In 2013 our family moved to Wiesbaden, Germany, a four and a half year adventure that will always be remembered as some of the best times of our lives. Living overseas was somewhat magical, but it did present one small problem: our little army commissary only sold tiny bottles of organic maple syrup for some obnoxious price of like $13 or some nonsense like that, and real syrup supplies were otherwise non-existent. Dusty, being the problem solver he is, quickly took to the internet in search of someone who would send syrup to APO addresses. By some twist of fate, he stumbled upon Slopeside Syrup, a fairly new maple syrup company out of Vermont. The About section on the site told of the Cochran family’s mom and pop ski slope that produced family World Cup and Olympic Gold Alpine Skiing accolades. After decades of success on the slopes, a new generation of Cochran grand children were finding other ways to live off the land. Back in the day, Slopeside’s online ordering system didn’t show “APO” as a shipping option, so Dusty emailed the company, explained that he was in the Army and stationed overseas and wondered if they would be willing to ship. In no time at all, we had a half gallon of syrup in our mailbox with a message from Doug saying, “This one is on us. Thank you for your service.” To say we were appreciative is an understatement. Before long, we emailed Doug with another order request. When asked how we should pay, he told us, “Just send a check whenever you get the package.” Who does that anymore!?!? That was about ten years ago. Over the last decade, this very trusting business arrangement grew into a friendship. Emails to and from Doug always involve a little “catch up” with how life is going. He always gets us the best deals on bulk orders and shipping. It’s not uncommon for four gallons of syrup to grace our doorstep! (Yes, we go through that much syrup--and sometimes we even share.) Our family is practically religious about our Slopeside; it is a necessary staple in our pantry that we can not run out of.
For years we have talked about a family vacation to Vermont, but that trip never happened. Upon moving to New England, a visit to finally meet these long time friends became top priority! Last week we took a week to explore the Green Mountains, and fortunately, we were able to catch Doug between company trips to Texas, Massachusetts, and Kansas. Just before closing on a Friday, we met the UnTapped crew. Dakota, our 4 month old puppy, was exceptionally pleased to find dog lovers and played with the office golden retriever and the office guys while we toured the bottling facility and warehouse. We met the family and others who make the sugary magic happen. A quick visit wasn't enough time, so we made plans to have dinner with Doug. As we were headed to the restaurant, he texted and asked if we would like to come have a cookout at his place so Dakota could be more comfortable and we could just chill. This thoughtful offer made for a fantastic night (with maple soda and delicious maple coleslaw, I might add!) We had a great time and feel so blessed to have developed this friendship over the years.
Someone recently asked me what we're going to do about syrup now that we live in New England and can buy syrup in our own town--or make our own. The choice is clear though: Slopeside for life. LOL! Thank you, Doug and the Slopeside crew, for making such a quality product, but mostly for being the kind of business that people are proud to hold onto. We look forward to seeing you again soon!
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On Halloween night, 2010, Dusty and I were set for trick-or-treaters in our cul-de-sac home in Kempner, Texas. Brickhead was only nine months old then, and dressed as the cutest little froggy, ready to help hand out candy. We waited and waited for a good 45 minutes, perched on our hilltop watching very sparse groups of costumed little ones pass our street without a thought. That's when we decided that if trick-or-treaters wouldn't come to us, we would go to them! We walked around our neighborhood and soon found out that every street was dead! No one was out! Suddenly, a woman came running from her porch, waving her arms, followed by her husband, both welcoming us to come over and take all their candy because they had also anticipated a larger crowd. We talked to the man and woman for over an hour, getting to know each other. They immediately adopted us as their children (since our own family was far away), and from that trick-or-treating night, a family was born. Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gary truly did become our family away from home during our four years stationed at Ft. Hood. Looking back, there wasn't much of our lives that they weren't involved in. They got to know all our family and friends and we knew theirs. We had Papa Murphy's Pizza parties every Monday together. Gary strummed "happy birthday" on his guitar for Brickhead's first birthday. They were at the hospital soon after Banana was born. The stepping stone with the kids' footprints still sits in Mary's garden, and the family quilt that Mary made for Banana still hangs on her bedroom wall (well, when we have a house anyway). In the last ten years, Dusty has been able to stop in a few times when he's been in the area for work, but the kids and I haven't been back to their birth state since we left in 2012. Being in the American Southwest meant we had better make a stop to central Texas and see Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gary! Watching her swing open that front door and yell, "get your butt in here," was the best greeting ever! For three days, we enjoyed dinners together, including Papa Murphy's pizza night. Grandma's desserts solidified that, if the kids didn't remember her