Rothgaber Travels

2011 - Our Christmas Open House - South Texas style

2012-01-03T09:43:00.006-06:00

One of the things we always loved doing at our home in Pennsylvania was having a Christmas Open House where friends and family could drop-in, enjoy some food and fellowship, and stay as long as they were able. We did that for many, many years and Josh, our son, always said it was a highlight of Christmas to have everyone over. As he grew up, he also started inviting his friends to "drop-in." Depending on the weather, the younger crowd might be ice skating on our pond, sledding in our pasture, riding the ATVs in the fields, or just sitting around the fire in the fireplace. It was a time of such fond memories. So Doug and I decided to continue the tradition now that we have a "place" in South Texas. Only difference here is we need to coordinate it with the weatherman since our motorhome can hold about 10 comfortably and our party would need to be outside! So we watched the 10 day forecast. The weatherman did not cooperate in the days leading up to Christmas.... We had days full of mist... not rain, but just damp, cool, foggy weather where we didn't want to be outside. Then we saw a break in the weather after Christmas and we scheduled it for Thursday, the 29th - we had to work around Doug's softball schedule, too. God was good it turned out to be a beautiful day! 81 was the temperature and a beautiful blue sky. In fact one of our friends, Dudley and Marilyn, loaned us their canopy to give us some additional shade from the hot sun.

Here are some views before everyone arrived. The calm before the fun!

Now here are some views of the folks....

Below is Eddy and Ann from Arkansas.

Doug hung large Christmas bells in the grapefruit tree with the snowflakes

Above is Dudley, Eddy, and Bill discussing important items... most likely baseball!

Even in the shade, my cheese cubes melted in the heat! Never had that happen at our Pennsylvania Christmas Open House!

Below is Dusty's master in the plaid shirt. Dusty is a little chocolate toy poodle who loves Homer and Homer loves him. Homer lets Dusty jump and climb all over him and Dusty just loves it.

Below is Dale and Donna - friends from our second year here in the Valley. You might remember the story from back in October of running into them in San Antonio. I saw Donna posting photos of San Antonio on Facebook and we discovered we were parked across from each other at Traveler's World. We had a great couple of days with them in San Antonio.

Above is the "guy's car corner." That is what I named it. Every time I floated by they were talking Chevy and Ford. ;-) Allan has his back to you, then it is Daryll, Gary, Don, and Vern.

Below is the lady's corner. They didn't discuss cars as far as I know! Ha, ha! Left to right is Debbie, Barb, Lori, and Bev. Bev and Allan have very good taste in motorhomes... They bought the same year and model as we have! ;-)

2011 - Christmas week and green parrots

2012-01-03T08:45:00.003-06:00

A beautiful sunset looking down our street just 2 days before Christmas.

Our guard dog on "duty" on his bed. ;-)

On Christmas Day, we were invited to go to a delicious Christmas Brunch with Jack and Marilyn - friends from Missouri - and some of their friends. Unfortunately Marilyn and her sister were not feeling good so we were just a group of six. Take notice of the beautiful creche at the restaurant in the background. That is one thing we love about Christmastime in the Rio Grande Valley... That Jesus IS the reason for the season. Everywhere you go for the month of December you are wished a "Merry Christmas" and not a "Happy Holiday" like in the PC Pennsylvania. I've never had a Walmart check-out clerk in PA tell me "Merry Christmas" but here in the Valley, that is what you hear. City Parks have manger scenes in them - wouldn't find that in PA!

Below is a zoom view on my iphone of a couple of our green parrots sitting in our neighbor's Live Oak tree. The picture is a little grainy and the parrots blend into the tree, but I hope you can see the three birds. If not, try clicking on the photo to enlarge it. The parrots are like clock work. They come twice a day... early morning 6 AM and in the afternoon at 4 PM. They stick around in the area for about 2 hours morning and evening and then they move on. They make such a noisy racket which causes Homer to bark at them as they are flying around the park. My goal for this winter is to get a better photo of them using my camera rather than my iphone.

2011-12-19T12:45:00.002-06:00

Our church, First Baptist Church of McAllen, Texas.

The Choir and Orchestra's Christmas in the Sanctuary.

2011.12.18 - Some December happenings

2011-12-19T01:53:00.006-06:00

A group of us went to a Killer Bee hockey game in Hildalgo. The mascot made its way around to see us all.

Below, that is Garry getting a Killer Bee hug.

Doug, Daryl, and Bruce stretching their legs between periods.

That is Homer taking a rest on his bed while guarding our little Christmas tree.

Below, a home with some beautiful lights. I couldn't get all the lights in the photo. They really go all-out with the lights down here in the Rio Grande Valley.

Doug and Homer enjoying a football game outside.

These photos are of us enjoying a delicious lobster tail dinner at El Patio on Guerra thanks to the Christmas gift by my brother and his wife. That translates to mean The Courtyard on Guerra. It is a beautiful historic restaurant. It has a lovely courtyard, but since it was misting outside, we decided to eat inside.

2011.12.18 - Some Trevor photos

2011-12-19T01:48:00.002-06:00

Here are some more photos of Trevor. He is now 6 months old.

2011.11.26 - Skyping Thanksgiving, grapefruit

2011-11-26T13:45:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, we had so much fun Skyping with our family which had gathered at Oma's apartment. We got to see Vicky and Trevor for the first time live since leave Pennsylvania 3 months ago. Boy has he grown and changed in 3 months! He weighs over 18 lbs already. The first photo shows Dee – Trevor's great aunt holding him with Vicky.

Isn't he a cutie! I think Capri must be tickling him in the photo. He seems like such a happy baby just like his daddy was at this age.

Doug built a raised flower bed around our lampost, and one around the grapefruit tree and birdbath. The picture shows him finishing the raised bed around the lampost. Today I planted petunias in all of the beds. I'll take a photo of them after the flowers get growing some and it looks nicer.

Today he pruned our grapefruit tree. To do so, he had to pick the grapefruit that was hanging low. We have a whole table full of grapefruit in addition to the ones that are in the refrigerator

Arrival at our place in Mission, TX

2011-11-18T17:08:00.003-06:00

What a welcome to our place in Mission! A flock of green parrots welcomed us around 4 PM. They are quite noisy but oh so beautiful! The photo above shows the parrots today. I guess I'll need to get used to them since everyone tells us they come like clockwork in the morning and evening. We also enjoyed a grapefruit picked fresh off our tree. Never knew grapefruit could be so sweet! Our tree is loaded with grapefruit – I think we will ship some back to family and friends in Pennsylvania!

Good to see more friends, the Purcells, in San Antonio

2011-11-18T16:58:00.003-06:00

It was good to see some more of our friends in San Antonio. Bill and Sharon Purcell are now motorhomeless having just sold their Allegro Bus this month. They are settling down with New Braunfels, just north of San Antonio, as their base after many years of being on the road. Since we both love Mi Tierra, that is where we went for lunch last week. For the first time, we were seated in the room that the whole wall is a mural of famous folks – some from history and some are current day.

Above is a photo of Doug with a segment of the mural behind him. Below is a photo of Bill and Sharon with another segment of the mural in the background.

Trevor 11/2

2011-11-18T16:55:00.002-06:00

Vicky sent us a new photo of Trevor on 11/2. Isn't he a cutie!

10/31/2011 Dinner on the Riverwalk

2011-11-01T00:43:00.004-05:00

We went to dinner on the Riverwalk with our friends Donna and Dale. We enjoyed a nice stroll along the Riverwalk... No crowds and very peaceful. Donna took our photo for us. This first one is at the Arneson Theater. The stage is right above the red flowers. The river separates the audience (on the very left of the photo) from the stage.

There are lots of water features along the Riverwalk.

Some more views.

Surprise! Friends from South Texas in San Antonio

2011-10-30T17:42:00.005-05:00

I saw Donna, a friend, on Facebook posting photos of San Antonio last night and sent a message to her asking where they were staying and suggesting we get together. We discovered they were parked right across from us here in Travelers World in San Antonio. We knew them from Bensen Palm Village 2 years ago. Like us they are on their way south for the winter. We had fun catching up and going to Mi Tierra's for lunch. Mi Tierra's was extremely busy! This weekend, locals were celebrating "Dia De Los Muertos" which means "Day of the Dead" - means they are celebrating and showing respect for family members who have died. Here are some photos of our day....
A view of the Tower of Americas in front of the Hyatt and also the Alamodome on the right peaking above the trees.

Donna asked the waitress to take this photo of the 4 of us.

Outside of Mi Tierra's .... There were lots of craft vendors for the special weekend.

Trevor October 2011

2011-10-27T11:16:00.004-05:00

For all of you wanting to see an updated photo of Trevor, our grandson, here are a few that Vicky sent to me.
Above is the pet parade where Vicky and Deb, her friend, won grand prize. Aren't they all so cute!

Isn't he a cutie! And getting so big! She said he weighs 18 lbs.

Texas Clay and the Grist Mill in Gruene, TX

2011-10-27T10:44:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, we went to Gruene (it is pronounced "green") to have lunch at the Grist Mill (another favorite restaurant) and to attend the annual Texas Clay festival. The photos below are in the "waiting area" for the restaurant. They write your name on the black board when your table is ready. The restaurant is in an old Grist Mill under the landmark water tower. It sits on the Guadalupe River.

The clay festival was quite interesting. It brought back memories of my "artsy" days and nightmares of the the 300 clay pot requirement for my first pottery course at Penn State! I had knee surgery so I had a cast on my leg from my hip to my ankle for 8 out of the 10 weeks so I spent the last two weeks of the term at the art building throwing the minimum of 300 pots in order to get a passing grade in the course. I actually got an "A" in the course so the prof either took pity on me or he actually liked what I made. ;-) God has a special way of working in all things.... It is a longer and more complicated story that I won't go into here, but..... If the prof had not had that massive requirement, I would never have met my future husband and the 38+ years of wonderful marriage would not have happened.

The booths and tents of the artists were scattered throughout the park area of Gruene and they also had demonstration tents and sessions going on continually throughout the day. We saw so many things we liked but being in a motorhome has its limitations as to how much "stuff" you can have with you! ;-)

I took photos of some of the silent auction items to show Tim how they were doing the silent auction. It is something we are considering doing at CHAP next year as a fund raiser.

