8/3 Almost home

8/3 Sunday

After a quick breakfast, we headed south toward I-10 through Carrizozo to Alamogordo. We did stop at the Pistachio place to get some goodies for Sara in Washington and Jordan's dad. We also stopped at the Visitor's center at the White Sands National Monument so Jordan could look at the displays. We didn't drive into the park, as we are both getting antsy to be home.


Also, SOME DOG keeps barking in my ear, after she climbs up on the dinette behind me, to let me know she REALLY, REALLY needs to go out..... teach her to eat all the treats. We ended up stopping 4 different times for Smudge the pig. I kinda felt sorry for her, but in a way, she is way to smart, knowing how to open up a locking treat jar.

We encountered some thunder and lightening near Vail, Arizona, and just a little bit of hard rain. During one of Smudges breaks, we also encountered a man dressed like a monk in a mini-van who was trying to find downtown Los Angeles after driving back and forth across Arizona for the day. All I could do was point him west and tell him to stay on I-10, it would take him about 8 hours.

Just before dusk I pulled up at the Tucson house to meet Jordan's mom. Jordan can go with me anytime! She was a great traveler and good company. Then, off into the sunset and home..........

8/2 Oklahoma to New Mexico

8/2 Saturday

The man camped next to us has a 7 week old Lab/Dalmation mix puppy, she is so cute and has a big bark for a little one! We cleaned up, went and got gas (29 gallons). We got coffee and mine flipped over on the carpet. Darn!

The drive was fairly uneventful. In New Mexico, I got off the interstate and drove on route 66 for a bit until the town of Cuervo. Really neat old adobe buildings in various states of ruin. An older gentleman stopped to caution me about rattlesnakes as I was taking photographs.

We headed south on state route 54 at Santa Rosa. We stopped to top up the tank and a lady was in the store lamenting about the big bags of ice, so I volunteered my partial bag of ice. For some reason, the refrigerator isn’t working on propane, so I put ice in the veggie bins to keep it cool.

Smudge was really barking, so I stopped along the side of the road so she could potty. She didn’t go, but I found 2 dollars in a mud puddle. We also stopped in a little city park to run the dogs.

We are staying at Valley of Fire BLM recreation area near Carrizozo tonight. We took the dogs for a walk through the lava field and Smudge was really pulling.

I think Smudge was barking earlier because she needed to poop (2nd time today). We made dinner, then went to take a shower. While in the shower house, I realized that the munchies and the doggie treats were still out on the table.

When we got back to the coach, my open crackers were empty and the entire jar of doggie treats was gone! Upon opening the door, both dogs jumped out to hide, but the evidence was there. Now we have one REALLY stuffed dog and a partially stuffed dog.

No breakfast for them in the morning!

8/1 On the road again

8/1 Friday

Finished packing up and was ready around 8am…waited a little bit to make sure Anjanine was up before I knocked on the door. We got Jordans stuff and said good-by. I didn’t have any problems with the wash out on the driveway, although I did end up with some twigs and leaves.

We stopped in Missouri for some momentos (shot glasses and postcards) and also in Oklahoma, where we bought fudge and goodies, too.

We drove until Elk City, OK, and I’m so glad I called ahead to reserve a site….got the last one!!! I pushed the gas to the limit, it was in the red zone. After we got settled in and ate soup/turkey sandwiches we walked to McDonalds for McFlurries.

7/31 Last day at the farm

7/31 Thursday

Woke up to cloudy skies and chilly enough to grab a blanket. After I fed the dogs and ate breakfast, I curled up with my book and dozed back off. We had originally planned to drive up to Lake of the Ozarks today, but with the gloomy skies, we stayed here and unpacked countless boxes. The downstairs store room is looking pretty good, although more shelving and storage boxes will need to be acquired.

We had a picnic outside of the hotdogs and pasta salad we would have had at the lake.

There was a butterfly that was very tame and would sit on the kids noses and fingers, and not fly off. We had to guard it from the dogs, so it wouldn’t get eaten.

Jordan has really been a lot of help and worked really hard. Anjanine gave me the original version of Pinnoccio, which is quite different from the Disney version. I would sneak off to read a chapter or two during our breaks.

I’ve decided Logan has the terrible two tantrum cries down to an art, and I can now tell if he is truly hurt or just throwing a hissy fit.

After dinner, the five girls did a little “beauty show” for us, with hand massages, nail painting, make up and hair. Then we watched “The Perfect Man” and “Mancia”. The kids didn’t really want to wind down, especially Ajay and Logan. Considering I’ve had a head ache all day, I kept my temper.

