August 6, 2009

Happy Birthday, Matthew! Sorry, I am a day late.

Well, this is my farewell ! We are leaving tomorrow morning around 6 am. So we should be home in the early evening.

We have had a great time! We are already planning next year's trip. It won't be as long, but it will be as much fun.

Thanks for following the blog. I hope everyone enjoyed it. See you soon.

August 5, 2009

Today was a very busy day. Aunt Marie, Pat Hanky and I left early in the morning to visit quilt shops. We visited 3 quilt shops, several thrift stores, Good Will, and Salvation Army, and a couple of antique shops. We had lunch at a little coffee shop (not Tim Horton's) in Sieverville.

We found a lot of projects we want to do. It was great fun.

Baba and Uncle Bill visited David at the Arrowmont Art School to watch a wood turning class. Dave wasn't teaching this one. The instructor was Vietnamese, Bihn Pho. Some of his work sold for over $20,000 dollars. His students came from all over the world. He is supposed to be the best in the world.

When Baba got back to the camper, it somehow got flooded-not outside, but inside. I can't explain this latest incident in the life of Ron Miller.

We met the guys at Pat and David's for dinner and drinks.

Turning in early-shopping wore me out.

Cabin in the Mountains

Dave and Pat's cabin sits in the woods. They frequently have bears climb right up on their porch.

Shadow Box

Pat Hanky made this quilt piece and then displayed it in a shadow box. She and her husband, David, have pieces in 3 galleries in the area.

David and Pat Hanky's Work

This is just an example of Pat and David's work. David makes the plate and Pat makes the quilt piece in the center. Gorgeous!!

Shopping

Dave Hanky is showing Baba the tools he will need to begin wood turning. I know what he'll need $600, no-$1,000-no-$1200. The n he would have enough to make a small bowl.

August 4, 2009

Today Aunt Marie and I hit the outlet mall. We each bought several shirts. We didn't pay more than $10 for anything, other than a pair of sandals I bought. Uncle Bill and Baba had the truck washed so of course we got a nice rain this evening.

Uncle Bill cooked a nice steak dinner for everyone. We had our first campfire of the entire trip tonight. However, we couldn't sit around it because it was raining too hard.

Tomorrow Pat Hanky is taking Aunt Marie and I to several quilt shops- talk about heaven. We can't wait.

We will meet the guys at Pat and Dave's for dinner tomorrow.

Cleaning Up

Uncle Bill is cleaning off our patio. Yes, he brings his leaf blower with him. I guess it is one of those things you don't leave home without. I think there were at least 2 leaves on the patio. What would we do without him?

Catching Up

Everyone is catching up on the latest . Baba is still cooking fish.

Fish Fry !!

Baba gets the fish ready for our dinner.

Fish Fry !!

Baba gets the fish ready for our dinner.

Moon over Pigeon Forge

The full moon was beautiful.!

August 3, 2009

Sorry, no pictures. I had a few, but had trouble downloading. We arrived in Pigeon Forge today. Pat and David Hanky, friends of Aunt Marie and Uncle Bill, came over for dinner. We had a lot of catching up to do. Baba fixed fish for everyone, which is always a big hit.

Baba got himself locked in the camper. He had to pound on the door and yell for Uncle Bill and David to let him out. There was a screw missing, or maybe someone had a screw loose.

Tomorrow Aunt Marie and I will go shopping at the outlet mall. Pat and David will be over for steak after they get off work.

I'll try the pictures one more time.

August 2, 2009

Newest Country Music Star

We went to another dinner show tonight at the Nashville Nightlife Theater. They had various entertainers. The big name was Jeannie Seely she sang and told jokes. She must be in her 70s, at least. She did a nice job, as did the other performers.

One female singer came into the audience looking for someone to help her out. She chose Aunt Marie !! Aunt Marie stood right up and sang loud and clear. The singer proclaimed her the " Newest Country Music Star" in Nashville. The audience gave Aunt Marie a nice round of applause.

All I can say is it is a good thing she didn't chose any of the rest of us. Uncle Bill would have drowned her out, I would have pierced everyone's ears with my poor singing, and the song would have been over before Baba got to his feet. Aunt Marie made us proud.

On our way back to campground (we walked), we heard more singing. So we stopped and listened to Paul Hill. We enjoyed his show also.

It seems everwhere we go we see such talented performers. And to think only a very few people actually make it to the top.

August 1, 2009

Possible New Olympic Event

Uncle Bill and Baba went Krogering today. Uncle Bill put all his groceries in the truck, but then he couldn't find Baba. A guy nearby told him that Baba's cart got away. It had careened through the parking lot, jumped the curb, and went into the street. Baba had chased the cart and yes, he actually ran to catch the cart. Uncle Bill said there were tomatoes and other groceries all over the street. When he got back someone said "good save."

