2023 In Review – Journey of the Wolf and Raven

2023 has come and gone, and now it’s time to look at at the many adventures we had! Below is the tldr summary of our year. Below it will be the year in pictures which we invite you to take a look at and enjoy the kids and their various shenanigans!

We started off the year in Florida, having moved the family out of New Jersey at the end of 2022. Our household goods were still in storage in New Jersey. The first part of 2023 was spent making multiple trips to bring them down to Florida.

In January, Meagan received word that her father was ill. She and Garrett flew out to Hawaii see him one last time before he passed in February.

Alan then spent the rest of January and February moving the household goods and each of the kids went with him on one or more of the trips. They were able to see their friends in New Jersey once more and got some quality Daddy time on the road!

March brought another road trip. We headed out to Fulmer’s Farmstead in Mississippi to check out a horse powered farm, learn how it operated and get a taste of farm life. From there we visited Vicksburg National Battlefield, went on to Arkansas and visited Diamond Crater State Park, Hot Springs National Park, and Blanchard Springs Cavern. Afterwards, we headed off to eastern Tennessee to look at some potential homestead sites.

After checking out many unsatisfactory properties, we returned to Florida by way of South Carolina and visited some friends along the way. Once we were back in Florida, it was time to get set up for the baby. Baby Randal arrived in late July, and the next several months were spent taking care of him and the other four children, which kept us quite busy!

October arrived and it was time for us start our homeschool program in earnest as Randal had settled down a bit. There were holidays and numerous opportunities to experiment with the smoker; making delicious briskets and turkeys. Alan received inspiration from our neighbor Roger to smoke then fry a turkey. This may be our new favorite method for cooking a turkey!

As 2023 drew to a close, 2024 loomed large with opportunity. The first part of 2024 will be spent finishing our book work portion of our homeschool curriculum. In April, we head west to experience the total solar eclipse from Austin, Texas and to visit Uncle Brian and cousin David.

After our stay in Austin, we plan to proceed westward. We will make our way to see several of the major National Parks, such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. The return path will bring us back through the middle of the country with another stop in central Tennessee and northern Alabama to explore further homestead sites. If all the stars align and the fates are cooperative, we may even find our future homestead!

We took over 13,800 pictures last year. We hope you enjoy the selection of highlights below.

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Quick jump to a month:

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

January 2023

A fountain blasts out a cascade of golden sparks.

Alan smoked a brisket for New Years’ day dinner

Evan holding a thorn that was stuck in his foot for a few days. Andy was finally able to pull it out. Yay for our awesome nurse friend!

A cheeky little look from little Garrett.

Garrett playing around the RV after he got into some paints that Arya left out. He also snags an opportunistic drink from water bottle.

The aftermath of painting and faceplanting into the dirt.

Garrett helps with the laundry. Even at this age, he is very into helping and cleaning up. Now to get his older siblings to share the same sentiment…

Arya rode with Alan on a trip to New Jersey to move household goods down to Florida. Here she poses on a static display torpedo at a rest stop on the FL-GA border.

Arya cleans the windows during a fuel stop on a moving run. The kids always got a kick out of washing the windows at the truck stops.

Arya enjoys a Filet-o-Fish sandwich at McDonald’s on a trip to New Jersey.

Trailer with a low tire. Woke up in the morning and found the tire with low air. Noticed the trailer was pulling a little funny, pulled off out of the way and checked it out. I carried a 12v air compressor with on the trip and was able to air it up and off they went. It seemed to be a sticky valve, as it fixed itself and there was no obvious hole.

Evan and Uncle Jim play tic-tac-toe while out at dinner.

Arya and our New Jersey neighbor, Bella, play in their yard. Arya was very excited to see her again.

Alan and Meagan did a video chat back home so Arya could talk to Meagan, Garrett and her friend Lacy. It helped when she was feeling a little homesick.

One of Garrett’s favorite things is to have a ‘tea party’ in Jill’s spice pantry/shelf. He would often disappear and be found playing with the spices. Thankfully the spice containers had not yet been opened.

Jarek poses with his giant popsicle stick ship, the Knock Nevis.

Daddy – Daughter dinner in Lumberton, SC. Lumberton was our overnight point on the way back. Arya got to choose where she wanted to eat and she chose McDonald’s once again.

