Month: September 2023

More Family Time in Iowa!

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

Aaron and Murphy dropped me off at the Sacramento airport and, my brother, sister-in-law and their dog, School Bus (Bus for short) picked me up from the Cedar Rapids airport in Iowa. It was time to pack up our dad’s apartment and get him moved to a facility that would meet his health needs. This was not an easy thing for our dad or for us, but it is the best thing for everyone.

My older brother, Sean, drove up from Atlanta, and the team was back together again. It had been over a year since the three of us spent anytime together. It felt great to have my brothers there with me. We were so busy that we did not get a photo together, so you all get to see our early 90’s looks. Sorry, not sorry!

My uncles were there too!! I had seen my Uncle Steve (on the left) when we visited the ranch he and my cousin have in Oklahoma last March. I had not seen my Uncle Darrell (on the right) in a few years. It was wonderful to have bonus family time! We had a lot of laughs and great conversation catching up on everyone and everything. Mom had a house full of family! She was thrilled. We should have named her house The Burns-Almack Bed and Breakfast. It was so special.

My brothers and I worked very hard to get Dad transitioned and settled. It took a lot out of us emotionally, physically and mentally. This picture is from our time together at the Indy 500 a few years ago.

Mom was really good about knowing when I needed a break. We even went to a classical chamber music concert one afternoon. It was an oasis of peace in a very busy week and a half.

Aaron and Murphy did OK without me. There were lots of deer and squirrels for Murphy to chase and watch. Murphy really enjoyed my bed while I was gone. Aaron sent lots of pictures of him enjoying his naps. They worked on training, and Murphy is responding better to verbal commands and is becoming a well trained camping dog.

It was a difficult two weeks but the support of our mom and our spouses, Aaron, Brenda and Angie made all the difference for Sean, Chris and myself. Thank you all for being there and supporting us!

Aaron, Murphy, and I have settled into the Eldorado National Forest for the time being. It is good to be back to our wandering life.

Shasta Lake

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

My time in Iowa was up and I was ready to get back to our wandering life. After a flight cancelation and a scrambled rebooking, I made it back to California. We had one more (for Aaron) night at Orland Buttes and then we packed up and headed north to Lake Shasta.

About half way there, Aaron realized that we had left one of our Ring cameras behind. This is a frequent mistake, but we usually remember in time to turn around and go get it. This time, we were too far to justify going back. We set up camp and ordered a new one to pick up in Redding in a day or two. And I am really, really glad we did! We had a visitor the very next night.

A bear decided to check out the Airstream

When I woke up the next morning, there was an alert that a person was spotted on one of the cameras. Of course, I looked to see who was lurking around our campsite at 3 or 4 in the morning. Ummm, not a person, and I’m pretty sure it was a grizzly bear. Needless to say, we stayed very alert, and the bear spray was never far from reach.

The campground started filling up Friday and was completely full by Saturday night. It was Labor Day weekend, and people were having a great, noisy time. Monday came around, and we had the place almost to ourselves.

We were also able to enjoy a few quiet, rainy days.

The rest of our week was quiet. Murphy swam a lot, Aaron worked, I piddled around. Then, I got a call from my younger brother. It was time to move our dad from assisted living to a skilled nursing facility. He had been on a wait list for one, and there was finally an available room. I began to book my flights back to Iowa to meet up with my brothers and get him settled into his new home.

Murphy decided that he really liked swimming

Aaron and I loaded up and moved to our next destination, Bidwell Canyon State Park. On the way, we did laundry and grabbed groceries. We got there, got set up, and settled in. The next day, I packed my bags, watched deer wander by, and then after a good night’s sleep, it was time to head back to the Sacramento Airport and back to Iowa.

Adventures in Iowa

~ Wandering Cindi ~ 1 Comment

More family time! I got to spend almost two weeks at my mom’s house. I was able to visit with my dad every day. I got to see my niece before she went off to college at Syracuse, I was able to get some time with my nephew. A couple of days with my younger brother and sister-in-law before and after they took my niece to NY. I hadn’t seen my dad in over a year, same for my brother and his family, and I hadn’t seen my mom since January.

Murphy and Aaron were on their own while I was gone.

Aaron sent me Murphy pictures every day. When we talked each evening, I got to hear about their adventures (lots of walks, bird chasing, and bone finding), and I shared my adventures with him.

Mom and I did have some fun adventures! Mom may be retired, but she is a busy lady!

We joined members of her church filling meals to assist an international group in fighting starvation in third world countries. It was very special to be able to do something meaningful and helpful with mom.

Monday seemed like a really good day to do some tourist type stuff. It was also a really good day to visit the cemetery where my grandparents are interred. I was grateful to be able to pay them my respects. Eldon, Iowa was not too far from there and I had never been to the Gothic House. This house is featured in a world famous painting by Grant Wood titled American Gothic.

1930 painting by Grant Wood

There is a museum on the property that I was excited to see. There is also a restaurant there that has wonderful (so I was told) tenderloin sandwiches. I don’t think anyone can ever make a tenderloin as good as my grandpa made, but I really wanted one! To me, that sandwich is an Iowa classic.

