On To Lincoln and the Big Ten!

Following the MAPS National Convention in Illinois we drove to Lincoln, Nebraska for our annual reunion with friends and family there.  Our gracious hosts, Fred and Janet, once again welcomed us to live on their property.  Thank you!!

Ashley, our oldest Granddaughter, flew from Florida to Omaha to spend time with us and travel to Florida with us.  She arrived in time to attend her very first football game ever and witness Nebraska's first home game of the new Big Ten conference membership.  We had breakfast at this local cafe with some very dear friends: Barb, Woody, Pam and Dana. 

 We all had a great time together!  (except, of course, the Ohio State fans who left disappointed!) The Huskers erased a 6-20 halftime deficit with the greatest comeback victory in NU history, winning 34-27! 

One afternoon, we, along with our friend Linda, dressed up and enjoyed a "high tea" at the beautiful home of a local entrepreneur, Ruby, who hosts these events regularly.  Fine time and good food!

A most enjoyable afternoon that afforded Ashley a chance to try on some of Ruby's vintage wedding gowns. 

Our Lincoln visits allow us opportunity to renew old friendships, which include some friends  whom we have not seen for many years. Terri Elliott met us for lunch in Omaha at her favorite Mexican restaurant, Julio's, and Ruth and Jerry Holan drove from Iowa to have lunch with us at Valentino's Pizza (the best in the world, I might add!)  Two wonderful reunions that highlighted this year's visit!  We are so thankful for these, and many other, longtime friends from our Lincoln sojourn.  A real treasure!

Ashley's visit was full of excitement: not just her first football game, but first real snow in a loooooong time.  That was fun!  We spent a day or two wandering Lincoln, visiting the State Capitol and geocaching the neighborhoods with our friend Linda.

We all had fun dancing with the Lincoln Scottish Country dancing group on several occasions. 

Halloween gives Christ's Place Church an opportunity every year to minister to the neighborhood in the form of "Trunk 'n' Treat", where the kids (of all ages!) can have fun in a very safe and protected environment.  We all pitch in with serving drinks, popcorn and hot dogs. 

Ashley jumps right in wherever we are and becomes part of the action; a great quality!  She helped set up, tear down and hosted some games.

We counted several thousand folks there and everyone had a blast!

Some of the pastoral staff even got in on the act!!                 Popeye and Olive Oyl showed up for the hot dogs (sorry: no spinach!)

Hermione was there, too, from Harry Potter fame.

 When we're in Lincoln Roger volunteers his medical services at the People's City Mission Clinic. Here are some of the splendid staff members he works with, who serve the patients here as a ministry. 

 Meg and Ashley both spent time there, as well, working with records and even having a chance to do some physical therapy again.  We're very thankful this clinic opened two years ago and is serving a large number of Lincoln's less fortunate and homeless individuals. 

MAPS National

Following the SMART National Muster, we traveled from Shawnee, Oklahoma to the National Convention of MAPS RV Volunteers in Carlinville, Illinois. It's an old-fashioned campmeeting, but with a lot fancier rigs.  We met morning and evening for worship together, as well as to afford the volunteers opportunity to meet the local project sponsors and decide where to go in the future.  Kind of like a "job fair" for volunteers.

We were entertained by a men's quartet from Springfield, MO.

Dave Roever, a wounded warrior himself, was a most-inspiring speaker.  He ministers regularly to our troops and visits them in hospitals.  He also has a rehab facility, Eagle Summit Ranch, near Junction, Texas which is dedicated to helping the wounded get back to normalcy or as close as possible. 
I'm not sure why, but lots of folks decided big hats were in order! 

Two Army Chaplains were with us for Military Appreciation Night.  A treat and a blessing!

Carlinville is only a few miles from Springfield, IL, the home of President Abraham Lincoln.  This is a national historic site and worthy of your visit if you ever can. 

It was so fascinating and more extensive than we had thought, that we spent two days there.

The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is downtown, not far from his home and law office. 

The fall is a beautiful time of year in Illinois.  This was early October and the leaves were beginning to change, putting on a glorious show, "just for us!"

On the outskirts of town is the main cemetery and the final resting place of our 16th President, arguably one of history's greatest men.  His tomb is an inspiration in itself and worthy of special visit.  Try and make time for the sights of this small city as you travel this wonderful country of ours.

"I believe that --- intoxicated with unbroken success --- we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace --- too proud to pray to the God that made us."

                                                                                                                                   ---A. Lincoln

Oklahoma Family and SMART National

After a neat summer with our Texas Family we headed north again for a fall full of new experiences.  We stayed in Arcadia, OK for a month, giving us time to play with Andrea, Rod and the girls, Reagan and Ryan.  Our motor home life has afforded us many such opportunities that a stationary lifestyle might not.

This was a gorgeous Garden Spider near their home.  The webs are extraordinary! Along with the spider itself: a wondrous outdoor ornament for any home!

We spent a fun day at the Natural History Museum on the OU campus. Their Native American and dinosaur exhibits were the hits of the day.

Two of our favorite Bruce Family members, Betty and her Brother Bill, joined us for lunch and an afternoon chat at our rig.  They are two siblings of my (now deceased) father.  Really fun to catch up!

The Arcadia Lake nearby provided hours of entertainment for two busy granddaughters:

We visited a Greek Festival at the local Greek Orthodox Church near our kids' home: watched some fun dancing, learned something of the history of that denomination and its iconography, and ate some really good Greek home cooking! 

We moved from Arcadia to Shawnee, OK for the National Muster of our military RV association, S.M.A.R.T. It was our first ever national RV convention of any kind and we thoroughly enjoyed it!  We made many new friends of like minds and interests.  Roger was invited to open the meeting with a harmonica rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, a first for him AND for S.M.A.R.T.!  Neat!  Here I'm playing a patriotic medley of Civil War tunes for Talent Night.We had classes on RV care and maintenance; some of the spouses sewed special undergarments for our "Wounded Warriors."

It wasn't all serious and business either, as one evening we were "graced?" with a fashion show by some of the national leadership.  Unforgettable!

 Roger was elected Vice-President of two  national "at-large" chapters: the SMART Fulltimers and the Computer Users Chapters.  All of the at-large chapters will be responsible for planning and hosting the 2013 National Muster in Sedalia, MO.  We have two years to prepare for it; a good part of that planning will continue at the 2012 National Muster in Goshen, IN.