Playing Tourist

Yesterday after arriving in Traverse City, Michigan, we drove up the east arm of the Grand Traverse Bay and parked in the RV park at the Leelanau Casino. The RV park is really just a parking lot, but we do have 50 Amp and it is only $7 a night. Hard to beat that. However, it was hard to win at the casino, so we didn't linger there.

After setting up, we drove down to the town of Suttons Bay and walked along the main street through some of the shops. Most of the shops have the same tourist stuff in them and we are very limited to what we can add, so we just mostly look.

When we left there, we drove across the point to the western side to the town of Leland and did a lot of looking at scenery. We did find an old fishing village which was an actual village where the fisherman would return with the day's catch. They built smokehouses and ice houses and prepared the fish for the market. One of the smokehouses remains and the buildings have been rebuilt or restored and now house shops with various trinkets and souvenirs. There were two old boats which were built to fish with gill nets and have recently been brought in to add a little history to the village.

We continued our trek to the northern point and to the lighthouse there at the tip of the peninsula. It is no longer in service, but has been maintained as a museum. It was closed while we were there, but we were able to walk around and get a picture or two.

From there we made our way back down the point on the east side and back to our camp. It was a busy day and we covered a lot of ground, but we saw a lot of beautiful lake views. The water here is beautiful shades of blue and extremely clear. I would love to take a swim.

This morning we drove back across the point again only this time when we got to the western side, we drove south. We arrived at a little fishing community of Glen Haven which is being restored. There is another of the ships which used gill nets here. This boat is out of the water and is an outdoor exhibit. The village consists of several buildings and will eventually give a picture of what life was life during that time. Just a short distance away is a Coast Guard Station which was in service years ago. It has a boathouse similar to one we saw last year which has doors opening to the lake and rails running out the front on which rescue boats would be pushed into the lake allowing the rescuers to get their equipment launched quickly and race to the area where sailors needed assistance.

From there we continued on down south to Sleeping Bear Dunes. This area of dunes is different from the Silver Lake area. These dunes are mostly covered in vegetation and driving or other recreation on them is not allowed. There are a few access areas, but the activity is greatly controlled. Legend has it that a momma bear was swimming in the lake followed by her two cubs but they perished in the waters. She lay down facing the lake where her cubs drowned. The Great Spirit caused two islands to rise from the water where the cubs drowned (North and South Manitou Islands) and a solitary dune formed to represent the sleeping mother bear, thus the Sleeping Bear Dunes. The area is quite lovely and still in an unspoiled state. There is a drive you can state through the area with several pull offs where you can see the dunes and the islands. There is also the "cliff dune" which you can take down to the water, but be advised, that is not recommended. The cliff dune is 450 feet tall and probably rises from the water at a 60 degree angle. We saw people going down to the water. The problem is that you must then come up. It has to be very difficult for anyone even in top physical condition. We saw one man who was literally crawling back up. He has a red shirt on in this picture.
He stopped about half way up and never did go any further while we were there. There are warnings that you will be required to pay for emergency rescue if you choose to go down. I'm sure the only rescue you will get is by water and that would be expensive. Look closely and you can see people standing up on the left side of the picture.

We finished our tour of the dunes and then headed back to Traverse City. We decided to take the road out on the peninsula that divides Grand Traverse Bay into the east and west bays. The peninsula runs 18 miles out into the bay and offers vistas off the top of the ridge in both directions. It is quite beautiful and there are a lot of wineries out there. We stopped at a few, but didn't care for anything we sampled, so we didn't buy any wine. We did make it out to the tip of the point to the Old Mission Light which is another lighthouse signaling sailors to the rocky shore beneath it. We were here years ago with the kids and it was much the same as I remembered it.

Upon our return to the city, there was a sidewalk sale going on so we found a place to park and walked down the city streets in search of bargains. We had a good time, but it had been a long day and we finally made our way back to our car and headed home. We will be leaving here tomorrow and heading on up toward the U.P. We have decided we will try and go to the shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point. We were in the area last year, but had our little Scottie Neal with us. He was having a lot of problems and we couldn't leave him long enough to go to this site. So we are back to try again.

Check back again as I will be posting pictures. It was a long day today and I am tired!

Till next time. . .

Dale

In search of warmer climes. . .

We really had some thunderstorms last evening and overnight (Tuesday). We were in South Haven, Michigan. We are “on vacation” for a week or so and started north to find cooler temps. It was hot yesterday and stifling if we stopped and got out of the coach. We made a stop at New Buffalo at the casino and should have just kept rolling. We didn't lose much, but it was fast and we probably won't go back. If I cannot at least be entertained for an hour or so, I am done with them. And I'm not going to add insult to injury and pay the big bucks for their buffet, so we walked back to the motorhome and fixed some lunch. Then we took off.

