Sunday, August 5
After joining Jean, Jerry, Nancy, Susie, and James for an IHOP breakfast, Jim and I checked out of the RV park and headed over to the country club to help take down wedding decorations. However, once there, we found that Warren’s relatives had pretty much taken care of everything.
Around 5:00 we arrived at the Wally World parking lot in Lubbock where we were planning to spend the night with Jaycie. Cathey and Jaycie came by to pick us up for a quick supper at Taco Villa before we headed over to the baseball field where Jimmy was coaching his fall team of 8-9 year old boys. Jimmy had already told me that the grandson of a friend of mine was on his team. Carlene had been the secretary of Wheelock Elementary, where I taught for years. To my delight, she was there and we spent some time catching up with each others’ lives. It seemed so ironic to both of us that Jimmy Clint was now coaching her grandson since she spent years fielding his calls to me at school when he was her grandson’s age. Now, that is a small world!
After the hard fought game, which found Jimmy’s Dodgers on the short end, Cathey left Jaycie and us at Big V. We decided to go inside Wal-Mart to buy a couple of necessities which is where Cathey found us to let us know that Jaycie was going to get to go to Liberal after all. Jimmy had called the cheer coach and she gave permission for Jaycie to miss Tuesday’s practice. This bit of good news was well received by all of us. But…then…a calamity befell us.
While we were checking out, Jim realized that his wallet was not in his pocket. I was blissfully unaware of this as I had cash and was paying for the few items we had purchased. However, once in the motor home, even a dummy would have noticed that Jim was searching for something…so I asked…whatever are you looking for? Wish I hadn’t asked! I didn’t like his answer. With all three of us searching, it became apparent that the wallet was certainly not to be found inside our home!
Jim went back into the store while I called Cathey to check her car. When Cat didn’t find it, we discussed where it could be and were both afraid that the answer was the ball park, which certainly didn’t fill us with confidence that it would be found. However, she suggested that before we went back across town to the ball fields, why didn’t I check at Taco Villa. Smart girl! I had no more started asking if Jim’s wallet had been found, when the guy at TV, said, “We’ve got it! Do I get a reward?” Then he laughed!
I called Jim, who, it turned out, was headed for the Wal-Mart customer service desk to ask about the wallet. He left the store, walked across the street to Taco Villa to retrieve the wallet, and then returned to Big V, much relieved to have dodged a catastrophe tonight.
The rest of the evening was spent watching movies with J-Bird.
Monday, August 6
Jim: We had planned to get an early start this morning and get on up to Liberal, but I didn’t sleep well last night and the morning found us moving a little slower than usual. While I was getting cleaned up and dressed, Barbara and Jaycie made their traditional walk to the Krispy Kreme store across the street from Wal-Mart to get our “traveling breakfast.”
After giving Big V a drink of go-juice at a relatively decent price, we finally got on the road around 10:30 and headed north on the next leg of the journey. The trip was uneventful but took longer than usual. We rarely drive faster than 60 MPH, especially when pulling the large trailer with the car on it. It probably drives everyone else crazy, but it’s a lot more comfortable (and safe) for us.
Arriving in Liberal around 4:00 pm, we made our way to the Plett RV Ranch and Resort (Danny and Charlene Plett’s house south of town), where we unloaded the car, opened up Big V, and went about making ourselves at home for the next few days.
Of course, the first thing on our agenda was to see Leah; and as soon as she got off work, she came over to our place. While we were visiting, Jaycie decided that she wanted to go home with Leah for the night and swim in their outdoor above ground pool.
Our evening was spent with Danny, Charlene, and one of our retired teacher friends, Leonard Hill, as we shared a great meal and celebrated Danny’s birthday, and Leonard’s upcoming birthday on Tuesday. Happy Birthday, Danny and Leonard! It was also a belated birthday celebration for Charlene, who turned ?? years old on July 26.
After the wonderful meal and companionship with Charlene, Danny, and Leonard, we drove over to Leah and Ryan’s for another short visit and made certain Jaycie still wanted to spend the night over there. She did; so, we called it a night.
Tuesday, August 7
One of the several reasons for coming to Liberal this week was for me to see Dr. Kaminski, my dermatologist. I had a few spots on my face that I was concerned about, and decided that I really needed to keep this appointment.
First, though, was a burning need for both of us to find Mon Del Anthony to get our hair cut. We were both looking pretty shaggy and didn’t want to see anyone until we looked more presentable. As luck would have it, we stopped by Mon Del’s shop just as he was opening. While we only stopped to see about getting an appointment, we found that he could shear us right then and there! We tried to get Jaycie to let Mon Del cut her hair to match mine, but she said NO WAY!
From Mon Del’s place, we decided to drive to Dr. Jury’s office to see if there was any chance at all that we could get worked in for vision checks. We missed our annual check last year because of the move, and both thought that we needed to “get current” if at all possible. The cynic in me felt that this was probably an exercise in futility, considering the time of year (week before school starts) and the foolish expectation that we could get an appointment within a couple of days. Wonder of wonders…Dr. Jury had two openings – one today and one tomorrow – surely a sign that we needed to see him!
Barbara: After making eye doctor appointments with Dr. Jury, we began the laundry routine over at Leah’s while we waited for her to come home for lunch. It seemed weird to me that it wasn’t all that many years ago that my own mom used to wait in this same house for me to come home from work. It’s funny how things come around like that.
Once lunch with Leah was over, she went back to work and Jim had to return to Dr. Jury’s office for his eye appointment while I continued the laundry duty.
