Navajo Country

Monday morning we moseyed  over to the Ranch House Grill for some grub.  We were not disappointed.  By the time we finished with breakfast, we knew that we were good until dinner time.  The service was good, the food tasty, and the waitress kept Klep's coffee cup filled with really good coffee.  Yep.  We would go there again if we ever, for some strange reason, end up in Page, Arizona again.

After gassing up the car, we headed toward Utah and arrived at Goulding's Lodge.  This is actually the only privately owned land in the middle of an Navajo Reservation of 60 million acres which covers parts of four states.  The Gouldings came to Monument Valley in 1923 and established a trading post where they originally traded for things like rugs and blankets for staples, Later, when the depression came along, Mr. Goulding headed to Hollywood to try to interest the movie people in coming to the Valley to make films.  He finally got in to see John Ford, convinced him of the beauty of the place, and promised to be able to accommodate a crew in ten days.  Somehow they did, and that was the start of this location being in many of the films mad since then.  This brought money and work to the people here.  Later, the first lodge and restaurant were built.  Many of the old buildings which have been seen in many westerns are still there including the cabin which John Wayne used in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

Klep and I enjoyed the museum and walking around the grounds until we met Larry, the tour guide, and the other tourists for our four o'clock tour of Monument Valley including many off road places that we could not have seen otherwise.  The trip was over three hours, was a little like "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride," and was a lot of fun.

Monument Valley is considered a Holy Place by the Navaho's and I can understand why.  The mesas and formations are a deep, deep red from the iron deposits in the soil.  We saw rock formations shaped like huge animals, some arches, some Anasazi ruins, and a Hogan where we watched a Navajo woman card and spin wool by hand.  She also styled a young Italian woman's hair into the Navajo fashion.  The valley stretches for miles and miles with occasionally a house.  The Navajo by tradition do not

After our bouncing around, a quiet dinner at the hotel restaurant, where we enjoyed sampling fried brea, and bed after sunset were both welcome.

Road Trip 2013 - Utah

Road Trip 2013 has been in the planning stages for months, and Saturday we launched with a flight from Valdosta to Atlanta and then to the glittering lights of Las Vegas, landing just before midnight local time.  By the time we made our way to the rental car building after passing row on row of slots in the airport, got the little red Dodge crossover, and found the hotel, we were more than ready to fall into bed.   This morning the bright desert light woke us and we put the plan into motion.

Our first stop was Wal-Mart for those things which we could not take on the plane:  water, ice chest, ice, extra pillows, and a sun hat.  We were intrigued by the upscale store, quite desert and chic -- very Vegas --in design.  We then left the congestion of the city for the barren desert and hills, mesas, and buttes and little towns like Mesquite, Nevada (a well watered upscale development complete with golf course)  heading into Utah at St. George where we angled over to Arizona.  On the trip we slipped back and forth between the two states, on and off reservations, and finally ended at Page Arizona to stage our Monday activities.

The route today is almost the same we took 44 years ago when we passed through much of this area on our road trip to the west coast headed to Japan with two striking differences:  we had no interstate highways then and we were headed toward Vegas instead of away from it. We passed through
scenery which varied from stark to strikingly beautiful with many gradations of color on the soaring rock formations.  As we approached Page, we saw formations which varied from grey (almost white) shale to red rock.  We discovered when we stopped at a National Park overlook that many of the rocks contain fossilized oysters and other sea creatures from eons ago. Coal deposits lie under the earth from when the vegetation was lush.  This is also the area where dinosaur relics have been discovered.

We stopped at the Glen Canyon Dam, second highest in the US, which is actually the reason Page exists.  Page began as a strictly company town built for workers constructing and later working at the dam and then became an independent municipality.

We had researched where to eat in Page, a town of six thousand;  unfortunately, our first two choices were closed on Sunday.  We finally chose the Dam Grill and Bar which was adequately average although the Dam's décor was interesting, giving the impression that we were actually eating at the base of the massive structure.

