PLAN/PICS

Feb. 17, 2009

I call my wife (Carol) daily to encourage her to keep up the good work at home in getting our taxes figured. I know Obama is anxious for us to send some additional funds to Washington DC.

There are still some friends in the Gillette area that I hope to visit before making the journey back to Youngsville.

Keith and Maryann are on the Dream Manor in Demopolis, AL. They made a three day trip to Mempis after returning from Florida. Otherwise they have been on the boat. It is great they are taking care of the vessel!

I am looking forward to when Carol and I can join them.

Maryann sent me some pictures she took while walking. She is a dedicated walker and often travels parks and streets observing things the rest of us might not notice. There was a truck load of buoys that had been displaced from the summer floods. They are probably on the way to a repair facility. Notice the price of Coca Cola on the "old" building.

MUSICAL

Feb. 16, 2008

Keith’s daughter, Stephanie and her companion, Todd, took Mom and me to a school program. Steph’s 8 year old son Max, along with his class mates put on a terrific musical. Their teacher played the piano and the boys and girls proudly sang a dozen songs. The children were delightful and they looked great all dressed up for the show. A good time was had by all.

Upon returning to Mom's apartment the sounds of music continued as she played the piano for Max.

WY ARRIVAL

2/7/09-2/15/09

Feb. 7th I drove the last 250 miles to my home town, Gillette, WY. By now you readers may be asking yourselves why I drove 1650 miles. I wanted to surprise someone special. I had not informed Mother that I was coming to see her. I called her from my cell phone as I walked down the hall to her apartment. As I knocked on the door, she continued to talk to me on the phone. What a look of surprise, shock and confusion on Mother’s face when she opened the door and saw me standing there! Notice she is still on the phone.

The last 10 days or so have gone by quickly as I helped Mother deep clean her apartment. It has been a treat for her to eat out with myself and other family members. We have played many cribbage games. She is a tough competitor and skunks me occasionally. My nephew, Danny and his wife Anna have joined us a several times for some great games. They also showed the great craftsmanship in their home. It is work they have done themselves is creating a wonderful, warm environment.

TO WY

2/3/09-2/6/09---Having returned from Florida, Fed 3rd was spent doing laundry and repacking. The national weather map showed favorable conditions throughout the Midwest. Winter is not the best time to travel to WY, but when it gets really nice it will be time to go boating. I left Youngsville on the 4th and drove 600 miles to Oklahoma City. I spent the night with a good friend Phil Iverson. The next day he took some time off from work and we visited the Memorial Museum. It makes the heart heavy to be on the soil where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building once stood. The bombing of this building on April 19, 1995 killed 168 men, women and children. The Field of Empty Chairs symbolizes the loss of life. The 19 smaller chairs represent the children that lost their lives. Phil looks somber by the Reflecting Pool. The Survivor Tree is an American elm over 90 years old. It stands as a symbol of human resilience. After that experience we went to the Western Gallery. It is a wonderful museum that depicts Indian history, migration of settlers and emphasizes the great American cowboys and rodeo legends. There is lots of great art, gun collections and bronze figures. The End of The Trail sculpture is awesome, and of course John Wayne and Abraham Lincoln are easy to recognize. I spent the night again at Phil’s nice home. Feb 6th was travel day and a long day it was. I spent nearly 12 hours on the road traveling out of Oklahoma, thru Kansas and Colorado into Wyoming. I ended the 800 mile day in Cheyenne. A nights rest was very welcome.

HOMES

2/2/09---Carol and I returned home to Youngsville, LA while Keith and Maryann returned to the boat in Demopolis, Alabama. We will join them later. All is well!

In case you lost track, it will be necessary to open January in the archives and read that info to get you updated on the Florida trip.
More adventures will be reported in the future.

SUPER BOWL XLIII

2/1/09---As we crossed Tampa Bay it seemed fitting to take a picture of our dedicated chauffeur. Keith enjoys driving and does a good job of transporting us around the country. Leaving the Bay area we waved at the Raymond James Stadium where the Super Bowl will take place tonight. We made our way thru central Florida and into the panhandle about 60 miles west of Tallahassee. There we spent the night at the same motel in Marriana where we had met a week ago. What good luck, my car was still there! We settled in and watched the Super Bowl in comfort. It was a great game! Keith & I cheered for the underdog while Carol sat on the edge of her seat rooting for the Steelers. Maryann enjoyed some rest, showing little concern about the results.

YANMAR

1/31/09---After playing all week, the day of business arrived. The justifiable purpose of this trip was to attend a one day class on Yanmar diesel engines. The full day, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., passed quickly, as it was made very interesting by instructor Rick Myrick at the Mastry Engine Center. There were 14 boat enthusiasts in attendance. The Mastry family has been involved with the Yanmars for many years and Rick has 140 dealers working his area from Kentucky to the Bahamas. Keith & I learned a great deal about the operation and maintenance of the engines. Anyone operating diesels would certainly benefit from this class.


Sunset was terrific on our last evening. The motel has quite a collection of 13 very large Iguanas on display. They too were enjoying the sun