The Old Folks

Pilgrimage day two

2011-09-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

So after getting off the train it was about 2pm, so we just headed for our destination for the evening, Hays Kansas with a few stops for lunch, potty, caches and just because I needed to stretch! We have our "Spot" along so if you wish to see where we have been follow this link. Here

The Annual Pilgrimage to Jayson and Shay's

2011-09-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

Well here it is , that time of year again and we are at Jayson and Shay's home in Missouri. We started on Sept. 7th about 8 am and reached the destination Friday evening around 5:30. On the way we saw a lot of beautiful country, this was a first for me, I have not been this way before past Green River and the Junction where we went through Moab on the way home last year. Dendra had gone with Saddie a few months before and had some things to recommend for us to do along the way. Of course we did do a few GeoCaches along the way but mostly when we had stopped for other things first, such as .... a dinosaur museum in Fruita Colorado then on to spend the night in Dillon Colorado, we had a real nice room there and also a very nice meal, Dendra seemed to like the barbequed ribs there. The next morning we stopped to ride the train at Silver Plume Colorado. I really enjoyed the ride, but when we got there it was a bit chilly and it was then I realized I had not thought of bringing a Jacket. We set about looking for a store to get one but the Gift shop was still closed so we went to the nearby town of Georgetown and was not able to find anything there but we looked at lots of neat old homes and buildings there, we found a Jacket at the Gift shop and had a great ride on the train. I took lots of photos but here are just a few. Here is a link for the Museum Dino Museum

Indian Peaks Geocaching

2011-07-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, last week we took a trip out to Indian Peaks with my brother Brent and His Wife Evelyn. We started out by going out the Lund Highway to the Railroad tracks then out the dirt roads. we set about following a geo trail I had mapped out and of course saw all sorts of beautiful country and even some Antelope and Wild Horses too and some neat landmarks such as an old school bus set up for a storage trailer I guess. We made it to Indian Peaks the first day and decided to camp at a nice little spot we found for the night. The next morning we continued to cache our way to Milford, we wound our way up and down and all around, through a mighty wind storm and made it back home again . this was the first time we had actually slept in the tent or even used the van for what I had tried to set it up for and I was very pleased with the performance. I really liked the All Wheel Drive and limited slip differential it made for a smooth trouble free ride without stopping to lock hubs and such, it just kicked in and done it's job then back out again when not needed smooth as silk! We did have a couple of minor issues which are being taken care of now, a slight overheating tendency and squealing front brakes. Brents Vanagon of course performed flawlessly and seemed to be able to go anywhere whereas my astro seemed to be limited by the operator! I am looking forward to our next excursion, hopefully with Brent and Evelyn again, they were a lot of fun to travel with and the were good sports about stopping every few miles for another cache.

A DaY aT tHe PoOl!

2011-06-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

We spent the last two days playing at the pool. After buying swimming suits and thongs. We were all set to spend time in the YMCA pool. With a family fee of $12.00, we found an activity that was fun for every age group. Most of the children had not had the opportunities to play much less learn to swim in a large pool.

The first day everyone was excited even though some were very afraid of so much water. It did not take long for everyone to start having fun. This film was taken the second day of swimming. What a difference! Everyone had learned some new skill.

We are hoping to be able to have at least one more day swimming before I head home.

Taylor and Jayson had hay to cut for a neighbor so they miss the fun. They have not been able to go swimming with us yet. We really missed them.

Ami the wonder dog

2011-06-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

Colt and his room mates recently got new Corgi puppy, her name is Ami (ahh me) they were over visiting today and we took a minute to catch her in action. She is a sweet little thing and is learning quite quickly, the thing I thought was cute was her way of asking for things, she says aroo a little modified like howl.

Free Park Day!!

2011-04-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

We were able to tag along with the kids for a fun day at Zion Park Friday. We met up at Farmers Market in LaVerkin and convoyed up to the park, we were fortunate enough to find a good parking spot in the overflow spot, Man there was a lot of people!! After a shuttle ride we hiked up to Emerald pool then down the KoKopelli trail back to the Grotto, then a shuttle ride back to the cars. The shuttle back was FULL but a fun ride, I got to play Peek a Boo with a little girl in front of us, all in all a very fun experience. After the hike we went to a park in Springdale for a picnic, then home to visit for a while. Photos courtesy of Grandma!

I Looked out the window and what did I see....

2011-04-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

HEY Its snowing out there! I woke up this morning and thought I had died and gone to Salt Lake, this is April right!! I then heard a Meeeeow and looked down to see the cat who seemed to enjoy the snow as much as I but hunger forced him out of his warm sanctuary and into the snow.

Out caching on the Mesa's Edge

2011-04-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great day out caching with a new Geo Friend and his family, Stevens 8 (Cory, Serena three of their girls) and we wanted to go and try the new "Mesa's Edge" series put out by our good friend Coach Steve. We met up in Hurricane and proceeded to head toward Colorado City, then out to Lost Spring Mesa. The day was beautiful while a bit cloudy and the Mesa was absolutely beautiful, the roads were a bit rocky but very manageable, the only "problem" was my planning as I had not done a very good job of mapping so was wandering around a bit but you can be assured we will be back to finish the series and do some camping in this neat spot, Thanks to Coach Steve for showing us yet another neat spot we have not seen before!!