Arya checks out the koi pond at Fat Jack’s in Walterboro, SC.

Garrett inspects the goods and helps unload the trailer back in Florida.

On the way to Hawaii. Meagan’s father, Gerald, was sick and not doing well so Meagan went to visit. She took Garrett with her to the Big Island

Garrett explores the land of Hawaii. An opportunity to drive is always welcome!

Garrett in Hawaii with Frannie, Meagan’s half sister.

The kids love to climb. Much fun was had by all climbing up into the tree.

Visiting the petting zoo area at the Clay County Fairgrounds during a BBQ festival.

Ice cream treat on top of the ice cream bus!

Meagan got a nice picture of the sunset in Hawaii.

Meagan and Garrett on the plane for the trip back to Florida.

Jarek, Arya, and Evan fill their drinks during a shopping trip to Costco. They are generally allowed only one soda on a trip so it is a special treat for them.

Evan gets a special treat for his birthday.

The kids playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch while Garrett inspects the track.

Evan on the obstacle course bouncer we rented for his birthday party. All the kids loved it.

Three turkeys in the brine. We picked up several turkeys cheap, and so into the freezer they went. Alan set them up for bulk brining in the cooler, and then smoked them.

Putting the smoker to work for bulk food production.

Evan went with me on the next trip to New Jersey. A sleepy Evan settles in for the ride north.

Evan stretches his legs at a rest stop in South Carolina.

February 2023

Meagan, Grandma Dorothy, and the kids enjoy lunch at Grumpy’s, an excellent local chain of restaurants.

Garrett is very excited about the camera.

Jarek shows off one of his creations: a butterfly mosaic.

Another stop for food, another milkshake! Evan got his fill of Chick-fil-a on this trip.

Unloading in progress. Garrett supervises from his chariot while Alan and Meagan unload the trailer.

Evan helps cook pancakes for breakfast. Cooking is one of his favorite activities.

Turning northward once more, Jarek is my road buddy. We stopped at the torpedo for a photo shoot as well.

Firefly insists on her snuggles with Meagan.

Arya, Evan, and Garrett enjoy a quick bite of yogurt for lunch.

Jarek requested to eat at Cracker Barrel. On these trips, I usually let the kids pick where they wanted to eat to help make the trip more special for them.

Back home again! Garrett really missed Daddy while he was gone!

We checked out an RV show in February. We looked at a lot of models and different floor plans. We didn’t find any that were better than Big Country.

Garrett enjoyed the opportunity to drive the really big beep beeps (Bus RVs) at the RV show.

Jarek cleans out the old chicken coop area to get ready for a new batch of chickens at Jill’s.

Arya and Bella have some girl time watching movies and playing tablet games while Dave (our New Jersey friend and neighbor) and Alan load the trailer.

Dave examines one of the boxes that did not fare so well. Arya supervises the growing pile of boxes.

While Alan and Arya are up north in New Jersey, Garrett checks on the baby chicks in the bin. Meagan started chicks with the kids. They will stay in the run in the Leggett’s yard.

Truck stop breakfast. We got breakfast at the New Jersey TA before we started the journey back to Florida.

Arya takes cover under her blanket for the drive.

Garrett in the middle of his Crossfit WOD (workout of the day).

Evan climbs up the rig at Meagan’s gym, Blackfin Crossfit.

It’s not every day you see a train on a flatbed. We saw this parked at the rest stop. One of the more unique things we saw on the road.

Replacing the RV’s air conditioner. The front AC unit on the RV stopped cooling. I ordered a new one and with the help of Uncle Jim and neighbor Roger, we were able to manhandle the unit (approx 100 lbs) up to the roof and swap it out. The new unit has a heat pump mode. This allows us to heat the space without using propane or resistance heat.

Jarek helps load the trailer in New Jersey.

Jarek contemplates his next move at the Cracker Barrel store while we wait for a table. Cracker Barrel is one of Jarek’s favorite road restaurants.

About 100 miles from home, the truck’s tire blew out. Fortunately, I was already going slower and was able to pull over quickly.

Due to some shenanigans at Costco’s tire center, the truck did not have a spare mounted. We had to wait a few hours for Meagan to get a spare mounted on the rim and bring it to us. After changing it out, we ate quick dinner on the side of the road then and headed home.

Evan and Arya entertain Ducky while Alan and Meagan load things into the storage unit.

