Sunday-Thursday, July 19-23
Birthday greetings go out today (Sunday) to Karen Francis at the University of Texas…Happy Birthday, Karen!!!
One Sunday a month or so ago, I was sitting next to Edith at her church when she leaned over and pointed to a page in the hymnal. I thought she was saying that she liked that song so I commented that I, too, liked, “The King is Coming.”
She said, “No! This is the song I’d like for Jim to play for me here at my church."
Wow! I knew how much those words would mean to Jim, but worship began so I didn’t get to tell until later.
Anyway, after days and nights of practicing and combining, “The King Is Coming” and “What If It Were Today,” this was the day for him to play during offertory. And, wouldn’t you know it, he was really terrific! …Okay, he says that the 3rd valve stuck right at first (it wasn’t that noticeable) and as his Momma said…”Nobody there could have played it any better!”
On Wednesday, Jim and TJ took Edith to Tyler to the doctor. Then I met them in Lindale so Jim and I could take off in the Vibe towards Louisiana where we were to meet our friends from Houston, Joyce and Gary.
At first, Joyce and Gary planned to come here, but the weather has been so blooming hot that we knew we’d all be miserable. So…we made plans to meet them for a couple of days in a motel before they headed home to Houston (they were coming from GA). Just imagine Three’s Company plus one and you’ll know how much fun we have together! We all four don’t mind the late hours and then since Jim and I awaken early that leaves Joyce and Gary able to sleep in a bit and then start the day while we’re out walking.
Just as a matter of record, Joyce and I once again trampled the guys at dominoes. Then we tried playing Free for All Yahtzee that Leah and Ryan gave us for Christmas. None of us had played it before and from Gary and Jim’s reaction and attitude, we probably never will again…but Gary did win!
Friday, July 24 - Saturday, August 1The monsoon season has arrived here in Holiday Village on Lake Fork! We native New Mexicans are certainly not familiar with this wet stuff that falls from the sky and soaks the ground, runs like a river, and makes gurgling noises! But…we are getting plenty of practice.
Sunday, July 26We started our morning early…both of us were awake by 5:00 am, and decided that when it was light enough, we’d go out to the area of the park where residents can pick up large red rocks to use for landscaping.
While we were filling the back end of the Vibe with rocks, black clouds, thunder, and lightning began moving our way. We quickly hauled the first load back to the lot and got them placed where we wanted them at the head of the gully. Then, we started to take a chance on getting a second load before it started raining, but we hadn’t done much more than make that decision when a lightning bolt struck close by and the rains started pouring, ending any thought of driving out to the sand and clay lot where we get rocks.
With our landscaping out of the way, we turned our attention to getting ready for church. Today we visited the Lake Fork Baptist Church, a place that had been recommended by our friends, Bob and Mary.
LFBC was started twelve years ago as a mission for people in the lake area, but it has grown to a very large church, complete with modern buildings. The people were very friendly and we particularly enjoyed the dynamic pastor and his moving sermon.
After the service we returned to Big V for lunch and our afternoon nap before driving to Mineola to visit with Mother.
It has rained at least once a day, if not more, from Saturday the 25th through today, Saturday the 1st of August. We even broke down and bought a rain gauge on the 28th and started a rain journal like Jean does. Just for the days that we’ve owned a gauge, the grand total as of 5:19 PM on the 1st is 7.6 inches. That’s twice as much as Artesia has had this whole year!
One day shortly after the rain moved on, Jim discovered an unusual sight at the bird feeder. He quickly hollered and asked for the camera. Imagine our surprise when we witnessed our newest guest!
Since Ernie had a job interview in Arkansas, Jim and I moved to Mineola the 29th to stay with her. What a grand time we had staying with her! TJ joined us every day at noon for lunch which just added to the fun.Tonight (Saturday, the 1st of August) we went over to the clubhouse for the free Bingo night. Jim even won a game which gave him a $10 Wal-Mart card. For some crazy reason when we got home at 7:45, we decided to mow the yard. I got the back by Big V done just at sunset…Jim took over in the dark and got the front of the lot completed. As I was moving the solar lamps that line the drive for him, I guess I got into a fire ant bed because my hands and feet began to burn.
