Headed South for the Winter

 We pulled out of our Centertown driveway at 6:18 this morning. Google Maps says it is 1,100 miles to our place in Harlingen, TX; driving time 17 hours 30 minutes. It was after 8PM when we pulled in to a motel just south of Livingston, TX for the night, just over 700 miles from home.

This was a new experience for us, our first trip to Texas without our motorhome. We bought a "park model" unit in the campground/resort where we have been spending the winters. A couple of months ago some friends called us to tell us that they had sold their home in Albuquerque and bought a home in McAllen, TX. They knew we had looked at a couple of units while we were down there last winter. We made a deal over the phone. Kathy listed our motorhome on Marketplace. We had several people who asked a lot of questions but didn't get any serious offers. When we get back in the spring we will list it again, maybe in RVTrader and another RV specific site. If it sells we may buy a small travel trailer so that we can still spend some time during the summer along Lake Superior. If it doesn't sell we use the motorhome. Of course all of this is man's planning, God may have something entirely different in mind for us.

The area around Harrison, AR sure reminds me of the Crossville, TN area. We had an acreage south of Crossville for over 10 years. Our place was very rural but we had full utilities for our RV. The neighbors, mostly lifelong TN residents but who also included Kathy's brother's family, were AWESOME. We attended Cumberland Fellowship when we were down there. When we first attended, in the late 1990's, attendance was maybe 150. They met in what might have been a converted pole barn. The last time I attended was nearly 10 years ago. Their current 13,000+ sq ft sanctuary facility seats over 600. They hold 3 Sunday morning services to handle all the people. I read that they now have over 500 kids attend Sunday services. God has definitely been working through the folks there.

We saw two Buc-ees along the way. We stopped for brisket sandwiches at the 2nd one, they were disappointing.

We stopped at Lone Star Charlie's Family Restaurant in Lufkin, TX for supper. I had "breakfast" and Kathy had their chicken strips dinner plate, both were good.

Time for a shower and bed. Kathy drove the entire way but I think I'm more tired that her.

PS. Please excuse any typos/nonsense. I didn't take the time to proof read this.

Day 58 - Wednesday, August 5 - Back Home, Last Post Until Fall

 We made it home okay. My ToDo list seems a mile long.

We put close to 2,500 miles on the coach and about 1,700 miles on the Flex. Left June 9th returned August 5th.

All in all it was a good trip, although returning later, because of Missouri's August heat, would have been nice. Maybe next year, Lord willing, it will work out to leave in mid/late June and return in late August.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

Days 54-57 - Saturday - Tuesday, August 1 - 4 - Mostly Slow Days

 We have kept busy "Mom sitting". Each day she gets two kinds of eye drops put in each eye, in the AM & PM. When we were at the Fairgrounds we would drive the 7 miles out to her house put in the eye drops and then stay awhile or take her back to the coach with us. Each day we had supper together, whether she was with us at the coach or we were at her place. She has been with us a lot.

I think I have mentioned that Mom's brain tells her it is around 1980-1985. Unless you have been around someone like that I don't think you can understand the situation. 

Sunday we had to move out of the Fairgrounds so that they could start getting ready for the county Fair, which starts on the 9th. We moved out to Mom's pond. It is a beautiful place. The problem with staying out there is that there is only one electrical circuit that is already feeding a refrigerator and some lights. The only time that is a real problem is when it is hot. We have to run our generator to run our AC units. Second, Mom's water comes from an OLD shallow well. It smells and tastes horrible. If we use up the water in our freshwater tank we have to haul in water from my brothers and pump it into our freshwater tank. Third, no sewer connections. That isn't much of a problem. We just run a hose over into the cornfield for our grey water. A couple of years ago when we knew we were going to be there for 2 weeks my brother used his backhoe and dug a hole at the back of the property. We just drove back next to the hole, dumped our black tank, and went back to our  parking place.

This morning we left Mom's around 11 and headed to Missouri. About 7 hours, and 336 miles later we pulled in to the National Trail rest area just west of Effingham, IL. We will spend the night here and head on home tomorrow.

We are both beat! We aren't looking forward to Missouri heat, but I'm sure looking forward to a few days of "alone" time. 

