VERY SAD NEWS INDEED

 

Sometimes you are lucky enough to meet the most wonderful people on the planet.  That happened to me when I joined the Golden Spike Railroad group.  These two people were officers in the group and good friends of my friends Patty and Dan.  Meet Barbara and Tom Westerfield.  Rarely, if ever, did you see anything but a smile on Barbara's face.  Same for Tom, just not in this picture, I think because he was starving.  This was at a restaurant in Maine where we had lobsters galore.

One day I went to Yuma Arizona with Patty and Dan for an RV rally, where I bought this Tiffin Phaeton.  I went to a few rallies when one day, out of the blue, Barbara said I should travel back East with them and be a part of a convention to help kids learn about Tech Schools.  Mike Rowe was a big sponsor of that project, and so was Tom, Barbara and their daughter.  

Not having had my RV for very long, I said HECK YEAH!  Let's go.  And go we did.

We started on the west coast of California and drove all the way to Maine and back.  We were looking for two things along the way.  Barbara LOVED bread pudding, so we were on a mission to find the best one in the U.S.  I've never eaten so much bread pudding in my LIFE!!  The second was to find the best ice cream.  I mean just look at that smile.  I saw that every single day.

We drove through streets in Gallup New Mexico where I grazed the trash cans on either side.  I just followed Tom like I knew what I was doing.  Barbara gave me a walkie talkie so we could stay in contact.   All along the way she would tell me about things we were going to see.  Zoos, art shows, memorials in Oklahoma City and tornado damage.  

Oh yes, we went right through tornado country.  Barbara navigated us around SEVERAL until we got to St Louis.  One night the wind and rain came up so strongly that we pulled in the slides.  I kept asking her on the radio when we were going to the tornado shelter.  OH NO she said ... it will be fine.  The puppies and I cowered in the corner.  

The next time we had to pull the slides in, I forgot to close a drawer.  Yup I crushed it.  Tom, the expert woodworker, took that drawer, took it apart, glued it up and nailed it back together, good as new.

We stopped at Moose Lodges, Elks Lodges, parking lots and Walmarts, some times having ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  There was never a dull moment.  Even when they took me up to the top of the St Louis Arch.  I'm terribly claustrophobic, so they held my hand as we got in the teeny tiny tin can to ride to the top.  Barbara said it would all be okay.  And it was.

We made it to New York where we got soaking wet on the boat ride at Niagara Falls, stopped in museum after museum and laughed the entire way ... mostly them laughing at me ... until we hit Maine for some fabulous lobster.  She oh so patiently tried to teach me to knit, but I was terrible at it.  It was the trip of a lifetime for me, but just another adventure for them.  

I don't think I EVER laughed so much as I did on that trip because of Barbara's smile and sense of humor.  She was a big advocate for dogs and cats, working for SPCA for many years.  In fact, they both helped me with Kitters when I first found her.  

It is with a very heavy heart that I say Barbara passed away yesterday afternoon.  There was just no one like her on the planet.   I'm going to miss her terribly.  Please say a few prayers for Tom and their family.

Rest in peace Barbara, surrounded by all the kitties and puppies you took care of for so many years.  I'm a better person for having known you!!!