Monday, June 1
If it's June, the grand kids are on vacation and ready for some Grams/Gramsie and Gramps time. For the second year in a row, Whitney brought Jimmy Jim down from Kansas to join his cousins, Alexander and Abby, in some summer fun. We spent the day getting everything ready and activities lined our so that when Heather, Andy, and Abby left, the good times would roll.
First, though, was a family cookout and some photo sessions.
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Tuesday, June 2
The morning was all about spending a few hours in the sun at Lake Hawkins, a beautiful little spring-fed lake about 20 miles east of Mineola. We had spent a month camping there in Big V in the summer of 2008 after moving Mother back to East Texas from Artesia.
The swimming beach was constructed by truck loads of sand brought in from Panama Beach, Florida.
After the beach adventure, we returned to the house for some playtime for the kids and nap time for the adults. The kids enjoyed chalk-writing on the sidewalk, and playing games in the street (thank goodness for a house at the end of the street), and playing in the North 40.
We were all amazed by the new produce stand that Ladd built for Angela...loaded with garden fresh produce!
Before returning home for evening rides on Taz, we stopped by Autumn Wind Assisted Living Facility for a short visit with Addie Provow and Jenny Bunn.
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Wednesday, June 3
We had a royal adventure today as we went to Canton for a fun day in the sun and water at Splash Kingdom. The day began with visits to the Donut Palace in Grand Saline...
And then a stop at the Salt Palace (building constructed of salt blocks from the nearby Morton Salt Mine)...
Then to Splash Kingdom for fun in the sun (with an occasional break at our cabana)...
And finally, a stop at the Dairy Palace in Canton for some cold, refreshing ice cream...
To say that we were exhausted when we returned to the house would be an understatement. After a full day in the sun, we were more than glad to sit in the air conditioned living room at the house to watch a movie and then pass out.
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Thursday, June 4
After getting all their things packed and set out for their return home, each of the kids got a half-hour ride on Taz, getting the full experience of country roads and highways.
Heather, Andy, and Whitney arrived around noon to load the gear and kids and return to Richardson. For our part, Grams and Gramps took advantage of some "empty nest" time to take a long and restful afternoon nap!
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Friday, June 5
Today we returned to "normal" life around our place...housecleaning, paying bills, etc...the stuff of day-to-day living.
While checking email this morning, I ran across an announcement from the Patriot Guard Riders of a Welcome Home greeting for a sailor returning from duty overseas, so we decided we'd ride Taz over to Tyler Pounds Airport to join other riders and members of the Welcome Home soldier group as this young man returned home to his wife and a 4-month old son that he hadn't seen yet. Most of our PGR rides are to honor veterans or military personnel who have died in the service of our nation, but this time we had the pleasure of welcoming home a young man who came through the gates under his own power. There wasn't a dry eye in the place when he kissed and hugged his wife and she then handed him his new son who he had never seen.
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Saturday, June 6
We decided this would be a good day to go out to Our Little Lot and do some mowing and trimming. When we didn't get it all done this morning, we figured we might just take a day off from reality and spend the night in Big V and then go to church at Yantis tomorrow morning. This entailed a trip back to Mineola to get everything we would need for an overnighter, but it was well worth the time and effort.
When we returned to the lot this afternoon, we picked up where we left off this morning to finish mowing and trimming.
By the end of the day, the place was looking pretty good.
It turned out to be a very pretty evening, so we hopped in the car and went for a ride to cool down from our efforts of the day. We made a loop from toward the east and then back north before coming back across Lake Fork on the Highway 154 bridge just at sunset.
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Sunday, June 7
We enjoyed a leisurely morning in Big V before packing things back in the car and making the short ride up to Yantis for the morning service at First Baptist Church. Then, it was back to the house in Mineola for lunch and a short nap before tackling the huge job of mowing the North 40.
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While Barbara stayed inside to work on the journal/blog, and build photo collages (a v-e-r-y time-consuming job), I went to the backyard to dig some rogue rose bushes out of one of the flower beds, a job that became increasingly more difficult as I got into it.
