Melglo Adventures

Candlelight

2012-01-03T16:17:00.001-05:00

Storm during family vacation in Oct

2012-01-03T16:08:00.002-05:00

Such pretty scenery after the snow. It was a heavy snow and the electricity went off. We cooked on the wood stove, burned candles and played games and sang Christmas carols. Was very cozy and made the "soul" feel good and cozy!!

More pics from family time

2012-01-03T15:53:00.004-05:00

We played alot of Mexican Train and Farkle. It got loud at times but with alot of laughter!! Gordon and Edna were looking at our west trip scrapbooks.

Family time at Belleville in October

2012-01-03T15:29:00.003-05:00

There were 2 puzzles going at the same time. One that mom liked to work on and this one was too hard said mom sooo the kids decided to work on it.
There was alot of reading and just relaxing done too!

Back again!!

2011-12-20T15:01:00.003-05:00

Today is 3 years ago that we got the call that pop went to his Heavenly reward. This picture has become very precious to me. This is how we often saw pop and mom walking.
I am so happy that we now have satellite for internet. It is much better than dial up!! I am so hoping to blog more often as I do enjoy that. We are ready for Christmas as far as prep goes. We did cut back this year as we all really "don't need" and there are others that really do need. I pray that this season will bring joy and peace to those that are feeling extra lonly through this season.
We have had a busy year with so much going on. Just wanted to check in again and see how blogging goes now with the satellite.

Preparing for Christmas 2010

2010-12-07T22:07:00.003-05:00

anyone else busy out there? It sure is a busy time at the Beitzel house! Besides keeping our working schedules, there are many activities to get everything ready for Christmas. Some things we just aren't doing that we did do sometimes. I wasn't going to put up the village this year, but enough comments were made by the grandchildren, that the village is up and lit. School was cancelled due to weather, so Dawson and Jasmine were here. Dawson picked out the kind of cookies we should bake. We made lemon cookies with a lemon icing on and then they did the sprinkles. We had a fun time doing that together. I will try to post some pictures, but I am not sure if it will allow me to again.

trying to post pics

2010-11-15T23:08:00.003-05:00

So long ago that I posted anything on here. I tries to post pics tonight on FB and it was pretty fast so I thought I would try here again.

Its good to be back!

2010-01-22T22:28:00.003-05:00

Wow! It has been so long I have been on here! Hopefully I can do some more blogging. We just checked again about getting fast speed internet but they continue to tell us it is not available at our location. GRRRRRR! Hopefully sooner than later, but I must wait patiently and enjoy what I can get and relax as I wait and wait and wait for pics to upload!!Jusst tried again to upload and am giving up at this point again. I will keep trying later.

Beach

2009-08-13T23:39:00.003-04:00

They were all "beach buddies"
The girls enjoyed jumping the waves as they came in. They even said when they screamed, the waves broke quicker, so there was alot of screaming going on.

Another day at the Beach and more fun

2009-08-13T20:28:00.004-04:00

The grandchildren trying to keep ahead of the waves and build up the sand. Soon a big wave came and took it all!
Meet our "beach buddy". this was a frog that we staked by our spot so the kids could find us easier if they got separated. It is so easy to move down the beach and not know it.One time Alia came up to us and said "Why do you guys keep moving our stuff?"

Vac pics

2009-08-12T13:43:00.007-04:00

Our lovely daughter and family. After we were at the beach for pics early morn, we ate and were in the pool. Now is a time to relax and do whatever.
Our handsome son and family
Us ladies did alot of scrap booking while the kids played and the men sometimes just took a nap. that is what vacation is about--right??
Sometimes we are happy and sometimes we are ???
Our little "fishy"

Family pics

2009-08-12T13:29:00.005-04:00

The kids made us do it!!
We are truly blessed!!
We love them all!

Beach pics

2009-08-12T13:22:00.003-04:00

Working at building a sand castle
Getting used to the water

More pics

2009-08-12T12:49:00.004-04:00

Headed for the pool.
This is our meal time. We have a table full anymore.:0)

Family vacation

2009-08-11T21:23:00.005-04:00

Doug and Dawson enjoying the outside pool.
This is the "clubhouse" we can use as guests in Bethany Lakes Estates. It includes an indoor pool, outdoor pool, game room, tennis court, exercise room and other rooms such as a great room, kitchen that is all available.It has been used alot already!
A family vacation!Our family is in Delaware at Bethany Beach and having a lovely time. It seems strange not to have deadlines etc. We plan our days as they come. This is the condo that we have for the week. We have a garage on the bottom floor and the second floor is our condo. It is very nice- 3 bedroom & loft area, 3 baths.

More work night pics

2009-04-27T09:41:00.004-04:00

Are they working or chatting? There was alot of both done that night!
Darwin & Martha tried the hats on too. It looks quite natural.

Quite a brother and a sister!

2009-04-26T21:35:00.004-04:00

This was trying pop's auctioneer hats on the night of cleaning at mom's. Pretty handsome of a couple!

Work/fun night at mom's

2009-03-22T21:32:00.003-04:00

The family got together on Sat afternoon, a bit chilly, but pretty day to work on the lawn and clean the old van at mom's. We had an enjoyable time working, laughing and even a few tears, knowing that pop always enjoyed these times of working together in the lawn. There were oodles of pine cones to rake. It really does look better and the rain can now bring on the green grass. We had supper together. I think mom enjoyed it too. I tried to post pictures, but it just won't let me go through with it. GRRRRRR!!!! I will try later.

Who is it??

2009-01-23T22:51:00.003-05:00

Who are they? Aren't they cute?? This was the group that participated in the youth mall scavanger hunt.
Anyone guess who this is? Aren't they cute?

Family Picture

2008-12-31T10:11:00.002-05:00

A quick family picture after pop's funeral. The picture below of pop and mom was also posted today, but I must have been on the "edit" screen of a previous post.

Mixed feeling and emotions

2008-12-28T22:21:00.005-05:00

What a blessing grandma is to the three grandsons!
This past week has been a time of mixed emotions. One time we were together laughing and then shedding a few tears and doing alot of reminising. Yes, pop, you are missed badly already! We spent alot of time together. I love and praise God for the family He placed me in!
A real look of anticipation, excitement and wonder!
Meet the newest addition to our family. Very cute and lovable!

