Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to all of you! We wish you a blessed holiday season and new year.

We’re enjoying time with our kids and my mom. We visited Kevin’s sister and niece on Monday, and are also visiting with some friends while we’re in town.

Today we attended the Christmas Eve service at the church I grew up in, and we were members at while our kids were growing up. It was nice to worship in a familiar setting again. It felt like coming home.

Tomorrow we’re going to see the Hobbit movie and then having dinner at my mom’s with our kids and my brother and his wife.

We’ve had another wonderful year as full time RVers and enjoyed making new friends as we travel to new destinations.  Kevin and I sure appreciate the freedom this lifestyle has given us. We continue to value our time together exploring and enjoying so many beautiful places.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Congrats to Dr. Cathryn Breutzmann

We are so proud of our daughter-in-law who graduated with honors on Friday from Creighton University with a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy.

We arrived in Lincoln on Wednesday night after two long, but uneventful, days on the road from Yuma. On Thursday evening we attended senior project presentations by the Occupational Therapy Doctorate candidates. There were about 54 people in her class, but we only watched three of the presentations.

Cathryn’s topic was “What is the effectiveness of Dinavision training for improving performance in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in clients who experienced a stroke?”. I may be a bit biased, but I thought she did an excellent job. She was very professional, yet engaging with the audience. By earning a doctorate rather than just a master’s degree, she can teach if she wants to. After seeing her in action, I think she would make an awesome professor.

On Friday we attended her commencement ceremony. Doctoral graduates are hooded during the ceremony, which means a type of sash is placed over their heads to hang down the back of their gown. Here she is being hooded. The gold cords around her neck designate she was in the honor society and in the top 15% of the class.

Then she received the diploma. I’m sure she was ecstatic at this point. Her program was  3.5 years of rigorous studies and field work and internships. She has one more step in the process. In about a month she will be taking her boards exam to get her license to practice. She has begun the job search process. Korey is very happy with his job in Nebraska, so she is hoping to find a position in Lincoln or Omaha for at least a few years so Korey can spend a few more years at his workplace.

We’re all proud of Cathryn!!

After the ceremony we went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant in downtown Omaha with Cathryn’s parents and sister and one of Cathryn’s good friends and her family. We had a great time. Then back home for a little more family time before we left early Saturday morning to continue our trek north.

We arrived at Eric’s house in Wisconsin late Saturday afternoon. We went out for dinner at a Mexican place near his house and watched a movie when we got back.

Today is all about football. I made one of Eric and Kevin’s favorite snacks, taco dip, for during the Packer game. For dinner I’m making lasagna, another favorite. We’re staying with Eric until Tuesday evening. Then we move over to my mom’s until the end of the week where Korey and Cathryn will join us for Christmas. I’m loving my family time!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Mountain Climbing

We met up with the hiking group again this morning for a five mile hike that was advertised as being moderate except for a short stretch at the end where we would have to scramble over rocks to get to the top of a summit.

If these seniors that are ten to fifteen years older than us can do it, so can we. NOT!! I wasn’t even sure if Kevin was going to go as he’s been battling a cold since last Wednesday. But, he said okay so off we went.

The first few miles were through washes scrambling over rocks and walking in deep gravel. There were really no trails anywhere on this hike. Just picking our way through the rocks. Then we got to the end where we were going to climb up a steep cliff to Power Line Pass. There was no trail, just carefully trying to find your way up the rocks.

We made it a little more than half way up. A few people didn’t try at all, and I don’t blame them. It was quite steep. The higher we got, the more concerned I was about how was I going to get back down. I finally decided it just was not worth the danger involved.

Just as we stopped and were resting before we turned around, a man slipped on a loose rock a short ways above us and fell about ten feet before grabbing a big boulder. He was quite banged up on his arms and legs, but luckily nothing worse. That clinched it; we were going back.

Here’s where we came from. Some people were already heading back. It went around to the left and was quite a bit further down.

Here’s where we were trying to go. It just kept getting steeper.

As I look at the pictures, it doesn’t look that bad. Trust me, it was no fun! We made it back down and waited for the those who kept going. We had 25 people on this hike and 12 of them went to the top. I think some of them were part mountain goat :)  I would not call this hiking as much as mountain or rock climbing.

Here we are happy that we made it back down enjoying our trail mix.

From this point we still had a few miles climbing over rocks in the wash to get back to the truck.

We saw this cool natural arch up at the top of one of the cliffs. It’s so nice to have a camera that can zoom in as it was quite a ways up.

It ended up that the hike was longer than five miles. Our leaders hand held GPS said it was just over six miles, but two other people with cell phones said their apps said it was closer to eight miles. So, we hiked between six and eight miles, and it took six hours. I felt bad for Kevin. He was not feeling 100%, and he was dragging.

