Special Comfort

These photos do not do justice to the beauty of these handmade treasures.

The afghan was created by my daughter and has been a cozy comfort while working on my blog or reading. It always reminds me of her - and I smile.

Alyssa's grandma taught her to crochet when she was in junior high, she has since taken the craft to a whole new level.

The quilt was made by my dear friend who has a truly creative eye and a very patient hand.

While our space is very limited, it is great to have a few things that are "keepers" no matter what. Thank you Alyssa and Barb.

Solar Panels

While not completely installed, Dave has been working on getting the whole system working and making energy.

It is our hope that we will make it easier for churches and schools to allow us a space - no electricity needed!

Golf Cart City

A bank with a Golf Cart drive through, roads for carts only, parking spaces - golf cart sized at the post office.

The photo with carts on a bridge was taken on the cart trail which runs the perimeter of the park. Many dogs enjoy riding in carts too.


We have enjoyed our stay in Titusville, FL at The Great Outdoors - even without a golf cart.

HaRVey's Pad in Titusville, Florida

Thank you to John and Betty Bartman who have allowed us to park in their space at The Great Outdoors RV Resort.
It is beautiful and the weather is fine. It is hard to believe it is December! Snow? What snow and
yes, those are Palm trees.

PVC Pipe Dreams

Dave has long been a fan of PVC pipe.

In our family it is a running joke about Dave's building projects and PVC pipe. He has built book shelves, most of a Kayak (in storage right now), and studio gizmos for recording to name a few. He always has a few pieces of PVC on hand because you never know...
Dave was quick to note how fishermen used PVC pipe. Our current GPS set up is built with - you guessed it - PVC pipe.

Common Sense and Good Advice

As a mom there are a few things that just go without saying, but perhaps they should not...

LHS Jacksonville

Not your typical Lutheran High School. There are currently 15 students attending this beautiful facility.

Some might look and see an office building, but the charter members of this school saw incredible possibilities!

Thank you Mr. Siewert for allowing us to sing for your kids.

Please pray for this fledgling school.

Deep South

When Dave introduces himself and tells people where he is from, he says, "I am from the deep south... in Minnesota where we are sometimes referred to as Iowans." It always draws a laugh.

I met a woman while taking a walk on the beach who said her favorite weather comment was, "I hope this cold snap does not last long, I only have one pair of pants."

We are enjoying the hospitality of Bethlehem Lutheran in Jacksonville Beach, FL., about ten blocks from the beach, and two blocks from the laundromat. The beach is much more fun. :)

A Well-Seasoned haRVey

Whenever anything new or unexpected happens with haRVey our first thought is PANIC. Dave is usually calmer than I.
While enjoying a wayside break from driving, we noticed the refrigerator hose had spewed out an amber brown liquid with droplets fanned over the face of the RV. Upon closer inspection, the amber liquid smelled like soy sauce! It was indeed, soy sauce. With a much lighter heart we checked the fridge to find the soy sauce had tipped over in transit and drained out into the hose and on to the side of haRVey - a well-seasoned RV.

Aiken State Park

We are staying in Aiken State Park in South Carolina this week. Here is the cool thing, we are the only people camping - even the camp host has bugged out. There must be something to the 24 degrees at night thing going on. During the day we are enjoying a balmy 58 degrees. Folks from South Carolina must think this is cold - while stalwart Minnesotans are still in tee shirts and thinking about swimming.

This park closes at 6 PM. The gates are locked and if you do not know the code - you are sleeping in your truck outside the park which defeats the purpose of camping. We do in fact know the code. NO amount of torture will wring even one number from our lips - mum's the word.

Extended Family

In 1986 my cousin Tami was the second runner up in the Miss USA pageant. In case you are not sure, Tami is on the left. She is one of eight children we always referred to as our Georgia Cousins.

When I grow up, I want to be like my Aunt Irene. Don't let her "Big Mama" smile fool you, she is spunky, sharp and does not miss a trick.

It was a treasure to spend Thanksgiving with all of these dear people. They were as kind and welcoming as they were in 1996 - my last visit with them. It was a loud and raucous day filled with laughter and great southern cookin'. A friendly game of Pit anyone?

Church Roads in Carolina

In North Carolina you need not look far to find a church, and if you are not particular about the flavor, there is no need for GPS either.
The churches were there before the road signs and so naturally the signs explain what the residents already know.

I enjoyed our stay in Conover, NC. It was wonderful to see the Birner family after 11 years - yes, I still look the same. :)

While we have been in this area Fall has peaked and passed. Today there is a wind advisory 20+ miles per hour. Lawns are leaf covered with temperatures in the 30's.

HaRVey in Hickory

So here you have it.
A picture of the road down which Dave had to back the RV. As you can see - he did it.

Here are the happy yellow signs warning you - STOP NOW there is no way your RV will make it on this road.

Last and this part leaves the queasy feeling of being unstable, this is a view of the underbelly of the RV, please note the wood, wood, and more wood, followed by leveling blocks.


Our stay in Hickory, North Carolina was wonderful, thank you Pastor Bob. We were able to view the spectacular peak fall color.

