How Time Flies When You're Feeling Bad!!

I went to the blog today and saw that I hadn't written for almost 2 weeks. We do work hard here and evenings are really let down time. Mom and dad came back last Sunday from their train trip up north. Mom came down with pneumonia when they returned. I got what I believe is a sinus infection and was in bed Wed-Sat. I still feel lousy and am debating whether to go work tomorrow. I keep my self up at night coughing which really wears one out. So I'll see how I feel in the morning.
When I was working, we painted a kitchen in South Camp. It is purple, but it is clean and looks great. Some of the other volunteers ladies were sanding rusty legs on the stainless steel equipment in the kitchen. They then painted them and they look as good as new. We also had to repaint about 70 table legs that got splattered with floor paint. It is a wonderful group of people to work with here. I think it would be neat if young people could come here and be mentored by such hard working older people. Some of these people have health issues such as heart, sight, etc and they are amazing the way they keep going and giving.
I was priviledged to work in the cafe a few nights. Nothing great about that in itself, but the majority of the clientel were blind. It makes you really have to think about handing them a drink or giving their change. Most who were totally blind had guides or guide dogs. Several of them had been sighted at one time and now have macular degeneration. They can only see off to the sides, not straight ahead. One lady came in daily and we got to talking. She crochets by feel. She lost her sight about 10 years ago. She gave me some coasters she had made. When I asked her how much they were, she said she never charges, she just likes to make them and give them away. I enjoyed myself immensely.
We did go to church this morning to celebrate our wonderful Saviors' resurrection. It was wonderful to fellowship with other believers and hear the word of the Lord again. We haven't been able to attend anywhere for several weeks and it was like a drink of cold water. People were friendly. The thing I miss most about a home church is that you don't know anyone and can't stand around afterwards and visit.
We will leave on Sunday the 31st and head back to Indy, making a few stops along the way. Maybe I will be able to breath again by then!!
Gary had been working with another man on a tile job at the camp directors house. He is a jack of all trades. He had remodeled our two bathrooms in our stick house when we were getting ready to put it on the market. He did tile work in both and it was beautiful.
Talked to our girls today. This is another first holiday without the kids. Our youngest was making candles when we called. She said she was thinking about when they were little and we would hide eggs and baskets for them . She had to work today. Our middle daughter called us and said she starts her new job on Tuesday. So glad she finally found a job. They will give her a car and insurance and gas. That is great for a starter job. Our oldest daughter said they had an egg drop at their church. A helicopter dropped plastic eggs on ther grounds. I'm not sure how that works but she said it was better than she thought it would be.
The weather today was just beautiful. Warm breeze(except the pollen was high) about 79 degrees and a sunny sky. I did make a pork loin roast in the slow cooker, some mashed potatoes, veggies and a luscious dessert today. Our neighbors came over for some dessert and ice cream and we sat outside for a while, but I finally had to come in as the pollen was really getting me coughing.
Spent the evening making phone calls, doing some computer stuff, and watching our favorite show, Extreme Makeover, Home Edition. My hubby tears up almost every week. He is so tender hearted. Oh, I forgot to mention, he did the dishes for me after supper, since I'm feeling lousy. What a sweetie!
Well, goodnight for now, and remember, this place is not our home, we're just passing through.....

Working Hard for Our Site

Well, wouldn't you know it. Last night we couldn't get to sleep until 1:30. We lost two hours coming here from Texas, one from the different zone and the other because we set our clocks up an hour Sat night. No problem, we're tired, right? We couldn't believe we couldn't sleep. And we had to get up at 6 to get ready for volunteering. Today we did rake Spanish moss(and to think I used to pay for the stuff at the craft store) and picked up limbs and pieces of palm trees. I know all the volunteers were sore tonight. We sure were. And I got the privilege of working in the coffee shop from 2-4 and 8:15-9, which was 9:45 by the time we cleaned up. We being my dear hubby. I asked him to come help me in case a lot of people came in. They all came in at once and I couldn't have done it without his caring help. He is such a blessing. I know he was worn out from today. And I would have probably still been there cleaning up if he hadn't come. It was really extra special working there tonight because a lot of the patrons were blind. They're here all week for a seminar and most of them have a sighted person along to help. You have to be a little more conscious of handing people their change and their purchases. What a blessing to serve them. Gary has never worked in the restaurant business, but he caught on quick.!My early waitressing days have come in handy on both this job and the last. I just hope I smiled enough, because when I work I become very task oriented and because we were so busy, I barley had time to think . Well, time to retire and I don't think I will have trouble sleeping tonight. God Bless til tomorrow. We're just passing through........

