Washington, DC

We lived in the Greater Washington, DC Area for 30 years before moving to Texas two years ago. Our stay in Northern Virginia this time would not have been complete without spending some time with Bobby and JoAnn, our first Christian friends in the area going back to 1977. Our children grew up together and shared the same church youth group.

During this visit, JoAnn, the quintessential church organist, had to play for a funeral. Bobby took us to our Nation's Capitol for a full tour. We had never seen the new WW II Monument nor the Korean War Memorial; we got that accomplished. Bobby's dad is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, so he has special privileges there, to include parking near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was good to once again view the changing of the guard. We also visited the FDR Memorial, one of our favorites because of its uniqueness and because Roosevelt was President during our early childhood years. We also visited the Lincoln Memorial, where a Civil War parade was taking place.

After our tour we returned to Bobby's home and enjoyed a wonderful dinner with him and JoAnn. Our fellowship with them is special and will prevail even though we live 1400 miles apart.

Back Home In Northern Virginia

We enjoy spending time during the Month of May in Virginia. We lived in Vienna for over 30 years until Oct. 2007; returning affords us the opportunity to visit old friends and family. We continue to hold our membership at Skyline Ranch Resort in Front Royal near the Shenandoah River. While our campsite fee is covered by our membership, we must commute 65 miles to get to the Greater Washington Area. The trade off is that when we are in the campground, we have a shady site with full hookups, serenity, a clubhouse, pool, a caring staff, recreation activities, a fitness center, and lovely country roads. On May 16, the day after we arrived at Skyline, over 150 runners departed the camp at 5:00 a.m. on a 100-mile run. Runners had 36 hours to get back to camp, and the first one returned in about 24 hours. Jerry eagerly participated in the event, but he jogged back to the trailer at 6:00 a.m. after helping prepare and serve a continental breakfast that had begun at 4:00 a.m. for the runners.

On Memorial Day weekend, daughter Robin and grandson Samuel stayed on our site in their tent. Alejandro is in Colombia visiting his elderly father, who died a few days after the weekend. Samuel loved the opening of the camp pool, but his strong second best activities were roasting hotdogs over our open fire and grilling hamburgers. He also enjoyed table games like Mexican Train. We all celebrated the Lord’s Day by attending services at Skyline Chapel. We attended a Washington Nationals baseball game the next Sunday with Robin and Samuel, compliments of Samuel. He received free tickets in addition to many other awards for his phenomenal Boy Scout popcorn sales. He was number eight in the National Capital Area with well over $3500 in sales. Speaking of honors, Robin was recently saluted by her employer, Conservation International, at their annual event. She received the Excellence In Operations Award, the most prestigious honor earned by a headquarters staff member.

It’s hard to believe that our youngest daughter, Courtney, who was only six when we joined Skyline Ranch, is now 30 years old. How time flies! Courtney, husband Josh, and daughters, Althea and Baby Miribai, visited us one day at the camp. They are visiting for a couple of weeks from San Marcos, Guatemala, where they own an elementary school. They are busy with fund raising, which is accomplished by finding generous, caring sponsors for indigent children. One can sponsor a child at Escuela Caracol for less than $1000 a year. We sponsor two little girls, Sofia and Estrella. They are both charmers.

We joined the Northern VA Airstream Club in 1995. Now some of our favorite members are in there 80’s and are retired from RVing. We enjoyed lunch and Bridge with Handley and Millie and dinner with Chuck and Verlee in their respective retirement centers. We were invited to lunch in the lovely home of Bo and Lillian, long-time church friends from Columbia Baptist. Their spacious, fantastic addition won an award for their son-in-law contractor. Airstream and church friends, Lloyd and Elaine, have downsized and have recently moved to the Del Webb community in Ashburn. We had dinner with them in their lovely, sparkling new home. Other guests included Eric and Norma, NORVA Airstream members who lease a home on our street at the North Texas Airstream Community. They continue to own real estate and operate a business in Northern VA.

Our Six Months Airstream Odyssey

We left our home in Hillsboro, TX on the morning of May 6 heading northeast toward Tennessee on what will be a six months road trip. Whenever possible, we avoid the interstate highways. Storms and tornados were predicted along our route, but we managed to stay ahead of the bad weather. The first night we stayed in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Hope, AS. Near Memphis, TN we swung east on picturesque Rt. 64. It is a lovely highway with several miles of four lane roads, and it runs through most of the state along the southern border. The lush, green farms were in full splendor, and the hillsides were alive with cattle and horses. We camped at a rather rustic RV park with the weather still in our favor.

