Monday, May 1
April ended on a very stormy note, and left a huge mess throughout East Texas. Close to home, the small town of Emory had some major damage. In a spirit of unity and service, area churches sent teams of their members to the Emory area to help with the clean-up. We joined our pastor and his family this afternoon to make little stacks our of the big stacks of tree limbs and branches so they could be hauled away.
And as is well known in Baptist circles, wherever two or more are gathered in His name, there will be food. In our case, it was snack time at Dairy Queen at the end of our work session...
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Tuesday, May 2
We returned to Emory for a few hours to continue working with the tornado clean-up. I spent the morning getting my chain saw in good working order, only to find out that our job would be cleaning up the yard of some folks who took a hard hit to their shop/storage shed.
Even in the midst of destruction and disaster, Old Glory flies proudly in East Texas...
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Wednesday, May 3
We had planned to go back to Emory this morning, but were put on hold while the disaster operations team made sure everything was going to be safe, especially since there was a strong possibility of more storms throughout the day. In the end, the disaster team determined that their work was accomplished, so we stayed home to enjoy and document the rains that came (without high winds, thankfully) throughout the day.
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Thursday, May 4
Today was National Day of Prayer. Our church was open for anyone to come in whenever they wanted to pray individually, or in a group. We drove out to Yantis late in the morning to spend some time in prayer, and then join some church friends for lunch at the senior center.
This evening we returned to join the Emory area folks for their Savor the Flavor celebration, an exhibit of foods from restaurants and specialty dining shops from around the area. We were joined by church friends David and Kathy, and needless to say, a good time was had by all!
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Friday, May 5
With the tragedies and triumphs of the week behind us, we knuckled down and spent the day working on scripts and handouts for the children's sermon Sunday morning, as well as designing and making specialty gifts for graduations and wedding showers that are upcoming...much work, but too busy to take photos.
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Saturday, May 6
Hannah Hay, the daughter of our good friends Heidi and Curt, who we first met during a missions trip at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa, Georgia, is graduating this weekend with a nursing degree. We drove down to Lindale to join the family for a celebration brunch.
It was such a beautiful afternoon when we returned home that I decided to fire up Taz, blow out some of the cobwebs, and maybe take a little ride. Unfortunately, even though she fired up just the way she should, she wouldn't move forward or backward. Taz has an electronic parking break, and the switch wasn't working to release it.
After working for an hour or so, checking manuals, speaking in tongues, etc., I called the service department in Tyler to see if they had any suggestions. I had been on hold for 25 minutes when Barbara came out and asked what I was doing. I remained on hold while she went inside and called on the landline (and got an immediate answer). When I finally got to speak to a voice, he said it was probably a battery problem. When I said that it started just fine and all other systems were working, he said that we'd just have to bring it over to the shop. I explained that I understood all that, but it couldn't even be moved from the driveway. He agreed that that was a problem, but it was all he had to offer.
After a brief expression (again in tongues), I decided to pull the battery and take it to Walmart to be tested. That was all well and good, but it also involved another 30-minute session with the manual to figure out how to do that.
I eventually got the battery out and took it to Walmart, where I was told it was as good as new, then took it back to the house and reinstalled it, covered Taz, and decided we'd just have to figure something out...meanwhile, we had lost a beautiful afternoon for riding, and were very discouraged.
Poor Us...Poor Taz...
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Sunday, May 7
Today we put away thoughts of Taz and went through our normal Sunday morning...Praise Band rehearsal at 9:15, followed by Sunday School, and then the morning service, where we did our children's sermon.
Our children's sermon this morning was from I Corinthians 1: 18-25, and was about the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
JIM: Good
Morning! Brother Craig is going to
preach this morning about knowledge, wisdom, and foolishness.
Do you know the difference between knowledge and wisdom? We have this stack of books. If you could read all of them, you could have a lot of knowledge, but that doesn’t mean you would be wise. Knowledge is what we have in our heads, but wisdom is knowing the right thing with that knowledge.
Jesus taught a very valuable lesson about the difference between knowledge and wisdom when he told the story about two men who built houses. Both men had the knowledge to build, but the wise man took his time to find a rock, or a strong foundation to build his house on, but the foolish, or unwise man built his house on sand. When the heavy rains came, the wise man’s house stood strong, but the foolish man’s house washed away in the storm.
Jesus used this lesson to tell
people that even though they knew about God and his teachings, if they didn’t
use that knowledge to make right decisions in their daily lives, they were
foolish, because they didn’t have wisdom.
As you grow older and gain more knowledge from the Bible, you will be wise
if put it into practice in your own lives.
BARBARA: Did you know that your brain is like this sponge? Yep! It is. And, this water is like knowledge, such as learning about Jesus. It just pours in your brain and the brain absorbs it. But…knowledge isn’t enough. You need wisdom. Wisdom is the actual doing of what Jesus wants us to do.
