Several of you have asked: "What did you do on your trip?"  Well, after a few weeks of playing catch-up at 937 East Meadow – i.e., LAUNDRY, E-MAILS, LAUNDRY, JUNK MAIL, LAUNDRY, REAL MAIL, LAUNDRY, MAGAZINES, LAUNDRY – I am about to see daylight and settle into the old routine of enjoying retirement from home base! It was indeed good to see the lights of home after being on the road for 45 days! Proceed only if you are totally bored and have nothing important to do.  This entry has gotten way too long!

We had such a fun, relaxing time during the 45 days we were away, and since we were generally ensconced in our travel trailer during the evening hours, we did not intrude too, too much on the privacy of our relatives and close family!  We were so blessed as we tooled along the Interstates and main roads of our beautiful USA, and we only had one close encounter with possible danger.  We were in the Nashville area – big time.  We were rolling along on I-24 and all of a sudden we heard a loud thump or boom of some sort that sounded as if it were coming from underneath the camper or truck.  It was not night, so I quickly ruled out the thought that it might be one of those things that go bump in the night!

Thankfully, we were very near an exit and Bill slowly pulled in to one of those spacious TA centers that rank up there with Pilot, Flying J, Love’s, etc.  After examining the situation, sure enough, he found that one of the right rear tires had blown to shreds!  He was not a happy camper, but he was a relieved camper, in that the truck had not swerved, we did not have to cross busy lanes, it did not happen on a spaghetti junction.  So, after a call to our Good Sam’s Club road assistance folks, and being extensively interrogated, we soon had a call back from them and they asked us to drive about one mile off the beaten path to a large tire center.  In about an hour – from start to finish – we were on the road again!  So, thank you to everyone who prayed for our safety while we were riding the roads and praying that our gas money would hold out until we got back home!

We left home on Sunday morning, May 4, on our way to Kentwood, LA.  We stopped over at a campground in Alabama, and then finished our trip on Monday.  We arrived at Gail’s (Bill’s sister) and parked very near her house.  It was very good to see her again and spend some time with her.  We were treated to a wonderful meal of brisket (she makes THE BEST!), potato salad, butterbeans, salad, etc.  There were some tough acts to follow let me tell you.  The woman knows how to cook!

On Friday we went to Crowley, Louisiana where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and visit with Bill’s Aunt Cheenie.  It was great to catch up with her.  That night we visited with dear friends in Baton Rouge, Pat and Bennett Humphries.  Also joining us were Becky and Rusty Purvis, Bill’s niece and hubby; also Ron and Tedo Boling, also dear friends.  Well, the Humphries outdid themselves!  We were treated to a marvelous display of boiled shrimp, crab claws, fried catfish, and ALL the trimmings!  Yummo!  It was absolutely delicious!  We stayed over for the night and left rather early on Saturday morning because Gail needed to do some things to get ready for a big Mother’s Day bash at her house on Sunday.  Later that day Melanie, Caroline and Miller arrived to spend time with Gail and help out with the preparations.

Mother’s Day was such a fun time.  After church with Gail at Kentwood United Methodist Church, we were joined by Eddie, Cyndi, Darby, Reed and Tess Miller; Beth, Maryanna and Macy Lee, plus A. W. and Sandy Reed.  Of course, there was a feast of which the centerpiece was Gail’s famous chicken and dressing!  The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed visiting among the shady trees in Gail’s backyard and watching the kids play together and make memories of face-to-face cousins!  (I LOVED a game that Melanie brought.  You put this silly hat on your head that has a Velcro gizmo on it and you attempt to catch a tennis ball when your opponent bats or throws it at you! Wish I’d thought of that!)  The kids – young and old – enjoyed this one! 

We left Gail on Tuesday, May 13, and drove to Bea’s near Henderson/Longview, Texas, arriving there mid-afternoon.  Bea has a lovely home nestled deep in the heart of East Texas, with lots of gorgeous trees to shade our camper from that hot Texas sun!  I really do believe it gets hotter in Texas!  While there we enjoyed helping Bea with some issues she was going through (mainly, restoring a semblance of order after experiencing a devastating flood throughout much of the house due to a burst pipe that decided to do its thing during the night!)  We caught up with some kinfolks, too, that we had not seen in a long time: Lola Mae Gray Sweeney, a first cousin, along with her daughter, Patti Beall.  Patti was kind enough to duplicate some very old family photos for Bea and me, and we enjoyed going back in our memories and recalling fun times and the way it was back then, when life seemed a lot simpler and kinder than today’s hustle and bustle.  I helped Bea with her doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, etc. by driving for her on her many trips to Longview.   We also enjoyed more than our fair share of fried catfish while in East Texas!  Long live Catfish King!

Another highlight of our visit with Bea was a trip to Austin, TX for her grandson, Nick’s, college graduation from University of Texas.  In his division (Communications) alone there were 900 graduates!  We sat through each of them!  Claude was our official chauffer and a good time was had by all! Following the graduation a large group of family and friends gathered at Pappacita's for a congratulatory feast.

Also, while in East Texas we met our dear friends Dora and Derry Magee in Henderson, Texas for a delightful lunch/visit (we claimed a corner of Golden Corral for 3 hours!).  They live in College Station, Texas and are enjoying retirement by staying busy with a multitude of activities.  Dora recently retired from the educational system and Derry retired from A & M as a clinical professor.

Another wonderful event while in East Texas was attending the Oak Hill Picnic at the Oak Hill Methodist Church and cemetery.  Annually, there is a memorial service inside the historic church, followed by dinner on the ground – well, on tables, actually – fellowshipping with friends and family, etc., reflecting on old war stories and "my, you don't look a day older!"  There must be a special dispensation for forgiveness of lies at these types of gatherings!  The day before, Bea and I put new flowers on the graves of all our loved ones.  Yes, it was sad while reflecting on our loved ones who have passed on, but very rewarding, too.  We saw cousins we had not seen in a very long time for whom we hold fond memories: Mary Lou Williams and her daughters Reba Sue and Joan.  As best I can remember, it had been about 35-40 years since I had seen Mary Lou – a very precious person, with the very same twinkly eyes that I always loved.  Also, I visited with Carol Bennett English, with whom I grew up and rode the school bus with, and is a cousin, too.  She is widowed and lives in Coushatta, LA.

Of course, a visit to East Texas would not be complete without spending time with Betty and Howard Anderson.  Cousin Betty and I have so many memories to re-live and re-tell, and amazingly, she can recount every detail of our many hours spent together as children and growing up in rural Rusk County.  Goodness, we had no idea we were deprived of this world's riches!  Were we, really?

From Bea’s we went to Andy and Karen’s in Springdale, AR.  It was a good day’s journey and we arrived mid-afternoon on Thursday, May 29.  Of course, excitement always builds when Granny Vee is approaching the home where Luke and Hannah live! 

Would you believe that while in Springdale. Bill’s niece Beth and her family (from Amite, LA) were also not too far away from us in Garfield, AR!  They were there to take part in a fishing expedition (Tim and his dad), so Beth and the girls visited us in Springdale while the guys fished!  I think they were fishing for striper bass?? It was so much fun seeing them!  Maryanna and Macy enjoyed playing the Wii game (Luke loved being a part of this), swimming, and also taking in the rides and fun games at a local amusement outfit called Lokomotion.  Those of you who know Macy will understand the “motion” part!  They are both so precious and this was one of the unexpected highlights of our time in Arkansas.

The most unexpected event, however, was attending the annual Wal-Mart shareholders’ convention! Unbelievable!  Queen Latifah was the emcee and did a superb job.  Well-known talents were showcased throughout the event, interspersed with business matters, videos, bells and whistles, aerialists swinging from the ceiling, and rock bands blaring!  There were an estimated 20 thousand in attendance with several international Wal-Mart delegations there.  Only a mother’s love for her son would prompt her to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go to such an event!  By 6:30 a.m. the arena was full, but we had gotten there in time to get very good seats.  Tim McGraw closed out the event, but we had slipped out before he went on stage.  We had no clue which artist would appear next – the entire event was full of surprises!

Since we were there on 2 Wednesday nights, Bill and I each attended choir practice with Andy at First Baptist Springdale, where he sings tenor (most of the time!) and Hannah plays violin in the church orchestra.  There were probably around 125-150 in attendance in choir practice which is pod cast to various smaller churches to assist them in performing choral music.  Of course, the services at FBC are always very uplifting and the music is just incredible.

We attended a baseball game at the new stadium of the Arkansas Naturals, a minor league baseball team in Fayetteville where Luke works in the concessions and Hannah in the bookstore.  It was my first professional baseball game in more years than I care to remember!  Our team lost, but the atmosphere was worth it all.  Of course, we had to patronize both the concession stand and the bookstore!

We left Arkansas rather sad, but more fun lay ahead!  On Sunday, June 15, we attended church with Jeremy and Sarah Purvis on Sunday at their church in Hixson, TN a suburb of Chattanooga.  We went to Sticky Bones afterwards and pigged out of course!  Later that day we trekked northward to Monteagle, TN where Bill’s cousin, Maureen Guevarra of Mandeville,  LA has a lovely summer home.   We enjoyed catching up with Maureen and daughter Katie, who was visiting her mom.  Katie is an attorney in Atlanta. 

Finally, we headed home – after – of course – a trip to Goodwill in Chattanooga!  My favorite boutique, as many of you know!  We pulled into 937 East Meadow Drive on Tuesday, June 17, our 47th wedding anniversary!  For our pre-anniversary dinner, we had dined the night before at Dairy Queen in Chattanooga, TN, just a stone’s throw from our campground!

Since arriving home we have enjoyed some wonderful times with our “adopted” daughter, Stacy Story, who is a wonderful joy and delight.  Stacy joined our choir several months ago and I was fortunate to have her sit by me.  The rest is history, as the saying goes.  Stacy will be entering the Medical University of South Carolina in mid-August, so we are enjoying having her with us off and on until she moves to Charleston!  Occasionally, we allow her mom to have visitation privileges!

A quick visit to Greenville for the Kenny G concert also included a delightful evening with Sam and Elisa Chaney who live in Mt. Pleasant.  Also, the next day I had lunch with the Wyche law firm gals and thoroughly enjoyed getting caught up on hugs from them.

So, you see, how much fun retirement is!  We’ve only just begun!!!  A few months ago Max, our almost 15-year old grandson, remarked after hearing a rundown of our anticipated travels, “I can’t wait to get old!”