The Rest of The Way Home

Well we actually made our way home from Idaho months ago, but I left you hanging,  We visited the Grand Canyon and then hopped on I -40 the rest of the way home.   Bob didn’t feel good so we only stayed long enough to walk around  a little.  I finally had to put Bob in the shade and walk by myself.  The scenery was magnificent. I really enjoyed the areas on Arizona and New Mexico.  The red rock formations were beautiful.  It was a little sad to see where the I-40 had bypass little communities along old Route 66.  I could see long abandoned  adobe homes and businesses as I drove along side of stretches of the famous route.  Some of the little homes appeared to still be  inhabited.  I learned to be very cautious  when walking Lilly.  I   kept her on a short leash.  This picture explains a lot.  I didn’t want to annoy any wildlife.

Bob really got tired seeing of sagebrush for miles and miles.  The motor home rocked a little and with his visions problems he said he was getting sea sick.  He was really glad to get to Tennessee where There were real trees. As we began to reach higher elevations I noticed the check engine light on the speedometer panel.  We stopped at a Wal-Mart’s in the closest town.  Bob checked the oil and thought it needed 2 quarts of oil. That didn’t make the light go off.  So…I went in the store and ask if the guys that service auto were still there. So happens they were ready to leave but they still came out and checked the oil and they found it was 2 quarts over filled.  Bob’s vision is so impaired that he couldn’t see well enough to read the dip stick.   These guys suggested we not drive with that situation and told us about a Chevy dealership about a block up the street.  We camped at Wal-Marts that night.  Next morning we stopped there but there was no service personnel working so a salesman directed up the street to a tire dealership, said they could help us.  Those guys drained out the excess oil and wouldn’t accept any pay.  I guess they took pity on a little  old lady that knows nothing about motors and old man who is nearly blind.  Turns out the new gas lid didn’t fit right and when we got properly fitting lid the light went out. We made it home that day.   We hadn’t been home but a couple of hours when our power went off in half of the house.  A man in our community came by after church let us out that and replaced a fuse that I couldn’t find.  Thank heavens for all the people who helped us out on our trip and thank God for getting us there and back safely.

Nancy Shoemaker

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Retirement

Well folks,  I have resigned from Coldwell Banker United Realtors.  I will miss seeing the friends that I made while working there.  I will always have an interest in real estate and I will continue to renew my license every year for a while.  I don’t know if I will ever go back into the business.  Things will have to pick up quite a lot. Mean while I will enjoy being home, gardening, writing blogs, quilting, watercolor painting, and trying to catch up on my to do list. Bob requires more looking after now, and maybe between Dr. ‘s appointments we can travel a little from time to time.

At present I am quilting by hand a quilt top that I pieced while staying at Mother’s house when I was her care giver.  I moved Mother to my house after Bob had the first stroke in December of ’09.  I had lots of things to keep me busy so I put the quilt on the back burner.  About 6 weeks ago I started quilting it. 

Mother passed away November 29 2010.  I guess the quilt top is a way to connect with Mother.  She truly enjoyed the top taking shape and was very proud of the log cabin design.  I feel like finishing it will be theraputic for me.  I have made only one quilt many years ago so I have had to relearn the craft.(not that I was very accomplished ) With all the information on the internet I have learned a lot more than I knew before.  If I ever get it finished I will take a photo and post it.  After that, I know I will start another project .

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The Journey Home

Sadly, time to leave Nampa, Idaho came too soon for me.  I was having such a good time that I really wanted to stay longer. The visit was great, the hospitality was warm and welcoming, But Bob was not feeling as well as we had hoped, so we decided to start our journey home.
I had not been to the Grand Canyon so we chose a southern route home. With Carol’s help we planned to go south through Nevada. It still gets cold in May, so she chose a route with the least likelihood of running into snow. It wasn’t long before we were marveling at the majestic snow-covered peaks disappearing into the clouds and the craggy rock formations along the side of the road. The route we drove was not an interstate highway. It was long and straight,with few places to stop and rest-areas were non-existent. I don’t know what travelers who don’t have a bath room in their vehicle do.(that is why I prefer a motor home)Some times it becomes urgent for me to find a restroom quickly. Along the way I would have tractor-trailer trucks pass me pulling three trailers. They were like a train. I drove the speed limit most of the time except where it was 75 mph. That was just too fast for me. Bob doesn’t like for me to be passed but they were in a bigger hurry than I. He said I should go faster to keep from getting run over.

The first night we camped in Eli, Nevada. It had rained on us for a little while, but there was nothing outstanding about the weather. When I went into the office to check in I noticed an ice covered patch of grass. I ask the attendant when it had snowed. She said “Oh, that’s hail! we just had a tremendous hail storm.” The camp sites were very muddy there. The workers were having to haul gravel to some of the sites for leveling the camp sites.. The next day we started out for Williams, Arizona. Every Truck stop would have a small casino.   Another day of looking at the scenery, hoping to see wildlife,and witnessing mile after mile of sage brush. The further south we went we would catch a glimpse of a cactus growing alongside the road. Vegetation was sparse but there would be some larger trees growing along the banks of streams. After several hours of driving we came to Las Vegas. I did not want to drive down the strip but I could see some of the landmarks and signs known to be in LasVegas. Traffic was tricky and I did get off my route but with some twisting and turning I managed to get back on tract. I really don’t want to drive a motor home through Las Vegas again.  The next impressive sight was the Hoover Dam.  Just before crossing the bridge across the dam we could see Lake Mead but the bridge now has walls and I was unable to see the dam.  The most expensive gas that I bought was just before crossing into Arizona where it was $4.69 a gallon.  It was somewhat of a tourist trap and made me think it would be a long way before gas would be available again. …. But that was not so.(continued on next blog)

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