I did love this large creche. They had used lots of gold and shimmer glaze on it in places. I could not have fired these in my own kiln since I discovered back in my art teaching days that these compounds were ones which gave me allergic reactions. That was one reason we were installing my ceramic kiln in our pole barn at our home before we sold it.

Mi Tierra, San Antonio

2011-10-27T10:14:00.003-05:00

When we arrived in San Antonio last week, we naturally had to go visit one of our favorite restaurants, Mi Tierra. It is such an electic collection of Mexican decorations 24/7 365 days it always looks like Christmas especially since the Mexican national colors are red white and green. Here are some views:

Above the mariachi minstrels are singing at the next table.

The mural below is for our neighbors in Grantville, PA, Mike and Kristi. When they were in San Antonio a year and a half ago, we took them to Mi Tierra and the artist was painting this mural on the one wall of the restaurant. The tree in the upper right corner is a real tree that grew into the wall of the original building.

Mi Tierra's also is a bakery of many, many Mexican delicacies. Below, Doug is deciding what we should take home with us!

10.16.2011 Osprey and carved trees in Galveston

2011-10-16T22:45:00.005-05:00

On our way into Galveston today, we saw a Osprey land on a telephone pole with a fish he had just caught in his talons.

Isn't he a beautiful bird!
This being our last day in Galveston, we wanted to drive the tree sculpture tour before we left tomorrow. In September 2008, Hurricane Ike covered most of Galveston Island in a tidal surge. More than half of the trees were killed by a combination of the powerful winds and waves uprooted many of the trees. A group of homeowners saw a opportunity to change the destroyed trees into sculptures. More sculptures are still being created. Here are a sampling of the East End Historical District Sculptures....

Click on the above photo to see the 17 birds carved in the branches.

A small dolphin sculpture above and a pod of dolphins down the street.

Many of the homes in this historical area are so beautiful. We especially like the home below. The owners said they chose Crested Herons to mimic their tall narrow house.

This homeowner must love guitar music.

The Tin Man and Toto stand in the front yard of a house where one of the directors of the "The Wizard of Oz" was born in the front downstairs bedroom of this property.

The pelicans sitting on the pilings are in the parking lot of the Mosquito Cafe - We didn't want to eat there just because of the name!

The Geisha and sister angels sit in the same front yard. The Geisha represents the owners love of Japan and their many trips to the country. She looks west - the direction you must travel to get to Japan. The Angels represent the homeowners two granddaughters.
Tomorrow we are off to San Antonio where we will stay for a month. It will be good to get back in a favorite city - Although, we have both enjoyed Galveston.

10.15.2011 Galveston Art Festival on the Strand

2011-10-15T21:00:00.004-05:00

Today we went to breakfast at a lovely little restaurant called the Sunflower Cafe and Bakery. The setting was so beautiful as we ate outside on the patio and enjoyed the delicious food. Then we were off to the art festival on the Strand in old town Galveston.

We noticed that a cruise ship had come into port and took some photos of it.

On our way back to the motorhome to watch the Penn State game, we noticed an oil rig out in the Gulf of Mexico.

10.14.2011 Ocean Star Drillin Rig & Museum, Galveston Sailing Regatta

2011-10-15T19:49:00.007-05:00

We had seen the Ocean Star Drilling Rig and Museum on the Galveston harborside the other day and decided we wanted to go back and tour it. Here are some photos.

The Ocean Star is a retired drilling platform and they turned it into a museum to demonstrate and explain how an well is drilled over water.

Below is a photo of the Ocean Star when it was in use in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ocean Star is a Jackup Drilling Rig. The museum tells the story of oil drilling and the three kinds of drilling rigs.

The pelicans were snoozing on the break water.

Today was the annual sail boat regatta in Galveston. It was a beautiful sight seeing the hundreds of different boats sailing down the coastline of the Gulf.

Jamaica Beach RV, Galveston

2011-10-15T19:41:00.002-05:00

We have been enjoying our week here at Jamaica Beach RV just west of Galveston. Below is a view looking out over the Gulf of Mexico.

Below is the view looking toward the bay. Galveston Island is about 1 mile wide at this point. As you can see, it is a combination of vacation homes and grazing land.

Looking down at the pool and hot tub.

2011.10.11 Galveston sites

2011-10-11T20:32:00.004-05:00

We did some sightseeing in Galveston today. This first picture is of the statue Victory commemorating the Battle of Jacinto where Texas won its independence from Mexico.

Below is one of the beautiful old houses of Galveston.

Next we went to end of the island along the ship channel to the port of Houston. As I noted in a previous post. The Port of Houston is the largest port in the US. Here are some views of a ship passing through the ship channel.

Above were looking through the shipping channel toward Galveston Bay. The ferry that crosses the shipping channel can be seen in the distance. Below are some of the birds keeping us company while we are watching the ships and the dolphins playing in the ship channel.

A tanker going through the pass. Below you can see the ferry shuttling vehicles across the shipping channel from Galveston to the Bolivar peninsula.

Above, a view of the seawall road. Below, is a view of our beach at the campground. In Texas, you can drive (at your own risk) on the beaches.

2011.10.10 Moved to Galveston

2011-10-10T20:37:00.003-05:00

After yesterday, a day of pouring rain and thunderstorms and 5" of much needed rain, the sun came out this morning and humidity was gone. We took our time breaking camp because we knew we were only going 28 miles to the south side of Galveston. As we headed south to Texas City, more refineries were in view. After all, 25% of the oil refined in the US is refined in the Houston port area.

The drive across the causeway was beautiful with the sun glinting on the waves. I just love the seawall in Galveston! No guardrail just a beautiful ocean view!

I got my water walking in at our new campground - many thanks to my friend Marilyn in Pennsylvania getting me water walking this past summer! Here is a photo of the lovely pool and spa at our campground, Jamaica Beach RV.

10/6/2011 Jacinto Battlefield and the USS Texas

2011-10-06T18:17:00.004-05:00

Today we went to see the Jacinto Battlefield Monument and the USS Texas along Houston Ship Channel. Everywhere you look there are refineries and grain storage here in the Port of Houston. On our way to the Battlefield I snapped this photo of the monument stick up in the middle of a refinery's towers. You might want to click on the photo to enlarge it so you you can see it better.

Many of the fuel storage tanks in this area have scenes of the battle for independence as you see below.

The Jacinto Monument and the USS Texas share the same location along the ship channel. The Jacinto Battlefield is where Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna's army in just 20 minutes to gain the independence for the Republic of Texas from Mexico. The monument is 570' – taller than the Washington Monument. It is the tallest masonry structure in the world.

The USS Texas, commissioned in 1914 and decommissioned in 1948, is a battleship that served in both World War I and II.

The stone was quarried just west of Austin, Texas. It was very unique as it contained the fossils of sea life throughout all the stone from the base to the top.
In the photo below, Doug is standing next to the base of the monument with the USS Texas seen in the background.

Below are some photos from the top of the monument of ships passing through the shipping channel. The ship channel is over 50 miles long. In the area of the ship channel, 25% of the United States' petroleum refining capacity is located. The privately and publicly owned grain elevators on the shipping channel provide Houston with more grain storage capacity than any other American port.

The above map shows the region with the ship channel.

The star at the top of the monument has multiple points so that it appears as a star from all angles.

A view of a tanker from the edge of the ship channel.

10.5.2011 Tour of Houston ship channel

2011-10-05T19:52:00.004-05:00

Today we went on a boat tour of the Houston Ship Channel. When we arrived we could see these cranes unloading a nearby ship.

This is a photo before we boarded the "Sam Houston" - the boat which took us on the channel tour. Thanks to Homeland Security, we were not able to take any photos on the tour.

Since we weren't able to take photos on the tour, here is a photo of the boat from the Port of Houston website....

On our way home, we crossed the ship channel on I-610 and here is partial view.

A summary and photo from the Port of Houston's website:
The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. The port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne tonnage (14 consecutive years); first in U.S. imports (19 consecutive years); second in U.S. export tonnage and second in the U.S. in total tonnage (19 consecutive years).

Info from the website about the bay:
Galveston Bay is an irregularly shaped, shallow body of water, approximately 30 miles long (26 n.m./48 km) in a general north-northeast and south-southwest direction, about 17 miles (14.8 n.m. or 21 km) in width at its widest part and generally about 7 to 9 feet (2.1 to 2.7 m) deep.
After the tour we stopped for dinner in Kemah on the boardwalk.
These photos were taken from our table looking out into Galveston Bay. In the above photo, a freighter is making its way across Galveston Bay heading toward the shipping channel. Notice the pelicans on the pilings.

The restaurant was located right at the entrance to a sailboat marina so boats kept passing while we enjoyed our dinner.

10/3/2011 - Galveston Bay RV, Dickinson, TX

2011-10-05T11:55:00.005-05:00

On Monday we arrived at Galveston Bay RV in between Houston and Galveston. The RV park sits on the Dickinson Bayou of Galveston Bay in a beautiful location. It is a hidden gem of a campground! They even have a flock of green parrots so we felt right at home (our park in Mission Texas has flocks of Green Parrots). Here is a photo of the parrots on some electric wires.

Interesting bridge on TX 146 over the ship channel.

Below is a long distance view of the Jacinto Monument which marks the battle location that won independence for the Republic of Texas from Mexico. More on this in a later post after we visit it.

Here are some views of the RV park where we are camped for this week.

The photos above and below show the new marina the campground just made. They are also working on a swimming pool.

Above and below are views of our campsite and the clubhouse.

We went to dinner in Kemah, TX which has a boardwalk along the bay. They have lots of amusement rides including this little train that snakes through the beautifully landscaped boardwalk area.

10/2/2011 New photo of Trevor and Briar

2011-10-02T21:53:00.003-05:00

We got a new photo of our grandson and his buddy, Briar. Isn't he soooooo cute!

In the photo above it looks like Briar and Trevor are having a guy-to-guy talk.

