Friends, Family and Feenix

It is a joy to find such a welcome when one pulls in to spend the night! Most RV parks don't make one feel so welcome...but our sister-in-law has a way of making us feel very special. They have kind neighbors who don't mind our little RV parked in front of Jim's house for a night--or two or three. The food is delicious...and the fruit trees are loaded with tangerines, lemons and grapefruits. What more could one ask? Thanks for your hospitality, Jan and Jim. Brother Jim was in Washington DC on a business meeting during THE football game...of course, he watched the game at a sportsbar with the OU Alum Club..but the rest of us left back in Feenix carried on the OU tradition in a way that would have made my parents proud (remember, in their 80's, they were still going to OU home football games!) We received an email from our dear friend, Shelley Cooper, from Wichita, telling us she was coming to Midland to visit her son and hoping to be able to see us--and then casually mentioned she was heading for Phoenix to visit her daughter and stepmom. So, of course, I wrote her back immediately to say we were not in Midland so couldn't see her there, but would love to have a visit in Scottsdale! Shelley and her late husband, Norris, were very special friends during our year in Wichita. Norris died way too young this past year, and we all miss him--but had a good time remembering stories, sharing tears, and laughing together. Their daughter Carley is so lovely...we were glad she was able to join us. And with their son, Corey, and his wife living in Midland, we do hope to see them when we are back in Midland. It is a small world, isn't it? Pat Mundy is a friend from Enid that has been adopted in to our family...and we were overjoyed to have her come to a horse show in Scottsdale while we were camped at McDowell Park. For one thing, while we have known all about her love of horses and the competitions she entered, we have never had the opportunity to see her compete, or see her in her riding outfit. For another thing, we haven't had any exposure to the world of horses--West World in Scottsdale is quite an experience. Besides seeing Pat ride, she was able to visit us at McDowell, sit around the campfire, make s'mores, and just enjoy being together.

Chihuly at his best

There are not words to describe the beauty of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and the glassworks of Dale Chihuly. It is breathtaking. Colorful. Regal. Whimsical. Eyecatching. I am SO glad that we spent the afternoon there. Our first exposure to Chihuly was the Spencer Theater, Alto, NM several years ago. We saw the magnificent ceiling of the Bellagio in Las Vegas four years ago, his work at the Wichita Art Museum, the Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma as well as the Tacoma Art Museum. And now this...what a blessing, and what joy the artist brings to all our lives. Our lives are enriched by this afternoon.

Congratulations to Pine Ridge Pres youth!!!

There is a Director of Christian Education and a Junior High Youth Advisor, who (foolishly--or maybe wisely?) challenged their young people to the following: raise $1000 for World Vision 30-hour famine and the youth could dress the adults in outfits of their choosing from the thrift store--to be worn in church on the following Sunday. AND - if they should raise $2500 (how could they possibly do that??), the youth could dye their hair the colors of their choice. Can you guess what these energetic and enthusiastic young people did? They raised OVER $2500 for World Vision, and were delighted to fulfill the challenge. Carla's hair is now huckleberry blue and pink..and will be that for the next few weeks! Our hats are off to these two, to the fabulous youth of Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church in KCMo, and to the generous folks who pledged to the cause. Since Carla is on her way to her national APCE meeting next week in San Antonio, her Dad has suggested she wear a pin that reads "Ask me about my hair", giving her the opportunity to share the story of what one church (properly motivated) can do for a good cause. We are SO proud of all of you!!

Reflections on Christmas

There are two different worlds in Las Vegas....the glitzy world of  The Strip with all its bright lights, no clocks, and way too many people...the pic of  the three Hiltons  taken as we left the Barry Manilow Show at the Hilton LV  (appropriate, don't you think?)  Jo & Scott spent 3 nights at Caesar's Palace, so we got a small taste of that side of the LV life.  The picture of Jo, Scott and Mary shows a part of the Christmas decor on The Strip.  And on the other hand--you have the permanent residents of Las Vegas who live normal lives, just like you and me - and rarely take in The Strip!

