Here we are in Boston.

We are in Boston for a surprise visit with Sara. Making the decision to come here was made Sunday, arriving here on Tuesday. The trip was a pleasant one and the weather was great.This will be a quick visit returning home on Friday. I can imagine only what some of you are thinking, crazy old people. Right? Oh well, we only live once.

Family Christmas

Merry Christmas! Four of the brothers were trying to figure out which way to go with the lights and then in came two more to finish the job. They did a great job decorating the tree. The Christmas tree was adorned with ornaments with every family member's name and birth date on it. Santa made an appearance in the afternoon with gifts for all the little ones. We always looked forward to this occasion to spend time with all.

PAYING RESPECTS.....

this is deb and sara paying their respects at Johnny Cash's grave site. they, like their father, will always be avid fans of Johnny. the trip to nashville for deb's birthday was a success. we did pull a surprise on deb with sara and chuck flying in. i believe this was the first time deb was without words. it was great! went to the grand ole opry, opry museum, music city hall of fame, Johnny and June's grave, and their home. Busy weekend!

storms again

once again the trip was made to deliver the generator to Darryl. my sister is dealing with the power outrage also. the disaster relief unit has been called out to fee fee baptist church in stl. not sure when we will go to help.
as some of you know we are going to nashville next weekend. it was supposed to be a surprise for Deb but greg told her last night. this will be in celebration of her "40th". the opry will be held in the old ryman auditorium which i am looking forward to.

ZZZZzzzz.........

Yep it relaxing time! the rush is over for now. just returned from STL taking Sara and Chuck to the airport. not as busy as we had anticipated. our next stop was at Darryl and Michelle's for a quick visit. great to have all the family home for the holidays. sure is quiet around here now but i'm sure we'll get use to that again. now it is time to concentrate on Christmas. The "Easterners" will not be home for that. and then..... planning on heading to Texas or Florida for a few weeks. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Someday or now?

Just in case you can't read the fine print, "They never phone, they never visit, they never text-message..."
Not sure if this cartoon is the present or the future. Actually Sara is always teasing me about my gadgets, such as ipod, nintendo ds, computer, digital camera, and cell phone. I don't even want to dream about what toys she will have when she reaches my age.
We returned last night after visiting her in LaPorte, IN. she and Chuck are coming for Thanksgiving. Soooo i guess i had better start planning the feast.

VOTE?

the sign in the pic has "NO HELP NO VOTE" on it.
today we went to vote and just before turning into the parking lot this sign caught our attention. the owner of the house in the background apparently is disgruntled because the government has not come in and cleaned up. all other residents in the storm ravaged community have been working hard to clean up..........but not this one is. when you have not worked a hard, honest day's work in your life i guess you would expect the government to work miracles. I just can't stand it when people do not pay taxes and never have, draw a monthly check and expect everything on a "silver platter". POINT MADE!!!!

i guess angie admires her father-in-law enough to imitate him. she went with caleb on his field trip only to notice that she had two different shoes on. fortunately caleb is too young to be embarassed about it.
things are rather quiet around here. i know the cards are playing but we haven't watch a game yet. shame on us!
we are planning on going to caleb's soccer games in carbondale this weekend. i'm still taking it easy and he is of course, still helping where he can at Crosstown.
deb did hit a 4 pt buck yesterday even though season is not open yet(with her car). she did about $2500 damage to her car.

Amazing!

My sister called and told me that a couple about 70 miles from here found her wedding invitation on their patio the day of the "Crosstown tornado". they looked up my dad's name and found his obituary and continue the search to contact her. it had apparently came from our Aunt's house that was destroyed. AMAZING! (the invitation is from 43 years ago.)

we just returned from a few days of R&R at Montauk. the pic is our grandsons enjoying the leaves at the campsite. now i guess it is time to winterize the rv. hopefully we will be able to go to texas in january.

