Great trip HOME.........

We departed North Ranch near Congress, AZ. Tuesday morning about 8:30. It was a beautiful day and we hoped we had our new home all "summerized" and everything was in order. I must say, it looked so nice I kinda hated to leave.

Here we are getting all loaded up and ready to go. When we got back from Tucson all of our Oleanders were in full bloom. They were beautiful.

Here it is after we pulled out, Ms Pat is putting the finishing touches on raking the yard.......

Before, we always hooked up our "Toad" in front of our X neighbors place up by our old lot.  So we told Paul and Nancy that for old times sake, we would hook up there before we headed out.   After our goodbye's, hugs and a few tears, we said our "so longs" until Fall.  We sure are gonna miss these fine folks.

Soon we were headed North to Prescott, then on North from Flagstaff.   We went about 400 miles to our favorite boondocking spot, Gooseneck State Park in UT.  You travel through Monument Valley and  just over the state line into Utah to a very quiet,  peaceful place, way out in the country. We stayed here last year and enjoyed it so much we came back.  Look what was right out our front door.

By the time we arrived and got parked, it was, of course, "Happy Hour"!  During happy hour we were invaded by about 12 Motorcycles.  They parked right beside us.   I looked out our window and saw they were Harley's, so I ventured out to meet them.  Much to my surprise, they were all Japanese. They were in "Awe" looking at our Teton and Volvo truck.  They were asking me all kinds of questions but in Japanese.  I couldn't understand a word they said.  I could tell it was all friendly, because they were friendly. Finally, one of the men stepped up and could speak excellent English.. He said " They want to know about your RV.  .It is so BIG!!" So they all asked questions and he interpreted and translated my answers. They asked us things like how long is the RV (of course) and how many people lived in it. They were astonished.  They looked it all over and were more interested in it than they were the beautiful Gooseneck scenery. Then they saw the Harley on the back of our truck.....that made us Brothers!

The interpreter politely asked me if they could take a picture of it.  "Of course", I said.   Dozens of camera's started clicking. Next, I was asked if one of them could stand on the driver side step. I opened the door and motioned the interested one to go ahead and sit in the truck.   He climbed up and sat behind the wheel, smiling from ear to ear with all his buddy's taking his picture like crazy.   Then they wanted Ms Pat and I in the picture...then our picture standing by the truck with them.  Ms Pat just happened to have one of her Harley T-Shirts on.   They were having a ball and so were we  They were a great bunch of guys and it was a joy meeting them.

I found out that they flew into Los Angeles, rented the Harley's at "Harleys Rent and Ride" program and were touring the country. From here they were headed to the Grand Canyon and then on to Las Vegas. They were all so friendly and a pleasure to meet. 

Note the "THUMBS UP"....... These four were the older guys from the group.  They were all fully leathered up and "Harley" badges and patches everywhere.

Then, they all rode off into the sunset........

What an enjoyable meeting that was....really an unexpected pleasure. They were a neat bunch, we all shook hands and each and every one said "Thank You", "Thank You".   It's a small world and Harley riders all have something in common, even those from Japan!!! So much Joy and Laughter.  Wow, it was a blessing. We both really needed that!!!

This is where I had my coffee Wednesday morning while watching the beautiful sunrise.  See my coffee cup in the picture below.......

Below is the Sunrise:

After coffee, it was time to crank up and hit the road. Another beautiful day in the making.  We continued on, departing Gooseneck State Park about 7:30 am. We planned on driving to where we usually stop in Craig, Colorado, However when we got there it was only 3pm. So we decide to drive on to Rawlins, WY.  While we were traveling, I had Ms Pat make an appointment with an alignment shop in Casper, WY that I have dealt with for years. I needed them to check my Teton wheel alignment, bearings, etc.  I knew I had a broken shock bracket and I hoped they could fix it.

Ms Pat took this picture just south of Moab, UT. when we stopped at a pull off....

After spending the night in Rawlings, we left early the next morning and we were in Casper sitting in front of Kelly's Wheel and Frame Alignment at 10:00am.  They got us right in, fixed all my problems including the broken shock mount and had us out by Noon.  

