Crazy Cousin Reunion . . . and More!

At the request of a dear friend, here is an outline of the itinerary for this wondrous two-month trek called "Crazy Cousin Reunion . . . and More!"

We began by driving across Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado to South Dakota, where you know we've already been, if you've been reading the blog.

From South Dakota to Nebraska and Illinois -- we are currently just north of Chicago for two days, we go on to Indiana. Merrilyn & Jack will spend the Indiana time with Jack's family and friends, as Indiana is "home" to him, while we spend time friends.

From Indiana, we'll hook up again with Merrilyn & Jack and head for the greater Toronto area where we'll visit many family and friends and attend the event that was the catalyst for this entire trip, the Crazy Cousin Reunion. What fun it will be to spend time with the cousins on my dad's side of the family and to catch up with them! The first and only other CCR was in July of 1999.

After the reunion, Merrilyn & Jack will fly from Buffalo back to northeastern Washington where they live, while we'll go on across New York, New England, down the east coast, across the south, finishing with a weekend with our precious little Mea in Las Cruces, NM, then back to Southern California, with our tentative date for returning home being 10 October.

Day #11: A Phenomenal Feat!

Today, with Neil's sister and niece from Rapid City and my sister and brother-in-law from northeastern Washington who are joining us for part of this trek, we went to Mt. Rushmore to view again the amazing work of the men who designed and carved out one of our most spectacular National Monuments.


It is hard to imagine how this came about -- the vision, the dreams, the efforts, the pain and heartache, the struggles, the exhaustion, and the feelings of futility and frustration that must have gone into making Mt. Rushmore a reality.

It is also hard to imagine the incredible euphoria of victory when the face of each of these U.S. Presidents -- Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, was successfully completed and unveiled.

What lessons there are for us -- lessons in vision and dreaming big, determination, perseverance, teamwork, and pursuing dreams -- when we view this truly phenomenal feat known as Mt. Rushmore!

Days #9 and 10: Usual . . . or Unusual

As we have traveled down the highways and byways of Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota the last few of days, I've been thinking that much of life is a matter of perspective. What for one person might be usual, for another person might be quite unusual. Here are some examples that we have experienced in the last few days.

~ Usual it might be for Coloradoans to experience snow on 15 August, for these Southern Californians, it was most unusual!

~ Usual it might be to drive along major roadways multiple miles and not see another car traveling in either direction, this is a "never happens" event at home!

~ Usual it might be for Wyoming folks or South Dakotans to be able to look out across miles and miles of rolling prairies as far as the eye can see, this cannot happen in our little corner of the world!


~ Usual it might be to see a row of 12-18 mailboxes (you know -- "real" mailboxes sitting atop wooden posts) lined up at the end of a side road, for us it was unusual, taking us back in memory to different times and places!

~ Usual it might be to see herds of antelope grazing near the highway, for these Southern Californians, it was a sight to behold!

~ Usual it might be to see two antelope grazing alongside a herd of Black Angus cattle, it sure seemed unusual to us!

~ Usual it might be to see an antique tractor parade coming down the highway, it was the first time it had ever happened to us, and cool it was!


~ Usual it is for me to walk to any one of at least six Starbucks in 5 - 20 minutes from our condo in downtown Pasadena , for the residents of the states through which we've been driving, that would seem unusual indeed!

Usual . . . or unusual? It's all a matter of perspective.

Days #3 & 9: Sightseeing -- Honest!!

Days #3 & 9: Sightseeing -- Honest!

Neil and I have a sightseeing reputation with our Panama Crew, and not a very good one at that. For those of you who do not know to whom "Panama Crew" refers, it is a group of six families who bonded closely and became extended family for one another when we all were stationed with the military on the Pacific side of Panama in the early 1980's. Every other year, we have a Panama Reunion where as many of the "parents" and "kids who can make it gather together for a wonderful time of fun and fellowship . . . and some sightseeing, perhaps. Of course, the "kids" now have kids of their own, so our group flourishes and grows year by year with the addition of precious new little people (aka sightseers?).