before, they'll certainly remember her now! Being there felt so good; Like no time had passed--aside from the children being much bigger. Waco Mammoth National MonumentDuring our stay, we revisited the Waco Mammoth Site, which became a National Monument in 2015. In 1978, two men noticed huge bones in the river bed and reported it to Baylor University. Since then, Baylor, the City of Waco, the Waco Mammoth Foundation, and now the National Parks Service have worked to study and preserve the bones of approximately 20 Columbian Mammoths. About 65,000 years ago, a nursery herd (females and multiple juveniles) mysteriously died here, followed by at least three more mammoths, including a male, 51,000 years ago. This is one of the top research sites in the United States for these extinct animals. I was surprised that not much had changed in the last ten years, aside from differing ideas on how the animals died. For a long time, it was hypothesized that these animals died in a flash flood, but as soil samples have been analyzed, it seems the cause of death may have aligned more with drought--possibly poison from drinking water with algae. A paleontologist has recently been hired for the site, so I'm interested to find out what new discoveries can be made. The site is a reminder that you can't rush science, and I respect that they've halted excavation until science can catch up to the needs of the discovery. If you haven't been, and you are near the area, I highly recommend going. I remember being completely in awe the first time we went. There is another mammoth site in Hot Springs, South Dakota with even more mammoth fossils. I desperately wanted to go during our time in the Black Hills, but since we got COVID, we missed it. (Another excuse to make it out west another time!) On the way back we stopped at Buc-ee's, which I was not aware was a "thing." Apparently the awesomeness of Buc-ee's is all over the internet and I have completely missed it. We had a little fun at this super-sized gas station and convenience store. (My husband is hilarious, BTW.) One thing is for sure: a lot in Central Texas has changed. Copperas Cove now has a bypass and loads more commerce has come into the once sleepy little town. Neighborhoods have popped up; nice neighborhoods have gone down. Being back in our old neighborhood was a little surreal for me. Our old house now has a barn and a bunch of chickens in the backyard, but the split rail fence that was Dusty's pride and joy is gone. We were only away for a decade, but I hardly recognized the place. Change is inevitable, but it's nice to know that some relationships stay constant. Thank you to Mary and Gary for such a wonderful visit! We hope that our next time together isn't such a long time away!
John Muir once said of Yosemite Park, "None can escape its charms. Its natural beauty cleans and warms like a fire, and you will be willing to stay forever in one place like a tree... But no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its wall seems to glow with life.” The Yosemite Valley truly is one of the most awe-inspiring places on earth. With El Capitan towering 3,000 feet to one side and Half Dome soaring at 4,737 feet on the other, the view is a humble reminder of our insignificance in this big ol' world. Traditionally, Yosemite has always held a special place in the hearts of my family. My grandpa has been roaming those mountains since he was a toddler. Forty some years ago my grandparents built a cabin in Greely Hill, about an hour west of the park entrance. Twelve years ago they built a house on that property and now live there full time. Since even the grocery store is an hour away, they consider the park to be right next door. You could say they know the Sierras like the back of their hand, and Yosemite has always been a favorite spot. Every one of my aunts and uncles has climbed the famed granite Half Dome monolith at least once. My grandpa has climbed it 26 times, my grandma 8. It's not an easy feat and it's a pretty cool family tradition. Over the years, though, things have changed. As more and more people have come to visit the park each year, roads have been rerouted. Parking lots have become over-crowded. A shuttle system has been implemented and pretty near mandatory if you want to stop and explore certain parts of the park. Traffic wait times have peaked at 2-3 hours. This year the park began requiring a reservation (made online at Recreation.gov) before you can enter the park, even if your intent is to drive through the park via state route 120 over Tioga pass, which locals have used since 1919 to get to the other side of the mountains. This population problem has led to my grandparents vowing to never go back to Yosemite again, a truly heartbreaking sentiment, and a testament of the times. All that being said, Yosemite was on our radar for this cross-country trip, but since we have been there several times, it wasn't a priority. What brought us to California was spending some quality time with FAMILY! We arrived at my grandparents' house on Friday and were greeted with a delicious dinner of beef stew, muffins, and homemade applesauce. Grandpa had us sufficiently hooked up with 30 amp power, water, sewer, and internet in no time. If we thought that was full service for a "moochdocking" stay, the next day grandma and grandpa took it to the next level. While I got all our laundry and schooling done, the guys changed the oil and rotated tires on the truck, scrubbed all the mud and bugs off the rig, and stapled wall panels that had been shaken loose during Rivy's 6,000 mile journey across the country. It felt so good to have a day to get caught up on those chores and maintenance that needed to get done, and we were so grateful for all the tools and space that my grandparents had so we could get