50th Anniversary Trip, Day 4: Happy Anniversary to Us

This picture was taken on September 4, 1966.  What a young looking couple.  In the background, you can see my dad and mom and Carol's mom.  I think we look happy and ready to face a new life as a married couple.

This was taken September 4, 2016.  This the same happy old couple.  We have gray hair, extra weight, and don't walk with the same spring in our steps.  We enjoyed being in worship at the church in which we were married.  We attended the 8:30 a.m. traditional service.   As soon as we got out of our car, an oriental woman became a one-woman welcoming committee.  We told her that we had been married in this church 50 years ago.  She took us under her wing, introduced us to people, sat with us, and even took the pictures above and below.  Every church needs a lady as welcoming like this lady.

We think this is the new StratCom Building at Offutt.  It would be replacing the  SAC Headquarters Building in which I worked for nearly three years.

This is the gate where mom and I waited for Carol 50 years ago.

The skyline of Omaha.

This bridge is named for Bob Kearry.  I think he was a senator from Nebraska.  It is a walking/biking bridge which spans the Missouri  River.  Everyone here calls the bridge "Bob."  So we walked "Bob" from the Nebraska side to the Iowa side and  back again.

Here we are straddling the state lines.

A passing couple took this picture of us with Carol in Nebraska and me in Iowa.

After we got back to camp we relaxed and hooked up the car because tomorrow we hit the road again.  I wanted a picture of our site.  This shows how much space we we have.    If we ever camp here again, we will request Site 58.

I have been ending this blog by sharing what was going on 50 years ago on this date.  Fifty years today, Carol and I got married in Bellevue First Baptist Church.  Following the wedding, all the family left and we were alone to begin our married life.   However, someone (and no one will confess to this) left us some special presents.  We discovered our bed had been short-sheeted and filled with rice, and my nightgown has the top and bottom shown shut.  Also our black car was covered with the words "Just Married" top, sides, etc,  Carol went out in the dark and tried to wipe the words off but when we got up in the morning the car was smeared and looked even worse.  We took our first trip to a car wash.

This has been a wonderful day  and we enjoyed being together beginning with worshiping in the church we were married in and ending with just relaxing together.   

50th Anniversary Trip, Day 3 - Shopping, Eating and Remembering

Today our first priority was to replace the non-working camera and find the Camping World in Council Bluffs to purchase a new latch on the screen door in our motorhome.  Replaced the camera but could not find a latch.  The screen doors works fine except the latch that holds it to the main door is broken.  It is more annoying than anything else.  The screen door and camper door have to be opened separately now.  I am probably going to have to order the part on line so for now we will have to be annoyed.

We finally got parked at the Old Market in Omaha around noon.  We were hungry so we ate lunch at the Spaghetti Works.  It was very good.

After we had our meal, I asked our waiter if he would take our picture and he graciously did.  This is the way we look one day   before  our 50th wedding anniversary.

This store had collections of Pez, old record albums and nearly every kind of candy you could imagine.  There were antiques scattered among the collections.   It was interesting to walk through.

Mike and Sully were outside a movie theater where you could see old movies.  This was inside the store.

Some of the streets in the Old Market were paved with the original bricks from when the streets of Omaha were first laid.  The Old Market was originally made up of produce markets and warehouses.  When we lived here in the late 60's,  most of the buildings no longer housed anything and it was not a safe place to even drive through.  The area has been revitalized with restaurants and shops most of which are in the old warehouses.  

Dessert was home made ice cream from Ted and Wally's.
This building was probably an old gas station  or auto repair shop.

We drove by the church in which we were married 50 years ago.  It looks pretty much the same except for a few minor cosmetic changes.  They have build a Family Life Center on the east side and across the street from the church building.  I have looked at their web site and know that they have done major changes to the interior.  Looking forward to being in the sanctuary tomorrow.  Fifty years ago today, we picked up the flowers for the wedding and the rest of our family arrived for the big event tomorrow.  Attendees would be my mom and dad and sister Betty, Carol's parents, brother, Lindell, and brother Don and his wife Peggy.  It was a small group in which to observe a wedding of a pair of naive 19 and 21 year old kids; however, unless we get a divorce before tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., a marriage that lasted 50 years.

