Ginrich News

Quiet house

2008-08-21T21:09:00.003-05:00

The house is now quiet. Some little fingerprints have been cleaned. The sidewalk art on the drive way has been rained off but some of it still remains on the patio, bring sweet memories every time we walk around them. We really enjoyed "playing" with these two of our eight grandchildren but also relish the tranquility of our "old" age. We are hectic in the pace of helping the church prepare for charge conference. Richard will serve as treasurer again next year and Ginger as Lay Leader. We are also preparing the RV for a one week stay in Houston Sept 8 for Richard's knee replacement surgery. As Houston is a 2 hour drive, this will save a lot of time and stress for Ginger. The RV park, only 2 miles from the hospital, has a free shuttle so no parking fees.

Check out Debbie's Rescue riders for pictures of the floods in Melbourne, Florida. It's pretty bad. http://rescueriders.wordpress.com

Empty Nest

2008-08-12T21:14:00.003-05:00

After a 10 hour drive yesterday with 2 active grandchildren we arrived at their home. They were most excited to see 2 year old sister, KiKi. Today, the next day, we drove another 10 hours back home. News reports say there are a lot less people on the road but we couldn't tell it. The traffic was thick and we went through many sections of heavy rain. When we finally headed west on 105 in Texas, we were rewarded with the most beautiful sunset sky, baby pink fluffy clouds against baby blue sky. It lasted the entire time we headed west on that road. As we turned north on 146 there was a read halo on the horizon. Then we were rewarded with a spectacular lightening show without the hazard of wet roads from rain.

Our house seems quite big and quiet to us now. I'm not sure how long I'll wait to take off the fingerprints from various surfaces. Tomorrow we resume a very busy and hectic schedule so this blog will not be updated daily.

Four States in One Day

2008-08-11T21:20:00.003-05:00

We ate breakfast in Texas. We ate lunch in Louisiana. We ate supper in Alabama. We'll have our bed time snack in our house in Florida. What a day. We watched several DVD's during the 10 hour car trip. We also played card games Mrs. Nedra gave us. Grandma and Grandpa had to drive in a lot of rain. We made a rest stop in Camping World and got to look at a lot of neat stuff. The dogs rode in the shopping cart and Glee pooped in the cart. Grandma had to clean it up. Our little sister was really excited to see us. We think Mom was glad too. Grandma and grandpa will leave tomorrow. We'll miss them. We hope they'll miss us. We're turning this blog back over to our grandparents. To keep up with us you'll have to go to http://justus8.wordpress.com

Aunt Debbie leaves

2008-08-09T18:41:00.004-05:00

This morning we posed for a group photo (on our photo blog) and then took Aunt Debbie to the airport. Traffic wasn't bad so we made a stop at Hobby Lobby to let Aunt Debbie look around. Grandma bought her some yarn and some Red Hot Candy for Uncle David's snack package she sends to him in Iraq every few weeks. We left Aunt Debbie's plane actually left a little early. Our grandparents didn't know they ever left early. That got her to Memphis early enough to get on a flight to Atlanta without waiting. She had to spend a lot of time in Atlanta because she just missed the earlier flight to Melbourne. At least there was more to do at the Atlanta airport than at the Memphis one. On the way back to our grandparents house we stopped at Lubby's cafeteria and ate lunch. We played when we got home then went swimming. After dinner we "worked" on our computers. Tonight we have to get cleaned-up for church tomorrow. Tomorrow night Grandma preaches at the vesper service. We get to go to the ice cream party after vespers. This is the last of our blogging. We leave Monday for our home. It sure has been fun here but we are starting to miss mommie, brothers, sister and Kevin.

Friday , August 8

2008-08-08T15:53:00.005-05:00

We are so sad. Today is Aunt Debbie's last day. Tomorrow we have to take her to the airport. We went to our favorite, Taco Bell for lunch. It's one of Aunt Debbie's favorites also. Then we drove around. We went by the prison to see all the horses they have. We also went to the dam. We found a place on Lake Livingston where grandpa could launch his boat for free. There were a lot of birds there. It was very pretty. We came home to swim but it's raining. Grandma plans to clean out the refrigerator for dinner tonight. Photos are on the photo blog, You can get there by keying in this: http://community.webshots.com/user/Ginrich1

Thursday, August 7

2008-08-07T19:15:00.003-05:00

What a day. We drove 1.5 hours to Fry's Electronics. In the car Aunt Debbie taught us how to crochet some more. Nathan is doing multiple rows already. We both think it is a lot of fun. At Fry's Aunt Debbie found the camera she wanted. From there we went to Panera's to eat and then to Barns and Noble. We looked at some magazines and then left Grandpa there looking at magazines while we went into this really big mall and went to the children's museum. We had such a good time. Highlights were the "critter room" and the obstacle course. Pictures are on the picture blog. When we got home we went swimming, then supper and more crocheting. We sure are enjoying Aunt Debbie.

Wednesday, Aug 6

2008-08-06T21:04:00.006-05:00

Today we played with Aunt Debbie, went to "My Place" for lunch, saw the stock yards with baby calves, and went to Texas Pepper to have TexMex food. Early this morning Aunt Debbie helped Grandma and Grandpa put up a really big antenna for when the satellite has rain fade like during tropical storms like we had yesterday. With all that rain they are still 3 inches behind in rain fall for the year. We had another thunder storm today so we couldn't go swimming. Aunt Debbie tried to teach us to knit but we had trouble with 2 needles. Now she is teaching us to crochet. Grandma bought each of us our own crochet hook and yarn. Don't know what we'll make but it will be fun. Tomorrow we are going to Fry's Electronics so Aunt Debbie can buy a camera. We should be home in time to go swimming if it doesn't rain. Photos are on the photo blog.

2008-08-05T20:25:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Today we "worked" on our computers while the Tropical Storm passed over us. We had a lot of rain but because of the drought, it soked into the ground very quickly. We ate lunch at our favorite, Taco Bell then went back home because Debbie called and said she was delayed in Memphis for an extra hour because of weather. We parked in the passsenger pick up lot until her plane came in. We counted taxi cabs and watched planes fly in while we waited.