A picture we hold in our hearts

2008-12-01T19:48:00.004-05:00

This is a picture we as a family will forever hold in our hearts! Thanks Julia!!

Birthdays to special folk

2008-11-28T19:52:00.003-05:00

Happy 86th Birthday mom!! We are so blessed to have you as our mother!!
Happy Birthday Leroy!! We won't mention the age but you are two years older than Mel!! We enjoyed being at your surprise party!

We feel blessed!!

2008-10-24T09:08:00.004-04:00

Fall truly is here. This is one of the prettiest falls I can remember. We have an awesome God that does not have boring scenery!
Story time with our reader- Tammy. She makes it so interesting!
Doug and Dawson are the ones to build us a cozy fire in the fireplace
Our family spent a weekend in Canaan. We had a wonderful relaxing time, just being together, reading, scrap booking, taking walks, using the hot tub. We treasure these family times.
This was on pop and mom's 67th wedding anniversary! What a wonderful example they have been to us as a family and others.

Sunday in Canaan

2008-09-21T20:34:00.009-04:00

Pop and mom were getting ready to leave. Gordon & Edna, Dave & Wern left this eve.Doug & Tammy, Dawson & Jasmine joined us for lunch and the afternoon.
Just sitting and chatting
This is especially for you Marlene. You requested a picture of Gordon. We cannot read the napkin, but he wrote "Cracker Barrel" on it for you. :0)
Here we are--Marlene, we wish you were here too. Someone even asked if we had a picture of you to hold up.
The brothers we have learned to appreciate very much!!
Here is the eldest of the bunch. Doesn't he look macho?

Friday in Canaan

2008-09-20T21:59:00.011-04:00

This is our "mamma" thinking it is time to head for bed.
We had alot of good laughs!
After supper some of us were watching a video, some were at the table playing Farkel.
Eating is a big part of the weekend! Tonight we had a delicious ham dinner-fried potatoes (pops request) green beans, sliced tomatoes, applesauce.
Edna also brought some puzzles to work on. Mom was sorting and then they worked on the puzzle together.
Pop spent time today showing Edna how to carve the roosters. Sun was out and they sat on the porch.
This was almost done spinning.
We brought some caterpillars up that had spun into their chrysalis. This is our first "baby" that appeared and we released this am. Dave and Darwin gathered some more this pm and we actually watched one that was in a j shape spin its chrysalis. Amazing!!
It seems like everyone helps out in the kitchen either preparing or cleaning up. Martha and Mel are making breakfast. We had eggs, pancakes, sausage gravy over biscuits. Very ummy!

Canaan

2008-09-19T12:19:00.005-04:00

Sharon and Carla arrived this morning. We all heard a horn blowing several times. They arrived in the car that Rich and Sharon were blessed with this week. Friends and family are blessing them in assisting to provide another vehicle for them. It is so nice for them.
Supper time- a table full of family and food. We had Yumasetta, corn on the cob, applesauce, sliced tomatos and a yummy butterscotch dessert.
This afternoon some of us were sitting at the table and doing our own thing-reading, word search books etc.
The house we are enjoying this weekend.
Getting the corn husked for supper. Beautiful weather today.
Everyone looking at the computer where Dave pulled up google earth- checking out the farm and the various homes. Quite interesting!

Family weekend in Canaan

2008-09-19T12:19:00.004-04:00

Pop and mom were watching one of our videos of the western trip. I asked pop if he is excited about Canaan and he looked up and said "wow" !
Hello there everyone! We are at Canaan enjoying a family vacation with the family. Not everyone has arrived yet but till this eve, the others will arrive. Marlene and Richard, we wish you could have joined us. Maybe the blogging will help you be a part of us.We wish Rich could be here or also keep up with the blog. This is the computer table that is used for the laptops. :0) Dave & Wern, Pop & mom, Martha, and Mel & I arrived last eve. The weather was cool last eve and the sun is shining this morning. Just talked to Sharon and Carla on the cell. They will soon drive in.

Home again! Aug 22

2008-08-22T23:32:00.002-04:00

Well folks, we are back home with "dial-up" and it is late, so I will not post any pictures at this hour. Yesterday morning we were at the St Louis Arch soon after they opened. We went through the museum there and did ride the "bubble" to the top. We were afraid we could not see anything since it was a rainy and foggy morning. Much to our surprise, we could see quite a bit and could take some pictures. I thought it was really pretty around there. The walkway to the arch is just a beautiful walk. A person could spend alot of time there just walking and also enjoying the river there (if the sun shines) We then hit the road for the east. It was planned earlier that we would take a more southern route home, but we both were feeling the need to get back home to be with family.We drove into our "motel" for the night and it looked good! The black eyed susans and the morning glories are blooming since we left. We also are noticing the "night" sounds already. It was so good to see everyone today. We spent most of the day today with Rich & Sharon at the hospital today.Continue to join us in praying for God's will and acceptance in this difficult situation. Praise God for Drs, and the nurses working with Rich and the kindness shown to Sharon. I may be able to post pictures again when it is not so late.

Day of driving-Aug 20

2008-08-20T20:37:00.003-04:00

We took turns driving today. We would drive 100 mile or a little more and then switched drivers. As we came into Missouri, the sign was right overhead in a very busy traffic area, around Kansas City, so this shot will need to do. We are spending the night near St Louis at St Charles. We plan to go see the arch tomorrow and then head east again! We enjoyed the satellite radio today alot. We also listened to an audio book on this trip which was an interesting thing to do while traveling. We would remember what chapter we ended on and then start from there the next time. This way we could read and sight see at the same time!!
A snap of Kansas City s we drove by. The weather today was overcast, but made better driving since the sun was not so bright. There is always something good in a day!!

