Texas Continued

We spent last night at an RV park in Ozona which is a town of little or nothing, but the park was adequate. It was built before 40' rigs with cars in tow so the sites were very short, but they were pull-throughs and there weren't many sites occupied so it worked out. We just stopped for gas in a little town called Sonora, and they have individual banners up identifying their service memebers by name and thanking them for their service to their country. Nice.

We still aren't seeing much habitation but at least the landscape has turned green.....and the air humid. There are lots of trees and low growing bushes across the rolling landscape. The wind blew off and on last night but no thunderstorms materialized which is good. Severe thunderstorms can be precursors to tornados, and the last place I want to be during a tornado is in this motor home that would get flipped around like a matchbox.

We expect to get to Danny's later this afternoon, and he has given us directions for a scenic route via Kerrville so that should be enjoyable. More later. Ciao

A whole lot of nothing continues

We come upon a small rise only to look beyond and see another endless stretch of I-10 straddled by endless acres and miles of desert-like nothing. We get excited if we see roadkill!! There have been several coyotes, one black unidentifiable, and several truck tire caps.

Our destination is Ozona which has one RV park and that is one of one for the surrounding hundred miles!! It gets mixed reviews online with the biggest problem being small sites, but we just need a place to stop and sit still for the night so it will be fine. Tomorrow will be a <300 mile day to Danny and Christa's. Ciao

A Lot of Nothing

We stayed in El Paso at the Ft. Bliss Famcamp last night and proceeded to get a late start this morning....but it isn't as if there is anything to get excited about seeing in this part of the world. We are currently about 50 miles east of El Paso and there is NOTHING out here. We can look to our right and see Mexico since we have been paralleling the Rio Grande and at times have come within a half mile of it. The Border Patrol is very much in evidence around here. Ooooh, we just passed a green cultivated field of something. Woohoo!!

On the advice of the famcamp host, we took a circuitous route to get back to I-10 this morning and it took us through part of Ft. Bliss which is a huge Army base, and it is getting bigger with construction as far as the eye can see. We were told there are about 40,000 troops being transferred here, and by the time you factor in dependents you are looking at about 100,000 additional bodies that will require housing and medical care.

The speed limit for cars is 80 and trucks are 70 during the day. We continue to 'truck' along at about 62. I think we have a rest area in another fifty miles or so and we will stop for lunch. Ciao

New Mexico and Texas

We are within 70 miles of El Paso where we will stay at Ft. Bliss Army Base if there is space available. It has been a very uneventful drive with nothing but a lot of god-forsaken country to look at. We made a side trip into the town of San Simon to find the post office which wasn't difficult. I think the population is about 500 and the website says the high school will graduate seven seniors this year. The local Catholic Church looked like it was held together with a lot of faith, and it was about the size of the Catholic Church in Steilacoom. It looked like a town forgotten, or perhaps a town never recognized since I couldn't even find much of anything on the internet. Ken thinks cotton was/is the local crop.

All around it is flat with nothing but brown grass and a few yucca plants here and there. Off in the far distance are occasional uprisings of rock and cinder, but it all pretty much blends into the mundane foreground. We haven't even seen any wildlife, dead or alive. Ciao

Heading toward Texas

We spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday in the FamCamp at Davis Monthan and enjoyed some down time to just sit still and do a few chores. Ken installed a second vent cover on the roof so we can now drive with both vents open to allow a better circulation of air. And I went to the commissary on Saturday to restock some basic essentials.

The highlight yesterday was to take a drive around the base to look at the "boneyard" where there are hundreds of military aircraft either mothballed or destined for destruction. Google Earth gives a great perspective on the enormity of the site as well as good close-up views.

Oh, and the other highlight of the drive was to stop at a DQ for a Blizzard and locate a nearby Trader Joe's. Ciao

Steilacoom, Casa Grande, Tuscon

We left Steilacoom last Sunday and arrived back in CG on Thursday only to discover that our refrigerator had quit some time in the previous 48 hours. Fortunately, nothing was spoiled and there was little that had to be discarded. The most difficult part was paying the repair bill for a new board!!

We spent a bit of time with Colleen and Craig and Cassie and Greta while home. Colleen's trip to Rome, although not entirely as advertised, was nonetheless a marvelous experience. She has decided the Roman version of yes is actually maybe and probably not. She blogged a bit and posted some photos on the latest site that Keith set up for the family: daneswithkilts.net.

