TX to SD via Wy

Our Perfect on the Road Home - Again

2010-04-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

We have looked at hundreds of travel trailers both on line and in person and have found several with the two bedroom concept that would work perfectly. Then we looked at an older motorhome. And I thats what I think we are going to have to go with. We can get into it cheaper than a travel trailer and a truck. It will be easier for mother to get in and out of (lower to the ground) and easier for me to drive. The dogs will be easier to keep track of, driving or parked. There is more storage. I won't have a private area of my own but ... what's a little privacy? I will have to get out an hike, walk the dogs when mother starts to get on my nerves. Whatever ... I can make it work.

It looks like the amount of money we get from the house will probably be less than anticipated. The real estate agent I talked to suggested $156,000. I owe approximately $88,000 plus or minus. After paying bills, etc we could get out of this is with $48,000 at most. I want to keep as much of that as possible in the bank!

Also I made a run at planning a trip from here to Washington State. Selected camping sites based on price, estimated gas costs (mph * $4.00) and found that it will be difficult to do on our income. So I am researching free sites, national & COE campgrounds, etc. I've joined several online rv groups to find out how they do it. They say that the first year is the hardest and the most expensive.

Future Ex-Husband

2010-03-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

I met John H***** the summer of 1967 shortly before my 21st birthday at a club called Little Pete's. The first couple of times I saw him in there he flirted with a friend of mine and ignored me. The 3rd time
was July 3rd, his 29th birthday. I was invited to go clubbing with the owner, Pete McNeil, a couple of other guys and John. Before the evening was over he proposed. The next day he took me to a barbque at
his sister's house. And I met his children.

John had been married twice already. His first marriage was to Sarah while he was in the military, living in Washington State and they had four children: John Charles IV (Chuck), Michael (Mikey), William Kelly (Billy) and Deborah Lee (Debbie). Mikey was born with spina bifada and died when he was about 18 months old, shortly before Billy was born. Debbie was born a couple of weeks after his divorce was final.

John then married Wanda. She had several children of her own. At some point Chuck, his oldest child with Sarah, started living with John and Wanda.

Per John, Sarah called and told him that to come get Billy and Debbie or she was putting them in a Catholic orphanage. Wanda didn't want the additional children so John took his three kids and moved back to Texas.

I met John a year later. Chuck was 6 1/2, Billy 3 1/2 and Debbie 2 1/2.

We are on the road to getting on the road

2010-03-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning and texturized the dining room walls, a job that took less than 3 hours but has been torturing me for months. This is the first real step toward getting the house ready to sell. Tomorrow I terrorize ... texturize ... the kitchen. More surface to work on in there but I now know it is doable!

I also re-started my interval training routine after lunch. It doesn't sound like much ...

5 minute warm up
30 second sprint
90 second walk
30 second sprint
90 second walk
30 second sprint
90 second walk
30 second sprint
90 second walk
30 second sprint
90 second walk
30 second sprint
5 minute cool down

But it adds up to about a mile and makes me sore ALL OVER! There is an eight week plan that increases the length of the sprint and decreases the walk time each week. And you only have to do it every other day, 3 times a week.

And did I mention we have a new dog? His name is Mister and he is a Brussels Griffon. Here is a picture:

Okay, maybe he isn't the handsomest guy on t he block but I'm still very smitten with him. He is a rescue from the Black Hills Humane Society through a new friend of ours Katherine Andrews. Katherine has also talked us into being foster parents for a smooth haired terrier that needs out of the shelter while she looks for a forever home for him.

Mister was named Monkey by the Society workers but we have re-named him Mister. He is about 10 months old and is going to be neutered Wednesday. He is surprisingly good natured for a dog that has spent most of his life alone in a back yard. He is, however, terrified of the back door and has to be coaxed in and out. He is very respectful of our elderly Lucy and likes to play with Harley. Harley in turn is getting more exercise and has been able to stop taking his anti-anxiety medication. Harley even shares his toys with Mister.