For example…you probably know that one of the 10 commandments is, “Thou shalt not covet” or in simple words be jealous of what a friend might have. You know it; but do you have the wisdom to choose not to be jealous. When we are pressured to choose, the knowledge within us makes us wise when we choose to do the right thing. Knowledge learns of God…Wisdom loves Him.
Today we’ve taken a really simple way to help you remember the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit just like an apple or orange. But, wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad.
JIM: “Father, we want to know what you taught in your Word, but more importantly, we want you to guide us into the wisdom to take that knowledge and put it into practice. It’s in Jesus name we pray, Amen.”
After church we drove to Sulphur Springs, had some frozen yogurt at Sweet Frog, and then went to the high school auditorium to enjoy a concert by the Northeast Texas Choral Society. Our former music ministers, the Loveladys, were singing in the group, so we got to see them and their two sons, Nate and Benjamin.
We drove back to Mineola, had a little down time, (during which we had a heavy thunderstorm pass over and drop a ton of rain in our neighborhood...
and then went to the theater to join others for a memorial service for one of our community band trombone players who passed away recently. Some band friends, the Ketners, were there, so we invited Justin, Adah, and Megan to come to the house afterward for ice cream cake and conversation.
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Monday, May 8
Just another morning of taking care of business around the house, followed by a trip to Tyler to sit in on a doctor appointment with T.J. and Angela.
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Tuesday, May 9
We're really burning up the highway between Mineola and Tyler these days. This morning went went back to Dermatology Associates so I could have another scalp "burn." There's nothing nice that can be said about this procedure, so I won't say anything...this time!
While I was agonizing under the UV machine, Barbara was sitting outside in the shade, reading a book and taking selfies...she looked a lot better after the treatment than I did!
Following the treatment, we had lunch and then joined T.J. and Angela for a review session with T.J.'s doctor...then it was back to Mineola for some well desderved downtime.
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Wednesday, May 10
Today was mostly about vehicles. We had to get new trailer tags for the cycle trailer, had an appointment to get the Equinox serviced, and Ladd came over to the house with a floor jack to help maneuver Taz back into the garage.
Meanwhile, Barbara found the time to build an ice cream cake to share with Ladd for all his efforts, and I did some baking so we would have bread to distribute during our upcoming trips.
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Thursday, May 11
Today was the Baptist Senior Retreat at Lonestar Lake. We rode Taz last year, but that was out of the question for now, so we drove the car up and enjoyed a nice time with some of our church seniors, as well as with groups from around the three-state area of East Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
You might think this would all be serious, but then, you might be wrong...
We had darkening skies on the way home, and we hadn't much more than gotten into the house when the bottom fell out again...sure were glad we didn't get caught in this on Taz!!!
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Friday, May 12
I had a follow-up appointment with the eye surgeon in Tyler this morning, so we made the drive over there. As we were leaving Tyler, we decided to swing by Broadway Power Sports (the Taz hospital), to see if it would be possible to have Taz towed in and left for repairs before we leave on our next round of trips. They said it would be fine, so on the way home, we began to brainstorm about how to find someone to help us load it on a trailer. Cousin Ladd felt like he might be able to help us if we could get Taz loaded on his trailer.
Somewhere between Tyler and Lindale my brain kicked into gear and I remembered that we have towing insurance through our Good Sam Roadside Assistance program. One phone call, and we had arrangements made for a local towing service to pick up Taz as soon as we got back to the house.
We've always commented about how sad it is to see a motorcycle or motor home being towed for repairs...now we know about it first-hand.
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Saturday, May 13
We voted that after all the running around and excitement of the past week, today would be for just things we wanted to do. Barbara chose to do some things she wanted to do around the house, and I drove out to Holiday Villages of Lake Fork to do some serious yard work on Our Little Lot.
This evening we put the finishing touches on our children's sermon for tomorrow morning.
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Sunday, May 14
Happy Mother's Day!!!!!
Our day was pretty simple. We went to church, gave our children's sermon, and then had our friends Jerry and Diane Nickerson over for lunch.
JIM: There
are several places in the Bible where mothers are mentioned. One place in
particular is Ephesians 6:2 which
says…Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your
father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise that it may go
well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth.
BARBARA: We all would probably agree that moms like it
when you listen to what they say and obey them when they ask you to do
something. They like it even more when
you show them that you love them. In fact, this is a commandment from God. So, this morning, as we talk about mothers, let’s begin
with what I have in the basket. What’s this? Yes, it’s an M & M package
isn’t it? Do you know why I’m showing you this on Mother’s Day? Let me explain.
When I think of Mothers’ Day, I realize that there are Many Mothers. You see,
this didn’t occur to me until one Mothers’ Day my own daughter was here at
church with me and the pastor at that time asked all the mothers to stand up.
