Who We Are

We sold our home in June, 2007, and spent the next 7 1/2 years traveling full time in a Cross Roads Fifth Wheel. (We had been traveling during our summers for several years before going full time.) We loved the full-time lifestyle! Each summer we spent a month or two volunteering in State Parks, first in Indiana at McCormick's Creek State Park, near our family, then in later years as the grandchildren got older, at the Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico. We spent 6 months each winter at Cactus Gardens RV Resort in Yuma, AZ, where I worked mornings in the park office. The remaining months were spent on the road, seeing this great country of ours. Our favorite places are our National Parks. Anita loved photography and the freedom of digital photography, taking sometimes hundreds of photos in a day. We hiked as much as our legs will allow. We also really enjoyed square and round dancing as we travel across country, and meeting all the wonderful people who dance and/or travel.

But as in all things, there comes a time for change, and we decided it was time to create roots once more. In the fall of 2014, we purchased a home in Cactus Gardens, and in the spring of 2015, sold the 5th wheel. Anita also retired in the spring. We will continue to travel each summer, but for a shorter period of time. We hope to continue blogging about those trips, but it will obviously be on a more limited basis than in the past.

Please explore our past posts if you are interested in traveling this great country. You'll find an index in the left column. We hope you enjoy our blog, and appreciate all comments

Thursday, July 25, 2013

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

Sometimes you hear of a place, and you file it away in your memory banks as a “must do” someday…..added to your bucket list, so to speak.  The Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was such a place for Ron, and we finally had the opportunity to visit it this month.

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The large modern facility is filled with statues,  memorabilia from all the westerns movie and television stars, and historical artifacts.

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Several galleries make up the museum, such as Native American, Western Performers, American Cowboy, American Rodeo, etc.  Then there’s Prosperity Junction, where you feel as if you’ve stepped into a 1900 western cattle town at twilight.

Although the art galleries did not permit photography, most areas did, as long as you did not use a flash.  Here are a few of our favorite photos.

From the Native American Gallery:

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In the Western Performers Gallery, there was a small area set up as a theatre where we watched a documentary on the first westerns.

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There were several displays of items from such memorable stars as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.

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The American Cowboy Gallery covered the history of the cowboy, including the first Spanish and Mexican cowpunchers, along with the role cowgirls played

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When you stepped into the American Rodeo Gallery, you felt as if you had left the building and entered the rodeo grounds.

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Even more of an illusion was Prosperity Junction, as you walked the streets of the town and peered into the windows at dusk.

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Outside, hoofprints in the concrete guided you among the beautiful gardens.

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Although there were many areas of the museum we didn’t cover, we thoroughly enjoyed the hours we spent there and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good western movie.

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Thursday, July 4, 2013

Rail Haven Route 66 Motel

We found an interesting place to stay overnight on our trip home in Springfield, Missouri. 

IMG_1888The Rail Haven Route 66 Motel, now a Best Western, is a little off the beaten path of the interstate, but once was located on a very busy road, Route 66.

The Motel was built in 1937, and much of it still looks the same.  The rooms are all located in the traditional “longhouse” style of older motels.  Inside, the rooms are small, the beds are full size instead of queen or king, and the bathroom fixtures are older, but all is very clean and well kept.

This photo collage was hanging in our room, showing how the facility and grounds looked in 1937 and after an update in 1950.

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IMG_1890Elvis stayed here in 1956, according to the marquee. IMG_1891

Vintage autos are parked out front, and the original gas pumps still stand by the front door.

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2013-07-01 Route 66 Motel bIf you’re curious about the black can holder showing in most of the above photos, our nephew owns Red Oak Designs in Lexington, KY and features photos of the can holders in various locations on the company Facebook page, and we thought this was the ideal place for some photos for him.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

June was Family Month

Our first weekend in Indiana was spent at our granddaughter, Emily’s, wedding.  She had a beautiful outdoor wedding at our son and his wife’s home.

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We started living in our 5th wheel full time in June of 2007.  Since then, we’d only stayed out of it at night during repairs last fall.

We decided to make the trip back to Indiana this summer without the 5th wheel.  It was quite a different experience for us to be “away from home”.

We spent the first two weeks with out daughter, Dania, and granddaughter, Chelsey.  She has a small “mother-in-law” cottage beside her home, so we had our own little place.

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Then we spent 2 weeks with older son and his wife, Chris and Jeanne, and grandson, Cameron.  Our younger son was in the middle of both moving and starting a new job position, so it did not work out this time for us to visit with him.

The last day of the month brought a mini family reunion.  Ron’s brother and some of his family came for the day.  Traditionally, since leaving Indiana, we have had a “summer Christmas”, but this year, as so few were able to attend, we decided to disperse with that idea and just make it a relaxed reunion.  Everyone had a good time catching up with each other and reminiscing.   Just as last year, Little Will was the center of attention.

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We especially missed seeing our youngest grandchild, Alyssa, who is currently in Basic Training for the Army.  We are so proud of her for choosing to serve in the military.

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After a good month with everyone, we started back for New Mexico on June 30.