Sunday, March 30, 2025

03-30-2025, Florida Key West Trip 3/27 – 6/30 2025, 96 Days, 7986 Miles, 44 Stops


30 March 2025, Bakersfield, California
Jeeps 10

Ken and Jan made it to Santa Nella before we left, so we could follow each other to Bakersfield. The wind was crazy; we even saw semi-trucks blown around the freeway. We stopped about half an hour from Bakersfield to get gas so we would not have to get it in the morning. 

We pulled into the RV park behind K&J, so I'm unsure how they went. Beautiful weather here. We both hooked up our rigs to power, sewer and water. We got a quick tour of their new RV and headed to the restaurant for Happy Hour. The restaurant has a great happy hour and we remembered from the last time we stayed here. We both got caught up on family stuff, ate appetizers, and drank. 

Back to the RVs to relax. 














Copyright © 2025 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

03-29-2025, Florida Key West Trip 3/27 – 6/30 2025, 96 Days, 7986 Miles, 44 Stops



29 March 2025, Santa Nella, California

I did not fall asleep until 4:00 AM, but Barry let me sleep until about 8:30 this morning. I wish I knew why I cannot sleep. I am turning into my mother. I walked out to see birds while Barry did his thing with the RV. I saw a Turkey Vulture, hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds and about eight Rock Pigeons. We packed up after breakfast and headed down I-5. 

We do not miss the road conditions in California. Not much has changed on I-5, other than more housing. We made it to Santa Nella around 2:30 PM. Uncle Richard and Aunt Laura met us at our RV park around 3:00 PM. They came from Uncle Richard's seventy-first Turlock High School reunion in Turlock, California.

Aunt Laura and I took off to the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in her new car. It is only about ten minutes west of the RV park. The whole reason we camped here is to visit this cemetery. My Uncle Sam Threet, Aunt Florence and Laura’s first husband, George Heiser, are buried there. I found Uncle Sam and Aunt Florence's gravesite quickly, thanks to Find A Grave and a map I found online. Find A Grave listed the section and site #. The cemetery is very well-marked, so it was easy to find. The great thing about this cemetery is that in the upper right corner of the headstones is the section number and then the site number. All the graves are in numerical order. You can see this information in the photo of his gravestone below, 9 965. The cemetery is a beautiful and peaceful place with a great history of how it came to be. 

We returned to the RV park, picked up the guys and drove across the highway to the Hotel Mission De Oro. The restaurant is in the back with beautiful gardens, firepits, and a substantial, gorgeous greenhouse where they grow vegetables for the restaurant. We were so impressed with the inside of the restaurant and the menu. This is not something you would think was in Santa Nella. If you ever get a chance, check it out. The food was delicious and plated nicely. 

It was wonderful spending time with Uncle Richard and Aunt Laura. I have missed them since we moved to Oregon, even though we call each other. 
















Copyright © 2025 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 28, 2025

03-28-2025, Florida Key West Trip 3/27 – 6/30 2025, 96 Days, 7986 Miles, 44 Stops


28 March 2025, Chico Rice, Willows, California


We slept in a little this morning, which felt terrific. As we got ready to leave this morning, Julie (our RV) would not start. A dead battery. We think it was the inverter used to keep my CPAP working all night. I have a new CPAP machine since our last trip and the 12-volt connection I used on my old machine does not match my new one. We didn't even think of that. Hooked up Julie to the Jeep battery and she fired right up. While she was charging, I took a walk to record bird sounds on my app. I recorded the following: House Finch, Brewer's Blackbird, European Starling, Northern Flicker, Eurasian Collard-Dove, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, Red-winged Blackbird, Mallard Duck.


We stopped for gas and then on our way to our next HH (Harvest Host) stop, Chico Rice in Willows, California. It is a quarter-mile off I5. We arrived around 3:45 PM. After parking, we walked to the Self-Serve Kiosk and bought sushi rice, brown rice and some local raw honey. As a HH member, they ask you to support the businesses you stay at for free. This is one of the things we like about HH membership.


There were lots of black birds and chickens. Plenty of rice was still in husks all around the grain bins to feed the birds and chickens. It was a nice, peaceful area.


An interesting fact is that, according to the back of the rice bag, the mountains you see to the south are the Sutter Buttes, known as the smallest mountain range in the world. I posted a photo below.




