Dennehotso Arizona Mission Trip 9/26-10/4

I was so blessed to be able to take part in a short term (1 week) mission trip with a group from our church. We were going to the Navajo Reservation in upstate Arizona to do some repair work on the Sunday School classrooms at the local church. We would be putting down snap together hardwood floors, painting, and a little ceramic tile work.

The group met at 5 am Sat morning and flew out of Richmond on the way to Dallas and then on to Phoenix, Az. It was then a 6 hour drive north to Dennehotso. We met the local Missionaries, RW and Reba Sanders, at the Sam's Club in Flagstaff and purchased our groceries for the week. By the time we arrived at the church, unpacked our gear and groceries, settled in and got in bed, we had been up 24 hours. It was a long day. But we were glad to be there and we were glad the next day was Sunday and we could recuperate a little before we started work on Monday.

Sunday started with a great church service followed by a sight seeing tour of the Navajo National Monument. The Monument had beautiful views and ruins of the ancient Anahatu people. We spent most of the day meeting our new local friends and getting to know each other. We learned that the drought over the last few years had really hurt the local people. Since most of the people were farmers or raised livestock, the drought had driven a lot of folks to search for work outside the Reservation. The folks that still lived there had to deal with very high alcohol and drug abuse rates. There as a lot of work for the church to do and it was the goal of the church to become the center of the community.

Mon, Tues, and Wed were pretty similar. After breakfast we worked on the flooring, painting, etc. most of the day. Roy Armstrong did a great job leading the trip. He told us what needed to be done, let us take ownership of a few tasks, and let us work. On Tues and Wed the sand was blowing pretty hard.

One of the things that kept me going on the trip was the note that Kath had written me for each and every day. As great as it was to talk to her everyday, there was something special about a handwritten note that touched my heart.

Thursday we worked until lunch and then a took a trip to Monument Valley. It was amazing.

Friday we finished our work just after lunch and got ready for the celebration. The locals we making dinner for us to celebrate what God has accomplished while we were here. They served us Navajo Tacos (very, very good) and then we sang and Pastor Gill played the wooden flute for us.

Saturday was our day to leave. A sad time to leave new friends, but an exciting time because we were going to the Grand Canyon. It was incredible. After the Grand Canyon, our next stop was Sedona and then on to Phoenix for our flight the next day.

Sunday was basically the previous Saturday flight travel, in reverse and home to see Kathleen. The trip was so much more than I could have dreamed of. Seeing the incredible landcape and meeting the incredilbe people who live there. Spending time and working with people who love and trust in God. I learned so much. It is incredible what God can accomplish when people are willing to get out of their comfort zone and put in a little elbow grease.

Labor Day at the Lake

We had a lot of fun at the Lake over the Holiday Weekend. We pretty much ran wide open the whole time. Dad and I caught a few fish. Ernie brought a new tube, so now I think that brings the total up to 6. And of course we pulled them all behind the boat at one time. Since Ricky P could not be there with us (he was at Boot Camp), we had to do the extreme tubing. The gang made pyramids, towers, and jumped from tube to tube. We had great weather and had a great weekend. A fantastic end to a terrific summer. It was sad to leave.

At the Lake with the Gang

Well, only part of the Gang. Only the Rands could make the trip this year. But that left some space and my sister and her family came to play with us. We had a blast. Swimming, skiing and wakeboarding. But tubing, that was so much fun. Marcus Rand is the tube king. We had to pry him out of the tube. He could have gone all day. We strung 4 and 5 tubes behind the boat and went wild. When we took all those tubes down to the boat, we joked that "You might be a redneck, if it takes 2 truckloads to take all your boat toys to the water". We had a campfire Sat night and the boys even caught some fish, well, one catfish. It was a crazy, fast weekend, but we crammed a lot of fun in 2 days.

Fishing with Caleb

What a great way to spend the evening. I picked up Caleb Davis and the two of us headed to the Powhatan Lakes to see what was biting. With the boat in the truck and minnows in the bucket, we headed to Powhatan to find some fish. We didn't really slay them, but we did have a blast. A few bass, bream, and catfish did make it in the boat, but that wasn't what made the trip. Spending time with a good friend and enjoying the summer evening. That's what fishing is really all about.

