68 and Counting

How can I be 68 years old already? My Granny was 67 when I got married, and she was ancient! My mom only had 2 years left to live at my current age. I don’t feel that old!

It has been a great “birthday week!” Last Saturday, Ricky’s family came and spent the day. We made homemade ice cream, blew bubbles, played, visited, and I spent most of the day holding sweet Shelbi. Such a delight!

Monday was my LAST therapy session. I’m not “cured”, but I can effectively work at home to continue my recovery. My OT did a final evaluation, which showed significant improvement in every area. My grip strength had risen from 17 lbs (early in my treatment) to 36 lbs. (I can do 52 lbs with my right hand.) We think a lot of my finger stiffness and soreness is from arthritis. I guess the inflammation from everything that has happened made what arthritis I had worse. (I didn’t really notice much, if any, problems before surgery) I have sensation in all fingers now, although it is still far from normal in my index finger and thumb. (I have a lot of hypersensitivity.) My therapist did say I've progressed to the point to where I don't have to worry about seriously hurting myself. Before I couldn't have felt it if I had cut or burned myself. I'm still very careful but gaining confidence. I’m getting to where I can do most anything now…even turn a doorknob…sometimes. My fine motor skills are still pretty limited, but progress is being made!

After my therapy session, we drove to Paris to spend the night. Stephen’s family were gone on vacation, so we didn’t get to visit with them. Instead, we went to watch a movie, “Young  Washington”. There were only about 6 of us in the whole theatre, which is the way I like it! We enjoyed the movie, then stopped at DQ for a treat on our way back to our room.

The next morning we drove to Texarkana to visit with Dennis’ cousins: Jimmy & Sandy and Terry & Sandra. Sandy served us all lunch, and we had a great time catching up with all of them! 

The next leg of our journey took us to our “cabin” on Lake Catherine. It was so nice. It sat at the end of a dead-end road, overlooking the Ouachita River…so quiet and peaceful and beautiful. The weather was overcast (a little rainy) and cool…great for sitting out on our balcony. We spent Wednesday pretty much just relaxing. We did a little shopping in Hot Springs. The main place I wanted to go was a pottery place that has been owned by the same family for 80 years. I love pottery! It was a mini museum, store, and working pottery shop. I kept looking for “just the right piece” and was about to give up, when I noticed a special collection in a glass cabinet. It was all crystalline pottery. I’d never heard of or seen anything like it. It was so pretty and unique! I fell in love with a lidded vase, but it was way too expensive. Dennis insisted on buying it for my birthday. I love it!

sunset

morning mist

birthday vase

Thursday we spent the day with Warren and Linda. It was the first time we’ve had a chance to visit with them in a couple of years. We so enjoyed our time together! I love their new house. Not only is it perfectly suited for their current needs, but it is so light and pretty. That evening we met up with Ben and Laura’s family and Rebekah and Daniel’s family for dinner. It was nice to finally meet Daniel and their 2 sweet little boys. It was a great day!

Yesterday’s drive home went smoothly. We thoroughly enjoyed our little vacation, but as always, it felt good to be home. This afternoon we’re going to Ricky & Amber’s for my birthday dinner. Ricky is grilling us steaks. YUM! I’m also looking forward to some more snuggle time with Shelbi. They say that evenings are when she is most awake, so I’m hoping to actually get to see her eyes! Ha!

Take care and stay cool!

Ps 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Way Out West: vacation 2025 (week 1)

 Day 1: After a year of planning and anticipation, we finally left home on Sunday, June 8, after lunch. Our first stop was in Amarillo. Easy, right? We thought so, too. We could see a lot of storm clouds and lightening in the distance about the time we got to Childress. Ricky called us, because he'd been watching the weather and saw tornados, high winds, and large hail on our direct route. We stopped at the DQ, had a treat, and watched the weather...weighing our options. We decided to drive south to Paducah and make a big circle south of the storm's path. Boy are we glad we did! We could see it to the north of us, but we avoided everything except a few sprinkles. When we got to our hotel for the night, we saw another vehicle that had its windshield busted out and hail pockmarks all over the driver's side of the car. I'm sure glad we managed to avoid that!

