Vermont December Interlude

Hello from Florida again.  Earlier this month, I flew from Palm Beach to Vermont for two weeks. 

Burlington Airport

Luckily all flights to and from were routine and on time, so I'll not be sharing any airline horror stories.  Carla, one of my best 'buds' from Waterbury, picked me up on December 4 and returned me to the Burlington airport in the wee hours of the morning on December 17.  That left 12 days for me to jam pack as much visiting and playing as I could.

The first morning Carla and I shared a breakfast bagel at KC's Restaurant on Stowe Street in Waterbury, while unbeknownst to us, Skip Flanders (another best 'bud') and friends were unloading Christmas trees off a large trailer at the Wesley UMC only a block away.  This tree sale is an annual large fundraiser for the local Food Shelf.  Later that day, I attended a lasagna supper, which was held at St. Leo's hall by Juniper's Fare (local charitable restaurant supported by Moretown non-denominational church).  The proceeds of this meal were given to the Wesley UMC to help complete their rebuilding efforts after the 2011 Hurricane Irene floods.  A wonderful example of the circle of love in this great Vermont community...

The following week continued to be filled with entertainment and action (and of course, food).  I was fortunate to catch: 1) the first 

and second wins of the season for the University of Vermont's (UVM) women's basketball team, as well as a men's team win; 2) a Bella Voce women's chorus holiday concert; 3) a holiday party at the Pines (senior apartment community to which I plan to return in June); 4) the Children's Christmas Pageant at Faith UMC in South Burlington; 5) several high school ice hockey and basketball games, and 6) a knock-down drag-out evening game of Mexican dominoes at friend Jan's house in Waterbury with Skip and wife Cathy. 

Sarsaparilla High?!

This latter contest followed a mean plate of tacos, ginger beer, and sarsaparilla (two nonalcoholic Australian beverages).  In spite of the good table fare, Cathy and I were whipped pretty soundly by both Jan and Skip though they play an odd version of Mexican dominoes called "Chicken Feet".  Sounds more like what Skip's feet looked like after the flood cleanup!

Yes!

On Friday, friend Andy Holt (played hooky from work? :-) )and I had a fantastic afternoon of skiing at Smugglers' Notch.  This proceeded a large midweek storm which dumped 8-10 inches of snow on most of the New England ski areas.  We topped off the day with a pizza and cold drinks at Papa McKee's in Richmond.  It doesn't get much better than that ... especially at 65!

The last few days before my return to Florida were filled primarily with dentist and doctors' appointments.  All went well.  The dentist re-attached a loose crown (with crazy-glue I think!), and my Dartmouth doctor suggested perhaps I should keep on motorhoming since my bloodwork results came back better than normal.  Only my local Waterbury doctor
provided any levity, however, which is what I always seek.  When I told her that my one foot felt sore or tender on occasion, especially after walking or hiking some distance, she said it was probably just normal 'wear and tear'.  When I asked her if that was the same thing as "old age", she winked at me (or was I dreaming that?) and repeated "just wear and tear".  

Back to Florida for Christmas and New Years!

I'll catch up with you in late January.  Stay Warm.

Love,

Tim

Autumn in the South



Florida! 





Sittin' Here Restin' My Bones...



Well, yes, of course it is a little warmer here in Florida than in New England.  Did you think I took a wrong turn or something?  I've been in the state since the last week in October, and the weather has reminded me of a Vermont summer.  My brother Terry, who joined me in northwest Florida (the "panhandle"), and I spent many pleasant days at St Andrews State Park near Panama City Beach and later visiting members of his extended family in Sopchoppy (south of Tallahassee).  We fished, biked, cooked out over a campfire and found a nice local place to watch the World Series outdoors on a big screen TV.  

 



Sopchoppy Campground







When Do We Do Our Best?

It was during this period of time that his
grandaughter, Jeanna, was running for her high school cross countryteam in District, Region, and later State competitions.  She ran her fastest race of the year at the Regional meet,  which made her family very  proud.  It also reminded me how often we just don't know what we ourselves are capable of accomplishing in life given the right set of circumstances or conditions.


