The End of An Era

It IS the end of an era! We no longer own a Gherkin Mobile.

We have had a 15 passenger van since 1994 - that's 23 years! Our first van was a 1991 gray Dodge Ram. It lasted until it's trips down the ALCAN. It probably had more life in it, but we saw the end...and so we put it out of our it's misery.

Our next van was the Big Red Beast. In 2005, we purchased a 2005 red Ford e350.  Within two years we purchased The Caboose - our 31 foot trailer. We made lots of great family memories with the combination.

As our expected retirement lifestyle has changed we knew we would need to sell Big Red. It simply doesn't make a good toad.  We need a manual car the motorhome can easily tow.

We sold the Van to Pastor John - it will live anew as a church  van. A bus ministry is planned and Big Red will be the prime mover of that program. It makes us smile to think of  Big Red blessing this church, which has blessed our daughter....and blessing youth and those needing rides for years to come. About those years - we were a bit worried Big Red may quit working as soon as we sold it - though both our mechanics said it was in good shape.  You just hate that chance with a CHURCH and friends...so we're praying for the life of the van.

They've had the van since we began our travels on the 11th....but needed to bring it back so the boys could put the seats in it one last time. LOL

It was an odd moment when Big Red drove away. 

We had all those kids represented by the stick figures in 2005.....and now we're down to three Gherkins at home. The times are changing.

Yep, the end of an era. We were blessed to be able to use John and Nadine's pickup for a couple of days. Sunday was crowded...we realize now this would not make a good toad for us.

3 big size Gherkins in the back seat of a little pick up -
wasn't bad except getting IN and out!

 We went from having four cars, a trailer and a motorhome on our insurance, to having Mom G's car and the motorhome on our insurance. Not a bad month.

Where in the World Have You Been

Just a quick update to let all know we are well....and answer the question being asked of us

Photo Via Google Images

Our hearts continue to process the stuff of grief.

We were in Crescent City and enjoyed connecting with friends, family and neighbors while celebrating Mom G's life.  We spent extra days before and after the 13 Feb service in Crescent City, "taking care of business." I do love smallish towns.  The words of condolence, and memories shared, confirm how much one simple life matters.

We have driven down to Yuba City/Marysville/Beale Fam Camp. The purpose of our trip down was to physically receive a receipt from the negligent moving company which held our household goods. Our things are safe with a new company and will shortly begin the trip to Alaska. They'll have a new home in a storage unit way before we find our way up there. LOL While in the area, we were able to reconnect with a few friends, get a lot of progress made in the process of settling Mom G's estate (read one day we simply made phone calls), and do a few repairs on the motorhome - things we discover as we drive. LOL

We are currently at the top of Siskiyou pass (fresh snow), heading back to Crescent City for a few days. We plan to prune trees and chase down a few details while there.  The trac phone numbers you have for us (all but mine) will work, my phone won't get cell service and wifi/mifi is infamously sketchy while we are "in the park" - 1x vs 4G.  If you need us - call Michael's phone.  We plan to spend a couple of nights out at the house and then move into town for a night - right on the bay.

We have photos and thoughts to share, and will do so when we have a normal routine (with time scheduled for blogging) and consistent connectivity.  An hour to upload a photo is simply to much of a price to pay in time to blog. ::wink::

Friendships - #WYFF

friendship - noun 
The emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends.
"old ties of love and friendship"

 A relationship between friends.
"she formed close friendships with women" synonyms: relationship, friendly relationship, close relationship, attachment, mutual attachment, alliance, association, close association, bond, tie, link, union;

Friends/friendships are one of those things which bring both joy and the possibility of pain.  I've been considering this as we travel and I don't have many "friends in the flesh." A young mom asked me about friendships with kids this week....and I shared, as an extrovert, I've worried about this aspect of military homeschooling. I came to believe that God knows exactly WHO my kids need in their lives and when. If they need BFFs at an assignment He will provide them. There have also been assignments when it seems God worked more on friendships within our family than outside our family. I believe God will provide the friendships I need as well.

I have been perplexed to realize 90% of my friends are either decades younger or decades older than I.  Michael says this is natural as mentoring is one of my passions. I am mentored and I mentor. BUT REALLY these are true blue friendships....loving peers...anyway I was blessed during our short time at Beale to spend time with some friends.  I wish I could have seen so many more - but each of these visits were precious and left my emotional tank full.

