Bits 'n Pieces and Weather in Tucson

The wind picked up yesterday in the Tucson area. I could tell by the sky that a change in the weather was coming. Besides that, the weather app on my phone was working just fine 

 I took my chimes and other decor down, rolled my awning in, and folded the chairs and set them against the RV.

The table was still setting near the outer edge of the mat so I thought that would hold the mat in place pretty well. Supper over with and the dogs settled until their last out, I thought I would use the time to prep more canvases for painting, and as I worked I watched the 85th Hollywood Christmas Parade on tv.

After going to bed I laid there and listened to the wind; felt the ever-so-gentle rocking effect on the RV, even though my stablizers were down. Sometime during the night I heard the rain come in.  I love listening to the sounds of nature during the night and you can hear things more clearly in a camper with its thinner roof. It really poured for a bit.... I rolled over and went back to sleep.

 In the morning when I went to take the dogs out, I opened the door to the sight of the mat blown up against the table and the chairs all down, not in the place they had been. My lantern cage was several feet away, and the welcome rug was over by the tree. Hmm, this weather reminded me of Pennsylvania in the fall or spring! I finished taking care of the furry members of the family and went out to straighten up the mess. I realized my arms and legs were aching. Probably from the change in weather. So I added Tylenol to the many vitamin pills I take daily. I don't think it got out of the 50's all day. The predictions are for in the 60's the next several days.

 I decided to finish the pencil sketch of a painting I am working on. I also had started a oil painting study of the same, but I would like to make a larger painting of it (this small version is not finished yet.

Other than that I spent a good part of the day just reflecting on life in general. My great granddaughter was at her graduation ceremony for RN school. I am so very proud of her! She and her husband have worked long and hard to make this a possibility. Also they are expecting their first child at the end of January! Seems like it was perfectly timed. So my family continues to grow and I am out here enjoying the days I have left with my travels and painting.

I may decide to put up a few decorations for Christmas and the New Year. We shall see how my body reacts with the weather tomorrow or Monday.... 

Thanks for visiting!

Isaiah 54: 5b Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the Lord God of all the earth

My time in Tucson

So I have been here at my brother's home since a week ago today. I had been here 4 years ago, and they had flown back to PA for their 50th wedding anniversary a couple years ago, but it sure was good to be able to visit again. I was going to leave Wednesday, but he wanted some tips and help with his beginning oil painting. Since all I have is time, I thought, "It's not like I need to be in a hurry.... I have several days more that I could spend here as I am not committed to be anywhere....", so I decided to stay. Its good to have plans, but also good to be flexible. I enjoy being with my brother and sister-in-law. She is the perfect hostess; always concerned if I would like to eat with them, if I need anything, I am welcome to use the washer and dryer.... Besides I get to do what I love most! helping and encouraging someone else to be creative. ( as well as painting myself ....) Can't beat that :)  It has also been fun reminiscing our childhood adventures.

 Their property boasts beautiful desert plants... as well as a couple orange trees

                                               

Here is my motor home, all set up.

...... and set up for our first art lesson....

So it is fun, but I would still like to be out in the deserted desert before Christmas.

Just a preference of this "hermitess" lady.

The wind has been high  all day today and according to what my brother saw, its to be up to 40+ mph tomorrow. I felt the wind hit the side of the motor home a couple times today. Can't imagine what it will be tomorrow. Hmmmm.... maybe we should be painting waves instead of desert the way the wind rocks me around! 

Safe travels everyone and Merry Christmas to you all!!

Isaiah 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting  Father, Prince of Peace.

Next stop - Mississippi!

Two days after leaving Kentucky I entered Mississippi  Nov 4th on route 59, and made my way to daughter #3's home just north of Hattiesburg. I was set up on no time right handy to their home.

 To make a long story short, I spent 5 wonderful weeks there, getting to know her future husband and some of his family. Also spending time with my daughter,

seeing some of the local sights

 

 painting, having coffee together in the mornings, going to Hobby Lobby together (for art supplies and to keep each other in check :)  )
 I also enjoyed very much attending her church with her. It's called OverFlow and is located in McGee, MS. A really down-to-earth pastor and a congregation full of love,
as evident in their ministry.

Also daughter #4 and family made the trip from Dallas, TX to come spend a few days at Thanksgiving time.

