A Very Merry 2021 Christmas!

I was going to start by talking about water problems...but we'll get to that. Instead I'll start with Christmas, since it will have come and gone before I post again.

Merry Christmas to one and all! I hope that the "Reason for the Season" figures large in your celebrations, for without Jesus Christ, there would be no reason to celebrate anything. God revealed his true self to us and reconciled humanity to himself through Jesus, his Son, for which we can sing "Joy to the World!" with a glad heart...

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.      Colossians 1:19-20

We enjoyed a small pre-Christmas celebration with the family for our grandson, Aiden, who left for Canada before the holiday to spend Christmas with his lovely girlfriend, Faith. (Until now, they have only been internet friends, but they are hitting it off wonderfully, according to a recent family update.)

Aiden opening his gift... while on the phone
with Faith... and Olive looking on

Now to the water problems.

A few weeks ago I began to suspect our water pump was on its last leg, mostly because of all the laborious noise it made every time we ran the water. And I prepared myself for the inevitable conclusion that in fact came to pass not long thereafter. We turned on the water and got nothing. At that time, we suspected, but of course didn't know for certain, that the water pump was the problem. So we connected our hose to the house water spigot and Mark began the process of looking for a new pump online (which is where everybody buys everything nowadays). 

Fortunately there's not a big demand for RV water pumps, because we were able to find one at a reasonable price and actually take delivery within a few days. The unit he selected was under $100, and is a 5-chamber construction, which is supposed to be much quieter. We were advised to get at least a 3-chamber unit (which the original unit was), but the name-brand replacement was actually more expensive and less efficient.

Mark installed it in under an hour and it is running beautifully-- and virtually noiselessly. 

New water pump installed 
(old one below)

In the meantime, we had another water problem... a blocked up drain. Most of you RVers may never run into this problem, what with the low-fat diet craze still being a thing. But we are carnivores; and every day we dump grease down the drain. We try to mingle the grease with soap, but apparently there's not enough soap to manage the amount of grease we dispense into our pipes on a regular basis, because they finally clogged up and said, "no more!" 

Being all about non-toxic, environmentally safe consumerism, our first effort to clear the drain was the classic vinegar and baking soda remedy. Followed by hot water. Again. And again. And again. To no avail.

So, off Mark went to buy some caustic drain cleaner. Three bottles later, the plugged up drain remained stubborn. Time for Plan B-- a drain snake. Three feet ought to do it, he thought. I'm not sure what Walmart does with returned drain snakes that have been used on somebody's nasty drain... but I hope they don't try to resell them. The 15-foot drain snake finally cleared the problem. We are back in business flushing grease and soap down our drain. And we have a drain snake for the next time the pipes rebel against us. 

We are now back in water-heaven. Everything is working as intended and life is good.

We're counting down to Christmas...six days to go. Today we attended the family's church and watched the kids perform in their Christmas program. It was delightful! Olive was a little lamb and Asher played the part of a store clerk in a skit where everyone was trying to buy a toy that was out of stock. On Friday, Sophie was a Christmas tree in her school program. I'm still hoping to see some pictures. Christmas is, and always will be, a beautiful time of the year. 

May yours be blessed and happy!

Sophie at her Christmas table

Counting our Blessings

Well, here we are in Shreveport, parked at the Hoffman residence until the end of February. It's a cozy situation. We have 30 amp power and access to water and sewer, without ever having to move the RV.  

We arrived just in time to help our little granddaughter, Olive, celebrate her 5th birthday. There were tacos and a piñata, a plethora of unicorns, and (of course) cake and ice cream to finish it all off.

A few days later we celebrated Thanksgiving Day with the family. In spite of all the negative things we can point to in 2021 and perhaps find reasons to worry or complain, there is much more to be thankful for-- good health, the love of friends and family, and God's faithful care over us in every situation. We are truly blessed.

It feels good to sit in one place for a while, even though I generally prefer moving around. Perhaps the thing that makes it good is family. Olive makes sure I don't get bored. She blesses me with a visit on a daily basis -- sometimes more than one.