Uncle Bill asked if Baba had run after the cart. The guy said yes he had run fast and that he gave him an "8" for artisitic element. Uncle Bill told the man, "I've never seen that boy run."

Heck, I've been married to him for 42 years and I don't think I have even seen him walk fast.

The rest of the day was spent reliving that event. Where is your camera when you need it?

We attended mass this evening-another great homily.

Tomorrow we plan to see another dinner show.

July31, 2009

Today we arrived in Nashville. The campground gave us each a free ticket to the Nashville Palace for a dinner show. Irlene Mandrell (Barbara Mandell's sister) was the host. We heard her and Larry Hamilton and the Nashville Palace Band. We had heard Larry and the band last September when we were here. They do a nice job. Then Brooke Byam performed. She was great!

The dinner was very good. We found out later that the tickets sell for $30 each. What a deal ! It would have been well worth $30.

The weather is beautiful. There is green here. No more desert, no more canyons, no more sand, no more rocks. We will be here 3 nights.

Nurse on Duty

Aunt Marie gives Baba his allergy shot. What a brave guy he is !!

July 30, 2009

Today we left Weatherford, Texas at 5:00 am. We traveled for 11 hours. It rained for the entire time, not little sprinkles, but monsoon type rain the entire time.
We drove in Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee. It didn't rain cats and dogs, but buffalo and moose. I am not sure how Uncle Bill and Baba managed. I think all of us were nervous wrecks when we pull into the campground in Memphis, Tennessee.

When we arrived in Memphis we heard sirens which we thought were police at first, but it turned out they were tornado sirens. They continued to blast for at least 2 hours. There were 7 tornadoes sighted. At least two touched down right in the county where we camped. One took the front off a Kohl's store, picked up cars, smashed out car windows, blew down electrical wires, and trees.

We were very thankful that we got through unscathed. Lots of prayers were said.

July 28 and 29

We are now in Weatherford, Texas, arriving yesterday. Our Air Force friends, Brenda and Cliff Adams came to visit yesterday afternoon. We fixed dinner here and tried to catch up on 8 years.

Today we visited the Adams' home. They then took us to the small town of Grandbury. Marie and I loved it, but not just because there was a quilt shop.

We are heading toward Tennessee tomorrow. Another 5:00 am departure time-please....

July 27, 2009

We visited the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It was great. So much history ! Most of what we saw were actual spaceships and equipment used to train the astronauts. We also saw live footage of the the astronauts that are currently in space. They had just finished their last moonwalk. I would recommend this for everyone.

The traffic was horrendous in Houston, especially driving RVs.

Tomorrow we head to Weatherford, Texas, to visit friends.

Johnson Space Center

The Johnson Space Center was great. We took a tour in the morning. Then we watched a couple of movies. I think my favorite part was all the actual space ships and the training areas for the astronuats. Jack and Carson, you both would have loved this!!

Spaceships

These are pictures of the Saturn V. The rocket was the length of 3 football fields.

Fun at the Space Center

Aunt Marie is very happy here. She is touching a moon rock! She is the "Rock" Queen.
Grandpa looks inside a space capsule.

Scenes from the Space Center

This scene shows how an astronaut takes a shower in space. Yes, Matthew, showers are recommended in space, maybe not in Alaska. This is one of the space capsules we saw. Note, the astronaut working on the capsule while in space.

July 26,2009

No photos again today. We arrived in Houston, Texas a little after noon. We had a nice lunch. Then the guys went for groceries while Aunt Marie and I yoyoed. The day was spent resting and cooking.

Tomorrow we will visit the Houston Space Center which should take most of the day. We will spend another night here and then head for Weatherford, Texas where we have friends from the Air Force.

The weather is still hot-106 degrees. However, we do have grass and one picnic table between us. We've been eating outside, but don't stay for long. We are camping right on a bay.

July 25,2009

Sorry, no photos today. It was so hot today we didn't do any sightseeing. We did go to a movie, PublicEnemies, with Johnny Depp. It was pretty good. Baba and Uncle Bill really liked it.

We went to church at St. Benedict's The priest gave a wonderful homily. They did not come around for the offering. You had to walk it up. Baba got in the wrong pew after communion and almost sat on some lady's lap. It was easy to understand his confusion- first, I am certain he was deep in prayer; second- she looked a lot like me dark skinned, long black hair, probably Mexican. We all got to laughing even the Mexican lady. I guess need to keep him on a tighter leash.

Tomorrow we leave for Houston to visit the Houston Space Center. I hope it is cooler there. When Baba came in tonight at 9:30 pm, it was 104 degrees.

Happy Birthday, Neil. I am sure your 40th birthday party was a big success.

