Friday rain & more Bill stories

Breakfast at KOA is always enjoyable. Kathy has been gone for two weeks for her grandson's graduation, so it was great to see her again. I caught Don talking here. When we got back from KOA, we saw Bill had gotten the doors on his camper. So we walked back to the pavilion after we parked at our site. The rain clouds were gathering.All three doors are now on, complete with louvered windows and curtains, made by Bill. Front door? Next, Bill will paint the frame and fenders black, attach the fenders and it will be finished. Back door?Inside the doors are stickers depicting all the places Bill has been in his travels. (Not in this camper, yet)Bill raises the back door of the kitchen for me to take pictures. He will also install hydraulic or spring hinges on the back door. We weren't under the pavilion very long when it started pouring rain. The sound of the rain beating on the metal roof of the pavilion was nice. Bill proudly poses beside his "baby" as he shared more stories with Don and I. Stories like the time he "installed" a toilet in his living room because he didn't like it when people talked about him when he left the room to go to the bathroom. You know, everyone talks about that person that leaves, some good but mostly bad... human nature being what it is. He actually photographed himself sitting on "it" reading a magazine, with his trousers around his ankles, just to "prove" he had a toilet, complete with water tube attached to the wall and floor to make it look real, in his living room. Hilarious and famous story. Word got around and people would stop him and ask him if he was the man with a toilet in his living room.

And stories about the fake bullet holes that he sticks to his cars, motorcycle, helmets, TV's, etc. Whew, he made a fast get-a-way. His wife worked at a hospital and she would stick a bullet hole on doctor's cars in the parking lot. Quite the fun guy, that Bill. This is the car he will pull the little yellow camper with. Won't that be too cute? Notice his license plate... there's another interesting story, especially if you are a fan of the National U.S. 66 Association. The plate originally stands for William Edward Elwell - member of the Route 66 Association of Illinois. It' also means "Weeee, I'm having fun on Route 66" and I added "wee" little car driven by a man born on Route 66 in Illinois.

From the website:

Formation of Associations

With the removal of federal Route 66 highway signs and the lack of any designation on maps, many Americans thought the road no longer existed. In government terms, this was true. But while parts of the old road had disappeared under the interstate's path, most of its 2,448 miles of pavement still existed and could be driven - if one knew where to look! By 1984, when Interstate 40 bypassed the last stretch of Route 66 in Arizona, a movement was already developing to resurrect the old road, put up new road signs, and restore it to the maps and atlases of the world. It might not be the great commercial artery that it once was, but it could still be a road - a road that people could use to enjoy a slower and more relaxed way of travel. The first state Route 66 association was formed in February 1987. On March 5, 1989, 15 people met in Pontiac. From there a core group of Illinois Route 66 fans began meeting to form an association in Illinois. That association was formally established in October 1989 in Dwight, Illinois. At that Founding meeting, the association elected officers and adopted bylaws to govern its operations."

William "Bill" Edward Elwell was a member of that original group. Today, the full length of Route 66 has been preserved and protected by each state's government, all except the strip that runs through the Texas Panhandle... c'mon, get with the program, Texas!

When Bill moved to Missouri, he also joined the Missouri Route 66 association. Every state, including Texas, now has a Route 66 association and it is growing more and more everyday. I always notice Route 66 memorabilia, but I will pay even closer attention now that I know someone who was instrumental in preserving this wonderful part of our American history.

Thank you to Bill and all the other charter members of that founding association!

Sunday

Today was another glorious Sunday.  Met new folks, Bob and Joyce  from Texas and and their friend from Arkansas. These nice people had met several years ago in Colorado. Best picture of Barry ever!  I don't know what his problem was.  He got his new teeth Friday and they looked really good!  Bill (left) was here last summer and is the owner of the tiny teardrop trailer that he refurbished.  It's rumored that Bill can play several musical instruments.  We're praying that he will eventually play for us. That's Lucy's Bubba on the right trying to figure out if he knows any of the songs we're singing.

Yvonne & Wendell from Wisconsin, were also here last summer.  It's so good to see all the people we grew to love last summer. Don felt pretty "ruff" all day. His body really needs to rest to be able to fight the shingles, but he did great and God was his strength.  His sermon, from Luke 8:5-8 was really good as he described the different conditions of man's heart through the parable of the sower, comparing the different types of soil with the different types of "heart conditions."  Good soil = a receptive and pliable heart where the "seed" (God's Word) takes root and brings forth good fruit through a life that resembles our example, Jesus Christ.  Wish I had a recording of the sermon.  After the Oak Grove service, we went across the street to the KOA campground.  This is Vickie and her husband who are new workampers this year. Bobby and Pat hardly ever miss church and are faithful supporters.  Kim, owner of KOA, worshipped with us this morning, also.  She's a sweetheart.Dennis and Sally joined us.  We are so blessed to work with them and spend time with them. When we got back to Oak Grove, we saw this, so I jumped out to get a close up.  Don't worry, I took a picture of what this plate is attached to and it is a beauty! Oh, yeah baby.  The owner said he bought it to try to recapture his youth, but it wasn't working yet. Can't imagine that! Don and I are convinced that it would work for us. :-) Isn't this the cutes little blue pom?!!  Barry and Anna bought Misty Blue yesterday, along with her brother, Panda, a black and white. Anna named Misty Blue because of her cobalt blue eyes and her coat. On the Internet, blue poms sell for $4,000. Wow!  They got a deal. She loves her new mama.Tonight, we went over to First Baptist Church, Hollister, with Dennis and Sally to speak to them about CRM and being chaplains of RV parks.  On the way, we cross Table Rock Lake dam and Table Rock Lake is way up. Here's a pretty view of part of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake.  Table Rock has so many "fingers."  When we got to Hollister, we drove around the campus of the College of the Ozarks.  Really pretty. All of the buildings on this campus were built by students.  And the college is 100% self-supported.  They raise their own livestock, grow their own vegetables, etc. and every student works somewhere on campus for their tuition.  Needless to say, these students are motivated to be here and are strong contributors to the communities they live in when they graduate.  This is the chapel on campus, but not First Baptist Church. We were tired when we got home, but it was a good tired and we feel so blessed to be in this ministry.  Don has already counseled with a couple that we met last summer and we are praying for their relationship and marriage.  This morning, after church at Oak Grove, I prayed with Joyce regarding her granddaughter who has turned to Buddhism.  This afternoon, I prayed with a young lady who has had her heart broke.  All around us anywhere we are, there are "mountains" that need to be "cast into the sea" through prayer and trusting God.  And God is faithful.