Christmas Holidays

Joining the Wheeler Family in Dallas

London with our Grandson, Zachary

For Christmas last year Terry gave me a gift certificate to get my Conceal Handgun License, so I have now redeemed it.

Isaiah and my friend Julie also took the class and
then the practice range.

Vancouver & Alaska

I spent 2 days in Vancouver before setting sail on the Zuiderdam to Alaska.In Vancouver I was able to visit a dear friend Sandy, her husband Aaron and their 3 kids. I met and worked with Sandy while on the Caribbean Mercy. It had been 8 years since I had seen her and her family so this time around I met the two youngest boys.
I was also able to visit Cindy Schoneit whom I worked with while in England working for Africa Mercy.

Our first stop -Juneau, Alaska (the capital of Alaska)
Nina, Joan and Lisa went off wandering on their own. Grandma and I took a tour -Glacier Garden and Mendenhall Glacier. Our guide escorted us to the atrium which was surrounded by the forest, then in a covered shuttle (golf cart)we enjoyed the rainforest which had frequent stops to enjoy the beauty of cascading streams with a stop at the top of the mountain overlooking down at Juneau.
Next we visited Mendenhall Glacier, strolled the walkways to the visiting center and within one mile we we could see the glacier, an excellent view.

Second Stop - Skagway, Alaska (Garden City of Alaska)
Skagway is now a restored gold rush town. We all took an unforgettable round trip journey aboard the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad. We rode on a restored/replica vintage rail car, Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. This narrow gauge railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, a designation shared with the Panama Canal, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. My pictures don't do justice to the granite mountains, steep grades, cliff hanging turns all in the midst of the clouds and the crisp cold air while traveling and reaching the summit at 2865 feet, so check out the web page.

Glacier National Park: The video that you'll see is Margerie Glacier which is a 21-mile-long tide water glacier in Glacier Bay in Alaska and is part of the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

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Third Stop - Ketchikan, Alaska:

Daily Life

Isaiah and Josiah started UTEP in August.
Josiah is working as a TA in his field of Political Science.

Isaiah is working out at Horizon Airport. Here he's fueling
a Jet with another taxing in for fuel.
Terry is in and out, with his job taking him to Liberia, Zimbabwe and the Philippines the month of August and September.
I've been trying to take Saturday and Sunday off, and with Isaiah working at the airport, it's actually happening.

Jamaica in July

One of Terry's job took him to Jamaica, so I was able to go with him for two weeks. We went to Negril which is on the northwest part of the island. American hippies first started visiting what was then a virgin paradise in the 1970s, setting the tone for today's free-spirited attitude. It rained almost every evening we were there, and since he was working during the day we pretty much stayed at the resort. While Terry was working I took advantage of the spa, gym, and read a great book The Help. Even though we were moved back and forth 5 times within the resort, our views were lush and green.

We only had a half a day free to see the town:

Summer is Here!

The sun is out in all it's glory. We are hitting the 100 degree weather, now if we can make the wind stop it would be a typical summer in El Paso.

Thanks

Both Isaiah and Josiah are now out of the Army.
Josiah will be staying in El Paso as he pursues his Masters in Geo Politics at UTEP.
Isaiah is presently helping me out at the airport and
he will be pursing his Bachelors in Computer Engineering.

International Learn to Fly Day 2011 took place on Saturday May 21

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in the US
is encouraging pilot communities around the globe
to get involved in an effort to connect aviators
with those who have always wanted to discover
flight and helping people of all ages take that first step to
discover the fun, freedom and accomplishment of flight.

At the airport we had several flight schools, TSA, Civil Air Patrol,
participating and promoting general aviation.
As always there were several volunteer pilots
giving free flights to anyone showing an interest.
One of the local pilots was practicing his aerobatics,
which the audience loved.

The day was successful and drew more than
100 people to Horizon Airport.

No March Madness for Me - Purely Delight

My friend Alberta came to the states for a leave from France. I met her in Dallas, Melissa then drove us down to Van, Texas to meet up with more friends from our Newcastle days (Mercy Ships) On Saturday, us 5 ladies went to a local big flee market, had lunch at the Olive Garden and enjoyed each others company. It had been almost 4 years that I had seen these lovely people.

Alberta, Carrie Holmes from South Africa
Me, Ann Berry from Canada, & Brenda from Liverpool,England


Winnie Dray had just come back from Thailand where she was working with SHE

Take note of the necklace Winnie has on, Jewelry Making was started to help the many girls who work in the bars and clubs giving alternative employment and retraining. Girls such as these are trapped by poverty and have no alternative but to take to the streets at night. You can buy some and help support the young girls, check out their web page:
http://www.shethailand.org/index.php

We also had a lovely dinner with Chris and Vicky Gregg, and met the rest of the family.

Spent plenty of time with the Berry's, who put me up for a few days. Thank you both for your relaxed hospitality. It's always good to see you!!!