Included is a picture of the five Sparks grandchildren.   In the back is Carla Hilton.  The front row is our hostest (with the mostest!) Sally Sparks Suppe, Jo Hilton Peters (and yes, she does have pink hair!), Nancy Sparks, and her brother Steve, who both live in Phoenix.  Best of all was the joy my brother and I shared in watching our adult children thoroughly enjoy one another and share in Christmas preparations as well as clean-up!  Jim and I each have a son-in-law who fit right in and seemed to enjoy all of us as well.  My brother, Jim Sparks, and I are sitting in our niece Sally's home in LV, where we all headquartered for the holiday. Sally was a fantastic hostess, and what a joy to watch the younger generation be in charge. It was a Christmas with new traditions happening--Christmas Eve at Sally's was a Thai dinner, primarily prepared by Sally and her brother Steve, and the guest list included four young women students from Peru whom they had invited for the evening--a delightful addition to our family gathering.   Our Christmas afternoon gathering/dinner was part of Sally's tradition since she married in to an Italian family.  We were joined by some of her husband, Ray's, family and enjoyed a lasagna dinner.  

Christmas Eve worship was truly a highlight.  You will see Jerry pictured with Pastor Jim Houston-Hencken from First PC, LV.  Prior to this calling, Jim was an Associate Pastor at FPC Midland, and they are all like family to us, especially their children, Peter & Paige.  (See Paige's 10th birthday in a prior blog.)  The music program at FPC is magnificent, and we were overjoyed at hearing their 35-40 voice choir on Xmas eve as well as the Sundays we were able to worship with them.  (You may recall that we spent two months in Las Vegas with the H'H's following Jerry's retirement,  so we feel very much at home with that congregation.)

Christmas morning was just the Hilton family celebrating in our motor home, with our felt Christmas tree hanging on the wall.  This tree was originally made by my cousins, Sue and Carl (from Sequim WA) for his mom (and my aunt Bea) when she moved into the retirement home.  It is perfect for our motor home, and we love knowing who made it  and who has used it in past Christmases...just a little bit of family tradition from the Sparks side.

For more pictures of our Christmas in Las Vegas, click on this link:

http://cjoshoot.blogspot.com/  

You'll enjoy her pictures as well, and I didn't want to duplicate her choices, so please check her out.

The Sparks family last celebrated Christmas together in 1984 in Phoenix, and our parents were with us.  How they would have enjoyed this gathering as well..and it was a Christmas we will long remember.    

Orange Grove camping is the best!

This has been a str ange and interesting stop along our journey to Las Vegas.  We arrived at the Orange Grove Park in Bakersfield on a gorgeous day..full of sunshine and surrounded by orange trees, and the opportunity to eat a fresh-picked one at that!  Yesterday we had a nice morning, and then the rain started..and it rained and rained.  But the rain seems to have been only right here in the Valley, and on either side of us it seems it was sleet, ice and snow...and by last night our highway (CA58) was closed going both directions.  On our drive home from an evening of dinner and dancing at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, there were miles of parked trucks who could NOT head east as the highway was closed.  This morning the line of trucks and cars filled all 3 lanes, totally blocking 58E for miles...and I have no idea how far that line extended.  The picture cannot begin to tell the story.  So here we are--spending another night in the orange grove, with a gorgeous sunny day behind us, and yet somewhere the ice and snow is wreaking havoc. Does it go without saying that we had a great time at Buck Owens?

old friends..and old memories

I grew up in Pierre, South Dakota - a small town with one high school, a farm club baseball team, wonderful neighborhoods, and great people...I have wonderful memories of those days.  My parents had a marvelous circle of friends that  included the Graffs. 

  Last year I found out that the Graff's daughter, who was two years ahead of me in school,  owns a company in the San Joaquin valley here in California. Well, today Jerry and I stopped by the Buchanan Hollow Nut Company in Le Grande CA.  Its been over 50 years since Sharleen and I have seen each other.   It was marvelous to see her once again, to visit her lovely ranch-style home nearby, visit with her husband, Bob, see some of her magnificent water colors and to come away with some delicious goodies from their business. Moments like that are irreplaceable, aren't they?  And there are always some regrets as well - her Mom just died last week, at the age of 96.   Thanks, Sharleen, for some of your time at this extremely busy time of the year for your business...and for all the memories I have of our life together in Pierre SD.

(You can look up the BHNC on the web and see the array of products they offer, plus views of the farms.)

We are on our way to Bakersfield CA - home of Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, and Jerry is SO looking forward to being there again. 

Reminders of home....

Today we had a little bit of home...we heard that Bass Pro (mother store is in Springfield MO, and we have been fans for years!) was opening a new store in Manteca CA....and off we went.  It all seemed so familiar and comfortable to us...and the customers seemed to be having a very good time - and were amazed by all the stuffed animals, the enormous fish tank filled with HUGE fish, the big trees inside the store....and we wanted to tell them all that they should come to Springfield MO and see the original!

This week we also camped at Russian River RV Park - and the setting reminded us so much of our favorite camping place at Cape Fair MO - a Corps campground we have used for years and years...and brought back so many memories.

