Cousin Time

Oh my goodness!  We have  been on the road only two weeks and already I’m behind on blog posts.  But, its for a good reason…we’ve been having a wonderful time.  When we left Indian Cave State Park (probably the most beautiful park we have ever visited) we headed for West Des Moines, Iowa, to visit my cousin, Jan Moore, and her family.  We spent four days camped at Bob Shelter COE Park, in Johnston, Iowa, (just outside West Des Moines).  Our campground was located on the tailrace just below Saylorville Lake, and our site #33 was perfect.  Large trees provided plenty of shade, and a big grassy lawn made a perfect spot for dogs to hang out.

Our visit was bittersweet.  On Monday, June 20, Jan and Andy’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Carrie Beth passed away unexpectedly, leaving a big hole in all our hearts.

She was a joyful young girl whose love and laughter touched many lives.  She will always be missed, but I know her smile is lighting up Heaven.  

While we were in town, we so enjoyed spending time with Jan and Andy and getting reacquainted with their sons, Wes, Austin and Travis, whom we have not seen for a number of years.  Meeting Wes’s Jennifer and Austin’s Danya was a joy as well.  I have heard so much about these two young women, but they are even more special in person.  

During our short time together, we did a lot…

a trip to the ENORMOUS farmer’s market in downtown Des Moines,

John’s venison burgers for Saturday supper, 

worship at Jan and Andy’s church, 

an outdoor cook-out lunch with the whole Moore family,

and lots of visiting.  

The Bagley Pack enjoyed their Iowa dog cousins, Gus and Clarence.  

Gus is the Moore family dog, and Clarence lives with the family while Jan (a Volunteer Guardian) trains him as a support canine.   She works with Iowa Service Dogs, a nonprofit organization that trains mobility and psychiatric service dogs for veterans and first responders.  Clarence is a little less than a year old, but already well on his way to being the service dog for some lucky warrior   

Clarence is special in another way, as well.  He was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate, and has undergone two operations to repair his mouth so he can eat normally.  As a result, he has a very distinctive smile as well as a big heart.  

As part of his training, Clarence accompanies Jan almost everywhere she goes.  He focused perfectly on her during our trip to the farmer’s market, to lunch, and even to church.  

In fact, he was so relaxed during church services that he fell asleep and had a yipping doggy dream, much to the amusement of the parishioners sitting nearby.  

We had a great visit with our cousins, and look forward to having them come to see us next spring.