Before...
And after...
By the way, I learned the shovel poses when I worked for the highway department in Bovina, Texas, back in the days.
The newly cleared bed was pretty barren when I finished but we still got to enjoy the beauty of a gladiolus growing through the fence in the backyard.
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Tuesday, June 9 - Thursday, June 11
Some days are just days, and we managed to squeeze three of those together this week. Activities included prayer meeting, working at Our Little Lot, mowing and trimming the yards in town, paying bills, selecting photos and building collages for the journal/blog, getting the car serviced, and a couple of unintended, but necessary, trips to Walmart...just the stuff of daily life.
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Friday, June 12
The Kiwanis Club began the distribution of flags for Flag Day this morning. It was so pretty outside and the yard was freshly mowed and trimmed, so we decided to take the opportunity for a photo of our place.
When we had to cut down the dead Bradford pear tree in the front yard last year, we began thinking of what to do about the shrubbery that was growing around it. We voted that "one of these days" we'd move the hummingbird feeder from the azalea bushes to the tree stump in the middle of the box woods. Well, today was that day. I got out my trusty drill and punched a hole in the trunk...
And then set the pole for the feeder in it. It took a few wraps of duct tape to secure the stand, but the job was finally finished (except for making a batch of juice for the hummingbirds to feed on).
Since the yards were in good shape and we had the camera out anyway, we decided to take these shots of the Crown of Thorns plant on the front porch, and a Gladiolus growing in the bulb bed on the south side of the house..
We received another short, but powerful thunderstorm this afternoon. As I looked out the front door to watch, I was able to capture this image of a rainbow that had formed over John and Wanda's house across the street. And, of course, the rainwater runoff into Lake Edith and Garrett Creek.
We've written many times about making batches of Big Red ice cream, but after receiving some inspiration from grandchildren Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy Jim, we decided to try a batch of root beer ice cream, using the same formula (except for the obvious substitution). Barbara got it all put together, and tonight we enjoyed a delicious new taste sensation!
It's always a pleasure to receive (and share) photos of the kids and grandkids when we receive them. Tonight, we got this photo of John, Carol, and Randi in a text that John sent.
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Saturday, June 13
Today was a workday for us. After taking a couple of morning photos of the house on Heritage Drive...
We loaded our gear into the car and drove to Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages of Fork to tackle the yard and gully.
When that chore was finished, we returned to the house for lunch and some well-earned down time for the rest of the day.
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Sunday, June 14
It's Flag Day, America!!!!!
In February of 2001, Barbara and I were discussing how we noticed that our students didn't seem to have the respect for the American Flag or the Pledge of Allegiance that we had as students years ago. Barbara asked me if I might be able to come up with a written piece that might help educate students about what the flag and the pledge really mean. It took a few hours of thinking and drafting, but this is what we came up with, and what we publish each year on this date. The piece is dedicated to the students of West Middle School in Liberal, Kansas.
I Am
the Flag
I
am the Flag of the United States of America.
It is almost impossible to go through a day without seeing me…flying
proudly over public buildings and military bases…marching at the head of
parades…or displayed as lapel pins on the jackets of patriots, young and old.
Perhaps nowhere do I strive to be
displayed more proudly than in the schools of our country, for it is there that
the first lessons of patriotism are taught to those who will grow up to guide,
guard, and defend the country I represent.
But even there, as I am seen by
millions of students each school day, I am in danger of neglect. Like all things that are commonplace, I am
often taken for granted, and the pledge that was written to show honor to my
colors and my country becomes a meaningless ritual, chanted without thought, by
young people who have not learned, or who have forgotten that I represent the
sacrifices, hopes, and dreams of all who came before, and of countless millions
around the world who would share in their freedom.
It seems that it is only in the
times of war or national tragedy that I have meaning to the masses who call
this land their home. If that is true,
then our country is only one generation away from losing the rights and
privileges that I represent, and that you take for granted. For after all, if you don’t care, then who
will teach those who follow you?