that accomplished! On Sunday afternoon my aunts and uncles came over from the Modesto area to visit. Immediately my Uncle Stephen suggested wrestling with the kids. Three years ago when we visited, that's how he broke the ice, so apparently he thought wrestling a 10 and 12 year old would be a good idea. LOL! He certainly has a way with kids and it definitely worked because for the rest of the night they asked if they could wrestle again. This is how they will always remember U. Stephen--I'm curious what will happen on our next visit! We had a delicious dinner of Papa Murphy's Pizza (man, how we have missed this!) and a healthy salad. My birthday was the day before, so Dusty and the kids made my favorite Dr. Pepper cupcakes for dessert. The evening was filled with catching up, laughter, stories, good food, and fun. No time was wasted as we jumped in to great conversations! Monday we decided to try our luck at Yosemite. The last time we went was May 2019 and we decided then that it was too crowded for our tastes. But...you know...FOMO. We had to go. We set our trusty GyPSy Guide* for a tour of the park, listening to history, geology, and fun facts about Muir's favorite place on earth as we drove. (Quick plug: if you find yourself in a National Park or popular outdoor tourist destination, go to gypsyguide.com and see if there is a tour available for your location. Download the app and set the tour to play as you're entering the park. The tour runs off of GPS navigation, so as you approach a conversation point, your personal tour guide comes on and tells you about the location. He's funny and knowledgeable, and it's just like having a park ranger in your car as you drive. We use this app to help navigate parks and to determine the best lookouts, hikes, and activities, plus the history and science behind the parks makes for an enjoyable and educational experience! Forget driving blind. Get the GyPSy App. I promise, I don't get paid for this ad.) Our first stop in the park was to Tuolumne Grove, one of the larger groves of Giant Sequoias in the park. (Tip: If you want to see giant Sequoias, go to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We didn't go this time, but what you see there is definitely worth the drive!) We hiked about a mile on a downhill paved road to the grove. The first fallen sequoia we came to, Brickhead got stung by an angry yellow jacket (or meat bee, as Grandpa calls them). We climbed through another fallen tree, then made our our own beeline back to the truck for some first aid. Thankfully, stopping at the El Capitan Bridge to watch the climbers took the sting off Brickhead's mind. What looked like a tiny house spider on a wall was actually a fairly large bright orange bivy tent and gear someone had set up for sleeping on the side of the cliff. With binoculars we spotted about six climbers that you could barely see with the naked eye. That granite monolith is just so enormous! We met Tom Evans, a professional photographer who captures the climbers in action. We didn't realize he was a celebrity in his profession, having been the only still photographer to catch Alex Honnold complete his 2008 famed three hour and 56 minute free-solo climb of El Capitan. He briefly told us of his climbing adventures and what these climbers have to plan for. Some of them spend more than two weeks climbing to the top of that wall! Before we left, we met two girls who had just finished a two day climb. Absolutely amazing. A little ways down the road, we stopped at a gently moving spot on the Merced River to wade in the cold water. John Muir said the Merced River was the most joyful stream born in the Sierra. "The sun shines not on us, but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us." He was right...there is just something about wading in living waters that makes you feel...connected. Upon entering the Valley, it was immediately apparent that people were going to ruin this trip. (My grandma jokingly reminded me that I am some of those people! While that is true in a sense, it's a different kind of people who wreck the experience for everyone.) We didn't get further than the first pull-off that we heard no less than three car horns from different angry drivers frustrated by someone slowing down in front of them to take a picture or cutting them off to change lanes or park their car. In case your background does not provide you with this important bit of information, you should know this one fact: angry car horns do NOT belong in nature. Especially in one of the most beautiful places on earth. My patience with people ran out right then and there and I knew spending time in the busy section of the park was going to be a "no go" for me. From there, I drove around the parking lot a few times (because there was no parking availability) while Dusty and the kids ran to the gift shop for collector's tokens. Then it was time to escape! On the way out, we took a drive to Hetch Hetchy reservoir to walk across the dam. Three years ago, Grandpa took us out that way and told us about this controversial location. We listened to the story then, and were elated a half a year later when a homeschool field trip to our Nation's Capitol turned the story into a lesson on congressional voting. (Thanks to COVID, you can now find the interactive lesson here on the Capitol's website. I highly recommend a visit, especially for middle school kids--or adults--who would like to find out more!) If you don't have time though, here's a quick history lesson. You remember the 1849 Gold Rush, right? San Francisco’s population went from 1,000 people in 1848 to a whopping 25,000 by the next year. By the late 1800's, the city was desperately searching for alternative sources of water. In 1906, a major earthquake destroyed much of the city, breaking gas