Garrett self-services a bottle while cuddling with Daddy.

Evan and Garrett cuddle up for some book time.

March 2023

Movie night in the RV. The couches have reached an impressive state of decay and are due to be replaced.

Candid Garrett pics. One of Garrett’s favorite hobbies is to grab a phone and take pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Alan has deleted many a picture from the collection that are repeats of fingers or partial hands.

Dinner at Brewer’s Pizza for Meagan’s Birthday!

Dinner at Brewer’s Pizza for Meagan’s birthday! Sadly, Brewer’s is closed as of Dec 2023. It was one of our favorite places to go to.

Dinner time! Panda noodles and orange chicken, always a favorite!

Jarek supervises the chicks while they get some grass time.

Playing on the rig at Blackfin Crossfit.

Arya picks out new underwear with Meagan. This was way more of a process than one would think.

Out for dinner with the Leggetts at Cheesecake Factory in Gainesville, FL.

A tired Garrett rests his head on the stairs. He played hard and then he crashed.

The XPO truck brought new RV furniture. The kids were very excited lined up to race the truck on its departure to see if they could beat it.

New recliners for the RV installed. The old ones with the failing pleather cover were removed. Apparently the temperature changes get to the glue and they fail after 5 to 7 years. The new ones are fabric covered, so that should not be an issue.

Garrett plays on Arya’s tablet. He’s all ready for the future!

Garrett works the computers at the library. He’s very interested in technology and quite clever in getting them to work.

The kids helped Jill trench and remove the old hose in order to install a new water line for the chicken coop.

Garrett insisted on helping dig the trench as well.

Farewell sleepover! Arya, Madilynn, and Garrett snuggle up. Tomorrow, we head out on a little RV trip.

Here is our route for the 2023 RV trip. We started in Florida and then headed west towards Mississippi for our first stop.

First night on the road! The first stop, by design was only about 45 min down the road. As it was, we had trouble getting everyone ready to go. We have adopted the strategy of the first stop being 30ish minutes down the road just to get the family out and moving. After that, it gets a lot easier to pack up and drive.

Dinner on the road. Meagan made an Indian dish. Garrett was quite a fan, to the point of drink your broth and lick the plate clean good! Garrett is quite willing to try new things and isn’t afraid of new dishes.

RV site at Flat Creek family Campground. There was no internet/wifi available at the campground, but Alan had Starlink (the dish is the white rectangle on the grass by the RV). The connection was impressively fast.

Radar image of the storm that we were about to drive through. It was quite the storm and “pourdown” as little Evan called them. We drove through the storm without incident arrived at our primary stop, Fulmer’s Farmstead. Here we hoped to learn about farming/homesteading, and using draft horses to operate a farm.

Evan and Garrett feed the goats. Garrett decided they were called “goat goats.”

Jarek and Evan playing with the farm dog, Peggy.

Camping next to the livestock was a constant source of entertainment for the kids.

Lunch time at the restaurant in the General Store.

Jarek, Arya, and Evan help groom the draft horses prior to harnessing them up.

Putting the draft horses to work on the farm. Jarek rides with Mr. Carey as they till up a field.

We woke up one morning to one of the rear jacks was leaking hydraulic fluid. Alan ordered a replacement jack.

Jarek and Evan work on mucking out Wuddle’s, the quarter horse, stall.

Alan brings in one of the draft horses to put her back in her stall.

April 2023

A taste of farm life. The kids help take care of a couple rows of crops.

Racing back to the barn, the draft horses lose no time in getting to their stalls and feed.

Garrett does some maintenance on big brother Evan’s bike.

Garrett heads out to conquer another day on the farm.

Meagan and Arya supervise while Mr. Carey and Alan work with piece of equipment to prepare some rows.

Arya, Evan, and Garrett try out a pioneer/early American bed.

The kids got to hop along for a wagon ride when a school group came to visit.

Alan, Meagan, and Garrett take a ride on the wagon.

Jarek with some baby carrots that he pulled from a plot that was going to be plowed under.

Evening moon peeking out from behind the clouds and through the trees.

Early morning harvest to cut lettuce for the CSA boxes. Lettuce was cut early before the sun came up so it would not be bitter.

The kids enjoyed helping pick up the eggs from the coop.

Meagan adjusts the tack on the draft horses after their work.