We drove to South Haven, Michigan to new campground and we were very comfortable in our back in site. The owners were very accommodating and we enjoyed our stay. It started thundering and lightning around 8 or 8:30 last night and then the wind started. It was hitting us broadside which was pretty rocky for awhile. Thank goodness that eventually subsided and then we had lots of rain. The camp drained very well and this morning we were able to move around the coach without any problems.

We really weren't sure where we were going to go, but Terry wanted to do some sightseeing around Ludington, so we headed up that way. It is hard to find campgrounds in Michigan for a reasonable price and we checked several. The state parks have high fees and then charge a “per vehicle” fee which is $8 a piece, I think. So that automatically tacks on another $16 for us which puts them out of our range, especially when they are charging a lot for less than full hookup sites.

We ended up driving a short distance for us and stopped in Hart, Michigan, at the John Gurney City Park. The couple workcamping here are the greatest and the nicest camp hosts we have met in a long time. We got settled in and then went out to explore.

We drove up to Pentwater which is supposedly a very small, rich community, but it didn't look like either. On the way there, we drove around Bass Lake and through the area of the Consumer Energy Project. It is officially known as Ludington Pumped Storage. A large man-made lake was made high atop a man-made hill. They pump water up to it, then when it comes down, it generates electricity. It is hard to understand, but if you go here http://www.consumersenergy.com/content.aspx?id=1830 you can read all about it.

We saw Lake Michigan today and walked out on the beach. The water was actually quite warm and the air was also. There was wind, so it was very pleasant on the water. The rain from the previous night has cooled everything off which is a welcome respite from the heat.

We drove back to Silver Lake. We had camped here years ago with the kids. Brandon and Jocelyn, do you remember? We could walk a couple hundred feet out into the water because the sands from the dunes blow into the inland side of the lake, gradually filling it up. They say in 100 years it will be full and that some houses on the one end have already been covered. Don't know if he was lying or not. We also took the Mac Dunes ride again. Kids do you remember that? I can't remember what year it was, but we all went on the ride. It was great fun and was a neat experience. We also drove out to a lighthouse near Silver Lake, but on Lake Michigan.

We are getting ready to leave Thursday morning and head up toward Traverse City. We hope to get a hookup at one of the casinos along the way so we can go out and explore.

Till next time. . .


Dale

Where are we????????

Turn left, turn left, turn left, and then . . . turn left! WHERE AM I? If you answer “The Brickyard,” you are correct!

Nita, my sister, and her husband, Jim, have great seats for the Nascar race in Indy and invited us to go with them. We had never been to a Nascar race before, but we always watch them on TV. We thought this would be a great time to go with them.

Saturday afternoon we drove down to their house south of Warsaw and planned to spend the evening playing cards with them and Mom and Dad. But Mom was not feeling well, so the four of us went out to dinner at Mad Anthony's in Warsaw. It's a great place to eat with really good food and when we got back to their house, we went to bed. It was just 9 p.m., but we were getting up at 2:45 a.m. in order to leave at 3:30 a.m. We slept in the downstairs theatre/game room and it was very comfortable, but I don't really think I slept much. We left on time at 3:30 and we arrived in Indy by 5:30 only to find few restaurants open for breakfast. The IHOP which had an “Open 24 hours” sign had a note on the door saying they wouldn't be open till 6 a.m. We finally opted for Steak and Shake, knowing they were open. When we went in, they said they didn't start serving breakfast until 6 a.m. We decided to stay since we had plenty of time and got a good breakfast.

We drove straight from there to the track and arrived around 7:30 a.m. We parked in the infield near the short chute between turns 3 and 4. We parked the truck, then set up the canopy for shade and plopped down in our lawn chairs. A friend of theirs came over to visit and they talked while we tried to catch a few minutes of sleep. About 10:30, Jim got the grill out and fired it up. We grilled burgers and had an early lunch before packing everything back up in the truck and hiking to our seats.

The seats are in the Penthouse section, which is very high up and in the first turn. Situated up high, we had a nice breeze all day and were totally in the shade. This was good because the heat index was 105 and it was even hotter down at the track. We had a good position to see the entire straightaway, turn 1, and the short chute into turn 2. I don't think we could have had better seats.

Reba McIntire sang several patriotic songs and Rascal Flats sang the Star Spangled Banner. It was very moving watching an American flag in the shape of the U.S. unfurl and being held by service veterans.