We headed on north to Custer and pulled onto our property at shortly after 4pm.  Super trip!  Great weather, no wind, and everything ran perfectly.  It is so good to be back home in the Hills......God's Country!!!   We are getting settled in and looking forward to attending our little Cowboy Church this morning.  

Rollie and Gina are at their place in Louisiana visiting family and taking care of things so they can come up here and spend the summer. We have so much to show them and can't wait for their arrival.

Everyone have a Happy Memorial weekend and remember to give thanks to those that defended our country so we can enjoy it so much.

Thanking you all again from the bottom of my heart. We have so much to be thankful for.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!
Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

One Thing FOR SURE....

Yes, I can tell you ONE thing for sure. The love and companionship of friends is PRICELESS! Without all of your Prayers, Thoughts and Comments, we would have had it much tougher. Knowing of all your prayers and support gave us the strength to get through this most difficult time. I can never Thank You all enough.

We asked and you responded. When we got that dreaded call of losing Mikel and didn't know where to turn, we asked for your Prayers. You responded! I normally get around 225 hits on the days I publish this Blog . That day, May 12Th, we received 421....plus 59 comments. I have read those comments over and over and gotten so much comfort from them. I am sure I will read them again and again. Thank You all so very much. You will never know how helpful that was.  And, on top of that was all the phone calls, emails and dozens of cards. It certainly shows what a wonderful life we have and the friends we are blessed with. God Bless you all!!!

I have read the poems and personal comments in the cards we received over and over, too. They are all so special and comforting. So many Bible verses were quoted and I studied them all. Through this loss and the recent loss of Scott, my faith in the Lord continues to strengthen. It always reminds me that we have so much to be thankful for. So much, that it's impossible to put them all in words.

Mikel is all memories now and I remember so many of the good times we had. He was my first born. I was so proud of him. He was born back in 1955...55 years ago. I was a mere 20 years old. I always said "He and I grew up together". He was my little Cowboy. I took him everywhere, showed him off to everyone.  He was always such a good baby.  Back in those days, I was a Rodeo Cowboy, following rodeo's riding bucking horses and bulls for a living. Those are great memories that I will have forever. It was looking at him that made me realize that following Rodeo's was no place to raise a son. He was sleeping in dresser drawers at motels and the sun and dust was miserable for him at the rodeo's. His Mother had to shield the hot sun and try to keep dust and flies from bothering him. We didn't have much A/C back in those days. It was that, that made me sign off the rodeo circuit and get a real job. In my opinion, it was no place for a family man. I never looked back.  After a few years of driving Semi trucks and studying, I became a State Trooper on the Nebraska State Patrol. Mikel became a "Policeman's Son". That's not easy, but he loved it.

I remember one time when I was working nights and sleeping days, he was about 5 years old. He got in my Patrol car and got out my hand held "Stop Sign" and was stopping cars out in front of our house. A neighbor called his mother and told her what he was doing. The neighborhood had a good laugh about that.  Ah yes, there are many, many wonderful memories. I thank God that he let me have him to enjoy  for 55 years...

It was such a beautiful day in Tucson, AZ on the day of Mikel's Funeral.

Mikel still had a little Cowboy in him.  He always enjoyed his boots and cowboy hat. He was proud that his Dad was a Cowboy. He had a special love for my Dad, his Grandad McFall.  The "Cowboy Boots" that he loved to wear are now mine, sitting in my house as a Memorial to Mikel.

The Clock on the table was a special gift to him from Scott, his younger brother, who he gave a bone marrow transplant to a couple of years ago. Mikel and Scott were good friends and he was so saddened to lose him. The clock is now his Mothers to treasure.
Below are a few pictures from his Funeral taken by our sincere, true and loving friend Gina Thurston.

The Military Color Honor Guard was so impressive and they are active military members from Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vesta, AZ. where Mikel was stationed and lived for several years. He loved the Military.

Mikel and his two Sons, taken a few years back. That's Stephen on the left and Michael on the right.   He loved his boys.

