Tuesday, 18 August 2015 through Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Awake in the dim light of day and leave the d-mart to drive about three miles north to Silverthorn, on the north end of Dillon Reservoir and stop at a w-mart which I find quickly because of previously stopping here on Day 580 JO when visiting Robert last October. I set up at a table with a receptacle, plug in my computer, buy a cup of hot and begin my day of pounding keys.

Then at ten minutes before eight pm, the barista sounds last call, so I pack out and head for the d-mart three miles west on interstate 70. After I exit onto CO 9, and drive south almost to the d-mart, I see a sign for a g-mart, the one that has a large variety of living food, so I stop, go in and buy a few items before heading towards the d-mart again. Then when I park, I see the waxing crescent moon setting over the mountains and must needs get out my camera to photograph the last fifteen minutes of moonset. I prepare and eat a salad and then finish my journal entry for today. Finally, after cleaning up, I retire to the back before ten pm and read several chapters.

I love sleeping with the temperature in the high thirties because I get to sleep right away and sleep all the way through without waking but once, at daybreak. Driving down the mountain to Silverthorn, Colorado, I stop at the w-mart, purchase a cup of hot and begin my day of key pounding.

Again at eight, I pack out, drive to the d-mart, have something to eat and read before sleep.

Methinks that because I parked the jammer with the headlights facing east, I did not get up earlier this morning. Normally, I would peak out the rear window from where my head is and look for the early light. This morning, I look out but all I am able to see is the parking lot lights and close my eyes and sleep a bit longer. Driving to the w-mart, the sun comes up from behind the mountain quickly. I arrive at the w-mart, purchase a cup of hot and begin pounding keys.

I work on Quire Ten, Chapter 52 of the Journal and I am able to complete it today, but not until five pm. I have been working on this chapter all this week, the reason why it has taken so long is that there has been many park galleries that I have had to add to the Photo Gallery in order to complete the journal blue links. Nevertheless, revision 7 on Chapter 52, The Treeline is complete and tomorrow, I can begin Chapter 53, The Ridgeline.

At five pm, I pack out and head down the highway to a Kingdom Hall for the meeting tonight. The drive over Vail Pass (10650 feet) takes fifty minutes from Dillon and it is quite a climb in the jammer. When I arrive at the Hall, I get dressed, go in immediately for the meeting and several friends greet me. The meeting seems to go quickly and I return to the jammer to don my blues and then drive back over Vail pass to the d-mart in Frisco.

Last night, I parked with the rear of the jammer facing south and got up a half hour earlier, tonight I hope to park with it facing east and see what time I awake. After driving to the w-mart and repeating my morning routine, I start my journal entry and then resume the key pounding in Quire Ten, Chapter 53. In the early morning, I call Robert and let him know that I am in town, at the w-mart and he tells me that he will be home from work at three pm.

Shortly after noon, unbeknownst to me, Robert walks into the w-mart, comes up behind me, puts his hand on my shoulder and asks, "Are you going to be sitting here all day?" I turn and look up at who is talking to me and see that it is Robert. He then sits and talks with me for a short time, tells me not to eat before I come over because Ellen is cooking supper for us and then he leaves to do his field inspections. At two-thirty, I pack out and drive to a market looking for some flowers for Ellen and then head over to Robert and Ellen′s home. Ellen greets me and says that Robert is getting gas for our trip tomorrow and will arrive a little later. I open the hood of the jammer and look at the fluids and need to add oil and coolant.

When Robert arrives, he stays outside and we talk while he starts the charcoal fire and then begins to waters the grass. Then, he goes in for the steaks and puts them on the fire to cook. When the meat is ready, we go inside where Ellen has the table ready with black beans and potatoes. Then we begin to eat after which I take a hot shower. It is nine pm when I get into the jammer, climb into the back and read a couple chapters before closing my eyes.

Up at Sunglow and take photos of Grays and Torres peaks, two Fourteeners to the east. As I am sitting in the co-pilot seat with camera in hand and the computer on my lap, Robert hands me a cup of hot. He had just come outside carrying the coffee. I close up my computer and go inside to visit with him and Kuma, his long hair Pickanease size dog. A little later, I go back outside to pack my day pack for our trip today to the summit of Mount Evens, a mountain with the highest paved road in North America, the parking lot is at elevation 14,130 feet. I join Robert and Ellen in their Chevy Tahoe and we leave Dillon at eight this morning and head up US 6 over Loveland Pass, connect to IH 70 east to the Mount Evans exit and drive CO 103 up to Echo Lake where we turn right on CO 5, the Mount Evans Road and show the forest service ranger at the gate our parks pass to get in free. I ask for a map and receive a very nice brochure, then we begin the drive to the parking lot near the summit.

First we drive through the hardwood forest, then the evergreen forest, then at the treeline see Bristlecone pines growing where we stop at a information building. Driving further up, we immediately go above the treeline into the alpine tundra and climb up a long ridgeline to Summit Lake where we stop again for photographs of some female long horn sheep. After returning to the vehicle, we begin the final climb on the high path using many switchbacks and arrive at the summit parking lot. Robert and I then climb up the final switchbacks to the summit at elevation 14,264 feet. On top, we meet several people including Julie and Marlina who have hiked here from Guanella Pass up to Mount Bierstadt, elevation 14060, then down to and across The Sawtooth, then up the Mount Evans trail here to the summit. Yes, they did two Fourteeners today and now have to hike the path back to Guanella Pass.

Robert and I climb down from the summit and walk to the ruins of the Castle to see what it is about and while there, a family of three mountain goats walk through the area, and of course, I get some amazing photos. Then, we begin our drive down and just past the Summit Lake, Ellen says "There is a heard of elk down below us!" I look but can not see the heard and ask "Where!" Robert finds a place to pull over and then Ellen point to where they are. Finally, I see them over two thousand feet below us in a large flat area and I zoom in to take photos of about one hundred elk. We continue down the mountain, stop at the Echo Lake gift shop where I buy an embroidered patch and while looking around the shop come into the back area where there is a restaurant. I then ask Robert and Ellen if they would like to eat lunch here to which they say yes. We are seated when we order, our waitress is from the Check Republic and speaks English well. After we eat, we continue down back to the interstate highway, drive west to Georgetown where we get off and take park highway 381 over the Guanella Pass.

This highway is freshly asphalted and is a beautiful and scenic roadway with many photo opportunities and then we come to a heard of male bighorn sheep licking salt from the side of the roadway. I run out of memory and have to look for photos that I can delete to take photos of the sheep. After we go over the pass, the down side is equally as remarkable and we soon come to a three mile section where there is work being done to finish the paving. At the end of the road, we turn right on US 285 and drive about eight miles to another dirt park road which follows an old narrow gauge railroad bed over Beniah Pass and down into Breckenridge, Colorado. From there, we drive up CO 9 and turn on Saddle Mountain Road, a short cut to Robert and Ellen′s home so we do not have to drive through Frisco and Dillon.

We arrive back at their home just before sunset and I get into the jammer, open a can of beans and begin writing my journal entry for today. Now, it is after nine pm, I am tired and I will go right to sleep.

When I awake, the sky is blue but the sun has not yet risen above the mountain ridge in the east and there is an orange glow over Grays and Torreys, two fourteeners near by to Robert and Ellen′s home. Soon after, I see that Robert has opened the front door so I walk in and he says, "Your coffee is ready." I find it on the coffee maker, grab it and sit down at the kitchen table next to Robert. Ellen comes in and begins cooking French toast for us all and we eat breakfast together at the table. He tells me that he is going to change the oil in the Chevy this morning but first he has to go with Ellen to get the solid stain for the fence. I tell him that I would like to change my oil, have every thing but just have not found the place to do it. He tell me to do it here and goes to get out his drain pan and old towels. Then he leaves with Ellen to drive to the h-mart for the stain while I begin setting up to change my oil. First, I need to lift the front left tire so that I can work under the jammer and to do that, I need a few boards which I find in the back of the house. Once the jammer is lifted, I replace the filter and drain the oil. Next, I install the new filter, replace the drain plug and then add the new oil.

While I am cleaning up, Robert returns and begins work on his oil change. I then wash the driveway and then pack up my tools. Looking at my clock, I see that it is time to clean up for the meeting, which here is at one pm. I go in, shower and then come back out to the jammer to dress. Robert is packing up, having finished his oil change. I tell him that I will see him in the afternoon and head into Silverthorn, which is on the opposite side of Interstate 70 from Dillon.

After the meeting, I stop at the g-mart and buy vegetables and a block of ice, pack everything into my ice chest and then return to see what Robert is doing. I find him watching the Little League World Series. I ask him if he is going to paint the fence, and he says "I don′t know!" I then tell him, "Let′s get it done!" and he finally says "OK" We get busy, start on the front section, paint the gate, turn the corner, work to the back, turn the corner and at the back gate, run out of paint. Robert begins to determine how much paint it will take to finish, about two more gallons. We wash the brushes, clean up and then I get my shower bag and go in to take another shower. Then, I tell Ellen "good bye" and Robert "See you in the morning" and head out to the jammer to finish writing today&primes journal entry. Afterwards, I read a couple chapters and then close my eyes.

Awake and begin pounding keys while the sunglow increases. Then at 6:10 am, I notice the front door open and I go inside and have a cup of hot with Robert. Then, I give him a big hug, say goodbye and walk out to the jammer. When I get in, I key in the Great Basin National Park and start driving, first on US 6 west to I-70 and turn left, west on the interstate. It takes me back over Vail pass, then over several passes until cross the Colorado River at ten am, to Grand Junction where I gas up, then back back on I-70 across into Utah. I cross the Green River by noon and continue through some very remarkable formations, bluffs and general beauty until I arrive a the exit for Salina, Utah where, leaving I70, I take US 50 west to Delta, Utah and gas up once more. When I return to US 50, I cross the Utah desert and the temperature outside rises to over 110 degrees and the gauge on the engine rises to L in Normal but does not go any higher. Then I climb over on last mountain pass and get a view of Wheeler Peak and the long straight road across a final stretch of desert flats.

I coast down from the pass and then start across the flats. I glance at the thermometer and the temperature is 115 degrees and I personally notice the heat too. A little later, I arrive at the Great Basin National Park visitors center, get a brochure, stamp it and ask about the campsites. All four have vacancies, so I drive to over 7000 feet with the gauge rising quickly to L, stop at the first campsite and use the water spigot to fill up two gallon bottles and then pour the cold water on the radiator. After refilling the bottles, I drive to the next campsite, stop at the spigot and repeat the operation. However, this time, I pull the cap out of the overflow bottle and pour cold water into the bottle which takes a whole gallon. Resuming the climb, I next stop at Mather overlook, then a second overlook with the gauge holding between M and A. I guess filling the overflow bottle with cold water did the trick. The temperature is much cooler above nine thousand feet and the jammer runs better with the gauge dropping to between R and M for the rest of the drive to the campsite. After the last overlook, the road goes to 10,150 feet before it drops down to Wheeler Campsite at 9886 feet, arriving at six pm and secure a space for six dollars.

I get out my stove, fuel, water, pot and immediately begin to boil water. Soon, the brown rice is in the water and while it cooks, I clean the inside of the jammer. After ten minutes, I add mung beans, wait another five minutes and then put in couscous and sesame seeds. Meanwhile, I chop garlic, onion and the last of the ginger, put all the veggies in the inverted pot cover, then add a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of spice mix. When the rice is almost done, I add the veggies and a quarter cup of seaweed and let it all cook for five more minutes. Finally, I drain the liquid into my Sierra cup, (which I will drink later) put the cup and pot in the jammer, clean up everything else, then grab my mustard and sesame oil. Finally, I climb in to eat while writing today′s journal entry. When I crossed into Nevada, I entered the Pacific Time Zone and set my clocks back an hour. Thus the sun set at seven twenty instead of about eight thirty that it has been doing the last week or so in Colorado, which is in the Mountain time zone. Now, I sit here, the sun set almost an hour ago and finish writing my entry. Then, I will get horizontal and read until I am sleepy, which probably will not be too long after I lie down.

I arise, walk to the brick outhouse and upon returning, check the coolant and need to add some, close the jammer hood and then sit in the copilot seat to work on my journal while awaiting the visitors center to open. At nine am, I drive down the mountain and stop at the Lehman Caves visitors center for coffee. Then, I head down off the mountain and back into Utah across the desert flats on US 50 east. In now time, it is above 100 degrees and I cross back over the same summits to Delta, Utah where I put ten gallons in to fill up. Then, I leave Delta on US 6 north and at Elberta, turn north on UT 68 so that I might bypass some of the city and drive west of Utah Lake, but there is no access to the water. I connect with I15 in Lehi, drive north through Salt Lake to Farmington where I exit on US 89 north to I84 where I drive west to exit 92 and exit on Utah 39 east. I stop in Huntington to gas up and then continue over a pass in the national forest at 8990 feet. This entire days drive is beautiful but is still desert and way too hot for me to be here in the summer and will keep that in mine for future visits. However, the further north I drive, the heat slowly diminishes.

CO 39 ends in Woodruff where I continue north on CO 16, then left on CO 30 to Bear Lake, now on the same path traveled on 29 May 1980, cross into Idaho just before 7 pm, connect to US 89 north and drive to Montpelier where I stop at the Kingdom Hall only to find that the meeting is tomorrow night. The hall is a small building but built of brick and methinks the congregation here is small but faithful. I park on the street nearby to spend the night and hear a dog barking while reading in my Bible.

Awaken this morning by rain pounding on the top of the jammer. I drive to a f-mart for WiFi, coffee and to write in my journal. On weather.com, I see that the rain covers a large area including Salt Lake and Yellowstone. At eight am, after uploading my journal entry, I drive back to the hall, get dressed for the ministry and then wait in the jammer. At nine thirty am, with no one arriving at the hall for the ministry, I decide to leave Montpelier on US 89 into Wyoming driving north towards Yellowstone where I hope to stay a few days, possibly a week. I wish to see how the wilderness, wildlife and wonders are doing.

First before Yellowstone, I enter Grand Teton National Park, turn left on the Teton Park Road at Moose Junction which takes me past Jenny Lake and Signal Mountain, stopping only at the turnouts for photos. When I arrive at the Jackson Lake Junction, I turn left back onto US 89 and head north until I reach Colter Bay turn off where I drive past the store, laundry and shower to the visitors center and purchase two patches. Then, I return to US 89 and continues north through John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, only this time when I drive through this parkway, I take photos of the wilderness.

Then after the short drive through the parkway, I enter Yellowstone National Park and drive directly to Old Faithful Inn, or at least that is what I had planned. Little did I to know that the wilderness, wildlife and wonders would keep stopping me constantly for photos. I do finally arrive at OFI, find a parking space and begin preparations for a mixed salad to eat for my supper. Afterwards, I compose today′s journal entry, stop for a few minutes to photograph the sunset. Just before ten pm, I climb into the back and get horizontal for the evening and read two chapters before closing my eyes.

At first sight of light, I arise and walk in to the inn to comb my hair and brush my teeth. Then, I walk out to the geyser, sit on the bench and wait for the show, which according to the display inside is six-fifty am, plus or minus ten minutes. There is a small group of viewers from Japan, Ohio, Colorado, two from France and others. While we wait, we talk about how the geyser erupts, first a burp or two, then soon after it blows, but also, that there could be other eruptions in the valley to the east and north. At seven am, it burps once and quickly following, it climbs to just over fifty feet. As Old Faithful is coming to a rest, the sun peaks over the mountains in the east, at four minutes after seven.

Next, I return to the jammer for my computer and then go into OFI where I take up a position next to the piano, where at six, Martha will be playing some tunes. This morning, I work on updating the Old Faithful Inn Gallery and add some of the photos taken today. Too, I update both of the other two chapters Old Faithful Geyser and Yellowstone Geysers. At noon, I pack out to the jammer for lunch and then to drive to Midway Basin for some photos of the Grand Prismatic Spring. I approach the spring from the river, cross the bridge and walk on the wooden trail to the springs and see a Flame Skimmer and stop to take photos. Then I continue to the springs, first Excelsoir where the water is clear blue and turquoise with large gushes of water coming up three feet high but the steam is so thick making it hard to photograph.

Even at the Prismatic springs, there is way too much steam coming from it which blocks the view of the variety of colors. Interesting, both have water coming out at just below boiling which at seven thousand feet elevation is 200 degrees, the prismatic Spring being two degrees less. The colors in the Prismatic Spring, brown, orange and yellow are caused by bacteria which grow at different temperatures. The blue is just deep water and the green is deep water where the yellow algae grows. Leaving the Midway Geyser Basin, I head back to the OFI, park, pack into the second floor and start working on photos.

At six, the pianist, cello begins playing and soon after a tall slim man walks by and asks, "Weren′s you here this morning? Have you been here all day?" I tell him, "I did stop this morning and go to the prismatic springs to take photos but there was too much steam for a good shot. He notices the web page that I am working on and then asks "Are you a trekker?" to which I respond, "If you mean backpacker, yes." He then replies, "I mean, long trails." "Yes," I respond, "I hiked the Appalachian Trail starting at Springer in March 1978." "I, too have done the AT and finished it in 2012, but I hiked it north to south and it took nine months." "I began my hike in 1978 and it took me 164 days." We talk for about an hour and then I find out that he is now on the CDT south bound. Further talk reveals that he also has completed the PCT and I ask "Are you going for the Triple Crown?" He says "Yes." He discloses that he is going to West Yellowstone tomorrow to pick up a new pair of hiking shoes at the post office. I ask if he has a ride and he says yes. Finally, we introduce ourselves and he tells me his name is Gerald. We walk out to the jammer because I tell him about sprouted grains and give him a taste of several uncooked grains. We continue to talk at the jammer until it becomes dark and then he leaves to his sleeping birth while I climb in to mine. I eat my salad, read a couple of chapters and then close my eyes.

I get up and walk to the grocery store for a cup of coffee. It was ninety-seven cents in 2013 and now costs one dollar and fifty-seven cent. I take my cup to a spot on the geyser loop trail where I can sit and watch for any geysers that may blow and and tell myself that I will stay here until I see one. About an hour later, Old Faithful blows. I walk back to the jammer, get my computer, walk into the OFI and as I am climbing up the stairs to take my seat at the desk next to the piano, I hear someone call "Thomas!" Methinks, I don′t know anyone here, and besides, my name is Thom, never Thomas. I continue climbing the stairs but stop and turn around just in case the person is calling me and see Gerald approaching me. I greet him and ask, "I thought you were going to West Yellowstone for your boot this morning." to which he replies, "Yes, but my ride never showed up." "How about I take you?" He say, "OK, and I will give you money for gas." "I don′t need any gas money, besides, I am offering because of my belief as a Christian, who are told to do good to all people, especially those related to you in the faith."

Together, we walk out to the jammer, climb in and begin the drive to the west entrance. During the drive, we continue our discussion and I learn that he is from Omaha, Nebraska. Too, he is retired military, fifty-two year of age, married and his wife is not a trekker. He goes into the post office, retrieves his new boots while I look at a cherry 1955 Chevy four door station wagon. The owner arrives and all I have to do is ask one question and afterwards he volunteers all kind of information about the vehicle, showing m all the features including the big block engine. Then Gerald walks up and after learning all about the 55 chevy, we drive to a restaurant for breakfast, where at Gerald pays. Then, we look for a package of water purification, stopping at three stores with out success and finally head back into the park. I tell him about Nutra-biotic and how well it works as a prevention for water born pests. We arrive back at the OFI, he leaves and I go inside with my computer to work more on the OFI gallery. Gerald comes in after four to tell me thanks and good bye; then he departs to head south on the CDT to the next campsite.

At six-fifty, I pack out, drop my computer in the jammer, grab my camera and head to the OFG hoping to see the geyser bow. Everything is just right except the wind direction which blows the steam eastward and not to the north which is the best for forming a geyser bow. Today is not the day to see one, so I head back to the jammer, prepare my salad, sit in the jammer to eat and see the moon rise. After eating, I complete today′s journal entry.

Rising, I walk, camera in hand, to the viewing area for OFG to wait for the sunrise, which at first has an nice sunglow but then the suntouch is obscured by the clouds. Although the steam is rising thick from all the geysers in sight, non erupt. Then, I return to the jammer, pick up my computer and walk in to my office for more key pounding.

I take with me my weight loss supplements as I have been taking with me for some time now. At noon, I take the second package and that helps relieve my hunger but at two, I go to the espresso bar and purchase a Biscotti for a dollar and that eases the growling. Then at four, I pack out to the jammer, prepare a salad with the last of the fixings and have an early supper. While eating, methinks about the last three days spent here at Old Faithful, how, even with the hoards of turkeys flocking to the many turkey shoots here, there is still opportunity in this wonderful place for me to both see some amazing sights and meet some interesting people. Howbeit, that said, I know that nothing here is better that what I want most to be a part of in the future, the blessing from God′s Kingdom. Still, knowing that when I came to this caldera, I would not attend the meeting until I depart from here. So, to compensate for the lack of spiritual association, methought that I must needs do all the pre-study for the meetings, not slacking even a jot and I will do some now.

