Fenn Family Adventure

Some Selected Photos

2011-10-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

We added some photos that were taken this summer. Kelly and the girls went to Spokane to visit for a month and was able to see Kristin/Jesse/Landon, Kimberly/Lilly, my mom and Kelly's parents. When Kerri delivered with our 3rd grandchild, Eisley, I flew up to Long Beach and met up with Kelly for a quick visit. (please note my new tattoo); Goofy asleep in a hammock with the inscription at the top, Eisley, Landon & Lilly's Grandpa. I plan on now adding all the future grandkids until I get real old and I can't get any more tattoos!

Virginia Beach

2011-10-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Some additional photos from Virginia Beach and a quick last minute trip to Busch Gardens. We can't believe the water temperature is in the mid 70's!

On the way to Gulfport from Virginia Beach, Va.

2011-10-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was transferred from Virginia Beach to fill the Senior Enlisted Advisor position at the Navy Mobilization Processing Site in Gulfport, MS. We just had to drive to Florida and visit Universal Studios! We made a couple of stops along the way and arrived at Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach, FL. They had a great RV park, right along a river full of Dolphins and those goofy looking Manatees. Honestly, regressing from my detective days, those Manatees look worse than some of the "floaters" I had encountered in a few lakes and rivers! Sorry...anyway we will add some more photos, as Nikki has been taking pictures non-stop since we left.

We arrived in Gulfport on 01OCT and we are living in the RV park on base.We did find a townhouse that is right along the "beach" and will be moving in there next week. So the girls will get a "break" from living in the RV and I can again take naps like my Dad on the carpeted floor in front of the TV.

The girls have already found a dance studio, with Nikki & Lindsay starting ballet. Kelly told me she is going to enjoy the new townhouse and she won't have to load any more quarters into the washer and dryer!

26 December and 14" of new snow!

2011-01-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

It looked like we were driving down our driveway in Deer Park when we got home late on the 26th. We played in the snow a little, but after driving so long we all went to the Navy Lodge to stay the night. I returned the next day and did some shoveling before bringing the girls back home.

Christmas to the Bahamas!

2011-01-09T12:35:00.001-08:00

We had never been on a cruise, so the girls sort of talked me into a Christmas cruise to the Bahamas. We left Baltimore, MD on the 19th of December and made ports of call at Port Canaveral, Fl, Nassau and Freeport Bahamas and several days "at sea". Although the temperatures were somewhat mild for December, we did enjoy several days in the mi-70's while in the Bahamas. On Nikki's birthday, we took a power-snorkling trip while in Nassau. Nikki and I had a fun time, as the water was aqua-blue & clear and we were able to swim around an hour over a reef full of colorful fish. While we were gone, Kelly and Lindsay did some shopping and saw the sights. Overall, we really enjoyed the areas in the Bahamas and now, since we are so close living in Virginia, we will plan another trip to stay several days. The beaches were clear, the water blue and no cell phone reception! Ya-hoo...

There were many activities on the ship for everyone to take advantage of when we were underway, which included specific activities for the girls. "Most" of the food was free, so I took advantage, storing the needed calories for the winter much like an Arizonian chipmunk does in November.

We did miss the Christmas holiday, as Carnival Cruise lines believes they have to be politically correct by having only two Christmas trees and imparting the cordial, "happy holiday" to everyone. Not the Fenns, we responded with "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" and under my breath I said, "don't be a pinhead"...:)

We arrived back in Baltimore the day after Christmas (the holiday season for Carnival Staff) and within an hour we were in an Eastern Washington State style blizzard for several hours. Our trip back to Virginia beach took 9 1/2 hours (normally 4 hours). I was undauted by the weather as I was operating the award winning 2008 Chevrolet 3500 crew cab 4X4 with the optional Duramax Diesel and Allison 6 speed transmission. I waved as the goof-balls drove past me on the highway, then waved again as I passed them as they were tactically parked in the ditch.

Important Note: For those who have never driven on the East Coast during a snow-storm, light dusting of snow, mild rain shower or mist, please use caution and plan accordingly. Every business, rest area, gas station and restaurants close if anyone mentions "snow". It is the most bizzare thing I have ever seen....everyone just goes home and leaves the motoring public up to the tow truck drivers and state troopers who just point toward the Virginia state line!

New Granddaughter update

2010-12-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

Lillianna Grace Fenn was born October 22nd, to Kimberly Fenn and Tim Martin in Seattle. Kimberly has been posting updated photos almost daily via Facebook, but we also wanted to show some of them on our blog as well. Mommy and Daddy are doing well and Lilly is growing more each day. Kelly was able to fly out to Seattle shortly after Lilly's birth to help Kim and enjoy time with our new granddaughter. I hope to fly to Seattle in February to see Lilly and also stop in and see Kristin, Jesse & Landon before heading south to California to see Dad & Sandy, my sister Liz & family and Kerri & Jay in Long Beach. It is very hard to live so far away here in Virginia Beach, while all the family is so far away! I'm hoping to get orders to San Diego or Port Hueneme next year so we can be much closer.

2010-10-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hey, we wanted to go to Greenbluff too! Kristin, Jesse and Landon (20 months) had to go shop for some pumpkins and apples at our favorite place in Greenbluff. I think they found some good pumpkins and we all wish we could be in Spokane this year to "trick or treat". Send more pictures Kristin!

80's in October!!

2010-10-11T17:40:00.001-07:00

What a great Columbus Day! Even though the Indian's were here first and did "discover" America, I'll be more than happy to celebrate and take the day off! I waxed the truck, the girls played at the park, Kelly re-sorted "stuff" in the house and our cat fell asleep while I was working on one of my projects. We hope to make several more trips to the beach, including one more trip to Busch Garden's before the weather gets too cold.

Kimberly is now 34 weeks along with our granddaughter (girl of course) and she is feeling pretty good. She is past the morning sickness and now well into the expansion of her mid-section. She is due toward the end of November and it will be fun to have another girl in the Fenn Family. See ya soon!

October Photos

2010-10-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since we have updated our blog...needless to say a lot has been going on here. The girls now have braces and interfere with the HD TV signal in our trailer everytime they smile! Kelly and I had the opportunity to go to the Navy Ball celebration on Friday night. Doesn't my bride look great? She is so hot that I literally have to disable the smoke detectors in our 5th wheel! Anyway, the distinguised, older gentleman standing by her is me...we had a great time at dinner and the Navy birthday celebration is part of our heritage. The girls had fun when we visited the Outer Banks in N.C. That is only an hour a way from where we are living and plan on coming back many more times. The water was warm and the beach was clean! Well, off to church now and will update soon!

NEW YORK CITY

2010-06-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

While staying at the USMA RV park at West Point, NY, we just had to get into see New York City! We took a train that was close to the base and arrived at Grand Central Station, NY to start our journey. We walked to Time Square, then took a Greyline Bus tour of the city on top of a double decker bus! Later in the day, we took a short trip over to see the Statute of Liberty. Unfortunately, by the time we got over there, Ellis Island was closed for the day. We will be back sometime this fall for the tour and as we found out, there is SO MUCH to see and do in New York! We will be leaving NY and heading for several days in the Amish countryside near Elizabethtown, PA.

Westfield, NY

2010-06-06T05:04:00.001-07:00

We had the opportunity to stop and stay 2 days at Westfield, NY. This was our stop in order to see the area here as well as visit Niagara Falls. It was a very nice KOA with a pool for the kids and a nice fire pit to burn all the NY wood I could find. When we left, we were going to visit Jamestown, NY, the birthplace of Lucille Ball. However, due to a 3 on 3 basketball tourney, I decided not to take Howe (house on wheels) near any basketball courts. We did stop in the city park in Westfield as they were having a farmers market. Many Amish folks were there and we had the opportunity to buy some homemade bread, real maple syrup, jelly, fudge, strawberries for Lindsay and a homemade lazy susan for our dining room table. We are off now to stay one night at Watkins Glen, NY, then off to a military RV park near West Point.

