WESTWARD HO - MISSOURI, TEXAS, NEW MEXICO visiting FRIENDS AND RELATIVES

After fifteen hours waiting for Anderson Indiana's Freightliner to finish with the motor home, we drove to a casino parking lot to sleep.  Early the next morning we hit the road again and stopped in the early afternoon at Edwardsville IL.  The following day we drove the car in to St. Louis MO to go up in the Gateway Arch and drive about the city a little.

St. Louis MO and Gateway Arch

Looking out the windows in the arch
down on St. Louis and the river below.

On our way back to Red Barn Rendezvous RV Park we stopped at a fifties restaurant, Millie's Cafe'.  Awesome burgers and fair fries!!

Saturday, on Gary's birthday, we drove on to Joplin, Missouri's Coachlight RV Park.  We loafed the rest of the day and went to dinner at Sirloin Stockade.  Great steaks and trimmings with plenty to take home for another day, we left very satisfied!!  Hope that we don't start putting on the pounds!!
On Sunday we went to First Baptist Church in Carthage MO and met and fellowshipped and worshiped with some very friendly people. Leaving there we went to (new to us) Braum's Ice Cream store for burgers.  Haven't had that good a burger in a long time.  Too full to try the ice cream, so went back another evening for that.
In the afternoon we contacted Gary's niece, Karen, and made plans to visit them.  What a great afternoon of catching up!!  She said that it has been at least 25 years.

Bridgette

Karen and Andy

Karen, it was great to spend time with you and Andy and Bridget!!  We promise to stop back when we are in that area again.  Sorry I had to improvise for the pictures.

The next day we drove down to Branson and spent the day there, finishing with a dinner show on the Branson Belle Showboat.

Good food and great show!!  Yes, Bridget, it is ALL worth seeing, so we will come back to spend at least a week in Branson in the future!

On Tuesday we drove on to Oklahoma City to the Oklahoma Casino parking lot for an overnight stop.  Those parking lots are always so level and nice.
Many things to see as we continued to travel Route 66!!

1948 Flxible Bus used in the Robin Williams movie "RV"/
It was modified for the movie.

Then Wednesday we continued on Highway 40 (Route 66) to the Route 66 RV Park in Amarillo TX.  It was also time to catch up on laundry and then had Mexican food at the Plaza Restaurant.

On Thursday we took the car and drove south about two hours to visit with my great nephew, Matthew, and his family.

Jessica and Sierra

Gracia and Mattthew

Had a wonderful visit, and promised to stop back.  This is the second time in recent years that we have visited them in TX as well as other visits in Port Charlotte FL. They had been having a lot of rain and flooding in this part of Texas, so Matt had the day off from his job on a big-time farm of that area.  He says that his boss owns 6000 acres.  Some operation!! Matt and Jessica it was great to see you and the little ones, Gracia and Sierra.  Take care now.

On Friday we drove on to Ute State Park in NM to meet up with fellow RVers from Salem Ohio, Bob and Donna.

Audrey, Gary, Bob and Donna, I would dub you in
if I knew how!!

What a sunset!!

Bigger view of the lake at Ute State Park

Closer view of the flowers in the above picture.

We went out to eat as well as enjoying their scenery at the lake there.  We usually keep in touch and when nearing a location where we can both be together, we contact and connect.  Had a good visit for three days and then on to Las Cruses to connect with Gary's cousin, Mildred, to visit over family genealogy and do some sight seeing.

Gary and  cousin, Mildred

That was a wonderful visit and hope to do it again while we are in the west over the next year. So glad that she got her move completed from Alamagordo to Las Cruses to be near her family.  It is best that way since she lost her husband shortly after the move.   Hopefully, we can see her family again also.

We are still taking pictures, but have not downloaded them to my photo program.  I am hoping to have the help of a friend in Ohio via phone and also meet up with a computer group at our western home park in Mesa.  We have well over 500 shots on the camera and it will be a chore, but I will manage.  Then hopefully I can drop some in to this Blog as well as the last one.

We have seen some unusual rain water standing in New Mexico.  We also expect to see it in Arizona. They are having the spin-off from the hurricane off the coast of Mexico.  Hope that your weather is nice. Check back and look for the pictures and some more adventures.

