May, 2010

Dear Family,

I just asked both Judy Lynn and Heather if they would like to write this letter tonight and they both said that if they did it would consist of one line:

“Hi, we are all doin good!”

So, that sounded pretty good, because that is the truth.  We have been back from our month-long trip in our motorhome for a couple of weeks now, but are still in the catch-up mode.  I still have lots of spring work to do in the yard and I still have to get all the motorhomes ready for the rental season which is coming right up.  Our bookings are starting out a little slow, but we hope that things will pick up some before summer really hits.

It was good to see so many of you at Mom’s birthday party.  It has been many years since I have seen some of you.  I think that we ought to make it a point to get together more often.  I mentioned to Mom that we would have 95^th birthday party, but she told me that she wouldn’t be around to go to it.  So then I asked her about having one in a couple of years and she said that was more like it.  So, let’s plan on that and have a CE Arnell reunion in a couple of years.

On the Monday after Mom’s birthday party, we left our Jennifer’s and drove to Salt Lake where we spent the night parked in front of some friends of Jay and Heather’s.  Then the next day we drove on in to Phoenix.  We had a MH full, with Leslie, Sawyer, Finn, Heather, Gwen, Jeff, Becky, Judy Lynn and I.  But, traveling in that MH is nice and we were not crowded at all and we had a good visit while we rode.  We spent a week in Maricopa with Jeff and Becky.  I delivered my old tiller to him and we tilled his garden and got it planted.  We spent the rest of the week visiting friends and relatives and had a great time.  The following Monday we left Jeff’s and drove back through CA to Oregon.  Judy Lynn has an aunt that lives in Stockton that she wanted to see.  We had heard that she had a stroke and Judy Lynn wanted to stop and visit.  When her cousin called to tell us about the stroke, he did not make it sound like it was too bad of a stroke, so we were not expecting what we saw when we got to the center where she was staying.  It was Mom Alder all over again, only Aunt Dix could not even talk.  She has always been such an elite lady and it was really hard to see her like that… but we are glad that we stopped.  I hope that she realized who we were and that we stopped because we cared about her.

This past weekend our Stake had a father and Son’s campout and all of us “boys” went except Aaron and Randy.  There was a large crowd there and everyone was in tents, vans, or sleeping in the back of pickups, etc… except us.  There we were in our Taj Mahal.  Saturday morning our Stake President, who is also a good friend that I have known since he was a teenager, asked me sarcastically if I had slept well.  I replied that I slept pretty well, except I had to get up at about 5:30 AM to turn on the furnace so that it would not be cold when I had to get out of bed!  That brought a smile to his face.

I hope that all you Mothers had a good day yesterday.  We had the four kids over that live up here and we also invited Grant and Colleen (Hirschi) Widmer over since none of their kids live near.  We had BBQ chicken and corn-on-the-cob.  I tried to do as much of the cooking as I could.  It was the first time that I had cooked the corn-on-the-cob outside on the grill, and it took longer than planned because I did not turn the grill up high enough.  I thought if it was too hot, that the corn would burn, but found out that with the husks still on, there is enough moisture inside that it would not burn.  Anyway, it all turned out great.  The Crawfords brought home-made rolls, Grant and Colleen brought fruit dish (watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, etc.), and Jacki brought desert (Chocolate topped Rice Krispie treats and cookies) to go with ice cream.  We had a good time and are so glad that we have some family close and that they are so good to us and love getting together.

Well, I think that about does it for this month.  We hope that this letter finds you all well and happy, and please know that we pray for you all daily.

Love to you all,

Judy Lynn and Roger

   We finally made it back to Oregon.  My last post had us in Utah attending Mom's 90th Birthday celebration.  It certainly was a special day for the whole family.  It was so good to be together as a family and for cousins to see cousins that have not seen each other for a long time.  It was mentioned at this party that we should get together more often.  When we told Mom that we would get together again in five years, she very emotionally retorted that she did not WANT to be here (as in still living) in five years.  So, we changed it to two years and she said "Maybe".  Who knows what will happen.  For sure, we want Mom around for as long as she is happy.

Here are a few pictures taken at the party.

Mom and her Birthday Cake

Julie, getting this group looking good! (Impossible task!)
Mom and her family (with spouses)

Well, that will have to do!
Brent, Jan, Garna, Douglas, Mom, Roger, Judy Lynn, Dallas, Theresa, David & Maxine

From Utah to Maricopa (AZ)
Motorhome parked at the side of Jeff and Becky's

 
Me helping till the garden.  (Todd and I purchased a new tiller so I hauled this tiller to Jeff)
Heather looking on .  Right:  Jeff installing the drip irrigation.