From Sopchoppy, we drove the motorhome (and Terry's car) to Sebastian Inlet State Park on the Atlantic Coast, about halfway between Jacksonville and Miami.  This park is a very popular fishing spot on a barrier island, and includes access to both the ocean and to the Indian River lagoon.  Day and night, anglers sought jacks, Spanish mackerel, flounder, bluefish, sheepshead, snook, and many other species.  My largest 'catch' was a 6 ft stingray that fortunately broke off my line on the rocks at the base of the fishing pier, while I was looking around for advice!



Sebastian Inlet Fishing Jetty

  

Biked to Presbyterian Church

There was a small protestant church only a few miles away (biking distance) that provided a comfortable home one Sunday morning.



On November 17th, I drove the motorhome south 40 miles to Terry's home in Port St. Lucie.  The following day I dropped it off at a large RV dealer for repair (damaged side compartment due to an encounter with a large redwood stump in CA in August) and a furnace heating problem.  They 'promised' it will be ready for me in early January.  In the meantime, brother Terry and I will try to get in some quality time outside of his golfing and my 2015 motorhome trip planning. There is a very nice Saturday morning Farmers Market (with music!),and a large United Methodist Church in the area for Sunday 'festivities'.

 

Ft Pierce Farmers Market



I hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving.  I'm sure we all gave the Lord thanks for his blessings for our homes, food, health, friends, church communities, and families.  Despite all of the problems comfronting us, I'm sure that we all have a lot to be thankful for.  Chad, my son, called on Thanksgiving evening from the West Coast, and we had a rich conversation. 

Several of you may see me during my short 12-day visit to VT in early December, primarily for doctor and dentist appointments...but I also hope to get in some visiting (and skiing)!  Then I will return to Florida and my brother, and await Paula's return later in January, when we will begin the second half of our 12-month motorhome adventure. 

Be Safe, and May God Bless

Love, Tim

Crawdads and the Western Gulf

Paula and I visited the Gruene (pronounced “Green”) United Methodist Church (UMC) on Sunday, October 21.  Gruene is a historic south central Texas town, started by German immigrants in the 1840’s between what are now Austin and San Antonio.  The Gruene UMC, begun in 2006 as a daughter congregation of the nearby New Braunfels UMC, is currently thriving with 3 pastors and a youth director.

New Gruene UMC

  During our short Sunday morning visit, they demonstrated a thriving outreach ministry with plans the following week to send out teams to:

1. clean a playground at St. Jude’s Ranch, a Christian-based center that focuses on abused and at-risk kids;
2.  deliver cookies and cards to local fire and police stations, and hospitals;
3.  paint interior walls and hold fellowship with youth at a family services shelter; and
4. frame a home for a new Habitat for Humanity project family.

Gruene Historic Music Hall

After the service, Paula and I attended the annual Gruene Music and Wine Festival a short distance away.  [Since we began the day with music and wine, we thought it only right to continue the afternoon in the same vein.  Forgive me Lord. :-) ]  For most of the afternoon, we listened to a variety of western, folk, and rock music groups perform at  both outside and inside venues (see photo of 1878 Historic Music Hall).  The wine and beer taste selections were primarily of Texas origin.

As planned, Paula flew out of Austin airport the morning of October 16th to spend a few months in Vermont with friends and family.

In Louisiana, I stumbled onto a barbecue cook-off competition sponsored by the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce and held at their Memorial Park on a beautiful Saturday morning.  Believe me, these people took their cooking seriously and were all members of the BCA (Barbecue Competitors Alliance)!  I was disheartened to find out that the competitors prepared their meats solely for the judges, and the Chamber had hired a local restaurant to feed the public (that was me)!  I nearly lucked out though when I sat down at a park table next to the daughter of the couple who were the head judges.  It seems that only moments prior, her parents had been looking for another volunteer judge! 

Ponchatoula BBQ Broadcast

Somewhat dejected from this lost opportunity, I found a shady picnic table and began to assess my situation.  I introduced myself and chatted with a local radio station DJ about our shared strong Christian beliefs, and befriended Lily (granddaughter of the judges) who had a leopard face painted on her by some artistic high school Key Club members nearby.  