Aug 18 & 19-Pikes Peak, and more

2008-08-20T00:05:00.022-04:00

We drove longer than we planned and are staying in Hays, Kansas tonight. It was so nice to see the fields of sunflowers blooming.
We visited Focus on the Family and took the tours through the Operations and Administrations buildings. It is a large campus. We enjoyed the Bookstore, visitor center and the theater. It was very refreshing to see God as the center after touring the country and seeing many things.
One of the buildings at Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs.
Grandpa and "Mr. Whitaker" at Odessy at Focus on the Family.
Very interesting place to visit.
"Chief Elroy" coming out of the tepee
We visited the Manatou Cliff Dwellers. It was so interesting! We went through the museum, watched Indian dances and walked through a house in the cliff.
Grandma coming down from the second story of this house.
We also visited and enjoyed walking through the Garden of the Gods.We watched some rock climbers while there.
A big balanced rock at The Garden of the Gods. Do you happen to see grandpa under there?
A view from our walk in the Garden of the Gods. This was what they called the "kissing camels". I could not get the whole thing in the picture.
It was 29 degrees on the Summit. At one point we were above the clouds, but then the higher we went, it was very foggy. The 86 yr old lady that sat next to us said she is so sorry that we couldn't see more. She lives there and had her 2 granddaughters with her. If on a clear day, they say we could have seen all of Colorado Springs and also into Kansas. We were still glad we went up and saw what we could.
These boys were very concerned about the lady that was using oxygen while on the Summit.
All the way! We could tell a difference in our breathing. An elderly lady that also rode the train, needed O2 while there.
Of Course, we reached the summit and there was snow!!
A pretty view on the way
A view on the way up the mountain. The one area reminded me of Sound of Music hills.
WE did take the cog railway up the mountain. There was a guide talking on the way up explaining things seen on the way up.
Yesterday we did go to Pikes Peak. I could not get the internet last night so I will do double pictures tonight.

Royal Gorge and Seven Falls-Aug 17

2008-08-17T20:32:00.009-04:00

The entrance to Seven Falls. The drive in through the mountains to the falls was so pretty. The camera would not capture what I really wanted it to.
Seven Falls from the deck up on the mountains. Since it rained this morning and a good shower while we were there, the water was a little brown.We would have done more hiking, but since it was wet, the steps were very wet. They did close down the elevator due to thunder and lighting. We visited the visitor center during the rain. Very worth while visiting this area!!
This is a tunnel we walked through at Seven Falls to get to the elevator to go to the top of the mountain.
We left this am and went to the Royal Gorge Bridge. It was so overcast this morning and had some rain so we weren't sure what we could see, but it did clear up enough to have a wonderful day! We felt "hugged" again that we had that spot of the day that was so nice.
A view of the bridge
We drove across and also walked across the bridge. We could feel it giving as the cars and people walked. We were surprised they allowed people and vehicles to go at the same time.
We even rode the incline railway to the bottom of the gorge. The one guy said he feels like a horse because they put us in a cage and closed the doors.

Day of travel-Aug 16

2008-08-16T23:15:00.009-04:00

We are spending the night in Canon City, Colorado tonight. We hope to see Royal Gorge, Pikes Peak, Focus on the family before we leave this area. We had rain today as we traveled here. This was the first rain we have had on our whole trip! It was rather foggy here this eve, so we aren't sure what we will be able to see. A waitress told us it is to rain all weekend. As we went up a mountain today, we had 70 degrees at the bottom, when we reached the top (about 1/2 hr) we had 41 degrees!! That was a change. We will need to wait and see what happens tomorrow. We spoke with alot of folks back home today. Our prayers are still flying for Rich and Sharon and the girls.
This was a very pretty sight. In driving from Utah to Colorado,one town had pots of flowers like this on either side of the street. Mel started counting them and thought it was about 150 big pots on one side of the street!!
A view of the "Bridal Veil Falls".This was along the road. Very pretty
Before the concert began. The choir went up on stage and the orchestra was preparing. This was so worth hearing!!! It was a wonderful eve out under the stars. It was cool enough that we wore our light jackets and also had a blanket around us. Some folks even had gloves on.
Waiting for the concert to begin. We brought our small cooler and had our drink and things to eat with us. It was interesting sitting and talking to others around us.
We attended the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony Concert at Deer Valley, Ut last night (Fri)People are gathering for the concert. We needed to bring our lawn chairs (low) could have a picnic basket. It was fun.

A day in Moab, Ut-Aug 14

2008-08-14T23:36:00.018-04:00

We ended the day at Arches National Park.We are staying in Price, UT tonight. tomorrow we plan to go to Park City, UT and attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir/Utah Symphony in the eve. I don't think I can blog tomorrow, but will catch up on Sat eve. We hope to be in Colorado on Saturday.
One of the many unique rock formations
One of the arches at Arches National. We were going to do some hiking, but it was 99 degrees and we felt it was too hot to hike, so we did most of view points.
This was where we got the ATV in Moab, Utah, that we went on a 11 miles ride one way down into a canyon and then way to the top.
There was a trailer provided to haul the ATV, we hooked it to the car and away we went.
We also saw some pictographs (?) on the trail. Dawson-we took this for you. Is that what this is?
We enjoyed the Cati's we saw growing along the trail
Here we sit in our little dune buggy!It was fun, but I sure had my fears and wondered if we should go with a tour rather than alone-in case we got lost, what if we had trouble...but Mel said we will be fine.
I got out and walked ahead around several curves to get a video of Mel coming down the mountain
One view out the side which dropped waaay down. We were on top of this mountain that looked very large when we drove past it!
This was the view on the "other side" of the mountain when we reached the top.
We made it to the top of this canyon.
The natural bridge at Bryce Canyon. These pictures went with yesterday's blog. It is allowing me to post tonight.
View of the Bryce Canyon. Mel said it felt like walking through a fairyland as we walked.
This was during our hike down into the canyon.
A view at Bryce Canyon-awe inspiring!
For Dawson, Jasmine, Alia, Owen-- This squirrel came right up to us at Bryce Canyon. He is getting excited that grandpa and grandma will be home before too long. He was so cute.

Another "wow" day Aug 13

2008-08-13T22:39:00.002-04:00

Tonight will just be an update without pictures since the net is giving me a fit. This morning we were up and on the road at 7:00AM. We drove to Bryce Canyon. What a beautiful place to see!! Again, about all we could say was "wow". We hardly knew when to take pictures or when to stop taking them. We visited all the points and at Sunset Point we hiked the Najaho Loop trail. It was so nice- alot of elevation drop and we knew we needed to go back up, but we would have missed alot had we not continued. Mel said at one time that he feels like he is walking through a fairy tale. :0) We had the water bottle with us. At some points there was shade, so we stopped, caught our breath and sipped on cold water. We were tired but blessed as we came to the top again. We drove to Salina, Ut for the night and tomorrow plans are to head for the Arches National Park. The weather has been so nice. The temp today was 86-92 degrees. Today there was a slight breeze which was nice. It even thundered a little while we hiked but did not rain. Again today we are so aware of the great God we have and just had to say thanks again for such a beautiful world He allows us to live in. We are still thinking alot of everyone back home. Prayers are flying in Utah for all of you!!

