Unexpected Happenings

West Virginia, Mountain Mama

Sorry again for no blog posts this past week - it's been an interesting week to say the least. After spending a couple days in West Virginia, which is by far the most beautiful state we've ever visited, we left for visiting the relatives in Kentucky.  All the way through the state was nothing but beautiful greenery. We stayed at a KOA on the Shenandoah River for a couple of days, had beautiful weather and awesome scenery.


The next day we headed for Kentucky (extremely hot/humid) to visit hub's relatives, his uncle Otis and his daughter and grandsons, his Aunt Doris and her husband, and his cousin Martha and her husband.  We had been told that Doris want in the hospital on Sunday evening but she wouldn't be there long...Tuesday when we left WV she was the still there but would be released on Thursday. Thursday morning we pulled into the KOA in Louisville and we receive a text message saying Doris had taken a turn for the  worse and was not expected to live.  We went to the hospital as soon as possible and visited with family that was gathered there.  Friday we visited Howard's Aunt Elsie, Martha's (mentioned above) mother and then headed to the hospital to visit Doris again.  Doris passed away early Saturday morning.  Although we thought we were going to Louisville for a family visit, God had other plans - we are so thankful we were there to support Doris' family during this time.  We are thankful God allowed hubby to sit with Doris and talk to her (although not much of a response but she knew he was there).  We're also blessed to have seen and visited his 98 year old Aunt Elsie, Uncle Otis (and family), and to see and visit with Doris' hubby and family, as well as Martha and her husband Don.

Saturday late morning we started for Indiana and settled in Terre Haute a beautiful but not as humid area as Kentucky.  We are here 3 days planning to leave on Tuesday morning to check out parts of Illinois and Missouri.  Then it will be onto Kansas to visit friends for a few days.

Hoping nothing keeps me from blogging on schedule again....next blog Tuesday evening this week.

Howard and Mary Warren

The Wandering Warrens

From Georgia to West Virginia

Since I've last blogged 8 days ago we have been to many places...we left Georgia and headed through South and North Carolina and ending up near Spotsavania. VA.  In North Carolina we visited the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, stayed a night at a Howard Johnson Hotel in Concord (don't recommend - TV and Internet did not work, they were remodeling the hotel and unfortunately we were given a room right next to the rooms being remodeled...the workmen started work at 7am and worked until 9pm. After complaining we were offered another room but we were too tired to move...so we put up with it. 

Billy Graham's childhood home

Barn behind the house

Ron and Carole with Luna

Our next stop was our good friends who live near Spotsylvania (90 miles from DC).  They live in a a secluded area which is very quiet and beautiful. We ate easy meals or ate out, we did lots of visiting and catching up (we've known them for over 52 years - before marriage) We ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant (hard to find on east coast) named Poco Mexican, drove to the lake where they own a piece of property they use for 'get away time', visited with their 2 grown children and 2 grandchildren (what a kick), went to church in a church built in the 1800's, and watched our Luna (dog) have a blast with their dog and 4 cats.  Luna didn't want to leave when we did this morning. 

Shenandoah River

Today we drove into West Virginia where we found a wonderful KOA close to the Shenandoah River. This KOA is huge...we have a cabin but Howard is disappointed there is no TV.  It was daily warm when we arrived about noon-ish but mid-afternoon we had a downpour that helped cool things down.  We do have AC plus we brought a fan that does a good job of helping keep the heat to a doable feel. (WV is one of the few states we had never visited - still have New Jersey, Maine and Michigan to go but not this trip!

I have not been feeling very well the last few days and had to contact my doctor in Phoenix for meds for a UTI.  This is the 4th one I have had in the last year.  I hope it's the last.  Today is the first day since starting the meds (Saturday) that I feel good.  I've been trying to do lots of walking (per my cardiologist's instructions)....it may not be enough but it's much more than I do at home.  I'm averaging about 400-500 steps a day (missing a few days here and there, especially when I wasn't feeling well) - not counting regular walking around.

Our next big stop is Louisville, KY where Howard has a ton of relatives we hope to see...we hope to be there by Thursday and stay through the weekend.

