“Welcome aboard!”

With these two words this summer my bride, Susan, our ten-year-old granddaughter, Amelia and I climbed onto a passenger train from the 19th century. We were swept off to a world of cowboys, miners, and roughnecks who lived, wandered and passed away in an austere world that lacked the modern conveniences we now rely on.

You see, our family’s DNA is to travel. It always has been. More on that later.

For this trip we were taking Amelia to an empire of dirt once ruled by loggers, miners and Iron Horse stokers. And she was loving every bit of it. (Wouldn’t you, if you were 10 years old?!)

If this sounds like fun, it’s because it is! If you’d like to let your “inner 5th grader” go crazy, check out Mount Hood Railroad and Idaho Scenic Train Rides.

Today we also say “Welcome aboard” to you as you receive this newsletter. 2-3 times per month I’ll be sending stories and concepts that Susan and I find valuable in our lives. My hope is that these will resonate with and encourage you. (If you click on some of the links you might even enjoy a sensible chuckle.)

Thank you for joining us on this new journey.

Today we’re going to focus on two concepts:

1. Loss without warning
2. Adventure while you travel

Loss Without Warning

The current economic and political times seem to be breaking the spirit of many people. We mustn’t let this happen.

Take for example just before Thanksgiving, United Furniture Industries laid off all of its employees at one time. Broken hearts, busted wallets and sadness just prior to the holidays. How can hope be regained both in business and in politics?

In our world, I ran for State Senate amid an expected Red Wave. Not really even a ripple happened. As a business coach, I lost the chance to help the Legislature engage as a Senator in righting a listing ship of state. I was deeply saddened at the outcome.

Broken hearts, busted wallets, and sadness for my family and me.

And yet, I learned many years ago that if there’s still breath, there’s still hope.

The only way to avoid the sinkholes of despair during economic woes and political losses is to look for the good and praise it.

Find things to give thanks about - and then do it. Be thankful, be grateful, choose to be full of faith. After all, the opposite of fear is not courage - rather it is faith.

So it is that if you are feeling despair and sadness as a result of fear, choose to stop it. As Bob Newhart says, there’s a lot more to think about (I can’t help but laugh at this classic sketch). Susan and I are living proof of recovering from sadness and loss. Please join us. We must choose to be thankful and we must choose to have an attitude of gratitude. One thing that we’ve found is true of every season of life: laughter is key to living a life of gratitude.

Adventure While You Travel

Our family has always led an adventurous life and we’d be honored to take you along on some of those adventures via this newsletter: encouraging you to see, taste, smell and hear new things.

Certainly this involves travel - but also so much more. It involves your life in whatever “Quarter” your age finds you. For instance, with four-plus decades of married life in our rearview mirror, Susan and I are in the 4th Quarter of our game of life and we’d like to share some cool things we’ve done, are doing, and will do!

Let me first tell you why this regular newsletter might scratch an itch in your life. It’s a tale of transcontinental travelers who began their lives together in a wild and wonderful journey.

Now for the “more on that later” part:

During the summer when Star Wars was first released, Susan, my sister Janet, and I were really young and (maybe a bit) reckless; we decided to travel from S. California to the East Coast. We were broke college students and wanted an adventurous way to get across the states and spend the summer “down the shore” in Ocean City, New Jersey, where my mom, Ginny Mansfield, lived. How did we do it? We drove a complete stranger’s car from California to New Jersey! No lie. Mom welcomed us and invited us to enjoy her favorite beach community on the East Coast. Believe it or not, this program still exists today.

Go do it!

We caught the travel bug, for sure, but we also caught the new experience bug - each of us got jobs on the Boardwalk and spent a summer of fun together.

That trip led to others. Many others. I come from nine siblings and Susan comes from seven siblings. Rather than get out the old family videos and bore you to death, let me show you a current off-shoot of how travel manifests itself even today - for my brother Ken Mansfield and me. We love the “brown signs” on freeways that point towards a historical person, place and thing. Not sure what that is? Check out this video we put together a couple years back.

With the frustration of the pandemic behind us, it is time to get out and see the world.

It’s time to travel!

Here’s a list of three ideal places in the US that you could choose to visit in 2023, and some information on why I think they’re worth the trip:

1. The Field of Dreams house in Dyersville, Iowa

My Brown Sign Brother, Ken, and I visited this iconic location a few years back. As a huge fan of the 1989 movie, I’m happy to report that this destination is well worth the journey. In 2021 the MLB built a full-scale field right next to the filming location and hosted the first annual “MLB at Field of Dreams” game between professional teams - with players in full early 1900s baseball attire!

As of this year, you can even stay the night at the house and watch the movie on the actual outfield where it was filmed. Does it get any better than that??

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2. Catalina Island, off the coast of LA

The ancient Celts, and later Christians, used to describe locations where heaven and earth seemed to touch as “thin places”. This is perhaps the closest description I can give to the closeness I experience with Jesus at Campus By The Sea on Catalina Island.

For 37 years the Mansfields have spent a week or two on the lovely desert island in Gallagher Cove with Campus By the Sea. Nearly every summer we make the drive from Boise to California, hop on a boat, ditch our cell phones, and enjoy peace with God in nature. ‘Refreshing’ barely begins to describe the feeling.

​Check it out. It’s inexpensive, fun, and might just be the new tradition your family is looking for.

3. The US Military Academy, West Point, New York

The oldest still operating military post in the country, West Point is the perfect destination if you love American History. You may know West Point as a superior military academy, and that is true. But did you know that every square inch is packed with artifacts going back to the Civil War and American Revolution?

As an example - Bartlett Hall (where West Point cadets study science) has an entrance flanked by two cannons. On the left: the cannon that fired the first shot of the Civil War. On the right: the cannon that fired the last shot.

Packed full of 200 years of American history, West Point is located just 45min north of New York City by train.

Oh, and you can also see the nearby town of Highland Falls, where award-winning artist Billy Joel lived and wrote his first album including Summer, Highland Falls.

May this Christmas season be filled with love, joy, and laughter. Until next time!

Dennis & Susan

P.S. The next newsletter we'll send out will be after the New Year. In the meantime, feel free to share with friends and ask them to hop aboard as well!

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