I really wanted to touch base with Hope and Emma. Their "man" has gone overseas for a year. I needed to hug some necks and know they were doing well. They are. Hope graciously allowed us to bring taco fixings to her home and use her kitchen. We all visited...but Hope and I got girl time during the cooking and clean up. Hope made some yummy vegan cupcakes. I need to find that recipe and make them. LOL

Hope and I in her kitchen

Emma and Stacia

Is this not the cutest? 

I took Stacia to visit a friend on Saturday and ran across town to catch up with Betty. I met Betty in the laundry room at Beale Fam Camp. She was encouraging and had great tips for me about living in an RV full time, transitioning to being a military retiree and the VA system.  Joe, the love of Betty's life, passed away since I saw her last. She's had QUITE an adventure evacuating her new apartment with the flood threat of the Oroville Dam. Once again, I left Betty feeling refreshed.

Betty and I 

Stacia and her friend were out for a day on the town and so I was able to fit in an unexpected visit with Beverly, Maya's grandma.  Beverly and Phil attended the chapel when we were there. They've had quite an interesting life and it is always encouraging to have time to sit and visit. We enjoyed  relaxed, leisurely tea - my first since going on the road full time.

Michael called Rob Christian, the pastor of the church we attended after we retired and before we left Yuba City.  Last time we were in the area they were in Hawaii. It seemed wise to check. What a surprise to learn Rob and Michelle have resigned The Rivers. He is devoting more time to home and the Foursquare region -  pastoring pastors.  We met for dinner and had a great time catching up and sharing the "new" in our lives. I didn't take a photo.

Friendships are a blessing from God. It was a GREAT day.

#WYFF  - Where's Your Feet Friday - is a hash tag sponsored by Fulltime Families.  I thought it would be a fun way to get a quick look at our adventures.  The photo - or collage - serves as the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) if you missed the story and would like to read it, click the link under the photo. For past #WYFF check the tabs.

We LIKE Traveling

We discovered something delightfully quirky about the five of us! We LOVE to be on the road. It doesn't matter if it's another quick run down to Crescent City or all the way to TX - we like being in the motorhome and we like traveling! It feels more like being "HOME," than being stationary in a stick and brick hosue. LOL 

I'm not sure of the timing of this photo - but I know it's in Canyonville, OR. Michael is taking advantage of a quick pit stop to finish Mom G's obituary and get it sent off to the Triplicate. 

We are thankful for Joe, one of Mom G's neighbors. Joe has a graveled parking area and has installed a full hook up RV spot.  He has given us an open invitation to park here and it has proven to be very convenient these past days.

We arrived this time on Alex's birthday. There was just enough sunlight and dry weather to take a quick hike up the road into the redwoods.

I'm not sure how we'd missed this. Do you see it? A nativity! 

Nothing compares you to be in your childhood home without your parents. It's surreal. It feels lonely. It certainly goes in the "bittersweet" category of life events.

Whew - On the Road Again

We're on the road - our very first road trip as a little family unit since buying the motorhome.

Whew! There are a lot of details to saying goodbye to a loved one. Rebecca, Michael and I met with Randy at Musgrove Funeral Home today. They are amazing - absolutely no price gouging or emotional manipulation. After the meeting, Rebecca went one direction with a list, and we went another direction with a list. We are tracking down Dad's DD214 so Mom can be buried with him at Fort Logan National Cemetery.

The kids packed the motorhome, as Michael wrote the rough draft of an obituary, I talked with the local paper and checked in with my family.  We took the van to a potential buyer who is going to take it to the mechanic while we are gone. We trust them implicitly.

We have the date and time for a memorial service in Crescent City locked in.

In the midst of this, "the movers" called. Oy VEY! They can't find the checks we've sent them, they're opening our boxes and repacking them for another company to move them. We decided it's best to go to Yuba City and get a RECEIPT and WATCH and inventory them as they unpack our things and repack them...... ::snort::

We're going to Mom G's house to track down some legal papers.  We are pretty sure they'll be easy to locate, but who thinks to travel with such things?  We got a late start and may not make it all the way to Crescent City. I think it might be nicer to walk into the house in the day time anyway.  As we drive, I am touching base with family to let them know the time for the the memorial in CA.

We won't be able to plan a time for Denver until the VA approves and then we go through the scheduler at Fort Logan.....wondering about the weather too as Michael would like to drive out. +Starting to check weather and roads.....

Gray afternoon

Stacia's Tribute

My dear grandma love
I will miss you terribly
But you are happy

Stacia and Mom G often wrote haiku's and shared them back and forth. She showed us this one last night.