North Rim-Grand Canyon-Aug 12

2008-08-12T22:26:00.010-04:00

This is the motel that we were in for 2 nights. It is such a pretty setting. We really enjoyed all the scenery again today, all the clouds, white aspen trees, wildlife (squirrels, lizards, chipmunks, turkey, bison, deer) We are headed for Bryce Canyon tomorrow
Hey grand kids-- today we saw these bison grazing in the meadows at The Grand Canyon. We also saw turkeys, deer and yesterday we saw a wolf. We are getting very anxious to see all of you!!We are still using the mugs, binoculars and the readings and pics for each day.
Can you imagine a hubby that really doesn't care for heights is way up there?
We were asked if we want our picture taken together. We said sure!! We have also taken pictures for others.
We did some hiking today. This is the way part of the trail looked. It was a nice walk. Looking to the sides-it went way doowwnn. It was pretty warm, so we were glad we had our water bottles with us. We also had a picnic lunch overlooking the canyon before we left.
The scenery is as beautiful as south rim. The north rim is definately more laid back and not as busy.
We drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon this morning after catching up on things at home and with Rich and Sharon.

Later start to day-Aug 11

2008-08-12T02:21:00.010-04:00

The sunset as we drove along. Our minds sure with folks back home today as we got word that Rich needed emergency surgery. As we walked along the rim of the canyon, we stopped and talked to our Heavenly Father. We gazed at the large canyon and knew who created all this and also knew that He is also holding Rich and Sharon in His powerful hand in MD. We experienced a peaceful feeling and knew that God is in control regardless of where we are. We are praying here in Utah tonight for a good night for all.
The moon was already up in the sky preparing to do its job when darkness set in. This is the same moon that is in the area back home!!
Driving through the Painted Desert as the sun was going down was a real blessing to see.
This was a tower close to the Indian reservation along the Painted Desert. We climbed to the top of it and saw quite a view of the canyon with the Colorado River at the bottom.
The weather was so nice to do some walking along the rim of the canyon
Who can say there is no God? This is an awesome worshipful feeling when standing and gazing at this creation.

today was a day of various feelings and emotions. This morning Mel took the car to have the oil changed and the tires rotated. They noticed that the back tires were wearing a little on the inside and suggested we have an alignment done. So Mel spoke to the Hyundai place there and had an appt at a Supeior Tire place. They were very nice and fit us in. It just took longer than we had hoped.But we knew the Grand Canyon was still there!

Kingman, AZ-Aug 10

2008-08-10T20:06:00.008-04:00

This is a shot of the Hoover Dam. They are really doing alot of construction around there now. They even had security check points there. We will head out for the Grand Canyon in the morning, after the oil change in the car. Those miles added up fast!!
We drove on into Arizona for the night. Very nice room and decided to stay for two nights since we put in a long day of driving.We had pictures developed and were putting them in an album so we don't forget what they are!
Made it to Nevada- Drove and drove through desert.Was about 104-105 degrees and very desolate. Was nice to see, but we were both glad to get into some society again. :0)
There were huge boulders of solid "granite" We did some crawling around and enjoyed the sparkling of it all!
Entering Yosemite National Park. This park was unique in itself. There were mountains of solid rock-sparkling. There was alot of granite there. Was so pretty!!

A big day traveling-Aug 9

2008-08-10T02:22:00.003-04:00

Hi there! I am going to be lazy and do a quick note and post pictures tomorrow. We left the motel in Stockton, CA at 7 AM and then headed for Yosemite National Park. We spent several hours there and then stopped at the Hoover Dam. Those were the two attractions we saw today, and the remainder of the day we saw lots and lots and lots of desert. It was so desolate that it made us almost feel like we were the only ones on the earth anymore! That is until we drove through Vegas!! Then it sure was a bustling and busy place. People everywhere!! We continued our drive until we reached Kingman, AZ. We drove approx 600 mile today. We went to Dennys to eat after we arrived here and now feel like we want to hit the sack. We had several hugs from God today that made us smile, like gas station appearing when we started to feel uneasy, fitting Hoover Dam into the schedule, right on our way here, and also calling the Super 8 for a reservation to find they only had 2 rooms left and only 1 nonsmoking room which was the suite and they said they would give that to us!! It has 2 beds, couch, arm chair, desk, microwave, refrig. Very nice!! We decided since we put in a long day today that we will stay another night here and observe the Lord's day here and relax tomorrow. I will try to post a few pictures tomorrow.

Coast, redwoods, traveling-Aug 8

2008-08-08T22:28:00.007-04:00

I jumped out of the car and ran around the tree to watch. Here comes grandpa through the tree!!! We saw another SUV come through. It was an elderly man driving and we heard and saw the passanger side of the mirror come off. I felt bad for him.Tomorrow we plan to do alot of driving. We are headed for Yosemite and probably not spend too much time there, but head on for Colorado. Nevada will be mostly a drive through.Weather is nice today once away from the coast. It was 92 this afternoon, bright sunny sky.
It looked a little tight, but we pulled in the one mirror
We drove through some more redwoods on a scenic route and we are so glad we did. We came to this "drive through" tree.
The sand is a darker color. It is hard to find sea shells in this area. We found some nice rocks.
It was cool enough for a light jacket for me, but Mel didn't feel it was necessary. After walking over the sand and sinking in, it did warm a person up.
This morning we ate our continental breakfast and then went to walk along the coast for awhile. We went to a recreational area with sand dunes. We could have driven our car out along the water but we were afraid to try it. We did have a car pass us. It was a Subaru driving at the water's edge!! We just enjoyed walking over the sand dunes and along the water. Temp was 56 and was overcast this am.