Meagan works in the green house potting plants. Microgreens are on the trays and will be cut in a few days.

We took a trip to the homestead of one of the ladies who worked on the farm. She showed us how she raised cows and goats for milk. The kids had a great time seeing the small operation. We learned a lot about how to run a small dairy operation.

Garrett on the move with Meagan’s phone. He had an important call to make and no time for our nonsense.

Mr. Carey shows Garrett one of the bus RVs he made.

Garrett absconds with the kids’ bike helmets. He’s ready for a bike, or, at least thinks he is.

Mr. Carey and Garrett play in the general store on a rainy day.

Garrett drives the beep beep, one of his favorite activities.

Garrett sees the biggest beep beep ever, a tractor, and wants to drive it.

The break in the electrical wire that caused the short circuit in the RV. View from underneath when Alan pulled the wire out to replace it.

Expanded view of the short and damaged wire that caused the breaker to trip and not reset.

The kids holding some kittens that we discovered on the farm.

Meagan gets a lesson on driving the team of horses.

Garrett looks out the window at the animals in the morning

After our stay at Fulmer’s Farmstead, it was time to press on. With much happiness from visiting and sadness for leaving the farm and our new friends, we pressed on.

Arrival and setup at Paradise Ranch in Tylertown, MS.

Paradise Ranch RV resort.

Starlink setup for internet on the ranch. There was no WiFi and limited cellular service.

Black Dog Coffee and Cafe

Hot rods passing through Tylertown, MS. They were already past us before Alan could get the phone out for a picture. We were stopped for gas when they came by.

We stopped to visit Rushing Cemetery. We wanted to show the kids Alan’s Grandfather’s resting place.

Enjoying a campfire at the Vicksburg RV park “The Roost”

Early in the monring on the 21st, we were awoken to a large bumping and shaking of the RV. Our neighbor on the next row backed into our honey bucket, which impacted the bumper on the RV. Fortunately the only damage that was done was that the honey bucket was punctured by the corner of the bumper.

The Roost RV Park

Vicksburg National Military Park

Touring the Vicksburg battlefield and monuments. The kids got a taste of what the soldiers experienced by running up the hill from the marker which marked the furthest approach of Union forces at this location.

We stopped at one of the gun emplacements the overlooked the Mississippi River. A flood after the war change the course of the river.

The riverboat CAIRO display at Vicksburg.

Meagan, Jarek, and Arya examine the USS CAIRO exhibit. The kids were very interested and impressed with it. We were also able to walk through the interior and examine the inner workings of the ship.

After Vicksburg, we headed to Arkansas. Our first stop was Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Jarek, Arya, and Evan are ready to go prospecting for diamonds in Crater of Diamonds State park.

Searching for diamonds and other minerals in Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. The children were very excited about looking for diamonds. Digging in the dirt and getting as dirty as they could be was the best part!

Arya washes dirt in one of the stations to reveal the minerals.

Evan plays in the mud at Crater of Diamonds. Playing in the mud and water was as much fun, if not more, than looking for Diamonds.

Garrett and Alan put on the Arkansas sticker on the map.

Next stop was Hot Springs National Park.

Touring the Fordyce Hot Springs historic bath house. Photo op at the men’s gymnasium.

On our way to sample the water from the hot springs. The park service has set up several fountains you can drink from or fill containers.

Garrett samples some of the water from the hot springs.

Playing in the water from the hot springs.

Jarek, Arya, and Evan speak with the ranger to earn their Junior Ranger badge.

A look over the town from the parking garage.

We drove up to the tower at the top of the ridge line in the Hot Springs park. It had been rebuilt several times and gave magnificent views of the countryside.

After Hot Springs, we went to Blanchard Springs cavern.

Views of the Blanchard Springs Caverns operated by the US Forest Service. The location is unique in that it is one of the few cave systems not operated by the National Park Service.

Another beautiful formation in the cavern.

There were many impressive formations throughout the tour.

Family photo in Blanchard Springs Cavern.

May 2023

After our stay in Arkansas, we proceeded eastward to Tennessee.

We stopped for an overnight at the Tom Sawyer RV park on the banks of the Mississippi River.

From our campground, we were able to observe river boats, barges, and tugboats travel the river highway.

From there, we stopped at the Northgate RV park in Alabama.