Birthday Greetings during this time go out to Charlene Plett in Liberal, Kansas (Sunday, July 26), and to Warren Yehl in Victoria, Texas (Wednesday, July 29)…Happy Birthday!!!
Sunday, August 2 - Thursday, August 6
We returned to the Cowboy Church outside of Quitman for today’s worship service. Rim Rock has been the one church in the East Texas area that we find most beneficial to our spiritual needs, but sometimes we find that attending church with Mother for one reason or another is more important.
After the service we returned to Big V for lunch and our afternoon nap before driving to Mineola to visit with Mother and let her know that we would be going to Houston for a few days.
Monday, August 3
A few days ago we learned that a couple of our Toccoa friends, Jimmy and Barbara, from south Georgia, were going to be in Houston. Jimmy has recently been diagnosed with cancer and they wanted to go to the M.D. Anderson Clinic for a second opinion and some additional diagnostic work.
We couldn’t stand the thought of them being this close (only a 4 ½ hour drive from the lake) and not see them, especially at a time like this, so we called our friends in Houston, Gary and Joyce, explained the situation to them, and they invited us to come stay with them for a few days.
So, while Barbara packed the Vibe with a few essentials, I took the cycle into Quitman to be inspected. They were out of car stickers so we decided we’d have to get the Vibe inspected in Mineola when we stopped to check on Mother. Barbara stayed at the house to visit with Mother and Billee while Ernie and I got the car inspected and picked up the mail. Then it was time for us to high-tail down to road to Houston.
We arrived in Houston prior to the afternoon rush hour (although I believe that rush hour there is pretty much 24/7) and found our way to Gary and Joyce’s home in League City, a few miles south of the city of Houston.
It was our first visit since their house was severely damaged during Hurricane Ike last summer and we were excited about seeing what had been done to fix it up. We shared photographs of some of the damage in a previous journal and blog posting, and believe us, it was BAD. But, with time, effort, and insurance money, the house is even more beautiful than ever.
We had a wonderful time visiting Gary and Joyce (we always do, no matter where we meet) and even though we had seen them in Louisiana earlier in the month, we still found lots to talk about.
During the evening, Gary and Joyce learned that their oldest daughter, April, had been admitted to the hospital for some tests (April is pregnant and the doctors are keeping a close watch on her). She was supposed to be back home that night, but the doctors held her over, so Gary and
Joyce were on pins and needles waiting to hear how things were going. (Two of their daughters have had very difficult experiences with their pregnancies; so their concern is certainly understandable.)
Tuesday, August 4
Joyce and Gary plans for the day included enjoying time with their grandsons, Max and Owen, while Ginger and Mike got a night out on the town. Our plans took us off to find the M.D. Anderson Clinic. With a good set of directions from Gary, it didn’t take long to get to the University of Texas Medical Center and find the building we wanted (it did take longer to find a parking place, though).
After walking two or three blocks from the parking garage to the Oncology Outpatient facility, we met up with Barbara and Jimmy and Jimmy’s nephew, Butch, in the waiting room. We did get to all visit for a few minutes before they took Jimmy to have his MRI (a two-hour process), and then spent the rest of the time getting caught up with Barbara. We hadn’t seen them since we were all together at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa last spring, so there was a lot to talk about.
When the MRI was completed, we said our goodbyes for the day, but first made arrangements to get together for lunch in Deer Park on Wednesday.
Thankfully, before we made it back to the parking garage, Butch had Barbara call us and tell us to take another route back to League City as the traffic was backed up miles on I 45. Another blessing is that he told us the route to take and it was great! No huge traffic and basically simple to follow.
As soon as we arrived back at Joyce and Gary’s, we were greeted by their grandsons, Owen, and his baby brother, Max. We were new to Max, so he didn’t have much to do with us at first, but he gradually came around. Both boys are delights to be around and we had a good time playing and talking with them.
And… as you can tell from the bottom middle photo, Owen really enjoyed my cowboy hat!
Joyce and Gary certainly have the ultimate in beds for their grandchildren and I couldn’t resist snapping lots of shots while Owen got ready to call it an evening!
