We’re back in Maryland. We stopped by the boat to check on her and put Damprid inside to hopefully keep the mildew at bay during the hazy, hot and humid summer of the Chesapeake Bay. We’re not completely sure what our summer plans are but we’re going to visit kids and grands using our RV.
Chesapeake Bay
An Osprey passing overhead.
Paperbird waiting for more adventures!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow…
He quieted the sea with his power
These are pictures of wildlife we saw in Texas this winter (Jan to April 2021).
Several different types of jellyfish.
Ibis
Ibis…don’t go away mad…just go away!
The fish laying on the bank in the picture above and this sea turtle were dead from the week of 15 degree temps we had in February. We read about a group that rescued a bunch of sea turtles off of Padre Island Texas before they died and returned them to the sea after they warmed up and recuperated.
A huge seagull nesting area is in Rockport Texas. It’s fenced off with signs to keep out. There were thousands of seagulls nesting during March.
Stilt Sandpiper out fishing.
The pelicans were constantly after seagull eggs! It kept the seagulls very busy protecting their nest!
Pelicans
Blackbelly whistling ducks
Common Grackle
Mallard ducks
I still don’t know what kind of duck this is but the Mallards kept chasing it away.
We were told that alligators do live in this canal but we never saw any.
He quieted the sea with his power
I’m not sure two winters in a row in Texas means we can call ourselves winter Texans but we enjoyed another winter there…well, except for the epic freeze in February! YES…we survived the unprecedented freeze of 2021 in Texas!!
This year we stayed in Rockport, about an hour from Chorpus Christi, on Aransas Bay, right on of the Gulf of Mexico. We had mostly mild weather for outside activities.
We did a lot of walking, kayaking, attended a weekly Bible study and local church service. Greg has been teaching our oldest granddaughter algebra since last year so that continued through zoom and we really enjoy seeing the grands daily this way. He and Becca both enjoy the math!!
We saw lots of these bumper stickers in Texas.
January 1st 2021 sunrise.
Our campsite in Rockport Texas for the winter.
Walking the fishing pier at the beach in Rockport Texas.
The area has many old Live Oak trees. They are very hardy! They’ve survived hurricanes, Texas summer heat and the week long deep freeze we had in February.
Kayaking through a canal community that was still recovering from hurricane Harvey 3 years ago.
Beach walking.
Watching boats and birds in the canal.
Beach walking.
Oil rigs waiting to be taken to their locations.
Foggy walk at the beach.
Ice and snow from the epic, unprecedented, historic deep freeze in February. How many more overused adjectives can we use?
We had a high temperature of 15 defrees F for 3 days starting on Feb 14 2021. We lost power and then water for most of the week. Because of broken pipes in the summer vacation homes it took time for all the water main breaks to be found. We had our generator and propane for heat and our onboard water tank was full…so we had heat and water.
Propane, gas and grocery stores ran out of provisions because of trucks not being able to get to Rockport on the icy roads. The people in the campground pulled together helping each other. Within 2 weeks most things were back to normal.
Small fish froze and washed up on the banks of Aransas Bay.
Tropical plants froze.
Hiking along a marsh…we hiked this almost daily. Except during the freeze!
Working at the car wash 🎶
Beach walking!
The campground hosted a day at the beach with lots of out door games. Most of their activities were not happening because of COVID.
There was an outdoor market one Saturday a month that was fun to walk around.
Watching oyster men working out in the Aransas Bay near Rockport.
A turtle pond at a nearby park that we walked almost daily.
Windmill pumping water into the pond where we walked.
More kayaking.
We saw lots of bird migration and nesting.
An old Church in down town Rockport.
Ford model T club met one weekend for the public to see.
Weather coming!
Watching fishermen at the pier.
Fishermen at the jetty.
A kite surfer.
Tug boat heading out to bring a ship in.
Tug boat bringing Dole ship into port.
Texas Bluebells…they make springtime beautiful!
Beach walking.
Wild flowers starting to bloom at Fort Quintana.
He quieted the sea with his power
Christmas in Bethlehem…
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:1-7
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:8-20
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us). Matthew 1:23
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Isa.9:6-7
We are very thankful for the gift of Jesus, our Lord and savior and pray that His love and mercy bless you and your family.
Merry Christmas,
Greg and Lyn
We are so thankful for the love and welcome we’ve had this year at our daughters home. We’re living in our RV at their house and have enjoyed all the extra time we’ve had with our grandchildren. Living “next door” has been very special.
Carrots – easy to grow, fun to collect, great to eat!
Not a bad haul…
Any game is a fun game when played with the grands. Amazing how quickly and how well they learn even chess.
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times of the year. A time to gather together with family. A time to reflect on God’s goodness. A time to begin to turn our hearts and minds to celebrating Christmas and the birth of our Savior Jesus!
But if not…
We’ve learned that the best place to social distance is walking the beach! So we booked a week in the middle of November at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Fortunately, we picked a nice warm week!
Whenever possible, it’s necessary to visit any nearby lighthouses. Especially historic ones that have been moved inland a bit to protect from shoreline erosion.
Into every trip, a little rain must fall. Okay – in this case it was a lot of rain! Compliments of the collision between a cold front and Hurricane Iota.
The sand has just about reclaimed this small wreck.
After the beach, we stopped at Paperbird to do some minor chores and check to see that everything was still OK. It is, except for the fact that the boat is on the hard and we aren’t aboard heading south for the winter. It’s a Covid kinda year…
Cleaning the scuppers, topping off the dinghy and checking for any water or mold in the cabin. All looks good. Hopefully next spring!!
We find that a regular trip to the ocean is a necessary thing in our lives. Maybe it’s the verse (paraphrased) “those who go down to the great waters will see the wonders of the Lord!”
