'these are a few of my favorite things . . .'

Well, since the trip is winding down, I thought I'd ask everyone what they liked best, and here are their picks:
- India liked hiking the Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction and white water rafting.
- Noah had a hard time picking his favorites, but he chose white water rafting, hiking the
National Monument (copy-cat) and playing in the game room at the Grand Junction RV park.
- Ezra liked white water rafting, wind surfing, just being in the Hood River area and rollerblading. Falling while rollerblading, um, not so much. (But hey, the cast is off and all is well! Hurrah!!!)
- Judah's favorite was playing Buffalo Peak Golf Course in La Grande, Oregon. His second favorite was golfing at the Cedar's at Dungeness course in Sequim, Washington. Can you guess what his third, fourth and fifth picks were?!
- Gary liked floating in the Great Salt Lake and golfing with Judah.
- My favorites were white water rafting, smelling the air in Sequim, WA, eating blueberries we picked ourselves, walking the land just looking at the scenery, driving through Kanab, Utah and the Cache Valley, and having a veggie burger and fresh figs at Mother's Market in Hood River, Oregon. Sorry, there were just too many to choose from.


There was so much we did and have seen, and frankly, I'm not quite ready to quit. This country is so wide and varied and there are so many hidden gems that unless you really take the time, you'd never see a fraction of them. We're not even back yet, and already I want to do this again. I think I could sell the house, and just go exploring for a year. Yeah, it's cramped and some of us got a wee bit tense in the close quarters, (a WEE BIT??! um, I believe 'shoe box' was the term he used) but for the most part, it's been a fantastic ride. Even with all the trouble, what with the broken vehicles, broken RVs, broken arm (and broken bank account) . . . we all still have had really great fun.


Right now we are back in Salt Lake City, the nicest big city we've been to, with the nicest library and the nicest people. You can't beat it. The streets are so wide and clean and it's so easy to get around, it's just amazing. Here you have on one corner, an outdoor vegan hot dog vender, (I kid you not - and yes, we looked just a tad strange standing in line with people dressed head to toe in black leather with fire engine red mohawks, lip rings and tatoos. Why is it that all the health food nuts have to look - well - nuts?!) and just down the street there is a really great park with a wonderful farmer's market, further down is Whole Foods market and next door to it, is a Jamba Juice. AND - you're nestled in among these beautiful hills that are currently snow-capped, and, well, it's just beautiful. Not a bad place to spend a few days. :)


Last time we came here, we stayed at the same RV park, and they were having computer issues and Gary offered to fix it. He did, and the lady was so grateful, she wanted to give us a free night's stay, but we had already paid for the week and we were leaving the next day. So, when we stopped to check in yesterday, the lady remembered Gary and gave us a free night this time. That was sure nice of her. Hey, you know, there were a couple of other RV parks that could have used some computer help - maybe he should have looked into that a bit more . . .


Here are a few random observances:
-Always make sure the sewer hose is actually IN the sewer dump hole when you empty it.
-You know you are camping when falling leaves on the roof of your rv sound like a hail storm.
-Having a spare tire with you is a really good idea.
-Seashells do not remain intact when setting in the back of a pickup for 2,000 miles.
-An air mattress will deflate when changing elevation and going over mountains, except in Logan, Utah. Very strange.
-You can't believe everything the tour guide says. Did the Native Americans really scale a smooth rock wall, carrying a basket of deer meat up and down without ropes or ladders in the middle of winter? And those petroglyphs that they say the ancient Indians painted on those rocks - I guess I didn't know they came up with that hippy peace sign symbol, did you? I spose they also coined the phrase 'groovy man'. Um, maybe not.
-Just because an RV park says it has internet service doesn't mean it actually works. At all.
-There is a reason that used car/rv salesmen have bad reputations.
-When concrete meets bone, concrete wins.
-Cherries left hanging on the tree for 3 months are amazingly tasty.
-There actually is a place windier than South Dakota. Really.
-Sometimes Google maps is wrong. Very wrong. Trust us on this one.
-You really can do things you think you could never do because you thought you'd be too scared.


Here are some scary stats:
10 states
Over 6,000 miles
600 plus gallons of gas/diesel fuel
18 or so RV Parks
3 boxes of bandaids
8 new toothbrushes
At least 2000 pictures (Thank God for digital cameras)


Wow. A trip of a lifetime. This is a great country. Beautiful, diverse, majestic and an absolute brilliant picture of the awesomeness of the Creator - God. We have been blessed to be able to see a very, very small part of it.

Well, we should be getting back in a couple weeks, God willing. It'll be great to see everyone again, and the boys are really anxious to get back into the routine of their sports activties. Someone asked me if I was looking forward to getting back to my own bed, and well, I had to tell her that actually, I brought my bed with me! It's an air bed and even though it barely fit, I'm so glad it did. What I am looking forward to is having more than 7 shirts to wear, walking around the house without bumping into someone, or stepping on something, and having an oven that a pizza pan and a regular casserole dish actually fits in. I'm also looking forward to long walks in the country with Gary and sitting on my new patio listening to the birds. (yes, even in the winter, well, some days, anyway) Yeah, we're coming home just in time for the cold and snow. Really planned that out well, didn't we? :) That's okay. You know, you can visit other places, but you really get that aaaahhh moment when you get back home. South Dakota, here we come!

Well, we'll talk at you later. Have a great weekend everyone!!

Blessings,
jill and all

From fall to winter in three days . . .

Well. We woke up yesterday to our water in the RV completely frozen. The water hose was hard as rock. Thankfully, nothing busted. Weather's just a tad unseasonable here. We drove out in the country a ways, and there were inch thick icicles hanging from the fruit trees and the grass was frozen and looked like it was growing up in icey spikes from the ground. It was so bizarre. Beautiful, but very strange. This sudden cold has caused all the leaves to fall from the trees seemingly overnight, much to the boys delight. They have been disappearing in the piles they have made and quickly they'll pop up like 'Leaf Man' or something. Too much fun.

The hillsides are covered with this vine/tree kind of bush that is beginning to turn a deep, dark red. It is absolutely gorgeous. That, along with the brown of the barren land against the bright yellow of the cottonwood and the green of the pines; well, it's simply magnificent.

Can not believe the cold though. They already have a dusting of snow in the high hills around us. It is breathtaking, but gee whiz, it's not supposed to be this cold this early here. Sure is remarkable how wimpy we've already gotten being away from South Dakota. We're ready to head south. Way south. Like Arizona. But, we won't. We are headed a bit south the end of this week as India is taking her Calculus mid-term in the Tri-cities of Washington on Friday. (God willing) It will be a bit warmer there, but they are having a cold snap too. Oh, what was that? Al Gore groaning in confusion?? MMM.

We drove up to the Grand Coulee Dam yesterday. Wow. Pretty amazing. We were too late in getting there to take a tour, which was sad to everyone but me. The thing terrifies me. One guy told us that when he took the tour and stood on the top, he could feel it shake when the turbines were running. Okay, I do not need to experience that. That and the fact of it being 500 feet high and my being extremely afraid of heights, well, that just does not sound like an enjoyable afternoon. I mean, that's a loooong way down there. Can you say, 'gulp'? Come on, isn't there a video you can watch about it in the comforts of your own living room or something? It's got to be on youtube - right??

Well, better run. Making lentil soup today and chili tomorrow. Hey, we have to stay warm somehow!!!! You know, that's actually a pathetic thing to say when it's currently only 42 degrees, isn't it? I know. Maybe we're just getting soft out here listening to the natives. There was a lady from western Oregon complaining about the cold and their 'long' winters they have over there. She wasn't looking forward to it getting down to 50 degrees, she whined. Good grief. Well, I guess it's all in what you're used to.

Anyway, have a great week, everyone!

Blessings,
jill and all

Autumn has come to central Washington . . .

It's beautiful here. The leaves are turning and falling and the very green grass is littered with a carpet of gold. (aahh) We are in a cozy little RV park next to the river and except for the trains that run all night, and the loud traffic, it's quite nice. :) The park has bikes to use and so the children have been riding around, and there is a bright yellow tandem bike from the 50's that they have had a blast on. There is a rec room with a couple of exercise machines, one of which is one of those vibrating machines - you know - where you put a strap around your waist, turn it on and it jiggles the fat off and rattles your teeth in the process. Hysterical. And there are a ton of books and videos to use for free - you just take what you want and bring it back when you're done. You do that with the game/sports equipment as well. It's the old honor system. Gee, that still exists? Amazing. And refreshing. Great owners - they are wonderful.

Ezra turned 12 yesterday and of course, he had his favorite meal of tacos. That's one day out of the year I never have to wonder about what to fix. I do believe he'd eat tacos every meal, every day for the rest of his life and be perfectly content!
And it's now 2 weeks and counting for the cast to come off. That is, if he doesn't break it again jumping off the RV or trying to climb trees! (worried mother rolls eyes in frustration)

Here's a little piece of advice - when you're in the state of Washington - always wear shoes, and take a couple extra bike tires with you when you go for a ride. Why? Well, because of the goat heads. Yes, the goat heads. Does anyone remember 'stickers' growing up? You know, those little round size-of-a-pea kind of weed things that had sticky pricks all over it, and you were always worried going barefoot that you'd hit a patch or even just one stray one and it would stick into your skin and, well, OUCH! Anyway, multiply that by 10 and you got yourself a goat head. It's a - thing - with about 2 to 3 sharp points on it - kind of like the points on a tack and about that long. And they penetrate into - well - everything - like a knife. Just ask Gary, as his feet can testify to it. Or Judah, as his hands can atest to it. You find they really stick well to your shoes and to vehicle tires. And you also find they stick really well to bike tires - that is - bike tires on borrowed bikes. And you know what - it's not all that fun sheepishly walking that borrowed bike back to the office because BOTH tires are completely flat - on every single bike!! Rascally things, those goat heads.

