Ben and Sue Day 18

Day 18, Tuesday, September 24, 2007

. . . Today we drove and drove and drove some more.  From Ohio to just west of Baltimore, Maryland.  We  were going to push for Baltimore which is where Ben's sister Sara lives, but could not quite make it -- 130 more miles -- it's just best to stop whe we get too tired.

Let's see. . .saw a sign in Ohio that read:  Lover's Lane. . . would have been interesting to discover why they called it that.  Perhaps my most vivid memory of today was truckers -- in the last couple of days we have seen thousands and thousands of truckers on the Interstate.  Sometimes we get sandwiched between two of them -- can be scary -- they are so big and so loud.

We got behind a rendering truck for a long way today -- phew!  I asked Ben to slow down (which I had to explain by way of analogies ) so that old truck could get way in front of us.  Then, even though the truck was way in front of us the air still stank for a long time.

We had a lovely lunch today.  Stopped in a little town I think was called Beaumont Ohio.  Went into the grocery store there and bought some sandwiches for lunch and took them back to the trailer.  We took out a couple of lawn chairs and just sat outside in the warm, sunny weather and had an interesting discussion.  Was a very quiet little place and green grass all around.

Okay, I'll tell you abut our discussion.   In the grocery store were signs covering all the tabloid newspapers.  The sign read:  "We know the tabloid issue is a sensitive one for our customers.  We do not think we have the right to censor according to our own standards of what is appropriate.  So we have chosen to continue to sell the tabloids but to cover them up."

. . .Ben thought it was a good thing that they are at least covering the tabloids.

.  . . I thought it was wimpy to just cover them but continue to sell them.  I also thought their reasoning was faulty because of course they did have the right  in fact not only the right but the responsibility to censor what they sell.  I further thought that the sign was a lie because they most certainly DO censor books, magazines and videos that they sell.  Every day they make choices about such things.

. . . Ben told me I could only see the world in black and white.

. . .I'll be courageous here and and say feedback welcome. .

We drove through a tunnel in  the Allegheny mountains today.  Also are beginning to notice more and more patches of beautifully colored leaves.  I am thinking that on our return trip the colors should be in full array.

. . .Had fun tonight cooking hot dogs over an open fire for dinner.

Tomorrow Baltimore for sure!

Hurray I'm all caught up!

I have to figure out how to enable spell check on this new computer -- so if any of the words are spelled wrong please overlook.

Ben and Sue Day 17

Day 17, Monday, September 23, 2007

. . . From Joilet Illinois  to (can't remember) -- Ohio today.  Again a gorgeous day of 80 degree sunshine.  The day started out in Interstate 80 -- traffic everywhere, toll road, billboards, concrete walls as noise barriers on the freeway -- on ramps, off ramps everywhere -- we had to keep merging to follow I80 -- just absolutely awful!  Once we got on the toll road though it was quite different -- no more of any of those things -- more like  the Interstate we have followed all the way.

 . . .Toll roads are new to us -- we had to pay two tolls so far -- $1.70 and then $14.75.  Now  we have a ticket for the road we are on -- don't know how much it will cost.  The big snag with toll roads afre that they don't have any signs for where anything is except the next rest plaza.  In Washington they are called rest stops but here they are rest plazas with fast food places/gas/souvenier shops/rest rooms/even a place to hook up to electricity and  stay for the night in your RV.   So if you want to go to Wall Mart or find a library or a Dennys you are just absolutely out of luck.  Very restrictive.

. . .Passed patches of beautiful changes of tree colors -- magnificant bright reds/yellows/oranges.

. . . Saw the Route 66 Exit sign today about 50 miles west of Toledo Ohio.  Wish we could have followed it for a while -- maybe next time.

. . . Found an odd street name today in Western Ohio:  Fail Street.  Then, just one or two exits more was the street name :St. John's Street -- such odd names.

. . . We saw lots of corn fields today -- just abut ready to be harvested -- and some of the prettiest old farm houses with wrap around porches and red barns and silos -- very picturesque.

. . . My hands are beginning to feel so much better.  Coming across Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota the air was so dry -- my hands were a bit sore the whole time -- even though I was  using prescription strength moisturing lotion.       

Ben and Sue Day 16

Sunday, September 22, 2007, Day 16

. . . Today we drove from Newton, Iowa to Joliet, Illinois -- was yet another day of gorgeous warm sunny weather, about 75 - 80 degrees all day.  Stopped for lunch at a place called GrandMa's Kitchen along Interstate 80 in Illinois -- a big sign read "World's Largest Truck Stop".  I ordered chicken noodle soup and they served some of the thickest, tastiest noodles I've ever eaten.  The one thing that seemed to stand out in our minds today was the incredibly high price of diesel gas -- as much as .43 difference between regular and diesel.  Gas seems to be getting cheaper as we travel East but at least through Iowa and Illinois diesel was bery high -- $3.15 -- $3.20 a gallon.  Saw the strangest name for a town today:  Bloomington--Normal, Illinois.

. . . We've been having a lot of trouble with flys in the trailer these last few days -- keep forgetting to by fly spray.  So I, in my creative genius, decided to create  a sticky sugary incentive on the table for the flys to feast on so I could zap 'em.  I took a few tablespoons of maple syrup and created quite a masterpiece design of the stuff on the table.  Sure enough after a while one by one they started feasting on the gooey stuff and I killed 'em!  (I'm sure there is a life applicaton there)

Almost the entire drive today we saw corn and soybean crops -- thousands of acres of both all along the way.  I am remembering our drive through Wyoming and Montana -- hundreds of miles before we saw a single house or settlement.  Today signs for cities were posted every 15 minutes or so  We saw a huge bujilding that we guessed must have been 1/2 mile long.       