Kelsi

2010-03-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Kimberly and Jessie arrived in Seattle today for a college visit
(University of Washington) and to meet the people who make going to
school in Washington so attractive - Chuck's kids and grandkids.

This is a video of Kelsi, age 1, my first great grandchild. If you look closely you can see dad Kyle and mom Stephanie. I am hoping to get additional video this week of Jacqueline whose first baby (a boy) is due tomorrow and Patrick who is the youngest of the three.

Jane's daughter Kim also lives in the area and Kimberly is hoping to see her and her two kids also.

It would be great to get these two branches of the family who are not actually related together!

Washington State is our first planned destination after we get our RV. I am hoping to be able to get a part time job at a state park in the area so we can spend several months there and really get to know every one. I thinking that our RV could be a great visiting place for everyone.

We found our RV home!

2010-03-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sunday Mother and I went to look at RV's and found the perfect one for us. The bedroom in the front (queen bed) will be mother's. The bedroom at the back with all the twin beds is mine.

Keystone has been making this model since 2006 so our chances of finding a used one in good shape are decent. It may cost a little more than we had planned to spend but would be worth it for the space available. Lots of storage. I would add a railing to the bunk on the left and store my boxes of fabric there. Each bedroom area has storage plus the wardrobe outside of the bathoom could hold most of our clothing. There is a decent pantry in the kitchen. All models come with a large flat screen tv which isn't necessary but could also be nice. I doubt that we will have TV reception very often unless we decide to go with a DISH. We love the idea of the outside kitchen but not all models come with it.

Winter Olympics 2002

2010-02-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Watching the Olympics tonight, specifically the Women's Bobsled, reminded me to an amazing experience I had while working at Verizon. Verizon was an Olympic sponsor for the 2002 games and offered lunch with four Olympic athletes to employees via a drawing. I was one of the lucky winners and sat next to Jill Bakken, winner of a gold medal with Vonetta Flowers in the bobsled. Jill was friendly, humble, blonde, athletic (obviously) and let me hold her gold medal. How often do you get to hold an Olympic gold medal?!!

Here is some additional information about Jill:

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=43926

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Bakken

Dangerous Days

2010-02-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

I stopped at an RV lot in town while doing errands today. Found a used (2009) North Trail that I really liked the layout of:

http://www.heartlandrvs.com/models.html?model_id=74&id=7&name=&type=

I wouldn't have a bed of my own but the living area would be awesome. I also like the windows in this one ... great view of the outside. And instead of a regular gas over, there is a microwave. Someone actually realized that people don't use the oven in their RV! This model also has more storage than usual.

I can't wait until mother and I can start looking at RV's!

In the meantime I've got to get to work on this house. Here's a short list of the things that have to be done before I can put the house on the market:

~~Texture dining room walls~~ 3/15/2010
Texture kitchen walls
Prime dining room walls
Paint dining room walls
Prime kitchen walls
Paint kitchen walls
Paint interior of kitchen cabinets
Install metal pull out shelves/drawers in two kitchen cabinets
Paint exterior of kitchen cabinets
Install hinges, door knobs and drawer pulls
Hang cabinet doors
New baseboards in living room
Wood flooring in dining room
Paint upstairs bathroom ceiling
Paint wood work in upstairs bathroom
Touch up blue paint in upstairs bathroom
Paint back door
Install new sink and faucets in downstairs kitchen
Sand and paint fence
Install fence on other side of house
Spruce up flower beds

Things I should do:

Strip wallpaper in blue bedroom, texture and paint
Strip wallpaper in mother's room, texture and paint
Strip wallpaper in hallway, texture and paint
Paint all woodwork
Paint downstairs

I'm tired and need to rest now.

A Winter Day in the Life of ...

