On the Road!!

Can it really be almost a year since I've posted??!!  Well considering I only got about 10 Christmas cards out this year, it's not surprising.  It has been quite a whirlwind since my last post.  Let's see if I can get you caught up in a paragraph or two...

I spent the majority of May and June with my sweet mother in Tampa as we were concerned she was not getting enough attention to her needs where she was living.  The family agreed it would be better to have her closer to me so I didn't need to spend so much time in Tampa since I was the primary medical advocate for her care.  Mom was hesitant at first but when we found a lovely place, Upon the Rock, just a mile from Alexx and me she agreed to the move.  We decided flying would be risky for her so instead we rented an RV and thought it would be nice for Mom to see the countryside once more and I could cook her meals and we could play cards while Alexx drove.  My brother Remy wanted to join us for this adventure and we welcomed him with enthusiasm.  He could help Alexx with the driving and me with the cooking and Mom was thrilled to have his company.  It looked like it would be a great solution to the cross-country trip.

In preparation, that June, Alexx and I rented a 25 foot Class C coach from Cruise America for one week during his softball tournament in Pinetop, AZ.  We loaded up the van with cats and food, etc. and headed to Mesa to pick up the RV.  And off we went to northern Arizona.  We camped at a lovely little campground with only electricity, but we had nice shady trees and the gas and water in the coach was plenty for the week.  We did quite well but decided we would definitely need the larger RV for the trek across the country with two additional people.  We wouldn't have the cats with us, but it was a good trial to know they could handle that space for future travels we hoped to be making.

July came and in addition to celebrating our 21st anniversary (still able to wear our wedding outfits), we saw our entire Diederich clan (my side of the family - guess where my nickname Diedre comes from?) as they all gathered at the generosity of my mother at Tampa Palms Country Club for three glorious days.  Mom was thrilled to have everyone together and especially to see all her great-grandchildren.  Mom's breathing was getting more difficulty and she was needing more sleep, but she was able to join us every afternoon and evening for meals and good conversation.  Our final evening, many of the family members performed their talents as we held our Family Follies.  I can't remember a time I've seen Mom so happy.  Here's a glimpse of the whole group gathered together:

We left the day after the reunion taking five days.  Mom continued to have breathing problems but we were able to see lots of the countryside and play lots of cribbage together while the boys drove.  I cooked our breakfast and lunches in the RV and Mom enjoyed having home cooked meals.  Remy is a master on the  grill so we had great dinners each night.  When passing through Texas Remy said he had to have BBQ as it was "a thing."  So we stopped at Henk's BBQ.  I offered to fix Mom her usual soup and sandwich but she wanted to partake in the BBQ event.  What a joy to see her so happy! 

We encountered problems though when we hit Santa Fe and Mom's breathing worsened to the point that we had to go to the emergency room and get her on oxygen.  The guys drove through the night from Albuquerque to Scottsdale and we landed at Mayo at 2am on Monday morning.  Mom wanted to go to her new home though and so we left the hospital and called hospice to assist with her care at Upon the Rock Assisted Living home.  Mom was comfortable and happy to have undivided attention from a fabulous staff.  She and I spent an entire night together talking and reminiscing her wonderful life.  I sang to her, read to her and held her to keep her as comfortable as possible.  It was a very special time that I wouldn't trade for the world.  We called Jeanie, Remy (he had gone home on Tuesday and it was now Thursday), and Doug and a number of her grandchildren called her.  Doug flew in on Thursday and Mom and I counted the hours until he got there.  She said she would wait for him and she did.  He arrived Thursday evening and we spent the entire day together on Friday.  Nate (Remy's son who also lives in Phoenix) came by for a visit and brought his girlfriend's golden retriever which brought a huge smile to Mom's face.  She was always a huge lover of dogs.  Friday night Doug and I kissed Mom goodnight and she told us both she loved us.  We knew it was unlikely we would hear that again.  Mom passed away in her sleep around 4am on Saturday, July 21st, 2012...Dad had died on July 22nd, 2000.  They rest in peace together now.  She would have been 94 in October.

The family gathered in Minneapolis in August for a memorial service. Afterward, Alexx and I took our time driving home.  We saw baseball games in Minneapolis and Kansas City, walked the town of Dodge City, saw the arches in Moab, Utah, and stayed at a wonderful B&B in Salida, CO, called Mountain Goat Lodge.  When we arrived home we both knew it was time for us to seriously think about the RV life again.  We were anxious to get back on the road.

So we kicked it into gear and started our search again for the ideal RV.  As December approached my sales mentality came to the forefront and knew we could get our best pricing if we purchased before the end of the year.  We found just what we wanted for an RV and a towable car and bought both before ringing in the new year.

Mom and Dad were wise with their investments and generously left each of their kids an inheritance.  Mom knew Alexx and I wanted to start an RV life but with his recent surgery our funds were pretty much taken up with paying for doctors and medication.  But this gift allowed us to start our retirement dream sooner than expected so we name the RV in honor of Mom using Alexx's nickname for her...Barty.  Our beautiful new home is called the Air Barty One (think Air Force One), or AB1 for short, and we keep her with us in our thoughts and travels as we begin our new adventures in travel.  Our rig is 35' long with two slide outs giving us ample space.  I love my full kitchen and Alexx has two large flat screen tv's.  The one in the living room sits above an electric fireplace that adds ambiance and heat when needed.  It's manufactured by Forest River and is a 2013 Georgetown model.  We love it!

We decided to do some trial runs before taking off for a 6-month tour of the mid-west. (More on that later.)  But being newbies to the world of RV's we decided to start with driving lessons and an on-site "camp" experience with LazyDays, the dealership where we purchased the coach. Our sales rep was Kevin Ichter and we highly recommend anyone looking for a dealership to put their trust in this group of knowledgeable people.  It's definitely a drive from Scottsdale for service when needed but they always put us up in the campground and attend to our every need.  People often ask if I drive it, but alas, no.  I could if I need to.  I got my certificate at the driving school and learned to drive and backup a 42' diesel RV.  But I prefer the navigator's chair and being readily available to make a snack for Alexx when he's hungry.

Our trial runs included a trip to Tombstone and the nearby Kartchner Caverns and The Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee; Laughlin, Nevada for a senior softball tournament; and a 10-day loop from Yuma, to San Diego, to Los Angeles, to Palm Springs and home again.  We are just now concluding that trip and have learned much about managing life on the road through these trips.

Now we head home to prepare for the big 6-month tour that will take us to Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada.  Before that begins we have two other activities to attend to which also have blogs of description:
Diedre Cooks Lo-Carb and Alexx's new book which is soon to be released, The Fastest Gun in Hollywood. 

So now I will turn this blogging responsibility over to Alexx and I will begin posting my recipe collections and marketing activities for his book.  Be sure to follow those blogs as well.  More information soon!

Our three cats travels with us, Charlie (Ragamuffin), Casey (Birman), and Samantha (Snowshoe).  We love keeping the family together through our travels.  We hope you enjoy our blog and would welcome any suggestions of places you consider to be "must see spots" along the way. 

You are pretty much up to date now.  Alexx will take over from here and keep you posted with our activities accompanied by his great humor!  Enjoy!  Hope to see you along the way!


These two photos capture our logo for our adventures and what we have on our new business card:

Courage to Explore

Seeking Possibilities