This is a picture of Mikel and Karen taken 18 years ago at their Wedding. He was a proud, young Soldier.

My Boots......Thank You Mikel. They will be retired in your honor my Man. Forever displayed in my home.

May you rest in Peace and be united with your brother Scott. I know you boys will be right by my side.

Thank You all for bearing with us during these times of grieving. 

We are preparing for our departure from North Ranch in Arizona to our place in the Black Hills of South Dakota. That place is special for us and I know it will help us heal our souls. We hope to leave Tuesday morning and if the Lord is willing, we will be in Church with our our friends in Custer next Sunday..

We'll be going to our little Church in Wickenburg this morning to say our farewells and to thank everyone for their prayers and support.  We'll be back in a few months. 

Thank you all for stopping by.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

"Children are a blessing from the Lord.” Psalms 127:3

 *Michael Charles McFall*

"Children are a blessing from the Lord.” Psalms 127:3

Michael, age 55, died peacefully in his sleep May 10, 2010. Born April 15, 1955 in Ogallala, Nebraska, Michael was the oldest of three sons born to Mike McFall and Jean (Johnson) Krull. Michael attended Lincoln East High School, University of Nebraska, University of Utah, and graduated from the University of Hawaii. His love for America was evident by his service and retirement from the U.S. Army. He always commented that one of his greatest accomplishments was finding and accompanying the remains of American soldiers who had lost their lives during the Vietnam War and were left behind.

Those left to cherish his memories: wife, Karen F. McFall; two sons, Michael Romeo McFall and Stephen Charles McFall; father and stepmom, Mike and Pat McFall; mother, Jean Krull; brother, Patrick McFall and wife Michelle; sister-in-law, Ann McFall , nephew and niece Patrick McFall and Shala McFall, uncle and aunt, Larry and Judie Johnson; cousins and good friends. He was preceded in death by his brother, Scott A “Scooter” McFall; step-father, Chuck Krull; grandparents, Fred and Esther McFall, Martin and Lucille Johnson.

A Memorial service was held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, May 17, 2010 at Bring Funeral Home, 6910 East Broadway, Tucson, Arizona. Internment will be held at a later date as Michael’s request was to be laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific located in the Punchbowl crater in Honolulu Hawaii where he spent many years during his career in the United States Army.

*********

The above is Mikel's obituary. The picture was taken just a few weeks ago on March 31st when he came to North Ranch to visit. He had his oldest son Michael (age 15) with him and we all went out for dinner. It was a great evening and we had a wonderful time.

Yesterday, our "kids", Rollie and Gina had to leave us and head back to Louisiana.  Their son-in-law Shane is graduating from the University of Louisiana on Friday and they wanted to be there to celebrate his achievements. Congratulations Shane!  We were sad to see them go but we know we'll see them again real soon.  They will be coming to Custer in a few weeks.  Thank you Rollie and Gina for your love and support.  You are truly a blessing from God.

We arrived back home at North Ranch yesterday afternoon.  We plan on leaving here in a week or so and travel back to our home in Custer to start the healing process again.  We will be pretty busy for the next week or so getting the house closed up and the Teton loaded and ready for travel.  That's good though, we won't have much time to think. Its hard for me to concentrate right now.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

God Bless you all and Thank You each and every one for your wonderful support.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

The Broken Chain

We are still in Tucson, AZ. dealing with this terrible tragedy of the loss of our oldest son Mikel. Ms Pat and I want to thank all of you for your Prayers, Thoughts and Friendship. It has meant so much to us and helped us get through it all. Rollie and Gina are still with us giving us their full support and love. 

I am totally numb and can't write a Blog; however, I did want you to read this poem:

THE BROKEN CHAIN

I little knew that morning
God was going to call your name,

In life I loved you dearly,
 in death I do the same.

It broke my heart to lose you,
you did not go alone,

for part of me went with you,
 the day God called you home.

You left me beautiful memories,
 your love is still my guide,

and though we cannot see you,
 you're always at my side.

Our family chain is broken
 and nothing seems the same,

but as God calls us one by one,
 the chain will link again.

-Anonymous

Thank God for His many blessings and all the things He does for us.