When we left Decatur Thursday, Jason texted us that someone was interested in the truck that pulled our trailer.  We have been trying to sell it since June.  Today, after some negotiation, we did sell it.  We are very excited to no longer have the truck.  For a while until we replace the truck we are down to one vehicle.  It has been 40 years since that has happened.

We got back to camp around 4:00. I has been a beautiful day and the evening was perfect.  We sat outside with Sandy and just enjoyed being able to relax and enjoy the beauty and activities around us.  The picture below was taken about 7:45 from our site.  A great sight with which to end our day.

50th Anniversary Trip - Day 2: Slow to Go

I was up at 7:00 and Sandy and I took a nice walk around the camp.  Carol finally got up at 8:00.  We decided to eat breakfast at the camp before we packed up.  As we were packing up, our site neighbor stopped by and he and Carol talked for about 30 minutes.  Finally, on the road around 10:00 a.m.  It was a great day to be driving.  The sun was shinning, light winds, traffic moving along.  We stopped at Chillicothe for gas.  We didn't have any trouble.  This is a Casey's that we always stop at and we know we can maneuver to a gas pump without blocking anyone else.

Sandy was very nervous the first hour of two but then she settled in.

This is her favorite easy chair in which to sleep.

We made it to Victoria Acres RV  Park outside of Nebraska City.  We have a great site - #58.  It seems to be the largest site in the whole campground.  We sit at the end of a road so we only have one neighbor to the north of us with lots of green grass separating us.  The awning side has no neighbors.  It is perfect.

We unloaded the car because we will be driving into Omaha the next two days.  I wanted to take a picture of the site but my camera wouldn't cooperate.  I had been having trouble with the screen going dark before this trip but finally, it quit working completely.  We headed into Nebraska City and a Walmart to purchase another camera.  I know most people would use their phones but I am more comfortable with a camera in my hand. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times, I am a dinosaur.  There is so much road construction between here and the Walmart.  It was a complete mess trying to get into and out of the Walmart parking lot.  I couldn't find the camera I wanted so the clerk (who was very helpful) said a Walmart at Bellevue would have a better selection so I decided to wait until tomorrow to buy a camera.  Back to camp for supper and some relaxation.  The one draw back that I can see to this park is that there are only two showers for the whole park.  I guess most people would use the shower in their RV but we use our shower for additional storage and like to use the one at the park.

As I think about 50 years ago, Carol, Mom and I spent this Friday making arrangements for our wedding on September 4.  We got our marriage license, brought flowers, found a minister and church.   I remember it was a busy day.    The wedding was set for 2:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Bellevue, Nebraska.

50th Anniversary Trip - Day 1: A New Way to Travel

Here we are all ready to go.  This is our new way to travel.  With a new way to travel, we decided to change what has been our travel routine for most of our camping career.  Used to we would be up at the crack of dawn and plan to get 500 miles behind us before we made our first stop.   This morning we were up early (I can't help it that I'm a morning person) but we did not get on the road until 9:30 a.m.  We read the paper, walked the dog, ate breakfast, leisurely packed some last items, and  talked to neighbors before we started the motorhome and pulled out of the driveway.

We pulled into Shoemaker's RV and Campground near Macon, Missouri at 2:15 p.m.  We drove 225 miles in a little over 4 hours.  After we got things set up we sat outside and relaxed.  It is much cooler today with a nice cool breeze blowing.  This campground is older but clean.  We have a spot long enough that we didn't have to unhook the car so tomorrow morning (no earlier than 9:00 a.m.), we will pull out and head west to our next stop which is Nebraska City, Nebraska.  This is a trip of about 250 miles.  Wow!  That will be two days in a role of low miles of traveling.  This could become a habit!
I hope that Sandy will settle in.  She has been very restless and unable to find a spot in which to relax.   Hopefully, each day will be better for her.