Luckily, tomorrow we will be sitting in the truck for about fourteen hours as we begin our trek north for family events. Our sore muscles will have a chance to rest.

On Wednesday evening we will arrive in Lincoln, Nebraska. We’re staying with Korey and Cathryn for three nights so we can attend Cathryn’s graduation events. She is graduating from Creighton University in Omaha with a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. We’re so proud of her.

On Saturday we will leave Nebraska and drive on to Wisconsin for Christmas with the family. Korey and Cathryn will join us on the 23rd for a few days. Lots of wonderful family time coming up!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Happy Birthday Kevin

Today is Kevin’s 59th birthday. One more year, and he will reach a milestone. I told him we would do whatever he wants on his birthday, so I’m not sure what we’ll be doing today. Maybe nothing. I’ve been keeping him pretty busy with hiking, pickleball, shuffleboard, bike riding, swimming and walking. We are going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It’s one of his favorite places, and he loves the Onion Blossom. Whatever we do, I’m glad to spend another birthday with the best husband in the world!

The weather has been a bit odd the last week. Lots of clouds which is unusual for Yuma, but highs still in the mid to upper 70s. The clouds do make for some beautiful sunrises.

…and sunsets.

We actually had .25 inches of rain last week. The next morning started out with some fog in the mountains.

On Monday we joined the hiking group for another hike into the surrounding desert and mountains. It was a three mile hike with lots of climbing up and down on rocky ground.

Our first stop was a cross that someone erected on top of a peak.

There is also a bench up there. A beautiful spot for some reflection. Although it was cloudy, we could see for miles. Somewhere down there is our RV park. This is the foothills area of Yuma. The trails you see are used by hikers and ATV riders.

 

 

 

We climbed back down and crossed a wash a few times. Then we headed up another peak. At the top was an abandoned gold mine. I was expecting some type of structure like you see in the movies, but it is just a hole in the ground. Pretty dangerous, actually.

Four years ago when we were in Yuma with our friends Al and Joan, we tried three times to find this mine. I don’t think we ever came close. Good thing we had our hiking leader because I’m sure I would never find it again.

This picture shows where we came from although you can’t see if unless you zoom in. In the front is the mine hole. The peak behind the couple in the red and light blue shirt is where the cross is. We scrambled up and down like a group of mountain goats. Well, some of us scrambled better than others. Although the hike was only three miles, it felt much longer with all the climbing.

There are lots of hummingbirds flying around the RV resort. I have a small feeder attached to the side of the fifth wheel outside the window where my chair is. Every morning I have visitors.

I think these are Anna’s hummingbirds. If the light hits them right, their heads are a beautiful fuchsia color. Other times they just look green. My feeder is mostly in the shade. When the sun hits them, they are even brighter and more beautiful. I never knew hummingbirds made noise, but you can hear them all over the park. I never tire of watching them.

Please remember that if you click on the go button in the Amazon box at the top right of this blog, you will pay the same prices you normally would, and we will get a small credit from Amazon. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Rain in Yuma

We’re getting the first rain we’ve had since we arrived in Yuma on October 16th. Its actually just a little drizzle and has been very sporadic, but the news people are quite excited about it. It has been cloudy since Monday, which is very unusual. Normally, the sun shines every day.

The clouds and drizzle are due to a front that has been dumping significant rain in California. They certainly need it, and I’m glad they are getting some drought relief. Unfortunately, it sounds like they are getting too much of a good thing and experiencing some floods and mudslides. I’m looking forward to the sun shining again.

On Monday we joined the resort’s hiking club for their first hike of the season. It was advertised as being easy. We ended up hiking a total of six miles into the foothills, including some scrambling up rocky inclines and walking along a wash. I would have rated it as a more moderate hike.

We had a good time and enjoyed the workout. I have to take my hat off to some of the older people. The leader of the group, Everett, and his wife Nancy are in their 70s. I think they could hike circles around us.

We’re going to join the group again next Monday when we’ll be doing a eight mile hike back into the foothills. There is an abandoned mine out there that we will be our destination. Last time we were in Yuma, we tried three times to find that mine with our friends Al and Joan, and never had any luck.

We ordered some pickleball paddles and yesterday was the first day we were able to play with them. They are a little lighter than the ones you can borrow from the resort. I don’t think they improved my game any, but I still had fun.

I’ve been doing some sewing here in Yuma. I finished a set of placemats for us. I’m happy with how they turned out. I used some different fabrics on parts of them, so they would not be exactly the same. Kind of like in those Highlights magazines when I was a kid. Can you find the three differences :)

Thanks to those of you that have ordered from Amazon using the link above. Just click on the go button at the top right in the Amazon box and you will be taken to their site. The prices you pay are the same, and we get a small credit. Your support is greatly appreciated!!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!