Southern Hospitality, Pennsylvania Style

I am truly a southern boy, but I love to go to north east Pennsylvania every summer to enjoy an awesome weekend of good food and fun. Kathleen’s Mom grew up in Forest City, Pa. It is a small spot on the map, north of Scranton, way up in the mountains of Pa almost at the New York state line. It is a quaint little town in the country with shops and restaurants lining the small downtown area. And once a year they throw out the welcome mat and invite all their old friends back home.

Old Home Week (OHW) is a great celebration of family, friends and fun. This 30 year old tradition is a great way to celebrate Forest City’s past and reconnect once a year. Every summer the town comes together to throw one heck of a bash. Of course, my favorite part is the food. I had never had pierogies, potato pancakes, chicken speedies, whimpies, pretzel sandwiches or fried dough until my wife took me to OHW. This southern boy is definitely a fan of these northern specialties. The weekend is full of entertaining events. Everything from a pizza eating contests, a pierogi eating contest, artist’s exhibits, a pet contest, and a hat decorating contest. They have a light parade on Thursday night and a 2nd parade on Saturday. Each year they give the Distinguished Citizens award to 2 of Forest City's finest. But the event I love the most, the fireworks. These are not little bottle rockets and Roman candles. No, these are professional, HUGE, fireworks exploding directly above your head. One notch below what they do at Disney World. And after you have enjoyed each day's festivities, you can grab a beer and relax as bands take the stage and play everything from Dixie to Rock and Roll.

Another great bonus of going to OHW is that we go and visit some of Kathleen's Dad's family in nearby Dalton Pa. Visiting Aunt Nancy and the gang is really a lot of fun.

It is so worth the trip to Forest City each year to experience all that goes on with OHW. It is great to visit all of Kathleen's family and Aunt Carole and Uncle John are the best hosts. They sure know how to make this southerner feel like I have come back home. They just say it with a funny accent.

Cocomo's in Deltaville

Deltaville, VA. Located on the beautiful Rappahanock River and home to one of the neatest restaurants I have been to. Kathleen and I made the trip to Cocomo's to visit our good friends Joe and Ruch Kaufhold on July 18, 2009. It was a magnificient day. The weather was gorgeous and it was so nice to hang out on the deck of Cocomo's overlooking the marina and enjoying good food, drinks, and company. We also had the great fortune to see Joe and Ruth's good friends Dave and Vicki. And, on top of everything else, we got to celebrate Ruth's birthday. So after our wonderful meal, we had birthday cake.

Let me tell you a little about our dinner. We sat on the deck and decided to share some appetizers. We had tuna bites (wonderful pieces of lightly breaded and fried tuna), scallops wraped in bacon, coconut shrimp, and lobster dip. What a lineup. For my entree, I had the oyster sandwich which had so many fried oysters I had to eat some before I could close the sub roll. Kathleen had steamed shrimp and they were huge. I had to trick her into letting me have one, and the spice they used was spicy but not hot. It was like traditional Old Bay, but with a little something extra. It was just right. Dave and Vicki had eaten a big lunch and decided to have a salad and said they really enjoyed them. Joe, who is not big into seafood, had a Philly cheesesteak with fries and it was baked so the cheese was perfectly melted. Ruth had a steamed sampler that had crab legs, mussels, and shrimp. A real seafood dinner. Although Joe and Ruth wouldn't let me pay, the prices were extremely reasonable and the menu had almost endless choices.

Joe and Ruth are some of my best friends, and since they are the owners of Cocomo's I am a little bit biased, but it truely is a neat place to eat and enjoy the beautiful views. Go down and visit with them, they will definitley make you feel at home.

Fishing with Joey

A beautiful pond, great weather, and biting fish make for a great day on the water. Even if it is with Joey (just kidding). My best fishing buddy and I made a great little afternoon trip on July 6 to Amelia Wildlife. We set out to try and catch, well, whatever was biting. We loaded up the boat and made a trip to Powhatan Gun & Tackle to talk to the owner Lee Kramer. We know he would know where the fish were biting. He recommned going to Ameila Wildlife with some small minnows and we could catch anything from crappie to bass to catfish to perch. And we did. We had a nice afternoon fishing around the standing timber and boated 4 fish. 2 more broke my line on the way in. A really awesome way to spend the afternoon.

