Sunday evening from the beautiful marsh of the Gulf Coast...

Sorry I've been so negligent in writing, but my, we have been busy around these parts.  Steven, my 14-year-old grandson, is settling in just fine here with us, and he is doing well at school at Crenshaw on the Peninsula.  His progress report shows that he is making good grades, so we are thankful for that.  He has had two big projects to complete because he is nearing the end of the eighth grade.  One was on a book he had to read, "Witness," by Karen Hesse about prejudice and ill will. The other was on Robert E. Lee and we were able to find and use photos of the famous general on Stone Mountain to add a personal touch.

The school has a big talent show coming up on May 21 and Steven will participate in that. He is doing well with his guitar lessons and takes weekly from Michael Stewart here on the Peninsula. Michael is originally from West Virginia and is a very talented musician.  He also continues to play his drums and takes band at school.

We celebrated his big 14th birthday with several activities in his honor; cupcakes at school for his classmates, a chocolate birthday cake cut at the home of Terri and Randy Ward, his good friends and the owners of the two big dogs Steven bathes and cares for at their home.  And, then last night (Saturday), we had five couples over that have been especially kind to Steven in some way. Dana and Tim Turner from Beaumont came out. They have property here on the Peninsula and are now set up in their travel trailer on their lot.  The Turners bought Steven a wonderful acoustic guitar that he loves.  Becky and Rusty Cluck, our dear friends and neighbors here on the Peninsula, were also on hand, and they gave Steven a flash drive for his computer. He loved that! Michael, his music teacher, and his wife, GinGee, attended and gave him money for whatever he wanted or needed.  

Terry and Randy came to join us, too, and Terri found Steven two fabulous t-shirts (Rolling Stones and Rock) and an amp he needed for his guitar, so all in all, he had a wonderful birthday. Ted and I gave him a new leather guitar case, got Direct TV and Internet hooked up at the new house and some smaller gifts. His dad sent him a beautiful card with money inside.  Yea!  He said he loved getting "stuff" for his birthday. Each adult gave him one comment or piece of advice for his young life and that was a special time for everyone present.

Living on the marsh is different than living on the beach, but just as nice in a different way.  The wildlife and birds are amazing.  And the beach is just down the way a bit in walking distance, so we have the best of both worlds.  We met our next door neighbors, Dewey and Daisy Jones, originally from Houston, and they are a very neat couple.  

We are presently working on the Crenshaw Bulldog Talent Show for May 21 at the school and helping getting out promo material for the 24th Annual Crab Fest and Stingaree Music Festival to take place on Bolivar, May 29-31.  And, Steven will have a real graduation ceremony complete with cap and gown at the end of May.

Ted and I are fine and stay busy all of the time.  We each serve on several different rebuilding Bolivar committees.  Ted is on Housing with the Bolivar BLUEprint Committee and I serve on Human Resources, and both are active and interesting.  The Yahoo Group Internet site, Bolivar BLUE, which I formed shortly after the storm is very active also and we've made tons of new friends there.  Still no major payments from Texas Windstorm and so we all continue to wait to rebuild our homes.

Take care and stay safe.  We are hearing today much about the swine flu and see on TV that Mexico City is shut down for all practical purposes. There are cases in Texas, but so far, we are all well and safe here on Bolivar.

Life on the marsh in Southeast Texas

Steven, my oldest grandson, Ted, and I are getting accustomed to living a varied life right on the marshland on the Gulf of Mexico.  I never knew the different wildlife and birds that call this part of Texas home.  One can stand or sit on our long deck any time of the day or night and be entertained as if you are watching a televised program on National Geographic or one of the programs similar to that.  The birds are amazing in their color, flight patterns, habits and how they eat from what Mother Nature has provided for them.

We moved back to the Peninsula after having lived in a beautiful condo in Galveston for several months since the storm.  Because of having to ride the ferry back and forth, and waiting in the always long lines, much of the workday was spent in transportation and we needed to get back on Bolivar to seriously begin the building process. Our seven lots are cleared and cleaned of all debris (except Ted's boat collection) and we are ready to begin.

We have been busy getting settled into new quarters, cleaning, decorating and putting things away.  It's beginning to look like home now.

We attended a huge panel discussion yesterday sponsored by The Public Adjusters for our Bolivar Peninsula residents to learn more about how we can continue to fight against the injustices being meted out by Texas Windstorm Insurance Association.  No one here on the entire Peninsula has been paid fairly that we know of anyway.  Most are being offered the 11.2 percent settlement we were presented with, which is nothing like what we are owed.  The battle continues!

Steven Alan Brown, soon to be 14,  came to live with Ted and I a week ago from his home in Tennessee.  It appears that his mom (my youngest daughter, Nikki) and my son in law (Steve Brown) are getting a divorce and breaking up their beautiful home nestled in the pretty pastureland of Tennessee just under the Kentucky border. Divorce is always hardest on the children and Steven and Brendan are no exception.  

Steven has adapted well to life in Southeast Texas and my friends have been wonderful to surround him with lots of love and attention.  He had his first week in eighth grade at our new Crenshaw School and did very well. He made 110 on his weekly spelling test by getting all of those hard words correctly and a bonus word.  He was thrilled as was I!   He is also continuing to take guitar lessons here on the Peninsula and enjoys that music. One of my friends brought him a new iPod and complete set up yesterday to the gathering, plus $100 of iTunes gift cards and he was absolutely delighted. He was also given a $25 gift card by another friend for helping with the gathering.

Ted can teach Steven a lot about "man stuff," and the two will no doubt fish, build, repair, tinker and oh, did I mention eat?  He and I have always had a special connection and nothing has ever broken that.

Please pray for my children that God's will can be done and that Brendan will fare well during all of this.  He is getting to visit his dad this weekend in Georgia and he was excited about that trip.

Happy Easter and Happy Spring to each of you, dear family and friends.

Settled into a leased cottage on the marsh on the Gulf

Dear Family and Friends,

Ted and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary yesterday amidst moving yet again.  We have been able to secure a nice little cottage located in our community on the marshland and Gulf.  We are much closer to the water than we were in our home that Ike took out (yes, Ginger and Millie, I do know that hurricane season is coming again in June and I have been reading the predictions for this year).  It is amazing to stand on our long deck and watch a myriad of birds taking off and nesting in the tall spring grass of the marsh.  

We leased the cottage from Victor Emmanuel of Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours.  Victor bought the cottage some years ago because of its location on the water and he is kind to allow us to lease it for a full year.  Again, we know we are better off than many of our dear friends who still have no home to call their own.

