Honored….


On Sunday we were given special recognition for our part (little part) in helping build the Vietnamese Baptist church of Phoenix. Many people on the stage performed long hard hours of work, quite a few of them were Arizona Baptist Builders volunteers. It was great to see so many from our fellowship in Wickenburg attend this special service.  

The Rodeo Zamboni…


This is our friend Josh, his daughter Bailey rides and competes (and wins) in high school rodeo. It seems to us that Josh must be pretty high up in the rodeo pecking order as he gets to do cool things like smooth the arena with this jiggy tractor. Norm and I watched for a while and after some time of contemplation, she deemed Josh a, ‘Rodeo Zamboni!’ This was such a good title for Josh, it kept us laughing for two days.

 

At Long Last, some Hope…


At Long Last, some Hope...

After two times in the past six months of returning to the ‘Star Wars’ boot, telling friends that she was trying to start a new fashion item, the boot is in the shed (more funky than ever) and the strap has returned. The foot Doctor has brought a new treatment to bear on Norm’s tendon, some sort of electro-magnetic pulse weapon that sounds like a jack-hammer at work on her foot. Although it hurt pretty good, Norm says it feels better. Now if she will just follow the directions and lay low until all the pounding therapy is over.

The Bionic Man or Pop…


The Bionic Man or Pop...

My father in law, Paul, is fast becoming the ‘six million man’ with the latest addition of a second artificial hip giving him a total of three man made joints! On his way to therapy, Paul out raced everyone to the exercise room and thanks to my mother in law he put in more reps then anyone in his class. The joint replacement that goes on at Boswell Hospital is truly amazing. We were told today that they see 100 new joints every month and the staff is quite good at it.

When Leo is not around….we hang with these guys….


Stonewall Jackson. Loves his flapjacks.
Dear Abby. If you don't know there is something wrong with you, she will tell you what it is.
Hannah-Banana. She always seems hungry. I have to talk with her parents about that.

“When does the flight to Burma take off?”


I think this gentleman is in the wrong country for a desert campaign..

Say, ‘Hairy Cheese-burger’…


My Mom, along with another senior member of my family, cannot seem to grasp the concept of photography. I say, “Stand over there and let me take your picture.” This should start an involuntary process that results in some sort of grin, or better yet a smile. But, no, not a chance. I guess I should just be happy if they are both looking in the general direction of the camera.

Wickenburg Arizona Fly-In, Car Show


The Return of the ‘Star War’s’ Boot…


Sometime toward the end of September, Dr. Norm declared her heel healed. She started walking without the small wrap and would not go to the eight week date (Oct. 6) her real Doctor ordered. Long story short, exposed as a quack for self diagnosis, Norm is back in the boot.  

Noah Webster says…


“The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”

 

An RV in a Wal-Mart parking lot…


We have a love-hate relationship with Wal-Mart. We like the store, but getting in and out in a timely manner, is most of the time, not possible. Without fail, check out lanes are scarce.  Those same stores in small towns are no lines, no waiting.  Although we have never spent the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot, we have eaten lunch or dinner while hanging out there. We are glad that Wal-Mart allows this because you never know. As we pass Sam Walton stores, we always get a chuckle looking at the variety of travel trailers, fifth wheels and motor-homes that do spend the night.  There are always high dollar units parked for the night, slides out, satellite dish’s, generators humming, one fella was even washing his rig right there in the parking lot. Wal-Mart, an RVer’s kind of store. Thanks Sam.

Images from the Road…


Team mates…


Munchkins!
Team work. Leo has twice as many team mates as last season and I know it is hard to believe, but keeping track of these little soccer-stars is tough (visualize herding cats). So one of the soccer Mom's came up with a great idea to keep track of the ones that are not on the field. It also helps the coach when it comes time to sub players out. All the parents were impressed.

