Winter Trip 2011, Part One

So, we are off again. We left home on November 30th, and after a very windy night in Red Bluff, CA, we started early in the morning and arrived at Mom's on Thursday, December 1st.

Copper was kind enough to offer to take Elle's place on the trip....

Danny helped George with numerous motor home repair projects; 
they are working on the furnace  motor in this pic; the "works" of the furnace are under the cupboard bottoms :/

The night before we left we had a little birthday celebration with Mom.

She still loves chocolates...she leaned over and said to George, 
"I'll hide them."

After I took this picture she wanted to see it. Her comment was,
"Who's the old guy in the middle?"

So George gave her his hat to wear. 
Lots of laughing, a rare thing  to  share with her now days.

Precious Memories.

Time to move on....it's cold in the Southwest!

Arizona.
A blanket of snow certainly changes the scenery.

Sunrise near Amarillo, Texas.
The clouds were more amazing than the picture shows,
 all swept and swirled.

This was a hard camping spot to return to.
We stayed here in February and Elle had such fun chasing squirrels.
 Sometimes when she went out there would be three or four, they would all run in different directions, and she wouldn't know which way to go first.
Whenever I would look out, I expected to see her sniffing in the leaves.

I love this part of the park.

We don't start campfires often.
For some reason George decided we needed one. 
The burning leaves smelled so good!
I miss that smell.

Meet JC, the "go-fer" at the Mississippi mill,
the man who always has a smile.
 George has some interesting stories to tell about JC.
He suggested I share this one:
"He was having stomach pains, so the guys at the mill told him to have his ovaries checked. He went to the doctor and asked him to check his ovaries.
He reported back to the men at the mill that the doctor said he was pretty sure his ovaries were just fine. "

Yes, it really happened.

Alternator went out.
We stopped at a little town north of Tuscaloosa called Berry, Alabama.
 George soon had help.
The man on the left stayed until after dark. 
The man in camo did not talk. At all.
A local citizen and fellow RVer suggested where to find parts and notified the police that we were having engine trouble so he would know why we were parked there.
I like small towns.

The new tag-along :)

This house caught my attention.
It has numerous stained glass windows and is just beautiful,
 sitting in a small town in a neighborhood of much smaller houses.

Alternator not quite right; having it checked out.

"The Wind House"
The owner of the mill graciously allowed us to plug in and hook up to the water.

A huge backyard, perfect for a puppy with a lot of energy.
We make several laps a day and she runs all over the place, sniffing, chasing leaves, digging at bugs and picking up pecans to carry around.

And no long drive to work : )

Time for some more sales work. 

Couldn't pass up this little cemetery out in the middle of nowhere.

As we drive I enjoy looking for unique road names, especially in the rural areas. 

Saw these roads and smiled: Preacher Roy, Rufus John's, Roxie Ridge, and my favorites- 

Scuffle Grit and Shiver De Freeze Roads: )

Traveling with Paulee means potty stops.

And play time.
She's easy to entertain.

Aaaakkk! Cotton mouth.

Our sales trip took us to Monroeville, AL.
How could I pass up a stop at the courthouse where Harper Lee 
watched her father practice law?

The courtroom that inspired the trial scenes in
To Kill a Mockingbird.

One side of the balcony, where Harper sat during the trials.
A beautiful old building.

Carved soap children and Indian head pennies : )

Mothers and Fathers, keep reading to your children!

I made a Crumb Pie for George for Christmas Eve,
 something his Mother made and I don't make often enough for him.
He suggested we take a piece to the young lady at the guard house.
This note was on the plate when she returned it the next day.

Christmas was a work day for George and a quiet day for Paulee and me.
The owner's son and his wife brought Christmas dinner for us: ham, turkey and dressing, potato salad, green beans, corn and a banana cream dessert!
It was a Merry Christmas and God Blessed.