Day 2: The next day's itinerary was to drive to Albuquerque. I was having stomach problems when I got up Monday morning. We got a later start than we had planned, hoping that I would feel better before hitting the road. Didn't work. It was supposed to be a light day of traveling but ended up taking about 2 hours longer than it should have due to all of the stops we had to make. I was SO glad to get to our hotel room that afternoon. We just snacked in our room and rested up that evening.

Day 3: I felt much better Tuesday morning, so we headed out early. We saw about 6-8 hot air balloons flying over Albuquerque as we were heading out of town. What a treat! Then as we headed west on I40, we saw a beautiful full rainbow. We found a really nice roadside park several miles east of Flagstaff, so we stopped and picnicked for lunch. Then we turned north towards Page, Arizona. We visited the dam at Lake Powell and enjoyed the view, then went back to our room for an early bedtime. Dennis ended up having my stomach bug overnight but felt ok for traveling by morning. 

Day 4: Our next destination was Bryce Canyon. We stopped in Kanab, UT to try to find some compression socks. (My feet swelled after our long day of riding Tuesday.) It took a couple of tries, but we found a pair that fit, and we were off. As we were heading north, we saw a sign pointing to the Pink Coral Sand Dunes State Park. Neither of us had heard of it, and we had a light day of driving, so we decided to go check it out. I'm so glad we did. We saw some pretty wildflowers and the dunes were really interesting. It made a great place for our lunch picnic!

We made it to Tropic (which is where we were staying for a couple of nights) around 3. We settled into our room, then decided to go check out Bryce Canyon. What a beautiful place! We loved it! We had supper at a restaurant just outside of the park, then went back to see Sunset Point. We also saw some mule deer and antelope in the park, as well as chipmunks and ground squirrels. It was a great day and full!

an interesting plant at Bryce Canyon

skittish chipmunk

Day 5: We got up before sunrise (which comes mighty early out here!), so we could go to Sunrise Point to watch the sun come up....us and about a hundred other people. We had to park quite a ways away, then hoof it to make it up to the point by sunrise. This old lady has a had time hoofing it uphill! But we made it just in time, and it was beautiful! Afterwards, we strategized that if we drove to the furthest point in the park and worked our way back to the front that we might avoid the crowds. It worked! When we got to Rainbow Point (elevation 9115 ft), we had the place to ourselves. We really enjoyed it! we checked out all of the viewpoints that we'd missed the day before, and revisited a couple of our favorites to see how different they looked in the morning light. Such a beautiful place!

I love how the sun makes the rocks glow!

As we were driving along some of the mountain roads that day, I heard the brakes grinding and felt a shimmy while downhill braking. When we got back to our room that evening, Dennis checked them out and discovered they were worn to the point that we REALLY needed to replace them before doing any more mountain driving. Our hostess happened by that evening and told us where to find a good auto parts store (about 30 miles away), so Dennis decided to get up early the next morning, drive up there to buy new brake pads, then come back and fix them. So we had another early bedtime.

View from our front porch in Tropic, UT

Hooded Oriole feeding next to our front porch

Day 6: Things went well for Dennis going after brake pads and repairing the brakes, and we left Tropic about 9:30 on Friday morning. It was a short drive to Zion National Park. We were just a few miles in the park when Dennis spotted a herd of desert bighorn sheep. We pulled into a turnout and walked back as far as we could to get a better look. They were coming down the mountain on the other side of the river. We were close enough to them to hear their hoofs on the rocks! It was pretty exciting! 