Homecoming

Tanner and classmates. He is the one in the middle, standing and waving.
Marching Bucaneers!
Brandon is on the other side, second row from the left
Pirates flags were hung on all main streets
yesterday was the annual PHS homecoming. Angie, Caleb, Ethan, and i made the trip to town to see it, of course we met up with Deb, Eric, and Paige. Brandon marched with the band playing his trumpet and Tanner took in the excitement with his classmates on a truck. Seems like only yesterday i watch my kids do these things. Chuck would have enjoyed the parade it had fire trucks, other emergency vehicles, army trucks, and police cars. the pirates went on to a victory later in the afternoon.

It happened

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we were in an accident on wednesday morning in memphis. we hit the truck in front of us, our fifth wheel hitch broke and the camper hitch puncture the fuel tank and rammed it against the cab. so in other words we were hit from behind and front. the fuel tank had 90 gallons of diesel. DARN! ole blue is not part of the family anymore it had 312,000 niles and he was hoping to hit the million mile mark with it.... arlin is alright and i will be--- just feel like i was ran over by a trailer truck. surely this was our last run. today is a little better for me than yesterday. so i don't have a lot to say just thankful we both will be fine.

Back to normal?

By that I mean things are starting to fall back in place. he left to pick up a unit to be delivered in monroe, LA. spending the night here and leaving early in the morning. it's only about 450 miles so we should be back on thursday.

also deb called last night and said we need to use your freezer again. guess what? tanner got another deer and it was to warm to let it hang out.....so, yes, i have a deer in my freezer. (redneck) well i guess this isn't normal for most people!!!!!!!!!!

today is dwayne and angie's 19th anniversary. seems like their wedding was only yesterday.

Only memories left

Yes only memories of attending Bethlehem Baptist are left. It was torn down Friday and burn Saturday. Things are beginning to sound better around here. People are talking about returning and rebuilding.
The sightseers today were plentiful. The landscape has changed tremendously since last weekend. Most buildings have been burn and the bulldozers have cleared most sites. But as for the little town it will never be the same!

Are we not Blessed? Only a tree!!
this is laddie and betty home.

this view is looking down at Terry Vernon house.
I appreciate the emails that i have received letting me know that someone is reading this blog. at times i think why am i doing this......but if i were not living here i would want to know what is going on.
i sent the local paper the pic of the people in front of church and she replied that it will be used in an article featuring the church in tuesday's paper. also it will be on the front of The Pathway, a magazine put out by the Southern Baptist.
my cousin, Donald, came down from greenville, IL, staying tuesday and wednesday helping Harold sift thru things at his place. marv and judy are coming over tomorrow to help his brother. this has been a busy week...

this is the pic of the sign i took when we returned from Alaska. where's the town?


today the governor was here and lifted the fire ban. david and lisa burn their house today along with others. they are going to tear down the Baptist church saturday. each day is getting more difficult to accept that our "town" is really gone. so many are not rebuilding and are leaving the area. the volunteers have been overwhelming to see. there has been several chain saw gangs. Mennonites from Campbell Hill, Il, Southern Baptist Diaster Relief chain saw gang, Americorp group, and so many others too numerous to mention.

tornado

this is what living in a small community is all about! friends, family, and outsiders, have pulled together to help those who have lost their homes. It has been a non-stop ordeal this week. seems like a nightmare...... so many lives have been turned upside down. i have heard no complaints from resident about not having any help. and they are not looking for the government to come clean up for them. they are all hard at work doing their own. this pic is of the last service held at the Bethlehem Baptist. the people join hands, a short sermon, testimonies from those who lost material things, prayers of thanksgiving for their safety and then the people started removing the contents to storage so that the building can be torn down. this was a sad day for all who loved this church. thoughts of all those who worked so hard at keeping it going thru the years. some of those i thought of were my parents, fred and dolly, bea and irless, nolan and irene, shirley and laverne, kenneth and wanda corse, lizzie swan, neva klobe, son noe, tom and martha clifton, thurman and myrdie clifton, chalmer and stella sandlin, and many more.

deer

Last evening i received a call from deb telling me tanner got a deer in archery youth hunt. needless to say he was very excited. today she had to be in STL so i picked paige up from school and we had an afternoon snack at MCD'S. the kids are off from school until monday east perry fair and parent teacher conferences.
As i said in an earlier post, arlin was anxious to get back into the swing of things sooooooo he is currently on his way home and then on to San Antoine, TX. who knows i might give in and go with him.

still home

Yes we are still home.... working on the rental house getting it ready to sell. and yes he's getting "itchy feet" meaning ready to roll again. when he does i will be staying home...not ready to hit the road yet. had 3 calls on the house and only have a sign in the yard sure hope it sells quickly.