July 24, 2009

Today we rode the bus to downtown San Antonio. It was a fast ride through the worst parts of down.

The bus had a special seat dedicated to Rosa Parks. Naturally, it was in the front of the bus. They also have a parkway named for Rosa Parks.

We visited the Alamo and the Riverwalk. We planned to stay until evening, but the heat was unbearable!! It was about 101 degrees.

Baba and Uncle Bill drove into town to find a church for tomorrow. There ar plenty of Catholic churches here.

Boat Ride

We took the boat ride down the San Antonio River through the Riverwalk. It was interesting, but the heat nearly did us in ! Aunt Marie and I only visited 2 shops--now that's hot !! Of course, being packed in like sardines didn't help.

Lunch

We had lunch at Durty Nelly's. The bill for the 4 of us was over $100. It was tasty, but definitely not gourmet.

Durty Nelly's Irish Pub

Baba remebered this pub from when we visited San Antonio 10 years ago. Of all the things on the Riverwalk this was our first stop.

Remember the Alamo

One new injury at the Alamo. No guns involved in this one, just a collison with a nwall.

Alamo

Uncle Bill, Aunt Marie, and Baba leaving the Alamo. It was very crowded.

July 23, 2009

We arrived in San Antonio today a little after noon. We had lunch. Baba and Uncle Bill went to Wal Mart to get groceries. They were the only English speaking people there. Even the announcements were in Spanish. When they were ready to check out, they had to pay cash because there was a problem with the credit machines.

We had a great steak dinner and a nice relaxing evening.

Tomorrow we will go to the River Walk and the Alamo.

Uncle Bill and Baba wash their campers in the dark.

Baba rolls up his hose and I guess you can imagine what Uncle Bill is doing. It must have been too far to walk to his motorhome.

Happy Campers

After a good meal, we were able to relax outside for the first time in several weeks.

July 22, 2009

We were stopped by the border patrol this morning. We stayed near the border of Texas and Mexico so I assume they were looking for illegal aliens.

Today is the first time in 3 weeks we have had a picnic table at our campsite. In fact, there is a huge pecan tree providing shade-usually there are no trees, a stone patio, grill and fire ring. Uncle Bill has hauled firewood for 5,000 miles, but it has been too hot for a fire. It was 104 degrees when we arrived, but the wind picked up so we were able to eat outside- the first time since we left Cousin Dave's.

Again, we brought rain with us. We will stay there for 3 nights and 4 days. Hopefully, I'll be able to get more photos tomorrow. I have already filled one SD card.

Texas Travel

We left camp this morning at 4:00 am, yes, am, to avoid the El Paso morning traffic. We drove for about 8 hours. This is about the most interesting thing Baba and I saw on the trip- the back of Uncle Bill and Aunt Marie's motorhome. Uncle Bill said he saw a dead animal and smelled a skunk.

Aunt Marie and I slept most of the time. She did a little yoyoing on the way.

July 21, 2009

We are now in Texas. Sorry kids, Aunt Marie and I didn't get postcards in New Mexico, but mark it on your maps because we were there.

We are finally heading east. We will be traveling tomorrow and plan to reach San Antonio on Thursday. We plan to spend 3 nights there and then head for Houston.

The temperature got up to 105 degrees today. I made sun tea and it was ready in about 20 minutes. It was as warm as my hot tea that I drink in the morning.

The Sad Sagan of Baba Miller

Everyone knows about the broken canoe. But, poor Baba continues to have mishaps along the way.

1-The Infamous Canoe

2-Left his 50 amp adapter on the top of the electrical box He remembered after we were on the road.

3-Left his gas cap for his auxilary tank at the service station.

4- Had his truck washed-minus the gas cap, resulting in water in the gas. (He did find the cap later.)

5-Left his chocks between the tires and drove that way for awhile, luckily no tire damage.

6- Finally, after locking the camper door we started to exit the campground. I thought everyone sure was friendly because they were waving goodbye to us. Then one man jumped up and pointed to the back of the camper where the door was flapping in the wind.

Isn't there a movie about RVers like us?

All I can say is Thank you, Lord that we are safe. Uncle Bill will never let his little brother live this down.

Who's Lost?

This shows Uncle Bill turning around in the middle of the desert. Were we lost? No, just going the wrong way.

New Mexico

This an example of some of the Indian homes in New Mexico. You can see the Adobe bricks o f the house.

Acoma "Sky City"

This sign gives information about Acoma, which is an Indian village in New Mexico. The village is located on a mesa. It is still inhabited by a few families year round. Others have residences there, but come around special feast days.

To take pictures in the village we would have had to paid a $10 camera fee plus the cost of the tour. I wish I would have done that. The buildings were adobe with no running water or electricity. It has been inhabited since 1150 AD. The Pueblos have a matriarchal society. The homes belong to the women. The home is passed to the youngest daughter who is then responsible for caring for aging parents and grandparents. If there are no daughters, it goes to the youngest son who will then leave it to his youngest daughter. The men are responsible for all government of the community.

