Are we in Heaven?

Dear Family and Friends,
As I write this evening I am sitting in Jerry and Donna's spacious office in beautiful Weed. Marilyn and I arrived at 7 this evening after a busy day.
I rolled out this morning and instead of walking I made my sleepy way to the motorhome which was sitting silent in the driveway. For the first time since Nan died I got my bucket and long handled brush, filled it with warm water and car soap and attacked a very filthy motorhome. The dirt ran down from everywhere and kept appearing from edges and cracks. Finally under the direction of Lois who came over to spray water and share insights I completed the task. Then I made the mistake of checking the air pressure in the tires. I think that is another task that has not been done in many years. All the tires showed 64 psi but when I read the side wall of the tires it said 95 psi. Well I was concerned to I started to seek advice. The best advice came from Art and Jerry who told me that I really did not need to have the tires at the 95 but they were probably low at 64. Since I had no way of adding pressure I decided to make the trip at the 64 level and I'll get them better adjusted here at Jerrys since he has a compressor and we can check them when they are cold. Of course all the way up I kept wondering, waiting for a tire failure now that I knew I was driving with them lower than the approved psi. Fortunately we arrived safely. Our trip up was uneventful and between the gps telling me how many hours and miles I had to go and the xm radio keeping us informed the trip went well. How strange and wonderful to have someone jump up and grab a new bottle of water while I kept driving. Marilyn brought me up to speed on what has been happening at their home and before long we were here. We could see smoke in the distance from some pretty nasty fires that are burning nearby. Lake Shasta is very low but beautiful as usual and finally we made a turn in the road and Mt Shasta appeared in the distance. What a majestic sight with fresh snow. It reminded me of the time Ed Dower organized a trip of school kids from Lodi who wanted to climb Shasta and we drove here. I made it to the 10,000 foot level where I ended spending the night with 5 other people in a large mountain tent. During the night a mini blizzard raged outside and once when I got up to look out I could see Highway 5 in the distance. It was a beautiful sight and the cars and trucks looked like matchbox cars in the distance.
This morning I was able to work in an appraisal of a house no more than 2 blocks from the house and along the way the road was nearly blocked with a semi truck and trailer. As I neared I realized that a huge racing hydroplane was on its side on the trailer. Later I learned it was worth 1 million dollars and was the latest in a long line of boats this guy owns. Must be nice. I asked if he raced them, no came the answer, he is too old and sickly to do that. Ok, that is interesting.
So this evening the motorhome is going to experience cool weather again. It might be in the 40s tonight, now that will be exciting, at least 20 degrees cooler than at home. This is a beautiful place with forests, lakes, mountains and altitude. But the nicest thing about being here is not the place but the people. Family is a very precious thing and this part of my family is really amazing. Jerry and Donna have an open door to all the family members who live in the area and to many friends as well. Donna just happens to be an awesome cook and she and Jerry have created a way of life that is tremendous. Since Jerry retired and was able to be home all the time he has started to walk faithfully and with the nutrition Donna provides his health has improved, his weight has dropped and he is doing very well, enjoying his retirement and has become a pillar for the family.
So it is with pleasure that Marilyn and I are getting to visit. We are delighted that we are getting to see Suzie who is very courageous in her battle. She is an inspiration and I needed inspiring so we drove here. Already we have had a chance to spend some time and its great.
Please remember Suzie in your prayers that God will guide and love her in His own special way. Also please remember Barbie Lammerding who had surgery today, I know she appreciates being remembered in prayer too.
Well its time to wind this up. I am delighted to have arrived safely in the old motorhome, the dogs are delighted to be on the road again and this is living, to get to be with family.

Love to all,

Tim