Niagara Falls

2010-06-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

We stayed at a KOA site somewhat close to Niagara Falls, so we decided to stay an extra day to see the sites. The weather was in the 80's and clear, perfect for us to get wet and wild near the falls! After seeing an IMAX show about Niagara Falls, we took a trolley to grab a ride on the "Maid of the Mist". Lindsay wasn't too sure why we would go up to a large falls to get wet, but since there were 50 other wet people with her at the time, she was okay with it. If that wasn't enough, we took another wet trip up the side of the falls and stood on an overlook called "Hurricane Ridge" (there is a reason for that name). We all got wet a 2nd time, even though they give you the gay rain gear. I folded mine up later for a trash bag for the truck. Since we were wet at this point, we might as well go visit the aquarium. We managed to walk around for 45 minutes before they closed, but did get to see a neat Sea Lion show before they closed.

Oh, I do have some sad news to report. My truck has caused the death of a rather slow moving Malard Duck, who decided to cross in front of my vehicle (24,876 pounds) moving at 65 MPH. All we saw was beak, feathers and heard his last "squeak" as he hit my trucks grill. Oh well....

A visit to Laura Wildes Museum

2010-06-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

The Fenn girls and 1 male arrived in Walnut Grove, MN pronounced (minnesoda)! Kelly has spent so many years reading these books to our girls, she asked me after baking an apple pie, if I would be so kind to stop at the Wilder museum. Me, being of sound mind (and realizing who is really in charge) said, "that sounds great!". While the girls looked at all the girly stuff, I managed to find an old barn with old tools, old nails, old picture frames and old stuff..we all did have fun and the girls managed to buy some "new" stuff at the store. While we were in the area, we visited Russell, MN as well where Kelly's dad, Noel, went to high school.

Mt Rushmore

2010-05-31T07:17:00.001-07:00

While visiting Mt Rushmore, we stayed at a military RV camp at Ellsworth, AFB near Rapid City SD. Lindsay had a great time capturing butterflies and we still have one who came along for the ride on our trip to Minnesota! Mt Rushmore was fantastic, as well as the ride up to the visitors center. This was all of our first trip there and it is just amazing how someone could carve faces in the side of a mountain and show so much detail. We stayed several days here as I needed to get some warranty work done on my truck, then on the 28th of May, we headed on to Pipestone, MN.

Photos from Washington

2010-05-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

Kelly with our grandson Landon the day we left Spokane and photos with Chris, Darlene, Alex, Jared and Jackie during our stay at their home in West Richland, WA.

On the road again.

2010-05-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Our family left Chewelah, WA on 21MAY enroute to Virginia. I was able to take 30 days leave from the Navy, so we decided to take a fun vacation while we travel back to Norfolk. We stopped in West Richland, WA to visit with Chris, Darlene, Alex, Jared and Jacque Johnson (Kelly's brother)on Friday. The kids had a great visit and we all stayed up until almost midnight talking! Saturday we headed to Missoula, MT and was able to visit with Nikki's grandpa, Gary Thompson, who came down from Kallispel, MT to have breakfast with us. Nikki and Lindsay last saw Grandpa Gary 2 years ago, so he was very surprised they had both grown so much!
I will post some photos as soon as we get to a spot where we have a better wireless signal. Chat soon...

Pacific Beach Adventure

2010-04-19T18:58:00.001-07:00

Before heading back to Norfolk with the Navy, we had to take some time and visit the Washington Coast. Hey, it rains just as much here as in Olympia, so we couldn't wait until the summer to do some camping. We spent 4 days at a Navy operated resort in Pacific Beach. We parked our home very close to the beach for $12 a night and spent some time visiting the area. That treck included numerous gift shops in Pacific Beach and Forks, WA (home of that chic flick vampire/wolf movie). Let's get real, a girl falling for an cute vampire (he really needs some vitamin D)and then is at the same time being wooed by a wolf-boy who rides dirt bikes? Where is Dirty Harry when you need him? Sorry, back to our trip...

On the "only" day it didn't rain, we travelled north toward Forks, making stops at the Quinault Rain Forest. That was well worth the stop and 1/2 mile walk into the woods. Lindsay thought we had walked 6 miles but did have fun looking at bugs, big trees and trying to stay up with Nikki.

In Forks all of the businesses were closed with the exception of the following stores: (2) gas stations with non working bathrooms (that is a big issue with girls), 3 vampire/wolf stores, an Ace Hardware (my saving grace, oh the smell of fertilizer, insect spray and new wood), and the homestyle restaurant with worn out seats! We did all survive and made it back to the safe confines of our 40 foot home (which has 2 working bathrooms).

We are heading back to Olympia tomorrow and have only 3 more weeks before we head east. More to follow!

Disneyland 2010

2010-03-27T08:42:00.001-07:00

In March, we were able to fly to California to visit family and have some fun time at Disneyland! Kristin, Jesse and Landon flew down as well and we were all able to stay in the same hotel right across the street from Disneyland. This was Landon's first time in the "happiest place on earth" and did enjoy every minute. I wanted to get some photos on our blog and will also send a link to Disney Photo shop as well. Our family had many photos taken around the park and you can view them and order some if you wish. We also visited with Grandpa Fenn & Sandy, my Sister Liz and family and Kerri & Jay. The time all went too fast and hopefully on the trip back to Virginia, we can stop in for a quick visit again.

It's a New Year!!

2010-02-13T15:41:00.001-08:00

It is once again the time for the Fenn's to start updating their "blog". Christmas has come and gone and hey, it's still raining in Olympia! Time for the Fenn's to leave for warmer weather, but not after visiting our grandson, Landon David for his birthday bash. I had to stay in Tacoma as duty called, but the girls drove over last month and was able to celebrate Landon's 1st birthday. The girls enjoyed some "snow" as well and playing with Landon and big sister Kristin.

My 1st year deployment with the Navy is ending here in April and I'm heading back to Norfolk to work another year at HQ. That's headquarters for you non-military types or the "head shed" as the civilians call it. I'll fly back in June, when my bride Kelly of 30 years+ and I will go on an Alaska cruise. No fishing or hunting for me, just dancing, smouching, holding hands and taking long walks in a circle around the ship! I don't even have to ask Kelly's dad what time she has to be in!

Does anyone have any vitamin D? This Tacoma weather has done me in......

Thanksgiving in Spokane

2009-11-23T19:34:00.001-08:00

We all had the opportunity to visit all of the "Fenn girls" who just happened to be in the same spot at the same time....in Spokane! Kristin, Jesse and Landon opened their house and oven to the Fenn's for an early Thanksgiving feast. Kerri flew up from Long Beach, Ca, Kimmy and her friend Tony drove over from Tacoma and the rest of the 4 Fenns drove over on Saturday. Snoqualime Pass was very pretty and we got to experience a good snowstorm to the delight of Nikki and Lindsay. Kerri took a week off and was able to visit with Kristin & Jesse and once we arrived to babysit, they all went out to see that new vampire/wolf/love story movie. Jesse and I enjoyed watching the Seattle Sea Slugs loose on Sunday and at the same time, enjoy 3 plates of "slow turkey", potatoes, cow slobber (pistachio jello jiggly desert), black olives, yams, gravy, dressing and the red stuff I don't like (cranberry sauce). I made up for that with a piece of huckleberry/apple pie and pumpkin pie. We ended up taking a lot of video's of Landon, who is walking all over the place now! Kristin has now lost control! She and Kerri will be sending some pictures soon and we will add them to the blog.