Lily the Leopard

A couple of them were even undefeated Ponchatoula High School Green Wave football players who had knocked off a respectable 3-3 Slidell High School on the previous evening! Later that afternoon, I walked the mile back to the motorhome on the outskirts of Ponchatoula, and headed east to Mississippi.

Biloxi is a gulf-front community that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  It has a beautiful white sandy beach,

Biloxi 2014 Beachfront

but many of the hotels, casinos and stately older homes that had stood here in the past were destroyed during that storm.  

While attending a yard sale at nearby J.T. Leggett UMC, I spoke with an elderly lady named Mae who told me that pre-Katrina she lived next door to the church in a very large United Methodist Retirement Home (apartment building complex), and many of the residents were members of the UMC congregation.  After the disaster, the Biloxi Housing Authority bought the building from the UMC and converted it into an assisted living facility for low income families. Mae and most of her friends did not qualify, and thus had to find another place to live. I could tell that Mae still held a lot of personal bitterness toward the United Methodist Church for ‘abandoning’ her and her friends who had lived in the area their entire lives.  Mae said that she still lives in another area in Biloxi where only 30 of the original 280 houses that were inhabited prior to Katrina have been restored to a living condition.  

New Leggett UMC Sanctuary

By the way, the J.T. Leggett UMC congregation just occupied their new sanctuary on Easter of this year, over 8 years (and 3 pastors) after the 1950's era church building was blown apart by Katrina's winds and flooding.  As with the Wesley UMC in Waterbury after the hurricane Irene floods along the Winooski, the property insurance that this church had did not cover the rebuilding costs.

Off to St Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Florida tomorrow, Oct 26th, for some gulf coast camping and saltwater fishing with my brother, Terry!

The Southwest

Friends,

During the early fall, we have moved through the southwestern States of Arizona, New Mexico, and finally to Austin, Texas where Paula has two friends, Jose and Anne-Marie.    

Camp Verde UMC

Water and outdoor campfire restrictions were in place throughout the region. 

.  

Native American Cliff Dwellings

We stayed in a central AZ RV Park outside of a small town named Camp Verde, not far from Sedona. We visited their small UMC that was doing a great job picking up children and bringing them to church on Sunday morning.  The congregation was demonstrating some new audio-visual technical equipment in their Sunday morning worship service that had been donated by a young professional in their midst.  Most of our time in AZ was spent with Cheryl and Rob, friends of Paula's from Phoenix, and being inspired by the red rock formations and beautiful sunsets.

   We only spent 3 days in New Mexico, but all three of them ended with wildlife suprises!  On the first evening, we ended up driving the motorhome into a remote high-elevation Apache National Forest area, where we were the only campers 

Apache National Forest

present.  As we munched on smores and snuggled under our blankets (first night below 40 degrees!), we listened to bull elk bugle the night away in the surrounding forest.  That experience was matched by one the following evening near Cloudcroft, NM where a small herd of elk occupied a grassy pasture across the highway from our rv park.

On our third afternoon in New Mexico, we visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  
Besides the truly amazing underground sights, we also returned at nightfall to view an amazing daily bat emigration from one of the major caves in the park.

Driving through hot and dry west Texas was not an exciting adventure.  A great deal of oil and gas drilling and extraction were taking place, and very large tractor-trailers hauling all kinds of liquids and heavy equipment filled the otherwise remote highways.  When we entered the Austin-San Antonio area, however, car (and pickup) traffic began to increase, and we looked forward to visiting with Jose and Anne-Marie, Paula's friends, who used to live in Vermont.
  
For the first few days, we stayed in McKinney Falls State Park, southeast of Austin, and became familiar with the prickly pear cactus and chiggers. 

McKinney Falls State Park

Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit

Both would cause you to itch if you weren't careful!  During the following days, we did learn how to use the prickly pear fruit ('tunas') in smoothies and in a pie.  During our last weekend in Texas, we attended the Gruene (pronounced "Green") Music and Wine Festival and the Gruene UMC Sunday morning worship service on Oct 12.  I will tell you about those more in my next post.

Later this week, I am headed east to Biloxi, Mississippi and St Andrews State Park near Panama City, Florida.  Talk to you soon!

