Merry Christmas 2011 from Gordon and Marlene Richards

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Traveling from northern Arizona in late December 2010 we were just ahead of the snow as we aimed our rig toward the southeast. The lazy river of Wyndham Bonnet Creek near Orlando was calling us for a 2-week stay. This was our first time to stay in a Presidential unit, a practice we could easily become accustomed to!

Our first stop in Florida was at the mini-farm of Cousins Norman and Bonnie near Lake City; we left our 5th wheel there as we vacationed at Bonnet Creek. Stopping at their place is always a welcoming visit. In late January we picked up our camper and traveled to Douglas and to dear friends, the Kysers. They are rv ers, too, so they have room and a set up for our camper.

In Douglas we visited Marlene s daughter, granddaughters and great-grandchildren as well as friends from her teaching days there. One granddaughter lived in the Augusta area so we camped at Petersburg Campground on Lake Thurmond, a COE park, in order to visit with them. From there we moved to another COE park on Lake Allatoona north of Atlanta to visit Marlene s son. If you have never visited these parks, you need to because both are nice as are most COE parks.

We were asked to return to Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, OK as hosts for the summer so we traveled to OK in mid March and stayed until after Labor Day. First, we dodged tornadoes and then spent the hottest summer in OK since 1934!!! But we enjoyed our 6-months stay in Sulphur, Gordon s hometown. The rangers and staff were nice and we felt we were giving something back with our volunteering. Also, we felt at home at Sulphur United Methodist Church. In mid April we spent a long weekend with Gordon s sister and husband in Bethany to attend the festivities and wedding of granddaughter Kennedy. Spending time with Halpains is always fun. With our long stay in OK we had several cookouts with the Richards children and families and saw them often since they were only 40 miles north.

In late August Gordon had another kidney stone attack so he saw doctors several times over the next 2 months. This didn t stop our annual fall trip to Pagosa Springs, CO, however. We think nowhere is prettier than southwest CO in the fall. We squeezed in a stop at Englewood, KS for a week with boondocker friends in October.

The big  C word raised its ugly head in Marlene s daughter. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in October and we changed our winter plans to return to GA. As of this writing she has had successful surgery to remove the thyroid and lymph nodes. Now she is under the care of an endocrinologist but she had to retire from teaching. Until we know if Dianne is cancer-free and successfully adjusted to thyroid medication we will stay near or in GA.

Since October 18 we have been parked in granddaughter s #2 yard and meeting the school bus every afternoon for her 7-year-old daughter. Then we have homework and Marlene has fun teaching 2nd grade again. The first grade she taught in 1957 in Tifton, GA!!!

Thanksgiving was celebrated with all of Marlene s family except the son who was vacationing at a Wyndham resort in south FL. He had been to see her over the weekend when UGA beat FL!!! And we had a low-country boil and oysters on the half-shell.

In late November we left our rig in GA and traveled to Wyndham Bonnet Creek for a 3-week stay. Our rv friends Howard and Florence Davis visited for several days and we all ate too much because Florence is a good cook. We plan to spend Christmas in GA with Marlene s family.

We wish all of our friends far and wide a very Merry Christmas and pray that God s blessings will surround you as we enter into a new year.