We ate supper at Lubby's Cafeteria. It is so nice to see Aunt Debbie. She is staying in our grandparents RV so she has her own space to rest. We have a lot to do while she is here.

Miranda celebrated her birthday after we got home. The grandparents gave her a baby doll that drinks and wets and a diary. Aunt Debbie brought us some souvenere pens from Atlanta.

We have a lot to do while Aunt Debbie is here. We are really excited about it.

Friday, August 1 and Saturday August 2

2008-08-02T10:36:00.003-05:00

Friday and Saturday are "bum around" days. Friday we ate luch at Tacco Bell, our favorite place, and then shopped at Wall-mart, another favorite place. Grandma and Grandpa forgot it was the first of the month and Wall-mart was jammed with people who have just been paid. Grandma bought us some balls for the swimming pool. Someone was camping in the park with a boy and girl our age so we had fun playing in the pool with them. We played wii and watched videos that night.

Tonight we go to church for a country gospel concert. Afterward they will have finger food. We look forward to seeing what "finger food" is. We get to go swimming earlier today since we have to be at church by 6 PM. Nathan pulled up dead weeds in the yard Saturday morning. He has some chores to do to work off the payment for the wii remote he broke. It is supposed to be the hottest weekend this summer so we won't get to go to the zoo today. The animals won't do anything but sleep in the heat. Tomorrow is church day.

We are getting excited becaues Aunt Debbie is flying in for a visit on Tuesday. Grandma has been getting the RV ready for her "guest room." We haven't seen Aunt Debbie for a long time.

Johnson Space Center

2008-08-01T11:15:00.002-05:00

Thursday we went to Johnsons Space center. It was a long ride because of construction detours without road signs. When we finally got there it looked like everybody from Texas was there. We saw a trampolene bungy jump and got in the long line for that. It was well wort the wait. It was so much fun jumping high. After that we went to a movie about space on a really big screen. It was a bit long but we enjoyed it. Then we played in the ball tower while Grandpa watched some more movies. Grandma let us play on all the stuff all over the center. There was so much we could do it was hard to choose what was next. Later we went to anouther movie with Grandpa. That screen was 8 stories high. After the movie we had a snack and played some more. We got to walk on bungie cords and work on a chair they use for astronaut training. We also took a tram ride and saw where they train the astronauts. We got to see some real astronauts. They sure have to train hard before they go into space. We also got to see a ranch with Texas Longhorn steers. It as a really long and fund day. We got to TGI Friday's for Grandma and Grandpas 44 anniversary dinner at 9PM. We got home at 10:30. Even though everyone (except Grandma, who was driving) slept in the car on the way home, we went right to bed. What a fund day. Photos are on the phot blog.

Tuesday, July 29

2008-07-29T21:03:00.003-05:00

Today the guys slept late and we just bummed around resting up from the heat from yesterday. We went to Tacco Bell's for lunch the Wallmart for more groceries. We had our daily swim, did some sidewalk art and "worked" on our computers. There are no photos from today. Tomorrow we will do more of the same around here because Thursday, Grandma and Grandpa's 44 anniversary, we will probably go to Johnson Space center. They have a lot of special things for children during the summer. It will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get there so it will be a long day. We won't update this tomorrow but be sure to check it out Thursday night - and the photo page.

The Forestry Museum

2008-07-28T17:12:00.003-05:00

July 28, 2008

What a fun day. We went to the doctor office for Grandpa to have a check up then off for fun. We drove for about 40 minutes to the first part of the Forestry Museum. This area of Texas is know as Piney Woods because of all the pine trees. Forestry is a major industry here.

Outside they have a Steam Engine Train also known as the Iron Horse. We got to play around on it. We rang the bell and we blew the whistle. It was really loud. Grandma’s ears rang the rest of the day.

After playing around in the engine and caboose we went to a nursing home to visit a friend of Grandma and Grandpa. They have an aviary. That’s a place that has birds. Some birds were nesting on eggs. They also have a big aquarium. Mrs. Dib was very happy to see some children. She enjoyed our hugs and conversation.

When we left we went to the second section of the Forestry Museum. First we looked around inside.

Outside they had a lot of forestry equipment. They sure need a lot of stuff to cut down trees for wood and paper.

They also have another Steam Engine train with a log car and caboose. We sure like to climb around on it. We rang the bell. Grandma was glad the whistle didn’t work.

After we climbed around on the train we walked the nature trail. They sure have a lot of different trees. It was really hot.

We went to the mall to “kill” 30 minutes before the senior rates went in at Golden Coral. The mall was fun. They had a play section and “crabby sand.”

We enjoyed our late lunch. We were all hot and tired and fell asleep in the car going home - all except Grandma who drove us home. What a great day.

Photos are at http://community.webshots.com/user/Ginrich1

Day 4, Sunday

2008-07-27T19:21:00.003-05:00

Today we went to church. We hugged everybody who came into the sanctuary. We went up front for the Children's Moment. The Pastor asked some questions and Nathan answered every one of the as soon as they were asked - correctly. Everyone was very impressed.

After church lots of us went to a restaurant called "My Place." Grandpa left with a group from the church going to meet the new District Superintendant. Grandma took us home. At home we worked on our computer house designs until it was time for Grandma to set up for Vespers. We put all the hymn books on the chairs while Grandma fixed the communion trays.

After Vespers we went to the ice cream social. We think adults are louder than children. It was so loud you could hardly hear yourself talk. We are making a lot of friends. We seem to be the most popular people in the park.

When we came home, Grandpa was back but we went into the shed to work on our computers some more.

There are two new photos on the photo blog.

Check out photos

2008-07-27T14:15:00.003-05:00

This blog is having trouble with photos. They say they are working on it. In the meantime you can link to
http://community.webshots.com/user/Ginrich1
Hopefully blog spot will get their problem fixed shortly and I can post phots on the blog.

2008-07-26T21:15:00.003-05:00

Saturday, July 26.2008

We had another fun day. We “bummed” around the house playing and working on the computer.