We are continuing the battle with Texas Windstorm Insurance Association and they have not paid what they should to us or anyone else.  Our protest in Austin on March 13, the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Ike, was effective and we got their attention, which was our goal.  The claims adjusters began calling on Saturday morning offering some of our folks a slight increase, but still not nearly what they should be paying.

We have engaged the services of a highly sought after public adjusting firm out of Florida, The Public Adjusters, and signed on with Chip Merlin of the Merlin Law Group, also out of Florida, to pursue our case should it go on to litigation.  We feel we honestly have no other options and think that these professionals may have a better chance than we, as individuals, would ever have against the  system we are facing.  I am very impressed with Chip's record and he is representing us personally because of the Yahoo Group, BolivarBLUE, and the number of contacts we have by way of that means.

BLUE continues to grow and provide important information to our members.  We are having a large meeting on Saturday where we will meet members of the adjusting team, weather experts, engineers who have been on Bolivar, and many other professionals engaged in this major recovery effort.

Steven, my oldest grandson, son of Steve and Nikki in Tennessee, has come to live with Ted and me here in Texas.  He is a fine boy, very intelligent, and enjoying going to school at the brand new campus on the beach.  He has completed his first three days successfully and came home with a 110 on his very difficult spelling test today.  He will be going into ninth grade next year and we are very proud of him.  We trust Brendan, the youngest, will come for much of the summer here with us as well.  Ted is a wonderful teacher, instructor, and pal to these boys.

My son, Brent Stancil, resigned Val Verde Baptist Church in Groves where he has pastored faithfully for some 12 years.  He will be moving to Saint Petersburg, Florida, where he will pastor the Community Baptist Church there.  His last Sunday in Texas will be April 26th.  It is a sad move for DeAnna, who has been thoroughly involved with the church since her move to Texas. I do trust that all of my good friends there in Florida will visit his new church and help to welcome him to The Sunshine State.  Val Verde has not called a new pastor, and the search committee is busily trying to determine God's will for this good group of folks who love the Lord and each other.

Sorry I have been so negligent in keeping up the blog site, but with the Yahoo Group and everything else I am involved in, I have very little time.  I am including a photo taken at the big protest in Austin on a cold, rainy, windy Texas day.  I had the opportunity or challenge to question Jim Oliver, the director of Texas Windstorm Insurance Association for quite a while on the wet parking lot.  We did not get satisfactory responses needless to say.

Sunday Morning Coming Down on the Bolivar Peninsula

We woke up early here on the Bolivar Peninsula on this fine Sunday morning in beautiful March, even with the time change arriving during the hours we slept. Looking out the windows of our newly repaired RV, we can see things we've never seen before from our property.  I can see many cars coming off the ferry from the Galveston area and old Fort Travis shines proudly now that crews have cleared debris and growth from in front of the massive bunkers that have protected many soldiers and civilians since its construction. The North Jetty is adorned with its fishermen and women, and even some smaller tykes. From time to time, one or the other of them appears to catch a fish or a crab.

I can also still see great piles of debris, parts of fallen in houses, abandoned vehicles, lawn mowers, boats (did I mention boats?), pieces of trailers to move those boats, blown sand piles, heavy equipment, tools of various degrees and flying American and Texan flags.  Bolivar, for all of the hard work by so many, still resembles a war zone where much combat took place.  It is discouraging at times and heartening at other times.  Clean up is dirty work and our beloved Peninsula will remain in this stage for a long time to come.  The cleared areas, for whatever reason that they have been worked, are encouraging and new growth is appearing here and there.

Many of our people cannot come home because many of them have no home left to come to. Most are in a battle for their life against the huge Texas Windstorm Insurance Association and we've found that this sad group is not playing by the rules.  More than 100 (at this point) of our friends, neighbors and family members are protesting their action (or lack of) in Austin in front of TWIA's offices on Friday, March 13, the exact anniversary of the day our lives changed so drastically. Many have come home — sort of, anyway — to RVs, fifth wheels, and partially repaired properties.  We laughingly call ourselves "slabbers" the name TWIA dubbed us early on after the storm. Many others we know simply cannot face coming here to the Peninsula where they believe their dreams of a lifetime died violently six months ago.  One of our neighbors has never been back and her husband says she cannot come back. She has developed a raging fear of the water, a fear of diseases she surmises are here, and a fear of losing her life, as at least four of our immediate neighbors did.

For me, personally, once I see the Gulf, with her lazy waves rolling in, or even on a windy day, when the waves beat their way to the shoreline, hear the cry of the gulls, watch the ships come and go, and see little children playing in the sand, I remember vividly why I nailed my mast to the staff here in this place and why I will fight to the bitter end to have my life continue where I choose to live.  Bolivar Peninsula is for me the very closest place I've found to the heart of God and what I most imagine Heaven to be like.  Until I change locations, love me, but don't worry about me.  I am a survivor.  I have good friends and a husband who are also survivors.  We will be back strong, vibrant, happy, peaceful and content, and, hey, you can come see us on vacation or any time you get an off day from your work.  We'd love to have you — as long as you behave yourselves, don't dirty up our beaches, treat the land and water respectively,  and join us in our effort to get fair treatment at the hand of our insurance companies.  We need your support and involvement as this battle continues.

Tennessee visit coming to an end

As plans now stand, I am leaving for the return trip to Texas in the early morning. Ted and I have much to accomplish there toward the rebuilding effort of our home which was lost to Hurricane Ike back in September.  Texas Windstorm Insurance Association offered us less than 9 percent of our total insured value, the same as they have our friends and neighbors, and it is a joke. We, of course, declined and are continuing to battle for our rightful payment.

Our Yahoo Internet Group, BolivarBLUE, which I founded shortly after the hurricane, has organized a protest demonstration in front of the big TWIA building in Austin, on Friday, March 13, for those who are dissatisfied with the association's practices.  Several dozen folks are joining us there and our media coverage has just gotten underway.  It is shameful that this huge association of insurance companies has banded together to beat lawful policy holders out of what is due them for their homes.

It is very simple.  We struggled to buy and pay for hurricane insurance for our homes.  We had a hurricane.  TWIA will not pay our policy values.  They have engaged in some unsavory practices, including, but not limited to, hooking up with engineering firms that are not on the ethical side to try to prove that water came before the wind. If you look up the definition of a hurricane, you will note it is a wind-driven event. Six months is long enough to wait and be patient, while many of the Bolivar Peninsula residents are virtually homeless.  And, for the record, FEMA is largely a joke, too.

