Sunday, April 29, 2007

February Journal

Our two-week stay in New England connected us with family members in wonderful ways. Wally and his mother enjoyed quality time together as they worked through mountains of accumulated paper work, eliminating and simplifying for June’s future needs. They enjoyed meals and Bridge games in the evenings with Wally’s sister April. Brother Jason and family hosted them for lunch and a lovely afternoon at their new cottage on our beloved Bottle Lake after a substantial snow fall.
As my Aunt Venessa experienced a once-in-a -lifetime South African safari trip, I assisted my Aunt Chesla as she prepared to return to her home. For 3 months, she has been recuperating from a heart attack with special care from her sister. I especially enjoyed our talks about her “growing up and off to work” years. During this time, Chesla and my mother Carolyn made a train trip from Maine to California together; very daring for those days. Chesla is now home and active in her everyday life.
How many RV’s do we need? Just one more. Ever since Wally earned his Commercial Drivers License in Dec. 2005, he has been looking for the perfect truck on which to build a new motor home. While we were in the New Orleans, LA area in Dec. 2006, we noticed an ad in a trucking magazine describing a 45 foot motor coach shell built on a Peterbilt Cab-Over truck chassis. We discovered that this custom-built Genesis was in nearby Gulf Port, MS. It had been constructed in a RI boatyard of balsa core and fiberglass to meld exactly to Peterbilt’s most aerodynamic truck cab. Crisscrossing the country as an Entertainer’s Coach in the 1990’s, it had received high acclaim for comfort and dependability. After carefully looking it over, we decided that this futuristic beauty would serve our needs well for many years to come. Once we spend time with our new granddaughter and family, we’ll be bringing it back to Maine with us.
Love, Darcy and Wally