lines and igniting debris and spreading to structures that survived the quake. Lack of water made firefighting impossible. As they rebuilt they knew they needed a fresh water source, and Hetch Hetchy seemed to them the best solution to their problem. But the valley, which had been described as the twin of the Yosemite valley, was on protected land of the National Park. For over a decade, the city lobbied congress in hopes to gain approval to dam the valley in order to create a reservoir. In 1913, environmentalists finally lost out and the damming of the Tuolumne River was approved. The O’Shaughnessy Dam was constructed and a 167 mile aqueduct was built to deliver some of the cleanest water in the country to what is now 2.6 million people in San Francisco. The existence of this dam is still a matter of huge controversy in the area, and a vote went out a few years back to tear down the dam, restoring the valley to its former glory. Again, environmentalists lost and the dam still stands. After our quick visit to learn about this famed dam, we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner. We spent the next day planning our future route and asking Grandpa for his expertise. As mentioned, he knows the Sierras like the back of his hand and was a wealth of knowledge about roads all the way through to Utah and Arizona.
We had a wonderful visit with my grandparents. I can't thank them enough for all of their hospitality and help with getting all our much needed maintenance and chores done. We don't get many opportunities to visit, so every time we do, I learn more about them. I thoroughly enjoy listening to their stories and am constantly amazed by the life they've shared. (I never realized how much time they've spent backpacking in the mountains!) I so admire their love for each other and all they do to keep involved and stay young! They are truly an inspiration and set a good example for the life our family hopes to live out together. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa! We love you and are already looking forward to our next visit. *Contains affiliate link The year was 2009. Our friend Micah had discovered this secluded beach about an hour away from us. In South Korea, "secluded" was a luxury that we hadn't experienced in a while. Dusty and I and five or six other couples enjoyed a whole day on the beach--a bunch of Americans on a Korean beach--with no Koreans! We found starfish, did handstand competitions, drank (a lot), and I'll always remember Micah building a raft out of a bunch of trash he found and paddling his kids around on it. This was a day that all of us would cherish and talk about for years to come. For the last thirteen years, we never imagined that history would find a way to repeat itself. As a young married couple, stationed in Korea, Dusty and I did everything with our DUSTOFF family. The team of medevac Blackhawk pilots and their families were closer than any other group we've been around during our entire military career. Most of us had dogs and no children, but there was one couple with two sweet children that we all looked up to. The Helsers were the coolest. Micah and Katie were adventurous, easy going, talented, creative, insightful, resourceful, fun, and they were amazing parents. After Korea, they spent a few years at Ft. Drum before exiting the military to live their dream. They bought a plot of land in Montana and became true homesteaders. They lived off the grid in a horse trailer while building a house, and, over time, dug irrigation ditches; put up fences for horses, chickens, and cattle; planted their garden; and so much more that I will never begin to comprehend, all while raising two children. Sadly, as all their dreams were coming to fruition, Katie was diagnosed with cancer. She recently passed away, but Micah, Natalie, and Jake have kept her love alive on this farm. We lost touch with the Helsers over the years, but our bestie from Korea kept in contact with them. "Uncle Mike," as our kids know him, even though they have only seen him a few times, drove four hours to Wisconsin to visit us as we passed through in August. He had missed us so much that he knew a few days with the Ramseys wasn't enough! (Isn't that right, Mike?!) He had the bright idea to call up Micah in Montana and ask if we could all come out for a big reunion. The plan was set, so September 1, Mike and his kids and the Ramsey family showed up on Micah's doorstep ready for some fun! In all reality, none of us knew what to expect from this stay in Montana. We hadn't talked to Micah and the kids since 2010. Mike's daughter had come to see us in Wisconsin, but we hadn't seen his son since he was a baby. Our kids are all the same age, but would they all get along? Micah's kids were all grown up, freshmen and seniors in high school, and who knew how they would respond to these 10-12 year olds running around their house.Turns out the feelings of love and welcoming on this farm are palpable and it took no time at all to get comfortable. As Dusty, Mike, and I got the RV all set up, Micah had all four of our kids out on a farm tour, then jumped on the trampoline with them for about 20 minutes until his kids got home from school. All six of the kids jumped into friendship like they had all known each other forever. Literally, the kids jumped into friendship. Within an hour, these adrenaline junkies had given up on regular trampoline activities, and decided to start jumping off the roof (no, really...literally). Natalie and Jake were so great at engaging with the kids. In Banana's words, "I thought they would be like every other teenager I've ever met and only play on their phones, but they were so cool!" Seeing the three families interact together after never having met each other was...heartwarming, to say the least.
