Catching Up Before We Head West

At the Lufkin KOA, Lufkin, Texas...

Yes, I know it's been a long time since I posted, but Sandy is still in the physical therapy phase after her surgeries and, of course, this doesn't go quickly. We were getting pretty antsy to go somewhere (we've been immobile almost six months), so we made a quick trip to Searcy, Arkansas to visit with RVer friends Larry and Carolyn (whose photo I forgot to take, but they appear elsewhere in the blog), and to have lunch in Nacogdoches with friends John and Pat (same forgetfulness but they, too, appear elsewhere in the blog). In addition, we had dinner with Ray, Carolyn and granddaughter Claire, whose photo I managed to remember to shoot:

Ray was a driver in a trucking business I owned some 50 years ago but, more importantly, a friend--and we happened to meet by chance in a Lufkin restaurant some time ago, promising to get together again. We were delighted to meet again his lovely wife Carolyn, and it's not difficult to perceive his affection for little Claire. Thank you all for joining us in catching up; we had a great time.

Naturally, our long stay in the Houston area and (finally) our vaccinations coming through, we were able to spend more time with the grandsons. Here is Mimi with Sutton, 2, and Pryce, 7.  Mason, 11, was bouncing around somewhere else at the time the photo was taken and, with such energy as they have, it's not easy to get them altogether for a photo:

We will soon be leaving Houston to occupy our lot at the Escapees Co-Op in Hondo, and we will have another new area to explore; nearby San Antonio will provide all kinds of opportunities. We have plans for spending the summer in Colorado, and I'm hoping that my knees will enable us to make the trip. They are in increasing need of replacement, so I suppose we will be spending more than a year, between the two of us, getting new body parts for those that have worn out. This is a bit of a strange time for us, as we have enjoyed good health for many years, and I suppose I shouldn't complain if we can get everything repaired within a year. There are so many people with problems that are much worse.

It has also been a strange time in the country since the election. I have learned that it is pointless to become too political in this blog, as it would have little chance of changing anyone's opinion. However, we almost never watch television news any longer, relying mostly on reliable internet sources that still deliver news instead of opinion or advocacy disguised as news. It is difficult to believe that in only two generations since the Greatest Generation we have become a country I hardly recognize. Of course, it was all predicted...II Timothy 3 describes it perfectly. (If you don't know what book that pertains to, you may be part of the problem.) We have forgotten the principles upon which our country was founded and now, I fear, we will pay the price.

We have another week to spend in the Houston area getting our final medical appointments done, then we will be moving farther west to see what the San Antonio area holds for us. Sandy will be continuing her therapy there, and I will be visiting with knee surgeons. 

Once again, I leave you with a favorite photo from our travels. This one is fall color just outside Silverton, Colorado in 2017:

 Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; 

please forgive me if I fail to appreciate it each day as I should.

We don't stop playing because we get old; we get old because we stop playing. 

 ---George Bernard Shaw

"I get up every morning, and I just don't let the old man in." ---Clint Eastwood