Olympia, WA

After our wonderful week at The Refuge (previous post) we returned to the Airstream park in Lacey, which is really a suburb of Olympia, the state capital.
Every day at the Potlatch Rally and while volunteering at The Refuge, we had been busy, so it felt good to just hang out, play lots of Bridge, rest, exercise, and do some sightseeing.

We loved touring the domed capitol, one of the most beautiful in the nation. Completed in 1928, it was the last of the lavish capitols constructed in the U.S. It's elegant Tiffany chandeliers, grand imported marble, and brass and wood trim speak of a bygone era not likely to ever be repeated. One can simply walk from place to place without interference. There are no guards or security gates. We wandered into the chambers of the House and Senate as well as the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. It was as if 911 had never happened.

The highpoint of the last couple of weeks has been spending a few days with Bob and Dee, friends from 50 years ago. Bob and Jerry were fellow officers in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1958-59. We shared a temporary billet at Fort Meade, MD before shipping out for Germany. When Gloria arrived in Bamberg, we had no housing, but Bob, Dee, and their three children generously shared their apartment with us for a couple of weeks until we could find a home on the German economy. We returned to the U.S. in 1959 and did not see Bob and Dee until the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Somehow through the years, we lost track of each other. Gloria kept lamenting that she really wanted to locate our friends again, but all efforts failed. However, God is good. Jerry, using the Internet, located them around August 1, and ironically we were camped only about 25 miles from their home near Tacoma. They are doing exceptionally well. We really appreciated their hospitality and their showing us many points of interest, including, awesome Mt. Ranier, this past week. The good fellowship made it feel like we had never separated from them.

Bob has been retired from the Army for many years. They enjoy RVing and share our Christian faith. Bobette, their oldest child, lost her battle with breast cancer several years ago. Their daughter, Kim is married to, Mike, a local pastor, and two of their four daughters are missionaries in China. Bob and Dee attend Mike and Kim's church. Their son, Jack, lives only about 55 miles north of us in Dallas, so we are sure that we will see them again.

During August, we have been active in Sunday school and worship services at the chapel at Fort Lewis. Jim, who heads The Refuge, has been our teacher. The Chaplains preach sound Christian doctrine and demonstrate how to apply it to daily life situations. Many chapel prayers are offered for our troops in Iraq, Afganistan, and around the world.