As a breast cancer survivor, my goal is to help other women who have been newly diagnosed to experience hope as they go through the journey. It is my faith in God that kept me going. As a licensed marriage and family therapist, it is also my privilege to help families who are affected by this horrible disease. My husband of almost 40 years and I have two grown children who are married, and seven grandchildren.
The title could have read, “The Grand Tetons kicked our butts,” or “We experienced peak disappointment in the Grand Tetons.” Read on for this Tale in the Tetons.
Mid-September our calendar read, “Grand Tetons National Park, Colter Bay Campground,” and this is the one stop we were both very much looking forward to. It’s our first visit to the Grand Tetons, so we booked two nights in the Colter Bay Campground, on Jackson Lake. We are collecting stamps in our National Park Journal along with several passport books. Collecting stamps takes us places we might not ordinarily think to go.
Lake Jenny Scenic Loop, Grand Teton National Park
We will get into the challenges in a minute. But first, let’s review a few fun facts about the Grand Tetons.
The Grand Teton Mountain is in a 40-mile mountain range that can be seen in its entirety from one overlook (and there are many). Each overlook provides a unique view, with a different mountain exposed more prominently than the others. We drove the scenic loop, went to the visitor center, stopped at several overlooks, saw the Snake River crawling beside the mountain range, and walked to Jackson Lake from our campsite where a beautiful view of the mountains unfolded in front of the colorful sunset. Grand Teton is the tallest of the mountains at 13,775 feet above sea level. It is more rugged and jagged than the others, although the entire mountain range is quite beautiful. Snow still stands at the top of these mountains.
The Grand Tetons is the only national park with its own airport. We saw several planes landing right beside the road where we traveled to the park. Also, one website said the Grand Tetons are the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountain Range, and quite possibly among the youngest in the world.
After spending one day in the Grand Tetons, we decided to take a trip to Yellowstone National Park. We had been to Yellowstone once before, but it was a very long time ago. Bryan was a young boy and our daughter was still inside my womb. She just turned 27!
Yellowstone National Park has changed a great deal since our last visit. Now it includes hotels and general stores and gas stations at nearly every village. Also, we were able to go into areas that were closed before; we were there Memorial Weekend in 1997 surrounded by snow banks. We saw Old Faithful and other geysers erupt, took in some lake and mountain views, saw the Canyon Falls and Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, had lunch by the roar of the Yellowstone River, drove the full scenic loop, and saw some bison herds. It was a very good day.
Bison herd, Yellowstone National Park
Quite a lot of animals live in the two National Parks. Pronghorn reside there, and in case you didn’t know, they are the fastest mammal on land in the western hemisphere. They can run up to 70 miles per hour. Lots of birds were also of interest. We saw some ground squirrels and chipmunks, but most of the big animals besides the bison eluded us. We missed seeing the bears and bighorn sheep, but we felt satisfied with our animal sightings. The most popular animal was the two-legged kind, riding in their steel cages and on their two-wheeled motorbikes. Needless to say, traffic was horrible and patience was tried.
But that wasn’t the worse of our tale.
Our Airstream Globetrotter (lovingly known as “Roam Home” or “Roamy” for short), has been our full-time home for the past 160+ days. We have been running her pretty hard. She has been faithful to us with minor repairs as can be expected with any house on wheels: a few loose screws, missing rivets, etc. But this time we experienced something new. In the Grand Tetons we had to boondock, also known as dry camping, meaning they have no electric, water, or sewer hook-ups. Normally we can go 4 or 5 days without needing any hook-up, so we didn’t think two nights would be a problem.
However, for some reason the batteries could not keep up. It got very cold at night, down into the 30’s, and we had to turn on the furnace. The furnace runs on propane, but it does require electricity to kick on. That was fine the first night, and we were toasty warm. But the batteries completely drained by the second night, and that meant no heat.
Airstream boon docking in the Grand Tetons Colter Bay Campground
Our spot was surrounded by trees, so our solar panels were only in full sun for a few short hours during the day. We weren’t home most of the time, as we were site-seeing and driving scenic loops in both of the National Parks, so we weren’t using any battery energy. The only thing pulling electric was our 12v refrigerator. However, it seemed the battery life was going down pretty quickly in spite of this. By the second night we had to turn off the entire system (which meant no fridge, and no heat). We bundled up and layered up, slept under two blankets, and made it through the night.
The next day we drove to Cheyenne Wyoming. It’s a long drive, and typically the batteries will charge while they are connected to the tow vehicle. Plus it was a sunny day, and the solar panels had full sun the entire way (well, except for the big storm we drove through at the end of the day). Halfway there, during our lunch stop, Tim checked the battery level and it seemed to be charging. But when we got to Cheyenne the batteries were dead, or at least very low so that they would not permit the power to stay on in the Airstream. After plugging in to shore power, the batteries were fine. From them on, we’ve had no trouble with the batteries staying charged.
We tried to diagnose the problem We checked the battery level manually with a multimeter, called our mechanic friend, called Battle Born (the lithium battery manufacturer), called Airstream, and ultimately decided we need to get the batteries load tested.
Our plans now include a side trip to Ohio, where we will stay at the Mothership campground, and get the batteries tested, and the rear axle replaced. In case you didn’t hear, our rear left tire was wearing faster than the others, and Dexter Axles is giving us a free new axle “as a courtesy,” with “no implied warranty attached.” We’ll also have them do some other minor warranty work while we are there.
We managed to salvage some of the food in the fridge, while the freezer stuff had to be tossed. We defrosted the refrigerator at the next stop, gave it a good cleaning, and started filling it back up. I was happy our grilled chicken was still good, as well as the salad. That was dinner the first night in Nebraska.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
To recap, I went to this eye appointment because Dr. Boeckman (my regular Optometrist in Conroe) and Dr. McGovern (my Neurosurgeon at MD Anderson) both referred me. They thought it would be a good idea because I have double vision, which has gotten progressively worse over the past several years. I wear glasses with prism to counterbalance the double vision. (I also have progressive lenses to help with reading, but that’s not abnormal for a gal my age 🤣😂🤪.)
As it turns out, my eyes are fine! My brain, however, is another issue 🥴🤪. It’s my brain, or rather the result of previous brain lesions and the residual effects of the gamma knife radiation treatment, that are causing my symptoms.
I guess I thought once they eliminated the brain lesions things would go back to “normal.” As I’m still learning, every treatment or phase of this disease puts me into a “new normal.” Brain metastasis is no different. The lesions followed by gamma knife radiation treatment have affected multiple areas of my body. I didn’t know there could be this many correlations, but it turns out there are. I’ll go through each of them and talk about what I learned, and what we can do about it, if anything.
The night before my appointment, I flew in from Idaho Falls, Idaho, where my Homey and our Roamy are. (We have recently started calling our Roam Home “Roamy.” ❤️)
Enterprise gave me a great deal on a rental car. I did the “mystery” car option, which saved me money, and the worker said to take my pick of any SUV in Aisle 3. I chose the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was clean, smelled nice, and was fun to drive. It rained the whole time I was in the Houston area, so I was happy to have a more substantial vehicle.
