November 16, 2006 - 3, Lovers Key

Good thing there's rest stops every once in a while.  Sure beats having your feet sticking out in traffic while doing some roadside repairs.  Darn door kept popping open and finally I gave up and did some major adjustment to it.  Need to remember to buy a new striker bolt for it when we get to Texas.

Elmer and Ann had suggested we stop to see the Little Bighorn Battlefield as it was right on the highway, and we'd need a break by the time we got there anyway.  They also suggested it was well laid out.  So we stopped, and sure enough, they were right.

In 1984 a major undertaking was accomplished as they went to great lengths to dig up remains from the battle.  This archeological survey resulted in some wonderful displays in the museum.

The blackened marker is where the body of General Custer was found.

While not giving totally equal treatment to both sides of the battle, we were pleased that at least an attempt was made to tell both sides of the story regarding this historic fight.  We were very impressed with the ironwork of the three horses being ridden by the natives, and the poignant farewell by the woman.

While out of focus (my apologies), could anybody dispute the logic?  And are we in that position with the Muslim extremists today who want to destroy us?

Because this is a National Cemetery, there are bodies of people from other wars as well.

In spite of the rather somber feelings the monument evoked, we were glad we'd stopped.  There's so much about this great country of ours that is forgotten or tucked away out of view that we feel needs to be in the forefront of the education of our young people.  While Barb and I both had some understanding of what happened here, we gained a new respect for both sides by touring this place.

These shots were taken at another rest stop, and mostly for son Rick.  His stepfather raises bees for pollination, and Rick learned how to care for them.  I found it interesting that they put that huge net over the hives to keep the bees from leaving as they were going down the road.  Chatted with the driver briefly, and while he sells the honey, the bees are mostly for pollination, and he was moving them from one area to another in anticipation of winter coming.

And three days and 1,034 miles later we're with Ken and Nan.  Had a wonderful steak dinner and my big brother even picked up the tab.  Thanks, Brother!  They're real active in the real estate business there in Colville, WA, and it was fun to see them so healthy, happy, and active.

Next day and 349 miles later we're parked at Black Diamond, WA, and visiting Jim and Jackie at their place on Puget Sound.  What a wonderful setting, and what fun to have pizza made on a bar-b-q!  Thanks for dinner and for putting up with us on such short notice!

After spending  three days looking from one end of the area to the other for a used 6X12 cargo trailer, we ended up buying a new one to haul our belongings back to Florida.  We found only two--one in too bad a shape, the other just $200 less than new (without a warranty).

We've been renting this little 5X10 storage locker ever since we sold our house in May 1998 and doing so happily.  We went from a modest 2100 square foot house with a huge double car garage and a 24X30 hobby shop in the back yard and a 10X10 storage shed there as well, to about 300 square foot of living space in a 5th wheel trailer.  We only kept the treasures like those sawhorses my dad made for me before he died, and Barb's small collection of German steins from when she lived there, and things like that.  And all that needs to go into that cargo trailer, including the shelving.

And it did.  Thanks in large part to friend Bill Nelson, who busied himself by removing something like 10,356,875 nuts and bolts holding shelving together.  Was fun to be "working" with Bill again.  Thanks!

I'm screwing some cleats to the floor to tie straps to, and to keep things from shifting around on the way "home".  And that's about it.  Put those shelves in front of the trailer, and we're outa here!

While waiting in the car for Barb who was doing some grocery shopping, I spotted another Jenkins enterprise, and couldn't pass up the shot.

We ended up moving lots of things from the coach to the trailer while we were parked at Lake Sawyer in Black Diamond, WA.  Still got room for more things, and it's a good thing too because as I write this, Barb is down collecting more shells!

Now that we're thinking about living in a house again, we've begun to spot houses that we like.  This place is located on the road between Black Diamond and Auburn, WA, and is always neat as a pin.  We so appreciate places like this because we know the work it takes to keep a home looking like this.

Since we had some time to kill while we waited for the Florida license plate for the trailer to catch up with us, we accepted the kind invitation of Henk and Thea to come to Canada for a short visit.  On the way we stopped by friend John's place in Birch Bay to see his improvements.

Barb likes big rocks, and I like low maintenance yards, so the place sure meets our approval, John.  Not that you needed it of course.......

Thea on the left, then Henk, their son Patrick, and Barb.  They have one of the best condos we've ever been in.  Never hear a sound from any neighbors.  There's a nice woodshop available and everything.  They invited us to stay for the night, and they went out to their motorhome and gave us their bed.  How's that for true friendship and "northern" hospitality, eh?  We'd have been happy to sleep in the motorhome, it's not as if we're not used to that, you know.

Well, Henk finally got it figured out, and now they have a picture of four of us too.  Using the delay function on a camera is a fun thing, but if you only use it a couple of times a year, it can be a hassle to figure it out!  Our thanks again for your hospitality and friendship, Henk and Thea.

So, it's off to Florida, and this is the view poor Barb will have for a long time.  Except that we stopped to let John Randolph and his wife look at our coach, as they're considering doing the same thing we did.  Sell their International truck and nice 5th wheel and get a motorhome.  Since they were in Puyallup and we were only going as far as Shelton today, it was an easy stop for us.  Besides, Bill and Carol Nelson came over so we could have a farewell lunch with them.

Remember that picture above of the insurance agency with the name of Rock Jenkins?  Well I have no clue who Rock Jenkins is, but Maury Jenkins is my nephew.  Brother Ken's son.  And his church is in Shelton, so we stopped to visit him and his wife Linda.

Their house is right next door, so Maury doesn't have far to commute to work.

Couldn't pass up the chance to record these names.  From a bygone era, eh?

Quick shot of some interesting plant outside the church, and then making enough noise to interrupt the pastor's phone call.

These two have an astonishing story.  Such strength and love.  Incredible background story as to how they got here.  Both used to be Mormons.  Recently lost a son to a medical mistake and you'd never know it to talk to them.  They truly understand things Barb and I never want to learn, and we're both proud and blessed to have them in our family.

Son Rick's place is our next destination in Sacramento, CA, so we're off again.

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