Okay, I'm tired of the rain. I need to find a Navy job somewhere there is warm weather, aqua colored water lapping up on the beach, an endless supply of fruity rum drinks for Kelly and I, a fast food drive through that actually gets the order right, a tire shop that is "fair and balanced" and a 5g network that allows me to talk on the cell phone inside of a building. Here is a good idea, let's save money on sending rockets to Mars or crashing a perfectly good rocket into the Moon to see if there is a dust cloud AND give me a car that gets 100 MPG using good ole gas and a cell phone that works! It's not that hard!

Sorry...I must need a nap....

Chewelah Golf Course Property

2009-10-01T20:02:00.001-07:00

We have purchased property next to Noel and Nancy Johnson (Kelly's parents) on the 3rd green. The lot is a perfect size, has power and water already and is begging the Fenn's to start planting flowers. We have recently had a small gravel driveway put in so we can park our 5th wheel while visiting the family and planning our "house". We plan on putting in the septic next year and build within the next 4 years, the Navy willing. I have a very good job with the Navy here at Ft Lewis and just have been asked to extend another year. That will be very helpful in paying off the property and helping build our home. While staying in Chewelah, we are able to park in the Johnson driveway. With the trailer at 40 feet, I really have to be careful when backing into that perfect spot. Kelly and the girls don't watch anymore and quickly exit the truck before backing and head for either "high ground" or a bunker.

Trip to Mt St Helens

2009-10-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

In July, we had to take a visit to Mt St Helens. She attempted to interrupt the Fenn Wedding by erupting 6 days before we were married in 1980. Even a volcano could not stop us from getting married! or ever forgetting our anniversary! We walked out to an observation point to get some better photos but the girls soon were tired and "thirsty". Although it was in the high 70's, it was very dry for the coast and we were not really prepared. Next time, we will be and plan on taking the 1.5 mile jaunt to another observation point near the base of the mountain. All in all it was a fun day and we will be back again.

October in Olympia

2009-10-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have no idea where the summer went but it is gone for sure! I kept saying we'd update the blog tomorrow, next week, on Saturday, after my hair turns naturally brown or when Kelly is pregnant again. Well, none of that happened so here we are in October. The girls have started their schooling here at home and Awana at church, that along with a YMCA membership and a homeschool co-op on Fridays and we are busy once again.

Kristin, Jesse and Landon "David" visited us on Monday and Tuesday. We had fun playing with the grandson, who crawls all over the place! We all went to the Olympia Children's Museum, where Landon got to explore all kinds of new "things". We are planning at trip to the Spokane area next week to work on our property, do some painting at grandpa's house, visit with grandma Fenn and see how Landon is doing at "walking".

More photos to follow!

Trip to Chewelah

2009-07-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Our family travelled to visit the in-laws, swim in a pool in Moses Lake, go to Kelly's 30 (THIRTY) year class reunion, eat huckleberries, have fun at Riverfront Park with Landon, golf with Grandpa and put a down payment on some property right next to Grandpa and Grandma's! We also celebrated Lindsay's 8th birthday and had my Mom and family friends, Dave & Marla stop in as well. We really enjoy the Chewelah area and once the property is paid off, we plan on building our retirement home. Oh yeah, back to that class reunion photo...my bride is the "most beautiful woman" in the whole world, front row, far left. She hasn't changed a bit from high school, but some in the class can't make that statement. More photos to follow!

July 4th

2009-07-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

It was an "hot" day here in Western Washington and in the low 90's. We will take any day here when it is not raining, windy or the freeway is backed up all the way to Portland! We drove out to a church camp where Nikki will be staying for a week, so we could see just how beautiful the area was and so I knew where I was going to take her tomorrow. We decided to stay close to home in the evening and watched everyones "money go up in smoke". Our RV park is adjacent to an Indian reservation, so there was lots of explosions and bottle rockets most of the night, but the girls enjoyed the sights! We are in the final stages of planning our trip to Chewelah. Kelly's 30 year class reunion is on the 17-18th in Republic, so we plan on heading over to Chewelah for a week, with a stop in Moses Lake going and a stop at Clear Lake on the way back.

Kerri's visit

2009-07-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Kerri stopped by to visit on Thursday, a day earlier than Jay enroute to the Winterstein Family reunion. The girls slept in to 0930 hours, until I mustered then on the port side bridge wing. We had a fun day of visiting, taking pictures, eating, laughing and playing a monster game of "Uno". She will be back on Monday to stay the night before traveling back to Long Beach, CA on Tuesday morning.

Tolmie State Park

2009-06-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

After church today, we headed to Tolmie State Park which is a 15 min drive from our RV Estates. It was low tide and Lindsays favorite time of the day! She would stay out in the surf chasing crabs all afternoon if we let her. Nikki found a rather large sand dollar and waded out into the "deep" water. She wanted to use her boogie board but the waves just were not big enough today. We will come back again soon and next time, we will plan on bringing a lunch and some friends!

Landon Morris

2009-06-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

Kelly and the girls just had to go visit their nephew, Landon last week. The weather turned out great in Spokane and Landon had some fun playing with the girls! He is growing so fast, he will be driving his motorcycle soon right along with his dad.

2009-06-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been awhile since we posted something on our blog, however the Fenns have been busy. As you might now notice, we have a new home. We decided to upgrade to a better built, warmer and for the liberals that read this blog, a more "non-global warming RV". Yeah, your right, it is more expensive. Kelly and the girls like the "stuff" it has, basically more girl things....larger refrigerator, convection oven, larger stove, full size sink, a fully furnished bathroom and corian counter tops. I'm more partial to the load range G tires at 110 psi, the larger storage capacity in the "basement" and the easy sewer connections. Yep, its all about how to get rid of the sewer water in style! Did I mention the automatic awning, slides and rear jacks? Yeah, with the push of a button I can close a slide and hide one of the girls for several hours if they need "time out"..hee, hee, please don't tell DSHS..

Oh, did I mention our truck is now white? Well, that's because President Obama's GM company went broke. My brown truck has been at the dealer in Tacoma for 3 1/2 weeks waiting for parts to make the "engine run". I've been told the parts vendors are not shipping anything to GM (or whatever its called now) and I could be waiting for some time. Wonderful news! Hey, don't buy GM, buy one of those noisy Ford or Dodge diesel's! On the bright side we are not traveling full time right now or we could be stuck in Buffalo, WY. I guess that wouldn't be too bad though, as we did enjoy what parts of WY we did see.

More to follow....

Trip to the Nisqually nature area.

2009-06-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Just a few minutes from our house is a great place to talk a walk with nature (and whoever you want to take with you). I prefer someone I know, like my family! It was kind of overcast that day, but we did enjoy the scenery and the sights. Lindsay said she wanted to see an alligator or something exciting but that really didn't happen. A cute dragonfly landed on Nikki's hand and we heard an ambulance speed up I5 and that was just as exciting as it got!

New Olympia Home

2009-05-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

We moved into our new "digs" two weeks ago and at first, when Kelly said, "honey, I found a trailer park", my thoughts returned to the last COPS episode I watched. You know the ones with toothless people, Keystone Beer, multiple cars on jacks, polyester curtains, multiple cat's and dog's and redwood decks.....oh no, we have to go to a KOA. However Kelly did find a gem at this park. Can't beat the rent and close proximity to Ft. Lewis for me and I get to mow a yard again, oh what therapy! Some people drink, others drive fast cars, others are couch potatoes, but for me there is nothing like smelling fresh cut grass mixed with lawn mower exhaust!

I was a good husband and remembered our 29th wedding anniversary and bought Kelly her favorite present: 2 redwood tubs, planting soil, 4 tomato plants, 2 strawberry plants, 2 Iceland Poppy's and a "new" 21 inch blade for the mower! Oh, I'm such a good husband....