Day with the Redwoods-Aug 7

2008-08-08T01:31:00.009-04:00

Hey kids--can any of you tell us who this guy is?? Tomorrow we will start back inland further. Will be going towards Yosmite.
This is especially for Dawson, Jasmine, Alia and Owen. A seagull posed just for you!!
A lighthouse on a small island. They said we can walk to it if the tide is out. It was low yet, but would have needed to walk through water, so we enjoyed from the coast.
Coast line picture
Mel climbed up into the inside of these trees. He looks small.
I think I enjoyed all the fern growing in the forest along with the trees. Here I climbed up to get next to this tree.
Entering the Redwoods. We thought some of the trees were big, then we saw bigger and BIGGER! We did go on a tour with a ranger just to learn more of the redwood tree, then broke away from the tour and did our own hiking. Again--out of this world, made us feel like we were in a dream..
Made it to California about 1 pm (this time) We drove over the Cascades for about 50 mile on a very scenic route, very curvy and winding, sharp curves. Enough to make a person that gets car sick mind the curves towards the end.Thankful for salted peanuts and diet pepsi!! The scenery was so pretty in spite of the stomach!!

Wow pictures of the day!!

2008-08-07T01:01:00.003-04:00

Well worth the trip to see this sight. Tomorrow we plan to go see Klamoth Falls and then head south to California
This is a shot of Crater Lake in Orgeon. It is absolutey beautiful!! Almost to the point of making one speechless. It was a volcano that had erupted and then the top collapased and formed this lake. It is such a beautiful blue.

Blessings of the Day-Aug 6

2008-08-07T00:20:00.009-04:00

We saw alot of these flowers along the road even in the fog. They were so pretty I had Mel stop to take a picture of it. We also saw large bushes of flowers- purple. I think they may have been hydrangias
As we drove along the coast Rt 101 today we could get views of the ocean. It was nice but would have loved some sunshine to view it with. They said down in California, we will get the sun along the coast.
We drove to the coast to Newport, Oregon. We had a ocean view motel. This is the view we had out the window. They said it was very foggy and dreary all day. We could hear the ocean when we opened the window. Temp was 56 degrees.
I really enjoyed the hanging baskets of flowers in the west. We started noticing them in Idaho. They are like big balls.
Made it to Oregon. A real quick picture as we passed under it.
Mt St Helens- was a litle more hazy. The one guy said he doesn't know if it is just hazy, or smog from Portland or smoke from fires.
Picture of Mt Rainier taken yesterday.

West Coast

2008-08-05T22:53:00.006-04:00

We visited Donna and Nelson in their home also. A very pretty log house. We enjoyed getting to know Larry and Ruth's family much better.Today we drove to Mt Rainier and also to Mt St Helens. It was very nice and pretty again. We were a bit disappointed with ST Helens. They have so much closed due to lack of funds, but was nice anyhow. Mel stated he has never seen such big evergreens. I think they were Douglas Firs. We drove over to Newport, Oregon, along the coast for the night. We have an ocean view, but can't see due to the overcast conditions at this time. Hopefully will be nicer tomorrow. We have had wonderful weather so far. Temps have been anywhere from 50-92. Now we have about 65. Will try to post more pics tomorrow.
The swinging bridge we walked over at the Kootenai Falls. Very pretty there! This si where we sat and watched the kyaicing
The deer come right up to their front lawn. It was fun to watch the fawn jump around.
This is the Champ home in Idaho. The view from their living room and the deck is so beautiful. Larry did a good job at designing it for the view!!

Hello from Washington!!

2008-08-04T22:51:00.003-04:00

We left Larry and Ruth's this morning and put in a good day of driving. We heard the coyotes howling again last night. I told Mel they sounded pretty close this time. We tried to get the sounds on the video camera even if we couldn't see them. Ruth said she also heard them. It was again amazing how the landscape changes from one mountain to the next!! We drove through alot of wheat fields, hay fields and then around the mountain, very barren mountains for long stretches at a time!! We stopped for lunch at a Denny's and decided that was the main meal of the day. We drove to Yakima, Washington and are staying here for the night. I am having trouble in posting pics tonight. It may be the net services here. Hopefully I can tomorrow night. We are hooking up the video tape to watch tonight that we are doing as we travel. It will be a good review for us. We hope to go to Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens. Good night!!

Weekend in Idaho

2008-08-03T20:13:00.002-04:00

Hello there everyone! We got to Larry and Ruth's on Saturday afternoon about 3-4. I am so confused as to the time because of the time zones. We are now 3 hours behind you. Larry said as we entered Idaho, it changed. We did some walking at a Falls close to Larrys and then drove to their place. Their hospitality is absolutely wonderful. We wanted to take them out for supper so they drove us over into Canada to BC. It was very good. We told them if we can't get back into the US we won't go along! :0) Larry had called the Border before we left. We needed to show our drivers license and we got a little talk that we should work at getting a passport etc. We went to church with them this am. We were so surprised to see any one else that we know. Charity and Faith Oxley were there and came up to us after church and gave us a big hug and said-what on earth are you doing here. These girls were in Arizona when we were there with the youth group. Ruth had a wonderful lunch of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, applesauce, apple pie and ice cream. While in Canada, we bought some tomatoes, so I sliced some of them too. Right now we are at Donna's (Larry's oldest daughter) place, so I thought I would jump in a update a little. Thanks Darwin and Martha for encouraging us to stop here!! We will leave in the am. Not sure where yet, but will let you know tomorrow eve.

Leaving for Idaho

2008-08-02T10:21:00.002-04:00

Good morning! The weather is very pretty here in Montana this morn. There is blue sky and real puffy white clouds. The temp is 49 this morning, but is to warm up to 79. We are headed out for Idaho this morning. We are going to Larry & Ruth Champ's this afternoon and spend the night there. Larry told us to unpack our bags and stay as long as we want. We plan to go to church with them in the AM. I am not sure if we can blog or e-mail from there, so it may be that I won't have anything on the computer until Monday. If anyone needs to reach us, Carla and Doug & Tammy have the number to reach us. Larry said the cell phones don't work at their place. You all have a great weekend. Remember the God that sees us here is the same God that loves you there!!!!It is amazing that we can see the same sun and moon as you all do!!We love and miss you all. Today especially--HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DOUG $ TAMMY!!

Awed by beauty!!