But if not…
It’s fall and the temperatures are getting chilly, leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees, warm layers are coming out of the closet. So what do we do? Go to the beach, of course!
Back when we homeschooled, we established a tradition of going to the Delaware Seashore State Park the first week of school. Well, the first week for everyone else, that is. Back then, there were few folks camping and the walks on the beach were pretty isolated. Not so now.
The campground is now 2 parts, 1 north and 1 south of the new bridge. Most of the sites have full hookups and a few are set aside for tent campers. Since we are now part of that RV crowd, that was fine with us.
Still lots of fishing along the seawall for Tautog in the rocks.
The walks on the beach were fantastic. The weather was not too bad, with a couple of shorts and tee shirt days.
A crusty, barnacled horseshoe crab, which aren’t really crabs at all, but actually are closer to spiders than crabs.
Blooming dunes!
Some days the beach seemed to be all ours!
Our version of a selfie.
We found a spot on the bay side to launch the kayak and paddle around for a while. It was a beautiful, calm day with just a very slight current running. Great to be out on the water.
Sunsets over the bay.
Our spot for the week.
But if not…
The fall means changing leaves and brilliant colors. And where better to see them than Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Valley. And what better way to travel than to take one of the grands with us!
Our storage place turned back into a bed. For our trip, this was her spot.
One of the many overlooks along Skyline Drive. We had perfect weather for the trip. Cool and clear with a little breeze each day. Perfect for hiking and sightseeing.
Down the trail to Dark Hollow Falls. Listed in the guide as “moderately challenging.” What that means is that it was downhill all the way there, and uphill all the way back. So easy plus difficult averages out to moderate (I guess).
Dark Hollow Falls.
Lots of opportunities for picture taking.
We even found where the Appalachian Trail passes through. So we hiked it. Well, a few yards of it…
The view of Old Rag from the ridge.
S’mores, of course.
The leaves are just starting to change and fall.
We camped at Big Meadow. So, of course we had to hike the Big Meadow. There are lots of paths all around the meadow. It was fun to take turns leading and choosing the next path to take.
No bear or deer, so a lone bird and a few chipmunks will have to do.
We had a fantastic time hiking, laughing, playing Apples to Apples. Looking forward to the opportunity to take the other grands in time!
But if not…
We missed them! It was fun to explore new areas, but it was great to get back to the grands!
Our adopted puppy, Drift. He travels with us, hikes (peeking out of a backpack) and has a habit of hiding all over the camper. Fortunately we have lots of help finding him (and then hiding him again.)
Reading books is always a favorite. Can never get enough of reading!
Horseback riding lessons.
Hands down, toes up, eyes straight… so many things to concentrate on!
PA has it’s fair share of small churches that need their picture taken.
And small lakes that need exploring by kayak.
Kayaking with the grands!!
S’Mores by the fire in the backyard on a chilly evening!
A very competitive game of Sleeping Queens on the back porch.
A new puppy to hug and train and play with and train and chase and train and….
More games and more puppy time!
Our Anniversary. Walking the City Dock in Annapolis, dinner out and a fantastic time together! Forty-one fantastic years!! We’re so thankful for how God has blessed us and guided us.
But if not…
From the Adirondacks, we decided to head further East. Originally, our plan was to head for Maine. But Maine had some pretty severe COVID restrictions, so we decided on Vermont instead. Vermont is an interesting state: almost entirely rural with a couple of small population clusters. But, like the Adirondacks, full of friendly locals and beautiful spots.
We camped for a couple of weeks on the shores of Lake Champlain at Button Bay. Great kayaking, both on the lake and a small river that leads to the lake. Unfortunately, we didn’t discover the river until it was almost time to move on.
Our Button Bay campsite, kayak at the ready!
We took a day and drove up through Smugglers notch and the ski resort areas. No way would we want to take the camper through there, but it was a pretty drive.
An Army Corp of Engineers campground at Winhall Brook. Definitely one-way traffic on the bridge!
We spent a lot of our time hiking along the various trails. A great way to get our daily steps in!
A local grocery store in South Londonderry, VT.
We spent a week at Winhall Brook so had time for some local driving excursions. There are quite a few dams in the area that the Army manages. Just how the Army came to be in charge of dams and waterways remains a mystery! But the ACE campgrounds are really nice!
A very windy day on the bridge across the dam!!
Hapgood Pond state park. Just a short stop in between other campgrounds, but a nice stop!
The hike around Hapgood Pond.
Nice bridge on the hiking path across the top of a dam. This was pretty typical of the Vermont campgrounds. Very nicely done and inviting. No wonder the parks were all pretty full.
Seems like the entire northeast is filled with small churches just crying out for people to come back from the virus.
After Hapgood, we moved to Emerald Lake. The name comes from the color of the water. In between kayaking and hiking excursions, we spend a lot of time reading, relaxing and walking around the campsite meeting other campers.
Hiking around Emerald Lake. We took more pictures hiking than kayaking because we didn’t always carry the camera in the kayak – just in case!
We came across a budding fisherman who was having a few tangle issues. Nice kid. Hope he caught a bunch!
Emerald Lake even had a small kayak/canoe canal that led from the parking area out to the lake. Too shallow for anything but paddled craft to navigate! We scraped a couple times working our way through.
After Vermont, we started to work our way back south and west. First stop was Shodack Island on the Hudson River. It was a bit of surprise since we had never heard of it before. But it was a really nice campground. And we got to add the Hudson River to our list of bodies of water we’ve been on.
Kayaking down the Hudson. Since it’s a tidal river, we had to watch the tide tables so we wouldn’t get caught paddling against the current.
But if not…