Love,
Tim

Crisscrossing California

Since leaving Redding on September 6th, we have wondered south along the northern California coast through some majestic redwood forests, picturesque beaches, and sunny vineyards.  After  


Tim on "Xena" in Redwood Forest

 motorhoming through the southwestern corner of Oregon, we camped in Jedidiah Smith State Park along a beautiful stretch of the freeflowing Eel River, and among 10-15 ft diameter redwood trees.  Most redwood forests that yet remain are now preserved within state and federal lands, and lie very near the cool and wet coastline.  
As we traveled south along U.S. Highway 101 through this sparsely populated part of California, we visited some coastal communities such as Trinidad, Arcata (home of Humboldt State University), and Eureka (the largest).

Arcata, CA Area Coastal Preserve

There are remote sandy beaches with dune communities, and rocky coastlines, typically harboring small fishing boats.  Also, many small native American communities can be found in this part of California, now with small "casinos".  We enjoyed are short stays in these areas, as the coast was 20 degrees cooler than inland areas only 30-40 miles to the east.

We re-entered the dry heat of central California on September 11th, as we arrived at an RV park on the shores of Clear Lake in Lake County.  Lake County is one of 3 or 4 premier grape vineyard areas in CA, and lies directly north of Napa County.  Daytime temperatures were again in the upper 90's, but night-time temperatures would often fall into the lower 60's.  Unfortunately, 

Lake County Vineyard

with the continuing drought situation in California, Clear Lake docks were de-watered, and the lake level was a good 20 feet below 'normal' September levels.  Filamentous plants and algae filled most shallow bays, and made swimming and most water sports impossible in this normally large lake.  Nonetheless, we made the most of it and visited vineyard tasting rooms during the day and attended a local bluegrass festival during the evening.

On September 14th, we headed east back through the central valley and into the high Sierra's near Lake Tahoe.  California continues to be plagued by large wildfires.  Smoke from that area has darkened the sun and sky during midday here in Squaw Valley for several days, even though that particular fire is over 50 miles away.


Wildfire Smoke Over Lake Tahoe

This morning Paula and I stuffed some bears with a small group of people here in Squaw Valley.  It was enjoyable.  The bears are intended for children in Africa with AIDS.  Talk to you soon!

 

Heading for the Northern California Coast - Early September!

We're driving north into southern Oregon along Interstate 5, to Grants Pass for an overnight. Our pleasant 2-week visit with Doug and Della came to a close.


Motorhome Parked at Doug's House

 Doug and I worked together in Anchorage, Alaska for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 2004 to 2007. They live in Redding, California now, close to Della's parents. Our stay with them was punctuated by local fun recreational trips in the area, in addition to a 3-day trip Paula and I took (with the assistance of their Jeep) to a Blackberry Music Festival, the Lava Beds National Monument, and to Burney Falls State Park. The trip to higher elevations provided a brief respite to the otherwise hot 95-105 degree weather. It has been a long time since they have received any rain here, and drought conditions seem to have permanently set in. Wildfires are common and longlasting in northern California, and water supply reservoirs are at all time lows.  Despite this, it is a region of striking natural beauty, and extremes.

Rafting on the Sacramento River

 

Exploring a Cave at 
Lava Beds National Monument



All Time Low Water Level in Shasta Lake




Utah Heat

'Tis Hot in the West!

After several days of over 100 degrees, we finally had one day in Provo, Utah in the 90's!  Paula and I tubed the Provo River (canyon) in the mountains and took a dip in a mountain lake as an afternoon thunderstorm loomed.  At this time of year, the very highest mountain ranges are the only places you can find refreshing air in the Great Basin of the West.

SERMON ON THE ROCK?!

Whenever we have a chance, Paula takes her Harley off the trailer and we head for a high mountain stream or lake.  Most of the streams come to an abrupt halt further down the valleys, as the valuable water is used for drinking, and watering cattle and lawns (and golf courses!)

UTAH  MEN'S ROOM

While we see many different races of people wherever we go (and perhaps surprisingly a fairly large number of foreign tourists), the American cowboy still reigns in the smaller communities.  Paula and I had an excellent meatloaf at the "Cowboy Cafe".