July 4th at the Lake

Holy Cow!! My wife got me good. My 40th birthday was July 3rd and my wife really pulled the wool over my eyes. She threw a surprise birthday party for me and I did not have a clue. I could not believe I did not figure this out. Now that I know how sneaky Kathleen can be, I am really scared (just kidding). What a wonderful wife she is to do all that work to get all those people together to celebrate little ol' me.

We traveled to the lake on Friday, July 3rd and met my parents and other family there. After putting the boat in the water and getting things ready, we decided to go eat at our favorite restaurant in Boydton. Well, it's actually the only restaurant in Boydton, but it is really good. As we drive by, I tell Kathleen that the place is packed and we might not be able to find a seat for all of us Newtons. So Kathleen slyly says, 'Well, we may have to get it to go'. So, we walk in the door and 35 people yell 'Surprise'. I could feel my face turning red with embarrassment. I did not suspect a thing. No wonder the place was so packed, they were there for the party. Duh!! As I looked around the room at the faces of our friends from the lake as well as a bunch that traveled 2 hours from Richmond, I thought how truly blessed I was with wonderful family and friends. I could not have asked for a better birthday. Thanks for making it awesome.

The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying the awesome weather. We fished, boated, swam and enjoyed a great picnic with the neighbors. Ernie and company caught a 10 lb, 20 lb, and a couple of 2 lb catfish. We decided to let them go to fight another day. We did some extreme tubing, we wakeboarded and cruised the lake. It was a great weekend. A great way to celebrate this wonderful country we live in. God Bless the USA.

Ricky Pollock's High School Graduation

June 13th - A day of celebration. Ricky graduated with honors from Kechotan High School. We are so proud. He has completed one phase of his life and is ready to embark on another. Ricky has joined the Marine Reserves and will go to boot camp on June 28. After boot camp, he will do some additional Marine training and will finish in December. He has also been accepted to Old Dominion University for the spring semester and plans to start college following his training.

What a man he has become. We are so proud of all he has accomplished and thankful that he has decided to serve this great county.

Segway Tour of Richmond

On Sunday, June 7, Kathleen and I went on an amazing trip around Richmond. We took a Segway Tour and it was one of the neatest things I have ever done. Riding on the Segway was so easy, it only took a few minutes to get the idea and feel comfortable.

The tour started at the visitors center, at the Richmond Center, and went all over Richmond. A neat 2+ hour tour. The tour guide was very informative and also let us ride and have fun. A great way to see Richmond. We had a blast.

Memorial Day at the Lake

Memorial Day Weekend, 2009 found us at Buggs Island Lake. We spent a fun weekend with my sister and her family. It was strange not to have Mom and Dad there, but Mom was recuperating from her broken leg.

We spent a lot of time at the water. Usually Memorial weekend is a little chilly for swimming, but this year the water was fantastic. We did a lot of boating and water sports. My nephew, JW, is an accomplished wakeboarder and I am just learning. We had a great time tubing and enjoying the great weather. Our neighbor had his usual picnic and we reconnected with folks we hadn't seen since last summer. The fishing was a little lean. My brother in law, Ernie, only caught 2 catfish.

It was a great kick off to the summer and we had a great time.

Gettysburg

On Saturday, May 16 through Monday, May 18, Kathleen and I went on our anniversary celebration trip to Gettysburg, PA and Thurmont, MD. We stayed at a neat little place in Thurmont called The Cozy Inn. A old inn that not only had great rooms, but had a restaurant that served terrific food. But before we checked in, we went to the battlefield at Gettysburg.

Gettysburg. A place to reflect on our country's great struggle. The battlefield is truly holy ground. So many men fought and died there. It takes your breath away. The museum, movies, and tour are a great way to discover what happened on those 3 days in July, 1863. Kathleen and I spent 2 wonderful days learning about all the nuances that made this huge battle all that it was. Saturday was spent going through the museum exhibits and viewing the movie and the cyclorama at the museum. Sat evening we started the auto tour using a very well done CD audio tour that describes all the places on the auto tour.

On Sunday morning we finished up the auto tour and that afternoon we headed for Cunningham Falls State Park to climb Cunningham Falls. Well, it sounds impressive, but it was really a 1/2 mile hike up a very moderate grade to a beautiful set of falls. My type of mountain climbing.


On Monday we went to Catoctin Animal Preserve and Zoo. A very nice small zoo that had lots of animals very close. A great way to spend the morning.