Still Rolling After A Week

It has been a few days since I logged in last. We went from Nashville, Tennessee to Ft. Smith/Alma, Arkansas. We found a small KOA and spent the night. Matthew and Ashton were able to get a short fishing excursion in at the local pond. The weather was muggy but cooled off quickly. Sunday morning we got up and found a church about 1.5 miles from the camp ground and were able to go to church while on the road. As we sat down Ashton said to his dad, “I think we have been here before.” So nice to be somewhere new and truly feel like you belong.

After church a nice family showed us the gravesite of Parley P. Pratt. IT was a nice park with a beautiful marker and dedicated site to one of the 12 apostles of our time. We asked the children if they knew who Parley P. Pratt was and they did not know. When told he as one of the original 12 apostles, Ashton asked, “so he met Jesus?” I guess we did use the term “original 12 apostles.”

From Alma we headed west to Redbud Marina in Claremore, Oklahoma. It was an older camp ground and it made me truly appreciate modern facilities. I haven’t had a shower in several days without my shoes on. I guess that is one of the conveniences you give up when you shower with the general public. The marina was great and Ashton, Matthew and Cameron got a bit of fishing in from the dock. As luck would have it, Ashton asked me to hold his pole while he did something and I was pulling the rod back in to go back to the RV when I noticed a slight tug. There on the end was a little yellow finned fish. I know he had been waiting for Ashton. Matthew cut the little guy free and off he swam back to his family. That evening a storm of the most enormous proportion blew through town. There were even a few times the thunder was so loud it shook me awake. Now I am one who loves thunderstorms, however, there is a certain comfort that a sturdy home provides that the house on wheels does not. The patter of rain on the room now sounded like someone was tossing boulders on top of our heads. Luckily we made it through the night without damage or injury and were ready to hit the road again.

The next stop is Bartlesville, OK to see Cindi, Matt’s only sister. Talk about beautiful countryside. She and Tim have a ranch home that would cause Mother Theresa to have envy. It is situated on about 5 acres of the prettiest land I think I have ever seen. Their front and back porches cover the length of the house so you can sit and take in the fields. It was so peaceful and the breeze made it so inviting to just relax outside with the kids. Cinid and Tim’s children, Beth and Jill, came over for dinner and brought their little babies, Lily, Evey, Harrison and Silas. We were able to see Jill’s husband, Seth, again and meet Beth’s new husband, Chris. There was just something so great about being at their house and having the kitchen full and the children running around that made me feel so grateful to have this amazing family. It also made me wish so much more that we were closer to see them more often.

The kids played in the front yard and chased each other with the garden hose. There was not a dry child left after that attempt to water the trees and bushes. Just watching them play and laugh made me so glad we made this trip. Ashton loved not being the baby and I was so impressed with how careful and sweet he was with the little children.

Their  neighbor had just gotten two baby goats and a small pony so the children had to go visit and feed the animals. The next morning we walked over and picked fresh blackberries to have with lunch. The company was great, the food amazing and it made it even more difficult to say good bye and continue on the journey. I could have spent the entire summer out there. Ashton even offered to stay and have us pick him up on the way home.

With reluctance we piled back into the RV and headed south to Ada, Oklahoma to visit Melissa, my youngest sister. We got to see 2 of her girls and feel really old knowing Melissa’s oldest is 18 now. Sarah was the biggest surprise because she has grown up so much. Her voice is different and she looks so mature compared to two years ago. Once again in the same day we had to say “goodbye” and head further south to Texas.

And just so you know, everything is bigger in Texas, especially the road construction and pot holes. There were a couple of times I thought the RV was going to go air borne. We pulled into a Sandy Lake RV Resort about 1:30am and relocated the children to their own beds. Once in bed I think it only took about a minute to go to sleep. We got up and took the children for a swim in the pool and headed toward downtown Ft. Worth to visit the Stockyard District. We got there and the sky was threatening to punish everyone in its path. Within 30 minutes the thunder and lightning were brutal. So, when in Texas in a storm you have to stop for BBQ. With lunch finished and the storm still brewing we decided to walk around the cattle subway. Unfortunately due to weather they were not bringing the long horn steer out through the stockyard. I guess we will have to see those another time.

I am beginning to sense a theme in this journey. Not sure if anyone else has picked up on it yet. I expect if you are experiencing drought like conditions you need only have the Davis family drive through and stay for a night and that seems to solve the problem. It hasn’t dampened the mood of the trip. We headed back to the RV and programmed the GPS to Abilene where we will spend the night and then continue wet toward Carlsbad, New Mexico tomorrow. The plan is to explore some of the caverns and then head north to Roswell and look for aliens. We will let you know what we find. Just in case you were wondering, I have driven the RV for a short time. Matthew, however, has been the champ. Numerous times he has had to drive through construction barrels and concrete barriers on both sides of the road. I would have put the car in park and simply refused to continue. So glad he does not mind driving. I was especially glad when the outside compartment flopped open in transit and he had to make a quick detour to prevent all our shoes from falling out of the storage section.