We haven’t mentioned yet that we seemed to have chosen the absolute worst time to come to Liberal…the temperature outside was 105 and felt every degree of that! No air conditioning could seem to combat that heat which meant that none of us wanted to venture outside, though Jaycie did play in Leah’s hot tub for a while. Then while Jaycie and I went shopping, Jim stayed at Leah’s to serve his time at doing the laundry.
Jaycie and I tried really hard to get into the shopping mood, but eventually gave it up for a lost cause, returning to Leah’s without purchasing one item. I think the heat just damaged our shopping abilities!
That night Leah, Ryan, Charlene, Danny, Jim, Jaycie, and I enjoyed a meal at Vargas Mexican Restaurant. Even had the official celebrating of Danny and Charlene’s birthdays when the staff brought them a birthday dish and sang to them in Spanish! No one knows quite what they sang…the only thing we’re sure of is that they didn’t sing the “Happy Birthday” that we all know!
Before we headed home to the RV, we decided to go over to the Adams’ home and visit a few minutes.
Wednesday, August 8
Today was my time to go to Dr. Jury’s; so Jim and Jaycie just hung out at Leah’s. Since Leah was going out to eat with the gals, we had made plans to eat with the Adams’ family at Napoli’s. Jaycie joined Jill and the girls in a trip to the park and a snow cone while I went back to Leah’s to hibernate inside for the afternoon. Jim went up to the high school to see if anyone he knew was around to visit with as he waited for Jill to bring Jaycie to the high school.
Despite the intense heat, Leah and Ryan agreed to come out to Big V for the evening meal. Before we called it a night, we went inside to visit with Danny and Charlene.
Thursday, August 9
Leah had lunch plans so we whiled away the day doing not much of anything.
Leah fixed supper for us, a great meal of kabobs and noodles…still blows my mind that this girl who couldn’t boil water without help now fixes these great recipes with a little of this and a lot of that!
This was the week of the annual Five State Free Fair, a major “happening” for Liberal and Seward County. We decided to wander over to the Fairgrounds to listen to RBC, a band in which two of our good friends, Chris Perkins and Bill Van Wyhe play. It seems crazy to say this, but in the years we lived in Liberal, we never heard them play and we quickly found that that was our loss! Chris, the bass player is a teacher at LHS; he and Jim started teaching in Liberal in 1989. Bill is the drummer; Jim first met him when Bill was working at Brier and Hale Music Store back in Jim’s band directing days in Perryton, Texas, and Liberal. Jim later hired Bill to run Channel 26 (the district’s TV station) and be the sound and lighting technician for the high school auditorium. The other two members of the band are Bill Lewis, the pharmacist at Dillon’s, and Dr. Rick Fitzgerald, a local physician. What a talented group! We couldn’t decide who was having more fun - the band, or the audience. Bill even left the stage at one point and presented each of us with a strand of “fabulous” beads!
Before we knew it, we had quite a gathering since Danny and Charlene came out and then Luz and Shawn joined us. The weather even cooperated as clouds gathered and cooled off the night air. When Leah and Ryan decided they needed to head home, Jaycie opted to join them.Just as the night was ending, Jim and I were thrilled to see one of our Odyssey boys, Jacob, and several other friends and neighbors from our Liberal years. It was really a fun night.
But, before we could call it over, we drove over to Leah and Ryan’s to pick up Jaycie.
Friday, August 10
With time winding down on this trip “back home,” I went out to lunch with Charlene and Luz while Jim and Jaycie shared mealtime with Leah.
Since Leah and Ryan hadn’t had much time to spend with Jaycie due to their jobs, they took her to play miniature golf and watch movies at their house. Before they did take off with Jaycie, though, we took time to document the trip with some photos. Notice that Jaycie still sported the patriotic tattoo that she received last night at the fair.
Once photos were taken, the kids headed out for their big night and Jim and I returned to the Plett Resort to celebrate Danny and Charlene’s wedding anniversary with them and Spencer and his girlfriend Kelly. Since Danny is rebuilding a car, it seemed only fitting that I capture them in front of this new project. And, Spencer, has purchased a cycle…so obviously, that was where we chose to take their photos. He even challenged Jim to a cycle race sometime…now that would be interesting!
Then Josh, another Odyssey member, called and wanted to come out for a while to visit with us. He has taken his written pilot’s test (and passed it!)…now on this coming Thursday he will fly a plane to Salina and take his instrument test. Then the next day he will have to return to Salina to move into the dorm and his college career will begin.Saturday, August 11
Since Big V needed go juice, as Jim calls it, we met Leah, Ryan, and Jaycie at Dillon’s where we purchased that and some “go juice” for our breakfast. Then it was back to Leah’s for a minute for Jim to strap his bicycle on the back of the trailer. Leah and Ryan had to put a new chain on Bevo, their large dog; so Jaycie and I checked out her new Webkinz on the internet. Finally it was time for each of us to begin a new journey with Leah and Ryan taking
Jaycie to Amarillo to meet her parents and Jim and I to travel to Tucumcari, NM, where we planned to visit friends of his, Lynn and Cheryl. Lynn retired from a band director position in Lubbock only to find himself later returning to the job to help build the band program in Tucumcari, his home town.Tucumcari holds a special place in my heart too from my youth, but…that’s enough for this week.
It seems only appropriate to end this week’s journal entries with a quote that I found that addresses the heat wave that has taken over this part of the country!
“The sun was like a great visiting presence that stimulated and took its due from all animal energy. When it flung wide its cloak and stepped down over the edge of the fields at evening, it left behind it a spent and exhausted world.” Willa Cather, author (December 7, 1873 April 24, 1947)
Wishing you the best,
Jim & Barbara
