Yesterday we went to the Wildlife Animal Park near Sonny and Sandy's house. Being a Saturday and summer it was quite crowded--and it was quite HOT!! I thought the dry heat would save me--but I was drenched everywhere. Sonny gave me a portable mister (he bought it a Wal-mart) but even then I was having a tough time. Bill took a lot of good pictures of the animals. We loved watching the lions sleeping on top of a car.
After we left the park we went to the pier for a delicious Mexican meal. It was amazing that only 15 miles away the weather was 15 degrees cooler.
Today we joined Sonny and Sandy for breakfast again and then went to church with them. They attend a huge church called North Coast. It offers a variety of venues--depending upon what type of music you like. You can have traditional (hymnal), a cafe setting where you drink coffee and eat bagels, hard rock, etc. The music portion of the service is played at the same time in all the different places..then the pastor is videoed into the room on a large screen. Today we went to the live service where the pastor actually was. We really enjoyed his preaching.
Afterwards we took a coastal route to watch paragliders as we ate our lunch. It was a gorgeous day-the breeze was just right and the weather was a perfect temperature. We then drove to a beach that was crowded with a herd of seals. The water there was crystal clear and an aquamarine blue--very unlike the drab ocean color where we live. It was fun watching the seals interract with each other.
Next Sonny drove us to the cross the sits high above the city. We walked up to it and were able to see a 360 degree panorama of the area. It was so pretty.
We came back to Sonny and Sandy's to rest and wait until the Southern California traffic dies down. If we left at 5:00 or 7:00--we would still arrive home at the same time. Good old So.Cal traffic!!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Sonny and Sandy in Sunny San Diego
Thursday was a 13 hour drive followed by Friday's 7 hour drive. It was amazing watching how the terrain shifted from the green grasses and trees to meadows and then finally bare desert with the cacti and tumbleweed. The desert area topped 110 degrees...but it was all dry heat...something we haven't had in a month. Coming into Imperial Valley we were astounded by the rocky terrain. It resembled a volcanic area..but the rocks were sandstone instead of igneous.
When we arrived in San Diego we felt right at home sitting in traffic on the 15 freeway--something else we really haven't had to deal with very much this past month.
We met up with Sonny and Sandy (Sonny is a close friend of Bill who co-teamed with him when he was working in the technology dept at the district office). We had a delicious dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and shared our mid west trip and theirs to the Caribbean.
We are having fun learning more technology from Sonny and drinking his famous smoothies!
Now we're on our way to the Wild Animal Park.
When we arrived in San Diego we felt right at home sitting in traffic on the 15 freeway--something else we really haven't had to deal with very much this past month.
We met up with Sonny and Sandy (Sonny is a close friend of Bill who co-teamed with him when he was working in the technology dept at the district office). We had a delicious dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and shared our mid west trip and theirs to the Caribbean.
We are having fun learning more technology from Sonny and drinking his famous smoothies!
Now we're on our way to the Wild Animal Park.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Six Tires Texas
Let me tell you a story:
About 30 years ago Bill and I were assistants to our youth pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church. One summer we took three cars filled with 16 and 17 year olds to a Luther League convention in New Orleans. The cars were rented out by Avis. (Their motto was “We try harder.”) Our first breakdown was in San Bernardino.
A few hours later we traded that car in Phoenix-but it was much too small. The two days later Bill had a flat tire between El Paso and Junction, Texas. A few hours later I had a blow out 20 miles beyond Junction in the middle of nowhere. When we went to change the tire—there was no spare tire! So we sat on the road with 20 kids.
We finally started carpooling the girls back towards a KOA camp that we had passed several miles back while the boys stayed on the road. Finally a small tire was found in a little gas station (those were the days gas stations had garages and not mini marts.) The tire really didn’t fit—but it had to do.
The boys pulled in late and even though it was 11:00 they wanted to go swimming. Then we had had to sleep in the long grasses (mosquitoes, chiggers, and all!) in our sleeping bags. Bill woke us all up at 4:00 A.M. so it was still dark. One of the boys accidentally hit the horn and it would not turn off. Bill and some others scrambled under the hood to stop the horn and someone accidentally pulled the ground wire that starts the car. Well, the horn stopped but now the car wouldn’t start. We could hear applause coming from the nearby tents as we pushed the car out of the camp.
Now we had to get on the road with one car that needed to be hot wired to start, another that could not go over 40 because the tire was too small, and another that was too small for comfort.