9/30/2011 - Fort Worth Stockyards

2011-10-01T16:37:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, we drove into Fort Worth to the historic Stockyard District. It was a lot of fun to hear and see the area and learn about the old west cattle drives. We had visited this area with Josh about 10 years ago when we had an extra few hours before catching a flight out DFW. This time we were sightseeing at a much leisurely pace!
Above is the Cowtown Coliseum where Pawnee Bill started the first indoor rodeo in the late 1800's. He eventually partnered with Buffalo Bill in his show. Twice a day they do a cattle drive through the streets. Check out those horns on those cattle!

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Then the railroad came to town and started hauling the cattle to market instead of the cowboys driving them north hundreds of miles. This was the end of the line for the railroad so this round house tuned the train cars around.

It was also sad to see the huge former meat packing plants for Armour and Swift sitting vacant beside the old stockyards.

Above is a map of the trails the cattle drives used and below is a marker noting the Chisholm Trail.

9/29/2011 - Bureau of Engraving & Printing & Cabelas Fort Worth

2011-09-29T21:23:00.002-05:00

Today we toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing where they print half of the money printed in the US. We weren't allowed to take cameras or cell phones into the complex so we don't have any photos to post. The ad above is from the Fort Worth Magazine. They have a special visitor's center outside the compound and the security is quite tight and the screening is extensive. Then you get on a bus and it takes you into the compound. We had lots of fun as we were mixed in with a group of local homeschool students from the Dallas -Fort Worth area who were on a field trip. It brought back many memories of doing such field trips with Josh. It was really quite interesting to see the whole process from an elevated glass enclosed walkway. I've never seen so many hanging security cameras!

Next we went to Cabelas and did some looking. ;-) I loved that cowboy on the horse sculpture that was out front.

Tonight we just experience a Texas thunderstorm as a huge front moved through the area. We had pea sized hail and winds of 50 MPH according to the weather channel. Homer was under the table as the motorhome rocked in the wind! We're not sure about coming to Dallas anymore since every time we come we have experienced horrible thunderstorms. Our temps should be in the upper 80's tomorrow (instead of 100 like it was today) so we are going to the Historic Stockyard District to see the cattle drive and historical area.

9/28 - Branson, MO

2011-09-28T22:11:00.005-05:00

During the National Homeschool Leaders Conference in Branson, MO, we had some time to do some sightseeing. We met the Perez family at the Hard Luck Diner for dinner where the waiters sing to you. The guy on the right was one of the finalists on American Idol. It was a real experience as the two waiters sang to Gavino's mother. Sorry for the funny color of the photo.... My iphone flash did not go off for some reason. ;-(

Then we went to the Titanic Museum.....

Here we all are on the replica grand staircase.

On Sunday evening Doug and I went to see Yakov Smirnoff and the Russian Circus. It was superb! In the photo below, the clown, Andrei, has enlisted Doug's help in pre-event fun of crowd volleyball with a huge beach ball.

In the photo below, they are serving our dinner to us.

We have moved on to Texas. We stopped in Mellisa, TX just north of Dallas and had a lovely visit with our friends, Wade and Jessica Hulcy. It was great to see them! Josh always called Jessica his Texas Momma since he frequently stopped at their home on his trips west to NM and AZ. Today we moved on to Aledo, TX, just west of Fort Worth, where we are camped for a few days so we can again sightsee Fort Worth. Tomorrow we plan to go to the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing - one of two places where our currency is printed. We also want to visit the Historic Area of the Stockyard and see the daily cattle drive.

9/12/2011 - Ha Ha Tonka State Park

2011-09-12T18:05:00.010-05:00

About 5 miles from Windermere is Ha Ha Tonka State Park. The park is a treasure of various features: A former castle, natural arches, sink holes, and lake front. We went today.
The castle was the dream of Robert McClure Snyder. In 1904, he purchased Ha Ha Tonka Lake and Spring in Camden County and immediately began constructing roads and making extensive improvements. He once said, "Here I will spend my leisure, secure from the worries of business and the excitement of city life. I will fish and loaf and explore the caves of these hills, with no fear of intrusion." The above is an aerial view of the ruins of the castle and below is rendering of what it looked like before the fire. In the foreground is the two-level carriage house which had places for horses and cars.

Snyder maintained ideals for which he was recognized, never failing to accentuate the importance of family values. In a personal message to his son Robert Jr., he encouraged him to "lay down for yourself principles of truth - of honor - of self respect - and of unselfishness - and do not violate them - thus will your life be a success and a pleasure to you and every one who knows or meets you." It was said that Snyder's business dealings were honorable and his name was synonymous with commercial integrity. His tragic death, one of the first automobile fatalities in Missouri (he was thrown out of the car when his driver swerved to miss a child who ran into the path of the car).

Above is the water tower for the castle. Below, Doug is at the beginning of the trail - a short walk to the castle sitting on the high bluff.

Once the Bagnell Dam was put in 80 years ago, the water started to fill behind it creating Lake of the Ozarks. The Lake of the Ozarks measures more than 90 miles in length and has several tributaries supplying it. The lake's somewhat skinny serpentine shape has earned it the nickname "The Magic Dragon." In total, it has over 1,100 miles of shoreline. Robert Snyder never got to see the finished castle due to his death in a car accident. His three sons finished the castle as a hotel. The castle burned in 1942 when a staff person lit a fire in one of the fireplaces and an ember caught the wooden shake roof on fire. All that is left is the sandstone shell.

We saw lots of skinks running around. A lot of people mistakenly call them salamanders. They are a type of lizzard. Below are some interesting clusters of moss growing on the walls.

Next we headed to one of the larger karsts (a natural bridge formed through water erosion). Doug took these interesting photos. Note the couple having a picnic lunch under the arch.

Then we headed down to lake level and took some photos looking up at the castle ruins. You can hardly see the castle for the trees that have grown up on top of the bluff.

9/12/2011 Photos of Windermere by Doug

2011-09-12T12:58:00.006-05:00

Doug took another bike ride around Windermere this morning. He even rode up the hill to the prayer chapel and took some photos of some of the buildings of the camp.
The photo above is from lake-side looking up at the prayer chapel on top of the hill (notice the cross on top of the hill) and the photo below is from the prayer chapel looking down at the camp.

The camp has a water obstacle course (above) in the lake and a high and low ropes course. Our son, Josh, would have loved it here!
Above is part of the high ropes course and below is the climbing wall.

More of the high ropes course in the photo above and a scene of the lake below. The Lake of the Ozarks is really narrow and pretty shallow here as we are close to one of the sources of the lake. Near the dam where our photos were from on a previous post, we were told it is 80' deep.

9/10/2011 Osage Beach and Windermere

2011-09-10T01:39:00.004-05:00

Saturday we went to JB Hooks for lunch. It sits high on a bluff looking out over one of the horseshoe bends of the Lake of the Ozarks. We had been told the food was delicious and the view beautiful and it was!

Below is a view of the outside dining overlooking the lake. Doug is in the cowboy hat (naturally).

The Osage Beach area is full of beautiful lakeside homes and condos. It is quite developed.

Next week we will be attending a conference for homeschool leaders at a near-by conference center. On Friday, we took a short ride over to Windermere Conference Center - about 15 miles from Osage Beach. The Conference Center sits on Lake of the Ozarks (although the lake is very narrow at this point - more like a small river or stream). This area of the lake is not developed like the east side of the lake.
Above are some of the water activities at Windermere and below is the Lakeview Lodge where we will be having meetings starting on the 18th.

9/6-8/2011 - Hershey record floods

2011-09-10T01:28:00.000-05:00

Record flooding took place from North Carolina up through New England from Tropical Storm Lee moving through the area.
Many of our friends were evacuated and had major water damage to their homes. It brought back memories of Hurricane Agnes in 1972. The photo above is of the Giant Center in Hershey where they were getting ready for the RV Show. It is one of the largest shows in the country. You can see the RVs parked in the parking lot. The Swatara Creek normally runs along the the tree line that you see at the bottom of the photo but due to 13" of rain, the creek was flooding. It set records for the highest flood waters ever recorded. The road that disappears into the water is Rte. 39.

Above is a photo of the Pizza Hut and Wendy's Restaurants on Hershey Park Drive. They had been under water halfway up their windows. This photo shows all the mud once the flood waters receded. A major clean-up is underway.

9/5/2011 Grant's Farm & Home

2011-09-05T14:51:00.010-05:00

Today we are traveled 3 hours west of St. Louis to Osage Beach on the Lake of the Ozarks. The weather broke yesterday and instead of the temperature flirting with the 100 degree mark, it was in the low 80's. Today it is even lower. Here are some photos of our last day in St. Louis.

Here is a daytime photo of our campsite in St. Louis.

Yesterday we took advantage of the cooler weather yesterday and we went to Grant's Farm and to Grant's home. Grant's Home is a National Park Historical Site and is one of Ulysses S. Grant's many homes.

These photos show Winter Haven which was the home of Ulysses's wife's parents and was where the two met.

He owned 90 acres here which was eventually purchase by August Bush in 1904. The Bush family owns 281 acres which is now named Grant's Farm (http://www.grantsfarm.com) and is a combination zoo and animal park. There is a parking fee but admission is free. At the far end of the parking lot are the stables of the famous Clydesdales - this is what I (Nada) wanted to come see! This is not the main stable for breeding - that is at Warm Springs Farm in Booneville, MO (http://www.warmspringsranch.com). We had our photo taken with one of the retired Clydesdales named Luke.

From the other end of the parking lot, a tram takes you from the parking lot through a fenced deer park where there are all kinds of deer, elk, cattle, bison, wild horses, turkeys, etc. free to roam the many acres. There is a replica of the first home Grant built here. Grant's wife named the home "Hardscrabble" - she didn't really like it and when her mother died the Grants moved into Winter Haven.

The fence that surrounds the deer park (which can be seen in this photo) the Bush's had made from the Civil War rifle barrels.

After the ride through the deer park, the tram stops for everyone to disembark and walk through the zoo section where you are free to walk among the exhibits.