Neil and I occasionally opt out of the sightseeing adventure, depending on the destination, the time involved, and our energy level. OK, maybe we often opt out, preferring to kick back, relax, and soak up the beauty at the home base for that particular gathering, so through the years we've gained a reputation and taken a significant amount of kidding for being the worst sightseers of the Panama Crew. Thus, if sightseeing should ever enter the realm of our reality, it is something that needs to be noted and specifically pointed out to our Panama friends.

While we were in Santa Fe, New Mexico our third day out, Neil and I wandered through the historic district and thoroughly enjoyed our time there, seeing their beautiful old buildings and especially their old churches.


Our favorite place was Loretto Chapel. Completed in 1878, Loretto has what is known as the "Mysterious Staircase." Innovative at the time, this amazing structure's design still perplexes architectural experts. Built only with wooden pegs -- no nails and no support posts or beams, this graceful staircase makes two 360 degree turns with no visible means of support as it ascends from the floor at the back of the chapel to the choir loft.

On the ninth day of our "CCR . . . and More" journey, we took time to go and see another amazing thing in honor of two good friends, Richard in SoCal and Jeff of Virginia (one of the Panama Crew), because they are both train buffs.


Wandering through Historic Cheyenne, we sought out "Big Boy." For the benefit of us non-train buffs, "Big Boy" is a gargantuan, humongous steam engine. One of a series of only 25 locomotives and listed as "the largest steam locomotive" ever, Big Boy was designed and built in 1941 for the Union Pacific Railroad to be used on the especially rugged run from Cheyenne to Ogden, UT. Although retired in 1956, Big Boy (also called the Mighty 4004) can be viewed in all his glory at Holiday Park in Cheyenne, and view it we did, as you can see by the photo below. (Note: the system is not downloading photos at the moment, so check back for the photo at another time.)

For those of you who love statistics, this locomotive weights 1,208,750 pounds and is just over 132 feet long, with a fuel capacity of 28 tons and a water capacity of 25,000 gallons. With those mind-boggling numbers, you can see why Big Boy was a marvelous and magnificent sight to behold!

Day #5: Snow and 39 degrees??

What's with this? As Neil and I drove through the incredibly beautiful Colorado mountains from South Fork through Salida to Buena Vista and on across the pass towards Colorado Springs, we realized that in the midst of the raindrops on the windshield, there was also SNOW!

Snow powdered the ground on either side of the highway. White strips down the center and sides of the highway, broken by tire tracks, confirmed to unbelieving eyes that it truly was snowing.

SNOW? It was 15 August. Who would have thought we'd see snow on our wondrous trek through these mountains that in my heart said, "Home!"

My sister, Merrilyn, and I were raised in Pueblo, and our family went to the mountains for picnics whenever we could. Driving through Colorado this week was nostalgic for me, bringing back memories of times with our parents and our cousin, Peg, and her parents. We were little girls, wading in the incredibly cold streams beside the picnic areas, climbing the winding mountain paths, exploring the craggy rocks. Those were some of the magical times of our childhood, truly good growing up times. Remembering, I felt blessed!

Day #2: Rainbow Acres

With our hosts, Bill & Louise Searcy, Neil and I spent most of our second day of the trip at Rainbow Acres. Let me tell you about this unique and truly special place. At the risk of sounding trite, "WOW!" is the word that comes to mind to describe our day.

Rainbow Acres was begun in 1974, started through the vision and efforts of Rev. Ralph Showers. Ralph was a youth pastor when Neil and I were in college and seminary, so we knew him when he began to implement this dream of his and have been supportive of the organization for many years. For the past 12 years, Gary Wagner, pictured above with Bill & Louise and Neil in the dining area of one of the new houses, has been President and CEO of Rainbow. The first time we had a chance to visit with Gary at Rainbow Acres was about 7 years ago, and the changes since then are incredible!