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

Days 51-53 - Wednesday-Friday, July 29-31 - Not Much Happening

 Basically we are just Mom sitting. Thursday Kathy did a LOT of cleaning at Mom's and caught up Mom's laundry, while I took Mom for her weekly hair appointment and then out to lunch to keep her out of Kathy's hair.

Wednesday & Thursday evenings the kids were in the Fairground arena with their horses. It is always fun to watch them.

Today Nancy & Cindy, two of Kathy's sisters, and Ed, Cindy's husband, came up from NW Ohio. Kathy went with them to the "Amish grocery store" in Bronson, MI. I went out to Mom's and used her WiFi to do some car research, at Kelsey's request.

One of the two RV's that were here when we were here in early June left a couple of days ago. Today two more pulled in. Four of us  here may be the most I've seen here.

Lots of activities going on every day as workers are getting ready for the Fair, which starts August 9th.

God is good. I pray that He bless you and yours. He has blessed me.

Days 49 & 50 - Monday & Tuesday, July 27th & 28th - Ho Hum

Nothing exciting happening, Continuing to "Mom sit". I talked to my brother, they are having a great time at their property up near Baldwin, MI. He, and his wife, are the real campers of the family. Kathy and I are the glampers (glamour campers). They have a couple of old travel trailers up there, that my brother bought cheap and rebuilt. They took two side by sides up with them, and I'm sure other toys. I think they have 11 family members and at 2 friends of the family up there.

June 5th was the last time I was at a fitness center. There is a Planet Fitness in Coldwater so I finally went to it for an hour this morning. I will be sore tomorrow.

It's partly sunny today. The high was 77, last nights low was 66. It's supposed to get down to 59 by morning. We will like that.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

Days 47 & 48 - Saturday & Sunday, July 25th & 26th - Watching the Horses

 Holdover from Thursday - On our way from Clare to Coldwater last Thursday I saw this huge facility in St. John, MI. I did some research and learned that it is MWC, a cheese making facility. Every year they turn over 2.9 BILLION pounds of milk into 300 MILLION pounds of block cheese. These numbers boggle my mind.

2.9 BILLION pounds of milk per year is 7.94 million pounds per day. At 40,000#/truck that is 200 trucks full of milk arriving on an average day.

FACTOID: Michigan ranks sixth in the United States for total milk production and first in the nation for milk production per cow. The state's dairy herd of over 450,000 cows produces more than 12 billion pounds of milk annually.

Screenshot from Google Maps

Saturday morning my brother stopped by so that we could discuss Mom's situation. Our 97 year old Mom still lives by herself. Physically she is is in good health (awesome health for someone 97 years old) but mentally her mind thinks she is living 40 years ago. 

Saturday afternoon I went out to Mom's, picked her up and she spent the afternoon with us. Kathy went out this morning and picked her up and she spent the day with us. Mom virtually never stops talking, asking questions. For old folks who remember vinyl records she is like a record where the needle can't get out of the track. 

Late Saturday afternoon two of Kathy's sisters, who live in northwest Ohio, came for a visit.

My brother puts drops in Mom's eyes every morning and evening and takes her the other 3 meds she takes. He plays the guitar ands sings a little. His way of stopping the endless stream of questions is to take his guitar down when he spends time with her in the evenings, and playing and singing.

Both days we have been here there has been some type of girls competitions involving horses. Mom grew up around horses. She sat in the coach drivers seat and watched the girls/horses compete.

I took these photos through our windshield. 

God is good, even when we don't understand Him. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

Day 46 - Friday, July 24th - Clare to Coldwater

 Nothing exciting today. We arrived at the Branch County Fairgrounds at 11AM. Kathy started on multiple loads of laundry and running the dishwater, now that we have a sewer hook up to dump our tanks. I hooked up our utilities, walked down and paid for 9 nine nights, had some lunch and took a nap.

In the afternoon we out and visited with my Mom for an hour and then met my brother, his wife, one of their grandsons and Mom for dinner. The food and fellowship was good.

By 8PM we were back home. Kathy is sitting outside, watching the sunset. The temperature is 77 degrees. It feels to cool for shorts and a tee shirt. We just watched a young lady walking a heifer down a road in the Fairgrounds. My guess is that she is getting it used to things so that it will be ready to show at the Fair that starts on August 9th.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.