The List of Pro and Con

We have been living on the road since April 2008. Not that long when you count it out, but long enough to know...

When your RV is not completely level - you can feel it. Please note the picture of HaRVey with four boards and the orange ramps, listing slightly, definitely not level. (up one entry)

Every town has a grocery store, but we can't just stop in without a thought because we do not know where it is. Ahh... GPS. Once you have found the grocery store - do not stock up on the sale items, do not buy more than one kind of lettuce, do not buy more canned soup or potatoes than you can use in a week, do not buy a lot of cereal (even if it is on sale) strike that - Dave does that all the time... we store some unopened cereal in the shower when it is not in use. If you must buy beer, think six pack.

Yes, we do let our laundry pile up because until you are down to one pair of underwear, why do laundry - we have met some interesting people at the laundromat. Instead of one load at a time you can use four or five washing machines.. payback is in the careful orchestration of drying time and folding each load as it is finished - I compare it to a meal where everything is done at the same time except in this case you do not want that to happen.

I do miss seeing my friends and the contact of their everyday lives. I am greedy for news of what is going on and consider who I will lose because of the travel. I am working on staying in touch so that does not happen.

The trade off has been phenomenal, telling children about Jesus at school assemblies, singing for kids and adults in concert and in church services, and praying for people by name as we learn of their needs.

Every day in the kingdom is the same - a life filled with God's love and care, opportunities to thank Him for the stuff we have, and a Savior who calls us "friends." Wow.

More pro than con. Thanks be to God.

Docks and Docks

I have attended “putting in the dock” parties as early in the year as possible, conversely, “taking out the dock” parties at the very end of the season - in Minnesota. You have got to check out the docks in North Carolina. The dock never leaves the lake! They have sitting areas, a place for the boat or pontoon, some have ceiling fans, and they have shingles! I have been assured that while putting in and taking out parties are not necessary, the kind folks here need little excuse to get together. So tell me, which one of these do you think is in North Carolina?

On the Delaware Shore

When you watch the sunrise you may as well be warm and comfortable - with coffee close at hand.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

State Highway 13 in Virginia is scenic, beautiful and scary. The Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel spans the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay connecting Virginia's Eastern shore with the mainland at Virginia Beach near Norfolk. There are two underwater tunnels (tall enough for an RV), each about one mile long. The picture of our computer shows the bridge with nothing but water. Off route - kidding. The terrible picture with grass on the shore shows how the bridge disappears, then reappears one mile later.

Along the Shore in North Carolina

We have stepped into several tourist stops and all of them have the Bodie Island Light on postcards or mugs.


Cape Hatteras National Seashore – comes the Bodie Island Light. Pronounced "body," the name, according to long held rumors, came from either the large number of unfortunate drowning victims washed up on shore or the supposed original owners of the land – you decide.

The structure you now see is the classic case of "third time a charm". The first, built on a shaky unsupported brick foundation in 1847, once competed with the leaning tower of Pisa for most vertically challenged building. Abandoned within less than 15 years of its completion, the second lighthouse’s upright time was even less.

Two years to be exact. During the Civil War Confederate troops, fearful of its potential usefulness to oncoming Union naval ships, blew it up in 1861.

The shoreline remained dark, until the present lighthouse was completed in 1872. Now at 156’ high, the light from its black and white horizontal striped structure can be seen for 19 miles.

The Land of Y'all and Sweet Tea

We must be in the South! While in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we were offered Sweet Tea for the first time. When the waitress said, "Would y'all like sweet tea?", I knew I had arrived.

Medicine Cabinets and Travel

Open or think about your medicine cabinet. Now imagine if you will if everything in the cabinet would fall out when you open the door. That has happened to me every move. Just to prove I am not a complete idiot, I just empty the cabinet before we slide in and pack out. I have saved the lives of numerous spray bottle tops with this simple move.

Sunrise on the Delaware Seashore

You have to get up pretty early to get a shot like this. All right, sunrise is at 7:19, not really too early. It was a brisk 53 degrees.

Thank you God for the majestic reminder of who you are and who we are not. You care for us in season and out. You are in control of all things. You make the ocean tides move whether we are watching or not.

PB and J

When we parked our house, haRVey in Olney at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, we were able to be part of a PB&J assembly line and make sandwiches for an area homeless shelter. Most of the youth we were working with said that PB&J was not their favorite sandwich, but guess what they had for lunch? Yes, PB&J.

Our Friends, Molded over the Years

Dave offered to do premarital counseling with Brad and Angelina, but they were non-committal about the prospect.

Jackie is wearing a hat, I am wearing a hat ... I had to pose with her - oh, and President Kennedy was there too.

Contrary to what you may think, these folks are tight-lipped in person and had a waxy look about them.

In His Hands

Dave has the Washington Monument and Capitol in his hand... I don't think the song will catch on. Besides, I know for a fact, God already has it covered.

Hanging out in DC

If you look closely at Lincoln’s hands, his left hand looks like an “A” in American Sign Language and his right hand looks like an “L”. Sculptor David Chester French was quite familiar with ASL – his son was deaf.

The Washington Monument with the moon was taken by Dave.



The photo of Dave and the brick wall - was taken at the base of the Washington Monument.