Mothers Day

2009-05-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and Nikki just had to wear their Easter dresses one more time! So what better occasion than Mothers Day! We took Mom to Anthony's in Gig Harbor, where we met up with Kimmy. Kristin and Kerri decided to sleep in that morning and since they were several hours away, they just couldn't celebrate with us. This is Kristin's first Mothers Day and I know she is so proud of Landon. All the girls did call Kelly and wish her a very happy day. The food was great except for the fact Nikki's food was late. So, we got her food for free along with deserts for all of the family. I tried to get 2 deserts to go for Kristin and Kerri but the cheesecake doesn't ship well in the mail.

Quick trip to Spokane

2009-05-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and I made took a quick flight over to Spokane on Saturday to drive back our new "used" car. We bought a 99 Pontiac from Kelly's brother Doug and of course, the car is in immaculate condition. Teresa even baked a dozen cookies to go with the car. Now who do you know sells a car and includes homemade cookies? I just had to include a photo of Landon as well. I was talking to him about joining the Navy, voting Republican and eating his vegetables.

Spokane!!

2009-05-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

We just had to include the photos when we entered Idaho, which is only a hop, skip and a jump to Spokane. We had great weather and made it just in time to see Landon! He has grown so much over the last 3 months and in a very short time, he should be riding motorcycles and hunting with Dad. We all had a great visit with Kristin, Jesse and Landon and also got in a visit with Doug & Teresa (Kelly's brother and sister in law). We have to leave Sunday and go over to Tacoma and hopefully, we can see some snow on Snoqualamie Pass!

Billings, MT

2009-04-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Our plans changed because of snow/ice in the Butte, MT area. So, we decided to stay here at a KOA park in Billings, MT. The park is huge and only 1/32 full! Time to do the laundry, vacuum the truck and let the kids run around. I have started a bag of special "Granola" from the food I have found in, under and between the kids back seat. I figure if I add some M&M's and raisins to the bag, they will munch to their hearts content! They will never know where it came from :) If the roads get better tomorrow west of Butte, MT, we will head out and hope to get close to Idaho. Pray for summer!

Buffalo, WY

2009-04-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

On to Wyoming for Tuesday. They have fun rest areas with plenty of space for the kids to play! The weather has started to change some and we heard that there is a good size winter storm heading to Montana and parts of I90, which could cause some delays for us. No problem, I'm retired...but have things to do...We stayed in Buffalo, WY today and a real nice RVpark. I cooked dinner at a local steak house and the girls ordered some "high calorie" pie afterwards and held me down until I ate some. No worries, I just didn't east breakfast the next day. We are going to try to get to Butte, MT tomorrow but will have to see how the weather holds.

Soggy Shelby, Iowa

2009-04-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Traveling today was "interesting" and very long. Due to a rather large weather system producing hail, heavy rain, strong winds and Tornado's, we tried to keep ahead of things. The 2 hour rain storm washed all the bugs off the truck and the front cap of the 5th wheel, but that slowed are progress some. We are trying to add some additional miles each day so we can spend a extra day in Spokane to visit family. So, if things work out okay, we will be in Spokane by Friday and will have to leave Sunday morning to get to Tacoma. We are currently parked along side a motel in Shelby, IA after trying to park in their "RV Park". If I didn't have a 4 wheel drive, we would still be parked in the RV Park. The manager didn't bother to tell me there was parking available on asphalt with power/water hookups. We took one of those spots :) It's currently raining hard and we are watching the lightning and listening to the thunder. I'll be happy when it passes and we will be on our way tomorrow morning.

Champlain, Illinois

2009-04-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

A gem in Champlain and all for $20 a night. If it wasn't for the 35 MPH wind, the visit would have been better. With temps in the mid 80's, we couldn't complain much though. We took a 1/2 day off for laundry and to rest from the long drives. The girls had fun exploring some and breaking into the "dinosaur dig eggs" they purchased at the Creation Museum. We also walked around the small lake, but picked up the pace as the male Swan was nearby guarding some eggs in a small nest. On our next trip through, we will see if we can drown some worms and catch some fish!

Creation Museum

2009-04-24T17:53:00.001-07:00

We had a fantastic opportunity to stop in the Kentucky area and visit Ken Hamm's Creation Museum. We spent over 4 hours there and the girls had fun exploring and more importantly, validating why we believe in creation over the "big boom" theory. We viewed a Planetarium presentation that was just great, strolled though the Garden of Eden, (I made sure that Adam and Eve were properly clothed before the girls came by) watched the 6 days of Creation and viewed fossils and life size Dinosaurs. After the inside viewing, they had a childrens petting zoo which included one of my favorite animals, the "Camel". This one didn't smell as bad as the ones in Kuwait and she didn't growl at me when I gave her some food. Overall we had a fun day and unfortunately, we are back at it on the road tomorrow.

On a mission

2009-04-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

As you can see, we are not sure where exactly we wanted to park the RV today. We had so many choices and the weather was great! I think we settled for somewhere in Indiana.

West Virginia

2009-04-24T04:45:00.000-07:00

We left Virginia Beach this morning on our quest for the West Coast! It was a very long day today, 475 miles which according to Lindsay was, "the longest day in her life!" We probably won't do that again for some time, but we wanted to get closer to Columbus, Ohio. We will be traveling there tomorrow to spend a 1/2 day at a "creation museum" which looks like fun. The weather has warmed up and for now, the Tornado's have past! Nikki still wants to see one in person, so we will tent "Twister" tonight so she can see why I really don't want to get too close. We plan on staying at KOA Campgrounds on the way back, since I'm going to be reimbursed for the RV parking. At least we know there will be fun spots for the kids to play while we are in camp. More updates soon!

T.G.I. Friday's

2009-04-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Lindsay is again working her way though a rack of ribs. If she ever decides she is a vegetarian I have a lot of evidence to sway her thinking!

One more day at the Virginia Zoo!

2009-04-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been so fantastic the last 2 days that we had to take the opportunity to visit the zoo once more. We've had low 80's the last 2 days and of course, more rain is coming tomorrow. We are beginning our preparations to move back to the Tacoma area. My Navy job originally was going to be here in Norfolk, but the position was moved to Ft. Lewis in Tacoma. So, that will give us the opportunity to see more of the USA on the trip back! Our family photo was the result when we told the girls we were going to spend the next 11 days driving across the U.S. in our truck :)

The Easter Bunny has arrived for the last time...

2009-04-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

We all had a wonderful time today celebrating The Lord's resurrection! We visited the NAB Little Creek Chapel for church this morning, then headed home to look for Easter eggs. The girls always have had fun coloring eggs and eating them later after "we" hide them. There were a couple of other kids who joined in the fun at the RV park, so we shared our egg adventures with them as well. We finally have more flowers now as I couldn't help myself at a local Lowe's store. I finally found some Petunia's and bought a couple of baskets to take with us on our trip back to Tacoma later this month. Happy Easter!!

Day 3 in D.C.

2009-04-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Our travels continued on day three to a visit at the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Navy Memorial, a ride on a tour bus (not that good of an idea) and more museums. The day went so fast, the girls mentioned they were hungry and we looked at our watch (7pm)...wow. We all slept great at night! We stayed at a Holiday Inn right downtown, which made exploring perfect. We will be back again!

Day 2 in DC

2009-04-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

The Washington D.C. museums were absolutely fantastic! We easily could have spent two weeks here just looking around. Our favorite spots were: Lincoln's Monument, the museum of natural history, the air and space museum, the American history museum and Starbucks! The Vietnam Memorial was a wonderful and fitting tribute to all who had lost their lives. The enormity of the wall with all those names etched, was emotionally draining and too much to bear. When you see a veteran, please thank them for their service! The D.C. area was very crowded due to the Easter week break. We have to return again!