2010-02-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

I'm not proud of it but this morning I put on shoes, threw a coat over my pajamas and went to Sonic (Rt 44 Diet Dr Pepper and bacon/egg/cheese burrito for me) and Hardee's (egg and cheese bisquit for mother). The temp was 20 degrees and it was snowing slightly. On the way home I snapped a few pictures to illustrate my current world.

This picture was taken on Kansas Street and shows a church with snow piled in front. The sidewalks are clean but there's no place to put the accumulated snow.

This is the corner of Mt Rushmore and Kansas. Note the pile of snow in the corner of the parking lot. Again no other place to put the snow. There are piles of snow like this in virtually every parking lot in town.

This picture shows West Blvd, the main street in our neighborhood. I walk the dogs in the esplanade in the center.

These are just a couple of houses in the neighborhood. Did I mention that we live in an historical district? Probably 20% of this houses are single family converted into multi family dwellings. I've only seen the inside of one and it was very well done.

Radio Shack

2010-01-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

I had my second interview with Radio Shack yesterday and was hired to work at the Rushmore Mall store. I go in at 2 pm today to complete the hiring paperwork. It will probably take a week to get the paperwork through corporate and me to start work.

Curtis approves!

2010-01-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

Had breakfast yesterday with my brother Curtis to see if he had any objections to my taking our mother on the road in an rv. He is fine with the plan. He said he can build some sort of ramp to help her get in and out of the rv easier. He also suggested that we get mother an motorized scooter of some sort so that she can get around in the various campgrounds.

I think it will cost approximately $40,000 of the money we will get from the sale of the house to do this.

14,000 used RV
11,000 used truck
5,000 hearing aid for mother
6,000 sewing machine for me
4,000 miscellaneous

For the $25,000 budgeted for RV and a truck to pull it I will also look at used motor homes and could pull the jeep behind it.

This is the travel trailer floor plan that I've found that I think would work great.

http://www.keystone-cougar.com/index.php?page=floorplans&coast=west&model=29BHSWE

I would give mother the queen bedroom up front and I would take the bunk bed area in the back. There is a dinette set under the wider bunk. I could use it for working on computer, etc. The other two bunks would be great for storage and/or guests.

There is a pullout bike carrier that can be used for my bike, a kayak and a scooter for mother.

This model new sells for about $28,000 but I don't intend to buy a new one. It is too easy to buy a good used rv. Might not be exactly like this one but doesn't have to be.

Highway 287 or Highway 395

2010-01-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

Curtis suggested Highway 287. I like that but Highway 395 is interesting also. It starts at the US/Canada border and travels south through Oregon, Washington and California almost to the Mexican border. Maybe I could do 287 and then 395?

Mother says she is excited about the idea of this trip. I hope she really is. I could put this off until ... but I like the idea of her traveling with me. I need to figure out a way to make getting in and out of an rv more user friendly for her. Maybe Curtis will have an idea on that. I looked online and there was just discussion about wheel chair lifts and making the inside wheel chair accessible. The narrow confines of an rv would probably be safer for her than a house. Something for her to hold on to makes her less likely to fall.

Retirement

2010-01-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

I am now retired. I will receive my first social security check on February 10th. I still need to find a part time job to supplement social security but that will come soon enough. I decided to retire instead of looking for a full time job for several reasons: (1) There aren't many jobs that pay what I was making (2) What I was making net is only $300 a month less than I will get from social security (3) Mother is starting to need someone home more.

So I am sleeping to 8 each day, doing some major house cleaning, playing with the dogs, reading, etc. I find I am cooking more meals (vs take home fast food) which is good for both of us. And I am contemplating what to do when this house finally sells.

Current plan is to buy an RV, probably a travel trailer, a vehicle to pull it (used not new) and get out on the road. I would like to start at one end of Highway 287 (Montana 100 miles south of the Canadian border) and travel to the other end (Texas near Port Arthur). Along the way I want to either film a documentary and/or write a travel book about the places I've seen and the people I've met. Sounds far fetched I know but it is always good to have a dream.