 Lots of hugs and good times! Daughters made Christmas wreaths, enjoyed shopping and painting together. Bond fire in the evening with family and friends topped it off!

Time to leave the area was hard, but I needed to get on with my travels.

We said our "see ya later"s and I left to head down toward Gulfport.

"Lady Blue" and Other News

Lady Blue is back home today. The guy at the transmission shop told me that wherever I had had it serviced (I am thinking it was west TX, on the way home) they put the wrong gasket on the oil pan and had dinged the pan in and that was the cause of my leak. He kept it there an extra day just to make sure of no leaks. Said it drove and shifted like it should. I am very thankful thats all that was wrong.

 

My brother and SIL left their home in Tuscon, Arizona today to make their way here to PA in their motorhome. Their kids and grands are anxious to see them. What a reunion that will be!

 

I have been making some progress as to getting back to a realistic meals/snacks plan, and as a result I have been starting to feel better. I have been able to do more yard work and have been enjoying it. I decided that some of these overgrown flowerbeds are just going to have to be totally pulled out and re-done. I did find a good natural weed killer on-line. Would you believe white vinegar???? Full strength in your sprayer. Well if it doesn't rain I will be trying it tomorrow and will take before and after pictures to post.

 

My electrician grandson came Sunday afternoon and put up 3 ceiling fans for me! I was so glad to get this done. I had bought them last year. This year is already warm and quite humid. 

 

A week ago I "inherited" a couple of my grandmother's paintings, as my 3 cousins were settling my uncle's estate. He had passed away in Dec of last year. These are now hanging over my loveseat in the room where I paint.Great inspiration for me.

 

 

Memorial Day weekend will find my family gathered at my son Robert's home for a picnic, as he is still in a wheel chair. So we are bringing the picnic to him! He has been a trooper with very little (in his eyes) advancement and his wife has been very faithful and consistant in his care. She has been a jewel! It will be good to have us all together in one place at the same time.

 

Hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day celebrations. I am sure we will all be remembering those who have given their lives for our freedom.

 



Aww...... Beautiful but Cold .... Arizona!

I am enjoying my time here with my brother and his wife, catching up and reviewing our childhoods and some of the crazy things we used to do. Still doing some crazy things..."cowboying" around; however the type of "horses" has changed.

(Just got back from a romp into the desert a couple blocks from their home)

He usually smiles, but I caught him offguard, haha!

He goes by "Deaf Ranger" on fb and just for some background, he and wife Carol spent many long years in and being an administrator of a YWAM base in (Youth With A Mission) in Titusville PA, and then many years in Deaf World Ministries. For nearly all their lives they gave of themselves, doing with little. They were, and are, really blessed to be able to retire to Arizona after their numerous years of ministry.

They still work with the deaf and some of the homeless as opportunity presents itself.

 

 

This is Ron and Carol with their beautiful little orange tree.

Some of Carol's flowers....

And Ron's cacti gardens.....

These were taken at different times of day/evening.

 



And  a beautiful sunset to end the day!

More of our adventures later....

Merry Christmas! Greetings from sunny Tucson, AZ!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a very blessed New Year!

Last Night in Dallas

I did the last of my laundry today and washed my few dishes, mostly cups and spoons. I supervised the piano practice with the Grand, and we walked the dogs. In the evening we all had a very tasty spaghetti supper and sat down to watch a movie I had purchased at W*M for $5. It was "Second Hand Lions" with Robert Duvall and Michael Caine.

Talk about funny! I will watch this one several more times I am sure. We all enjoyed it! Since I had "pre-viewed" it, I went to the RV and got a pkg of brownie mix I had and made brownies for desert. (Of course that was to score extra points with the S-I-L so's I can stop back in the spring)  ;-)

Grand went to bed and I went in to give him his nightly kiss and hug. Oh, its going to be hard leaving tomorrow am. In fact, I won't leave till after his bus takes him off to school, cuz then I'm not leaving him behind, if he has already left for school, you see......

After the movie I came back out to the Rv and took Miss Izzy and Curley Joe for their last out. It was a cool mild night so I enjoyed the walk. I took several pictures on my phone of the homes with Christmas lights on. Nothing really special at first but the last one I thought was especially nice.

You all have your decorations up yet? I will have as soon as I get my hands on some of those plastic ties. I'll probably need to stop at a hardware store down the road.....