It should be quiet in the campground tonight.  I am sure our neighbors won't be loud.  In fact, they probably won't even say a word.   This is a first for us...we are camped beside a cemetery.  After supper we walked through it.  It is an old Catholic cemetery.  We saw stones of people who were born in Italy and England in the mid 1800's.  This stone was erected to honor a local priest.

We haven't turned on our air conditioner in the motorhome.  It seems cool enough.   The people in the cemetery to the south of us will be quiet but the four-lane highway on the north side has been very, very busy and we can hear the traffic.   I am glad neither Carol and I are sleepwalkers.

On this date 50 years ago, My mom and I packed up my 1961 Chevrolet with wedding presents and my belongings and drove to the  Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.  It was quite a trip for a 19 year old girl who had not driven on any interstate or farther than St. Louis.  We drove through St. Louis and Kansas City and thankfully, everything went smoothly and we arrived at the main gate around 4:00 p.m.  Of course, we couldn't get on the base so we had to wait there until Carol got off work and came to the gate to get us.  He drove us to the trailer that would be our first home as husband and wife.

This picture was taken by my mom in the "living room" of that very small trailer.  We both look so young (and much smaller!).  50 more years together would follow.

50th Anniversary Trip - Day 1: A New Way to Travel

Here we are all ready to go.  This is our new way to travel.  With a new way to travel, we decided to change what has been our travel routine for most of our camping career.  Used to we would be up at the crack of dawn and plan to get 500 miles behind us before we made our first stop.   This morning we were up early (I can't help it that I'm a morning person) but we did not get on the road until 9:30 a.m.  We read the paper, walked the dog, ate breakfast, leisurely packed some last items, and  talked to neighbors before we started the motorhome and pulled out of the driveway.

We pulled into Shoemaker's RV and Campground near Macon, Missouri at 2:15 p.m.  We drove 225 miles in a little over 4 hours.  After we got things set up we sat outside and relaxed.  It is much cooler today with a nice cool breeze blowing.  This campground is older but clean.  We have a spot long enough that we didn't have to unhook the car so tomorrow morning (no earlier than 9:00 a.m.), we will pull out and head west to our next stop which is Nebraska City, Nebraska.  This is a trip of about 250 miles.  Wow!  That will be two days in a role of low miles of traveling.  This could become a habit!
I hope that Sandy will settle in.  She has been very restless and unable to find a spot in which to relax.   Hopefully, each day will be better for her.

It should be quiet in the campground tonight.  I am sure our neighbors won't be loud.  In fact, they probably won't even say a word.   This is a first for us...we are camped beside a cemetery.  After supper we walked through it.  It is an old Catholic cemetery.  We saw stones of people who were born in Italy and England in the mid 1800's.  This stone was erected to honor a local priest.

We haven't turned on our air conditioner in the motorhome.  It seems cool enough.   The people in the cemetery to the south of us will be quiet but the four-lane highway on the north side has been very, very busy and we can hear the traffic.   I am glad neither Carol and I are sleepwalkers.

On this date 50 years ago, My mom and I packed up my 1961 Chevrolet with wedding presents and my belongings and drove to the  Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.  It was quite a trip for a 19 year old girl who had not driven on any interstate or father than St. Louis.  We drove through St. Louis and Kansas City and thankfully, everything went smoothly and we arrived at the main gate around 4:00 p.m.  Of course, we couldn't get on the base so we had to wait there until Carol got off work and came to the gate to get us.  He drove us to the trailer that would be our first home as husband and wife.

This picture was taken by my mom in the "living room" of this very small trailer.  We both look so young (and much smaller!).  50 more years together would follow.

50th Anniversary Trip - Day 1: A New Way to Travel

Here we are all ready to go.  This is our new way to travel.  With a new way to travel, we decided to change what has been our travel routine for most of our camping career.  Used to we would be up at the crack of dawn and plan to get 500 miles behind us before we made our first stop.   This morning we were up early (I can't help it that I'm a morning person) but we did not get on the road until 9:30 a.m.  We read the paper, walked the dog, ate breakfast, leisurely packed some last items, and  talked to neighbors before we started the motorhome and pulled out of the driveway.