We finally limped into a small tire dealership in little town. It was the 170th day of a rubber strike so they had a very difficult time finding tires that would fit for the car. We were forced to put four brand new tires on that car. When we looked at another car we realized that it too needed two tires. Avis could not purchase it in that small town but was willing to reimburse us when we got back. Bill and I had just received our very first credit card with a limit of $300. We spent it all.
For years we have told this story to people and we have always referred to this small town as “Six Tires, Texas.” We have never known where “Six Tires, Texas is but yet we have always talked about it as if it is the official name.
Why am I telling you this?
Well, last night we slept in “Six Tires, Texas” otherwise known as Kerrville. We stayed with our friends Mike and Michelle Hozman who have retired there and love it. Kerrville now has 20,000 people and looks much different than it did 30 years ago. It was fun catching up with Mike and Michelle and seeing their home. There are deer everywhere so Bill was able to get a few photos. The deer are very bold and even come up to the glass doors of the house (though we weren’t able to witness this last night.)
We left at about 9:00 for a 12 hour drive to Tucson, Arizona. (and passed the KOA camp.) Gone is all the greenery we have seen for the majority of this vacation. Most of the day was desert. We went through a few rainshowers but nothing terrifically bad.
We switched off driving so Bill could get some rest. I became a little nostalgic as I heard “Sloop John B” on my iPod. I could hear in my mind so vividly Kiersten and Sean singing it on our 1992 vacation to Nebraska “I wanna go home—oh let me go home”
At that time it annoyed me-- but today it brought good memories of family time.
Its nice to be back in a state that offers seat covers in the rest rooms!
About 30 years ago Bill and I were assistants to our youth pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church. One summer we took three cars filled with 16 and 17 year olds to a Luther League convention in New Orleans. The cars were rented out by Avis. (Their motto was “We try harder.”) Our first breakdown was in San Bernardino.
A few hours later we traded that car in Phoenix-but it was much too small. The two days later Bill had a flat tire between El Paso and Junction, Texas. A few hours later I had a blow out 20 miles beyond Junction in the middle of nowhere. When we went to change the tire—there was no spare tire! So we sat on the road with 20 kids.
We finally started carpooling the girls back towards a KOA camp that we had passed several miles back while the boys stayed on the road. Finally a small tire was found in a little gas station (those were the days gas stations had garages and not mini marts.) The tire really didn’t fit—but it had to do.
The boys pulled in late and even though it was 11:00 they wanted to go swimming. Then we had had to sleep in the long grasses (mosquitoes, chiggers, and all!) in our sleeping bags. Bill woke us all up at 4:00 A.M. so it was still dark. One of the boys accidentally hit the horn and it would not turn off. Bill and some others scrambled under the hood to stop the horn and someone accidentally pulled the ground wire that starts the car. Well, the horn stopped but now the car wouldn’t start. We could hear applause coming from the nearby tents as we pushed the car out of the camp.
Now we had to get on the road with one car that needed to be hot wired to start, another that could not go over 40 because the tire was too small, and another that was too small for comfort.
We finally limped into a small tire dealership in little town. It was the 170th day of a rubber strike so they had a very difficult time finding tires that would fit for the car. We were forced to put four brand new tires on that car. When we looked at another car we realized that it too needed two tires. Avis could not purchase it in that small town but was willing to reimburse us when we got back. Bill and I had just received our very first credit card with a limit of $300. We spent it all.
For years we have told this story to people and we have always referred to this small town as “Six Tires, Texas.” We have never known where “Six Tires, Texas is but yet we have always talked about it as if it is the official name.
Why am I telling you this?
Well, last night we slept in “Six Tires, Texas” otherwise known as Kerrville. We stayed with our friends Mike and Michelle Hozman who have retired there and love it. Kerrville now has 20,000 people and looks much different than it did 30 years ago. It was fun catching up with Mike and Michelle and seeing their home. There are deer everywhere so Bill was able to get a few photos. The deer are very bold and even come up to the glass doors of the house (though we weren’t able to witness this last night.)
We left at about 9:00 for a 12 hour drive to Tucson, Arizona. (and passed the KOA camp.) Gone is all the greenery we have seen for the majority of this vacation. Most of the day was desert. We went through a few rainshowers but nothing terrifically bad.
We switched off driving so Bill could get some rest. I became a little nostalgic as I heard “Sloop John B” on my iPod. I could hear in my mind so vividly Kiersten and Sean singing it on our 1992 vacation to Nebraska “I wanna go home—oh let me go home”
At that time it annoyed me-- but today it brought good memories of family time.
