IT IS WHAT IT IS AND WAS WHAT IT WAS

Two score plus a decade and two years.....sounds like a long time. In some respects it is but it seems to have passed in a flash. 

Sharon and I were married in the Baptist Curuch at Perry, Missouri on Friday evening September 04, 1964. I remember Rev C D Howell joking with me that the marriages he performed lasted. 

We have just completed 52 years together. I started to write a blog about the history but it was turning into a book rather than a blog. Too much to bore my family and good friends with. Undoubtedly you are among this group so you have experienced some or much of it with us. So there you go, it was what it was. 

Sharon told the neighbor's today that her being a saint helped it to last this long. I would agree that is absolutely true. 

We would like to thank all of you, family, friends, and acquaintances for enriching our lives and helping us over the hurdles, that we might land where we are today. 

Our greatest accomplishment has been our three sons, MARK (Becky, Kristen, Karissa, and Kolton), DAVID (Georgia, Quentin, Ethan, Noah, and Aiden), and KEVIN (Karen, Jordan, and Justin. We are so proud of each of them and their families. 

One of our grandaughter's, Kristen Renee, will marry next month. As she and Wes begin their journey, we want to wish for them lots of love and support.

                Kristen and Wes

 The only wisdom I have is what I have said before, the one thing I have learned about life is, it goes on. So you take it as it comes, one day at a time and before you know it your kids have kids and they will soon have kids and you will have been married 52 years. 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SHARON

I LOVE YOU!---Lon

WHEREVER YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND TRAVELS, ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Happy where you are?

We recently had an experience with a rattlesnake and some friends said, "I wouldn't go back outside, I'd be leaving there, Yikes, Oh my, that's scary, OMG, and I'd be packing my bags and heading out."

 Western Diamondback Rattlesnake 

The question is, where would you want to go? To Louisiana with the floods, to California with the earthquakes, to Hawaii or Washington with the Volcanoes, to Oklahoma with the tornados, to Arizona with the dust storms, to Boston with the snow and cold, to Florida with the hurricanes, bugs and gators, to Chicago with the shootings and crime, or to Missouri with tornados, mosquitos, chiggers, floods, humidity, cold, and snow? Been there and done all that!

                        Storms

                         Drought

                   Snow and Ice

It seems every place you go there may be some negatives. Most of us are where we were born and raised or where our work has taken us. Only a few move to an area just because they make the choice to be there. But  being a retired senior you can decide where to be a little easier. A location that suits your wants, needs, health, interests, personality, or whatever.   

We have been to lots of beautiful and wonderful places which we might have enjoyed living at one time but now for one reason or another we have ruled them out. Finally we decided the hill country

              Hill Country in green.

             Can you find Medina?

of Texas is where we want to be at this juncture in our lives.

We love the area, the hills, 

the ranches and wildlife, 

               Texas jackrabbits

the people, 

            Hot summer weekend.

the trees, 

                  Live Oak Tree

the cactus,

 Mesquite Trees/Prickly Pear Cactus

 Bluebonnets,

                Spring Blubonnets

 Crape Myrtle, 

                  Crape Myrtle

Purple Sage, 

                 Purple Sage Bush

wildflowers,

and Longhorns.

And I almost forgot the rivers and the Cypress trees that line them,

the "Real" country music, Cowboy Capital Opry and KNRH FM 92.3, (The Ranch.)

And of course the western cowboy towns.

And yes, we have the snakes, lizards, centipedes, and scorpions along with occasional flooding of low crossings and storms with hail and days and days with HOT temperatures.

No place is perfect but to us it's much like the song that says,

"Well, when I die, I may not go to heaven, I don't know if they let cowboys in, If they don't just let me go to Texas, Texas is close as I've been." Or as the posters say, "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as quick as I could." Some of you should get a chuckle from that. Anyway we really enjoy hill country.

These are some of the reasons we have chosen to be here. One of my often used quotes is, "Everybody is where they are because they want to be there."

And how correct that is. If you aren't happy with your life, change it. You don't get different results by doing the same things. 

WHEREVER YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND TRAVELS, ENJOY THE JOURNEY.

Have I Offended You or Have We Grown Apart?

Recently, we had a long time, and what we consider a close friend ask that question. "Have I done something to offend you or have we grown apart?"

It seems to me our lives are in a constant state of flux. Can you remember your preschool friends? Can you remember your elementary, junior high, and high school friends? Are they the same people? Can you remember your friends at your first job? Who are your friends at your current job? Are they the same people? You Seniors, who were your friends at your last job? Who are your friends now? Are they the same people? 