To get from one end of the park to the other, you have to drive through a tunnel that has been carved out of the mountain. It is 1.1 miles long! There are several windows along the way, which offered an amazing (quick) view of the scenery along the way. It was so cool...and a little scary. We wanted our first stop to be the visitor center, but there were NO parking places left. That place is crazy crowded! So we drove up to the lodge where we were staying and had lunch. We still had about 4 hours before we could check into our room, so we just hung out in the lobby and the plaza outside the lodge...with HUNDREDS of other people. Once we were able to get into our room, the crowds had subsided quite a bit, so we drove back to the visitor's center to get some useful tips from the rangers there. We saw a few mule deer on the way. Then another early bedtime for us (after sitting out on our wonderful balcony!).

view from our balcony

Day 7: We rose early again, had a hearty breakfast at the lodge restaurant, then hiked to the Lower Emerald Pool. The morning was glorious! It was in the low 40's, so a long sleeved shirt was perfect for hiking. We saw some deer along the trail and enjoyed the sights. Afterwards we drove back to where we saw the sheep the day before, and they were there again. We love seeing wildlife! My bum heel was giving me trouble after the walking we'd done, so I rested up all afternoon.

mountains in the early morning sunlight

sheep

deer on our hike

Virgin River (view on hike)

That gets us through our first week. I hope to share many more pictures and memories with you next week!

(New) 1st Annual Girls' Trip

 I used to love my girls' trips with Sheila, Jessica, and Paula. We had such good times together, but life happens and things change. I've missed them, though. A couple of years ago, some other friends and I started talking about getting a trip worked up. It sounded like fun, but we didn't really take off and run with the idea. Then last year, Lesa approached me at Zach and Morgan's wedding and asked WHEN were we going on our girls' trip?! It so happened that Diane and I had a sleepover planned soon afterwards, so we worked out the details. This was the week it happened.

Lesa and Kelli drove down together, and we all arrived at Diane's house Monday afternoon. We ordered pizza to be delivered for supper, visited awhile, and turned in fairly early so we could be fresh for traveling the next morning (best laid plans). About 5:00 a.m. the storm sirens started going off, and we all got up and turned on the weather. There were thunderstorms and up to 80 mph winds blowing through the area. We had a little hail, but it was small and didn't last long. I didn't hear of any tornados, but the straight line winds were horrendous! Since the winds were so fierce, the storms blew through pretty quickly. Thankfully, Diane didn't have any damage. We ate breakfast, loaded up, and hit the road.

Our first stop was Buc-ees in Hillsboro. It was Lesa's first time. We refreshed ourselves and bought some glazed nuts for the trip, then headed south towards Waco. Our next stop was the Homestead Heritage. I love that place! So many interesting shops to browse through and learn about the various crafts made there. We had lunch in their restaurant, which was yummy. I really enjoyed visiting with the fabric craft ladies. They do such beautiful weaving! After we exhausted our options, we drove by our rental house to make sure we could find it. We still had an hour or so until check-in time, so we headed back to West to get some kolaches for a treat. (It was also Lesa's first experience with kolaches.) About the time we finished our snack, I received a text from our "host" that the house was ready, and we could check-in anytime we wanted. We got settled in, played some rip-roaring ping pong games, and laughed until our sides hurt. Then the power went off. (The winds had still been fierce!) I notified the host, so he could make sure the local power company was aware of the problem. Then off we headed to Walmart to buy battery operated light sources. It was suppertime, so we stopped for a quick bite at Chick-fil-A; then headed "home". The lights were still off, so we started trying to figure out how to install the batteries in our new lights. By the time we got them working, the power came back on. So we enjoyed a quiet evening and turned in at a reasonable hour.

Our vacation rental

Our next day started with breakfast at Magnolia Table, which is an experience in itself. We were so stuffed when we left that we decided to skip lunch and just have an early supper. The next stop was The Silos. What a lovely compound! I had no idea that it was such an expansive venue. There were a lot of shops with so many lovely things to look at, beautiful outdoor sitting areas with various activities available...and of course, the Magnolia Bakery. We spent several hours there. Afterwards we hit a few antique shops in the area. For our early supper, we decided on Mexican food at Ninfa's. We were having so much fun, we had to sit in the car for about 5 minutes until we could quit laughing. After filling our bellies, we drove down to the Brazos River and walked across the footbridge. Then back to the house for more ping pong, card games and a VERY rousing game of Apples to Apples.