DeAnna and Callie flew into Nashville and DeAnna and Nikki and I drove to Atlanta on Sunday in a terrible snow, sleet and ice storm to bury my nephew John Paul Richardson who was found dead in bed on Thursday. Cause of death has not been determined, but he did have sleep apnea and they believe that played a role.  Our sympathy goes out to Jean Richardson, his mom, Joe Richardson, his father, Misty, his sister, and handsome David, his brother, and to Willie Stancil, his grandmother who loved him greatly. How sad to bury a child or brother.

Please continue to pray for the residents of the Bolivar Peninsula who were so affected by Hurricane Ike and its aftermath.  Our battle has been underway for six months now and we are tired, but not discouraged.

I am uploading a photo DeAnna sent me last night of Mother (Flo Davis) and myself taken at my retirement party last January.  Mother died on August 26, 2008 on her 87th birthday after suffering a stroke caused by a cancerous brain tumor.  

Having fun on the Tennessee Farm...

My sister in law, Teresa Fowler Stancil, drove up from the Atlanta, Georgia area to the Nashville, Tennessee farm of my daughter and son in law, Steve and Nikki Brown, to spend the weekend with us.  We've had such fun playing "farmers,"and feeding the various animals who call this home.  We went to WalMart (everyone goes to town on Saturday here) and we bought fresh carrots for the horses, made big milk bottles for the baby calves, and bought cream cheese and olives for the people.

Coming home, we hurried to the barn to feed the calves before dark.  As Teresa was feeding Rusty, the largest of the five horses, he decided he liked her finger as well as the crunchy carrot she was holding for him.  The baby calves, born December 23, were Christmas gifts to Steve, Nikki, Steven and Brendan and have been the source of much fun and learning for the entire family. Nikki often calls Texas to tell PaPa Ted that she thinks of him warmly every morning at 5:30 AM when she marches out to the barn in the cold to bottle feed the babies.  They are growing quickly now and Truffles, Steven's calf, is the largest by far.  Oreo and Beau are keeping up and they can empty the giant bottles in only seconds now.  They have also adapted well to the sweet feed provided for them and are now eating some hay to supplement the milk diet.

We've played Scrabble, bowled on the Wii game, cooked and eaten great food, made music with the boys, and in general, enjoyed ourselves immensely.  Steven and Teresa both play guitar and Steven also plays drums, so it has been an eventful, fun-filled weekend we will long remember. We also got in a bit of shopping and discussed all of the recent books we have read as well as escorting Steven and his little friend, Callie, and Ryan and Nikki, on a double date to Hendersonville for a Valentine movie.  Teresa and I chose to see Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino.

There's nothing like enjoying the simple things of life and being around those you love. DeAnna and Melissa, you've missed a hoot of a time!  Had you been able to see Teresa when the horse chomped on her finger while the calves were butting her, you would have convulsed in laughter.

PaPa Ted was so right in suggesting the calves as Christmas gifts.  They've been great hits!

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Another spectacular event -Valentine Gathering for BolivarBLUE

Property owners and residents of the Bolivar Peninsula were treated to a wonderful afternoon event at Coconuts, a really good restaurant now open, on Saturday, February 7.  BolivarBLUE, a Yahoo Internet Group I founded shortly after Hurricane Ike ravaged our shores, hosted the celebration for some very hard working and tired folks.  Everyone had a ball and many got to reconnect with old and dear friends while many others made new friends and met neighbors on the Peninsula.

A lifelong friend of mine in the Atlanta area, Pam Hicks Gresham, could not see how our women folks were making it after having lost their jewelry to the storm so she organized a collection to replace some of it among her family and friends and church members.  Pam's idea soon spread and we had jewelry coming from many places.  Each piece was bagged and sealed and the women were invited to come and choose. What fun they had opening their bags and seeing new and interesting sparkling things to be treasured.

Another friend on the site and a tireless worker on the Peninsula, wanted to share her very large collection of cook books with ladies who had lost theirs.  Edith Watson with the help of Dianne Ledet, founder of the Bolivar Peninsula Yahoo Group, brought over 1,000 volumes and shared with our guests.  Another donation came from Meredith Hamilton who gave 100 copies of the Winnie Rice Festival cook books, which were big hits, too.

We also were joined by more than two dozen vendors and service providers offering help to the residents.  All in all, it was a wonderful day on the beach for all concerned.

If you are interested in keeping up with happenings on the Bolivar Peninsula, you are welcome to go to Yahoo Groups and type in BolivarBLUE (spelled in this fashion) and we'll gladly welcome you.  The "BLUE" is an acronym for Beach Lovers United Effectively and we're having such fun with this crew.  Ted is a tireless advocate for recruiting new members and tells everyone he meets about the site.

Our thanks to Rusty and Becky Cluck who took charge of our decorations and did a masterful job, to Randy and Terri Ward who always work, to Edith Watson and Dianne Ledet, and to many others who contributed.  

Evening with Author Mitch Albom - Fantastic

Many hours of hard work came to a culmination last Thursday evening, February 5, in Beaumont, Texas at the beautiful Julie Rogers Theatre when best selling author Mitch Albom came to speak. His appearance in Southeast Texas was hosted by the Todd Christopher Legacy of Love Cancer Foundation, of which I was honored to have been named publicist. It was an astonishing evening for everyone concerned.

More than 1,300 people filled the seats of the Julie Rogers and Albom did not disappoint a single one of them when he spoke about his old college professor Morrie. You may remember that he hit the best seller lists with his sensational book, "Tuesdays with Morrie," followed by "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," and his latest, "For One More Day." Albom is also an acclaimed ESPN sportscaster and appears weekly on the Sports Reporters Show on ESPN. He is also an accomplished musician and songwriter, among his many other talents.

I had the privilege of being his private host for the evening's event and was so pleased to see that Mitch is pretty much a "regular guy" when he first arrived in the green room before speaking to the waiting audience. We talked about the local area, people likely to be in the audience and his new book on faith coming out in September.  From the minute he took the podium, he had the audience in his grip.  I watched and listened from the shadows of the stage curtains.  When he finished his speech, something very interesting happened.  The audience stood to is collective feet and did not move nor make a sound.

Ted was in the audience and he was very impressed.  He said he'd never seen anything quite like it.  No one wanted to move or leave.  They simply stood in a reverent attendance.  Finally, as one, they begin to clap and clap and clap.  Mitch had agreed to sign copies of his latest book and I had the joy of again being with him during this lengthy process.  He literally met hundreds of folks, spoke with them and graciously signed their books.

