Ancestors

My husband's cousin started putting together a family tree. That made me want to see what I could find out about my side of the family. My folks didn't spend a lot of time with relatives. Mom was an only child and her mother passed away when mom was still a teenager. I started out on Ancestry.com. I found out I didn't know much about how to start.

I am amazed at the availability of information on the web. I stumbled across a tree that included my father and his maternal side. That tree had a few guesses and blanks that I could help fill in. Now to try to find out about his paternal side and both of my mother's ancestors.

What it made me realize is that almost all of the people with stories and knowledge about my history are either gone or lost in our big mobile world. So I'm trying to make sure what I know - the tales and stories as well as relationships - is available if our descendants want to know about us.

Somehow it didn't seem important when I was younger, but as I age the desire to know increased. Maybe it really is to leave a trail behind or mark my time for those who come after. Maybe it really comes down to wondering who will meet me when I cross the river. Wouldn't be awkward to have these heavenly hosts waiting to take me in and have no idea who they are!

It's a good thing to tell your family's stories, but it is much better to record those stories either on paper or tape. None of us know when our time is up. I hope to leave a message behind.

b

Father's Day

Today is the 100th anniversary of the first celebration of Father's Day (according to Sunday Morning on CBS).

Father's Day brings many memories, whether you are a father or a son or daughter. For me, Dad has been gone for almost two decades. Yet it seems like he was here just yesterday. I hear his voice every day. I see his influence every time I see or talk with his grandson.

I learned how to tell time while riding around with Dad. I was in first grade and just couldn't get the time thing - remember analog clocks? The big hand is on the one and the little hand is on the 6. But counting by 5's to get the minutes was beyond me. I don't remember how he taught me but by the time we got home, I knew how to count by 5's and how to tell time. It was so easy once he made me understand.

I remember the look of pride when I graduated from high school, the emotion in his eyes just before he took me down the aisle of the church to join my soon-to-be husband.

I also remember that he felt strongly you should give back. He gave countless hours to energize and vitalize Amarillo, TX. Long hours working to ensure young men would have a Golden Gloves opportunity. Young men that were at a crossroads - needing a "fatherly" influence in his life. The Lions Clubs International benefitted from his devotion to his community.

My dad never made a lot of money and he seemed to never have any time, but he was rich beyond belief. His life made him happy and helped others along the way.

His death after a very long bout with diabetes and its side effects - blindness, dialysis, kidney transplant, two leg amputations - was a double edged sword. I hated to see him go. But I knew he would no longer be in pain.

The real lesson for me is that you just don't realize what you have until it's gone. But the memories you make with even every day things - that's what stays with you.

Now his grandson is about to be a father. I know he will be making his own memories and this new life is a continuation of fathers and children.

Remember sometimes the mundane becomes the biggest memory. Thank you Dad for making memories with me.

b

"THE SHACK" by William P Young

Sometimes the best things come by accident or happenstance. So often, the timing is serendipitous. That's what happened for me and THE SHACK.

I had read everything on my Kindle and was looking through some recommended reading from Amazon. Somehow this book caught my attention. I read the free sample (another great thing about the Amazon Kindle) and decided to buy and read the full book. It's not often that I can say something I read has changed the way I think about something, but this book really has changed (and challenged) my personal picture of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

The novel is also a page turning mystery. I'm not going to give away the message or the plot. I will highly recommend this book for an exciting read and re-read and re-read. I think it will change the way you picture your God or Higher Power. Be sure to have a big box of tissues. It will bring tears and laughter.

You can find more information at www.theshackbook.com. Feel free to leave comments about your experience with THE SHACK.

I wish you good reading.

b

Cincinnati OH in June

It was an uneventful trip up to Cincinnati except for hitting downtown Cincinnati at the 5:00 pm rush. Even so, we made it to Wilmington Thousand Trails and got set up before dark.

So far, we have had rain, cold, heat, humidity, hail, tornado warnings, and wind. I think snow may be the only weather event we missed.

I was ready for a visit with David, Jessica and Lindsey. I felt like it had been a really long time. It does my heart good to see how happy they all are. Lindsey is quite a young lady at 15. She's been busy with drama, choir, and studies. We got to watch her in a freshman play and in concert. Very nice.

Lindsey and I even made it to the Newport Aquarium together one Sunday afternoon. We got to pet the sharks and watch penguins play in the cold water.

The big news is that we are going to be grandparents a second time. Lindsey will be getting a sibling sometime in January 2010. Of course, it's way too early to know gender but everyone seems healthy so far.

