to get back on the road.
P.S. No worries, we all got out fine with no one needing any assistance.
Meagan, Jim and Frank huddle by the heater
Sweet little DeeDee
The resorts private lake
The poor empty lake needs some rain
Our campsite in the dunes
Suzy
and
Andrea
ready
to ride
and
Andrea
ready
to ride
Bradley and Julio get to know each other
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Parrottrek Journal 2008
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February 23rd - The San Francisco Giants stop by -
The new driver of the Monster Funny Car Team, Tommy Johnson Jr., is friends
with a few of the team members of the Major League Baseball Team, The San
Francisco Giants, so they stopped by today to show their support, and take a
break from spring training. Both teams had a great day in qualifying. The Bud
team is #1 and the Monster men are #4. Let's hope tomorrow they both go
lots-o-rounds and pick up lots-o-points. The Monster team has the rival
Rockstar Energy Drink team first round, so we are all hoping to beat them and
prove who is the greater of the energy drinks. One thing I will say for Arizona, is
that it has some of the most gorgeous sunsets with the jagged mountains in the
distance, and the bright orange and red colors that the sky takes on.
The new driver of the Monster Funny Car Team, Tommy Johnson Jr., is friends
with a few of the team members of the Major League Baseball Team, The San
Francisco Giants, so they stopped by today to show their support, and take a
break from spring training. Both teams had a great day in qualifying. The Bud
team is #1 and the Monster men are #4. Let's hope tomorrow they both go
lots-o-rounds and pick up lots-o-points. The Monster team has the rival
Rockstar Energy Drink team first round, so we are all hoping to beat them and
prove who is the greater of the energy drinks. One thing I will say for Arizona, is
that it has some of the most gorgeous sunsets with the jagged mountains in the
distance, and the bright orange and red colors that the sky takes on.
March 7th - Orlando, Florida -
Today was another beautiful day, and to our happy surprise a bit humid as well, so we headed down to Orlando to visit our good friends Rick and LaVerne, who
are taking a break from full-time RVing and working at a campground in Kissimmee and managing a fun leather goods shop in Old Town, Orlando. Before
stopping by their place Frank and I went to a Log Cabin Show to see all the fun places one could build their own log cabin in the mountains of the U.S. The log
cabins that we saw are beautiful and the places they will build them for you are even more beautiful, but since most of the mountains are a bit too steep for our
home to climb, and we are far from ready to sit still for any length of time, we will happily forgo a fixed location. After the Log Cabin Show, we stopped off and had
lunch at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville at Universal Walk. The other day our 'Fun Committee" threw a Fun Fair in one of the rally areas on the banks of Lake Judy
with all sorts of entertainment including a somewhat off key Elvis, stilt walkers and all the different activity groups showing off their goods including the 'Hookers'
who had all their crochet and knitting projects for sale and a fund raising scavenger hunt to help raise money for the soon to be built Nature Center.
Today was another beautiful day, and to our happy surprise a bit humid as well, so we headed down to Orlando to visit our good friends Rick and LaVerne, who
are taking a break from full-time RVing and working at a campground in Kissimmee and managing a fun leather goods shop in Old Town, Orlando. Before
stopping by their place Frank and I went to a Log Cabin Show to see all the fun places one could build their own log cabin in the mountains of the U.S. The log
cabins that we saw are beautiful and the places they will build them for you are even more beautiful, but since most of the mountains are a bit too steep for our
home to climb, and we are far from ready to sit still for any length of time, we will happily forgo a fixed location. After the Log Cabin Show, we stopped off and had
lunch at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville at Universal Walk. The other day our 'Fun Committee" threw a Fun Fair in one of the rally areas on the banks of Lake Judy
with all sorts of entertainment including a somewhat off key Elvis, stilt walkers and all the different activity groups showing off their goods including the 'Hookers'
who had all their crochet and knitting projects for sale and a fund raising scavenger hunt to help raise money for the soon to be built Nature Center.