We are all remembering various incidents and times today.....Stacia had a strong desire to spend her 11th birthday in Crescent City  (really out of left field - before any of us had thought of  moving to Crescent City to help Mom G). Looking back, we are thrilled and happy this worked out. Her birthday was just four days after Mom G's 88th. birthday. We were all looking forward to another one this year. I had begun planning the 90th/13th shindig.

Michael, Mom G, Nolan, Stacia, Alex

Last summer Stacia caught a fish - but she released it. Mom G was insistent she needed to be sure to keep the next one, as she was craving trout. Stacia promised to catch another fish for Grandma to eat. She tried and tried but never caught another fish last summer. Today, she regrets not being able to keep her promise.  We are assuring her it is o.k. - but those of us a bit older, who have walked this path, can understand the regrets. Maybe you'd say a prayer for Stacia's young heart today?

We have assured her the times she spent listening to Mom G's stories, as they sorted through her possessions and she did odd jobs for Grandma,  were happy ones for Mom G, and ones she will remember the rest of her life.

Stacia uses "words" more than our men-folk to express her thoughts and emotions...but I know, while the past year was a tough one, it is full of treasured memories. We were given the gift of getting to know Mom G in a way we'd never known her before. She was more talkative about her childhood and adult memories than she'd ever been. I regret thinking we had "plenty of time" to capture the stories on video.

Treasured Memories

God is Good Even When Life Hurts

There are times it is hard to separate the mundane from the profound when caught up in the busy-ness of life.  Today was not like that.  My mother passed away today.  She lived to be 88 years old and stayed sharp all the way to the very end.  I was to see her grasp google street level view in the past few weeks.  She would tell us about googling her way down the street she grew up on when she was only eight.  She talked about taking a motorcycle ride through some old ghost towns we used to see in Colorado. She marvelled at the size of the blue spruce tree out n front of our old house in Colorado Springs. For someone who was totally non-techie, she was starting to get the hang of this stuff.

She was a timid bulldog of a woman. Timid in the sense that life easily had a way of intimidating her.  A bulldog because when she knew what she wanted, it was not possible to turn her from it.  Kind of an odd, quirky combination, but that was my mother.  

I  remember a day when we were driving on North Circle in Colorado Springs. A man in this smallish car passed us during a thunderstorm. He managed to drench our old International pickup truck when he splashed passed us through some standing water to the point we had to stop in order to allow the wipers the chance to clear the windshield.  It took a couple of swipes to make this happen.  It was only a couple of blocks later that we caught up with this same driver. We were passing him when we came across another patch of standing water.  I must say, that old International pickup can kick up quite the load of water at times - this was one of them.  I could see clearly a solid three to four inches of water pouring over this guy's car.  He had to stop.  All of us kids were shouting our thorough approval, but mom was deeply embarrassed. She contended all the way to the last time we talked about this - last Summer - that it was an accident, and she did not mean to drown that guy. I believe her, but it was one of those  mom-moments you never forget.  

There was another time we were driving into town when we lived in Crescent City.  It was a rainy day, and there was an old car driven by an old man puttering along slowly in front of us through the two lane highway that runs through the Redwoods. There were a couple of places for such folks to pull off, but they, apparently, were not made to his liking.  Nope, he just continued to putter along in front of us - by this, I mean 20 MPH.  Well, we were running late, and this guy was making us later.  When we finally reached the flat on the other side of the Redwoods, mom took off. She zipped around him, and flew down the highway trying to catch up with time.  Unfortunately, the Highway Patrol has no regard for catching up with time because of an old guy in an old car driving at the speed of a glacier. The little red light glowed brightly in the rear view mirror.  Mom pulled over and began pleading her case when the officer came to the window - all to no avail. As he was writing out the ticket, guess who drove by? Yup, old guy in an old car driving at the speed of a snail on tranquilizers.  It was another mom-moment.

I have been struggling as we are processing mom's homegoing.  There are surges of grief followed by times of sadness.  I know she is OK. I know she is running free with no walker and no struggles with cantankerous joints.  I know she is re-united with Dad and stunned at the presence of the Jesus she met as a young girl. I know she is singing with angels and dancing on streets of gold, but I am missing her greatly.  A chaplain assistant I deployed with to Kuwait had a poignant question for me after a worship service in which we were praying for some family members who were struggling with life-ending diseases. "I don't understand you pastors. You talk about the wonders of heaven, but you pray to keep people out of it." Well, this day, I am rejoicing even in the midst of the tears.  It  was a homegoing - perhaps, actually, a homecoming. It is just our perspective is backward to that which is the really real...

Going to miss you, Mom. Hug Dad for me, and I look forward to the day we see you again.