9/2/2011 - St. Louis and the Gateway Arch

2011-09-02T13:27:00.004-05:00

We returned the Arch yesterday to tour the museum and to see the Lewis and Clark movie. Several years ago, we had flown to St. Louis for a conference and had done a quick tour of the Arch going up the tram to the top and seeing the movie on the building of the Arch.

It was a 100 degrees so we looked for shade when walking outside.

The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois. We're staying in East St. Louis right by the Eads Bridge.

The bridge is named for its designer and builder, James Eads. When completed in 1874, it was the first use of true steel in a major bridge project.It was also the first bridge to be built using cantilever support methods exclusively, and one of the first to make use of pneumatic caissons. The Eads Bridge caissons, still among the deepest ever sunk, were responsible for one of the first major outbreaks of "caisson discease" (also known as "the bends" or decompression sickness). Fifteen workers died, two other workers were permanently disabled, and 77 were severely afflicted.

On 14 June 1874, John Robinson led a "test elephant" on a stroll across the new Eads Bridge to prove it was safe. A big crowd cheered as the elephant from a traveling circus lumbered towards Illinois. It was believed that elephants had instincts that would keep them from setting foot on unsafe structures. Two weeks later, Eads sent 14locomotives back and forth across the bridge at one time.

8/31/2011 The Gateway Arch, St Louis

2011-08-31T08:55:00.002-05:00

We arrived in St. Louis yesterday. What a view of the Gateway Arch from our campground right across the river. We are going to go tour the Arch again today or tomorrow. Interesting tidbit is we are camped next to another Tiffin Allegro Bus. It turned out to be an acquaintance from down in the Rio Grande Valley from two years ago! Small world!
Will post more later.

8/30/2011 Red Bay to Sikeston, MO - Lambert's Cafe

2011-08-29T20:37:00.005-05:00

After 2 weeks in Red Bay, we decided to leave yesterday. We had new tires put on the motorhome and Lexus and some minor repairs done to the motorhome plus Doug got some parts for some of his pet projects that he wants to do in cooler weather. We did not get our wet bay floor replaced as we had hoped. We will make an appointment for the spring when we are heading north and have it done then.

Soooooo..... once we decided to leave, we packed up in 30 minutes flat and we got motoring toward St. Louis.
Lots of cotton growing in the area around the Mississippi River.

Here is the mighty Mississippi River.... In April this whole area was flooded.

We decided to stop in Sikeston, MO for the night and to have dinner at Lambert's Cafe, home of the throwed rolls. RV friends had told us about the Hinton RV Park and that Lamberts will come and pick you up for dinner. We weren't sure what to expect but it was a real experience! Lots of delicious food and fun AND they do throw the rolls across the room!

Here is their website in case you are interested in checking it out:

http://www.throwedrolls.com/shopcontent.asp?type=Sikeston

8/24/2011 - Insulating the front cap

2011-08-24T09:17:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we spent part of the morning in a repair bay here at the Tiffin Repair Facility. Stan and Jonathan were our techs. They were super. We were in and out in 1.5 hours with everything on our list taken care of. Homer and I stayed in the coach while they worked on it - I thought it would be a good time to get some computer work done.... but that didn't happen! Word quickly spread that there was a big German Shepherd in the coach and we had multiple techs stopping by to meet the big guy. Homer loved meeting them all!

Last evening about 9 PM, Doug decided it would be a good time to put the new insulation into the front cap of the motorhome. Since we are sitting here in Alabama awaiting our turn for a repair to the motorhome and temperatures are in the high 90's with heat indexes well over 100, we were motivated to do what we can to keep the cold air on the inside and the hot air outside. I had read on the forum on http://www.tiffinrvnetwork.com that the front caps of our motorhomes (the area over the large windshields) are not insulated. Several folks have put insulation up in there which has made a world of difference when parked facing the sun. We ordered a new type of insulation made from recycled denim jeans - http://www.greendepot.com/greendepot/product.asp?prod_name=Bonded+Logic+Ultratouch+Multi-Purpose+Roll&pf_id=BLPMULTIPRROLL&dept_id=5100&s_id=0& - and we installed it last night. We now have a R factor of 16 in the cap. The insulation is super to work with.... You can cut or tear it and it doesn't itch like fiberglass. The biggest job was getting the TV down and back up in its spot! Here are some photos of Doug putting the insulation in.....

8/21/2011 Helen Keller's Birthplace - Tuscumbia, AL

2011-08-21T20:18:00.003-05:00

We gathered all the throw rugs, Homer stuff, and the bed items this afternoon and went looking for a laundromat with large washers. We ended up 40 miles away in Tuscumbia, Alabama! We certainly are in rural Alabama! While searching for a laundromat, we stumbled upon Helen Keller's birthplace. It was such a lovely setting, but unfortunately it was open today.

I love the small towns of Alabama. It is like going back in time how the towns were 60 years ago.
Above is the main street of Tuscumbia and below is the county courthouse. So quaint and beautiful.

8/18/2011 We're in Red Bay, AL

2011-08-18T07:51:00.005-05:00

Many thanks to the link to Classic Coach Works by Lucy, one of the Tiffin.net folks! We saw that and called them last Monday morning - We were tired of the loud noise of the AC! They sent one of the AC covers to us and it arrived in PA on Thursday morning. By Thursday noon, Doug had it installed and we could not get over how much quieter the AC is with it there. Here are two photos of the install.

The first photo is a thin piece of plywood that they send that must be installed to block the air dump. You do loose the capability of the air dump but we had never used it in 4 years of full-timing so it didn't seem to be a problem to us.

The second photo shows the completed installation. They matched our headliner perfectly just by them telling us what year Allegro Bus we have.

It was a whirlwind the last few days in PA, but we finally got on the road south on Monday late afternoon. We were on schedule for a 9:30 departure when the last item of business, raising the leveling jacks did not work. To make a long story short, after trying many things, Doug called and got a tech who directed him how to raise them manually and we got underway. God just knew we needed some more time chatting with our friends Ken and Marilyn while we waited for the tech to call back! We stopped at a Walmart in Lexington, VA the first night and were just ready to retire for the night when a work crew showed up and started tearing up the backtop. Why the store manager didn't tell us when Doug asked her permission to stay the night, we don't know so we ended up moving next door to the Lowe's parking lot for the night. Next night we stopped in Pigeon Forge. The campgrounds were really empty except for the seasonal renters. The area has really been hit hard by Obama putting fear into vacationers. We were told by our campground that it was their worse year on record. Yesterday, we drove into Red Bay, AL via Chattanooga. Here are some views of Lookout Mountain going through Chattanooga. It was once again so humid that you couldn't see too far.
Quite a scary view as we rounded the mountain, got out first view of Lookout Mountain and started our decent to Chattnooga. Due to the construction, we were right at the edge in a VERY skinny lane. I almost jumped in Doug's lap! I'm glad he was driving!

Above, we are almost down to river level. Below, we are right along the Tennessee River. The end of Lookout Mountain is straight ahead. The river makes a big u-turn here.

Above and below a river boat pushing a large group of 8 barges... two across and 4 long.

We'll be here in Red Bay for probably a week or so as we have maintenance, repairs, and new tires put on the motorhome.

August 11, 2011

2011-08-10T23:13:00.002-05:00

I am finally caught up to the present! In just 4 days we will be on the road heading south and west. It will be good to get moving again. BUT first we have a family reunion to attend and a bunch of details to take care of. Next post should be sometime next week.... Standby....

7/18-26/2011 Oma's RV Trip to Washington, DC - days 4 to 6

2011-08-10T21:15:00.010-05:00

Day 4 - We moved the motorhome.
We had stayed at Pohick Bay Regional Park just south of Mt. Vernon. It is a lovely campground that is rural and quiet but with easy access to downtown DC via the George Washington Parkway. Unfortunately, they were experiencing problems with their electric so in our mid-vacation, we moved the motorhome up to Lake Fairfax Park which is close to my (Nada's) brother's house so we could visit with him and also see some sites in that area of DC.

Each night we ate together at a different restaurant. The first night it was Taste of Saigon, a Vietnamese restaurant (delicious!), the second night it was Italian - La Pergola, and the third night in was Arties.

That is Doug and Marina above. Below is Oma, Greg, and Chase. Chase seems to like his new Bob, the Tomato, from Veggie Tales.

Above is Sam and Ginger and below is Sam and MC, Marina's mom.

It is always good to see our family and spend some time with them.

Day 5 - A visit to the Smithsonian's Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum at Dulles Airport

The Smithsonian has a super display of large aircraft at Dulles Airport. It took us most of one day to see the collection. It is not as big as the Museum of the Air Force at Dayton, OH but it is still great.
Above, Oma is watching an incoming commercial flight land from the public tower.

Above: One of 5 experimental Blackbirds - they can fly twice the speed of sound. We have seen 3 of them. Below is the Enola Gay - one of the planes that dropped the nuclear bomb on Japan.

Above, Oma is looking down the hangar toward a Concord - the fastest passenger airplane.

Above and below is a P-47 which Opa flew in WWII as a fighter pilot in Europe.

Above is an overview looking at the WWII airplanes including the P-47 and the Enola Gay.
Below is a close up view of the Concord.

Above is the Virgin Atlantic – the plane Steve Fossett flew around the world non-stop in.

Two views of the space shuttle, the Enterprise.

7/18-26/2011 Oma's RV Trip to Washington, DC - days 1 to 3

2011-08-10T00:44:00.013-05:00

We usually take Doug's mom on an RV vacation each summer while we are visiting in Pennsylvania. This year she wanted to go to Washington DC again and see some more of the sites.

Day 1 - Some of the Monuments on the National Mall

First stop was the World War II Monument.

The Price of Freedom Wall - each star stands for 100 servicemen who died during World War II.

Next stop was the Vietnam Memorial.

We were able to locate the name of one of my (Nada) childhood friends who died in Nam.

After resting in the cool shade (it was close to 100 degrees) we then headed to the Lincoln Memorial. The two photos below are from the same spot. One looking toward the Washington Monument and the other looking the other way toward the Lincoln Memorial. Notice the Reflecting Pool is under reconstruction.