Whether I fly proudly over the
buildings of your community, or am placed beside the flags of your houses of
worship…whether I am seen as a pin in the lapel of a military veteran, or as an
oversized decoration covering the playing field of a football or baseball
stadium…or whether you see me draped in silence over the coffin of a father,
mother, sister, brother, son, or daughter who served or gave their life for
this country, I still represent each and every one of you, and the freedoms
that were won on the battlefields around the world.
To you I make this promise…
“I pledge allegiance to those who call the United States of America
their home. I will fly proudly as a
symbol of your hopes and dreams, and of the blood, sweat, and tears that were
shed to gain and protect your rights, privileges, and freedoms. For as long as I am honored and respected, I
will be a daily reminder that we are truly ‘one nation, under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.’”
James A.Little
James A.Little
February 1, 2003 Liberal, Kansas
We went to the morning service at Yantis First Baptist Church today. The Praise Band was in rare form, and we had a rip-roaring time leading the congregation in praises.
We received another photo from son John this evening, this one with John and his grandson, Rhett, enjoying each other's company at DisneyWorld..
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Monday, June 15
Busy day today...we left the house early (but not quite early enough, evidently) to stop at Suddenlink and get an upgraded modem for our cable service. When we finally got away from there, we drove to Dallas to sit with a group of church friends while our friend Charlie Duncan had extensive cancer surgery.
As we approached the city on I-20, Barbara got this great shot of the Dallas skyline...
Because of extra time we had to spend at Suddenlink, we weren't able to see Charlie prior to the surgery, but we did enjoy spending the morning sitting with Jeremy Durig, Mary Parker, Ted and Jo Horne, and Charlie's ex-wife and cousin. We talked about lots of things as we waited for progress reports from the surgical suite.
Shortly after lunch in the hospital cafeteria, we got word that the surgery was successfully completed, and that Charlie could have visitors sometime after 5:00 pm.
Not wanting to get caught up in the afternoon traffic rush (or jam, depending on where one may be), we left a little after 3:00 and started making our way back toward Mineola.
Some funky clouds were building up in the eastern sky as we approached Terrrell, so Barbara broke out the camera once more.
We stopped for a few minutes in Terrell to do some shop-looking at the Tanger Outlet Center, filled the tank with gas, and then drove straight back to Mineola.
Our tummies were feeling a little deprived by the time we got back to town, so we stopped at Wingdinger's to buy supper to take home. While we waited, we took time to admire the view from the back deck and have my photo taken with the rack of exoctic (and long forgotten) soft drinks.
Once back at the house, we sat down to enjoy our supper as the funky clouds from a couple of hours earlier got together for a sudden thunderstorm.
We received another photo tonight,,,this time from Leah and Ryan, who were enjoying a cruise through the Gulf of Mexico.
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Tuesday, June 6
We drove out to Yantis early this morning for Prayer Meeting, and then went to Quitman to join some church folks in helping Jeremy and Emily Durig move to a new house. While I helped the men with the loading and moving, Barbara was busy keeping the little boys under control.
We left Quitman around 11:30 am and arrived back at the house just in time for another in the series of June thunderstorms.
After lunch and a short nap, we took these photos of the house and some new flowers blooming.
This evening, we had a hankering for Chinese food, so we drove up to Sulphur Springs, where we met David, Lorri, and Amber Bagwell for a visit at Panda Express, one of our favorite places to meet, greet, and eat!
As we got ready to leave, Amber presented us with a couple of coffee mugs that she had designed, using a somewhat impressionistic Texas motif.
Thanks, Amber! These will come in very handy!!!
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Wednesday, June 17
When we woke up early this morning, we noticed some ultra-funky clouds and a red sky in the east. We decided that the the storm systems following Tropical Storm Bill were either going to center on Wood county, or blow past us in a rush. An hour or so later, we found out, as the sky blackened and the rain started pouring.
Since we had the house in pretty good shape and there was no way any outside work was going to get done today, we just hunkered down and took it easy for the rest of the day.