Then at six-fifteen, I walk to the OFG viewing area, tell as many people as I can about the geyserbow and then examine the conditions. They are almost perfect, wind from the south, sun about one and a half hands above the western horizon but there are some thin clouds in the west blocking some of the sun′s light. We do a count for the six thirty-nine pm plus or minus ten, to which it blows at plus four, six forty-three. It goes for some time without a geyserbow and then out on the north wing of the steam, there it is, faint but there and lasting only a few seconds. Those seconds were long enough for me to get four photos, one which I am going to upload.

Afterwards, I head back to the jammer, have a can of green peas and a small can of tuna, both in water and with no added salt. Then, I finish today′s journal entry and get horizontal by nine to read before closing my eyes.

My eyes open early this morning, but it do not arise until just before six am with only the blue glow present in the sky and an intense quite about me. I walk to buy coffee at Hamilton′s store but it is closed until nine am, so I get my computer and go into the OFI and get coffee from the cafe, go up stairs and begin working on my photo gallery sipping on my coffee. I bring some fresh green beans to eat later. At three pm, there is a fire alarm that goes off, and the staff announces an evacuation, so I pack out, drop my computer in the jammer, pick up my camera, sun glasses, ball cap and head across the Firehole River valley to Geyser Hill to see what may be erupting. I am impressed that there is so many geysers, hot springs, pools, steam vent and others that I do not know what to call them. I make the loop and then head back to OFG for six fifty eruption.

Arriving early, I take a seat on the bench at the north end of the viewing and wait. Soon, others begin to show up and I tell them that there is a good chance for a geyserbow this eruption. Then OFG erupts at minus seven minutes after what I thought was the first burp, but it continued to burp right into the eruption. There was a rainbow but was even fainter than the one during yesterday′s sunset. I go to the visitor center and find a patch I like, purchase it, pick up a couple of maps of the geyser basin and then head back to the jammer to eat my super, a can of mixed veggies, a can of mustard greens and a foil package of tuna. Then, I complete my journal entry for today, and notice that OFG is erupting again, it being eight-thirty pm. I shut down, turn off and get horizontal to read a few before closing my eyes.

It is cooler this morning upon arising, I go into the Inn for a hot shower, my second since arriving, then back to the jammer to get my computer. Returning to the Inn, I walk up to my office on the second floor, set up and begin pounding keys. Part of setting up my office is to lay out a couple of my business cards, which I offer to anyone who greets me or stops to talk. In the past week, I have met some really nice folks here in the Old Faithful Inn, coming from all over the country as well as several from Asia and Europe. I really enjoy talking with such a variety of people, and such fine visits.

Also, during my whole stay, I have been on my living food diet, taking my weight loss supplements and eating only nutritional food, well, except for the Biscotti I had Saturday. Too, I know that eating canned food is really not part of the living food diet, but I am very particular when it comes to purchasing can foods, making sure they do not have added salt, sugar or fat. Plus, when purchasing canned foods, I only buy fish, greens, legumes, and veggies. The hardest of these to find without the three sins is the fish. During my visit here this year, I have had to wear my belt on the seventh notch just to keep my pants on. This tells me that I have lost weight, well, at least an inch off my waist since the the first time I used the seventh notch on Day 891 JO in Ohio. The only down side to making my office here in Old Faithful lodge is the persistent smells from the restaurant, and I dare not succumb to the temptation especially since the foods are laden with the three sins. Too, the hunger is highest when I fail to eat a meal after taking my supplements, but I am learning to deal with that. Something that I found out a long time ago that helps during these times is to drink a lot of water as well as Melaleuca Tea.

At seven pm, I pack out to the jammer, grab my camera, walk to OFG but it does not give up the geyserbow, so I walk back to the jammer and have supper of a can of peas and one of salmon. Then I finish today′s journal entry and climb into the back by nine to read and then sleep.

Awake early but stay in my sleeping bag to keep warm until almost six this morning when the blue glow begins. It is the coldest it has been so far during this visit but it does make with good sleeping; and makes me think of Gerald on the CDT and how he is doing. I go into the Inn, visit the men′s room to brush my teeth and comb my hair. Then I purchase coffee from the Bear Deli on the first floor, take it up to my office on the second floor and begin pounding keys.

At ten am, I return to the jammer to take my supplements, move the jammer to a shady spot since there are fewer cars in the parking lot and clean it up a little. Then, I make a cup of daystart and have my breakfast while sitting in the co-pilot seat pounding keys.

According to the staff, today begins the season wherein after all the kids have returned to school, the park now becomes populated with the newlyweds and the nearly-deads. Methinks that myself belongs to the latter because this month begins my sixty-sixth year.

At five pm, I pack out of the Inn, grab my camera and take a couple photos of Beehive which is going off when I come outside. Then, I wait for Grand to go off according to ranger prediction but it never does. Finally, I walk to OFG for the sunset performance, every thing is perfect, no clouds, south with but the sun sets five minutes before the geyser erupts. I did get some nice suntouch and sunglow photos and then just before OFG goes off, my camera says "battery exhausted." I turn the camera off and when OFG goes off, turn it back on and get five shots before it goes dead. I walk back to the jammer, eat a can of red beans and a can of sardines, both with no salt added and very little sugar and fat. Finally, I complete today′s journal entry and get horizontal before nine pm.

Upon arising, I go into the Inn to the second floor to take a hot shower, brush my teeth, and wash my underwear. T carry my coffee cup and when coming downstairs go into the deli, greet Dick and buy a cup of coffee. He gives me the times of Castle and Beehive. I told him that I did not know that Beehive was predictable and he replied "Oh Well! You know those rangers.". I return to the jammer, hang my wash, take supplements, prepare a dry daystart, grab the computer and return to the OFI, up to the second floor and begin another day of key pounding in my office.

As the day draws near to the last eruption before the sunset, I pack out to the task of acquiring the perfect geyserbow but the wind is blowing from the west and does not allow it to happen. I retire to the jammer, eat supper, a can of beans and one of veggies, then after writing my journal entry, climb into the back by nine pm to read.

Up before sunrise but after the thunder, lightning and rain storm that came in last evening, the remaining cloud cover obscures any possible sunglow display. So, I go into the Inn, take a hot shower, return to the jammer to retrieve my computer, insulated drink cup and head to my office.

After having created all new easily expandable pages, then cropping and locating the numerous photos into their directories, I have now begun to populate and write the captions for the photos on these pages of The Faithful Gallery. Methinks, the next time I visit Yellowstone, all I will need to do is crop the photos, drop them into the directory, then copy and paste the place mark for them on the appropriate gallery page. Well, it sounds good in theory. At four-thirty pm, I leave the office, walk out to the jammer and have supper, a can of kidney beans and a can of black beans. Ever since I began buying the canned foods without the three sins, I have wondered how to fix their bland taste. Then, a few days ago, I put tablespoon of my spice mix in the can and stirred. This did the trick, the bland beans are now yummy.

I hear cheering coming from the geyser, it must have gone off again. Methinks anyone can see a geyser, thousands of people do here every day, some days thousands each time it goes off and really now, there is nothing special about Old Faithful geyser. However, what is special, a real wonder is the geyserbow. Too, I have noticed the the parking lot is already becoming full, and it is not even the weekend yet. The computer battery warning comes on, so since have over a half of a tank of gas, I run the jammer to charge it and do not mind using the jammer to charge it, but I do plug in all of my batteries.

I resume working on my computer, after which I study for this week′s meeting. Then at eight-twenty, I assume the horizontal and read more in the Bible before closing my eyes.

I was awaken again last night to rain on the top of the jammer and saw flashes of lightning. This morning, there is a display of sunglow in the east so I take photos before going in for a cup of hot and a place to plug in. The work on the photos continue until two pm when I pack out to the jammer, walking past turkey after turkey eating soft serve ice cream from the deli. At the jammer, I prepare a cup of daystart with almond milk. I see a raven on top of a car and walk up to within two feet taking photos before he leaves. Methinks the animals are so fearless here and no wonder, all the turkeys are so afraid of them. Just yesterday, a woman asked me when is the best time to view Geyser Hill and I replied "In the early morning before sunrise." She then fearfully asked, "Isn′s that when the animals are out!" I assured her that there are a lot of people out walking at that time, and then said, "Besides, the animals are more afraid of us than we are of them." Turkeys, all of them, eating their soft serve ice cream, wearing their Park screen print tee shirts, cheering at a midday eruption of Old Faithful, always in a hurry to the next turkey shoot searching for a new overpriced souvenir that, one that they don′s have stuffed in their storage unit back home and then returning to their overpriced room to go downstairs to eat at the Old Faithful Inn Dining Room for thirty or more dollars a plate.

After my one hour break, I return to the office with a view and continue working when David and Lisa walk up and David comments about something which starts a conversation. I notice that Lisa has a Nikon Coolpix 610, (my model is the 600) and I ask her if I can look at it to compare the two. She tells me that they just purchase it in town and have not learned how to use many of the features. After fisrst comparing and finding only a few differences, I then give her a run through on the scene selector knob and show her some of the selections. Afterwards, she goes to photograph the inside of the OFI and I ask if she turned it to the museum selection. She smiles and says, yes. Too, I may a comment about all the ice cream eating turkeys and David says that they were just talking about that too. He asks for my card, to which I tell him that because I only have a few, I only give them out to those who ask for a card. They then hurry off to watch the next geyser, the one at four pm. Funny how people are! One lady from Denmark just told me that they are going to five National Parks by way of a tour and when they arrive in the Grand Canyon, will be riding the helicopter. She then confessed that it was really expensive but then justified it to me by saying, "We have to, it′s once in a life time." Turkeys, all of them!

I return to my work because I am determined to finish The Faithful Gallery for upload next week when I return to the world of WiFi. Even if I can get all the photos placed into the gallery pages, then I can write the captions later. After listening to the musician pay Piano Man, I pack out to the jammer, prepare supper, eat and then get horizontal, all before even but do not get to sleep until well after dark.

Up at early sunglow, grab my toothbrush, wash cloth and go inside for a hot shower, this being my last morning in Yellowstone. Then, returning to the jammer to hang my wash, I grab my computer, grab my cup and go inside. Once inside, I purchase coffee, say hello to Dick behind the counter, then head upstairs to my office, and here I will stay until the early afternoon. Maybe not because at nine-thirty this morning, a large group of square dancers invade both the lobby and the quietness of the Inn. Turkeys all of them. I continue working for a while longer but soon, I pack out and head westward.

The drive out of the park is quite but on arriving at the West gate, the traffic in to the park is backed up past the light in West Yellowstone, Montana. I am so glad that I am leaving this morning so that I can avoid the hoards of turkeys. I stop at the f-mart to access the internet and check my com, upload only the journal page and then head south on US 20 into Idaho stopping in Rexburg to gas up and buy a sandwich at a sub shop. Leaving Rexburg, I take ID 33 west through miles of harsh terrain to where it connects back with US 20 after which there is the even harsher terrain of the lava lands of Craters of the Moon National Monument. I drive to the visitors center, find a new park patch, and then drive to the campsite to find a space to park for the night. The campsites are ten dollars, five with a senior pass and there are still several available so I take number six and begin cooking my Repast. When it is done, I climb into the jammer to eat and then see the suntouch over the lava rocks so I get out to take photos.

That was the coldest night yet for sleeping and it was necessary for me to supplement my down bag with a blanket. Once that is done, then I sleep warm and comfortable. After a quick journal entry, I head into the town of Hailey, ID for the meeting. Afterwards, I continue westward on US 20 to Mountain Home, ID where I stop at a d-mart to resupply my cans, veggies and engine oil. Then, I find ID 67 and head west, connect to ID 167 west, cross the Snake river, then turn west on ID 78 to Givens Hot Springs.

I stop at the hot springs only to find it is a swimming pool with warm water requiring eight dollars per adult for swimming. To camp at their site is twenty dollars but that includes the warm pool. Knowing that I am less than two hours from a Oregon campsite, I opt to drive to the free campsite. I continue west on ID 78 to Homedale, ID where I take ID 19 out of town, cross into Oregon and connect to OR 101 to Adrian where I turn left on the state park access road. The access road to the state park is twenty-five mile in to a dead in but the drive is very scenic along the Owyhee river and gorge. All along the road there are many who are camping riverside so I assume that the land is BLM land which allows off road camping without cost. Too, there is a turnout for a short drive to the river where a hot spring is located. Again, without cost. I think that when I leave out early tomorrow morning, I will stop and check out the hot spring before I continue westward trek. I continue upriver to the large concrete dam, up the winding road to the top and continue on the east side along a road high above the lake, one which is about two hundred feet down from the normal level, and arrive at Lake Owyhee State Park campsite.

Entering the campsite, I park in the first empty space, connect the power to begin charging my batteries and then walk to the registration kiosk. Like most Oregon State Parks, the camping fee is over twenty dollars but I grab a registration envelope, fill it with my pass number write zero in the amount owed. After I deposit the envelope in the drop box and begin back to my space, a man steps out of the RV near the jammer, a conversation begins and soon after he offers me a sub sandwich, he calls a pizza sub because it has pepperoni, sausage, sauce and cheese. I tell him ok and he gives me two saying that most of the family left before eating. Taking the subs back to the jammer, I add to them, lettuce, tomatoes and onion to make it more to my liking. After I eat, I grab my towel and shower bag, walk to the shower house and take a hot one. Then, I climb into the jammer, turn on the computer to write my journal entry and have supper while the sun sets. The campsite is on a knoll which projects into and overlooks the lake. Most of the sites have grand views of the lake and the surround walls of the deep gorge that the river cut out of the high desert many, many centuries ago.

I must say that I am totally impressed with the beauty of this place and the remoteness of it′s location. However, what quickly comes to mind about what I dislike, is that it is so very dry here. Still, it is very likely that I will return to this campsite again and that is based primarily because of it′s remote location and serious shortage of turkeys frequenting hereabouts. However, methinks what will really make me want to come here again will be how nice the hot springs turns out to be when I check it out tomorrow morning. Well, it is now after nine pm and I am wayworn and ready to be horizontal.

Up and walk to the men′s room; this seems to always happen when I eat meat but at least this time, not until I awake this morning. Leaving out of the campsite, I stop at the hot springs and find it to be a spring bubbling out of the ground and flowing to the river where the hot water is corralled into large pools by rocks. The temperature at the river is warm at best but the temperature at the spring is hot, too hot to hold your hand in.

Upon leaving the hot spring, I head north, first out of the park and then along a county road until I connect to US 20 in Vale, Oregon where I turn left to continue my westward travel. The road west follows areas of the old pathway of the Oregon Trail along rivers and over two high passes to Burns where I stop at a f-mart for another cup of coffee and WiFi to upload my journal entry. Then I continue west on US 20 across the high desert where there is mile after mile of flat dry land. Then, I arrive in Bend, Oregon, stop at a g-mart for almond milk before I continue west on US 20 to Sisters, Oregon where I turn onto OR 242 and head west over McKenzie Pass, one that I have not yet traveled. There is an observatory on top built from lava rocks, which has holes that sight in the different mountain summits. Soon, I head down from the summit on OR 242, then OR 126 and stop in Springfield, OR at a d-mart.

I fix a salad, turn on the jammer engine, the air conditioner and eat while writing my journal entry. At nine, I climb into the back to read and then sleep.

Up at suntouch, walk into the store and find a blood pressure tester; my pressure is 129 over 72, which is considered normal. Once back in the jammer, I head west on OR 126, over the coastal range and arrive in Florence where I drive to the w-mart but it is inside of a g-mart, which I just do not frequent. So, I drive north on US 101 to Newport and stop at the w-mart right on the highway. After going inside, I check my com, purchase a cup of hot and a grilled cheese sandwich. Then I sit down and begin pounding keys.

At three pm, I pack out, drive north to the first state park, ² walk up to the ranger entrance station and request an electric site. He tells me that he only has four left, shows me a map with the four highlighted and I choose H-26 because it is close to a shower house. I show him my pass, drive to the space, open the jammer and begin to clean it up, even the outside which I wash with a hand towel keeping the towel rinsed by using my bucket. All that effort works up a bit of a sweat so afterwards, walk to the shower house, take a hot shower and wash a change of blues. Returning to the jammer, I hang my wash and then begin preparing a salad for supper. I chop up onion, radish, red pepper, snap peas, tomatillo, and the add a bag of prepared salad with lettuce, carrots and cabbage. After adding oil, vinegar and some spice mix, I sit in the jammer and eat while writing today′s journal entry. When washing up my dishes at the water spigot, I find a blackberry vine woven into a bush and the berries are ripe so I pick a cup full and put them into my cooler to add to pancakes later.

Methinks I am as far west as I can go without changing the mode of my transportation to a boat, so the next move will be to go north to Whidbey Island for the purpose of being able to examine the remaining bins of my burden that I have in storage. I have been telling myself that I need to just toss all of that stuff into the garbage, thinking that I don′t really need it because it has been in storage for several years. Maybe, I need to pray about it and ask for help to break the attachment to these things. At seven I call my friends in Washington, John first who is preparing supper for him and Julene because she is working late. Then, I call Mark but Cheryl answers and says Mark is not home. I let both know that I am coming to the Island in a week or so. Also, I call Richard who lives in Yucaipa, California and tell him of my plans to head south through California some time in late September or early October. At eight pm, I shut down the computer, climb into the back of the jammer and read before I sleep.

Up early, walk to the shower house for another shower and then leave for the w-mart to begin pounding keys. I am still working on The Faithful gallery, not having completed it while in Yellowstone but I am close now and hope to get to a point where I will upload it soon. While in the w-mart, I checked the meeting schedule and find the local Newport congregation has the only Thursday night meeting on the upper coast so I will stay right here until Friday morning when I will move north a ways.

At noon, I pack out and head to South Beach State Park, not unlike Beverly Beach but closer to the water and just south of Newport, Oregon harbor, in fact, the fog horn is repeating upon my arrival. I check in, show my access past to the ranger and reserve two nights in space B-16. After setting up camp, I work on my burden, organizing and cleaning for several hours. Then at five pm, I go to the shower, clean myself up and return to the jammer to cook my Repast. I still have one more serving of salad but it is in my covered pot sitting inside the cooler which still has ice left from a block I purchased several days ago. Ever since I began using sprouted grains, the water that I pour off after it is done is not used as a hot drink. It does not have the starch that brown rice has always had even though usually one forth of the grains is brown rice, rather, not it has the taste of vegetable soup. Too, my appetite has decreased with my diet, meaning that I don′t eat as much as I once did. I still have been making a pot of my Repast but now I have leftovers for eating the next day. Because it has no meat, I really do not have to refrigerate it but when I do have ice in the cooler, I put it in the cooler anyway. After eating, I clean up, put away the cookware, food and then climb back into the jammer for the evening. It is seven-thirty and I read for a while before going to sleep.

Upon getting up, I go for a shower, return to the jammer, pack out and head for the w-mart in Newport just one mile north on US 101. This highway will be the last US highway I will travel upon before I drive the final few miles on WA 20 to arrive in Oak Harbor. However, I do plan on stopping at several locations along the way to the Rock. Meanwhile, while here in Newport, Oregon, I am endeavoring to finish The Faithful gallery but that did not happen today. Maybe another day. I leave from the w-mart and go to the d-mart to buy more vegetables, after which I drive to the hall and hang out until the meeting.

At six-thirty pm, I get dressed and shortly after, a few friends begin to arrive. I go in shortly after seven pm and begin meeting some of the friends. Afterwards, I head to campground arriving after dark but the space is marked held for Buras. I pull in, walk to the men′s room and afterwards, write my journal entry, brief as it is before going to sleep.

Immediately upon arising, I begin cooking, first coffee and then pancakes to which I add blackberries on top with a little molasses. After enjoying my meal and cleaning the dishes, I grab my shower bag and head for the hot water. Then, back at the jammer, I pack out and drive to town, stopping at the w-mart to upload my journal entry. Also, I make one more attempt at The Faithful Gallery and it is amazing, I am able to get it done. It must have been the spiritual food that I partook of last night that gave me the ability to get it done, but it is just before noon of Friday and it is completed and uploaded.

At noon, I pack out of the w-mart and head north on US 101 just out of Newport because I want to stop at the d-mart for a small plug-in strip but what they have is bigger than the one I already have. I suppose that I might find one in a hardware store; I need to stop a an hw-mart because I also need hanging cable ties to hang my string lights. Then, I drive up the coast thinking that the next d-marts where at to overnight is in Washington, so I veer inland, locate a d-mart, find a shady spot and because it is really warm set up a breeze way through the jammer. It is really hot but I can deal with everything except for the annoying flies, so I get out a park newspaper and ready myself for the next one that encroaches on my space. After an hour, I decide to get out of the heat and drive back to the coast. When I arrive, it is cool, foggy, and after six pm so I drive past Tillamook and what do you know, a d-mart. I park and prepare something to eat and then begin to work on my journal entry. At eight pm, I am ready to climb into the back of the jammer.

Awake in the dim of fog but go back to sleep for another hour, then get up and go into the d-mart for coffee and try their WiFi but can not get on. I drive north on US 101 stopping at several of the view stops but this weekend, everything is lousy with turkeys out to see the Oregon coast. Still, I will bide my time until Sunday evening when most of these large birds will head back to there roost in the cities.