At 4:30 we went to the pool. Wow. It’s really fun. Grandpa makes a good diving board.

After a spaghetti dinner we watched Peter Pan on TV. We could hardly stay awake. Then showers and bed. We go to church in the morning. Photos are posted on Grandma's photo web page.

Nathan and Miranda's Visit

2008-07-26T09:16:00.002-05:00

Currently this blog service is unable to support photos. For photos go to http://community.webshots.com/user/Ginrich1

Thursday, July 24, 2008

We left Pace around 8AM. We stopped at Wendy’s for lunch then went to a new Pro Bass Store. It was a lot of fun. We saw fish, a big turtle, and a lot of “stuffed” wild animals. We ate breakfast in Florida, lunch in Louisiana and were hoping to eat supper in Texas. However, Interstate 10 in Louisiana was closed because a car ran into the back of a gas truck and they exploded. The flames caused damage to bridges in both directions over the swamplands of Louisiana.
We had a three-hour detour in a lot of traffic. We didn’t get into Livingston until 10:30 that night. Grandma and Grandpa said we were incredibly good.

When we got to their house we looked around. Nathan thinks it is a “cute, little house” and wants one just like it. We were excited to see we get to sleep in the loft. We can see everything in the living room from up there. We have our own DVD player and can watch movies.

We went to bed up there very tired.

Friday, July 25, 2008

We did some sidewalk art on the driveway today. Grandma wants all the concrete covered with pictures.

We went to Wall-mart to buy groceries. When we got home Grandma said this “cute, little house” is built for groceries of only 2 people. The freezer is jammed, the refrigerator is jammed and the counter is full because there is no room in the pantry. We think we’ll eat really well. We went to the videotape library in the park and each got a DVD and a videotape to watch. We went swimming and had a really great time. Then we went to Taco Bell for dinner. We were both so very hungry after all that swimming. After we ate we drove by a lot of ranches to see the big lake, Lake Livingston, and the dam that makes the lake. There were a lot of birds in the river and a lot of fishermen. When we got home we played on “our computers” and had desert. It’s been a really full and fun day. We’re tired.

It's been a long time

2008-07-08T10:57:00.004-05:00

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. I have been batteling computers. One is DOA, one has been in and out of Best Buy's Geek squad, mostly in, and is there yet again. I've used various substitutes but, of course, my favorites don't all get moved over every time. I have a love hate relationship with computers. Love because I get to instant message with our son who is in Bagdad and also our other children scattered around the country. One day we had a daughter in Florida, a daughter-in-law in Texas, our son in Iraq and myself on a four-way internet conversation. That is well worth all the hassels computers bring our way.

Richard and I have been certified as lay speakers for the United Methodist Church. We were advised we would probably not be asked to speak as most pastors don't want to give up their podium.. However, we have both been quite busy. We have had the opportunity, each of us, substituting for our pastor in our home church and we each alternat every other month speaking one Sunday at the vesper service in our ever growing park. It is such a joy to speak God's word.

Ginger has created another blog for public access for devotions she's written. You can reach it at http://ginrich.wordpress.com/. She will be adding one each day (Hopefully).

We are not traveling in the RV this summer. We promised our church we would stay here since Richard is the treasurer and Ginger is the Lay Leader. We are going to Florida via car to pick up 2 of Tammy's children and bring them back for a few weeks of a Texas Adventure. Daughter, Debbie, will fly in for a quick 3 day visit in early August.

We bought a wii and have been playing Tiger Woods golf every day. Good exercise. We also do water aerobics which Ginger leads from time to time. The wii also has an exercize DVD which will cause us to "work up a sweat".

Besides church, helping out friends and neighbors, wii games and exercise, and general day to day chores there is no other news. Richard will be having a knee replacement Setp 8. We opted to wait until summer activites are over for that.

I will try to update this more often regardless of which computer I must use. I hope not to loose where it is again. Thank you, daughter Tammy, for puting a link from your log to mine so I could find it.

Florida

2007-12-30T13:02:00.000-06:00

We are in Pensacola, Florida, enjoyin daughter, Tammy, and family. As always, the pace is very fast with six children in the house. Tammy has a boot on the broken foot she got for Christmas in the early hours of that beautiful day. The biggest problem is the baby keeps getting on the boot causing a lot of pain. The children all enjoyed the Christmas gifts we brought but, we are glad to say, they seem to enjoy us even more. We will be here a few days then go to Melbourne to be with daughter, Debbie, and horses, then back to Pensacola for a couple days before returning home. We had a wonderful Christmas as home enjoying our church family, friends and neighbors.

In Melbourne, we look forward to visiting with our friend, Maurene, who will be 107 on Dec. 30. She said when she was little she asked the Lord to let her be here until He comes back. She just might do it.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-10T07:47:00.000-06:00

We have been incredibly busy since our return from New England. We went to an RV rally a few days after returning home. We went to visit our son and his family who have returned from Germany. We went to make plans for an RV rally we are hosting in March. That was a hard trip because we had to go to a lot of restaurants and sample their wares so we'd know what to recommend. (A tough job but someone had to do it.) Then there are church commitments, Christmas to prepare for and normal every day activities. In the interest of putting more money where it is needed (charities) we have cut our snail mail Christmas Cards down considerable and will include it with our blog each year. Hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful celebration with friends and family of the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Praise God! He is alive and still King.

Home and Running

2007-10-25T19:06:00.000-05:00

We are home and running. Between unloading the rig, cleaning it out and preparing to leave on Tuesday for a rally, visiting with neighbors and church activities we find ourselves incredibly busy. Thanks to very good neighbors our gravel was not green, our car was not DOA and all in the house were fine. What a wonderful place to live.

Pensacola, Florida

2007-10-19T15:31:00.001-05:00

We drove through rain all day, Thursday, and arrived in Pace (outside Pensacola) the same time the tornadoes passed through. Tonight (Friday) we go to the football game to watch our oldest grandson, Joshua. He was quite a shock to see as he is now taller than his grandmother. Makes me feel much older all of a sudden. We will travel on Monday and Tuesday for Livingston.