My plane got in after dark, and I drove about 30 minutes to my hotel from the airport. I have to admit, Downtown Houston is really pretty at night!
I spent the night in a hotel near MD Anderson so I could walk or take the shuttle. Plus, I would not have to pay for parking at the hospital or deal with the morning downtown traffic. Have I told you how much I detest driving in downtown Houston traffic 😂🤪? I took the shuttle over (it was raining), but I walked back the hotel rather than waiting (there was a break in the rain).
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I was on time to my appointment. They said to plan on a three hour visit, which I did. My entire appointment took about 4.5 hours. 🙄 😳
First the tech did a bunch of eye tests to look at vision, peripheral, colorblindness, pressure and more. Similar to the annual eye doctor checks, only more in depth and slightly different tests. They also took vitals (they ALWAYS take vitals). Mine are good. 👍
Next the OD (optometrist) and PA came in to see me. He gave me his card, but I don’t have his name in front of me. He was very thorough, and didn’t seem rushed at all. They both checked my eyes, did a bunch of tests on the double vision and prism, and talked to me about why they think this is occurring. He found some slight worsening in my double vision since I saw Dr. Boeckman and got my new glasses in April. I get a new script and new glasses every year.
He was the first to tell me I had a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) from breast cancer lesions and gamma knife radiation treatment. This is causing my double vision, because the lesions occurred in the cerebellum which controls balance and vision. Incidentally, I had severe dizziness in 2018, which prompted the first brain MRI when we found the lesions. I continue to have mild dizzy spells, but nothing like when I had the brain mets.
The Optometrist gave me a helpful tip for dealing with vision and balance issues. Always look with your nose. E.g. point your nose at what you want to look at, and it will help your eyes to come together better. This may help with walking, especially in precarious places like hiking near a cliff or going up a staircase.
Dr. Al-Zibidi, Neuro-ophthalmologist, was last to see me. She had reviewed my history, and then she performed her own exam. She looked at my eyes, then dilated my eyes, then examined them again. She was very thorough. She’s an Associate Professor with MD Anderson, and a very good educator. She said my eyes look good!
She further expanded on what the optometrist had said. She explained how our vision works with the brain, how mine has been impacted by the brain Mets and gamma knife radiation effects.
She described how the vestibular system works, and explained some medical terms like occipital vestibular and gravity vestibular. Basically, if I understand it correctly (I’m not that kind of doctor 🥴), the vestibular system involves the connections between eyes and inner ears, and extremities and the ears, and sends messages to our brain. All of these connections are translated by the brain, in the cerebellum. That’s where I had the three brain lesions in 2018 that were treatment with gamma knife radiation in January of 2019, so my brain doesn’t always “interpret” the messages correctly that are sent by my vestibular system.
All this to say, having a history of brain lesions and radiation can cause many things that are going on with me, even years after the radiation treatment. These symptoms may sound daunting when we look at them all together, but I have been managing them well. Most are mild enough we don’t have to worry at this point. We will continue to watch in case things get suddenly worse.
I have double vision, abnormal gait, posture instability, and problems with depth perception. This results in dizziness at times as well as occasional headaches.
When I take a step, sometimes my brain does not interpret the step correctly. It “misaligns,” and tells my body the step is further away or closer than it is. For example in the airport I was having trouble walking in a straight line. People were trying to pass and they couldn’t figure out which side to pass on 😂😂. I blamed it on my suitcase which has a mind of its own. It does 🙄, but I probably could not pass a sobriety test if I got pulled over and the officer directed me to walk the line.
My steps tend to be heavier, as my body is trying to feel the gravitational pull (gravity vestibular). It’s the same concept with people who have neuropathy (which I also have). My mom had diabetic neuropathy and I could see it in her gait. Mine is from treatment. We “trudge,” because our body is putting the full foot down so the brain can interpret the level of gravity which connects to the foot. Vestibular issues can make one feel like you are “floating,” because of the miscommunication between the brain and gravity. (That’s fun 🤪 🙄). I can only explain it like I’m wearing big heavy boots for walking on the moon; I “stomp” to stay grounded. It’s not intentional, but my body walks that way. Sometimes I can intentionally walk differently, but it makes me feel uneasy. Mine is not nearly as bad as some people have it, and for that I am grateful. However, if you ever pay attention to how I walk you will probably witness the moon walk.
I tilt my head to compensate for the vertical double vision (I didn’t really know I did that, but the doctor saw me doing it). I feel a bit dizzy at times, like the room is spinning, especially when I first get up. It goes away quickly. I just have to sit a moment and move slowly. Head tilting can also cause issues with the spinal column alignment, and produces hard knots in my neck. Tim is constantly massaging my shoulders, but the tightness in my neck never really goes away. (Ooh, maybe I can get a doctor’s note to get regular massages covered by my insurance! Just thought of that. 🤩🤩)
Sometimes my brain does not interpret depth perception properly, which makes going up and down steps a bit more challenging than it used to be. I am much more cautious getting in an out of a vehicle, walking around curbs, going up/down steps, and I have actually felt paralyzed at times when a step “seems” too hard for my body to manage. This happened to me when we were hiking in Colorado, and again at the Devil’s Canyon Overlook.
If it’s a set of steps made out of rocks on a hiking path, where the steps change shapes or size from one to the next, I have to stop and let my brain figure out how to take the next step. Otherwise I feel like I will fall. My fear of heights starts kicking in and I start to panic. I have to take deep breaths and let my eyes focus on the task at hand.
I haven’t actually fallen yet, and hopefully I can continue to prevent that. I often rely on Tim and sometimes I use a walking pole to feel confident with each step when hiking in unfamiliar surroundings. Tim lends a shoulder whenever we are going up/down a regular set of stairs like in the Capitol buildings.
Even swallowing takes a bit more effort than it used to, which is apparently also connected to vestibular issues. I get hiccups more than I’ve ever had in the past (mainly while I’m eating). I had no idea all these things could be related 🤷♀️🤷♀️.
These symptoms in combination sound quite daunting, and I suppose they could be if I choose to let it be, or if my circumstance got worse. But it doesn’t currently interfere with life. It’s more of what I think of as an inconvenience. It may stop me for a momentary pause, and people may look at me sideways 😁😆, but I just keep going. I don’t let it get me down. I don’t let it prevent me from living life and challenging my body a bit.
Honestly, it’s good to finally have some answers on the “why” questions to all these little physical annoyances. All of this because of a traumatic brain injury. Who knew?
And maybe a little extra because I’m getting old. 😂 😂 🤪 🤪
The doctor said we can work on the gait and posture with PT/OT, but I’m not a fall risk so I don’t really need (or want) to do that right now. They can’t do much for the double vision except continue to put prism in the glasses. Horizontal double vision is easier because there’s a wider field to work with. But mine is vertical (left eye is higher than the right). They can only put so much prism before it becomes distorted, making everything worse (we are getting close to that point). If it gets too bad, I could wear a patch over one eye and just look through the other. Arrr 🏴☠️
Tim asked if I could get a pirate outfit to go with the patch 🤦♀️ 😂 🤪.