So - have you ever heard of a library that has only 8 parking spots and 2 of those are handicap? And have you ever heard of an interstate being closed because of a dust storm so bad it hinders visibility? And have you ever driven around on roads that don't exist and probably haven't been driven on since the time of the Oregon trail and you wonder if you'll ever see civilization again or just end up covered in sand next to a broken wagon wheel? And then you rejoice when you finally find the real road you were supposed to be on and discover it was just a little ways down from where you started when you took the wrong turn and ended up driving in the barren hills for hours?

And have you ever had a woman in a blue jeep follow you all over town just because you pulled into her drive way to turn around because you were lost? No? Well, you just haven't lived!!
To explain: First of all, the map did show that the road continued on through her land - (which she admited to when I finally stopped to talk to her) - and she did have a gate that was open, that she could have closed if she didn't want people driving in her driveway. Right? That's what we thought. But, see we were a little concerned that someone called the FBI on us, because they saw us driving around and around in circles in the golf course parking lot the other night. See, we got one of those compass/thermometer/tacometer devices you plug in to the cigarette lighter and it displays all this wonderful information you just can't live without - as long as you can actually figure out what all the numbers mean, that is. Well, in order to calibrate the silly thing, you have to push the reset button and then drive around in a complete circle a couple times so it can get the directional thing set properly. Well, we tried it - let's just say - a couple - um, few -times that night and we kind of thought how strange it must look - this vehicle driving round and round in circles in the golf course parking lot - at night like that. You'd call NCIS or CSI or the CIA or some other crime solving cop agency thing - right?! So when blue jeep lady starts following us street after street - talking on her cell phone - we thought for sure it was the Feds and she was calling her backups. Turns out she's just sick and tired of people driving in her yard and decided to find out what we were doing. I was waiting for the AK-47 to pop out at any given moment, I gotta tell you. But, thankfully, all was explained and all was well. Except for the fact that we never did get the goofy compass device thing to work. We sent it back. Guess we'll just have to look to the stars to find out what direction we're going and guess how cold it is out. Hey, isn't that how they did it on the Oregon Trail??

Have a great week, everyone!

Blessings,
jill and all

It's global warming, Al Gore . . .

So, this is a place that RARELY freezes much - even in the dead of winter - right? But last night it got to 32 degrees - and it's still September! Wacky, crazy cold spell this week. So, I'm not buying the tale that 1/2 the states in the union will be underwater due to any massive ice-melting flood any time soon. Sorry, Al. I'm just glad I brought my UGG boots - much to my family's mocking, since we certainly did not pack in such as way as to be expecting to encounter chilly temps like this - but hey - who's having the last laugh now, eh?!! It sort of feels like we're back in South Dakota! Although, I do believe the temps are unseasonably warm there now - right? Hey - enjoy it while you can, eh?! This is the best time of the year in SD, I say. I love it when the air gets cool and clean and crisp, and all the fall colors start popping out all over. Spectacular. Too bad we're missing it.

A couple of bad fires here the last couple days sent tons of black smoke down the valley. It seemed to fill the RV and it was actually tough to breathe. It looked like dusk in the middle of the afternoon and was like driving in black fog. Very strange.

The RV park we're staying at next to a golf course, so Judah is pleased as punch. He's been over there chipping and putting and plans to play a round in the next day or two. Some RV parks are really family friendly, with a pool, or a game room or something - and - some are not. This one is not. It is filled with old retired people and their dogs. It still amazes me the number of people that RV for a living. They have no home except their RV and they just sit in one spot for weeks and weeks, and months, even years. I don't think I could do that. A couple months, yeah, but years?! Nah.

Speaking of old retired people and their dogs, I am telling you, these people are OBSESSED about their dogs. Now, we were pretty obsessed about our cats before we had kids, so I kind of understand, but the image yesterday takes the cake. I saw this couple with what I thought was their grandchild in a baby stroller - and you know exactly where I'm going with this - yep, the dog was in the stroller and they were walking around the park, happy as you please. WHAT? I thought that when you took a dog for a walk - it was so the DOG - COULD - WALK!!! You gotta be kidding me. Now, isn't that going just a wee bit too far??

Well, better run. Gotta find some thermal underware, because, well, for those of you in the know, we need something to cover our heads with in this cold weather! :) Um, maybe I'll just turn the heat up this time . . . (sorry, inside joke)

Blessings,
jill and all

Since we ARE in Washington State . . .

This is great. Enjoy!

God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael , the archangel found him ..... resting on the seventh day.
He inquired, "Where have you been?"
God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."
Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?"
"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put life on it... I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance."
"Balance?" Inquired Michael , "I'm still confused."
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things." God continued pointing to different countries, "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel , impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"
"That's Washington State, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Washington State are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of software."
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance."
God smiled, "There's another Washington . Wait till you see the idiots I put there." :)

Cute, eh?

Blessings,
jill and all

Just checking in . . .

The golf course Gary and Judah played yesterday was nestled right next to the Columbia River and looks beautiful as you drive by. Well, looks can be deceiving. The ground was so wet it felt like it was moving or as if the grass was floating right on top of a body of water. It was like walking on quick sand. The sand part makes sense with it being like the Sahara here, but wet? Either they are pumping millions of gallons of water on this course overnight, or the river is flowing right underneath it!! I thought for sure we were going to get sucked in with every step, never to return. It was a bit creepy. And it was sooo noisy with the traffic since it sits right next to the interstate. It was almost hard to hear each other talk. But, Gary and Judah had fun anyway. On number 9 they both hit their shot right next to the green, within inches of each other. So, Gary says, "We'll have a chip-off." So Judah hits first, and chips it right into the cup! Gary steps up and says, "That was pretty good, but I can get it closer." To which Judah declares, "That's impossible!" But Gary steps up and chips his ball in as well. So, that ended nicely. But we won't mention what happened on the water holes and the sand traps . . .

We went to pick grapes today. It was so cool to see these huge cluster of grapes just hanging there on the vine. It was so peaceful up there in wine country walking down all the rows that hung overhead like a canopy. We picked 32 pounds of grapes! At 60 cents a pound, how could you not?! And they are so unbelievably sweet - almost too sweet really. Some had already turned into raisins, and those were sweeter still. Just amazing

Well, we are ready to move on. There is so much to love here, but we've decided to go a little nearer to the Cascade Mountains. This valley gets filled with a smog-like cloud that filters down from the north along the river, and just hovers here. It looks almost like Los Angeles at times. It must be from all the chemical spraying of the orchards. So, we've decided to head further north. Besides, we'd like to be around a few evergreen trees instead of sand and sagebrush.

It's still been 90 degrees here this week. I don't know if that's typical or not, but it sure is nice.
And it's been kind of non-eventful kind of week - which is not a bad thing for us AT ALL - you know - given our track record! :) We actually don't mind a bit of boring! Well, I don't - Ezra on the other hand, is having a little tougher time with that. It's a bit hard, but, hey, he's learned to play a mean game of shuffleboard with his left hand, so that's good. Hey - it's better than jumping off the picnic table and doing a summersault, or climbing the light pole at the library like spiderman or hanging off the railing on the RV. (Yes, with his CAST ON!!! Is it any wonder I am getting gray?) So, you know, I'll take a little boring whenever I can get it!

Well, that's it. We are glad it's finally the end of the week. We are so looking forward to a restful day tomorrow. Hope you all have great weekend too!

Blessings,
jill and all

Still not a short enough post? Rats. Maybe next time I'll do one-sentence snippets with bullet points.
Yeah, don't hold your breath.

Sometimes, you just gotta make do . . .

It was simple, really. Unclogging a clogged toliet. A little chemical, wait a few hours, and viola! Right? Um, not exactly. Okay, how about using a hanger? No? How about two? Wrong again. The lastest attempt I could hardly behold. And while I can not in all good conscience devulge all the horrific details, let's just say that Gary is not afraid to get dirty when the job calls for it. Sewer man to the rescue! Able to leap . . . well, maybe that doesn't apply here. All I know, is I would have just called Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame and let him handle it. Nope, not our Gary. He dove in there (okay, not literally) and well, has any of you seen the movie 'RV' with Robin Williams?? Well, it wasn't quite that bad. (Thank God) At any rate, while he's in there plugging away (pun intended) the rest of us wimps just stood back and held our noses! Poor guy. But, hey, a little soap, a little bleach and lots of water later, and, well, I wish I could say it was fixed, but it isn't. Not quite. But hey, you have to give the guy MAJOR points for the effort, I say. But, I think we're on to plan D about now. I'll let you know how that works out.

And do you know what to do when you don't have a real gasket for an outside light fixture, well, you improvise. You have Judah trace the light's shape onto a styrofoam plate, cut it out, stick it in there, and viola! Hey! It worked! One job complete, and one, well, not so much.

This is totally off topic, but I have to stick it in. The golfing's been hit and miss for Judah and his dad this trip. You know how it is - you play some good rounds, you play some bad rounds and then, every now and then, you play one of those out-of-your-mind rounds. Even if it wasn't on a normal course - it was sort of a Par 3 course - well - 6 par 3's and 3 par 4's. Anyway, Gary pars all of the par 3's and birdie's all the par 4's. He was quite pleased, I must say. Then a few days later he gets a 38 on a regular course. For not playing but once a week all summer, he'll take that. And Judah's been doing pretty good as well, shooting 6 over par the last time they played. Not bad for a couple of duffers!