Jeff installing the drip irrigation system and the front half of the garden.

Left:  Leslie and "best friend" Angela (Angel?)
Right:  Judy Lynn, Heather and Jeff hangin at Cafe Rio

 
Sawyer & (Angela's) Brody at splash pad at park.
Jeff entertained Gwen, getting her wet and lovin it

Grandpa giving Gwen a swing at the park - Gwen and Uncle Jeff

How many ladies does it take to change a diaper?
Cousin Krista (Angela's Sister), Judy Lynn, Leslie, Angela & Heather
(Finn on the "operating" table)

BBQ at Jeff and Becky's
Left:  Jeff with Becky in background
Right:  Angela, Krista, Heather, Leslie, Sawyer & Lars (Heather's friend from school [Utah State]) & Lars' Carden

We left Maricopa on Monday morning for our trip back to Oregon  We drove towards CA across AZ on Highway 10.  When we got to the CA border (Blythe) we headed north and went up through Needles.  I was afraid that we would hit LA about rush-hour time, and we had never been through Needles, so made the detour.  I am not sure we saved any time (in fact I am pretty sure it took quite a bit longer), but it was country we had never seen before an I always enjoy that.  We spent the night in a RV park near Mojave.  The RV Park was also near California City.  Not long after Judy Lynn and I were married, we "invested" in a lot zoned for an apartment in California City.  California City was supposed to be an up-and-coming city in CA because the LA Airport was going to move to Palmdale which would have moved a lot of LA out towards the NE.  Well, the LA airport did not move, so we still own a small piece of desert way out of California City.  It was supposed to have made us "rich", but so far has just cost us taxes.  I drove in to California City and it has grown a lot since we visited there 40 years ago, but building is still miles away from our little lot.

On Tuesday we drove on over the Bakersfield and then drove north towards Oregon.  We spent the night in Orland CA north of Sacrament.  Then yesterday we drove on in to Gresham and got here at a little after 6:00 PM.

One more picture to show to show the contrast of the weather during our travel back.

 
From planting a garden in AZ to the road going over the Siskiyou mountain yesterday

I guess it is good to be home, but we really did enjoy our time in the motorhome.  Now we will be in the catch-up mode for some time.  But, the family took good care of the home and yard.  My peas and onions are growing in the garden.  I hope it will dry more soon so that I can plant the rest of it.

Thank to all of our family and friends who made us feel so welcome as we visited.  We feel blessed to have such good friends and family that always seem glad to see us and spend time with us.  We always look forward to our spring and fall travels that bring us together.

Enuf for today

I don't think that Utah or Idaho pays any attention to the calendar.  Don't they know that as of the 21st of March, it is supposed to be SPRING.  For the third time in a little over a week we awoke to snow.  This time it was another DUMP

Note my tracks out to take the picture

Snow on truck and snow off sidewalk

Bentley helping shovel the snow

At least Bentley is having fun - sidewalk and driveway all cleaned.

Jenn (with back to us), Taurean holding Jaidyn

Left:  There were some large icicles hanging from this mirror, but they fell just before I took the picture
Right:  Icicles on the ground.  Bentley has the whole driveway, but finds what snow/ice go push his truck through.

So, what do I have planned for today?  I am going to sit around and watch the snow melt.  Thank goodness I brought my scanning project with me and I can use the time to work on that.

I called Mom this morning and they got about the same amount of snow, so guess I won't make it to Bear Lake again today.  Time is RUNNING OUT.  The family starts arriving tomorrow, Jeff and Becky first flying in to SL tomorrow.  The first car will leave Gresham tomorrow and the second will follow on Thursday, so by Thursday night, Jenn should have a house-full.  We are excited to be all together (well... almost all... Aaron, Todd, Jacki & Quinn will not be here) for Mom's birthday.

Enuf for this snowy today

The other day when we hear that a storm was coming in both Judy Lynn and I thought "RAIN".  Then when the storm hit, we were treated to about 6 inches of snow.  SURPRISE!!!  On Thursday I had a meeting in Brigham City that I needed to attend and planned to use equipment in the motorhome, so there I was Thursday morning way up on top of the MH sweeping off the snow, not only the top of the MH, but also from the awnings over the four slide-outs that would/will not retract until all the snow is removed.  Heights did not used to bother me at all, but as I get a little older, it has started to get my attention.  I figure at my age that if I were to fall off the top of this thing I would not bounce... but definitely BREAK.  My children get right upset with me when I climb up on the roof of any MH, in fact they don't like me even up on top of the roof of our home... the protective lot.  But, none of them were down here to help me (or give me a bad time) so I did it myself (I didn't tell Jenn what I was doing).  I will have to admit that I was happy when I got my two feet back on solid ground.