It was interesting to hear about their culture and how they embrace two religions, Catholicism and their Indian beliefs.

July 20, 2009

Today we drove from Williams, Arizona, to Grants, Arizona. Tomorrow we will visit Pueblo Indian Dwellings. I certainly hope we don't need to climb like we did at the Cliff Dwellers. After our visit there, we plan to travel to New Mexico. We have been in and out of New Mexico several times, but I still haven't been able to get a picture of the welcome sign.

We re staying at the Bar S Campground. Poor Baba, no picnic tables again. Also, no alcoholic beverages outside your unit- of course this poses no problem for the tea totaling Miller boys. And the strangest of all rules: "No dying of hair in restrooms."

Petrified Forest

This is a sample of petrified wood. The Petrified Forest was not what I expected. The trees have basically turned to stone after being buried for years. It is a federal offense to remove anything from any national park. That said people illegally remove about 5 ton of petrified wood each month. Many people send letters of apology with the rock they removed saying it has brought a curse to their lives.

Painted Desert

These are shots taken on our drive through the Painted Desert. The pictures don't really show the wide variety of colors. Fantastic !!

Finger-lickin' Good

Uncle Bill certainly enjoys his chicken wings. Look closely at his face. Aunt Marie's comment-"Disgusting!" I guess everyone enjoyed Baba's barbeque wings.

July 19, 2009

We decided we would go back to the Grand Canyon today and spend more time. So we left the campground at 4:00 am-no kidding. Do you realize what time we had to get up? Conversation was at a minimum on the way to the park. The traffic was minimal and we could jump on shuttle buses without any wait at all. Also, the temperatures were perfect.

After we had visited nine overlooks and snapped pictures of the sunrise and the elks, we decided to have breakfast. That was at 10:00 am.

We visited a Hopi House and the Visitor's Center.

When we got back to camp, everyone was pretty tired so naps were in order. We are having brats and hotdogs for dinner.

Tomorrow we leave for New Mexico. We will definitely not leave at 4:00 am.!! The views were worth it, but I am still exhausted.

Canyon Views

Before we headed to the rim, we spotted several elk just like this on the lawn of the hotel.

One of the first pictures of the sunrise.

Sunrise at the Canyon

We got up "early" today. We not only wanted to see the sunrise over the Canyon, but also to avoid traffic. It was a little cloudy, but still beautiful.

Grand Canyon Scenes

#1Uncle Bill, Nana, and Aunt Marie wait for the shuttle. #2 View from one of the 9 overlooks we stopped to see.

#3 & #4 Scenes at the canyon. Picture 4 shows the Colorado River. It is between 80 and 300 feet wide. From the canyon rim it looked like a stream.

July 18, 2009

My apologies for not keeping everyone informed. I had trouble connecting the last couple nights. Uncle Bill brought me to the campground shelter house and I was able to connect easily. He said I had to give him credit.

On Friday, we rode the train from Williams, Arizona, to the Grand Canyon. It was a 2 and half hour trip each way. They gave us about 3 hours to look around and get a bite to eat. Because of the time restraints we didn't get to see much. We plan to get up early tomorrow (4am) and be at Grand Canyon to see the sunrise. We will probably spend most of the day there. It was suppose to be our day of rest, but we wanted to experience more of the canyon.

Today we went to Sedona to see the red rocks. We thought we would see huge cactus, even after a little Indian lady told us there were no cactus here. We should have listened. It was still a pretty ride.

We stopped in Williams after the ride to shop. Aunt Marie I found the quilt shop!!! We are finding lots of good ideas.

Tonight we will attend mass here in Williams. They actually have their Sunday mass on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Baba, Uncle Bill and Aunt Marie are all stuffed up. Aunt Marie has been giving Baba his allergy shots every Thursday, but he is still suffering.

Well, I'll try to update tomorrow if we get back to camp in time. By the way this campground is outstanding. We even have key cards to use the facilities. The only problem is the train goes through about 6 am. It is only about a hundred yards from our sites.

Grand Canyon National Park

This a view of the Grand Canyon. The picture does not do it justice. No wonder it is called one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Wow! Wow! Wow!

Grand Canyon

Here you see Baba and Nana and Uncle Bill and Aunt Marie posing before the beautiful, fantastic, unbelievable, breathtaking Grand Canyon at Powell's Point.

Sedona

These are pictures from Sedona. We didn't see the large cactii we expected, but did see many of these smaller ones. The s econd picture shows the beautiful red rocks in Sedona. Even Aunt Marie (who collects rocks Says she's seen enough rocks.