October 17, 2006 Blog pictures

Orange City, Iowa

We spent another 8 days in Iowa. We just lived and enjoyed our kids and grandbaby. We so enjoyed worshipping at Alton Reformed Church for 3 Sundays of our trip. Pastor Mike and Elizabeth have such special hearts and ability. The congregation is so warm and welcoming. They are really looking out to their community. If we lived in Orange City, we’d sure enjoy serving there!

We went antiquing in Spencer, Iowa, spent a shopping day with Mary, Eric and the Divine Miss Iz in Sioux City, had a luscious dinner at Blue Mountain in Orange City. It is a really nice, high end restaurant – fairly new. Eric is working there part-time as a line chef. His wildest dream come true! Mary took me to her book club last Thursday night. They are reading Cry, the Beloved Country. I enjoyed meeting with the ladies because I had read the book a couple of years ago.

I’ve been baking! How weird to have time. We stumbled on fresh picked apples everywhere we went, so I made apple donuts and apple cake. We’ve also gotten into the habit of a hot breakfast – bacon, eggs, biscuits, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, oatmeal (not in a cup of hot water either!)

I hope you enjoy the pictures of us at Pumpkin Land! It is this great farm in Orange City, where they grow and sell pumpkins and every product you can think of made from them, and all the other fall produce. They also have a corn maze (I’m told by the kids it is most fun after dusk with flash lights), petting pens with bunnies, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, llamas, goats and lambs. If you talk to Mary or Missy, ask them to share with you about their love of goats! The local animal shelter also brings in a pen of puppies – free to a good home. Eric nearly took home the cutest chocolate lab. I think if they have a house next year, a puppy will make it’s way home from Pumpkin Land in Eric’s coat pocket! Isabel had the best day. When we got back in the car she communicated, in her own way, how much fun she had. She licked like the doggies licked her, she made the rooster noise, and clicked like the turkey and kicked her legs and waved her arms and laughed throughout her monologue. Did you now that only the male turkeys gobble, and the females click? She repeated this all day and evening. And, the next morning, she repeated the whole thing again for Mommy!!

Doug has been tinkering on our little rolling home. He installed a water purifier, connected the heating blankets to 110V, replaced the water heater computer board. Just like home, the maintenance of this little house is constant – just smaller!

We also had some more work done on our RV. We think all but about 5 things have been repaired. We’re just waiting for the furnace, AC, fridge, stove and slide to breakdown, then, we will have had everything replaced in the whole trailer!! If you need to buy an RV, we can definitely tell you where NOT to buy it. The last thing fixed was the axel. All 4 shackles were fractured, and the axel was just hanging! We wondered why it just beat us up to drive the thing – all the way from California to the East Coast and back to Iowa. We are now enjoying a very smooth ride and are absolutely horrified by the thought of what would have happened to us if that axel had dropped on the road! God is so good to us!

We woke up in Boise, ID this morning – surrounded by people and cars. Funny how you can get so acclimated, so fast to wide open spaces. We wonder how we’ll ever survive in busy LA again! As I write, we’re driving through eastern Oregon. We’re on our way to Port Townsend, WA - one of our favorite places. We hope to have several quiet, restful days there before heading down the coast to civilization.

Current favorites:
DVD: Baby Einstein
Book: Baby Shapes
Favorite Food: Cherrios
Favorite Song: “Blaaoomp Went the Little Green Frog”

*As usual, I'm having technical difficulty downloading the pictures. I will post them on the blog to follow - same date!

Washington DC. The Capitol, The American Red Cross, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington Monument beyond the WWII Memorial

Friday, October 6, 2006
We are ending week 7 of our trip. We really could do this for another 3 months, but our California kids and our cats would kill us! We talked to Bob and Leo on the phone the other night. Bob just walked away, but Leo rubbed the phone and cried and told me all about his day - 'Meow, meow, meow, meow'.
We were able to visit Missy last Sunday. We met her at Three Bridges Reformed Church in Thee Bridges New Jersey. It is a homey church with a very friendly congregation. A little smaller than her Alton, Iowa church. We think she will be very comfortable there. We returned to Princeton for lunch and a little shopping before leaving her to study in the evening. It was so good to be with her again. We'll miss her - until we meet again in December in Iowa.
Monday we drove to the Washington DC area. We were stunned to hear of the school shootings and deaths in Paradise, PA - amish country. We were just very short distance away as they happened, and had driven right past 2 weeks earlier. Such a sad event for such a quiet, gentle place that seems set apart from our worldy world.
We visited DC on Tuesday. We rode the bus/train in - which was such a great idea. We started at the Smithsonians - Air and Space first. We could have spent days there. I was so touched by the Apollo exhibits - I saw the work my Daddy had done on the program. His flight manuals on display - possibly even some of his handwriting. We also really enjoyed the Wright Brother's exhibit, and their first plane and an early bicycle.
Then on to the Art Museum, where they were showing 17th century French and American works. After a tasty lunch in their cafeteria (better than most nice restaurants), we were off to the Capitol building. Sadly, you must arrive early in the morning and get a pass for a tour. They have very limited admission, since 9/11. So, we went over to Library of Congress. The architecture is incredible. We wandered around rare books, hispanic studies and the Bob Hope exhibit.
We caught the train to Arlington, but got off at 4:50pm - to late for admission. We hoofed it across the Potomic River on foot and collapsed at the Lincoln Memorial. Abe is a big guy! I was ready to crawl up on his lap%

Beautiful Isabel! She is always laughing! We'll see her again next week!