Sending Mom and Dad off

Arrived back at Lake Yale on Friday amid tornado watches. It rained hard almost all 8 hours we were on the road. We saw 8 wrecks. Where we come from, it gets ice and snow on the roads, but most people drive cautiously, although there are a lot of slide offs when it snows. But it was the first time for us both to see so many wrecks from rain. We arrived at Yale about 6P.M. and were warmly greeted by Dorcus and Lew. Chet was there to help as we set up. He and his wife Rose are an older couple and we took to each other when were here before. We settled in for a stormy night, dressed appropriately so if we had to make a quick dash to the bathhouse for a tornado, we would at least have clothes on. Thankfully, one did not touch down.
Saturday morning it was up early to wash our laundry. They let us do it for free and it is such a blessing as we usually spend around $40 an month on laundry. We went to lunch at the dinning room with Chet, finished our laundry and then went to my parents house to visit. Today we again went to mom and dad's to take them to the train station. Dad's sister died last month and to insure everyone who wanted to attend could, they put the memorial service off until this month. Dad won't fly and since they are getting on in years, he no longer wants to drive long distances. So they booked a 17 hour train ride to Washington D.C. We arrived at the station 2 hours early because they didn't want to be late! It was a really different scenario sending my parents off. Mom was real worried about getting on the right car and we kept assuring her they would come off the train and lead her where she needed to go. The station was really quaint. It is situated in a town by the name of DeLand. There were probably only 30 people boarding. The ticket window was a barrel of laughs. Really. He really seemed to enjoy his job. It was very old timey feeling and the day was so beautiful. We watched mom and dad board the train and I felt for a moment like it was a role reversal. Strange. Afterwards Gary and I went into town to find somewhere to dine. But most everything was closed. So we walked the city streets for awhile. The architect was very eye pleasing. We sure enjoy old buildings. It is quite a good size small city and very well kept up.
Tomorrow we start volunteering again. We think we will be picking up broken limbs and twigs as the storm Friday night did a lot of mess here. Not damage, just stuff everywhere. I will enjoy working outside and hope this is the plan they are going with.
We got a call from a friend back home and they offered us their home for 2 weeks when we come home in April, May as they will be coming to Fla at that time. It would work out so great as we were hoping to do some remodeling to the RV while home but weren't sure how we were going to live in the mess!! What a blessing. We want to take out the carpet and put in tile or wood or something. Carpet isn't compatible with fulltiming , at least in our opinion. And since the decor is 10 years old(but in good condition) I would like to redo the window cornices(?) and maybe get a new couch, but that depends on the budget. The colors now are dark and victorian looking kinda and I would like to lighten it and brighten it up a bit.
We have lost two hours coming back here. One was just a time change and last night we sprung forward and hour. It is 11pm but my body thinks it is only 9pm, but I have to get up at 6 so I am going to try to go to sleep now. Hope to write more tomorrow. Just passing through on our way to tomorrow........

Been Awhile

I really need to become more disciplined about blogging. We left Texas on Sat the first of March. We stopped at the Escapees Plantation Park in Alabama. We had been there on our way to Texas. We met up with Darrly and Judy who we met through our blog. We had dinner with them and several other couples and a single man. It was a great time. Just too short.
We had heard about the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola and so we decided to take some time while at Plantation to visit there. Gary was concerned I would be bored. NOT! There were planes and copters from WWII and Vietnam. Also aircraft carrier replicas, dirigibles, Apollo Skylab 2, an art gallery, and even Blue Angels jets suspended from the ceiling as though in flight. One display that I really respected was the Vietnam P.O.W. camp recreation. Gary was there and even though he was a supply driver, it really got to me to see way the P.O.W.'s were treated. I suddenly was overcome and started to cry. They were playing a video about the Hoa Lo Prison(Hanoi Hilton as they dubbed it) and John McCain was speaking. I had seen a special on PBS several years ago about his capture. For those that don't know, he was imprisoned for 5 1/2 years. He shared some details of what life was like. But I teared up when he stepped off the plane after his release. You could feel the pain he was suffering with each step he took, and yet the look on his face said it all. I'm proud to be an American. I could go on and on, but it would be well worth your time if you're in the area to stop in. And it's free!
The last two nights we have stayed in Three Rivers State Park in Fla. I know now what has been missing the past couple of months! I miss camping. We have a beautiful site across from the water. There are only 30 sites here. And a cabin you can rent. It is peaceful and the sites aren't on top of each other. We went for a nature walk. Had a campfire. Ahhhh. Talked to the camp host about how to maybe sign up for work and he was very helpful. We think we would like to try our hand at camphosting. Especially at a smaller park like this one. And the cost was only $13.50 a night. We took off today to a town the host suggested called Graceville. It was okay, but we happened to stumble upon a lumber company and stopped for about half of an hour and watched them work. A big crane lifts the logs off of trucks and you could tell by the speed the man was working he was used to doing it. Gary got out and taked to a driver. The BIG crane was not working and usually they have 100 trucks a day that they unload. It was worth the trip there.
I forgot , while we were in Alabama, we went to the Gulf again. It started out to be a sunny day, but by the time we got there, it was overcast. Just like last month. But it was still a beautiful site to see. The water was choppy, but it was warmer outside than last month so we took our shoes off and walked on the beach. There were quite a few jellyfish on shore. The water was choppy and I just love the sound of the waves crashing on shore. After awhile, we were the only ones there! And all that for free. What a blessing to be alive and enjoy all that we have seen so far.
Tomorrow we head off to Lake Yale again. The same people that were there with us in January are still there, so it will be like homecoming. Can't wait to continue the journey. Til next time, God bless you.