Chico Rice Barns




Brass Buttons




Julie by Grain Bins

Chico Rice & Honey We Purchased




Self Serve Kiosk


Sutter Buttes













Copyright © 2025 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

03-27-2025, Florida Key West Trip 3/27 – 6/30 2025, 96 Days, 7986 Miles, 44 Stops

27 March 2025, EdenVale Winery, Medford, Oregon

Left home at 11:15 AM. Rain-Wind-Sideways Rain through the mountains, Grants Pass, and over to Medford. Once here, the skies cleared, sunny, 58°. Arrived at 3:30 PM. We are the only Harvest Host Guests tonight so we can park anywhere. We decided to park down by the barn since the area was a flat gravel road. We walked up to the tasting room, one white flight for me and a red flight for Barry. We also had a fabulous cheese and meat board. Great conversation and a new recipe for this delicious onion compote they made there. Barry was able to get the recipe and cannot wait to try it. We bought six bottles and a sangria for our trip. The new tires on the RV made a significant difference on this trip. A much smoother ride. A great evening of bird watching; Starlings, Brewer’s Blackbird, Eurasian Collared-Dove. 

























Copyright © 2025 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

Friday, May 10, 2024

"The Sweetest Town in Texas" Honey Grove, Fannin County, Texas

Honey Grove is known as "The Sweetest Town in Texas." When settlers arrived, they found numerous bee hives in the county. 

I never thought in a million years I would visit Texas.  Just not a state I was interested in, even though my Dad was born and lived here until he was fourteen. Last year, my friend Lisa Gorrel and I decided to plan a trip for genealogy. We discovered we had ancestors in many of the same or nearby counties.  The weather in Texas was too hot by the time we decided last year, so we decided to go in the spring of 2024. This way, we could also experience the wildflowers. 

I have not written anything in quite a while, but I have not felt like writing anything until now. Last night, I had a dream about my dad. In the dream, I think he forgave me for something that happened in High School. I woke up feeling apprehensive and emotional. It was hard for me not to cry. This dream stuck with me all day. 

The first place we visited was the Oakwood Cemetery. I have a cousin buried there who died four days after birth. She was my Uncle James and Aunt Ruby's firstborn, Brenda Gail Threet, b. 18 Jan 1949, d. 22 Jan 1949. James was my dad's oldest brother. My Aunt Ruby is still alive in her nineties and sharp as a tack. We found Brenda quickly. Her tombstone is very weathered and mossy. We bought a brush somewhere along our trip to use on tombstones. I used it to clean off dirt, and then Lisa poured water on the tombstone while I took photos. The photos turned out much better with the water. Later in the day, I texted one of the photos to Brenda's sister, Lisa (Threet) Clark. I received a text from my cousin, Lisa, thanking me. She also told me my Aunt Ruby still gets teary-eyed when discussing her. 

From here, we headed into town and found the Honey Grove Library, which houses the Honey Grove Preservation League Library and has a preservation history room. My appointment with Barbara Caffee was at 1:00 p.m. Since I had some time, I walked the town square while Lisa stayed in the nice, cool library to work. 

Aunt Ruby talked about the square the last time I visited her. She was from  Bonham, Texas, and her family would go to the Honey Grove Square on Saturday. It was the thing to do. This is where she met my Uncle James. As I walked around the square, it was sad to see the buildings empty, dilapidated and in disrepair. One could still see the grand architecture of the buildings. I could only imagine what a beautiful place it was in its heyday. I was drawn to this building on the south corner with iron stairs on the side to the top floor. I took a few photos of the stairs because I loved the ironwork, and they seemed to be in great shape. I thought about climbing to the top, but not sure if they were still attached to the wall. I took photos of the post office, the old movie theatre, and a building that was in renovation. What I found really impressive is how the brick road around the square did not have any missing. Heavy trucks and trailers are not allowed, so I am sure that helps. 

I returned to the library and worked on a few things while waiting for Barbara to arrive. She arrived on time, and we sat down to business. She talked about how she has lived in Honey Grove and how her husband is the mayor. She runs the preservation library and loves her town. One of the questions I asked was if the hospital my dad and his younger siblings were born in was still around, the Cappleman Maternity Ward Hospital.  She said it was not, but it was located on the north side corner of the square, and the entrance was up the metal stairs on the side of the building to the second level. I took a photo of the same metal stairs earlier when walking around the square. No wonder I was "drawn" to the stairs....weird. Those poor pregnant women had to climb those stairs! Barbara looked for a log book from Dr. Cappleman's days of practice. She could not find it but knew she had it. She will email me when she finds it. 