September 26-28 we were in Niagra falls. We rode on the "Maid of the Mist" boat which takes you on the water right up into the base of the falls. You feel just like you are in a 180 ft. wave. It is seriously breathtaking. Jody says she understands why it is the honeymoon capital of the US. The "Maid of the Mist" experience is 'Orgasmic!' We also enjoyed the historic Canadian town, Niagra on the Lake. We'd love to go back one day and stay in a B&B.


Doug loved visiting Orange County Choppers in Montomery, New York. We were there on Sunday, September 17.
Doug at Sherwood Beach Park in Conneticut. This memorial was created to remember all the Conneticut folks who lost their lives on 9/11. We were there a week after the 5th anniversary, so there were lots of flags, and tributes. A very moving experience. We were unable to talk while there. We walked quite a ways before finding our voices again. On a clear day, you can see the New York skyline with the void visable where the twin towers once stood.

We are so sorry we haven't been able to keep up on our blog. After visiting about 5 Cingular stores, and spending hours on the phone with technical services, tonight we found a Cingular store in PA that determined we were sold a bad 'sim card' and our wireless card/software was installed wrong by Cingular. We haven't been able to use our internet accesss until tonight!! It's flying tonight, so we'll cross our fingers that it is working!

We are having a wonderful trip. Our little home on wheels is keeping us snug and warm. We got Missy tucked in at Princeton Theological Seminary and took off for the Catskill Mountains in New York (about the size of the Pasadena foothills!) Then, we spent 8 days in Cape Cod in the town of Sandwich. We took day trips to Plymouth, Boston, Sudbury - Longfellow's Wayside Inn, Strubridge Village and Provincetown.

We have watched the fall colors change daily! We notice the change, not daily anymore, but the color intensifies from morning to night. It is cold for us Californians! High 40s today, and we've had lots of rainy days.

Tonight we are in Allentown, PA - about 1 1/2 hours from Princeton, NJ. We'll be tourists tomorrow, and meet up with Missy again on Sunday, for a last visit before we head west.

I'm going to try to add a few more pics now, but I don't really have this part down yet...

Rats, it didn't work! I'll add them to my next blog. Blessings to you all, we love you!
Doug and Jody

Wow! We finally got our lap top and internet running tonight. Yeah!! So, I'll try to update you on our travels.
We spent almost 2 weeks in Iowa with our daughter, Mary and hubby, Eric and our BEAUTIFUL granddaughter, Isabel. She was so delightful (see pics). We were able to attend the wedding of Kimberly Pals and Brandon Miller on Sept. 1. Kim is one of my girl's best friends, and played the piano at Mary's wedding. What a lovely wedding! I'll post pictures later - Eric took so many great ones, that I didn't take any.
Leaving Iowa on Wed. Sept. 6, we started toward Princeton, NJ to move our daughter Missy. Doug hung everything possible on the back of the trailer - generator, bikes and gas can (see pic). We stopped in the famous town of Blue Earth, Wisconsin - home of the 60ft. tall statue of the Jolly Green Giant - and not much else (see pic). We spent the night inn Oaksomething, WI at a lovely KOA off the freeway. Gotta love jakebrakes at 3am!!
On to Chicago. Sr. Christina is right - it is a wonderful city. Missy called some of her buds from her Tibet trip and the picked us up for dinner and a tour of the city. (See pics of Missy, Kevin and KC). The boys go to Wheaton College. What wonderful young men. KC's friend, Steve, is an architect student at Chicago Art Institute. He met us after dinner and took us to see his new apartment. It is in a luxury tower on the water - 9th floor overlooking Navy Pier (Doug can't ever remember the name and calls it 'Police Park'). It is a rent control apartment - but it is the most luxurious apartment I've ever seen. All new, modern shape, nearly floor to ceiling windows, open floor plan. The city of Chicago is pristine clean, great architeture, art, theater, restaurants, etc. Also, everything is open late and you feel safe walking after midnight! If you ever get the chance - go visit. By the way, Thursday, Sept. 7 was Doug's birthday. We had real Chicago pizza at Giardino's! Oh wow, yummy yummy!
Today we caught up with one of our adopted sons, Jarvis Jernigan. We had lunch at Portillo's hot dogs. I was expecting some little stand, but no! As we drove up to this really trendy establishment Doug noted, "Jarvis did always know his food"! And, true to form - we ate t

By: Mary Arteche (daughter and best-friend)
They quit their jobs, bought a trailor. After waiting for the world traveler, Missy, to come home from Tibet. She arrived safely but sick: worms and a respiratory infection. Good combo, huh? She rested and now is ready to move to Princeton, NJ. For grad school at the Theological Seminary (she's our ivy leaguer... obviously I'm not!)
It was finally time to leave.Well, they tried to leave. After a five day trip to Iowa (and believe me it does not take a complete five days to get here...) and now with four new tires, new wiring, new aleternator and soon to get a new bike rack and misc. parts for the dropped bikes-- they made it.
Okoboji, Iowa in the Iowa great lakes area was beautiful. Drinking sangria in the starlight next to a bon-fire with a grandbaby singing is the closest thing next to heaven. Isabel remembered them right off the bat. As her mom, I'm still called, "Ba" but Papa Bug is sweetly and softly "ahh-pa-pa." I have fallen from my pedestial but graciously.
Well, now that I have the Blog set up, they now, will do the posting.
Happy readings!

Jody currently reading: Memory Keeper's Daughter
Doug currently reading: Start Ups that Work
Mary currently reading: Book of Famous Iowans and Under The Tuscan Sun
Missy currently reading: Siddartha, The Bell Jar and Harry Potter
Eric currently reading: Sex begins in the Kitchen (right?)