MILL WHEELS AND MEMORIES (March 3-9, 2018)

This would be the final week of a five week travel outing with Sherry's brother and sister-in-law, Curt and Jenny Byrd.  We stayed together in the Mountains of North Carolina (Wyndham Mountains), the beaches of South Carolina (Island Links at Hilton Head), and Sevierville, Tennessee (Wyndham Smoky Mountains) just outside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

This week would mainly be the week of just hanging out at the resort and, once again, seeing         
the scenic wonders of the Smoky Mountains.

It's hard sometimes to remind ourselves that we don't have to always be running here and there on these adventures, and that these days are really just a part of our retired lives now.

We did take time to drive into Pigeon Forge, eat at the Old Mill Restaurant , and walk around the town a little.  Also, we spent a day visiting the National Park and enjoying the Mountain scenery.

REFLECTIONS

Visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this week brought back memories of long ago;

memories of several visits there when my brother lived in Knoxville. They were memories of a time when we were young and imagining what our lives together would hold.

Now those imaginings have become reality and, as we approach our 50th wedding anniversary next year, we have pretty much discovered what life held.  All in all, it has treated us pretty well.  We have been blessed time and time again.

Now, there is far more looking back then looking ahead.  We plan our retirement travels two years out, but who knows what those two years will hold.  Life will move on, like the wheel on the mill, until one day it stops.  "But until then, my heart will go on singing!"

Remember to enjoy the moments as you live them.  They will be woven into the tapestry of your life to be viewed time and time again.

Now it's back to Indiana for a couple of weeks (doctor and dentist appointments) and then off for eight weeks on Edisto Island in South Carolina.  We will be joined there by several friends, we will enjoy our time together, and, I am sure, recall memories of times gone by.

WATCH OUT FOR THOSE GATORS (February 10-March 2, 2018)

From the mountains of North Carolina to the beaches of South Carolina our journey continued.  We, along with Sherry's brother and sister-in-law, arrived at the Island Links Resort on Hilton Head Island after a day's drive and settled into our three bedroom condo.  The unit was spacious and clean, and the grounds were manicured and inviting.  The pool was chilly, but the hot tub was perfect.  They even provided us dinner (Barbecue) on Mondays and breakfast (donuts) on Thursdays!

We took a day to drive around the island and saw dolphins and gators.  We visited the lighthouse and drove past the golf course where the P.G.A. will host an event in April.  We walked the sandy beaches and hassled with the horrific traffic.

We, also, took a day trip into Savannah, Ga. where we took the
Trolley Tour around the historic city and had lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room (recommend).






Most of our time was spent just living the dream, enjoying each other, and experiencing the turning of winter into spring.  After our three weeks there, there were flowers where there were no flowers before.

And now it's on to Sevierville, Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains for a week.






REFLECTION

As I watched the gator swim along the shore line of the pond behind our condo, I could see a glob of white feathers and two long legs dangling from its massive jaws.  Death and dinner had become intertwined in the mouth of the beast.  I watched until the diner and his lunch disappeared into the high grass that lined the bank.

What a graphic reminder that in the animal world there is a fine line between living and dying.  Most likely that mass of feathers, hanging from the gator's gaping jaws, had been recently focused on getting its own dinner;  intently watching the small fish swim in the shallow water at the mouth of the pond.  Standing perfectly still and distracted, the hunter became the hunted.  The gator and the fish live....the bird dies.

It would seem that life and death are like that in our pond, too.  Sometimes we become so involved, focused on sustaining our own life, that we fail to see the dangers stealthly inching closer and closer.  We neglect to always remain alert to our surroundings.  We become so absorbed in "taking care of business" that we fail to see the danger inching our way.  We become transfixed and stand in danger of falling prey to those who would abuse or misuse us.

We (the bird) must not become so wrapped up in doing what we typically do that we fail to pay attention to the encroachment of the dangers around us.  We must always be alert and react accordingly.  Nothing wrong with "turning tail and flying away."