Ben and Sue Day 15

Day 15, Saturday, September 21, 2007

. . . Once again a relaxing day.  I went into Newton with Bev and bought a few things Ben and I needed at the grocery store.  The prices here seem incredibly low -- gas $2.69 gallon, 80 lean hamburger on sale for $1 a pound, whole, roasted chickens at Wall Mart marked down to $2.69 -- unheard of in Seattle.

. . . After a while Bev's son Michael drove Ben and I and his brother Michael and sister Christy to the property where Bev and Jeff plan to begin building their home in the spring.  The property is surrounded by soy beans -- quite the popular crop here now as it is grown for biodiesel fuel.  Corn crops are plentiful enough though -- miles and miles of corn crops not only in Iowa but through Indiana and Illinois.  I had never seen a soybean in the pod before -- only the way they are sold in stores.  They actually look quite like a regular green bean.  Then we went to see some of the beautiful old houses in Newton -- many with wrap around porches.  The whole three days we were here the weather was so warm and sunny.  Last night Jeff and Bev and Ben and I and their daughter Jenny and her husband Bryant all went  to a Bill Gaither concert.  What an awesome way to wrap up our three days togehter.  The concert was wonderful -- four hours of praise and worship music -- ah sweet!  Jeff and Bev's daughter Jennifer and her husbsand Bryant came with us and it was good to see them again    

Ben and Sue Day 14

Day 14, Thursday, September 20, 2007

. . . My goodness -- I slept till 11:30 today!  felt so good just to lay in bed and relax -- it's probably been years since I have slept so late and it surely was nice!  Ben and I went with Bev to see the PACE car for the Newton Speedway.  Ben really enjoyed seeing the car and talking to its owner.  Then we came home and rested a little while and then Jeff and Bev took us to dinner -- a lovely steak dinner -- delicious!  I can hardly describe how beautiful the weather and fellowship is here.  Warm and sunny -- a gentle breeze blowing through.  I sat in the big yard this morning and spent some sweet time with God.  We bought a new comuputer this evening.  Over and over again I keep thinking how relaxing and really enjoyable our time here is.  I went with Bev for a while -- she  cleaned a  friend's house.  Bev suggested I sit on the couch and enjoy some leisurely magazine reading.   I sat inside for a while then went out on the deck -- oh my goodness -- before my eyes as far as I could see were beautifully manicured gently rolling hills -- a lake -- the sound of geese.  I just sat out there drinking all that in!  How beautiful God's world is!   When we said goodby and started to leave Bev's friend gave me the most lovely scented candle as a gift -- how sweet it is to receive a totally unexpected gift.

Ben and Sue Day 13

Day 13, Wednesday, September 19, 2007

. . .We finally made it to Newton Iowa to visit old and dear friends Jeff and Bev Lloyd and their children and grandchildren.  All I can say is that if fellowship is this sweet on earth I can hardly wait to get to Heaven!

. . .Ben and I have known Jeff and Bev since 1983 when Jeff was in the Army in Germany.  Ben was in the Air Force at the same time and at a nearby base in Germany.  We all went to the same church together -- Faith Baptist Church.  Bev and Jeff left to return stateside in 1984 and we followed in 1998.  They were attending Shorecrest Baptist Church in Seattle which is where Ben wanted to retire because the rest of my family lived close by in Tacoma.  They lived in Seattle for about 9 years during which time all four of us were sweet dear friends and did nearly everything together.  We joined that church they were attending and so not only were we all good friends we enjoyed awesome fellowship in the Lord/in our Christian faith.  Jeff Lloyd taught Benjamin in Sunday School when Benjamin was about 8 years old.

. . . But they moved back to Iowa 11 years ago and perhaps I never have fully recovered from that sad sad farewell.  So here it is 11 years later . . . oh the children (7) have grown and some have married and there are grandchildren.  But after only a short time in talking I felt as if nothing had really changed.  Like we were all  back in Seattle again enjoying a meal around the dining room table -- only this time it was Iowa instead of Seattle.

. . . Jeff and Bev invited all their children and grandchilden to  enjoy a delicious meal and then dessert.  It was an evening of rich conversation, hearty laughter, memories being made, many stories re-told, catching up on our families lives -- beautiful in a thousand ways.  I'm not saying it is not possible to enjoy such sweet/rich/deep fellowship without the Lord Jesus.  I just never remember such deep/sweet friendship and fellowship before I got saved.  It is good to have known the Lord as common ground.

. . . As I go to sleep tonight I feel overwhelmed with joy.    

Ben and Sue Day 11

Monday, September 17, 2007

Today was the first really difficult day we have had. Ben was quite sick this morning when he first woke up and remained sick through the day. We left Custer, Wyoming and drove to a little town in the western part of South Dakota -- a good part of the way in rainy, overcast weather. Along the way Ben needed to pull to the side of the road and when he did so he hit the roadside cable -- similar to a guard rail only cable instead. He knocked the poles loose that hold the canopy in place and had to tie them underneath. Also knocked off part of the rear bumper of his truck. We also realized this evening that we had about twice as much on our list of places to go than we could possibly do in two months so we revised our list some. Although we were able to have a -- practically never stop -- schedule in our early 20's we are just slightly older now (you can stop laughing now ) and about 6 hours of driving seems to be our limit. Nonetheless we are having an awesome time and are enjoying being together. We are hoping to visit old and still very dear friends in Newton Iowa tomorrow and -- hopefully -- either get our computer fixed or buy another laptop.

Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Psalm 16:1.