We have enjoyed our Sunday morning visits to a number of United Methodist Churches along the way.  At a small UMC Fellowship in Elko, Nevada, we were pleasantly surprised by a visiting Tongan pastor and a potluck immediately after the service (in a former mortuary).  They were hoping their newly appointed minister (from the Philippines) would be granted a visa soon so that he and his family could join them.

Recently, we cruised into Reno, Nevada to visit a high school friend of mine for a few weeks, and to experience the local Hot August Nights! (lots of old beautiful cars and rock & roll music).  Paula and I listened to Bill Medley/The Righteous Brothers at a free outdoors venue on Saturday night. {Remember "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"?  I must have danced/steered at least a dozen girls around the junior high school gymnasium floor to that wonderful slow song!}

At 8:30 AM this past Sunday morning (yes, we do crawl out of the motorhome early on some days :-) ), we visited the First United Methodist Church in downtown Reno and heard their pastor discussing the book of Revelations and shared communion with 12-15 members at their early service. During the service, a couple of street people wandered through the sanctuary to look for coffee and snacks, which did not appear to surprise anyone.  I think the church's ministry was focused primarily on the homeless and the needs of the inner-city.  This UMC has a grant which helps them conduct a "Drop in the Bucket" Food Program.  Hopefully,  a visit next Sunday morning at their later traditional service will help me learn more about this church and perhaps about the opportunities or difficulties of living in a "gaming/casino" city.

More soon!  Stay tuned...

From The Cowboy State




Companion Paula, Stepson Kyle, wife Vicky (on bench)
Grandsons Alex (4), John (2), and James (7) (on curb)
Watching the Lander 4th of July Parade

 

July 11th

Friends,
Hello from the Cowboy State.  July brought us to the Sleeping Bear RV Campground in Lander, Wyoming.  The 4th of July celebration here was huge, with a pancake breakfast, a morning parade, a buffalo barbeque at the city park, and a totally uncontrolled evening fireworks that issued from nearly every other lawn and street in the city, in addition to Main Street and the Rodeo grounds.  If there was any small city that could be magically transmitted to Vermont, it would this one.  The people here are very outdoor-oriented, and sidewalks line nearly all of the streets in town making it very walkable.  The core of Main Street is about 8 blocks long and very vital.



Lander, Wyoming Senior Center

 There is also a very nice Senior Center here, which Paula (my companion) and I have visited on two occasions thus far.  Besides eating a pancake breakfast here on the 4th of July, we also helped prepare and deliver the local Meals-on-Wheels lunches earlier today.  They served about 120 meals today...half delivered and half at the Center (picture of their dining area at the right).

We plan on taking a 2-day motorcycle ride through the Grand Tetons and the southern edge of Yellowstone Nat'l Park next week, before packing up on July 20 and slowly heading to Reno, Nevada, our next destination.  While the normal weather pattern here in central Wyoming has been sunny and hot during the day (low 90's), and cool at night (high 50's), it has been cloudy with light showers for most of today (July 11th).  Hope you are all well!  I'll leave another message from Reno in August! 
Tim
 

First Stop - Minnesota

Hello friends,

It has been nearly a week since I arrived at a KOA campground on the outskirts of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Paula, my companion and navigator, has been great to date.  Despite her greater reliance upon GPS, cell phones, and i-pads, I have persevered and actually found most of our destination points!  :-)

Visiting my friends, Michael and Mary, here in Minneapolis has been a whirlwind to date, both actually and figuratively.  We have bicycled a good deal of a residential lake-filled district, as well as attended an evening mystery play performance entitled "The Red Box", at a theatre in St. Paul.  On Sunday morning we attended services at the Lyndale United Church of Christ, whose congregation meets in a large building which holds 2 other area congregations (Lutherans, and another Christian church).

Both occasions over this past weekend, when I have been a passenger on Paula's Harley, the prairie winds were very oppressive.  Feeling sorry for us (me), my friend Michael loaned us an old fan (with a "For Sale" sign in the back) to use for our short trips between our campground and his house, which is actually about 20 miles.  During this next week, we are planning on staying with Michael and Mary, and parking the motorhome at a neighbor's house a few blocks away. 