On Friday we took it easy all morning, then went to cheer on Natalie and Jake at their cross country meet. Afterwards we went to Polson, on the southern end of Flathead Lake, spent some time diving off the dock into deep clear water, and chilled on the shore for the afternoon. You might be wondering how all ten of us traveled together. Let me introduce you to Lil Buddy. Several months back, Lil Buddy came across the Helser's radar in a For Sale ad and they couldn't pass up the opportunity to own this 1988 fifteen passenger luxury van, equipped with a ladder and roof rack. The ten of us cruised around the Flathead Indian Reservation, windows wide open, enjoying the views and good company with big smiles spread across our faces. Saturday, we celebrated Mike's birthday by loading Lil' Buddy up with a rowboat and a canoe and heading out to Finley Point on Flathead Lake. Locals always know the best places, and the Helsers did not disappoint for this special occasion! Tucked between million dollar homes on the lake are small slivers of public land you wouldn't even notice if you didn't know they were there. We pulled Lil' Buddy down to the shore, unloaded boats, paddles, life jackets, lunch, swimsuits, and towels, and got ready to launch. Now, I feel like we're a pretty adventurous family, but we took the risk factor up a notch or two this day. Imagine this: ten people. All our gear. One canoe. One rowboat. The goal: row out to three tiny islands a half mile off the shore of Flathead Lake. We donned as many life jackets as we had and threw extra floatation devices (aka pool noodles) into the canoe and hoped for the best. The trip out was a little touch and go, but we all made it to the remote islands safely. (Thank you, Jesus.) Then we all had a ball! Here we were again, three former Blackhawk pilots and their families on a secluded beach. These three tiny islands are essentially piles of huge rocks covered in pine trees and shrubs. Parts of the surrounding lake are deep enough to dive in, while others are so shallow that you can walk most of the way between the islands. And so we passed our day swimming in the fairly cold water, relaxing on the pebbly beach, and watching all of our kids explore the islands together. The kids named our island "Lost Pants Island" because as we landed ashore, we found someone's pants (including photo ID, cash, credit cards) laying behind a bush. After a few hours, Ryan Spencer finally came back to retrieve them, but he sure did give us a lot to laugh at in the meantime! Eventually the kids got a wild idea to build a raft out of huge driftwood logs. They worked as a team to roll the logs out of a debris pile. They sourced a few ropes from the row boat, put their knot tying skills to good use, and successfully created a raft, christened the S.S. Rosehip. (Funny how history repeats itself.) All six of them paddled together around the islands, and could have paddled all the way to shore if it weren't for an oncoming storm that made us grown-ups a bit nervous. Sunday, before the Hendersons left for the airport, the kids organized a talent show. Everyone had to participate and it gave us a chance to see just how talented the group was. We had a lot of laughs as we found out that Dusty could *almost* guess numbers, Mike could *almost* read minds, and Micah can reach any goal he puts his mind to. The kids did magic tricks, gymnastics, sang in Gaelic, juggled knives, won staring contests, and made rose hip tea. We cracked up at different skits and were almost worried when Natalie and Jake performed a sword fight complete with fake blood as the finale. The whole weekend with the Helsers and Hendersons was perfect. Being together again was surreal and watching our kids form bonds was absolutely magical. Seeing Little Natalie and Jake all grown up and getting to know them again was...overwhelmingly special. For the grown-ups, it was like a lifetime had passed, yet no time had passed at all. We all left reluctantly, but with hearts full of gratitude for such special friendships.