It is so nice to be able to report when a well known guest makes an appearance where folks have worked hard to prepare for them that they are far more than was expected.  In this case, Mitch Albom went above and beyond  what folks thought he might be.  He is one of  the better speakers I've ever heard and Ted agrees.  He makes his audience seriously think about what he has said.  The topic was "For One More Day," and making our lives count.

WOW! 

If you ever get the opportunity to hear him, go, whatever it takes.  And, buy his books, too!

Making a difference...one person at a time...

One of my favorite little stories of recent years is the one about the young man walking along on a deserted beach on a windy, blustery day. An embittered older gentleman was standing above him on a bluff observing the young man stopping often, picking up something, and seemingly tossing whatever it was back into the surf.

Finally the older man couldn't stand it any longer, so he walked down and blocked the young man's way.  He then saw thousands of starfish stranded on the beach from the recent high tide.  "Don't you know that you can't save all of these starfish?" he asked the younger man. "You're just wasting your time here.  Go on and do something that matters to the world."  The young man smiled back and continued to toss the starfish back into the water.  "What I'm doing sure makes a difference to that one starfish I just tossed back into the water."

I firmly believe that's the attitude Christians must have about their work in this world.  We may not be able to change every bad situation or help every person with which we come into contact, but we can certainly work to be a blessing and help to one person at a time.  Who knows what an encouraging smile, a friendly hello, an invitation for a quick meal, or something more substantial might do to change a life?  Kindness doesn't always win, but I had much rather be found on the side of erring toward goodness than evil.

I read a story this week that focused my mind on the coming Super Bowl.  I have checked several references to be certain that the facts are straight and it is a wonderfully heart-warming reflection on one man changing the world for one family.  Normally, when I don't have a favorite team playing, the Super Bowl isn't all that thrilling, but I've decided this week that I'm cheering for the Arizona Cardinals and their quarterback, Kurt Warner.  My choice has little to do with football or his skill in the game, but I like his attitude about life.

I read that Kurt Warner worked as a bag boy for a local grocery store. One day he was called up front to help bag groceries and when he looked at the young lady running the register, he was shocked by her beauty.  He waited around the store entrance a few days later hoping to run into her again.  Sure enough, she clocked out and came out the door.  He asked if he could take her home.  She said no.

A day or two later, he waited and asked again if he could drive her home.  Again, she said no. Finally he got up the nerve to ask her out on a real date.  She said, "I'd like to go out with you, but I think you should know that I am divorced and have two children."  Warner simply smiled and said, "No problem.  I'll get a sitter." The night of the date arrived and the sitter didn't. Brenda (just happens we share the same name) called and said, "We can't go out.  The sitter did not show."  Warner said it didn't matter and suggested that they take the kids with them. Brenda objected and told him that her son had been in an accident when he was young and required special care.  Warner again said that it didn't matter.  The couple went out and took the kids with them.  Brenda (now Warner) said that she was truly amazed at how good Kurt was with her children, and especially her son.  When he had to go to the bathroom, Kurt took him and never complained once.

Later in an interview, Brenda is quoted as saying, "He fell in love with the children first and with me later."  Some time later, the two married and Warner has enjoyed a wonderful ride into his new position as quarterback of the Super Bowl team, the Arizona Cardinals.  They now have seven children, the two from Brenda's first marriage and five of their own.

To me, this is a thrilling example of one man making a change in another's life.  

I can't help but root for the good guy to win on Sunday afternoon while the world watches.

Bolivar BLUE Valentine Gathering on February 7th

Happy Valentine Day to family and friends and a 

special reminder to all of the members of 

Bolivar BLUE, Bolivar Peninsula residents,

renters, property owners, and friends...

You are cordially invited to attend a Valentine

Gathering beginning at 2, at Coconuts on Highway 87 on the Peninsula. We will enjoy a time of fellowship together with both old and new friends, some great door prizes and some surprise gifts from folks around the country.

The meal is to be purchased from Coconuts - Dutch treat, so you'll eat what you want.

Let Tward1216@yahoo.com or myself, brendacannonhenley@yahoo.com know that you plan to be attendance for this special event.

Following the Valentine Gathering, representatives will be on hand to answer questions about housing needs for Bolivar residents.  This part of the program will begin at 4 and only those that are interested are asked to stay.  

Until the next page turns, and Happy Valentine to all,

Brenda

Sorry I've been so negligent...

Hello Friends and Family Members...Mitch Albom, author of "Tuesdays with Morrie," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," and "For One More Day" is coming to speak in Beaumont on February 5.  He is pictured on the right.  More details in post.

Life has been on the very fast track for the past few weeks and we haven't stopped to catch our breath it seems.  We stayed in Nashville with the kids for a week and bought new calves for Steve, Nikki, Steven and Brendan for Christmas as well as a few other things we had taken up for surprises.  Nikki said every morning around five when she goes out to feed them their big bottles, she thinks of Ted very warmly.  But, truthfully, they love the big babies and are having fun with them.  Steven's calf, Truffles, is the largest and will bring the most money when it is sold.

From Nashville, we went on to Amarillo, Ted's home town, and visited there for a week and then returned to Galveston Island where we continue our long, long battle with FEMA, Texas Windstorm Insurance and trying to get electricity turned on and the beginnings of a house started.  We do have water!  And, I mean the kind that comes in a pipe and not by way of a storm.  Texas Windstorm continues to delay and everyone is getting angry over the four-month long battle. They are now saying that the study group of experts that they commissioned could not come to an agreement about what happened and it will now be the end of February before we are told whether they are going to pay or not.  So unfair after we, like our friends, paid those insurance payments faithfully to them.  We just want to resume our life on the beach.

Pam Hicks Gresham, a dear friend in Atlanta, has come up with an idea for all the ladies of Bolivar.  She just could not understand how we were making it without our "things," so she organized a group of family and friends to collect gently used and new jewelry and is sending it to the women of the Peninsula who lost everything.  My sister, Paula, also got involved and told the folks in her office who also wanted to share. Martha, my sister in law, told another sister in law who got involved and then a daughter in Dallas told her church, so we are having jewelry sent from various places.

We are organizing a February outing to disburse these lovely gifts of caring from many different places.  I think our ladies will love it!  And, our sincere appreciation to all those who have participated.  The boxes can be shipped to Post Office Box 323, Port Bolivar, Texas 77650.

