Trip out West

I had an idea. I used to have a lot of ideas when I was a little girl, and those days my younger brother Barry would be the beneficiary of my ideas. This time my husband Tim benefited. Well, you say, what was your idea. My idea was to make a shirt trip to visit friends, new friends, ones whom we met on various mission trips. We discussed, made some plans, checked to see if our friends would be home and then....I got sick. 

At first I assumed that I had overdone it with the lilac bush pruning as my back was sore and I had some shooting pains but nothing that my chiropractor couldn’t fix. But the next morning the pain was different and thankfully I decided to get hubby to drive me to the hospital (which was not an easy decision with all the Covid stuff we didn’t know how it would be). Blood and urine tests both showed infection so a CT scan was done. Diverticulitis was the diagnosis.  What? What is that we both questioned. Thanks to today’s technology we soon found out. A prescription for two different antibiotics and I was on my way home. 

Now what? Would we still be able to go away? I had also committed to looking after the grandkids for a couple of nights. Would I be able to do that or not? Lots of questions and no answers. You know what, God is good, all the time, God is good. 

 Not only was I able to have our precious grandkids over (thanks hubby for all the help) but we were also able to take our trip. My idea would be become reality. 

June 30th we left in the middle of the afternoon and made it as far as Caronport, SK where we parked the RV in the lot at the bible college and enjoyed a quiet night and a bicycle ride through town in the morning before heading to our first destination. 

July 1st we arrived in the big metropolis of Rosemary AB. Well, it’s not actually big, it’s actually quite small. Once we got the correct directions we found our way to the home of Laura & Allen just outside of town and had a nice treed yard where we could park the RV. 

Laura was one of the leaders of a group of youth who came down to San Carlos and helped build the home for Blanca and Jorge. Thanks Laura for your hospitality and the delicious food. 

Luke, my 7 year old grandson had just asked me on Monday if leaf cutter bees had a queen and of course I asked google but now we show up in Rosemary where many of the farmers including our new friends have millions (I’m guessing they have that many as they had lots) of leaf cutter bees. Boy am I excited! I get the tour and am shown how leaf cutter bees do their job and no they do not have a queen. But I did not realize how small they are, they are about the size of a house fly. We are bringing some home in a jar so that the grandkids can see them. Leaf cutter bees do not sting but they do bite. 

On the 2nd we had a lovely supper with Laura & Allen, Sharon (another Rosemary leader) and her husband Dwight, and John (another leader) and his wife Anna. What a blessing to be able to share our lives with these new friends. These new friends that don’t really feel like new friends but rather friends that we have had for a long time. 

We also checked out a local dam (the one that provides all the water to irrigate their fields) and a park where we enjoyed a lovely hike.

The next morning we were enjoyed breakfast at the home of Sharon & Dwight and got to hear more about what they do before heading back on the road.  Next stop Canmore, AB. 

These next two couples are ones that were part of our group when we visited Ethiopia. Sam was born in Ethiopia and married a girl that grew up in MacGregor. That girl, Joyce, went to bible college with Joanne, and she married a fella from the UK. We had a great time enjoying food and visiting with both Sam & Joyce and Trevor & Joanne. Joanne even took time to bike ride with us from Banff to Canmore (thanks to Trevor for giving us a ride to Banff). Did I feel healthy this whole time? Not really but I sucked it up because friends are more important. The heartburn burns but this too will pass.

I thought it would be a great idea to have a visit with my cousin Allison and her daughter Melanie as they live in Calgary. We made the connections and ended up going for a little hike just outside of Calgary. It was a beautiful, albeit busy spot, for a hike. We had a good hike, a picnic lunch next to a stream, and a good visit. So glad it worked out.

Here’s a cute story, we were on our way back home and Matt & Kari were on the way to Banff, so we checked where both of us were and ended up meeting in the middle and had a short five minute visit before we each headed our own way. What fun.

We made a quick detour back to Rosemary to pick up a trap for gophers/squirrels and got that jar of a few bees and spent the night at a Walmart in Medicine Hat. Before retiring for the night we had gone for a nice bike ride on a paved trail. And guess what appeared right in front of me on the path. Take a look.

Next stop - Regina. Here we met up with Brian & Vicki and enjoyed food and fellowship. Brian, who also enjoys biking, told us about some of the paved paths in Regina. We drove, parked and got out the bikes and rode. It was starting to get dark so we couldn’t go as far as we had planned. But would that stop us? Well, for a bit while we slept, once again in a Walmart parking lot.  After breakie we drove closer to Wecana (a man made lake) and hopped on our bikes for a ride around the lake. It was beautiful! Sure wish we had more paved bike paths near us.  