I have had so many things going on that I neglected the blog. More to follow.

Finally Out of Tampa!!!

We finally left Tampa on Monday, March 30. It feels as if we have been living at Lazy Days for three months - because we have been. At this point we have all the warranty work done on the new coach, except for fixing a tail light. They had to order the part and will ship it to us so John can install it.

The RV industry is getting pretty limited lately. Lots of rumors of bankruptcy and closures. Fleetwood is apparently looking for a buyer for their motorized and manufactured operations, Monaco is on a very limited production under supervision. Winnebago and Tiffin seem to be in the best position right now.

The dealers we have noticed have lower inventory or are closed. Even Camping World seems to have reduced its inventory. So many of us live this gypsy life, I would think the industry has a good chance for recovery. We keep looking for the light at the end of this economic tunnel, but it may be a while coming.

Monday night was at the Midway FL Flying J on the way to Pensacola. John had appointment here on Thursday. Plan is to leave here tomorrow, Sunday. Next stop is Tanner AL - near Huntsville to visit John's sister for a few days. Then on to Wilmington OH Thousand Trails.

The Drifters RV Park in Pensacola has been our host here. It is a small but very neat and friendly RV Park just off Nine Mile Road and Hwy 29. Reasonable rates - includes full hook ups, pretty level gravel parking. Each space is long and wide with picnic table and grassy yard. If you are looking for a nice out of the way place, check this one out. Only downside is the nearby active rail tracks. It hasn't bothered us, but we do hear it before we go to bed.

The weather has been cool with rain a couple of days. Every place in the south seems to need the moisture. Good soaking rains with some thunder storms. No leaks in the new place Yea!

Even Casper seems glad to be "on the road again." New energy and ready to explore.

I found a little stained glass and fused glass studio to pick up some Thin Fire paper for the kiln. We are both looking forward to being in one place long enough to get out the happy tools. John said he really needs to get some pens made again, and I've been longing for fused glass, beads and chain again. Ahhh life's getting back to normal again. Guess I better be careful saying that for fear of disaster.

Income tax time and Easter are just around the corner. David tells us the weather in Cincinnati is getting better every day. We are looking forward to a nice visit with them this summer.

Finally got a replacement camera since I dropped the old one at Epcot in January. Now I don't have any excuses for not including pictures on the blog again. Spring is a great time to get some outside shots.

Come sit around the "virtual camp fire" with us again soon.

Once More From Pensacola

Bless my hubby's heart, he charged the battery on the old cam corder (whick also takes stills), so here's a couple pictures of the new place. Don't think this will be the long term fix, and I've found the camera I think I want. Just need to be in the same place long enough to get it ordered and in.

We'll be leaving here tomorrow. Have to be in Orlando on Tuesday for a doctor appointment for me and then in Tampa for a doctor's appointment for the motor home.

Guess most readers are aware of the electronic books out there. I've had my Kindle about a year and still love it. Amazon has released V2. It has some nice features but not enough for me to want to buy the new one when mine is working just fine. I've been reading a lot lately what with waiting on the motor home. Found a new favorite author. His name is Ted Bell. I read HAWKE last week. His series is a combination of Cussler and Fleming - Dirk & James (Bond, James Bond).

The rich hero fights evil on all fronts, getting himself and his sidekicks in and out of a wide variety of dangers. Somewhat predictable, but the second book, ASSASSINS, shot me a curve. If you like the spook and dagers, you'll probably like this series. (Even got John reading it!)

Pensacola is living up to its winter reputation: warm and sunny one day and rainy and gloomy the next. Today is in the latter category. Hope it will blow through before we have to load up tomorrow.

I'll be thinking about you all while we enjoy the great Plant City strawberries next week. Hope your week is just as good.

Pensacola Florida

Back to Pensacola for a short visit. Doctor appointments awaited us in Pensacola. The RV park we stay in here (Heritage Oaks RV) isn't a "resort," but it is close to the VA and is inexpensive. We are near Pensacola Naval Air Station and we hear the jets on a regular basis. Haven't seen the Blue Angels practicing yet; we understand they are not in town right now.

The VA here in Pensacola is a joint project with VA and US Navy. While I waited for John, I watched the comings and goings between the base and hospital. A sure sign of the times, I suppose. But the service men and women seem awfully young. Of course, in my mind, I'm still about 30!!

All the appointments are done and no bad news.

We'll head back to Lazy Days on Sunday. What we hope will be the last of the punch list items to be done starting on Wednesday. The replacement vinyl is in and the other items are more service than parts.