The next memorial, and our last one for the day due to the heat causing our meltdown, was the Korean War Memorial. There was a ceremony of some sort going on at the memorial by some Koreans. Unfortunately, for us, we could not tell what it was about because they weren't speaking in English and the signs and ribbons on the flowers were not in English.

Day 2 - The Washington National Cathedral

We spent a beautiful day at the cathedral. Such a magnificent structure and impossible to catch the immensity or beauty by camera.

Above is the main altar. Below is the view from the choir toward the back of the cathedral.

Above is a cross made of refuse from the World Trade Towers in New York.

DAY 3 - A luncheon boat cruise up the Potamac River from Alexandria to Georgetown and back. The food was delicious and the view was unique. The first photo I borrowed from the Nina Dandy's website - http://www.dandydinnerboat.com - since there was no way I could get a photo of the boat.

Above, Oma and Doug with the boat captain. He is an RVer when he is not navigating the boat up the river!

Above, a view of the inside of the boat. Below is a view of Alexandria and the Torpedo Factory.

Above is a view of Reagan Airport. It was so humid that the photo is foggy. Below is a view of us squeezing under a railroad. We just barely made it under the bridge due to the tide being just after its high point.

Above is the Kennedy Center and below you can see Watergate on the left and the Kennedy Center on the right.

Above are the Washington and Lincoln Memorials. Below is General's Row - the homes of the Chiefs of Staff.

6/11/2011 Trevor Levi Rothgaber born

2011-08-10T00:40:00.003-05:00

4/17/2011 - Baby Shower for Vicky

2011-08-10T00:26:00.005-05:00

Vicky's co-workers held a baby shower for her on April 17th. They graciously invited Oma and I to it. The theme was western and their attention to detail was heartwarming.

I was astounded at all the gifts and donations. People who didn't even know Vicky or Josh gave gifts and clothes.

All the clothes on the clothes line were brand new items donated or given to Vicky. I was just overwhelmed by all the generosity of folks.

That is Oma sitting at one of the decorated tables.

The cake was a Saguaro cactus with a little baby in the catcus blossom!

Vicky and her mom arrive at the surprise shower!

Oma crocheted a layette set for the baby.

A changing table was also given.

Photos from the winter of 2010-2011

2011-08-03T23:00:00.014-05:00

I am trying to catch everyone up on what we did after leaving Pennsylvania after Thanksgiving. So fasten your seat belts as I take you on a brief overview of our winter! I just couldn't pick up a camera during November and December and take photos so.... Only one photo from that time... that of Homer getting his first bone out of the really BIG box of bones Sam and Ginger sent to him as his Christmas present.

These are some views of W&I Resort where we spent January and February in Mission, TX. Above are some beautiful poinsettias and below is our rented place.

A view at dusk of our street.

Above are two yellow-belied woodpeckers on our palm tree.

That is Denise and Doug above in front of the border fence by the Hildalgo Pump House Park. Below is the Border Patrol Boat cruising the Rio Grande River. Across the river is Mexico. The border is also patrolled by helicopter. You can see evidence of the flooding that took place during the summer of 2010 as they had to release so much water from Falcon Dam.

We took Denise to South Padre Island for a day trip. Above, we are driving on the beach in the foggy morning. After we ate a delicious lunch, we enjoyed the birds and wild life.

These green jays and altimira orioles are feasting on citrus at the National Birding Center at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park. Doug and I spent last winter volunteering here.

Below is the ruins of La Lomita Mission.

A few weeks after Denise visited us, our good friends from San Antonio drove down to visit with us in their Rio Grande Valley. We made the most of our time and showed them some of the sights.
At the Hildalgo Pump House.... Ruth and Gavino in front of the border fence. Below is Doug and Gavino with the old pumphouse in the background.

Doug spent January and February playing winter softball in the Seniors League. His team placed second or third I believe.

Below is Ruth and Gavino in front of the Killer Bee - the mascot of the minor league hockey team.

Homer had a ball every time we'd go to the dog park in McAllen. You can see how dry it was.

In mid-March we left the Rio Grande Valley and started heading north. We spent two weeks in San Antonio visiting with Denise, Ruth & Gavino, and our nephew, Sam, who lives in Austin. Then it was on to Red Bay, AL were we were going to have some work done on the motorhome.

First stop was Bay Diesel to have routine maintenance done. Then it was on to Custom RV where Brannon and his guys replaced the carpet in our motorhome. In the first picture, the bed has been removed and Brannon is working on the engine box.

Above is the mess in the kitchen area where they have put the mattress and sofa which have been removed from their places to replace the carpet. Below, the guys are putting the freshly covered bed platform back into its place.

Below is a view of the new carpet in the front. The driver and passenger seat have been removed to install the carpet. Brannon and his guys did a super job!

While staying in Red Bay we had many violent thunderstorms... several with tornado watches but the sirens never sounded while we were there. Two weeks after we left, tornadoes went through Alabama and wiped out several towns. It was discovered during our routine maintenance work that we had a leak in our exhaust manifold gasket so we went to Tupelo, MS to have that replaced. Praise God the head was not scored so the cost was just to replace the gasket!

After having our work done in Red Bay, we stopped and visited with our homeschool leaders in NE Alabama, Rusty and Phyllis Tate. It was a great time of fellowship and good food. Then it was on to Chattanooga, TN. We decided to stop on visit the Civil War Battlefield on top of Lookout Mountain.

Doug took the photo below at a Walmart in Stanton, VA. Later more motorhomes pulled in and I actually counted 19 parked for the night before it got too dark.

We stopped and visited Sam and Ginger in northern Virginia. We had fun playing with grand-nephew, Chase.

We also toured James Mason's home new Pohick Bay. He was he author of the Bil of Rights.

On another day we tour Majorie Merryweather Post's home in Georgetown and enjoyed the greenhouse full of orchids. Her home was full of priceless artifacts.

So that brings you to April of 2011..... Next post will take you through the late spring and summer of 2011.

Many Months Since Last Post

2011-08-03T15:01:00.001-05:00

It has been a really long time since I last posted. I just did not feel like it after Josh was killed on October 22nd. Here is his obituary:

Joshua Rothgaber, 26, of Mount Joy, died unexpectedly due to a motor vehicle accident on Friday, October 22, 2010 in Hershey. Born June 22, 1984, he was the son of C Douglas and Nada (Burd) Rothgaber. He will be lovingly missed by his wife, Victoria (Grisham) Rothgaber. Josh grew up in Grantville, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from homeschool high school in 2002. Josh accepted Jesus as his Saviour at a young age and was baptized at age 17. He loved life and was always willing to help anyone in need whether it be a friend or a stranger needing assistance, a job that needed done, someone broken down, or someone stuck in the mud or in a snow drift. From a young age, he was always working on vehicles. He bought his first truck at age 15 and rebuilt it before he could even drive. His zest for life and his servant spirit allowed him to be involved in and touch many lives as he pursued apprenticeships and jobs in multiple vocations during his high school years and post-graduate years. While growing up, Joshua volunteered many hours in service work as his family served on the board of CHAP, the Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania. He traveled with his family as part of his education and was able to count hiking in the Grand Canyon and climbing Devils Tower in Wyoming as two of his accomplishments. During his post school years, he pursued many vocations from plumbing in New Mexico to steel fabrication and finally property management in central Pennsylvania. His outdoor interests included every form of hunting, both archery and rifle, and rock crawling with his Jeep. From the time he met his lovely wife, Victoria, they were inseparable. They were married in a western-style wedding in Maryland in May of 2007. Victoria shares many of the same interests as Josh, and the two of them were working on remodeling their home in Mount Joy. On the morning of Josh's death, Victoria's doctor confirmed they would be having their first child in June. In addition to his wife, Joshua is survived by his unborn child; his father- and mother-in-law, Roger and Elizabeth Grisham; his brother-in-law, Airman 1st Class James Grisham; his grandmother, Aurie Rothgaber; and grandfather-in-law, John Mundorff.

The accident happened at Route 39 and Canal Road in Hershey. A car turned left in front of Josh on his motorcycle and he had no time to react. He died instantly. No one was speeding, no one was under the influence.... God just blinded that man so he did not see Josh.

After the funeral we spent November in Pennsylvania . Then when we saw we could not do anything more for Vicky, we headed south right after Thanksgiving. We stopped overnight in Jackson, MS and spent a sleepless night as there were tornado warnings. We were ready to move at a moments notice as we watched the weather maps live on the local TV stations. A tornado touchdown 8 miles north of us and destroyed homes and structures. Little did we know that was the start of a record year of tornadoes. We pulled in to a campground in New Braunfels, TX, just north of San Antonio where we had had a reservation for November and December. We met a lovely couple who we hit it off with that first night when we went to dinner. For 16 days we had lots of fun together with Jim and Denise. They laughed and cried with us when we talked about Josh. Jim had retired even earlier than Doug.... 54 to Doug's 58. He was a state policeman in Ohio. we had so many things in common down to the same model of motorhome - theirs was one year newer than ours. Just 16 days later, Jim abruptly died in his sleep. We cried with and tried to support Denise until her family flew in from around the country. We continued to be friends through the winter. Denise flew home to Ohio for Jim's funeral and to take care of details but then she came back to New Braunfels and the motorhome where she spent the winter. Meanwhile, we went down to the Rio Grande Valley to Mission, TX for January and February. Denise drove down in her car and spent several days with us. On our way north we stopped in New Braunfels and spent two weeks with her. Then we said our good byes as we headed to Red Bay, AL to have some motorhome work done.

I'll post some photos from the winter in my next post.

Our precious son Josh

2010-10-25T05:36:00.002-05:00

It is great grief that I post this. Our precious 26 year old son, Josh, was killed Friday night. He was riding his motorcycle and a car turned left into his path. There was not enough time for him to avoid it. He died instantly. He leaves behind a wife who is expecting their first child in June. We covet your prayers at this very hard time. For those who wish to know, these are the arrangements:

Arrangements for Josh Rothgaber

Saturday, October 30, 2010
Reception and viewing 12 noon to 3 PM
Service at 3 PM
Gundel Funeral Home
415 North Duke Street
Lancaster, PA 17602
Telephone: 717-393-1776
Burial at the Millersville Mennonite Cemetery, Millersville, PA

We would invite you to join us for a buffet dinner. We would appreciate knowing (but it is not necessary) if you plan to join us for the buffet meal following the interment so we can make accurate arrangements. Please RSVP to nadachap@gmail.com.