With pride I stood and then realized my daughter was sitting there with tears
running down her face. I grabbed her and had her stand reminding her that just
because her precious only child Jameson died two weeks before he was supposed
to be born, she was still a mother. That day made me realize that there are
many mothers…mothers like Leah who lost her child, then there are daddies who
are mothers to their children, or grandparents, step mothers, single mothers,
and adopted mothers...yes, many mothers. There are even women in our church who
have no children; but who spend their time and energy loving and teaching the
young. And, the only thing they all really, really want on this special day is
for you to love them and let them know that you care.
JIM: While we’re talking about love this morning, let me ask you this; do you love Jesus? Of course you do! Do you think Jesus like to hear you say, “I love you?” I know He does. But He likes it even better when you show Him that you love Him. How do you do that? Jesus told us how. He said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teachings.” The Bible is full of things that Jesus wants us to learn and remember. You show Him that you love Him by doing the things that He teaches us through his Word.
When you leave here today,
don’t forget to tell your mom that you love her, but more important, show her
that you love her. And, as you worship
this morning, tell Jesus that you love Him, but it’s also very important when
we leave here to show everyone that you love Jesus by doing the things He
taught us.
This morning we have for you
these Moms are so sweet bags! Inside them are M and M’s for you and a small
jar with some for your Mom or other special Mothers' Day person.
Let us pray…Dear
Lord, we have come to your house today to say, “I love you.” Help us go out of here today and show that we
love you by obeying your teachings. It’s
in Jesus name that we pray, Amen.
Diane and Jerry joined us for a Mothers' Day lunch at the house, even surprising Barbara with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. 
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Monday, May 15
Wow...What a busy Monday!!! In addition to getting ready for a couple of trips, we had the usual running around to do. In one of our stops at Walmart, we ran into T.J., and took a few minutes to visit with her...
When we were finished at Walmart, we drove a couple of blocks to Autumn Wind assisted living facility to see our dear friend Jenny. Jenny had been in the hospital for quite awhile, so it was good to see her back in her own apartment.
This evening we enjoyed a belated Mother's Day celebration with our Mineola family. We met TJ, Ladd, Angela, Maddey, Jon, Rhett, and Logan at the Red Dome restaurant in Quitman for a fun time and great food.
When we got home, the first thing we did was hang up the new banner that Rhett had picked out for us.
Tuesday May 16 - Wednesday, May 17
Our proposed trip to San Antonio and then to points east went through several changes after we found out that out-of-state volunteers wouldn't be needed for one of the Spring weeks at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa next week. We had everything packed for a six week trip, but spent these two days repacking to go to San Antonio for a few days for Granddaughter Randi's college graduation before returning to Mineola.
Thursday, May 18
The big day finally arrived...with the house cleaned (well, kind of straightened), and the car loaded for a four-day trip to San Antonio, we were off!!! Since we've made the trip from here to Dallas and then down I-35 to San Antonio, we didn't bother to put the cameras where we could get to them quickly. Most of the scenery is eminently forgettable, and we don't need any reminders of the highway construction from Hillsboro to Georgetown!
We did, however, break out the cell phone cameras for a little photo phun at Buckee's.
After we got to the kids' house in Helotes, we unpacked the car, got our room set up, and then drove with John to a quaint little restaurant/watering hole for dinner and family time.
Friday, May 19
It was going to be a relatively slow morning around the house for the kids, so we made arrangements with friends Sonny and Carol Bade to pick them up and go out for a leisurely breakfast at one of their favorite restaurants.
The graduation venue was all the way across San Antonio, so after taking some family photos at the house, Randi and Nick drove us to save the wear and tear on our car and not have to pay a parking fee. After a couple of hours of waiting, it was finally time to watch the Texas A and M University-San Antonio Class of 2017 enter the hall and then walk across the stage to received their diplomas. When it was all over, Randi, our oldest granddaughter, was a college graduate!!!
The next stop of the day was to meet family at Bigz, a burger joint with an attitude, for a celebration dinner.
And finally, back to the house for a little quieter celebration and a special time for Randi and her parents.
Saturday, May 20
One might think from looking at the pictures of this trip that all we did was eat...and one might be pretty close to the truth, although we did have a fair share of the time away from the dinner tables.
We began the morning with a family brunch at Bill Miller's, a San Antonio chain of barbecue restaurants...
Randi's graduation party was held this evening at Pete's Place, where we enjoyed a wonderful catered Mexican dinner...
While others were gathering, we walked around Old Helotes and enjoyed visiting the shops and seeing the sights...
Sunday, May 21
We said our goodbyes to everyone last night, so we got up early this morning and made it a Point A to Point B kind of day. Our only interest was in getting from San Antonio to Mineola in the shortest possible time. As with our trip south the other day, the cameras weren't very important, but we did break one of them out to capture a massive thunderstorm that blew up on us as we approached Waxahatchee.