Shanadoah National Park and Skyline Drive

2007-10-15T13:42:00.000-05:00

After two nights in parking lots we arrived on Skyline Drive in Virginia Friday afternoon. We were able to get one of the last campsites in Shenandoah National Park. No hook ups but lovely site. Saturday morning we headed for Big Meadow. We took the family here 30 years ago and said we would come back sometime. We didn’t say who the “we” included or when we would make it back. There have been changes in the last 30 years. We enjoyed walking in the big meadow, watching deer graze and a ranger talk on snakes.

After checking the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the speed limit and the amount of traffic we opted to exit onto the interstate system. We are due in Pensacola by Friday to watch the oldest grandson play in the marching band and also to celebrate a daughter’s birthday. We would not make it in time on the parkway. Several nights will be spent in various Wall-mart parking lots. We are now eating lunch in Tennessee at a Panera’s. Next update will be from Florida.

Mt. Washington in the fall

2007-10-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

Since we had another free pass and it was a pretty day we took another van tour up to Mt Washington. The trees below the tree line were beautiful. Up on the mountain it was quite cold and windy and in the clouds. I did get a few photos between cloud movements. It is suppose to have 14 inches of snow on Tuesday. We still have a free gondola ride across from Mt Washington and will cash it in if there is snow to see. Below are a few more photos of fall time. Hope you enjoy them.

We were so surprised to see monarchs still in the area. That show how unseasonably warm it has been here. Hope they make their migration in time. We plan to make our migration in time.

More Waterfalls

2007-10-03T17:48:00.000-05:00

Today was a beautiful day. We drove to Loon Mountain and rode their gondola to the top of the mountain to enjoy the view of the early fall leaves. They are at about 25%.

On the way "home" we discovered another water fall. Ginger can never get enough photos of waterfalls and took 74 of them today.

The waterfall is next to an old Indian trail. It was a pleasant hike, mostly next to the rapidly running river cascading over the rocks. For awhile we sat on a bench just listening to the music of the cascading water.

Tomorrow night (Thursday) we host a campfire circle party for the work campers and the senior staff at the park. We work Saturday through Monday. On Sunday night the church we've been attending is giving us a good-bye party. On Monday night we have a dinner at a near-by restaurant for the work campers and senior staff of the park. Tuesday we pack up things and head out on Wednesday.

We are very glad we came. The season was long but the perks were fantastic. We saw and did so many things we would have not spent the money to see and/or do. We've made many new friends and also had two new "daughters" from Slovakia. They were so sad to leave us but so ready to be back home.

Our next update will be dependant on connections on the road. Stay healthy and tuned in to Jesus.

Sunset on Mt Washington

2007-09-27T10:10:00.000-05:00

We had a very exciting trip up and down Mt. Washington. It rained and the clouds went down to ground level. We really appreciated the professional drivers who got us up and down safely.

We were blessed with a concert by a singing group. The sang a-capella and sang old religious songs and some African songs. They, too, came to see the sunset.

Since we didn't get to see the sunset, Ginger created one from an earlier picture on top of Mt Washington, for the benefit of the group.

Glenn Allan Falls

2007-09-25T17:21:00.000-05:00

Today we drove to Berlin, NH to see leaves and to go to Super Walmart. On the way we stopped at Glenn Allan Falls. The water comes down from Mt Washington and to drop in the picture is 64 feet.

The fall leaves are just beginning to turn even though today's high was over 90F. Ginger has been rained on (by fall leaves) on the Safari Ride for a couple weeks.

Tomorrow night we are being treated by the park to a sunset on the top of Mt. Washington. Rain is scheduled but not supposed to come until late in the evening. Hopefully we will be able to add some pretty sunset pictures to the blog.

We have 2 more weekends to work. The last weekend will extend through Monday, Columbus Day. We will head out that Wednesday, going down the Blue Ridge Parkway and then into Pensacola to watch grandson, Josh, march with the band at a football game.

Stay well, healthy and in touch with God.

Maritime Provinces

2007-09-14T19:41:00.000-05:00

We left Story Land Monday morning in the rain and arrived at New Brunswick’s St. John that evening. Due to the rain and the cold we opted for a motel. While there, we saw “Reversing Falls.” It was between the river and the Bay of Fundy. The tide comes in and out there and the falls actually reverse their direction. Never seen that before. The next day, Tuesday, we went to see Hopewell Rocks. There is a 48-foot difference between high and low tide. Unfortunately, we could not be there at low tide but it was most interesting and picturesque anyway, even in the rain.

We crossed the extremely long bridge to Prince Edward Island, in the rain, and opted for yet another night in a motel. We checked out Charlottetown, their quaint homes and beautiful gardens. Wednesday morning, Ginger peaked through the blinds of the motel and was delighted to fine no rain. We finished our drive through Prince Edward Island and caught a ferry to Nova Scotia.

Waiting for the ferry were several horse trailers (with their precious cargo) and their harness carriages tied on the backs of the trailers. They were going to NS for a race.

The ferry ride was a long 6 hours, even with jet engins running at 55 MPH. The wind was strong and the motion was great, giving Ginger a difficult time.

During the ferry ride we noticed a Canada version of a Coast Guard Cutter chasing the ferry along with two rafts. It seems the Canadian police were doing a security rehearsal. The rafts took turns coming up to the ferry, tossing up a ladder and each of 8 men climbing up the ladder to board the ferry. Then the raft would leave and come back for the men to climb back down. They repeated this rehearsal for at least 10 times per raft. While Ginger was videotaping, the raft separated from the ferry while one of the men was climbing down. He went swing wildly, hanging on tightly, while those below him grabbed for the ladder and the pilot of the raft tried to bring the raft back in line. All turned out well. It showed they did need the practice.

