tbutler

Tom & Louise Butler, F294521

We are retired teachers. Louise taught upper elementary mostly science and then was an elementary principal. Tom was a middle school science teacher and science supervisor. Tom is an amateur astronomer and photographer. He holds a private pilot license for single engine airplanes and gliders. Louise loves to read and is a writer. Ask her to play bridge or other card games, she won't say no! We live an active lifestyle, we hike and climb small mountains and large hills. We play golf, tennis and bowl during the winter, less so in the summer.

A two slide 2004 Monaco Windsor was our home for the last seven years of a nine and one half year stint of full timing. We moved into a mobile home at our winter retreat, Sandpipers Resort in Edinburg, Texas in 2010. In November 2010 we became official Texans with vehicle and drivers licenses from Texas.  In 2018 we purchased a 2015 Monaco Dynasty.

We try to keep our summer schedule loose. We pick a theme or an area of the country and see what we can. We have traveled 49 of 50 States and 12 of 13 Provinces in our RV travels! We plan to keep the motor home rolling during the summer for as long as we can!  We began cruising in 2010 with a cruise to the Hawaiian Islands.  In 2014 we coupled a cruise of southern Pacific islands that departed and returned to Fiji.  We coupled this with a tour of New Zealand and Australia.  We rented a class C RV and spent a month touring New Zealand.  We followed that with a Class C RV in Australia.  Three months gave us time to see much of Australia that ordinary tourists never see.  I have 15,000 miles (converted from kilometers) experience driving on the wrong side of the road.  In 2022 we did a similar trip associated with a cruise of the Adriatic Sea.  We flew into Venice, picked up a rental Class B camping van and toured Italy for 5 1/2 weeks before the cruise.  This time language was a challenge.  Each of these foreign RVing experiences have been spectacular.  With years of RV living in the US, our skills and routine made the travel in foreign countries really easy.

We lived most of our lives in the area around St. Louis, Missouri. Tom's 2 children and 5 grandchildren are in the St. Louis area. Louise has one daughter  in the St. Louis area. Her other daughter and two grandchildren are in Valley Springs, California near Sacramento. Our motor home lifestyle helps us keep in touch with all of our family.