The race started and we were there for the duration. There were no wrecks, which is a bit unusual, but there were a couple spin outs and a few drivers tapped the wall, but it was a safe race. Paul Menard won, with Jeff Gordon a close second. It was exciting to be there and see the race in person, but I think we probably see more of the race when we watch it on television.

We waited in our seats awhile before heading back to the car. It was easier walking and they opened part of the track allowing us to walk through and thereby cut off a good bit of walking around the track for us. It was a shorter walk back to the truck and once we got there, we got out the lawn chairs again and sat and relaxed while all the other cars and trucks were sitting impatiently stalled in long lines. Once the way was clear, we hopped in the truck and left. On the way home we stopped at Joe's Crab Shack for supper. We got back to their house around 9:30 p.m. Nita and I went over to Mom's and visited briefly before Terry and I started back to Goshen. It was a long exhausting day, but we had fun and were glad we had the chance to do something we had always wanted to do. A big thank you to my sister and her husband for taking us and spending the day with us. It was a very special time.

One disappointment for me was the amount of trash left behind by the crowd. They think nothing of throwing their cans/bottles/food wrappers/containers, etc., on the ground, in the stands, etc. I took my trash out with me and didn't expect anyone else to handle it. We truly have become a throw-away society and the bad part is that we will throw it anywhere.

I'm sorry, but I don't know how to turn the video around!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Life of a Landlord

Well, the apartment is finally rented. Whew. It's difficult renting at this time. There are a lot of people looking, but nobody has any means to support themselves. We only actually had two people who came who had adequate resources, and one of those is now moving in. According to one temporarily-employed engineer who came to look, the unemployment rate in Elkhart County currently stands at 18%. That even after three visits from the president promising to help when the RV industry collapsed in 2008. The industry has never recovered and the little bit of activity that remained and the support industries that have had limited success since then are starting to lay off again--no doubt a result of the high fuel prices we have been having for the past few months. But, our long days of interviewing and screening applicants has finally ended and we again have all our apartments full. We never go long having anything empty, but this year has been difficult to find the right person for the apartment.

While I have been working on computer backups, lease tweaking and watching the "Dog Whisperer," Terry has been building new wood valances for the motorhome. We have finally decided to get rid of the day/night shades which continually break and require more frustration than they are worth for Terry to fix. The valances are currently wrapped and draped with fabric and while we liked it when we first moved in, we are a bit tired of the colors now. So we are doing what many have already done and that is to put in wood valances and add roll up day/night blinds. Many have gone to the MCD shades. We planned to do that and tried to set up an appointment this spring when we left Houston. The people were less than helpful in setting up an appointment and we ended up leaving Texas without doing anything. Once in Elkhart, we visited United Shade's retail outlet, Window Expressions, to see about getting better day/night shades. It turns out they are now manufacturing the roll-up blinds similar to the MCD, but the quality difference was remarkable. We had looked very closely at the MCD's and saw many frayed edges in the lightweight fabric and a lot of puckering where the bottom hem covered the handgrip. These defects are not present in the United Shade. In addition, the United Shade comes in colors and I ordered chestnut brown for the day shade and cream for the night shade. Terry ordered one day/night blind for one of the bedroom windows in order to establish the right size and fit for the valance. That one is finished and looks very nice. He has finished building the boxes for the remaining windows and will now work at finishing them. We will be ordering the remaining blinds on Monday.

Late Monday or early Tuesday we are headed out for a week or two into Michigan to escape the heat and humidity of northern Indiana.We enjoy Michigan and plan to do some sightseeing and relaxing perhaps along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. It will be good to hit the road again even if for just a short time. We have a busy winter ahead, with our son's wedding in Florida in November. In September we are flying to Florida for a bridal shower for our soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Megan, and ten days later we fly to Houston for Terry's six-month cancer checkup. Whew!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Some things just defy explanation. . .

I looked out the window this morning and saw some other campers taking some pictures and movies, but I could not see the subject of their interest. As I kept looking, I caught a glimpse of something neon green walking down the street. ?????? Could we have been invaded by aliens? From what I saw, it might be possible.

Eventually the "subject" came back and posed for some pictures. Turns out he is camped directly in front of us, having come in late last night. I still don't know the deal behind the disguise. . . perhaps it is a "sauna suit" or something like it.

Hahahah. It was good for a laugh.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Avion Rally

It turns out that the Silver Avion Fellowship Rally is larger than the Airstream rally that was held a couple weeks ago. There are some antique trailers as well as later model ones. Pretty cool. . .



Till next time. . .

Dale

Is it HOT enough for you?