Today, the primary impression we had was the contrast between the timeless soaring beauty of the natural formations and the rather tawdry relatively new efforts of mankind in the developments.  We saw the ubiquitous chain stores and restaurants in every small town.  We hope later in the trip to enjoy some little individualized places that local people frequent.  We also rediscovered the searing heat and hot wind of the area in summer.  Yes, the standard comment is "but it's a dry heat."  Doesn't matter: it's hot!  We were glad that the rental car had AC, not a feature of my deep green 1967 Mustang. 

Tonight we catch up on sleep and anticipate our trip tomorrow up into Utah to Monument Valley which is located entirely on a Navaho Reservation.

"Home, Sweet Home to Me!"

I was hooked on East Tennessee when we turned on 11 W and slowly climbed and wound our way to Hawkins County in the spring of 1968 when Klep took me to the hill to meet his parents.  When we returned that October, two months after our wedding, I first experienced the glory of the hills in full color.  Since then, I have loved that part of the world.  Some days I get just a little homesick for the place we lovingly refer to as "the holler" which has become our second home.  Today was one of those days.

We have just recently returned from a week traveling around the Caribbean enjoying the warm air, the soft breezes, and being totally pampered aboard a cruise ship.  After several slothful days of ignoring the pile of laundry and the Christmas things which needed to be dealt with, I finally got moving.  I bought some detergent, dragged out the storage boxes, and got it done.

While I worked, I thought longingly of Tennessee.  The hills would be bare now, the air cool.  I thought of the people who have become so much a part of our lives:  the cousins, the friends at Music Junction, the fellowship of Shady Grove Baptist Church, and the people we see as we go about our lives while we are there.  And, yes, I missed them all.

As I worked my way through the stack of laundry, the music of Larry and Ernie, and Vance and Phil and Hugh Kyle and Sheila and all the others filled my kitchen and carried me the five hundred miles plus to Rogersville.  I sang along to "Rocky Top" and other songs until the job was finished.

  Eleven or so weeks will pass quickly and once again, as the red buds burst with color, the bank blooms yellow with daffodils, and the violets emerge in the meadow, we will once again wind our way up the narrow, crooked road to Winegar Hollow.  I can hardly wait.

Cruising the Caribbean

As I stood on the veranda the sun broke through just before we eased into Fort Lauderdale port Friday morning, January 4, 2013.  The Zuiderdam maneuvered slowly through the channel as the world woke around us.  I enjoyed the last few minutes of movement through the water, knowing that I would soon be disembarking and headed home, rested, a little tanned, and with a few extra cruise pounds to shed in the coming days!  I thought back on the week we had spent on board ship.

We had sailed on December 28.  After our lifeboat drill, we enjoyed our first evening aboard getting unpacked, acclimated, and having out dinner before movie trivia and the evening show.  The next day was a day at sea. After a good walk around the deck with Traci, I enjoyed the sun and sea view on the veranda while Klep enjoyed a talk on the places we would visit.  After all, part of the reason we were cruising at this time of the year was to enjoy the warmth, to relax, and for me to recuperate further from my recent surgery.  I really don't need much excuse to sit and read with the sound of the water as we headed toward Grand Turk.

While we were on board, we thoroughly enjoyed afternoon tea.  What isn't to like about tiny sandwiched, scones with cream and jam, and iced cakes?  We also enjoyed our gourmet dinners every night although I did decide to forgo the bread!

Sunday morning the sun was just up when we slid into dock at Grand Turk.  Rob and Traci had a morning of swimming and snorkeling.  I had a morning of delightful slothfulness before I went to an early afternoon movie matinee of "People Like Us" before tea.  Our trivia team, the Klep Kats, was in place for the afternoon competition along with a room full of other teams.  Although we never won the general trivia contest, we did well enough to not be embarrassed!  Klep and I went to the interdenominational service before dinner and the evening show featuring James Cielan, an illusionist who made doves appear and disappear and who had two quite cute poodles which he fortunately did not make disappear.