The next morning, we headed north through several quaint little towns, getting to I-40. Except for a couple of traffic issues around Knoxville, our way was smooth from Texas all the way to Kingsport, TN. In that city, home of Eastman Chemical Co., resides our son, Mark, wife Christal, and six-year old son, Ethan. Warrior’s Path State Park has ideal amenities for camping, including sites big enough for our rig, truck, and guests. Ethan enjoys staying at least one night in the trailer with us. He loves roasting hotdogs and marshmallows--lots of marshmallows. There is much to do in Warriors Path to include hiking, fishing, and boating. Bays Mountain, a Kingsport city park, was a new place for us to tour. It is a 3500-acre nature preserve which includes a 44-acre lake. The wolves are a big attraction. There are several large menacing looking ones that roam a spacious, double fenced area. The pack leader died recently, and the new leader has not emerged. The ranger, who provided a pontoon cruise on the lake, stopped at one point and performed her own unique, blood-curdling version of a wolf howl, which echoed over the entire lake. In the distance the wolves responded sounding like an enchanting choir. She received great passenger applause for her wildlife communication skills. There are other birds and animals in the part, a planetarium, and nature center with multiple exhibits.

In addition to her lovely parks and playgrounds, Kingsport has interesting shopping in the downtown area with several big antique stores. We love visiting friendly First Baptist Church and Sunday school located on a serene, grassy circle with gigantic trees and three other huge church edifices. The members of First Baptist really understand and practice Southern hospitality, and their pastor mixes humor with the Word of the Lord in his messages. Christal served a delicious Mother’s Day dinner after church, which Gloria especially appreciated. Christal is an avid reader, loving mother, excellent cook, and creative teacher for Ethan, who is home schooled. Mark is a terrific husband, father and income provider. In addition to his team leader position at Embarq, he has recently become a distributor of training materials for Inscape Publishing, the leading products distributed by our business, Hissong Associates, Inc. since 1984. This was the first time we met their energetic, new dog named Daisy. She is a rescued orphan, who is pretty and friendly but has a few habits that need improving. Ethan got two hits in his modified T-ball (the tee is used only after a batter has three strikes) game and scored a run; his team handily defeated their opponents.

One of our days was spent with friends, Jim and Charlotte, in nearby Jonesboro, TN. Jim was once our Associate Pastor at Providence Baptist Church in Northern Virginia. Later, both of our families belonged to Columbia Baptist in Falls Church, VA. Jim is quite the train buff. He and Charlotte gave us a beautiful tour of Jonesboro’s hillsides, their lovely home, a train museum in East Tennessee University, and the garden train of a good friend. We plan to be back in the Kingsport-Jonesboro Area in the fall as a part of a Northern Virginia Airstream Caravan and attend the National Storytelling Festival.

East Texas Lakes Unit Airstream Rally

We did not really have time to attend our first Texas Airstream rally, but since it was being held at our park, where most of the unit’s members reside, and we would not need to load our trailer, we decided to attend. Letrice, a widow who still tows her trailer, did a masterful job in planning the rally, and everyone helped with the logistics. The food and fellowship were terrific, and we got to know some of your neighbors better. We also learned to play beanbag baseball and balloon volleyball. OK, so it was not that strenuous, but the team member enthusiasm exceeded that of real baseball/softball and volleyball games in which we have been players. It’s great to be with active seniors who are young at heart and know how to have fun. One of our best meals was a Saturday breakfast held nine miles from NTAC at Willy's Place, a combination truck stop, restaurant, tavern, and music hall co-owned by Willy Nelson. He performs there often.

The real highpoint of the rally was a 40-mile trip on Saturday to the Homestead, located near Waco. We traveled with Doris and Curtis & Sue. They knew a lot about the Homestead and the religious order that owns and operates the large farm. Everything on the farm is done with hand tools, and the farming is done with old-time machinery drawn by horses and mules. The emphasis of this religious order appears to be a lot like the Mennonites. The women dress in 1920s style, while the men are dressed traditionally. The members focus on traditional social values as well as traditional crafts. They take pride in their restored buildings, which includes a 1760’s gristmill. All of the baked goods are done from scratch and are for sale. The exquisite furniture is also for sale and is made with hand tools. Weeklong wood working classes are offered to the public. The blacksmith shop serves a useful purpose on a working farm, which emphasizes old-time methods. There are many other crafts at the Homestead too numerous to mention. What is most impressive is the kind, peaceful, gracious demeanor of the residents.

We enjoyed a succulent, homemade meal in the dining room and then went on a hayride to see the river and the fields. Our guide, Jim, with a bit of coaxing, told us his life story. He had hitchhiked around the world, did drugs and eventually did time in the California prison system. Eventually, he found salvation through the Homestead and now lives a traditional lifestyle there.

Our rally ended with a continental breakfast and Sunday morning worship service conducted by Wyona. There are many Christians at NTAC. We are delighted that we took three days to attend this well-planned and executed rally. Now it’s time to get our trailer ready for a six-months trip beginning in a few days.