Reconnecting with Special People

Many things motivated us to jump into full-time RV’ing. High on the list of reasons is we want to prioritize, in life, people and experiences over things. So when the opportunity affords us to meet up with longtime friends, we take it! And in southern Texas, we rekindled relationships with no less than 3 families. Thank you Alberto and Janae, Mark and Sarah, and Deena for making time in your busy schedules to see us. You are truly special people whom we love and care deeply for, and we thank God whenever our paths intersect.

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“The Lord bless you
     and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
     and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
     and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26

San Antonio

After a very long journey through the drought stricken Southwest desert, the day we traveled to San Antonio we edged ever closer to greener pastures. Upon arrival, our eyes were met with abundant bright green mesquite trees leafing out just in time for spring. However, this return to a seemingly more mild climate was just a mirage as the surrounding parched, dusty grasslands were neither green nor brown, but rather some nondescript color in between.

The Alamo

On the punch list of places to visit was, of course, The Alamo. As we approached the site, long since completely swallowed by downtown San Antonio, Lois and I had no idea what to expect. Burned into our memory is the war cry “Remember The Alamo!”. But beyond that, we assumed the little we knew about this place was strongly shaped by myth, folklore, and Hollywood. Luckily, we booked an hour long tour led by a senior Alamo guide who had worked onsite for years. His narration was throughly enjoyable and engaging as he dove first into the regional history, followed by the sequence of events leading up to the Alamo massacre. After the tour, Lois and I poked around the buildings and displays a bit longer, then had a good look at many of the historical artifacts preserved in the museum.

Much to our surprise, by the end of our visit our mood had become somber and melancholy. Yes, “Remember The Alamo!” features prominently in our country’s history, but it is hardly a place to celebrate. Many souls — American, Mexican, Indian and European — paid the ultimate price as one group after another struggled to seize and rule over the San Antonio region. Our afternoon at The Alamo left us with much to think about. In that regard, we were glad we visited.

The River Walk

Another “must do” activity is the San Antonio River Walk. A crown jewel in the center of the city, it was a joy to visit. Between dinner by the water, peaceful strolls along its banks, and a guided barge trip through the river’s nooks and crannies, we had a great time. Yes, it is very touristy, but nonetheless beautifully done. This, of course, gave me lots of photo ops. Take a look for yourselves!

Touring Murals on E-Bikes

Now for something totally different. Lois has endured a ton of health issues — ten+ years using a walker, memory concerns, and health issues of all sorts. I’m sure this is no surprise to most people reading this blog. The cost to her quality of life has been severe. Isolation, loneliness, and despair had become permanent fixtures in her life for far, far too long. And it hasn’t exactly been easy for me as I’ve provided sacrificial care. But through it all, we have learned steadfastness and endurance thanks to God’s daily presence.

One of our darkest moments was the loss of last year’s half-world New Zealand-to-Vancouver cruise. It was crushing. March and April 2024 are best forgotten as far as Lois and I are concerned. But again, through it all… through it ALL, we’ve kept our eyes on Jesus. We are grateful for many of you who have done spiritual heavy lifting on our behalf, prayerfully interceding for years. Thank you!

And then, last May, a small glimmer of hope emerged. Like a phoenix preparing to rise from its ashes, health began trickling in. Full-time RV living — can we do it? Do we dare risk chasing another dream, only to watch it crash and burn to the ground? As health gained momentum, so did our courage. “Yes, we gotta try!”, we decided. Then month by month, Lois’s health grew as long checklists shrank. House emptied, RV bought, house on the market… damn the torpedos, we marched on. Then, in faith, we set sail mid-February on our RV travels… our house in Rocklin still not sold. Oh, did we forget to tell you? We finally closed on its sale a couple of weeks ago when we signed the papers, all in the comfort of our RV in San Antonio. Praise be to God, improved health has returned. We are free and living life again!!!

So what does this miracle have to do with murals? From the point of view of March 2024, we experienced the unbelievable. Like school kids on summer break, we jumped on bikes (well… e-bikes) and did an 8 mile guided tour of San Antonio murals. While you enjoy the photos, please take a quiet moment and try to put yourselves in our shoes. Against the dark background of years of health issues, imagine our sheer joy as we wizzed effortlessly through San Antonio taking-in beautiful art. We will never forget that ride — it was off the charts; it was special beyond belief!

Houston

Visiting Buc-ee’s — Texas’s Cult Convenience Store

What is Buc-ee’s? Isn't it like a Walmart?

[Alan] It's a super-sized gas station with a ginormous convenience store.

[Lois] NO WAY!! It's a super gas station on steroids!! It has great BBQ sandwiches and amazing snacks and a store area that carries a variety of things and a lot of things with Bucc-ee on it, even boxer shorts if you want them.

[Alan] 😳 I’ll pass on that opportunity. 🩳👎🏻

What else do they sell?

[Alan] Here's half the store [see photos below]... the other half has clothing, home goods, gifts, knick-knacks, and a ton of "must have" items plastered with the Buc-ee's logo #toomanybeavers. Oh yah, and an exquisite selection of tobacco products and chew (🤮).

[Lois] I missed that part!! They might have had a good cigar for Caleb [our son-in-law], but the humidity would have ruined it when I sent it without being in a humidor. 😊

[Alan] And final Buc-ee's note from me... Every gas station convenience store should have a butcher/meat counter, right?… Not! Weird, but true, Buc-ee's has a jerky counter with 12 flavors.

[Lois] Now we need to go back again so I can take in these other amazing ideas!!

[Alan] Can’t wait… 🫤

Johnson Space Center

Wow! We checked off a major bucket list item when we visited the space museum. For most of 2 days, we explored every corner of this Smithsonian caliber celebration of our country’s space program. Front and center during our visit was a 3 hour guided tour of the old and new Mission Control rooms. Along the way, we also experienced the Space Shuttle simulator, a fully functional ground based implementation of the vehicle that shadowed in realtime every shuttle mission flown.

On separate tours, we visited the astronaut training facility for the International Space Station. A self-guided tour of Rocket Park was amazing as we walked alongside a mission-ready, but never used, Apollo Saturn V rocket. The main museum was amazing and very comprehensive. A highlight was watching a 50 minute Tom Hanks IMAX movie named “The Moon Walkers” chronicling the Apollo missions. Oh yah, how can I forget going inside Space Shuttle Independence sitting on top of a specially rigged 747 transport plane.

What was the most memorable moment and biggest surprise? Watching live, from the galley of the old Mission Control room, a moment by moment recreation of Apollo 11 landing on the moon, followed by a replay of Neil Armstrong’s descent down the ladder and taking “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Imagine our excitement when the presentation ended — still covered in goosebumps — our VIP host invited us onto the floor of Mission Control… Incredible! 🌖🚀🧑🏼‍🚀

And right up there on our list of favorites was viewing the new Mission Control. That day, the control room was busy and full of life. On the multiple screens were realtime views of the International Space Station, with a special focus on active work being done by astronaut Anne McClain. Outstanding!

That’s a wrap for this blog! Yesterday, we ventured into southern Louisiana. On the docket are the beach, good eating, music, and ventures into Baton Rouge and New Orleans. We’re on the lookout for alligators, too! Stay tuned…

San Antonio & Houston