Mike, thank you for initiating this weekend and flying out to Montana. Micah, Natalie, and Jake...none of us can thank you enough for your hospitality and the gift of spending time with your amazing family. In 1983, my grandparents bought a shack on 40 acres of wooded land near Pickerel Lake in Alanson, Michigan. My grandpa and his numerous contractor buddies palled around on weekends to build the cabin that stands there today. Much of my childhood was spent in the area, enjoying the water in summer, four wheeling through the painted forests in the fall, snowmobiling with my Papaw in the winter, and helping Grandma work in the flower beds in the spring. Dusty and I were engaged at Petoskey's Sunset Park on the shores of Lake Michigan, but in the last twenty years, we've only returned to the cabin three or four times. On our RV journey northward, we spent seven days at Camp Pet-o-se-ga Campground, just six miles away from my mom, grandma, sister, and her family, who stayed at the cabin. My mom and sister's family bought the cabin off my Grandma a few years ago and have steadily been fixing it up and modernizing it, but it still held a lot of the old charm I remember. Our first full day there, we spent at the cabin taking the kids on the four wheeler through the woods, and enjoying the perfect 75 degree weather and the backdrop of the bright blue skies against the trees. Driving the four wheeler through the trails my grandpa cut decades ago was almost overwhelming. Watching Dusty let Brickhead drive the quad was overwhelming in a different way. A family of chipmunks have built a fairly elaborate series of tunnels through the yard and have become quite friendly with the human kind. Banana had them eating out of her hand the first night we were there, and each of the kids (including the two and four year old who have a bit harder time holding still) were hand feeding them by day two. We made the most of the time we had, combining sightseeing and activities with a fair share of chilling at the cabin or our campsite. One day we went into Petoskey for putt-putt golf at Pirate's Cove (the absolute best of putt-putt in my humble opinion), then had pizza and watched the kids play at the playground at Sunset Park. It was cute watching my sister's two year old try to imitate his 12 year old ninja cousin. My mom recently bought an electric-assist bike, so one day we all met at the Oden Fish Hatchery in Alanson and took off for a 13 mile ride on the Petoskey-to-Mackinaw Trail to Kilwin's ice cream in Petoskey. On the way back, we stopped to play on a small pebbled beach...until we discovered there were tiny leeches attached to three of us. We skedaddled pretty quickly out of the water after that! Saturday we visited my great aunt and uncle and cousin in Cheboygan and went for a boat ride through the river behind their house to Black Lake. Our cousin, who had planned to take us out, ended up staying back with my uncle and recruited Dusty to captain the ship (a.k.a. pontoon). It was a little touch and go there for a bit, but we made it across the lake to a shallow area where the kids played in the water and explored the beach for a bit. Other days we went into Indian River and Charlevoix, filling up on sugar from ice cream parlors and The Taffy Barrel candy shop, where Mimi spent way too much money on bags and bags of candy for all her grandkids. The kids loved playing in the lakes and playgrounds at any opportunity that one was available.