Many of you know we travel and live in our motorhome (with a mailing address in South Dakota) and so you have asked how to reach us in Pennsylvania. CHAP has graciously allowed us to use the office address as a home mailing base while we are here in Pennsylvania. We will be camping somewhere near the CHAP office. The CHAP office address is:
Doug and Nada Rothgaber
c/o CHAP
231 N. Chesnut St.
Palmyra, PA 17078

It is hard to express our feelings - our grief is so overwhelming. As I write this we are in our second day of driving back to Pennsylvania. Praise God for email and cell phones! The outpouring of everyone’s love and prayer has just overwhelmed us. We felt we needed to drive home as we plan to stay for quite awhile and we knew Vicky had the support of her loving parents. We have been back and forth on the phone and email with her frequently as she makes the arrangements. It seems God is slowing our journey as we dealt with extreme weather (high winds, sideways rain, and tornado warnings) in the Dallas area yesterday which slowed our travel to 30 MPH for almost 2 hours and today our emotions are just over-flowing as the reality of the situation starts to over-take us. We have had to stop several times as the grief just overcomes us and we need to pray and cry out to God. We have been blessed with a daughter-in-law, who even though she is in distress, is able, with the help of her parents, to know what she wants and to make the arrangements for Josh.

If you are so inclined, CHAP is setting up a Memorial Fund to help with the many needs the family will be facing in the coming days. Cards & Gifts can be sent to:
The Josh Rothgaber Memorial Fund
c/o CHAP
231 N. Chestnut St.
Palmyra, PA 17078

10/13/2010 - Traveling to San Marcos, TX

2010-10-13T13:34:00.002-05:00

We are traveling to San Marcos, TX today. I'll post more once we get there. I am having trouble with the map showing our route so I will need to work on that once we are settled.

Titantic – Branson, MO

2010-10-08T00:26:00.002-05:00

We went to see the Titantic Museum today. It was quite interesting and quite moving. Each person is given a boarding pass with the name of an actual passenger. You look for your passenger as you make your way through the museum.

Branson, MO

2010-10-03T18:17:00.003-05:00

We are now in Branson, Missouri. We'll be here for another week and a half. This place is a lot like Pigeon Forge, TN - a family oriented entertainment and vacation location - but Branson is SO MUCH more hilly than Pigeon Forge! We feel like mountain goats going up and down. The traffic was horrible today on our way to church as many folks were apparently leaving after being here for the weekend. I'll post some photos in the next couple of days.

Our winter friends from Mission, TX, Eddie and Ann, have a summer home about 2 hours from here in northwest Arkansas. They are going to drive over to Branson on Tuesday and we'll enjoy catching up since we last saw them the end of February. Doug and Eddie play softball together in a Winter Texan league.

Chateau on the Lake, Branson

2010-10-03T18:08:00.003-05:00

The Chateau on the Lake, the location for next year's HSLDA conference, is a beautiful location and looks to be a very elegant hotel. Here are some photos of where we will be a year from now.

Above, driving up the hotel's entrance road.
Below, the view from the hotel's parking lot looking out over Table Rock Lake.

Windermere Baptist Conference Center, Roach, MO

2010-10-03T17:19:00.005-05:00

We made a quick trip through Windermere Conference Center on the Lake of the Ozarks to see where next year's Alliance Conference will take place. It sure is out in the country! Here are some scenes from around the Camp.

Land of Lincoln - Springfield, IL

2010-10-03T09:47:00.010-05:00

On our way south from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we stopped in Green Bay for a night and then drove to Springfield, IL. This was Lincoln's home town when he was elected President. The town in also the capital of Illinois so there is the Old Capitol and the New Capitol. They have done a tremendous job of restoring the town and it is quite quaint.
Above is the train station and below is the entrance to the Lincoln Presidential Museum. This is a tremendous museum with lots of high tech features. Wear a sweater, though, because the temperature is always kept at 70 degrees for the artifacts. Brrrrr! for us humans!

The museum takes you through 2 phases of Lincoln's life. First, is his childhood through to the election and second is his presidency and assassination.

Note: That is Doug standing with Lincoln and his family in the photo above. Below, the Old Capitol where Lincoln served before becoming President.

Above is the Lincoln home as it looked when the Lincolns lived there. Below is formal parlor where the Lincolns would have welcomed guests.

Above is the dining room and below is the family room. All furnishings are authentic to the Lincoln home and are either the actual furniture they left there when they moved to the White House or are reproductions of the authentic furniture. Note how busy the wallpaper and rug is.

Above is the Lincoln bedroom where Abraham Lincoln set. That is his actual wardrobe and dresser. In the photo you can see Lincoln's desk where he many times worked into the night. It was common at that time to have a bedroom suite with separate rooms for the husband and wife. The younger children slept in the mother's room.

Above, you can see a special feature, a potty chair, that Lincoln had made for his wife who did not like to use the outhouse. Below is Mary's bed.

Below is Lincoln's tomb.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula - Soo Locks

2010-09-29T16:14:00.011-05:00

I have been remiss at posting - Having too much fun and very poor upload speeds in the wilds of northern Michigan. After spending two and a half rainy windy days in Petosky, Michigan, we were finally able to head north to the Upper Peninsula on a beautiful sunny Sunday. Crossing the Mackinaw Bridge was beautiful! I told my friend Mary Ann who doesn't like going up and down mountain roads that I will take mountain roads anytime over crossing high long bridges with very low guard rails!

The Mackinac Bridge is the 3rd longest bridge in the world and the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. Below is one of the water taxis which take you to Mackinaw Island.

We arrived at our campsite along the northern shore of Lake Michigan. We are just two miles west of the bridge. It is a beautiful view out our front window over Lake Michigan. Shortly after setting up our campsite, a freighter steamed past.

Doug and Homer had to go checkout the shoreline.

After setting our camp, we headed to the Soo Locks in Sault St. Marie on the northern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula where Lake Superior empties into Lake Huron. There is a 21 foot drop in St. Mary's River between the two lakes and so the locks lower and raise the ships between the lakes. The "Lakers" are freighters up to 1000' in length and they travel what is referred to as the "Upper Great Lakes." The "Salters" are ships up to 800' which travel the whole way to the ocean. The Lakers are too long to go through the Welland Canal between Lake Erie and Ontario.Below is a relief map of the Upper Lakes showing the depth.

Unfortunately, we just missed a large freighter going through the locks and none were due for about 8 hours so we watched this tour boat go through the locks and left.

Above, the boat comes into the lock from Lake Superior and then the lock doors close behind it.

In the photo above, you can see the water has been removed from the lock and the gates to St Marys River are opening. The tour boat exits the lock below.

Above they close the gates and the lock begins to fill again with water in preparation for the next ship coming from Lake Superior.

Above is our view out the restaurant's window where we ate looking from St. Ignace toward Mackinaw Island. Below you have a beautiful sunset view from our motorhome campsite. Tomorrow we are going to drive up to Whitefish Point on Lake Superior.

Whitefish Point on Lake Superior

2010-09-29T11:48:00.003-05:00

On Monday, we headed north again this time to Whitefish Point on Lake Superior to see the Shipwreck Museum. Apparently, there is hundreds of shipwrecks in this area of Lake Superior. The most famous one being the last one to go down in 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald. All but a few of the shipwrecks happened in November as winter storms created havoc with the shippers trying to get one last load through before winter freeze set in. There was a beautiful ballad composed and sung by Gordon Lightfoot in the year following the sinking of the "Fitz."

by Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind

When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.

They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.

And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.

Below is the bell they were able to raise from the Fitz as a memorial to the crew that went down with her.

If you click on the photo below and enlarge it, you can read the details of her sinking.

Doug is point to the end of the boardwalk at Whitefish Point, Lake Superior looms in the background. It is the second largest fresh water lake in the world.

The lighthouse at Whitefish Point.

We drove a scenic route along Whitefish Bay and came to the Iriquois Lighthouse as we got closer to the Soo Locks. If you click on the photo below, and look on the hillside on the right side of the lighthouse, you can faintly see a wind generator farm that is across the bay in Canada.

Tunnel of Trees and Harbor Springs

2010-09-24T19:15:00.006-05:00

We decided to take a drive along the Heritage Road "Tunnel of Trees" It goes from Petoskey through Harbor View and north to Cross View, Michigan - about 27 miles along the western edge of Michigan along Lake Michigan. We started out in drizzle but by the time we were on the return trip, the sun was poking through. It got its name "Tunnel of Trees" because it goes right along the lake shore but the trees cover over in a canopy. Unfortunately, we were about a week early - next week they will be beautiful as the maples were just starting to show their bright oranges and reds. Once we got past Harbor View, we were no longer on the bay shore, but were on the lake shore. You could not see the other side of the lake (Wisconsin) and the waves were huge from the wind. The road is narrow and twisty, but such a beautiful drive.

These scenes are of the harbor at the town of Harbor View.

The homes in Harbor View were just as beautiful as the ones in Petoskey.

When we got back to Petoskey, we had a lovely dinner at Stafford's Bay View Hotel and Restaurant. The food was delicious and the view was super.

This is the view as we ate.

I caught Doug checking his iPhone.

Petoskey, MI

2010-09-24T11:14:00.003-05:00

We traveled north on Thursday and got into northern Michigan. We stopped at a Walmart for the night in Gaylord, MI because there were no campgrounds nearby. It started pouring during the night and it poured all day Thursday so we made a slight detour to the west to Petoskey, MI which is right on Lake Michigan. It is know for its famous pebbles that are made into jewelry and all kinds of things. It poured all day yesterday and most of last night. It is quite windy (25 to 40 MPH winds) so we are not able to cross the Mackinac Bridge (third longest suspension bridge in the world) due to the wind.