And then the vineyards -well, they certainly didn't remind us of home--but aren't they beautiful?  We were awed by them...field after field, hillsides terraced, all in different stages of growth--we marveled at them. No wonder so many folks make trips to the Napa Valley on tours and vacations!  We are having rain tonight...a very generous one, and I am sure the natives are delighted--they are very low on rainfall in this area, so its a blessing.  And since we are warm and snug in our coach, with the red chili lights twinkling in the front window, our little fiber-optic Christmas tree glistening, and our Christmas cactus blooming--we don't mind if its raining outside!

Our love and greetings to each one of you...as you prepare for the birth of our Lord.  Advent - the time of preparation for God's most marvelous gift ever.  Praise Him!

Love, Mary and Jerry

Coastal travels

This has been an amazing week...God's creation is so incredible and we have just loved all that we have seen and done.  I knew Jerry would really enjoy Ft. Stevens (canon pic) and Ft. Clatsop--and he did.  Astoria and Seaside were both great to explore. 

The coastal drive with its magnificent vistas just took our breath away (especially sometimes mine, being on the outside and closest to the edge!)  We hiked in to Stout Grove at the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, and drove  down the Avenue of the Giants, including driving through the tree (doesn't everyone want to do that?) We watched the tide come in at the mouth of the Klamath River--another spectacular vista.  We are now about to head inland, still on the 101, and heading towards the California Delta area east of San Francisco.  Its now time to fix supper and enjoy a quiet evening tucked in our coach.  We love all of you, appreciate your taking time to read about our travels, and miss our friends in Sammamish.  I am grateful for those of you on Facebook and feel like we are not totally out of touch.  Have a good night! 

A time of Thanksgiving - and reflections on the year

 The sight of these regal birds flying overhead is one I will miss.  We have seen more eagles than ever in my whole life before this year..and they are magnificent.

Spending lots of quality-time with cousins that I never really knew before was another highlight...drives around the Olympic Peninsula, hikes to Marymere Falls (along with several of our guests), the beauty of the San Juan Islands and our quaint little cabin, ferocious domino games around their dining room table, my cousin's culinary skills which he generously shared...all this we will miss.

Renewing of old friendships that have lasted through the years...memorable Sunday "family nights" with Greg & Bobbi, and their son, Jason and Shaundra, with grandson Jake...a friendship that began in 1964;  walking through this year with them as Greg battles cancer;  Joe and Jane's numerous trips to worship with us at SPC from their home in Port Orchard, a friendship that dates back to 1972 when Jane's family and ours moved back to Marshall MO about the same time, and Jane used to babysit with our daughters; Jerry's college fraternity brother and wife who live nearby in Edmonds and with whom we shared several meals...these folks we will sorely miss.  

New friendships in our church family with ties to our past - Stan, who was not only a classmate of my cousin's but also a fraternity brother--and they hadn't seen each other in over 50 years; Chris, our Associate Pastor, who comes out of Eastminster Church in Wichita where Jerry did his first interim; Becki, our Associate Pastor, whose home church is FPC Las Vegas, where Jerry helped out for a couple of months shortly after his retirement because their then-new pastor, Jim HH, had been our Associate in Midland; Donna, chair of the Interim PNC, whose daughter was a seminary classmate of our daughter's at PSCE; Zach, our Youth Minister, who spent one of his college summer's as an intern on daughter Carla's staff at Village Pres in KC;  a church member who introduced us to her mother visiting  from El Paso, who knows well our cousin in EP;  Robert and his family at SPC, whose older brother was one of our "kids" when he was in college at Missouri Valley College and we had an incredible college-age youth group (and you should  hear the story about how we discovered THAT link in our lives!)...all these folks and many many more whose lives have impacted ours in this one short year, we will miss.

Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, the Lavender Festival, the phenomenal flowers that bloom all the time in this part of the country, Snoqualmie Falls, Pike's Market, the Ballard Locks, the salmon running, the gentlest rainfall you can possibly imagine (and almost all the time), orcas, the Space Needle, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, crabbing on the coast, bike-riding and walking on the numerous trails all over the area, a marvelous library right next door to our apartment, Trader Joe's, Costco, Whole Foods--shopping options we had not enjoyed before--all of this we will miss.

And the food--the very best salmon ever; and clam chowder that is unforgettable (so far we haven't found one we didn't like--just some we like better than others; the Thai restaurant right across the street from us; and Pine Lake Alehouse, the closest thing to a British Pub we have found in the US, also almost across the street from us; we will miss this fresh seafood area.