Okay, what do you do when you can't swim and you can't rollerblade and you're bored out of your mind? You invent games. Like - roll the golf ball down the street. Or use the caps from water jugs and flick them at targets. Or cut the plastic frame that the steering wheel cover came in and use it as a frisbee. Hey, you have to come up with something when you don't have TV or video games!

It's going to be 90 degrees today and 95 tomorrow, so we're hoping Gary can actually take a day of vacation so we can go play on or near the river. Or maybe rent bikes and ride the Douglas Fruit Loop or hike the Audobon Nature Trail. We have to do Something. But, I think we'll stay away from Bombing Range Loop, as that goes around the government's nuclear testing site that's just down the road from where we are staying. Yeah, and you wonder why nothing grows in the hills out here, well, except those lizards with two heads. I just hope we don't start glowing. :0

Well, enough tidbits. I'm really going to try to have shorter posts.
(Oh, stop laughing.)

Blessings,
jill and all

God's creation never ceases to amaze . . .

First we sat by the ocean, drinking in the pristine air, watching the bald eagle soaring overhead. It was funny to watch the school of little black fish next to the shore feeding on who knows what and the bubbles made by either crabs or oysters or something under the sand. Of course there were the noisy gulls - everywhere. We found sea shells and cool rocks and yes, slimy sea-weed. And out in the distance, we could see Mt. Whistler, it's snowcapped peaks towering over British Columbia, Canada. And the water that went on and on and on. There were elk and deer and there was quiet and peace. It was hard to leave such a beautiful place, and we will miss it.

As we drove through Tacoma, we could see Mt. Ranier straight ahead of us, surrounded by thick clouds that made it look like it was floating or just hovering there. It was huge and seemed so close and almost terrifying. We just marveled at how majestic it was.

Soon we were surrounded again by evergreens, tall and foreboding. Slowly we crept along a 10 mile stretch on the interstate for 2 hours due to construction, at times not moving an inch. On the top of the summit, creeping over the pass, we could see through the trees - a magnificent site. Clear, deep, blue water, with sparkling crystals bouncing off it with the setting sun. It was a large lake set back against the timbered trees and clear blue sky. And it was spectacular. And it was something we wouldn't have ever noticed had we been zooming along at the regular speed limit.

What wasn't so thrilling to look at was a guy, with, um, more than a bit of a pouch, in tan pants, and no shirt, jogging up and down alongside the traffic on the shoulder, grinning. (He too, was made by God - just a little differently I suspect!!) Yet he was running faster than we were driving. A couple of other people got fed up and just pulled their vehicles over and sat there chatting with each other while the cars crawled along. We got to hear everyone's musical tastes as we passed each other, windows down, taking in the cool breeze. It seemed like it was taking forever.

Then suddenly we decended out of the mountains and the entire landscape changed. The trees disappeared and brown, dull, rolling hills took their place. It was like walking through a time warp into another world. Not a speck of green to behold, except a little splotch here and there on some of the scrub brush that dotted the countryside. I felt like we had landed on the moon - barren, cold, dry, and lifeless. Not completely ugly, just incredibly different.

And then as you come over the hill and enter the valley, you see the acres of orchards that blanket the valley floor and line the sides of the hills. The vivid green set against the harsh, tan earth is a stark contrast. You continue on and meet up with mighty Columbia, Snake and the Yakima rivers, that join together as one as they wind around the cities, before heading west to the ocean.

It's all so amazing - the variety, the beauty, the wonder of nature that God has placed all around us. If we would just take the time to just look at it, really look, and take it in and enjoy it. It's all so diverse and marvelous and breath-taking. No matter where we are, we can see His handiwork and we should, at least for a little while, absorb it and appreciate it if we can. It tells of His glory and power and His fantastic artistry. And I am truely in awe.

And yes, this appreciation is fleeting, as we must stop looking at some point, and get absorbed in this thing called - life. The hustle and bustle, the mundane and the aweful, the regular routine of our lives. The needed part, really - as we can not, though we may wish it, sit amongst His creation and ponder forever without a care to the flow of our work, family, laundry, bills, school, cooking and cleaning, stopped-up toliets, broken arms, flooded basements, and the rest. But, if we can, when we are able, to notice what's around us - the things He has made, be it flowers and trees, animals and people, and rivers and stars. It may just give us a bit of joy and perhaps a sense of calm for a time. Don't you think?

Well, that's my introspective moment of the day! Yeah, I know, I'm no Robert Frost, but I can pretend, can't I?! (I know he wrote poems that rhymed, and this mess, well, doesn't - but he's the only deep-thinking guy that wrote about nature that I could come up with at the moment) :)

Anyway, I really do thank God for his awesome creation, and I guess I just wanted to share a bit of it. I'm sure that some of you are in the middle of the spectacular color-changing fall season now. So - get out and enjoy it!

Blessings,
jill and all

Do berry bushes like Latin music?

Yesterday we picked blackberries and what a fun experience that was! It was a hoot. This berry orchard is a small little place just outside of Sequim and the owner is a very cool artist who specializes in oil painting and does the orchard on the side. (or is it the other way around?!) His hands were covered with red/black stains and we wondered if it was from the berry juice or his painting. He has speakers mounted on poles all through the orchard that plays piped-in music of various kinds: Jazz, Classical, Latin, and some Israeli/Arab/Indian sounding stuff. It was so cool to be out picking berries in the bright sunshine and warm weather listening to this beautiful music. We could have stayed there all day, but 4 buckets later, we decided we better quit. I'm telling you, once you start, you just keep going like you're on auto-pilot or something. And what were we going to do with all these berries anyway? Well, a 1/2 of a bag disappeared on the way back to the RV park, we froze one bag, and another 1/2 bag is gone this morning - so I think we'll have no trouble getting rid of them! They are delicious!

One thing that is not fun is waking up at 5am to the blood-curdling sound of a gas alarm. Here we were, sleeping so soundly and the alarm goes off - and it's one of those really high-pitched 9000 decible sounds that pierce your eardrums and makes you want to run away. The kind that just rattles your brain. Thankfully, we had an extra alarm, because when we first bought the old trailer, this same thing happened and we put in a new one cause we thought the old one didn't work and that's why it just kept going off. But it did work, just a little too well. I don't like gas anyway, and to have the alarm go off, makes me think we're going to get blown to smitherines. But, these alarms are so sensitive, they can go off from the fumes of hair spray or cleaning chemicals and various other stuff. So, Gary checked things out, and re-tested the new alarm, (which was actually the old alarm from the old trailer) and everything's fine. I think. I hope. (did you follow all that?!)

We drove down south a ways a couple days ago to look at this co-operative farm a guy is starting. You drive for about 3 miles into the mountains on these very narrow curvy roads that were originally logging roads in amongst the tall timbers and hills. Then all of a sudden, you come out into this clearing that is just beautiful. Hills on all sides, covered with huge evergreens, 2 rivers flowing through with pristine-looking water, 4 swimming holes, millions of wild berry bushes growing all over, and a man with very big ideas for it all. It was an amazing piece of property, all tucked back in there in the quiet. Lovely. The boys, of course, had all kinds of plans for it - like, building a raft and taking it downstream, building tree forts with different levels with lots of ladders and bridges connecting them, fishing, swimming and who knows what else. It's like something out of a story book. It is a really, really great place. Now if we only could find this exact kind of place on the EASTERN side of the Cascades and where we could buy the whole place ourselves -not as part of a commune, and that didn't cost an arm and a leg and part of the other arm . . . yeah, well, we're still looking. :)

The weather finally turned from being rainy and dreary and depressing - and the last couple days it's been magnificent. Sunny, not too hot, not too cool - almost perfect. No bugs, no wind, the air is so pure and clean and the view of the mountains with the wispy clouds hovering around is just splendid. Now I remember why we loved it here so much the last time we came. Peaceful, calming and breath-taking. Aaaah!

Better run - it's laundry time. Fun, fun. Later today we're going to another u-pick farm, so who knows what we'll find when we get there! It's going to be vegetables or - more blackberries. Tis the season, you know. I'm thinking blackberry pancakes, blackberry smoothies, blackberry tarts . . . MMM.

Have a great weekend, everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all

Aaah, the lavender capital of North America . . .

Yeah! We are in Sequim, Washington. (Read - 'skwim' - as in - rhymes with 'swim') And we are so glad to be here. It was a long morning for Gary and the boys getting the equipment put together to tow the RV and then the long drive north. We had forgotten how curvy wurvy the road was to get here. Whew. We barely made it before dark. Thank God we did, as there was one slightly scary episode driving on I-5 in Portland. Bumper to bumper traffic to get over the bridge of the Columbia River and we were putzin' along and suddenly the big storage door on the RV swings open! Yes, right there on the freeway! India and I were in the suburban (another story) following Gary and the boys in the truck that was pulling the RV and we were just atad bit, um, stunned. I call Gary on the cell to tell him, and he had not noticed! Now, I will tell you, Thank God we were going pretty slow right then with the traffic being backed as it was, so nothing flew out of the trailer and Gary was able to stop. I then ran out (India was driving) and shut the door. Yes, right there on the freeway! And there was a car between us, so who knows what they and everyone else were thinking. :) I just kept thinking, Thank God this happened right at that time and not when we were going along at 70 mph! Crazy, eh? We pulled over at the next rest stop and locked up tight all the doors and compartments - just in case. Good grief.