This evening, we both went out to Yantis for Praise Band rehearsal. As the band rehearsed, Barbara took photos. And, as an added bonus, we got to meet the new pastor, Craig Vance, and his wife, Stacy.
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Thursday, June 18
While rummaging through some new recipes this morning, Barbara found a dessert that looked especially appealing, a chocolate souffle' that came very close to matching what is "legal" for us to eat. So, she got into the kitchen and whipped up the recipe, just to see how it would look and taste.
Several months ago, we received a safety recall notice for Taz. As soon as we got it, we called Broadway Power Sports to ask about it, and were informed that it was an important notice, but the necessary repair kit wouldn't be available until April or May. We called back in May, only to find out that the kit still wasn't available, but we were on the waiting list and would be called as soon as the kits arrived. We continued to play out this scenario every couple of weeks and finally discovered that the kits were in and we were first in line to have Taz repaired. They said it was about a four-hour job, and that if we could get Taz to them Friday morning, they would have her finished by the end of the day...important information, since we were running out of time before our next planned adventure.
Our afternoon was pretty well open, so while Barbara followed in the car, I rode Taz to Tyler and dropped her off at the shop.
We then returned home, running to a pretty heavy thunderstorm (we couldn't see a car-length ahead of us at a couple of points) between Lindale and the Sabine River...
Only to emerge into bright sunshine and clear skies as we crossed into Wood County.
After a Sonic stop, we returned to the house for the evening, where we received another photo of Leah and Ryan on their Gulf cruise.
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Friday, June 19
We spent the morning preparing for a luncheon with our friends Gene and Carolyn Neyer. We first met Gene and Carolyn in the summer of 2008 when we moved Mother to Mineola from Artesia and we had Big V parked at the civic center parking lot. Eventually, the four of us ended up in Mineola permanently, and we have enjoyed each other's company ever since.
The table was nicely set, the food was delicious, the dessert was a great hit, and a good time was had by all!!!
I called Broadway Power Sports in Tyler after lunch to see if they were going to have Taz ready to pick up as they had promised. The answer, after the question made the rounds of several folks in the service department, was a resounding, "NO." It seems that they had just pulled Taz into the shop and wouldn't be able to get to it until "first thing Tuesday morning."
We'll see...
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Saturday, June 20
It was another busy Saturday around our place. Barbara stayed at home this morning to work in the kitchen and make preparations for our upcoming trip in Big V. Meanwhile, I drove out to Our Little Lot to mow and trim the yard and gully, since this would be the last opportunity to work out there.
We went out this afternoon to do some shopping for the trip and for some activities between now and then.
This evening...rest and relax in the comfort of our own home.
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Sunday, June 21
Happy Father's Day!!!
The first thing on our agenda this morning was to post our separate Father's Day tributes on Facebook.
Here's Barbara's...Centered around the photo of her dad, W.T. Perry (deceased 1998), are her first husband, Henry Colwell (deceased 1990); Whitney, Heather, and me; son John Colwell with granddaughter Randi; son Jimmy Colwell (deceased 2010) with granddaughter Jaycie; son-in-law Ryan McQuitty looking at his stillborn son, Jameson, as he hugs a lamb for comfort (2008); son-in-law Andy Dondis with granddaughter Abby, and with grandson Alexander; son Mike Little with Jack and Ava; son-in-law Jim Farnham with grandson Jimmy Jim; our "adopted" brother, Jerry Terpening; and me.
My tribute was to my dad, Joe W. Little, shown in his Army Air Forces uniform during World War II, and one of his last pictures prior to his death in August, 1966.
We also received this photo of Andy,Alexander, and Abby as they celebrate Father's Day.
With our Facebook duties completed, we got ready for church and drove to Yantis for the morning service at First Baptist.
It was a bittersweet service as we said goodbye to our interim pastor, John Ginn, and made preparations to say goodbye to our youth minister, Jeremy Durig, and his family. Their last Sunday with the church will be next week, but since we won't be there for the formal goodbyes, we said ours today. Oh, yes, the Praise Band was in fine form today...probably had more fun than we should have.