Washington D.C.

2009-04-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

We left Virginia Beach this morning as soon as they issued a "Tornado warning". We were going to leave to Washington D.C. anyway, but we decided to leave a tad bit earlier. I guess I shouldn't have washed the truck yesterday as we enjoyed heavy rain over the next 3 hours as we headed north. When we got to Washington, the weather was somewhat windy but no rain which was a good thing. I did manage to get the truck parked in the lower garage of the Holiday Inn. I should have had a Smart Car because that was the width and length of the available parking spaces. We did venture out and did get some sightseeing in. It was just amazing to see the Capitol and monuments in the park. We are excited for tomorrow and plan on visiting the Smithsonian , Air & Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History. More photos to follow!

More Busch Gardens photos

2009-04-05T17:32:00.001-07:00

Silly sign as the result of "Tort Lawyers".

Busch Gardens, Williamsburg

2009-04-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

Since my report date to the Navy was moved up a week, our original plans to head to Disney World were "delayed". But, not to fear, the Fenn's arrived at Busch Gardens on the opening day of their season. It was great! Only old people, young families and a few who skipped school to take in the fun. There was no waiting in lines for any ride and the park was basically empty. Nikki and I had fun on all the roller coasters and one in particular, The Grifon was the best ride I have ever been on. It's a roller coaster that seats 12 in 3 rows and carries you to a "high spot". The ride then hesitates as you dangle over the end of the world, just long enough to start the Lords Prayer. You have time to say, "Our Father" and that's it. Gravity takes over and you just about suck your small intestine out your nose. Wow, that is fun! The first time we rode it we were in the 2nd row, just in case we crashed we would have row one to soften our stop (Newton's 6th law of motion). As soon as we got off we were back on again, this time in the first row. Hey, if I was going to die or have a heart attack, this is the ride I want to be on! Kelly and Lindsay both said they were not interested in the ride at all and watched from the safety of a park bench.

Williamsburg, Virginia

2009-03-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

We were able to stay in a fun Holiday Inn-Express in Williamsburg. Of course that included a pool, hot tub and a fun breakfast in the morning! Sunday we decided to drive into Williamsburg to take in some history as well as seeing some of the William & Mary campus. The weather was near perfect and the crowds were down. I could see this to be a very hopping place during the summer months. "Someone" found a Yankee Candle shop that just happened to be just down the road from where we parked. I was outnumbered and we did find the store. I tried to find an Ace Hardware or Home Depot so I could find solitude amongst the redwood planks and wall anchors but couldn't locate one quick enough on my Garmin. So, I was a good hubby and walked around the candle store. I still can't get the smell of candles out of my clothes! I don't want my Navy buddies thinking I'm in touch with my feminine side! Don't ask, don't tell....

Historic Jamestown, Virginia

2009-03-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend we ventured to Williamsburg Virginia and on Saturday, we spent the day at Jamestown, (the first permanent English colony). The girls had fun exploring a Powhatan Indian Village, seeing replicas of several English ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery and the James Fort. They learned how the Indians cooked their food (no fish tacos or casinos were observed) and how they helped the first English settlers survive their first years in the new country. We also viewed the film, A Nation Takes Root, then walked though a very nice museum/gallery.

Grandma & Grandpa Johnson

2009-03-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

Before leaving Yuma and heading back to Chewelah, Wa, Noel & Nancy (Kelly's folks) had to send me photos of the flowers I had planted while we were staying there. I had bought all of them as starts from a local hardware store, then just kept them fertilized, watered and in as much sun as I could find. Grandma and Grandpa did a great job and the flowers doubled in size and quantity over the past two months!

Landon David

2009-03-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is our handsome grandson, Landon, 8 weeks old! I have sent him his own 1st set of Hawaii Five-O DVD's. Pretty soon he'll be saying, "Mommy, Daddy and Book'em, Danno".

Beach Adventures at Fort Monroe

2009-03-25T17:01:00.001-07:00

Over the past two weeks the weather has been very "Washington" like. Overcast and rain has been the norm, although we enjoyed a Sunday with blue sky, no wind and temps in the high 50's. It didn't take long for the girls to explore the nearby beach, finding a beached ship to play on, a serpent to climb on, and sand to work on their mathematics. I didn't explore the possibilities of Algebra and finding "X" in the sand but just stayed with multiplication and division problems.

The sunrise "from the east" was very nice as well. We and another camper are the only ones currently staying here. It has been very quiet and the views of ships leaving the port as well as abundant wildlife, it makes us feel we are on a permanent vacation!

Virginia Air & Space Museum

2009-03-21T17:08:00.001-07:00

We were able to visit the Virginia Air & Space Museum today. Admission was free for all military personnel during the month of March, we saved us some $$. Our first stop was a neat IMAX 3D show "Under the Sea". Everything went good until a Cuddle Fish snatched up some unsuspecting, slower moving fish right from under our noses! Lindsay jumped out of her seat...but wait...Sea Snakes had to make an appearance as well. I had to close my eyes as "I don't like snakes". I'll even eat my Mom's tuna fish casserole before I will get near a snake. Sorry, Mom. Do you remember when Bill Money would just happen to call the house and ask me out for Pizza? That just happened to be every time that tuna fish casserole showed up at the Fenn house in 1974. Oops...back to the visit...the girls had fun trying to fly several planes and Nikki even learned how to give the pilots the correct signals when taking off an aircraft carrier. There was so much to see we will be back before we leave the Virginia area to experience more cool stuff. Oh, almost forgot, the Apollo 12 command capsule was in the museum. In the 1970's my grandpa worked for North American Aviation in Long Beach, CA and actually did some engineering work on it.

Where has spring gone?

2009-03-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

The girls had fun today, as the weather was in the 70's and the sun was out! The beach is only a few steps away from where we are parked, so Lindsay has taken full advantage of that by collecting all kinds of shells. I'm not sure if I would have gone into the very cold water like Nikki, but they are ready for summer to come! We have planned our trip to Disney World the first part of April and plan on spending 7 days in the Orlando area. We just can't pass up the great deals the military has on the park passes and staying in nearby hotels. The weather here the next few days will be colder than normal and we are still planning our adventures for this weekend.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-03-15T17:05:00.001-07:00

Well as you can see, something amazing has happened to me once I turned 52! I had a great day which was topped off by my favorite birthday pie, "Apple-Huckleberry". The girls are true Fenn's and gave me their pie crust to munch on. Not sure why some kids don't like the crust but that just means more for me!

Zoo Photos!

2009-03-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Virgina Zoo by Nikki

2009-03-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

We went to the Virgina Zoo yesterday and it was very fun! We saw lions, rhinos, giraffes,and lots of ordinary stuff. There was also a farm animal petting zoo. Then we got there, their was a little kid who was annoying this sheep thing and the sheep bit him! Then he screamed his head off of nothing, I guess he was just scared about it. Lastly his mom said "Time to go" and he screamed even louder IT WAS SOOOOO LOUD! We saw these Squirrel Monkeys that were so cute! When it was eating time monkeys were soooooo mean! one monkey got some food then went off and then a " Stealing Monkey"or " Robber Monkey" as Lindsay called them came and took the food from the other one! Poor monkey...They had fingernails just like humans!And cute eyes. We'll put some pics. on later. BYE!

Smokey Bones Restaurant

2009-03-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Barbecued ribs always reminds me of a really neat crime scene I went to with my buddies in Stevens County one year. We called that scene "The Bear Barbecue" and it started like this. Doper#1 killed his two doper buddies in a Ford Bronco way up in the woods off an old logging road. Shooting them wasn't enough, so he torched the vehicle and left. This of course caused quite a stir with the local animal population and they were all thinking about Spokane's "Pig out in the Park celebration" when the fire went out. The large bears showed up and removed most of the barbecue and scattered it in little piles amongst the trees. Now that was a crime scene!

