Country Roads Take Me Home

The last couple of years before J.D. retired from PPG in Lake Charles, Louisiana we bought a camper and lived out of it to save some money and to already have our home on wheels when retirement time came around. The RV park where we lived during that time was owned and operated by Millie Mylander who just happened to originally be from Ohio. We became very close friends during that time and make it a point to stay at her park any time that we are in SW Louisiana. It is always like going home when we do , because Millie, Earl and Deb (their daughter) are like family to us. If you are ever in Sulphur, Louisiana and need a camper park to stay in look up Mylanders RV Park. Millie and Earl will treat you right.

We were busy busy busy while there, trying to get in visits with family and friends. J.D.'s oldest daughter, Darlene hosted a get together at her house. His middle daughter Debra and her family was there, as well as all of the grandchildren, great grandchildren and a couple of long ago friends  of J.D.'s that live in the area. Other than the sweltering heat wave that was going on, it was a great visit.

No trip to Sulphur, Louisiana is complete without getting together with J.D.'s brothers and sister. We did miss visiting with his brother Kennith and his wife Jackie on this trip though, as they were running the roads in North Louisiana while we were there. If memory serves me right, they got back the same day that we left for Texas.          

Our next stop on our journey was Paris, Texas to visit with son, Greg and his family. Greg and everyone else was working when we arrived, but his son-in-law, Butch met us and helped us get the camper settled in. 

I know I mentioned several posts back that Greg is an RN. His wife Tami and mother-in-law Sandra also have careers in the medical field. It has been a dream for the three of them to free lance and travel all over the country when they got their daughters, Alaina and Becky raised. Well, that time is quickly approaching. Alaina is now married with two beautiful children of her own and going to school to be a teacher. Becky is going to school to be an RN.

They are getting their ducks in a row right now, which became obvious when we pulled into the driveway and saw this big  beautiful camper that will be their home when they get their show on the road. It is a beautiful camper and very spacious. I am sure that Greg, Tami and Sandra will be able to live very comfortably in it. They have it all set up and operating. Becky calls it home for right now, which is great because it serves to give her the privacy and  independence of her own place, while at the same time saving her the cost of an apartment.  Another plus to Becky living in the camper now is that the kinks and gremlins that usually shows up in new campers, vehicles, etc. will get worked out and fixed before they take it on the road.

Like all trips, this one came to an end too soon and we were on our way back to Ohio. We had a birthday to celebrate when we got back, a Labor Day camping trip with family here, and a couple of soccer games to attend before I went back to the hospital for my second knee replacement surgery.

There was something that saddened me to see as we made our way south and then back north to home. I couldn't help but notice that  there were so many little country churches along the way that had their doors and windows boarded up. I thought, how sad that the lagging economy has not only found it's way into everyone's lives and homes, but also into God's House. At a time when we can all find the solace we need in the welcoming warmth of God's House and family......... The doors and windows are boarded up. It was then, that I really put some thought into what I was thinking and found a reassuring peacefulness in the knowledge that God's real house can be found within the heart.

By the way, Paddy proved to be an awesome traveling companion. 

............. To Be Continued.