Home....

We saw this sign about 6pm tonight and knew we were almost home. After being gone for 5 weeks and traveling xxxxx miles we have been blessed with another safe journey. Leaving Ancorage last Saturday morning and running about 10 or 12 hrs a day we put on 4500 miles and yes he drove the entire way. BTW I sat in the same truck and my hmmm is tired too. I didn't sleep much just watched dvds, played games nintendo ds, listen to music on the ipod. Not much conversation after that much quality time together. The camper is unloaded and waiting to be stored away until the next trip. It's great to be home again and hope you have enjoyed our trip.

Almost to MO....

a sunset in Wyoming
smoke from the fires in wyoming notice how brown the grass is.
we are in a rv park in onawa, IA, just inside. So if all goes well we will be home tomorrow and then the fun begins.
our plans changed as we were coming thru wyoming the decision was made not to go to Yellowstone. the fires in wy, mt, and washington made it difficult to see anything.

We are on our way......

take note of the p/u campers at Hyder parking lot. it is the way to travel AK!
Hyder, AK where the salmon were
somewhere in British Columbia
we left Anchorage on Saturday morning and arrived at Kluane Village Rv park somewhere in the Yukon that night. the fall colors are starting to change and the scenery was beautiful but it was not pretty enough to forget how rough the road was. The next day we saw our first bear and a black fox as we were traveling the Cassiar Hwy.
On Monday we were in Hyder, Ak where the salmon come and the bear feast on them. we did see a bear catch a salmon and made it worth the extra drive. On our way out we added 3 bear and a golden eagle to our list of wildlife.
Tonight we are in Missoula, Mt arriving in the states today coming from British Columbia, Washington, Idaho and now in Montana. Yes we do put on the miles in fact since we left Anchorage we have 2680 miles and more to go.

Glacier climbing

this is a pic of Arlin climbing Worthington Glacier. yes I was left behind to do laundry and notify the next of kin....not really I chose not to participate in this adventure. He said it was an experience he will not soon forget. The weather has been goregous and we have seen a lot of Alaska in 2 weeks but now it is time for Sara and Chuck to catch their flight and we will be on our own once again. Not sure if we will head tomorrow for the lower 48 or spend a little more time here. we did venture to mcarthy road this time and it was not as bad as we had anticipated. spending wednesday night there. thursday night was spent at Palmer and we visit the ever famous Alaska State fair on friday and I'm sure it will be our last time. now we are in Anchorage waiting for their flight at midnight. BTW the first pic is a sand sculpture at the fair. the 2nd is the information center at the end of mcarthy road.

NORTH POLE, AK

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We were at Chena Hot Springs on Saturday and it was a waste of time, then on to North Pole,AK staying at Santa Land Rv Park check out the guys in the sled. Saw the Northern Lights around 2am. From there we went down the Richardson Hwy to Valdez and spent Sunday night. Took a 6 hr glacier cruise Monday and it was truly a gorgeous day and the cruise was great. tomorrow Sara has booked a ice climb for Worthington Glacier so we will spend another night here. Chuck is trying to get out of it so Arlin may be the one going. the top pic is Columbia Glacier. take note t you can post a comment now on my blog.

Denali bus trip

Friday we spent 6 hours on a bus that took us up into Denali National Park. Of course it was raining and we didn't see Mt McKinley (Denali) but we did see moose and caribou. After that we were on our way to Fairbanks, which is where we are now. We are still getting along in our small quarters and Chuck now knows what we mean when say we are a close family.

I DID IT!