Warren, our Blue Hat…


Warren and I have trained a lot together, but this is our first time on a real call-out. We had a great time working and fellow-shipping with all the guys. Warren is a prison chaplain so he was always asking to pray for the homeowners and seeking those that were hurt and searching for meaning out of all this. His leadership as our blue hat was an inspiration to all of us. The work we were performing went right along with Warren’s own business, so that made him a handy guy to have around. I thank the Lord that He brought all five of us, Ed, Richard, Eldon, Warren and me to Minot North Dakota to serve Him. 

The Road to home…is where it sits…


Home is kind of a misnomer. Our home is wherever we park it, this trip is a solo run from Oklahoma City Oklahoma to Minot North Dakota and return to Oak city. The route up was, on one hand terrific, seeing areas where I had yet to travel, but I traveled on too many roads that were under construction. One way traffic really became a drag. The weather was great (on the trip north) and I saw flocks of turkeys, and lots of deer, some alive, but mostly already hit by cars. The trouble with driving to Minot from Arizona or as I found out from Oklahoma is that there is really ‘no good way to get there from here.’ I always seemed to be going east or west to connect to a road going north. As a result of my many road issues going, I decided to try another way home. Both routes took about the same amount of time, but I encountered only one, one way road. Driving south back home was crazy weather conditions. Heavy rain, strong winds (fortunately it was a tail wind) with a large amount of truck traffic putting up huge rooster tails of water. Even the small little ponds, and there were many, had white caps. Overall, it was a great trip, I would not want to have missed it. Thanks for all your prayers for our team, the rest of the guys made it safely home to Arizona yesterday. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill  

If only God’s people had a…


Mind to work and a heart to pray…

Eldon…


Eldon and I have worked together on 2 call outs so far this year, and we still have a few months remaining. He is great to be around when you are working for the Lord. Eldon has a quiet way to show the love of Christ, and he takes very good photos, lots of them! On this job, Eldon and his church were the stars as they provided a brand new power washer. This was great timing, as our old one gave up the ghost straight away. He has helped me in many ways as a blue hat and team mate. I have it on good authority, that although Eldon has short legs, he can really high step it down the road. Just ask Ed. 

Yikes…


I noticed to late that I had grabbed the wrong hat. This is really Norm’s hat and I didn’t quite know how to break the news about jacking her hat up, so I thought I would just put the information here. I hope she doesn’t read it for a while. 

What if???


I heard this recently, a question, ‘What if you had to come back as another person, who would that person be?’ I would want to come back as Norm’s second husband.

Here’s Richard…


Everyone else on our call out I have worked or trained with, but this was my first time working with Richard and I can not say enough nice things about him. A great worker and a wealth of information that came in handy for our task. We spent a lot of time together riding from house to house in my truck and were also bunk mates in the gym. This afforded the two of us plenty of opportunity to harass the fellows from Tennessee. It was just too much fun for two old guys. 

From Minot…


Here’s Ed…


This is Ed, a Pastor from Bisbee on his second call out with me. I first met Ed in Sierra Vista working the fires there and took an instant liking to him. I really like his down home style and can’t wait to visit his church to hear him preach someday. Ed gave the morning devotion at breakfast a few days ago and that allowed me a preview of what I have to look forward to. We had to split up yesterday for lunch. It was Sunday so we attended services here at the Lutheran church that is putting us up and worked a half day, almost completing the home we are currently cleaning. Ed and I were left behind and kept washing and spraying, but when it was our turn, we tried to put a hurting on the pizza buffet table where we ate. Ed’s a newlywed and we have to thank his wife Louise for letting him help us on this trip. The second reason I was glad to see Ed is because he was standing there with a large bottle of home made salsa in his hand and a smile on his face. 

Sunday…


In the midst of the rebuilding of homes, the debris piles, and all the new FEMA trailers, I saw this. I read today that we are either in the valley for repose or reflection or we are on the top of the mountain for discovery and strength.

