June was a special month

So many of our family members have birthdays in June. My son starts off the birthdays on the 12th (he was 44). Then Gil was next, on the 17th. Mama's birthday is the 22nd so we took our motorhome to Bastrop and camped at the City RV Park for four days so we could visit with her and my sister.

Some ladies from my high school graduation class decided to have lunch with me while I was in town. The lunch group grew quickly to 11 of us. What fun we had that day trying to catch up on each other and our families. We hope to get together more often and invite others in the area to join us. Thanks to Jeanette for setting up this first gathering of the "Girls of 65" for us BHS graduates from 1965.

Daddy is birthday was June 26th and he would have been 88 had Alzheimers not taken him from us in 2004. I know he probably does not celebrate birthdays in heaven, but we think of him often on this planet and the loss we had when he left. Mama, Judy and I visited the cemetery there in Bastrop where he, my sharecropping grandparents, my dear aunt and uncle as well as my brother-in-law were laid to rest.

Then after we returned home, I had my own birthday on the 28th (I was born on Grandpa Clarence's birthday) but it was a rather quiet day for me. I am just very grateful for family and friends

May travels

Gil and I just spent five days on Iron Mountain, CMA campground, just south of Mena. We helped fold and pack hundreds of t-shirts in the workshop/warehouse of CMA. Workers there told us they had already printed over 22,000 shirts this year - half of which were for mailing out to Run for the Son participants this year in the annual fundraiser. The rest are for various rallies and to be sold in the Goodie Store. We had such a good time meeting some folks from Texas and other CMA chapters who were also doing volunteer work that week. It was also good to get back home.

On Sunday before Memorial day we rode our trike to Benton, AR, to attend the wedding of Sammie and John Cleveland. Gil has known them for years as they are part of teh CMA prison ministry. The ride there was great, the fellowship and food at the wedding was wonderful and the ride home was hot. All in all, it really was nice.

After we got home we made a skype call to our granddaughters in China and had a good visit with them. DJ is talking more and more, using her hands to emphasize what she is saying....problem is, we don't have a clue what she is trying to tell us. One of these days, it will all be clear to us.

Spring 2011

We have had some very unusually cool temperatures this month in our area. It has been unusually windy as well. Gil and I have been on one short camping trip recently to White Oak Lake State Park and plan another one to Iron Mountain, near Mena, AR, soon. We will be helping fold t-shirts for the Run for the Son annual fundraiser. All Run for the Son participants receive one.

Our little garden has produced lettuce abundantly and the tomatoes and peppers are blooming. We have squash on all six plants but they are growing slowly due to the cool weather.

Gil has been to one prison ministry this month but has also spent some time getting our deck restained. He has refinished an old gun cabinet for our family room as well. We had the CMA Charity Riders at our house for our May meeting. We cooked out on the deck and enjoyed the fellowship.

Last month several of my Sunday School members and I went to Hot Springs to see the traveling Tabernacle. This was a fantastic experience. Then the class came to my house for our May meeting/fellowship. We enjoyed various salads made by us all. What fun we had.

Our church has had several fellowships this month. The Ristaurante Italiano was a lot of fun. The fish fry for the senior adults was also a great tme for all. The church-wide tailgate cookout was really nice, especially since the weather was so nice and cool.

Ooops, I see a pattern in our meetings/fellowships....most of which include eating. Guess we all better get busy walking, swimming or pushing back those plates!

Visit to Columbia

While Aunt Margie was visiting us, Mama and I drove to Columbia and revisited the area where Mama and Daddy met in 1945, where they married in 1946 and I was born in 1947. We also visited the Duff family cemetery plots there and drove around the town to see how it had changed. The United Methodist Church there (circa 1878) has been recently repainted to celebrate the centenial of that building being built in 1911.

We also visited the Martin Homeplace near Columbia and enjoyed seeing the old buildings on the farm and many old farm implements used there many years ago. We really did have a lot of fun that day reminiscing "old times.'

