Variety

Variety adds fun and excitement to a life at least that is what they say. Well our life the last months has had its share of variety, some we thought were great and then there were those experiences that we didn't necessarily find enjoyable. The first two pictures are part of an experience we did not think was so necessary. After spending a few "pampered" days with Kim and Harlan we drove to Newberry Springs to the Ironwood campground. It had rained quite a bit over the last couple of days but we knew we were heading to the desert so we didn't give the rain much thought. Well, that showed our ignorance. Even 1 1/2 inches of rain in the desert on roadbed accumulates and stands for a long time. The pictures show the road we had to take pulling the RV to the campground. A temporary side path had been used by others coming before us but they were not pulling anything. The 4 miles into the campground were tense to say the least. We weren't sure of the road under the water and if we tried the path beside the road we got stuck in wet sand. I will admit there were instances when we considered turning around. We didn't , but kept praying for a hard surface under the water. We finally got to the other RVICS people who were watching for us. They really didn't appreciate our frustration until later when they had to take the road. This winter he have had feet of snow, water and nice warm weather, we have that today. That does add up to variety for us.

Ironwood is a rust campground that is super organized so it looks very neat and appealing. With so much linen and towels to wash the laundry is huge. Folded sheets, etc. are all put in totes for one room with equal number of towels, etc. for that room. They are sorted into twin or queen. Some camps we have been in could learn from this one. The rustic appearance does not prevent them from having the rooms furnished well. Every bed has a Sealy Posture Pedic, or something similar, mattress on it. Wonderful mattresses. The hospitality person is resourceful and found a place that specializes in motel furniture and could buy the mattress for $450. instead of the $1000. that other places were asking. Such a staff person is a valuable one to have. Some other places a shallow mattress is placed on a plywood platform. Amenities are not what you go to camp for but they do help bring people back. The picture of the interior shows the other amenities in the rooms, not bad, huh? The cabins are kept up so well that 3 of us can go into one of these rooms and have it dusted, mirrors polished, carpet vacuumed and bathroom cleaned and sanitized in 15 minutes. The goal is 13 minutes but we haven't reached that goal yet. So there is a lot of variety in camps we have been to.

Now we know we have a variety of cooks in this family but I have yet to see one that utilizes such a big electric mixer even though they bake a ton of stuff! This was just one of the huge mixers they used. The kitchen is immaculate as it should be. What a joy to see such a large commercial kitchen that did not have a floor that was slick because of grease. We have seen them as well. We don't get to eat in the dining room at this camp so don't know what the quality of food is but guess it matches the other amenities in quality.

Another variety came over the weekend with my 4 day stay in the Victorville Hospital. It was a quirk that I had to stay that long and at the end of 4 days they dismissed me saying everything was negative but they didn't tell us just what that meant based on the tests. The discrepancy between the doctors was not explained nor the reaction to the "GI cocktail" given to me in the Urgent Care office. I was slightly/very frustrated with the whole situation and don't put much credibility in the doctors but that is another story. The follow-up for the original problem will be pursued at another place, naturally. BUT it was so neat to have visitors come visit us at the hospital. Harlan and Kim came up on Saturday and Gary and Maria came up on Sunday. How great is that?

We are flying to Sioux Center Friday for a week at home. Then we finish up here at Ironwood on March 2. If all goes as planned we will move to Lake Hughes for the March project after that.

Thanks for all the prayers, calls and visits this past week, they helped us through frustrating times. God has been so good to us and we know He will be faithful even through the variety of experiences we have. We praise Him.

Love and prayers, Mom and Dad Wilmer and Marilyn