Its nice to be back in a state that offers seat covers in the rest rooms!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Awful Auto Trip to Austin
Nick and Kiersten wanted to finish looking at real estate so we took Alijah to visit my former students who have recently moved to Forney Texas which is just 30 minutes away from Red Oak.
They have a beautiful new home that they purchase for $160,000 with all the upgrades. They seem to be very happy.
Today was extremely humid so I did everything possible to stay in air conditioning.
We dropped Kiersten and Nick off at the Dallas airport at 5:00 and then headed toward Austin where we had reservations in a 4 star hotel. Because of road construction everywhere it took us 5 hours to get here. The locals told us there is always road construction. Traffic was horrible--and its even worse when it is night in an strange environment. We finally reached the hotel in downtown Austin at 10:00. It is lovely and huge but I wish we had more time to enjoy it.
Bill found PriceLine.com so we found a $260 room for $75. Downtown Austin seems fun--but unfortunately we won't be able to enjoy it--we need to move on tomorrow.
They have a beautiful new home that they purchase for $160,000 with all the upgrades. They seem to be very happy.
Today was extremely humid so I did everything possible to stay in air conditioning.
We dropped Kiersten and Nick off at the Dallas airport at 5:00 and then headed toward Austin where we had reservations in a 4 star hotel. Because of road construction everywhere it took us 5 hours to get here. The locals told us there is always road construction. Traffic was horrible--and its even worse when it is night in an strange environment. We finally reached the hotel in downtown Austin at 10:00. It is lovely and huge but I wish we had more time to enjoy it.
Bill found PriceLine.com so we found a $260 room for $75. Downtown Austin seems fun--but unfortunately we won't be able to enjoy it--we need to move on tomorrow.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Real Estate in Red Oak
This morning we woke up and all agreed that we wanted a smoke free environment for breakfast--so we headed down the road for the nearest IHOP in Waxahachie.
We then met a realtor who has been helping all of the church people find houses and locations to live.
We some some very nice houses--all of which were under $175,000. Homes here come with molding, painting, front yard land scape and alot of extra nicities. The houses are brick and stone and have brick mail boxes. One builder even offers bug control--pipes are built into the walls where an exterminator then blows his chemicals. Cost is $40 quarterly vs our bug company which we pay $75/month.
The nice thing about this area is that builders do not just build in their own tract. They will build on your land if you desire.
We inquired about the beautiful home that we visited yesterday on the lake--it was $400,000.
Even though it was warm we had thundershowers off and on through the day. Alijah was fearful so Bill told him it was just the clouds playing their drums. This was something Alijah could relate to since his dad plays the drums.
Kiersten and Nick had dinner so we took Alijah to a bar b que place and then back to the hotel for a bath and much needed rest.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Dallying Around Dallas
This morning we went out for breakfast and went to a place where we heard the food was good. It was a small local restaurant but unfortunately it was smoked filled which made our dining experience quite unpleasant. We ate and left as quickly as possible.
We then went to Pastor Josh's house (Kiersten and Nick's youth pastor) where they were having home church. About five or six families have now moved to Texas with more on the way. Upon our arrival they began a combined church service with the people back home in California via web cam. We could see them and they could see us. The pastors on both ends gave a brief message and then they opened it up for testimony. Brandon (now in Texas) gave a tear jerking testimony and Tory (who is still in California but leaving at the end of the week) also gave a tearful testimony. It was a powerful church service using technology.
We then drove around and saw the church property, took pictures of Tory and Denise's house, visited Brandon's apartment, and stopped at the home of some friends of Kiersten and Nick's. This 4,000 square ft lakefront home is absolutely gorgeous. It was $400,000. All during our travels we were experience thunder showers.
We drove into downtown Dallas and met Kiersten's longtime friend Amie. They haven't seen each other since high school. We ate at the Spaghetti Factory and then took a horse drawn tour around Dallas. We saw the location of where Kennedy was assassinated. Alijah loved the horse. We then went up to the top of a the Reunion Tower where we saw a spectacular view of the city. The glass elevator was fun too.
The day ended with hot fudge sundaes from Sonic. It was a long day!
We then went to Pastor Josh's house (Kiersten and Nick's youth pastor) where they were having home church. About five or six families have now moved to Texas with more on the way. Upon our arrival they began a combined church service with the people back home in California via web cam. We could see them and they could see us. The pastors on both ends gave a brief message and then they opened it up for testimony. Brandon (now in Texas) gave a tear jerking testimony and Tory (who is still in California but leaving at the end of the week) also gave a tearful testimony. It was a powerful church service using technology.