These days, methinks, it is getting harder and harder to find the elusive solitude without leaving the highway, especially during the flocking or other seasons of the turkeys. I suppose that future journeys will have to be spent off road to be able to approach the places of my needs. Or maybe just going to the parks midweek in the fall will work?

Continuing up the coast, I stop in Seaside, Oregon, first locate the hall and then locate a parking place for the evening. I had previously gone online to JW.org to find out where the halls are located. Most likely, I will drive up to Fort Stevens after the meeting tomorrow and see if I can obtain a campsite there. Also, there is a w-mart in Warrenton, Oregon near the campsite where I hope to work at pounding the keys for a day or two before heading into Washington. I want to work on Appendix Four and try to get it into some resemblance of organization. Earlier, on the coast south of here, I stopped in Garibaldi, Oregon at the mooring basin and walk into The Spot fish market where I purchase two cans of albacore tuna. Granted, it was the most that I have ever paid for tuna but the can said there was no salt added and canned fish of any kind is hard to find without lots of salt. I just had supper, one of the no salt cans of tuna and I have to admit, it is the best canned fish that I have ever eaten. In the future, I plan on stopping there again!

Before eight pm, it has become dark outside; I have noticed that since we are heading into fall and I am moving into the northern latitudes again, the days are shortening. I put up all my curtains including the front windshield discs tonight because I am in a busy parking lot near US 101. Later, I move to the back section of the parking lot a bit further away from the highway and then, climb into the back for the evening. Before going to sleep, I study for the meeting tomorrow morning.

Awake first at five fifty this morning and see it is still dark so I sleep a little longer before getting up and driving to the f-mart for coffee. Everything here is very wet even though it has not rained. At nine-fifteen this morning, I head north on US 101 to just north of Seaside and pull into the hall parking lot, get dressed and then go in for the meeting. I really enjoy the study here, methinks because the friends provide such good expression in their answers to the study questions. Too, the study is notably excellent.

Immediately after the meeting, I hear a sister call me be name and asks me if I remember her to which I tell her, "yes, you are April." April grew up in Oak Harbor, married and unbeknownst to me, moved here to Seaside, Oregon. Then, I overhear George talking about Mexican food and I tell him that I have been needing to eat a meal of beans and rice, so I get directions to his favorite Mexican restaurant and join the group with the speaker.

Leaving the restaurant, I change back into my blues, resume the drive north on US 101 and turn off in Warrenton, drive to the w-mart and spend a couple hours working on trying to set up Appendix Four. Then when I feel that I have done enough work on it, but no where near enough to upload the pages yet, I pack out and drive the three and a third miles to Fort Stevens State Park and upon driving into the park, acquire a camping space, this time C57 which is adjacent to a shower house, whereupon, I go right away in for a hot shower. Upon returning to my campsite, I begin cooking my Repast using the sprouted multi-grain rice, garlic, onions, seaweed, sesame seed, tws and just before eating, sprinkle mustard and hot sauce on top. The evening is spent reading in my Bible and then I shut my eyes before nine pm.

Again this morning, I awake a quarter before six but do not rise another hour, at which time I pack out and drive to the w-mart to get an early start on the work I am doing to Appendix Four. Upon checking my com, find that I have a free purchase here at this coffee shop and when I acquire my second cup of coffee, I as for the double smoked bacon and egg croissant. Normally, I would get the spinach, fetta and egg wrap but since I have not had the bacon sandwich, I thought that I would try it. As the day wears on, I begin to wish I has got the spinach wrap instead as the meat causes me to frequent the men′s room. Methinks, when am I going to learn, I can no longer eat meat without having subsequent problems. I should write this down as one of my Life Lessons, in fact, I will do that after I finish Appendix Four.

Although not completely finished with Appendix Four, I pushed past six pm working to come to a point where I feel good about uploading the pages. Later, I will go back and work through the paragraph wording. But, as it stands now, I have uploaded the current Appendix Four. Then, I head back to the state park, drive to space C57, plug in and then prepare a salad for my dinner. After eating, I notice a couple across the road who seem to be having trouble lighting the large pieces of firewood. After greeting them, I say, "I see smoke but not any flames." I walk over the the large tree next to the jammer and pick up a couple of handfuls of kindling, walk across the road, and as I drop the kindling onto there smoldering fire, say "This stuff is worth it′s weight in gold when it comes to starting a fire." As I stand there making small talk, the fire begins to climb and soon, has reached the pot of water that they were trying to heat for a cup of hot. I then tell them that I am heading for the shower house to get under some hot water and take my leave.

Returning to the jammer, I climb in, turn on my computer and pound out on the keys today′s journal entry before shutting it down, and reading before shut eye. I awake in the wee hours and notice that the electricity is off, (The power company is upgrading or something to the system.) and it seem eerie without lights, even disorienting and immediately methinks about how the day of Jehovah will be similar, even more so.

Arise quickly, walk to the shower house for a hot shower and to wash a change of blues. Upon my return to the jammer, I pack out, drive out of the state park and head to the w-mart for a cup of hot. One barista asks me if she saw me Sunday at the kingdom hall, to which I greet her "Hello, sister." Also, I ask her about the midweek meeting and she tells me that it is tonight at 7:30 pm. Then I sit down at my table and begin pounding keys.

At six pm, I pack out and drive south on US 101 to the hall in Seaside, park in the back of the hall and because it is raining, open one at at time, a can of beans, one of peas and then one of sardines, letting these cans pass as my supper. A short time later, I begin dressing for the meeting and notice that even before seven, some of the friends begin arriving. I go in, take a seat and greet some of the friends before the meeting begins. While here, I receive a couple of invites to stay but my answer is that I can no longer deal with the wet climate in this part of the country. After the meeting, I return north on US 101 to the d-mart in Warrenton, park the jammmer and climb into the back for the night.

Dark when I awake, the overcast sky seems to prolong the beginning of the morning′s light. At six, I stop at the af-mart, fill my tank with gas because it is $2.14 per gallon, the lowest I have seen it almost all year. Then, I cross the street to the w-mart, take my seat, purchase a tall blond and begin writing journal entries while the clouds in the east begin to illume with the morning light. From this seat, during the last couple of days, I have noticed the Tower of Astoria on the distant horizon, but only when the sky is clear.

At nine this morning, I pack out of the w-mart and drive across the bridge over the Columbia River into Washington, continuing on US 101 around the western peninsula of the state and head toward Sol Duc Hot Springs in Olympic National Park. After arriving at two thirty pm, I pay the eight dollars for the senior admission, change into my swimming trunks and get into the hot water. I spend almost three hours alternating dips in the cold swimming pool and the sulfur smelling hot pools. Also, several times I walk to where I dropped my day pack to retrieve the foot callus scraper and go at both my heals since the skin has been softened by the hot soaks. After I determine that I have had enough, I pack out to the jammer, and return to my drive on US 101 now in an easterly direction until I come to a d-mart near Port Angeles, Washington where I take up residence for the night. I do go into the store to purchase some red seeded grapes.

Upon returning to the jammer, I raise the curtains and climb into the back to read in my Bible and finally close my eyes just before nine pm.

Upon opening my eyes and seeing the sky filled with daylight, I arise, begin driving east on US 101 and within an hour I am turning off of US 101 onto WA 20 east. I stop briefly in Port Townsend, Washington for a cup of hot and to upload this mornings addition to my journal. When I resume my drive, the cup tips and spills some of the hot onto my inverter which stops running. I try to dry it but I am not sure if it will have to be replaced or not. I am planning to install a twelve volt circuit for the inverter so that I will have my lighter plug free for the GPS, but all in time. There are many things I wish to do when I arrive at the shop in Oak Harbor, Washington. Then, I drive to the ferry, one which takes me to Whidbey Island, the rock that has not seen me for over a year. After crossing Puget Sound, I depart from the ferry, drive up the island to Oak Harbor, Washington stopping at the southside w-mart adjacent to the d-mart where I have previously spent much time.

In the mid afternoon, I pack out of the w-mart, drive to a local g-mart and buy several items that I have not been able to find elsewhere. I see Eileen shopping there and we talk briefly; she tells me that her son has graduated from college and her daughter is a senior in high school. I can not believe it, her kids were just babies a few years back. Then, I return to the d-mart, park while the sun is setting at seven-thirty pm and then do my evening thing.

Again, wake after the suntouch to an overcast sky. At least the sea gulls are quite here on the island. I drive next door to the w-mart for coffee, WiFi and to begin pounding keys. Looking up, I see Bob walk by, the bus having just dropped him off, the same Bob who was such a close friend of mine for many years but who now has become seriously forgetful as he grows older in this system of things; it is so sad what life here can do to people. I call to him, invite him in for a cup of hot but he declines, always seeming to be on a mission but never going anywhere.

Late in the afternoon, I pack out and drive to Frank′s, say hello to Frank and his daughter, then have a breakfast burrito. Next, I stop at Radio-mart to buy wire for the new inverter circuit and a fuse for the inverter but even though the motor runs, the red light flashes, so I will have to replace the inverter. Afterwards, I drive to the shop, walk in and find Max in the garage whom I give a biscuit to and then find Mark in his office. We talk for some time, then walk together to his fifth-wheel home where Cheryl greets me and gives me a hug. Continuing inside, Cheryl offers supper to me but I tell her that I had a big breakfast. She then offers me something to drink but I tell her that I am good. Then I say, how about a cup of hot water to which she begins to prepare while I walk out to the jammer to get a tea bag, and then we sit down to visit.

After talking until dark-thirty, I excuse myself and head out to the jammer to sleep. While prone, before sleep comes to me, I realize that the sinus crud has begun to form inside my head although not near as bad as it does when I come here in the spring.

One nice thing about sleeping at the shop is that I do not need to put up all my curtains, just the one facing the shop, the rest of the area is dark so the I can watch for the first signs of dayspring when they come. Thus, unlike sleeping at a d-mart on previous nights, this morning, the early dayspring awakens me and I get up, drive to the w-mart and have my first cup of hot while making my journal entry.

I pack out about ten this morning to drive to the hw-mart to purchase a two by twelve board so that I can cut out two pieces to use as my rear bumper side panels. The entire rear bumper has been deteriorating for a couple years and I am tire of how it looks. Besides, Mark shop has all kinds of wood tools and he lets me use them. Once I get the two side pieces cut to shape, then I will purchase a four by six to use as the rear cross piece. I just hope that it looks reasonably well when it is finished. At six, I stop work, clean the shop, take a shower and then fix a salad for supper. After eating, I play a little solitaire before going to sleep. At seven-thirty, it is near to being dark.

It appears that during the fall of the year, I only notice my sinus problem when I am trying to sleep, for I stay awake longer waiting for sleep to happen. However, for most of my time here so far, my sinuses have not been too very bad, no where near as bad as they are when I was here last during spring 2014. I arise, drive to the w-mart and work first on journal entries, then my Bible study.

At nine this morning, I drive to the hw-mart to look for the rear bumper, two fir 2X8 boards eight foot long. I also buy stainless screws for attaching the bumper and finally head back to the shop. Setting up, I begin cutting the boards to pre-assembly shape and then sand and prime the side boards. However, the rear boards, I only cut and sand because there is much more yet to do to bend the boards in shape. Damon arrives and begins working on putting the engine back in his Jeep. He asks me if I know how to tap a thread and if I could do it; I gladly do that for him. Also, when he is putting the belt back on the pulleys, I show him how to use the half inch square hole is for leverage.

About seven, I prepare a salad to eat and sit to watch a football game while eating. Then, I clean up the shop

Up before dayspring, walk into the shop for a shower, then drive into town stopping first at the city park for a predawn sunglow photo and then driving to the w-mart for a cup of hot and com. Then at seven-thirty, I return to the shop and Mark and I try to bend the two boards but we are not able to. So, I go out to the scrap wood pile, pick up a 4 X 8 beam, carry it back to the shop and begin cutting and grinding on it to make it fit the tail end of the jammer. I work until the early afternoon and then go to the hw-mart for carriage bolts. Upon returning to the shop, I drill the holes and begin installing the bolts and tightening the bumper to the rear frame. It looks good and now I begin cutting on the driver side panel, using the passenger side panel as a template. By six pm, I have finish with most of the wood pieces and then begin putting them together and once the entire bumper is on the jammer, it actually looks nice. I disassemble the bumper and spray primer on the newly cut panel, but I will wait until tomorrow to paint the rear bumper because I need to work the wood a bit more and the wood must needs dry before any paint goes on it.

Just before sunset, I light a fire in the pit, load it with dry wood and soon there is a roaring fire going. Mike and Cathy arrive and we all sit by the fire. Cheryl goes in to get hors d'oeuvre, then to finish preparing supper, calls every one in for a prayer and then we serve ourselves. Both couples stay inside to eat but I go back out to the fire because seems cold inside and the fire is nice and toasty. Later, Cheryl brings to me a nice desert and I continue outside by the fire. Finally, I go in for a few minutes before I excuse myself for the evening, walk to the jammer climb in, start the engine to warm it up and type my day′s journal entry. At nine-fifteen, I turn off the computer, the engine, and close my eyes.

Up before daybreak, drive to the w-mart for a cup of hot, to check my com and to pound keys. It is strange being back in Oak Harbor; just this morning I had one of those moments of the wayfarer′s perplexity. (See 788 JO) Well, I have finished my second cup of hot and will drive to the hw-mart for the remaining paint and hardware supplies I need for the bumper and then return to the shop and get to work. I would put a coat of primer, then paint, another coat of paint until the three main pieces are done. Between the layers of paint, I would take out a wooden box and clean the box as well as the carpet under the box. I also wash some of my bedding and when it is dry, put it back into the jammer. Then I begin to install the three pieces on the jammer, first the bumper, then the two side panels. When it is done, I finish putting everything back into the jammer and then Cheryl calls me to ask if I am eating with them to which I say yes because you told me that you were cooking bean and I love beans. I go in to the bathroom, take a shower, put on some clean clothes and head to the fire pit where Mark and Cheryl are sitting with Damon and his wife, who I have not yet learned her name.

During supper, the four of them are talking about some Hollywood celebrities who I have never heard of. Mark says "Surely, you have heard of the so and so′s?" "Don′t you look at the news on the MSN network?" I answer, "No and no! I do listen to the NPR news station some times." They continue the conversation about the celebrity family and to be honest, I could care less about celebrities, athletes, politicians and the like, none of them interest me at all.

Soon, I excuse myself and head to the jammer, turn on the engine to heat up the inside and finish writing my journal entry for today. It is after nine pm when I turn off the engine, computer and get under the covers.

Again, arise at the first time I open my eyes, go into the shop to the bath room to wet my face and comb my hair, then back to the jammer to drive to the w-mart for coffee and com. After getting caught up on the journal entry, I begin working on the appendices. When the light of day invades the sky, I pack out to the key-mart to have the ignition lock on the jammer re-keyed to match the door key, that lock installed by Joe on Day 799 JO. Yes, I have been carrying that extra key for over four months and today for the cost of twenty-five dollars, I am able to decrease the burden by several ounces. Leaving the k-mart, I drive to the hw-mart to look at the faucets with the intent of understanding how to replace a valve cartridge, something I have never done before. After walking into the hw-mart and standing in front of the valve stem display trying to make sense of how to do a repair, a clerk asks, do you need help. I reply, yes, my friend Richard asked me to go to his mom&primes home and replace the leaking cartridges in her faucets. Marylee confirms the procedure that I surmised it to be and tells me that the job is really easy.

Leaving the hw-mart, I drive to Patria′s home, (Richard′s mom) and knock on her front door. She answers with "I am not dressed yet." to which I reply, Richard asked me to come by and fix your faucets and I want to see when you might be available for that." She then says, "Just a minute" the door opens and she then says "come on in." She then tells me that the hot water leaks in both bathrooms sinks and she has the supply valve turned off. I look first at the kitchen sink faucet, then go into the downstairs bathroom to look at it. I tell her that I should be able to fix the two bathroom faucets but the kitchen faucet looks worn out. When she agrees with that assessment, I go to the jammer, grab some tools and begin with the downstairs faucet, taking the handle off, then a large retaining nut after which the valve stem comes right out of the faucet body. I take the valve stem to Marylee and she immediately says, "That is a Delta valve," reaches up to the display and grabs the new valve and says, "Here is the replacement." I can only reply, wow, you are good! and tell here that I need two, then after paying drive back to Patria′s home and install the two valve stems. It takes less than five minutes for each faucet. While I was wrapping up the bathroom faucets, Patria was preparing Lumpia and tells me to sit down at the table to eat. She cuts up Jimaca, sweet potatoes and other veggies for her Lumpia, which she know that I really like and serves a dozen on the plate with sweet sauce. She brings a bottle of sparkling cider to the table and then sits down to drink some with me. While I am eating, Richard calls, Patria hands me the phone and I tell him the progress. He says when I buy the new kitchen faucet, buy a Delta because they come with a life time warranty.

By this time, Patria has evacuated everything from under the sink, so I begin the operation of removing the kitchen faucet, while telling Patria that I really hate doing plumbing repair because of all the problems that usually come with the job. She begins to sing a song of prayer to Jehovah asking for his help in the project. Although I have to crawl into the cabinet to reach the fittings, they all come out without to much to do. Then I take the old faucet back to the hw-mart, show it to Marylee and she shows me my options. One of the medium priced faucets is a Delta, so I choose it, thank Marylee, pay for the faucet and head back to Patria′s. When I begin installing the new faucet, Patria begins here song again and the faucet goes in without any problem whatsoever in fact, in less than fifteen minutes. Then I clean up the mess, take all the old parts outside and then Patria tells me to sit down to eat again. She has prepared salmon, sausage, steamed vegetables, quinoa, and has me open another bottle of sparkling cider. It is a very healthy meal and at her insistence eat a second helping despite not being hungry but really enjoy this food.

Leaving Patria′s home and while heading back to the shop, call Cheryl to tell her that I have already eaten and not to include me in her supper plans. I ask her if they are going to have a fire tonight to which she says, yes and I tell her that I will be there soon to do the firewood. When I drive in, I take the wheelbarrow to the wood pile and begin transporting and stacking wood at the burn pit. Damon is there, soon, Mark arrives, then Damon′s wife and daughter, and we all sit around a dancing fire in the pit. It is after nine pm when I head to the jammer and climb into the back.

My eyes first open at four forty-five this morning but I lie there for a while trying to go back to sleep but when that does not happen, I get up and head to the w-mart for coffee and com. I spend an hour or so writing my journal entries for yesterday and then upload it. Then I head back to the shop to move some more firewood and want to check out my bins upstairs. First, I rearrange the planters along the gravel patio area to make room for stacking firewood. To replace a deteriorated wood barrow which was used to hide a white septic four inch pipe stand, I retrieve several large rocks from the property and stack them in front of the pipe. Then, I move the large planters to make room for a four by four frame for the fire wood. Next, is to start the mowing tractor, hitch the trailer and begin loading firewood from a location that I had previously stacked the wood on Day 1040 IP when I was awaiting my home to sell. After loading the wood into the trailer, I drive a woods path to the back of the gravel patio and load the wood on the newly built fire wood frame. I continue hauling and stacking the fire wood until six pm when Mark and Cheryl leave for an appointment.

After they leave, I clean up the patio area, park the tractor, and then go into the shop to take a shower. Then, I put on my meeting clothes and drive into town to the hall for the meeting. So many are the friends here that I know but there are a few new faces too. However, after such a long day of exertion, my legs begin to throb so much that I must needs leave early so that I can get horizontal to recover from the work. I drive to the shop, open the rear lift gate to remove and hang my meeting clothes, walk back to enter through the drivers door, climb into the back and close my eyes. I am exhausted! While still awake, methinks about how nice it will be to after JD when we begin growing young and strong again and no longer have this intense pain from working hard.

Rise quickly after opening my eyes and need to open the rear lift gate to access my blues. Although wearing my blues shorts as sleep wear, don my long pants like I have each morning here in Washington mostly due to the cool and damp weather; it being overcast and raining lightly this morning. I drive to the w-mart, enter and greet the baristas, who now know me and begin preparing my cup of hot (tall blonde, for here cup, no room) as I enter the restaurant. Of course, this w-mart does not brew a blonde roast and rather than waiting for a pour over, I have the medium roast. Also, since coming here every morning for the week, I have reached a dozen buys and thus acquired a free purchase, so this morning, I have the spinach fetta breakfast wrap with my second cup.

Shortly after seven this morning, when the sunlight begins to show in the sky, I pack out, drive to the d-mart for a couple items and then head back to the shop for another day of work. After removing the front bumper, I then sand and prep it for painting; I have a paint for plastic and complete the job rather quickly. While waiting for the bumper to dry, I remove the oil filter and drain the oil. Then I install a new filter add new oil, run the engine for a few minutes and then turn it off and check for leaks. With that complete, I return to put the second coat on the bumper. While waiting again for the paint to dry, I clean and vacuum the front interior and finally reinstall the front bumper. Finally, I park the jammer outside of the shop and return to clean the shop. For a couple days, Mark has been cleaning the hot tub and today, he begins to refill it; I have been looking forward to a soak in the hot water.