Other than that storm, it was a relatively quiet drive, and we got home in time to get everything unpacked with time to get some rest, visit Jenny at ETMC (she was returned to the hospital while we were gone), and attend the evening service at Yantis First Baptist Church.
Monday, May 22 - Wednesday, May 24
These four days were a flurry of activities as we packed, unpacked, repacked, and then did it all again in preparation for our upcoming trip. Add in a mountain of housework and yard work, and our days and evenings were filled to capacity. By Thursday evening, though, nearly everything was done and we were almost ready to load the car. Photos?...no time for that!!!
Thursday, May 25
Our original plan was to load the car this evening and be ready to leave town early tomorrow morning for a full day of travel. However, we both woke up thinking that there wasn't any point in delaying our "takeoff," so we spent the morning loading the car, checking the house and yard for last minute details, and taking a photo of our Mineola home.
Our first stop was at East Texas Medical Center in Quitman to see our friend Jenny and her son Gary. We let them know that we would be gone about three weeks and were looking forward to seeing them when we got home. Before we left Jenny's room, Barbara gave her a little heart to remind her that she held our hearts while we were traveling.
And then...We were off like a herd of turtles, driving north from Quitman to Mount Vernon, where we got on I-30 and headed east.
We made it as far as Arkadelphia, Arkansas, before deciding to call it a day. Since we had some spare time for sightseeing, we asked the friendly hotel manager for advice about local places of interest. He did send us on a scenic road south of the hotel, and along the way, we stopped to take photos of the Caddo River.
Then, it was back to the hotel through photos for the journal/blog, and enjoy some down time before tomorrow's long trek.
Friday, May 26
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we pulled away from the hotel under cloudy skies...
and continued our journey, heading east on I-30 to Little Rock, where we picked up I-40 until we got to West Memphis. There, we turned north on I-55 until we got to Hayti, Missouri, and began driving on I-155, a route we'd never taken before. The next two days would be new territory for us!
We crossed the Mississippi River...
And made our way to Dyersburg, Tennessee.
When we checked in at the hotel (after having to search for it using the sketchiest of GPS instructions), we asked about points of local interest. The folks at the hotel didn't seem too high on their town, but did say that we might want to see the downtown area. So, after unloading what we needed for the night, we followed a maze of streets into downtown Dyersburg, and found a treasure trove in the town square.
While an infusion of money would help renovate the downtown area (much as money has helped our hometown of Artesia, New Mexico, and is helping Mineola, the community pride in their history was evident in the war monuments surrounding the courthouse square, as well as a few prominent buildings. We probably spent an hour or so just wandering around the downtown area and marveling at the memorials to the town's vast history.
Saturday, May 27
With another full day of driving ahead of us, we grabbed a takeout breakfast at the hotel and headed northeast through Tennessee to Clarksville before crossing into Kentucky, where we picked up I-65, a familiar highway that we have traveled in Big V a couple of times, until we got to Elizabethtown, where we broke away and headed east to Lexington on the Blue Grass Highway.
The early morning portion of the drive provided us with some otherworldly images of clouds boiling up around us.
A lunch stop in Lexington afforded us the opportunity to reconnect with Trevor Wilkins, a former Liberal High School trumpet player, and his family. Unfortunately, Tara, Trevor's sister, who also lives in the Lexington area, was out of town on business this weekend, so we didn't get to see her. However it was good, as always, to reconnect with a former student and see from his successes that we didn't damage him too much when he was our student.
We had misjudged the point at which we crossed into the Eastern Time Zone, so the day was getting away from us when we left Lexington and headed across I-64 to West Virginia. We treated ourselves to a lengthy break at one of the rest areas along the way. As is often the case with us in our travels, I broke out my pocket trumpet, did some warm-ups, and serenaded other travelers with some hymns for a few minutes, ending with the sounding of Holy Ground, and Taps. Since the primary purpose of this trip was to later sound Taps at Gettysburg, we figured it would be good to stay in shape along the way.
After our rest stop, we crawled back into the car and made our way to Huntington, West Virginia, where we called it a day and checked into our hotel. After having a little supper, we went outside to walk around, enjoy the scenery, and take some photos.
Sunday, May 28
After grabbing some snacks for the road from the hotel breakfast bar, we went off in search of the First Methodist Church, the only church in town that we could find that advertised an early morning service. We finally found it, only to discover that instead of having an early service today, they were celebrating the organist's 50th anniversary with the church. So we decided to do a little sightseeing of our own, since we were already downtown. Our first choice was the Marshall University area...
Then, since we were just across the Ohio River from, you guessed it, Ohio, we decided we'd add another state to our travel list for this trip. It took only a few minutes, and it was scenic.
We wound our way back through town and onto I-64, where we continued our eastward journey. We stopped in Milton for gas, and discovered that the local Baptist Church had an early service that was just starting, so we went there for our Sunday worship service. The music wasn't much to our liking, but we heard a great sermon!