February 29th - Happy Leap Year -
In hopes that NASA isn't leading us on, we are really excited about the Space Shuttle Endeavor launch date of March 11th. Yes we will be here and yes we will be
able to watch the Space Shuttle launch from our backyard. Not only would this be an exciting thing to see on any sunny afternoon, but even more exciting since
the launch time is, as of now, set for 2:31am. Our plans are to set the alarm for 2:00am, and watch the NASA channel. As soon as they call for "Go for Launch"
we will run outside and watch, what is said to be from all of our neighbors and friends around the resort, 'The most amazing thing you have ever seen, or even
imagined seeing as long as you have lived'. Not to be a downer, but we have trumped this thing up so high, I hope it lives up to all it is supposed to be. Anyways...
... Today's outing was to preface a bit of the NASA side of things. We drove out the Kennedy Space Center, toured it a bit and then headed over to the
Astronauts Hall of Fame, which was more impressive than we thought it would be. We found a few souvenirs that we couldn't live without, again in hopes that
NASA doesn't 'reschedule' the date. After visiting a bit of space on land, we hit the beach where I read a great murder mystery book as Frank flew his kite.
In hopes that NASA isn't leading us on, we are really excited about the Space Shuttle Endeavor launch date of March 11th. Yes we will be here and yes we will be
able to watch the Space Shuttle launch from our backyard. Not only would this be an exciting thing to see on any sunny afternoon, but even more exciting since
the launch time is, as of now, set for 2:31am. Our plans are to set the alarm for 2:00am, and watch the NASA channel. As soon as they call for "Go for Launch"
we will run outside and watch, what is said to be from all of our neighbors and friends around the resort, 'The most amazing thing you have ever seen, or even
imagined seeing as long as you have lived'. Not to be a downer, but we have trumped this thing up so high, I hope it lives up to all it is supposed to be. Anyways...
... Today's outing was to preface a bit of the NASA side of things. We drove out the Kennedy Space Center, toured it a bit and then headed over to the
Astronauts Hall of Fame, which was more impressive than we thought it would be. We found a few souvenirs that we couldn't live without, again in hopes that
NASA doesn't 'reschedule' the date. After visiting a bit of space on land, we hit the beach where I read a great murder mystery book as Frank flew his kite.
February 27th - Nature all around -
This has got to be the most amazing place in the country, and trust us, we have seen far more of this country than the average bear! Just this morning on my
morning jog, I ran into a flock of wild turkeys. Yes, I have seen many wild turkeys here in the past, but never a Tom turkey. He was gorgeous! He started out a bit
sheepish as he ran from one hen to the next to see what they were doing, but as soon as he saw me, he went into protective mode. His entire head turned from a
light red color to a deep blue and then to purple. After this, all of his feathers began to fluff up, his tail went straight into the air, his wings began to hit the ground
and he charged at me! Doing the little bit of reading that I have done on wild birds, and having a few of them in my motorhome, I knew that if I looked bigger than
he, he would back off a bit, perhaps! Yes he did back off once I raised my arms up and growled at him, but to show me that even though I might be bigger than
he is, he still had the ladies, and to prove this he began to parade them in a circle, still fluffed out and beautiful, and lead them into the forest where they would
be safe from this crazy looking bird wearing a tank top and shorts. Of course the entire time this was happening I had my camera poised, and even got a bit video
of him in all his grandeur! After my jog I came home and Frank and I along with Cody and Abbey walked down by our lake to visit a couple neighbors. All of a
sudden Frank said, "We need go back!" "Why is that?" I asked, and looked in front of us to see an enormous alligator sunning himself on the banks of 'Lake
Charlie' as I have dubbed it. We quickly turned around, and on our way back met some new neighbors who gave us a tour of their newly built home to get a few
ideas for ours, that if we ever do tire of the road we will build in about 5 or so years. Heading home we saw a family of deer walking across the lake for a drink.