Alan up on the roof setting up the Starlink system to provide internet while we stay at the park.

We had a cardinal in the tree next to the RV who spent his mornings attacking our window.

The kids used our folding chairs and other RV accessories to build a fort at the RV park. It was a pretty quiet time when we were there, and they had the run of the place.

Making s’mores at Alan’s cousin John’s house. John and his wife Megan had us over for burgers.

The next day we took a trip to the US Space and Rocket Center. Arya helped Garrett down the slide at the playground.

Jarek, Arya, and Evan with the presenter of the show we watched in the planetarium. It was a trip through the galaxy and the kids got to learn about each planet and part of the solar system.

Meagan, Megan and Jarek walk to the Saturn V exhibit while Garrett takes a nap.

The kids prepare for launch in the Gemini capsule.

Group shot with all of us at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. John and Alan are in the back, Megan, Meagan and Garrett in the middle row, then Jarek, Evan and Arya.

Lunch at the Mellow Mushroom in Huntsville, AL. Family photo with Darth Vader outside the Mellow Mushroom.

On our way to Tennessee, Garrett enjoys a snack and offers to share.

At the Axhouse Tavern in Sevierville TN. The kids enjoyed throwing some axes and working on their skills!

Garrett was disappointed that he couldn’t get in on the axe throwing.

Jarek took up fishing while we stayed in Sevierville. Our park was right on the Little Pigeon river.

Exploring a property for sale in TN. An old structure sits quietly in the woods. There were a number of structures like this on the various properties that we looked at. It did not take very long for nature to reclaim the structures.

Garrett enjoys a string cheese in the morning.

Mama gets cuddles from Firefly and Gambit.

Garrett helps me fix the water heater. I installed an adjustable thermostat on the water heater.

When running the washing machine there was a noise. Alan took apart the dishwasher to extract the object. Ultimately, the best solution was to use the small shopvac and suck it out of the space between the drum and outer wall as it spun around. The object was one of Arya’s Polly Pocket accessories. Upon asking the children, Jarek gave an oddly specific answer as to why he didn’t know how it got there. Not suspicious at all.

Scenic overlook in Tennessee we stopped at when coming back from looking at properties.

Jarek shows off a fish he caught at at the campground in the Little Pigeon River.

Arya and Garrett go for a ride in our campground neighbor’s golf cart.

Jarek cooks his catch in a cast iron pan over the fire at the campground. The other kids and neighboring friends were very interested in the process and tasting the fish.

Jarek serves up his fish and gives out samples to our campground friends.

Photo op at the state border in the Great Smoky Mountains.

On our way up to Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Clingman’s Dome has an observation tower at the top which allows for spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

View from the observation tower at Clingman’s Dome.

Alan airing up the tires in the RV park. The portable AC compressor came in very handy on the trip.

Garrett crams himself into an American Girl doll’s jeep at the thrift store near the campground.

Visiting our friends Mr. Ken and Mrs. Susan in Greenville and exploring a stream.

The kids love to build. Here they build a small building out of Lincoln Logs.

A view of the fort before the attack. It was soldiers versus wild animals.

Evan helps cook eggs in the morning. He is quite the chef!

Jarek contemplates reaching the top of the playground at the Greenville Zoo.

The kids play with our neighbors at the RV Park in Greenville, SC. They were home schoolers also. The kids had a lot of fun taking apart a rotting stump. They found quite a few bugs and other critters. They got some real excitement when a snake popped out, but it was a just black racer on its way to a new home.

Visiting our friend Mr. Perry and his family at his home in Walterboro, SC. Garrett can’t resist the beep beep!

Visiting our friend Mr. Perry and his family at his home in Walterboro, SC. Jarek caught a bluegill at the pond.

The kids were very excited to be back in Florida!

Arya takes a drive around the yard on the mower.

Not to be outdone, Jarek takes a drive around the yard on the mower.

Alan serves up a taste of Turkish Delight. We had read the Chronicles of Narnia on the trip to the kids. We stopped at a Mediterranean restaurant that also had a ethnic foods store attached to it and picked up a couple trays of Turkish Delight and shared with all our friends when we got back. There were a range of reactions, but overall they liked it.

June 2023

Getting ready for bed time, Garrett enjoys a bottle and some Daddy time.

Garrett thinks the octopus head massager makes a good hat.