Wednesday, August 5This morning, Gary and Joyce took Owen and Max back to their home and then went to April’s house to take care of Riley and await some word from the hospital concerning April’s release.
However, during breakfast Barbara and I couldn’t resist some extra photos of little Max who had finally much to my delight taken a shine to me. Max is definitely one of the most congenial youngsters and most self sufficient…translation…low maintenance!
Joyce and Gary are such gracious and friendly folks that they told us if it was necessary for them stay overnight; we could make ourselves at home as long as necessary. However, we decided after doing the laundry that we should be prepared to go on back to Mineola after having lunch with Jimmy, Barbara, and Butch if it looked like Joyce and Gary were going to stay at April’s overnight.
We found our way to Deer Park and Luby’s Cafeteria, arriving the same time as Barbara, Jimmy, and Butch. After a great meal and more conversation, and reminiscing, we once again said our goodbyes and headed back toward home, stopping in Mineola to let everyone know we were back, and then going straight to our lot and Big V to get a good night’s sleep.Thursday, August 6
Today was a great day to rest and take it easy…had some routine chores around the place and took care of some of the regular business of life (paid bills, got caught up on email, did some filing, etc.) things neither exciting nor tedious…just daily life.
We did hear from Barbara and Jimmy today with the good news that Jimmy’s MRI showed that the cancer had not spread to his brain. We were all greatly relieved with that news…now they will return to Georgia to begin chemo treatments.
During the day we decided that if we were going to take any kind of motorcycle trip this summer, it had to start pretty soon, so we quickly packed the cargo trailer and the trunk and saddle bags on the cycle and sketched out a 10-12 day trip to Duluth, Minnesota. Neither of us had ever been there and the summer heat of Texas was driving us as far north as we could go. By 9:00 pm we were (mostly) loaded and ready to go at first light tomorrow.
"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can fly only by embracing each other." - Lucian de Crescenzo
And that’s the news from Our LITTLE Lot at Holiday Village-Lake Fork,
Jim & Barbara
Jim and I are getting anxious now for the kids to arrive home! This house is totally not meant for two old folks and 2 old felines! It needs the pitter patter of our grandkids! To help pass time these last few days, we have done odd chores here and there, finishing with getting the lawn edged and mowed.
Jim stayed up late that night to wait on Heather and Andy and the kids, but this tired old body couldn’t go the distance!
Finally, it was time to pack us up and head back to our East Texas home; but not before we shared Jim’s cycle with Abby and Alexander.
July 2nd we took the girls and TJ’s grandson, Joseph, to the beach at Lake Hawkins where we enjoyed the water as well as a picnic.
Nights were spent watching DVD’s and gnawing away at bowls of popcorn before calling a day over.
The Fourth of July picnic on the night of the 4th found our lot full with Jim’s mom, Billee, Ernie, TJ, Joseph, Ladd and Angela as well as the 6 of us.
Playing washers consumed some of our time…Unfortunately for Randi and me, Gramps and Jaycie placed 1st, Kiersten and Leah 2nd, and Randi with Grams as her partner claimed last place and were proud of it! Winning is so overrated!
Leaving Cleburne in our rear view mirror, we made the 2 hour trip to Richardson where we were planning to spend the night and take care of the cats, Smoky and Simba. It was during the ride over to Heather’s that we realized the roaring noise from the rear of Big V was getting louder and it was agreed that we should take the car in to have it checked out!
It has long been a tradition for the girls that when they stay with Gramps and Grams they make a scrapbook of their visit. Therefore, much time was taken accomplishing this endeavor.
If you’ll notice Kiersten’s entry, it says, “I am mad at Symba” … last night, Jim and I forgot to put the gate up properly so Simba spent much of the night scratching at our doors and meowing…though none of us had the wherewithal to get up and do anything about it. It’s just one of those funny memories that will wind up being a favorite to relate.
The train ride took approximately 40 minutes, but we all enjoyed the experience! Now it was time to hit the zoo! And…what a zoo it was!
Jim and I basically chose this outing just with the girls in mind…not really thinking that we, too, would really enjoy it…just wanted the girls to enjoy themselves… that would be enough for us. At least that’s what we thought…after all, a zoo’s a zoo, right? Nope! We definitely recommend that if you’re ever in the area, this is a must place to go.
