Love the Lord your God, listen to His voice and hold fast to Him, for the Lord is your life! Deut. 30:20


Saturday, August 15, 2026

Sleep in the car?

We made a quick trip to Wisconsin last week.  We left around 4:00 on Friday afternoon as Al worked that day.  We stopped in Hillsboro for Dale's sausage.  It is sooo good and the kids always appreciate that we bring it!

We enjoy the drive through the Flint Hills.



Oooh.  I'd like to explore that old house!  But it looks like it is on private land.


We were getting hungry near Homewood, before Kansas City.  We found a rest area and had a picnic.


Whie driving we listened to a couple of sermons.  One man said that it takes years to grow a giant oak tree.  But you can almost watch a squash grow overnight!  But do you want to be strong in the faith or be weak like a squash?   Becoming mature in the faith takes time.

We had not made reservations for a hotel because we were not positive what time we'd get left.  We began calling hotels in the Des Moines area and were being quoted around $350 a night.  No way.  Think of all you can purchase for $350!  We'd just as soon sleep in the car at a rest stop and save the money!  We were thinking of it, but tried a place in a smaller town before Des Moines and were able to find a room for half that, which we think is still a lot.  We can still rememeber Motel 6 being $6 back in the day!  


Or we could stay at a place like this?  Hmmm.  I think maybe the car might be better?  We may have to begin thinking about adding some sleeping gear to our car for trips.  We have friends who have done it and they are in their 80s.  If they can do it.....


The next morning, after eating at the hotel, we took off.  On 330 that heads northeast out of Des Moines, we ran across a motorcycle gang.  


As we were passing them, we realized they were all women!  What fun for these women to ride together on a Saturday.  

I was reading my morning devotions from Romans 7:24-25 and it reads like this in the Amplified Classic version:
"O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death?
O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

It reminded me of the old radio program "Unshackled".  I looked it up on my phone and we listened to an episode of it.  Organ music and all!  That was a look-back to the old days.
 
We listened to Gary Hambrick talking about David becoming king of Israel.  Allen will be teaching adult Sunday School on that topic as summer is coming to a close and the new church year begins with Sunday School back in full swing.  Always good to get other helps and ideas.  I always enjoy listening to Gary Hambrick's teachings.


We are always impressed how pristeen the lawns/farms are in Iowa!  They mow their areas beyond most states we've ever been in.


And look at these wild flowers planted in the median!



We were ready for lunch so got off the road in Mineral Point.  We always pass it, but we decided to get off the highway and see if there was a place with picnic tables.   There was!  With a historical marker!  I love that!


We had some lunch left over from the day before and we'd grabbed some bread and peanut butter and jam, a banana and yogurt from our breakfast buffet at the hotel.  Neither of us has had a pbj for years but it made a decent lunch!



A little library box.


Once Al retires and we can spend more time traveling, I want to visit again.  There is a historical site called Pendarvis in Mineral Point.  It was built by Cornish immigrants who came here in the 19th century to mine lead and zinc.


No time on this trip.  We continued on.  A crop duster flew over the highway.


We got to our daughter's home in the afternoon.  Jill had obligations at another church so she wasn't home.  And our son-in-law was performing a wedding.  But our granddaughters Sophia and Claire were home.  We visited and then drove to OshKosh to the Olive Garden.  Claire had never eaten at one before. Adam drove down from north of Appleton and met us there. 


To be continued....

Thursday, August 6, 2026

Colorado family comes for a visit

 

The little girlies from Colorado came to visit!

I had been working on a puzzle that we borrowed from a friend and I was finding it extremely hard.  Jason and Mindy pitched right in and we had it finished while they were with us!  Have you ever worked on a wooden puzzle by Liberty?  They are rather pricey but pretty nifty to work on!




The girls helped me with watering and feeding the birds each day.





I took the girls for a bike ride around the lake.


Later they got rides from Papa and Daddy.





Even mommy got a ride!



The girls love doing art work!



Playdough time




Playing games was lots of fun!


I had a little Bible lesson about Jesus growing up.



They helped me make an Oreo/ice-cream dessert.  
They enjoyed pounding and crushing the Oreos.


Of course, we had to go to Drubers Donut shop!


I can still remember when their mommy would sit here when she was their age!


The girls aren't fond of the smell of some of the stores downtown.
It actually just smells like peppernuts that are made at Prairy!  
And of course, I bought some for their family, namely Jason!


I also bought the girls some little stuffed animals!
Because Nani likes to do that kind of thing.




We also shopped in Wichita.




Another afternoon, mommy and daddy went on a date to Wichita.  
This is what Colorado kids like to do.
                    



Tenley even knows how to do this - they've been teaching her since she was 2!


While they were out, we got out the pool and sprinkler.




They wanted me to do a Bible story again.  We sang some songs too.


We watched a duck and her ducklings leave the pond on the north, go across our yard and go to the pond on the south side of our road.


There is a cement wall around the pond and it is quite a drop.  Mommy waited for them in the water and we watched to see what the babies would do.  They walked back and forth quacking and quacking.  Finally, one took a leap and tumbled around on the ground, landing by her mommy.  One by one, they bravely tumbled down to the "beach" and then on to the water.  Glad no one was injured!  It sure was shocking to watch that happen!



Only too soon, it was time for good-byes.
So long girlies!  See you another time!


They stopped to see Papa at work before leaving town.


They love Papa so much!