We are pretty much ready to head home in the morning…….

7/30 A day at the farm with a rumbly tumbly

7/30 Wednesday

I had an absolutely miserable night. I managed a little cereal for breakfast, and just relaxed as much as possible. Anjanine went to base alone today, and left Annelise in charge of each younger sibling with a chore list. The kids were good about getting everything done. I roused myself and put together the wire shelving. The kids watched a movie and I read. I’ve finished two novels since yesterday. Erp!

The kids played outside and I trimmed the grasses around the ranch fence. I do need to work carefully, as I’m quite allergic to grass. Alizebeth and Aeden decided to help me “surprise mom” with our trimming. Anjanine got to spend 4 hours or so in relative peace, although she had lots of running around to do. She is getting quite discouraged about finding a part time job. It’s been 8 years since she worked for Mailboxes etc. and 7-11. There are lots of “help wanted” signs, but limitations due to hours or child care hours or backlog.

After Anjanine got home, the kids played more outside, and I broke out the Baby Q and cooked hot dogs for tomorrows’ picnic and hamburgers for dinner. I think Anjanine would love for me to leave the Baby Q!! We then enjoyed more time outside, as another storm is on it’s way, so there weren’t many bugs.

The kids all got dressed up in costumes and makeup and danced for us. I took lots of pictures of them being silly and/or serious. Hopefully my tummy relaxes tonight!

7/29 Off to Springfield and OHHH, I don't feel good..

7/29 Tuesday

When we left the house, I realized I forgot my phone. It was too far to go back, so we would pull off the highway to converse… I needed gas, the tire sensors were going off in the Yukon, etc., etc.
We drove to Springfield today to look for mattresses and dressers for the younger kids. We missed our off ramp and ended up about 5 miles further down the road. Springfields main drag bisects the interstate, it seemed like we drove forever! I had the 13 year olds and the 10 year old, everyone else was with Anjanine. When we left the house, everyone was cranky, crying or arguing.

We ended up near a long mall, and I asked a passing lady where the Target was. We hadn’t quite gone far enough south. Anjanine made a picnic “tailgate” lunch for us of tuna, tomatoes and chips in Targets parking lot. We bought wire shelving for the storage room, for as nice as the house is, there is very little storage. I asked two associates at Target if they had a phone book, and believe it or not, they did! I was able to look up the address of the unfinished furniture place. A bed/headboard/dresser combo for Logan would be anywhere from $700 to $1300 bucks! Ouch!

From there we went to the mall, to the delight of the older kids. We ended up buying mattresses and a bed combo on line at the Sears store. One of the associates ordered everything for us, she was so helpful! She would hum as she typed, totally ignoring the tribe milling around her.
She was getting a little frustrated at how long it took to order, each mattress also had to be entered separately, instead of a quantity of 4. Sears has eliminated their catalog desk, but have on-line desks all over. It is SLOW!!

We wandered around a little, and of course, the gang had to check out Hot Topic. As it was getting late, we decided to surprise the kids with IHOP for dinner. Quite crowded, and our server really tried to do a good job, but she would forget important stuff, like silverware and our drinks. I also drank too much coffee.

I got on the freeway first, and went slow until Anjanine caught up. Just after she passed me, I started feeling crampy. The next offramp found us at a McDonalds, with me running for the restroom. We got a little further, and I had to pull off again, in a closed for remodeling rest stop. At least there was a clean porta-potty. The grand finale was having to just pull off the road, turn off the lights and take care of business. I don’t think I had food poisoning, but I sure didn’t feel good.

Once home, I just curled up and read, I don’t think I slept until 4am. My tummy is definitely rumbly………. Ewwww

7/28 Off to the base and home to be LAZY

7/28 Monday

We drove off to the base again this morning. I clip up Smudge in her harnass, then we go off down the hill. While we were taking the trash to the dumpster I heard Anjanine comment about dogs, and I thought Smudge got loose. Turns out there were 3 golden retriever pups about 6 months old coming to check us out. They did follow us a little ways down the road, but we lost sight of them after a while.

While Logan got his stitches out, and Annelise got a vaccination, I checked the public internet service at the “Mall” by the PX. We then went to the library, then to the commissary to get the weeks groceries. Anjanine remembered to sign up Aeden for dance at the last minute, so the rest of us sat in the Yukon until she was done. Same lady for sign ups, but not anywhere near as friendly or efficient.