On our way to Maryfield SK we stopped in Carlyle to pop in for a short visit with people we had met several years ago down in San Carlos. Blair & Debbie are building a new house and a new career. We pray that God will bless them in their new venture. In Maryfield we enjoyed a lovely meal with Terry (Tim went to bible school with him) & Caroline. These two have recently purchased a small RV and have dreams of travelling and maybe even coming down to San Carlos. So we were able to share with them some of the things we do while we are down there and maybe, Lord willing, we can work with them down there. 

On the road typing as we head home in the dark. Many animals out at this time of night. 

God is good. I was not sure if this trip would happen and now it has and I am so grateful that we had this opportunity to get away from everything and to relax and enjoy each other’s company and the company of good friends. Till next time. 

Adventure 2020 7

March 8 A bit tough to leave when we enjoyed our time. So thankful for all the work we able to do and for the lives we touched. Lord willing we will return next year. Border crossing was fairly quick and uneventful. Stopped in Tombstone just to walk around and stretch our legs. It was a tad chilly. We ended up spending the night at an RV park in Bisbee, AZ, where we enjoyed a delicious supper.

March 9  We ate a good breakfast. The little town where we had breakfast had a bunch of old cars parked along the street as well as this old bus. We took in the Bisbee copper mine tour and learned a bit of how things were done in the mines years ago. The mine is no longer in operation. Back on the road we drove till about 10 pm and stopped for the night at a small truck stop near Balmorea.

March 10 Beautiful sunny warm morning. Perfect day for a long drive. The topography was very much the same for most of the drive. The closer we got to Waco we began to see some farm land. We had chosen a campground that we thought would be good but when we got there they told us everything was booked due to spring break but they did give us a number to call and we were able to get an equestrian site (yes. A camp site that you can bring your horse along - they did have stables right behind the campers. Reynolds Creek Campground). It was nice and quiet and a great place to spend the night. We found a BBQ eatery close by to get us some ribs and brisket.

March 11 Our Magnolia Market day.  We got to the silos before they opened and found a street a couple of blocks away to park. We got a muffin and a scone for breakfast, the muffin was good but I found the scone too dry. We checked out the store where Tim bought a t-shirt and I just looked as there was nothing that caught my eye. We walked around and looked and saw that it was a cool place to hangout. Tim wanted to check out the Dr Pepper Museum, so we did. There was a lot of information which soon became too much to read but it was interesting to see how this soda and others got their beginning. A free soda was included with admission, Tim got a Dr Pepper and I got a root beer. We walked back to the RV where we got out our bikes and went for a ride over the suspension bridge and along the river walk. Nice ride. We chose a Thai restaurant for lunch and it was delicious. Biked back to Magnolia Press for some tea and coffee and checked out another shop across the street. You can really see how the Magnolia market has made a huge impact on he local economy as so many things around the market are improving. Magnolia is also in the middle of a big expansion by adding more shops, a baseball field and moving in an old church. Enjoyed a steak joint for supper.

March 12 This morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast at Magnolia Table. It was nice to see how organized the staff was and our service was prompt and we didn't even have to wait for our table once we checked in with the hostess. After breakfast we headed back to Magnolia Market as today they were to have a Spring Market with lots of local vendors. Unfortunately when we got there we discovered that the local government had revoked their permit due to the scare of the coronavirus. I felt bad for all the vendors who had spent yesterday getting set up and now they had to take it all down without any sales. There happened to be another local vendor market that we checked out a bought a couple of things. Headed back to the campground for a shower before our long trip home. Spent the night in Salina, Kansas at a Walmart.

March 13 Winterized the RV and headed home. The roads were perfectly clear and the weather was perfect. Tim did an excellent job of driving while I read several books. We made it home just before midnight. We are very grateful that we have the opportunity to serve down in San Carlos and we pray that we can continue to serve down there as well as here at home. 

Adventure 2020 6

February 24 My body needed a rest today, so I took it. Donna and I enjoyed lunch at the beach. I think I did some reading and some laundry and relaxed.

February 25 Neither of us took any pictures today and therefore have no recollection of what we did. Now isn't that silly.

February 26 This morning was a day off for the team and we choose to take some time as well. Tim and I together with Scott & Donna took the quads for a ride, or rather the four of us went for a quad ride to the Oasis. We hiked part way in, with the guys going further than us gals and really enjoyed ourselves. Went to visit a new housing development before riding to La Manga for lunch. It was a little cool riding close to the ocean, and Donna and I enjoyed our fish and papas (fries) despite the fact that they forgot about our order and our food came an hour and a half late. The team was here enjoying the food and the view with us. Today was Peter's birthday and it was celebrated with cake, the Mexican way. Face pushed into the cake. Canasta was played again this evening with the six of us.