2008-08-01T22:43:00.015-04:00

One hug we received today was on our hike back down the mountain. Up aways we thought we heard music but weren't sure. As we came down further, we saw this couple playing the Swiss Alps horns. Beautiful sound in the mountains!! We talked with them awhile. They live in the area and said they enjoy plaing on the mountain. Today was Swiss Alps day and they wanted to play their horns again. On quiet, nonwindy days, they said they can hear a 15 sec echo, but today was too windy for the echo. We were blessed and thanked them for sharing with us in this way.
Welcome to Glacier National Park! What a wonderful day. We were once again awed by the Creator of all and at one point we even sang "Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the world Thy hands have made".Pictures just don't really show what we saw, but we will share a bit of the day. We are tired tonight, but have felt hugged by God in many ways.
We found this friend along the path. It is called a "hoary marlot". Mel thought it looked like a groundhog with a squirrel tail.
Silly grandma, wearing sandals and hiking in the snow!!
Hey Dawson, Jasmine, Alia, Owen--here is grandpa throwing you a snowball from Montana. Did it hit you??
Creatures we saw on our hike up the mountain. These mountain goats were up in the grass and then walked out across the walkway. We enjoyed esp watching the baby goat
We went hiking at Logan Pass up the mountain 1.5 mile one way and then back down. Oh what a hike. If we had known that included going through 5 drifts of snow, we would have changed shoes! We had sandals on, but just continued because it was too far to go back. We laughed and laughed. It was well worth the hike. It was cold and windy and we were thankful that we grabbed the hooded sweat shirts before we started.
We needed to drive through several of these tunnels
There were quite a few different size waterfalls along the road.There was also a waterfall that was called the weeping wall and we needed to drive very close to it. It sounded like it was raining as we drove through there. Very pretty!
We drove across Glacier Park on the Going-to-the-sun road, approx 58 miles. It got very narrow and was one way at places. Once in awhile I told Mel to stay over because my side of the road had a very small stone wall and then dropped waaaaaaaay down!
What a beautiful sight!

Very Laid back day

2008-07-31T20:22:00.005-04:00

Hey Dawson, Jasmine, Alia, and Owen-look what came with us on the trip! We use them everyday. We will use the binoculars tomorrow at Glacier National Park. Do you think we can see a bear?? The reading today in the grandkid photo book is- All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. Thanks Tammy for the work in this. We love it!!
Tomorrw we are headed for Glacier National Park for the day. Possibly hiking etc. Will let you know tomorrow night. We have this same motel for tomorrow night too. We figured we may be a bit weary after a full day there.
We traveled by a lake for miles and miles. Was beautiful!
We felt we were surrounded by mountains
We saw more very pretty scenery from Livingston, Montana to Kalispell, MT.

Leaving Yellowstone

2008-07-31T00:46:00.006-04:00

This was such a peaceful scene to leave Yellowstone. This was the sunset as we drove to Livingston, Montana where we are spending the night. Tomorrow will be mostly traveling- heading to Glacier National Park in Idaho.
We did picnicing today rather than eating out.This was at a picnic spot in Yellowstone
Old Faithful "spouted" right on time
We drove the Grand Teton Pass today. The scenery was just beautiful!
On the way to Yellowstone- a tunnel through the mountain

Tuesday-Absolutely beautiful

2008-07-30T00:33:00.007-04:00

We checked into the motel in Cody, Wyoming, went to eat at Bubba's Barbeque and then went to a rodeo which was only a mile down the road from here. Really enjoyed it. We are ready to get a night's sleep. Tomorrow is Yellowstone day.
As we crawled the mountain, the road was winding from side to side and then we could look back at the road. Mel stated he wondered if we would see anything nicer! We have just begun!
We drove through Bighorn Natural Forest. It was so overwhelming--wow- is about what I can say. The elevation was 8900 and the temp was 69. When we got to 3500 elevation the temp was 92. Pictures just don't do justice.
We saw antelope as we drove along the road to Cody
This morning we had the oil changed in the car, and washed the car at this car wash

Pictures of the day

2008-07-28T23:36:00.009-04:00

hey grandkids-this is a pairie dog. They were every where in this field. popping their heads out of their holes
Devil's Tower
On to Wyoming
When we were at Crazy Horse, they announced there will be an explosion in 10 minutes. This is the blast
Especially for the grandkids
We miss you, Dawson, Jasmine, Alia and Owen, and everyone else too
This picture is the one Dawson especially asked us to take for him.

Last day in South Dakota

2008-07-28T22:32:00.002-04:00

I will do some typing tonight. The strength of the wireless is very low here. When I tried pictures, it kept kicking it off the net. I will try later, and if not, I will add more pics tomorrow. Today was a very good day, enjoying it all! Last night we went to the Passion Play which was good, but I told Mel I would like to see the Cherry Glade crew give their play in that setting. Wow! It was late till we got back to the motel, so we did not rush things this morning. We are 2 hrs behind all of you and I think our bodies are still with you. We got up about the same time, ate the Continental breakfast and then headed out. We visited Bear Country USA, Mt Rushmore, hiked the loop trail there, went to Crazy Horse and Devil's Tower and did a little hiking there. I called ahead and made reservation at a Smart Choice Motel (was an Econo Lodge) in Gillette, Wyoming for the night. We were so busy today that we forgot to eat!! ;0) When we got here to the motel, we found a Golden Corral and made fast tracks there. It was very good!! We sure enjoyed the driving again today. the sights we saw were so varied. We drove through Mt Rushmore National Forest--the mountains, pines,water falls, rocks--just so pretty!! Then driving to Wyoming we saw lots of flat plains again, lots and lots of round bales (Darwin we decided you would have many, many loads from 1 round in the field!!) Saw drills and pumps in alot of the fields, and trains loaded with lots of coal. The one engine had almost 1 mile of cars behing it loaded with coal. We passed a very large coal plant. We also noticed that all the ramps to get on and off the roads have cattle guards! We saw mule deer (we think) and lots of tumbleweed. At Devil's Tower, we walked back a trail through a whole field of pairie dogs. It was so interesting. It reminded us of playing that game where you have a hammer and hit the dog's head when it pops up. They sounded like they were talking to each other. ;0) We are so thankful for our GPS again and again. We trust to take some back roads and she will get us back to where we were!!
Tomorrow we will try to get the oil changed. We are 50 miles close to the time to change and Mel found a Penzoil place just down the road from here. We will also need to wash the car-bug splatters are bad. ;)

