Lets all give thanks

Lest we forget, our ancestors gathered to give thanks for the blessings in life.

They gave thanks to the Lord for providing them with such abundance.

I thank the Lord for all the amazing gifts in my life. My friends and family are absolutely amazing and precious. The life I've been given is challenging, rewarding and simply AWESOME!

I thank the Lord for every day I've been given and every chance to share our blessings with others.

Just a quick thought for the day

We love our pets. We think of them as family members, we pamper them more than we pamper ourselves, we're convinced they share human emotions ............. and every now and then we feel compelled to dress them or make them look rediculous for our amusement. Can you imagine what is going through Corky's mind at this silly yet memorable moment in her life? HA HA HA

I thought you loved me??????????

This precious little girl is Corky. She was rescued from the Humane Society, lives and is loved by my Mom & Dad. Despite her terrier appearance she has turned out to be the perfect, loving little lap dog who enjoys nothing more than camping with her folks and 'herding' her buddy Mijo onto the linoleum while she stays on the carpet.

More later ......

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

Are you sure we're in North Carolina?

You know you've reached a good place in life when you're willing to publish such a non-complimentary photo of yourself! HA HA HA HA

Here we sit, for the second day in a row, with our water line disconnected due to freezing temperatures. It doesn't affect us much as our fresh water holding tank is full and housed in an enclosed 'basement' area which keeps it much warmer than outdoors. We just have to remember to turn the water pump on to bring the water to us when we need it.   ;-)  Its going to be a cold week in North Carolina but it feels great to work outside without getting overheated. 

If you read my rantings regularly you can tell that I've been occupied with life these past couple weeks. I think I've only posted a couple times since we landed here on the 10th and thats a sure sign we've been having a great, busy time. We've enjoyed so many memorable things since we arrived at Hope Farms. We've shared lots of great meals and home made goodies with our friends, their neighbors and others. We've toured the neighborhood and learned a great deal about this warm little community. We've attended community dinners and Sunday services and been made to feel so very welcome here. We've cleared brush and played games, explored new stores and spent time talking to Jesus. Yesterday I entertained Eddie for a couple hours ........ or did he entertain me; I get confused.   ;-P  We've been very fortunate in that Ed has had more days off than usual since we've been here and have taken full advantage of it. 

Today Sheila, Eddie & I are going treasure hunting. She enjoys antique/flea market/thrift stores almost as much as I do and we can't wait to see what we find in her favorite shops. I think Bubba is ready for a day in; catching up on his on line forums, his guitar playing and, hopefully, his blogging will make him feel more like himself after some long days of tree cutting, brush clearing and burning. 

Still, we have not decided just when we will move on. There are several more things we want to enjoy together and learn from one another before we continue our journey. It would be great if it warmed up just a bit too as we would like to spend a day or two on the Atlantic coast before heading back West. 

Almost every day our belief that God sent us to North Carolina is reinforced by something, anything that will warm our hearts and make us smile. I pray each and every day that he will keep us on his path and use us to do his will with every action we make and word we speak. 

More later .......

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

WOW ............. North Carolina

I will admit, after spending the night at the Midway Campground East of Statesville, NC I was fully prepared to slather negativity all over the page. Then we arrived at Hope Farms and spent several days with our dear friends and I am reminded of what negativity and unfounded judgement of someone or something can do. I digress. This photo was taken from the front drive of the park and is a beautiful representation of the Northwest North Carolina country side. Beautiful, isn't it?

We reached our destination mid day Monday and have made ourselves right at home at Hope Farms in rural North Carolina. This gorgeous, classic barn is filled with animals and equipment. The chickens have names and are more than happy to wake us in the morning and help rid the acreage of insects. ;-)  I can't tell you how welcome and comfortable we feel here.

Yesterday afternoon I sat down in front of our picture window to compute and relax. This amazing Mockingbird caught my attention, bathing in the light rain and  playing with it's mate in the evergreens. As I followed him with my camera I spotted a brown thrush, both male and female cardinals, a tufted titmouse, half a dozen black phoebe and a bird that resembled a nut hatch but in browns rather than blues. Will have to refer to my bird watching family members to help me with that one.

As I've said before, this photo is nearly "no words necessary". Ah, to be three years old again and playing in the bubble bath with Mom.

We have enjoyed the company of our friends for 5 days already. I can't believe it. We have yet to reach that point where we exhaust of conversation and can focus a board game or card game. We've toured the neighborhood, gone to a community dinner, done some shopping, enjoyed home baked goodies and learned more about one another and our walk with the Lord.

At this point we have no idea how much longer will will stay in North Carolina. We still have so many things that we want to experience together and learn from one another. Several of the projects we would like to work on are outdoors and must wait for the rain to stop.

For now ...........

life is AWESOME and we are so thankfull for the things we are able to do by the grace of God.

More later

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

Another glorious day!

I promised you a photo of the Spring Lake RV Resort in Crossville, TN and here it is. I took several pictures this morning but this one says it all. What a beautiful place to be. ;-)

Another 300 miles driven and another excellent experience in travel today. We crossed the Smokey Mountains and, believe it or not Mom & Sheila, I didn't even have one anxiety attack! The mountains were gorgeous, the perfect fall colors, and the grades were gradual. The road was perfectly smooth till about 30 miles out of Statesville where it got pretty rough. It knocked over things in the trailer which have never fallen before. They were working on resurfacing the West bound side so we're pretty sure the East bound will be next.

Tonight we're camped out at the Midway Campground about 10 miles East of Statesville, NC. Tomorrow I might walk the grounds more fully to give a more educated review of the park but for now I will say ................ by their web site we were expecting an RV Resort and what we found is a trailer park. Regardless of what I find here tomorrow, we agree that we will never stay here again and would advise others to avoid it as well. This place just isn't for us.