There are other options for future treatment, if things continue to get really bad. They can give me steroids, or if it gets really, really bad, they could do surgery. But, my vision would have to be stable for six months to get surgery, which is not likely to happen.
IF my eyes did stabilize for at least six months, surgery on the occipital nerves or muscles (not sure which) would have to be done by the pediatric surgeons at Texas Children Hospital. Yes, you read that right. Apparently pediatric surgeons are the only ones who do this type of surgery since it’s mostly kids who have this problem. I could get into that!
Tim said he always knew I was still a kid at heart 😂 🤪.
I don’t anticipate needing surgery any time soon. And neither do the doctors. They are just telling me things to look out for. Now they have my issues on record so I can be followed as needed.
The worse case scenario, if one wants to think about worse case scenarios, is if those post-radiation spots developed necrosis or edema or we had progression with more lesions. I think that would be really, really, really bad, but we don’t anticipate that happening either. Continued prayers 🙏🏻 in that vein are appreciated 🫶!
Dr. Al-Zibidi said if this problem was going to correct itself, they would have expected it to do so within 4-6 months post radiation. So that’s not likely to happen. It’s been 5 almost 6 years since I had mine, so the chance of spontaneous correction will be left up to God. We can still pray for a miracle! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
In the meantime, we will keep treating the symptoms (double vision, gait, head tilt, balance) unless there is a sudden and significant change, at which point we would start looking at other options. Dr. Al-Zibidi said she would like to see me back in 6-12 months to check their numbers and see if anything has changed, but she’s quite content for my regular optometrist to follow me, and doesn’t anticipate needing to see her on a regular basis. She complimented Dr. Boeckman, and said he is doing a good job. She’s pleased with his work (he also faxed over all my records so MD Anderson could review the history). That’s encouraging. I like going to him, and I have seen him for nearly 15 years now.
After my appointment I walked back to the hotel, picked up my car, and drove to Conroe where I stayed the night in a different hotel. A much better hotel, for less money, actually. It was raining, and my eyes were still dilated, so that was a fun drive 🥴🫤🙃. I picked up the mail, went by our storage shed, visited with my son and his family, and finished the trip with my infusion the next day before flying back to Idaho Falls.
Whew. That’s a lengthy blog. Sorry about that. But, I learned a lot, and hopefully you did too. Now I know what to look out for, and I know better how to pray. I also feel like I have answers that explain some of the things I’ve been experiencing, so it will help me to have a better handle on what my body. I feel confident that my body is just responding to history, rather than “new” cancer issues creeping up, and I believe what they shared with me to be true. This referral by my optometrist and my neurosurgeon was a good idea. I’m in good hands.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
Our trip to Montana took us to Helena for the sole purpose of seeing the state capitol. We are collecting passport stamps, after all. This was probably the least overwhelming of the capitol buildings we have seen so far. However, each state capitol building does offer something unique. It’s always fun to look for the little nuggets, or “Easter Eggs,” as I call them.
Montana State Capitol is known as “The People’s House” because it’s wide open, where you can conduct business with a live person. We were surprised to walk in and there were no security checks or metal detectors like many of the other Capitol buildings. The building was constructed of Montana sandstone and granite in Greek neoclassical architectural style, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Rotunda is 120 feet from the floor. Most Capitol buildings have a rotunda in the main entrance, and they are all unique. According to Wikipedia, the paintings were commissioned in 1902 by the firm of F. Pedritti’s Sons (more on them later), depicting four important types of people of Montana’s early history: a Native American, an explorer and fur trapper, a gold miner, and a cowboy.
We had an excellent docent. She is designing the tours for the historical society museum, which was being renovated during our visit to Helena. She gave great insight into the various artwork, history, and architecture of the building, including the faux finish on the columns to cover the new wiring that was installed. Helena was the first Capitol building to have electric wiring.
The artwork is probably the most unique story in the Capitol, in my opinion. Some of this information comes from our tour, but I did have to look up the names in order to get it right.
Montana’s Capitol was constructed in two phases—the original structure was completed in 1902 and wings were added in 1911–12. Although the two building projects occurred only a decade apart, the approach toward securing the desired artwork for each differed dramatically.
For the original edifice, the commission charged with its construction secured the services of a “recognized” eastern firm—F. Pedretti’s Sons from Cincinnati, Ohio—who handled all decorating and furnishings, including the painting of the murals.
Paintings by the Pedritti Brothers
Fun fact about the Pedretti brothers: they never went to Montana! So their murals are based on speculation and second-hand information.
They got many things wrong according to our tour guide, and she pointed those out as we walked from room to room. For example, the Pedrettis painted some people too tall, Sakakawea too far in the background, and included people with Napoleon in a painting who were never in the same room.
One astute rodeo teenage girl on a high school tour also noticed, “those horses are not from Montana.” Apparently, the Pedretti brothers had never seen a horse from Montana when they painted their murals. (Also another fun fact: rodeo is a high school sport in Montana schools).
By 1911, the state legislature had enough confidence in Montanans’ talent to demand that Treasure State artists be selected for the job. Consequently, three Montana artists—R. E. DeCamp, E. S. Paxson, and Charles M. Russell—produced murals that have become, as predicted by the state legislature in 1913, “a lasting source of pride for the people of this commonwealth.” One painting by Charles Russell in particular is worth noticing.
]Lewis and Clark Meeting Indians at Ross’ Hole. Charles M. Russell, oil on canvas, 1912, 140″ x 296″ this Painting in House of Representatives was appraised at Over $25 million.
Charles Russell’s painting is at the front of the House of Representatives. They keep the door locked and no one is allowed inside. Visitors can only go inside the House of Representatives with a tour guide. But you can view the painting through the glass door in the lobby to the House without a guide, or from the gallery with a tour guide present. We were fortunate to have a guide, so we could get closer to the painting. Apparently this was his largest work. He had to raise the roof in his art studio to finish the painting.
Our docent told us about the wolf painted just above the Speaker’s head. Charlie Russell didn’t get along with the speaker at the time, and there is some speculation as to why he painted the wolf there.
House of Representatives, where Charlie Russell’s painting is located at the front.There is a beautiful view of the mountains through the front of the building. In 1889 An election was held to determine the capital’s location. Out of the seven cities on the ballot, none were a decisive majority. A runoff between Helena and Anaconda was called for in 1892, when Helena won the election and became the permanent state capital. Can you imagine having a Capitol in a city called, “Anaconda”? Well, some might say there are a few snakes in politics, so perhaps it fits.
They also had a hard time deciding where to put the building in Helena. It seems to be in the right place with this view of the city..
That arched ceiling above the grand staircase was removed at one point and replaced with something flat. During a more recent restoration they found the old arch ceiling and put it back.
The governor’s office has another type of artistic interest. Besides pictures of the governor signing important laws, this is where they filmed scenes from Yellowstone, as well as on the front steps to the Capitol.
