Wednesday morning, Ron took Ronald to the airport at 4 a.m. to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Washington,D.C. with connecting flight to Beijing. Someone was meeting him in Beijing to get him to the train station where he would have a few hours wait and then a 14 hour train to Xi'an. Once there, he was interviewing three men to serve as his full-time translator. Then he was traveling on by train to the Jackson Family Christian Care Center in Zigong. We have not heard from him (he has not had internet connection, I'm sure.)
While he was home, he had to get his house ready to rent again. He got to do a few fun things and get some needed rest.
We had a few people over to celebrate his birthday with a good dinner. Holly & Ken and their children, Bridgette and Chipper, Warren and Elaine, Joyce, Elaine's mom, Perry and Judy Baker and our daughter, Leigh Ann, all were present for Ronald's dinner.
We enjoyed him being home very much.
At 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, we pulled out to drive to Florence, AL. We had not driven more than an hour when a back tire blew a hole. It sounded like a gun went off but the RV drove O.K. At the next exit, Tallapoosa, GA, we pulled off and almost immediately there appeared a truck stop with a tire repair place. They put one of the spares on and we were back on the road within 30 minutes. Ron replaced the front tires because he was concerned about a blowout but the back tires all had good tread. Apparently, the rubber is just old and dry. I told him this RV is just like us "too old and worn out not to have problems all the time." I told Ron not to expect a tire repair place to appear out of nowhere when this happens again. He said, "why not?" The air conditioner didn't work on the trip so we have to get the freeon checked. The inside air conditioners work fine and we have been comfortable.
A big THANK YOU goes to Warren Sims and Perry Baker, dear friends in Peachtree City for their checking out and working on the RV while we were in China. The things that continue to go wrong certainly are not their fault. Having an old vehicle is the problem and you can't replace everything on it at once. We will continue to repair and replace parts as needed. Guess blow outs and failed air conditioners just add to the adventure and build memories that we can write home about!
We arrived at the home of Jan and B.J. Kennedy in Sheffield, AL in time to have dinner with them before Ron spoke at one of the churches in Killen, AL that night. We are parked inside the Kennedy's fenced in back yard.
Speaking of RV's, the Kennedy's have a very nice one with leather seats and pull outs that give a big living space. Theirs is the big, nice one in front of this picture.
We also passed a nice one with a truck and golf cart behind it. I told Ron we just have not arrived with this old RV but I'm not the least bit jealous. I don't think I'd like a nicer one any more. Living in it is just fine but driving this thing is not much fun. I don't guess I will ever relax and enjoy that part. Jan Kennedy agrees with me so maybe it's just a woman's viewpoint.
The Kennedys have been dear friends for more than 40 years. BJ worked with Ron on two occasions (Atlanta and the Virgin Islands). They are as close as family. BJ is now retired from electrical engineering with large construction firms (U.S. and abroad in several countries). They have a beautiful home and view of the river that flows between Florence and Sheffield. We are very happy for them after working hard and traveling for many, many years. It has been so enjoyable to spend time with them again.
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