Then last night we got dumped on again, well... maybe not "dumped" but a few inches anyway.  I did not take any pictures on Thursday morning, but I did today.

So this is UTAH Spring?

But, I don't have any place to go today, so I am just letting the snow melt off the MH.  Much easier that way!

Yesterday Taurean and I added a new hose bib to the north side of his home.  Whenever I needed  more water in the MH, in the past I had to run a lloonngg hose from the south end of the front of their home.  So yesterday we went to "Roam Depot" and purchased what I needed to add the bib.  Here is the finished product.

Left is the new hose bib and right shows it's location (little speck on the wall) in relation to the MH.

I hooked up the water hose this morning and now we have all the water we need in the MH.  The gray water (sink, shower, etc.) can be let out on the lawn, so all that I need now is a connection to the sewer for the black water.  I haven't figured out how to do that as the sewer pipe from the house is right out the front door at the edge of the lawn/sidewalk.  So that project will have to be postponed for another visit... or maybe never.  It would be very big project and very disruptive to the looks of the front yard while the work would be done.

Sunday, we attended the blessing of (Brent's) David and his wife Melissa's little daughter Audrey Lydia.  After church we were all invited up to Brent and Jan's place in Providence.  There were a WHOLE BUNCH of folks there, family from both sides (of course).  There was plenty of food and lots of visiting.

Left:  ??? (friend of Jan's brother in Law), Taurean, Jenn (holding Jaidyn) Judy Lynn and Mom Arnell
Right:  David, Maxine, Jan, Judy Lynn, Mom & Little Brother Brent

After most everyone had left, Dr. Arnell (Brent) under took the task of lancing a growth on Serra's leg. 
Note all the interested HELP?
Serra is still alive today, so guess no permanent damage was done (that a healthy body won't heal)!

Plans for the next few days.  They have changed some.  We were going to head for Bear Lake on Tuesday, but found out a couple of days ago that our Jeff and Becky are going to fly up from Phoenix to be here for Mom Arnell's birthday bash.  They will be flying into Salt Lake on Wednesday, so we changed our plans to leave for Bear Lake tomorrow (Sunday) after conference.  When I called Mom this morning to tell her the change in plans, she was really worried about us driving the MH through the Logan Canyon tomorrow.  I guess they received a whole bunch of new snow last night and Logan Canyon is not supposed to be in very good shape.  So, we will just have to wait and see what happens.  Whether we go to Bear Lake or not, we will pick Jeff and Becky up on Wednesday and do some of the things we needed to do in SL.  The kids from Oregon will be leaving Wednesday evening or Thursday morning and should be arriving on Thursday late.  Then on Friday we will all need to pitch in and make enough desert for 60-70 people.  The food for the family gathering on Saturday was assigned by family and we were assigned to provide the deserts.  Then the celebration will be on Saturday and that should be a LLOONNGG, but enjoyable, day.

Enuf for today.  Will update as I know more.

Well, we finally made it to Utah.  We left on Friday (three-days behind schedule).  We drove to Mountain Home and spent the (COLD) night on a Wal-Mart parking lot.  We drove on in to Richmond yesterday and got here mid-afternoon.  The grand-kids (well... at least Bentley was) and Jennifer was glad to see us finally arrive.  Of course, Jenn thought we were leaving earlier in the week, so was getting rather anxious that our arrival was taking so long.

Bentley in MH, still at awe with Grandparents and the MH
(He calls it a "bus")


Judy Lynn holding Jaidyn with Jenn and Bentley

We visited for a while and then the ladies decided to go shopping (go figure).  Before they got back, I drove our truck to Logan and up to USU to meet Mom and Jan at to attend Brent's American Festival Chorus and Orchestra Concert.  They were performing Franz Joseph Haydn's "The Creation" and it was very interesting.  They gave us a program that had the script of the words the solo singers were singing.  They were representing different characters from Genesis (Raphael, Gabriel, Adam, Eve, etc.) and it was a good thing we got the program, because without it, I would not have been able to tell what was going on.  With the "opera type" singing voices of the soloists, I was not able to understand hardly a word of what they were singing without reading the script.  (I came out of the concert needing a haircut after listening to the solos... lots of talent, but if you can't understand what they are saying, it doesn't do much for me.)  Of course the best parts were the dynamics and harmony of the chorus.  That was wonderful.    The program was two-hours long and it did not seem near that long, so I guess that means I enjoyed it!

