We recently returned from a great week in Litchfield Park (Phoenix) with Julie, Jarrod and family. We drove the Bounder and took our "guest room" with us. They have a very large yard, so we parked right at their house--handy!

We hadn't seen their new house yet and it's terrific. Lots of room for everybody. Many of their neighbors have barns and outbuildings, and we woke each morning to the wonderful sound of a neighbor's rooster! When we exited the Bounder each morning to go into Julie's house, their 6-month old bloodhound, Otis, met us at our door!

Ian is now 6 and Jack will be 4 in a couple of weeks. They are such neat boys, almost always with a smile, and fun to be around. Ian loves to tackle his "block cities" with the fervor of a budding architect, covering the entire dining room table with his creations. Jack is a rugged little boy when he plays--he drives his electric tractor around their yard with speed and wild abandon. But, he has a very soft side and loves to help anyone when asked. His favorite expression to us was, "See, I told you" once we discovered what he said or did was correct.

We were glad to be there to celebrate Julie's birthday this year; and Jack said her cake was probably the "best cake he ever had"!

Fortunately Bill was able to get a few days break from cross-country trucking and we were able to see him as well. He's now an owner-operator of his truck and loves what he's doing. He hauls exclusively for Swift Trucking at the moment. His corporate name is "18 Dogs Trucking", with the logo proudly emblazoned on his truck.

Also had a nice evening with Bob's brother Rick, and got to see a couple friends as well. The Phoenix Valley is SO WIDE and our friends are so spread across the valley that we didn't have a chance to see all of them. Ah well, good reason for another visit.