All in all it was a fun Capitol visit. Maybe not the most beautiful capitol in the country, but it definitely had some fun facts that kept us interested. We are enjoying our tours of the Capitol buildings!
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
August 6, 2024. Bismarck, North Dakota. North Dakota has been one of my favorite states so far. Certainly in the top ten. Miles and miles of farmland with green bean plants and blooming yellow sunflower fields juxtaposed with acres of white wheat. Corn, beans, and many other crops fill the landscape along with the Enchanted Highway, the world’s largest buffalo, the world’s largest Holstein cow, and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park which we will visit later this week. The weather is beautiful in the summertime, with an occasional shower to drop the temperatures below 60 degrees. One young cashier said he couldn’t even bring out the snowmobile during last year’s mild winter. (I found that hard to believe.) Small towns built this state on the backs of hardworking Americans. I found some interesting statistics on agriculture in the state. Covid must have been good for this state. North Dakota produced 1.34 billion pounds of sunflowers in 2020, a 79% jump from 2019.
That’s a lot of farms and ranches. However, by comparison, farms encompass 125 million acres of land in Texas. This doesn’t include the ranches with livestock encompassing 708.6 million acres of Texas land (USDA, 2023). Did you catch that? 😳😳😳
On to the State Capitol . . .
The State Capitol is quite unique, and well known for such. It has a rich history and architectural nuances, so much that I had to take some notes to remember even a smidgen of what we learned on the tour. The building was built during the depression era with WPA workers for a total cost of $2 million, in the early 1930s.
The original building (built in 1883-84, in the Romanesque Revival style) was destroyed in a fire in 1930. The fire was apparently caused by some oily rags stored in a cleaning closet with combustible chemicals. No one noticed the fire until someone came to work the next morning. By then it was too far gone. They replaced it with the current, more modern skyscraper rather than replicating the same style.
Picture of the 1930 fire at the Capitol. I took this in the ladies room, which has a collection of art in its lounge. This picture is also found in multiple other places throughout the building.
Fun Facts. The land was originally donated by the railroad company. The Capitol was known as the “Capitol on the Prairie,” as it was a building standing tall in the middle of the prairie, several miles from the town of Bismarck; a trolly was built to transport people from the city of Bismarck to the lonely Capitol building. Of course, now it is surrounded by bustling activity, and we could see it from every turn in town. The current building was a skyscraper by the day’s standards and is still North Dakota’s tallest building, although technically it doesn’t meet current “skyscraper rules.”
Bottom floor of the State Capitol, by the entrance. While waiting for our tour to begin, we walked around and looked at the many amazing people who were inducted into the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Riders Award North Dakota Hall of Fame.The Theodore Roosevelt Rough Riders Award Dakota Hall of Fame is the highest honor one can be given in the state of North Dakota
Louis L’Amour, Tim’s favorite picture in the hall. The author sold 50 million books at such a rate to become known as the fastest selling novelist in America. He’s from Jamestown North Dakota, where we stopped a few days ago. I don’t know if you can zoom in to see the plaque, but in addition to writing about the wild west he had an interesting life.
Fun Fact. North and South Dakota were divided at the same time they were granted statehood, so no one really knows which was 39th and which was 40th. They decided to list them alphabetically, hence North Dakota is named the 39th state and South Dakota was 40th.
This is the Great Seal of North Dakota, depicting various agricultural activities. There are 42 stars because they didn’t know when North Dakota would become a state. It was an educated guess. There were 42 states by the end of the year, so they felt justified in leaving it.
This used to be the main entrance. We started walking up the stairs outside, but they moved the entrance to the tunnel, where it is more secure.
The state Capitol is where Art Deco architectural style and prairie art intersect. Our tour guide pointed out some features on the first floor hallway, where the main entrance used to be. It is designed in Art Deco style fashioned after King Tut’s tomb, prairie-themed chandeliers that resemble the tops of wheat stalks (upside down), and the painstaking detail of the wooden walls in which the grain was perfectly matched all the way up for a consistent flow from floor to ceiling.
There are Egyptian influences in the lotus flower light fixtures, accents, sculptures and more.
Prairie themes are found in North Dakota history carved into the turnstile and elevator doors by Edgar Miller, famed artist. His legacy page suggests, “The North Dakota State Capitol is one of Miller’s most extensive and remote art installation commissions.”
The prairie is represented in the ceilings of the chambers, with lights to mimic the sun (senate), moon and stars (house). These nuances are surrounded by a variety of irreplaceable wood from all over the world.
Fun Fact. Historically, the Senate typically has red carpet, while the House of Representatives has blue.
Another Fun Fact. The docent was leading a tour of 2nd graders recently. When they went into the House of Representatives she asked if anyone knew what the ceiling looked like, hoping their tour of the Senate was helpful. One little girl piped up and exclaimed, “WIFI signal!” 😂😂🤣🤣🤪🤪😳😳 Someone give that girl an oatmeal and sunflower cookie! 🤦♀️
My woodworking friends will enjoy this one; we discovered a rare and whimsical wood on the first floor. It’s in the private entrance to the Secretary of State, nicknamed the “Monkey Room,” after a bright child thought the two dots looked like eyes, shapes of monkeys and other animals seen in the wood. It’s a rare form of California walnut, the rarest of all wood seen in the Capitol building. This is probably the only place in the world one can actually see it, and if we’ve seen it here we will likely never see it again.
Our tour guide’s name is Cindy, incidentally.
Apparently this wood was delivered by accident to the Capitol, but no one could determine who it was meant for. When they tried to return it, they were told to just keep it because of the cost of shipping. (It was during the Great Depression, of course.) We were on the tour so we were fortunate to see it up close and touch it, in the private entrance to the Secretary of State. A Grand Forks carpenter was paid 80 cents an hour to build the roomin 1933 using a method called bookmatching, which mirrors two surfaces.
Time to use your imagination. Can you find a monkey, lion, horse, wolf, bison, owl, Garfield the Cat or a perfect heart in one of these panels?View from the top.Tours can no longer go out on that wrap-around balcony. That’s because a group of elementary kids were on the balcony, and one of them decided it might be fun to drop his “pop” bottle from the top. Interesting clouds.View from the top. This is directly over the front, which used to be the main entrance.
They have an outdoor tour, once a month in the summer. We originally planned to stay past the 12th so we could join it, but we have too many places to go before the International Airstream Rally in Sedalia Missouri. Having a hard deadline forces us to make choices about where to stay and when to leave. We did see a couple of items while we were at the Capitol, and we did go back and walked the mile with the brochure in hand to see some more of the grounds and arboretum.
Bison Statue. A Gift to the People of North Dakota in honor of the State’s centennial. Donated by Dayton’s
By Dayton’s September 12, 1936
Artist Bennett Brian is Metís, an indigenous person from Canada.
Notice the intricate rebar used for fur. Incredible detail.
SAKAKAWEA
The Shoshone “Indian Bird Woman” who in 1805 guided the Lewis and Clark expedition from the Missouri River to the Yellowstone.
We visited the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site a few days ago, where Sakakawea and her family lived when Lewis and Clark arrived in 1804.
