On the road again

     We completed the three week project.  Did lots of small jobs, since the job we were to do (build a cabin) had been put on hold.  The area was beautiful, in the Paradise Valley north of Yellowstone.  We were able to go the Park a couple of times.
     Traveling east I spent a couple R&R days in Buffalo, WY.  I love WY.  In Buffalo I was able to walk into town and go to a museum and see the 'old' town.  I also was able to wait out a couple of storms, so I was not in any major hail storms that went through nearby areas.
     In Rapid City (where I no longer have out of state license plates) I stopped at my place of address for a photo op at 'home.'  
     On to Wall Drug where I shopped, had dinner, and went to the Wounded Knee Museum.   I was able to get a discount at one of the stores, because I was a local resident.  haha.
     Now I am visiting a friend in eastern SD. Then it's on to central MO for a short project.

It's Official!!

I am now recognized by the national government as a senior.  I was able to go to my favorite place, Yellowstone, to get my National Parks senior pass on my birthday.  It was a great day.
To help prove that status, I seem to no longer be able to post pictures on this blog.  I can't figure it out.  I'm hoping it's because of the poor internet service that I have at this camp.  (Yeah, that sounds like a good reason.)
I will try to add pictures later when I have better connections.

Luccock UMC Camp Livingston, MT

     I am now at Luccock Camp for a three week project.  There are 8 on our team.  The camp is old and in need of lots of repair. We were scheduled to build a new little cabin, but it has rained so much the foundation was not able to be laid.  So we spent the week doing odd jobs.  Mostly I helped move firewood into a shed from the outside piles.  It took 4 of us all day to do that- lots of firewood.  Another day we hauled old cedar shingles from a pile to a burn pit.  Again it took all day to do that.  The rest of the week involved cleaning, making sure cabins had firewood, repairing foot bridges, and helping to build a small shed.
     This camp is also on the National Forest land.  We see lots of deer, turkeys, and even a bear.  It certainly is in a beautiful area, just north of Yellowstone.

Sisters, OR

   I had a very good visit with my sisters, then headed to Sisters.  Here I worked one week at Suttle Lake UMC Camp.  Here I cleaned, hauled brush, cut limbs into wood cookies (used for name tags), and put together two end tables.
    The camp is on National Forest land and is beside the small Suttle Lake.  There is a 3 1/2 mile walking trail around the lake maintained by the Forest service.  I was able to do that and enjoy the mountain views.

     On the way to Sisters, I visited Crater Lake National Park.  It was foggy the day I was there, so I wasn't able to see the vivid blue water.  It was still a beautiful sight as the fog blew away and the landscape was more visible.
     I stayed at Collier State Park for two nights, which is near Crater Lake.  It has a beautiful campground and a very large logging museum.  I spent a couple hours there (between bouts or rain) looking at all the machinery and buildings.

California

The second week at Gleanings was another great week of work and making new friends.  Unfortunately, during that time my new bike was stolen by someone who crawled over the fence.  I feel perhaps, that I have started some sort of bike ministry, because I had gotten that bike because my other one had been stolen in Mesa.  When I left Gleanings, I stopped at Camping World to get another.

I then went north and visited with family.  It was good to be together with sisters on Mother's Day.

Next, I will be traveling north to Sisters, Oregon.  There I will be doing clean-up at a church camp on Suttle Lake.

Gleanings

     I am on the road again!  I left Mesa, AZ on April 23.  I returned to Gleanings for the Hungry near Fresno, CA.  I was here 4 years ago.  It was good to be back.  This is an awesome place.  They completed their RV park, so now there are beautiful accommodations.  Last time I was here was in February.  Now, there are not as many people.  The soup season is just about done.
     Again, I worked the soup line.  They make dried soup mix that is put in plastic bags and delivered to  places all over the world.  Two containers went out this past week, one to Kenya, and another to Israel. We worked one day bagging soup for Mexico.  I worked various parts of the line; scooping, sealing bags, adding spice.  When the bags ran out, we opened packages of dried mashed potatoes and dumped them into barrels.  There were two groups here; one from a baptist church, and another from a non-denominational church.  Both were from CA.
     Each person seems to have a special story.  One lady was blind.  She worked the soup line right along with us.  She has created a ministry and goes all over the world handing out canes to the blind in third world countries.  She also teaches how to use the canes and how to be more mobile.  She then hands out talking Bibles that are solar powered and speaks in that person's language.
     Being a small part of this global ministry has been very uplifting.
     I will be here one more week.  Then it's on to visiting family.
   

Mesa, AZ My Happy Spot

   After Globe I returned to Towerpoint RV Resort.  I've spent the winter here the last few years.  Love what the resort and area have to offer.  This was the earliest I've arrived. Hardly any people were here at that time.  I had the chance to experience some HOT days and the rains from the Pacific hurricanes.  I walked down my little resort street in calf-deep water.  The flooding only lasts a few hours around here.
   I helped paint the laundry room and grout the new bar since there weren't many here to do the work. Now that the snowbirds are returning, I am back to doing lapidary crafts and exercise classes.  I am not working here this year, as I have for the last two years.  Instead, I am trying to volunteer at the school for the deaf, which is not far away.  I've had to do the fingerprint background check.  It's been approved, but I am still awaiting the AZ card that I need.  Then I go for an interview at the school.  It's been almost 6 weeks waiting for that card.
     So far I have visited a copper mine, visited Taliesen West, (Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home), Old Scotsdale, and last weekend went to Tucson for the day.  I visited the DeGrazia studio/gallery.  He's a southwestern artist.  I really like him.  The studio and grounds which he did all himself are amazing.
Then to Old Tucson Studios.  Hundreds of western movies and TV shows were done here.  Now it's a tourist trap.  It was fun to walk around there and see the shows.