Man, oh man. It is HOT!!!!! Been close to 100* for several days. One more day, then it's supposed to be a little cooler. Everybody in the campground is staying inside. We're living like hermits. We usually try to get out in the evening and walk a bit, but that is about it.

We have been working at getting our apartment rented. I am amazed at the number of people who don't pay their bills. They want to rent, but don't think the bankruptcy last October should hurt their credit score. . . say WHAT?????? Actually it was probably the first one eight years ago coupled with the new one that is the problem. . . And then there is the applicant who has numerous open collections just placed there this summer. Do they think someone trusting them with a HOUSE wouldn't be scared off by these things? One said. . . "Well, I ALWAYS pay my rent and car payment." I'm supposed to be okay with that? Yeah, well just wait till your wages are garnisheed for those collections and then we will worry about the rent. No thanks. It will sit empty before it's rented to some unqualified applicant. Cheaper in the long run.

Okay, enough of that. Terry went to the oral surgeon yesterday and had two molars pulled. Yep, got those sore teeth pulled. Both had crowns and broke off at/below the gum line and the one had started causing him some pain, so it was time to get rid of it. Fortunately they were able to move him up in the line when it started throbbing. They put him on antibiotic for a few days before the surgery. Yesterday he slept a lot and it did bother him once the numbness wore off, but today you wouldn't know he had anything done. He is up and moving around. He worked on credit reports and printed out some letters for the apartments.

I had a list of stuff to do yesterday while he was sleeping and I got most of it done. I finished up my list earlier this evening, so I feel pretty good about that. I bought airline tickets for the second week in September. We are flying down to Florida because there is a bridal shower for Megan and I wanted to be there. It's a long way to go, but I wouldn't miss it. We are flying down on a Tuesday, shower is on Wednesday, then we are flying back on Thursday. Then the next week we have doctor appointments in central Indiana. The following Sunday we fly to Houston for Terry's cancer checkup on Monday, then fly back on Tuesday. We are really racking up those frequent flyer miles. Then we will make a quick trip north to check on the properties, then we are heading out for the winter. We will visit Charlottesville, Virginia, first, then head for Florida.

While in Florida, we are going to make a detour to Ormond Beach and have a real expert fix our Datastorm. We have unhappy it has been out of commission for so long. We are going to suspend the service for now, then reactivate when we get it fixed. Looking forward to doing business with DataStorm of Florida. I've heard nothing but good reports on them.

Last week the Airstreams were in here for a rally and this week the Avions are in here. When we get out to walk again, I will take a picture of them.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Yikes! We've been invaded!

Looks like the Lone Ranger has been here. . . nothing but SILVER BULLETS!!!!!! Airstreams that is. . . they're everywhere, they're everywhere!

We left camp yesterday morning to run some errands and go over to the apartments and when we returned, our row and the row in front of us was full of airstream travel trailers. They are pretty cool to look at. There are several different models, very few duplicates and about 15-16 of them. They are pulled by everything from cars to trucks and SUV's. Some look a little overloaded actually. Pretty cool, overall. I think they are ALL from Ontario. . . at least the ones in front of us are. Very nice people, very friendly and talkative.

We have been having several camping clubs in the camp. It's exciting to see more activity and to visit with everyone. I, of course, have to pet all the dogs. Things have been slow in Elkhart and at the campground this summer. The price of fuel keeps people from enjoying the RV lifestyle and we know there are more layoffs in the industry. I hate to think what will happen the next time around.

Last weekend, the local airport had a Ford Tri-Motor airplane that flew in and was giving rides. A 45-minute ride was $60. Terry was intrigued, but decided not to go. The plane, however, flew over the campground several times. It was hard to get a good picture of it, but the sound and sight of the old airplane was thrilling.

We were out yesterday running errands and drove past Great Lake RV Sales. Apparently someone had lost control of their vehicle and plowed through the fence and hit a Heartland Big Horn 5th wheel. This beautiful RV was a total loss. The slides were all broken including the one opposite the impact. I have tried to find information out on the accident and all I have heard so far is that alcohol was involved. What a shame.

Terry is feeling puny. He has an appointment for a tooth extraction, but it can't come soon enough. The tooth is starting to throb and he is wanting it fixed. We are going to run by the dentist and see if they can give him something for it. If it is starting to get infected, it will have to be treated.

He is also seeing a chiropractor now. His neck has been bothering him since he finished his cancer treatments and he has some vertebrae out of whack. The first treatment helped a lot, but it will take some time.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Interesting sky. . .

Shortly before 10 p.m. last evening, we were treated to this lovely sky. Almost looked like a fire was burning in the distance, but 'twas just the sun going down behind some clouds.