This has got to be the most amazing place in the country, and trust us, we have seen far more of this country than the average bear! Just this morning on my
morning jog, I ran into a flock of wild turkeys. Yes, I have seen many wild turkeys here in the past, but never a Tom turkey. He was gorgeous! He started out a bit
sheepish as he ran from one hen to the next to see what they were doing, but as soon as he saw me, he went into protective mode. His entire head turned from a
light red color to a deep blue and then to purple. After this, all of his feathers began to fluff up, his tail went straight into the air, his wings began to hit the ground
and he charged at me! Doing the little bit of reading that I have done on wild birds, and having a few of them in my motorhome, I knew that if I looked bigger than
he, he would back off a bit, perhaps! Yes he did back off once I raised my arms up and growled at him, but to show me that even though I might be bigger than
he is, he still had the ladies, and to prove this he began to parade them in a circle, still fluffed out and beautiful, and lead them into the forest where they would
be safe from this crazy looking bird wearing a tank top and shorts. Of course the entire time this was happening I had my camera poised, and even got a bit video
of him in all his grandeur! After my jog I came home and Frank and I along with Cody and Abbey walked down by our lake to visit a couple neighbors. All of a
sudden Frank said, "We need go back!" "Why is that?" I asked, and looked in front of us to see an enormous alligator sunning himself on the banks of 'Lake
Charlie' as I have dubbed it. We quickly turned around, and on our way back met some new neighbors who gave us a tour of their newly built home to get a few
ideas for ours, that if we ever do tire of the road we will build in about 5 or so years. Heading home we saw a family of deer walking across the lake for a drink.
An Astronaut walks above us
March 3rd - A Curious Crane -
This afternoon as we came from the beach, we noticed a beautiful Sandhill Crane in the yard across the street. As we drove to our house, we noticed that he
began to follow us and eventually ended up in our front yard right in front of me. He was even prettier close up. Once he saw Frank with Cody, he walked closer
and closer to them. At one point Frank walked to the other side of the Jeep since the crane came so close to him and Cody, he wasn't quite sure what Mr. Crane
would do once he was within reach of our Cody. The crane didn't seem too aggressive, since after he saw Frank and Cody walk away, he wandered back to me,
stopped for a minute and then continued down the street. At one point he was so close to me I could have pet him, but not knowing if he would bite, I refrained.
This afternoon as we came from the beach, we noticed a beautiful Sandhill Crane in the yard across the street. As we drove to our house, we noticed that he
began to follow us and eventually ended up in our front yard right in front of me. He was even prettier close up. Once he saw Frank with Cody, he walked closer
and closer to them. At one point Frank walked to the other side of the Jeep since the crane came so close to him and Cody, he wasn't quite sure what Mr. Crane
would do once he was within reach of our Cody. The crane didn't seem too aggressive, since after he saw Frank and Cody walk away, he wandered back to me,
stopped for a minute and then continued down the street. At one point he was so close to me I could have pet him, but not knowing if he would bite, I refrained.
March 4th- Cocoa Beach -
We took a very nice drive down the coast a bit to Cocoa Beach. The beaches here have white fine sand with turquoise water, and all sorts of plants around the
dune area that lead to the beach. We went to Ron Jon, which is an enormous surf shop where each year we get new bathing suits and then drove a bit further to
Satellite Beach, which is named for his spectacular views of the satellites that are launched from Kennedy Space Center, and then headed home to meet some
friends for Happy Hour at the restaurant here in our resort. After dinner the weather was still great so we took another long bike ride with Cody and Abbey in tow.
We took a very nice drive down the coast a bit to Cocoa Beach. The beaches here have white fine sand with turquoise water, and all sorts of plants around the
dune area that lead to the beach. We went to Ron Jon, which is an enormous surf shop where each year we get new bathing suits and then drove a bit further to
Satellite Beach, which is named for his spectacular views of the satellites that are launched from Kennedy Space Center, and then headed home to meet some
friends for Happy Hour at the restaurant here in our resort. After dinner the weather was still great so we took another long bike ride with Cody and Abbey in tow.
March 11th - The Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour -
Since we bought our place here in Florida, we have been waiting for this evening to take place. Every other time the Space Shuttle has launched either a few
days before we arrive, or a few days after we leave, but this visit our timing was perfect. We started the evening out watching the sunset as we had dinner
outside, and ended the evening by watching what appeared to be the sun rising at 2:28am. Knowing that we might fall asleep before the launch took place, we
set the alarm for 2:00am and went to bed. We didn't sleep too much though, since there is a channel here locally that shows all the goings on inside the Space
Center and all the preparations that go into suiting up the Astronauts and getting them inside the Shuttle. The area that these men sit in appears to be very very
tiny and the computers around them are very very many. I took a few pictures from the TV to try and show what it looked like, but the Shuttle interior shots turned
out pretty much black, even the ones of the Astronauts suiting up are a bit grainy. There was a bit of a cloud layer when we did go outside, and I only got one
shot, since I wanted to watch it live, and not through the lens of my camera, but as soon as the lift off took place it was amazingly bright. We saw the Shuttle for
about 10 seconds, and then the cloud layer swallowed it up. Soon after we lost sight of it, the ground began to tremble and shake, and the windows rattled next to
us. Once the sky went back to dark and the trembling stopped we went back inside and watched the camera that was attached to the side of the Endeavour that
showed it leaving the earth and finally breaking away from the launch engines. It was a very impressive sight all around and well worth staying up for.
