Views of haRVey

Our own private campground in Wilber, Nebraska.  We stayed here for two nights.  Did you know that Wilber, is the Czech Capital in the USA?

Not even close to alone in this campground, in Henderson, Nebraska

We were the only RV in the lot at Faith Lutheran in Topeka, Kansas. We parked in their lot for a week.   We have been comfortable in haRVey in every sort of campground.

Our Presentation in Pictures

Dave Singing

I am sitting on my bar stool, Dave with long hair is singing into the microphone.

The artist is sitting in the pew listening to us sing. I love singing for grade school children. I had to share these great works of art.

We Call Her "Miss Direction"

Most people have a Global Positioning System (GPS) of some sort available for navigation these days.  In our case, we rarely take off and just "drive" as we seldom know exactly where we are going without a little help from Miss Direction.  Today, I went to the laundromat - I needed GPS help to get there.  When we are in need of groceries, again, we need the GPS unit to help us out. 

When we are towing our house in an area where we have never been, as is usually the case, it is not helpful to hear, "when possible, make a U-turn." When towing our house - it will NEVER be possible.  Other times, we find Miss Direction somewhat frustrating when she says, "recalculating," which  may not happen in a timely manner for the driver, who is hauling an RV, to make the necessary adjustments.  We have found ourselves rolling along city streets when clearly we should be traveling on the freeway.  There are times when it is indeed operator error causing Miss Direction to sound positively exasperated when she says, "turn left in 300 feet." It is rarely possible to make the required lane changes in order for that to happen.  And once you have missed a turn, all bets are off.

I find that yelling and threatening to throw Miss Direction out the window does not change her attitude or improve her performance, but I do feel better.

Blow Out on the Road to Topeka

Because State Hwy 24 is narrow, and the back left tire blew out, Dave worked under the RV. 

KDOT worker Mike, who was on his way home from work, stopped to help us out. He used his official "Hey! Slow down to 45mph!" flag with mixed results. 

Really dead tire

Mike's truck with yellow flashing lights, followed by Deputy Hamm's patrol car with his flashers on as well.

  

"What's wrong?", I asked, as Dave quickly swung onto the shoulder.
"We blew a tire," he said, mesmerized by the blue smoke and disintegrating bits of rubber spreading themselves across the highway behind us, praying the other tire would be able to take the increased pressure of our house rolling along upon it. 
As we were standing on the side of the road as traffic zoomed on by seeming to take little notice of Mikes orange flag nor the flashers on his or Deputy Hamm's vehicle, Mike wistfully said that in two years when he retires from KDOT, he will be moving to a quiet spot where there is no traffic. His job for the past 28 years has been working on the highway system around the Topeka, Kansas, area in what we were experiencing as he helped out strangers, namely, loud cars on a busy highway.

Deputy Hamm came because Dave called 911. Mike just showed up because we needed him and he was there. God does that, too - He comes when we call Him, but He also just shows up whenever we need Him. We are all called to serve one another, it is especially sweet when perfect strangers are there to help, expecting nothing in return. For us, these particular strangers were indeed just perfect.

Our Time in Ottawa

Cindy and Rae

Cindy is a mini horse who goes to nursing homes and visits with the residents.  Rae, her owner, was taking her out for a walk when we met.  I did not know people took their horse out for a walk. 

When they visit the nursing homes, Rae and Cindy dress alike - in purple and of course they both wear hats and Cindy has purple shoes too!  I am sorry I did not get a picture of them in their outfits. Rae said the residents enjoy Cindy who has perfect manners when dealing with the elderly; although, Rae has to keep a close watch on what Cindy is being fed - buttons, hairpins, cookies, etc...

Here is what I like about a small town: When I met Rae she said, "didn't you stop in the post office?" It dawned on me where I had seen her before, she is the postmaster in Ottawa, and I stopped in for stamps. 

The White kids all play soccer, I went along to cheer them on as they won 4-1 on a warm Saturday morning.  The White farm is located just outside of Ottawa, Kansas.  It has been in the family for many generations on Mrs. Tracy White's side.  All of Tracy's siblings live in the area as well as her folks, who are just down the road.  We went for an eight mile bike ride with Katie, Noah and Eli who were happy to point out their grandpa's house, their aunt's house (Rae), their other aunt's house.  What a delight to have a huge backyard and a community of family to watch over you as you get to discover the creeks, fishing holes, and trails of your childhood.  Dave and I enjoyed getting to know the Whites.

I was so busy visiting and catching up with them, I did not take a single photo of our dear friends Charlie and Laura Adams, who in spite of celebrating their daughter's marriage just the previous week had time to visit and catch up since our last visit two years ago. Thank you for your kind hospitality and sharing your family at Faith Lutheran with us.

Out My Window

haRVey has a window, in fact, in this picture you can see what it looks like if you zero in on the RV in the left of this photo - it looks like that. 
You can see the view out our window at this campground in Hurricane, Utah, was fabulous, there are even snow-capped peaks, which never show up in photos in all of their grandeur!  This campground boasted State Park trails nearby and Zion National Park was just down the road.  

Not all campgrounds are created equal...

Here is the view out our back window while parked in Golden, Colorado.  I admit we chose this campground as a convenience - it was close (1/2 hour) from the church at which we sang. Hey, Shepherd of the Hills!  In this park Dave just kept the shades pulled down, the dumpster and the red building just didn't inspire him much.  We loved the fellowship we enjoyed with the dear folks in Centennial, Colorado.  Where we park our house usually has little to do with scenery and much more to do with the path leading to the work we joyfully do - singing about Jesus and encouraging His people in their faith walk.   The trails and beauty we find in each parking spot is  different. We relish it all and give thanks!  
Dave's comment: "There were red rocks in both places."