February 27 The team headed out for their project and Tim went with Art to finish the steps at Candy & Beto's house. They also stopped at Blanca's to level out the floor (somewhat) in preparation for tile. Meanwhile back at the ranch Scott and I installed outdoor lights and ceiling fans at Bob & Betty's house. The first fan took quite a while to figure out but the next ones were fairly easy. B & B are so thrilled that all this work is getting accomplished.

February 28 Another goodbye this morning as a wheelchair team left for home. Scott and I began installing more lights but I soon left him to continue on his own. He didn't really need my help anymore. This evening we (Tim and I with S &D) went to San Carlos for Mexican hotdogs and we invited Omar to join us as he was visiting at the center. 

February 29 We headed out to Blanca and Jorge's house this morning where we prepped, figured, measured, cleaned and began installing tile. We had Dan and Peter with us so we gave them some quick training in order for them to learn to tile. They did a great job. Enjoyed some delicious fish tacos for lunch. By the end of the day my legs were quite stiff but it felt good knowing what a blessing this will be for this family. Dan has been busy at the Center the last few days working on the first of two doors for Blanca and Jorge's house. He would have completed it but was needed to go North to bring down a trailer with more wheelchairs for when the Rockwheels ministry team comes down. Rebecca, his wife was going with him.

March 1 This morning we were hoping to see Omar and Augustin play music in their church but we got some misinformation and ended up missing the singing. We did leave the American church early in the hopes to hear them play but instead we sat through some preaching (in Spanish so we didn't understand) but we were able to visit with Augustin and Lupita so not all was lost. We did manage to get some ice cream at the new Dairy Queen despite the long lineup inside and the drive in. It was not as good as I hoped but I made the best of it.

March 2 I began the day at Blanca's house but it was very crowded so when she came by I hopped in the van and spent the day with Brenda driving around. We brought lunch to the team who had spent the morning painting the pastor's house in Enpalme. Later we dropped off some books at the new "Café Club CV" in Guaymas Centro.  A couple opened this book store/coffee shop/sweets with Christian books. Helmut Friesen was a big supporter of this couple. We drove back to our project house and saw that the tile floor was mostly complete.

March 3 Grouting day! We had a helper today, Paul whom we had met at church and who had helped with the medical team came to help. Tim was setting some edge tiles while I grouted and Paul came after with the wet sponge. It was a very tiring day.

March 4 Art came today and did some work with the plumbing. They moved the plumbing line from the tenaka (water tank that sits in the roof) to outside the house instead of the inside. O worked on creating a mosaic tile for the ramp going into the bathroom. I was so sore from yesterday that I didn't know if I could do it but somehow God carried me. We also grouted the tiles that Tim had set the day before and the mosaic. It was a bit easier today on my knees with some fancy knee pads, wish I would have had them yesterday. I asked Brenda if Betty would let us come to the hot tub at Loma del Mar (they have a place there) and thankfully she said yes. I sat in the hot water for a long time and it helped ease my aching muscles.

March 5 Before heading out Tim installed the last ceiling fan at Bob & Betty's for which they were very grateful. The team poured another level on a small washroom/laundry room here at the mission. Today Tim sealed the walls on the house while I sat and watched. Played Canasta again.

March 6 Put on a coat of paint, using up two gallons of paint. Tim wanted to continue but since there was the walls going into the bathroom that had yet to be sealed (couldn't be done before because they were not ready) I decided that we would call it a day. We said our goodbyes and hope to return next year to see it all finished. Our lunch was being brought to Maggie's so we drove over there to see the changes since the last time we were there. One of our teams was busy doing some washing of walls and general cleaning. Since we are heading out on Sunday I began the laundry and thorough cleaning of our tiny house. Tonight we went to Charly's Rock for supper with Art & Brenda. I did not know I was ordering a whole fish, with the head and tail on, but it was delicious and the view was beautiful. Canasta again but this time the guys won.

March 7 Enjoyed a relaxing morning with finishing the laundry, cleaning our home inside and out. The sun was shining this morning and it was nice and warm but by lunch time it was cloudy and spit a bit of rain. After a very late lunch and a late nap (for Tim) we went out for a short ride on a quad before it began to spit rain again so back we came. Here I sit jotting done the things we did while here in Mexico, in the state of Sonora and the city of San Carlos and the home of Casa de Esperanza. Both Tim and I thoroughly enjoyed our time here. It was busy, rewarding, hard work, fun work and we renewed relationships with our friends and we made new friends. Lord willing we can do it all over again next year.