Since we bought our place here in Florida, we have been waiting for this evening to take place. Every other time the Space Shuttle has launched either a few
days before we arrive, or a few days after we leave, but this visit our timing was perfect. We started the evening out watching the sunset as we had dinner
outside, and ended the evening by watching what appeared to be the sun rising at 2:28am. Knowing that we might fall asleep before the launch took place, we
set the alarm for 2:00am and went to bed. We didn't sleep too much though, since there is a channel here locally that shows all the goings on inside the Space
Center and all the preparations that go into suiting up the Astronauts and getting them inside the Shuttle. The area that these men sit in appears to be very very
tiny and the computers around them are very very many. I took a few pictures from the TV to try and show what it looked like, but the Shuttle interior shots turned
out pretty much black, even the ones of the Astronauts suiting up are a bit grainy. There was a bit of a cloud layer when we did go outside, and I only got one
shot, since I wanted to watch it live, and not through the lens of my camera, but as soon as the lift off took place it was amazingly bright. We saw the Shuttle for
about 10 seconds, and then the cloud layer swallowed it up. Soon after we lost sight of it, the ground began to tremble and shake, and the windows rattled next to
us. Once the sky went back to dark and the trembling stopped we went back inside and watched the camera that was attached to the side of the Endeavour that
showed it leaving the earth and finally breaking away from the launch engines. It was a very impressive sight all around and well worth staying up for.
March 8th - Port Canaveral -
The best part of only being here a few weeks a year is that there are always new places to explore. Today we drove to Port Canaveral, where all sorts of cruise
ships that head down to the Caribbean or the Keys and out to the Bahamas load up. We had lunch at a restaurant called Fishlips, that was recommended by
some friends, since it has the best view of the port. It reminded me of a restaurant out on the wharf in Santa Barbara called Longboards that we frequented
during our years in California. In fact Longboards was the scene of our first date many moons ago. After lunch we drove over to the Canaveral Locks that are just
North of the port, but since there wasn't any traffic coming in or going out of the Locks and the weather today is a bit chilly, we headed back to the warmth of the
car to explore more of Port Canaveral. We found quite a few roads that led to the beach so we will have to check these out on a day that is a bit warmer. Earlier
this morning, before we left for our drive to Canaveral, we went to the Fun Fair
The best part of only being here a few weeks a year is that there are always new places to explore. Today we drove to Port Canaveral, where all sorts of cruise
ships that head down to the Caribbean or the Keys and out to the Bahamas load up. We had lunch at a restaurant called Fishlips, that was recommended by
some friends, since it has the best view of the port. It reminded me of a restaurant out on the wharf in Santa Barbara called Longboards that we frequented
during our years in California. In fact Longboards was the scene of our first date many moons ago. After lunch we drove over to the Canaveral Locks that are just
North of the port, but since there wasn't any traffic coming in or going out of the Locks and the weather today is a bit chilly, we headed back to the warmth of the
car to explore more of Port Canaveral. We found quite a few roads that led to the beach so we will have to check these out on a day that is a bit warmer. Earlier
this morning, before we left for our drive to Canaveral, we went to the Fun Fair
March 10th - The Great Outdoors -
On this afternoon's bike ride we left the birds at home and took the nature trail
around the park. Since it was such a pretty day with perfect weather we saw all
sorts of wildlife, even a few types of birds we haven't seen before. At the end of
our street, where the trail begins, sat a baby alligator sunning himself in one of the
storm drains. As we entered the nature trail we saw a grey and brown bird that
blended in with the dead palm leaves on the side of the river and a lizard hanging
out on one of the bridges. Further up the trail we ran into a little flock of White Ibis
hunting for bugs in the tall grass and an Osprey sitting on a telephone pole
looking for anything that might be scurrying on the ground below. After a couple
laps around the nature trail we headed home and took the birds with us on a lap
around the park since the weather was so nice. As we were loading everyone up,
we noticed a young Heron fishing in Lake Charlie. If you look close in the picture
you can see that in the first shot he has the entire fish in his beak, and in the shot
below he has the entire fish in his throat. We saw a family of Turkey Vultures
walking down the street searching for a bit of lunch, as another came in for landing
right in front of us. Another feathered friend we ran into on the ride was Max,
another Severe Macaw, just like Abbey. They didn't seem to notice each other too
much, except that Max liked to show his wings off, as Abbey just sat there and
stared sat him. On the other side of the park we noticed a nest in one of the tall
trees, and a momma feeding the little inhabitants. We couldn't tell what kind of
birds they were, but figure they were Ospreys due to their coloring and size.
