Moving Day and Back in Time

 Monday, November 24, 2025

The sun was up before us this morning but not by much. It was only 49 degrees when we first got up but when I opened the door to take this picture I could already feel the sun's warmth. It is a beautiful start to another day of living our dream.

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Below are two of the Saguaros that have died in this area since we first started parking here. 

Both these pictures are of the same Saguaro.
I could not find the first picture I took of this guy. The one on the left
 I believe I took in either 2022 or 2023. The right is from today.
I could not find the original so no exact year.

The one on the bottom right I tool this past week.
The bottom left and top one were taken back in March 2019.

Saying goodbye to our spot. The place we have called home
for the last few weeks. It is always bittersweet leaving a place
we have enjoyed and we did enjoy this spot.

The good news is friends Kim and Ken have arrived safely and have parked within feet of the spot above we vacated. They said they could see where our carpet had been...lol We all agree this is a pretty good spot to spend some time relaxing and just enjoying the peacefulness of the desert.

We are now parked and calling Park Place RV home for the next month. Kim and Ken drove in for Happy Hour at Patsy and Bill's site and since we are two sites down we were able to just stroll over to join the group. It was nice to get together with everyone The conversation was as always lively and certainly not boring. 

Left to right: Tom, Bill, Ken, Kim, Patsy with Gibbs posing
nicely by her feet.

It is different for us to be in this area and in a RV Park but sometimes it is good to mix things up. We are looking forward to this time here and being near friends. 

A Little Trip Back in Time to Sunday, September 14th and Monday, September 15th.

After spending 9 nights at the UP Fairgrounds in Escanaba it was time pack up, pull in the slides, and get our wheels rolling. We arrived at the Wayne County Fairgrounds on Monday and it was home for 2 weeks. This time was spent visiting with our grandkids and their parents.

Between Escanaba and the Bridge there are several opportunities to catch a glimpse of Lake Michigan as we drive through the forest which is a big part of the wonderful beauty of this place we call home. 

The sun was making the lake sparkle as we left today.
Escanaba is across the way.

There were a few times when the lake was so quiet it it almost 
looked like glass.

Honestly we expected to see more color today but there were
just a few touches here and there of reds, golds, and oranges

Lake Michigan sparkling in the sun.

The first sighting of the Bridge.

Then there is the Mackinac Bridge.
A sight we never get tired of seeing.

We have started across the bridge.
The Upper Peninsula is in our rear view mirror.
Then the Lower Peninsula comes into focus aswe reach the other end.
Lake Michigan in on our right  and Lake Huron on our left.

I do not think I have ever shared any information about this beautiful bridge. What can I say today is your lucky day😎.

The Mackinac Bridge is currently the seventh-longest suspension bridge in the world by total suspended length, and the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.  The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957, connecting two peninsulas linked for decades by ferries. At the time, the bridge was formally dedicated as the "world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages". It remains the longest suspension bridge between to anchorages in the Western Hemisphere. The length of the bridge's main span is 3,800 feet (1,158 m), which makes it the third-longest suspension span in the United States and 29th longest suspension span worldwide. It is also one of the world's longest bridges overall.

(I will save more information for the next time I post its picture.)

Tom and I both remember when the "Mighty Mac" opened. As a family my mom packed a picnic lunch and we made a day trip to see it. Tom remembers his family doing the same thing. It was a big deal and many of our friend's made that trip, also.

On I-75 heading South.
We spent the night at the Walmart in Gaylord, MI.
It is a familiar stop for us.

Leaving in the morning a few miles down the road a familiar
sign. One I have taken and posted more than once.

We are seeing a little more color in this area.

Still not a lot color. Just a few spots here and there.

A Little Farther Back in Time

Sometimes everything lines up and you get a lucky shot. This for me was one of those moments. When heading back to Escanaba after crossing the Mackinac Bridge we make a left turn and head west on US-2. After not that many miles we drive along a beautiful stretch of sand beach along Lake Michigan. We were in the Jeep, Tom pulled over, and I got out to take a couple of pictures as the sun was heading down. This is one of them. 

July 2024

If you have enjoyed the pictures I have put out there 

or the words I have added that makes me smile. 

If you have time to leave a comment they are always special to read. 

No matter what I am glad you stopped by!

We are in Colorado but First A Short Summary of our Summer

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Heading north on US-491

We are presently in Colorado but before I catch up our travels I am doing this blog of our summer for our memory book.

In the last blog I posted I had us turning on to M-35 and almost to our destination. In the picture below we are parked in front of our daughter's garage which was the Stinger "B's" home for most of the summer. She only left twice to have her yearly check up and oil changed etc... and to take us to Iron River, MI for a Sibling's Weekend. 