Ever helpful, Garrett helps move a bench for more seating.

Garrett gets his groove on while we are dining out at Gators Dockside. We went out to eat Meagan’s visiting cousins. He was all about dancing and stole the show!

We met up with Meagan’s cousin Nicole, Aunt Mary, and nephew Jett when they came to visit us in Florida. Firefly approved of her cuddle technique.

Playing at Kingsley Lake with the Hawaii crew. Meagan’s cousin Nicole, Aunt Mary, and nephew Jett came to visit us in Florida. Meagan’s Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda came up from Cocoa Beach to visit as well.

Garrett prepares his water Beep Beep for launch.

From left to right, Mary, Brendan, Brenda, Nicole, Dodi & Garrett, and Alan.

Garrett takes a moment on a bench. This is his preferred way of having a tantrum. He lays down, put his face in his hands, and lays there quietly. We’ll take it!

Fun on the merry-go-round at Kingsley Lake.

Garrett is always trying on shoes to see if he can fill them.

Jarek attended several weeks of Scout Camp. He pursued a variety of aquatic and shooting sports, rock climbing and also did a few science activities. He completed merit badges for chess, space sciences, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking and paper making, six in all.

Evan out for a Mommy Day with Meagan and an ice cream treat!

Alan smokes up a batch of home made bacon.

Breakfast at the bistro in the morning with the neighbors.

The kids did a summer camp out in the backyard.

We set up the slack line course to give the kids something to do. It was an instant hit and provided many hours of entertainment.

A red crested Woodpecker visited us outside the RV.

Cub Scout pool party at the Oakleaf Community Center.

Maintaining a 20 degree split between indoor and outdoor temps in the Florida summer. This was about as good as we got as far as keeping the RV cool. Of course, with the kids there was a fair amount of in and out, and if we could keep that minimized, we would do a bit better.

Busted! Garrett loves to play on Alan’s computer or phone. Techno baby is figuring it out quickly.

Army men formations created by Garrett. Picture also by Garrett.

July 2023

Family dinner night with the neighborhood kids at the Leggett’s.

Garrett enjoys a freeze pop to cool off.

Pool Party at the Leggett’s for 4th of July.

Garrett helps out Jill with the laundry.

Jarek started going to the gym with Alan and getting a work out in.

Always good to hit the bottle before bed!

A passel of children gather for a snack.

Jarek, Arya, and Evan practice their basketball skills at the YMCA. We signed them up for an introductory course over the summer.

Garrett cleans up his dinosaur toys after Family Dinner night.

Jarek and Meagan are out for a Mommy day and an ice cream treat!

Arya works on her volley ball skills during practice.

Arya out with Alan for a Daddy Day Costco Pizza treat.

The kids enjoy some water play to cool off during the heat of summer. These self-filling water balloons are amazing!

Delivery time. Meagan prepped and ready for Randal’s birth.

And he’s out! Tada! It was that easy! Haha…ha…..ha.

The kids enjoy some water play for Lacy and Jarek’s joint birthday party.

Our friend Scott gets some baby Randal snuggles.

Garrett enjoys a “pop!” in the heat. And some side eye.

August 2023

Jarek’s birthday actual. We sang him happy birthday and he enjoyed his rice krispy cake.

Jarek’s birthday actual. We sang him happy birthday and he enjoyed his rice krispi cake.

After the failed 4th of July attempt, we got a rocket launching kit so Jarek could try again with his model rocket. The results were better, but sadly the rocket did not survive to fly again.

Garrett gives little brother Randal some snuggles. Randal is very interested in his big brother.

Firefly supervises a snuggle session with Randal.

BB shooting sports at Cub Scout day camp.

Following BBs, the kids got some Archery practice in at the range.

One of the activities at the Day Camp was a demonstration on how to clean and cook a fish. Afterwards, the Scouts got an opportunity to taste it.

The neighborhood kids take Garrett for a walk. They would often form a protection detail and escort him on his walk up and down the street.

The kids get some snuggles with Randal after his milestone picture.

Out for a birthday lunch celebrating Grandma Dorothy’s birthday. We ate at Just a Pinch, which was a Hawaiian Fusion restaurant. Sadly, they closed at the end of 2023.

Alan gets some Randal snuggles at morning coffee with the neighbors.