My not feeling good had a lot to do with my not blogging - that and the fact I'm plan lazy and would rather have fun or visit with friends that we don't see for years on end.  I'll try to get back to my every 2 day routine immediately.

Howard and Mary

The Wandering Warrens

Small Town Living

 I could sure take this small town living...where everyone knows everyone and not a secret is kept. What fun it has been this last week just watching fireworks, visiting sites, and eating/commiserating with old friends.  The other couple (Tom and Margaret Bush - old friends from many years ago) left on Thursday to continue their traveling/visiting trip of the USA.  On Friday Sondra's brother (Wally) flew in from Pennsylvania to participate in an old fashion 'Barn Raising'...with Howard, Ray (Sondra's brother), their son, their daughter's boyfriend, and a couple friends from church.  We women stayed inside and did the cooking and feeding of the six hungry men.

 They are still not quite done but most left Sunday night and Sondra's brother left this morning.  Sondra and I and Sondra's grandson Ethan made it to church yesterday morning for some good 'old fashion' music and preaching - small country church.  One afternoon Sondra and I went to visit Ray's mother who is in a nursing home.  I love visiting  these people, and it was a real treat for me.


Today is Ray's birthday so we're just kicking back and relaxing.  'Hot Rods' for a birthday dinner tonight,



















Hopefully we'll be on to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC tomorrow.  There is a KOA close by that we hope to get into for a night or two and then northward to our friends in VA.

We're tire but each stop is so refreshing - giving us the chance to catch up with long-time friends and relatives.  I thank God we are having the opportunity to do this kind of traveling and we pray our health holds up to do a few more.

Howard &  Mary
The Wandering Warrens

Georgia On My Mind (again)

My blog post a couple days ago referred to 'Georgia on My Mind' also - but now we are truly in Georgia and it will be on our mind for the next couple of weeks as we visit our friends.

We finished driving an 8+ hour day on Sunday and arrived here about 7:30 pm.  Long day but worth the trip.  So nice to see friends of many years and get to sit and visit and giggle and laugh over old times...we also did A LOT catching up on what we all are doing in todays day and age.

Our Motley Crew

Monday the 4th of July, we went to a fireworks show put on by the county.  We were joined by our friends (Sondra and Ray) by their daughter, her boyfriend, and her son plus 100s of other people. Seems the only time we go to firework shows anymore is when we are here.

 On Tuesday more friends came to visit, mutual friends of our friends (the Furlongs) and us.  We had not seen Tom and Margaret in over 30 years so it was a real pleasure to play 'catch up' and eat lots of good food provided by the best cook in the world, Sondra (our hostess)

 On Wednesday our gracious host and hostess had planned a trip to for all of us to Stone Mountain. We had driven by it years ago but had never stayed for any length of time. Before going there we ate dinner at "Hot Rods" - a popular casual restaurant in Social Circle, GA.  

Back to Stone Mountain:  A "Laser Light" show was provided for all in attendance at ...we brought blankets and sat on lawn chairs and wrapped up in blankets as it was fairly chilly (nice compared to the daytime humidity here and the hot, humid weather we had left in Phoenix)...we did not get home until midnight.



Howard and Mary
The Wandering Warrens

Sweet Home Alabama with Georgia on My Mind

Aunt Mary/Niece Tracie

The Mississippi River as seen
from the  Baton Rouge Bridge

Saturday, July 2 had us driving from Shreveport, to Gonzales, LA (40-50 miles south of Baton Rouge) ...where we met my niece, Tracie, for lunch at Cracker Barrel.  After lunch we went across the street and checked into a "La Quinta" hotel where we spent several hours chatting and playing 'catch up' - wonderful time and so proud of what Tracie has done for herself under difficult situations. We left in the morning determined to make it to Monroe, GA (800+ miles) where we will spend the next 2 weeks with good friends from California

                               Entering Louisiana

After driving through Louisiana and driving through my middle sister's ex-hometown of Slidell, LA (remember when it was so flooded by the hurricane's a few years ago?) we headed into Mississippi. Mississippi was one of the 7 states I had never been to and was on our 'bucket list' to visit. Lots of southern hostility, green grass and wide open spaces welcomed us. We drove over bridges crossing the Mississippi River several times.