Mangham Book Event

Mama,Aunt Margie, Aunt Sue and I spoke to the Mangham Jr. High and Sr. High recently about our book. There was a lot of interest by the students and we all had such a wonderful time. Mama attended Mangham High from 1938 until graduation in 1944. Aunt Margie attended there from 1942 until 1951 and Aunt Sue from 1944 until 1952. We read from the book, then answered questions the students had. Aunt Margie told the students about some memories she had of attending school there. She also led a cheer for them against their arch rival, Rayville Hornets. What cheers and claps and whistles she received from the Mangham Dragons!

Rayville Book Event April 2, 2011

Mama and I were invited to have a book signing at Rayville recently at the first Antique Day. What fun we had that day meeting the people of that very nice little town in Northern Louisiana. We sold lots of books and enjoyed the quilt show and art display. The local people are very talented and very friendly. This town is very near the area where Mama grew up and talked about in our book.

Mama displayed two quilts and two of her lovely oil paintings. There were antique cars, a bike show and political speeches outside of the Civic Center. The weather was perfect and we had such a good time. Hope to make it again next year.

Spring 2011 get-away

After the new room was completed, we unpacked most of the boxes in storage and then took a break at the near-by lake to "drown a few worms." The fish were not biting, but we had a good time relaxing at the state park. The park was full because it was spring break in our area.

Construction at our house

We have added about 500 sf to our home in Camden and decided not to move to Mena. We also had doors put on Gil's shop and had an RV cover built in the back yard next to the shop. Now our motorhome does not sit out in the weather. Gil really likes this. I really like the new family room on the back of the house. We still have the deck out past the family room and I now have a laundry room that I can enter from the new room in the house instead of going out in the carport to wash. NICE!

So here are some pictures of the construction which was done from 14 Feb. to 21 March. It really has added a lot of appeal to our home and we are enjoying it very much.

Camden's Snow of Jan. 2011

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Christmas, 2010

As our year comes to an end, we are grateful for all of God's blessings in our lives. It has been a very different Christmas this year, and very quiet. With Ed, Deb, Suzanne and DJ in China we have not had much company or family with which to share the holiday; but we are so blessed to have many dear friends at Hillside Baptist Church and Charity Riders CMA chapter. We are so very glad our children are safe and healthy.

Pat and James, Emma and Rachael are in Wichita and Mitchel is living in Iowa at this time. Dan, Mandy, Katelynn and Jacob live in Iowa so we were not able to see them at Christmas. But Pat was here for Thanksgiving and we had visited Dan and family in Iowa back in October. Mama stayed in Louisiana this year and my sister Judy went to Kentucky to help her two younger daughters move back to Louisiana.

Katherine, Judy's oldest, did come to spend a couple of days with us the week of Christmas. We had a good visit and some fun times playing dominoes. Come again soon Katherine as we enjoyed your visit very much.

Thanksgiving 2010

Gil and I were so happy to host Thanksgiving this year at our house for Pat and James, Gil's daughter and her husband who live in Wichita, Ks. They drove down and brought Emma, Gil's great-granddaughter with them. Emma's mom Rachel was not able to come this year because of her work schedule. However, Pat's mom Lorene also drove down from Pittsburg, Ks, to join the celebration.

We had fun visiting and just hanging out. Emma enjoyed playing with Lucky, and Lucky really enjoyed the company. It was very hot on Thanksgiving day, but a cold front came in that afternoon making the temperature drop considerably in a short time. I cooked a traditional meal and Gil took some food to three friends with whom we always share holiday meals. James took Pat and Emma shopping at Walmart at 3:30 am on black Friday and found many bargains for Christmas.

It really was a fun time for all. We are so glad they were able to join us for this holiday and we are so thankful for our family and friends.