We Need Your Prayers.

Shortly after midnight yesterday, we were awakened from a sound sleep by the ringing of our cell phone. Shocked and scared Ms Pat jumped up and ran to the phone in the living room. I listened carefully as I heard her say "Hello",,,,,,,, then , I heard her say "Oh GOD",,,,":No. Please NO"

It was Karen, our Son Mikel's wife. Mikel had passed away in his sleep during the night. Mikel is my oldest son.  He was 55 years old, retired Military and living in Tucson, AZ.

We were on the phone most of the day yesterday and will leave for Tucson early this morning. Thank God Rollie and Gina are here with us.  They will be taking us to Tucson and will help us as we try to deal with all the arrangements for Mikel's funeral.  It was just a short two years ago that we were dealing with the arrangements for my youngest son Scott's funeral.  We are in total shock as we pray to our Lord and are listening for his answers.

I will not be posting a Blog for a while as we pray for strength to help us through this. We hope to have more answers later. Meanwhile we ask for your prayers for Mikel's wife and two boys ages 12 and 15 and for our family. 

Mike and Pat

Happy Mother's Day.

The UPS truck rolled up in front of our house and I thought "Lets see, I don't remember ordering anything". The driver stepped out with a large package. Hmmm, what in the world is this? Ms Pat replied, "I have no idea". Soon she found out that it was this beautiful bouquet of 18 colorful Roses. Inside was a card that said "Happy Mothers Day Mom". It was from Lisa and Randy, ...Ms Pats Daughter and Son-in-Law all the way from Tallahassee, FL. Ms Pat was very pleased and totally surprised. They even came with their own Vase. Here they are sitting on her new dining room table. The timing was great, as she got to enjoy them for a couple days BEFORE Mothers Day!!  And, thanks to Terri (Pat's other daughter) for the beautiful Mother's Day Card all the way from Chicago where she is currently working.  That was very thoughtful of both of you. You know your Mama loves you very much!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the many Mothers we have that are reading the Blog today and to my Mom who is in that Great Campground up above.   We love you Mom and miss you very much. I know you are having a great day...Say Hi to Dad and everyone.

I was really excited when I received this note from the South Dakota Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks:

The George S. Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills has gained national attention by being recently inducted into the Rails-to-Trails Hall of Fame. The Mickelson Trail is one of just 25 trails selected for the honor from a field of more than 1,600 trails nationwide. The 119-mile Mickelson Trail features a variety of natural and man made surroundings, from tree-covered mountains and open valleys to rock tunnels and wooden bridges.


The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a non-profit organization promoting former rail lines that have been turned into nature trails, selects Hall of Fame inductees on a variety of merits, including scenic value, high use, amenities, historical significance, management excellence, good maintenance, and community connections.


Induction of the Mickelson Trail will bring special perks for South Dakota.


"The Mickelson Trail has opened up a whole new way to enjoy the Black Hills," says Doug Hofer, Director, South Dakota Division of Parks and Recreation. "By being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the trail will have special signage and be featured nationally. This award will help promote the Mickelson Trail for generations to come."


The special signage will be erected along the trail this month, marking it as a Rails-to-Trails Hall of Fame inductee. The Mickelson Trail is featured as the “trail of the month” on the Conservancy website and in the organization’s national magazine, Rails to Trails.

This special designation is a GREAT HONOR for South Dakota and makes us (Pat and I) quite PROUD! This Trail runs right through Custer and is less than a mile from our place....

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

We have 2 more FOLLOWER'S,,,,,,,Welcome to "JB" and "SKIPPY MOM" our latest Followers, which are no. 84 and 85........Glad to have you with us!!!  We are going to make 100 yet!!! Remember it was only 50 a short time ago..  If you haven't signed on, now is the time!!!

Remember, tell your Kids and  Family that you love them.  They will not be around forever.

We are off to our Mothers Day special at Church....God Bless you all.


Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Time to start the Count Down!