On this afternoon's bike ride we left the birds at home and took the nature trail
around the park. Since it was such a pretty day with perfect weather we saw all
sorts of wildlife, even a few types of birds we haven't seen before. At the end of
our street, where the trail begins, sat a baby alligator sunning himself in one of the
storm drains. As we entered the nature trail we saw a grey and brown bird that
blended in with the dead palm leaves on the side of the river and a lizard hanging
out on one of the bridges. Further up the trail we ran into a little flock of White Ibis
hunting for bugs in the tall grass and an Osprey sitting on a telephone pole
looking for anything that might be scurrying on the ground below. After a couple
laps around the nature trail we headed home and took the birds with us on a lap
around the park since the weather was so nice. As we were loading everyone up,
we noticed a young Heron fishing in Lake Charlie. If you look close in the picture
you can see that in the first shot he has the entire fish in his beak, and in the shot
below he has the entire fish in his throat. We saw a family of Turkey Vultures
walking down the street searching for a bit of lunch, as another came in for landing
right in front of us. Another feathered friend we ran into on the ride was Max,
another Severe Macaw, just like Abbey. They didn't seem to notice each other too
much, except that Max liked to show his wings off, as Abbey just sat there and
stared sat him. On the other side of the park we noticed a nest in one of the tall
trees, and a momma feeding the little inhabitants. We couldn't tell what kind of
birds they were, but figure they were Ospreys due to their coloring and size.
The wiggley fish fights for his life
But alas, in the end, the fish looses!
Look alive and they will keep walking by
After we toured the two vessels, we walked around the 155 acre park with Cody to look at all the different planes and tanks and weapons that they have collected
for the museum over the years. In one section of the park, they offered helicopter rides around the city and water. The couple that ran the helicopter rides were
very intrigued with Cody, and asked us to come over to show him to them. After they checked him out, they offered to let us take a picture of him in the helicopter.
for the museum over the years. In one section of the park, they offered helicopter rides around the city and water. The couple that ran the helicopter rides were
very intrigued with Cody, and asked us to come over to show him to them. After they checked him out, they offered to let us take a picture of him in the helicopter.
March 17th - Jacksonville, Florida - Happy St. Patrick's Day -
Being the lovely day it is, and since we are here in Jacksonville where we will be getting the oil changed in the motorhome tomorrow morning, we figured we would
kill some time down on the Riverwalk. It's about 11/2 miles of boardwalks with restaurants and shops and marinas on each side of the St. Johns River. To get from
one side of the river to the other we took a water taxi which turned out to be a lot of fun since it not only takes you from one side of the river to the other, but if
you choose to stay on a little longer, it takes you up and down the river as well. We passed by the Maxwell House factory, which is currently being revamped
since it was built back in the early 1900's, and the Jacksonville Jaguars football stadium. The drawbridge that crossed over the St. Johns River was quite unique
in that the entire center of the bridge lifts up and down on two tracks to accommodate the enormous sailboats and dinner cruise ships that pass under it.
Being the lovely day it is, and since we are here in Jacksonville where we will be getting the oil changed in the motorhome tomorrow morning, we figured we would
kill some time down on the Riverwalk. It's about 11/2 miles of boardwalks with restaurants and shops and marinas on each side of the St. Johns River. To get from
one side of the river to the other we took a water taxi which turned out to be a lot of fun since it not only takes you from one side of the river to the other, but if
you choose to stay on a little longer, it takes you up and down the river as well. We passed by the Maxwell House factory, which is currently being revamped
since it was built back in the early 1900's, and the Jacksonville Jaguars football stadium. The drawbridge that crossed over the St. Johns River was quite unique
in that the entire center of the bridge lifts up and down on two tracks to accommodate the enormous sailboats and dinner cruise ships that pass under it.