And so we're here in the far northwestern part of the lower 48 and breathing the fresh ocean air and the amazing scent of lavender. There are fields here that are just a blanket of purple, spanning acres and acres like the wheat fields back home. Absolutely beautiful. Lavender is said to have a calming effect on people and I'm hoping that's true. I've got a few boys who maybe need to go hang out in those fields for an hour or two - or three - or - say -- they always said they wanted to sleep out under the stars sometime . . . MMM :)
(Actually, maybe I'm the one who needs it!)

Well, tomorrow (Monday) it's back to the grind. We do hope to go raspberry picking after school's done, and maybe take a little hike or something. We'll see.

Well, this is a first. A short post! Can you believe it? No? Must be the lavender.

Blessings,
jill and all

We're moving on up . . .

First of all, Ezra is doing pretty well with his arm. But you know how bad it itches inside the cast, though, so it's beyond bugging him. Poor guy. But he's managing. He's having to learn how to do everything with his left hand, which is pretty awkward, but he's getting it. 5 weeks to go and counting! :)

Judah finally got to golf once this week on a course called a pasture course. And they didn't name it that for nothing. It is a pasture - literally. But he doesn't care. Just so he's out hitting the balls around, he's a happy camper. He'll take his chipper and hit around on the grassy places at the RV park here. Obsessed, eh? It's a good obsessed though, I think. And we are now whiffle ball-less and soccer ball-less. Noah hit the whiffle just a little too hard and smashed it in half. Who is he anyway, Derek Jeter?? As for the soccer ball, another RV ran right over ours and popped it good. Man, these RV parks can be dangerous!

Well, we finally traded our little hovel in for, well, a bigger hovel. The 'new' trailer is the same year as our old one, this one is just a little longer and has a slide-out. So, we feel like we're living large! We do not have to walk around and over India's books, our computers and their cords, the laundry basket, everyone's shoes and each other. And we each have a place to sit when we eat!! Pretty much everything has a place now - including Judah, who is thrilled to be sleeping in a 'bed' after a month and a half of sleeping on the floor!! This RV has a couch - imagine that - which is actually a futon/bed. It sure is nice to have just a little bit more room - I gotta tell ya.

Well, we we're a little busy this week it seemed, with school and work, and the pickup and the trailer stuff and we didn't get to go out and see the sites like we wanted. India took another college test and passed well. She's got 51 credits now, so she's happy about that. We did get to pick blueberries and that was fantastic. They were wonderful and at a dollar a pound (I know!) you can't beat that, can you? We love picking our own fruit. It is so fun to be out in the orchard and getting everything so fresh. And the taste is beyond fabulous, you can't even compare it to store bought. That's yet another reason why we're drawn to this region. Good - REALLY REALLY GOOD food. And you know - we love to eat, so it's great!

Better run - we're off to the Olympic Peninsula today - God willing. We'll see how the 'new' truck pulls the 'new' trailer. The truck is a loud beast, compared to our Suburban. You feel like you're driving a semi. At least I do. Judah decided to name it 'Delores', much to Ezra's and Noah's objections. I love it. Now they're working on a name for the trailer. Are trailers considered masculine or feminine? Whatever, I'll keep you posted. :)

Blessings,
jill and all

The fine art of rollerblading . . .

Well, I didn't expect to spend last evening in the ER - but there we were. I heard the scream and knew it wasn't just an, "I scraped my knee" kind of scream. No, it was the one where the hair stands up on the back of your neck and you just know there'll be more blood than you really wanted to see. Gary went out the door and yelled, "Oh, my gosh!" and then I knew it was really bad.

I'm glad I wasn't the first to see him, cause they all say I probably would have fainted, and they may be right. When I looked out the door, I didn't see any blood, and I'm wondering what happened and Gary just said, "He broke his arm, it's pretty bad." And so I said, "Okay, let's go to the hospital." And we took off his rollerblades, grabbed his shoes and jumped in the sub. We had no idea where to go, of course, so we asked a guy at the gas station and off we sped.

Gary then explained to me what he saw. His arm was bent clear backwards at a 60 degree angle, and instinctively, Gary just grabbed the wrist and pulled it straight. After the initial moment of total agony, it actually gave him some relief, although he was still in A LOT of pain. The bone had been pushing into the arm and looked like it was just on the verge of poking out the skin, but thank God it was not.

Long story short, 4 xrays, a mean quasi-nurse that about killed him just trying to put the iv in, (she never did, just left him black and blue, and a really nice nurse took over and did just fine, thank you very much) , 5 electrodes - 3 on the chest, one on his side and one on his leg (are you kidding me? what on earth for?), blood pressure cuff and oxygen - (it was a broken bone - not major surgery - for Pete's sake), and a respritory therapist - then finally the orthopedic doctor came in, re-set the arm a bit more, (actually Gary had gotten it lined up pretty well himself) and 3 1/2 hours later and we were out the door.

The poor guy. What a way to end a perfectly good rollerblading ride. The terrible tale? It was follow-the-leader with them following each other just a liiiittle too close. Judah hit some bumps and fell, totally uninjured (thank God), and Ezra flew over the top of him, breaking his fall, literally, with his hands - and - snap. So, poor Ez is pretty much out of commission for active sports and swimming (and showering) for about 6-8 weeks. Not good. But, he's not too sad that he doesn't have to do his writing for school, I can tell you that. So mom's going to have to write down his math problems and workbook answers as he does them. It would have to be his right arm. But, last time it was his left, so I guess he just wanted to even things out a bit.

So, that's our latest bit of excitement here on the Aderhold Adventure Channel. Frankly, I'm hoping they cancel the series - I could use a little lull in these kind of adventures, if you know what I mean. But, I thank God he's doing well now, dispite it all. He is one tough cookie.

Well, better run. We are going to an orchard and pick some peaches, nectarines and blueberries. MMM.

Take care everyone. And don't rollerblade too close to anyone - just a little piece of advice.

Blessings,
jill and all

The rain in Spain, er, Salem . . .

So, we're on the west coast of Oregon, and it is raining cats and dogs. Typical, you say, right? Well, they have actually had a severe drought here all summer, I mean, not so much as a drop of rain and the countryside is all brown and dead. We get here and it decides to pour. Go figure. And it's supposed to rain all weekend long. And it's Labor Day weekend end, to boot. Oh, well. Good time to head to the mall, right? :) Maybe tomorrow.

NEWS FLASH!!!

We finally bought a pickup! Huzzah! We got a 2004 Ford 4X4 diesel (hey - they did not take the stimulus money you know) and I think it's going to suit us well. It has a lot more power than the suburban, so hopefully we'll be able to go more than 20 mph up hill! It's pretty nice, and it's a four door so there is plenty of room in the back for the crew. We'll have to get a topper so we can store all our junk that is currently in the other vehicle though! But, it should work. (God willing) So, we have an extra slightly used suburban to get rid of - anybody interested?!

We drove up to Portland and, well, it's not Salt Lake City. It's hard to compare such a clean city with wide streets to Portland with it's grafitti and trash and super narrow roads where each one has 13 different names. I mean, we are driving on Tualatin Rd for 3 miles and after turning to the right 3 times, to the left twice (and yes, we're still on Tualatin) all of a sudden it just stops. To the right is one name, to the left is another. So, we go by the directions and take the road to the right, which after 3 blocks the name suddenly changes. Just like that. We keep going (per the map) and after 5 more blocks, the name of the road changes again. This happens 4 TIMES and we're still on the same road! What? I mean, one guy giving us directions tells us, "Well, you go a little ways on 2nd, then it turns into Bell Rd. then it turns into River Rd. and then it turns into Davis Dr. We're on the left." ??? And we haven't driven 2 miles! I mean, it's not like it's on the edge of a suburb so that you're in one town and then all of a sudden you're in another (that would actually make sense) - no - it's all still the same town - they just decided to change the name in the middle of the road. I think they just wanted to confuse the visitors!

My theory - when the people came over on the Oregon Trail, each built a house - right - and they would just call the road they were on - say - Jones St. Then the Williams family came in and built their house a mile away and called the road going by their house - Williams Rd. And after a while, as the area grew and the two roads finally met it was, "Hey, this is Jones St. " and neighbor number two says, "No, it's not, it's Williams Rd." And it became the Hatfields and the McCoys of street naming. So to avoid blood-shed, they decided to just leave the names as they were and let the rest of the planet figure it out. This insanity exists all over this area! Not just Portland. It's in Salem, and every town around here. Maybe that's why even Google is confused, cause we have gotten lost about 5 times so far. Crazy.

One very nice thing about the Oregon coast is my Aunt Troona who lives here. She is the most wonderful person and we had a really great time visiting her and her husband Lee. I would love to be able to see them more often. They are fantastic people and a joy to be around. It's great to have nice relatives, isn't it?

Well, have an RV to look at tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get something bigger, soon. It's getting a little cramped in here. Did I mention it has 240 square feet of space?? Well, it feels like 40. And it feels like it's getting smaller as time goes by! (why is that?) Pretty soon, we'll need to have a couple of the kids sleep out in the pickup!! Just kidding, of course. (that is, if they don't quit bellyaching at each other . . .) But, it would be nice to upgrade just a wee bit, don't you thnk?

Well, this RV park has an indoor hot tub with my name on it. So, I'm going to do a bit of relaxing here shortly. Perfect thing to do on the day of rest - for what else does one do on a normal rainy day besides relax, read - or maybe shop? :)

Anyway, hope you all have a really great Labor Day weekend!

Blessings,
jill and all

Cause I – like Hood River – am long winded . . .