I've started collecting for a scrap book. Each RV Park offers a map or flyer of their facility and I'm going to compile a book of them along with the routes we took and some photos. If I'm wise enough to write a piece about each experience as I go I may end up with the makings of travel memoirs book some day.

Tomorrow; Hope Farms and our friends: the reason for this trip East. Cecilia, we might even turn them on to Rummykub like we did Mom & Dad!   ha ha ha ha

More later ......

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

Brief, but oh so worth it

No, its not your imagination. This is the Mississippi River through our living room window this morning. Can you see the tug pushing barges up the river? What a glorious view. I sat at the picnic table with my coffee and my camera and took pictures of the sunrise.

Late one night in Arkansas, while I was battling insomnia one more time, I charted our trip to North Carolina and picked out RV Parks along the way. I'm so glad I did. Last night we stopped in West Memphis, Arkansas. The Tom Sawyer RV Park was a bit off the main road but certainly worth the trip. We were camped right on the Missiissipi River. As we sat in our chairs and watched a movie we listened to the tugs push barges up the river. It was a very big, well set up park with outstanding scenery. We will certainly keep this one on our list of parks to visit again if we are ever in that area. They had a fishing pond too which looked like fun.

Tonight we're in Crossville, Tennessee. I can't wait to take pictures of this place in the morning. Again they are off the interstate several miles but it was well worth the drive. Its a pretty park and they have a nice fishing pond with paddle boats and such too. They have camp sites next to the pond where Bubba could just walk out the door and drop a line in the water. ha ha ha  Naturally he wants to come back here when he can stay a month or so. Who knows, maybe we will. 

If our plans don't change we will stay in Statesville, North Carolina tomorrow night. We'll make sure our tanks are prepped and our propane is full before the quick two hour trip to Hope Farms Monday. 

We'll likely stay a week or so there. I'm anxious to share recipes, crochet, bake bread, go the the zoo, take long walks and enjoy some face time with one of my dearest friends. 

We may go to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after that and dip our toes in the Atlantic. That reminds me; I need to look for an RV Park there. 

Better go. The movie is done and I'm pretty pooped. Its tiring watching Bubba drive all day! HA HA HA HA HA

More later ......

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

The door opens

The other day I saw this gorgeous sunrise as I walked past the front door on my way to coffee and the morning news. It was breathtaking!

Today we're off. We're officially traveling, with our home, to previously uncharted regions. I so look forward to the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, textures and blessings we'll experience along the way.

First stop:   West Memphis

More later .........

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH 

No words necessary ........ ;-)

And we still have 4 days to go!

What a glorious week it has been! I can see that for as long as Mom & Dad choose to spend time RVing we will have to meet at Ozark View at least once a year. 

They checked in Sunday afternoon with plenty of time to get set up and take a good walking tour of the park. 

Monday we went to Bass Pro in Branson and wandered up and down the boardwalk type strip at Branson Landing. There are over 100 shops and restaurants there, two of which are clothing stores for Plus sized women. I love that!

Tuesday we made the rounds of Flea Market stores in and near Harrison. Love flea market shopping too. Mom found a brand new suit and a vest sweater for under $4! 

Wednesday we all got even more excercise and pleasure on a good long walk through the woods. Dad made the walk twice, once with Corky and once with us. The birds were active and the weather was perfect. That night we went to see the Oak Ridge Boys at their new theatre in Branson. I was really impressed. They put on a full 2 hour show with a brief intermission and no opening act. Both Bubba & Dad bought a cowboy hat in the gift shop and were really stylin' on their way out.   ;-) 

Thursday we went into Branson again and Road the Duck on the Table Rock Lake Adventure. It was great. There were only 18 of us on a duck that holds 40 so we could all spread out and get a good look at everything. We stopped at a craft mall where Mom found a souvenier thimble and a big, beautiful wind chime. We drove down to the fish hatchery but they had already closed for the day. We'll likely go again, earlier in the day, before we leave.

Yesterday we decided to devide and conquer. Dad & Bubba went fishing while Mom & I went to the State Line Flea Market. Half the day it decided to rain furiously and even throw a little hail in Missouri. Of course this only justified our staying in the flea market longer but it make things a big tough on our fishermen. On the way home Mom & I stopped at the Roberson orchard and picked up some goodies. I think we ended up with four jars; pumpkin butter, plum butter, surghum molasses and something I can't remember. 

Today we're getting caught up on a few things. Dad's working on the camper and I'm going to knock out some laundry. We're planning a grilling dinner with the Garcia family tomorrow so I need to thaw some chops and make some dessert. Sounds like the weather is going to be perfect for the next few days again. Its almost Indian summer here; highs in the low to mid 70's and lows in the upper 40's.

Between all these fun activities we've been our typical selves, experiencing local restaurants and cooking lots of interesting meals to share. Dad picked up a pool cue for the first time in years and Bubba & I dominated at marbles. hee hee hee   

Tuesday we'll be prepping our rigs for the next move. Mom & Dad are headed home and praying the weather may hold for one more trip to Bead's Lake before they have to put the trailer away for the winter. Bubba, Mijo & I will be headed East to visit Sheila, Ed & Eddie. Its been better than a year and a half since we saw them and I am SO EXCITED to spend time with them again. Since we met almost 10 years ago (my Goodness, could it be that long?) our lives have mingled several times and have changed so dramatically from what they once were. I thank the Lord for that! We have both been blessed by adversity, I guess you could say. It takes the toughest experiences, sometimes, to bring us to the greatest blessings. 

Well I better run. Its time to think about tomorrow's menu and today's chores. I need to get outside and enjoy this weather while it lasts. 

God bless you all! More later .......

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH