Fun Times

As I mentioned last week we helped Jason and Shasta fix up the house they recently purchased. As you can see on the picture we also had lighter times although I questioned the wisdom of Jason climbing so high in the tree pictured. Seems a previous occupant of the home had gotten a little wild with the hula hoop and, somehow, it got caught by a branch. The hula hoop in a tree bothered a little boy so Jason went up to get it, no small task because either the tree had grown since it was up there or someone was a very good thrower. Anyway, the hula hoop did make its descent in good shape and so did Jason. The next picture is taken at lunch break. We always packed a lunch and usually ate it outside but this was a cool, misty day so ate it in front of their fireplace.

On Wednesday evening we all went to Casa Bonita. I know most of you have been there so you know it is a fun place. Yes, the entertainment may have been the same as when we were there in 1966 and other years after that but it was still an enjoyable evening. Eli, of course, thought the entertainment and caves and puppets were the best part. The food is still delicious and endless as it is all-you-can-eat.

We got back on the road Friday morning after a teleconference call by Dad with Premier Communications, aka Mutual Telephone Company. We have driven many miles of curvy, up and down roads the past week but we have seen many beautiful scenes along the way as well. That night we stayed in South Fork, CO. Yesterday, Saturday, we traveled to A&A Mesa Verde RV Park. In the afternoon we. once again, spent hours viewing Mesa Verde. You remember there are various cliff dwellings to view and they have one itinerary where you can drive to and it has designated stops and information of the progression of the type of dwellings the people lived in from AD 750 to about 1200. Some were occupied for only 10 years and some for as long as 300 years. It was interesting to watch the advancement in "technology" in the homes through the years. But I couldn't really get a feel for living in such homes. Must say they certainly had a good roof over their heads. The thinking in making these homes on top of the Mesas seems to be for protection. They had a good view of anyone coming up the mountain to them. The staple of food was corn which they raised on top of the Mesa and then ground up for later use. Corn keeps in that condition for years so it certainly sustained them through the winter. Any animal they could find and catch was also a big part of the diet. No one has a clear indication of why they left but there are Pueblo tribes living today in different parts of the country who trace their ancestry back to Mesa Verde. There must be Pueblos who also find it intriguing to follow their ancestry. This second picture of the Mesa is rather washed out but still gives an indication of how and where they build their dwellings. Since I got a new camera with 24X optical zoom I had to try it out and think it did well with the pictures like this that were taken way, way far from the actual site. At many of these sites the rock above the dwellings in the inside were black because of the fires they used inside the dwelling to cook.

Had to include a picture of the mountain view in Mesa Verde, the sky almost eclipses the beauty of the mountains. Years ago one could see as far as 200 miles into New Mexico and Arizona. The modern day pollutants make that distance impossible today but the view is still fantastic. After 5 hours of traversing the inclines and declines of the paths we called it a day. Once again, the beauties of nature just make us stand in awe of the creator God. How blessed we all are to live in such an amazing world. Even though there are many aspects of this world that leave much to be desired we still have only to look at the unbelievably beauty around us to know God exists and cares for all of us. Love to all, Dad and Mom/Marilyn and Wilmer

Heading West

Yes, we are on the road again. We left Sioux Center May 6 after being home for 4 weeks. We headed west to spend time with the 4 families that are not in the Sioux Center area. We are not on RVICS projects this summer but we coined another acronym, PICS, or Parents In Christ Service.

Our first stop was in Loveland, CO. visiting Linda and Chris and their family. The 4 generation picture shows me, Linda, Elissa her daughter and little 3 week old Kenley Hersh, Elissa's new baby. What a treat to see her baby so soon, with family mostly being far away we seldom get to see granddaughters, or in this case great granddaughter, so soon after birth. The Perciantes had many events to share with us. Joanna had been married the Saturday before we came so we got to see her new husband. We saw the house that Matt and Jessica bought in Thornton, beautiful. Then on the next Saturday Erin became engaged to David Gates and on Sunday they both made profession of faith at the City Presbyterian (RCA affiliated) church and we attended that service. And we got to celebrate Mother's Day with the whole family. Lots of good things and we are so glad we could be a part of them.

Our next stop was at the property of Jason and Shasta. (I am not sure which town they will claim as they just purchased an acre of land and it is in the mountains.) The house is a fix-it-upper so we have been helping with the painting, cleaning, repairing, etc. so they can move in by June 1. I think we are on schedule, mostly. The opportunity to work side by side with them has been so enjoyable. And of course Eli is always around with his vivid imagination accompanied by a thorough description of everything he is thinking about. The picture shows Eli pleading with Grandpa to let him paint with a roller too. Needless to say, Eli did get to paint with a roller.

We put Kilz on all the walls upstairs and down and then painted the rooms with the desired paint color. All woodwork was also painted. And since the property is mountain property there are lots of trees and after the last heavy snow there were lots of branches and trees broken off so one day we worked at that. They had done a lot of work before we came and with the work we all did last week the house is looking pretty good. We hope to help them move some things in this week.

Friday we get on the road and head toward California. We have made the trip to California many times so Wilmer is even right now strategizing what roads to take so we see new things or even sights we haven't seen for awhile. We hope to be in Ridgecrest by June 3 so we can attend Maddie's graduation the next day. I will keep you updated on our progress each week.
I wanted to share this picture with all of you. There are mountains in the picture but they don't show up so well but you all know by now that I think the sky is one of the most picturesque scenes anyway.

Hope and pray you all have a good week. Our cell phone is still working and we do appreciate emails as well. Love to you all, Mom and Dad/Marilyn and Wilmer mjrevmom6@aol.com