Craig and Cassie and Greta had us for dinner on Friday night, and it was DELISH as usual. Greta is growing like a weed, and is becoming quite grown up. We are excited that the three of them will join the rest of the family in Columbia next month for the graduations.

I hope/plan to blog more frequently as we make our way across country. I have to believe there will be some memorable moments worth blogging about. Ciao

We are going to stay here tomorrow and hit the road on Monday with a goal of arriving at Danny Schultz's by Wednesday evening. He and Christa and their two teen-age sons, Trevor and Corey, live in Rio Moreno which is northwest of San Antonio. Danny and Brian were friends in grade school and we have always thought of Danny as one of our own. We haven't seen him and his family for about 15 years so we are quite looking forward to this reunion.

It has been hotter than I would like, and I don't expect that situation to change any over the next two months. Thank goodness for A/C.

Rain, what else?

Actually yesterday and today have produced a few glimmers of sunshine, but the first few days at home were nothing but gray clouds and rain. Of course with all the rain, the yard was totally overgrown, except the apple trees which Craig had pruned, so we had a landscape service here to do a lot of trimming and to top the evergreens in front to open up our view.

Colleen gets back from Rome tomorrow night so we will get a first-hand account of the entire adventure. I understand the Italian orchestra did not arrive prepared, so there was an impact on the rehearsals and the performance.

If all goes as planned, we will probably leave for Arizona this weekend. We are about halfway through our commitments and appointments and should finish on Friday.

We went to Curt and Cinda's after church on Easter. As usual, we spent a very enjoyable afternoon of visiting and eating. Thomas is just beginning to get his feet under him, and he was taking several steps on his own as he walked from one person to another. That was Sunday, so he is probably running by now.

The Maersk Alabama captured my attention the entire time, and I especially connected with the captain and his family because there were two photos of him that looked exactly like our Keith. That plus the U.S. Navy involvement kept my interest up.

Craig and Cassie are having us for dinner on Friday night. That is always a treat because they, like the rest of this family, are great cooks and host and hostess. We have seen Craig briefly since we got home, but haven't seen the girls yet.

Here are Cinda and Linea's websites which are fascinating and informative reading. They are becoming very well know on several fronts, and hopefully on another once their book gets published. I am so impressed with their candor and honesty about the road they have traveled through Linea's illness, and I know they are a tremendous support for other families in the same situation. Bookmark these and take a look once in a while as they are both excellent writers.

http://www.wellsphere.com/linea-profile/119590

http://www.cindajohnson.blogspot.com/

http://www.lineacinda.com/

Ciao

Just crossed into Oregon

We will be sleeping in Steilacoom tonight after three five-hundred-mile-days from Casa Grande, but it has been an easy drive. Cooper might not agree as he doesn't have much room in the back of the Jetta, but he seems to be making the best of it.

The area here around Ashland is beautiful with all the hills and valleys displaying gorgeous spring greens. There is a dampness in the air, and clouds are hovering, but there is no rain.

The park in Casa Grande was getting pretty sparse by the time we left this week, and I suspect in another few days, the only residents will be the handful who stay year 'round.

We are looking forward to seeing Craig, Cassie, Greta, and all the Johnson family while we are home for the next ten days or so. And we will have Skyla as soon as we retrieve her from the kennel tomorrow.

We haven't heard from Colleen since she arrived in Rome, but she would have still been airborne when the earthquake hit north of Rome. I understand the second quake was felt in Rome, so she would have been there for that one. I know this is a busy week with about five hours of rehearsal time every day, so I'm not surprised we haven't heard from her.

We enjoyed a visit from Brian last weekend. He had a trip to Tucson and Phoenix for this week, so he came one day early to come and see us. His friend, Phil, who is still in the area joined us for the night as well.

Brian brought star gazer lillies, and since they were just two days old when we left, I couldn't bear to throw them away. I have had them with me in a glass of water in the side door pocket, and although they look a little the worse for wear, the car smells heavenly.

Janet managed to get tickets for Wicked while the guys are on their fishing trip in May, so it will be Janet and the girls, Janet's mother and I. We will just make a day of it by taking the train up and back. I have driven through NYC on more than one occasion, but this is the first time I will have set foot on a sidewalk!!

All the Kirkwoods will be in one place for the girls' graduations since Craig, Cassie, Greta, and Colleen are all going to be there. That is a rare occurence, and I am very much looking forward to it.

It is time to stop for coffee here in Medford. Ciao