The kids climbed up on the sink and caused the mounts to bend, separating it from the undermount seal. Alan installed new angle brackets to support the sink and resealed the silicone.

Putting the smoker to work, Alan smoked several pork butts.

Firefly claims the recliner for her bed.

Garret armed himself with some butter knives and engaged the terrible monster Big Brother. He’s been watching them play lots of Zelda and learning about the “Master Sword” and play sword fighting.

Arya at her volleyball match at the YMCA.

Arya took a spin on the mower. The kids are very excited about being able to help mow the yard, and, of course, to practice driving!

Garrett helps bring the ball back while Alan works with Arya on her Volleyball skills.

Burnt up RV power plug and repair. Alan moved the power cord while mowing the lawn, and apparently tugged on it a bit too hard. In the evening, the RV power started doing a weird flickering and the ACs cut in and out. Checking out side, the street lights were on and the other houses were stable with their lights. Alan checked the plug and found it hot and melted on the connector. Fortunately, replacements arrived the next day and it was only one day without air conditioning. Also fortunately, the RV did not catch fire from the electrical fault.

Alan replaced both ends of the connector. Above is the new RV side of the connection.

Jill gives Garrett a ride on her beep beep while Alan works on the mower blades.

Garrett’s ‘happy cake’ for his birthday.

We went to the Clay County Touch-A-Truck event at the fair grounds. The kids had a great time and Garrett especially enjoyed driving the big trucks.

Firetrucks are a favorite beep beep! (FYI vehicle is a beep beep to Garrett.)

After the bouncy house, much fun was had at the climbing tower and the kids enjoyed reaching the top.

Garrett blows out his candles on his cakes for his 2nd birthday.

Garrett opens his presents on his 2nd Birthday. Garrett opens his presents for his 2nd birthday. Garrett received his own fold up chair and is very protective of it. When Arya tried to sit in it, he yelled, “NO! My chair!”

September 2023

Meagan gets snuggles from Garrett and Randal.

Randal at 5 weeks old. Ducky (Garrett) wanted in on the action.

Grandma gets cuddles from Randal and Firefly.

Garrett gets some switch time in before bed, sneaky little bugger.

Jarek removes trim in the refrigerator compartment. The refrigerator had been leaking for several years since we had rodent damage in the RV. Most of the damage had been repaired, however we did not discover, and nor did the shop when we took the RV in, that the rats had chewed through the condensate drain line on the refrigerator. This allowed a continuous, if intermittent, source of water to drip out. We had attributed this to the kids and the water/ice dispenser, as every time we would move the slide there would be water smears on the floor. Alan replaced the drain tube and installed a new 3/4 plywood on top of the existing floor to provide a solid base for the refrigerator.

Meagan and the kids went to see a college volleyball match. Arya was very interested in seeing a higher level game.

Bath time. Not a happy time for poor Randal.

Garrett ‘plays’ along with Alan during some video game time. He quickly figured out that his controller didn’t work and would get upset that he wasn’t actually playing.

A happier Randal during bath time, a rare moment!

Ready to go! Garrett spies Alan at pick up time!

Alan smoked a brisket for family dinner.

Gizmo reaches in deep to finish off the last bits of sour cream.

Alan and Meagan out for a date night at Akaya Sushi. Akaya is the best sushi restaurant we’ve ever been to.

This little stinker was being extra cheeky while we were at Jarek’s soccer game.

This little chaos monster took off running down the soccer field line.

October 2023

Breakfast outside the RV on a sunny morning.

Garrett gets a hat from the firefighter visit at Cub Scouts. The Pack brought in a fire truck and some firefighters to give a talk to the scouts on emergency preparedness. Unfortunately, they had to leave early on a call.

The firefighters demonstrated wearing their gear.

Playing at the Amazing Grace Farms’ corn bin and fall festival.

Garrett’s favorite bouncer was the unicorn.

This was one of the few patches of shade at the pumpkin patch. I hung out here to feed Randal while the kids kicked soccer balls.

These bounce pads are so much better than the in ground pillows. You get more surface area and no steep sides to fall off of.

This picture is of a Florida yellow rat snake battling a rat. As Alan was coming out onto the porch, a rustling was heard and then the snake climbed up the post, followed by the rat. The snake was going after the rat’s babies.

Growing up, working on that driving, and mowing the lawn! Soon, Alan won’t have to do it.