On the way back to the interstate we found a Biscuit World and decided to make that our Sunday brunch. I had the Politician's Biscuit...loaded with baloney!!!
Our travels almost always present us with unique sights and situations. Today we saw the Batmobile as it buzzed past us on I-64 while we drove into Charleston, West Virginia. Who woulda ever thunk it? We took another new highway (for us) in Charleston as we broke away from I-64 and onto I-79 North toward Morgantown. A few miles up the highway, we took another stretch break and I got in another practice session at a rest area. And, Barbara got in some playtime with the camera.
When we finished at the rest area, we headed north once more and drove the long stretch of I-79 to Morgantown (home of Big XII member, West Virginia University). After having our first negative check-in encounter at the Hampton Inn (they didn't give us the room they promised, but we finally got it all worked out), we once again checked at the front desk to inquire about points of interest that everyone ought to see.
We discovered, when we got downtown, that downtown Morgantown is a dump! While there were some interesting things to see, we voted that we never needed to go back. We've been in a few Big XII towns, and had to rank this one as Number 13.
Be that as it may, we did have our pictures taken with the sculpture of Don Knotts in front of the Metropolitan Theater, the site of Don's first foray into theater arts...as a custodian and concession stand operator.
There was a concert going on in the theater, but the usher allowed us to come into the foyer so Barbara could take some pictures of the interior.
The downtown area was full of bums and panhandlers, but a neighboring street afforded us views of some historical markers and old architecture.
Finished with our sightseeing, we returned to the campus area, stopping briefly so Barbara could take this photo of a park at the entrance to the campus.
At the hotel Barbara grabbed a few things out of the ice chest and whipped up a great supper. Then, we just settled in for an evening serenade of police, fire, and ambulance sirens.
Monday, May 29
It's Memorial Day...A day to remember and reflect upon the thousands of military personnel who died to help preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.
Our goal today was to get to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as quickly as possible. We left Morgantown fairly early (for us) and made our way east on I-68 into Maryland, where we enjoyed a delightful morning drive.
A rest break at the Green Ridge State Forest gave us a chance to walk around and enjoy some beautiful scenery...
A few hours later we arrived in Gettysburg, checked in at our home for the next three nights, unloaded the car, and set up housekeeping.
Why Gettysburg, you might ask. Well, let us tell you...a couple of months ago we found that the folks from the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, The National Park Service, and Taps For Veterans had all collaborated in establishing One Hundred Nights of Taps Gettysburg - 2017. Buglers from around the nation were contacted and asked to take turns in sounding Taps at the Soldiers Monument each evening from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Well, this was an opportunity we couldn't pass up, so we made our travel plans to be part of opening ceremonies on Memorial Day, as well as a solo performance of Taps on the 31st of May.
The opening ceremonies were beyond our greatest expectations. Led by a fife and drum corp, eight buglers, joined by General Ulysses S. Grant, marched from the gatehouse to the Soldiers Monument, stood at attention during the welcome and introductions to the assembled crowd, and then took turns sounding Taps as we faced the monument.
Unbeknownst to me, Barbara had been talking to a reporter from the local affiliate TV station, and in the course of their conversation about why we traveled all the way from Texas to Gettysburg to sound Taps, Barbara was asked by the reporter if she thought I would mind being interviewed. Her response was that she was sure I would. And so, the reporter caught up with me when we finished and did a lengthy interview that even though it was highly edited during the evening telecast, was beautifully integrated into the story she told.
Along with the other buglers, we stayed around the cemetery to visit with folks and answer questions, then headed back to the hotel for some much-needed rest (and to wait for the late night newscast).
This was a grey, rainy day for the most part. We did get out for a couple of runs to a nearby supermarket, and then for lunch, but other than those forays (and some serious laundry time), there wasn't much done until the evening.
We did enjoy a delightful lunch at one of the local restaurants...great food at a very reasonable price...
We went back to the cemetery this evening to be observers of the ceremony and to support a fellow bugler (retired Air Force) from North Carolina who had also played in last night's ceremonies. And, we met new friends from Houston who just happened to be following a tour group and heard about the Taps ceremonies. As we were leaving the cemetery, we heard them saying that they couldn't remember where they had parked their car, so we offered to drive them around and find it. All was well that ended well...we found the car and our two new Texas friends got on with their own Gettysburg adventures.
Wednesday, May 31
What a great way to wrap up a month and new adventures!!! We spent the morning packing as much of our stuff as we could, and then went to town to do some serious sightseeing and have lunch. It was a beautiful day out...perfect for all the things we wanted to do on our last day in Gettysburg, including lunch outside among the other tourists.
I was scheduled as the solo bugler for tonight's Taps performance. We went to the cemetery early so Barbara could take photos and videos of me playing Holy Ground and Taps in various settings.