The Interstate 10 through Louisiana and Mississippi also led us into 'Sweet Home Alabama'.  Another pretty state with much greenery, long highways to drive and beautiful wide open spaces. We got off on the I-65 (I believe) which led us into mid-Georgia...keeping trekking along and figuring we were almost to our destination (Monroe, just southeast of Atlanta).  We were getting pretty tired by this time 8.5 hours on the road is a LONG time. We made it by 7:30pm!  Sondra had a wonder supper for us, we did a little visiting and then off to bed for a good night sleep!

More pictures will be added to this post tomorrow (they haven't been uploaded to the computer yet).

Howard and Mary

The Wandering Warrens

Moving On Through Texas

FANNIN COUNTY LINE

After leaving Ulvade we traveled north east through San Antonio (where we spent one night in a hotel but did not do any sight seeing (we had been there before).  In the morning we left for Waco where we spent another night.  Waco is the home of Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV's 'Fixer Upper'.  As we entered Waco we saw a cute billboard with the Gaines' picture on it and the wording - "We Love Waco".  We drove by their Magnolia House and the two silos but were unable to take a tour because we had our dog with us.  Our hotel was very close to Baylor University. We had a restful day and a half there. It was beautiful country and not too hot.

HONEY GROVE CITY HALL

Leaving Waco the next day we drove north east to "Honey Grove" -  located in Fannin County it was very small town.  Interestingly there were newer houses but no real shopping...no grocery stores not even a Walmart.   Honey Grove is where my dad's great-grandparents settled in 1879 before relocating to Ulvade (previous post).  While there we stopped in Bonham, the county seat for Honey Grove, where I did some research and discovered my great-great grandparent's Coulter (Hays) did not get married there.  But they did sell property there in 1881 (when they moved to Ulvade).  We got lost among the countryside trying  to get out of Fannin County and pulled in to a hotel in Mt. Pleasant, TX to get some shut-eye.  We found all of the upper north east part of Texas to be lovely....nice green trees, easy traveling on

Honey Grove Town Square

the roads and quaint, older homes with an occasional newer home mixed in.

Today we are in Georgia with our friends on their farm.  We will be staying 10 days before moving on...life is so uncomplicated and easy here.  The weather a little warm but easier on us that the 110+ degrees in Phoenix...more about this later.  Next blog will be about our travels through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.



Howard and Mary
The Wandering Warrens

Our Trip 2016 - The Beginning

Entering New Mexico

We started our 'yearly' trip this past Sunday, June 26 at 8am.  This year we are traveling southeast knowing we won't get away from the 'summer heat in Phoenix' but hoping to get a reprieve from it anyway with a different type of heat.  Our first stop was Tucson, AZ where we visited the gravesite of my brother Jim and his wife June (Jim passed away in December 1993 and June in 2003).  How I miss my big brother and his family!

After spending some time at the cemetery it was onward to Las Cruces, NM...beautiful area. We were going to make the trip to Carlsbad Caverns from there but decided not to as we had been there several years ago.  We stayed in a KOA (we stay in the KOA's when possible). We rent a one room cabin which has most of the comforts of home except the bathroom that we have to trek to when needed (TV, AC,  heater, Internet ceiling fan, small refrigerator, and most importantly a bed to sleep on!). You have to take your own bedding or a sleeping bag.  We've found through our travels that some of the KOA's are different...in California last year they offered nothing but a bed to sleep on (we stayed in several there).  Las Cruces we'd give a grade of 'C', it was ok but nothing special.  We did have a beautiful view of the city at night.

Tuesday found us traveling across Texas and miles and miles of nothing.   We drove to Ulvade in the Southwest part of Texas so I could do some research on my great-great grandparents who lived there in the 1880's...somewhat successful. While in Ulvade we discovered that not only was it famous for housing my great-great grandparents but it's other claim to fame was it was the retirement home of John Nance Gardner (vice president of the United States for FDR's first two terms in office).  We drove by his home but opted out of the tour that was available.

More blogging this weekend - I had intended to put in 3 pictures but the system will only take one for some reason.  I just wanted to get a start on this for you all.  I will be blogging about our trip through Texas from southwest to the northeast.  Hope you enjoy!

Howard and Mary 

The Wandering Warrens