I don't have time or space to tell you about 1) the mermaid we've seen and to whom we've spoken; 2) the Smores' Song we've written; or 3) what Minnehaha really means.  You just have to have an adventure of your own.



Nearing Departure Day

It is May 30, and the tentative departure date of June 4 is fast approaching.  After nearly a month of waiting for a service opportunity at the local RV dealer, Pete's RV, "Lando" (as the motorhome is now fondly called) entered their service bays yesterday morning for a state inspection and all-around maintenance checks.  As I have been attempting to move my possessions out of my current apartment at the Pines, fewer and fewer furniture items remain to plop into at the end of a long day.  I was supposed to go through a final checkout today with the new Pines Manager, Karen, but she felt pity and allowed me to move out of the apartment tomorrow (Saturday) and turn my keys in to her on Monday.

Paula, my officially-announced companian/navigator for this journey, and I have both been extremely busy trying to move out of our respective abodes, clean up, hold a garage sale, tend to last minute doctors' appointments, implement space sharing and storage allocation in Lando, and get dozens of pre-departure issues taken care of (WARNING: You will note a lot of hanging prepositions in my posts!).  My friends here at the Pines had a party for me on Wednesday afternoon, and Paula's friends invited us to a get-together at UNO's that same evening.  Andy and Maggie Holt, good friends from Faith UMC, had me over last evening for a scrumptuous meal of grouse and woodcock (I made them eat late because I umpired a 3-hour long girls softball game at Rice Memorial High School just prior!)  On Saturday evening, another BFF Carla and Maggie, and more Faith UMC friends have a cookout planned at Oakledge Park on the edge of Lake Champlain.

I've stuffed much inspirational and sci-fi reading material into Lando during the past couple of weeks, so I hope he is up to the task of hauling everything across the country.  Our first primary stop after nearly a week of travel and short camping stops will be in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where good friends Michael and Mary live.  Michael is a former housemate and coworker of mine while the two of us worked in Arlington, VA for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2001.  When Paula and I first arrive in the Twin Cities area, we plan to stay at a KOA southwest of Minneapolis for one week, then stay with Michael and Mary at their lovely old home nearer downtown during the second week.  They will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary while we are there, so I hope to treat them to something special like a bratwurst with a candle in it! Somewhere around the end of our stay in Minnesota, I will post again.  Take care.

Much love!
Tim

April 16th Planning Update

It is April 16, and tomorrow my brother Terry and I will be picking up my new/used 34 ft motorhome at an RV dealership here in Martin County, Florida. A few days later, we plan to drive north to Vermont, where I will have it serviced one last time before beginning my sojourn on June 4.  While we will not be "camping" on our 5-day journey north, we do plan to spend a couple of those nights in Walmart parking lots or FlyingJ/Pilot Travel Centers to experience how that feels.  We hope to log about 300 miles per day, which is what rv experts say is a safe mileage to plan for, and drive primarily between the hours of 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM.  

During the past few weeks I have been involved in a personal frenzy of online planning of routes, "free" overnight parking options, locating private and public campgrounds and their amenities and costs, etc.  One thing that I have noted, much to my chagrin, is that rv parks in popular destinations are often filled up 3 to 11 months in advance.  For example, all of the state park campgrounds in the Florida Keys are already totally reserved for January and February 2015!  

During the month of May, much trip planning remains, including: vacating my apartment and placing household items (not on my small rv packing list) in storage or for sale; registering and obtaining VT license plates for the motorhome; securing all of the hoses, cords, adapters, attachments, and supplies to outfit the motorhome; notifying parties of my new mailing address, and making sure that all of my bills are paid online; and establishing a secure place to keep the motorhome until the June departure date.

Can't wait to hit the road, but much remains to be done before June 4!  

It is the day after a big 12-inch snowstorm here in Vermont, and I am in the midst of making preparations for my 12-month motorhome adventure which is to begin in early June.  I met with my home and car insurance agent yesterday to discuss the details of my adventure in regard to my car, my used motorhome (yet to be bought), and my belongings...some of which I will take with me in my motorhome, but most of which I will leave behind in storage (furniture, winter clothes, snow ski and garden equipment, etc.)