Update for Sunday

2008-07-27T18:04:00.003-04:00

Hi there everyone!! I hope you are enjoying the pictures etc. Today I had a little trouble to get the laptop to recongize the camera and the wireless mouse. I don't know why--if it was the USB ports or what. I finally stopped and went and took a shower and then it worked! Maybe it was just me. I thought-well, I could still blog without pictures, but I love putting pics with it. Hopefully I can continue. After our stop at Wall Drug, I called ahead for a motel since we were getting close to Mt Rushmore area. It was good I did, as they say they fill up pretty fast towards evening. We are now 2 hrs behind you guys. We now have 4:05. We ate at a Ruby Tuesday about 1:30 (SD time) and then came to the motel. We are going to the Passion Play tonight. It starts at 8:00 (10:00 your time) It will be late till we get in, so I thought I would blog now. Driving through the Badlands almost made me feel like we are the only ones here!! Driving miles and miles, seeing very few buildings and just miles of fields. Occ seeing a few horses or beef cows-wondering who they belong to? I will get off and relax and read awhile before we need to leave. We hope Rich got to go home today!! Tomorrow we plan to go to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, possibly a Presidental Gardens and other points. Will chat later

Sunday in South Dakota

2008-07-27T17:39:00.011-04:00

This is my duty when the day is nearly over, and Mel highlights the maps of where we were. Then we plan the next day.
Meet squaw Gloria and the papoose
Meet Cheif Elroy
Friends can be made anywhere!
Especially for the grandkids. Isn't grandpa brave!!
This picture is especially for Dawson, Jasmine, Alia, & Owen.
We stopped at a place called Wall Drug. It was a very quaint little town with a large place with all sorts of stuff. It almost reminded me of the Red Barn in Florida. We endedup eating a wonderful snack at a Dairy Queen!!
The motel we spent the night at in Kimble, SD. It was very small, but one of the cleanest I have stayed in. It was run by an elderly couple. They also provided a super start breakfast. We talked to several nice people as we ate. The one gal had a blouse on almost like mine and that made us talk. :0) We told them about the Passion Play and they said they may do that too.
Some hollyhocks that were very pretty at a service plaza. I enjoyed even that beauty in the small flowers!

Day #2- Still heading West

2008-07-26T20:53:00.007-04:00

Now we are in SD. We stopped for the night in Kimble, SD at a Super 8 Motel. It is run by an older couple. It is a very quiet area. We walked to a truck stop across the road for a light supper. I had a loaded baked potatoe (mom, it was sooo good) and guess what Mel had..Sure enough, a burger. We ate a good meal at about 3:00 this pm. We did some walking this eve for exercise. Tomorrow we plan to get to the Black Hills and attend the Passion Play in the eve.
Further west-all the way through Minnesota
Turbines at the Mississippi River
House boat vacation- personal jet ski and all
We stopped at the Mississippi River Locks and watched the locks work and left some vacation house boats through. Very interesting. I wonder how much those house boats are- hot tubs and everything on it!

Today was another day of "hitting" it to get there. We left this morn at 7:15 am and were on 90 west the whole day. There were no tolls today at all. A lady told us that Illinois is really bad for tolls, which we said amen to. Wonderful driving--real flat and long--- I set the cruise at 72 (speed limit was 70) and did not touch the brake or throttle for approx 1 hr! Traffic was very light. Alot of motorcycles!!This is the Mississippi when we crossed over.

Oops! Posted before done

2008-07-25T21:46:00.003-04:00

OOps!!! I hit publish and was not done yet!! We loaded up this morn and were on the road by 6:15. It was very pretty going to Somerset, with the fog and the sun coming through.We stopped and got a coupon for the motel tonight and they even gave us 10% off the meal if we ate in the family restaurant here. It was very good--I had chicken stir fry and Mel had a chicken tender dinner. Very good and filling for $16.00!!We haved already felt blessed by good prices. We were a little taken back by some of the tolls we needed to pay! What do they do with all those? It was only 80 cents here and then a little later $1.60 etc. We were on 90. Tomorrow we will head out towards the Back Hills, SD. ARe not sure how far we will go. I will try to blog more tomorrow eve. Hey Doug, are you proud of me?? I managed to do this with their password etc. God sees us here as well as you all there!!

We are on our way

2008-07-25T21:37:00.003-04:00

We made it to Beloit, WI. We wanted to get past Chicago today. The traffic was pretty heavy around Chicago, but the GPS sure did her duty very well!! We split up the driving and enjoyed the Southern Gospel Music by satellite radio. We laughed at how much we appreciate the technology anymore! The weather was very pretty.

Countdown !!!!

2008-07-20T16:11:00.002-04:00

Wow! Only 4 days left to go. We have alot of things to finish up before leaving. I think we are getting there. Someone is staying at the house and taking care of things. Doug will take care if the yard. Will see ya later.

Youth going to Canada

2008-07-20T15:54:00.006-04:00

Prayer as a group
Prayer as a group before loading the bus.
Anthony giving the final instructions and getting the passports all in order.
Parents watching as their teenagers are loaded and ready to leave,
Family and friends waving as the bus is leaving,

More choral camp retreat pictures

2008-07-14T22:17:00.006-04:00

This was our group of counselors. We were having a hymn sing. The 4 part singing was beautiful!!

This was taken as we were all bowling in Mechanisburg.

This bunch of boys were doing push ups all together!! I got it just as they were on the way down.
Some of them picked wild flowers on their hike and fixed up their hair.

Choral Camp Counslor Retreat

2008-07-13T23:14:00.005-04:00

Mel had a map there to "highlight" our planned journey. He had alot of suggestions from Al from Ohio and also from Niki from Delaware since they had been out west before with family.
We were host couple at the Counslor retreat at Choral Camp at RBC this past weekend. On Fri eve we had a banquet and then Sat we took them to a park for a day of relaxation. It rained-poured for a while then cleared. We relaxed at a pavilion while it rained. Some were singing, some were playing games, others were just hanging out, some were reading, some were coloring. We had about 65 kids there for the weekend. We were blessed, a bit stressed at times, but all in all, had a good weekend.