Had a birthday this month. David managed to send flowers to me at Lazy Days without my knowing anything about it. He'd talked to the service receptionist to get the address. I have to say it wasn't the best birthday I've had. Seemed like all the stress of the new coach and warranty work, etc. had landed on both of us that day. Then there were flowers! It is amazing how much something like that can raise your spirits.

I wonder how many opportunities I've had to "make someone's day" and let it slide. With all the gloom and doom in the news, I'm resolving to do something happy for another person every day.

It's off to the grocery and errands for me today. Hope it is a great day wherever you are.

Still at Lazy Days in Seffner

We're getting closer to moving on but still have some warranty issues to be worked out. After all the problems with the Discovery, we are a bit gun shy, especially when we learned the slide in the Latitude has a "service bulletin" issued on it. Lazy Days hadn't installed the kit (nor did they have one in stock). In the mean time, we cannot use the passenger side slide. Really makes it tough. Cannot get to the pantry, part of our closet, and some drawers. Our service advisor, Kim, has been great trying to get things finished and parts inhouse. We've been provided parking with electricity or full hook ups, except for one night. However it is all starting to wear on both of us.

When you buy a new coach, you expect things to work right from the get go, or at least in a reasonable time frame. We may be inspecting the Florida Lemon Law with this one. As John says, "what did we do to deserve this?"

Not much to report in the blog right now. Our days have been spent in the Lazy Days Service Pavillion awaiting the next step of service. Although we really just sit around, it seems we are more tired than when we sightsee or work around the house.

We have doctor appointments in Pensacola starting next week, although they may have to change depending on Lazy Days' ability to get us fixed and out of here.

Overall we really like the new coach. The floor plan (when both slides are operational) is quite open, It doesn't have a bunch or mirrors or fancy wood work, etc. but is just really comfortable and home like.

I found a new style of motor home window screen. It doesn't required any drilled holes or big climbing on a ladder. It has a metal piece sewed inside the two side seams with a rubber pull attached to the end and fits over the window frame of the side windows. Theoretically, you just unroll it across the wind shield. Theory aside, we tried to put it up last weekend and still needed to be on the ladder. I was unable to help much (hurt my knee again) so John was struglling with it. A lady dog walker saw him and offered help. They have the same screen and really like it. I think we will like it as soon as we get used to it.

Turns out of helper and her husband are the Presidents of the Fl. state WIT Club (Winnebago Itasca Travelers). We learned more about Wit and area really looking forward to our rally in Forest River, IA next summer.

Still planning to be in Cincinnati area for majority of the summer.

Just got a call from our service advisor and the slide parts are supposed to be here tomorrow. Don't know what time or if they will be able to start on it until Monday. But, as they say, Progress Is Progress!

Still haven't found a camera we like so still no pictures. Promise to get some soon.

"Things are not always what they seem, - they are what they are."

Waiting and watching. B

New Motor Home

It's been over a month since I updated the blog. Lots of things have been happening, keeping me busy and away from computers.

Back last fall we found major structural damage to the Discovery. The braces that separate the frame and body were under manufactured. One had failed completely and the others were showing their damage. We headed for Decatur IN for repairs at the factory. Although it was obviously a manufacturing issue, we ended up paying for the repairs.

Last December we discovered another problem with our Discovery (how's that for poetry?). The floor beams are welded together. The weld had failed and the floor had dropped down onto the frame, thus causing the outside wall, the ceiling and the inside wall to all separate from each other. It would only get worse with time, so doing nothing wasn't an option. The estimated repair cost was so high that it didn't make sense to sink more money into an old motor home with structural problems.

Solution: Buy a new motor home. We found a 2008 Itasca Latitude at Lazy Days RV in Seffner, FL on closeout that seemed to fit our needs. It is a 39W model (no pictures, broke my camera).

So we made a quick decision and started the move. Of course, the organization drawers and boxes, etc. won't work in the new place. The storage areas are different so we have been slaving to get everything in its new rightful place. What a job!

Buying a new rig was never in our plans. We thought we would keep the Discovery until we had to hang up the keys. I'm not sure if the economic situation was helpful or harmful for us. Our 401ks and IRAs have lost value, but the slowdown in RV sales dropped prices a good bit.

I think we are almost to the point that we aren't spending all our time working (there's that nasty word again).

Our travels are still a journey of discovery, so I think I'll keep the same blog. And, my New Year's Resolution is to be more faithful to the blog. So keep checking up on us and we'll try to keep you up to date on our travels.