January 9, 2015 update - I have tried getting help from several people to find a way to use the photos taken on this trip.  None of them were able to solve my problem.  As time went on I would try anything that would come to mind, but everything failed me until now.
The original problem when downloading the pictures to my photo program may have been caused when I stopped the download in mid process.  I lost the pictures (files) but the thumbnails were showing in the program.  At that time I did not even know the difference between thumbnails and files!!  I still don't really, except to know that they are different entities.  Just a few nights ago, I had a brainstorm in the night about taking pictures of those thumbnails and download them as new pictures. This was the end result of that brainstorm.  They are very grainy because of the size change when exporting them to the Blog. However, I have some records and not all is lost.  They will be in my Blog hardback book when I have it printed this month for 2014.  

OUTER BANKS with FAMILY, THEN HEADING WEST, FIRST STOP INDIANA

Sorry not to have written a Blog sooner, but can not seem to handle the new photo program. Back in 2008 I vaguely remember having a very frustrating time when we began Full Timing and writing the Blog to go along with it.
So it seems that I will be going through those frustrating times again until I get a better handle on this new program.  I hate the life with computers as there always seems to be changes.  Change does not set very well with us older folks.

We just spent a week with the whole family in Outer Banks NC.

Richard was playing mini golf.

Rich and brother-in-law, Bill

Coming back from fishing.

Fishing of another kind?  I think not, just games.

Rich and Bill waiting for the gals in shopping.

The usual trip over the dunes
to get to the beach.

Richie and Uncle Bill, a walk on the beach.
Surf too rough for anything else.

Richie's sister, Miranda, and
Grandma Angie.

Both Granny's enjoying
the beach!!!

Richie and his dad, playing on the computers.

Richie and his mom, Lynn

Grandpa

A lot of fun and was the first time that we had all of the family together for a vacation since the boys were little, except for the camping life.  We took our time and did a little sight seeing in Winchester VA on the way back to Ohio.  We also had dinner with a few couples after church at Calvary Baptist in Winchester. Thank you so much for inviting us to join you at IHOP, Bob and Diane!! It was a great visit and good food!!  Take care and hope to see you again some day when we come back through there.

We are beginning our trip westward with the final destination to be Mesa AZ by October 1st, after we returned to Ohio to pick up the motor home which was having brake work done for towing our new car, four wheels down. . While in Ohio we had maintenance work done on the motor home as well. Then about half way across Ohio the old engine light came on in the motor home!  Seems it is time for an oil change.  Too bad we did not realize it in Ohio.  But will take care of it at Freightliner in Anderson, IN.
Our first stop heading west was in eastern Indiana where we had a good four days visiting with my brother, Paul, and sister, Pearl Jean, and their children.

Pearl and daughter, Tina
getting ready to play 5 Crowns?

Pearl's new house.

Paul with Pearl showing off her
newly acquired root beer, called
Virgil's Root Beer.
Co-incidence that our father's
name was Virgil.?

Pearl's son-in-law, Tracy with
her grandson, Damon

Pearl's daughters, Debbie and Tina

Paul's son, Paul Jr.

Paul's son David with his two boys, 

Debbie, Gary and Audrey

We got to celebrate our birthdays along with my niece, who was born on my birthday 53 years ago. Debbie, it was great!!


And Pearl, thank you for putting up with me under foot so much.  And thanks for having the picnic at your house to visit with all the rest of the family there in Indiana.  We do need to do this more often!!

On Sunday, we drove over to Upland and went to the Friends church there.

Upland Indiana Friends Church

We spent the afternoon with Pearl and Tina going to a little Festival south of Upland.  Fun afternoon!!
We also had a real frustrating time with the Honda dealer in Boardman OH trying to get our license sticker and registration through FL. In fact, we had not received it yet when we left Ohio towing the new car even though the financing had been approved before we drove the car away from the dealership.  So very frustrating and about a two week delay!!  Cost us for a second 30-day tag and a hundred mile trip back in to Ohio from my sister's to get it. We are not happy campers at the moment.

You all take care and I will drop pictures in when I can master it.  And will try to write a Blog again soon.

January 9, 2015 - Dropped pictures in for Indiana.  Explaination about pictures in the next Blog dated, September 26, 2014.