We went over to Ladd and Angela's house this afternoon for our family Father's Day celebration. As always, there was a lot of good food and conversation!
Angela gave me a basket of goodies from their garden as my Father's Day gift. All the veggies were fresh-picked and beautiful We assured her that we would find good uses for them.
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Monday, June 22
Since we are running out of time before our trip with Jaycie, we decided that this would be "veggie day," a time to use up as much of Angela's vegetable bounty as possible. We took turns preparing new and old recipes and putting them up for later use. Barbara made up some cucumber salads and a new recipe of frozen cucumber pickles, while I broke out the blender and made up two different recipes of salsa...it was messy work, but well worth the time and effort.
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Tuesday, June 23
I went to Yantis for prayer meeting early this morning, stopped to check on Big V and Our Little Lot on the way back to Mineola, and then we spent the day doing house cleaning and getting clothes ready for our trip.
I called Broadway Power Sports around noon to see where they were with Taz. Supposedly, things were progressing on schedule, and we should be able to pick her up this afternoon before closing.
We'll see...
I called back around 4:00 to see if Taz was finished, only to learn that they had completed the installation of the recall kit, but one of the technicians had broken an electrical harness clip. Of course, there were no others in stock, so they had ordered one for overnight delivery, and everything will be ready by tomorrow evening.
We'll see...
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Wednesday, June 24
We had a 10:00 AM hair appointment with Leslie this morning. We were more than overdue on getting our hair cut, and I told her we just didn't want to have to get dog tags for each of the states we would be traveling through in the next three weeks.
After getting shorn, we took a loaf of jalapeno bread and a loaf of Italian bread out to Yantis to give to the new pastoral family as a welcome gift. We went to the parsonage first, only to find that Stacy was gone and the pastor was working in his study at the church. But, we did find Lisa (church pianist) and Charlotte doing some work on the tub/shower combination in one of the bathrooms.
Lisa asked me if I could lend a hand to help remove part of the faucet works, so I grabbed a wrench and went to work, leading to a number of comments from Barbara and Charlotte about watching Lisa and me in the shower, and how we should never be allowed to play together (a common comment during Praise Band rehearsals).
In the end, none of us could remove the offending part of the faucet, so Lisa and Charlotte voted to call a plumber.
After all that fun, Barbara and I went to the church to give Craig the loaves of bread, and then went to the community center for lunch.
From Yantis, we drove back down to Our Little Lot to disconnect Big V from water, sewer, and electricity and prepare to take her to Mineola to be set up at the civic center RV park so we could get her loaded and ready for the trip.
I took care of the disconnects while Barbara worked to get everything inside ready to go...then it was time to pull out and head for town.
Once Big V was set up and connected at the RV park, we returned to the house where I called Broadway Power Sports to see if Taz was coming home tonight. What I found this time was that the overnight package had not arrived and they hadn't been able to trace it, so the answer was once again, "NO," to which I replied to the service manager that unless he could guarantee that Taz would be ready to ride tomorrow at noon, they would just have to hold her for the next three weeks until we got back home. They normally don't keep bikes and trikes more than 5 days after working on them, but he agreed that since it was their fault that the clip was broken in the first place, it would be no problem to keep Taz safe for us until we returned.
Will Taz really be ready when we get back? We'll see...
This evening we did a little last minute shopping and a lot of packing as we moved all our "stuff" from the house to Big V. By the time we finished, we were a couple of tired puppies.
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Thursday, June 25
While Barbara stayed at the house and got more things ready to move to Big V, I went to Quitman for my regular dermatology appointment. Mr. Gautier didn't use any of the freezing stuff on me, but he did do some serious cutting for biopsies, and then some very serious burning to cauterize the cuts. We should receive a call next week to find out the results of the biopsies.