It's hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner and another year is nearly over. Mark and I wish you all a holiday season filled with joy and the peace that comes with knowing the Christ of Christmas. 

Until next time, safe travels and God bless!

Asher saying "goodbye" to Chuck, the turkey

Hanging up the birthday piñata

Attacking the piñata

Happy Birthday, Olive!

"Chuck," the turkey, before
and after...

...and, boy was it tasty!

A Little Time in Texas

Lake Whitney

Texas is a great place to be in the spring and fall. (Summers not so much.) And an added benefit is the many Thousand Trails RV parks scattered across the state. As I've probably noted many times, all of the Thousand Trails parks are free to us on account of our annual dues, which pay for our camping. The only exception to that rule is that some parks charge a premium of a few dollars a day for 50 amp service. Manageable.

So once our repairs were done, we headed to Texas for about three weeks. 

Our first stop was Lake Whitney.  Lake Whitney is about a forty minute drive northeast of Waco. While we were there, we finally got to visit the Magnolia Silos, owned by the famous duo of Chip and Joanna Gaines.  I took my "birthday dinner" as a lunch at the Magnolia Table restaurant, which serves only breakfast and lunch for the time being. I hope they eventually expand into dinner because it's a wonderful place to eat. The restaurant is clean and beautiful, the staff are friendly and helpful, the food is delicious-- made from scratch with real, local, and mostly organic ingredients. It is a true "farm to table" experience. And considering all that, the prices are quite reasonable. We definitely splurged, and indulged in some treats in honor of my special occasion.

At Magnolia Table. Mark had breakfast
I had lunch--chicken salad sandwich and
butternut squash soup.

That said, the Silos are a bit gimmicky in my opinion. The grounds are beautiful. The merchandise is lovely. But everything is a tad overpriced. We lookey-looed around and bought a few trinkets, but that's all. After resting up a bit with a cup of coffee, we headed home. Was it worth the bother? Absolutely. I definitely recommend at least one visit... and if you take along your lottery winnings, you can get some pretty nice stuff there.

Magnolia Silos, Waco TX

We couldn't get a longer stay than a week at Lake Whitney because the park was full beyond that time period. So we headed north to Lake Tawakoni, which is about an hour east of Dallas/Fort Worth. We've been at Lake Tawakoni several times, now, and like it better each time. They are upgrading many of the sites to full 50 amp hookups, and we were able to snag a good spot next to the open field. Even though we were on the main road, the trees and woods behind us and the huge open field in front made it feel more secluded than it really was. 

At Lake Tawakoni

At Lake Tawakoni

The downside of Lake Tawakoni is that there's absolutely nothing to do there, as far as "attractions" go. They do have a nice hot tub that we made use of a few times. Otherwise its glory is a peaceful week of sitting in the woods. Now, if you have a watersport vehicle--a boat or kayak or canoe...or you love to fish, then Lake Tawakoni will have what you need:  a lake. We don't. But we enjoyed it all the same. We stayed fifteen days, and that was enough for me.

Yesterday we left Texas and headed for Louisiana where we will spend the next three months in the Hoffman back yard (Melanie, Mark's daughter & her family). Part of the reason for the long stay is to visit with family, but a bigger reason is the rising costs of travel. We're beginning to slow down quite a bit, and next year the plan is to move less often and stay longer wherever we can. 

This week is Thanksgiving. I hope you are able to spend it with family and friends, and that you remember to take the time to reflect on the goodness of our God and thank him for his blessings and provisions.

"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:19-20

God Bless! & Safe travels...

Driving through Minneapolis on our way south.  It's still
beautiful... from a distance, at least.

Minneapolis

Walking down by the lake, at Lake Whitney (the water's low)

At Magnolia Table... waiting to be seated

At the Silos. Trying to find the entrance.
(There's a bit of construction going on.)

Mark loves the old cars and trucks

October in Minnesota

It can be risky spending the month of October in Minnesota. Blizzards have been known to occur in this month from time to time. The temperatures can bounce all over the place and the weather is always unpredictable. So we were a bit concerned when we learned that our grandson had chosen the latter half of this month for his wedding. 