Hey, I get it, these people will always be our friends. It's just that they won't be the friends we see often, do things with, converse with, and look to when we need help. That's what I mean by the way our lives change.

Then, there a a few who seem so be so select that a special relationship is maintained over time, like a familial bond. However, it takes effort from both sides of the relationship. One side cannot maintain a friendship of a lifetime. If we are lucky we maintain  a lifetime bond with one or two friends. What is the old saying? If you want to have a friend, be a friend.

. 

It is not now, nor has it ever been, our intent to hurt any of our friends. None of you have offended us. Yes, we have grown apart from many of our friends. It was not planned, it is just circumstances. We don't see each other, we don't do things together, we don't communicate often, and we are busy with activities that make it difficult to maintain that close relationship. Again, it's not that we don't care about you and love you but neither we nor you have been committed to the effort necessary for keeping the friendship what it was.

So, don't be upset with us or throw digs at us like we have intentionally left you out of our lives. Those comments will only alienate us from each other. What are you expecting our response will be? Yes, you offended me or no, you didn't offend me and I'm sorry if I hurt you?

We aren't apologizing for living our lives and moving on from school days, working days, and other life situations. You all need to move on with your lives. Do not let us or anyone else make you unhappy or depressed. 

We have so many good and close friends and I don't mean to belittle our relationships. I guess my message needs to express what Sharon says about the RV lifestyle,

"The hardest part about it is leaving our friends, family, and all the new friends we make along the way."

We love you all and hope you are secure enough to know it. We don't intend to hurt anyone by living our lives the way we choose. 

WHEREVER YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND TRAVELS, ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Aches and Pains of Maturity

 Do you have a pain in your hip or knee? You probably need a joint replacement. Well anyway, it is becoming quite common. Many of the seniors we meet on the road have the bionic parts. 

Well, not only do they walk and get around better, I'm pretty sure they are able to drive better too.

 In addition, it gives us old folks something in common to talk about as we get acquainted. Maybe even a "show and tell."

        Is your scar about like mine?

How many procedures have you undergone? Where did you have it done? They are sure great doctors aren't they? Did you have any complications? How many times have you cheated death? What else do you need to have done? You can watch the procedure being done on YOUTUBE.

See what you have to look forward to experiencing in a few more years? It seems inevitable if you just live long enough. If not this, a heart procedure, cancer, kidney stones, cataracts, and on, and on. But what is the alternative? So, we take one day at a time and do what we must. If we make it through another procedure, we have more to talk about around the campfire next winter.

Well, fix me a cocktail and I'll tell you about our last two years during the month of May in Missouri. 

Last May, Sharon had surgery for a kidney stone...................This year I had joint replacement....................you had what? How much more of this fun can we take? Well, you have to have something to talk about or all you'll get to do is listen to the other gory stories, with all their details. 

I hope you all get to live long enough to share your story and not just have to listen to all the others. 

WHEREVER YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND TRAVELS, ENJOY THE JOURNEY.

Rocky Point RV Retreat

For those who have not yet heard, we have found a park in the hill country we really like. We love hill country and have looked at this park several times. We just visited friends and discovered this site which had recently become available. This will be our home base and we will spend much of our time here. So there is no misunderstanding, this in not a house to live in. It is a small building with a porch (deck) on all four sides. 

We will still live in our RV, parked on this site, next to the structure pictured below.

Rocky Point is south of Kerrville on Hwy 16 and just a couple miles north of Medina. They do have a website:

   www.rockypointrvretreat.com

They also have a park model available for guests at $30 a night. We hope many of you will come our way.

     This is our new Texas homesite.

                        East Side

     Cabinets on west side of porch.

              Closer up east side.

                  East side porch

                 Back (south) side

      Back and west side. RV will be              

       parked next to this west side.

Rocky Point is a senior, long term lease park. We met several of the residents at a social hour held Friday evening. Everyone speaks highly of the park owners Lawrence and Sandra and managers George and June. We look forward to getting acquainted with more residents. 

          Event Center (Clubhouse)

The swimming pool is two sites east of us. There is lots of room for walks and hikes on land adjacent to the park owned by Lawrence and Sandra. Large hills (small mtns) ring the area making a great view. 

If you have been to Texas hill country you know how scenic it is and how much there is to do. 

      Mountain Laurel blooming in the 

       park.

                    Bluebonnets 

I could write a book, and many have, describing hill country. We will be anxious to return and get our new home site decorated and freshened with paint. We will soon have new decor reflecting our tastes for Texas abodes.

We hope you can visit soon. Hill country won't disappoint you.

WHEREVER YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND TRAVELS, ENJOY THE JOURNEY.