Only 3 weeks from today is our targeted departure day. Time to start wrapping up the loose ends and finish all the projects we have going. It's going to be a lot bigger job this year than it has been in the past. Now we have a HOUSE to close up and vacate for 6 months. That will be a new venture for us.  We are learning a lot from everyone else on how to leave stuff. We have found someone that will check out the house for us every week or so and several other people that will keep an eye on it for us and do a walk around periodically. It is our understanding that everyone leaves the Air Conditioner on, set at about 85-90. We have a large attic exhaust fan that is on an automatic thermostat which should help. The automatic watering system is set to water all the trees and shrubs every 5 days for 20 to 30 minutes. We have been told to leave several 5 gallon buckets of water around inside the house for humidity.  The shades we have on all the windows are over an inch thick with special insulating and darkening features. We are trying to think of anything and everything else we need to do so if any of you have any ideas for us that we should put on our list, we would be love to hear them.  We need all the help we can get.

Ms Pat and I kinda hate to leave our new Home, we like it so well. But we are also quite anxious to get up to our other favorite spot in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.  No way could we forgo that. I have been watching the weather up there and it's still a little cool... like right now at 5:00am its 28* up there. It's a very comfortable 60* here. But by June 1st when we get there, it will be warmed clear up to where it will be at least 30* in the morning!! But it warms up fast during the day and we love it!!

I have told you about our new zBoost YX510 Cell Phone wireless signal amplifier and what a great job it is doing for us. It continues to perform flawlessly.  However, I have added a new item to measure exactly how much amplification we are receiving and the best placement for both the indoor and the outdoor antenna's. Most everyone knows I'm a meter freak.  I LOVE meters and therefore I have a meter for everything I possibly can.  Now I have zBoost's latest accessory, a RF signal strength meter. You can read all about it and all their other great products at  http://www.wi-ex.com/ . This meter reads the signal level for best placement of an antenna or aiming of a directional antenna. It will also help identify the signal strength and variation inside the building to assist in the placement of your internal antenna. A neat little item.  Is it necessary? NO. probably not for you, but for me a meter freak...you bet! I showed it to my friend Bill Jones, here in the Park and he was amazed with it. In fact ,I let him try it out at his house and when he brought it back he said "I got to have one of those", and he promptly ordered one...

I now have it set up so our Verizon Air Card picks up its signal from the zBoost. It is plugged into the Cradlepoint MBR1000 router, which distributes a wireless signal to both Ms Pats and my Laptops any where in the house or porch area. Plus, she can also pick up the signal out in our Teton 5th wheel and use her big desk top computer that we use for our PressurePro and PowerTank business.  Plus it has doubled the signal on all of our cell phones.

Our Verizon signal was not the best in this part of North Ranch, which is a little lower elevation than our old lot was but this set up has enhanced it to where it is at least as good, if not better!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Welcome to Rod and Loyce Ivers, our latest followers.(#83) Glad to have you with us...  Click on their picture to read their Blog...

Mike


This Blog is published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Finally Our New Table and Chairs Came!

We haven't had a table to eat on except the Patio Set since we moved into our new home over a month ago. The table and chair set that Ms Pat ordered had been back ordered. Finally it came in!!!

Here is our new table and chair set. I really like it...the gals did a great job choosing this set and it matches the rest of our things perfectly. After we got it all set up, it didn't take Ms Megabyte2 long to look it over and pass her approval on it. She likes it, too!!!  While we weren't looking, she found her way up onto it and she thought the decorative center piece tray was a good spot for her to relax. It didn't take Ms Pat long to let her know that it was NOT a  good place for her to be. 

"Ahhh....please, can't I lay here?" Ya gotta admit it does look a little like her bed. But Ms Pat says NO! Anyhow, we got a big laugh out of it. You could say she is a "Platter Full"!!

Whew, we have so much going on around here, I hardly know where to start. FIRST, I have to show you the latest NEW ADDITION.

