The Tampa Campout ended on January 19th. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone. We found out shortly before that that our planned volunteer project in North Fort Myers didn’t pan out. We also were aware of the winter weather that was forecast for the southeast so we decided to drive back to South Carolina from Tampa. While there we got to experience an ice storm and some snow, which are both unusual for that area. We all survived just fine. After the weather warmed up a little, we helped Randy and Debra with a few projects around the house. Of course it is always great to spend some extra time with Randy and Debra so the storms were a blessing in a strange sort of way.
We are not used to seeing the RV’s covered in snow.
Building the new frame on top of the old one
Max and Randy setting new posts
New posts set and braced
Finished frame
Anne and Debra preparing the porch for decking
Deck boards installed
We also helped Randy install a dedicated generator connection for the house.
On January 5th, after another wonderful visit to Gulf State Park, we headed back to South Carolina to move into BB. On January 10th, we headed back to Tampa where some friends had asked us to volunteer at the 2026 Tampa Campout hosted by YouTube channels Finding Our Someday and Less Junk, More Journey. One of our favorite activities was the give back where the guests assembled birthday party kits for a local food bank. The kits are in high demand as they allow families to enjoy birthday parties when they could not otherwise afford them. Each kit includes a cake mix, a Sprite soda (to be used in place of milk), frosting, candles, a tablecloth and a hand written card. The volunteers set up the supplies and assisted the guests in assembling the kits.
Another favorite was the time we were able to spend with old friends and the new relationships we made over the course of the week. We were also blessed with a great group of volunteers to work along side. We are very grateful for the opportunity to serve with FOS and LJMJ – such sweet families.
Our first task at the Tampa Campout was to help with greeting and parking the incoming guests. This is the strangest arrangement we saw come in.
Tampa Campout opening with the hosts
Some of the Tampa Campout volunteers
Setting up for birthday party kit supplies
There were two opportunities to make birthday party kits at the Campout …
… and one at the RV Supershow.
Some of the finished kits
We took a couple of days off during the Campout to go to the RV Supershow …
… where we visited with our friends at Sunshine State RVs.
As has become our tradition we spent the month of December, 2025 (and a few days in January, 2026) at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The weather was not a nice as it has been in other years but we still enjoyed our “sabbath month.” With lots of hiking, biking and geocaching on the miles of trails we had a great time. One of our favorite things to do in the park is to look for wildlife.
We saw lots of pelicans …
… a Great Blue Heron beside our campsite …
… a gopher tortoise …
… Lefty – the famous Gulf State Park alligator …
… eagles …
…and more eagles.
We are sure there were eggs in the nest. After we left, people posted pictures of two eaglets.
As a special treat this year we were given the opportunity to help finish an outdoor raptor enclosure for the owls, hawk and kestrel kept at the nature center and used for educational programs.
Max planing down a door to fit the opening
Anne working on another door
Anne and Ron in the workshop cutting lumber for the enclosure
A shelter box we helped build for the enclosure.
Anne testing the kestrel enclosure
American Kestrel in its new enclosure
This is a transport box on which the naturalist needed a sliding door installed.
And the finished transport box
We also enjoyed several activities (and food) around the area, the best was when Barry and Donna came to visit.
We really enjoyed the visit from Barry and Donna.
This year we even made a visit to the famous Bamahenge.
Christmas carol night at the park
We attended the Christmas program at Gulf Shores Methodist Church
And watched the annual Christmas parade of boats
An unusual geocache we found
An interesting neighbor for a couple of nights. It is a famous 1956 Diamond T fitted with a camper.
We cooked up the last of the halibut we brought from Vermont.
Our special recipe cinnamon rolls
Like last year we worked a few pieces of this puzzle on each day of Advent.
Christmas Day walk on the beach
Our annual traditional Christmas portrait
Once again we enjoyed the annual First Day Hike at the park.
If you have followed our blog for several years you might remember a few posts about “The Star.”
With lots of help from family, friends and the community we have worked and helped maintain the large lighted star on the side of Pine Mountain in Remlap, Alabama since the 1980’s. The Star was built in 1950 by Max’s uncles and others as a project of a Sunday School class of Lee’s Chapel Church. When we went to Max’s Uncle JW in 1982 to get married, he insisted we promise to go to church together before he would marry us. We chose Lee’s Chapel as our church and that got us involved with The Star. Eventually we ended up in charge of it. Still with lots of help we continued in that role until we started traveling almost full-time in 2014. Each year involved trimming trees, brush and vines and replacing bulbs and sockets. Some years required repairing wires and resetting anchors. We still helped with it some years after 2014, but turned it mostly over to our cousin’s and best friends, Barry and Donna. We know that we could not have kept it going without them.
This is the original write up about The Star we found in a local history book:
Christmas always finds the Young Adult Class busy sharing its members’ blessings with others, and Christmas 1950 will be remembered as a special one. Sibyl Hallman [Max’s aunt] suggested to the class that they erect a “Star of Bethlehem” on the side of Pine Mountain facing Murphree’s Valley. Having read about a similar star in Colorado, she thought it would be something that they could share with many people. The class agreed, and Troy Lee Ingram, an Alabama Power Co. engineer, was contacted, and he agreed to lay out the star. It was formed on an area belonging to Lee McGriff. The star is 75 feet long from point to point and is 282 feet in circumference. Eighty-five 60 watt bulbs set about one foot apart shine into the nights of the Christmas season. Many regular travelers on Highway 75 look forward to the light of the Star during the holiday season. People from other parts of our nation have also enjoyed it. May there always be a “Star of Bethlehem”!
The star continued as two wires with screw-on sockets and incandescent bulbs until 2021 when we helped Donna and Barry and other friends rebuild it with LED rope lights.
The wire and socket construction that was used from 1950 to 2021.
This is how some of the bulbs had to be changed.
We did the rope work for many years before we turned it over to younger folks.
Looking down from the top. When we used sockets and bulbs, someone sat at the top to turn the switch on and off as wires were repaired and socket and bulbs were replaced.
The Star in 2017. Over time as anchors had to be moved the Star got a little unsymetrical.
Donna preparing the new rope lights
Setting new anchors to straighten The Star
Donna rappelling down to hang rope lights
We actually got to help a little on it this year back in November when we were in Alabama for a few days.
We let younger folks do the rope work now.
Donna and Anne trimming trees on the side of the bluff
Some of our 2025 Star Crew
The finished Star in 2025
Five generations? We are the second generation; Donna and Barry are the third and their children and grandchildren have helped. That’s five generations – right? We are so thankful for the people too numerous to name who built and helped maintain it for the last 75 years. Hopefully it will continue for many more.
Each year when The Star is lit, there are many comments about what it means to the community. Hopefully, somewhere in the nostalgia people see the true meaning of “The Star of Bethlehem” and remember the Savior God sent to us to provide the one way to eternal salvation.
RVing With a Purpose 