We pulled into Shoemaker's RV and Campground near Macon, Missouri at 2:15 p.m.  We drove 225 miles in a little over 4 hours.  After we got things set up we sat outside and relaxed.  It is much cooler today with a nice cool breeze blowing.  This campground is older but clean.  We have a spot long enough that we didn't have to unhook the car so tomorrow morning (no earlier than 9:00 a.m.), we will pull out and head west to our next stop which is Nebraska City, Nebraska.  This is a trip of about 250 miles.  Wow!  That will be two days in a role of low miles of traveling.  This could become a habit!
I hope that Sandy will settle in.  She has been very restless and unable to find a spot in which to relax.   Hopefully, each day will be better for her.

It should be quiet in the campground tonight.  I am sure our neighbors won't be loud.  In fact, they probably won't even say a word.   This is a first for us...we are camped beside a cemetery.  After supper we walked through it.  It is an old Catholic cemetery.  We saw stones of people who were born in Italy and England in the mid 1800's.  This stone was erected to honor a local priest.

We haven't turned on our air conditioner in the motorhome.  It seems cool enough.   The people in the cemetery to the south of us will be quiet but the four-lane highway on the north side has been very, very busy and we can hear the traffic.   I am glad neither Carol and I are sleepwalkers.

On this date 50 years ago, My mom and I packed up my 1961 Chevrolet with wedding presents and my belongings and drove to the  Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.  It was quite a trip for a 19 year old girl who had not driven on any interstate or father than St. Louis.  We drove through St. Louis and Kansas City and thankfully, everything went smoothly and we arrived at the main gate around 4:00 p.m.  Of course, we couldn't get on the base so we had to wait there until Carol got off work and came to the gate to get us.  He drove us to the trailer that would be our first home as husband and wife.

This picture was taken by my mom in the "living room" of this very small trailer.  We both look so young (and much smaller!).  50 more years together would follow.

50th Anniversary Trip - Day 1: A New Way to Travel

Here we are all ready to go.  This is our new way to travel.  With a new way to travel, we decided to change what has been our travel routine for most of our camping career.  Used to we would be up at the crack of dawn and plan to get 500 miles behind us before we made our first stop.   This morning we were up early (I can't help it that I'm a morning person) but we did not get on the road until 9:30 a.m.  We read the paper, walked the dog, ate breakfast, leisurely packed some last items, and  talked to neighbors before we started the motorhome and pulled out of the driveway.

We pulled into Shoemaker's RV and Campground near Macon, Missouri at 2:15 p.m.  We drove 225 miles in a little over 4 hours.  After we got things set up we sat outside and relaxed.  It is much cooler today with a nice cool breeze blowing.  This campground is older but clean.  We have a spot long enough that we didn't have to unhook the car so tomorrow morning (no earlier than 9:00 a.m.), we will pull out and head west to our next stop which is Nebraska City, Nebraska.  This is a trip of about 250 miles.  Wow!  That will be two days in a role of low miles of traveling.  This could become a habit!
I hope that Sandy will settle in.  She has been very restless and unable to find a spot in which to relax.   Hopefully, each day will be better for her.

It should be quiet in the campground tonight.  I am sure our neighbors won't be loud.  In fact, they probably won't even say a word.   This is a first for us...we are camped beside a cemetery.  After supper we walked through it.  It is an old Catholic cemetery.  We saw stones of people who were born in Italy and England in the mid 1800's.  This stone was erected to honor a local priest.

We haven't turned on our air conditioner in the motorhome.  It seems cool enough.   The people in the cemetery to the south of us will be quiet but the four-lane highway on the north side has been very, very busy and we can hear the traffic.   I am glad neither Carol and I are sleepwalkers.

On this date 50 years ago, My mom and I packed up my 1961 Chevrolet with wedding presents and my belongings and drove to the  Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.  It was quite a trip for a 19 year old girl who had not driven on any interstate.  We drove through St. Louis and Kansas City and thankfully, everything went smoothly and we arrived at the main gate around 4:00 p.m.  Of course, we couldn't get on the base so we had to wait there until Carol got off work and came to the gate to et us.  He drove us to the trailer that would be our first home as husband and wife.