Gina is all SMILES!!! Just look at her new Polaris 4 wheeler!! This is her early Mothers Day present.  Gina took one of our great neighbors, Paul and Nancy Wilson's, 4 wheelers out in the Desert on a "Girls Only" outing the other day. She was so nervous and excited about going out and riding solo that she could hardly sleep all night before the ride. Always before she rode on the back with Rollie driving. This time she was on her own.  Oh my gosh, she was so scared. Could she do it??  What about the extremely steep hills and all the rocks?  Oh Dear!!  I tried to calm her and so did Rollie.  Ms Pat told her she would be fine. Well to say she did fine would be an understatement.  She did Wonderful!  She LOVED it!!

It was a strange coincidence but the next day we saw a nice 2007 Polaris 330 Trail Boss for sale right here in the Park. It was a nice one and just the right size for Gina. Rollie took her over to look at it and talk to the owner. Soon she came riding it up into our yard. "What do you think POP'S?", she asked. "Is it OK?" Rollie, I and Ms Pat looked it over closely and Pat and I rode it around the block. It was a nice clean solid machine. I went to my computer and checked both the high and low pricing on the NADA  web site. With that info, Rollie and Gina went back to see if they could negotiate a deal.  I took the above picture when she came riding it home. I could tell by the SMILE it was now Hers!!  Good for you GIRL!! You will enjoy it and Polaris is the absolute BEST.   Isn't it great how things work out.  Another little gift from Our father above.  Praise God!

Gina, Rollie, Ms Pat and I all have been working around here to no end.  Gina started trimming all the Oleander bushes we have around here, then Ms Pat got into it and they really trimmed them up so they look so much better.

All of this trimming resulted in TONS of trimmings that had to be hauled to the land fill..  Rollie has been using his truck and has made about at least a dozen trips to the landfill about 6 miles away.

Soon Ms Pat came to me and asked,  "What do you think of removing one of the Rosemary bushes in the front yard?"  I agreed it would be a good idea, because they had gotten a little out of control. So Gina, Pat and Rollie started cutting, chopping and digging away.  I've had a little back problem the past few days so I just sat back and admired their good work.  :-)

One bush removed looked so good they decided to take two.   That's good because Gina's Rock and Cactus Garden was showing up better all the time. 

Here is Gina working on number 3.  These are really tough to cut out as they had spread way too far out.

Poor Rollie, he dug out all the stumps and the ground was hard as concrete! What a JOB!! We thank Rollie and Gina so much for all their great help.....and believe me it's HARDWORK!! In the picture above Gina was pulling on the stump while Rollie was chopping the roots, it came loose all of a sudden and Gina fell completely over backwards.   I didn't get it in time, but it was hilarious.  Look at her grin as she is falling backward.  They are so much fun as they do all this hard work..

I ran off somewhere for a bit and when I returned ALL THE BUSHES WERE GONE!!!!  They decided to remove them all.   Now that shocked me because when we moved into the house I made the statement that I "thought" those Rosemary Bushes should GO!!!!  I was quickly over ruled but I'm glad they are gone. I'm not one for a bunch of Shrubbery.  It took away from the looks of the house and especially the beautiful Rock Displays that Gina is building...

There.....the finished product. Don't you agree it looks so much better? Now you can see the raised Rock arrangement that Gina designed and built. Plus wait until you see the new area she has under construction. You can just see the beginnings of it developing right in front of the screened in porch.   More on that later...
Yep, we're all happy with NO BUSHES and I'm not even going to say "told ya so"!! LOL

With all that's going on, Gregg and I still managed to get in a little 80 mile ride over to Aguila, AZ. Behind Gregg is the famous "EAGLEs ROOST" . See the shape on top where you can see the Eagles beak.  It was a nice ride.  I enjoy riding with Gregg and Bonnie so much.   Gregg knows Harley's inside and out. He helped me put a heat shield on my bike before we left for the ride and it really helped.

Gee, I'm sorry this blog has gotten so long......I don't like long Blogs, but when so much is happening, it is hard to be brief and do justice. I hope I haven't bored you to death and lost everybody's interest.  I promise to try and keep them shorter in the future.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

A big Welcome to our latest Followers, Wheel Estate Travellers. Welcome Chuck and Elva. So glad to have you......    Click on any of my followers (well most) pictures and you can visit their Blog....

God Bless you all...

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..