I told you this was the windsurfing capital of the world, and that is so. But it’s also the kite boarding capital of the world. Kite boarding is where you stand on a wind surfing board, kind of like a surf board only instead of a giant sail attached to the board, YOU are attached to a gigantic kite that goes where the wind takes you. Now, these guys can really fly. Literally. We sat and watched a couple guys just get lifted way up into the air and seem to hang there at the mercy of(or cruelty of, depending on your viewpoint) the wind, til the gust subsided and let them float down onto the water (or drop down, and some not so gently, I might add). Can you say, ouch? You see hundreds of these ‘sailors’ in just this one spot here. It’s a miracle none of them crash into each other or the kites don’t get all tangled up as they pass by. We were quite amazed by that actually.

Now, to clear things up – we are in Hood River – the town called Hood River, for you see, no windsurfing or kite boarding is actually done on the Hood River the river, no, the actual surfing sports are done on the Columbia River that flows directly passed Hood River, the town. Got all that? Right.

It is so fun to just sit on the grass with all the other tourists and watch as these brave (or stupid – you decide) men and women go back and forth with their very colorful sails and kites. Ezra wants to kite board in the worst way, but you have to be at least 90 pounds to do it – so as he is, I imagine we’d find him back in South Dakota by week’s end. (Seen the movie ‘Up’ anyone?!) He does love it here and could really get into this stuff I’m sure. He’s the ready-for-danger um, action kind of guy. But I am not the ready-for-danger or action kind of mom. So, he’s grounded (read - must stay on the ground) til he’s – oh – 25. Hey, I let him windsurf in The Hook, the protected practice area, wha’d you think - I’m going to let my 11 year old get carried away down a whirlwind of a river attached to a kite?! Ha. I think not.

It’s a very strange thing though, the wind is windy only in this area right here. Yesterday the boys went down to the local high school football field, on the Washington side to fly their kites and there was nary a stitch of wind. Yet, down the road a ways closer to the river, (Columbia River, that is, in Hood River, the town) it’s super gusty. Strange indeed.

So, since we couldn’t join ‘em, we had to beat ‘em. The boys got their big trick kites out and went to the grassy area just next to the windsurfing area and had a blast. The wind is so strong here, the kites we have nearly carried the boys away right there. Good thing the kites were a wee bit smaller than the ones the kite boarders were using, or I’d have three kids half way to Colorado by now. They are pretty good at flying them, even though they had to really work at it. It was fun to watch, til the sprinklers came on. Well, I guess that was fun to watch too! :)

We have been visited by little bees the last several days as we have been eating outside. At one point, Gary had 5 of his little friends all over him and his food. I've decided to eat in the trailer, thank you very much. Bees like that, well, they are pretty harmless, but yesterday, they brought a body guard, a wasp, and it of course, stung Noah. Thank God for activated charcoal. Ever hear of it? Well, as a shameless plug, we have friends who sell kits for spider bites, but the stuff works wonders on all kinds of bites. Bees, spiders, snakes, even scorpions. Go to: www.brownrecluses.com A good friend of ours got bit by a copperhead snake and the activated charcoal is what helped save her. (Aside from God, of course) Amazing stuff, I’m telling you. Nice to have on hand just in case.

Now I am going to give you another piece of advice. Before you decide to move to another RV park because you want to save a few bucks, look at the fine print. What I mean by that is, the new place may not be all the brochure says it is. Oh, it’s nice and new and all, but they didn’t say you had to first of all pay a toll just to get across the bridge to get to the place, PAY to take a shower, nor did they tell you their internet , though fast when it works, doesn’t work too often. And they also failed to mention that the railroad tracks are 20 feet from your window! Literally. Wouldn’t be too bad if the trains didn't run every other hour – ALL NIGHT LONG! You know how they say a tornado sounds just like a freight train barreling down on you? Well, a freight train at 2am sounds just like a tornado. The first time I heard it coming I wanted to run for the basement. Then I remembered – I’m in an RV – there is no basement! Not good for light sleepers, I can assure you. (says Gary: A train ran by here?) So tomorrow we’re moving on, God willing. I have to get some sleep!

But I will miss the fresh picked fruit here. Peaches, nectarines, berries and the most fantastic tree-ripened figs you have ever tasted. Unbelievable. I could live here just for that. Fresh fruit all summer and fall, how can you not love it? You just have to pick the right RV park to park in, and all will be well. Or, I guess you could just find some land and/or a house and well, stay here. That would work too. . .

Well, today we plan to drive up to Goldendale on the Washington side and stop and see Stonehenge on the way. Apparently, someone erected a replica of the famous site right here in the Gorge. So, since I will most likely never see the real Stonehenge in England, we’ll stop and check it out. It’s got to be better than the car Stonehenge made of actual cars standing on end in the same pattern somewhere in Kansas. It’s safe to say I don’t have to see that attraction before I die.

And with that novel of a post - I say, adios.

Blessings,
jill and all

Is this what they call 'waterboarding' . . .

Cause it was TORTURE!!!!

Okay, we are in the windsurfing capital of the world here in Hood River, Oregon and so, like any good tourist, we decided to give it a go. Now I ask you, what is fun about balancing on a little piece of styrofoam on water that would be considered Class V rapids, holding onto a massive plastic sail that clearly has a mind of it's own and weighs at least a thousand pounds that you are supposed to control in 50 mile an hour winds while sailing across the cove? And all this while still standing up! Hahaha. They don't have you put on a wet suit for nothing - cause you know - you do get a LITTLE WET!! You're in the water more than you're on the board (is that what we paid for?) - well, okay - some of us were in the water more. India was handling it like a pro in her neon pink wet suit and purple life jacket. She was doing swell (on the swells) - going back and forth across the water with ease. She pretty much put the rest of us to shame. Ezra seemed to handle himself pretty well too and had a lot of fun. Judah did okay too. Noah, Dad and me - um, not so much. Sometimes Gary seemed to really get it, then you'd look again and he'd be in the drink. Noah looked like a total surfing dude in his long, wet, windswept hair, but he too spent a little more time in the pond than on the board. I don't know why, but this absolutely terrified me. Just standing on the board not even moving, I was paralyzed with fear. I'm sorry, I just did not see the fun in this at all. It LOOKED fun, for those that were still standing and actually gliding back and forth like you were supposed to do. But it was so hard to control for me and I just gave up. Give me a raft on some white water any day.

What was really annoying to see was this really rad dude in just shorts and a tee shirt and designer sun glasses hop on his glow-in-the-dark orange board, and sail off without a care in the world. Over and back and over and back and then he just gently slides up onto the shore. I don't think he got his big toe wet - the show off. Don't these people have jobs? Oh wait - this was his job. He was just between lessons and decided to go for a ride. What a life - eh? Doing something so fun and getting paid for it. For me it wouldn't be windsurfing, of course, but I think being a riverrafting guide would be the bomb. What could be better than meeting a bunch of new people from all over the world every day, sitting on the back of an inflated raft, sailing down the river with the sun shinning down and the breeze blowing in your hair? Yeah, I could get paid to do that.

While I was on shore waiting for the rest of the family to finish, there were some professionals on the Columbia just cruising down the river with ease. See, we were in this little inlet that was 'protected' from the big gusts and not as windy. (Oh really??) You know, to practice in a safer area. (riiiight) And the real windsurfers were on the main part of the river and man, they were just flying - literally. We also saw some kite surfers - boards attached to these colorful kites that the wind just grabbed and screamed them across the water. Amazing to watch. After these guys were done surfing, they just stood on the beach and sailed their kites for fun. It was cool to see.

So, we've had our fill of water sports for a while. Well, actually, that's not true. After we got back, the boys still wanted to jump in the RV park pool. And me, well, I'd go rafting every day, as long as it was hot and sunny. Too bad the summer's winding down.

Anyone hear of the Pacific Crest Trail? It's a trail that goes from Canada all the way down to Mexico. It's quite popular and it actually passes through just a couple blocks from our RV Park. And today in the town we're in it's actually Pacific Crest Trail Day. Go figure. So there's all kinds of goings on here today. We may decide to hop on the trail just for a bit - just to say we did. But not today. Today we are resting after our two days of fun and hard work on the water. I can still hear Casey in my head yelling, "Forward paddle, please!" Even when he was hollering at us, he was still polite! But if I hear those dreaded windsurfing terms 'jibe' or 'tack' anytime soon - well - it will be way too soon for me!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Blessings,
jill and all

because I can't resist ... :D

and yes, that is us. It was such a blast!!! :D

Hold on to your hats . . .

First of all, what day is this and where are we? Okay, I was told this was Thursday already. Wow. How time is flying.

We left Salt Lake City (one day) and landed in La Grande, Oregon. It's in the north eastern part of the state and it's pretty desolate out there. But we were nestled in behind a nice little row of pine-covered bluffs and it was so quiet and peaceful, it was a wonderful change from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The RV pool was in the shape of a perfect circle surrounded by ponds that were filled with lilly pads. It was quite serene. After a few days of nothing but school and work, we set out again. This time to the Columbia Gorge. Amazing. You are driving through this sliced-out area of the Cascade Mountains next to the Columbia River that seperates Oregon and Washington. There are little towns on either side and orchards that dot the landscape. Spectacular.

Today, we headed out to the Mother's Market, the local health food store, which sits next to a trailer that sells homemade Thai food, and a surf board shop. (do they really surf on the river?) We then drive an hour 1/2 south to a teeny tiny town called Maupin. Population 300. We're greeted by an Hawaiian guy (in Maupin, Oregon?) and one of the locals - a high school graduate who drove us to the top of the Deschutes River. Well, not the exact TOP, but top enough for the flow of this story. We don our life jackets, to which Ching (is that really an Hawaiian name?) tightened up so tightly I swore Ezra almost started to turn blue. Then we hop in our raft with our guide, Casey, the local football star. Ching went with the other family we rafted with, which remarkably enough also had 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl (what are the odds). They were from Redmond, Oregon. The day was hot and fairly calm. And the water was COLD but refreshing! We grabbed our paddles and headed out. Three hours later, drenched and tired from rowing, (and man did we row) we 'put in', as they say in rafting lingo. Super fantastic it was.