Legos

2008-07-10T23:36:00.003-04:00

Dawson showing everyone how he built the various items. The little program they presented was interesting.
Dawson really enjoyed going to "lego camp" this week. They built all sorts of things. Here he is showing one of his and his partner's creations. It is amazing what all they can make legos do with gears, pulleys and motors.

Mother/Father's day gift from the kids

2008-07-08T22:37:00.002-04:00

Pop and mom enjoying the glider the kids bought them for Mother's/Father's Day. They said they would use the porch alot more often now.

Busy Weekend

2008-07-07T21:47:00.006-04:00

What a beautiful sight! It reminds us of our Father's love and presence everyday!!
We had sparklers at the house on the 4th for the grandkids.
The 5 year old with her cake that she requested grandma to do
We had a very busy weekend. It was my weekend to work 7-3 and then 11-7 Sat night. We left for Alia's 5th birthday party. We left early enough to be able to attend the church Keith and Sandi have chosen as their home church. Carla joined us. Then to their house for a b-day party. Doug, Tammy and the kids came too. We had a very enjoyable afternoon and then home again. Today I worked more at getting our notebook of info together for the trip. Dawson assisted me and was giving me suggestions. He even seems kinda excited for us.

testing

2008-07-03T22:34:00.003-04:00

a test is coming up

Enjoying the grandkids!

2008-06-28T21:58:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we attended the Grantsville Days parade. Keith & Sandi were up for that. We have enjoyed keeping the grandkids here until Sun pm. Today we took all four of the grandkids to Alberts,( the Amish neighbor) and he was ready to give us all a horse and buggy ride through River Rd and then over the old Casselman Bridge since they are allowing non motorized vehicles over the bridge at this point. We had a lot of fun. Owen was not sure at first, but after we started moving was smiling. The weather was just great for it. We discussed what all they were seeing-flowers, river, cows, chickens, litter. They enjoyed hearing the horses hoofs hitting the pavement or gravel. They all decided it was plenty noisy. :0) We made a card with a picture of them in the buggy and they all signed their name to give Albert as a thank you note. Have a great night and enjoy the Lord's Day tomorrow. I will email some pictures. :0(

Relaxing eve

2008-06-17T20:43:00.003-04:00

What a pretty evening! After supper, Mel & I went for a walk. The smells of freshly mowed grass and to see the flowers that are blooming, was very relaxing. I worked today and felt tired tonight, but the walk almost revived me. We put together a crib tonight!! We are going to use Doug and Tammy's crib since they no longer need it. We thought Owen could sleep much better to have bigger bed other than the pack-n-play. We had a cookout for Father's day Sun eve with Doug, Tammy, Dawson and Jasmine. We talked to Sandi that eve too and wished they could be here also. We ran some races with the kids and this ole lady ain't what she used to be. Wow! I think I paid for it on Monday. I have been continuing to try to get a picture on here. Sorry-- I will get it one day. I still think it is the dial-up because I have done whatever was suggested to me. Maybe when I use the laptop with the DSL in motels etc, it will zip through. Have a great night!

Summer has arrived!

2008-06-09T10:45:00.002-04:00

Good morning!! It is a hot and humid Monday, but hey, the sun is shining which is what alot of us wanted. The flowers look like they are smiling this morning, the birds are singing and the sky is blue. We are all loved and cared for by one that knows what each of us are in need of and provides daily. What more could we ask for? (Maybe another air conditioner in the dining room?? :0) I have fans blowing in the kitchen. We have an AC for the bedroom which helps get a good nights sleep. :) We were up at pops last night for an early Fathers Day gathering. It did not suit some next weekend. We gave them a glider rocker for the front porch. They both claim they will use the porch more since they have something decent to sit on. This is the week school leaves out in GC so we will see more of Dawson at our place which sounds good. I think the kids are all ready for this to happen. I am doing laundry today and need to complete some church paper work for the files. We were reminded again of something else to do while on our trip. Edna talked of the Passion Play in SD but wasn't sure when it is. Of course, I needed to look it up on the net and sure enough, it is playing over the time we are near there! We heard of it before, but forgot about it. Thanks Edna for reminding us!!
We will check it out further. Must run along.

Beautiful Day!

2008-05-26T23:11:00.000-04:00

What a pretty day to mow the lawn that has dried up more thatn last week, plant a few flower beds, trim and also to get ready for a barbeque from the back porch and eat outside! It was so nice to sit on the mower and just enjoy the pretty day. Pop and mom, Darwin & Martha, Carla, Dave & Wern, Tammy, Dawson and Jasmine were here for the evening. We really enjoyed the visiting. After pops left, Mel went to the basement and discovered we forg0t to bring the watermelon we bought for the eve! He asked me if we are getting older!! :0) It gave us a real nice shower this eve. The rain sounded so nice. Tomorrow is another day to hopefully plant some more and get a few more outside jobs completed. We hope to run over to AAA in Somerset to pick up some info for the trip.

OOPS! Still Preparing

2008-05-19T23:33:00.000-04:00

Oops! The last post was not to be published. I guess I hit the wrong button. We are still gathering info and searching for our trip. It was so interesting to follow Marlene and Richard on their trip. We also gathered info from friends that have been out on some things to do and see. I have also began my journel that our sweet neice, Marsha gave me at Christmas for this adventure. Hopefully I can keep it up and write everyday on our trip. I have also begun to put a notebook together with the info we have collected so we will have it very handy as we go. We were at Dawson's soccer game tonight and were chilled to the bone. Thank you God for the fresh air to breathe. Will keep trying to post pictures.

Trying again

2008-05-12T09:52:00.000-04:00

Needed- DSL!!!

2008-04-29T20:02:00.000-04:00

I think I have figured out how to post pictures. After trying several times today, I have decided it can wait till another day. Hopefully the dial up will not be as tired! It uploads to about 1/2 bar and then needs to think and think. It is teaching me patience I guess. Will try again later.

Getting started!

2008-04-27T19:55:00.000-04:00

Hey there folks-- We are giving this a try and see if we can manage this or not. Hopefully there will be lots to put on this blog for you all to enjoy along with us. Let us know if it is working!!