When the shop is clean, I leave to go to the ap-mart to purchase some plastic clips, plugs and such but all they have are the clips. I return to the shop and then go out to the firewood pile and finish my work there, making a third frame and loading it with a third stack of firewood. After that, I go inside the shop to take a shower and then come out to light the wood that I put in the fire pit but Damon has already begun to light it. Then a three families come over for the fire, pizza, and to play ping pong. Several here tonight ask me how long I am staying and I tell them until this Monday. In a conversation with Alan, he. tells me that he gets up early every morning and I ask him "How early?" He tells me "Five." "I get up at five something each morning also." At about eight pm, Alan and Tonia leave saying that he gets up early. Shortly after they leave, I excuse myself and head to the jammer for the evening but I turn on the computer for a little while before closing my eyes.

There is light in the sky when I awake, not too much but the horizon is definitely brightly lit up, and this despite the heavy cloud cover. Too, the jammer is saturated with dew, dripping on the outside and fogged on the inside; typical northwest moisture. After walking to the hot tub to see that the water is now warm, I return to the jammer and then drive to the w-mart for coffee. Upon walking to the counter Betsy is already preparing my cup of hot. I set up my computer and work first on completing yesterday′s journal entry. Then, I continue the woke on the Appendix Passage until eight thirty when I pack out, drive to the hall and get dressed for the ministry. Dan shows up first with a student and as they are walking inside to begin the study, I ask if I can join them. Dan shakes his head yes and we begin the study in the conference room. At nine-thirty, others arrive and the meeting for the ministry begins with Dan conducting. He discusses with us the subject of when there is a no soliciting sign and how we can use the reply in the reasoning book "When someone says, I have no money" Good information. After prayer, I leave with Patrick and Joe to work in a town territory.

Joe has just been appointed as a pioneer and we work together most of the morning; we both place several tracts with the householders we talk with. After the ministry, I talk with both Joe and Patrick about eating living food, how I have lost weight, and feel better. They both wish to know more about my diet and I give both my TWJ card.

I return to park at the shop and work on moving more fire wood but stop when the tractor runs out of gas. I am able to get it running long enough to drive it back to the area where it is kept when Dan walks up to say high to me. We walk to the barn at the back of where the jammer is parked and I offer to make us each a cup of tea; he tells me that he would like one. I use my propane stove and in less than five minutes have hot water in two cups steep tea bags. We sit on two of the shop chairs, talk about his Volkswagen van and desire to travel somewhat like I do. We also talk about eating living food, vitamins and other things mentioning the appendixes in my website. When he ask me what my website address is because he want to look at it; I give him of my TWJ cards. When he leaves, I put away my kitchen, clean up the jammer and begin cutting up the vegetable roots for my salad, a task which takes over an hour. Cheryl drives in and begins here evening meal preparations; I tell her that I can provide the salad to which she agrees. Later, when Mark arrives, I join with him in going inside and we all three have salmon chowder, garlic toast and root salad. I tell Cheryl that her chowder is the best I have ever had as we are watching a movie. Since I have seen the movie before, I excuse myself and head for the jammer. When I walk out from inside the fifth-wheel, I see what appears to be a full moon two hands above the eastern horizon but I know that it will not be full until Monday night. It is quite cold outside so I run the jammer to heat the inside while writing today′s journal entry. At nine-thirty pm, I shut down the jammer, the computer and close my eyes.

Up to a clear sky and patchy fog, carry my shower bag into the shop and get under the hot water. I put on clean clothes because I will be doing one last wash today so that when I leave here, most likely Monday or Tuesday, I will be totally clean. (I have Cheryl to thank for this because she has been really encouraging me to wash everything.) Then, the drive into town provides an orange sunglow over the harbor, I stop briefly for a photo and then continue to the w-mart for a cup of hot black and then upload to the web, all of the pages that I have been working on the last few days. At eight pm, I return to the shop, get into the hot tub for one cycle, then after drying off drive the jammer into the shop and work on a twelve volt electrical supply line upgrade. I am installing a large pair of (12 gauge black and red) wires direct from the battery to an area inside the jammer and under the dash for connection to a 110 volt inverter so that I will have continuous ac voltage whenever the engine is running, which will leave my (cigarette lighter) 12 volt plug for other items, such as my GPS, to plug in to. The inverter will be used to charge the batteries in my computer, phone, shaver and other ac requiring items.

At noon, I stop, take a shower, put on my meeting clothes and drive to the hall for the public talk and Bible study. Several of the friends ask me how long I am staying to which I tell them, tomorrow, this Monday. Yes, ten day of sinus misery is enough for this wayfarer and I will leave tomorrow afternoon or at the latest, early Tuesday morning. Leaving the hall, I return to the shop and relax for the afternoon, watching a National Geographic show with Mark and Cheryl, and then have leftover chowder and a burger that Cheryl prepares for us. Finally, at eight pm, I walk out to the jammer, turn on the engine and write today′s journal entry. Then I turn off the computer, the engine, and read the Bible for a short while but soon turn off the light and close my eyes.

Awake and see that the moon is descending in the western sky about two hands up. Venus is very bright and ascending in the eastern sky also about two hands up from the horizon. The sky is clear and full of stars this morning and there is only a little moisture on the windshield. I drive to the w-mart for a cup of black and then upload my latest entry to my journal. Then, I work on the appendix passage.

At eight-thirty am, I drive to the hall, get dressed and go in for the ministry meeting. Then, after spending the morning preaching the good news in Oak Harbor, I return to the shop, change into my swim suit and sit in the hot tub for a cycle. After the soak, I put on my work blue to go through the last of the bins in the attic. Now, my storage here contains five boxes of vending parts, toy product and only one box of things. These things consist of blue bottles, framed art, a internal frame pack and my letter jacket, all interspersed with blue towels for packing. The next time I return to Oak Harbor most likely will be my last and then I will want to sell my vending machines and all my vending product.

At six pm, I light a fire in the pit and sit down to watch it burn. Soon, Mark and Cheryl both join me for the warmth but Cheryl goes inside to prepare supper while Mark and myself continue by the fire pit. Cheryl calls us and we go inside for a prayer and to serve our own plates with steak, potatoes with fixings and salad. Then all three of us go outside to eat and enjoy the warmth of the dancing flames from the fire pit. We remain at the fire, continuing to load it with fresh wood until after ten pm and I see the moon almost a hand above the trees. Finally, I head for the jammer and immediately climb into the back to sleep.

After staying up late last night with Mark and Cheryl, I sleep an hour past my initial wake up, then drive first to the af-mart to fill my fuel tank, then the w-mart for a cup of black and to catch up on my journal writing. Again this morning at eight-thirty, I head for the hall for the ministry meeting and work with Dan, Patrick and Bob; we do some door to door, then stop at a f-mart for a bathroom break during which I witness to a man eating his lunch. He tells me that he knows Patrick who is in the bathroom and I give him a track. When Patrick comes out, I go in and the man gives the track back to Patrick. We leave and Patrick calls the man a dumbbell, having been witnessed to on many occasion but never accepting the truth of God′s Word.

After, the ministry, I change into my driving blues, drive to the Port Townsend ferry where I cross Puget Sound back to the peninsula, drive south on WA 20 to US 101 where I head south along Hood Canal, a drive that I have always enjoyed. Then, right on WA 108 to Montesan, left on WA 107 crossing the Chehalis River to connect again with US 101 where I continue south through Raymond. This time, instead of turning right on US 101 through the Willapa Wildlife Refuge, I take a shortcut on WA 4 south, to WA 401 and back to US 101 at the Astoria bridge crossing the Columbia River. Once in Oregon, I head for Fort Stevens State Park and arrive at sunset. Here, I acquire a camping site, number C55. I plug in, the jammer, then plug in all my batteries and catch up on my journal entry. Then, I turn off the lights and close my eyes.

I awake first at four-thirty this morning, but thinking it too early to get up, sleep on. Upon arising, I walk to the shower house for a warm shower, dry off with my wash cloth and then return to the jammer where I unplug. Then I drive to the w-mart on US 101 for a cup of black and to pound on the keys.

At six, I pack out and head for the campsite with an hour left before sunset, during which I cook my Repast using germinated wild rice, sesame seed, green onions, garlic, seaweed, TWS and ample amounts of sesame oil and hot sauce. When finished cooking and after packing everything away, I sit in the co-pilot seat to eat my meal. Also, the water that I usually drain from the Repast when it is done on the fire, goes into my sierra cup and serves as hot tea. It has yet to disappoint me despite all the different ingredients used in my Repast. By seven-fifteen pm, I am done with eating and now pounding on the keyboard. The sky is just now fading to gray, the forest having faded to dark by seven pm. Tonight, the even is totally absent of sound, except for the noise coming from the campers from time to time but even this noise is mostly subdued. This state park has come to be one of regular campsite stops, owing first to the fact it is the closest free site on my route when leave or approaching Oak Harbor from or through Oregon and second, it is peace full here, most always very quite and hardly any light pollution. Immediately after writing that it is very quite, a car security horn goes off and blares about seven times. How funny!

Awake at four this morning but like yesterday, go back to sleep. Then upon arising, take a shower, put on clean clothes and drive out of the campsite shortly after six am. At six-thirty, I stop in Seaside at the f-mart for coffee and to upload my journal entry. Then I head south on US 101 with the sunglow in the east increasing with my progress south.

Then, at ten this morning, I pull in to the Newport w-mart and see three suits (two women and one man) walking out to their car; I approach and ask the same question I have used for many years to those who I believe are Jehovah′s Witnesses, "Do you know any of the great crowd?" to which the driver smiles and says, "I know a lot of them." Then, I ask if there is a meeting tonight and she says, "Yes, an English one." "Good, I will be there." and greet them goodbye. I go inside the w-mart with my computer, plug in to the power and have a tall blonde to drink.

Then at seven pm, I drive north to the hall, get dressed for the meeting and soon the friends begin arriving. Several of the friends remember and greet me; most of them I remember. After the meeting, I head three miles north on US 101 to Beverly Beach State Park, fill in a self registration envelope, take space D09 and plug in for the evening. It is after ten pm when I finally become horizontal.

After a long night and waking several times, I finally arise, take a shower and then pack out to the w-mart for coffee and WiFi.

Five pm is as long as I can keep pounding the keys, and then pack out to head for South Beach State Park where I plan to stay tonight. Upon my arrival, I check in, find a site, E3, set up my camp and reheat leftover Repast from Wednesday evening′s meal, as a foil tuna steak and by six-fifteen I have given thanks, climbed inside with my computer turned and hot food to be eaten. Just before sunset, I notice small drops of moisture outside on the windows and surmise the fog is coming in from the ocean blocking the view of the night sky. Later, the moisture outside becomes considerable so as to appear to have rained but I have heard not one drop.

Retiring to the back of the jammer, I read in the book of Nehemiah, when at the time upon return from Babylon to Jerusalem, the Jews, always on guard, rebuilt the walls of the city in spite of intense opposition from the surrounding nations. I close my eyes and think about how it was tough for them to have to keep one hand on a weapon and the other on a building tool. Too, those who were doing the building work had to mortgage their land, homes, fields, and animals so that they could participate in the building work. In one passage, while the city gates and walls were being restored, the prominent men of Tekoites allowed the lower class to work, but they themselves would not help, like they felt themselves above that menial work. That verse must have been included there to show all Jehovah′s people today the need to have a meaningful part in the preaching work.

Upon arising, I see Venus ascending, high in the east, the sky totally clear of the thick fog that invaded last evening. Walking around to the back of the jammer, I open the tail gate, grab my wash bag and cloth and then walk about one hundred yards to the shower house. The building in newer than those used recently at Beverly Beach and Fort Stevens State Parks; it has tile on the floor not concrete, tile on the walls not wood, stall partitions of laminate not wood, a drop in ceiling with skylights not fiberglass roof panels and is generally warmer. After my hot shower, I walk back to the jammer, disconnect and stow my electric cord and then drive the two mile to town and the w-mart. Walking inside, I set up my computer, purchase a cup of black and begin pounding keys.

By five pm, I am once again done with key pounding, pack out and drive to South Beach State Park and locate a campsite, E2 and set up. I begin cooking my Repast and by seven pm, I am done eating and cleaning dishes, so I sit in the co-pilots seat and pound keys. Then, I decide to go to the shower house and get under the hot water. Next, I return to the jammer and begin my Bible study for tomorrow but stop before I finish, climb into the back to read a chapter of the Bible. After reading chapter seven of Nehemiah, I though about why Jehovah would have all the names of the families listed here, how could it benefit me and all that I could come up with is that Jehovah is concerned with and cares for each of his people, the same idea that I had been studying for tomorrows Bible study. (1 Peter 5: 6,7) Finally, I turn off the lights and close my eyes still wondering why else would Jehovah have those names recorded in the Bible.

Up at even and see three planets on the horizon: Venus, Jupiter and Mercury. I take a photo and then pack out and drive to the w-mart for a cup of black while I finish my Bible study for today. At eight this morning an adult suit walks in and sits down at the table next to me. Methinks that he may be a witness but I am not sure and bide my time. Soon, three more suits, youths join him and I recognize him from the meeting Thursday evening. I say to the youngest, "Didn′t we talk Thursday at the meeting?" to which he shrugged his shoulders. The adult then looks at me and asks me "Are you one of Jehovah′s Witnesses?" I look back at him while picking up my study copy of the Watchtower, with underlining, circles and stars in the paragraphs; show him that I have been sitting here working on the study for today and say "Yes." I turn to the youths and say to the youngest, "Your name is Eli, remember we talked about Eli Whitney?" Too another, I say, "Your name is Ian, correct?" Then to the third youth, I say, "And I liked your presentation you did on the stage. I didn′t get your name." He tells me "Philip."

Then I turn to the adult and say, "My name is Thom" to which he tells me that his name is James and that he was away and not at the meeting Thursday. I ask James "What time is your meeting today?" to which he tells me that it is at one-thirty pm. I tell him that I am going to the one at ten this morning and he tells me that the ten o′clock meeting is Spanish but they have a ten o′clock English meeting in Florence. He also tells me that I do not want to miss the meeting because there is a special announcement today. I tell him that I will be going there because it is less than an hour drive away. Then the group says goodbye and heads out into the ministry while I pack out and begin the drive to Florence, Oregon.

Arriving right before the meeting begins, I get dressed and walk in, sit down and listen to a talk about the importance of prayer. Then we do the study and afterwards, the announcement is made about the changes in the congregation Bible study, school and service meetings. They will be combined into one meeting called Christian Life and Ministry. The Our Kingdom Ministry will be discontinued and a new publication will be released which will be the Christian Life and Ministry Workbook. Several other changes are announced, all to make out meeting better for us. After the meeting, I drive south on US 101 to Brookings, Oregon and drive into Harris Beach State Park, select a campsite, B37, the same one that I had in one of my visits before and set up my camp. At eight pm, I turn on the engine to run the air conditioner and pound on the keys for a short time, then read in my Bible. By nine pm, I am horizontal with my eyes closed

Awake at even again today, or actually, just past even and into the sunglow and see the moon above waning crescent with Venus and Jupiter following a way behind. The dayspring does not reach suntouch until seven forty-five am. The morning is such a glorious time of the day giving praise to the Creator. When the suntouch does occur, I am inside of a d-w-mart looking out a window to the east. I spend much of the day here, even buying some vegetables and then return to the campsite in the late afternoon to begin a new idea for a recipe that I have dreamed up. I start by cutting the vegetable and putting all the root vegetables in a pot of water to boil. Next, when the water has been boiling for some time, I add germinated spelt flower and stir it in noticing that the liquid thickens immediately. Finally, to the simmering liquid, I add the green vegetables, TWS, continue to stir for a while longer and then serve a test cup of my newest living food dish, beet soup. Now, I am enjoying my second cup and for something that I only today dreamed up, it is pretty good.

Still, in reality, I am not the one to determine how good it really is because I am just a wayfarer who will eat anything. To this day, I remember the commercial where two kids were debating to eat the new cereal just served them but were hesitant. Finally, one said "Give it to Mikey, Mikey will eat anything." Much like Mikey, I will eat most anything that is put before me, so to find out how good my new menu items are, I need to make it for someone else and see if they like it. Too, when I fill my cup a second time, I commented to myself, "Cackers would go well with this soup." However, the self answered and said "You don′t eat crackers any more." Now, I must needs work add this recipe to the website.

The daylight comes to an end and I begin preparing for my evening, first putting away the computer, then reading in the Bible and finally, turning off the lights and closing my eyes.

Up early and read the latest magazine while waiting for the daylight to catch up with me. Then, at six-thirty this morning, after unplugging and packing out, I drive into town to the w-mart, take my position next to the window and continue working on the appendix pages of my website.

Then at six pm, I pack out of the w-mart, drive to the hall, don my meeting clothes and go inside for the seven o′clock meeting. It is amazing when I see someone that I know, but even here in Brookings, Oregon, this happens when I notice Andrew and April here. They have taken a trip into California and are now heading back to their home in Seaside. We talk briefly and I also talk with others here before the meeting but after it is over, I head directly to the campsite, plug in and get into the horizontal soon after.

Upon arising, I grab my wash bag and head down to the thirty yards to the shower room. I use the ADA shower and have not only a shower but a sink and a toilet for my use. After the session under the hot water, I return to the jammer, turn on my computer and may journal entries for yesterday and this morning. At twenty minutes to seven am, I drive to the w-mart, walk in, plug in and begin another day of pounding keys.

As the sunlight begins to fade, I pack out, drive to the campsite and eat my supper from my can goods. Then, I continue for a short while working on the website but soon stop to put the computer away. After climbing into the back, I read for a while before going to sleep.

After sleeping late this morning, I first drive to the f-mart for two breakfast burritos, then the af-mart to fill up my gas tank and finally to the w-mart to begin pounding keys.

At six pm, I pack out of the w-mart and head to the campsite. When driving from town north on US 101, I notice that there are lots of clouds over the ocean and the sun is beginning to make a colorful display in the sky, the first time this has happened all week because of the clear skies. Because tonight is the last night I will stay here as I plan to head south tomorrow morning I decide it best to stop and take some photos. Once in the park, I stop at the ocean overlook and take several photos of the sun setting but when it goes behind the cloud bank I decide to call it good.

Once at site B37, I connect the power, get out my cooking gear and begin preparing beet soup from the leftover vegetable from Monday evening. I find it amazing how long some vegetables last without refrigeration. This time though, when adding the spelt flour I do not stir it in immediately and when I do get back to stirring it in, there remains some lumps. So, if this happens in the future, I will call it beet soup with dumpling. Again, this meal is remarkably good to my taste buds and from what I remember from eating it Monday, it is quite filling. I don′t even need to add hot sauce or any oil, it is good just like it is. I turn the jammer engine on to run the ac because it got somewhat warm today and while sitting in the copilot seat eating, I complete todays′s journal entry.

It is already eight pm and I am still eating, but I will finish that soon enough, shut down the engine and climb into the back to read the Bible before closing my eyes.

Awake early and through the trees see the waning crescent moon between Venus and Jupiter. There is a warm wind with a clear sky, methinks that I will set a course and sail south in the windjammer. The first stop is the visitors center for Redwood National Park but upon my arrive at seven am, I see that it does not open until nine am. So, after checking my GPS, I head first to the d-mart to purchase seeded grapes, nuts and olive oil. Next, to wait for the visitors center opening, I drive to the w-mart to use my free purchase and get a spinach fetta wrap; Also, I get online and check my com. This national park, for the last two years has had an embroidered patch that is dated with the then current year. I previously purchased the 2013 and 2014 patches and would like to acquire the next one if it is available. I leave the w-mart and upon arriving ask the ranger if they have continued with this feature on their park patches but no one here now knows anything about the dated patches. I buy both the current patch, a two inch sticker for the jammer but when I pull out my association membership card, see that it expired in September 2015, so I also buy the Redwood NP Association membership. I do this each fall because it provides me with a fifteen percent discount on purchases in all the national parks.

Then I return to the jammer, fill the radiator with water and begin the drive through California hoping to reach Yucaipa by Saturday evening. Keeping a sharp eye on the temperature gauge, I head south on US 101 through the Redwood National Park to Arcata, California where I take CA 299 east along the Trinity River gorge and over the Klamath Mountains. This is the mountain range in northernmost California and southern Oregon where the PCT traverses. The jammer, with the coolant leak problem needs to have water added several times during this long climb up and over the several passes this highway traverses in these mountains. One time, the gauge briefly reaches the L in NORMAL and when I stop aside the road to add water, there is a lot of steam that has to be bled from the radiator first, but I am still able to fill the radiator again without to much to do. Now, I am now determined not to let the gauge go to L again. Also, I begin to pray about what route would be best to take with this coolant leak as I continue down the west side of the Klamath mountain into Redding, California. Once there, I stop at a af-mart to refill both the radiator and the gas tank and while parked, I look at my map and consider my route from here to Yucaipa; methinks that there is a need to take the route that has the most roadside rest stops with available water. I pray again about this and just after my prayer, I begin to think about the route I had previously planned to take, one which goes east through Lassen Volcanic National Park over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to US 395 and then south through Reno, back into California and through the Owens Valley to southern California. I recall how on Day 388 JO, I had traversed this same route and even though it was spring, I drove though exceedingly hot temperatures, especially during mid days; so hot that I felt the need to escape that desert heat on Day 391 JO by driving up to Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains. After thanking Jehovah for helping me make my decision, I know now that today′s route will take me through the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys on Interstate 5, where there are many rest stops with water not to mention numerous af-marts. Too, I have decided that since the jammer has such a hard time climbing over the Klamath Mountains, the I-5 route would be best as it is the flattest route.