Back at the house we just lazed around. After dinner, we went for a walk to the back gate and could see where the two dogs from yesterday came down from a neighboring house through the hay. Smudge really enjoys running through the fields and headed up to the pond. I had to yell at her “no swimming” a few times before she came back. Once back home, the kids went swimming in the pool. I have two really tired dogs.

7/27 Scary weather and being lazy

7/27 Sunday

Was awakened at 2:15am by horrible wind, almost pulsing in sound. When I heard a loud crack of a tree breaking, I called Steve to check the weather for Tornado warnings. There were no clouds overhead, but I could see lightening flashes off in the distance and the wind didn’t stop. No warnings could be found, and I eventually went to sleep. It was still a little windy when I did wake up.
We were supposed to go to church this morning, but the wind disrupted everyones sleep, so it was just another lazy day. Smudge and Rico took off down the driveway to chase two Labrador type dogs off. A yellow and black, running down the back road with their tails between their legs!

Didn’t do much today, just reading, swimming and relaxing.

7/26 Off on my own, a little

7/26 Saturday

Another semi-lazy morning, just laid around reading, until I was called in for whole wheat pancakes. Unfortunately, I was too late for sausages. Alizebeth and I drove into Richland for milk and p-nut butter. I drove around town to the post office to mail postcards from the zoo and look for yard sales. I am looking for bureaus and/or beds for two of the kids, but no luck. We also drove toward the interstate to take photos of some old homes that the landscape is taking over. Alizebeth talked me into checking out the swapmeet at the top of the hill. Just like an old fashioned swapmeet/party. Nothing we were looking for, though.









Back at the house, I took the loppers and trimmed trees down the driveway. One nice thing about being out in the woods, one can just toss the branches into the surrounding trees and bushes. There are wild roses, grapes, blackberries (yum!). Found two ticks in my clothes, but none on me. YUCK!! I’m not able to fill in the trench along the drive that the cable people left. I will have to be really careful when we leave with Blue to not fall into the trench. Coming up I could see it, it will be on my blind side coming back down. Well, I could sneak out the back way, but I would have to have Anjanine guide me out.



After my nap and playtime with Smudge and Rico, we had a nice teriyaki chicken and rice dinner, with stir-fry veggies from Blues freezer. The older girls and I watched their Sembach yearbook on the computer. That is a new one, a yearbook on DVD instead of paper. The military school still teaches music, art and has lots of interactive things between students/family and teachers.

7/25 Off to the movies, ice cream and thunder!!!

7/25 Friday

Slept in today so Smudge and Rico poked their noses in my face to wake me up for breakfast and potty. A lazy morning, I didn’t go into the house until almost noon. We took care of a few things around the house, and had a light lunch of dipping veggies and cheese.
After hooking up Smudge in her harnass, it was off to the movies to see Wall-E at the small theatre in Waynesville. Quite a cute movie, and although there has been controversy about the theme, I can’t disagree with it!
Anjanine dropped Jordan, Annelise and I off at the Walmart just off base to print some of the photos I’ve taken while the rest of the tribe went up to the base post office to check the mail. Another storm came in while we were waiting to be picked up. A small group was having a bake sale outside the Walmart, so the girls got two really good iced sugar cookies to munch on while we waited.

We took a tour of Richland (population 1805) to see the downtown, high school and grade school. We arrived home to find one VERY WET black dog and Smudge dry and under the coach. I took a brief nap while dinner cooked (meat loaf wrapped around broccoli and cheese).
We played with the kids outside after dinner. Anjanine pulled weeds while I fixed a flat tire on the big scooter. Logan fell of the “ranch” fence and knocked the top off the concrete bird bath, which just missed his head. Talk about scary!! Rico ran under the coach when Logan cried out.

Once all was again calm, Anjanine gave everyone ice cream cones for dessert. Smudge stole a couple of licks from Logan and Ajay…..

We can see lightening flashes in the distance, but no new rain or thunder. I went back into Blue to find Smudge up on the cab-over eating treats from the dog treat jar. She does know how to open the jar, unfortunately. She is like a kid, acts all innocent. So, now the treats are in the closet.

7/24 St Louis and the ZOO

7/24 Thursday

Our plan was to get up early and leave by 6:30am to go to pick up Anjanines Yukon. Turns out it has been available since LAST Thursday. We were all ready to go by 7:30, and were down at the bottom of the drive dumping the trash and locking the bottom gate when Smudge came thundering down the hill. She had jumped the upper fence!! So, unlock the gate, go back up, unlock the coach, get her harnass and the cable and tie her up. Sigh.