OK, OK, you are asking, "WHAT is Rainbow Acres?", aren't you? Rainbow Acres is an amazing residential facility in the high desert of northern Arizona for developmentally handicapped adults, dedicated to providing a safe, loving, Christian, caring community for the residents and to helping each resident (aka "rancher") develop his/her full potential. There are currently 85 ranchers, with 2 new residents due to arrive early this fall.

When we visited several years ago, the ranchers lived in trailers -- very clean and livable, but now they live in beautiful new homes that need to be seen to be believed! Each of the new houses (there are 8, with the 9th due to be completed by early fall) have 10 bedrooms, with the ranchers each getting his/her own room, plus staff quarters. Each house is uniquely decorated: each rancher decorates his/her own bedroom, and the "great room" of each house is also uniquely decorated so there is no "cookie cutter" feel to the homes. The "great room" of each home is a lovely large area with a living room where residents can visit or watch television, a dining area for their breakfast and dinner meals (noon meals are in the Rainbow dining facility), and a computer nook.

Because Rainbow is committed to helping each resident reach his or her potential, there is a wide variety of programs offered: they have a neurological development program that includes equestrian training, "patterning" (to help gain neurological functioning that was somehow missed during the early development as infants/toddlers), and music. There are also exercise programs, computer training, a study hall type area where people work on educational/reading type things, and work areas: some of the residents weave beautiful rugs, while others work on making jewelry, vases or votive candle holders, stepping stones for people's yards, and other hand-crafted items. Some are able to hold jobs in the community at WalMart, in a recycling center, and other local establishments, while others work on the campus in the skill areas already mentioned, in the kitchen preparing the daily lunch meal, or at other tasks necessary to keep their community running well.

As I told Gary at the end of our visit, "If I had an adult child with developmental disabilities, Rainbow is the place I would want my child to be!" In addition to all that is available to help a rancher reach maximum potential, there is also a palpable feeling of love, respect, great humor, and deep caring. We went away truly blessed to know this wonderful Christian facility is available for people who cannot live on their own, who need a place to live where they will be valued, that will allow them to be as independent as possible, a place where they will be cared for and supervised by people who truly love them and want the ranchers to be the best they can be. Awesome!

(If you want to learn more about Rainbow Acres, go to: www.rainbowacres.com)

Day #1: The Journey Has Begun!

The journey, which we are calling "The Crazy Cousin Reunion . . . and More!" has begun! This long-awaited event which will take us many miles to visit many wonderful family members and friends, is actually becoming a reality.

Day #1 saw us leaving Pasadena and heading down the freeway and across the desert. Oh, my! How I struggled as I drove the stretch from Barstow to Needles early Monday afternoon. Was it because I was so tired from the remodel/repaint/recarpet? Including the preparation for that, which meant sorting and packing 70-80% of all we owned, taking it to storage, moving into our own guest room for 3 weeks, moving out of our condo for a month and staying in 5 different places, moving back into the condo and trying in one week to haul everything back, unpack, and put things away, in addition to preparing for the trip and for being gone for 2 months . . . OK, the past 3 months have been chaotic, and we are weary.

Could that be why I could not find beauty in my surroundings as I drove on Monday afternoon? Mile after mile, I drove through the parched and barren land . . . a desperately dry desert that showed me gray and barren landscape as far as my eye could see with tufts of tiny plants, wispy bushes no taller than a couple of feet, and stunted cactus. How my soul longed for beauty! How my eyes and heart sought beauty, even in the devastating dryness that surrounded me. But beauty was something that evaded my eyes that afternoon.

Until . . . up ahead, a swath of brilliant green cut by a wide ribbon of bright blue! Surrounded by the gray/beige monotony through which I'd been driving was an agricultural oasis and the Colorado River, bright spots in the bland landscape. But they were soon gone.

As Neil began to drive, I took a much-needed nap, and when I awoke, I could see blue sky to our right with fluffy white clouds, and green beside the road . . . tall pine trees, smaller bushes, wild flowers. Then ahead -- straight ahead, there were thunderclouds, drops of rain hitting our windshield, and a rainbow!