We reported to the Gatehouse at 6:30, met with Wendy to go over the plans for the Taps ceremony, and then a few minutes before 7:00 we walked up to the Soldiers Monument. A tour group was listening to their guide when we arrived, and as soon as they were finished, I moved to the base of the monument and played We Are Standing On Holy Ground. Wendy then gave her welcoming address and introduced me. I saluted the monument, did an about face toward the crowd, and sounded Taps to close out the ceremony for the day.
Following the ceremony, we visited with some of the folks from the tour group, and then headed back down the hill with Wendy. When we got to the Gatehouse, Wendy presented me with a certificate of participation and appreciation for our two nights of service at One Hundred Nights of Taps Gettysburg - 2017.
And with that, we returned to the hotel, had some supper, and did some more packing before calling it a day, night, and month.
"...But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” - Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
From Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
Wow...What a busy Monday!!! In addition to getting ready for a couple of trips, we had the usual running around to do. In one of our stops at Walmart, we ran into T.J., and took a few minutes to visit with her...
When we were finished at Walmart, we drove a couple of blocks to Autumn Wind assisted living facility to see our dear friend Jenny. Jenny had been in the hospital for quite awhile, so it was good to see her back in her own apartment.
This evening we enjoyed a belated Mother's Day celebration with our Mineola family. We met TJ, Ladd, Angela, Maddey, Jon, Rhett, and Logan at the Red Dome restaurant in Quitman for a fun time and great food.
When we got home, the first thing we did was hang up the new banner that Rhett had picked out for us.
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Tuesday May 16 - Wednesday, May 17
Our proposed trip to San Antonio and then to points east went through several changes after we found out that out-of-state volunteers wouldn't be needed for one of the Spring weeks at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa next week. We had everything packed for a six week trip, but spent these two days repacking to go to San Antonio for a few days for Granddaughter Randi's college graduation before returning to Mineola.
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Thursday, May 18
The big day finally arrived...with the house cleaned (well, kind of straightened), and the car loaded for a four-day trip to San Antonio, we were off!!! Since we've made the trip from here to Dallas and then down I-35 to San Antonio, we didn't bother to put the cameras where we could get to them quickly. Most of the scenery is eminently forgettable, and we don't need any reminders of the highway construction from Hillsboro to Georgetown!
We did, however, break out the cell phone cameras for a little photo phun at Buckee's.
After we got to the kids' house in Helotes, we unpacked the car, got our room set up, and then drove with John to a quaint little restaurant/watering hole for dinner and family time.
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Friday, May 19
It was going to be a relatively slow morning around the house for the kids, so we made arrangements with friends Sonny and Carol Bade to pick them up and go out for a leisurely breakfast at one of their favorite restaurants.
The graduation venue was all the way across San Antonio, so after taking some family photos at the house, Randi and Nick drove us to save the wear and tear on our car and not have to pay a parking fee. After a couple of hours of waiting, it was finally time to watch the Texas A and M University-San Antonio Class of 2017 enter the hall and then walk across the stage to received their diplomas. When it was all over, Randi, our oldest granddaughter, was a college graduate!!!
The next stop of the day was to meet family at Bigz, a burger joint with an attitude, for a celebration dinner.
And finally, back to the house for a little quieter celebration and a special time for Randi and her parents.
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Saturday, May 20
One might think from looking at the pictures of this trip that all we did was eat...and one might be pretty close to the truth, although we did have a fair share of the time away from the dinner tables.
We began the morning with a family brunch at Bill Miller's, a San Antonio chain of barbecue restaurants...
Randi's graduation party was held this evening at Pete's Place, where we enjoyed a wonderful catered Mexican dinner...
While others were gathering, we walked around Old Helotes and enjoyed visiting the shops and seeing the sights...
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Sunday, May 21
We said our goodbyes to everyone last night, so we got up early this morning and made it a Point A to Point B kind of day. Our only interest was in getting from San Antonio to Mineola in the shortest possible time. As with our trip south the other day, the cameras weren't very important, but we did break one of them out to capture a massive thunderstorm that blew up on us as we approached Waxahatchee.
Other than that storm, it was a relatively quiet drive, and we got home in time to get everything unpacked with time to get some rest, visit Jenny at ETMC (she was returned to the hospital while we were gone), and attend the evening service at Yantis First Baptist Church.
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Monday, May 22 - Wednesday, May 24
These four days were a flurry of activities as we packed, unpacked, repacked, and then did it all again in preparation for our upcoming trip. Add in a mountain of housework and yard work, and our days and evenings were filled to capacity. By Thursday evening, though, nearly everything was done and we were almost ready to load the car. Photos?...no time for that!!!
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Thursday, May 25
Our original plan was to load the car this evening and be ready to leave town early tomorrow morning for a full day of travel. However, we both woke up thinking that there wasn't any point in delaying our "takeoff," so we spent the morning loading the car, checking the house and yard for last minute details, and taking a photo of our Mineola home.