March 21st - Mobile Alabama - U.S.S. Alabama and U.S.S. Drum -
For the past three years we have driven past the enormous battleship U.S.S.
Alabama as it sits in the Gulf of Mexico on the shores of, you guessed it,
Alabama. Since we have lots of time to get to Houston, Texas, we decided to
spend the day touring it and the U.S.S. Drum, a submarine, which both were
active in WWII. With so many decks and levels to explore inside and out of the
battleship, they give you a pamphlet to explain it all, and three different tours to
lead you around. Lucky for us, they are all included in the purchase of a ticket,
and we had lots of time do them all. The U.S.S. Alabama is pretty much a city
within itself, with it's own post office, surgery center, medical level, church, brig
and lots and lots of guns, varying from hand guns all the way up to enormous
canons that shoot out shells that can travel 21 miles to hit the target it's aimed at.
Most of the guns were fired by a sailor, or two, sitting in what looked like a cockpit
with pedals and cranks to aim the barrel wherever they wanted. The only thing
that it had more of than guns, was sailor bunks. There were sailor bunks
everywhere, to house the 2500 enlisted men and officers that it took to run such
an enormous ship. After our tours of the U.S.S. Alabama we walked over to the
U.S.S. Drum where only 65 men and 7 officers would be aboard on average, and
had a few less amenities. Below Frank is sitting in one of the officer's quarters
that was pretty much the size of our closet in the motorhome, very tiny, and where
I stand steering the ship also, doubled as the mess room for the officer's.
For the past three years we have driven past the enormous battleship U.S.S.
Alabama as it sits in the Gulf of Mexico on the shores of, you guessed it,
Alabama. Since we have lots of time to get to Houston, Texas, we decided to
spend the day touring it and the U.S.S. Drum, a submarine, which both were
active in WWII. With so many decks and levels to explore inside and out of the
battleship, they give you a pamphlet to explain it all, and three different tours to
lead you around. Lucky for us, they are all included in the purchase of a ticket,
and we had lots of time do them all. The U.S.S. Alabama is pretty much a city
within itself, with it's own post office, surgery center, medical level, church, brig
and lots and lots of guns, varying from hand guns all the way up to enormous
canons that shoot out shells that can travel 21 miles to hit the target it's aimed at.
Most of the guns were fired by a sailor, or two, sitting in what looked like a cockpit
with pedals and cranks to aim the barrel wherever they wanted. The only thing
that it had more of than guns, was sailor bunks. There were sailor bunks
everywhere, to house the 2500 enlisted men and officers that it took to run such
an enormous ship. After our tours of the U.S.S. Alabama we walked over to the
U.S.S. Drum where only 65 men and 7 officers would be aboard on average, and
had a few less amenities. Below Frank is sitting in one of the officer's quarters
that was pretty much the size of our closet in the motorhome, very tiny, and where
I stand steering the ship also, doubled as the mess room for the officer's.
Cody was a little nervous of the propellers above him, but he stood still long enough for one shot. The funny thing of the day, is that we wasn't afraid of the
enormous cargo planes in fact he wanted to fly next to them and even stood on one, but the little blades of a M*A*S*H unit helicopter scared him, go figure!
enormous cargo planes in fact he wanted to fly next to them and even stood on one, but the little blades of a M*A*S*H unit helicopter scared him, go figure!