A last minute phone call from Cathey set Jim and me to scrambling with plans of returning to our lot to get the girls’ belongings. Due to some changes in Cat’s work schedule, she needed to pick up Jaycie and Kiersten on Wednesday instead of Thursday.
We continued this vegetation period through to the next day! So…with nothing particularly exciting to do, and with permission from Randi’s folks, Gramps took Randi on her first motorcycle ride. Their path took them riding around the neighborhood; so Grams’ job was to run (okay, so I didn’t run!) from the alleyway to the front of the house taking photos as they passed by!
On Friday, the three of us journeyed over to a beach at Lake Lewiston that we had found on the internet. Though this beach was not nearly as nice as Lake Hawkins, we did while away some time swimming and picnicking. For some unexplained reason, the camera chose this day to make perfectly yucky pictures and none of us realized it until we got back to the house and started to print them for Randi’s scrapbook.
After a breakfast/lunch at Denny’s and enjoying a short visit, we all piled into our respective vehicles for the journeys back home. For us, home once again meant Heather and Andy’s since we’re still waiting on the part needed to fix the Vibe.
Sunday, June 28
Tuesday, June 30
From Plano, we made our way a few miles to Richardson, where we spent the night with Heather, Andy, Alexander, and Abby. Because Heather and her family are leaving for a two week trip to Boston tomorrow, we needed to get our final instructions about house and cat sitting. Our original plan was to spend another night there, but after that plan was made, we found that Leah was going to bring granddaughter Randi down for several days, so we cut this visit short and promised to make it up on the other end…kind of like daylight saving time.
Heather and Andy were busy getting kids, clothes, and other necessities packed for their flight to Boston, but took time out to fix a great supper for all of us and we used the time to get caught up on the latest news.
Just a brief explanation of the lovely yellow arm and ankle bracelets that I am sporting in the above photo…the mosquitoes and chiggers have taken a fancy to me. I found that by wearing these lovely items I can work more comfortably outside as they repel the insects! You may purchase your own set at any Wally World!
On Monday, June 1, we decided that we owed ourselves some down time and took off for a two day cycle trip around East Texas…mainly the Marshall, TX, area. It was absolute heaven to ride and enjoy the sights of nature with no briars to pull or dirt to rake!
Abby got tired of the fun before the others did, so we walked her back up the road to Big V and I got busy getting everything ready for a big family dinner. We had invited Mother, Ernie, and Billee (T.J. had a previous engagement with some of her friends) to join us for barbecue and all the trimmings and I needed to get the grills fired up.
It wasn’t long before the coals were glowing and the meat (country style ribs, pork chops, and chicken drumsticks) were sizzling on the grill. We sure do know how to make the neighborhood “stink purty!” 
Saturday found us hard at work at the lot again, just attacking the piddly chores that we can do until we get the sewer and water connections tapped in.
Just as I started backing Big V up the long driveway, Bob and Mary Royar came by and assisted Barbara in giving directions. The sun was hitting just wrong to be able to use the backup camera, so the others gave me verbal directions until Big V was settled firmly in place on the concrete..jpg)
The end of the week found us battered, bruised, and pretty well shredded by thorns, but the dream was coming alive…now if we could just shut off the rain for a while (who would ever think that we, from southwest Kansas, West Texas, and southeastern New Mexico would ever say anything like that!)...jpg)
.jpg)
As Juan and Larry were moving the heavy wet concrete into place, we heard thunder rumbling in the distance and the sky started clouding up…not at all what the weatherman promised for the day. It appeared that the approaching storm was going to break to the north of us, but just to be on the safe side, Larry asked us if we would mind going to town to get a roll of plastic sheeting to cover the newly-poured concrete..jpg)
After visiting for about a half hour, we agreed to let them get to work on it. Gert said they could begin this morning and that he would have Josh come over with a tractor to move the dirt around the way we wanted it. Since we’d already tried to do the job with a small wheelbarrow, shovel, and rake, we voted that it would be well worth the price to let them take care of the job.
The mower worked so well that we took it on up to the lot and Barbara started mowing while I gathered up fallen tree limbs and started pulling and cutting briars that were trying to reclaim the place.