The Silos

Magnolia Table

Crossing The Brazos River

Breakfast at The Magnolia Table

Beautiful old pews in chapel at The Silos

at the Magnolia Bakery

playing Apples to Apples

Thursday was our "off" day. We didn't really have any plans...just decided to play it by ear. I found a bowling alley that opened at noon, so we had an early lunch in West at a family-owned Czech/American diner, then headed to bowl. None of us had bowled in a good long while, so our scores weren't impressive. We had a good time though. No serious injuries occurred, although we did suffer a few minor aches and pains (and one very graceful fall by person or persons to remain unnamed). More shopping at local antique shops and boutiques, then back to The Silos for one last time. After getting back to the house, we finished out the day playing games and laughing a lot more. 

Bowling

We got up Friday, ate some luscious pastries that we'd gotten the day before at the Magnolia Bakery, packed up and headed north. The drive home was uneventful, other than getting stopped in traffic for awhile when we hit the FW area. Once we got to Diane's, we all went our separate ways. Lesa and Kelli had a long drive home. It was a great trip, and we are already talking about what we want to do next year! I laughed more than I have in years and thoroughly enjoyed my time with these special ladies!

On a less pleasant note, I heard from Stephen Tuesday afternoon that Shepherd was in the ER with suspected appendicitis. They confirmed the diagnosis and referred him to Childrens Hospital in Dallas. He had surgery Wednesday morning, and they discovered his appendix had ruptured. Thankfully, it was contained to a small area, and he recovered very quickly. He was released from the hospital Friday afternoon. I hated that I was out-of-pocket while that was going on! It put a slight damper on my mood, at times, but the companionship of good friends, and their support and prayers, helped me through the worry. 

I am so very thankful to have such wonderful friends that I can spend time with, laugh with, pray with, and enjoy special times together. I look forward to next year's adventures!

Pr 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

 

Yellowstone/Glacier part 2

 We have 2 days left before time to head home. This morning we are taking some time off to do maintenance (laundry, errands, rest...). At the time of my last post, we were moving into our room at the StoneCreek Lodge just outside of Gardiner. It was a beautiful place to stay...large, comfortable room across the road from the Yellowstone River and pastures full of elk! The town of Gardiner is mostly a tourist town, catering to people going to Yellowstone. It is right at the NE entrance of the park...at the Roosevelt Gate. Deer and elk freely roam all over town. You can't go into town without seeing them everywhere! It was so pleasant to sit outside, dining, while watching a cow elk resting next door, or a bull walking around bugling.

Elk beside our lodge in Gardiner

View from our lodge

We ended up seeing all of the animals that we had hoped to see while in Yellowstone. Wolves was the primary animal on our list, and we saw them almost every day...even though it took some strong magnification to be able to see them. That last day was pretty exciting when they had killed something and a bear came down to see if they had left any tidbits lying about. Unfortunately (for him), all that was left was what the ravens were able to pick clean. We did get to watch his trek along the valley, past a big grey wolf heading toward its pack, and getting into a little set-to with some bison.

Saturday, we packed up and left Yellowstone behind, heading north. We spent one night in Missoula. Our room was one of the nicest that we've ever stayed in. I could have stayed there much longer! It had a little kitchenette area, a comfortable couch and easy chair, a dinette table, and a wall full of picture windows to enjoy the view. We were able to take some time to rest up and recuperate before hitting Glacier. Sunday morning, we had a leisurely morning, had our worship service, loaded up and went into town for a little shopping at Cabelas. We found a few things we wanted and then at the checkout, the cashier told us it was the last day of their promotion to sign up new card holders. If Dennis referred me to get a card, he got $25 off his order. If I got approved for a card, I got $25 off of my order. Since we had about $60 worth of merchandise, we ended up only spending about $10, plus I got a free cap (which I have no use for) and a WONDERFUL fluffy blanket (which I have used every day since I got it!). That was a profitable stop! Afterwards we got a scrumptious burger at Montana Jack's and drove to Kalispell. Although our room wasn't as large and luxurious as in Missoula, the hotel was really nice! They served a full breakfast the next morning, and managed to do it in accordance to COVID-19 restrictions. 