March 23rd - Houston, Texas - Happy Easter -
As the sun rose on this beautiful Easter morning we found ourselves in Baytown, Texas on the outskirts of Houston. Not wanting to miss out on Easter service, we
drove into Houston and attended Lakewood church, pastored by Joel Osteen. Since with our schedule and the fact that Sunday morning church services aren't
always an option, we have been listening to Joel via podcasts for months, and were delighted to actually be able to attend one of his sermons live. WOW! What a
church. We had heard it was large, in fact one of the largest growing churches in America. We had also heard that the church had recently moved to a building
that was the old Compaq Center and at one time was the home of Houston's basketball team, but when we walked in we weren't quite prepared for the enormity
of the sanctuary, which by the way seats over 22,000 people and was packed once the service began. Since we had no idea where to go and purposefully
arrived early, since we knew we would get there and have no idea of where to go, we headed to the information booth, where a very nice lady directed us to the
front of the sanctuary to talk to an usher. After we found our way down a couple flights of stairs and around the myriad of nursery school classrooms and fun
kid's areas, we found the entrance to the lower level of the sanctuary and explained to the usher that this was our first time attending and we were curious as to
what to do next. After graciously meeting us, he lead us to seats in the fifth row with a bird's eye view of the pulpit, surrounded on each side by sets of pews for
the choir with an entire orchestra in the middle, circling a slowly spinning globe that shows Lakewood's hope of reaching all corners of the earth through their
ministries. Since they are currently being broadcast on the radio and television in almost every state and a few other countries, it appears that they are well on
their way of achieving that goal. With the very talented worship team and since it was previously a concert hall, the sound system was great. You felt like you in
the middle of the choir. Even though the church was big, it was laid out in such a way that made it feel much smaller than it was and since we were up so close to
the front we had almost forgotten the size of it all until we turned to exit the sanctuary, which is the last shot above. After the service we explored the building and
all it's many levels a bit more, including the bookstore where I bought a perfectly sized new Bible so Frank and I no longer have to share his, which is what we
have been doing for the last three or so years, since my old Bible went MIA after we moved into the motorhome. We hope you all have a wonderful Easter!
As the sun rose on this beautiful Easter morning we found ourselves in Baytown, Texas on the outskirts of Houston. Not wanting to miss out on Easter service, we
drove into Houston and attended Lakewood church, pastored by Joel Osteen. Since with our schedule and the fact that Sunday morning church services aren't
always an option, we have been listening to Joel via podcasts for months, and were delighted to actually be able to attend one of his sermons live. WOW! What a
church. We had heard it was large, in fact one of the largest growing churches in America. We had also heard that the church had recently moved to a building
that was the old Compaq Center and at one time was the home of Houston's basketball team, but when we walked in we weren't quite prepared for the enormity
of the sanctuary, which by the way seats over 22,000 people and was packed once the service began. Since we had no idea where to go and purposefully
arrived early, since we knew we would get there and have no idea of where to go, we headed to the information booth, where a very nice lady directed us to the
front of the sanctuary to talk to an usher. After we found our way down a couple flights of stairs and around the myriad of nursery school classrooms and fun
kid's areas, we found the entrance to the lower level of the sanctuary and explained to the usher that this was our first time attending and we were curious as to
what to do next. After graciously meeting us, he lead us to seats in the fifth row with a bird's eye view of the pulpit, surrounded on each side by sets of pews for
the choir with an entire orchestra in the middle, circling a slowly spinning globe that shows Lakewood's hope of reaching all corners of the earth through their
ministries. Since they are currently being broadcast on the radio and television in almost every state and a few other countries, it appears that they are well on
their way of achieving that goal. With the very talented worship team and since it was previously a concert hall, the sound system was great. You felt like you in
the middle of the choir. Even though the church was big, it was laid out in such a way that made it feel much smaller than it was and since we were up so close to
the front we had almost forgotten the size of it all until we turned to exit the sanctuary, which is the last shot above. After the service we explored the building and
all it's many levels a bit more, including the bookstore where I bought a perfectly sized new Bible so Frank and I no longer have to share his, which is what we
have been doing for the last three or so years, since my old Bible went MIA after we moved into the motorhome. We hope you all have a wonderful Easter!
