by Barbara Taylor & Homer S. Sewell III
I hope all of you are doing well since last we visited. Is everyone ready for school to be out in a few more weeks? We are ready to come back to Jasper and see all of our friends and relatives soon.
Two weeks ago it was good to finally get out of California and those expensive gas prices. At $1.60 to $1.85 a gallon we were spending about $125 to fill up the AbeMobile two to three times a week in California and we found gas prices down closer to $1.09 to $1.29 in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. What a difference!
On Monday Homer spoke to students near Phoenix, Arizona at Chandler and then on to six different Indian Reservations and schools at Bapchule, Laveen, Many Farms, Chambers, Lukachukai and Ganado. They were nice students but do not know what good assembly behavior is all about. Their principals did not expect them to sit still and listen and Homer had to stop several times during his presentations to ask them to be quiet and listen. More about this and Homer's feelings about the subject at the end of this article.
While driving from the southern end of the state to the northeastern corner we stopped by the Grand Canyon. It was awesome! What a beautiful piece of God's creation it was. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit it you should.
We then drove about 300 miles and Homer spoke to students at four schools in Belen, New Mexico. We stayed that weekend at the LaMirada RV Park in Belen. On Wednesday of last week we drove about 700 miles to the Dallas, Texas area. Homer spoke at Frisco, Texas and then drove up to do a program in Waurika, Oklahoma. While in the Dallas area we visited and ate supper with some friends of Homer's from his previous visits to Texas. Bobbie Kerr has adopted 15 children over the years and is doing a great job of being a mother to Jennie 22, Jesse 18, John 17, Jeff 16, Julie 14, Joy 12, TJ 12, Myesha 11, Megan 10, Tara 7 and Joel 4 who are still at home. Bobbie just graduated from college and is now going to seminary. We wondered how she could possibly do it all and keep her sanity. God must have a special place for mothers like her.
Friday after leaving the Dallas area of north Texas we drove through some really bad traffic approx. 400 miles to the Corpus Christi area and are staying for the next several days at the Mathis Motor Inn RV Park. The weather is a little cooler and the drive in and around Corpus Christi is beautiful. It is right on the Gulf of Mexico so now we have been from the Atlantic Ocean on the East Coast all the way to the Pacific Ocean in Washington, Oregon and California and to the Gulf of Mexico. We are seeing a lot of this beautiful country of ours.
In light of what happened recently in Littleton, Colorado (Homer had spoken there to several schools a few years ago.) Homer wrote a letter which he e-Mailed to a lot of his schools and friends around the country. He is putting forth his suggestions about how to prevent these bad things from happening in our schools. I am including a copy of that letter and would encourage you to help do something about discipline and respect with your children and those you might come in contact with.
Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers! Homer says, 'Happy Birthday to Barbara'. Your correspondent is a year older on May 3.
Until next time, Barbara and Homer signing off.....