Lots to do to plan for this. I'm starting to research the route online and compiling what I find into a notebook. I want a travel trailer that will accomodate an additional person or two or three so that Mother, grandchildren, friend and/or an occasional cousin can accompany me on parts of the trip. I want to be thinner and in better health. I want a better computer (probably an Apple laptop) and the knowledge/ability to attach a web cam to the RV so that the people at home can follow my trip.
,
But first I have to finish the kitchen/dining room remodel so this house can be sold. And I have to continue to clean, organize and get rid of all the the cr** that has accumulated since we moved here.

New Year

2010-01-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

Time to start the new year with new resolutions. Updating this blog daily is one of them. The other is losing weight by following my diabetic diet and increasing activity. Didn't manage to do either one today ... probably because (1) Kimberly, Jessie, Jeffrey and Gregory left today to go home to Texas and (2) it was too frigging cold. Morning started off at 1 degree at 7 am, got up to around 10 degrees and is now at 5 degrees. I had planned to walk the dogs (Harley at least) but at that temp it probably isn't good for either of us. There were exercises I could have done inside but they didn't cross my mind until I started writing this.

Curtis' Annual 4th of July Barbque

2009-07-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

The weather was perfect - 70 degrees. The company was great. Curtis & Patty. Patty's mother Marianna. Patty's sister Judy and her husband Ken. Mother. Curtis' (and mine) friends from Montana, Patty and Bob plus their cairn terrier Maggie. Patty and Bob's friends Sandy and Hugh from Hill City. Me, mother and both dogs. Curtis did his usual outstanding barbque - pork ribs, chicken and sausage. Plus Bob brought his own venison bratwurst which I have to say was outstanding! Patty & Bob told us stories about life on the boat and showed pictures of the remodeling they had done on their "dirt" house. It was so great to see those two!

Harbach Park TH in Custer to Edgemont TH - June 28, 2009

2009-07-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

The BHVA is riding the George S Mickelson trail in 3 sections. This 44.5 mile stretch is the first section for the group. My brother Curtis and I both signed up for the bike ride and I actually started but had to give up before riding a quarter of a mile. My legs were too sore from the hike the day before. I was really proud of Curtis ... he did 30 of the 44.5 miles.

Alkali Creek Hike - June 27, 2009

2009-07-08T20:37:00.001-07:00

We started in a pasture.

And ended up in the National Forest

Sego Lily

Wild Rose

Halley Park

2009-06-25T18:41:00.001-07:00

I am just not very good at geocaching! This cache is on the way home a block from the house. I parked, ran across a busy street and started looking. I swear that per my GPS I was standing on top of it but couldn't find it. I know from the website that it's a very small cache, just a piece of paper. I opened several water shut offs and an electrical box and didn't find anything.

Peony from my yard

2009-06-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

I can't take any credit for these flowers. They are courtesy of a previous owner. They have a beautiful aroma also. And lots of ants

Art Alley

2009-06-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

Just tried and failed at my first attempt at geocaching. There are a lot of caches near my office and I thought I'd start with the closest which is in Art Alley. I'm sure you can figure out from the photo how it got it's name. I think I would have had a better chance if I'd been wearing jeans instead of light tan dress slacks. In the future I will confine my downtown geocaching to casual days.