Sorry I digressed but some scenes were down right fun....I surprised Lindsay with a stop at The Smokey Bones Restaurant in Virginia Beach. Lindsay devoured an entire rack of ribs, stripping the meat from the bones like a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Yes, the Fenn's are meat eaters, although we do like fresh vegetables as well (with butter) of course. Kelly wouldn't let me take a photo of her eating the chocolate/peanut butter pie that we were suppose to share. I managed a couple of bites but Kelly is very skilled with a "fork" :)

We will be visiting the Casemate Museum here on Fort Monroe tomorrow. Photo's to follow...

Back in the Navy full time!

2009-03-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy weekend! I will drilling during the day with my security unit and Mom and the girls had fun exploring and playing with other kids here at the RV park. I was also offered a 1 year deployment with the Navy as a Operations Supervisor. I will be working with Expeditionary Combat Readiness Command and working at the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek Virginia. With the way things are going in the current economy, I feel very lucky to have picked up this great job opportunity! The Lord knows what he is doing and we plan on following him in our 5th wheel wherever he directs! We have found several homeschool support groups in the local area and today we are going to a large city park in Virgina Beach for an outing with many homeschool families. Photos will be coming soon!

Great weather!

2009-03-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

We all had a great day today as the weather has started to warm up. This afternoon, we drove around Hampton, VA and near Langley AFB. Of course we had to stop at Walmart for some needed shopping, then back to Fort Monroe to run around the playground. We plan on doing some sightseeing around Fort Monroe as well as visiting some local museums next week. I have my Navy drill this weekend so that will keep me busy during the day while the girls plan on riding their bikes around to explore the base. Kelly also wanted me to get out her new "sewing machine" so it looks like the curtains in the girls room will be coming soon! Oh, also had a wonderful time replacing a 12 volt motor in one of the roof vents. I didn't receive any cuts or require any medical attention so I guess it was a success.

Velcome to Virginia

2009-03-04T16:22:00.001-08:00

We crossed into Virginia this afternoon! Please note: If you come into Virginia on I95 as we did today, Wednesday, and stop at the "Welcome Center", you will have to wait until Thursday to be officially welcomed. Their Visitors Center is only open Thursday-Monday. I was "officially greeted"into Virginia by a nice lady who was washing the inside windows of the center. She opened the door and said they were closed, I said, thanks and she replied "your welcome". I was happy with that! Around 2:30 we arrived at Fort Monroe where we will be staying for the next month. We will be learning about Fort Monroe and its history over the next several weeks. The girls were happy to be out of the truck and immediately started collecting "stuff". Lindsay had fun playing at the picnic table, while Nikki had to mark our spot in the RV park.

Frosty Fayetteville

2009-03-03T16:39:00.001-08:00

Do you know why we don't have any photos of the girls outside today?

Well, let's try 37 degrees with some wind! We left Savannah this morning at 35 degrees and ALL day while heading north on I95 the top temperature was 37 degrees. Hey, if I wanted it this cold in March, I'd take the family back to Washington State! Oh well...we travelled for around 4 1/2 hours and ended up at a family run RV park about 1 mile from I95. When we pulled into the park, the girls had fun playing with two other "boys" who turned out to be homeschooled as well. They were overjoyed to see some other kids in the park. It is suppose to get to a low of 20 tonight and I wish I had some peach schnapps for the hot chocolate. We leave tomorrow and will land at Fort Monroe, just a hop, skip and a jump to Norfolk.

2009-03-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

We decided to stay another day here due to the snowy weather north of us. After school in the morning, we headed into the historic district of Savannah, GA. We were able to take a free shuttle bus around the center portion of the city, then decided where we were going to eat. While at the campground, I bought the girls a children's book called, "Scampering through Savannah". It talked about a famous Pirate restaurant that had some very colorful history. Me, being a cultured pirate, that was the place we were going to eat today! I copied part of the information from the Pirate House website that follows:

Since 1753, The Pirate's House has been welcoming visitors to Savannah with a bounty of delicious food and drink and rousing good times. Situated a scant block from the Savannah River, The Pirate's House first opened as an inn for seafarers, and fast became a rendezvous for blood-thirsty pirates and sailors from the Seven Seas. Here seamen drank their grog and discoursed, sailor fashion, on their exotic high seas adventures from Singapore to Bombay and from London to Port Said. Here's the website: http://www.thepirateshouse.com/.

The girls got to meet a very stiff pirate and enjoyed some southern cooking. Well except for Lindsay who had a cheeseburger. She is still gun shy with me after I slipped her an oyster in New Orleans :)

We are off to Fayetteville, NC tomorrow and hope to arrive in Norfolk by Wednesday.

Skidaway Island Interpretive Center

2009-03-01T14:22:00.001-08:00

The rain finally passed which afforded Kelly and I the opportunity to talk a walk around the park. We found an interpretive center which had many animals that were from this area. They also had a room where you could watch the many birds who would come and eat from the numerous bird feeders. We finally got to see a "Cardinal". Wow, I thought the Washington Blue Birds were cool but these guys take it. The girls got to learn about several types of snakes and saw an alligator from the Georgia waters. With the colder weather now blowing in, we have decided to stay here an additional day. We plan on doing school in the morning then some sightseeing in the afternoon.

Swampy Skidaway State Park

2009-03-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

The girls wanted lightning and thunder and they got it! Nikki now wants to see a tornado so I guess I'm going to have to rent "Twister" for her. Most of the severe weather has passed and we are again glad we decided to take the route we did here, as Montgomery Alabama is having SNOW! I guess it is true what they say about Spring! We plan on doing some school this morning, then taking a nature hike, rain or shine!

2009-02-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

We left Tallahassee this morning and stayed ahead of the large weather system that had caused some pretty severe weather north of us. We were going to go through Atlanta and over to Norfolk on I20, but decided against that. We drove up into Georgia and cut across several state highways so we wouldn't have to drive all the way to Jacksonsville, FL. That drive was fun as we got to drive through several "small" Georgia towns like, Hoboken and Homerville. I found a neat Georgia State Park, Skidaway Island, near Savannah, GA. We arrived here around 2:30 and had just enough time to set up camp, start a fire and run over to the playground for 15 minutes of exercise before the rain started. So much for barbecue chicken tonight. It rained pretty steady for 2 hours then quit. I've been watching the NOAA weather online and it looks like most of the rain has passed for now. Lindsay wanted to see a Tornado so I told her we should watch "Twister" instead. We hope to hike around the park tomorrow!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

2009-02-27T17:00:00.000-08:00

Our family sometimes watches the Extreme Makeover show and we found out chatting with the manager of the RV park, that a new home was being built for a family right here in Tallahassee! We drove 5 minutes from the park, grabbed a tour bus that was shuttling folks to this house and just like that we were there. Our goal was just to see the house being built, but after we arrived the house had already been completed and the family was 30 minutes from arriving. Well, we had to stay at least to see the limo and to chant, "MOVE THAT BUS, MOVE THAT BUS". We heard that folks had shown up at 8am this morning to get a good spot. Hey, our spot was great and we waited only 30 minutes. Timing is everything! April 26th the show will air.

We are leaving here today and heading to Skidaway Island State Park near Savannah, Ga. With the Spokane weather that is pushing south, we decided to stay more on the coast as we head north to Norfolk.

Turning to Tallahassee

2009-02-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

With the change of weather, we decided to head across I10 instead of heading north as originally planned. Options, that's what fun with what we are doing. We drove today for 4 1/2 hours, gained an hour and arrived in a very nice RV park in Tallahassee around 4:30 pm. We plan on doing school in the morning and a field trip to a local museum or state park. Photos will be posted soon!