I took this picture on the Capitol grounds. It’s the original statue presented to the State in 1910.
I have to credit Architect of the Capitolfor the following information about Sakakawea. It’s enscribed by a replica of the statue at the University. In case you didn’t know, or you have forgotten, here’s a brief history of this phenomenal woman. Honestly, her story has always escaped me, and I couldn’t remember from my history classes. There is more information about her on the picture of the Hidatsa villages at Knife River.
In 1800, at about the age of 12, a Shoshone girl was captured by the Hidatsa tribe in an area that is now North Dakota. Her original name is not known, but she was given a new name by her captors. The State of North Dakota has adopted Sakakawea as the most accurate English representation of this name, which means “Bird Woman,” although other spellings (e.g., Sacagawea and Sacajawea) are also used.
By 1804 Sakakawea had become the wife of a French-Canadian, Pierre Charbonneau, who was hired in that year as an interpreter for the northwest expedition headed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
She traveled with the party and assisted with translation and made contacts with Shoshone and Hidatsa people, who considered the presence of a woman a sign that the expedition was peaceful. She served as a guide and gathered edible plants along the route. Her son Jean Baptiste was born on February 11, 1805, in winter quarters at Fort Mandan in North Dakota, and she carried him with her when travel resumed. After the return of the expedition in 1806, Sakakawea and her husband and son lived in the Mandan and Hidatsa villages. She is believed to have died of a fever in 1812 at Fort Manuel near Kenel, South Dakota.
This is the Governor’s Residence. The Arboretum tour of the Capitol grounds walks right beside it. Not your typical “mansion,” as we have seen in other capital cities, but designed with that prairie style architecture. All Veterans Memorial. There is a round hole in the center of the roof. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the sun will shine on the bronze globe in the center to honor Veterans Day. The Heritage Center. This was designed to depict the northern lights inside, but the lights keep overheating and burning out. One would think in nearly a decade they could figure this out. It’s stunning and the museum is definitely worth seeing. We didn’t have time to see the whole thing. And the best part is it’s free!
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
I often get confused as to when it’s appropriate to use “capital” versus “capitol.” They are homophones, meaning they sound the same, but they are spelled differently and cannot be used interchangeably. I have learned that it is a capital offense to throw things off the top of a capitol building, and the first word of each sentence and days of the week should start with a capital letter (unless you are writing in French or Spanish, but that’s another whole conversation). I was going to repeat the when’s and why’s of the usage of these two important words, but I’ll just refer you to this linkinstead. Webster does a much better job of explaining the differences than I would anyway. Rest assured, I have spelled State Capitols correctly; I’m not 100% sure when to capitalize it.
Minnesota State Capitol
July 27, 2024. St. Paul, Minnesota. We were in the Minneapolis area with our Airstream for about a week or two, so we got to see several local sites including a National Park and the state capitol building. (Maybe I’ll start a blog of National Parks, and Presidential Libraries, as these are also on our bucket list of things to see, and of course we have a book of stamps for those as well.)
The docent for this tour was probably our most knowledgeable yet. He has been at the capitol building for about 40 years, retired from his full-time job and took on a docent role to conduct tours because he loves it so much. He was on the board for the most recent renovation project; he definitely knows the building inside and out. He was able to answer any question thrown at him, except for how many stairs there are from bottom to top, as that depends on which staircase you use.
This building has a lot of marble, which resulted in a longer build time and twice the cost.
He did know how many steps we had to take on the spiral staircase to get to the Quadrica (63). Incidentally, the Quadrica only sits about half-way up to the very top. We could only go this far up.
Nothing like standing behind a horse’s butt (LOL). In 1995 the Quadrica was restored to its original 1906 appearance.
This is one of the few state capitols that continues to actively house all three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The governor’s office was closed so we didn’t get to see that part, but we did visit the House and Senate wings. The viewing galleries are impressive. Our docent told us some interesting stories about their legal proceedings, which branch is more proper, and how the phrase “passing the bar” originated. I told Tim it might be interesting to sit in a state hearing in Texas sometime.
I was surprised by all the quotes on the wall referring to the sin of people, given our current political culture. But who would question a Milton quote covered in gold leaf?In the House, above the gallery, is this painting of an owl sitting on an hourglass, reminding folks to make wise use of your time. They only have one opportunity to present their case.House of Representatives, as seen from the viewing gallery.This is one of three paintings in the Supreme Court depicting the development of law. The first was when the law was given to Moses by God. This is where he told us the story of passing the bar.Senate
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of the Minneapolis State Capitol. There’s much more to see, so plan a visit for yourself and start your own passport.
“I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 7:21-25a, The Apostle Paul
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
Sometime last year we decided to start visiting the State Capitols in the United States. Maybe it’s a bucket list, or a replacement for the ABCs of Touring we used to do on the motorcycles. Who knows? Either way, it will keep us occupied for quite a while if we plan to see all fifty.
We self-toured our first Capitol building while we were in Wisconsin two years ago, and that piqued my interest. Honestly, Tim might have twisted my arm at the time, as the younger version of myself would not have been remotely interested. I thought they would all look alike. Boy, was I wrong!
I don’t think I appreciated architecture much growing up. Aside, I was told at a young age that I especially detested history and geography as they were my least favorite subjects as a child, primarily due to the memory work involved (When was the War of 1812 anyway? LOL). I was lucky to pass those classes, but I wish now I had paid better attention . I do think the teacher makes a difference. My school teachers pale in comparison to some of the docents guiding our Capitol tours. Kudos to the teachers who know how to make history come alive!
At any rate, we bought ourselves a State Capitol Passport and started collecting stamps. Here is a recap of the first five we have visited.
July 24, 2022 Madison, Wisconsin. We drove to Madison where we rented a motorcycle to ride on the HOG National Superior Loop Touring Rally. That trip was our first State Capitol experience. It was a Sunday. We didn’t have a lot of time for some reason that day, or maybe we just didn’t want to follow some guy around, but we didn’t take a guided tour of the building. However, we did walk through the building and up the stairs to the top where you have a beautiful view of the city. We might go back and do the guided tour on another day.
Inside the Madison Wisconsin State Capitol, under the rotunda.
On the way up to Madison, we stopped in to see Tim’s mom, who had recently been put on Hospice. We had a no-refund on the rental so we stayed a couple of days and then planned to see her again on the way back down. Unfortunately, she died on July 27th. We got the call while we were riding to International Falls. That bike trip in the Upper Peninsula (UP) was bitter-sweet for us.
October 27, 2023. Little Rock, Arkansas. A year later we finally saw our second Capitol. I think this is when we started taking it more seriously. We stopped on our way back from a trip to the north and northeast, where we finished the Superior Lake Circle Tour and spent time in search of fall foliage, all while pulling the Airstream.
We had been through Little Rock before, and visited several of the other historic places with some friends including the “Big Dam Bridge,” the “Little Rock 9” and Central High School, but merely drove by the State Capitol. On this trip, we made a point to go inside. They told us at the front desk to be sure and visit the treasury, so we scheduled a tour of the vault.