We decided to take a drive through Petoskey today - it is full of quaint Victorian homes and beautiful flowers. The waves were crashing onto the stone shoreline due to the wind. Here are some photos:

Augusta, MI

2010-09-24T11:00:00.002-05:00

We left Indiana and headed north to Augusta, Michigan where we camped at Fort Custer State Park during the Alliance national homeschool convention which was just north of Augusta at Gull Lake. I realize now that I didn't take any photos except for this unique home that we passed each day traveling to the conference. We saw several homes in similar architecture throughout southern Michigan.

floral quilts

2010-09-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

This post is especially for my friend, Lucy, who is an avid quilter and RVer! They had a quilt trail in northern Indiana where they had these floral quilt patterns at various locations. They were so beautiful. If you click on the photo, it will enlarge so you can read the information. Lucy: you have expanded my quilt horizons!!! Thank you so much! I also saw 3 of the barn quilts painted on the sides of barns as we traveled through Ohio and Indiana - but didn't get any photos of them. ;-(

Newmar factory

2010-09-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

Next we traveled to northern Indiana to the Shipshewana area. It is Indiana Amish country and we were here last year when we bought the Lambright recliners for our motorhome. Since we were so close, we decided to take the tour of the Newmar factory so we could see how they make their motorhomes - we almost bought a Newmar before we found out Tiffin Allegro Bus. We found there is a lot of difference in the production of the Newmars and the Tiffins.
Above, a gas chassis begins its journey. Below, is a stack of roofs ready to lifted onto the coaches.

Above is a diesel pusher - notice they use fiberglass insulation in both the walls and roof.

Here the fiberglass outer wall is applied over the fiberglass.

Above, a diesel pusher getting the final touches before going into the paint shop. Below, a diesel pusher getting the final sanding and smoothing before going across the parking lot to the paint shop.

Above, Doug checks out an Essex that is is in the final, quality control check.

Air Force Medals

2010-09-14T12:09:00.000-05:00

This post is especially for Oma: Doug took some photos of Air Force Medals so you could compare them to the ones you have for Opa. If you click on each photo, it will enlarge so you can see it better.

Dayton, OH - US Air Force Museum

2010-09-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

We have wanted to stop at the Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH for many years and just never had the time. This year we made the time and we actually spent two days there and still didn't see it all! Having the motorhome outside made it nice. I could go out to the motorhome with Homer while Doug enjoyed a more in-depth look at the planes. Our RV friends from when we had a GMC classic motorhome, Bob and Terry Stockholm, live just a few miles from the museum and they graciously offered a parking space and electric hookup in their driveway. We enjoyed catching up on several years of happenings since we had seen them and tried to encourage them in their dream to soon go fulltime.
Here we are parked at the air museum. The grove of trees behind the motorhome is a memorial park to all the various squadrons. Below is a photo looking toward the entrance of the air museum from our parking place. The memorial park is along the right side of the sidewalk.

For now, I am going to just put some photos from inside the museum. Below are two P-47's which is the plane Doug's dad flew in WW II in Europe.

Above is a Stealth Bomber, a B-2 bomber.

Above and below are the F-16 simulator - Doug's dream machine. He only got out of it when some other folks came and wanted to try it.

Above is the Apollo 15 Command Module - which went to the moon. If you enlarge my photo (by clicking on it), you can see the rusted holes in the bottom. The placards say that the metal reacts so quickly with the salt water of splashdown.

Various rockets.

Above is the massive B-52 bomber - one huge machine!

Above is the plane that was Air Force One for President Kennedy when he was shot. They had a whole hanger of presidential planes going back as far as President Truman. They also had a whole hanger of experimental air craft.

The white plane, above, is an XB-70 "Valkyrie." It could travel at 3 times the speed of sound.

AIG Creation Museum

2010-08-26T15:18:00.005-05:00

We headed north from Nashville and stopped at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY - It is right across the river from Cincinnati, OH. We were late getting there so we didn't have the chance to see the outside exhibits, but we could see the beauty of the lake from Noah's Cafe where we grabbed a quick meal.

The following photos are a few of museum.

Nashville, TN 8/17-20/2010

2010-08-26T12:35:00.009-05:00

One of the main purposes of our trip was to take Oma to visit with her nieces who are Doug's cousins, Stormie and Sue, and their families. Oma had not seen them for 13 years and Doug and I had not seen them for 4 years (We had stopped for a short visit on our way to south Texas for a month during the winter of 2006). Here is a photo of all of us at Sue and Louie's house. Derek (in the front) is a photographer and he took this great photo of all of us.

The first night we were in Nashville, we joined Sue and Louie and their kids who were in town for their traditional "Taco Tuesday" dinner. Stephanie and Derek were there along with Stephanie's daughter, Lolo. She is a special little girl! Her daddy, Jeremy, is on his second tour of duty in Iraq and Stephanie is expecting another baby while he is over there. Matt, Sue and Louie's other son was already at college at the Univ. of Tennessee. Doug had fun telling them his "make fun of U T jokes."

The second night, Louie cooked a feast for the whole family. That is when the family photo was taken. He grilled salmon, steelhead, shrimp, scallops, and steak on the grill. It was delicious beyond words!

Of course, the dogs were ostracized to the basement. In this photo, Stanford is peaking under the gate at the top of the steps.

Above is a photo of Stephanie and Oma and below is Sue and Oma.

Above is Stormie, Oma, and me. Below is Stormie and Oma.

Above is a Stormie and Oma. Below is Stormie and Sue, sisters, with their Aunt Aurie who we call Oma.

Above is Amanda and her mother Stornie with Sue. Below is Michael, Stormie's husband.

Above is Michael and Stormie's son, Chris and his girlfriend, Paige. It turns out it is a small world.... Paige went to high school in Doylestown, PA with Doug's and my nephew, Jesse. We were all astounded that we ended up meeting.

Above is a photo of Amanda (Stormie and Michael's daughter), Dallas (Amanda's boyfriend), Louie and Sue. Below is a terrible photo of Stormie and Michael's house. Stormie does her writing here and Michael has his recording studio here. It was really interesting to see a working recording studio.

The folowing photos show some of Michael's detail work on his train layout. It fills a 16' x 20' room. He has built all the structures and vehicles in the layout. It is magnificient! His attention to detail is amazing.

Pigeon Forge, TN 8/16/10

2010-08-22T10:10:00.009-05:00

We ended up doing a circle trip. We traveled down I-81 and stopped in Sevierville, TN at Ripplin' Waters campground. Then on to Nashville to visit cousins, Stormie and Sue and their families. Then we headed north to the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY on our way home.

After arriving in Sevierville and getting the RV set-up, we headed to Pigeon Forge in the car for the 6 PM show at Dixie Stampede. On the way, we stopped at Christmas Place. It is a store that has every imaginable item for Christmas. The photo below is Doug and Oma outside Christmas place.

Doug loved all the various little village winter scenes. He especially like the the animated hockey game on the pond below.

Our next stop was Dixie Stampede.

They have a pre-show in the Carriage Room with Blue Grass music. These three guys are national champions on their respective instruments. They are quite funny, too!

After the Pre-show in the Carriage Room, you are ushered into the Arena for the main show. Since dinner is served, you are seated at tables all facing the arena so you can eat while the show is going on.

Josh and Oma

2010-08-15T11:26:00.002-05:00

Josh stopped by to say goodbye to us. We are heading down I-81 today toward Nashville. Doug's mom, who we call Oma, is traveling with us to visit her nieces, Sue and Stormie, who live in Nashville. We're going to take the drive in leisurely segments with a stop in Pigeon Forge to see a show tomorrow night and then on to Nashville on Tuesday. Here are some photos of Josh and Oma.

Joshua's new bike

2010-08-15T11:09:00.003-05:00

Our son, Josh, got a new motorcycle. He has had everything from ATVs to dirt bikes to street bikes. This is a new off road bike and he is enjoying riding it. He stopped by our campground to show us his new ride.

Naturally, Homer had to inspect the bike too!

lll

Itchy to travel

2010-07-23T09:47:00.002-05:00

It is July 23rd and we have been parked here at Pinch Pond for 2 months. I haven't been posting because it is just normal daily living – So no photos on this post. ;-(

We have been attending a weekly Bible-study at the Baptist church we have been attending here. The folks have been a real blessing to us and the study has been challenging. Doug is selling the aerial photos – Some days are super days with $1000 in sales and some days are duds with $0 in sales but all in all it is very good income. While Doug is out selling, I am working on CHAP preparations for next year's convention. Lots of changes are in store for the convention. The location will still be at the State Farm Show Complex but we moving to a whole different section of the complex – A section that is currently under construction so a lot of time needs to be spent figuring out what new signage needs to made and figuring out where everything will go.

Both of us are itchy to be on the move again! We decided to take Oma on her yearly RV jaunt with us in August instead of September this year. We are going to go for a whole week this year down to Nashville, TN to see her nieces, Stormie and Susan and their families. Oma has not seen them since before her brother Herbert (Stormie and Susan's dad) died over 10 years ago so she is excited to go for this visit. We'll also make some other stops.... Maybe Pigeon Forge or Oak Ridge in Tennessee or the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Time and our route will determine what we do!

Stop back again – We'll have more news for you then!

Little remodels done to the MH back in April

2010-07-15T15:03:00.004-05:00

One of our motorhome friends wanted to see the remodels we had Chris Berry do to our closet back in April when we were in Red Bay, Alabama at the Tiffin factory. Our main problem was the rod was sagging and Doug's size 12 shoes were too big for the ledge and would fall off. ;-( I didn't have any problem with my size 7 1/2 shoes. I didn't want to loose my ledge and he didn't want to keep his ledge. Chris did a simple, cheap fix which made both of us happy. ;-D
Chris put the shelf on my side higher than the carpeted ledge already there so I now have two levels to slide my shoes into plus the front area where my boots are. Our extra folding chairs sit on the upper ledge at the back of the closet (held there by bungee cords toward the top of the chair) along with a small bin with my serger thread. Downsizing to this few of shoes was a major feat for me when we went full time. Our son, when studying the history of the Philippines and the former dictator, Mrs. Marcos, said to one of his friends, "She couldn't possibly have as many shoes as my mom does!"