Finally, we were off for St. Louis, at least 2 hours away. Turns out the Yukon wasn’t in St. Louis, but in Pontoon Beach, Illinois. And we hit three huge rain squalls that made it hard to see. Plus we were all crammed in the GMC van, seven kids, two adults. Not a pleasant ride at times, although everyone was pretty good.

Once we had the Yukon, the older kids and I followed Anjanine and the little ones to the St. Louis Zoo. It was then discovered on a search for shoes that Aeden didn’t have any. We stopped at a covered patio/pavillion across from the zoo for a picnic lunch of BLT sandwiches, chips, fruit and cookies. Food always tastes better outside, even if it is raining!

It was then off on a search for a Walgreens or something where flip-flops could be found. We had to drive quite aways and were almost ready to give up and go home when we found a Walgreens and got shoes for a $1.00. We thought about going to the science museum, but it was too expensive, and since the rain had stopped, we went back to the zoo. I’m really glad we did, as it was really a nice place, not too crowded, free to get in, and I was able to take lots of nice shots. The kids really had a nice time.

We stopped at a “Country Kitchen” restaurant on the way home for dinner, where our server did a really nice job with the kids. Food wasn’t bad, either. Just before we stopped, I was really struggling to stay awake. Once home, we found Smudge all tangled up in the cable on the far side of Blue, laying in the grass. All 4 dogs happy we were home.

7/23 Another day of errands

7/23 Wednesday

Anjanine is not mad at Rico, amazingly. He was trying to stay out of the way and away from the kids. Logan will be fine and went after Rico this morning, with all of us yelling “LEAVE THAT BIG DOG ALONE!!!” Rico beat feet to hide. I’m having a hard time forgiving Rico for growling.

We ran errands on base again today. Dealing with the move and re-registering medical, sports and veterinary records can be frustrating!!! And Anjanine isn’t supposed to be doing anything (yeah, right!). The woman handling the sports registration was very calm and could multi-task wonderfully, but they needed 3 of her. They only have 1 week to register, and it was by appointments only. This is the second time Anjanine has gone, she will have to go two more times because Annelise and Audriana have to have special clearance due to their asthma and allergies, and dance registration for Aeden opens next week. The room was full of parents and kids waiting to register or get an appointment. The medical record transfer went quickly, and we found out the vet on base got PCS’d, so they recommended an off base vet to go to.

We left the older 3 kids home with my cell phone, and got lots of “when will you be home” or “will you bring…” calls. Once home, the adults napped, the kids did summer “school” work (to keep them up to date, they do a page a day of review and then read). Anjanine made spaghetti for dinner, and the older kids made cookies for desert. We watched a movie (Dance with Me with Chayenne and Vanessa Williams), then I had a gentle pillow fight with the older girls.

7/22 Well, it WAS going to be a LAZY day

7/22 Tuesday

Slept in today, awakened to Aeden and Audriana and the puppies playing right outside my window. Lots of cloud cover and much cooler. We lazed around, had thunder, lightening and rain throughout the day and evening.

We unpacked many of the boxes for the kitchen, many things were packed upside down. We had breadcrumbs EVERYWHERE when the top came off of the container! The military sends guys to pack for you. Hmmmmmmm…. We’ve been eating lots of fresh melon (locally grown by “good ol’ boys” “I don’ think ooour town even has a naaame” guys) and other fruits. Yum!

We were planning to go on a berry picking mission just after dinner. Some of the kids went ahead down the road. Anjanine and I were tidying up the hedge I trimmed when we heard a growl and Logan thumping his head and screaming. Rico was under Blue (where is has to be when the kids are out) and we think Logan crawled under to see him and when Rico growled a “get back”, Logan jumped and wacked his head. Logan has a 1/2 inch cut above his eye and a big lump on his forehead.

We got the kids together, the 13 year olds went with Anjanine to the emergency room on base, I stayed with the younger kids. The “ambulance” didn’t get home until 2am. Logan took 2 stitches above his eye. Anjanine said it was almost 5 hours before he was seen.

7/21 Errand day Monday

7/21 Monday

This morning we took the kids to the library on base. The 13 year olds were left at home. Logan was fun to corral, while the other kids selected a ton of books and movies to check out and Anjanine checked her e-mail. We then went to the commissary to re-stock. I eat my own breakfast and lunch in Blue, and Anjanine makes dinner for everyone.