I have also been very involved in the publicity for the Todd Christopher Legacy of Love Cancer Foundation.  The group has a huge event planned for Thursday evening, February 5, at the Julie Rogers Theatre in Beaumont, where Mitch Albom will speak.  Mitch wrote the very successful book, "Tuesdays with Morrie," featured on the Oprah Book Club, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," and  his latest best seller, "For One More Day."  I have been named publicist for this group and have been busy designing ads, fliers and personal appearances for the committee members.  We are doing radio, television and much print media.  It is a wonderful opportunity for the folks in Southeast Texas to meet and hear Mitch Albom, who is also a sportscaster for ESPN and an excellent speaker and radio personality.  Tickets are available by calling (409) 962-7866.

I continue to work daily with the Bolivar BLUE Yahoo Group members.  This is a group I founded shortly after Hurricane Ike hit our area.  To join this group and to keep up with what is going on here, simply go to Yahoo Groups and click on Bolivar BLUE and you will be directed to the site.  The BLUE is an acronym for Beach Lovers United Effectively, an idea I came up with around 3 a.m. one day shortly after the storm hit.  Ted and I have made some wonderful new friends in this group and have had many questions answered.

Have lots of new pictures to post and will just as soon as I can grab a minute.  Note to the lady who wrote me about the painting of bluebonnets done by Flo Davis in the 80s.  I don't think that was my mother, but I would love to know more about the painting.  My husband loves bluebonnets and has many pictures of them he has taken.  I have not been able to get back to you from the posting on the guest book.  So sorry.  I have tried.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

If you want to write to me, please use brendacannonhenley@yahoo.com.

Christmas Eve 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

(Pic at right is Duke Holiday, the Brown family's new English Bulldog that came as a surprise gift to Steve from Nikki and the boys for his Christmas gift this year.)

I am writing from the home of my daughter, Nikki, and husband, Steve, in the Nashville, Tennessee area.  Ted and I have been here since Sunday visiting with our grandsons, Steven, now 13, and Brendan, now 11.  Both boys have big Christmas plans, wishes and dreams.  It has been my Christmas joy to be with them and sit and visit, hear about what's going on in their lives and hear their dreams of the future. Steven is in 8th grade and Brendan in 6th grade.  It seems impossible that they should be this grown up already.

It has been very cold, windy and a heavy, driving rain fell off and on today.  Steve has built a big, blazing fire in the stone fireplace and Nikki and I made rich chocolate fudge together from an old family recipe after dinner.  Tomorrow we have a honey baked ham, homemade potato salad, a good casserole, hot rolls, and a chocolate cake, among other goodies to call our Christmas dinner.  We have played games and have a couple of good championships going on!

I know, deep within my heart, that we are blessed.  Being with family and dear friends is my fondest wish for Christmas and I celebrated my 66th birthday yesterday amid much festivities and planned activities here.  When I awoke yesterday morning, there were seven envelopes taped to my door, each with a different greeting and specific instructions about when to open them.  I celebrated all day and opened other gifts in the evening.  We also got to take part in a small "Christmas miracle" for a young man in the area.  He is a good teenager, who works hard to help his folks and he is getting a bright red pickup truck unbeknown to him for Christmas. His face will be one to see in the morning when he wakes up and goes outside.

I wish for each of you a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Blessed New Year.  For those who have lost loved ones this year, may your hearts find peace and rest and may 2009 bring renewed joy.  We, like so many of our dear friends, are waiting to hear from Texas Windstorm Insurance as to whether the rebuilding cost of our home will be covered.  If so, we have a busy year ahead of us rebuilding and getting settled back into our home on the beach in Port Bolivar.  Hurricane Ike took a lot of things from us, but he did not take our hope and our inner joy.  We still know that God is good and that He has a plan for our lives, as He does for yours.  

Merry Christmas, until the next page turns,

Brenda

Psalm 37:4

Monday, December 15, 2008 from Galveston Island

Hello family and friends, 

We, like almost everyone we know, are trying to finish up our Christmas shopping and sending since so many of our family members and friends live in different places.  Poor Ted has been to our local post office three times already and I believe that with today's shipments, we are finished getting our Christmas cheer into the mail.  May God bless each of you during these happy holidays.

We had snow in Galveston last week.  On Wednesday night, the large flakes started falling early in the evening and it was so beautiful coming down between our condo and the dark water of the Gulf.  Beaumont and some parts of Houston had up to three inches, which is just downright rare here in these parts.

Four or five of our Yahoo Group BolivarBLUE have December birthdays so we are throwing a big birthday party for Max Watson, Warren Adams, Terri Ward and myself on Saturday night to celebrate birthdays, not Christmas.  Jay Cowart, a former neighbor on the Peninsula, has just written to say his birthday is December 24th, his mom's December 23rd, and his son's December 26th.  My good friend, Ginger Bragg Doster, in Atlanta, celebrates on December 26th, so Happy Birthday to all of the December babies.  My baby daughter, Nicole, celebrated on December 2nd as well.

We've had some more disturbing news from Texas Windstorm Insurance.  The Agency had promised us "slabbers" that we would have a definite answer by the end of the year as to whether they were or were not going to pay on our claims for windstorm coverage on our homes.  They announced last week that the study group they had hired to determine this issue could not reach an agreement and that it would like be the end of January now before they would be able to make their decision known to homeowners.  It is so unfair and it seems so long to wait.  It has been over three months now since Hurricane Ike hit and it will be more than four months before they rule.  They have successfully evaded the 30-day rule for payment of claims by sending each of us certified letters (at $5.32 a pop) asking for something more. When you call to see what more they want, you are told, "Oh, not to worry.  Your file is complete.  We do not need anything else."  But with the letter, they have complied with their responsibility to respond.  It is an awful problem and one that takes the patience of Job.  So, please keep on praying for our situation.

Pam Hicks Gresham, a dear, old friend from Georgia, came up with a wonderful holiday plan for the ladies of Bolivar Peninsula who lost so much to the storm.  She has organized among her relatives and friends a collection of good, used, and some new jewelry, and is sharing those gifts with the ladies of the Peninsula.  Right after the first of the year, we are planning a get together where these gifts will be distributed to anyone from the Peninsula who wishes to participate.  If you'd like to have a part in this collection, please contact Pam at pamgresham@comcast.net and let her know your desires.  Pam wrote to say she doesn't see how we ladies get along without our "things."  Some days, she is more right than others!