Now, you would think that racing down the river dodging boulders the size of Hippos, and paddling for dear life into a wall of raging water coming directly at your face, and being tossed into the air at breakneck speeds was terrifying. Not compared to the ride in the bus back to town, anyway. The bus driver, and I will testify to this, did not watch the road the entire time. No he did not. I really think that the bus drove itself back to town, cause that old guy wasn't doing anything that remotely resembled anything in the way of steering. And if he had turned the wheel one hundredth of an inch to the right, we would have gone right over the edge, down the rocky cliff and into the river. No, there were no guard rails and no shoulder to speak of. Even the white line that would indicate the lane had been erased due to erosion. In other words - part of the road was GONE! Fallen into the river below! And did I mention he wasn't obeying any speed limit signs, not that there were any - and maybe that's why he felt he didn't need to obey them as THEY WEREN'T THERE. And so, he went his own speed, which was faster than any of the rapids on the river. No, the white water rafting was exhilerating, physically taxing, thrilling, and even relaxing at times (there were times we just floated, which was soooo nice and calming), I don't think anyone was scared (well, okay, maybe India was a teeny tiny bit nervous at the beginning), but it was just fun. Really, really fun. No, it's the drive back to your vehicle that you are signing a death waver for. Trust me. THAT was terrifying.

Well, I guess most of you all are back to school, as we are as well. Schooling with four children in a 240 square foot RV gets a little challenging, but we make it work. Sort of. Whether any of us have any sanity left by the end of this trip, remains to be seen. But as long as the boys rotate their spots - One on my bed, one at the table, one on Noah's bed - or maybe one outside on the picnic table, or sometimes, two at the table, but that's when they are kind of getting along with each other, so you can guess how often that happens - and then they switch around every day. That is sort of working. India has been going to the library with Gary when he goes, if the connection at the RV park gets too slow for him to work. Otherwise, she sits in her little cubicle (her bed) and studys there. (Gary is wise enough to retreat to the suburban or outside on a lawn chair) So the rest of us are all just cozy like little bugs in a rug or peas in a pod! Right? Um, not so much. Maybe more like - RATS IN A CAGE!! AAAHHH!!! :)


Anyway, better hit the hay. Take care, everyone.
Blessings,
jill and all

How far back can you go . . .

Well, it's an interesting place, Salt Lake City is. First of all, it seems like everything's free. All the museums and sites downtown are free and they will give tours for free too. Except for parking, unless you find a spot without a meter and good luck with that. Maybe that's how they pay for everything around here. But I must say, the people are so friendly it's mind-boggling. And yes, they all look and act just like Donny and Marie Osmond. Clean cut and happy.

We saw a few girls in wedding dresses one day, so I asked someone about it and we were told that last Saturday alone there were 70 weddings in the temple. In one day! Talk about your assembly line ceremonies. "I do. I do. You're done. NEXT!"

We toured the Visitor's Center, which wasn't your typical visitor's center, where you get brochures for all the local attractions, restaurants and events. (we never did find that one) No, this was all about the LDS church. But, it was so interesting. Really. There were beautiful paintings on the walls, displays of various happenings in the Bible, and of course, the skinny on Mormanism. We learned a lot. And one very cool thing was that they had a guide for every language group on the planet. You come in for a tour from Croatia, they'll have someone there to show you around that speaks Croatian. You from the Congo? Ukraine? Nepal? I swear they'd have someone there who'd speak the language and would give you a tour with a smile. This happened everywhere. Totally amazing. We have heard more foreign languages on this trip than I would imagine for still being in the United States. Really cool.


We drove out to the Great Salt Lake and everyone went -well - floating. Well, I didn't. I just had no desire to, but the rest did. There were bugs swarming everywhere, little shrimp swimming around, and the water stung the skin. But, it was really an incredible thing to just sit in the water, without any effort and just float there - I guess. You'll have to hear it from those who actually experienced it. Maybe India will tell the tale herself. I did wade in a bit though, and that was enough for me. It is true you do come out layered in salt. It's pretty strange. But there were showers, so no one ended up like Mrs. Lot.


We also went to this place where you can search for your ancestry. And again, it's free and there are tons of people that are there to help. Gary was able to go back to the early 1800's to Germany, and one of his ancestor's last name was Marx!! We are so hoping there's no relation to Karl. :) India was able to go back to 1500 on my dad's side!!! I was in shock. First of all, because I had always been told we knew nothing about our family history earlier than about 1860 and that we were 100 percent German. Well, come to find out - we're SWISS!!! There was about 200 years there where my relatives were born, married, lived and died in Switzerland. Then they moved to Germany for a short while, to Odessa Russia for an even shorter while and then to America. So all this time I have been saying I was a 'full-blooded German' I have to now admit there's a little more to the gene pool than I thought. And this is only on my dad's side. Who knows what one will find if they search all the wives of all these guys. It could shock your brain cells not to mention it would probably take weeks to try to look for it all. Hey, maybe then we'd find out where India got her red hair from!! Anyway, it was so fun to keep going back and back in time. 1500. Wow. MMM - Let's see. Switzerland. Land of the alps, Heidi, yodeling, Rolex watches, and - chocolate! Okay, I guess I can live with that.



We went to the Farmer's Market here and it was HUGE. I could really get used to buying fresh from the garden produce every week. And like any bigger city, there is so much in the way of culture, arts, and of course - FOOD. The restaurants have been fantastic. You know, I could like it in this area, except for the fact that the allergies have followed me here. Too bad, cause there is so much to see and do here, we feel like we've only scratched the surface. But, like all good toursits, we must be moving on. More to see, more to do. We're on to Idaho, land of the potato. Like people from Wisconsin are called 'cheese heads', what do they call people from Idaho - 'spud heads'?? Or just Mr. Potato Heads?

And with that lame joke, I better get to sleep. It's been a long, hot, 102 degree day. And so, I bid you - oh, how do you say good-bye in Switzerland? I've got a lot to learn . . .

Blessings,
jill and all

It's hot . . .

Sometimes it's good to take the advice of a guy, sitting in the top of a luxury houseboat, that duals as the local visitor's center next to the Walmart, who's sipping a beer out of a wine glass, in 90 degree heat, giving out tourist information and free t-shirts with his company logo on them and ice cream bars to all who enter. Crazy things we've seen. Anyway, he suggested we take the road between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon to avoid the curvy-wurvy and vertical challenging roads. We took his advice, and we glad we did. Even thought we didn't see those two national landmarks, we just wanted to get through the area the quickest way possible. Because, we have now succumbed to the old addage, 'seen one national park/monument/forest/canyon - you've seen them all'. :) So, thanks Bill West of Lake Time shares - the houseboat was incredible by the way.

Well, we're in the land of the Mormons and you know - it's quiet nice here. Town surrounded by these tree-lined hills. Very clean. Easy to get around. And lots of very cool restaurants! It's very hot today - about 93 degrees and it's to get to 98 tomorrowand hotter the rest of the week. Whew. But it's the humidity - remember?!

Gary and India went to the library today - which is about as big as an average-sized town in South Dakota. It takes up an entire city block, has 5 stories just of books, and another story that includes a cafe, a nursery, and several little shops. Wow. No wonder it won 'Library of the Year'. You could get lost in there.

We are in a very nice, very new RV park now, and I have met several retired people from all over the country. It's funny - lots of them are looking for a different place to live and are just roaming around trying to find their perfect place. Some have sold their houses and bought this mansion on wheels for their home and they just go from place to place. And they say there's a recession. I do wonder - is it just 'the grass is always greener' syndrome or do we just get in a rut and want a change? Whatever, this park is filled with them - um - us. :) Ahhh - we are 'one of THOSE people'?!

We tried to go to the visitor's center, but as they are putting new tar on the road in front of the park that provides the only access in and out, so we are stuck here until they get at least the one lane done. Good thing there is a nice pool, a basketball hoop, and a good-sized playground to hang out in. Hopefully we'll get out sometime this afternoon, as we wanted to check out the area a bit.

We are planning to take a dip in the Great Salt Lake on Friday. I'm hoping they have showers like I've heard they do at the Dead Sea in Israel. Otherwise we'll come out looking like Lot's wife - all covered in salt!! AAAHHH!

Anyway, that's it for today. Pretty boring - as there was no big mishaps to report, thank God. (but the day is still young . . .)
(And thanks for the comments, Lisa B. At least someone feels our pain!!) hahaha

Blessings,
jill and all

Beyond belief . . .

Well, it's Monday and we are in a little po-dunk (but nice) town in the southern part of Utah. We are very glad to be here - safe and sound. Are you ready for the latest? Yesterday, we hopped in the suburban, left Durango, CO and made our way to the Grand Canyon. It was a trecherous drive AGAIN (what is with this area anyway?! Have they never heard of straight roads??!) and we stopped for gas and noticed that we had water leaking out from underneath the RV. MMM. Well, it happened to be a severe break in the fresh water tank (probably because we drove over a forgotten soccer ball as we left the last RV park) and so all the water was dripping out as we drove. Great. But, not crucial, and since there was nothing we could do, so we just kept going. We figured we would have to try to repair it when we got to civilization. Because at this point, I can tell you, we were not anywhere NEAR civiliazation!! We did see a ton of 'beware of roaming cattle' signs as we went along, but for the life of me I can not fathom how any living creature could survive on red dust, rocks and sage brush. I mean - it was BARREN. For MILES. You could just see the covered wagons in your mind as they crossed this place back in 1860, and my thought was, no wonder no one was smiling in all those old black and white pictures there are of the pioneers. Pretty tough area, this is, I have to say.