This particular capitol has a unique experience unlike any other. We were allowed to go inside the treasury vault (after a very detailed and jaw-dropping explanation of how they built it and got it here), and hold a half million dollars. No other State Capitol allows this. As I was handing off to Tim, I dropped the stack of money and it all went crashing down to the floor of the vault. Fortunately, they have it very well packed. In my defense, a half-million dollars is heavy!
I told Tim I would have worn better clothes had I known we were going to look like millionaires in all these pictures!
December 26, 2023. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Apparently we had nothing better to do on the day after Christmas than to go to the State Capitol. Actually, our good friends in Florida invited us to come down for a few days between Christmas and New Years, and so we did. We left on Christmas Day and stayed in Baton Rouge where we could visit the capitol the next day (Capitol buildings are typically closed on Christmas Day).
The Senator wing has some stories. U.S. Senator Huey Long was shot in the hallway in 1935. By this time he was on track to become president, but he died 30 hours after the shooting. In 1970 there was an explosion in the Senate Chamber which rocked the Capitol. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in the building after that, but standing outside the top floor of the building was worth it.
The plaque inside the upper floor has some additional facts about the building. This Capitol is unique in that it is the tallest Capitol building in the United States. It was Louisiana’s first skyscraper. It was built in a mere 14 months from start (Dec 1930) to finish (Feb 1932), and cost about $5 million to complete. It employed many people during the Great Depression, and was championed by Gov. Huey P. Long who campaigned on a platform of building new roads and bridges and a new capitol.
On the top of the Capitol of Louisiana, tallest State Capitol. Yes, it was cold up there!
May 11, 2024. Austin, Texas. This should have been our very first Capitol visit, since we live in the state. But we just never seemed to be going in that direction since we decided to do this. In May, we were heading back from an Airstream Rally in Bandera, so we added it to our list of things to do. We finally made it there. We were impressed with our State’s Capitol! You have heard everything is bigger in Texas – even the State Capitol! The goddess of liberty stands on top, making this capitol taller than the U.S. Capitol. It is the largest of the Capitols in square footage, with a $75 million underground extension adding 650,000 square feet completed in 1993. It has been damaged or destroyed by fire twice in its history, with the 1983 renovation still standing today.
The grounds are also very lovely, offering a place to sit and enjoy the well manicured landscaping. I wished we had packed a picnic lunch. We saw a baby mourning dove fighting off a blue jay, and had to come to its rescue while we were there. Momma dove was cooing not too far away.
I learned several things about our Capitol, as well as intriguing aspects of the history of Texas, the six sovereign nations that have governed Texas, why we had our own president in that history, the Republic of Texas, the Alamo, Mexican history, African American history, and so much more than my brain can hold. We did have a guided tour this time, which includes the underground extension. The docent was very good. Tours of the Capitols are typically free, and you can usually just walk in and join one, although you may have to sign up for one on busy days.
Inside the Texas State Capitol from beneath the rotunda. This one deserves a video. The star in the middle is 8 feet from point to point. Another one is on the floor at the bottom, with the sovereign nations surrounding it. I hope the video works as it’s quite stunning!
July 6, 2024. Springfield, IL. Every time we go to a State Capitol, we know we must be prepared to climb a lot of stairs. Yes, they have elevators to some floors, but there is something about going up those majestic staircases that makes us feel regal. This one has 110 steps to the fourth floor gallery, not quite as many as some of the others we have climbed. Illinois has had six state capitol buildings, as the capitol city changed in its earlier years. This current one has been in Springfield since it was built in 1868. It’s designed in the shape of a Greek cross.
We got there just after the tour started. Security said it would be about an hour before the next one got started. We really didn’t want to wait, but we wanted to do the tour. We saw them upstairs so we “snuck” past security and joined them. It was a weekend and not very busy, so no one seemed to mind. The docent was a young guy and likely the only one they could get to work on a Saturday. He did know some interesting things, but he wasn’t very good at crowd control. One little Indian girl kept running back up the stairs at the end of the tour. He finally asked the parents to go get her.
Poor guy was a bit flustered after he stamped my passport with the wrong date (July 5). I could tell he was really disturbed by this, as if he had just defaced a rare, historic document. I assured him, “well that fits. We just saw fireworks last night so the date is perfect.” He smiled with relief.
The building is undergoing construction, so we couldn’t go in all the wings. What we saw was pretty cool, and definitely worth the stamp, but the real experience of the day was when we saw the Capitol from the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, and walked around his historic landmark and neighborhood. Lincoln is seen everywhere in this city.
In the center of the first floor rotunda sits a statue. Sculpted by Julia Bracken, the statue represents the welcoming of people to the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. I was kind of surprised it wasn’t a statue of Lincoln.
I’ll keep a running blog on state capitols, and share our personal unique experiences as well as some facts we learned by going there. You can only fully enjoy it by visiting in person. Maybe you can join us on one of our state capitol tours! We’d love to share that moment with you. The Capitol Passport book is a great way to keep track of our adventures! We keep ours in the glove box.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
Children learn the number 100 at an early age, and teachers have many creative ways to help them understand this concept. Recently we had one of our grandchildren count to 100 as we made our way to a destination. By the time we got there, she was surprised to discover we had arrived, as she was “so busy counting.”
We have officially been full-time on the road for more than 100 days. We sold our house in March, and we are building another one. Well, we intend to build another one. You can read the last two house updates here and here to learn more about that story.
Lunch stop in Le Seuer, MN
On this journey, we have already traveled through Texas (we providentially left the state about a week before the hurricane hit), Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and currently we are camping in Maple Grove Minnesota, which is in the greater Minneapolis area. Between work and other responsibilities, we have participated in Airstream rallies, visited state capitols, presidential libraries, national parks, and witnessed so much of God’s scenic locations. I have made several loaves of sourdough bread, and we enjoy many homemade creations. I think I’ve finally learned how to use the convection microwave, but I have to be careful not to hit “microwave” when I intend to cook in the oven 🥴🤪😳😂. Tim’s pizza was way overcooked that night.
Every time we move from one campsite to another, we start the day with a devotion and sometimes we just burst into song. We decided to start recording these random musings, and we share a singalong with our friends. One take.
So far I’ve only been sharing these on FaceBook, but I know several of our friends do not have FaceBook anymore (including my hubby), so I will add these videos to our ministry YouTube library. They are far from perfect, but we have had fun and felt inspired sharing a few words from Scripture and song.
When we started full-timing it, Tim’s workload was at an all-time low. “Let’s go up north! Let’s visit North Dakota and Montana! Let’s go…” At the time we made these plans his company was not getting a lot of business. The owner was considering staff layoffs (not the consultants). We thought he would have plenty of time to hitch the trailer, travel and site-see.
My how quickly that changed! Almost as soon as we left Texas his company started getting a lot more business. Plus, one of the primary consultants left the company, and now Tim is taking on more of those gigs in addition to making pitches and working with new clients. He is traveling for work more, and we have been diligently planning our trips to ensure we stay in locations where there is an airport, WIFI, good phone signal, and, if possible, Panera Bread 🤪🥴. I even added that to my travel spreadsheet.