As for now, Ted and I plan to travel to the Nashville area to be with Steve and Nikki and the boys, Steven and Brendan, for Christmas.  We plan to buy the boys each a young calf to tend and to grow.  We think it will help teach responsibility and it will also gain them some money toward college costs if we can keep this idea going for the balance of their high school years. We will also visit with Christine and David, Ted's daughter and husband, while there.

From Nashville, we'll head to Amarillo.  Ted must check on some rental property there and we will see Darrell, his son, and Michelle, his daughter in law, and their children, David and Rebecca, as well as visit with Nelda and George, Rick and Dutch, and others on this leg of the holiday trip.  Pray for us as we travel, please.

Take care and may God grant you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed and Happy New Year.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Happy Birthday, Nikki, my youngest daughter...Updates

Things are settling down into some sort of routine here now, although it is new and different for Ted and myself. We are living in a nice condo, The Dawn, at 7000 Seawall Blvd., on Galveston Island, just across the bay from the Bolivar Peninsula, where we call home.  We are still waiting, as our most of our friends and neighbors, on Texas Windstorm Insurance to decide whether or not they will be paying the value of our hard-earned policies.

Tuesday, Dec. 2 was Elena Nicole's (Nikki) birthday and she celebrated with her immediate family and friends at her home in the Nashville area after having to attend the funeral of a friend's grandmother in the afternoon.  She was grieving over turning 32 years old.  I can barely remember 32, but I do remember balking a bit at the decades' birthdays.  Her sister, DeAnna and I both sent flower arrangements and will take gifts when we go nearer Christmas, but there's really nothing like being with a person on his or her birthday.  I kind of dread Nikki's birthday some years because mine follows exactly three weeks to the day on the 23rd.  When either DeAnna, Brent or Nikki talk about how old they are getting to be, I ask, "What about me?  How do you think your age makes me feel?"  Truthfully, I feel great and I realize that I have some wonderful blessings in my life.  Happy Birthday, Nikki!

On Saturday, Nov. 29, BolivarBLUE, a Yahoo Internet Group that I founded, hosted a Thanksgiving Celebration for those on the Peninsula who were not going to be able to travel this year.  We originally planned for about 30 to 40 people, but the word got out and we ended up with some 135 people at the gathering.  It was wonderful!  We had to move the location to Coconuts, a nearly-ready-t0-open business housing four different entities on Bolivar, and it was certainly a good thing we did move the gathering.  It was overflowing.

Brent, (Dr. John Stancil), my son, who pastors Val Verde Baptist Church in Groves, in cooperation with Greg Rife, director of Restore Ministries, brought down two huge trailers of good canned food and bottled water and distributed it to the residents of Bolivar.  The water was a big blessing as it is very difficult to obtain on the Peninsula just now.  Everyone seemed grateful for the food and for the attention, and it was really a great day for all of us.  Our sincere thanks to all who participated to make the day so special.  There are 26 pictures of the event on the BolivarBLUE Group site.  

Should any of you who read the blog wish to check out the Yahoo Group site, just go to Yahoo Groups and click on BolivarBLUE.  The BLUE is an acronym for Beach Lovers United Effectively and we are having fun with this group as well as exchanging valuable information with each other about Hurricane Ike, Galveston County and the huge task of rebuilding our lives.  Please continue to pray that we will get a good word from our insurance claims.  So many are waiting on that to happen to continue to make plans to rebuild.

We had our septic system inspected yesterday, which is the very first step on the long road back to living on the Peninsula.  It passed, which is great news to us.  Now, we can file with the County, get a permit and get our electricity hooked to a new temporary pole.  It is really starting over from square one right now.

A dear friend of mine called from Beaumont and said the three magic words that I find difficult to resist.  She said, "I need you."  And then, she added the question, "Can you and Ted drive into Beaumont this morning?"  We did and I met with a board of trustees concerning a new Foundation being formed in memory of Todd Christopher, a local businessman who lost his battle with cancer at only age 57.  I am going to be serving as the publicist for this outstanding group of people.  

We also met Martha, Ted's sister, for an early dinner before returning to the Island.  How exciting!  I just found out that my sister-in-law, Connie Davis, just joined BolivarBLUE so she can keep up with what's going on in our lives here in Texas.  That's the beauty of blogs and groups — They help to keep folks connected even with miles between them.

The Foundation is hosting "An Evening of Hope," featuring Mitch Albom, the very successful author who wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and "For One More Day," his latest effort.  There will be a book signing, his speech to the crowd, and a dessert and champagne reception following the event.  I actually had to start working really hard again this morning, but it is fun, too.

Two exciting things happened today: I received my new Storm Blackberry phone/thing in the FEDEX delivery and DeAnna is furious with me because I got one before she did.  I don't know anything about it yet except how to answer it when it rings and how to place a call.  They tell me I will love it when I get the hang of it all.  Second thing is that the editor of the Galveston Daily News, the oldest newspaper in Texas, called me and is running a piece I did this weekend. So that is rather exciting in itself.

Please continue praying for the Peninsula residents who are facing rebuilding after the devastation of Ike.  When Brent and DeAnna, and others from the church group, drove down the main highway on the Peninsula, they were aghast at the debris and destruction they saw.  It is difficult to describe until you see it in person.

Oh, one other bit of really exciting news...One of my oldest and dearest friends in Georgia has had an idea that is just fabulous.  Pam Hicks Gresham just can't understand how women can function without their "things," and she has questioned me about the losses we have had.  She had an idea of collecting gently used jewelry from her family, friends and church members and sending it to the women of the Bolivar Peninsula around the holidays as a personal expression of her care and concern about our lives.  Pam is an organizer and the idea took root and she is busy about making it happen.  If you want to have a part in this in any way, contact Pam Hicks Gresham at pamgresham@comcast.net.  She'd love to hear from you and I think her idea will bring a really bright spot to lots of ladies who lost everything they had. (The pic is the view out my bedroom window here at the condo - looking at the Gulf).

Until the next page turns, Merry Christmas,

Brenda 

Found this in my front yard while cleaning up...

Ted had me turn the bone into the Medical Examiner's office on Galveston Island since they are handling the missing from the Peninsula.

After two days, the sheriff's office personnel called me and said the bone was likely a "femur from a human, probably male, and was 'fresh' and that it probably came from an Ike victim.

The week I found the bone, fishermen found two bodies on our jetties that you can see from our house.  So sad.  My heart breaks for the families.