Many many friends whom we were able to see during this year - especially since Seattle is a most desirable place to visit!  Some stayed with us, some we met somewhere for a visit - and all of it was much appreciated.  We are grateful for all of you -- friends and family from Midland TX, Wichita KS, Enid OK, Providence RI, Marshall MO, Kansas City MO, and Phoenix AZ...and if I missed any of you, I apologize.  But we loved your time with us.

We've made so many new friends....our first "new friends"  were Diane & Peter, whom we met a year ago at Bloys Cowboy Camp in Ft. Davis TX.  We saw lots of them this year, as they live close - and we look forward to our reunion at BCC next August.   Our church family has provided us with many new friends.  All of you have touched our hearts in some way, and we will remember our year shared in the great northwest.

Thank you, everyone, for your part in our year in Sammamish - Thank you, Donna, for the pieced quilt  full of pictures of sites in the area..we will treasure it, wrap up in it to keep warm during our RV travels, and think of y'all when we do that.  Please keep in touch--for all of you are an important part of our life. Isn't the Family of God amazing? 

 

Thoughts from a writing class

It was a treat for me to join with 12-15 others every Monday morning in a writing class offered at our church. We wrote for two hours--sometimes for 5 minutes, sometimes for 15 minutes--following a prompt offered to us by our wise and compassionate teacher. I had never done anything like this before, and found it challenging, rewarding, stretching, and exhausting! One of our prompts was: "I am from..." Think about it - and write your own! I AM FROM… I am from strong and sturdy stock. I am from grandparents who lived in the cold country up north—Minnesota and South Dakota—until finally everyone had had enough of snow and cold, and everyone on both sides of our family moved to California—all but us. I am from Oklahoma, our adopted state—but we fit right in: two OU graduates and parents who didn’t miss an OU home football game until well into their 80’s. I am from the cold and the snow, with snow tunnels to our house, snowsuits to keep warm and snowboots to keep our feet dry. But now… I am from Texas. I don’t miss the snow and cold and having to lift a snow shovel or even having to own one. I am from strong and sturdy stock – from grandparents married to each other way past their Golden wedding anniversaries, and parents who celebrated their 62nd anniversary. I am from the Black Hills of South Dakota with the great stone faces of Mt. Rushmore, an important part of my growing up days, all the way to the Red River crossing into Texas and the Rio Grande at the Texas-Mexico border. I am from the crisp cold wide open spaces of the two Dakotas through the wheatfields of Kansas and Oklahoma to the rich farmland of Central Missouri, to the oil fields of West Texas—and I call it all home.

Fall in Sammamish brings changes in our life

While we can still miss fall in the Ozarks, we have had a most spectacular fall here in Sammamish. The view from our apartment was heavenly as we watched the bright reds and yellows cover the landscape. At the end of October, we moved out of our apartment and began living in our RV. We found ourselves right in the midst of the gorgeous colors in a campground just 8 miles from the church. Our first full day here it was dry and sunny - and we enjoyed a walk kicking the leaves and being part of the "leaf-fall" (as opposed to rainfall or snowfall) as an occasional brisk wind brought them to the ground. It was absolutely spectacular. We loved it..enjoyed the beauty of all the colors, the smell of fall in the air with its crispness, the crunch of the leaves under our feet. And we were absolutely amazed at the size of some of the platter-sized leaves that were falling around us. Now the rains have come...day after day..and finally we are enjoying a day of sunshine today--but we find that most of the leaves have fallen and the colors are diminishing. How fortunate we were to be right here in this place at exactly the right time to enjoy a fall that rates right up there equal to the Ozarks! We have new emails, so please make note of these, if you have not already done so: jerrymaxhilton@gmail.com marymhilton70@gmail.com

If you want to receive an email notifying you when new blogs are posted, just send Mary an email at the new address and let me know. Thanks to all of you who already let me know that you wanted to remain on the notification list.

We will spend the next month in the area - sometimes at a campground and sometimes parked on the church parking lot. We plan to spend Thanksgiving evening in Sequim with my cousins, Carl & Sue - what a blessing they have been to us during our year in Sammamish. I have eleven first cousins, and this is the first time I have ever been able to spend time with one of them, really getting to know them, and becoming friends--such a treat!

I hope your fall has been a blessing to you, and you have been able to enjoy some of God's glorious colors.

Midland "kids" all grown up!

