While we have been planning on expanding our "roaming through retirement" by becoming full time RVers for some time now, the time has finally arrived. Here we are departing our condo in Boise and beginning a month long transition into our home on wheels. In addition to getting the RV and Jeep ready for a two month road trip along the Mississippi River, we got to spend some fun time with family and friends, with a focus on our kids and (those special little) grand kids. Keep in touch by clicking here Larry and Glorine.
	Our first stop was in Oregon to spend an evening with Glorine's niece Vickie and her husband Mike and daughter Emily, pictured here with Glorine. They have a beautiful home in West Portland where we were treated to one of Vicky and Mike's special dinners.	Fifty years to the date, Claudia and Lou celebrated their wedding anniversary at their parish center in Salem. Here they are pictured with their kids and grand kids, Lynne, Elizabeth, Jim, Christopher and Bryan.
	About 70 people joined Claudia and Lou on their blissful day. Larry got to catch up with cousin Darrell Barnhardt and his wife Kathy, who also live in Salem (upper left). They grew up on farms near each other west of Mandan. Larry also got to meet a second cousin Dave and Mary Koehler whose grandmother was a Barnhardt. (upper right) Pictured next to them is a 20+ year friend of Claudia and Lou's Tom Bartoze. Claudia and Lou have made lots of friends over the years and they sure had a great time that day.	During our first winter in Ajijic, we met Gerald and Gloria who make their home near Portland. They were in Ajijic checking it out as a possible retirement spot once they both retire. They liked it so much, they vacationed there again this past winter. Even though they were only in Ajijic for a couple of weeks, we struck up a close bond and have been keeping in touch with them often. Here we are spending a couple of days together at a nice "get away spot" east of Portland.
	Watch what you wish for, it may come true. Our first stop along the way to Minnesota was Jackpot, Nevada. We set our GPS for the "shortest distance" and that is what we got. Here Glorine is driving on a one lane road near the Snake River and up the other way comes another car. It was definitely shorter, but from that point forward we set our GPS for the "fastest time," which kept us on paved roads.	On our way to Minnesota, we took mostly two lane highways to get a glimpse of the beauty of the back country. One of the biggest surprises was northwestern Nebraska. It was stunning. With Larry's brother living near Lincoln, we have seen the eastern part of Nebraska dozens of times, so when we drove along US 20, we were surprised to find a National Forest, canyons, and other beautiful vistas. This route took a bit longer, but the trip was worth it.
	On the first day of summer, Clara turned three and what a day it was--sunny and warm, just the way you would want a party to be, especially when it is at your lake home. Here is Clara with the first piece of cake cut from her favorite birthday cake--chocolate.	Lots of little friends were there to play games, eat animal shaped pizza, beat up on a piñata to share lots of candy, hunt for buried treasures in the sand, take a dip in the lake and lots more. Denise and Craig went all out to make this party a memorable one for Clara and all her friends.
	It was wonderful to be there to share this special day with her. Clara sported a beautiful Princess Ariel dress, which is a fictional mermaid character. Baby Chase was admiring his big sister as we had this picture taken with Grandpa Larry and Grandma Glorine.	Zoo day is a special treat as Clara and Chase get to see all the wild animals on display. Here are little salmon swimming in large bear exhibit. Wonder what the bears are having for lunch? We bought an annual pass, which not only gets us into this zoo, but about every other zoo in the country for free (the bigger ones are 1/2 off admissions).
	You never know what will happen when you get to the zoo. This day the kids got a special treat, which was to go into the pen with the goats. Normally, we could only observe from the outside. Clara just ran out of treats, but it looks like the little goats are still trying to pry more out of her. She had a fun time.	Wow, has he grown. Baby Chase is not only sitting up by himself, but crawling a mile a minute. He is one of the most content babies we know. He just loves to smile and take it all in. He had two teeth when this picture was taken, but four more have come in since. He turns one year old on September 13 and with the help of his big sister he might be talking by then.
	While this picture does not do this event justice, it was an evening at an outdoor amphitheater featuring Peter Pan. We all brought snacks. Here Denise is feeding Chase and right in front is Grandma Glorine and Clara. The downside of this evening was that it eventually rained and we missed the second part of the play.	We flew from Minnesota to California to spend time with Carmen and her family. Here she is displaying the fruits of her labor. Carmen has a gigantic garden, both fruits and vegetables. We got a chance to pitch in to help with the harvest. In addition to fresh fruit and veggies, Carmen is trying her hand at canning and freezing her crop. It all seems to ripen at the same time.
	On Father's day, we were all invited to Carmen and Mike's friends Steve and Kathy's home for a fun afternoon including dinner. With their large pool and hot tub, it's hard for Dakota to decide which to try first. Well she tried both and spent most of the day enjoying the water. Dakota is three, going on eight--she is such a bright girl.	Sierra tried both also, but much preferred the hot tub, set on about 98 degrees. Both Dakota and Sierra take swim lessons and both are doing great. But safety is always their first concern so they always wear their floatation devices.
	Carmen enrolled Dakota in dance lessons. Here she is trying out some ballet moves. She is also taking tap dancing lessons. That evening she was the only student in class so she got personal attention. The instructor was very pleased with Dakota's progress. She gave her some moves to practice.	Even though Sierra is not in dance lessons does not mean she can't have a ballet dress. Before class started, Sierra got to practice some of her dance moves. She was having a great time copying her big sister. Here Sierra is chasing bubbles with Nana Glorine, while Dakota is in learning dance steps. With both Carmen and Dakota as role models, Sierra continues to surprise us with things she is able to say and do.
	Farmers Market is a real treat for both Carmen and the girls. While Carmen has this enormous garden, she does not have everything when she needs them. Several of the vendors are organic farmers, which is what they like. For the girls, it is another story. Here Dakota is sitting on the stroller taking in all the sights. They each got face paintings, which they both love. And if that is not enough, they got rides on the train and got to jump in the big Spiderman jumper.	After a long day at the Santa Ana Zoo and a bite to eat, the girls relaxed on the playground equipment by the farm animals. Sierra thought she was hiding, but Papá got a picture of her anyway. The week we were in California flew by way to fast, but these are memories we cherish.
	One of the rituals we go through while in California is "date night." Mike and Carmen get to go out for dinner or movie and Nana and Papa get to spend time with the kids. Chucky Cheese seems to be Dakota and Sierra's favorite place to hang out for a couple of hours. Pizza, drinks and games, games, games. A word of advice -- make sure the kids play first and eat last or you might have sick kid on your hands, clothes, hair, etc. Enough said. Despite this little incident, we loved our alone time with them.	Back in Minnesota, the RV is ready and we got to spend our first night out with Denise, Craig, Clara, Chase and Pebbles and BamBam. We camped about an hour south of the Twin Cities at a beautiful state park by one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. We took two long hikes, a great cook out, a couple of camp fires and of course--SMORES! It is hard to believe, but we slept all eight in the RV. From here we started our full-time RVing adventure and plan to be back in Minnesota by the first of September.

June's web page includes June 1 through June 30.