Monday was a full day with glorious lolling in the morning followed by docking at San Juan, Puerto Rico, a tour around the old and new city, tromping up and down ramps of the old fort (begun in 1539), wading in the ocean, and more luscious lolling before we donned our dress up duds for New Year's Eve.  We had had a good historical experience at the old fort, and after all that exercise, we were ready for dinner and the comedy show following.

Tuesday's dawn revealed the beautiful hills of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.  Since we had not excursions scheduled, we took our time leaving the boat in the warm tropical air and under clear blue skies. 

The color of the water was deep turquoise; the hills lush with vegetation and tropical blooms.  After going ashore, we found a tour taxi to take us around the island and up to the highest point where we got a view of the town, inlets, celebrity houses, and harbor below. 

Words are inadequate to describe the beauty of the water.  By four p.m., we were watching the last passengers make a dash toward the ship, the last two arriving in a police cruiser which delivered them to the gangway shortly after we were scheduled to leave.  The policewoman stood outside her cruiser and accepted the applause and cheers of those of us on board waiting for the late arrivals.

Tuesday night was my favorite cruise entertainment:  Island Magic, a steel band which played classical and favorites from musicals. 

Wednesday we had a busy day swimming, reading, napping, going to seminars, having tea, and climaxing with our team win at Famous Faces Trivia.  We proudly wore our prizes, Holland America pens, to dinner.

After some fairly rough seas Wednesday evening which rocked me to sleep, we were anchored at Half Moon Cay soon after dawn Thursday morning.  By mid morning, we were on a tender headed to the beach to enjoy a morning in the sun, on the sugary sand, and in the blue, blue water swimming.  What isn't wonderful about swimming the first week of January!

Thursday afternoon we enjoyed a movie, our last trivia, ate a delicious dinner, and watched the stars from our veranda before settling down to a good night's sleep knowing we would awake to reality.

For us, cruising is as much about enjoying the experiences aboard the ship as it is the places we go.  It is the fun of towel animals at night, the service of the stewards and the dining staff, the good food, and the people we meet.I always enjoy a trip through the galley where the 134 person staff prepares the dinners for the 1950 guests and the almost 800 crew members.  Klep always finds some good computer ideas.  We all enjoy the trivia games, the movies, and the good food.  Most of all, I enjoy the view of the ocean, the fish we see, the birds, the moon over the water, the sunrises and the sunsets.  Our trip this year made some good memories.

  Friday morning, we gathered our bags , passed through immigration, collected our car and slowly returned to cooler weather and home.

Merry Christmas from Barbara & Klep

With the Christmas cards flooding in and December slowly disappearing from my calendar, I am reminded that, once again, it is time for Klep and I to send forth our annual Christmas wishes to all of you scattered around the globe who mean so very much to us! 2012 has less than seven days left in it and it has been a year full of all life has to offer, both sad and happy. This will be forever the year that we bade my mother good-by in September.


It will also be the year we felt the love and comfort of loved ones and our Heavenly Father as we all went through this time of loss.



It will be the year that our oldest grand daughter Ava Grace became a first grader and little sister Leila Kate started preschool. It will be the year I spent more time than I wanted to in the hospital and Klep spent more time than he wanted to playing nurse!

2012 was also a year when we enjoyed our sojourns to Tennessee in April and October and the other months here in Jennings; the year we road tripped Kentucky; the year we discovered more fried pies than we needed to; watched some good sunrises on the beach; and shared a lot of good old fashioned lazy days at home.

                                2012 will be the year we got together more with our cousins and bid our dear cousin Annie B. good-bye.



Thanksgiving 2012 will always be the first one without Grandma, but will go down as a joyful celebration of those of us who remember her. The day can be summed up in Leila’s little song she sang as she made play dough cookies, “Happy, happy! Happy, happy!”

