Category Archives: The Adventure

Tales from our travels

Family and Friends, On the Road, Pictures of the Adventure, The Adventure, The Cabin

One week into the adventure!

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And it’s been grand!
While our first official destination was Columbus, OH, and visits with our kids, we did make a quick stop along the way. We were able to connect with some sweet SOWER friends who live outside of Cincinnati! It was a quick stop, but one that did my heart good! Of course, I failed to get a photo of us together, so we each took selfies and shared them!
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Not quite as fun as a together shot – but it will serve the purpose for our memories! We love being able to connect with our SOWER family on our travels!
The timing for our Ohio visit was to be able to celebrate our oldest granddaughter’s college graduation!
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Prior to graduation day, we were able to spend time with both of our Ohio families, which included (but was not limited to) –
New hair designs,
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dog walking,
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(not sure who’s walking who here!)
baby almost walking,
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a little Bluegrass

and lots of good family time!
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With a shortage of available tickets, we didn’t get to watch Ellie graduate “live,” but being able to view it on TV in the comfort of her apartment
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worked just fine for us. (Naps may or may not have happened during the commencement speeches. We were so cozy!)
It was a good visit all around! We’ll be heading back that way for more family fun at the end of the month, but right now we’re enjoying some very precious Cabin time!
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We so love this place in May!
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More Cabin Talk in days to come..
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

Steph

 

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On the Road, Pictures of the Adventure, The Adventure

And we’re off!

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Our summer adventure has officially begun! And what an adventure it promises to be! We start with a college graduation (OH), throw in a grandgirl adventure in Pigeon Forge (TN), add in some Cabin time (VT) and somehow end up in South Dakota before the summer is over. We have tentative plans for stops in PA , upstate NY, Toronto ( very tentative here-waiting for passport renewals), western Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and (hopefully) North Dakota (to fill in that one missing state on our travel map). From there it’ll be back to Texas.  That southern swing is still in negotiations.  Oklahoma? Missouri?

This is a very different trip for several reasons. The biggest is we left Lizzie home.  Yikes! We had to figure out packing for a four month trip – not just clothes ( there are always laundromats and thrift stores) but any other stuff you might need in the those travels. So while we are not bringing the RV, we did acquire a cargo trailer that alleviated some of my ‘what to bring’ angst ( yes, I’ve brought too much).

And the other side of the equation is leaving our house for four months. In the hot Texas summer.  All laundry done, water off, propane off, A/C set to 85 so the house doesn’t get moldy, refrigerator empty and off.  Oh, and disperse my three dashboard plants to willing neighbors.  (They have thrived with my neglect for all these years,  but I thought four months without any attention might be a stretch.) And leave it as tidy and clean as possible .

But we made our list, checked it twice, loaded up that trailer, and got a good early start this morning. I’m calling this our Sofa-Surfing-Summer, so if you think you’d like us stop by your place  on our way (we’d be happy just to meet up for lunch!) we’d love to try and make that happen. We have very few things set in stone after mid July and we will be in total flex mode for the rest of the summer! So comment or send a text – we hope we can connect with many of you!

In real time, we in Arkansas and that little trailer is following along just fine! We covet your prayers for safe travels and sweet connections as we begin this summer adventure! Maybe we can stop in for coffee!

Steph

 

 

 

 

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Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, The Adventure

Wait. It’s May?

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Whatever happened to April?
Let’s look back through my pictures!
1. Gary got back to work on The Ramp.

Of course!
2. We returned from Arizona in time to enjoy a day at the SOWER Texas Rally. It was a lovely afternoon of connecting with friends, old and new. We didn’t take many pictures, but here’s a picture of Gary chasing a whiffle ball with a leaf blower (yes, old people being goofy).

A day filled with lots of laughs and hugs!
3. While Gary was working on The Ramp, I was concentrating on a big project in my sewing room!

Let’s face it, we both have our happy places.
4. My roses had a great season!

(It still surprises me that I can say “my roses”!)
5. My SISTER came for a visit!!!
It was a perfectly fabulous five days, filled with lovely drives along blue bonnet-lined fields, late night conversations, checking out our favorite Texas joints, and binge playing Rummikub ( with a little speed Scrabble thrown in!).

I was perfectly awful at taking pictures while we were together – but since it was because I was simply relishing every moment we had, I think it’s ok!
6. While Joie was in town, we took a quick day trip to Waco, primarily to deliver a quilt to the youngest Waco grandboy.
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“D” is for Deacon!

It was so fun to spend the afternoon with the Waco crew, and I also enjoyed giving Joie a quick tour of some of our favorite spots in town.
7. Gary & I finally connected with some dear SOWER friends who live only 45 minutes away! Sometimes you just have to set a time and DO IT!

