At Frog Creek

Today was our last day at Frog Creek RV Resort and Campground as we will be moving on tomorrow up to Port Richey so that we can explore the Tarpon Springs area.

We spent much of the afternoon packing things up (lawn chairs, bike, trike) and putting the ladder back on the top of Toad. While warm, it was a somewhat miserable day. The Live Oaks are putting out their new leaves, so with the wind gusting, we had a constant hail of dry little oak leaves coming down and blowing around (the Live Oaks don't lose their leaves in the fall, they wait for the new spring leaves to push them loose...).

It was sort of funny to watch our compulsively neat neighbor across the road. He's been out sweeping the leaves off of his cement pad every hour or so -- and he's raked the ground around his fifth wheel at least twice today.

These pictures are of the neighbor's yard just behind us. He works here at the park and it looks like he's been in his site for quite some time. He has lovely flowers and greenery around his place --

This tall succulent is a good six feet high and has been blooming every since we came last week. It sure is pretty!

The azaleas are just beginning to bloom. I think this one is very sheltered as it is in full bloom --

We did go for an extended ride around the park this afternoon between the rain showers. I discovered that my trike really does not like being ridden "off-road" in sandy areas!

My heart is heavy this evening as I contemplate the news of a dear friend's massive stroke this past week. She has been taken off of life support. I can only pray our Lord will grant her mercy and will be with her husband and sons and their families. I am so thankful we were able to spend time with her when we were in Kansas last fall. She's been a faithful reader of this blog and I've often thought of her possible reactions as I write.

On the Road Once More

We left the corn, milo and soybean fields of the Newton area today and headed north on I-135 to Salina, then east on I-70 into the Flint Hills. We fueled up with 60.033 gallons of diesel at $3.739/gal. at a Pilot  Travel Center in Salina.  That's the cheapest diesel we've found yet!

As you can see by the pictures, it was a dreary overcast day today. We had occasional rain showers off and on all day. We ran into -- what will probably be the first of many -- toll road east of Topeka.  It cost us $2.50 to travel the twenty plus miles from Topeka to Lawrence, Kansas where we are spending the night.

We are also staying at our first Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park.  The Lawrence/Kansas City Jellystone Park was a KOA facility until last year.  The Yogi Bear group seems to have a great many RV parks the further east we go, so this probably not be the last one we stay at.

I solved the mystery of the plant I couldn't identify a couple of days ago with a book, Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers, that I bought yesterday at the Kauffman Museum gift shop.  It's called appropriately enough, Snow on the Mountain, Euphorbia marginata, and is a member of the Spurge family. My blogger friend Ann also had a picture of it she couldn't identify, so she will be happy to know I found it as well.

The swollen saliviary gland is gradually going down with the help of the antibiotic.  Actually, the antibiotic's side effects are now more annoying than the swollen gland.  It's going to take a bit of will power on my part to take the Augmentin the whole ten days...

Those Strong Menno Women...

The Menno church has had a long tradition of strong women -- not necessarily "stand up in front of the group and run things" women, but the kind of never-out-of-fashion women who saw what needed to be done and did it, took care of each other, raised children that learned to know the Lord and how to do service. The ladies at Menno were the kind of women I wanted my daughters to grow up to be. And it make my heart sing when I hear the ladies talk about Mary Mae and Dawn as some of the "Young Strong Menno Women!"

It was bittersweet to gather for lunch in Moses Lake today to say a formal farewell to Clara who, with her husband Walt, is moving to Kansas next month (they will be close to their son Roger and his family there). Clara has been one of those people you can always count on to have things organized and ready to go. She has been the project director for the Menno Women in Mission for over 23 years -- I wonder how many quilts they've pieced, tied and hand quilted during those years? Before she retired, Clara had worked as the librarian in the Lind School District. I was quite surprised to hear her say today that she had been retired for over twenty years!

When we are "home" at Menno, we always sit on the far left side of the church, on the other end of the pew that Walt and Clara sit in. It's going to feel very strange to walk into the church and not have them there.