Fall Colors 2010

Considering what a dry summer we had this year in South Central Arkansas and all over the state for that matter, we have had some beautiful fall color this November. I think we are at our color peak this week prior to Thanksgiving. I am sharing some of the pictures I have taken. Some are flowers in our yard, trees in our yard and trees in the neighborhood - all of which are a reminder of God's handiwork when he made our planet and His blessings to us each day.

Gil and I look forward to Mama and Judy coming Sunday prior to the holiday next week and possibly Aunt Sue as well. Then on Wednesday we will see Pat, James and Emma come to our house for Thanksgiving this year and stay several days with us.

Gil just returned from his last prison ministry for 2010 from the Benton Work Release Unit. I am also including a picture of him on his motorcycle.

Visit with Dan Niemeir and Family

After the Colors Rally, we headed to Muscatine, Iowa, to visit Dan Niemeir and his family. We had a lovely drive there, about 14 hours on the road over 2 days. The fall colors were pretty and the weather nice for the most part. We did have a scare one night in E. St. Louis as we were awaken at 4 am by the tornado warning siren but God spared the area where we camped.

Our visit with son Dan and his wife Mandy and their children was a very nice one indeed. Dan is progressing nicely as God heals his body after a motorcycle accident in July this year. He will be going into the hospital first part of November to be fitted with leg braces so he can continue physical therapy on his feet and begin walking again. We pray for and expect a full recovery for him in God's timing.

We enjoyed visiting with the grandchildren, Katelynn age 15 and Jacob age 8. Grandson Mitchel visited us there as well. He lives nearby with his father. We were truly blessed by this visit and wish Dan continued success with healing for his entire body, mind and spirit. Praise God!

CMA Colors Rally 2010

The Christian Motorcyclists Association celebrated their 35th anniversary in Oct. 2010 on Iron Mountain, Hatfield, AR. Gil and I camped in our RV spot that we sponsored six years ago and enjoyed the church services and seeing friends that we meet there annually. We also looked at many homes for sale in the area in anticipation of moving to the Mena area once our home sells in Camden.

The Iron Mountain campground was filled to capacity as was the worship center which covers an acre of land inside the building. There were over 3480 bikers at this event. We have outgrown every facility at this point but CMA does not use credit to further the ministry. Donations only support the local Iron Mountain facilities and will be expanded only as God adds to the financial support. The only fundraiser by CMA is the annual Run for the Son project held every May.

It was wonderful to hear once again the testimony of fellow CMAers around the world as they attended the International Rally in conjunction with the Colors Rally. We also enjoyed the sermon my Herb Shreve, CMA founder, who is now 77 years young. He inspires us all as he preaches God's word and encourages us to continue to change the world "one heart at a time." Praise God!

Poker Run for Women's Crisis Center Fundraiser

Gil and I recently participated in the poker run in Camden to raise funds for the local Women's Crisis Center. The ride started at Sandy Beach on the Ouachita River just on the edge of town. There were 15 other motorcycles riding that day. That morning was a beautiful, cool fall day. We rode out of town through Holly Springs to Smackover and then on to Arkadelphia, then to Gurdon and Prescott and back to Camden through Chidester. We stopped in Chidester long enough to greet friends at the Fall Festival there and partake of home cooking for our lunch. The ride ended at Coleman Stadium about noon. The sun was hot by then and the temperature was about 91 degrees. It was a nice morning for a trike ride and a good afternoon for a nap. Retirement is wonderful!

48th Annual Tate Barn Sale in Camden, AR

Mama and I had a booth at the barn sale this year. She had over a dozen of her lovely quilts and afghans to sell and we took books as well. The crowd was not as large as usual due to the rain. It rained most of the morning and some in the afternoon. The officials closed the sale about 3:30 because of the mud and the area began to clear out. We did meet some very nice people who came out in spite of the weather. The man in the booth next to us sold quite a bit of honey. His family has been in the honey business for over a hundred years. He said they have about 38 hives near Benton, AR, and he delivers honey to a number of customers in central and south Arkansas.