Anyway, we get to the first lookout in the Grand Canyon and we were awed, of course. One thing that Gary was surprised at was that the crevice itself was filled with huge rocky land masses that spanned up and down the entire canyon. One would assume that it would be flat land, a deep chasm with the river flowing through it, and then the steep canyon wall on the other side. No, it isn't like that. You can see the river in some places, but it's view is obscured by all the land that seemed to just burst up from the valley floor. Incredible. And the colors were more than beautiful and the overall view - well - magnificent. We took hundreds of pictures and after oo-ing and ah-ing hunderds of times, we decided to head for the campground. We got within 10 miles of it, and believe it or not - I know - you are just waiting for it aren't you -what else could possibly happen to these guys anyways? Right????? Well - wait no longer!!! A tire blew on the RV! Can you believe it? Oh, come on. Yes, you can. Given our track record, this is pretty much expected of us by now - no??!!
Well, we pulled over into a little wooded alcove and saw the tire was shredded. So, we unhooked, let the campground and the ranger station know why we were parked in the forbidden zone, and since it was near evening on a Sunday, with no tire store around the next tree, we had no choice but to just wait til Monday to make the repairs.

So, we headed back to the RV, which was in the middle of the 'watch out for mountain lions' area, we locked everything up tight, ourselves included, into the RV and went to sleep. Well, some of slept. Bright and early this morning, we drove an hour to Williams, AZ, and on the infamous Route 66, we found a tiny old tire station with a restored Model T in the garage and bought a new tire. I always wanted to drive on Route 66, and here I got my wish! See, something good always comes out of bad - right?!

Back we drive to the RV, put the tire on, hook up the suburban and once again, head out down the road. Whew! Mid-afternoon we stopped in Page, AZ and saw Lake Powell. Beautiful. What a refreshing site, seeing all that azure blue water amid the vast arid desert. It was a site to behold. But, we are on a mission, so we kept moving on. Finally, at 7pm, we come to this little town, with a scrappy RV park, and decided to stop. So, here we are, ready to rest a bit after a couple chaotic days. We are so thankful to be safe and well, and I am glad things were able to get worked out as they did. And now we hope to get to Salt Lake City, or there abouts, tomorrow. (Our Father willing!!!) But with us - you never know! :)

Well, I better get some sleep. Have a great week everyone!!

Blessings,
jill and all

When things go wrong . . .

Well, the reason I haven't posted in a few days is that my computer has been acting funny and for a while I couldn't go anywhere or do anything. Not to mention the fact that a book fell onto my keyboard and busted the backspace key. Why couldn't it have been say, the Pause Break key, or any of those F keys (what are they for anyway?!) or even the goofy squiggly line key? Nope, it has to be a key I use ALL THE TIME - cause I make so many mistakes I spose. So, now if I want to backspace, which I do - right now - I have to push on this little rubber thing under the key because the key isn't there. Nice eh?


One little piece of advice while traveling, be sure things are battened things down in your RV before you take off down the road, or, you may just find that when you stop and open the door, a quart of honey has spilled all over your floor! Icky sticky. Try dealing with that after you've climbed through 3 mountain passes going 20 miles per hour on roads only wide enough for maybe big horned sheep and lizards -certainly not two way traffic, you pulling a travel trailer with semis coming at you the other way. Can you say 'STRESSFUL'?!


Oh, and I had bought this really great cast iron enameled baking dish that had just fit into the RV oven and I really liked it, but after we cooked in it, it cracked all the way through! Rats. So, I go to the store, buy a Pyrex dish to replace it, I bring it back to the RV and guess what? It doesn't fit - it's too big!

Is Murphy's law in effect here or what?! Enough already!!
But hey - our suburban is still running - so we Thank God for that!!!

Yesterday we went to Mesa Verde. It was so high up on the Mesa (table in Spanish, cause it looks flat just like a table top) that I wondered how in the world the ancient people even found their way up there. The houses were built in these alcoves under rocks on the side of the cliffs. Crazy. Since no one was there to know for sure, the guide filled us in on the theorys that abounded about these dwellings and the life of the people. It's interesting, but so hard to imagine. As we drove back down the Mesa, through these winding hair-pin turns, you could look down over the valley, and I couldn't help but wonder why in the world the people wouldn't have just settled down there, where farming would have been much easier, where there was better access to water and would be wildflife in abundance? I just can't figure it. The ranger/guide told us they thought it was because there was a threat from other tribes and this was their place of protection. I think I would have just moved elsewhere, rather than tried to scale down the side of a cliff to hide. But hey, that's their story, and they're sticking to it. But it was interesting to see anyway.

On the way out of the park, we saw a wolf on the side of the road. At least, we think it was a wolf. It could have been a coyote, but Gary didn't think so. But what was strange, was he just stood there in the road, and we drove right up next to him and he just stayed there. We talked to him and as the car rolled along, he followed! I bet the tourists had been feeding him, cause he was much too friendly. We wanted to get out and pet him, for he looked so sad and lonely, but of course we didn't.

One more thing, when you are in the valley and look up to the Mesa, it looks like it would be totally flat. And when you get up to the top and look over the entire Mesa area, you understand why they call it the green table (in English), for it looks like a giant flat table top across the land for miles. But in reality, it is very hilly much more rollie-pollie than it looks from a distance. But it is covered with these small juiper and evergreen trees and lots of yucca plants and scrub brush. Thus, the green in the name. It was yet another something different to behold I will tell you.

Well, today we'll rest, read, and relax. Tomorrow, we head out early (God willing) to the Grand Canyon. More of His awesome creation. It's been sensory overload on this trip!

Well, I have to go see if I can find someone who would like a brand new Pyrex baking dish . . . Have a great weekend everyone!
Blessings,
jill and all

Ode to the missing toothbrush

A toothbrush I found, yes I did.

Where, you may ask, was it hid?

Way underneath the passenger seat,

In the suburban - isn't that neat!

Now arises in my mind a question,

How did it get in such a location?

some photos from the grand hike

This was before the hike ....

... we were all rather happy!!! (key word is before)

just before we hit the five-peak-ridge trail

what a view

THE RIDGE

wahoo!!! look at Mom go!!! she did so great

See that point? WAAAY up there? yep, we were up there.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens are proclaiming the esteem of El, and the expanse is delaring the work of His hand.

It's all down hill from here. . .

Right. What were we thinking anyway? Well, I was thinking a nice little hike in the woods, you know, well-marked paths, birds singing, sunlight through the pines. No, this climb is on Extreme Sports Network. It's only a 10 1/2 mile hike, but never before have these words been more true - 'it was uphill the whole way'. We trudged along and thought for sure we were at the peak, but no, there was yet another one ahead of us. In fact, I think there were at least 5 peaks. We wondered why all these people we met coming down had giant walking sticks, hiking and survival gear and bags with straws - can you say 'oxygen deprivation'? We were so light headed because of the thin air, I spose that's probably what made us keep going - WE WERE OUT OF OUR MINDS!!

But, the length of the hike and the fact that the trails were almost completely unmarked, and that you just kept going up and up and up - was NOT the most terrifying part. No - it was the - and I seriously kid you not - two foot wide walk way on top of this ridge 10,800 feet up with sheer drop offs on BOTH SIDES! And what's funny - I'm afraid to get on the second rung of a step ladder!!!! Really. Okay, it most definitely was NOT funny.
To say I was scared would be the biggest understatement of the century. I was almost crawling in some places. Now, you may say - why go on? Why do this? Are you crazy?? Well, yes, but that's totally beside the point. What happened was, we came up to the first part of the narrow ridge, and I stopped and said - no way - I am NOT going on. I will NOT Ever do that. But the children wanted to see if at the next bend it started to decline or turn around - you know - if we were really, finally at the apex or not - so they went ahead. And ahead, and ahead, and . . . So, the mother hen comes out and goes after them. So, what at that point was I more scared about - really? Myself falling headlong over a cliff, or one of my children doing the same? I mean, I have little Judah, and Mr. No-fear himself - Ezra and all kinds of visions danced in my head. And they weren't of sugarplums. So, I went after them, and began shouting, which of course does no good, except would maybe start an avalanche and then . . . (stop thinking that)
We came upon three people who said they saw the kids about 4-5 minutes ahead. 4-5 MINUTES?? Definate Panic Mode. I was praying so hard -praying for our safety and praying the children would just stop so I could see them, you know, and they finally stopped and I was so relieved, and then I was instantly so angry - you know what I mean - I told Gary to go talk to them, cause if I did right then, it wouldn't be pretty. So, now that we established that we NEVER get too far ahead or behind so as not to be seen by the rest - we plunged on. At that point I was so mad, I was bound and determined to conquer this beast if I had to get down on my hands and knees to do it - tears and all. But that was before we hit the first peak. (doesn't 'peak' mean - um - the TOP?) Now mind you, we are meeting people coming the other way, who keep telling us, 'oh it's all down hill from here'. Well, there must be alot of politicians that are hikers in Colorado, cause that was stretching the truth just a weeee bit.

Now I must say, that the views, should you choose to look at them, were spectacular. When they said a 360 degree view - whew - they meant it. You really felt like you were on the top of the world. (at least 3 times, I might add) I admit to looking out one time, but that was before we hit the narrow ridge, and it was in this nice little campy area with big rocks to sit on and lots of trees around and it was nice -like you could have a picnic there or something. (Cue the Barney music) But the ridge, the ridge of horror, the ridge of doom, was a long bridge of rocks, so my eyes only looked down at the ground right in front of my feet. At some places I had to put my hands up as blinders by my eyes, but then, it was hard to balance without my arms out to the side to help me. To say this was trecherous, or death-defying- is putting it mildly.
Three crests later, we finally began to head back and around, which meant we were on our way down - right? I mean, we had climbed up for 4 hours, surely we were on our way down! Not so fast, Tonto. Their version of down, is several feet of up, and then a couple feet of down. Gary, then either to try to encourage us or just to annoy us, I still don't quite know which - took up the 'it's all downhill from here' mantra. But he had to keep saying it, every few feet, because we just kept going up! But I just knew that we were going to be walking for the rest of our lives, or that night would come and it would be us and the bears having a mid-mountain slumber party. You know those stories of hikers lost in the woods being air-lifted out - that was what I thought the headline would look like, with our names listed. 'Dumb South Dakota Family Lost On Colorado Mountain'. Sheez.

And one more thing, thanks National Park system for the lack of signage along the route. We had no idea how far we'd come nor how far we had left to go. Course, had we known it would be that arduous, that long, and that high, we probably wouldn't have done it, so maybe that was their evil plan all along. Don't tell these lazy city slickers a thing - just get them started, get their brains all fuzzy in the high altitude and when they get down, we can have them where we want them. Maybe they'll even WANT socialized medicine then . . . (sorry for the political commentary, but it just kind of fit right there)

So - we FINALLY get to the parking lot - 6 hours later and I have never loved seeing our old beat-up, always breaking down suburban as much as I did then. I can not believe we did that. I can not - as petrified, white-knuckled as I was, actually did that. I can not believe I let my children do that! (But- hey, there was a family we met at the beginning of the ridge climbing with their FOUR year old, so I didn't feel like I was a total jerk of a parent.)

So, now all I want is a massage, to sit in a hot tub, and a tee-shirt that says 'I climbed Crag's Crest' - or 'I Crag'ed the Crest' or something like that. But when we got to the visitor's center - it was CLOSED! Oh, come on! So what do I have to show for my feat? A natural Rocky Mountain High, a pounding headache, relief and the memory that I did something I NEVER thought I would ever do. One guy said, well, that's the way to conquer your fear. Well, I don't know if I actually conquered my fear, but I did conquer that blasted mountain. I still can't say I'm glad I did it though, ask me in a few days when the oxygen returns to my brain.
I am sooo ready to leave Colorado. I've had enough. In fact, I'd like to by-pass the rest of the tourist traps and head over to Washington State (at 600 feet!) and chill. But NO - we have the Arches, the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, the Aztec ruins and Mesa Verde left to see.
Oh, come on. Isn't that what Encylopedia's are for??! They even have colored pictures in them now.

Well, anyway, we're back on level ground and so thankful for it. I'm resting today, for I am an out of shape old woman and need to recuperate. (Except my boys just suggested we go kayaking. rafting, and/or rollerblading today. ) They're funny little kids, aren't they??!

Hope all is well with everyone, and if you ever get to Grand Junction - Do NOT try to hike the entire upper Crag's Crest Trail, unless you really like living on the edge - and by the edge - I do mean - THE EDGE. :)
Blessings,
jill and all

The terror of the monument

Yesterday was quite the day. Gary and I went walking on the Spanish Trail in the morning and after reading a bit, and eating more watermelon, we hung out by the pool. Around 2pm, our buddy Jake pulls up with the suburban, fixed and ready to go. Turns out it wasn't the fuel pump after all! Yeah. It was the fuel pump relay - a little black plug thing that cost about $14.00. It probably took all of 20 minutes to replace that, but of course, Jake charged us $150. (!) MMM. Oh, well, he's a nice enough guy and he did come to our rescue and had to search to find the actual problem, but anyway, I'm just glad it's fixed. We should really get serious about a different vehicle - eh?! What is up with us and car trouble anyway??? I do not know.

After we munched on chips and salsa and leftovers, we drove up to the Colorado National Monument. It's like a mini Grand Canyon. Steep caverns, colored rock layers, some that are rough and jagged, some that are so smooth-looking it's like a dripping of butter. In some places, it looks like hardened lava, and much of the ground is red. Utterly amazing. The rock formations that stick straight up in columns from the bottom, the caves, the small bush-like trees, the spanning view over the city - breathtaking. There are little scenic overlooks every few yards it seems and we stopped and gawked like the tourists we are, and walked a bit on the Coke Oven's Trail. The children wanted to walk the whole thing, which is 6 miles long and would take about 3 hours and it doesn't make a loop, it just stops down at the bottom and well, you'd have to figure out how to get back to your vehicle that you left on the top. So, they just hiked a little ways, and came back. But they want to hike around the area some more because it's just too awesome to behold. Really. Of course, they also wanted to hike out onto the perious boulders that look like they are ready to fall off the side of the mountain with little more than a sneeze. My brave children (or are they completely devoid of any sense of safety?) nearly drove me to a nervous breakdown. What am I going to be like at the Grand Canyon??? I dare not think of it . . .

Well, this am we're off to the Mesa. 10,000 feet up and covered with evergreens and lakes, We plan to hike the Crag's Crest Trail, a 10 mile jaunt, so, we better get going. First, we're going to stop at an organic peach orchard and grab some breakfast and lunch!
Have a great Sunday!

Blessings,
jill and all

Jake, sunflowers and root beer floats :)

AND .... we have a guest blogger! This is India, sharing today (Friday the 7th) from her point of view. :) Enjoy .... maybe. hehe

Today dawned bright and clear. We all went rollerblading (well, Mom ran - and Dad stayed behind to work) in the morning on Riverfront Parkway - it was beautiful! It was a good thing we went when we did - because it started to get really hot after we were done.

Blah, blah, blah ... day goes normally by. Watermelon for lunch, laundry, swimming, ping pong, cool little Mexican place for supper .... THEN, it happens - (cue dramatic, scary, movie music) we drive out across the parking lot of the little Mexican restaurant, and - the suburban dies. Wonderful, right?! So, we sit there for a couple minutes - everyone thinking ''hum, what do we do now?'' Just then, driving by on the street, someone spies a jeep with a HUGE toolbox on the back, and a sticker on the side reading: ''Jake's Mobile Auto'' with a phone number. Dad whistles to him (he had his windows down), waves - and over drives Jake. Jake is a big burly guy - with lots of tattoos. A few of us were a little not-so-sure about this Jake fellow. He looks around under the hood, starts the car (or tries), dinks around for a little bit .... ''yep, it's the fuel pump''. Super! Fantastic! The part alone is around $350. *gulps* At least the old one is still under warranty (Halleluyah!), so we will just have to pay for labor. Or so we thought.

ANYWAYS .... Dad starts talking to Jake, and finds out that Jake runs his own mechanical/bodywork/repair shop thingy, from the back of his jeep. Pretty cool, huh? So, of course Jake says he'll fix it for us, might take a day or so, but he's happy to do it. (mmm ... $$$) And so, the question arises, how on earth are we going to get back to the campground? We have a few options actually ... rent a car, call a taxi or walk over to the nearest car dealership to just buy a pickup and be done with it already!!! Jake has another option. Turns out, he has this old cop car that he bought from some guy that didn't want it anymore - and offers to give us (and all our stuff) a ride back to the campground! Dad agrees, so Jake leaves to go get the car and come back. While he is gone - Mom had called AAA for a tow truck, that way it could be towed to Jake's house so he could put the new fuel pump in it. Jake comes back, the tow guy comes, the suburban gets towed to his house ... THEN we all pile into Jake's snazzy cop car (which was really cool I might add) and he takes us to the campground! What a nice guy - he offers to come pick us up if we need to go anywhere tomorrow and says he'll call with how things are going in the morning. Oh, forgot something. When we were riding with Jake in the cop car, he turned the music up really loud. It was ... interesting to say the least. Some crazy, electric, rock something or other - that kind of made my head spin! I find out later - Dad and Mom both knew what song that was, who the artist was, and what the lyrics were!!!!! That college life - man, I'm telling you - they learned some strange things back then.

Whew! That happened in the space of ... oh about a few hours. OMIGOODNESS - we don't have any water, Mom realizes. Now, mind you, our campground is a looonnnggg ways from the city, so it's not like it's a short walk to a grocery store or anything. How are we going to survive without water?!?!?! Well, turns out there is a little convenience store just ''down the road'' (riiiight - more like a long ways down the road) that Dad, Noah and I decide to walk to, so we can pick up some water. we trudge down there (I'm snapping photos on the way), and ... well let's just say we picked up a few more things then we came for. We got: watermelon (yes, a whole one to carry all the way back), two gallons of water, 6 avocados, ice cream (yes, they had soy!!!!), root beer - and then we got sunflowers and an Odwalla juice for Mom, since she was kinda stressed about the whole suburban thing.

HAHA we must have been quite the sight - walking down the frontage road, two kids and an adult carrying odd groceries, Dad with the watermelon on his shoulder, walking along the highway. But we didn't care. :) (Unfortunately, I couldn't take photos on the way back - I was carrying too much stuff)

Then - the day ended as nicely as it had begun. We had root beer floats, which none of us children had ever had before, by the way - Mom loved the flowers - and then we watched a movie that the campground was playing for free! What an a day! And now, I had better get some sleep - oh, but I have to study some first. Priorities you know.

Shalom!

India