kentkauffman.com

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Kent Kauffman

Welcome to my Home Page!

On this website you can follow me around the world on my travels and enjoy photos from many of the places as well. You can read about my background and family and check out where you might find me at any given time of the year. Further down is a rundown of the various pages. By the way, the photo above was taken on Table Mountain above Cape Town,South Africa.


"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both." L.P. J ACKS

Life is not measured by the breaths that we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!


"My BARNDOMINIUM"

See the Barndominium Photo Site for photos of the amazing transformation of a 100-year-old Horse Barn into my incredible new home.

"FABULOUS DUBAI & ARABIAN NIGHTS" - February 2022

My signature tour/cruise to Dubai was again a big success in February, 2019. See the Dubai Photo Site for photos and descriptions of the 2016 trip. Ten of us took the optional extension to Petra and the Dead Sea and thoroughly enjoyed these two world wonders. The tour planned for 2021 had to be postponed, and the replacement tour in February 2022 takes on a different look. This one is a land-tour only with no cruise involved, and no visit to Oman. Instead it's 8 nights in Dubai and 2 nights in Abu Dhabi. Dubai Expo 2020 (postponed to 2022) is a fantastic part of the trip. Click here for details and itinerary of the 2019 trip.

"Wonderful South Africa" - Each Year in November

Two back-to-back tours to South Africa in November 2019 continued my annual tradition of taking small groups to this amazing country. Then a small group in March of 2020 was my last international tour until November 2021, and that was also to South Africa. See the South Africa Photo Site for photos and descriptions of the November 2108 trip. I never tire of these trips to South Africa, so if you are interested in coming along let me know!

"SOUTHEAST ASIA" - Each year in January

Southeast Asia has become another favorite destination of mine and I've starting doing two different itineraries in alternating years. The 'Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore' trip starts with 3 nights in Bangkok and continues with 3 nights at Ao Nang Beach in Southern Thailand before heading to the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia and ending with 3 nights in Singapore. A more leisurely pace and very upscale hotels allowed us time to relax and enjoy the amenities!

The 'Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos' itinerary starts with 2 nights in Hanoi, followed by an overnight cruise on Halong Bay, and on to Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. From there we go to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat and then relax for 3 nights in Luang Prabang, Laos with a long-tail boat ride on the Mekong River and a great night market! Great adventures, excellent food, and beautiful hotels! Take a look at this fantastic trip on our trip photo site. I am planning on offering this tour again in January of 2023!! Click here for photos and descriptions of the 2016 trip.



"As I Remember"

"AS I REMEMBER, STORIES OF EASTERN MONTANA'S PIONEERS" - Back in the 1960's my mother interviewed over 160 of the original settlers to Eastern Montana and published their stories in the Glendive newspaper. In 2006 I decided it was time to get them into a book, so I took the winter off and collected, sorted, typed, researched, edited, and got others to help with proofreading, typing, publishing etc. The result was two beautiful volumes of these fascinating stories. At times I wished I had never started the project, but ultimately it was immensely rewarding, especially seeing Mother's excitement and amazement at the success of the books. More information is available on our website for the books, www.As-I-Remember.com.


My Earthbag Cabin Project!  Follow our progress on my blog!


Mom's House Remodel Project! 

See the 6-month job we did in 3 weeks!


SITE MENU

WHAT'S NEW PAGE - This is what I update most often, with brief descriptions of my adventures.

MY SCHEDULE - If you want to see where you might find me during the course of the year check here.

ABOUT PAGE - This is a brief description of my background and interests.

FAMILY PHOTOS - Just a few photos of our family.

The WAVE PHOTOS - This is one of the most incredible places I know. Here are six photos just to give you a taste. Several of the tour photo sites have quite a few more pictures from this area in Southern Utah.

SLIDE SHOW - These are relatively brief collections of photos from some of my significant adentures.

TOUR PHOTOS - Here you will find hundreds of photos from all over the world. After most of my tours or cruises I create a photo site with a brief description and link it to this page. The top link is a mixture of my all-time favorite photos, but following that the links are in chronological order beginning with the most recent.

MY STORIES - Anyone who knows me can imagine that I've had more than my share of adventures traveling around the world. During some of my more leisurely times on ships I've written down quite a number of them. Included in this section is a compilation of my Christmas letters dating back to 1983. Each of them is a fairly good summary of the particular year.

CRUISE CHRONICLES - Starting with my very first world cruise in 1989 I wrote descriptive letters along the way to share with family and friends. These are all posted here, right up through my most recent world cruise on the Queen Mary 2 in 2007.

CONTACT PAGE - Just what it says.... the various ways you can contact me!

GUESTBOOK - Feel free to leave a comment or read what others have said.

