Tell us a little about yourselves.
We are both in our early 70’s acting like we are in our 50’s. Butch is retired military and a Vietnam veteran. We met while still in high school and dated until Butch was drafted and had orders for Vietnam. We have now been married for 52 years, this July it will be 53 years. Butch came from a family of eight and I came from a family of six and we were lucky to grow up in country or small town living during the 50’s and 60’s. We both grew up in the delta in Arkansas and call the Ozark Mountains home.
What is your favorite CUSA flavor?
We were very fortunate to camp ourselves into CUSA Tea and Coffee. The camping app that we use was having a contest and one of the prizes was a gift certificate for CUSA Tea and Coffee. Butch was a Kerurig coffee drinker. CUSA has a wonderful sample pack to order and gives you a great chance to try several different types of tea and coffee. Butch does not like to try new items, but I prepared a flavor and he tried. Now he doesn’t like all the flavors but when he tried the Dark Roast he met his match. Later when we had run out of hot chocolate one day that he was working on our unique travel trailer outside with the temps around 22 degrees I prepared the Mocha and he just kicked back and savored the wonderful rich flavor of chocolate along with his coffee. CUSA Coffee makes for a perfect beginning to an amazing day.
How do you use CUSA?
We both grew up in households that revolved around a gallon jug of cold tea in the fridge. As we grew up and moved away from home, we drifted away from that. CUSA Tea is so convenient that we enjoy that fresh brewed glass of tea without the fuss of having to brew and steep. Butch is the coffee drinker and if we are home and early in the morning you will find him in his favorite spot on the front porch in the swing enjoying his CUSA coffee and nature. f we are not traveling our home is over a mile down a mountain by way of a gravel road with no houses except ours at the bottom of the hill. The creek is just below the house and depending on the season it is rolling furiously or gently flowing. If we are traveling, which we do most days, we generally boondock in the mountains or along a peaceful lake or stream. Butch enjoys that first drift of aroma from his CUSA coffee which he has before we make a move.
What do you do with your (free) time?
As a child I could never manage to get a kite off the ground so I have to admit that I gave up. Turn to March 7, 2019 and we were discussing, of all things, kites. We were in Lincoln City, Oregon where flying a kite is, I think, a rite of passing. I admitted that I have never managed to fly one. Butch bought me a beautiful kite and we had it in the air in minutes. We carry my kite on all our trips and when the wind is flying so are we. Then three years ago, we discovered kayaking. I really believe I discovered it and Butch wasn’t going to let me hit the water by myself. We both got kayaks and have hauled them from Florida to points west on several occasions. Florida has some of the most beautiful clear natural springs. Across the United States we love the rivers, lakes, bayou’s, the gulf, reservoir’s, Jenny Lake in the Teton’s is so amazing, we have been on the Colorado River just below the Hoover Dam, (the best) and we also floated the Colorado in Utah. We then hike, sightsee, just play a tourist or kick back and enjoy a good book. I will either read to myself or find us in the middle of a book together. Butch is not big on reading but loves it when I read out loud and we both enjoy the book and then discuss the pros and cons of the plot.
Where have you traveled, or where do you plan to travel?
We have traveled far more than most people. My mother thought she had been dropped off by the gypsies and I got my love of travel from her. We have been in all 50 states, five of the seven continents and we are going back around on the states. We lived in Germany and Turkey for several years and while in those countries we traveled extensively in those countries and so many of the countries around Germany and Turkey. We also took advantage of being closer to distant countries such as China, Egypt, Israel., Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, just to name a few.
Did life change for you during the pandemic and if so how?
In some ways our life changed very little during the shutdown. We live in a rural mountain area. I no longer worked but Butch did work but never stopped. Precautions were taken but life moved on. We were very lucky that Butch had a job where we were able to take time off to travel. We were traveling when the pandemic shuts things down. We did stop for two months then and pared our travel down, but we wanted to live and not hide. Since we mainly boondock we can stay out of crowds. We practiced all the safety precautions and were very careful. We are still very carefully about cleanliness. In the last year we traveled around 20,000 miles.
What’s something most people don’t know about you.
Oh goodness, we are pretty much an open book, maybe even a bit boring. BUT!! There are a couple of things. In the last several years we have remodeled four houses and built a 5000 square foot home perched on a bluff overlooking the beautiful Ozark Mountains. We have now turned into closet hardware store aficionados. Across the United States we love to search out local hardware stores that have been there for years. We walk up and down all the aisles checking every little thing out. It is amazing what you can find in those hardware stores. We always seem to find something we want. We have also discovered a love of farming practices, crops, machinery across the USA. I keep Siri on call with all kinds of questions and WOW the things she comes up with. Quite interesting. Inquisitive minds want to know as we keep trying to keep our minds sharp.
1 comment
Nancy Ivey
Awesome
Awesome