Since Kalispell is only about 30-40 miles from Glacier, we had a good start on our day. We got to the park around 10:00 am and took the Road to the Sun, stopping along the way to take pictures at turnouts along the way. It is such a gorgeous drive! For people like me, who are uneasy with heights, it can be a little unnerving, but as long as I didn't look down beside my side of the car, I did ok. We had hoped to stop at Logan Pass, but the parking lot was already filled up. With the eastern part of the park being closed, there is basically only one road that is available to view the park. SO, it is extremely difficult to find parking at the favorite places to stop, unless you get up really early! But we drove all the way to the end of the line and got a lot of gorgeous pictures along the way. Then we headed back down the mountains to our cabin in West Glacier, which is just outside the entrance to the park. We love our little cabin! They are only about a year old and have everything we need (including a laundromat, which we are taking advantage of this morning). 

Lake McDonald

Just a little waterfall coming down the mountain

Mist over Lake McDonald

Wild Goose Island on St. Mary Lake with Little Chief Peak in the background

Kathy C. sent me a text telling me that the Northern Lights might be visible from this area for a couple of nights, so Monday night, we went down to the Apgar Village amphitheater that overlooks the lake. We sat in the dark for a half hour or so staring north. We finally could make out a slight glowing above the mountain range. It would waver ever so slightly. Dennis could see a little bit of a greenish tinge, but it just looked white to me. We finally decided that was probably all we were going to see and turned in, since we had an early morning planned for the next day.

Hiking up the mountain

Sunrise

View on hike

We got up yesterday around 4:45, so we could make it to Logan Pass before the parking lot filled up. It was already about half full when we got there! The wind was fierce and it was in the mid 30's, so we bundled up and headed up the mountain, trying to make it to the Hidden Lake Overlook. It was a good boardwalk trail, but it was uphill all the way. I had to stop regularly to catch my breath. It is a beautiful hike! We had hoped to see some bighorn sheep on our hike, but we missed out. We met up with a couple on their way down the mountain who had seen 2 rams and a grizzly, though! (I'm not really wanting to see a grizzly while I'm on foot...only when I'm in my car!) We got to within about 1/4 mile of the overlook, when the path started getting too icy to proceed for me. We had already had to ease our way through several places where icy snow had covered the trail. But the higher we went, the worse it got. The last thing we needed was for me to fall and break something, so we reluctantly headed back down. Even though it was still very chilly, we were shedding our jackets! We had worked up quite a sweat! Going down was much easier on my lungs, but harder on my knees and Achilles' tendons. (I have had trouble walking down steps since my Achilles' tendon surgery a few years back.) I can't take regular steps going down...I have to always lead with my right leg. Well I tried going down one set of steps normally, and wrenched my knee. I had to spend the rest of the day resting it and taking ibuprofen. (It fells fine this morning, though.)  Since I couldn't get around well, we drove to PoleBridge, which is the northenmost place accessible this side of Canada. They are famous for their huckleberry bearclaws, so we had to try them out. They were pretty tasty! The drive was much different. The road ran alongside the river, with a lot of timber lining the way.

View from Camas Road

Last night we drove into Columbia Falls (which is about 15-20 miles from here) for supper. We were tired of our normal snacking, canned soup and fast food, so we found a good restaurant that served Asian fusion. They were just doing takeout, but they allowed you to use their tables...takeout containers and no service. Since no one else was in the restaurant, we decided to use that option! It was so good! Then we drove back, went to the "beach" to watch the sunset and then did a little shopping in the gift shop.

Sunset on Lake McDonald

This afternoon we plan to go on a hike through the Trail of the Cedars. It is an easy walk through the forest...no climbing involved! That leaves tomorrow for more explorations, then we'll pack up and head south Friday morning. This has been an unbelievable trip! Yellowstone provided some outstanding viewing of wildlife, as well as some beautiful vistas. Glacier has some of the most glorious sights I've ever seen! I am so very thankful that we've been able to experience both of these majestic parks!