Retirement | Retirement......LOVE IT!

BACK TO MISSOURI

We spent three months in Pahrump, NV this winter (see previous posts). We left there March 27 and spent six days driving (high winds forced us to spend two nights in one location). We finally arrived in the Oklahoma City area to visit our youngest son and his family.

We had a good time in Edmond visiting our kids and grandkids. We watched movies, played a lot of card games, laughed, and ate way too much of our daughter-in-love’s great cooking. Our son, Mike, doesn’t do too bad on the grill either.

Next stop: Springfield, MO. Many of you know that my husband’s mom lives here. We spent nearly every afternoon visiting with her and playing Skip Bo (her favorite game). For 94 years young, she is a sharp Skip Bo player and wins most of the games!

We also visited with Carol and Delano, Jack’s sister and brother-in-law. We like to play Mexican Train Dominoes when we visit them at their house. I still cannot remember to put my train up or take it down! It’s so frustrating. However, we really enjoy the game and their company.

We spent Mother’s Day with Lill, Carol, and Delano. We brought carry out chicken fried steak dinners from Cedars Restaurant for a lunch celebration (Cedars has THE BEST food!). After lunch Lill, Carol, Jack, and I played team Skip Bo. It was Lill and I against Jack and Carol. Lill and I won the first game and Jack and Carol won the next two games. They were all very close games, and it was such fun.

*Jack’s mom while we were playing Skip Bo. The reading glasses she ordered online arrived, and she was trying them out.*

Also on Mother’s Day, Carol, Delano, Lill, Jack and I went to go visit Jack’s brother’s grave site and place flowers. Carl served as a Marine in the Viet Nam War and was VERY special to all of us. He passed away last August, 2021, from COVID. His wife, Sharon, passed away about six years ago after a valiant battle with breast cancer. They are both buried at Missouri State Veterans Cemetery just outside of Springfield. OH! How we miss them both SO much!

One day we took Lill over to see her ONE HUNDRED AND TWO year old sister, Jerry. We had a wonderful visit! For 102 years old, Aunt Jerry is still pretty sharp and has a hilarious sense of humor. I wish you could have heard some of Jerry’s stories from when she and Lill were growing up!

***Aunt Jerry on the left and Lill on the right.***

This is totally just for fun! The “kids” taking a nap with me! 😴💤

Today, May 12, we are heading to the St. Louis area to see my dad. Stay tuned!

So, for now ….. “On the Road Again” (LITERALLY!🤣)!!!

Betty

DEATH VALLEY DAYS!

Pahrump, Nevada, is very close to the California border. That also puts it very close to Death Valley National Park. So, one day we set out to see this unusual national park.

Death Valley: The HOTTEST, DRIEST, and LOWEST! On June 10, 1913, Death Valley recorded a temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it the hottest place on earth. Death Valley is a land of extremes, where the powerful heat is a force of nature, and the air further dries everything it contacts. It is the driest national park in America. Badwater Basin, in the southern half of the park, is -282 feet below sea level making it the lowest elevation in North America!

There are four entry points on the eastern side of the park. We entered from Death Valley Junction on highway 190. This put us closest to the southern part of the park. Points of interest that we visited in the southern part of the park were: Dante’s View, Furnace Creek Area and Visitors Center, Badwater Basin, Artists Palette, Zabriskie Point, and Twenty Mule Team Canyon. Pictures below. ⬇️