Our first stop was at East Texas Medical Center in Quitman to see our friend Jenny and her son Gary. We let them know that we would be gone about three weeks and were looking forward to seeing them when we got home. Before we left Jenny's room, Barbara gave her a little heart to remind her that she held our hearts while we were traveling.
And then...We were off like a herd of turtles, driving north from Quitman to Mount Vernon, where we got on I-30 and headed east.
We made it as far as Arkadelphia, Arkansas, before deciding to call it a day. Since we had some spare time for sightseeing, we asked the friendly hotel manager for advice about local places of interest. He did send us on a scenic road south of the hotel, and along the way, we stopped to take photos of the Caddo River.
Then, it was back to the hotel through photos for the journal/blog, and enjoy some down time before tomorrow's long trek.
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Friday, May 26
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we pulled away from the hotel under cloudy skies...
and continued our journey, heading east on I-30 to Little Rock, where we picked up I-40 until we got to West Memphis. There, we turned north on I-55 until we got to Hayti, Missouri, and began driving on I-155, a route we'd never taken before. The next two days would be new territory for us!
We crossed the Mississippi River...
And made our way to Dyersburg, Tennessee.
When we checked in at the hotel (after having to search for it using the sketchiest of GPS instructions), we asked about points of local interest. The folks at the hotel didn't seem too high on their town, but did say that we might want to see the downtown area. So, after unloading what we needed for the night, we followed a maze of streets into downtown Dyersburg, and found a treasure trove in the town square.
While an infusion of money would help renovate the downtown area (much as money has helped our hometown of Artesia, New Mexico, and is helping Mineola, the community pride in their history was evident in the war monuments surrounding the courthouse square, as well as a few prominent buildings. We probably spent an hour or so just wandering around the downtown area and marveling at the memorials to the town's vast history.
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Saturday, May 27
With another full day of driving ahead of us, we grabbed a takeout breakfast at the hotel and headed northeast through Tennessee to Clarksville before crossing into Kentucky, where we picked up I-65, a familiar highway that we have traveled in Big V a couple of times, until we got to Elizabethtown, where we broke away and headed east to Lexington on the Blue Grass Highway.
The early morning portion of the drive provided us with some otherworldly images of clouds boiling up around us.
A lunch stop in Lexington afforded us the opportunity to reconnect with Trevor Wilkins, a former Liberal High School trumpet player, and his family. Unfortunately, Tara, Trevor's sister, who also lives in the Lexington area, was out of town on business this weekend, so we didn't get to see her. However it was good, as always, to reconnect with a former student and see from his successes that we didn't damage him too much when he was our student.
We had misjudged the point at which we crossed into the Eastern Time Zone, so the day was getting away from us when we left Lexington and headed across I-64 to West Virginia. We treated ourselves to a lengthy break at one of the rest areas along the way. As is often the case with us in our travels, I broke out my pocket trumpet, did some warm-ups, and serenaded other travelers with some hymns for a few minutes, ending with the sounding of Holy Ground, and Taps. Since the primary purpose of this trip was to later sound Taps at Gettysburg, we figured it would be good to stay in shape along the way.
After our rest stop, we crawled back into the car and made our way to Huntington, West Virginia, where we called it a day and checked into our hotel. After having a little supper, we went outside to walk around, enjoy the scenery, and take some photos.
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Sunday, May 28
After grabbing some snacks for the road from the hotel breakfast bar, we went off in search of the First Methodist Church, the only church in town that we could find that advertised an early morning service. We finally found it, only to discover that instead of having an early service today, they were celebrating the organist's 50th anniversary with the church. So we decided to do a little sightseeing of our own, since we were already downtown. Our first choice was the Marshall University area...
Then, since we were just across the Ohio River from, you guessed it, Ohio, we decided we'd add another state to our travel list for this trip. It took only a few minutes, and it was scenic.
We wound our way back through town and onto I-64, where we continued our eastward journey. We stopped in Milton for gas, and discovered that the local Baptist Church had an early service that was just starting, so we went there for our Sunday worship service. The music wasn't much to our liking, but we heard a great sermon!
On the way back to the interstate we found a Biscuit World and decided to make that our Sunday brunch. I had the Politician's Biscuit...loaded with baloney!!!
Our travels almost always present us with unique sights and situations. Today we saw the Batmobile as it buzzed past us on I-64 while we drove into Charleston, West Virginia. Who woulda ever thunk it? We took another new highway (for us) in Charleston as we broke away from I-64 and onto I-79 North toward Morgantown. A few miles up the highway, we took another stretch break and I got in another practice session at a rest area. And, Barbara got in some playtime with the camera.