DUBAI BLOG - This is a NEW FEATURE for photos and comments of our cruise/tour to Dubai and region in February 2009. During the trip several members of the group will be posting photos and details of our adventures.

FINALLY! How can you tell if a cow has mad cow disease? This is one of my all-time favorites and it's back! Click here to laugh with the Mad Cow!

ENJOY!!



I love you Mom! "I loved you first."

Gladys Mullet Kauffman went to be with her Lord on Jan. 9, 2018, surrounded by her children. She was born in eastern Montana on Aug. 6, 1922, the sixth of nine children. As a youth, she learned the value of community, hard work and contribution. She always saw what needed to be done and did it. Growing up on the farm Mom spent many hours herding cattle with siblings and helping her father. Mom completed her first eight years of school at Morgan Creek and finished high school in Glendive. She was an excellent student and took her studies seriously. After high school she helped her father on the farm and taught at two rural schools in eastern Montana. Mom excelled at teaching and entertained her own children with stories of her early teaching days. Mom was an amazing storyteller and entertained many with the stories she preserved through the years. One of the most delightful gifts Mom leaves is the stories she collected through the years. Mom started keeping a journal at age 11 and managed to continue that through most of her life. In October of 1949 Mom married Morris Kauffman, and their union resulted in nine children. What they lacked in material wealth, they made up for in their devotion to their children. They raised their family in Glendive and the whole family was actively involved at the White Chapel Mennonite Church. The traditions Mom and Dad established set us on a good foundation for life. We ate meals together, memorizing various passages from the Bible, which we would practice before breakfast. Mom was a master at making money stretch and regardless of how little money she might have had, she always put food on the table. There was always enough food for any additional guest that showed up and she opened her home with gracious hospitality. Mom was always there for us, in spite of juggling the task of raising nine children and being involved in church activities. Her diaries give a vivid picture of the swirl of activity she managed. Mom's faith was the anchor in her life. Singing was a significant part of that faith and Mom encouraged all her children to sing from an early age. That love of music passes on through the generations. In the early 1960s, Mom realized many of the early pioneers who settled eastern Montana were going to their graves with their stories. She felt strongly that someone should get those stories recorded, and since there was no other, Mom, in spite of having nine children under the age of 13, took on that task. She located and interviewed early settlers, wrote their stories and contributed a column to the Glendive Ranger Review, which she continued through 1975. In 2006, son Kent insisted that Mom get the stories into a book. That project resulted in 2 volumes of stories with the same title as the original column, "As I Remember, Stories of Eastern Montana's Pioneers." In 1978 Mom and Dad moved to Bozeman so they could continue their own education. Dad was diagnosed with cancer shortly after they arrived in Bozeman and soon gave up his pursuit, while Mom continued and graduated in 1981 from MSU with highest honors at age 61. She began her second round of teaching at Heritage Christian School in Bozeman. She taught for a decade and was part of the evolution of that school. In 1978 the family endured the loss of the oldest son, Linford, followed by Dad in the spring of 1984. Through all the losses and change, Mom maintained her faith and commitment to serving and supporting others, especially her children and grandchildren. Upon her retirement, Mom enjoyed traveling with her son Kent who took her around the world on numerous trips. She is preceded in death by her parents, Menno and Ora (Chaney) Mullet, her husband Morris, her son Linford, grandson Taylor Deeney, five sisters and one brother. She is survived by children Pam (Joel) Howard, Twila Kauffman, Vaughn Kauffman, Kent Kauffman, Merrill (Sharon) Kauffman, Vance (Mary) Kauffman, Valerie (Craig) Deeney, and Gaylene (Andy) Kerr. She is also survived by her sister Eunice and brother Keith, 14 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and friends. Visitation will be held 5 to 7 p.m., Jan. 25, 2018 at the Dahl Funeral Chapel. A memorial service is planned for Friday, Jan. 26, 2 p.m. at the Evangelical Free Church in Bozeman. Burial will be at the Red Top Cemetery in Bloomfield, Montana on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. If desired, contributions can be made to The Gideons International.


Robert Steven Searles

Robert Steven Searles

My best friend in Bozeman, Bob Searles, died suddenly of a heart attack Saturday, October 9, 2010. He was only 52 and was my best friend for over 20 years. Life in Bozeman is much different now without being able to "go over to Bob's" to watch the news, to play bridge, or to solve all the world's problems! More....

The WAVE and MOM MOWING

The WAVE, an isolated, unknown area in the Southwest, is my new favorite adventure destination. Only 20 people are allowed in each day and there is no marked trail to find it. Stunning sandstone formations!



MOM MOWING - In May 2008 the Bozeman Chronicle photographer caught Mom out mowing the lawn and put it on the front page of the local section in the paper.





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