In the early afternoon, I head out on Interstate 5 for a long day of driving south through central California and stopping frequently to add water. As the day progresses into the evening, the time between radiator fill up stops increases until I am able to drive upwards to seventy miles with the gauge staying between the R and M in NORMAL, but when the gauge begins to rise to the A, I immediately find a place to pull over. Also, upon arriving at a roadside rest stop, I always stop to fill both the radiator and my gallon water bottles, which after the last d-mart stop now number twelve.

At sunset, which is seven pm here, I call Joe whose clock is two hours later, nine pm, and talk with him about the coolant leak. Mark, another long time friend is also there and gives a suggestion to crack and egg in the radiator to plug the leak. I ask Joe if that is a viable fix and Joe replies, "Maybe for cars during the Dust Bowl." I get a chuckle from that and then mention that in the sky here, there is a very bright orange glow from the sun set.

My drive on I-5 through California continues through the cool evening and then exit on CA 152 to stop at a d-mart to buy a few more bottles of water and a lemon so that it will keep me awake while driving tonight. It is funny, the town that I stop at is Spanish for The Toilets and methinks, how can a town come to be called such a name. Also, while at the d-mart, methinks how, under normal conditions, I would buy salad fixings and park to enjoy my evening meal prior to climbing into the back and closing my eyes. However, the coolant leak that plaques me now is not normal conditions. I am just glad that this is not in the middle of the summer.

Leaving Los Banos, I first drive south on CA 165 to reconnect to I-5 and then continue south. Except for stoping at every rest stop to fill the radiator, the drive tonight is uneventful and sometime after midnight, I pull into the truck stop town of Lost Hills and determine that from here the remaining drive to Yucaipa can be done either in the morning or tomorrow evening. After finding a place to park, I climb into the back of the jammer and close my eyes.

After a short night′s sleep, I fill the radiator and begin driving south on I-5 just past Bakersfield, California to exit 239 were I take CA 223 east until I connect with CA 58 and continue east on it. Just above Mojave, California, I turn south on CA 14 to Palmdale, California where I stop at a w-mart and go inside to get out of the now quickly increasing heat. I purchase a cup of black and begin pounding on the keys. Joe calls and asks how the jammer is running, to which I tell him that I am driving slow and only in the coolest part of the day and the jammer has no problem at all with this technique.

At six-thirty, I pack out, fill the radiator and by seven pm, return to my southeast drive on CA 138 out of Palmdale, California towards Yucaipa. After one stop in the state highway which takes a gallon and a half, I make connections with I-15 only soon after to see the expansive low valley which is the vast coastal city. Without all the pollution in the air, I could most likely see fifty miles and more from the lofty drive down from the mountains. I can only imagine what it will look like down there right after JD. I only drive down into the valley at the edge of this city. Next, I come to I-215 and head southeast making my second stop to add water. Finally, I turn west on I -10 and head towards Yucaipa and exit 85. There is a slight climb up out of the valley but the jammer gauge begins to go past the A so I make one final stop to top off the radiator before the the last climb up to Bryant street at the top of Yucaipa. Even with the three stops, it only takes two hours and I arrive just minutes after nine pm.

I call Richard and ask him where he is and he tells me that he is home. I then say, "Well, then, you beat me here!" He asks "Are you here?" and when I tell him yes, he says that he will be right out to unlock the gate. A little later, Kim comes out to greet me too. Soon, they head back inside to bed and after I finish my journal entry, I do likewise by climbing into the back of the jammer. It is encroaching on eleven pm when my eyes finally close.

I had awaken earlier at a few minutes after five this morning but after getting out of the jammer to look at the sky but can not see the crescent moon or Venus, I return to the back of the jammer and sleep another hour. Then, upon arising, I begin my study for today as well as work on updating my journal entries for the last two days.

At eight-thirty, I begin getting ready for the ministry meeting this morning, join Richard and Kim in their vehicle. This only a small group out today and I work with Richard and Kim going on some calls. Returning to the outback, I begin working on cleaning up the jammer, organizing it so that I can deposit more in my sister′s attic when I arrive in Texas later this year. Also, I have been working on repacking my Emergency Bag. ³ I am using my backpacking gear which already has a tent, water filter, stove, pots, water bottles, a clothing bag with extra clothes, a ditty bag with toiletries, a ditty bag with cord and rope, and a ditty bag filled with first aid, sewing and other small items. Also, I want to keep at least a week supply of food in the bear canister. Still, I need to keep it packed and ready to go.

After the meeting, I continue cleaning up the jammer, until after dark when I climb in and work on the computer for a while. Later, I shut down everything and get horizontal.

I believe that I am now caught up to my sleep debt having slept in for the last two days. When Richard comes out at eight, we begin to do work around the home. Richard has me start on making a door for a vent for the crawl space, a task that takes most of the day because the opening has been used by most of the utilities that have been installed on this home. I begin cutting a piece of plywood to use as the door and include a whole in the middle to allow venting. However, to make this door closable, the utilities need to be moved but there is no other access available. The solution, dig a hole under the foundation where the utilities can run through. One problem, the phone line is fiberoptics and can not be disconnected so as to be rerun through the hole. After talking with Richard, we determine that the line will have to be rerun at a different time, so to accommodate that line, I suggest that we put a two inch pipe in the hole with access on both sides of the foundation. We go to the hw-mart, buy the pipe, return to the home and install the pipe. Then I finish painting the door, attaching the screen and then attach the decorative panel that Kim had bought for a covering. Finally, I bury the hole, reinstall the water valve access door in the ground just outside the vent door, soak the ground to compact the dirt, and put back the weed block cloth and finish gravel.

Next, I begin picking up the tools and leftover materials, when Kim asks if I would like to eat with them tonight and tells me that that are having chicken and French fries. I tell her yes to the chicken but no to the fries. She informs me that she calls them French fries are because they only look like such, but that she cuts up the potatoes and then bakes them with olive oil and butter. "Yes, I would love some French fries." Then I tell her that I will bring a salad. When Richard and I went for parts, he stopped at the g-mart for me buy vegetables and a block of ice, as I was planning on making a root salad tonight for myself.

First, I shower with the sun heated hot water in the hose, put on clean clothes and then begin chopping vegetables. At six pm, just as I am finishing the root salad, Kim calls me to come. I did not have time to chop up an onion to put into the salad but that was good because Kim tells me that she does not like to eat them. Both Richard and Kim like the root salad and I really like the French fries.

After supper, I excuse myself and head to the jammer to work on my journal. Then at eight pm, I shut down the computer and begin reading in the Bible. Later, I turn of the lights and right after taking two aspirins, close my eyes.

I awake, sit in the copilot seat and begin writing in my journal to catch up; until Richard comes out at eight am. He wants me to help him decide on a new computer, so that he can give his laptop to Kim and get ride of the old desktop. We drive further into the city, stop first for him to get his flu shot, and next go to the e-mart where we bought both of our current computers. We look at the Apple computer, then the I-pad and Terry, who talked with us when we purchased our computers explains the differences. Richard then decides on the I-pad because it has all the capabilities of a computer, but he is going to wait for the Black Friday sale. We then go for lunch, low carb burgers, and next stop at hg-mart so I can buy some rolled oats. The next stop is at the large hw-mart to price a furnace that he thinks that he needs to install because the real estate person indicated the he needs to install one. After we get an idea as to what the price is, we then got back to Yucaipa and stop at the building department.

The inspector, Mike, comes out and he basically says that the natural gas fireplace should suffice for the furnace. We then head back to his home and I go inside to format his old desktop computer which does not take too long. After that, I go outside and use the leaf blower to blow off the yard to get it ready for the wedding Saturday. I got to meet the groom, Andrew briefly and then went back to work. Afterwards, I packed out, left the outback and headed for the d-mart in Beaumont, California that is fifteen miles away. I filled up the radiator just before I left and did not have to stop before arriving. At nine pm, I climb into the back and finish my journal entry for today. Then I take two aspirins and close my eyes.

Up before daylight, drive to the w-mart, purchase a cup of black, set up at a table, plug in and begin my day of pounding keys. The first thing to do is to upgrade my computer with the bios and the operating system. Next, I go to my online file server and upload the latest files of my website which is proving to be a time consuming task. Finally, I am able to begin work on the web pages, still having more to do with the Appendix.

At nine-thirty pm, I pack out and drive back to the d-mart, eat leaf collard greens, an avocado and and can of sardines. After trying to sleep and not being able, I open the computer and pound keys for a while. When the battery alarm goes off, I shut the computer down and try again to sleep.

Awake to the dull light of day, the air thick with fog and moisture from the downpour last evening after midnight but it is not raining now. Stepping out of the jammer, I put on my jeans, dump my garbage and then drive to the w-mart to begin another day of key pounding, beginning right away with work on the Appendix.

At six pm, I pack out and begin driving to a hall for the meeting tonight. I load up the radiator and drive about two miles and arrive, get dressed and then wait for the friends to begin showing up. I call Richard and tell him that I talked to Joe earlier and because I told him that there is a free flow draining of a gallon or more of water without turning the engine on, now thinks the leak is coming from a freeze plug. Richard then suggests that we use some JB Weld to plug it and I agree that it would be nice to be able to drive east without having to stop every fifty miles.

The first couple are an elderly couple who greet me and the sister says "We are the Cananites." I ask what she means by Cananites and she answers, "We both have to use canes to walk." "Oh, I get it, Cane-anites, ha, ha." As we walk inside, she asks my name and where I am from. Then she begins to introduce me to every one that comes in, "This is Thom from Texas.". After the meeting, I load the radiator, drive back to the d-mart, park, climb into the back, and finally get to close my eyes. It rains a couple of times today.

I drive directly to the w-mart, park, and bring my compute to set up inside. I work on organizing the data in my computer and then backing it up to my external drive trying not to overfill the drive. I am able to get about two-thirds of the task done and will try to finish it tomorrow in the afternoon. At nine-thirty pm, I head back to the w-mart, buy a package of salad, a new inverter, and some raisins. Then I walk back out to the jammer and while eating, write today′s journal entry.

Then I read the Bible for a while and it is not long before midnight when I climb into the back of the jammer and close my eyes.

Awaking earlier than having wanted to, I get up and walk outside to add water to the radiator, drive a short distance to the f-mart for coffee and two sausage burritos. Then I return to the jammer just when the sun rises over the mountains directly to the east. While sitting in the jammer, I remain in the parking lot to work on today′s journal entry and eat my fast food breakfast. At seven-forty this morning, I drive to the Beaumont hall on Pennsylvania Street, get dressed and wait for the ministry meeting to begin. I am assigned with Doug and Kurt and we work in a city suburb with one home next to the next. I am able to speak with several people with one readily accepting literature to read with their Bible.

After the ministry, I return to the w-mart, set up my computer and purchase a cup of black, ask for a cup of ice to pour my coffee into and receive a cheese sandwich with my free purchase. Finally at one-thirty pm, I resume work on the organization and backup of my data. I want to do this so that I will not have that feeling of, "On no, I forgot to backup such and such", the feeling that I have always had when upgrading the operating system on my computer. This time, it is the upgrade to the new Windows 10 which upgrade has been ready for months.

At nine pm, I pack out, drive to the d-mart, park, climb into the back to read my Bible, and after a couple of chapters, turn off the light and close my eyes.

Awake before dayspring, drive to the w-mart, set up my computer, buy a cup of black, and begin pounding keys.

At two-fifty pm, I pack out, drive to the hall, get dressed and go inside. Many of the friends here greet me warmly. I even comment to one sister that is congregation has a warm friendly personality and she smiles. Afterwards, I load the radiator and refill my water bottles, then drive to the w-mart and finalize the organizing and backup of my computer data. Lastly, I run the de-fragmentation utility on the external hard drive and it take a while because it is now has only six gigabytes left and is ninety-seven percent filled. I really need to buy a new drive because my current drive does not contain my latest photos, ones that are still in a eight gigabyte card in my camera. I would like to buy a solid state drive (one that has no moving parts, just memory) but that type of drive is still much too expensive for the size that I now need. Therefore, I will buy a regular external hard drive, one that I call a spinner because it has a disk that spins so a moving arm can read the data across the surface..

At nine pm, I drive to the d-mart, park, climb into the back and read before going to sleep. There has been first fog, then overcast skies today but no rain. Tonight, the overcast skies and humidity continues.

I awake first at 5:49 am but decide to continue sleeping. When I do arise, I walk into the d-mart, buy two containers of grapes, olive oil, raisins, and bananas. Upon returning to the jammer, I put the food away, fill the radiator and head for Yucaipa. I only stop once at an af-mart to fill my gas tank and refill the radiator with water. Then I continue my drive to Bryant Street where I pull into the side driveway of Richard and Kim′s home, the driveway which leads to the outback. I find the lock on the gate but it is dummy locked and I am able to get into the outback. I back into the RV space and begin setting up for my stay this week. Shortly after, David arrives at the front gate and I walk over to meet him. He greets me by name and tells me that he is the father of the young man that just got married. Then Richard walks out, unlocks the gate to let David in and while they talk and load items into David′s truck, I return to my setting up. Later, I ask Richard where his ramps are and after he points them out for me, I use them to raise the front end of the jammer allowing me to crawl under and find the actual source of the coolant leak. Looking first at the rear of the engine at the freeze plugs but do they are dry, intact and not leaking.

After David leaves, Richard joins me under the jammer and we search of wet spots but apparently all the water has drained out, so, I climb out to put water in the radiator while Richard stays underneath to watch for the leak. Immediately, he says, I see the water so I climb under and he points out rust stains on the bottom of the oil pan. I follow the rust stains and water forward and notice that it goes all the way up to the front of the engine. Looking up the front, right behind the fan, I see water coming out near the intake manifold and say to Richard, "This must be where it is leaking, the front of the intake manifold, come look" as he is still under the jammer but a little further back. I keep thinking that it is the intake manifold that is leaking because that is what Joe said his mechanic told him on Day 792 JO where the leak was. However, now I notice that the water is actually coming from the weep hole on the underside of the water pump. I stick my finger over the hole and ask Richard if the water has stopped. He replies, "Yes, it has stopped completely." I tell Richard that I need a new water pump and comment that I never would have thought that this one was the cause of the water leak because it was replaced only two and a half years ago on Day Fifteen JO at the Ford Dealer in Tillamook, Oregon.

We climb out and I call Joe while Richard goes inside. Joe is glad to hear that it is the water pump and gives me specific directions on how to remove the fan. Afterwards, I get out my repair manual, open to the page and read the steps for replacing the water pump. Then, I begin taking parts off of the front of the jammer, first the radiator hose, next the two heater hoses, then I disconnect the fan shroud because the book says that the shroud and the fan when disconnected must be taken out at the same time. Richard returns and I ask if he has large wrenches, about 1 1/4 inch to 1 3/8 inches and a sledge hammer. He goes to get his tools and when he returns, we determine that the nut on the fan is 1 3/8 inches. Then I follow Joe′s directions, put the wrench on the fan nut at twelve o′clock, move it to five minutes after twelve, and then reach for the hammer. Richard asks me if we should pray before we do this and I tell him, "Yes, please do." Among his petitions, he then asks Jehovah for blessings and wisdom in our everyday activities and we both say Amen. I hit directly down on the wrench and it moves only little ways to the right, that hit not loosening the nut. I reset the wrench in the position just to the right of twelve o′clock and hit it again. Another time, nothing. I set the wrench in the strike position a third time, hit it one more time and the wrench falls all the way to the three o′clock position and stops when it hits the radiator overfill container. I turn and look at Richard who is smiling, smile back and say out loud "Thank you Jehovah." Then I tell Richard, "I never before felt that we should pray to Jehovah about such mundane matters. Now I will never not pray before doing anything else." I also thanked Jehovah for helping us to do what I had previously considered nearly impossible for me to do.

Richard has to leave for a doctors appointment and I continue taking parts off of the front of the engine. I also call the ap-mart to see if they have a new water pump and when he says that they do, I ask if him to hold it for me, that I will be there later to buy it. He tells me, no problem and asks my name and phone number. I continue taking the bolts off from the thermostat and water pump and four of the bolts break, three with the studs sticking out after the heads breaking off. I will have to work on them another day and then use Richard′s truck to drive to the ap-mart to purchase the water pump. Returning to the outback, I begin cleaning up when Kim brings out a taco salad for me; I tell her thanks very much but that she does not have to prepare meals for me. She tells me that it was nothing; I thank her again. Soon after, Richard arrives back home and comes to see what I have done and says, "You got it out!" "Yes, I tell him and with only four bolts breaking." I tell him that I called Joe again and he told me to tap them a couple times lightly with a hammer and then soak them with a penetrating oil; and to do that repeatedly over several hours, even letting them soak overnight. I finish cleaning up and putting away the tools, then I take a quick shower, wash my hair and climb into the co-pilot seat to eat supper and write today′s journal entry. It is about nine pm when I complete all these tasks and then climb into the back of the jammer to read first, then sleep. It remains overcast all day and tonight.

It is a bit cooler this morning upon arising and sit in the co-pilot seat to continue writing in my journal. Then at eight am, I open the hood to tap on and resoak the bolts. Shortly afterwards, Richard comes out and tells me that he has to go to do some errands, that I can work on the engine today. I tell him that I will instead clean the jammer because I am still trying to remove the broken bolts. I ask him for a vise grip pliers and try to remove the bolts but for now, and he gives me a five inch pair and when I try to remove them, they do not budge. Richard leaves and I first begin working on my emergency pack, going through the content to retain only what is necessary. At the same time, I go to task in thoroughly organizing and cleaning the inside of the jammer and contents, what I have always called my burden.

Later, Richard asks me to build two emergency packs for himself and Kim, to which I agree but tell him I will not be able to begin on his emergency packs until after I get the jammer running again. He agrees and I resume organizing my burden. I repack each of the wooden storage boxes, and dispose of anything that has an old expiration date. Also, I take all the accumulated possessions that have found their special cubbyhole, or the place where I have been temporarily storing them and either toss it or find a place for it in the wooden storage boxes. Too, as I proceed, any item that is deemed a need is put into he emergency pack in one of several ditty bags. The ditty bags that I have are: first aid; rope; toiletries; and miscellaneous and these will be in the outside bottom pockets of the pack.

I continue right up to sunset which is at six pm, after which I take a shower, and begin getting dressed for the meeting tonight. Richard comes outside, walks to the grill and begins cooking and soon he brings me a plate with two organic burgers and grilled peppers. I was not expecting the meal but thank him and really enjoy eating it. Then, I finish getting ready for the meeting, close up the jammer and wait for Richard to come out to his car. (Kim has not been feeling good today and is not going.)

We arrive just as the song is getting under way, and join in. After the meeting, several of the brothers greet me by name few of which I remember their name. I talk with one bother who when I ask his name tells me Kurt. In the conversation, he tells me that he was injured at work and has been on disability for six weeks and has really enjoyed the time off. The discussion turns to eating healthy and I tell him that I have been researching the subject and have, since March of 2013, lost eighty pounds by eating only living food. He asks me "What is the name of your diet?" This question makes me stop and think and then I tell him "I have not given it a name yet." Now that I am back here pounding the keys, I realize that in fact it is not a diet but a way of life, even the real way. So, I suppose if there needs to be a name for this life style, that is what it will be, the real way.

Richard and I return to his car and on the way home he stops at a city park to walk jenny. I get out to walk too, and do deep breathing while I take steps around the park. When we return to the car to drive home, I tell Richard that I feel that walk in my muscles. We return to the outback and I retire to the jammer and write today′s journal entry before I close my eyes.

Upon arising this morning I see from the dew on the jammer that there is moisture in the air despite the sky being cloudless. Oddly, the moisture is only on the north and west sides but not the south and east ones. Last night, Richard had asked me to go with him to Hemet, California to work on his rental property there and this morning I am waiting for him to arise and come outside; Richard is definitely not a morning person. Kim comes out first and leaves for the ministry and shortly after Richard comes out. We load his truck with tools and such, then he, his dog Jenny and I get in and head for Hemet. On the way we stop for breakfast and coffee then continue. Upon arriving at the mobile, we look at the power pedestal which has become loose from the ground mount and has an indoor breaker box on the side. Richard wants to fix both so we go to the hw-mart to acquire a new outdoor breaker box which we find at the second hw-mart we go to. Returning, I begin work on digging up the pedestal and preparing the hole for concrete while Richard goes for concrete and some flat bricks to use to support the pedestal. He returns and first we set the bricks and then we begin mixing and pouring concrete. While the concrete begins to dry, we install the new breaker box and once that is done, we begin packing out.