Trip to Bastrop September 2010

Gil and I camped at Chemin-A-Haut State Park near Bastrop over Labor Day weekend so we could visit mama and Judy. It was a perfect weekend for camping because the temperatures turned off cool at night and were very pleasent during the day. The campground there is very nice with tall shade trees at all camp sites. There is a pool and a huge picnic area for day visitors. We also took our trike behind the motorhome so we had several nice rides into town.

While in Bastrop we also visited Grandma Virginia and Grandpa Billy Kitchens one afternoon. It was nice to see them and catch up on family talk. I took them several pictures of Suzanne and Destiny. We also visited my cousin Sharon and her husband Troy Wayne. They live just off Old Bonita Road which is not very far from the park. We had several meals with mama and Judy and Katherine, then one night they came out to the campground to eat with us in the motorhome. It was a very nice camping trip and family get-together!

CMA Fun Ride Aug 21, 2010

Our Charity Riders CMA chapter from South Arkansas includes El Dorado, Magnolia and Camden. We had a fun ride to Lake Claiborne in north Louisiana near Homer. It was about a 2 hr ride there and was rather hot on Sat. afteroon, temperature hitting 102 degrees. The restaurant was right on the lake and had excellent catfish dinners. There were about 20 bikers, several on trikes and a couple in a truck. We had a cooler ride home and a lot of fun.

Sunday we had a Biker's Sunday at Temple Baptist in Camden. More CMA chapters showed up for the service....from Fordyce, Arkadelphia, Crossett, and Hope as well as our Charity Riders chapter. It was a wonderful service of singing, testimony and preaching with a potluck dinner for all. These are special services where CMA enjoys sharing with local churches the work that we do around the world in USA and 27 other countries.

Trip to Iowa in July 2010

Gil and I did not plan a trip to Iowa this summer, but when we got word that his son Dan had been in a motorcycle wreck and had broken his neck and back, we headed out to Davenport to be near him. He was with a group of other bikers, it seems, and came around a curve to find some of the other bikers in the road so he and the 3 bikers with him had to hit the ditch. Dan was hospitalized but could move his arms and legs when we got there. We stayed about a week then after we left he had back surgery and is now in physical therapy. He does not have movement in his legs at this time, but we pray he will soon. We took pictures of the grandkids while we spent time with them in our motel. We played dominoes and took them swimming in the pool. Katelynn is 15, and Jacob is 8. Their cousin, Jordan, who is 11 was with us.

Then after we got home, I spent the first week of August with my mama in Louisiana. We had two book events that week, one in Monroe and one in Mangham. We had a good visit and a lot of fun meeting new friends at the book events.

June 2010 Vacation

Gil and I went to the National Rally for CMA on Iron Mountain near Hatfield, AR, and had such a good time meeting with dear friends there. The preaching services each morning and evening were so inspirational that we did indeed come away from the mountain top refreshed in body, mind and spirit. CMA's Got Talent show one night was a lot of fun. Gil sang "Long Black Train" and the judges said he reminded them of Johnny Cash because of his deep bass voice. Everyone enjoyed the show!

We also took the opportunity before the rally began to once again look for a house to suit our needs if we get to move there. After touring dozens of houses with a local realtor, we decided that one we had seen in April was still the best one for us. It has a large garage/shop in the back yard that is big enough for our motorhome, both motorcycles and one car. The home itself is large and located on the main highway that goes through Mena so we would be near the hospital if needed, and best of all IT HAS A MOUNTAIN VIEW. Now we pray God will bring to us the perfect family to purchase our home in Camden.

When the rally ended, we headed for Kansas to visit Gil's family in Ft. Scott and attend his 45th high school reunion. What fun Gil had seeing his classmates, some of whom he had not seen in many years; some of whom he had not seen since grammar school at Hammond Elementary School. Our daughter Pat drove down from Wichita and was able to stay several days for a visit.