Life certainly goes on, doesn’t it. We haven’t posted photos (except a few on
Facebook now and then) in over 2 years, and a lot has happened.
By May 2014, Pa & Ma (Jan’s parents) had made a nice little home on the ranch. Pa and a local builder put together a great deck along the north side of the park model, and Pa built a small greenhouse on the east side, next to the shed. Ma planted shrubs and placed decorative rock for a nice front yard.
In August 2014, Sam and I drove with Pa and Ma to the Staley Family Reunion in Atascadero and Morro Bay, California.
Montana del Oro beach is a favorite spot to spend a day with extended family. Sam also made new friends and we searched for seashells and treasures.
Some of us drove up the coast to explore the towns and find
the sea lions.
Ten of these lovely (young :o) people are cousins (there are
26 cousins in my generation), and the rest are spouses. Sam and I are on the far left.
The reunion is always a great time, though we also had
sadness, as two of my uncles died earlier that year. We are so glad we helped Pa and Ma attend, as
Pa (the tallest in the center) also passed away a couple months later, at the
end of October, 2014. He was 86.
So the following fall and winter were tough, but we also feel peace, knowing he and my uncles are with God now, as they all believed in
God and his promises.
In early October that year, Sam and I celebrated our 10th
wedding anniversary (and they said it wouldn’t last!) with a long weekend road
trip to Northern Arizona. First stop was
Standin’ on the Corner Park in Winslow, which commemorates the Eagles song, “Take
It Easy”. It was a fun spot.
Almost every year since we got married, Sam has wanted to
see Meteor Crater, and we finally made it!
It’s off I-40 about 20 miles west of Winslow, and well worth a trip.
The crater is an incredible sight, being almost 4,000 feet
in diameter and 570 feet deep. It was
made by a meteorite striking the earth many thousands of years ago.
We stayed a couple of nights in Flagstaff, and hiked down
nearby Walnut Canyon National Monument to see the cliff dwellings and beautiful
scenery.
Of course, part of our time was spent at local breweries,
including the Lumberyard, and a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
On the way home, we drove the beautiful back roads through
Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona.
In February, 2015, my mom moved to Fellowship Square, a
senior apartment community in Tucson only about a mile from us (and a
few miles from my sister, Becky). It’s
good to have her living closer, so we can help her out when she needs it.
The day before Easter Sunday last year, Sam and I made a
snap decision to join friends on their way to Easter Sunrise Service at the
Grand Canyon. Before dawn in early April
is very chilly at 7,000 feet elevation, but it was a beautiful, unforgettable
experience.
After the service, we treated ourselves to breakfast at historic
El Tovar Hotel. Jon and Jan Payne have
been good friends for over 40 years. Jan
and I went to high school together in Shiprock, NM, and we met Jon our first
year of college in Kansas City! Sam and
I were so happy when they moved to Phoenix for 3 years, and we’ve spent a lot
of time together. We’re hoping to visit
them in Minnesota next summer, where they moved to be closer to family.
The Grand Canyon . . . one of my favorite places in the world! I’ve hiked to the bottom 3 times: in my teens,
in my early 20’s, then rim-to-rim in my late 20’s (my dad instigated all 3 trips) (and Jan Payne was with us the 3rd time!). There’s nothing better than hiking the Canyon to make you feel a part of this beautiful corner of
God’s creation.
Last summer, Sam and I drove to Seattle to attend my nephew
Alex’s wedding. Driving down the
Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, we stopped at Multnomah Falls. Rainforests are so different from our Arizona
desert!
At Cascade Locks, we crossed over the Columbia to the
Washington side, put the top down on the Miata and had a great day driving the
smaller highways.
In Astoria, Sam googled “Short Circuit”, a 1980’s movie we
saw several years ago, and in no time we found the home where they filmed it, perched
high above town with a great view of the bridge.
We stayed a few days in Poulsbo, Washington with Tucson snowbird
friends, Steve and Diana. Steve took Sam
out on his sailboat . . .
While Diana and I explored the shops and sights of Port
Gamble!
The Miata was our second choice of transportation for our
trip, as our first choice, Sam’s Lincoln, decided to be obstinate when he worked on it the week
before we left. But we ended up having fun
with the convertible, and even had plenty of luggage space, with a little
creative juggling. We love being able to use those
Washington ferries.
Weddings are great, aren’t they?! Alex and Hannah had a wonderful time, and so
did we, as we spent quality time with my brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews, and
met new family members.