Once back in Mineola, we spent the rest of the day straightening the house and moving as much stuff as we could to Big V in preparation for Cathey and Jaycie's arrival this evening.
When Cathey and Jaycie did arrive, we did a little visiting in the house and then took both cars to the civic center so we could unload Jaycie's things from the car and put them away in Big V.
After that, we took them to the Jalapeno Tree restaurant for supper and then returned to the house to visit and then get some sleep in preparation for tomorrow's adventure.
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Friday, June 26 - Day One
The adventure begins!!! We were all up around 5:00 this morning to finish all the last minute preparations at the house; then, it was off to the Mineola Civic Center RV Park to finish loading Big V, hook up the car, and put Mineola in our rear-view mirror (or camera, as the case may be).
We had a final round of photographs and then Cat headed west to Lubbock, while we headed north to I-30.
Day One was all about travel. Our route took us up Texas 37 through Quitman and Winnsboro to Mount Vernon, where we joined the I-30 traffic headed east through Texas and into Arkansas.
We experienced some troubles with Big V along the way today, but couldn't determine exactly what was causing them. However, we found that if we pulled off the road, shut Big V down for a few minutes, and then restarted, she ran just fine for a couple more hours. We did try to find a service department in the Memphis area to help us, but the only place that might have worked on a Winnebago didn't return our calls, so we just kept on trucking.
After making it through the horrendous Memphis traffic on I-40, we had to pull off to let Big V rest for a few minutes. Barbara and Jaycie took the time to get some photos. Shortly after we started up again, we ran into a horrendous series of thunderstorms, limiting our speed to around 45 miles per hour. It quickly became evident that we wouldn't reach Nashville, our planned destination for the day, before nightfall, so we set our sights on the Jackson RV Park, where Barbara and I had stayed when we traveled this route back in the fall.
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Saturday, June 27 - Day Two
Today was another full travel day. We had a few instances of Big V wanting to shut down for a few minutes, but we learned to deal with it and kept on moving.
Our route today took us across I-40 to Nashville and then up I-65 into Kentucky, another new state for Jaycie.
After a brief stop at the Kentucky Welcome Center, we proceeded north and stopped at a Camping World store where we had received wonderful service last fall. However, we weren't able to get any information about our Big V problem and were told to find a Winnebago dealer (of which there were evidently none in the area) or a Chevrolet dealer (which was closed for the day).
We continued north through Kentucky and into Ohio, crossing into Cincinnati (I mean, right through downtown Cincinnati (but without game day traffic), and then to Columbus (again, right through downtown Columbus, but this time in driving rain).
Our campground for the night was about an hour north of Columbus. We set Big V up in the rain, scouted out the campground, and then settled in for the night.
While we were checking our mail, we found this photo from Mike, showing Ava and Jack enjoying a warm summer day in Virginia.
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Sunday, June 28 - Day Three
Another travel day...We started early this morning and continued our journey north toward I-90 (through the rain, of course). We bypassed Cleveland, got onto I-90, and continued toward Pennsylvania...
After a brief stop at the Pennsylvania Welcome Station, we drove on through Erie, toward New York and the very expensive (for motorhomes towing cars, anyway) New York Thruway.
We stopped at a New York Welcome Center to get information about sightseeing in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. While we were taking pictures, a lady offered to take a couple of shots of both of us standing by the window that overlooks the I-90 traffic.
And then it was on to Buffalo, where we broke away from I-90 to go north to Grand Island, our home for the next couple of nights.
We located the Grand Island KOA Campground, got Big V situated, ate supper, and then drove across the island to attend the evening service at Bible Presbyterian Church.
And then, it was off to Niagara Falls. When we checked in at the KOA this afternoon, they told us that even though Jaycie had her passport, because she was under 18, she might be required to have a note from Cathey authorizing us to take her out of the country with us. We scrambled in New York while Cathey scrambled in Lubbock and we eventually had a notarized authorization that should allow Jaycie to enter Canada with us.