Believe it or not I took my first flight in Alaska. We took a flightseeing tour over Denali and enjoyed it very much. We landed and walked on a glacier. It was gorgeous. I was not intoxicated or on drugs to do this (but prayer did help). As you can see we are having a great time. We spent the night in Talkeetna last night and we are in Denali now. Today is Arlin's birthday and he thinks he is special getting so many birthday wishes here in Alaska. Henry is on the cell now and Arlin has spoke with all of the kids and most grandkids. Needless to say he is wearing a huge smile on his face. Life is good!

Sunny day

We had a beautiful day here in Alaska today. Finally left Anchorage with Sara, Chuck, and their "found" luggage we traveled to Homer Spit. Tomorrow the guys are going on a fishing expedition for salmon. Not sure what Sara and I will do, maybe shopping and resting.

no bags....

sara and chuck are here..... but no luggage. lost in chicago and they told them it was too full to send on the morning flight. so much for american airlines keeping their customers first.

chuck is wearing arlin's underwear as we speak. i guess we really are on our way to becoming a close family.

This is the Jasper icefields in Jasper National Park in Canada. That is a glacier in the middle. This is the kind of billboards that you see on the Alaska highway. Take note it is not "Adult Videos" signs that you see on Hwy 70 in MO. We have seen caribou, deer, elk, buffalo, stone sheep, but no bear yet. Been traveling long days to get here and now we are in Anchorage waiting for Sara and Chuck to fly in tonight about 10:00pm.

caddy shack?

We are in Tok, AK.
We stayed in Yukon Terrority somewhere at a campground last night. During the night around 2, I heard a noise, I laid wake for about an hour, hearing it time and again. Finally I woke him up and said listen. The sound came from the top of our stove. I turned the flashlight on and spotted it at the stove, about that time a little critter "poked" its head out of the burner. (reminded me of Caddy shack movie) I let out a yell and he said be quiet. We close the lid and duct taped it close. Then I heard it again and he said turn the gas on...while that didn't work. so I got out the ant and roach spray. That work and hopefully he is gone. That was enough excitement for awhile.

Rockies

It is Saturday morning and we are at Spruce Lake RV Park. Sara came in about 1:00 this morning from Colorado Springs. She and Debbie, Paige, and Eric, will be heading to Denver airport tonight. Sara's flight leaves at midnight. And..... we are on our way to Alaska. Here is a pic of the family and Debbie's family (well part of it).

Oh no....

Sara called this morning waking us with the news about the planned terrorist attack. She was sitting at JKF airport waiting for the flight to Denver. So please keep her in your prayers as she travels by air this weekend and also on the 19th when they fly to anchorage. We are getting ready to pull out again and here is a pic of the campsite. i know you are probably thinking is that all we will see on this site is pics of the campsite... well actually the scenery has not been anything to look at. Today that will change as we are heading into Rocky Mountain National Park.

Colorado

We stayed in Kansas just outside of Topeka last night . It was 107 degrees coming thru kansas. Tonight we are in a KOA in Strasburg, CO. I am sitting outside using the internet. NEAT! Tomorrow we are meeting Sara at the airport in Denver and then on to the rockies.

TOMORROW!

Planning on leaving tomorrow by noon. We will spend a few days in Colorado and then leave there on Sunday for ALASKA! As you have heard on the news higher prices for fuel. I guess we will have to give up our bad habits, like alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling so we can afford the fuel to come back home.
I am kinda sad about leaving the grandkids for that long, but....live and let live and we have only one life to live!

time is nearing

Planning on leaving Wednesday or Thursday for...............ALASKA! Things are coming together and I think for the most part we have everything but the clothes packed. Not taking much food to start out with. According to most people on www.rv.net, at the border you will be search and all products with meat will be pitched. Probably will take about a week to get there. Our 1st stop will be Colorado to meet Sara. I almost forgot, she has put a blog for our trip. We should have internet for the most part. So keep in touch and we will try to keep you informed where and what we are doing. the site is www.thenorthernexposure.blogspot.com be sure and check it out.
This pic is our bedroom/kitchen/dining room.

