Moore, OK

     I forgot to mention the flowers in TN and AL.  Wisteria, magnolias, and honeysuckle were all in bloom.  The honeysuckle was thick and all over the roadsides.
     The first week in OK, I worked at a new build of house in a town outside of Moore.  We were putting in trim, caulking, and painting the porch ceiling.  That house is just about finished.  The owners were quite excited.
     That weekend I was able to spend time with a high school friend who lives in the area.  We had quite a nice time catching up.
     The second week I was in Moore, I worked in a house in town.  I laid laminate floor and washed windows.  This was a rebuild.  Lots more work to be done there.
     Driving through Moore, one can see where the storms went through.  A lot of homes in various stages of rebuilding, empty stores and parking lots, and gas stations where there there is nothing left.  The hospital is still in a tent-like temporary facility.
     The weather was hot and muggy while I was there, but no storms.  I left there and took a couple days to get to Independence, MO to visit with family.

AL - OK

The project at Camp Sumatanga went very well.  They treated me like part of the family and told me to come back home soon.
I then had a week to travel to the Oklahoma City area.  Each day I only traveled a couple hours.  I spent one afternoon at Graceland.  I was going right by it, might as well, right?  It was a nice tour and walk through the various museums.
I was able to meet up with NOMADS friends who were having an extended stay at Toad Suck Park (yep, that's right) in Arkansas.
I then made it to the OKC area and spent two days with other NOMADS friends at their home.  They took me around the city and we toured the National Memorial and Museum remembering the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building.  We were invited to have lunch at the home of yet another NOMADS couple.
I arrived, finally, in Moore, Ok.  NOMADS have been here for a couple of months helping to rebuild homes from last year's tornados.  There are 9 people on my team and I will be here for two weeks.

Gallant, AL

After Tennessee, I drove for a day and arrived at Camp Sumatanga in Gallant, Alabama.  It is by far the most beautiful camp I've been at.  The buildings and the grounds are amazing.  Unfortunately, I've been unable to upload a picture.  I'll try again later.
This camp is 1700 acres with a 55 acre lake.  There is a paved walking trail around the lake.  There is a mountain trail to the chapel, haven't gone up that yet.  There are 35 buildings that can house 900 people.  There's the original camp area and a new retreat area with hotel style rooms.  The RV park is very nice.

I have been painting bathrooms, covering graffiti and helping in the kitchen.  There have been various groups in for retreats, meetings, conferences the whole time I've been here (so I get to have meals with them).

When I leave here I will take a week to drive to the OKC area.  Along the way I will be doing some sightseeing and visiting with some other NOMADS friends.

Eva, Tennessee

I left Mesa, AZ on April 13.  It took me a week to get to Eva, a small town between Memphis and Nashville.  I only drove about 300 miles/day and I allowed an extra day in case there was bad weather, causing me to layover.  But the weather was good, so my layover was visiting a NOMADS couple who offer their hook-up at their home for those passing through.  I had worked with this couple in Wyoming and it was good to see them again and relax a little.  I arrived at Lakeshore UM Assembly, a church camp, in Eva the Saturday before Easter.  The team all arrived the same day, so that we could attend Easter services together.  There are 12 on the team.

The next 3 weeks we worked at the camp doing a variety of jobs.  A deck was built, as was a shed.  I helped clean cabins, paint window trim, paint bunks, paint walls, paint yellow caution strips on steps.  So painting was a high priority for the camp to get ready for the summer season.  The camp is one of the most modern that I’ve been at, the buildings and cabins are very nice.  It is on the side of a hill (mountain) that leads down to Kentucky Lake, a part of the Tennessee River.  It is quite remote so cell service was spotty and internet was available only at some of the main buildings, and TV signal was non-existent.  The RV sites were in a beautiful part of the camp, but a bit of a distance away.  

We visited the near-by state park and learned that the area is known for the mussels in the river.  We visited a mussel farm, where mussels are harvested and used for freshwater pearls.  Needless to say, I bought more jewelry.

After this, I will be headed to another church camp in Alabama.  

For those of you who know about my problems with my in-dash multi-media center (gps, radio, Sirius, bluetooth, DVD), I now have the 5th one and it seems to be working wonderfully.  

Mesa, AZ

     I arrived at Towerpoint RV Resort in Mesa, AZ at the end of October.  Since then I have been on the go, giving little thought to writing this blog. (obviously)  There are so many activities here, I don't have enough time in the day to do all I want.
     Again this year I am teaching sign language and putting in a few more 'working' hours in order to get my site at half price.  The term 'work' is used very loosely.
     Twice in the last couple months I have left the resort to go on week long trips.  It's been fun to go on vacation only to come back to this vacation spot.  What a blessing.  I hope to continue the traveling in and out of the resort doing some volunteering and more vacationing.
     I've also had visits from family and friends.  I am looking forward to more as the 'season' continues.  Yes, the snowbirds are all flocking and landing in the warm southwest.
     The picture is of a crested saguaro in the area.
   

Oh my, I need to catch up - 4

Santa Fe Trail - October 9 - 12
  I didn't travel far each day because I stopped at monuments, statues, and museums.  I had a glorious time learning the history of the SFT and envisioning the travels of the merchants and, later, the settlers.  I was off the interstate and driving through prairies and towns that were significant to the SFT for some reason.  Some of the forts, which had protected the travelers, were closed because of the government shut-down.  I got to see plenty, though.  There were areas where wagon ruts and swales could be seen. I was able to have dinner in an inn and tour houses that still exist.  I arrived at Santa Fe.  There was no fanfare, but I had a feeling of accomplishment.  I have pictures of the monuments that mark the beginning and the end of the trail (and about 200 of everything in between).

Oh my, I need to catch up - 3

Independence, MO
     I left the Omaha area and went to my brother's.  I had visited here in the spring, also, but since I was fairly close, he asked me to help with a 3-day yard sale.  During that time, our sister also came for a visit. I stayed for a week, because, while not doing the yard sale, I wanted to visit historic sights along the Santa Fe Trail.  The beginning of the SFT is east of Independence.  Using a guide, I chose the sights I wanted to see and my brother drove me in his covered wagon- the Rav4.  The Trail also went through  Independence and the Kansas City area.  For three days we saw the sights and then I headed out in my own covered wagon - Sunseeker (Sunny).