It was so special to spend Christmas with my Uncle Max and his wife, Aunt Nona. Uncle Max is the last surviving member of the family in an old photo we have. My dad is in the lower right corner of the picture, and Uncle Max is sitting on their grandfather’s lap. They grew up in a sod house and farmed during the Dust Bowl. Life was hard, but everyone in the family went on to live extremely successful lives. Uncle Max became a pilot and lived a rewarding life with my beautiful and talented Aunt Nona. Spending time with them and getting to know them better was an absolute pleasure. My dad passed away in 2010, and Uncle Max reminds me so much of him — his laugh, his mannerisms, and his sense of humor. These kids grew up in near poverty but became successful adults, leveraging the opportunities our great country has to offer. I am so proud to be part of this family.
We left Hot Springs, Arkansas, and worked our way to Grandview, Texas — a two-day drive at "Carmein pace." Grandview is a suburb about an hour southwest of Dallas, so on the first day, we made it to Greenville, Texas, a suburb about an hour northeast of Dallas. It took another day just to drive through Dallas. The Fort Worth/Dallas area is massive, with a population of nine million! Driving through big cities with our big rig isn’t our favorite thing, but David drives like a champ. He figures if professional truck drivers can do it, so can he.
In Greenville, Texas, we used a Harvest Host spot. Harvest Host is an app that helps you find free places to boondock (camp with no hookups) as long as you spend a bit of money at the establishment. We parked at a beautiful winery and had fun tasting Texas wines.
The next day, we made it to Uncle Max and Aunt Nona's place. They were avid RV nomads and served as an inspiration for our travels. Of course, they had hookups ready for us right on their beautiful 50-acre property, which includes cows, a small reservoir, and a hangar full of planes and two old Model T cars. What a joy it was to see them in their element and participate in their lifestyle for a few days.
As a wonderful added bonus, our son Alex was able to fly out and join us for a few days. We’ve missed him so much while on the road, and it was such a delight to spend Christmas together. It was touch and go for a while, as his flight out of Minneapolis was canceled on Christmas Eve due to an American Airlines computer glitch. He made it to Charlotte, NC, that night and spent all Christmas Eve in the airport. Thankfully, he caught an early flight and made it just in time for Christmas dinner! Phew!
Christmas dinner was such a joy. Our crew included Uncle Max, Aunt Nona, Alex, my cousin Jan and his fiancé Elisa, Jay's son Michael, and his friend Jamie. The whole evening was so special.
Uncle Max and Aunt Nona showed us a wonderful time on their property. Uncle Max drove us around in the Ranger, showing off his airplanes and Model T cars.
Aunt Nona is quite the wood carving artist, and it was so much fun to see her work. She’s carved several totem poles — a nod to her Native heritage — as well as beautiful wall hangings.
One of the most rewarding parts of the visit was hearing stories of life on the farm from my dad’s brother, Uncle Max. Life during the Dust Bowl in a sod house was tough, but their family’s love and resilience saw them through. If you’re curious about life in a sod house, Uncle Max’s stories are not to be missed.
Uncle Max tells what it was like to live in a sod house.
Uncle Max tells us what it was like to work on the farm.
Uncle max tells us how his parents built the sod house.
What an absolute delight it was to spend time with my dear aunt and uncle and to see Alex for Christmas. This visit has been one of the highlights of our journey!
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