WATCH OUT FOR THOSE GATORS.

RETIREMENT, RELATIVES, AND RAIN (February 2-9, 2018)

As I sit on our spacious, screened in deck, and listen to the rain on the roof, I am reminded of one of the hardest things I've had to learn about our nomadic lifestyle.  It is the fact that when we are traveling, we are not on vacation.  We are, instead, simply living our retirement lives.  It makes a huge difference in how you react to rainy, snowy, inclement weather.

When you are on "vacation", every day is supposed to be filled with fun things to do, every day is supposed to have new things to see.  Therefore, every day is supposed to be sunny and clear!  However, if you are just living your retirement life, it really doesn't matter all that much if the weather falls short of expectations or not.  It's life.

This past week we have been staying in Lake Lure, North Carolina, and there were two days of all day rain.  On vacation....disaster!  Living life....a time to recharge!  I have come to the conclusion that wherever I am, is home.  Last month home was Hawaii.  This month, home will be North and South Carolina.  March and April, home will be Edisto Island, South Carolina.  Thus, I can sit on my deck, listen to the rain replenish the earth, drink a cup of coffee and relax.  Thanks to Wyndham Vacation Resorts, I have a retirement lifestyle that includes "homes" all around the world.  I am blessed.

This past week and next, we are traveling with my wife's brother and sister in law.  They have just retired and this is their first retired travel adventure.  They are also Wyndham owners and this week we are their guests and next week they will be ours.  It will stretch both of our abilities to spend time in the wonderful world all around us.

REFLECTIONS

Sometimes, in life, we get so wrapped up in everything going just right that we fail to enjoy our living when things aren't quite perfect.  We grumble and complain about how awful it is when, in reality, it's not awful, it's just not what we expected.  We become hard to live with as we continually search for perfection.  Here's a news flash.....life is not a vacation!  It is the living out of highs and lows, of good and not so good, of sunshine and rain.  It is the everyday journey of life.

Ultimately, it is what we choose to make it.  So, as the gray skies hide the mountains today, they do not remove them.  The mountain vistas are still there.  We'll see them tomorrow.  The waterfalls will be full and rushing toward the valley.  There will be a freshness all around, and I will sit on my deck in the morning, with my coffee cup in hand, and marvel at God's creation.

And then, on Friday, it's off to my home on Hilton Head for three weeks.

WAKE-UP CALLS: ROOSTERS AND BALLISTIC MISSILES (December 31 - January 28, 2018)

The drive north from Tennessee to Indiana with Autumn and the girls was uneventful as we watched the ground turn from green, to brown, to white.  Our first ten days of 2018 were spent in the Hoosier state visiting with family and friends, and the only real downside was that the January temperatures dipped into the minus numbers, with wind chills in the -20 range.  As we walked down the frozen jet bridge, to board the Delta aircraft heading to Hawaii, there was no doubt that we would enjoy the next 17 days in the tropics.

Our three days on Waikiki Beach, at the Wyndham Royal Gardens, were a perfect reminder as to why we were there.  Temperatures were in the 80s, with nothing but bright blue Hawaiian skies.  We fully enjoyed a day at the PGA Sony Open thanks to PGA Tour pro, Tyler Duncan. Then came January 13th, and the "THIS IS NOT A DRILL. A BALLISTIC MISSILE IS INBOUND TO HAWAII" text message and the "20 MINUTES TO IMPACT" TV scroll!  They were 28 minutes that we will never forget.  We flew from there to the island of Kaua'i that afternoon and the sunrise on January 14th, shown above, may have been the most beautiful dawning of another day that I have ever seen.

Our time on 'the garden isle" was spent, for the most part, at the Wyndham Kaua'i Beach Villas just enjoying the warmth of the sun, the ocean breeze, the rooster's wake-up call, and the beauty that surrounded us. We did manage to spend two days being guides for new friends, Dennis and Denise Linnell.  We met them while in Alaska last fall, as they graciously opened their home to us while in Soldotna for six weeks.  We visited many wonderful sights and traveled every inch of the main road on the island. It was good to, one more time, see Waimea Canyon and all the beautiful beaches.  All in all, it was an awesome time in Hawaii.