I feel like a full-time travel agent on most days 😂🤩🤪.
In addition to Tim’s travel, I have to ensure my visits with MD Anderson for treatment, scans, doctor visits, etc. fit into the travel schedule as well. It’s like when someone puts a lot of sugar in their coffee, we might say “would you like a little coffee to go with that sugar?” Well, Tim and I now say, “would you like a little downtime to go with that travel?”
Aside, I was in The Woodlands for treatment, hence the travel. I also had an MRI of the brain today, and the doctor said it was an excellent scan. They have been following some residual spots, and have determined they are simply post-treatment (post-radiation) spots. They have not grown, and she is confident I am still cancer free in the brain. PTL! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Tim and I both experienced some travel saga related to the botched Microsoft patch. Tim had to cancel one of his onsite visits due to flight cancellations and no rental cars. I was a bit more lucky on the flight out, but now I am sitting in Starbucks at the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, waiting to see if my flight home from treatment will be cancelled. It has already been delayed twice, so it will be close to midnight when I get home.
Home….is where we park it. ❤️❤️❤️
Each time we stop, we ask ourselves, “what did we break this time?” 😂😂We have had our share of drawers opening, hinges breaking, items flying around that we forgot to tie down, medicine and salt pouring out on the floor. No more spaghetti sauce sagas, fortunately. We’ve learned how to fix things on our own, and YouTube fills in the gaps. Tim is becoming quite the handyman!
Other pantry door. 🤦♀️ I think I forgot to slam it shut.
In the past 100 days we have done several organizational changes, to make our Airstream more livable and durable. I’ve added automatic lights in all the dark cupboards and closets. Tim laughs when I (frequently) use the word “Velcro.” He thinks it’s ironic that we have to use Velcro to hold our expensive Airstream together 😂😂😂😂😂.
In addition to Velcro and zip ties, we upgraded our kitchen in the Airstream to include three gorgeous walnut pieces. We picked two of them up in Wisconsin, and had the third shipped from a friend to Minneapolis. Below are some pictures of our latest additions.
Our new custom-built dinette table. Such a beauty! Much sturdier than the one that came with the Globetrotter, and easier for us old folks to maneuver into the back of the U-bench.
This is our custom-designed sink cover. We took out the white covers that came with the rig (they looked like the ones behind the faucet). This gives us more room to work and is beautiful as well. Matches the table perfectly, and it is food-safe for cutting.
This is our stove cover/ cutting board, also food-safe. A friend of ours is getting into woodworking, so we gave him this one to do. He did a GREAT job! It matches the walls and other woodwork perfectly. I love the walnut. It’s rich and has a nice grain to it.
We used to keep our spices behind the stove on a rack, so we measured to include those behind it. However, now we keep them in the pantry. One less thing to move. If I had realized we were going to do that, I would have had him go all the way to the wall 🤦♀️. Lesson learned. I still love it though, and I can use that little gap for my spoon rest and butter dish.
One more piece of wood for good measure. When we were picking up our table and sink cover from Tayfun (Topics Woodworks), he wasn’t happy with how the sink cover was fitting. It was just a hair too big. So, he offered to make us a new one. Tim said no, don’t waste the wood. Can you just shave this one down?
He fixed it while we waited, and then gave us THIS charcuterie board for our trouble. He’s a great guy, honest, and a master woodworker. We would definitely order from him again.
I think that pretty well catches us up. Thanks for giving me something to do while I wait on my delayed flight. I was starting to get sleepy. 🥱
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
We got our lot fit for Lot #75, and then the developer called to remind us there is an active pipeline with a 20 foot utility easement running across the front of the property. When we had originally looked at the lot, he led us to believe it was close to the road, near the culvert. As it turned out, the easement was one foot from our front door, and the walkway was on top of the easement 😳😳.
That set us on a journey of discovery.
The developer sent us an additional document from Explorer (the pipeline company) which said that if ever we wanted to do anything over the easement, including paved driveway, we had to send a proposal and they would have up to 180 days to review. SIX MONTHS! And then they could make you change your plan. We were calculating how much time the builder has to do their work, and now we are concerned they have not even started this process. Also, someone from the pipeline has to be present the entire time you do any improvements.
I reached out to my friends on Facebook, and those who have pipelines on their property (which is very common in Texas). They had a variety of things to say. One rancher in particular said he had some horror stories, as well as some not so bad stories. Our main concern was what would happen if they decided to come in and do repairs and broke up our driveway, or our walkway? Would they fix it? Would we have access to our house? How long could it take? Would they mow over any landscaping we might plant (they are responsible for mowing the pipeline easement)? How responsive are they going to be to our inquiries? So many questions raised our DefCon level a notch or two.
We decided to reach out to Explorer and ask some questions before getting too panicky. We called, sent emails, called again, tried and tried, and never could get a response. One guy finally sent an email acknowledging he had gotten the email, but that was the end of his communication. Needless to say, we were not feeling very comfortable about having an Explorer active pipeline on our property.
The builder suggested we change lots, so we started that process.
At this point we were very grateful they had not yet purchased Lot #75. It was still on reserve. The developer had gone up on their prices by about $20-30,000, so switching to another lot was going to be a challenge. Before we left Texas for our northern trip, we went back out to the property and looked at other lots. As it turned out they had just opened access to some other lots we had not seen before. Lot #84, just a few lots down from #75 but outside of the pipeline easement, was a bit smaller (1.0 acre) but it had some advantages over #75. For one, it is relatively square (#75 is a big trapezoid). Also, #84 backs up to some beautiful trees (more, in fact, than #75). It is a bit closer to the front, so they should start pinning those lots sooner 🤞🏻.
We can see progress is happening out there. Lots of heavy equipment are moving dirt around, creating retention ponds, placing culverts, etc. The roads have been graded, and it is easier to see where each lot is located (although still not accurately). We feel pretty confident they will be able to start building soon (hurricanes aside).
All that to say, we have officially switched to Lot #84. The builder CFO had to get involved because the developer wanted to increase our cost to current prices, but he did some magic and we signed the document this week to switch from #75 to #84.
We’ll keep you posted on further progress.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
About 100 days ago we sold our house in Conroe, moved our stuff into storage, and moved into our Roam Home to begin full-time living, while waiting for our new house to be built. We are very blessed to have an Airstream that provides comfort and travel opportunities to live in while we are “homeless.”
A little background behind this decision might be helpful. We downsized in 2019 from a 4,000+ SF home to a 2050 SF home just a half mile down the road, in the same neighborhood. We loved the house, loved the builder, and loved the community. It met our needs on many levels. It was close to MD Anderson as well as other amenities, there were trees behind us, we had a nice sized yard, good neighbors, and a relatively quiet neighborhood. We thought this would be our forever “retirement” home.
Then COVID hit.