My take away: so much changes, yet the foundation remains the same. One thing I will carry with me is the smells. When Banana came out of the shower, I hugged her and was flooded with childhood memories. The water and the earth in the cabin woods are so distinctive and just packed full memories of all the times my sister and I spend up north as kids. Trees we played on as children are grown or dying, neighbors have moved or passed on. Relationships have changed. The towns have grown and become crowded. But there is still this little cabin in the woods, thankfully still there to provide the foundation for another generation of childhood memories. Military families have pretty short root systems. Our motto is to "bloom where you're planted," but our vegetation is prepared to be uprooted at any moment to find a new garden. There is something about being home with friends and family whose roots run deep. Something about sinking your toes into family owned land, being in your childhood home, relating to stories told about past generations, or reliving memories with people who knew you even before you even knew who you were. Our kids will never know what it's like spending an entire childhood in one community, but one constant of their lives has always been family...and they LOVE spending time with them! We started off our trip at National Road Campground in Zanesville, Ohio, which just happened to be celebrating Christmas in July that weekend. The kids were excited to have their Grandma and aunts come through with loads of Christmas paraphernalia so they could partake in decorating. Santa and Smokey the Bear came by the campground on a firetruck and passed out reminders for fire prevention. We spent the week visiting family, including a Ramsey family reunion, and got to see Dusty's brother's family for the first time in over two years. We actually had family over to our "new house," which felt kind of nice, since our house usually requires taking vacation days to see. Dusty got his truck detailed and ceramic coated by Cocca's Detailing just outside of New Concord. I'm going to give his business a plug because we have so many people reading from that part of Ohio. Mark, the young man running the business, was most definitely the hardest working, most put-together, confident, and knowledgeable twenty-something year old that I have met in a long time. He did a great job on the truck, and generally restored my faith in future generations. Highly recommend! Sunday we drove to Brookville to see my side of the family. First stop: Marion's Piazza (our favorite) to meet the whole family (or everyone who could make it.) The kids played with cousins in the game room for hours while the adults chatted. Monday we took care of some business, played at the farm, had dinner at mom's and got to What's the Scoop for ice cream just before they closed. (Best ice cream! Brookville has been needing this for so long!) Since we were only in Brookville for two days, we mooch-docked with a dear friend of mine who I worked with way back in my high school days. Her sweet family started EZ Farms back in 2015, raising miniature herefords. Catching up with an old friend was wonderful, and seeing all the animals was definitely a perk for Banana! We had so much fun at EZ Farms that I'm trying to convince them to sign up to be Boondocker's Welcome hosts. Not only is their family a ton of fun, but we had a blast helping do farm chores and petting the dogs and farm cats. Today we hit the road to spend the rest of the week with family at our cabin in Michigan. Our visit was just enough to help us feel a bit more grounded before we get swept up by the wind of the road. We're so thankful for the deep, wide, and comfortable roots of our family to help us out on this journey. We may plant ourselves all over the world, but Ohio will always be where our roots are. Hi, I’m Joni, mom of the Ramsey clan. Dustin and I met in January 2002, the day after he joined the U.S. Army. We’ve done our share of days or months apart due to deployments, TDY’s (temporary duty assignments), and whatever else military life has thrown at us. But despite any of those tribulations, we’ve gained so much in opportunities and all we’ve learned along the way. Together, we’ve been building a life that is always full of adventure, love, a spattering of daring, and a lot of laughter. The Beginning Both born in rural Ohio, seeing the world was never a goal to start out with, but quickly became our passion as opportunities presented themselves. In the course of Dustin’s 21 years in the military, we’ve lived in North Carolina, Alabama, South Korea, Texas, Germany, and Maryland. Our philosophy has been to treat each duty station as a vacation. We find everything that is special about the area, dive deep into the history, culture, and environment, and use our home as a springboard to experience everything there is to see and learn in the surrounding regions. Before becoming parents, we scaled Mt. Fuji, camped under the stars in the Outback, explored the temple ruins of Angkor Wat, climbed the Great Wall of China, and hiked the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand. And Then There Were Four Our children, born in Texas in 2010 and 2012, have known adventure from early on in life. They are the most flexible and resilient kids I’ve ever known. After moving to Germany at ages one and three, they spent their early years strolling through Paris, London, Prague, Rome, and other major cities of Europe. They’ve walked the streets of Pompeii, explored countless medieval castle ruins, hiked through The Hidden Valley in Scotland, soaked in the hot springs of Iceland, playground-hopped through the Swiss Alps, and rung the bell at Our Lady of the Lake Church in the center of Lake Bled. Back in the United States, during their elementary years, we never let grass grow under our feet. Vacations and lots of field trips built strong foundations for homeschool education. Our most exciting vacation has been touring the west coast where we scrambled the lava tubes of Ape Cave, sledded down snow hills–without a sled– at Crater Lake, and rock hopped through coral reefs along the Pacific. Last year, due to COVID restrictions, we stuck closer to home and hiked over 100 miles through east coast wilderness. New Adventures
For the last seven years, we’ve dreamed of traveling the United States in an RV. With retirement just around the corner, the moment has come! We bought our Grand Design Reflection 31MB in February and are planning to hit the road in July 2022. Since we’ve NEVER RVed, this should be an experience, to say the least! Thank you for joining us! We hope you enjoy reading about our journey and are inspired to live life with your own set of adventures. |
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