We folded it up today!

2011-03-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

Well we decided to fold it up and put the cover on the Roof Top Tent this afternoon, it went well but it looks like we will have to use a ladder because it is soooooo tall, but hey that's what I wanted. we took it out for a little spin and even a token Geocache to break it in. I'm very happy with it so far, I'm looking forward to all the places this should open up for us, now we just need to get out and get camping!!

How it works

2011-03-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otm50oCCgRI

More fun!!!!

2011-03-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

We got out and made some more progress tonight, we got the ladder attached and set it up roughly to see how it went. The only amusing part is that it is so tall we had to actually have Dendra open the windows and lean out to help put the rods in the rain flys, great fun for the neighbors watching I'm sure.

A little more progress today

2011-03-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Well it stopped blowing and snowing and raining so we decided to try and put the tent up on the van, all the kids were gone back to work/ school/home so the only one left to volunteer was Dendra! we had brought the tent into the living room and unpacked it to check it out and assemble part of it in preparation for installation on the van. We were amazed with the quality and size of this thing, it looks like it should work great. Next thing we got it put it up on the roof with Dendra's help, then came the fun part, trying to put bolts in a place you can't even get your fingers let alone your hands. tomorrow more fun!

Look what showed up in my driveway!

2011-03-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

So after a wait of about a week the big day arrived, a big truck backed up to our driveway and unloaded our new Roof Top Tent. the big challenge now of course is to get it up on the top of the Van and get it bolted down. I have a feeling it's gonna take quite a little effort but I'm excited to unpack it and get on with the fun!

Mike and Dendra Works Together

2011-02-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

This is our Chuck Box. It is made to fit in the back of the van so we can grab it and away we go on our ventures. It was very interesting to work together drawing up plans, fixing the wood, and putting the box together.

Michael got the wood from a crate that housed a pump for the Plant. We took all of the nails and staples out. The pump came from Sweden (I think) and they did not want the box to come apart. This took quite awhile and we did a great job. Then we bought the containers that we wanted to put into the box so we could build efficiently. We took our measurement of the vehicle, items, and wood and the planning began. To say that we have a hard time explaining what we were thinking or seeing is an understatement. We think so differently from each other. We took about 3 days to get where we thought we knew what the other was thinking to start the project. Together we cut, pasted, nailed, and varnished. I think that it turned out great.

I learned an interesting thing about why it is so hard for us to communicate our ideas to each other. I can picture what I will do and see problem before they come up. Not all the problems but I step by step what I am going to do and what problems they will cause later. This helps so I can think back to where that problem started and put in the steps that need to prevent that out come. It makes we ask a lot of questions that I want answers to before I start. This can lead to me never starting. Michael on the other hand works hands on. He has the idea of what he wants and he handles the problems as the arise. He thinks out what has to be done next and does that part as it comes. This can lead into undoing or fixing something. But at least he can start a project without having everything just so.

It was such an eye opener to go through my mind the things that we have done together and how frustrating it has been. I would be asking questions. Michael would feel like I didn't think he knew what he was doing. The more questions I would ask the more I was hurting him. And when I would say we can't do that a certain way. Meaning I had already seen problems that would come up and that I was trying to help. He would be hearing "You are so dumb." And when Michael would say that I could not see what he was saying and I couldn't because he wasn't talking about a few steps and I was thinking about a finished project. Then I would feel like he was saying I was just to dumb to comprehend a simple project. I would always be thinking and talking of the finished project and he would be thinking and talking of the next steps. It was like speaking German and English. Some things were clear and others were totally unintelligent and insulting.

It is so interesting that we think everyone does things in basically the same way. We think this way until we can see that they don't. But even knowing how someone sees things it is hard to get our minds around the differences. But I am glad that we do. I would never get anything done without all of the answers and Michael would be frustrated when he had done a step to soon and later found out that he just had to leave it or start over.

I love the box! But I loved learning how we think more. Our communication can and will be increased in the future because I will listen to what he is saying with new ears and try very hard to speak with a new language that is more clear.

Why Is This Soooo Hard!

2011-02-07T06:53:00.000-08:00

I love to keep up with what everyone is doing. It makes me feel like we are not far apart. BUT! To think to take pictures or write down the things that are happening in our family is so, so, very hard for me. Spelling and grammar are things that I do not do well and I hate to look stupid. (Because I know that I am not.) To see this weakness that is getting worse as I get older is intimidating. I know it's silly. However it is my a stumbling block. On my good days I can handle this problem. When I am having a bad day, week, or month weighing 100 pounds would be easier.

My goal this year is just to write at least once a month. So we will see it I can pull this off.

Red Neck Rain Gauge

2011-01-01T16:01:00.001-08:00

This is how much rain we had here lately!