Hopefully we’ll be better about connecting in the future!
8. We celebrated two milestone birthdays this month –
This little fellow turned ONE –

And my chauffeur reached the 3/4 century mark!
Happy Birthday, boys! Love you both so much!
9. Since we are heading off on our next adventure next week, we had a lovely ‘meet in the middle’ picnic date with the Waco crew last weekend! At the last minute, I did remember to take a picture!
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Phew. It’s about time I took some pictures! 😉
10. And finally – The Ramp and Deck are officially completed! (Well, except for a bit of sealer that will happen in the fall.)
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(Because some have asked – No, we do not need a ramp at this time. The one that was there when we bought the house was not the correct ‘pitch’, so Gary wanted to make it ADA compliant. So we’re ready for whatever the future brings, and for guests of all kinds!)

Phew! It’s been a beautifully busy month, filled with friends and family and memory making moments! April may have flown by this year, but it was jam packed with goodness!

I’m pretty sure May will be filled with some grand new adventures too!
Thanks for stopping by!

Steph

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Family and Friends, On the Road, Pictures of the Adventure, SOWER Projects, SOWER Projects 2024, The Adventure

Project Potourri

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Our March SOWER project at Ethnos 360 Aviation (located outside of Douglas, AZ) was unique is so many ways! Here are  just ten –

    1. We got to help with and attend a wedding!
      UntitledIt was a small celebration of two widowers who had found love for a second time and we were so honored to be able to share in their joy!
      2.  We did not have LIzzie (our RV) with us, and instead stayed in  housing on the base.Home for March
      We had plenty of room and were very comfortable, even though it was a little weird not having all our ‘stuff’ with us! And we also were a fair ways away from our fellow SOWERs.
      Ethnos
      We made it work, though – and it did have us closer to where we were working and meeting!
      3. We ladies got to go to a “Ladies Tea”! What a blessing that was!
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      4. There is a wildlife preserve nearby and we enjoyed the beauty we found there!
      Untitled (If you look really hard you can see the flock of Sandhill Cranes to the left of the trees. I mean REALLY hard!)
      4. We also got to do a little exploring with our friends Joe & Kim!
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      We were looking for Camp Rucker (an Indian War-era encampment) that we never actually found, but we did find some Green. While it wasn’t Vermont-Green, it was still greener than where we had been! And water!!!
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      And there were trees! Big trees!

      It was a fun adventure with good friends!

      5. I had my first helicopter ride!!
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      Probably it will be my last one also – but it was good to check it off the list! (Of course, I had to add it first!)
      6. Lunch with the girls in Tombstone – the town too tough to die!
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      Untitled Super fun to be a little touristy for the day!

      7.  We watched this older trailer (located just across the street from us) go from this –Untitled
      to this –
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      to this –
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      After they haul off the debris they’ll be preparing the spot for a new manufactured home for their trainees!
      8. Our work was varied! Along with helping with the wedding prep, we also did some cleaning (both pre-occupants and post occupants)
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      some Mission Barrel (onsite thrift store!) sorting
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      (my suitcase may or may not have been a bit fuller on our return trip!)
      and even a bit of sewing!
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      (We were working on helicopter door covers. Who knew?)

The guys were also working on a variety of tasks – from plumbing
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to welding-
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to helping with that demolition!

(‘Cause everyone loves some good demo!)
9. After being part of the RV group “Escapees” for twenty years, we finally made it to one of their “Escapades” – a national rally of hundreds of RV’ers (I think there were over 600 units there!) filled with all things RV! We met up with SOWERs who were manning a SOWER informational booth and enjoyed the day connecting with friends and even making a few new ones!
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It was a fun Tucson excursion to be sure!
10. And finally – those Arizona skies!
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Fabulous.

It was a very special month. We worked with some our closest SOWER friends, and made many new friends along the way! We ventured into a part of the country that we hadn’t been in for many years, and most likely won’t get that way again.  We were able to be part of the support team of a global ministry which is striving to bring the Gospel to the multitude of unreached people.

How honored we are to serve in this way!

Thanks for stopping by (especially after such a long time of silence!)-

Steph

 

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Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, The Adventure

Home again, home again, jiggitty jig

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Truth be told, we have always considered our sweet Lizzie (the RV, if you’re new here) Home for the last 20 years. But there is just something different about coming Home to an actual house.  After a lovely SOWER project in Arizona (I’ll catch you up on that soon, I promise!), we’re back at our Little Lindale House for several weeks before we head north and east for the summer.  It’s a new feeling – this ‘coming home’ to a house thing – but I think we’re both enjoying it! Gary is already back to work on the ramp, and I have some  projects of my own – so I’m sure April will just whiz by!

Thanks for being patient with me as I figure out this “new normal” for us!
Steph

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