We got to a Nova Scotia KOA campground (in the sun) and decided to upgrade to a cabin. Then off, before dark, to see Peggy’s Cove. Definitely a highlight of the trip. That night, we decided to change our itinerary and take the CAT home. Richard was tired of driving and we didn’t want to retrace our steps. With a 14% sales tax on everything and .20 per liter gas tax we decided we’d come out ahead to pay the ferry price, save time and gas and have a day at home to rest before returning to work. The ferry ride was quite rough due to the high winds and also long, 6 hours. We really enjoyed our trip but are glad to be “home.”

Cinderella

2007-09-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

We had a lot of rain and thunderstorms on our two days of so we caught up on errands. We did go into the park on Friday to video "Farm Follies," a very cute and funny show for the grandchildren to see. We have transferred it to DVD. While in the park, we visited Cinderella in her castle and took a picture of "Grandpa" with Cinderella. We also saw her glass slipper. Labor Day will be our last day for full time. After that it is weekends only and only until 5 PM.

Enjoy the photos. The next update will be after we get back fromour trip to Nova Scotia. That will be in about 2 weeks. Stay healthy and happy. God is so gracious to us.

Clark's Trading Post

2007-08-24T17:07:00.000-05:00

This week's trip was to Clark's Trading Post. It began as a roadside attraction in 1928 as an Eskimo Sled Dog Ranch. In 1930 they introduced the black bear and have performed bear shows ever since. The bear show was entertaining as bear shows go.

The had several museums. One was antique fire wagons, another, antique games (we sure felt old in that one), antique machines including typewriters (we've sure come a long way on that line) and a few others.

The highlight was a steam engine train along one of New Hampshire's scenic rivers. The entertainment portion of that for the children was encounters with "wolf man." That trip is recorded on DVD and we haven't had time to clip out a still photo.

We checked out Lost River Gorge and decided against the climb up and down 1000 steps.

We have 8 more days of full time work and then go to part time.

Flume Gorge and Canyon Mountain

2007-08-16T19:15:00.000-05:00

Once again God blessed us with a beautiful day off for sight-seeing. The weather couldn't be better. We went to Flume Gorge and hiked up and down hills and a multiple of stairs. It was so worth the climb. We were first greeted with "Table Rock" and soon view the long stream of falling water running over the granite rocks. At the top we were well rewarded for our climb with several big and full water falls. We met someone on the climb that came in May but the Flume was closed due to too much water.

Many steps, bridges and bends following up to the bigger falls.

On the way down, Richard opted for the van ride while Ginger walked up and down for the photo opts. This covered bridge is the most photographed one in N.H., built in 1886.

She also met up with a big granite boulder.

After enjoying the Flume Gorge we proceeded to Canyon Mountain. The gondola can hold 80 people in the summer time but only 60 in the winter. We only had around 40 so there was a lot of room for everyone to enjoy the views.

We have 2 more weeks of full time work the go to weekends only. The week after Labor Day we plan to car camp in Nova Scotia.

Stay tuned for next week's adventures.

Five Hour Scenic Train Trip

2007-08-09T18:14:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful day. The weather couldn't be better for sight-seeing. We went to North Conway and cashed in our passes for a free five hour scenic train trip through the mountains.

We passed curves, sometimes thinking we'd pass ourselves.

We viewed mountain vistas,

waterfalls,

flowing rivers,

dry riverbeds and so much more.

Some had a little trouble not seeing the inside of eyelids due to the rhythm of the train.

We even caught a little wildlife. The train noise scared off bigger forms.

Five Hour Train Ride

2007-08-09T18:11:00.000-05:00

It's Too Hot

2007-08-03T15:58:00.001-05:00

Our 2 days off were off the charts in heat. So glad not to be working in the heat. It will be cooler tomorrow when we start our new work week. It was so hot we mostly stayed home. We did drive to Best Buys in Auburn, ME to return Richard's computer. They are going to try to get the insurance company declare it a lemon and give us a new one. It's the 5th trip for the same problem.

Since I don't have anything new this week I thought I'd share some pictures of Story Land (where we are working). It is an excellent park for young families - so much nicer than Disneyland. Hope you enjoy them. We will take a side trip next week so be sure to "tune in."

Cinderella"s Castle. People can ride a pumpkin coach up the hill to see and talk to Cinderella. It is a highlight for little girls.

Pirate Ship, tours the lake going around the island. Finds treasures. There is a play ground with water guns where the children can shoot at the ship. Of course, it's a great hit with the little boys (and a lot of the girls).

An audio story of the "Three Little Pigs" There is a farm section with animals which go with stories, ie. Mary's Little Lamb, etc. The pigs are exchanged as the grow bigger.

One of the 2 RV sections. Ours is the class C in the front with our "new" red Saturn wagon. We still own the Saturn View but it is too heavy to tow behind our Class C. It was fine when we had our big diesel pusher. We have the wagon because we plan to do car camping in Nova Scotia in September when we go to weekends only in the park.

Temperatures will return to "normal" (whatever that is) tomorrow as our work week starts. Tune in next week.

Full week

2007-07-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

This has been a full week. Our 2 days off were packed. Monday night the park took us to a private antique wagon museum . The host said it was a hobby gone out of control. He opens the museum by his invitation only. He owns several hundred antique wagons and sleds. Of course, we were impressed with the antique "RV's".

Thursday morning, bright and early, we went to the station for Mount Washington van auto road tour. The day was hot and sunny. The tour was beautiful and interesting. It was so nice at the top at 10 am we didn't even need long sleeves (very unusual).

Thursday afternoon we went to Wildcat Mountain and rode the ski lift to the top. After Mount Washington it was a little anti-climatic but enjoyed, nevertheless.

Friday saw us up early to ride the Cog up to the top of Mount Washington for our second time. Our second coupon for a free ride expired after that day. Ginger was able to get a few other pictures not taken on the first trip. The most interesting one is on the way down where the riding car is separated and a little distance from the engine.

Laundry and other chores called us home. That evening we celebrated our 43 anniversary with a delicious stuffed lobster dinner (Our anniversary is the 31, but that's a work day.).

More next week.

Santa Village

2007-07-19T16:07:00.000-05:00

Today we had a few hours before the rain came so we went to Santa Village. The highlight was enjoying the Christmas music played throughout the park. We were surprised to find a large nativity scene. It had a cross in the center of a pond in front of it and a chapel beside it. The park was beautifully landscaped so we enjoyed many beautiful flowers. It seems this area is full of a lot of theme parks concentrating on the young families.

Since we both like fresh made pastries we visited their bakery. While sitting on their deck, enjoying the view and the pastries, we had a visitor.

Tonight the work campers are having a pot luck. We've invited the international students who will be bringing dishes native to their respective countries.

More next week.

The Clog

2007-07-13T06:26:00.000-05:00

I can finally type a little though my right arm is still in a cast. We finally had a day off without having any medical appointments. We went to Mt Washington and road the Clog train up to the top. The charcoal based steam engine was built in the 1800's. It runs on 3 tracks. The middle track is for the clog, a wheal with teeth to grab and pull up. The ride began at 2700 feet and climb to the top of Mt Washington at 6288 feet. Going down takes no power but a lot of breaking. The weather could not have been better. On one side of the mountain we were above the cloud and on the other you could see forever. The temperature was even pleasant.

Florida

2007-06-10T10:25:00.000-05:00

We didn't get to meet our Adventureland friends before we flew to FL. We rescheduled that for this week. Our trip to Florida was great. The flight went without incident and arrived on time. We were greeted by daughter, Debbie, son, David, his wife (our 3rd daughter), Bridget, incredible tall grandson, Jack and, a beauty to behold, granddaughter, Jania. We stayed in their motel on base and all had a wonderful 4 short days together. The only drawback was the broken wrist Ginger got the first morning. It's really hard to type one handed so further updates wont be available for about six weeks. We are back working at Story Land. We've been visited by a black bear, a moose, 2 wild turkeys and a family of Canadian geese. Photos and more in about six weeks.

2007-05-29T09:18:00.000-05:00

We went to Portland, ME for a day this past Thursday. The park provided tickets for the Red Socks farm team. While in Portland we had a delightful boat tour of the bay and the many light houses in the area. It was even more delightful being in the cool bay breezes as the temperature in Portland hit 90 that day.

Opening weekend broke records for high temperatures. The first day we worked together on the balloon chase (a Ferris wheel type ride). The second day Ginger was back on that ride and Richard was on the flying fish (a fun ride but very hot). The third day Ginger went to flying fish and Richard was on the Tractor ride. Next weekend Ginger does the Safari Jungle Tour. She gets to sit but must memorize a lot of speeches. It should be fun.

On Thursday we go up north somewhere to meet up with some friends we worked with in Adventureland, Shirley and Dick Green. We look forward to that day trip.

We were delighted with a phone call from son David. They have arrived safely in Melbourne for some R&R before going to their new assignment. We plan to fly down on Monday, June 4 to see them. We will have to return on Thursday as we work on Friday. Three days are short but better than none. We will update after our trip on Thursday.

Orientatiion

2007-05-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

We spent Saturday and Sunday in orientation. On Sunday, while being trained on one of the rides, Richard look down the path, about 25 yards, and saw a black bear loping across the path toward the pavilion where we had just eaten lunch. There are a lot of bears here. They fence the dumpsters with 12-foot high fences and fence the fence with electrical fence. The bears still get in and make a mess. Sunday night, Ginger had to take Glee out around 3 AM. Needless to say, she was a little nervous in the dark. She didn’t want to make noise as to wake up others. She did survive (and so did Glee).

Monday, the sun finally came out for the first time since our arrival. We were able to see Mount Washington. Today we are going to two places, Echo Lake and something else (we’re not driving). Friday they have given us tickets for some kind of ball game in Portland. We will spend the time up there looking around.

Arrived at Story Land

2007-05-17T08:20:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay. Ginger's computer caught a virus at the last posting at a Panera's. Richard is busy trying to restore it. Richard asked Ginger what she wanted for Mother's Day and she said, "Sit still." We found a Passport America campground and went to a Methodist college church Sunday morning. We sure miss the friendliness of our church. After church we drove to the "Grand Canyon of the East Coast" It is a steep, thin canyon of black granite rock with 3 levels of water falls. It was beautiful and we will try to post some photos. On Monday we continued up the road and stayed in another Wall-mart for the night. We discovered cool weather. We arrived in Story Land on Tuesday to find snow still on the surrounding ski slopes. Today, Thursday, the high will be in the low 50's. Our friends from Adventureland arrived yesterday and are in the site next to us. We've met the manager of the park and a few of the employees and think the work atmosphere will be delightful. We report for orientation on Saturday morning so will spend today and tomorrow checking out the surrounding area. This is a high tourist area with many attractions. We are enjoying the scenic views. There are moose, deer and bears here. Because of that, there is no dumpster near the RV's. It is chained up behind a fence.

Travel Part 2

2007-05-11T17:27:00.000-05:00

We are sitting at Panera's enjoying their AC and good food and free Y5 in Columbus, Ohio. It was, finally, a very uneventful travel day. We seemed to hit rush hours in every major city. The heaviest was here in Columbus -much heavier than Cincinnati. Cincinnati looked very old and dirty but we did stop for lunch at White Castle. White Castle preceded the Crystal burger. Richard enjoyed it and Ginger waited to eat some left overs in the rig. Tomorrow we head through Cleveland Ohio and are hoping to find cooler temperatures. We are parked in a Super Wal-mart which was a challenge to find in the traffic. Of course, while here in Panera's we will forget our food plan and buy some goodies for breakfast.

On the Road, Part 1

2007-05-10T18:45:00.000-05:00

Tonight, May 10, we are in a PA park in the Kentucky hills. It is nice to have full hook-ups after 2 nights in Wal-Mart parking lots. This has been a very memorable trip. It started out at home when Richard was backing up in our driveway with a blow out tire (of course, the inside dully). The road service could not get anyone out until 10 the next morning. After the tire was changed we drove the rig and car into town and bought a new spare. We hit the road around 1 in the afternoon. The next day, while Ginger was driving, the spare that they said was good and on the inside dully, spit off the tread. She was able to pull over to the side of I 40 (Memphis area) saving room for placement of a jack. We waited on the side of the interstate for 3 hours for the service to come. They are very polite drivers in Memphis during rush hour. A female truck drive let us in the rush hour traffic. We pulled into the next Wal-Mart/Sams parking lot to search for another new spare. They didn’t have our size but a Goodyear store across the road could get one by 10 the next morning. It was a hot and stormy night.

We left Memphis around 10:30 this morning and had an uneventful drive. The trees in the Kentucky hills say it’ early spring but the thermometer is higher than in TX. We will spend the evening in AC comfort and head on in the morning. We passed Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby and are just down the road from Mammoth Cave. We gave some SKP hugs to our neighbors then went inside to enjoy the AC. We look forward to whatever tomorrow’s adventures bring but will not take off very early. More next time we have a free Y5.

Leaving for New Hampshire

2007-05-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

We were planning to leave for New Hampshire on Monday, May 7 but the night before, we were both so tired we decided to wait another day. On Tuesday afternoon we were going to back the RV out so we could put the car behind it and attached it but the RV wouldn't move. We discovered a big bubble on an inside tire. We let the air out and moved the rig over to the concrete during which that tire popped. The auto service said someone would be out within 3 hours. After an hour and a half the service called. It seems the tow truck driver didn't want to work any later that day and would not be available until 10 am the next morning. We are grateful to God for His timing and protection. It was so nice that this happened in our drive way and not on the side of a road somewhere. We have a good spare so will just go to town with the rim of the bad tire and have a new one put on. Then, we will head off this afternoon as we only plan about 3-4 hours on the first leg of our journey (Texarkana). We've heard from friends who say the further north they get the cooler it is and we are looking forward to that. Our next blog will be from Story Land NY. We plan to be there around the 17 as orientation is on the 19.

Escapees Chapter 10 Rally

2007-03-31T18:03:00.000-05:00

We have just returned from our rally held just west of Tyler, TX. We had a wonderful time of eating, fellowshiping, eating, sightseeing, fellowshiping, eating, etc. We di d spend part of one night in the camp ground office waiting for the all clear of a tornado watch. Just to the west of us, much of Texas was flooded. Some areas were also hit by tornados. We were just wet.

We did visit the gigantic flee market in Canton, TX. It was mostly just more of the same stuf in any flee market but a whole lot bigger. The azailas were absolute beautiful throughout the area. The famous Tyler roses were not in bloom yet.

We visited a fish hatchery and enjoyed their .8 mile nature trail. We made a DVD of the hatchery and have made coppies available to those who want one.

Now we must catch up on business and get ready for our six month trip to New Hampshire.

March Update

2007-03-11T15:26:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful time in Florida, with Debbie and horses in Melbourne and with Tammy and grandchildren in Pensacola. We arrived home needing racing shoes. We are reworking part of our rig inside and catching up on a variety of business. We have a rally the end of this month and are preparing for our six month sojourn in New Hampshire.

While in Melbourne, we had the opportunity to meet up with a couple of friends we worked with in Adventureland. One of them had just finished six months in Europe by RV. Even though they kept us up with their travels via e-mail, it was nice to hear between the lines in person.

Ginger's supply of her devotion book is running low, so if you don't have one and would like it, let us know. We are asking for a donation to Goodrich United Methodist Church organ fund for the book. Postage is about $3. She's been getting a lot of positive feedback and is happy they what the Lord had spoken to her heart is true for others.

We will try to update this site once a month. Look for the summary of our rally to be added the first of April.

A New "Grandson"

2007-01-29T18:27:00.000-06:00

On Saturday night, January 27, the mom foald a heathy son. Mom's and son are doing fine. Debbie is tired from checking on the new foal throughout the night. The photo was taken Sunday at 10AM. It's amazing how fast they get on their feet. Glad our human babies are slower.

Old Lady

2007-01-24T18:49:00.000-06:00

Ginger just celebrated a really big birthday. That gives us a pay raise since we can now drop the company insurance. We had to pay for both of us just so Ginger could stay insured. We had a delightful day with daughter, Debbie. We ate fondu at the Melting Pot and relived memories of the family fonduing 35 years ago.

We will visit with our 106 year old friend next week. What a blessing she is. What a glorious witness. Still bright, alert and smart and passing out the love of God. Aging in the Lord is a beautiful thing. We praise Him Ginger is experiencing that joy.

We will be getting together with Richard's Harris cronies in early February. There are fewer to see each time.

The weather here has been glorious. Plants are budding thinking it is spring. A cold, rainy front is moving through tonight but it will only drop it to the high 60's or low 70's.

We are doing our internet at Panera's and I forgot to download new pictures. Sorry. Tune in again in a couple weeks.

We Know When to Leave Town

2007-01-17T15:50:00.000-06:00

From Melbourne Florida

After a few days with Tammy, Kevin and six grandchildren in Pensacola, we moved on to Melbourne to spend some time with Debbie, sister-in-law, Bernice, old friends and for Richard to play disc golf. After two days of disc golf, he can hardly move. We are incredibly busy but thoroughly enjoying the warm, balmy weather here compared to the sub-freezing weather in Livingston. We sure know when to leave town!

Our air conditioner went out which we expected when we purchased the rig. We will probably replace it on the way home in February. Next week we will take a day trip to visit some friends, Peggy and Jerry Martin. We worked at Adventureland with them and will be working together in Storyland in New Hampshire this coming summer.
We hope this finds you enjoying the sunsets and praising our Lord God.

2006-12-19T17:20:00.000-06:00

Advent Season

2006-12-19T17:12:00.000-06:00

This has been a very busy Advent Season. Besides all the normal extra activities, Ginger is having to play the organ (It's been over 42 years since she's done that) as both the organist and the pianist are out of town.

Richard had a new experience playing Santa at the local elementary school. He got some hugs and some colored pictures of Rudolf accompained by the question, "Where is Rudolf?"

We pray everyone has a blessed Christmas rejoicing in the coming down of God's Son, Jesus, to bring us into His Family.

2006-11-15T10:42:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 17:40 (SV)
And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd`s bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

Stone and Slingshot

He was just a small young boy sent on a simple errand. When David arrived to bring supplies and check on his older brothers he could not understand why no one would answer Goliath’s challenge. What was different about the boy, David? None of the men trained in warfare would face Goliath. David had a gift of faith. He knew he was of God’s chosen. David knew if he walked according to the will of God, God would protect him. He stepped out in faith and trust. David did not wear man’s armor. He knew that armor was not made for him. He chose to wear God’s armor of faith. He walked with calmness to face the giant. He calmly picked out a few small stones. Then David declared God’s power. I too, can be like David. Wherever, when ever and however God would use me, I can walk in faith. He will equip me for the task at hand. My job is to be willing to obey. When I walk in obedience and faith I can leave the results to God. The question is not the size of the task at hand. God equips for every task regardless of size or difficulty. The question is, am I willing to go, do and speak what He bids? It only took a small stone and a slingshot in the hand of a boy to save a nation.

Prayer

Father, help me stayed tuned to your voice and walk in immediate obedience to any task you have for me. The size of the task is not the issue. The act of obedience brings you glory.

Nature Center Photos from Palacios, TX

2006-11-06T14:43:00.000-06:00

Photo 1 - World's Largest Catapillar (don't recall the name)

Photo 2 - Nature Center Water Cascade

Photo 3 - Butterfly on flower - Nature Center

October News

2006-11-06T14:21:00.000-06:00

We spent five days in Palacios, Texas at an Escapee Chapter RV Rally. Our rig was surrounded on 3 sides by docked shrimp boats. Sunrises were beautiful as well as the sunsets. Some of the highlights included a tour of a shrimp processing plant. The end of their conveyer that sorts sizes had a bucket of the biggest shrimp we've ever seen. We also toured a Nature Center and enjoyed the flora and the birds. Eating at restraunts was really nice. We feasted on fish and seafood. Of course, we purchased a bag of processed (cleaned, pealed, devained and butterflied) shrimp from the plant we visited.

Just before we left for that trip we had Octoberfest here in the park. We enjoyed seeing old friends and won a very nice door prize - an awning carpet. We've looked at it and wanted it for many years but considered it too pricey. We look forward to using it.

Ginger's first devotional book is selling well. All proceeds go to the church organ fund. She is working on her second book now.

If you haven't gotten e-mail from us it is because Ginger's computer went terminally down. Please e-mail me so I can rebuild my contact list. I've not had time to download my pictures from the rally but will post them as soon as I can.

Richard preached in church on Laymen's Sunday. He did an excellent job. We have no travels planned until January. We will try to post samples from Ginger's devotional books from time to time.

As Christmas preparations get on the way, we are once more in charge of decorating the outside of the church. Along with our little house we will be pretty busy. Our cards are designed, printed and in addressed envelopes to be stamped and mailed right after Thanksgiving.

For Thanksgiving we will probably serve dinner to the less fortunate through a ministry called Manifest.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

End of Summer

2006-08-31T21:29:00.000-05:00

We have been at our home base for the past month. We are looking forward to the end of a hot and humid summer and traveling this fall. We've been taking care of the home fron doing some cosmetic changes to our home and to our rig. Check back in the end of October and there should be some interesting pictures and travel tidbits.

Devotional Book

2006-07-20T08:10:00.000-05:00

Ginger has published a devotional book to make mone for a new church organ in our church. All profits go to the organ fund. Here is a sample of one of the devotions.

The Onion

All these years of earthly life
have made me just the same
as the layers of the skins
of the onions God made.
Layers upon layers more
have hidden me so deep
until not even I could see
what lay within the core.

Then, my Lord, You took Your knife
and pierced the outer skin.
One by one the layers left
to only show more skin.
Somewhere down below the deep
I know there is a core,
for I am in Your Image made
through Jesus Christ my Lord.

As each layer peels away
I think I’ve found the core.
Then I find that there’s much more
Before I see the core.
I think, my Lord, it will take
all of my earthly life
to peel all layers off of me
and show Your glorious Light.

Even in this process, Lord,
as years and layers fade,
each one allows Your light to shine
more glorious every day.
Keep peeling off the layers, Lord,
until all men can see
Jesus Christ shine out through me
bright and pure and free.

Prayer: Father I release You to peal the layers off of me. I want to become translucent that Your Love and glory will shine forth through me and light the path for others. Give me patience as you peal away the layers my old nature and this sinful world have surrounded me. Help me learn to trust as You peal away.
The Onion

Scripture reading: Romans 8:17-27

Do you sometimes wonder if you’ll ever learn? Does it seem as if God is always having you walk out the same things over and over? When I complained of this to a friend he said that we are just like onions. To someone who is going through the process of finding out who they are, this was not a comforting thought. There was also the fear that when all the layers were finally gone, there would be absolutely nothing left.
To have Jesus within us is an instantaneous event. He comes within us to reside through His Holy Spirit the moment we invite Him by accepting Him as our Lord and Savior. He will not leave unless we push Him out. To become translucent enough for others to see Jesus in us is a long, painful process. We must shed the artificial layers we have built around us until we finally see our inner core. If this were accomplished instantaneously we would be in mental and emotional shock. God works slowly and steadily within us giving our minds time to comprehend and our emotions time to adjust.
Even in this process our loving Father already sees us as perfect and loves us with His perfect love. Allow Him to love you as He clears away the layers that cover His Image in you.

Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral, FL

2006-07-20T07:59:00.000-05:00

We've just returned to Texas after taking 2 of our grandsons to our daughter's horse camp in Melbourne, FL. After the week-long camp we went to Jetty Park. This is a beutiful destination. You can watch the cruse ships go in and out. Ginger particularly enjoyed the sunrises. Kennedy Space Center is just 15 minutes away but quite expensive ($38 ages 11 and up).

The camp sites all have concrete pads for level rig placement. If you're in the area, we recommend a couple nights so you can enjoy the morning sunrises.