Back view

This is the view of the back of the truck. Don't you agree he was very creative in making this unit. I guess the purchase of a welder a couple of years ago was not a bad idea. I thought he had the truck good to go, but.... now he said it would look level and ride smoother with air lifts. If we don't pull out soon our budget for the trip will be depleted on accessories for the truck. Men and their toys! (And he said I like my tech toys!) Oh I forgot he is putting lights on the box. The steps are made from running boards off his old 87 p/u and they do fold up.

Ring..Ring.. went the phone tonight and guess where we were? In the POOL and it felt great. Sure is nice to have a neighbor (son) with a pool. Caleb and Ethan loved having their grandpa play with them.

OK!

I get the hint Sara.... She informed me that I don't have much to say about her on here. (Jealousy) Of course living in Boston is another world so to speak and I never know what they are up to. I do know they harvested tobacco this weekend at the family farm and she got a sunburn and it is very hot in Massachussetts as well. Sara will be in her friend Sarah's wedding August 11, in Colorado. A very good possibility we will meet her on Saturday .
As you see in the pic we have the truck camper on and ready to roll... well not packed yet it all takes a lot of time. He has reworked everything so it will fit this truck. Also rebuilt a box to fit in the hitch for more storage and to store the generator. He did a great job on this!
Just give me a little notice and I can be ready to roll.

keep cool

I hope whoever reads this kept cool today. I believe this has been the hottest day of the summer. We made a trip to Darryl and Michelle to pick up the generator today. After returning home Angie called and ask us to come up and jump in the pool. Sooo... I did but of course he didn't he made use of his recliner instead. Debbie, Brandon, Paige, and Eric were there also. Now we are sitting here watching the news and listening to the weather report telling us to look for more hot weather. I glad we are not with rest of the family camping at Sam Baker this week.

back on

We helped Eric celebrate his 2nd birthday this weekend. Check out the smile Ethan has.

Darryl called tonight and reported their power came on about 1:00 this afternoon. Judy also has power as of yesterday. So thankful they both will have A/C again. Arlin went to Potosi today to help pack up the relief kitchen until the next time..

lights out...

Delivered our generator to Darryl Friday. It won't pull his ac but will work for the washer, lights, tv and other small things. Judy called and said they have been out since last Wednesday also. The Disaster Relief called last night and wanted me to report today at Potosi but I couldn't because I have a cold. They called back and asked if Arlin could so he left this morning to go and help. I didn't realize this outage was so wide spread.

HOT!!!!

What a hot week we have had. The storms in St. Louis hit again putting Darryl and Michelle without power. Tonight they were planning on pulling their rv to a campground so that the "dogs" would be cool during the day. Sounds like the power could be off for several days.
We are making progress with the rental. He put in 18 windows this week and I refinished the kitchen cabinets, painted, and clean. We hope to put the "FOR SALE" sign up this weekend. I am ready for a break and I'm sure he is also.

Busy, busy, busier

Haven't had too much to write about lately been busy working on the rental and taking care of grandkids. Eric and Paige spent the weekend with us while Deb and Greg went on a float trip. Then Monday night Caleb and Ethan spent the night while their Mom and Dad went to the Cardinal game. As Ethan put it, to see the Cardinals get beat up, they lost 15 to 3.
Dwayne and Angie put in a pool this weekend so we do have a place to go cool off . Looking forward to taking a few dips in it this summer yet.
We haven't taken any trips lately but he is getting the fever. Doc and Ruth stop by today and said they thought about getting a load to Canada. Maybe in a week we will be able to pull out again too. Our trip to Alaska is drawing near also. Have lots to do before that too. By the way Happy Belated Birthday Julie Beth!..... I did think about you on your Birthday. Let's see.............39 right? Love ya.

A few days

Its been a few days since I have written but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything. We are trying to get our rental house ready to put on the market.
We have to decided not to go on the mission trip to Colorado. Disappointing, but we just have too much to do before heading to Alaska. Sara has purchased their tickets to fly in to Anchorage so it sounds like the plan is coming together.

To handle yourself, use your head
To handle others, use our heart