I couldn't help thinking about our souls . . . our spiritual selves. Sometimes, for whatever reasons, we go through a dry spell where our souls are parched, but God in His faithfulness always brings us through those dry times and provides balm to our souls, in this case in the form of beautiful green trees, blue sky, cloudy sky, raindrops, and . . . a lovely rainbow, reminding me of His love and promises. Refreshed, my soul soared!

The "Re's"

We are REJOICING! The remodel/repaint/recarpet job is DONE! We are excited, grateful, thankful, relieved, ecstatic, and jubilant!

They said it couldn't be done! They said nobody could do it! Some asked if we were on drugs, and others said "It's nice to know an optimist!" when we told people we were having a remodel/repaint/recarpet job done that was to begin the beginning June and end around 31 July. People laughed at us -- truly, they did!

The work began 12 days late, through no fault of the contractor, and ended 4 days late on 4 August.

Neighbors have stopped us and said, "Is your remodel done already?" We gleefully, gratefully say, "Yes! And they've done a wonderful job!"

THANKS must go to Atherton Baptist Homes for allowing us to live in a variety of available guest apartments for 3 of the last four weeks of the remodel, with another week spent in San Diego and Sacramento. We found out just how much fun it is to live at Atherton and did wonder from time-to-time why we hadn't decided to skip the work on our condo and just sell and move to Atherton.

THANKS also goes to NK Construction and all the sub-contractors who did an outstanding job!

Glitches? Yep -- not many but a few, the most traumatic of which was that the brand new air conditioner that we had installed in May, before NK began their part of the work, started blowing HOT AIR late on the Friday afternoon that we were going to begin to move back to the condo. Thankfully, we still had the Atherton guest apartment booked for another 7 days, so we continued to stay at Atherton at nights and work at the warm condo during the days. What a relief it was to get to our cool Atherton apartment each evening! Our condo's air conditioner is now working well again, but that did not happen until Thursday last week, after two visits from repair people. Sigh!

We had one week to move things back from storage, unpack, and put them away while also tying up loose ends to be gone for 2 months on a trip that we're calling "The Crazy Cousin Reunion . . . and More!" Neil is an amazingly hard worker, hauling all the boxes of our "stuff" back from storage to the condo. We got almost everything upacked and put away, with the exception being our books.

You'd be so impressed -- the condo looks lovely, clean, fresh, and amazingly uncluttered, with just a few boxes of books stacked neatly against a wall and inside a bookcase.

We are so grateful for the remodel work that was done, much of which had needed doing for ten years, since the day we moved into this wonderful tri-level condo in downtown Pasadena.

God was so gracious in leading us to a contractor who truly knew how to get the job done well and on time, and in providing us with friends who were so supportive, especially our good friends at Atherton Baptist Homes who offered shelter and fellowship, which was much needed and gratefully received!

Shake & Quake

Some of you have asked about the recent earthquake in our area, so let us assure you we are fine. It was amazing how little damage was done, and everyone is grateful.

We were sitting with a friend in a Mexican restaurant when the earthquake happened. The waiter looked a bit panic-stricken, and asked, "What is happening?"

Neil assured him that it was an earthquake, but that it was probably only around a 5.0 and that everything really would be OK. Of course, he said that as the building continued to roll, feeling as if it were a ship at sea, and the light fixtures swung gently to and fro, so I'm not sure how comforted the waiter was at that moment in time!

As many of you know, we have been having a remodel/repaint/recarpet job done at our condo, beginning with demolition of our master bathroom on 12 June. On earthquake day, our downstairs neighbor had a guest, who happened to be taking a shower when the earthquake hit. He kept thinking, "What on earth are Neil and Patty's workers doing to create so much chaos, and is someone going to fall through the shower ceiling and land on me?"

It wasn't until a few hours later that the poor guy realized he had actually been in an earthquake.

Thus endeth the tale of two people's first earthquake experiences, and thankful we are that they are humorous tales rather than tales of woe created by the chaos a big earthquake can cause!