Armed with passports and the letter, we headed toward Canada and Niagara Falls, Canada. Traffic patterns and road construction made the relatively short trip a little more interesting, but we soon arrived at the entrance station, gave all the correct responses, and (without anyone asking for the letter) crossed the border and began our evening adventure of seeing part of the city and Niagara Falls from an entirely new perspective.
After the evening fireworks show, we returned to the car and made our way back to the USA (a little more challenging drive than entering Canada), passed through Customs without any problems, and returned to Grand Island KOA and Big V to settle in for a deep sleep.
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Monday, June 29
We had originally planned to go to the United States side of Niagara Falls today, but we enjoyed the Canadian side so much yesterday that we decided we'd go back this afternoon. Meanwhile, we lazed around the campground this morning (if one can count doing the laundry as "lazing"), did some chores, went into town to do some shopping and ship-looking at Walmart and Best Buy, and then headed back to Canada for an afternoon of phun and photography at the Falls.
As we were walking back to the parking lot, Barbara and I spied some custom cars and decided we'd take our pictures with them.
Once we crossed back into the United States, we all had the thought that a Sonic run would be a great idea. Barbara and Jaycie both looked up Sonic in their phone searches, we got an address, called our OnStar service for directions, and headed for a special break. Well, we thought we were headed for a special break, but when we got to our OnStar destination, this is the "Sonic" we found...not exactly what we were looking for, but it did give us a laugh.
Finally aware that there wasn't a Sonic in our immediate future, we drove back to the campground, where Jaycie and I shared some fun in a canoe on the campground lake.
Tonight, we began the organizing and packing procedures so we could get an early start tomorrow morning.
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Tuesday, June 30
We had miles to go today, so we got up early, had a spot of breakfast, did the morning ablutions, got Big V ready for the road, and left the friendly confines of Grand Island KOA for a trip back down toward Buffalo and I-90 (New York Thruway...Jesse James missed the mark...he should have established toll roads rather than robbing banks).
Along the way, we followed the shore of the Niagara River until it emptied into Lake Erie at Buffalo.
Once we got to I-90 and began cruising toward the east, Barbara decided to have a little fun with the camera and got this shot of us as I was driving.
When we got to Syracuse, we broke away from I-90 to I-81, heading south to Binghampton. Everyone was on the alert for fuel stations, as Big V was developing a big thirst.
After satisfying Big V with a load of gasoline, we continued our journey, stopping at a rest area for some, well...rest. It just so happened that this was the Whitney Point rest area, so we got this photo to share with daughter Whitney. The views behind the rest area were gorgeous...such beautiful country!
At Binghampton, we turned to the east on I-86 (for a very few miles, where it became the (future I-86...also the roughest stretch of highway we had encountered on the trip). It didn't help that we were in weather ranging from heavy rain to scattered showers for a long stretch. We took advantage of the first pullout we could find to take time for lunch and a short break before continuing east.
Shortly, we entered the Catskill Mountain range. With the clouds hanging low over the mountains, we got quite a few great photos of even more beautiful country. It's hard to imagine that people felt so crowded here once upon a time that they headed west to the plains and deserts.
Eventually, we reached the small community of Florida, New York, and the Black Bear Campground, our home for the New York City part of our adventure.
After checking in and then finding our campsite, we got Big V opened up and set up. When all was ready, we did some exploring of the campground to get our bearings. Later, we settled in for our evening activities, with each of us going to our separate corners to break out our laptops and smart phones.
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A "Little" Side Note On The Day
This being the last day of June, this would normally be the point where we would insert an addendum to briefly cover the events of the past six months. We usually write one month at a time and group our records in six-month periods. We had talked before this trip about whether to stop the June Journal on the 25th, or continue through our Big V Adventure with Jaycie, and voted we'd just continue, rather than chopping up the month.
What is important about the end of this particular month is that today marked the end of the ninth year of not only our retirement, but also of our journal and, subsequently, our blog. It's hard to believe it, but nine years ago this afternoon we loaded up in Big V and left Liberal, Kansas, to begin a whole new chapter of our lives after 36 years of teaching for me, and 37 years for Barbara.