When we finished at the rest area, we headed north once more and drove the long stretch of I-79 to Morgantown (home of Big XII member, West Virginia University). After having our first negative check-in encounter at the Hampton Inn (they didn't give us the room they promised, but we finally got it all worked out), we once again checked at the front desk to inquire about points of interest that everyone ought to see.
We discovered, when we got downtown, that downtown Morgantown is a dump! While there were some interesting things to see, we voted that we never needed to go back. We've been in a few Big XII towns, and had to rank this one as Number 13.
Be that as it may, we did have our pictures taken with the sculpture of Don Knotts in front of the Metropolitan Theater, the site of Don's first foray into theater arts...as a custodian and concession stand operator.
There was a concert going on in the theater, but the usher allowed us to come into the foyer so Barbara could take some pictures of the interior.
The downtown area was full of bums and panhandlers, but a neighboring street afforded us views of some historical markers and old architecture.
Finished with our sightseeing, we returned to the campus area, stopping briefly so Barbara could take this photo of a park at the entrance to the campus.
At the hotel Barbara grabbed a few things out of the ice chest and whipped up a great supper. Then, we just settled in for an evening serenade of police, fire, and ambulance sirens.
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Monday, May 29
It's Memorial Day...A day to remember and reflect upon the thousands of military personnel who died to help preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.
Our goal today was to get to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as quickly as possible. We left Morgantown fairly early (for us) and made our way east on I-68 into Maryland, where we enjoyed a delightful morning drive.
A rest break at the Green Ridge State Forest gave us a chance to walk around and enjoy some beautiful scenery...
A few hours later we arrived in Gettysburg, checked in at our home for the next three nights, unloaded the car, and set up housekeeping.
Why Gettysburg, you might ask. Well, let us tell you...a couple of months ago we found that the folks from the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, The National Park Service, and Taps For Veterans had all collaborated in establishing One Hundred Nights of Taps Gettysburg - 2017. Buglers from around the nation were contacted and asked to take turns in sounding Taps at the Soldiers Monument each evening from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Well, this was an opportunity we couldn't pass up, so we made our travel plans to be part of opening ceremonies on Memorial Day, as well as a solo performance of Taps on the 31st of May.
The opening ceremonies were beyond our greatest expectations. Led by a fife and drum corp, eight buglers, joined by General Ulysses S. Grant, marched from the gatehouse to the Soldiers Monument, stood at attention during the welcome and introductions to the assembled crowd, and then took turns sounding Taps as we faced the monument.
Unbeknownst to me, Barbara had been talking to a reporter from the local affiliate TV station, and in the course of their conversation about why we traveled all the way from Texas to Gettysburg to sound Taps, Barbara was asked by the reporter if she thought I would mind being interviewed. Her response was that she was sure I would. And so, the reporter caught up with me when we finished and did a lengthy interview that even though it was highly edited during the evening telecast, was beautifully integrated into the story she told.
Along with the other buglers, we stayed around the cemetery to visit with folks and answer questions, then headed back to the hotel for some much-needed rest (and to wait for the late night newscast).
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Tuesday, May 30
We did enjoy a delightful lunch at one of the local restaurants...great food at a very reasonable price...
We went back to the cemetery this evening to be observers of the ceremony and to support a fellow bugler (retired Air Force) from North Carolina who had also played in last night's ceremonies. And, we met new friends from Houston who just happened to be following a tour group and heard about the Taps ceremonies. As we were leaving the cemetery, we heard them saying that they couldn't remember where they had parked their car, so we offered to drive them around and find it. All was well that ended well...we found the car and our two new Texas friends got on with their own Gettysburg adventures.
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Wednesday, May 31
What a great way to wrap up a month and new adventures!!! We spent the morning packing as much of our stuff as we could, and then went to town to do some serious sightseeing and have lunch. It was a beautiful day out...perfect for all the things we wanted to do on our last day in Gettysburg, including lunch outside among the other tourists.
I was scheduled as the solo bugler for tonight's Taps performance. We went to the cemetery early so Barbara could take photos and videos of me playing Holy Ground and Taps in various settings.
We reported to the Gatehouse at 6:30, met with Wendy to go over the plans for the Taps ceremony, and then a few minutes before 7:00 we walked up to the Soldiers Monument. A tour group was listening to their guide when we arrived, and as soon as they were finished, I moved to the base of the monument and played We Are Standing On Holy Ground. Wendy then gave her welcoming address and introduced me. I saluted the monument, did an about face toward the crowd, and sounded Taps to close out the ceremony for the day.
Following the ceremony, we visited with some of the folks from the tour group, and then headed back down the hill with Wendy. When we got to the Gatehouse, Wendy presented me with a certificate of participation and appreciation for our two nights of service at One Hundred Nights of Taps Gettysburg - 2017.
And with that, we returned to the hotel, had some supper, and did some more packing before calling it a day, night, and month.
"...But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” - Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
From Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