May 30, 2023

June

You could say we hit the ground running. 

June 3rd was, our granddaughter, Adelaide's Dance Review

Then our granddaughter, Charlotte, participated in the
Missoula Children's Theater's production, Little Mermaid

The Missoula Children's Theater based out of Missoula, Montana brings the experience of fun and learning to small towns across the world. How this organization came to be can be found here. The Missoula Children's Theater's Mission Statement is: The development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts. I remember when our two kids participated in this program. It is exciting to see the smiles on the children's faces and their talent come alive with this program. 

We celebrate three birthday's in June.
Our oldest grandchild, Noah, turned 13. Our youngest 
grandchild, Thomas, turned 4. Our son, Thomas, turned 39.

We made a change at the end of the month. We said goodbye
 to the "Little Black Limo" and hello to a very yellow Jeep.

We have been contemplating what to call our new addition. Some thoughts have been: Little Bee, Baby Bee, The Hornet, Little Stinger, Rae or Rai the female versions of Ray thinking ray of sunshine. ( I did mention it is very yellow.) To be honest we cannot seem to agree...lol

July

Then July was upon us and leaving the Stinger "B" at our daughter's we packed up the yellow Jeep and headed down to visit with our son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren for a couple of weeks. 

Traffic going north was slow and bumper to bumper crossing
the bridge. Going south was pretty much clear sailing.

These are the people we have come to see
and their parent's, of course.

This is Captain Kirk a beautiful Golden Retriever.
He is a very needy dog and when let outside spends most
of his time looking at us through the screen.

Marci and Thomas gardening with Papa

Out to dinner with the family. The food was delicious.
The mural was across the street from the restaurant.

Both my parents were born in the UP near where we are from but they were living in Detroit when they were first married and this is where I was born. Our kids and grandkids were at a picnic on one of the Sunday's we were there. Which we attended for a while but they were with friends and I really wanted to take a ride as I had several addresses I wanted to check out. The apartment building they lived in, the hospital, and where my Dad worked are all gone. I was not surprised about this. What I was surprised about was finding the church I had been baptized at, St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church, is still standing.The door was open so I walked in. The building itself, inside and out is in need of repairs yet even in the dim light the beauty of what was could still be seen. 

 

Standing in the back when I first walked in.

The Sacristy ceiling

and the altar.

On the floor

and the ceiling above. On either side half way up towards 
the altar. It looked like all the stain glass was still intact.

The pulpit and one of the Stations of the Cross, they were all still
 on the wall. In the back on the wall I found this sign, lower left.

Most of what would have been there as a Catholic Church is still there. Including statues.

Located on Grand River just off W. Warren, the Italian Renaissance-style church is an Old World landmark that bookends the modern-day explosion of mural art on buildings in the Grand River Creative Corridor. Opened during Detroit's manufacturing and shipping boom when the parish served more than 1,000 families. The church has signs of its grand past, including marble flooring, large murals hanging on the ceiling above the altar, ornate stained glass windows and solid wood pews. According to the press release, "St. Leo Roman Catholic Church, built in 1908 on Grand River and West Warren at one point had 2,500 congregants, it was a Catholic stronghold just outside downtown — until it wasn't."

The current St. Leo church was dedicated in 1908 and was designed by architect Harry Rill. Rill, who also designed Detroit St. Hedwig and St. Paul on the Lake in Grosse Pointe Farms, was inspired by the Church of the Madeleine in Paris. St. Leo High School closed in 1971, but its elementary school operated until 1998. (Interesting side note: The Catholic Church, St. Paul on the Lake in Grosse Pointe Farms is the parish our son and his family belong to and we attend when we visit.)

Saint Leo's a historic Detroit parish has become a music hall after a financial collapse and a shrinking congregation. Saint Leo Catholic Church, established in 1908, reopened in October of 2017 as the Detroit Gospel Theatre. (Article from December 2017)

Over the years driving down I-94 I could see what looked like was an impressive church at one time the same Sunday as we visited St. Leo's we took the exit to see the building up close.

Coming around the block the buildings
from behind.

The front of the church building. What was left of the stain
glass gave me the impression it was a Catholic Church.

The name above the door next door gave
me a place to start researching.

T

Doing some research I found that this church was in fact: The St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Roman Catholic Church is a church located at 5818 Dubois Street in Detroit, Michigan. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 

The former St. Stanislaus R.C. Parish has significance as the fifth parish established to serve Detroit's Polish community, which is one of the largest in the nation.