REFLECTIONS

Every morning on Kaua'i I got a 4 a.m. wake-up call from one the resident roosters who called our resort home.  It really wasn't very pleasant!  But the biggest "wake-up" call was that morning on O'hau when I thought I might be incinerated in 20 minutes!

I must say that, following a time of looking my mortality in the face, I now, even more than before, have decided to cherish every day.  I will cherish mornings, like the one early in January, where the cold, frigid, wind hurt my skin and the wind chill registered -22, as I made an early morning donut run to Jack's Donuts in Avon, Indiana.  I will cherish days, like today, when the gentle ocean breeze kisses my face with sweet aromas and the warmth of the Kaua'i sun.  I will cherish days when it rains, and days when the sun shines.  Each day will be an added blessing.

When facing a twenty minute deadline on my life, it was good to know that my heart was right.  So you see, for me the BEST IS YET TO COME, be it here or there.

"THIS IS NOT A DRILL....." (Hawaii, January 13, 2018)

I had just finished a pre-dawn walk where I had watched a wonderful sunrise over Diamond Head.  I was sitting on the edge of the bed, in our 23rd floor room at the Wyndham Royal Garden, watching the Michigan and Michigan State basketball game, when my cell phone pinged indicating a text.  I reached for it and sat in unbelief as I read and re-read the message on the screen.."THIS IS NOT A DRILL!  AN INCOMING BALLISTIC MISSILE WILL IMPACT HAWAII......".

"THIS IS NOT A DRILL, THIS IS NOT A DRILL" echoed through my numb mind.  Earlier in the week we had visited with Hawaii resident, Dennis Lynch, who had told us that Hawaii now was holding "Missile Alert Drills" once a month because of its' vulnerability to attack from North Korea.  Now this message shouted...NOT A DRILL".

I shared the message with Sherry as she finished her morning shower, returned to the living area, and read words like these as they scrolled across the television while a now unimportant basketball contest played in the background..."An incoming ballistic missile will impact Hawaii in 20 minutes, take shelter now".

Twenty minutes?  I now had a timeline for my possible earthly end.  Twenty minutes!  I stepped out unto our lanai and scanned a deep blue Waikiki sky from the river to the Pacific Ocean, thinking that perhaps I could catch a glimpse of something.  I can not fully explain my emotions, my feelings.  I don't even remember if I breathed a prayer.  There was a sense of resignation; a feeling that this was it.  I did think about the guy I saw on a street corner, by the beach, with his sign..."The end is near".

By this time Sherry had exited the bathroom, hair wet, and we made our way to the lobby.  In the lobby I saw no crying and fear, just people with confused looks on their faces, and many on their cell phones.  After about another 10 minutes we learned that there was no threat.

A COLD TENNESSEE SASQUATCH HUNT (December 2 - 30, 2017)

Spending December in Tennessee sounded like a good idea when we made reservations over a year ago, but no one told us that an Artic cold spell would plummet the thermometer 20 degrees colder

than usual.  Thus, our four weeks in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee proved to be an unexpected time of staying inside and just enjoying the warmth of the wood burning fire place and good friends.  The Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Glade provides free wood to its guests, and I took good advantage of the benefit.  I would estimate that during our month long stay we burned somewhere between 300 and 400 pieces of wood (I also didn't have it delivered but used the walk to the wood shed and back for exercise).

Some of that time in front of the flickering flames was spent with friends.  Tim and Vicky Gates drove us over from Nashville and spent a couple of nights, Mike and Elisabeth Adams stopped in for a couple of nights on their way to Florida, Bruce and Carol Hardesty drove up from southern Tennessee for a couple of nights, and Ray and Donna Couey drove over for the day (We hadn't spent any time with them for over 40 years).  These opportunities to share our life with others is exactly what we had hoped would happen when we began our retirement journeys a little over a year ago.  Hopefully, others will join us in the days to come.