| Note the many many levels that were full just moments ago |
The welcoming entrance to the church
April 2nd - San Antonio, Texas - The Alamo -
Today's history lesson involved learning all about The Alamo. In the 1700's it was
called Mission San Antonio de Valero and was home to missionaries and their
Indian converts until the end of the 1700's. In the early 1800's the Spanish
military stationed a cavalry unit at the former mission and the name was changed
to the Alamo which is Spanish for cottonwood in honor of their hometown Alamo
de Parras. During this time they also established a hospital on the site which was
the first in Texas. In December of 1835, during the Texas Revolution, Ben Milam
led the Texan and Tejano volunteers against the Mexican troops that were
currently occupying the Alamo and forced them to surrender only to return to
battle with Santa Anna's army two months later, when Anna and his men scaled
the walls and overtook the Alamo after 13 days of gruesome battles. The
grounds of the Alamo are kept up to preserve it's look from the 1800's, including
the cannons that were added and the hospital used during the battles and
thereafter. Once we finished touring the Alamo, we walked through the upper
levels of the city, and then toured the lower levels of the city, which follows the
San Antonio River with parklike walkways and all sorts of shops, restaurants and
wildlife. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants and then went for a boat
ride that takes you through all the waterways through town as your pilot tells you
how it all works including how during a storm they can lock up the river, or drain it
completely if it begins to flood the city. He also told us all the different historic
Today's history lesson involved learning all about The Alamo. In the 1700's it was
called Mission San Antonio de Valero and was home to missionaries and their
Indian converts until the end of the 1700's. In the early 1800's the Spanish
military stationed a cavalry unit at the former mission and the name was changed
to the Alamo which is Spanish for cottonwood in honor of their hometown Alamo
de Parras. During this time they also established a hospital on the site which was
the first in Texas. In December of 1835, during the Texas Revolution, Ben Milam
led the Texan and Tejano volunteers against the Mexican troops that were
currently occupying the Alamo and forced them to surrender only to return to
battle with Santa Anna's army two months later, when Anna and his men scaled
the walls and overtook the Alamo after 13 days of gruesome battles. The
grounds of the Alamo are kept up to preserve it's look from the 1800's, including
the cannons that were added and the hospital used during the battles and
thereafter. Once we finished touring the Alamo, we walked through the upper
levels of the city, and then toured the lower levels of the city, which follows the
San Antonio River with parklike walkways and all sorts of shops, restaurants and
wildlife. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants and then went for a boat
ride that takes you through all the waterways through town as your pilot tells you
how it all works including how during a storm they can lock up the river, or drain it
completely if it begins to flood the city. He also told us all the different historic
scenes of the San Antonio area including a few Hollywood ones, including the Bell Stage where a part of Miss Congeniality was filmed, and a few things unique to
the river here that have made the Guinness Book of World Records including an island formed by the roots and trunk of a single tree and another tree growing
straight out of the side of one of the restaurants. Since it's Spring, there were all sorts of ducklings swimming along the river and even a momma duck still sitting
on her unhatched eggs. The boat ride was a little over 40 minutes long and finished up floating through the middle of the town mall. Since the Final Four of the
NCAA will be here playing at the Alamodome this weekend, there were all sorts of basketball players walking through the mall and every store had items from one
of the four teams hanging in their windows. Luckily we will be out of town when the big crowds begin to storm the city. Weekdays are always great to play tourist.
the river here that have made the Guinness Book of World Records including an island formed by the roots and trunk of a single tree and another tree growing
straight out of the side of one of the restaurants. Since it's Spring, there were all sorts of ducklings swimming along the river and even a momma duck still sitting
on her unhatched eggs. The boat ride was a little over 40 minutes long and finished up floating through the middle of the town mall. Since the Final Four of the
NCAA will be here playing at the Alamodome this weekend, there were all sorts of basketball players walking through the mall and every store had items from one
of the four teams hanging in their windows. Luckily we will be out of town when the big crowds begin to storm the city. Weekdays are always great to play tourist.
April 4th - The Windsong Way Twins -
Recently, a darling set of twins was hatched to a beautiful set of Sandhill Crane
parents at The Great Outdoors. These twins were hatched right on our street of
Windsong Way, so our friends and neighbors have been keeping a close eye on
them and keeping us updated on their growth and development. Twins are very
rare with Sandhill Cranes so the entire neighborhood has created a special
bond with these beauties. They are a little over a month old now and doing
great. The picture on the left is of them at about two weeks old, check out their
crazy wobbly legs. The picture on the right was about two days before they
turned one month old. We are pretty sure that the daddy was the one that came
up our driveway while we were home looking for food for his expecting bride.
Recently, a darling set of twins was hatched to a beautiful set of Sandhill Crane
parents at The Great Outdoors. These twins were hatched right on our street of
Windsong Way, so our friends and neighbors have been keeping a close eye on
them and keeping us updated on their growth and development. Twins are very
rare with Sandhill Cranes so the entire neighborhood has created a special
bond with these beauties. They are a little over a month old now and doing
great. The picture on the left is of them at about two weeks old, check out their
crazy wobbly legs. The picture on the right was about two days before they
turned one month old. We are pretty sure that the daddy was the one that came
up our driveway while we were home looking for food for his expecting bride.