This church was also designed by architect Harry J. Rill, who designed St. Leo. with a neo-baroque exterior and a beaux-arts interior. Work began on this church in 1911 and was completed in 1913. The twin spires of the church added to the already impressive skyline of Detroit. One parish history notes that the bells in the towers were named Anthony, Francis, and Stanislaus, after those who donated to build them. St. Stanislaus featured some of the finest stained-glass windows in the city, created by old world craftsmen from Europe.

The last service was held in July of 1989 and the church was put for sale with an asking price of $125,000. After several different owners the church was bought in 2014 for $45,000 by  a private party. Currently the church is being used for storage, under the watch of a full time caretaker who lives inside the church.

 

After spending 16 days downstate we were again
crossing the Mackinac Bridge and back in the UP.

Tom and his fishing/canoeing buddies, Dennis and Fuzzy,
went on their annual camping and fishing trip.

Yes, we did go to the Barbie Movie. Rachel, Charlotte, and I.
No, Adelaide in the top corner did not go but she inherited
the feather boas. 

Breakfast with my brother, his wife, and my sister.

Someday I am sure this little one will say,
why did you post this Nana? I just thought
he was so cute. Jonah turned 11 in July.

Charlotte turned 12
and her mother took her parasailing to celebrate.

Nate played soccer and it seemed to rain every time we
went for a game.

August

Then without missing a beat it was August.

Nate was still playing soccer and it was still raining.

Rachel took her three children and one of Charlotte's friends
to Bay Beach in Green Bay, WI and I went along for the ride.

Our 55th Class Reunion 
I graduated with a good looking group of people.

Borrowed this picture from our class page.
These five ladies came together and planned a wonderful
class reunion. Thank you.

Random pictures

of people 

enjoying the evening.

Groups shots of the various grade schools.

Top photo is the High School we went to.
Our grandchildren now go to grade school there.
The bottom is the Escanaba Public High School at least it
was when Tom went there. It know is 6th through 12th.

I usually take pictures and post them in the blog of the
various churches we attend when we are traveling.
This is St. Thomas the parish we belong to.
On the left is what used to be the grade school and is now
offices and the church hall. On the right is the rectory.

The top statues of the Blessed Mother and Joseph were over
the side altars before the church was remodeled.
Fr. Thompson was the pastor when I went to grade school 
here. The emblem is on the floor at what used to be the
entrance to the school.

The church looks a lot different inside from when we came
in through the furnace room from the school
for daily mass when I was in grade school.

I had parked a ways out at Walmart and when I came
out I was surrounded by Jeep Wranglers
and we all had ducks on our hoods.

Top photo are the ducks Rachel bought her dad so he/we
can duck other Wranglers.
Bottom photo we have been ducked 6 times so far.
There is even a wave we had to learn it is a whole 
new thing owning a wrangler...lol,,,who knew.

Marcella turned 9 in August.

Adelaide turned 7.

September

The summer flew by and it was September.

We started our Siblings Weekend on August 31st in Iron River, MI at the Klint Safford Memorial RV Park and stayed until September 5th. What a fun 5 days. Our brother Jeff lives near Iron River and brought plenty of firewood so we enjoyed several wonderful campfires. Lots of reminiscing and lots of laughs. My sister Chris lost her husband, Perry, last September and she gifted us each a coffee mug in his memory. He was certainly missed and always will be. She also made us some UP night lights. Thank you, Chris.

Top left picture left to right: Frank, Chris, Jeff, and Me
Middle Right left to right: Frank, Jody, Chris, Jeff, Linda,
Tom and Me.

 

The Stinger "B" was parked back at our daughter's and then Rachel and I were off for a Mother/Daughter Weekend in Traverse City where Nadine met us. It was a quick couple of days that flew by because time does fly when you are having fun.

There was shopping Friday and Sunday morning.

We had a wonderful Saturday wine tasting and our
driver, whose name escapes me, was the perfect guide. 

This was our last stop and he took this picture.
It was perfect.

Back from our weekend and in a few short days we hooked up the Jeep and we pulled away from our daughters and pointed the Stinger "B" East and then South to spend a few days with our Son, Daughter-in-law, and grandchildren before leaving Michigan in the rearview mirror and heading out for our Tenth Adventure.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge one last time for this year.

Pictures with our Grandchildren.

We crossed into Indiana on September 20th. 
First Stop Nappanee to have a new frame put 
around our livingroom slide.

So that was a short summary of our summer. A lot of the days were just spent enjoying the day or doing normal everyday chores. The time always flies by way faster than we think it will when we first arrive back. I always think there will be time to put out a couple of blogs and there never is. By the time we settle in, in the evening we are ready for bed. It is a good busy though and we enjoy every minute. 

To All Our Canadian Friends

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.