Saturday Night from Galveston Island

Hello All - I owe everyone an apology and to Millie, especially, since she has let me know that she checks this site twice a day to see if I have caught it up to date.  I do apologize, but I have been very busy and hard at work with one of the new group sites for Bolivar residents and friends.  It has caught on like wildfire and there is so much information being exchanged and folks helped that I can't help but be involved.  My sister-in-law, Martha, designed it and four other folks and myself serve as moderators.

If any of you, family and friends, are interested in being a part, simply go to BolivarBLUE@yahoogroups.com and ask to join.  You can post directly onto the site and it is wonderful!  

Ann, since this is a day of catching up, Ted was able to duplicate the video we played at Mother's funeral for you today.  I will put it in the mail on Monday and sorry it has taken so long.  I could not get my computer to burn the CD, but Ted bought a new one to replace his lost in the storm and he did that for me today to send on to you.  If anyone else in the family wants one, just let me know and Ted will burn it for me.

To bring you up to date, Ted and I are living in a nice apartment on the seawall on Galveston Island still waiting, as our most of our friends, for Texas Windstorm Insurance to pay off on our policy.  We have received a letter stating that our claim, along with hundreds of others, has been sent to a study group made up of university professors and weather professionals to determine if wind or water took our house down.  We also were advised to wait on removing the broken slabs and pilings since the agency is now sending out a structural engineer to look at the site before this decision is made.

We did go into Beaumont yesterday for me to cover the National Adoption Day story (since I have done it for some five years now) and then we went to look at modular constructed, hurricane resistant houses built for coastal living.  We found three we liked a lot, and one we liked better than anything else.  It has about 2,000 square feet, nine foot ceilings throughout, beautiful appliances and counter tops and nice sized rooms.  The manufacturer is in Eatonton, Georgia, and the home cannot be distinguished from any stick built home we visited.  I really like the colors, the design and the fact that the house is constructed to resist winds of over 100 mph.

If we choose this house, Ted will build a large deck around it and supervises the installation of the necessary pilings.  For now, it looks as though we will spend Christmas in the leased apartment, but thank God, we have a clean bed and nice kitchen and bath, plus I can see the Gulf waves rolling in.  If things go well, we plan to go to Nikki's to be with the boys for Christmas.  That is usually what I want most for Christmas.  Steve and Nikki and the boys cannot travel this year because Steve's dog, Duchess, is expecting puppies on my birthday.  What a present, huh?

Mother will soon be dead three months now and it still seems so surreal to me at times.  With her sudden home going and the loss of our home and all possessions within days, that time period is blurred at best for me.

I so appreciate my dear friends and my relatives, too, who have made it a point to keep in touch with us during these days and to offer encouragement and hope.

May God bless each of you with a wonderful Thanksgiving Season and may this year's holidays be the best we've ever had together.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

And, Millie, I promise to do better about keeping up my posts.  I've really been under the gun though lately.  We had a very successful Meet and Greet two weeks ago for Bolivar residents and home owners and we are planning a big Thanksgiving Celebration for the Saturday after the holiday especially for those who cannot travel this year.  I am also participating in a group study/focus group on the storms's advent into our lives and I'm working some, too.  Plus, I moderate the new group, so I am busy.

Happy Monday Morning...

Two friends of mine who normally live on Bolivar Peninsula, and I, organized a Fall Meet and Greet for the residents and friends, along with the help of my sister in law, Martha.  It was held yesterday at Gregory Park on the Peninsula and we were thrilled to have more than 65 home owners and friends show up for the very slightly promoted event.  And, I was surprised at where our folks are scattered after Ike.  

We tried to keep the day light and enjoyed meeting each other, finding out where we lived on the Peninsula in pre-Ike days and where we now live or "stay," in many cases.  All are waiting on insurance to make its statement and most fear what it will be.

There are some really good folks who simply love the beach, fishing, water sports and each other. One man, Patric Kahla, now residing in San Antonio, is from the oldest family I've found recorded history on in Peninsula heritage.  His ancestors have been on Bolivar since the late 1700s and early 1800s.  He brought with him yesterday a few items for us to share.  His brother had been cleaning out a 125-year-old family home and found deed books, marriage licenses, plats drawn in pencil and by hand, and maps that date to before the Intracoastal Canal was ever dug.  Land came in "sections" and "leagues" and I could hardly believe what it sold for in those days.

Ted and I are fine - Just find waiting is very hard work.  We met with the Governor's State Manager for Emergency Disaster Relief on Friday and have another appointment with her this afternoon at 2.  She's a sharp cookie, very intelligent, a go-getter, and really seems to care about the residents of Bolivar Peninsula.  We're hoping to secure some immediate help for these dear folks who are hurting and have many needs.  We also formed, or agreed to use, a non-profit corporation (all legal and above board) that a member of our group had to start some fund raising efforts to help meet these needs. People who have been using their own money to live in hotels/motels/apartments/condos are now running out and don't know what to do.  I don't have all the details, but will post when I do.  One man in our group made up a t-shirt, had them printed and sold the first batch yesterday toward this effort.  And one of our volunteer fire departments received a $70,000 grant so we are on our way with some positive ideas and a bit of hope.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Happy Halloween from beautiful Galveston Island

Well, well, Ted and I are back in Texas!  The smell of that salt, sea air out there in the beautiful Gulf makes me feel all better somehow.

Galveston had a lot of damage and many businesses, hotels, motels and restaurants are not up and running some seven weeks after Hurricane Ike.  Great piles of debris line the streets and big boats are sitting at funny angles all over the island.

We thought we had a studio apartment secured when we left Missouri to head home, but when we arrived with our confirmation number in hand, the owner/manager said that a "confirmation/number does not really mean you have a reservation and that he is in the business to make money and had to rent the studio apartment to someone else who came in first."  I almost lost my usually kind spirit and I did tell him that in America (where he was busy making a fortune), a confirmation number given in good faith meant we had a room when we arrived.  We had driven 11 hours with that hope in mind.

So, with that information stored away in my mind, we set out to look for housing yet again.  We found a beautiful, new suite in Galveston on the Gulf and took that even though the ferry that would take us to the Peninsula is not running at this time.  We spent Wednesday on the Peninsula and Ted went outward in a north western direction for one mile from our house to try to determine if we could find anything at all from the inside of the house.  He found nothing. It is still amazing to me that it just vanished and I don't think I'll ever get used to it just being gone, along with all of my things of a lifetime.

They have found two more bodies near the North Jetty where we live and Ike hit Texas seven weeks ago now.  It is so sad.  Galveston has much to do in the way of repair work and it is a slow and tiring process.