Finally, our last visitors joined us for five days.  Our daughter Autumn, and our granddaughters, Abigail and Adelyn, slid their way the six hours from Indiana to stay with us.  While we didn't have the chance to do all the outdoor things we would have liked, we did manage to take some short hikes, eat some ice cream, play lots of table games, work on a jigsaw puzzle, watch some TV, and laugh often.

REFLECTIONS




One of the images that will remain with me for my remaining years will be of two young girls striding from tree to tree in the cold Tennessee woods, making grunting noises they imagined sounded like Sasquatch, and peeking out from behind those trees with quizzical looks at the human following them with a camera.

You see, we had sat and watched numerous episodes of a "Searching For Big Foot" marathon and now they were playing the part.  The part of the searched for, but never found creature.  What fun we had on that journey.

It seems to me like many folks spend their time running from tree to tree pretending to be something they are not.  And, as a matter of fact, many of them are on Facebook.  They hide behind this tree and that tree never really allowing themselves to be seen.  It, also, seems to me that there are many people who are constantly searching for something that is elusive, something that is mystical, something that no one else has ever seen.  They look and look and look.  They listen to others' stories and try to find a similar outcome.  Yet, in the end, all they find are sounds in the darkness that leave them unfulfilled and disappointed.


While running from tree to tree in 2018, be yourself.  Enjoy your uniqueness, your adventure.  I don't know what it may be that you are searching for in 2018, but might you find yourself.  Be real and understand that the true search must begin within.

WE ARE THANKFUL, ALWAYS! (November 25 - December 1, 2017)

To be totally honest, it wasn't easy to leave the white sand beaches and warm temperatures of Grand Cayman Island and fly north to Indiana and our cabin.  Well, we actually flew north to Cincinnati, Ohio.  Well, really we landed at the Cincinnati/Covington International Airport in Kentucky.

It wasn't that we couldn't have flown into Indianapolis but it was rather that, in order to have ground transportation during our one week stay in the Hoosier state, we had to fly to Cincinnati.  Let me explain.

Since we fly almost everywhere we go and because you can't take a car in your carry on, we simply sold our cars.  On the ground, in our various stops, we either use public transportation, Uber, rent a car, or find someone who will loan us some wheels.  That's where flying to Cincinnati comes in.

Back in 2012, while I was traveling and speaking, I held a revival in Plainfield, Indiana (near Indianapolis) where Darwin Pressler pastored.  Darwin and I know about each other but really had never had much contact across the years.  When he heard of my transportation need he, without hesitation, said; "I have an old truck that pretty much just sits around here.  Why not use it when you are here in Indiana?"   Thus, for the past 5 years, this wonderful Godly man has allowed me (us) to use a truck.

We are actually on the 2nd truck.  I named the first one "Gracie" to remind me of the unmerited favor this generous man had given me.  Now, it's "Gracie II" that joins us on many of our travels in Indiana.
The Presslers lived near the Indy airport until changing assignments last year.  Now they are close to the Cincinnati airport living in Rising Sun, Indiana on the Ohio River.

Why all this explanation?  Because Darwin and Jean represent so many kind and generous people that we have met throughout the years.  There are a lot of awesome folks out there;  folks who love Jesus and extend His grace to others.  I wish I had space and time to thank all the people who have helped Sherry and me enjoy our nomadic lifestyle this past year.  You know who you are.  "Thanks".  You are represented well by the Presslers.

What could you do to provide "grace" to someone in need in the year to come.  There is a blessing in being His servant.  A blessing to both you and those you serve.

Now, it's off to Tennessee for December.  Thanks, Tim and Vicky, for picking us up at the Nashville airport and delivering us to Crossville.  Man, are we blessed.