At this time, Rita, the renter comes out to look at the work and is impressed. We talk for a bit and she tells us that she works at an Orthotics store and I tell her that I have the very Orthotics in my shoes and have been wearing them for over fifteen year. I take them out and she looks at the and then tells me that these have a lifetime warranty on them and suggests that I get new replacements for mine. Then she asks if I am coming back to work more here and Richard tells her yes indeed. She says that she will bring home the new Orthotics.

Richard and I finish packing out and begin the drive home, stopping first to get gasoline and then for supper. Finally, we arrive back at the outback by eight-thirty. I head for the jammer and get ready for the evening. Richard gets ready, then leaves to drive into the lowland for his job and will not be back until Saturday evening.

Another cool moisture laden morning with a clear sky, one which I sleep in. Upon arising I catch up on my journal writing, then brew coffee and finally begin using the wire wheel brush that I purchased yesterday to clean up both the broken bolts and the gasket surfaces. Once that is done, I lube the bolts and then sit down to wire brush all of the bolts that came out. I want them to go back in easy and that would not happen with all the gunk on them. When there is need to recharge the drill battery, I work on the organization of my burden, even tossing more stuff again today. Also, I keep tapping the broken bolts and spaying them with penetrating oil; tap and spray, tap and spray all day.

When the water in the hose becomes nicely warm from the sun shining down upon it, I stop and take a shower. I tell Kim that I an glad there are two hoses coiled here because that makes for a longer shower. Later, Kim brings out another one of her really nice meals, I tell her thanks and enjoy the organic burger, salad and sauerkraut. Then, I pack up and climb into the jammer and work on my journal for a short while before I get horizontal.

The day begins again cool with a clear sky, however, the moisture is at a minimum with dew only lightly on the roof of the jammer. Today is the fifth day with the engine incapacitated leaving me without the ability to drive anywhere and this because of three broken bolts. I must say that there have been times when I have experienced worse conditions; because here, I have a place with good friends, a place to park with water and electricity, a place to work on the engine, a vehicle to use to get parts and even food occasionally being served to me; all I can say with no need to hurry and finish as Richard would like for me to stay several more weeks. However, my time schedule (if I can call it that because I am so retired) must needs have me on the road again be the first on November, just nine days from now. I plan to tell Richard of my schedule when he returns.

Upon arising, I get out the stove to boil water for coffee and while it heats up, I use the floor jack to lift the jammer and remove the blocks under the front tires. Richard and I had put the blocks there so that we could look for the source of the water leak and I have since never removed them. By lowering the jammer, I will have better access for drilling the broken bolts if it comes to that, and if it does, I plan on waiting until Richard returns from his work to allow him to help me if he wishes. When the pot shows steam coming out, I know that the water is boiling and go to my table to brew the coffee. Then, I return to the copilot seat and drink my cup of black while working on the journal entries.

Soon after, I begin the work on setting up the jammer to be better organized while doing the tap and spray dance on the broken bolts, continuing until four pm when I take a warm shower pack up and head out in Richard′s truck to get parts. I buy most of the bolts I need at the second stop and the new heater hose fitting at the third stop. Then I drive back to the outback, park the truck and begin chopping vegetables to make a root salad. When the chopping is done the eating begins. I add oil, vinegar and TWS; such a good meal and if I am not wrong, very nutritious.

After washing the dishes, I climb back into the jammer to write in my journal, read and then sleep.

Up and moving after daybreak to begin my day; first, coffee, then wash my shorts and socks and put on clean. Next, I open today′s journal entry to record the temperature an time. Then I shave and finally get dressed for the ministry meeting. I leave the outback in the atruck at eight-forty this morning, arrive at the hall just before nine am and join the large group for the meeting on this forth Saturday. I am assigned to a group with Bill, Paul, Steve and myself and we go up CA 38 towards Big Bear Lake but at the curve in CA 38 that begins the climb out of the Santa Anna River valley up to Big Bear, we turn right and follow the valley up stream to Forest Falls, a place that I have never visited before. First of all, there is only one way in, the main road is subject to summer monsoon flooding which washes tons of rock and gravel down several canyons and onto the road blocking all exit.

Nevertheless, witnessing is enjoyable in the area which is over a mile in elevation and reminds me much of Big Bear Lake. We find that most of the people here are weekend warriors who have work and other homes in the city. After returning to the hall, I change into my summer blues, drive to a f-mart for a couple bean burritos and then to the hw-mart to purchase a few more bolts, a ten inch vise grip pliers, electricians tape, wire ends for lighting inside the jammer, a tape measure, and things to complete my ongoing project. I still need to return tomorrow to by more bolts because I feel that replacing the bolts with new ones will help prevent the bolts from breaking in the future, especially since the water pump, although it has a lifetime warranty will most likely need to be replaced in two or three years like the last new one.

Earlier, I had talked with Joe and asked him what size vise grip I should be using to which he said "The largest one you have and can still get a hold of the bolt." I reply, "That is what I have been thinking, the five inch pair is just not working." He answers, "Yes, you need a nine or ten inch pair so that you can squeeze tighter on the bolt, you just can not get a good bit with a small set." So, when I returned to the outback, I put the ten inch pair on the first bolt, squeezed really tight and then began to pull on the pliers and the bolt began to move. I hollered "Ya hooo!" and Kim who was in the yard looks up at me quizzically. I tell her that I got the first bolt loose and now just need to work it out the rest of the way. She smiles, "Just two more." After taking out the easiest one, I begin work on the next and in short work, it breaks loose. I tell Kim that previously, I was doing it all wrong, a five inch vise grip just won′t work, and show her the large pair saying, "You need to have the big pair." Kim asks if I want stew from a crock pot and when I remind her that I never turn food down, she goes inside to prepare a plate for me. She told me that she used Rosemary to flavor it and doesn′t know how it taste. Stopping to eat, I find the stew very tasty, especially the liquid. Afterwards, I go back to work on the third bolt, the one that is the hardest to access and it comes out the easiest. Methinks, it is amazing what one can do when one has the right tool. Also, Joe did kept telling me that they will come out, just keep tapping and spraying. I then install the new thermostat, using two of the new bolts and then install the new heater hose nipple and the two gauge sending units. Next, I pull off the old black tape on the wiring harness to the senders and several other nearby electronic devices, clean up the harness as I go. Finally, I retape the harness with the tape I purchased.

With the sun setting, I begin to pack up and put away the tools, take a shower, and climb into the jammer to do my journal writing. Methinks, after nigh unto a week of not having the jammer drivable, now I can see an end to this engine stoppage. Too, I am ever so thank full to Jehovah for carrying me safely to a location where other members of the brotherhood are able and willing to help me. Oh, Jah, Jehovah, how well I know that you do provide help to your servants and that you do answers their prayers. (Philippians 4: 6, 7)

At eight-thirty pm, I climb into the horizontal to read before I am done for this day. It has been a pleasant day, a productive day, and a peaceful day. Thank you Jehovah.

Last night was that second one in a row in which it was hard to get to sleep and to stay asleep. Also, I was awake when Richard arrived home and we talked for a short while. Kim had waited up for him and came out to greet him; they have a good marriage which I am glad for them.

First this morning I scrub my hands to remove the accumulated car grime, then, brew a cup of black, next, I sit in the copilot seat and do my study for today′s meeting while I sip on the hot. After nine am, I work on the engine and clean up the deteriorated wiring harness tape cover; Richard and Kim leave for the ministry meeting and leave Jenny to stay in the outback with me. When they return, I pack up all the tools and take a shower. Soon, I drive in the truck to the hall for the public meeting. Afterwards, I stop at the hw-mart to buy the needed remaining bolts; then I stop at ap-mart to buy some tape on plugs to hold the wiring harness to the interior engine compartment wall. Next, I return and begin working on wrapping the remaining harness, after which I add silicon sealant to the water pump and attach the gasket but I run out of sealant before I am able to start the second side. So, I return to the ap-mart to buy more sealant and black tape, return but the sun has set and it is now to dark to work on the engine any longer.

After putting away all the tools again, I climb inside and begin writing my journal entry and eating a can of beans and one of mustard greens. After that, I shut down the computer and prepare of sleep.

In a clear sky, the stars are still out in full this morning, Orion high and to the south by southwest. There is a triple conjunction of planets, (Jupiter, Venus and Mars) starting this morning and will continue each morning just before sun rise for the next week or so. I arise, brew coffee and then sit in the co-pilot seat and pound on the keys while waiting for the light. Soon after, the light comes out and now I am waiting for Richard. Soon after, Richard comes out and I go to work packing the truck with the tools that we will need for the work today. Then the three of us, Richard and myself plus Jenny the fox terrier head for Hemet, California to install a sump pump under the mobile home. First stop is a f-mart for breakfast and then on to Hemmet. I go under and begin digging out the hole while Richard carries bucket after five gallon bucket of sand to the truck and dump it in the back.

At two pm, we head to the hw-mart to buy a sump pump, plastic pipe, and a new GFCI receptacle to replace the standard one where the previous pump was plugged into. Returning to the mobile home, we finish moving the sand and then set up the pump and test it. With that working just find, we then try to attach the landscape fabric to the outside of the 20 gallon garbage can that we have drilled holes into to let the water in to the pump, but Richard remembers that he did not bring any duct tape. He goes back to the hw-mart get some tape while I begin working on the electrical. However, just as I begin, the sun sets and there is no light so instead, I begin cleaning up and packing out. Finally, I sit down next to Jenny, open a can of sardines and watch Jenny′s tail move fifty miles and hour. During my stay, I have been sharing my sardines with her every day or two. She really loves them and will even eat veggies and fruit that she normally turns her nose to if I put a little sardine juice on them.

Soon after, Richard shows up and we pack out, begin driving home but while in Hemet, stop at a Mexican Restaurant chain and both have a burrito bowl. Jenny gets some of Richards chicken and then we continue the drive back home in the after sunset. After we drive into the outback, Richard begins shoveling out the sand into a low spot and then I remember how to get it out quicker. One of the items that I packed into the truck this morning was a canvas tarp and before we began digging and loading the sand into the back of the truck, I had spread it out in a way for us to use the tarp to pull the sand out of the back of the truck. Well it works so well, that the plywood comes out to and the edge scraps across my shin and lands on my foot. No damage to the foot, I just lift the board up to release it but I can see and feel the shin scrape, even in the darkness.

With the warm evening, I had planed to take a shower and when I do, I wash the shin scrape really well. After the shower and after putting every thing away, I climb into the jammer, take a my position in the co-pilot seat and begin applying first aid. Then, I take three aspirins because I know the pain will continue to increase with this kind of injury. Then, I write my journal entry and finally get into the horizontal.

In the course of the night, I awake several times during which I watch the moon sail though the clear sky. The last time, when the moon is two hands above the western horizon, I see that the stars are a bit brighter and that there is a slightly noticeable glow in the east. I return to the jammer, sit in the co-pilot seat, do a quick repair on the leg bandage, start the heater at a low setting, and turn the computer on. When I check the temperature, I see that it did not get into the fifties last night but remained in the low sixties. As the sunglow progresses, I continue to make entries to the journal and then work some on the appendix.

At eight this morning, Richard comes outside and greets me, I dress and begin packing the truck with the tools we will need. Then the three of us leave again for work on the mobile in Hemet. Like previous days, we stop for breakfast before making the forty-five minute drive and upon arriving, go to the hw-mart to get another water pipe fitting. Then we drive to the mobile and begin moving dirt, running the water line and raising it and the electrical cord up to hang under the chassis and off the ground. At two pm, we return to the hw-mart to buy more fittings and additional electrical supplies. Too, we stop at a f-mart for lunch before returning to the mobile.

Arriving at the mobile, we connect the new GFCI receptacle, finish gluing the water pipes and connecting the pump. When everything is done, we pack out and drive back to Yucaipa and park in the outback. The first thing, while in work clothes is to unload the sand from the back of the truck; we use the tarp to pull the sand out of the bed, putting our feet on the plywood to keep it from coming out with the tarp. After parking the truck, we both head to the shower and to get dressed for the meeting.

Now, I am back in the jammer, having returned home after the meeting and I am exhausted from the days activities. It is nearly ten when I get horizontal. Richard soon after leaves to drive to the home of Kim′s family where he will spend the nights for three days while he works in the city. I close my eyes.

Awake and see the moon almost three hands above the horizon; there are clouds in the sky and the dayspring is just beginning. I arise, turn on the light and get out the computer to wait until daylight, but by seven-thirty, I feel sleepy so climb back into the horizontal and sleep until nine-thirty. When I arise the second time, I brew a cup of coffee and sip while I open up the jammer and begin doing wash. After every thing is hanging to dry, I open the hood and begin then re-installing of the parts, still sipping on my cup of black. The water pump is installed first; after I rub grease on the bolts, I spread sealant on the outside of the gasket, then I line up the holes and screw in two of the bolts. Then I install the rest of the bolts hand tight, then wrench tight and finally use the torque wrench to tension in two stages to seventeen foot pounds. Before any of the old parts go back on the engine, I wipe off any excess oil and dirt, then wash the part with water and soap. Slowly, the engine begins to take reshape, fan pulley, belt tensioner, retighten the power steering pump, two heater hoses, heater switch, and then when I get to the pulley bracket, one of the three bolts is missing and no where to be found. (I don′t remember, but there may only have been two when I disassembled.) Not wanting to leave one out, and needing to take one with me to the hw-mart to match it, I have to stop here and go for a bolt. However, the sun is two fingers above the horizon and that will not give me time to do anything when I return, so I will stop for the day and pack up the tools.

First, I put away the tools, then my wash, next, I clean up in the jammer and finally, I take a shower. It is dark now and after turning on the lights, work a little longer straightening up the things that I have pulled out of the built in wood storage bins; still organizing my possessions. One thing that I have learned in order to make it easier to find what I have, where I have it, is to have a stuff bag for each category of items and put all those items of that type into that bag, or it can be called, it′s location. For instance, I have one bag labeled 12 volt, another 110 volt, one called computer, another labeled rope, one auto parts and several more. Then, every thing that has any thing to do with car electrical: wires, terminals, cigarette lighter plugs, and such go into the bag labeled 12 volt. All of these bags are stored in my wooden utility bin. I also have four other bins, one I call my kitchen, another my pantry and a third one I call my office, a fourth called my dresser. This past week, I have pulled out all the many things that I have had tucked away in corners, niches, under seats, in buckets, in plastic bag and elsewhere and have been assigning each possession a locations, or else tossing it into the garbage. By organizing my possessions, I know where things are and when I find someone that needs what I already have, I grab it and say, "Here, I have an extra one that I need to get rid of." This way, I can dispose of my things, decreasing the size of my Burden, which I desire very much to do.

At seven, I climb into the jammer with a package of seeded red grapes and begin writing my journal entry while eating the grapes. Then by nine pm, I am horizontal and waiting for the morrow for a repeat of what I have done today.

After having dreamed of a flood, I awake to a windy morning with partly cloudy sky. Then I dress and head into town to buy the needed bolts and for a cup of hot. I arrive at the hw-mart at six-fifty am to wait for it to open; at seven, the doors are unlocked and I go inside to where there is a pot of coffee already brewed. After pouring a cup, I go to the bolt bins, locate the ones I need and then look for a few other items. After walking to the cleaning isle, I find two rectangular buckets the size that I have been looking for. Then, I walk else where in the store and use the buckets as my shopping bag. Finally, I purchase the items and head up Yucaipa boulevard to the dollar store to buy a bag of ice for my cooler, then return to the outback. With the correct bolts, I a use anti seize grease to lube the bolts and then install the pulley bracket. Next, I install the belt and tighten the alternator, then the coolant clean out tee, then the oil filler tube and battery ground cable, and attach the lower radiator hose. The next step is to install the fan onto the water pump but it needs to go on at the same time as the fan shroud so while holding the fan, I position the shroud, tighten the two bolts securing it and then begin threading the fan nut onto the pump threads. After turning for some time I get it as tight as it can go by hand, then I use the same large 1 3/8 inch wrench to take it off with, line the wrench up at twelve o′clock, move it to five minutes before and slam it to the left with a hammer twice to tighten it.

Next up, I re-install the air filter and air intake hose, tighten all the clamps, and connect the PCV hose to the air intake hose. At this point, I open the radiator cap and add radiator flush, then fill the radiator and engine with water. I start the engine with the inside heater turned on and let it warm up, after which, I turn then engine off, open the radiator cap, connect the hose to the clean out tee and turn the water pressure on which causes brown water to come out of the radiator. Starting the engine speeds up the ejection of the dirty water and when it begins to flow out clear I turn off the engine and disconnect the hose from the tee. When I turn the engine back on, the clear water come out of the tee while I pore coolant into the radiator and do so until the water coming out of the tee begins to turn the color of the coolant, green. When that happens, I cap the tee and shut down the engine, and top off the radiator with coolant. At four pm today, I can say "Job complete!" Well, I still have to check for leaks during the next couple of days, but I do not expect to find any. Still, I will pray about it even more than I have been doing.

The rest of the day is spent cleaning up everything that I have had out to accomplish this job, and packing away the tools. Too, there is now a big pile of my possessions that I have put into a bucket that I have mentally marked "Not in it′s place!" Each of the item, I will need to give away, find a place for each or throw away. I would prefer the latter, as my ability to toss items has been honed quite well during my stay here these past ten days. I finish cleaning up and then turn on my computer to write in my journal.

Some time after sunset, Kim brings out a plate with organic grilled chicken and a salad. She has been so wonderful in her effort to provide me with some meals. Granted, I don′t expect any, but do so appreciate her delicious and healthy cooked meals when they come my way. Too, because I am taking my weight loss supplements and not eating out very often, I do believe that I have lost some weight. In fact, several times when I put on my blue jeans, I have pulled the belt up to the eighth notch. Now, it is after ten, and I must get some sleep. I turn off the computer, the lights, close the curtains and my eyes.

During the evening, a wind storm blows through and lasts for several hours. At times, the jammer is rocked like a sail boat in a storm.

Upon arising, I unplug the electric to the jammer, start the engine, drive to the gate, unlock it, then drive to the hw-mart for coffee and one last bolt for the alternator. Next, I drive to the g-mart to buy some vegetables, then to the d-mart to buy a small power tap for the electric rope lights inside the jammer. Then, I return to the outback, install the bolt, and then begin working on the landscape job Richard asked me to do. Also, I rake up all the debris left in the wake of the storm, mostly branches but I also clean up all the dropped fruit and nuts that had been left on the trees unpicked and now on the ground. At almost three, Kim arrives home, comments about the storm and how it destroyed all of their carport tarps. I have collected a dozen pomegranates and begin to cut them open for the fruit. Kim goes inside and come out with a bowl hot vegetable soup, which I thank her for and after adding some TWS enjoy the hot meal. Then I wash the bowl, fill it with pomegranate fruit and take it to Kim tell her that I hope she enjoys this. Return to the jammer, I finish the rest of the pomegranates, then clean up and put away the rest of my stuff. Sitting inside the jammer, I go through the "Not in it′s place!" bucket and find places for most of the stuff and toss several others.

At sunset, I get out my bag of mustard greens and find that these greens taste like a spicy mustard spread. I eat quite a bit from the bag, also an avocado, and for desert, a hand full of raisins and walnuts. Too, I have my computer on my lap and I am writing today′s journal entry. Then at eight-thirty, I put away the food, the computer and climb into the back to read for a while. The moon is waning gibbous, each night getting closer to the morning sun and will rise in the east tonight soon

The sunglow is growing when I arise, walk outside and unplug, open the gate, and drive to the w-mart for a cup of blonde. I work on the computer for a little more than an hour, then drive to the hall and dress for the ministry meeting. I am assigned to work with Mike and we go into the territory just east of Bryant street and a little higher up the mountain. We finish before noon, and when I arrive at the jammer, there is coolant on the concrete that has leaked from the very front of the engine which looks like the radiator has a small leak. I drive to the ap-mart, buy a small tube of aluminum stop leak, pour it into the radiator and fill the radiator with water. Then I drive to the outback, park the jammer and look under and do not see any coolant leaking. I still feel that the jammer will make it to Tennessee which is just under 2000 miles from here. Then I

At about three pm, Kim prepares a chicken salad for Richard and me and we both sit in the patio to eat. Afterwards, I get out the pressure washer, put a little gas in it and it starts right up but it does not have the high pressure it previosly has had, just a light stream coming out of the wand. I put it away and because it becomes really hot, I climb into the jammer with the doors and windows open to work on my computer. Later, I have some more of the pomegranates and at sunset climb back out of the jammer and take a shower. Then, I return to the copilot seat to look online for a new pump for the pressure washer, which I do find several sellers, all asking just under seventy dollars with free shipping. I will pray about this and if I decide to buy a pump, I will ship it to Joe′s home.

At eight pm, it is fully dark and I am done in, so I shut down and get into the horizontal to read and then sleep.