The bubble machine is a favorite as well.

Ducky tucks himself into Alan’s spot and gets books to read on his own.

October Lowe’s craft workshop, building a fire truck.

Ready to go for a Cub Scout evening hike.

Gambit says that this is an acceptable place to hang out.

Alan and Garrett try out the ‘pack pack’ kid backpack.

Cub Scout fall camp out. The kids loved playing ‘gaga’ ball, a form of dodge ball.

Garrett takes another turn cooking breakfast.

Jarek and Garrett practice their sword play.

At the YMCA trunk or treat, the kids pose with a fire truck.

Fall 2023 Old Jennings Forest Ranger Event. Hot Dogs, Archery, Fish and Wildlife presentation, and a camp fire in the evening.

Garrett trying on big brother’s and sister’s costume boots for their Zelda and Link costumes.

Randal and the pumpkins for his Halloween photo shoot. He hasn’t quite mastered the sitting up part yet.

Jack-o-lanterns all carved up and ready to go!

November 2023

Garrett helping Alan take out the recycle bins to the street. Garrett insisted on helping.

Home School CO-OP field trip to the Jacksonville Zoo, Jacksonville, FL

Arya poses in a coffin left over from the zoo’s Halloween set up.

Garrett has some growing yet before he’s ready for this one.

Meagan and Arya out for a treat after her appointment at the eye doctor.

Garrett checking out my tools and the bike pump to help fix things. One of his favorite pasttimes.

Making Philly cheesesteaks on our new griddle. Faced with the limitations on cooking for six (and soon seven), we explored a new griddle to cook more food rapidly. It did an admirable job on the fixin’s for some tasty Philly Cheesesteaks!

Kids discover some Ravenclaw squishmallows at Costco.

Lowe’s Craft Workshop. The November ’23 workshop was to make a turkey shaped picture holder. The kids had a great time making their projects. They were joined by Madilynn.

Garrett plays with a birthday Minecraft mask at a friends’ birthday party.

Garrett gets after the creeper pinata at the birthday party.

December 2023

Ducky opens up a hot wheels car the elves brought him.

Oakleaf Home school Co-Op ornament making and play date at Fox Meadow Park

Garrett loves vehicles, affectionately known as “Beep Beeps.” Here he is playing on the riding mower while Alan works in the shop.

Schoolhouse Collective Co-Op Holiday Party, Keystone Heights, FL

Garrett gets ready to eat his cookie at the Holiday Party.

Arya’s 9th Birthday Party. Held at Middleburg, FL

Garrett built himself a camera. He built it out of Duplos and came up to Meagan and Alan and took our pictures with it.

Just plain tuckered out, Garrett crashed hard right before dinner.

Elves roasting marshmallows on the stove. One of their more benign shenanigans.

Jarek and Arya build their holiday projects, a Santa Truck, at the December Lowe’s Craft Workshop.

Placing wreaths at Veteran’s graves as part of the Wreaths across America event.

Finished product of char siu pork belly. It came out quite good. Also pictured is the BBQ caddy/tray that Meagan got Alan for his birthday. It is a collapsible bin that can be used to ferry the meat to and from the grill or smoker, and then collapses down to a cutting board to serve. It keeps the juices contained and makes clean up very easy. It collapses down into a cutting board for cutting and serving. Quite handy indeed!

Garrett said “let me take a movie, let me take a picture.” He’s ready to get behind the camera!

Garrett is done with taking pictures. He stripped down to his diaper and sat down. He was done with us.

Jarek holds Randal for a holiday picture.

For our 17th anniversary and 20th year together, we went out to the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert in Jacksonville, FL.

Arya’s Birthday (actual). The traditional rice krispy cake. This year the theme was Monster High.

Meagan and Randal tour the area looking at Christmas light displays.

Alan helps Garrett cook a hot dog over the Hot Shot.

Garrett and Jarek play ‘shoot guns’ with each other.

1 thought on “2023 In Review”

Carol Donovan
February 2, 2024 at 19:07
Wow! What a journey in photos! There is a lovely family bond in the group. Wonderful that all the children are given special one-on-one time with each parent as well as with the family. This is a very touching look at the adventures of the Johnsons. I am so glad that Irene passed the link along to me.
Best Regards and Love Always,
Carol Donovan