When I got back to the motorhome, the grand kids were in bed and Judy Lynn and Jenn were still at it (talking).  Taurean finally came home from work a little after 11 PM, we visited for a while and then went to bed.  This morning I got up and while updating the blog, I am tending the two kids while Jenn and Taurean are over to SS teaching their class.  We will be attending sacrament meeting in Logan today.  Brent and Jan's youngest (David) is blessing their first child and we wanted to be there for that.  After we will go up to Brent and Jan's and visit with  Mom and FAM.

From here, our plans are very fluid.  We just want to relax some away from the hustle-bustle of the business (thanks Les for taking over wile I am gone), visit with friends and family, and just enjoy the change in scenery.

Here are a few pictures taken in the days before we left.

Quinn and Sawyer "hanging" in Grandpa's Chair


More "hanging".  Teri Lynn holding Leslie's Finn with Teri Lynn's Chase looking on

Well, enough for today.  I will keep you posted on what we are doing.
More to come!

Well, we were supposed to be on our way to Idaho today, but we won't make that.  Again, the nice thing about motorhome travel is that you can change plans with little consequence to travel plans.  Right now we are planning to leave later this week, probably on Thursday.

So, what has caused the delay.  I hope the photos below will explain part of the reasons.

For some time now, Judy Lynn has wanted to replace the carpet in our family room, but we just could not figure out what to do.  She wanted to have the laminate flooring in the heavily used areas, with carpet around the sitting area.  The problem was where to make the line/transition.  That problem has plagued us for a long time, thus nothing had been done.  Finally, much to Judy Lynn's chagrin, it was decided (note I did not say "she decided") that it was probably not possible to find a "transition line" that would work, and we should put the laminate over the whole floor and then just put carpet or a rug between the furniture.  Judy Lynn was NOT happy about it, but could not find another solution, so the work began.

The job of removing the old carpet began (Jay helping)

Dining room area

Tile removed in front of the fireplace insert

DONE

Moisture barrier partially laid and getting started with the laminate

 

 
Progress for the first day

Day two, table, TV, etc. moved
(except for the entertainment center... soooo many cables and wires!)

Moving right along.  Craig Richie (a friend is "helping" me)

  
Almost done... last piece

DONE

Finished with furniture back in place
(Kitchen Table still has mess from remodel)

The rug in the middle is one that Todd and Jacki had in their first hose that they are no longer using.  They gave it to us and it goes very well with the furniture and new flooring.  Thank you Todd and Jacki.  Note also the new sofa and love-seat.  The old blue ones had seen their better days.

So, that is what we have been up to.  Will let you know when we are on our way.  Still have lots to do before we can leave.

March, 2010

Dear Family,

I am a day early, but tomorrow I will be on the road back up to Oregon and do not know if I will have access to the Internet to get my letter off to Brent, so I had better get it done tonight.  As I told folks in my last blog, Judy Lynn and I decided at the last minute to go with Heather and Leslie to CA to go to Disneyland.  Josh and Jay’s brother Jade is getting his papers ready to send to go on his mission and John and Kathy (Josh and Jay’s parents) wanted to make this trip before he leaves. 

On the Sunday before they were to leave, Heather invited Judy Lynn to go and Judy Lynn kind of shrugged it off, but then she talked to me about driving down and I told her that if I was going to go, I would not drive the Denali, but would go down in our motorhome.  And what do you know... all of a sudden that "statement" caught favor with the family and our Phaeton was scheduled to leave on Friday so all of us can "travel together".  We accused Leslie and Heather of inviting us for the "ride", but have been assured that was not the "plan" from the beginning.

Left:  Leslie (standing), Judy Lynn and Joaquin holding Finn

Right:  Gwen and Sawyer in their car-seats (unknowingly) awaiting their 18-hour journey in those seats.

Wahoo... they let us out of our seats for a break along the way

(Gwen & Sawyer)

Arriving in LA and meeting the Rickers

 We left Gresham on Friday morning, traveled all day and made it to Bakersfield where we spent the night on a Wal-Mart parking lot.  Then we drove on in to LA on Saturday (in a rain storm… I left Oregon to get OUT of the rain).  Saturday afternoon found our RV park, got the MH situated and then  we kind of just relaxed the rest of the day. 

On Sunday Judy Lynn and I went to visit her Aunt Ilene (Judy Lynn’s mother’s only living sibling) in Long Beach.  We had a good long visit with her. 