Christmas Season 2012 will be the one which was scheduled around my second surgery of the year. We had open house where we celebrated the season with carols and food and about sixty-five friends. Our church cantata on the 9th was beautiful as we joined voices with a neighboring church to sing our musical, “Silent Night, Holy Night”

We had hoped to squeeze in a trip to South Carolina to share Christmas with our Karolina Kleppers, but the bug laid us both low and we have delayed that until early in the new year. Now, we look forward to a quiet day at home spent with Rob and Traci.
John, Pam, Daniel, and Matthew have visited this Christmas Eve along with our friends Phillip and Judy.

And we look forward to closing out 2012 with a cruise to the eastern Caribbean along with Rob and Traci.




May your Christmas be bright and joyful! May you be surrounded by love and feel the hope and peace that Our Savior promised us. And, may the New Year, 2013, bring us all closer together.

                                     Love,

                                     Barbara & Klep

Traffic, Barbecue, Home: Ending of a Good Trip

We awoke near Calhoun, Georgia this morning near interstate 75.  We were headed toward Atlanta not long after nine listening to a book on CD.  Atlanta traffic was Atlanta traffic, but it was moving well.  Fortunately traffic south of the city was lighter than usual.

We lunched at JL Barbecue just off 475 in Macon and deemed it adequate but not spectacular.  We have eaten there several times before and we are afraid that the quality has gone down.  Neither the ribs or the sliced pork really had that cooked over wood taste that we look for.  I asked Klep if it had really gotten worse or if we had gotten more discriminating and he decided it was a little of both!

We finished the book long before arriving in Valdosta, changing over to Sirius Radio's Classic radio station.  We love the simplistic way the old time radio stories got the story told in thirty minutes with time out for commercials.

Our next adventure was Publix.  It was either stop or go shopping tomorrow.  We opted for doing it on the way home.  We stocked up on good nutritious veggies, fish, chicken, and lean meat.  There will be no more fried pies for awhile.  Both of us are dreading the scales in the morning!

We pulled into the driveway at 4:02 p.m.  Our place is living up to its name.  The rains have come quite regularly which is great for the flowers, but the mosquitoes are in full bloom, too!

We now declare Road Trip 2012 done!

Falls,Train,Museum: Tennessee Line at 2:58pm
After a breakfast of our leftover fried apple pies, we took a quick second look at Cumberland Falls, marveling at how much the river had risen in a week and a half with the rains.  We had picked up a sandwich to have for lunch and headed to our next destination, the Big South Fork Scenic Railway in an old coal mining town, Stearns, Kentucky.

The Kentucky and Tennessee Railway was built between 1902 and 1904 to haul timber and coal, to carry passengers, and to take workers and supplies to the camps along its line.

Now the train is run by the McCreary County Heritage Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization which was created to preserve, protect and interpret the history of one of the few remaining company towns in Kentucky.

We rode about 8 miles into Boone National Forest, dropping six hundred feet in elevation before we arrived at Blue Heron Mine area where we stopped to enjoy the exhibits and the old coal mining artifacts.  We arrived in a driving rain and sat for awhile on the train, enjoying our club sandwich.

On the way to the noon stop, we passed an old mining camp at Barthell, saw Canadian geese on the mill pond, passed through an old tunnel, and road by sheer drops and steep cliffs, black from the seams of coal running through them.  We saw some sumac leaves starting to change color, ferns growing in fissures of rocks, and blooming daisies by the tracks.

After our return trip (clipping on at an average of eleven miles an hour), we walked over to the McCreary County Museum which is housed in the Old Stearns Office Building which was built in 1907.  Stearns was the coal company which basically built and owned the town and the railroad.

The building housed artifacts from the old coal mine, old tools, and old household items from the early part of the twentieth century.  It also had a particularly nice moonshine still on display.

We walked past the business part of town, housed in a large block of wooden buildings and saw the damage from a recent fire which shut the restaurant and several more of the businesses  down.  Workers are already starting with the repairs.


We found our car in the parking lot, set the GPS for home and headed south, crossing the state line into Tennessee at 2:58 p.m . We visited and/or transited 30 counties and drove over 1400 miles in the state. We feel that we have a much better understanding and appreciation of Kentucky than we did two weeks ago.

Now, it is time to start considering what state to choose for next year's trip!