The newlyweds now live on Alex’s sailboat in downtown
Seattle, and they also used it as their getaway and honeymoon vehicle after the
wedding!
Leaving Seattle, we stopped in Montana on our way to
Yellowstone National Park, and found a small hitchhiker in our hotel room! A dude with attitude, he told us his name was
Ernie the Eagle, and he agreed to travel with us.
Yellowstone is another favorite of mine, and it was Sam’s
first visit. Mammoth Hot Springs was our
first stop.
Bison
Elk
Ernie at Upper Falls on the Yellowstone River.
Buffalo along the Yellowstone River.
Of course, we had to see Old Faithful! That old geyser took longer than anticipated,
prompting Sam to grumble, “Great, I was here for the first time it doesn’t
erupt!”
Our patience was soon rewarded, and for a few minutes, it
was an incredible sight.
Sam introduces Ernie to the finer things in life.
Our next stop was a visit with our friends, Robert and
Mike, in Delores, Colorado. They were
previously “booked” by our mutual Tucson friends, Charles and Marian, but
insisted we come anyway. Charles &
Marian stayed in the guest room and Sam and I stayed in the travel
trailer. We had lunch at this pretty
spot right on the Delores River.
We visited the Anasazi Cultural Center, where Robert used to
work, and Ernie showed Sam how to grind corn.
We also happened to visit Durango at the same time the EPA
had that toxic mine waste spill in the Animas River. Pretty interesting.
When we finally made it home, Ernie was a little nervous
about meeting our other family member, Dingus Magee.
We were housesitting for friends we know from church. A 3 month gig taking care of their house and
cat, Bell, turned into 8 months, and we just moved back home in February.
Several days of rain in January resulted in nearby Agua
Caliente Wash running like a small river for several weeks. One weekend Sam and I explored and hiked
along its banks for several miles.
Last November I flew from Phoenix to Kansas to visit family,
and was able to attend a book signing and meet one of my favorite bloggers and
Food Network people, Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman. Sam was a trooper and served as my
photographer and videographer.
In Kansas City, I was able to visit with my Aunt Lela just a
week before the Lord took her home to heaven, and spend time with Uncle Henry,
cousin Linda and many other family. This
sweet little home was built by my grandfather, Edward Corkill, in 1939. This is the house where my Mom grew up, then her
sister Lela and Henry made it home from the early 1960’s until now. Uncle Charles and Aunt Elaine live just up
the street, and the whole property is 15 acres of fields, creek and woods which
have been my favorite place in the whole world since I was a child – hmm, I’m
just realizing that I’ve visited 3 of my all-time “favorite places” in the last
couple of years. The Lord brings good
with the bad, and blessings with the tears . . .
* * * * *
We’re almost caught up, folks! A couple years ago on ancestry.com, Sam
discovered family in Arizona he didn’t even know, and a few weeks ago, we
drove up to Salome (west of Phoenix) and had a wonderful visit with Evonne O’Brien (the
ancestry queen!). Evonne's husband Mike was Sam’s second cousin, but sadly, he passed away a couple years ago before we could meet him.
Evonne took us to Parker to meet Mike’s brother John and his
wife Kim, also second cousins. These
guys are definitely from the same gene pool as Sam!
A couple days later, we drove to Kingman to stay with Mike’s
other brother, Richard and wife Sandy, who had just moved there from California. It was wonderful to get to know them all.
There’s a section of old Route 66 between Kingman and
Seligman that I’ve always wanted to drive, and I badgered Sam into taking
me. It’s a desolate stretch, but we love
the wide-open spaces. In Peach Springs,
we stopped at the old “filling station” (no longer operable).
Back on the road, we were treated to several of the old
Burma Shave sequential rhyming roadside signs.
We love this kitschy stuff!
But it was Seligman where we hit the jackpot. This town is all about ol’ Route 66! Some of the vehicles are reminiscent of characters from “Cars”, the 2006 animated movie, such as this “Tow Mater” truck.
Sam loves the old cars.
Vintage vehicles and buildings are everywhere.
Another Tow Mater replica.
In a freak incident, Sam was asked to harmonize with “the King”!
Vintage motorcycles.
“NEW COLOR TV’S” !!!
And we end this post with a glamour shot of Sam’s current
pride-and-joy, his 1993 Lincoln Town Car, jazzed up by 18” Mustang wheels that
Sam envisioned and mounted himself. It’s
a very sweet, floaty ride!
Love to all,
Jan and Sam