Judy Lynn and her Mom's Sister looking at family pictures

Then on Monday and today (Tuesday) we spent the days in Disneyland (Monday) and Disney’s California Adventure (today).  Judy Lynn and I are tuckered out, mostly my feet, but we have had two great days with our kids and grandkids.  However, we have decided that if we EVER do this again, we are going to get a 5-day pass so that we can visit the parks at “our speed” which would be quite a bit slower than our last two day experience.  Judy Lynn and I have not been to DL since November of 1989 when Aaron was a senior and Teri Lynn was a junior in HS (I had to call Teri Lynn to make sure that was right).  There have been a lot of changes in the place since then.

We went into the Lego store in "Downtown Disney" (next to Disneyland)

The giraffe was huge and made of Lego

(I loved this farm combine and just about bought it for Todd)

At Disneyland

Left:  Judy Lynn and I on Space Mountain Ride (Second seat) 

(The pictures they took cost too much, so I just took a picture of their picture!)
Right: Walking in Disneyland (did lots of that... walking I mean)

Left:  The kids had the best deal... riding wherever we went.

(Gwen, Heather, Jay, Judy Lynn & Josh (studying map to pick next destination), Leslie, Sawyer & Finn (Hidden under blanket)

Right:  Waiting in a line (did lots of that too).

Storybook Land - Judy Lynn, Heather (w/Leslie's Finn... Note the red hair!) and Jay with Gwen

Sawyer, Joaquin, Judy Lynn, Roger, Leslie, Finn & Josh

On Monday evening we said goodbye to Joaquin.  He flew out of LA on Tuesday morning for Toronto (Canada) to get a job and work the summer so he can attend school there in the fall.  We were sorry to have him leave.  He was a very fun house-guest!  He says he will come back to see us and we will hold him to his word.  He also invited us to visit El Salvador where he says his folks would return the favor and let us be their guest.  We had better start saving!

We plan to leave LA in the morning and drive a long day on the way back.  Both Jay and Heather have some responsibilities that they need to take care of later on Thursday, so we need to get them back.

Gwen (with her stuffed animals) and Sawyer on our way back to Gresham.

(I think we "tuckered" them out)

We will only be home for a couple of weeks and then we will be leaving for our trip to Idaho/Utah for a few weeks.  We will spend some time in Utah and some time with Mom in St. Charles.  We will hang around until Mom’s 90^th birthday on April 10^th.  We will then drive down to Phoenix and visit with Jeff and Becky for a few days.  This trip to Disneyland in addition to our trip to Idaho/Utah later this month makes for good use of our lovely MH.  We LOVE traveling in it.

Well, this is long enough for this month.  I need to get it “proof-read” and sent before I go to bed tonight.  I hope this letter finds you all well and happy.  I look forward to the monthly family letters.  I wish that more of our families would contribute (including mine!).

 Love to you all,

Judy Lynn and Roger

Garden spot all tilled

But, I knew it was too good to last.  I planned to go out this morning and plant the peas, but when I went out, it had rained, so if I would have planted them, I would have had to do it in mud.  The weather-guessers were wrong again!  We were supposed to have good weather until Wednesday afternoon.  But, they also say we are going to have a few more days without rain later this week, so I will plant then if that happens.  I think I will also put in some onion bulbs  and radishes and just see if they will germinate.  Probably not, but I don't have anything to loose but some seeds and I have plenty of them.

Last Saturday I  mowed Mossytree Park, the five common-area acres owned by our development, with Todd's tractor.  I also mowed our front lawn... which took about 30 seconds for the first time this year.  After I had mowed the lawns, Sawyer talked me in to going on a bike ride with him.  Leslie had found a cute little bike on Craig's List and got it for him.  So I got out our bikes and we headed for the cul-de-sac behind our home where the roads are a little more level than out front.

Sawyer and his bike.  We ride around the extra parking area that also has trees and shrubs

Well, Sawyer is a fellow I will go bike-riding with any day.  A couple of trips around and he was DONE. (Not much of a workout for me though!)

A few days earlier we had both Quinn on her trike and Sawyer on his bike out there.
Quinn is still trying to get the hang of "peddling".

Just a couple more pictures.

This plastic tub was sitting on the floor and this is where we found Gwen

Doesn't look like it, but the kids were dancing to some music we had on the TV

Family "hangin" and watching
LTR: Josh (Almost hidden), Heather, Leslie (feeding Finn), Jacki & Todd

Enuf for today