Up before dayspring, climb into the copilot′s seat. Richard and I will begin working on his home at eight so I have a few hours to pound keys. I did not realize the last evening had an extra hour until I turned on the jammer to drive to the w-mart for coffee because the radio clock is the only clock that doesn′t automatically set it self for daylight savings time. I work on the appendix until seven-thirty and then head back to the outback and begin washing laundry. Richard comes out at five minutes past and begins doing some miscellaneous things and getting out the plastic gutter parts, so I finish my wash.

Then I walk to the side entrance where we will be installing rain gutters and see that the ends of the rafters have been cut at an angle of fifteen degrees. I tell Richard that we will have to tag on a triangle piece of board to make the ends vertical and suggest that we cut the pieces, drill holes in them and then screw them to the rafter ends. He agrees and goes to find a board that we can use to cut the new ends. I go into the basement to get the mitre saw to do the cuts. When he returns with the board, we begin refitting the rafter ends so that the gutter will attach correctly. At twelve, noon, we wrap up, put the tools away and sweep up the mess we made; only coming close to completing the rafter refit. There are only four new ends left that need to be glued, screwed and caulked. However, we were able to cut, drill and paint the pieces before stopping.

I return to the jammer, turn on the sun warmed water and take a shower. With the water warmed, I really scrub everything, even cleaning under my finger nails. At the end of the shower, the warmed water runs out so I rinse with cold water, which isn′t all that cold after a warm shower. Then I put on clean shorts and my meeting clothes, but today I put on my two-thirty suit, the light brown one. The two-thirty is the designation I have given it because the last time I had tried it on, it was too tight in the waist and I was just above two hundred and forty pounds. Yesterday, Richard brought out the scale for me to weigh myself and the needle pointed directly at two-thirty. Thus, since the suit now fits me comfortably, I call it my two-thirty suit.

Inside the jammer, the sun seems to set every so earlier now after the fall back. After dark, Richard and Kim arrive home; Richard walks to the outback to tell me that he will be ready to go to work at eight tomorrow morning, to which I replay, I will be ready at five-thirty. After he goes inside, I work on my journal entry and then go horizontal just before nine pm.

Up to the sunglow, clear sky and cool air. Step outside, unplug, open the gate and drive to the w-mart. I purchase a tall blonde, plug in and do the pound the key thing, then I have a refill and soon it is time to return to the outback to meet Richard. Arriving at seven-forty am, I start the truck to warm it up and begin packing it for the work today. At eight o′clock, Richard comes out and soon after we leave for Hemet in the valley plain to work on his two mobile home rentals. First, we stop at the hw-mart to buy two bags of asphalt patch and six bags of concrete. The we head to the rental on Palm Avenue and while he puts tar on the roof seams, I do an asphalt patch in the front of the house. Next, we go inside to repair a bi-fold door but have to make a run to the hw-mart for new pivot pins. While out, we stop at Chipolte for a burrito bowl before returning to finish the door repair.

When that is done, we head to the second mobile and climb down into the crawl space to put concrete along the support wall under the mobile in an effort to stop the water flow that keeps coming in during the winter rainy season. We also load up more of the dirt into the back of the truck, dirt that we had previously dug out from under the mobile. Finally, we pour two and a half bags into the form that I had build for a landing and step in the entrance to the crawl space. With the step done and the sun already set, we pack out and head back toward Yucaipa, stoping to get a lettuce wrapped chicken sandwich and then making the drive to the outback. Once in the outback, we unload the sand by pulling on the tarp to get it to slide out and then Richard parks the truck, after which he goes inside.

I head for the jammer, take of my clothes, put on my swimming trunks and take a cold shower with the temperature at 57°F. Richard had offered to draw a bucket of hot water for my shower, but I tell him, "No thanks, I want to continue as a tough guy." The warm shower yesterday was so much nicer, but even so, I make it through the cold one with out too much problem. Now, I am sitting in the copilot′s seat, dry, warm and pounding keys to compose today′s journal entry while outside a light rain has begun falling. We plan to leave early tomorrow morning to finish the concrete work under the mobile home.

The dayspring has already begun upon opening my eyes, the skies are mostly clear with the third quarter moon directly overhead. It feels crisp this morning, most likely because of the high humidity and the jammer is dripping wet from the rain last evening.

I sit here, in the dark with my face lit up from the screen of my computer and pound on the lighted keys. At seven-twenty this morning, Richard walks out of his home and comes to greet me. We pack up the truck, climb in and head into Yucaipa for breakfast at a f-mart. Richard has shown me how to order some basic foods and not eating the worse part. We have a breakfast burrito in a bowl and coffee. No tortilla, no sauce, just the egg and meat; I ask for jalapenos to put in mine. Then we head back to the mobile in Hemet to finish the concrete work. Again, as we are letting some concrete set, we go to another f-mart and get a lunch burrito bowl with rice, beans, sautéed veggies, tomato salsa, cheese, guacamole and lettuce. No tortilla, no sour cream, no meat. Methinks, in a pinch, this is the way to eat at a f-mart by eliminating most of the carbs.

Then after a little more work to finish the concrete, we head back to Yucaipa arriving at five pm, with enough time for me to shower and then lay down to rest my legs before the meeting tonight. I have noticed that my legs, if I stand on or use them for long hours each day for many days, they begin to ache terribly and getting horizontal is the only way to relieve the pain. At six pm, I call Richard and tell him that I am going to stay in bed to rest my legs, that I will go to the meeting later this week. Before I turn off the lights, I check the temperature and find that it is 47°F now, will drop to 41° tonight, and 39° tomorrow night. I also tell Richard that I will be ready to go in the morning; first, he wants to finish the rain gutters and afterwards, go shopping at the o-mart with me, so that I can help him outfit his emergency to go bag.

Awake to the growing light of day, turn on the heater to take the chill from the inside of the jammer and turn on the computer to work on the Gear Bags page of the Appendix and complete it to such a degree that I upload it to the website but it is far from finished. At eight-thirty this morning, I exit the jammer, put on my work clothes and prepare for the work scheduled for today with Richard.

We work on the gutters until two, then we drive into the city to the o-mart to look for gear for his and Kim′s emergency packs. We shop for a while, buy a few things and then go to the d-mart to pick up more. Then we head back to Yucaipa where I say goodbye to my friends, climb into the jammer and head down the ten to Beaumont, California and park at the d-mart. After climbing into the back and getting horizontal I close my eyes.

Waking before the dayspring, I return to the sleep for a short time but upon rising, I see the waning moon and remnants of the triple conjunction in the eastern sky above the horizon. I drive to the w-mart for my ritual cup of hot and update my journal. Shortly after sunrise, I return to the ten eastbound. Before noon, I have driven through Phoenix, Arizona, the SH 202 eastbound to the Beeline Highway, SH 87 and begin northbound though Tonto National Forest and a beautiful canyon filled with large boulders and an untold number of large saguaro cacti. Methinks to myself repeatedly, "This is such a beautiful highway!" Continuing northbound and rising in elevation, the cacti begin to fade in number at three thousand feet and by three thousand three hundred feet in elevation, they are no longer growing. In there place are large cedar trees. The elevation continues to rise to five thousand feet at Payson, Arizona where I stop at a g-mart for a block of ice and salad vegetables for super tonight. I also stop at a w-mart to find a hall for the meeting tonight. There is one in Eagar, Arizona near the New Mexico state border and after checking the driving time, determine that I have enough time to make it there and dress for the meeting before anyone arrives.

Leaving Payson eastbound on SH 260, continuing in the national forest but also on what is called the Rim Drive with the elevation going up to seven thousand five hundred feet, with snow covering much of the forested landscape for the next ninety miles to Show Low, Arizona at elevation of over six thousand feet. From, Show Low, I take US 60 east through a much dryer section without the forest but still having it′s own charm. In Springerville, Arizona, I turn south on US 180 to Crystal Lane and the Kingdom Hall arriving at six-fifteen pm. .

Walking into the hall, I greet a couple of the friends, who like most witnesses want to know: "Are you visiting or are you moving in?"; "Where are you from?"; "What brings you to this hall?"; and "How long are you staying?" In a short time, I have answered the question of four or five people and when looking up see a familiar face who immediately says, "Well, if it is not Thom Buras!" Nora and her husband Van with there first two children lived in Oak Harbor, Washington some twenty years ago after which they moved back here to where Nora grew up and where many of her family still live. She introduces me to each of her youngest five children, none younger than a teenager. After the meeting, Van and I talk for some time while the rest of his family packs out and heads home. I ask him what the weather is like during the summer to which he tells me that June through September is comfortably cool with only a couple of weeks of hot weather. He asks me if I am staying and I tell him that I am leaving early in the morning but that the cool summer weather may demand my return in the future.

Departing the hall, I change clothes, drive to the g-mart in Eagar, eat my salad and type out today′s journal entry while running the jammer to heat the inside before preparing for sleep. The temperature is suppose to drop to below freezing, so I get out my wool blanket and at nine-thirty climb into the back and bundle up.

When upon arising, the sun, already one hand up into the sky has warmed the temperature up considerable from where it was last night during my sleep during which I had to get out two of my extra blankets. Still, with the extra insulation from them, I slept comfortably warm. Next, I start the engine to get it warmed up, wait a few minutes and then drive a short distance to the f-mart for coffee and WiFi. It does not take too long to warm up and soon, I return to US 60 eastbound, cross into New Mexico and climb up to the continental divide at just under eight thousand feet elevation in Pie Town. I stop to see what this is about and it seems that this is a very old crossing of the divide and one of the lower altitudes at this latitude, above 34 degrees north. Back when pioneers crossed the divide, a woman who was living here3 baked a pie and several travelers asked to buy a slice. The woman baked more pies and they went like hot cakes. Soon, word got out and every one crossing the divide here came to expect fresh hot pies at the top of the divide and the name of the location came to be Pie Town. Now, there is a whole community dedicated to baking fresh tasty pies and there is a pie festival in September each year.

Stopping here before nine this morning, I find only The Gathering Place open, walk inside and I am greeted by two ladies. Seeing that there is a gift shop, I begin to browse and espy several pieces of Indian pottery. After putting two on the register counter, I ask if there is any information available for the two pieces. The waitress gets on her phone and calls Larry who she says is coming. She then offers me some coffee and I sit at the table and talk with Bob and Lacy from Vermont who have stopped here for pie. Larry arrives in about ten minutes and tells me a little about the type of pottery and the Indian artists. The price tags totals 170 dollars and when Larry finishes talking about the two pieces, I ask "Will you take one hundred and fifty for both?" He thinks about it for about a minute and then says "They are your!" I put 150 dollars on the table and the waitress, I never got her name, wraps them while I finish my coffee.

Leaving Pie Town, I continue east on US 60 and stop next briefly at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array to see the many large listening devises. Continuing eastbound on US 60, I arrive in Socorro, NM and turn south on Interstate 25 a short distance to get off on US 380 at San Antonio and take NM highway 1 south to Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. I do not stay long because I want to arrive at a campsite before dark. However, what I do learn about this refuge makes me want to return in the future when I have more time to explore the park.

I drive back up to US 380, turn right and drive east until I arrive at Valley of the Fires BLM Recreation Area National Recreation Area which is just east of Carrizozo, New Mexico. I pull into the BLM park and find a campsite with water and electric. The charge is eighteen dollars and like all other federal campsites, half off for seniors. So, this means I can camp here with electricity for nine dollars. What a deal! But wait! That′s not all! There is a hot shower in the campsite. Sweet! After parking, paying the fee, I head to the shower, then back to write my journal entry for today. Then nine this evening, I get horizontal.

Awake during early sunglow, take photos of the conjunction of the moon and Venus, with the moon being at it′s apogee. Then, I get dressed, step outside and while taking more photos, climb to the top of the campsite hill for the view and sunrise. This is such a beautiful spot with good views, one much isolated, and a superb night sky. I have included this on my campsite page as one to come back to. After the sunrise, I return to the jammer, turn on the heater to warm up and write in my journal. As I look out over the valley of a vast ancient lava flow, I see a multitude of stalks from what looks like yucca plants, but the sign on the display board indicated that they are the spires of sortil, a close relative to the lily plant.

Soon after, I begin driving eastbound on US 380 and come into the town of Captain, NM where the national forest has set up a monument to Smoky the Bear where his grave is located. A short distance east is the town of Lincoln, a state monument to the early settlers in the area where there are the older homes and stores restored and open to the public, not unlike Washington, Arkansas. The drive continues east until the highway connects with US 70 on which I arrive in Roswell in the elusive search for a fully embroidered patch. I continue on eastbound 70 across the flat plains to Clovis New Mexico.

Then at Farwell, New Mexico, I cross into Texas, turn northeast on US 60 and drive out of the cloud cover and into the Top of Texas. Upon arriving in Canyon, Texas stop at a f-mart for WiFi to locate a hall for the meeting tomorrow. Finally, I drive to the d-mart, position the jammer under a parking light to see while I study for the meeting tomorrow and finally climb into the back for sleep.

Upon arising, I drive to a f-mart for coffee and to upload my journal entry. Then I head to the hall for the meeting but the roadway is blocked from construction and it takes me ten minutes to find an alternate route. Upon arriving, I dress, walk in and receive several greetings from the friends. Good talk about the journey of life walking with God and study about how to develop the conscience to benefit one′s self and the congregation. Afterwards, I walk into the back room for the ministry meeting, from which I am assigned to work with Daniel, a single pioneer and two other couples. We do mostly calls and I could not convince the brother driving to go to my call in Rio Grande City. Immediately after, before returning to the hall, we stop at a Mexican restaurant for lunch and I have fish tacos. Then, we return to the hall where I don my blues during which notice that the right rear tire is low, so I drive to the d-mart and have the nail removed and the tire repaired.

Leaving Amarillo, I travel westbound on the 40 a few miles and then turn off of the interstate onto US 287 which heads southeast along the Red River and across the Top of Texas where the landscape is almost totally flat with an elevation of under two thousand feet. Continuing across the Land of the Under Two Dollar per Gallon, I drive to Vernon, Texas, a small town about ten miles south of the Red River, find the d-mart, go in to buy some fresh fruit and return to the jammer to find out that this d-mart has WiFi. I finish today′s journal and up load it to the web, then climb into the back all before nine pm.

The near nonexistent waning moon hangs two hands over the horizon has left Venus and Jupiter long behind in it′s race to meet the suntouch. I arise, drive across the street for a cup of hot and then begin my day′s journal entry. With the suntouch still to come, I head out on the highway to continue across the top of Texas. Leaving Vernon, Texas I continue east on US 287 past Wichita Falls and turn left, going east on a flat and windy US 82 until reaching Gainesville, Texas where my route veers from the top just a short distance. I take the 35 south, then 35E south, next 635 east and finally, US 75 north to Plano, Texas where I stop to purchase more of the weight loss supplements that I have been taking to help me loose weight.

After a short stop, I return to US 75 north to McKinney, turn right on TX 121 to continue back to US 82 and resume my trip across the top. The elevation keeps dropping, now near one thousand feet with everything really changing from the dry west Texas brown to the lush east Texas green. Too, there are an increasing number of lakes, and fall colors. Upon arriving at Interstate 30, I drive under the overpass and continue on US 82 which is apparently the old highway to and through Texarkana, Texas. After crossing Main street, I begin moving west on US 82 through Arkansas, crossing the Red River at four-thirty pm at an elevation of two hundred forty feet. Driving for a short time after sunset, I arrive in El Dorado, Arkansas, find the d-mart, go in to buy a salad, fruit, walnuts and water, return to the jammer and park it for the evening.

Up to a beautiful sunrise in a very humid morning, drive to the f-mart for coffee and then head out east on US 82 across the bottom of Arkansas, driving right into the fog and soon cross the Red River. The highway goes through piney woods, much like I remember when young and camping with the Scouts. Then the rolling hills begin with more pine trees and even some fall colors splashed in at times. Stopping briefly at Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, I find that there is a woodpecker here that I have never seen but I must needs be elsewhere than walking in the piney forest at this time. Continuing east, I dip almost as low as the thirty-third latitude before arriving at Lake Village to drive around a rescada to the Mississippi River and crossing at ten-twenty this morning.

I proceed on US 82 east across Mississippi, until under and just past Interstate 55 when I turn right on MS 412 and drive across some very rural landscape to arrive at French Camp, MS on the Natchez Trace Parkway. As many times that I have driven the Trace, I have never stopped at French Camp but today, I do and find a collection of old log cabins, brought to this location from as much as fifty miles distance. There is even a cafe and gift shop but although I look for a bar of soap, I do not find one that appeals to me.

A short time later, I return to the jammer and begin driving north on the Trace and stop at several locations for photos and then at the visitors center for a map and stamps. Too, I find out that the Trace is closed between Meriwether Lewis campsite and US 412 for road construction. The ranger tells me that I can drive to the campsite and tell her that is where I plan to stop for the evening. Continuing north, I stop for gas in a small town off the trace and then continue while watching the sun set and display some beautiful colors. Upon reaching the exit to Meriwether Lewis campsite, I see that it is because a bridge is out so take the exit and find a campsite. After parking, I get out my veggies and make a salad for my supper while writing my journal entry and then climb into the back before eight this evening.

Awaking at early dayspring, I take a couple of photos of the sunglow seen easily through the trees having earlier dropped their leaves. Then, I go to the lavatory to wash my face and brush my teeth, return to the jammer and begin the drive north on the Trace. At TN 46, I take the exit, drive through Leipers Fork, Tennessee and then the back roads to Franklin, Tennessee where I find the w-mart and go inside for coffee. Online, I search for my first free meal that I will enjoy today but find out that it is only pancakes loaded with sugar. I scrap off most of the sugar and eat the pancakes, then I drive to the w-mart to work on my computer until eleven when I drive to a high class f-mart and have a sirloin steak, baked potato and veggies for free. Back to the w-mart to continue on my computer and then Joe calls to ask me where I am. I tell him "At the w-mart in Spring Hill! Where are You?" He tells me that he will be heading to the shop shortly and I tell him that I will meet him there.

Upon arriving at the shop, Joe comes out to greet me. Then we go in to set up a parts cleaning cabinet by first putting on a 220 volt male receptacle on the end of the power cord. The one that comes with it will not work so we go to the hw-mart to purchase a new one but the one the store has is identical to the old one. I tell Joe that we should go to the other hw-mart and when we do, we find a much better plug, return to the shop and install it. Then several of the mechanics come over to lift the cabinet off of the pallet so that it can be put in place.

Then we begin to fill it with water and soap, having to grind and pound the soap into powder so that it can dissolve in the water. Mark comes by to greet me as we are finishing the set up. I ask both Joe and Mark if they would like to go with me to the Italian restaurant for supper but both decline. So, I head out by myself and get a free meal of rosemary garlic chicken with mashed potatoes and spinach, this being my best meal today. I then head for the d-mart, park and set up for the evening. I play solitaire for a little while and then climb into the back by nine pm, but sleep evades me until well after midnight.

Up just before sunrise, start the engine and drive to the f-mart for coffee and WiFi. At seven-thirty this morning, I drive to the Monte Creek Bridge to see how it has weathered during this year. I see that the structure is solid but the brush, grass and weeds have taken over in the gravel areas. Driving up to the top of the driveway, I park next to the barn and Joe greets me. He tells me that he wants to move a lot of the stuff under the barn to the next property and put it on pallets. He has two but says that he wants to get four more and we load some of the stuff in the back of his truck together with the two pallets and drive it to the next property, find a location to set the stuff and put the two pallets on the ground. We also look at the new bridge; the culverts are in the creek, it just needs forms to be built and concrete poured for the side walls and bridge deck. Then we drive to the ar-mart and pick up the four more pallets he needs, return to the property with them and come to the barn to load more stuff.

Joe then begins to more the fifth-wheel trailer and set it up for me to use for showers while I am here. While he does that and moves more of his stuff to the pallet area, I start the lawn mower and begin cutting grass. I cut along the barn first, then behind the house, next in front of the house and finally down aside the driveway. The sun sets about the same time I run out of gas in the mover the second time. Joe tells me that Sarah will be here soon to prepare supper for all of us. Then, while Joe drives over more of the material, I go into the fifth wheel to take a shower. The water has only had time to get warm but that is better than a cold shower on any day except a hot summer one. When I come out, I walk to the house and sit with Joe to listen to the news while Sarah finishes supper. Then, after a prayer, we each serve our selves and sit at the table to eat. Since walking all day behind the mower in my flat shoes, my legs are now throbbing terribly and tell Joe and Sarah that I am going out to the jammer to get horizontal for the evening. When I turn on the electric heater, it sparks at the base where the wire enters the box. Upon examining it, I see that the wire has frayed and needs to be repaired. I could buy a new one for under ten dollars but this is a minor repair and take out the four screws that hold the two halves of the box together.

In less than a half hour, I have the heater working again, blowing heat into the jammer. It is suppose to get down to just below forty degrees tonight and below freezing during the next two nights. Finally, I get horizontal and read a couple of chapter in my Bible while waiting for the two aspirin to begin working.