Jerry says frequently that this kind of happening is one of the major blessings of being in ministry--the opportunity to watch children grow up into beautiful responsible adults--and to know that you were a part of that whole process. Living in the Seattle area now are Stephanie (Howard) and her husband, Cooper Askins (on the left and right in the lower picture). Having been married in Mexico recently by the Rev. Lana Russell (formerly of Midland), the newlyweds came for church, and brought with them their weekend guest, Emily (Booth) Berry (in red.) The pastor, Lana, is her mother. Emily lives in San Francisco now. All these "kids" (not an appropriate term to use for these adults, but I guess they'll always be kids to us! Shucks, Jerry still refers to our 61 year old friend Greg here in Sammamish as one of his kids!) call Midland FPC home. So it was truly a joy to share some time with them at worship, and our mission speaker that morning turned out to be someone Cooper works with in south Seattle. God is so good!

Its time for a change...

Its fall...our most favorite time..the time when we most miss the Missouri Ozarks and Silver Dollar City..but our part of Washington State is alive with color right now and you just couldn't ask for any prettier scenery. We took a drive out through the hills yesterday, just wandering, without benefit of "Jill" (our GPS voice who has been our lifesaver out here) or even a state map..and all we could do was "oooh" and "aaah" around each corner, as the vibrant reds, purples, yellows and many shades of green brought the hillsides alive.

Last weekend we were in Sammamish at my cousin Carl's home...this beautiful buck is just one of many deer who come to graze and feast near their home - he happens to be the biggest one Carl had seen. And on their front porch was this delightful display of fall flowers--the pansys residing in a very old pair of camouflage slip-on tennis shoes that Jerry bought when we first retired and hit the road in the RV...not because of their color but because they were easy to take on and off as he went in and out of the RV...but it was time to say good-by to them, so on our last visit at Carl & Sue's, when we completed our last hike with Carla during her visit, he dumped them. Imagine our surprise to find them recycled by Sue and looking great on their front porch!

There are some changes in our lifestyle as well...our lease is up on our apartment next week, so we are in the process of moving into our motor home for our remaining time here in Sammamish. We are trying to remember what goes back into the coach, what was donated to us by our church family to furnish this apartment, and what goes back to Midland--the good news is that it will all be done in just a few more days..and I look forward to a few weeks of just relaxing time living in our motor home, and enjoying some of this spectacular scenery.

Our emails have also changed - please use these now:

marymhilton70@gmail.com OR jerrymaxhilton@gmail.com

(Its been an interesting sidelight, as Carla has been in touch with the person who carries the same email name as I do, without the 70. My PEO chapter mistakenly entered my email address and it went to her, and she was kind enough to reply and tell them they had the wrong person. Carla and "other" marymhilton are about to find out how they are related!)

Over the last few years, I have made it a habit to send out an email to many of you letting you know that there was a new entry on our blog. It probably goes to some of you who would really rather not be notified. So right now - if you want to be on that email notification list in the future, please send me an email at the new address listed above and let me know.

Thanks for reading our blog..for caring for us...for being a part of our life. If you came to visit us during our year in Sammamish, we are grateful for that visit. If you didn't come, then watch out--because we may find ourselves in your "neck of the woods" when we get back on the road!

Locks, Alsups and Long Live the Queen

This past weekend, along with the non-stop rain, friends from Midland joined us for a quick view of Seattle (through windshield wipers!). We did have the best time, and just pretended it wasn't even damp outside. One of the sites we wanted to do before we finished here was go through the Ballard Locks..so we 4 boarded an Argosy boat and did that very thing...this pic shows the locks opening between the salt water of Puget Sound and the fresh water on the other side--quite a treat for all of us. In addition, the next day we returned and walked across the lock, hoping to see the salmon in the fish ladders--but it was the very end of the season, so we headed for Issa- quah (still in the rain), and were able to see hundreds of salmon from the bridge over Issaquah creek. (That means that it was one year ago that we came for a visit, had our first glimpse of this area where we would be living for the coming year, and saw the salmon spawning in Issaquah for the first time! My, how the year has flown by!) Thanks, Jim & Sandy, for being such good sports, and sharing our countryside with us in the rain!

Once again, the rain didn't deter us from sharing lunch...such things as fish 'n chips, ploughman's lunch, trifle and sticky pudding--oh yummy! (eat your heart out, Jo and Carla!) at the British Pantry in Redmond, with our Associate Pastor, Becki Barrett, and her delightful mum, Pat. (Pat's long-time home was Las Vegas NV and her church was FPCLV, now pastored by Jim Houston-Hencken, whose two children we love to grandparent.)

God's world really is so small - and we are SO glad to be a part of the family of God!