What's a grandparent to do? We weren't about to let unpredictability keep us from a wedding. Besides, the chances were just as good for good weather as for bad. 

So we parked our coach back at the Pettit "back lot" after Door County and hoped for the best. 

It turned out to be a surprisingly mild October. As a matter of fact, there were more 70 degree days in a row in October in Minneapolis than in any other month this year-- eleven, to be precise. (I know this because I am currently working on a temperature blanket for a certain Minnesota-born grandchild.) 

So we took advantage of the nice weather and attended yet another car show with my brother and sister-in-law, George and Bev. This show was put on by a local car club called "The Frankensteiners." It was held at the Cambridge Fair Grounds, and all the participating vehicles put out buckets of candy by their cars and trucks, and the visitors brought their children, dressed up for Halloween, to trick-or-treat. George thought he had over-bought on the candy for his bucket, but ended up running out before 11:00 a.m. (the car show runs until 5:00). Mark enjoyed the event more than I did, mainly because Mark cares about cars. I left early and let him hitch a ride home from George. Still, it was nice to get out in the sunshine and visit with family.

George's '39 Chevy

Bev & George

We left our RV parked in Isanti the weekend of the wedding and drove the car up for the event.

Our grandson, Riley and his bride, Mari, chose an absolutely beautiful venue for their wedding in northern Minnesota near Marcell. We stayed in a cabin in Marcell with Mark's daughter, Melanie, and her family. We arrived Friday afternoon and were there until Monday morning. The wedding was on Saturday. The cabin was beautiful, and well-stocked with towels and bedding, and cooking/eating necessities. Melanie cooked all the meals for us, except those connected to the wedding-- a Groom's dinner and a post-wedding breakfast where the couple opened their gifts. On our last evening there, we built a fire outside, roasted hotdogs, made S'mores, and listened to the eerie shrill cries of foxes in the woods.

Our room at the cabin in the woods

View from the sliding door of our room at the cabin in the woods

The wedding was fabulous! I've never seen a more beautiful wedding venue. The ceremony was held outside under the pine trees. Check out the video. The swaying trees were absolutely mesmerizing.

It was chilly and breezy but the hosts passed out lap blankets to everyone to help keep us warm. After a short ceremony, we all went inside where the heaters were to enjoy beverages and hors d'oeuvres. 

Here comes the bride!

The bride and groom chose a western theme for their wedding clothes and decor-- horses (Mari is an equestrian), jeans, cowboy hats and boots, western style vests for the guys, and plaid everywhere. It was adorable. 

Horse corral

From the right:  Riley, Mari, wedding party

I've included lots of pictures below. Dinner was pizza... not especially "western," but more affordable than feeding a hundred people steak, I suppose. If costs were cut, that was the only place...and really, who ever remembers the food at a wedding anyway?

We arrived back at our RV on Monday afternoon, and Tuesday we packed up and headed out of town. Next stop was Choudrant, Louisiana, where our esteemed mechanic, Ronnie Wolfe, would tackle our non-working generator, and our non-working basement A/C.

I'll just tell you the good news now:  The fixes were made, the cost was relatively low (lower than we expected), and it only took one day to put us on our way again in good order. Ronnie's a genius-- I keep saying that, I know, but it's true! Eventually we're going to need work done on our bedroom slide--the motor needs to be replaced. But that will have to wait until next year, and we're trusting God to keep it working until we have the money to fix it.

That's it for now. More pictures below. Safe travels to one and all!

The bridal shower -- lovely event

Place setting markers were coasters made of a slice of pine

Reception table setting

Reception - setting up for hors d'oeuvres

Maegan (mother) and Mark (grandfather) (of the groom)

Giant barn, decorated for the reception

Guest's pathway to the wedding ceremony

Riley walking in his mom

Cathedral in the Woods - Bride's entrance

Let's get this party going!

I'm pretty sure someone somewhere is tossing a bouquet

Dancing the night away

I believe that's Olive she's dancing with

Weddings are so much fun!

That's Asher in the foreground smiling at the camera

Evening around the fire