I looked through the yearbooks and found photos of my Aunt Sue (Wilma Sue),  Uncle Sam, and Uncle Dean  (Donal Dean). However, I could not find my Dad, which I found weird. The yearbooks also included grade school through high school. Barbara thought it was strange also, but maybe Myra Rodgers would have an idea. Myra is meeting us at 4:15. She has lived in Honey Grove her entire life and is a great town historian. She is familiar with the McCraw's Chapel area and knows the area where my Dad's family lived. 

Barbara found one file folder of Dr. Cappleman's records. I searched through it and took a few photos, but unfortunately, nothing was on my family. Barbara brought a stack of books for me to look through, and what did I forget to do? Add them to my research log! Darn it. I have been so good on this trip. 

Myra arrived on time and immediately pulled out her computer. She had found a 1950 census map for Honey Grove. Since she grew up in the area, she marked all the names of families for most of the houses. She knew all the families. She showed me where my family lived on the map. She pulled up a newspaper article from Newspapers.com that I had not seen before. It listed my Grandpa Bruce Threet as a pallbearer for a funeral in McCraw's Chapel. We talked about how I could not find my Dad in the yearbooks. She said, "Of course not. He would have attended the one-room schoolhouse in McCraw's Chapel." From there, he would have gone on to high school. By that time, Dad's family was moving to California. I see a timeline in my future. 

After reviewing the map and neighbors, Myra took us to McCraw's Chapel. We followed her about three and a half miles south of Honey Grove to the McCraw's Chapel area. She knew where my family's home was and wanted to show me!!! She had me call her on her phone so she could point out where the school was, McCraw's Baptist Church, and the house Dad's family lived in on M. R. Terrell's farm. They rented a home beside the Terrells and farmed some of his land. A few Terrells are still in the area, and Myra will contact them to see if they remember anything about my family or heard stories. Hopefully, they will be willing to talk to me. From this area, Myra told us how to get to the highway leading us back to Bonham. 

Barbara and Myra were awesome. They did everything to make my day in Honey Grove awesome. I can not thank them enough. 

What an exciting day for me. Everything was so surreal. I had this wonderful, warm feeling in my soul, and it felt like my dad was with me the whole time. 



My first cousin, Brenda Gail Threet
Died four days after birth.





The Honey Grove Preservation League is
in this building on the bottom floor.







Building where my Dad, Billy Max Threet, Uncles Ernie and Roger, 
Aunts Sylvia and Sandy were born. The iron stairwell is on the left.

Close-up of the iron stairs.

Close-up of ironwork. I love this.

Do you see any bricks missing?



Renovations happenig

Post Office


One of the movie houses. 






Holding up the awning. 
See the photo below.





































Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

2023-09-20 Wednesday, Oregon Trip to Visit Family and Friends



Ryan and Amanda’s to Deerwood RV Park in Eugene
Jeeps - 5
Steps – 3,814

Ryan worked from home today so he could see us off. It's hard to believe it’s been a week. I cleaned the RV, floors, bathroom and dusted this morning. Tucker received his questions for his school ancestor project, so I spent the rest of the morning answering his questions. He seemed interested and asked other questions in addition to the ones assigned. There were two I didn’t have time to respond. We made plans to Zoom when we got home. I needed to look up a few things before answering the rest of the questions. 

With lots of hugs and kisses, we said our goodbyes. We left Ryan & Amanda’s this morning around noon. We were sad to leave but ready for the next leg of this trip. We stopped at Fred Myer’s for gas and propane. There seemed to be an issue with propane. It was leaking. We think it is our propane fill valve since we had the same issue in Red Bluff. We will have to try again in Eugene. We told Ryan and Amanda about it, and Amanda sent me a link to a propane company in Eugene that also does service. We might check them out. 

The drive on US126 was beautiful once we started into the mountains. It’s so lush and green, with ferns growing alongside the road. Also, in some areas, there are large lava rock beds. I thought these were so pretty, with small trees growing in some places. We also passed areas that have burned in the past. 