Welcome to Minot…


This is how I have felt since hitting the ground running in this thriving town. Our team has hit the good homes of Minot with our pressure washer and sprayers washing and spraying every house we have been assigned (all but one really). Things have really been looking up on this trip compared to my last visit here back in July. I liked the weather better in July (mid-eighties) as to 29 degrees just two days ago. I have been cold since I have been here and standing under the pressure washer spraying the basement rafters does not help much. The food has improved dramatically and we now have Tabasco (of which I have a new found love of) on every table. We feel a sense of urgency to help complete the few remaining jobs. I say few, there are 64 or so homes still remaining and we are racing the weather and the shut down of the entire operation by the end of this month. Teams from Colorado, Tennessee (we are bunking in the same church and they are always on our case for working half-days, they just don’t understand how technical our work is), Michigan, Minnesota/Wisconsin, Texas, Georgia, Illinois and Kansas/Nebraska. The Lord has been blessing us and has been with our every step! Thanks for praying for us and I will try to do a better job on my updates. I am still trying to get my emails back from bad people trying to take advantage of all our friends and family.  Thanks for all the concerns and calls. 

Route 66 northeast of Oklahoma City…


Sunsets…


Keystone Lake, near Tulsa Oklahoma…


We go camping , swimming and take shelter from an almost tornado. Record heat and great food cooked outdoors made for a fun time. We spent two days camped right across the road from the beach and Leo had a play ground all to himself.

A Sad Sight…


It is a sad thing, that I can remember fuel prices even lower then the last time these pumps provided gas for sale. 

August 22…Norm’s Birthday…


One of her gifts was this new boot, much lighter than the former ‘Star Wars’ boot. That might have been the best present, at least for her foot. 

Shamrock Texas…


Route 66 Campground, near Shamrock Texas…


Late as usual…


As all things have been, so they continue to be, with me being a day behind. We left our base station Tuesday morning and headed for one of our favorite camp grounds in New Mexico. Just a little over 400 miles and much diesel fuel later we arrived at the Bar S RV park in Grants. A really nice park with a great price, we have stayed here numerous times and have enjoyed every visit.

My Mom has a guest…


Hanging around waiting for my Mom to get back from her trip, this freeloader took up residence in her carport.

I wonder???


I wonder how strong those potatoes are and I’m not sure I would want to consume them. If you look closely, the label on the boxes states ‘Hallmark.’ There were no cards in those containers, just cans of food.

Sorry


Sometimes you just have to find humor where you can.

These things happen…


The perils of being in charge! Jim thought it was pretty funny. Yes, that is a big smile behind that mask. But for that matter, so did Don. Fun with the power washer. Well, it is all fun and games until someone wets their pants!

Minot North Dakota….


On every call out I have been on the Lord has blessed me with great teammates. I could not have picked three better guys to work with. Twenty hours in the truck, dragging a trailer to get here and we are just growing stronger as friends and brothers in Christ. We have been eating, sleeping and working together since Sunday afternoon and we are doing good things for God. We have been assigned to power wash and sanitize homes that are ready for it. So far we have completed two homes and will complete our third in the morning. God is really working in this community!

Dorm Room…


My room-mate, Boden. As room-mates go, he was okay except for one problem, his side of the room. Boden’s side made my side look really bad. There is nothing like getting shown up by a twelve year old.  If he was not such a cool dude, I would have kicked him in the shin!

 

Youth camp…


Catching some rays.

Arizona Disaster Relief- Monument Fire call out…


The job is now complete.

"No Spas"

Happy Anniversary…


Congratulations to my Mom and Dad-in-law. Today is their 56th wedding anniversary!

July 7th, A great day in our family…


July 7th, our daughters birthday. Here she is with my Mom.

Hey Norm, summer is here, what are your plans???


“I am really looking forward to the next (at least) eight weeks of wearing this ‘Star Wars’ looking boot and styling on my crutches.” You go, girl!  

We are so proud!!!


Welcome to Dell, how can I assist you?