New Orleans and the French Quarter

2009-02-25T17:40:00.000-08:00

We decided to visit New Orleans on a safe day, "Ash Wednesday". The street sweepers were out in force and all the drunks were fast asleep in their beds. Our first stop was Cafe Du Monde for some great coffee and a pile of Beignets "French Doughnuts". Beignets is pronounced, "apple fritter with no apple and lot's of powder sugar piled on". We shopped and some of the outdoor markets, visited the 8th Police Precinct where I worked with the Navy during several Mardi Gras and saw many street vendors. Some of the buildings were still being repaired from Katrina and I could tell many of the buildings had fresh paint and new windows.

We stopped in and had a Cajun lunch. Kelly even had her first "Hurricane", well then she had her second one. Please don't tell her dad or I will be in trouble! I even sneaked some fresh Catfish to Lindsay under the disguise of "chicken". Heck, it all tastes like chicken but she figured things were amiss when I put a fried oyster on her plate. Her mistake was she didn't eat the whole thing. Lindsay said, Dad, what is this green stuff? I told her it was the stuffing in the chicken. That really didn't go over too well and her gaging soon quit. We took a walk along the river walk and saw the "Natches" paddle boat. We were going to see the aquarium, but the cost was just too high and it was time to head back home anyway. All in all, this was a trip to remember for sure!

We leave here tomorrow for Montgomery, Alabama. Ya'll come back now...

Hattiesburg Zoo

2009-02-24T06:44:00.001-08:00

I didn't realize there was a small zoo in the City of Hattiesburg! We stopped in for a couple of hours then headed to the large adjacent playground. One thing we enjoyed about this zoo was just how close you could get to some of these large animals! The best thing about this whole day was....NO HUMIDITY!!! The nice gal in the gift shop directed us to a local restaurant, Crescent City Grill for some real "Southern Cooking", Yahoo!!

That Place in Mississippi

2009-02-24T06:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, I just had to take the girls to Camp S....y and show them where I had all the fun during the summer of 2007! I was at this training facility for a couple of months with 65 other Navy buddies as we did our initial combat training before being deployed overseas. I still can't come to the point where I actually same that "name". Nothing really has changed there either from what we could see. Contractors were doing some excavating near our living area (digging holes in the Mississippi Mud) and I guess they are still having problems routing the mud away from entering the barracks and bathroom facilities. I wanted to take them to the Armed Forces Museum on post, but it was closed on Mondays. That was one of the highlights of staying at Camp S....y! I was so worked up after driving onto the base, I had to find a Starbucks for a triple White Chocolate Mocha!

D'lberville Mardi Gras Parade

2009-02-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

The girl's experienced their first Mardi Gras parade! They were worried that they were not going to get any beads. We had more "stuff" in hand by the time the parade was finished than last Christmas! We parked nearby and walked several blocks near the starting point of the parade. For 1 hour, different floats went by showering everyone with "gifts" from above. Both girls said their necks felt heavy from the beads on the way back to the truck. The weather was tolerable, in the high 50's with a wind at times that kept Kelly's ears quite cold! Having been in New Orleans several times during Mardi Gras, I'm glad the girls got their beads without having to do silly things...

Biloxi, MS

2009-02-22T13:50:00.001-08:00

On the way to see our first Mardi Gras parade we drove along the gulf coast. Kelly took a photo of a mansion that she would like me to build for her one of these days. There were still areas of damage from hurricane Katrina but that still hasn't stopped folks from rebuilding. Of course, we saw two other casinos being built so there must be some $$ around. We headed on to a small town for a 1:30 Mardi Gras parade...photos soon!

Boppen to Biolxi

2009-02-21T13:00:00.001-08:00

Yahoo, we are in Mississippi! The girls have already bought their party masks and we will heading to New Orleans next Wednesday. We tried to get some RV parking at the two bases here, but both were full. We found a very nice RV park in Biolxi and plan on staying here for 5 days. We wanted to take in the sights here, as well as New Orleans. We will see a Mardi Gras parade here, take a tour near Gulfport and a swamp tour in New Orleans. Hey, anyone want some red beans and rice or a "Hurricane"? See ya'll later...

Denham Springs, LA

2009-02-21T12:44:00.001-08:00

We left Texas this morning around 11 am and headed to Louisiana. I'm glad we are pulling our house and not set to any schedule as the traffic on I10 was very slow and as we neared the New Orleans exit, the partying began (no one moving on the freeway). We managed to pull off the freeway to grab some fuel while the girls spied some turtles in a pond adjacent to the gas station.

Oh, and the anti-lock brakes on the truck work great! Some PINHEAD in a green Honda pulled onto the freeway in front of me then slammed on the brakes. I managed to get the truck/trailer stopped, but not after shaking things up in the trailer. I wanted to pull the driver out of the "wind-wing" but Kelly wouldn't let me out of the truck :)

The traffic was still very slow, so we decided to head off to a Walmart to park overnight. After a nice drive in the Mississippi Countryside we located the Walmart. This was our first time using Walmart and all went well. We were the only RV parked behind the store, along with the employees. We plan on leaving early tomorrow and will head to Biolxi, Mississippi.

The Buckhorn Saloon & San Antonio Children's Museum

2009-02-18T17:37:00.001-08:00

While heading to the children's museum, we had to stop and have lunch at a very famous saloon. The interior of the saloon was decked out with just about every kind of animal you could imagine. All of these heads, fur and antlers kept the girls entertained while they were eating their lunch! We then traveled down the street to the San Antonio Children's Museum. We spent several hours there and the girls had some fun! Lindsay enjoyed milking the non-fat cow and both enjoyed the "kid powered" elevator. It took some time for them to get up to the 2nd floor and were very happy that coming down didn't take as much work as going up!

Tomorrow we head out and plan on driving to Beaumont, Texas.

Oh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTIN!!! She is 26 years young today. Where has the time gone?

The Alamo

2009-02-18T17:23:00.001-08:00

We had to visit The Alamo today and what an experience. We started with a IMAX presentation of The Alamo. We arrived for the 9am showing and were the only people in the huge theater. This was good for the girls to understand the importance of The Alamo and what it meant to the folks of Texas. We then walked across the street for a real view of The Alamo. It was very humbling to walk in the same location where so many brave men had lost their lives.

Soggy San Antonio

2009-02-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

We departed from soggy Cedar Creek and arrived in soggy San Antonio early this afternoon. At least the bugs got washed off from the front cap of the 5th wheel. As we pulled into our RV park, the drizzle stopped and it warmed up some, increasing the humidity to 95%. Lindsay's hair went wild! We have a nice spot here and with Passport America, our site is 50% off. We planned our day for tomorrow and will head out early for The Alamo, a children's museum and fun at the Riverwalk!

Families on the Road

2009-02-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

We met up with 3 other families from the "Family on the Road" website and had a great time! One family was from Alaska and the two others were from "Texas". The kids painted family signs, played on the park equipment, played wii & board games and took in a Nancy Drew movie. The weather was in the low 60's and at least it was sunny most of the day. We all enjoyed visiting with one another and more importantly "supporting" each other in our decision to be on the road homeschooling.

Craft Time

2009-02-15T06:44:00.001-08:00

Rain, wind and sun could not stop these kids from having fun! 3 other families joined in with the fun of making "family signs", playing "pet vet" on the computer and having fun on the playground equipment. We topped the evening off with a pot luck dinner. We are all going to get together tomorrow and hopefully it will be a little warmer!

Cedar Creek here we come!

2009-02-13T17:20:00.001-08:00

We left to Cedar Creek Texas and made a lunch stop in Fredericksburg. I wish we could have stayed a little longer to look in all the cool shops, but the RV parking was very limited. We pulled off the side of the road to make lunch (Nikki) while Lindsay collected any bug she could find. She managed to grab an unsuspecting Ladybug and put it in her "bug catcher". Later in the trip the Ladybug escaped into the back seat and onto Lindsay's side window. At least it wasn't some snake. We arrived in the late afternoon here and had 86 degree weather and some humidity. That didn't stop the girls from making new friends and checking out the large play area. More to follow!