We made it to Eldon and the Gothic House, and the museum was closed. We were both a bit disappointed, but, I got to see the house and get a selfie or two. Since the museum wasn’t open, it was early for dinner. Mom mentioned an Amish store in a nearby town, so we headed over to see what that was about. The best description I can think of is an Amish Walmart. Groceries, clothes, furniture, sundries, shoes, material for sewing, and all sorts of other things were in abundance. It was a great place to stop.

After our shopping, it was time to go back to Eldon to get that tenderloin sandwich! Well, it was Monday, and the restaurant was closed. Mom and I just giggled and headed back towards Burlington. Mom knew that in Fairfield, where she grew up, there were a couple of restaurants that would suit our needs. One option was family style and the other was a cider pub that served food as well…

Both of those options were closed on Mondays as well.

I had told mom that I really missed pizza delivery. So, after option 2 and 3 were closed, she mentioned a pizza place back in Burlington that had really good pizza. As we got closer to town, I called to place a pick-up order.

DANG MONDAY!! I just wanted to eat!

We ended up ordering 1 sausage and pepperoni pizza from a Casey’s gas station. When we got there to pick it up, they had made 1 sausage pizza and 1 pepperoni pizza. At that point, I was happy to have food, so I didn’t complain. We made it back to mom’s house and enjoyed our 5th choice of a meal.

Another evening, we want to Salem, IA to enjoy a reputedly great prime rib dinner. There was a festival in town, and the restaurant had a limited menu. No prime rib for me, but I was able to get that tenderloin sandwich. We just laughed and laughed.

My brother was planning on visiting Gettysburg on his truck to NY. Most of the national park was closed for maintenance. It must have not been our family’s week.

Overall, it was a great 2 week trip and some special time with my family. We went to high tea, unboxed my mom’s wedding dress for the first time since she was married,and I had a surprise visit with my Uncle Darrell! He had a few cancelations happening in his world and was able to make it down to Burlington for a day to spend with mom and myself. I hadn’t seen him in far too many years. It made my special visit even more wonderful. Mom and I checked out a few campgrounds in the area and kicked up dust on quite a few gravel roads.

My time was up, and I was ready to get back to my Airstream, my husband, and the dog. The day after I got back to California, we were going to head to Shasta Lake near Mt. Shasta. It was time to get back to the house on wheels and start rolling again.

Family is the Best!

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

After time with Gage, a few days with Murphy getting acquainted with camper life and camper life getting acquainted with Murphy , it was time to head south into northern California and meet up with Aaron’s cousin, Ethan, his wife Lara, and their dog Tango. They live in California and recently purchased an RV! We had not seen each other in quite a few years and this was the perfect way to meet up and get to know each other all over again. Aaron and Ethan grew up together and all four of us had spent time hanging out at family functions. But, we had not really spent time together just the four of us. We made up for that very quickly.

Photos by Lara (thank you Lara!!!!!)

Lara and I had both looked for a dog friendly campground, and Lara found Lighthouse Cove in Crescent City, CA. We thought it ironic that our Louisiana guys would reunite in a different Crescent City than New Orleans. It was the perfect find! There were beachs and bikes paths, a cool town, and redwoods.

(photo by Lara-if it wasn’t for her, there wouldn’t be very many pictures of this great week!)

We had amazing Thai food with some delicious sake to drink, found a cool bay side sushi place with surprisingly well priced drinks, a micro brewery with excellent beer and food, and a hotel restaurant with good drinks and appetizers overlooking the Pacific. The best part of it all was the company. Aaron and I have enjoyed our wanderings and time with each other, but being able to socialize with other people has not happened often. Ethan and Lara were perfect people to spend time with.

Tango, Murphy, Lara and I spent a lot of time walking this beach. Murphy was learning from Tango and I was learning from Lara. She was key to helping us start Murphy’s training. He is a better behaved dog, and we are better dog owners due to her knowledge and skill. Tango is an older dog and Murphy just a year old. Tango put him in his place a few times. It was good for Murphy. I’m not sure how good it was for Tango, but, he tolerated the hyper young pup. I’m pretty sure Murph misses Tango more than Tango misses him…

We hiked through some redwoods at the Jebediah Smith State Park, rode our bikes around town, and had some fun, slightly heated card games (and Lara was right about the rules to Spades-we owe her more games so she can kick our butts like we deserve lol).

As much as we did, the best part of the week was time with family. Aaron and I are really enjoy our life on the road and the seclusion that comes with it. That is in part what makes weeks like the one we spent with Ethan and Lara even more special. We appreciate the special times more now than ever.

Our week together was ending. Ethan and Lara needed to make their way home, and Aaron and I needed to make our way to Sacramento. I had a flight out of Sacramento to Iowa to spend more time with family! Aaron and Murphy were going to be on their own for almost two weeks while I was visiting my parents, brother, sister-in-law and my niece and nephew.

We said our goodbyes and hit the road with smiles on our faces, memories in our hearts and promises of future camping plans. We are looking forward to seeing Ethan and Lara again in the next few months!

Iowa, I was coming for you!