My deepest thanks to those of you who have written to us over these weeks.  Our mail had been accumulating in the new Winnie Post Office and when I went in to get it on Wednesday, we had two bags filled to the top.  I found wonderfully sweet cards of sympathy concerning Mother's death, cards regarding the Hurricane and loss of our home and just sweet, funny, little notes from dear friends.  

I sat and read and cried.  The notes and cards touched my heart and I thank each of you for them.  Please know that I have only just now received the bulk of our mail since the storm and I did not realize you had written or sent something along to us.  Our address remains Post Office Box 323, Port Bolivar, Texas 77650 for those who have asked.  Melissa, Regina, Michele, Crystal, and my dear cousin, Betty Glazner in Chattanooga, Ted Medlock, Ginger, Millie Pincus, dear Dallas Hill, Teresa, and Ann were among the many I heard from on Wednesday.  I will get caught up with my correspondence in a few days.

We are fine and still waiting for the insurance companies to say something, as are most of our friends.  Waiting is not easy, but we do it.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

The salt, sea air sure smells good tonight!

From Branson, Missouri...

Sorry I've been negligent in posting on this site the past few days.  I just haven't had the heart to write much. We have been in a "waiting" or "holding" pattern for days now hoping to hear from one or the other of the adjustors to determine if wind or water took our home out.  It's been six weeks since the storm hit and we all are simply waiting, which is difficult.  We cannot make any permanent plans until we know whether Texas Windstorm insurance is going to pay for the house.  We will start the rebuilding process as soon as we know.

No businesses that I know of other than Seaside Lumber and Parker Lumber are able to work at all on the Peninsula at this time and jobs are scarce where people have had to go to find temporary housing.  Entire lives have been uprooted and changed and honestly, now that the newness has passed, no one seems to care very much, sad to say.

Many of our neighbors are now running out of saved money and need some help now from all of the government agencies and charitable groups that are supposed to step forward at times like this. So far The Salvation Army is the only agency that I personally know that has offered anything to the Bolivar Peninsula residents and that has come in the form of gift cards, food, clothing, and some housing arrangements.  Even this is hard to accept because you have to be where they are to accept the offer and no one is living on Bolivar with a few exceptions.

We are told that FEMA is working on establishing "planned communities" of modular housing for those without homes at all, but they are not approved for the Peninsula at this time.  They are approved for Jefferson, Orange and Chambers counties, and the city of Galveston.  We need for Galveston County as a whole to be approved so we can go home.  We could take the RV there to our property if we had water and power and were permitted to be there.  Perhaps we could be of more help to others and to ourselves.

FEMA has not done for Hurricane Ike victims what it did for Katrina and Rita victims and there are no known explanations other than the one a FEMA rep gave to me early on.  He said, "We are not going to be handing out money or housing like we did in Katrina because we made too many mistakes."  DUH, we did not make those mistakes nor contribute to them!  In fact, Texas as a whole, took literally thousands of those evacuee and cared for them as best we could, often without any appreciation being shown.  If I write a little angry, it is because I am.  We need to be told something constructive and given a timeline of some kind in order to plan our lives.

Entergy Texas is making progress is getting the power back on and the water department is working on getting water to the different areas.  One man in my group site just reported that the ferry will open again for residents' use in about 14 days.  The ferry running is huge to all of us because that is the only way to Galveston Island without driving all the way around the other end of the county, which is about a two-hour drive.

Ted and I plan to leave Branson in the morning and start toward the Peninsula. We have had a wonderful visit here and know in our hearts that we are far more blessed than many of our friends.   Now that it is cooler there, we can stay in the RV at Martha's house in Beaumont for a few days until we hear more.  There is also hope of getting into some type of housing while we build.

If any of you are interested and want more information about the Hurricane Ike situation, I belong to a wonderful group mostly made up of property owners and residents and everything pertaining to the Peninsula is covered on this site.  It is a Yahoo group called Bolivar_Peninsula_Group, and you have to ask to join it.  I have hesitated to write too much about the hurricane or the aftermath for fear of boring you guys.

Another body was found yesterday lodged against the North Jetty, which is within sight of our home.  A man had been working on his father's home in Crystal Beach and decided to take a break to do some flounder fishing and snagged the body.  Every time another one is found, the families of the missing get all excited and start up with the emails and phone calls.  Rumor says this one is in such bad condition that they don't know if it is male or female.  Imagine that being your mom or dad or child.  I can't!  I continue to work with these families as best I can and pass on any information that comes to my computer.

We do appreciate your words of encouragement, thoughts, and prayers, and know one day we'll be able to look back on this time in our lives and remember it not so harshly.  (Pam - I don't remember if I gave you the address we are using as you asked, but it is still Post Office Box 323, Port Bolivar, Texas 77650.  The mail is taken to Winnie, Texas, and we get it there from time to time.)

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Touring The Titanic Exhibit was very educational and lots of fun, too!

Old dogs learning new tricks in Branson...

Ted and I begin our fourth week in Branson, Missouri while we await word from insurance adjustors, Galveston County, the water department and the electric company.  This past week was a fun one since we had Steven (age 13) and Brendan (age 11) visiting all week during their annual fall break from school in Orlinda, Tennessee.  

The boys have discovered a passion for skateboarding and no matter what else we did each day or evening, we still had to make time for a trip to the local park where they made several new friends, improved their skills and had the times of their young lives. They were eager to see if MaMa could ride a skateboard and finally got me to the top of one of the lower ramps to try my skill.  I will not be posting the results, but it was fun!  

We also took in several shows including Steven's favorite, SIX, and Brendan's choice, The Presley Family Show, which is dynamite.  We also spent the better part of one day touring the fabulous Titanic exhibit, which was educational, exciting and very interesting and we caught our neighbor in the condo here, Gary Welch, in his show at Branson Mall as well as several other very good entertainers.

We left early yesterday morning and drove to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to meet Steve and Nikki and return our guests in time to be ready for school this morning back in Orlinda.  The ride was through twisting and turning mountain roads and the scenery rivaled that of a colorful fall post card picture.  It was supposed to be the peak of fall mountain color here in the area.

I told someone today that it is always a "blue Monday" the day the boys leave.  When they're here, there is always activity, noise and the cooking of food, or the cleaning up of the kitchen.  

Keep on praying, please, until we hear from our Texas Windstorm adjustor.  The rulings thus far that we have heard about have not been encouraging as most have ruled that it was water that took away the homes on Bolivar Peninsula.  

Until the next page turns,

Brenda