Snow Is Falling Everywhere!

Snow, it seems to be everywhere we go. It is so beautiful from inside a window but makes for some inconvenience when work, travel, etc. are necessary.
We left Texas on the 4th of Dec. Our pickup had been in the shop for most of the week but was returned to the campground just in time for us to leave. We traveled to Ardmore and stayed there the first night. When we wanted to leave in the morning the pickup was dead as a door nail. It was Saturday and no mechanic worth his salt was working so what do we do but lay over in Ardmore (in the RV because we had no vehicle) for the weekend. Wilmer kept looking in the Ford book and going out and making another attempt to find the problem. Being the pickup is a diesel the familiarity with the mechanics was a little more elusive. However, after several of those attempts he discovered there was water in the fuel line. We are good dutchman and like to save money but trying to run a diesel with water was going a little too far I guess. Thanks to a resourceful man of the house who persevered he was able to drain the water out and the pickup started without any hesitation and we were on our way toward Iowa. We drove to Salina, KS where we stayed for the night in the RV and then left the RV in dry lot there for a couple of weeks. On Sunday was finished out trek to Sioux Center.
Last winter we were home in Dec. and were snowed in several times and this year looked like a repeat of those weather conditions. The picture to the left is very similar to one I took last year but it shows this years fresh layer of snow. Glad we don't have a dog who calls this place home, it would have made for some chilly nights. While home we enjoyed several family parties and time in Sioux Falls with Cindy and the girls. But after 2 weeks we were on the road again heading for Colorado for Christmas parties and a wedding.

We had to go out of the way a little but we needed to pick up the RV in Salina, KS. It was in good shape and we decided to stay in it for the night. OOOOOH, not so good when propane runs out and the furnace can't run. That makes for real togetherness! Thank goodness we had two space heaters which made the temp. almost warm. Experiences. Reminded us of camping on a trip we made many years ago when we used everything available, including throw rugs, to cover us to keep out the cold.

We got to Loveland, CO on the 20th and what do you know, it was soon snowing. The campground shown is ours with a new layer of 8-10 inches of snow. Beautiful. We will celebrate Christmas with Linda, family, some extended family and Jason and family. Then New Year's Eve we celebrate the marriage of Erin and David in Denver. In between that we will spend time with Jason, Shasta and Eli in Golden, CO. Then on the 1st we will turn west again and start a Jan. RVICS project in Yucaipa, CA. Wonder if we will "enjoy" snow there as well.? Always interesting to think about what we will do on a project. Only know when we actually get there.

I will blog more regularly when we are in California and volunteering. Just wanted you all to know what we were doing in the interim. We continue to be healthy and are actually content to be back in the RV again.

Until later, we love you all and would enjoy hearing from you,

Mom/Dad Marilyn/Wilmer (or zilverenvossens)

Thanksgiving 2009

Not your ordinary Iowa Thanksgiving. New faces, new weather, new place and new friends. We took the RV to San Antonio for the Thanksgiving weekend. The RV park prepared a turkey, dressing, potatoes and rolls for all the campers. We were requested to take a side dish to accompany their food. It is amazing how much good food was available for all of us. The desserts were especially tantalizing but of course I am a dessert person so that suited me fine. Pecan pies were very good but so were the cakes and other desserts. So glad we decided to take part in the dinner. I know it doesn't show up very well but I had never seen the little lace "tents" they covered the food with to avoid flys, etc. from getting on the food. They were fancy and very useful. Probably wouldn't need them very often in Nov. in Iowa but in Texas they did the trick. Sat with some people who actually were from Iowa. What a small world. The man could talk farming with the best of them and he found the best in talking to Dad. And of course compare notes about camp grounds, etc. as they spend quite a bit of time in the RV as well.

We did not take the pickup/truck downtown because we found the bus proved to be cheap and good. For less than $10.00 we had good bus transportation the whole time we were here. The Christmas tree downtown doesn't compare very well to the trees most of you have or to the one we have seen many times in Branson but it was a tribute to the City and was decorated accordingly. Interesting that the tree was now energy efficient. Because of certain bulbs used this year the energy used 1/11 of the energy used other years. That is green! The tree came from California and was only the top half of the tree. Wonder if it took energy to haul the tree that distance?

The day after Thanksgiving they had a lighting ceremony in the street near the tree. They expected 150,000 people on that street and I believe we touched shoulders with every one of them. It was a very organized self disciplined crowd so the mass of people didn't get unruly or anything. The other event that night was the parade of Christmas floats/barges on the River. We had seats on the River Walk so could see the parade well. The 25 floats were professionally decorated and were beautiful but such bright scenes don't photograph very well, thus no pictures.

We did spend considerable time walking and browsing the River Walk. We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant and we sat right beside the river. You can see one of the barges in the background. The weather was perfect the whole time we were in the City so we could enjoy the outdoors at all times.

No time spent in San Antonio would be complete without a visit to the Alamo. The rangers talk was sobering once again. It is such a difficult stretch to imagine how people were so brave, passionate about a cause to risk absolutely all. The battle at the Alamo was certainly bloody but the battle was so pivotal in the history of Texas. I am reading a book now by Bob Dole and his experience in World War ll. Again, the passion to save our country overrode ideas of personal safety and personal plans and schedules.

I have written our plans before but I will reiterate a little. We get done working on Thursday at noon but we will stay here that afternoon to get RV ready to travel again. The way it is raining here the last days and all day today some wonder if the Motorhomes can even get out of this place. The roads are good when dry but they are a sea of mud now and staff has been tearing them up a bit with working on the site in order to drain a pond, dam a stream, etc. Their work is close to the road we need to get out of here so we will see what the next days bring. We have an advantage with a fifth wheel but 4 of the couples have motor homes and are sweating it a little. We will stay in Ardmore, OK on Friday night, Salina, KS on Saturday night and we will leave the RV there for a couple of weeks. We will then travel to Sioux Center on Sunday. This is all if the weather is good. Then on the way to the wedding in Dec. we will first pick up the RV and then head to Loveland and Golden before heading to California to work on projects there.

So good to hear from all of you. Really treasure those calls, emails and FB.

Love you all. Hope you are enjoying the beginning of the Christmas Season.

Dad and Mom/Wilmer and Marilyn