On to Ozona

2009-02-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

Our last day at El Paso was today and the girls decided to have one last swim. Interesting sign and I guess someone forgot to run spell chek before purchasing the sign. The girls were excited about the trip today and we got on the road at a good time. Along the way, we had to take a photo of Chocolate Drop Mountain somewhere along I10. Instead of staying in Fort Stockton, we traveled another hour or so to Ozona, Texas, which will worked out good for us. We plan on leaving in the morning to a RV park near the Austin area for a "Families on The Road Rally-Texas".

El Paso Zoo

2009-02-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

Well I guess you can tell by the Orangutan that it was a little cool in El Paso today. At least it wasn't windy or snowy! We just about had the zoo to ourselves! I just love this homeschooling. We arrived just in time for a Sea Lion "show". Well at least we did see the infamous "Sea Lion" after visiting his empty, expensive cave somewhere on the Oregon Coast. Lindsay enjoyed the Python, Nikki liked the strange looking Ostrich and I liked the warm Orangutan! Of course they both enjoyed the Prairie Dog viewing tubes! We topped the day off with a trip to Pizza Hut (sorry Kristin, Kerri & Kim)...we would have brought you too if you were "closer". We are off to Fort Stockton, Texas, tomorrow.

El Paso, Texas

2009-02-10T18:47:00.001-08:00

We left Davis-Monthan AFB this morning after I cleared the "white stuff" from the windshield of the truck. It was quite a windy and snowy night and at times we thought we were back in Bandon, Oregon. The wind really never stopped all day as we headed east, sometimes going through a dust cloud and other times snow flurries. I happened to stop at Deming, New Mexico for fuel at the same time the wind was blowing 48 MPH. By the time I got back into the truck, the girls thought I looked like some sort of "Cupid Dad". At the next Navy Exchange I plan on buying a tube of "Brylcream" for what hair I do have. We arrived in El Paso and decided on parking at RV park instead of parking in "overflow" at Fort Bliss. There is an inside pool at the park and all of us plan on soaking all of the dust and dirt off tomorrow!

On to Tucson

2009-02-09T17:05:00.001-08:00

We said our goodbye's to Grandma and Grandpa Johnson and headed east to Tucson. It was a short drive, compared to the 12 hour marathon's we had when we traveled to Spokane last week. It was quite windy during the trip and when we arrived at Davis-Monthan AFB it was still very windy. After 15 minutes of play outside, Nikki and Lindsay's hair was "fluffed" and their cheeks turned red. So, they decided to come inside the trailer on their own. I was very proud of them while they were playing though. At 1700 hours, the base played "colors" and they stood at attention while it played. And I, who decided not to wear a coat as requested by my wife, got caught between the main office and the 5th wheel....so I was at attention getting buffeted by the high winds....we are staying here one night then heading to El Paso.

My Favorite

2009-02-08T19:54:00.001-08:00

Landon David

2009-02-08T19:44:00.001-08:00

Uncle Chris visits the family

2009-02-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

Uncle Chris stopped by last night and spent the night with the folks! He had a business meeting next week which allowed him to stop in and visit. Most of Saturday we had rain but the sun came back today, which brought out the softball mitt's and a great instructor. We hope to see Chris, Darlene and Alex later this year when they travel to the Washington DC area. Tomorrow we are leaving this great spot and head to Tucson on the way to the Central Texas area to meet up with a few other homeschool families that are also full time RVr's.

Back to Yuma

2009-02-05T19:51:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we were fortunate to stop by and see Grandpa Fenn and Sandy at their home in Long Beach, CA. Sandy is a wonderful cook and made us our first home cooked meal since our long trip began. Hey, if anyone of you need an outlet for Watkins items, please get in touch with me and I'll give you Sandy's email address. We all had a great visit, but..had to head out to Yuma before the evening rush hour started. On the way, we were greeted by rain and a wonderful rainbow! It will be simply heaven to sleep in our Select Comfort bed tonight!

Mt Shasta

2009-02-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

Our first stop after leaving Gig Harbor was Mt Shasta California. After a 10 hour day in the truck, we enjoyed a "huge" pool at the Best Western. One of the hired help at the Chevron station thought I was crazy for wearing shorts and a t-shirt when getting diesel this morning. By the time we got near the Grapevine Pass, it was 79 degrees so I guessed right on what to wear today. We stopped in Santa Clarita tonight and will stop by Grandpa Fenn and Sandy's home in Long Beach, CA tomorrow for a quick visit, before heading back to Yuma!

Day with Kimmy

2009-02-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

As Kerri (#2 daughter) was flying into Spokane from Long Beach for a visit our #1 daughter Kristin, we were visiting with our #3 daughter Kimberly (dark hair and tanned), unlike the other people in the restaurant in Gig Harbor. They haven't seen the sun shine here for 2 1/2 months. We had a great visit and we took her out for lunch and dinner. At some point Kelly and the girls wanted to go to our storage unit to "get a particular box" that contained some homeschooling supplies. Now its been 6 months since I filled up this storage unit with our "stuff" and although I remember many "boxes", I don't remember a "particular box" as described by my beautiful wife. After 30 minutes of looking, I did not locate the box, but the girls found "other items" they thought they needed to store in our 5th wheel trailer. Note to self: Always look for "particular boxes" by yourself!

On to Gig Harbor

2009-02-01T19:57:00.001-08:00

We said goodbye for now to Landon, Kristin & Jesse and headed over to Gig Harbor to visit with our daughter, Kimberly. We left Spokane around 1 pm and had good weather all the way to the Tacoma area. While heading over Snoqualmie Pass westbound, we had to take a quick photo of the "frozen waterfall". There was quite a bit of snow on the pass but the roads were great. We also observed lot's of folks skiing at the summit as well. We plan on spending a full day in Gig Harbor, then will head back to warmer Yuma, AZ.

Trip to Chewelah

2009-01-31T08:03:00.000-08:00

While Kelly & Nikki were taking care of Landon, Lindsay, my Mom and I travelled to Chewelah to check up on Kelly's folks house. Their home is on the 3rd fairway of the Chewelah Golf Course and as you can see, there is lots of snow! Lindsay had a great time! I also had to grab a couple of photos of the lot next door, as we are in the process of purchasing and plan to build a home there within the next 5 years.

Kristin's house

2009-01-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Lindsay and Nikki had fun today playing in the snow at Kristin & Jesse's in Spokane. We also had to get our 4 generation photo starring "Landon", along with Great Grandma Fenn, Grandpa Fenn and Mommy Morris. Kristin and Landon are doing just great! Jesse is a wonderful dad and gets to stay home for a whole month with mommy and son.

Photos from the hospital

2009-01-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

Almost to Spokane

2009-01-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning we left Yreka, Ca and a 12 hour trip to Spokane. We ended up in a snowstorm while crossing a couple of mountain passes on I5 near Mt. Shasta, 28 degree clear weather near the Portland area and 9 degree weather while crossing the Columbia River entering Washington State. The trip was well worth it as we were able to say hi to Landon, Kristin and Jesse in Spokane. What a handsome little man Landon is!

Landon meets Mommy

2009-01-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

Landon had to say hi to mommy before taking a well deserved nap!

Landon has arrived!!!

2009-01-25T19:44:00.000-08:00

January 24th, 2139 hours, 7lbs 8oz, 20 3/4 inches long, Landon David Morris arrived into the arms of his loving parents, Jesse & Kristin!!! Kristin now knows what a "labor of love" really means!