Returned home to watch the kids in the pool. It is very hot and muggy today. I napped in Blue until dinner, then read my book while the kids watched a movie. I also took the Makita around the house and fixed a kitchen cabinet and tightened doorknobs throughout the house.

7/20 Sunday - A day of rest

7/20 Sunday

Went to Mass on base with Anjanine and the girls. Lots of civvies and soldiers (they are SOOOO young!) Ft. Leonard Wood is where the soldiers go to do basic training. Once we got home, I wandered around taking photos, then we went up to the “lake” (a pond) where the kids and dogs ran and played. Anjanine and I walked around the pond for exercise while Smudge took a soak, Rico played in the grass and the kids swam. The kids tried to give Anjanine a mud bath.

Back at the house, the kids went swimming in the above ground pool. Smudge understands “no swimmin’”, but you can see she wants to go in. Rico stays down in either the lawn or the covered patio, away from the kids.

Smudge is doing very well, Buffy and Faith, the kids Min-Pin are sorting out their relationship (sometimes with lots of growling and yips), Rico tries to stay away. The little dogs were fighting, Smudge went to investigate, then Rico went over. Rico nipped at Logan, without skin breaking. Rico was sent to “bad dog” purgatory under the coach.

Poor GMC van, it’s starting to show it’s age, over 135K miles and 12 years old. It’s been a good purchase, though. It is starting to get more scratches and scrapes, and not pristine anymore, but is still in good shape.

7/19 Texas to Missouri

7/19 Saturday

Our final push… drove the rest of the way through Texas, Oklahoma and finally into Missouri. I’m not used to driving more the 350 miles daily. I plan on taking photos on the way home, lots of old buildings and neat stuff to see.



We found our exit with no problem and even our turn. We are on a narrow single lane dirt road, with lots of trees/brush. It reminds me of Mr. Toads wild ride. There is a fork in the road we weren’t told about, so I had to call for further directions. Once we found the driveway, Blue encountered a steep dirt road, but like the trooper he is, he powered on up to his “home” for the next two weeks. Our speed was between 65-70 (bad!) this leg.

Annelise was quite surprised with her puppy, and even more excited with the fact her cousin Jordan is along!! The puppy “Patches” is now named Buffy.

7/18 Grants, New Mexico to Lake McChellan, Texas

7/18 Friday

I was out walking Smudge and Rico and an older man commented, “nice pair”…hmmm, not sure now to take that, so I just said thank you. We left Grants about 8am. We had an uneventful drive, although there was LOTS of road construction along I-40. The dogs do not like rumble strips!! There are a lot of semis on the on road, and we’ve seen a lot of duallies pulling goose-neck horse trailers loaded with horses going westbound. Our speed was between 55-65 this leg.

We encountered heavy rain in Amarillo, Texas. I decided to stop at Lake McClellan Recreation area, which is about 2/3 of the way through the panhandle. This is quite a pleasant area, although there is a lot of residual fire damage and down falls. Our neighbors were nice, although there were a LOT of barking dogs. Our 3 dogs are getting along well, and the puppy gets lots of encouragement when she goes “outside”!!

7/17 And They're OFF

7/17 Thursday

I got up early and rode my bike to my mom’s house to pick up Blue. I hooked up the bike rack and then stashed the yard tools I’m taking for Anjanines’ garden. At the house, Steve helped me load up the food and the balance of our stuff, then I woke up Jordan. We went to Over Coffee for breakfast. Everyone wished us a good trip.
We had no problems going up to Flagstaff, where we stopped for gas. I tried to take a nap, but that didn’t happen. We drove further on, and I pulled off and did take a nap.
We stopped at the Painted Desert Visitors center and looked around and enjoyed a huge single scoop ice cream.
We are trying to keep the speed down to under 60, and I discovered Blues cruise control quit working. So between the cruise control and the A/C blowing on the windshield, I am working up a repairs list. OH! And the kitchen sink light quit working.
We stopped in Grants New Mexico for gas, and I decided I was done driving. The first RV park we looked at was very bleak, then the KOA down the road was $32 and semi-bleak, so we drove on to Lavaland RV Park (Escapees book). Fortunately, there was a spot available, as they are having a Biker Run this weekend (Route 66). This one is not too much better, but folks are very friendly and we have lots of shade. The bathrooms are old but clean. Lots of motorcycles converging on Grants for a rally this week end. We could hear cycles roaring off down the roads….