The RV Industry exploded. People were tired of staying home. Online jobs increased, which expanded opportunities. The whole world was buying RVs and moving into them at a pace greater than the market could support. We made plans to travel places the motorcycles couldn’t go, avoid hotels, and bought the last Airstream on the lot. After a year of trying to do both, we let the bikes go and Airstreaming became our priority. Each time we would hook her up and go on a trip, we started thinking about how we could store her closer to home when we weren’t in it.
Things were changing in the world, as well as in our own neighborhood. The trees started coming down between our home and the interstate, the road noise got louder and louder, multiple families (and their cars) were moving into the same house just three doors down, our family was growing and making our home feel a bit too small, and we wanted to have our Airstream on property with us. The only way to get around all of these issues was to look for some land where we could have some space between us and the road noise, a bit more elbow room between us and our neighbors, and a big enough lot where we could build an RV barn and keep the Airstream on property. An added bonus was a slightly bigger house and yard for when the family comes to visit.
We reserved a 1.24 acre lot (#75) in an acreage community called The Manors in New Waverly Texas (it’s about 15-20 minutes from our former home). It’s a High Meadows development; we toured their other properties containing multi-million dollar homes, and felt very good with how the final developments had turned out. The developer “promised” they would be ready to sell us the lot within a couple of months, but it’s taking a bit longer for them to get there. This is their first time developing in Walker County, so it’s going a bit slower than they originally anticipated. (For example, surprising to us is the requirement to have fire hydrants in Walker County, which are not required in Montgomery county.) That was a bonus in our eyes. We signed on the lot before they were pinned, while roads are still in the dirt phase.
After reserving the lot, we had to find a builder. We signed a contract with Gracepoint Homes, after interviewing many, many (did I say many?) builders over several months’ time. It’s been quite a process! This all took place before we sold our home in Conroe. My caveat for moving forward and selling the house was this: we choose a lot and builder first, so I don’t end up without a home or a home to move into 🤪🥴.
We chose Gracepoint for several reasons, not necessarily in order of priority.
First, they had the best price for a quality product. We picked one of their floorpans, which saved a ton of money, and then customized it to our needs. They are a custom home builder, so we could change anything we wanted (within reason). The next possible builder was $40K more expensive and their home was smaller by 300 SF. It was a no-brainer.
Second, Gracepoint offered a program where they bundle the house and land, meaning we don’t have to do the closing on the property or get a loan until the final product is complete. No other custom builder was offering this option. That was such a blessing, considering we were homeless and travelling until the house is built.
Third, we like the builder. They have a good reputation even with other builders. They are easy to work with, respond to calls and emails, and Tammy is always friendly when we talk with her on the phone. They seem to be genuinely advocating for our best interest.
This is our first time being one of the first, if not the first, to build a house in a community. Honestly, it scares the bejeebers out of us. It took a very long time to make this decision because of the potential risks involved. At the end of the day, the homes are so far apart we don’t feel like other owners’ home construction will be that big of an issue. We prayed about all the options and felt very confident this was the right choice, so we signed on the dotted lines.
We put our house on the market and within less than a week we had a contract for $20,000 over our (already high) asking price. Two weeks later we closed and had completely moved out. That very quick timeline, the purchase price, the builder bundling the loan, and other pieces were further confirmation we are doing the right thing. We feel very much at peace with this decision.
So, what’s the status on your house? How is your house coming along? When will it be done?
I fear this blog is already getting too long. You’ll just have to read the next one for a status update. 🤪🥴😂😂😂
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Mara Molner was recommended by a friend. I thought about suggesting it to my book club, but decided to read it first. I will definitely recommend it when it’s my turn. I have grown to love historic fiction. This is an easy read, and it’s the third book I’ve read this month.
This book is about half fiction and half history, going back and forth in time. It follows the life of Emsley, an art auctioneer and granddaughter to Violet, a Hollywood Celebrity (current day, fiction). Her grandmother leaves a box to her, which contains an old diary, in addition to some letters written in Dutch. As Emsley is reading the diary, written in English in the 1800s, she realizes this is the diary of Johanna Bonger, the sister-in-law to Vincent Van Gogh. We are transported back in time to her life (historic and true with some fiction interspersed for the story’s sake). I learned a lot about the Van Goghs that I didn’t already know, or had forgotten.
Tim and I visited the Van Gogh museum nearly 30 years ago when we were in Amsterdam. It was our first trip overseas as a married couple (not including our mission trip to Mexico, as that was not technically “over-seas.”) We were on a tight budget. We booked the cheapest flight and that’s how we landed in Amsterdam. We also booked an inexpensive hotel. We were so new to traveling at the time, we really had no clue how to go about finding the best locations.
Little did we know, we would have to walk through the red light district to get anywhere! I remember the smell of cannibus everywhere we went, being offered to buy it in the shops, and feeling a little unnerved by the women standing in the windows as we walked through the district (I had never seen glow-in-the-dark underwear before – wow).
I also remember the good things. The canals, the very old architecture, the trams, and the snowflakes. They were the biggest I had ever seen fall from the sky; I have never seen any to compare since that day. People continued to ride their bikes as a primary means of transportation, even in the snow, holding an umbrella with one hand and the handlebar with the other. It was surreal. We also took a day tour of the windmills and a shoe factory. Now that I think of it, our daughter was 3 or 4 years old at the time. I bought her a little Dutch outfit which she wore for the fall festival later that year. Good memories.
Vincent Van Gogh was Dutch, and his brother Theo believed in his brother’s talent, trying to sell his work. He only sold one painting while Vincent was alive, and that was to a family friend. You may remember from art history that Vincent was mentally ill, and eventually committed suicide. What I did not remember was that his brother Theo was so grief-stricken and filled with remorse that he, too, ended up in a home for the mentally ill. He died about six months after Vincent. That’s the sad part of the story.
Johanna, now a widow and mother to an infant, took on her husband’s baton. It was her way of keeping the memory of her husband alive in her heart. She was rejected many times, but did not give up. She finally decided to represent his work herself. She was the first female art agent, and was not taken seriously in the beginning. However, her persistence was largely responsible for making Vincent’s artwork famous. Johanna kept impeccable notes in a diary, which Emsley is reading. There is an actual diary, which has now been made public. However, the author published the book just a few months before they were made public, and had to get her research from numerous other sources, mostly out of print. Her recounting of Johanna seems to be spot on though, in my humble opinion. Regardless, The Secret Life of Sunflowers is a great story with a lot of uplifting quotes that encourages women to just “go for it.”
Emsley’s life also provided some levity to the book. I think it added immensely to imagine that her grandmother had in her possession the diaries of Vincent’s sister-in-law. Emsley’s friends (and Violet) made me laugh, and her pet chicken was a great addition to the story.
Read it. You won’t be disappointed.
Vincent Van Gogh painted a lot of sunflowers, which provided some insight into his life. His addition of color amidst all the gray in his other paintings (as well as life) brought moments of happiness for the artist. Apparently, sunflowers will grow wherever they are planted, regardless of soil type. He believed sunflowers were stretching toward the sun in gratitude. The is a reminder for us to do the same.
Also, if you believe someone is suffering from a mental illness, please reach out and help them. You may be the only sunflower in their life.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