We then drove around and saw the church property, took pictures of Tory and Denise's house, visited Brandon's apartment, and stopped at the home of some friends of Kiersten and Nick's. This 4,000 square ft lakefront home is absolutely gorgeous. It was $400,000. All during our travels we were experience thunder showers.
We drove into downtown Dallas and met Kiersten's longtime friend Amie. They haven't seen each other since high school. We ate at the Spaghetti Factory and then took a horse drawn tour around Dallas. We saw the location of where Kennedy was assassinated. Alijah loved the horse. We then went up to the top of a the Reunion Tower where we saw a spectacular view of the city. The glass elevator was fun too.
The day ended with hot fudge sundaes from Sonic. It was a long day!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Taxiing around Texas
We spent a leisure morning trying to just recoup--we even had room service on the house (due to last night's mishap.)
We got into Texas around 4:00. As we drove we enjoyed the wide expanse of the sky with the cumulus clouds--a sight we don't get to enjoy much in California.
The highway system is much different than California. There are long frontage roads along the freeway that only go one way- which makes it very difficult to navigate to a store or restaurant that you pass on the freeway and want to get to.The lanes on the freeway are also more narrow--which means you really need to concentrate on the road.
Downtown Dallas is beautiful. There are many interesting shaped buildings. It looks more modern than downtown Los Angeles.
We took Brandon and Veronika to dinner at a local Bar B Q. It looks like a hole in the wall but the food is very good.
We then took off to pick up Kiersten, Nick, and Alijah at the airport. Dallas airport is much larger than LAX. It is also much more confusing. They were taking American--which comes in at three different terminals in different parts of the airport each of which required a maze to get to it. After a long phone call listening to automated voices saying push this button and now that button we finally learned that we were to go to terminal D. Kiersten Nick and Alijah arrived safely but they were very hungry. So we told them we would take them to dinner.
Nick borrowed his cousin Tory's GPS and tried to use it to find us a TGIF restaurant. Well we drove and drove and drove into a black nowhere until the GPS told us that we arrived. Frustrated, Nick called the nearest TGIF and discovered that it was inside the airport!
Well, we drove some more and because the frontage roads are so hard to navigate we got off at a street that barely had anything on it. We did see a Mexican restaurant so we decided to eat there.
Well, basically we were the only whites in the restaurant and the whole menu was in Spanish--not just the entrees--but the description of the entrees and everything else written on the menu.
The food actually was very good.
We managed to find our way back to the hotel--but as we got out of the truck we were greeted by huge crickets--something that Kiersten definitely is going to have to get used to if she wants to live here.
We got into Texas around 4:00. As we drove we enjoyed the wide expanse of the sky with the cumulus clouds--a sight we don't get to enjoy much in California.
The highway system is much different than California. There are long frontage roads along the freeway that only go one way- which makes it very difficult to navigate to a store or restaurant that you pass on the freeway and want to get to.The lanes on the freeway are also more narrow--which means you really need to concentrate on the road.
Downtown Dallas is beautiful. There are many interesting shaped buildings. It looks more modern than downtown Los Angeles.
We took Brandon and Veronika to dinner at a local Bar B Q. It looks like a hole in the wall but the food is very good.
We then took off to pick up Kiersten, Nick, and Alijah at the airport. Dallas airport is much larger than LAX. It is also much more confusing. They were taking American--which comes in at three different terminals in different parts of the airport each of which required a maze to get to it. After a long phone call listening to automated voices saying push this button and now that button we finally learned that we were to go to terminal D. Kiersten Nick and Alijah arrived safely but they were very hungry. So we told them we would take them to dinner.
Nick borrowed his cousin Tory's GPS and tried to use it to find us a TGIF restaurant. Well we drove and drove and drove into a black nowhere until the GPS told us that we arrived. Frustrated, Nick called the nearest TGIF and discovered that it was inside the airport!
Well, we drove some more and because the frontage roads are so hard to navigate we got off at a street that barely had anything on it. We did see a Mexican restaurant so we decided to eat there.
Well, basically we were the only whites in the restaurant and the whole menu was in Spanish--not just the entrees--but the description of the entrees and everything else written on the menu.
The food actually was very good.
We managed to find our way back to the hotel--but as we got out of the truck we were greeted by huge crickets--something that Kiersten definitely is going to have to get used to if she wants to live here.
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