 

Tom Merrill Campground, Louisiana

On Friday after viewing the settler's home at the Bayou Budcau Dam, we crossed back over the dam and entered the Tom Merrill campground, located just below the dam, is a beautiful little place to camp for the weekend, or for an extended stay. It has electric and water hook-ups, dump station, shower houses, playground area, and only $6/night with my senior pass. There are only 20 spaces, requiring no reservations, and is a first come/first served campground hosted by the A C of E. The camp host site is located just inside the entrance.

The dam from below

and on down the waterway...

The Grand had fun playing with other kids

in the well-equipped playground.

Looking toward the camping area from the playground

Saturday morning.... sunlight beams through trees down onto the peaceful camp.

This is the neighbor couple's campsite, who live about 50 miles from my home in PA. Funny how you travel 1500 miles and find someone from your neck of the woods. They are both retired and spend about 6-7 months a year in their motorhome, a 24' Winnebago Class C. We had found alot in common and had lots to discuss.

Grand's parents did not allow him to bring his game phone with him camping. I wondered how this would affect the weekend, but he proved to be a real camper, helping with filling water jugs, gathering pine needles and pine cones for fire starter, then scavenging for down and dead wood. I added some lumber cut-offs I had carried with me.  

After more play, walks with the dogs, and picture-taking we built the fire and proceeded to fill our hungry tummies. Hotdogs first of course!

Then roasted apples.... yumm!

By the time we got to making s'mores it was almost too dark for good pictures. But we got them made eaten, and watched a movie called "8 Below" , a beautiful movie about a dogsled team in the frozen north. On friday night we had watched the one titled "Bears" another nature movie.

 Then we were tired and ready for bed!

I had taken this picture of the moon as the sun lowered and it became darker.

Sunday morning......

What better way to be woken up in the morning than with fur-pals!

 As for me, vanilla chai tea is my wake-up call


 

We needed to get things picked up, packed up and head back home as we had quite a drive ahead of us, and it is back to school for Grand the next day. He helped with all that, too. Shutting the electric connection off first, he then unplugged the cord and wound it up, unhooked the cables we put the dogs on when we sit outside at the campfire, put the folding chairs back on the rack and strapped them down while I secured the inside things. 

 

We both thoroughly enjoyed the weekend together. Glad we headed out when we did as the traffic was like Dallas traffic almost all the way from Shreveport back to Dallas!!!

 

Lesson #5

NEVER on a holiday weekend!! Be there before the holiday starts and plan to return on the next weekday after.

 

Bayou Bodcau Dam, Shreveport, LA

After spending Thanksgiving with my daughter and son-in-law at his cousin's home near Shreveport, LA, I took my Grand camping with me for the weekend. I like going to the Army Corps of Engineer's campgrounds whenever I can. My "Camping with the Corps of Engineers" book comes in very handy for finding these places, hence our weekend stay.

Before finding a camp site, we ventured across the dam....
(passenger's side heading north)

 (driver's side)

and then turned right onto gravel road called Duck Dam Road, built across a bayou/swampland area that reminded me of driving down an old railroad grade, only wider.  We drove down that road for miles (very slowly) looking for a "primitive camping spot". However I, just wasn't comfortable camping there. Thoughts of copperheads in unexpected places kept me driving.

I had thought we were supposed to see waterfowl......, never did... maybe I was in the wrong place. However we did take some photos from the comfort of the RV. Everytime we stopped for a photo, the grandson had to take one from his side too. He did pretty good.

( I am thinking a camera might be good for his next B-Day present?)

Some tall beautiful pines!

A good boondocking site..

Further down the road. the road widens and the wooded area opens up, portraying some of the last beautiful colors of fall.

We turned back to go back across the dam, and stopped at the log home built by the original owner.

The sign says, "Durden House, Educational Center"

We did not find anyone about so just looked around the outside. It had a beautiful flagstone path in the front and up to the steps of the wide veranda.

I wish I had been able to get more info, but we satisfied ourselves with viewing the outside.

Interestingly, the home was built with a wide open hallway between 2 sections.

Of course, the electric ceiling fans were installed later. Grand was fascinated with the structured (caulking between the logs)

The back was much the same as the front with a wide veranda across it as well, and a screendoor on the one side.

Out front again, hiking trails went off in both directions. We took the dogs for a walk down one but had to turn back soon, as it began to rain again.

Tomorrow, the Tom Merrill campground.