We began writing our journal as just a series of short emails to a few friends, letting them know what we were up to. Over time, the journal took on a life of its own, and after a few years (and the urging of high school classmate, Steve Kinney), we went kicking and screaming into the world of blog sites.
We would be remiss if we didn't thank you, our gentle and constant readers, for your encouragement along the way. Several times along the way we have considered dropping this project altogether because we thought no one could possibly care, but each time, out of the blue, someone would let us know how much fun it is to travel along with us.
And so, as long as we can continue to travel and see the country, we'll probably keep the journal/blog going in some form or other.
Thanks again for your kind expressions of encouragement as we continue to share our "little" adventures with you.
Love and best wishes to all,
Jim and Barbara
June 30, 2015
Black Bear Campground
Florida, NY
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Wednesday, July 1
The adventure continued today as we woke up early and prepared for a tour of New York City. One of the offerings of Black Bear Campground is the opportunity to travel into the city on a charter bus with a tour guide who was born and bred in New York City, and who gives unique perspectives on the itinerary sites.
We began our morning as we often do, with a selfie...this one of Barbara looking in Big V's bedroom mirror...
When Barbara finished with the selfie, she came out to the living area to get a shot of Jaycie and me getting ready for the day...
And then it was out to the clubhouse to wait for the tour bus (and take our picture using Jaycie's selfie stick...
At 8:00 am, we were all on the bus and ready to roll, with the first leg of the trip an hour and a half ride into the city.
We debated over how to handle pictures for today and decided we'd just let the photos speak for themselves.
First stop...Times Square, with its myriad iconic signs...
After a thirty minute stop in Times Square, we boarded the bus and began making our way toward the Wall Street and Ground Zero areas...
The Federal Building was where George Washington was inaugurated as first president of the newly formed United States of America.
Ground Zero, the site of the original Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, was an awesome place, but covered such a large area that it was impossible to get the photographs we wanted, especially in the few minutes that we were there...
St, Paul's Chapel of the Trinity Church was one of our major stops. The chair and table are in George Washington's pew...
For lunch, we experienced authentic New York pizza...a tasty, but overly-priced concoction. We're glad we tried it, but voted that we'd just as soon have a good old Pizza Hut Supreme Pan pizza any day!
After wandering around the area and seeing the sights, we boarded the bus once again and headed down to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, the point of entry and the beginning of the process of gaining citizenship for generations of immigrants from around the world.
The iconic station where newly-arrived immigrants boarded trains taking them to their new homes in the United States...
And before we left, a last look at the New York City Skyline from across the water...
The bus was much quieter during the hour and a half ride back to Black Bear Campground. Everyone was experiencing mental and physical exhaustion as well as sensory overload.
Shortly after we arrived back at Big V, Jaycie commented that she wasn't feeling well, and later in the evening, she decided that she needed to end her part of the trip and return to Lubbock. It took some time, but Cathey made arrangements for a flight out of LaGuardia for tomorrow.
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Thursday, July 2
We were up early this morning to load Jaycie's luggage into the car and prepare for a trip across New York City to LaGuardia International Airport. As we approached the campground exit, we saw that we weren't the only creatures out early today...
This would be a new adventure for all of us, as we had not planned to drive through the city, but with the aid of smart phone GPS apps and the friendly voice of our OnStar guide, we made the hour and a half drive into New Jersey, across the George Washington Bridge, through the Bronx, and across a maze of interstate highways and toll bridges toward Flushing Bay and LaGuardia Airport.
Once at the airport, we located the American Airlines terminal, found the right gate, and got Jaycie through the ticketing and baggage process. We had considered having breakfast together, but Jaycie said she wanted to go on through security to the gate area, so we said our goodbyes, saw her through the gate, and then returned to the parking garage to get in the car and retrace our route back to the town of Florida and Black Bear Campground.
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In Big V at the Black Bear Campground in Florida, New York,
Jim/Dad/Grams and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