It rained a bit off and on until we got to the top of the mountains, and it stopped, then the sun came out. We hit numerous road construction areas where we had to stop. We never had to wait too long. At one point, we followed the McKenzie River for miles. There were beautiful homes along the river. We noticed quite a few homes for sale. In some places, the river was wide. The water was flowing swiftly. 

Once in Eugene, we missed the exit we needed to take for the Deerwood RV Park. We soon found a way back and headed in the right direction. I am beginning to question our GPS system. We pulled into the Deerwood RV Park around 4:00 PM. What a beautiful park. All the sites are large and surrounded by trees. This is one of the most beautiful parks we have stayed at. 

We found our spot and set up. I made guacamole dip, and we sat at the table and chairs provided and had a glass of wine. Barry cooked dinner, and we walked the RV park and counted Jeeps. 







Amanda sent this photo only a short time after
we left. Hot air balloon in the distance.

Lava rock beds on the way to Eugene.

More lava rock beds on the
way to Eugene.



Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

2023-09-19 Tuesday, Oregon Trip to Visit Family and Friends


Ryan and Amanda’s
Steps – 4,006

Today is the day before we leave. Barry was up and started packing his BBQ and our chairs, firepit, etc. Kids have school today. We went to Fred Myer to check out how to get into their propane area and gas up the jeep, also off to Safeway, then to a liquor store for Prickly Pear Margarita mix for Roma and tequila for us. 

All humans are home by four-ish and ready to eat dinner. We planned to go to Blacksmith’s tonight. It’s a Pub with fixed food trucks. The Pub area is a big open warehouse with many tables and chairs. Amanda and I had Margaritas. Not as good as Diego’s, but not bad. Barry was happy they had RPM IPA. I think Ryan got an Old Fashion. We went to The Kilted Kitchen; Barry ordered The Bruce, a brisket sandwich, and me, The Wallace, a pulled pork sandwich. He wanted The Scotty Dog, a hot dog, but Tucker ordered ahead of us and got the last one. The fries were sliced very thin and scrumptious. We have never had them that way. Everyone loved their dinner. Addison, Barry, and I bought tee shirts. It was the perfect place to end our last night with the kids. 

Oh, wait!!!! One more crazy game of Sequence. Amanda was still trying to maintain her “game composure.” During the game, Ryan had to try sips of our scotch, ‘Ol Pultaney,” which is Barry's ancestors' scotch from Scotland, and Sassenach, Sam Heughan, from the Outlander series Scotch. He loved both. I do not think I mentioned before, but Tucker calls his dad Ryan while playing games, and it is just too funny. We won one game, and I think everyone else did too. We played a few—so much fun.

Off to bed since we have a travel day tomorrow. 



































Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

Saturday, October 14, 2023

2023-09-18 Monday, Oregon Trip to Visit Family and Friends


Ryan and Amanda’s
Steps – 2,390

We woke up to a smokey sky. Somewhat better today, but not much. Ryan was off to work early this morning; the kids had school, cleaned up the RV, and Barry cleaned up his BBQ today. I was on a few calls today and going through email. I played ball with the dogs. They wore me out!

Before Ryan got home from work, Amanda took Tucker to the pump track to ride his new bike. He said it took a little time to get used to it, but it felt great. From the photos Amanda took, he looked like he was enjoying himself. 

Addison spent part of the afternoon riding Josey. No barrel practicing, just for a ride. 

Ryan BBQed chicken on his Traeger, and it was delicious. We had everyone taste Aunt Reba’s BBQ sauce (see previous blogs).  They all agreed it was the best BBQ sauce they had. They couldn’t get enough. I informed him if they came to our Annual Griffin Christmas Dinner again, they would get some, but we did leave them some of ours. 

The sunset was beautiful tonight due to the smoke. Amanda and I sat on the porch to watch it. We also had a little green visitor on the front door. It was only about 1.5 inches, a tiny little guy. He was staying high to hide from the one chicken Amanda let out to roam for a bit. They love frogs; at least Amanda’s chickens do.

Another rousing game of Sequence, and this time, Ryan and Tucker lost...YEA. Barry and I won. I do not think Amanda was very happy. She is still trying to maintain her composure. Addison was very vocal about losing again. We couldn’t let Tucker and Ryan win again. 

BTW-Barry hates mosquitos, and they are eating him alive. 

















Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.