Up after dayspring, and pound keys for a while, then get out of the jammer to make hot tea. Then, after drinking one cup, begin cutting grass down to the bottom near the bridge so that I do not wake up my hosts. At eight am, I see Joe outside working in the garden, packing up the tomato cages. Soon, he comes down to the bottom to greet me and asks what he wants to do about pouring concrete at the new bridge. I tell him that it will take up a couple of days to get the forms built and ready for the concrete and that we can start on them today but we need some plywood. First, we load up the 2 by 4′s into the back of the truck and drop them off at the bridge. Then we go to the shop to look for the plywood but find none. Then we drive back to the property to look at the culverts once again and remember that there are two 4 by 8 sheets of three quarter plywood that was left there when the bridge to the next property was built. We go to get the plywood and determine that they will work for what we are doing. Still, we will need some more rock and other form building materials.

I stay at the bridge, gather the rock scattered around the area to begin setting up the foundation for the forms and level the dirt on the street side of the creek while Joe goes to a brother′s farm to borrow some pins and steel forms. When the sun sets, the temperature begins to drop and I clean up and head for the jammer to wait for Joe; when he arrives I point out the waxing crescent moon just one hand just after sunset. Then we both go inside the house to eat a meal after which we watch funny videos on the TV. At nine pm, I head out to the fifth wheel to shower and after, climb into the jammer, turn on the heater and settle in for the evening.

When I awake, it is near freezing but there is no wind so it does not feel like it is too cold, in fact, I sleep good during the night despite being overly tire and sore. At seven, I call Joe to remind him to call for the rocks to be delivered today so that we can continue with the bridge work. Soon after, he comes out with a cup of coffee and I put it into my insulated cup to drink later. Then I drive down to the bridge, arriving at eight, put on my work blues and begin raking dirt and leveling a place for the rock to be dropped. At nine, the truck shows up and drops about half of the load in the spot I had prepared filling it, and there was still two thirds of a load left. I tell him to drop in on the other side of the driveway and then he leaves. I begin to build the first of four walls when Joe shows up to help and together we get all of the rock in place. Robert, a neighbor who has been doing the excavation work on the property for Joe shows up and offers to get his small front loader and move the rock for us. I tell him that we are stacking the rock by hand to make the stack more solid that by just dumping in the hole. Joe does ask him to remove the chirt that he put over the culverts, so he goes to get the front loader and moves the chirt. Then he asks if he can move some of the rock closer to the holes and both Joe and I say yes. He moves the rock and leaves the front loader for us, saying that if we need it, to help ourselves; then he walks back to his parents home across the roadway.

At noon, Joe has to leave to get some tools and supplies that he is borrowing from another brother and I continue to work on stacking rocks in the hole finishing another of the walls by four when Joe arrives back from his errands. We stand up on the top of the culverts and look at the progress and both agree that we have done a lot today. Two of the four holes are complete with the stacking of rock and two more need to be done. Then, we will cut to size each of the four sheets of plywood, installing them with bracing and pins so that it will be strong enough to hold the concrete that we have poured behind the plywood and over the stacked rocks. The sun now having set and the air getting quite chilly, we both head back to the house. I reattach the extension cord, turn on the heater at a low setting, grab my towel and wash bag and head into the fifth wheel to take a shower. Once that is done, I get into the jammer to catch up on my journal writing for today. At six-thirty, I head in to the house to sit with Joe who is watching TV but then decided to drive to town for the night for access to the internet.

In town, I stop first at Don A′s Mexican for crab tacos and then to the d-mart to park. Tonight is suppose to get down to below freezing but it does not feel like it will. I climb into the back, take two aspirin and close my eyes.

Upon awaking, I check my thermometer and it is much warmer than predicted. Then I drive to the f-mart for a cup of hot and to upload my journal entries. At seven-fifteen, I head to the barn to meet Joe for more work on the bridge. Joe goes to run more errands and I finish stacking the third wall and begin on the forth before Joe returns. Then Robert, the neighbor who owns the front loader stops by to move some rock, away from the road and near to where it will be installed in the next several days. Then Joe and I put the first sheet of plywood in it′s hole before we pack up the tools. The plywood will have to be lifted a few inches and then braced into place, which probably will be done tomorrow. We then head back to the house to shower and dress for the meeting which is at four pm.

After showering I dress and then drive the jammer to the hall for the public talk and study. Afterwards, I drive back to park in the barn because Cathy is preparing supper and Joe tells me that I am invited. We eat and at eight pm, I excuse myself saying that I need to get horizontal and walk out to the jammer. However, before getting in the sleeping bag, I write my journal entry, despite my legs crying out to be put down. Finally, at eight-thirty, I climb into the back, take two aspirin and turn of the lights.

Last night, Joe said that he would be up just before seven and have coffee ready for us, then we would drive my van to the shop to have the timing chain and radiator both replaced. Also, the front breaks will be checked and most likely the pads and rotors will be replaced and the bearings repacked with grease. Joe also told me that it would take more then one day to do these repairs so I would need to get out of the jammer what would tide me over to spend a night or two in the fifth-wheel. Thus, I set my alarm to go off this morning at six and I began to load my day pack as well as take out some of my valuables to store in the fifth-wheel. Too, I cleaned up the jammer some, putting away all of the miscellaneous items, those without a place that have found their way to be on the floor. Then Joe comes out side with his standard poodle, Doc and I go back with both into the house to fill my cup with coffee. Soon after, we both drive to the shop and drop off the jammer and he will let me drive his spare car, a 2006 Saturn Ion while mine is in the shop. Before we leave the shop, he asks me if I would like to go for breakfast, and know me he shouldn′t have to ask. We go both of our′s favorite restaurant and I have an vegetable omelet, coffee and two of Joe′s biscuits with gravy. The waitress, Helen walks up and says "Hello gentlemen." For some odd reason, she is the one that always waits on us.

When I order the veggie omelet, she asks "No meat?" to which I tell her that meat is not on my diet. The I say "I have lost ninety pounds, and I still have fifty to go." She asks me what diet I am on and long story short, I give her my website card and directions on where she can find out about my diet. We head back to the bridge and begin working. I start working on the fourth wall and Joe works on building the supporting braces. I even use the front loader a couple of times to move rock and dirt but most of the work is done by hand, especially the stacking of the rock. We continue all day until the sun sets when we talk about if he thinks we will be ready to pour tomorrow and I keep positive with my answer, "Yes, in the late afternoon." Joe agree to the time and I then tell him, "But we will have to start at at six-thirty, which by then will have plenty of light for work." He then tells me "I will have coffee ready at six tomorrow morning." We drive up to the house and I go into the fifth-wheel to take a shower and then sit down with the computer to write today′s journal entry but not long after, Joe calls and tells that supper is ready. Sarah has made salmon burger, tater tots and mixed vegetables, tells us that it is ready and then Sarah and Cathy go to the TV to watch their favorite dancing show while Joe and I make our plates.

Afterwards, I excuse myself and walk out to the fifth-wheel to finish my journal entry and then head the sack before eight pm. I am really sore tonight, there are many aches and pains all over my body.

Waking before dayspring, because my back is hurting from the soft mattress, I get up and get into the shower to put hot water on my back. At six am, when Joe is suppose to call to wake me and have coffee ready, I get out my computer and begin today′s journal entry. At six-fifteen am, I walk outside to see that the sky is already illuminated to a light blue, there is a warm drying wind blowing and I am still waiting for coffee. I just heard a rifle shot and think that someone has just shot a deer. I walk to the house carrying my cup to see if Joe is awake and while waiting outside for him to come, he drives in, get out of the car carrying to large cups of hot. He had gotten up earlier to go the shop and replace a bad circuit breaker in the electric panel.

We then go to work at the bridge finish the last bracing and rock work necessary for the scheduled two o′clock pour. By noon, we are nearly ready and Joe calls the concrete company but they will be here no earlier than two. We wait and at two, no truck, at three no truck even at four no truck. I tell Joe that the sun will set in a half hour and we will be working in dim light at best. Finally, the truck arrives at four-fifteen and we go right to work. By five-thirty pm, we are done, pack up, return to the barn, clean the tools and then go inside to clean myself. I also wash my under clothes because it has been three days that I have been wearing them and then put them in the machine to dry. When I am about ready, Joe knocks on the door to let me know that he is ready to go to eat supper; we had discussed going out earlier because Sarah was not feeling well and was not going to have food prepared.

When we start our drive into town, we stop first at a g-mart for Joe to purchase a bottle of aspirin and we both take some. Then we drive to the roadhouse restaurant to eat our supper. Joe tells the waitress that his food is over cooked and she replies, "I′m sorry." and does nothing about it. I tell Joe that she should have in the least given us our drinks free but she does nothing. Then I tell Joe that I personally would only give her a ten percent tip because the waitresses work for tips here but still letting her know that she failed at her job. Joe, instead gave her a five percent tip and wrote a not on the check. We head back to the barn and go in to recuperate from the day of hard work. Both Joe and I are sixty plus years and as I have said to Joe, "Concrete work is for the young and willing, not the old and retired." I have even been asking Joe to find Manuel Laborer to help but Joe keeps telling me that Manuel is not available.

As we retire for the evening, the high winds pick up, those of the front that is moving into the area and will a bring heavy downpour of rain. We wanted to get this pour done before this rain, which we did, but this pour is only about half of the work that Joe wants to accomplish during my stay this month. For now, we have completed what could be called the foundation for this bridge, that which goes under the actual bridge deck. Tomorrow, both Joe and I will take the day off to rest and recuperate while the rain passes through Tennessee. Next, we are going to remove most of the bracing from the foundation, continue with the rock landscaping work and start building the forms for the bridge deck. Then, sometime during the first of next week, possibly Monday, we will pour the bridge deck, or possibly have a concrete company come in to do the surface finishing work.

I go into the bed room to sleep but do not stay long there before moving because it is too soft. I try the floor next but there is not a location where I feel be comfortable so I move again to the sofa in the living room but since it is a short sofa, I lengthen it by adding two kitchen chairs along side the sofa and make do for the evening. Outside, the rain storm continues.

I do not sleep well during the night but finally make it through until after five am, get up, take a hot shower and then begin writing my journal entry for the previous day. Then by seven this morning, I get dressed and drive into town for coffee and WiFi. Soon after, the heavy rain begins and I remain in the w-mart most of the day.

At ten this morning, I go out to the car to take a nap but the car is not large enough to stretch out for a comfortable sleep. I go back in, have a grill cheese sandwich and water for lunch but I am exhausted from lack of good sleep. I yearn to have the jammer returned to me so that I may be able to sleep comfortable once again. Due to being so tired, I am not able to do much on the computer in a productive way so by three, I head back to the barn to crash there and stop briefly to look at the bridge to find that the water flow in the creek is over the top of the dam that I had built. Also, the water flow coming down from the higher levels of the property is now flowing over the large rock we had poured concrete under to prevent further undermining. With the rain now stopped, I drive to the barn, go inside and soon, Joe arrives and then together we go to get some materials for the bridge deck form that we will begin tomorrow. As we leave for town, the sun sets and the glow above in the clouds provides a beautiful display. We then stop at the shop to pick up some 3/4 inch thick boards and a cot. Next we drive to the hw-mart to purchase boards and then head back home for supper when Joe tells me that my van may be finished tomorrow. After supper, I go into the fifth-wheel to set up the cot and then get horizontal for the evening.

I awake before sunrise and finish yesterday′s journal entry while I watch the weather on the TV channel. It looks to be dry for the next couple of days during which Joe and I will build the bridge deck forms. Some time after that is done, I hope to begin my drive southwest toward Texas.

Joe comes out at eight this morning and we drive into town for breakfast before we begin work on the bridge. Then at nine this morning, we are hard at work changing the two by six boards into the deck forms. Then, I ask Joe to call the shop to ask if the jammer is finished and he finds out that the repairs are complete but the mechanic has found a coolant leak and wants to keep it overnight to find and correct the leak. By sunset, we have completed three of the four sides of the twenty four foot by twenty five foot bridge deck which we have built attached to the top of the previous forms that we built for the bridge foundation. While the sunlight begins to dim, we pack the tools into the trailer, I change out of my work clothes and then we each drive vehicles back to the barn.

I tell Joe that I would never had thought that the jammer would not be done by tonight when we dropped it off Monday morning. In fact, I do not have my meeting clothes, nor my book bag, not even my shaver. So, I tell him that I am not going to the meeting in my casual clothes without my Bible and book bag, but will instead go out for supper at the Mexican restaurant in town right after I take a shower. After eating, I return to the fifth-wheel, set up my sleeping bag on the cot pad and close my eyes. However, sleep does not come quick because of the pain in my legs and back.

Once I see light in the sky, I arise and turn on the weather channel only to find that there is cold temperatures coming in the next several days with freezing temperatures at night. Nevertheless, I have a down sleeping bag and extra blankets. I work on journal entries and at eight see Joe and Doc outside, join them and soon have some coffee in my cup. Later, we go to the bridge to work on forms and stay there until about three pm when I drive to the shop to trade vehicles. Before I drop of the keys to the Ion, I give it a bucket bath, even washing the tires. Leaving in the jammer, I drive to the d-mart to buy a bottle of oil additives for the engine, the same I add each time the oil is changed in the jammer.

Next, I head back to the barn and get a call from Joe who says that he just saw me on the road heading home; he was going the opposite direction. I stop at the bridge and while waiting for Joe to return add the oil additive to the engine oil and check the other levels. When Joe arrives, we both drive to the barn and go inside to shower, myself in the fifth-wheel and I do a load of wash. Afterwards, I go inside to watch old westerns with Joe; later Sarah arrives and prepares supper of salmon, asparagus, salad and rice. However, it is the rice that catches my attention as she adds olive oil and cranberries to the pot before cooking the rice which comes out really nice. After the meal, we watch a movie that Sarah had downloaded onto her phone, call How to train your Dragon, two; it was as good as the first one. At nine something pm, I excuse myself and return to the jammer to get horizontal.

Last night was the first night back in the jammer; what a difference in my sleep. I arise, get dressed and drive to the w-mart for coffee and WiFi. At eight-thirty am, I drive to the hall, get dressed and go in for the ministry meeting and work with Gregory for the morning. After wards, I drive back to the w-mart and work for a while on my journal but by three pm, I begin feeling the sleep debt from the past several days and drive to the d-mart to take a nap.

At five-thirty, Joe calls to see if I want to come to supper tonight but I tell him that I have already eaten and that I have been napping all day. He then says that he will see me at the meeting tomorrow. I go back to sleep and then at eight pm, I drive to the Franklin d-mart, about twelve miles, to see if it has two items that I have been looking for; it does not. I park in the lot, put up my curtains, finish my journal entry for today and upload it to the web. I also begin my Bible study for tomorrow′s meeting. Finally, at nine thirty pm, I turn off the lights and get horizontal.

Feeling well rested and more cognizant when arising this morning, I drive to the w-mart for a cup of hot and begin working on my journal. The day begins with a colorful display and continues into a clear pale blue sky. At eight-thirty am, I drive to the hall in Spring Hill for the ministry meeting.

Working with Eric, Karen, and Bob, we do mostly return visits because of it being so cold out. I wear my Dorfman hat and my dark brown suit over my summer blues which is enough to keep me warm for short visits to front doors but not anything longer or door to door; too, no one else is wearing heavy winter coats. During the car conversation, I find out that Eric and Karen have served in Argentina first in a Spanish congregation then asked by a circuit overseer to start an English group which soon after had over twenty in attendance. Later, we stop for a restroom break after which return to the hall. I change into my winter blues and drive to the g-mart for some vegetable for lunch. After shopping, I return to the jammer and when trying to start the engine, it only clicks. Checking to see if the battery is dead, I turn on the radio, then the dome light but everything is running loud and bright. I suspect that it is the starter that has died, it being on the engine since Day 1091 BR, when I replaced the starter at my brother Robert′s home in Gypsum, Colorado over five years ago. I call Joe and tell him about the jammer not starting and he helps me to diagnose the problem. First, he tells me, I need to tap on the starter with a hammer while someone turns the ignition. That having not worked, then, I need to jump then battery and then try to start it again; again no success. He tells me that next step is to replace the starter, to which I tell him that I have a spare new one. He says, "I would say ‘No Way!’ but knowing you, you probably do." Then, I say, "What I don′t have is a jack stand." to which he says "I have one, I will be right there with it." When he arrives, I put the jack stand under the frame and then go to work replacing the starter and in just over a half hour, I turn the key and the engine starts. We both pack out and I leave the g-mart, drive to the Kingdom Hall and get dressed for the meeting.

Afterwards, while taking my suit off, Joe calls me to invite me for supper at seven. I tell him that I will be there by seven and we have a t-bone steak, tomato-cheese salad and mashed vegetables. With my eyes feeling heavy, after eating, I retire to the jammer, turn on the engine to warm up the inside and soon before nine pm, get into the horizontal.

Despite it being a one blanket night, ⁴ I sleep warm, almost too warm but wake up when seeing the blue glow on the horizon. Starting the jammer, I turn on the heater and put on my winter blues. Then I drive to the w-mart for coffee and to work on my journal. At nine am, I head to the ap-mart to buy an alternator to have on hand when the one on the engine goes bad. Both the starter and the alternator have each been replaced at least four times since I have owned this vehicle. I will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon for the starter to arrive at the ap-mart before receiving it. Next, I return to the w-mart and from there, locate and call a different ap-mart to check if they have a replacement starter for the one that went bad. The clerk says that it has to be ordered also, and at ten, that same clerk calls to tell me that it has arrived; I drive there, put the old starter on the counter and then hand the clerk my receipt. Finally, I walk back to the jammer carrying the new starter, free of charge and put it into my automotive storage bin for the next time there is a starter problem.

Joe also contacted me to let me know that he can not meet me at the bridge site until noon, after which I go to the d-mart to purchase a box of one inch Velcro for the new curtains that I will be making for the jammer. Also, I purchase some additive for the power steering pump that promises with a money back guarantee to reduce the noise that it makes. I have always loved products with lifetime warranties and money back guarantees. It is fun to watch the faces on the clerks when I pull out my warranty paper, especially when the starter was nearly one hundred and fifty dollars.

Arriving back at the barn by noon, I begin putting on my work clothes when Joe drives in. We load the tools into his truck and then head the bridge. The work we have left for today is to finish the forms for the bridge deck which takes less than two hours. Then Joe asks if I have eaten to which I tell him "A banana and grapes." He then says, "Lets go get lunch." and we drive into town and have burgers at a high priced burger joint. After eating, we return to the barn, Joe goes inside and I take a shower. Later while I am in the jammer writing my journal entry for today, Joe comes out to see what I am doing and I join him inside to watch the football game. Too, I bring my laundry in with me to do a load of wash. At ten pm while I am folding clothes, Sarah and Cathy return home from shopping and when I am done with my wash, leave to return to the jammer for the evening.

Up to the blue glow, start the jammer, get dressed, and begin driving to town all along watching as the blue glow turn first to dark orange and then deep red as the sunglow encroaches upon the morning. My first stop is at the af-mart where the gallon price is $1.859 after dropping steadily over the last week from one-ninety and keeping this part of the land of the under two dollars a gallon. Then on to the w-mart for coffee and to begin today′s journal entry as well as to set up the next chapter to continue with later this week.

At eight-thirty this morning, I head for the bridge to help with the concrete pour. The concrete crew is five in number and are already there when I arrive, having been there for a while. I park, put on my work clothes and then wait for the concrete truck with the crew. It is schedules to arrive at nine this morning but does not arrive until noon; methinks that the concrete company is not doing their job. Finally, it arrives and then a second truck to finish the pour which had the extra for the area just north of the bridge where there has been the water flowing down from the upper property. When this is complete, I leave to take a shower and then drive to town to pick up my alternator. Once the alternator is stowed in the auto bin, I drive to the Mexican restaurant for supper. After eating, I return to the barn, plug in and work on setting up the new passage for the website. Then at nine pm, I shut down everything, climb into the back and before closing my eyes take two aspirin.

This day begins not unlike many of the ones during the past two weeks of my stay here in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Too, this day begins with the same aches and pains that have been associated with the work that has involved myself in and around Monty Creek by helping my good friend Joe to build yet another bridge to ford this waterway. Today finds me first at the w-mart for coffee, then at the bridge to remove the extensive forms built during the last many days and then to move what seems like a ton of rock (actually over twenty tons were delivered) into their place for the purpose of diverting and channeling the rushing water to protect the bridge.

It is a phone call from Joe that drags me away from the keyboard and back into the hole at the bridge. We start by removing the forms from each of the four side, a task that takes us well into the afternoon. The plywood against the four walls is the hardest to wrench from the concrete requiring the use of a pick to break away the concrete and rock at the bottom. It is necessary at one point to use a fulcrum to aid in lifting the plywood away from it's birth attached to the concrete wall. Then once the boards and plywood have all been removed and stacked aside the bridge, we begin moving the rocks from the top level into the holes and then stack them into their places against the walls. When all the rocks are placed, we then pack all the tools and return to the barn.

I go directly into the fifth-wheel for a shower, make a root and kale salad, then I sit in the jammer and work on my website until I am called in for supper. Chicken, rice, salad, and chips are served and I bring my salad to offer it as part of the meal. We watch a animated movie while eating and afterwards, I retire to the jammer to climb into the sack. After a few minutes realize that the throbbing in my legs is what's keep me awake so I chew three aspirin, close my eyes and soon fall asleep.