Daily Life in the Grand Tetons

2009-06-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Life at the Coulter Bay RV park for employees was simple and fun. I would get up at 6:30 am and take Lucy for a walk. A very cold walk. Then go across the street to shower and dress. Back to the RV for makeup and to pack my lunch. You could drive to work at the Lodge but it was much more fun to ride the bus and visit with everyone. We would all clock in and start to work. Carmen and I worked in the warehouse where all the inventory stored. As you can tell from the pictures it was a scarey room! Lots of flammables. The two college girls are folding tshirts which was a never ending job. I wored as a clerk inputting sales orders and logging all merchandise receipts. At lunch we were off to the cafeteria which had probably the dirtiest floor in the world. In the 5 months I lived there it was NEVER mopped. I usually brought a lunch but would often get Irene, the paymaster and everyone's favorite person, to sneak me a lunch or a piece of pie. After we ate Irene would round up me and Sandra and we would walk until time to go back to work. At 5 we headed out to the bus for a ride home. Then I would walk Lucy to Coulter Bay and back, approximately 1 mile. Sometimes we walked further depending on what was planned for the evening. Once the weather was warm enough we kayaked at least once a week on the Snake River. We had potlucks once a month. Sometimes we hiked or went into Jackson. And on Friday nights we played Mexican Train and drank lots of Corona with lime. Sandra and I eventually got thrown out of the game for having too much fun!

2009-06-23T06:48:00.001-07:00

Michelle

2009-06-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

From: Michelle

Date: Jun 21, 2009 8:14 AM

Subject: Hi from Joyce

To: Joyce

Hi!Yes I am back got here 10 April for pre receiving, then started driving on the 4th of May. We have been reduced to only 5 driver's. Congratulations to your brother. My daughter is the assist-manager at the marine 2nd year and has worked in HR this winter and hoping to work full time for the lodge.Mom is doing good, she is still going through anxiety attacks at times. How is your Mother? We have had so much rain, and still colod that still haven't gotten the water yet. I'm in Rock Springs this weekend for an all school clsass reunion. Am heading back to GTLC this afternoon. Well will talk later, still verizon cell. What is you number? Take care. Would love to see you.

Michelle

From: Joyce

Subject: Hi from Joyce

To: Michelle

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 12:15 AM

Just wanted to say Hi! Guess> you are back in the Tetons by now. Wish I was too but retirement is only a couple of years off? How's your daughter, your mother? My daughter will be here in a couple of weeks. My brother is getting married and she is coming for that. Would love to hear from you.

JOyce

Sent from my iPhone

Vore Buffalo Jump

2009-06-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

On the way back from Cook Lake, WY I took an impulsive turn in response to a sign that read "Vore Buffalo Jump". And I'm glad I did. The Buffalo Jump is a sinkhole that was used by Indians from the time of Columbus until Lewis & Clark to kill buffalo each fall. The Indians didn't have horses to use for hunting so they would gather in the fall and herd the buffalo into the sinkhole. Then they would climb into the hole (approximately 75' deep in the beginning) and butcher the animals. All skulls found had the top of the head bashed in so they could get the brains which were used for tanning hides. The majority of the bones in the sinkhole are small because the meat had to be in small packets to be carried to the surface. After the Indians got horses they didn't have to kill as many animals at a time and the sinkhole fell into disuse.

Cook Lake, WY

2009-06-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

This is my first walk of the 2009 season. When I got to the checkin station I was offered a choice between 5k and 11k. I chose 5k. But ended up walking closer to 6 or 7k because when I got to the turnaround point I was still feeling good so decided instead of taking the same route back, I would lengthen it a little by walking around the lake. Turns out about 3/4's of the way around the trail was closed becaused of a landside. So I had to turn around and go back the way I came. The whole thing took me about 2 hours.

Grand Teton National Park

2009-06-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

In 2004 I took a sabbatical, bought a 5th wheel RV and drove to the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming to work as an $8/hour clerk at the Jackson Lake Lodge. THE Best 5 Momths of My Life!

It was me, Lucy (the dog) and Pumpkin (the cat) when we left Grapevine, TX headed for the Tetons. The animals were great travelers. We spent one rainy, stormy, windy night in an RV park in Kansas. I ended up being sorry that there was cable for the TV because the weather was bad enough but the tornado alerts nearly scared me to death! Our last night was spent in a park in Jackson and I was so excited I could barely sleep. Got up early the next day and headed for the Lodge. Paper work done I headed to my RV spot. It was a great spot, across from the laundry room/showers. The husband of a lady in the laundry backed my 5th wheel into my spot and I settled into my new life.