One of the main reasons for doing this was to give better support to the closet rod. Chris added this whole center support post at the center of the closet.

in the photo above and below, you can see the difference in the height of the ledge on my side of the closet and on Doug's side. He didn't want to use the carpeted ledge because it wasn't big enough for his shoes so Chris put his shoe shelf right on the carpeted ledge. This gives Doug enough space to hang is long pants (he is 6'1") straight - He does not like his slacks folded over on hangers. ;-(

I also had to include these last two photos in here showing how little things make me happy! We like to keep some reading material in the bathroom. We used to keep it in a little cardboard file box for magazines but it didn't look very nice. I had Chris Berry make this wooden holder so I don't have to worry about it falling on the floor while driving and it looks soooo much nicer.

Lunch with some new Tiffin friends

2010-06-30T20:20:00.005-05:00

Today we met some new friends who have a motorhome the same model as ours only their motorhome is a 2007. Our make of motorhome has a large group of owners that are online in a forum where we discuss issues. We discovered Chuck and Lorraine were visiting in our area - they are from the west coast - so we contacted them and suggested we meet at the Jigger Shop in Mount Gretna for lunch. We had so much fun talking and visiting with them today. Hopefully our paths will cross again somewhere in the beautiful country of ours.

Above is a photo of Chuck and Lorraine ready to enjoy their barbeques for lunch.

The Emporium (gift shop) at Mt. Gretna.

Mt. Gretna is a Chautauqua started in the late 1800's. Some of the families who own homes here have been coming since that time for their summer refreshing.

The Jigger Shop started as an ice cream shop but also serves sandwiches and simple meals. We just love eating under the trees! I love how the trees go through the canopy.

Cookout at Josh and Vicky's

2010-06-30T19:54:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Joshua's 26th birthday at his place on Sunday. It is hard to believe that he is that old - which means we are much older, too!
Naturally, he and his friend, Mike, couldn't just park their rock crawling Jeeps the same way that normal folks park their vehicles. ;-)

In the above photo left to right is Kayla (Mike's daughter), Vicky, Mike, Josh (in the background), and Clayton, Mike's son. It was a really hot day in the mid-90's with lots of humidity.

In the above photo, left to right is Roger (Vicky's dad), Liz (Vicky's mom), Josh, Clayton, and Kayla. The photo below is Doug and his mom.

2010 Summer in PA

2010-06-02T13:53:00.003-05:00

It has been a long time since posting last.... We arrived back in Hershey, PA on April 21st and hit the ground running preparing for the CHAP Homeschool Convention which was May 7 & 8th this year. After the convention, we moved the motorhome to our summer campsite at Pinch Pond Campground north of Manheim, PA.

This is the first time we have stayed in such heavy tree cover so we are not quite used to so much shade! I think we'll appreciate the shade once the heat of the summer starts, though!

We had a lovely lunch two weeks ago with some RV friends of ours, Tom and Judy, who we met two years ago in Las Vegas. They were in the Lancaster/York area so we met for lunch. We also received a phone call from our friends, Jim and Pat, who called after they got back to their home in South Dakota from the Rio Grande Valley. They wanted to let us know they were have 5" of snow! We told them we knew there was a reason we avoid SD except in the summer and early fall!

Doug is back to selling the aerial photos. He will be doing that in the Lancaster/Reading area this summer and we will be spending time visiting our family, Oma, and Josh & Vicky.

Pigeon Forge, TN dinner theater

2010-04-17T10:04:00.003-05:00

Last evening we went to a dinner theater performance. We saw "Frankly Scarlet... You're Dead" - a murder mystery show. Doug and other audience members even had stand-up parts in the show.
Here are some scenes from the show.

Doug with the cast members.

And for our friend Bruce, part owner of a coal mine, we snapped this photo of a Kentucky license plate on a coal-black pickup truck. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll see it says "Friends of Coal" and "Coal Keeps the Lights On." Bruce, you need one of these! ;-D

Gatlinburg and Ober Gatlinburg 4/13/2010

2010-04-13T20:18:00.007-05:00

SNOW!!! Yes that is snow in this first photo!

I took the afternoon off of the convention work and we went to Gatlinburg up in the mountains at the north entrance to Smokey Mountain National Park. Finally I got to ride the Tram to Ober Gatlinburg! Yea! We have been here 3 other years and one time it was rainy and foggy while here. The second time, the Tram was shutdown for service changing from winter ski season to summer tourist season. The third time it was beautiful and sunny but thunderstorms rolled in and they stopped running the tram. This time I finally got to ride it!

These photos are all taken on the tram and show the beautiful views of the mountains. We had never realized all the cabins and cottages that are built on the mountain sides. There are thousands of them.

The view above is from our table where we ate lunch at the top of the tram. It is not the top of the mountain. From here, you take the ski lifts up to the very top of the mountain. There was snow left over - they just closed the skiing down two weeks ago. It is hard to imagine people were skiing two weeks ago since our temps have been in the 80's.

The above photo is the two runs of the Alpine Slide - they look like white tire paths. It is a dry sled-type of ride that comes down the mountain.

The above photo shows the tram coming up to the upper station. The photo below shows the black bears they have on exhibit.

The rest of these photos are scenes from our trip down the mountain.....

The upcoming tram passes us on our way down. You can see Gatlinburg down in the valley just to the left of the tram.

Click on the above photo and see some of the blooming dogwood and redbud trees. In the photo below you can see our Lexus parked right in front of the white building.

After our tram ride we drove the Artist Loop and stopped at Smokey Mountain Dulcimers where I got my dulcimer last year. Mark Edelman was very encouraging to this floundering player!

Pigeon Forge, TN 4/11/10

2010-04-11T21:56:00.005-05:00

Today after church today we went to eat at the Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge. It was a favorite restaurant from last year and the food is still delicious. Then later today we took a drive around Pigeon Forge so I could take some photos. So here ya go....

The Smokey Mountains weren't so "smokey" today since the humidity was low. As we drove around, I tried to snap some photos of unique places.

Stages West, below, is one of our favorite stores. Doug has purchased his Ariats and sports coats there and I bought my Ariats there, too. It is a quaint western store.

This weekend was the grand opening for the new entertainment complex The Titantic complete with an iceberg on the other side. It sounds like it is an interesting museum/entertainment - it certainly is in a unique style building.

Next we stopped at Christmas Village. It is the largest Christmas store I have ever been in and we ended up on visual sensory overload!

Checkout the Santa and sleigh in the photo above. The stars in the sky twinkled and a train was running around the edge of the room. In the photo below, the train is crossing the bridge from one side of the room to the other.

The photo below was taken from upstairs. Santa and his sleigh is coming around the corner at the other end of the room.

Pigeon Forge, TN 4/10/2010

2010-04-11T14:35:00.003-05:00

We drove from Red Bay to Pigeon Forge, TN on 4/6. We'll stay here in Pigeon Forge until 4/20 when we will leave for Hershey, PA. We have been having some down time for the last 4 days. I have been spending long hours on work for the CHAP Convention in May. Doug has been doing routine things to the motorhome. Homer has been chasing the ducks that are all over since we are camped right on Walden's Creek. I'll get some photos posted in the next few days. ;-D

Tiffin Motorhome factory, Red Bay, AL 3/30-4/5

2010-04-11T14:03:00.004-05:00

We arrived in Red Bay, Alabama at the Tiffin Motorhome factory to have routine maintenance done on the coach, to have a foggy window replaced (the seal on the thermopane gave way), and some more modifications to our cabinets. Doug decided to drive the 12 hour drive from Houston in two days – 11 hours one day and 1 hour the next day! He wanted to make our appointment at 9 AM Monday for the yearly oil/lub etc. I just worked on the computer while he was driving so the time flew by. We also talked a lot with our friends Bruce and Mary Ann who were driving from Atlanta to Hershey PA. The world of cell phones and internet access on the go!
While in Red Bay, we took the factory tour again. It is fun seeing the motorhomes built. Now the Tiffin Tour is not like any other factory tour... You are right in there with the techs who are working. We marvel that we are able to do that. Everything in the south is laid back more than we northerners ever are on our slowest day! The techs talk with you, answer your questions, etc. I must have taken a hundred photos... some are Allegros, some Phaetons, and some Allegro Buses (our model). I just put a couple of photos here for you to get an idea of factory.

Above, some finished Phaetons and Allegro Buses ready for delivery to the dealers.

Above, the back of a Phaeton.

Above, Red is the tour guide. He has worked for Tiffin since the beginning and is 88 years old. He gives two tours every day and each tour last 2 to 3 hours depending on how many questions are being asked.

The photo above shows two roofs ready to lifted by the crane onto the roof of the motorhome which is behind me where I am taking the photo.

Now the photo above is for our son and daughter-in-law, Vicky. On our tour was a young couple who are buying a new Allegro Bus. They are "storm damage chasers" 9 months out of the year. They actually follow storm damage to vehicles from hail and remove the dents from the vehicles. When they aren't chasing the weather, they are rock crawling with their Jeeps. Josh and Vicky love to do the rock crawling.

Above, there goes one of those roofs up and over to the motorhome, below. This is a front engine motorhome hence the wooden back which will later have the end cap put on over the wood.

Above a porcelain tile floor is about to be lifted over onto the chassis of the Allegro Bus.

Doug is talking in the photo above to Jim who is there watching his new motorhome be built. The chassis had just come in to the factory and was beginning its journey.

I-10 in Louisanna

2010-03-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

I-10 goes for miles and miles on bridge-like causeway. With all the rain of this past winter and spring, they swamps had more water than they did when we came this way last spring.

We're on our way to Red Bay, AL for some routine maintenance for the motorhome.

Gruene TX

2010-03-26T22:11:00.000-05:00

Here come my guys! Yep, that is Doug and Homer coming down the lane in Gruene. Aren't they sharp lookin' guys! Gruene is a neat old town with lots of German ancestry so we always feel like we are back in Lancaster County, PA.

We like to go to eat at the Old Grist Mill when in the area. We love it when it warm and it is an open air restaurant. The restaurant has huge shutter-like windows that swing open or you can eat outside. The restaurant is in the old grist mill.

These are views from our table.

Of course, I am always on the lookout for great plant photos. See the cactus growing up on the second story...