Till next time. . .

Dale

Happy 65th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

We made it to Goshen last Thursday afternoon, the 23rd. We were anxious to get here because my parents were celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary on the 23rd and we were having a big party for them on the 25th. So we drove into the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds at Warsaw and went down to visit Mom and Dad. When we left there, we went to the condo in Goshen to see Jocelyn and Ronan who had arrived the day before. They were waiting on their luggage because the last leg of their flight had been cancelled and they rented a car in Detroit to come to Goshen. Their luggage had made the planned trip, however, so they had to wait on their luggage before they could go anywhere.

Dinner to celebrate Mom and Dad's anniversary was held Saturday at Mose and Etta Miller's house in Nappanee. They are an Amish couple who fix and serve an Amish dinner for donations. We had a delicious meal with ham, "poor man's steak," dressing, mashed potatoes, homemade noodles, gravy, salad, jello dishes, rolls, spreads, and pie for dessert. It was a wonderful meal and set up in their building where they hold their church services. Mose and Etta did a great job and if you ever have occasion to go to a dinner at their house, you will enjoy it. In addition to Mom and Dad, my sister and I were there with our spouses, all the grandchildren were there with their spouses and all the great grandchildren. Jocelyn and Ronan did not attend the dinner because of their complicated food allergies, but they did come to the "after party" at Nita's house.

So after dinner, we all drove down to Nita's and continued the celebration over cake and a champagne toast. We had some snacks for later. Since the dinner was at 4 p.m., we all enjoyed munching on stuff later on. Hahaha. A group played euchre, the great grandkids played games and music downstairs. We had a really great time. We presented Mom and Dad with a bound book of photographs we had pilfered from their albums and some from our own collections. All of the kids and grandkids signed the book with momentos for Mom and Dad. It was a real treasure and I think they will enjoy reading and looking at it for years to come. We also gave them a new cooler. The one they use to take food/snacks back and forth to Texas is about 40 years old and held together by duct tape. We decided it was time to retire the old cooler in favor of a new one which has rollers! I'm sure they will use it well.

We have been busy trying to get an apartment rented and we were to sign a lease yesterday. The gal called and rescheduled for today, but called as we were on our way to the signing to say she had decided to pass on the apartment. I am glad she felt comfortable enough to make that decision rather than go ahead and sign and then have difficulty making the rent. So we are once again taking applications. We found out another couple who rent from us are moving. They are going into seminary and then to the mission field. But thankfully, one of their friends wants to rent and she will be moving in when they move out.

We are back over at the Elkhart Campground for a month. We will be going to the Brickyard Nascar Race the end of the month and maybe go to the fair for the first time in 40 years. It just depends now on how quickly we get the apartment rented.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Fun in Red Bay

Yesterday afternoon we were again sweltering, but there was a promise of rain later in the day. Actually the weatherman was forecasting some strong thunderstorms with wind and he wasn't kidding. It all started about 2:00 in the afternoon. The shop here closes at 3 p.m. so by the time people needed to pull their rigs out of the service bays and over to their sites, it was a regular downpour. But the good part about that is that it dropped the temperature about 20 degrees, so who cares if we got a little wet?

Last evening the representatives from MASA (Medical Air Services Association) invited people in the campground to a free dinner at the one restaurant in Red Bay. We are members and it was a free meal, so we went! Our neighbors had decided to go, so we offered to drive them. They are here with their rig without a toad, so it made things a little easier for them. We enjoyed a nice dinner and listened to the reps dispense information about this medical evacuation service.

We were disappointed that we did not yet have a call setting us up for service. Our appointment is Thursday, but we had been in begging them to get us in just a day early so we could be on our way. We wanted a little cushion so that we could easily drive back to Indiana and be present for Mom and Dad's 65th wedding anniversary party on Saturday. Everyone is going to be there. We will have all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. It should be fun.

We got up this morning early as usual and even though we didn't have a service time/day, we always make sure we are ready before 7 a.m. That is the time things start moving around here and we wanted to be ready should someone call. Well, at 7:05 that call came. Jimmie asked if we would like to get in early. We said, "Heck, Yeah!" So he told us to get to Bay #3 as soon as possible. Terry did the outside duties as I picked up the inside and pulled in the slides. We were in there by 7:25.

Our bay #3 technicians were Marion and Daniel. They were very nice and very helpful and went to work immediately. I put a couple dog biscuits in my pocket and headed to the lounge. It's a good thing I was prepared because I met Gunner and Sadie who each got cookies and later Fred and Molly. Three schnauzers and a yellow lab. What great doggies.

While we waited the guys worked hard at getting our work done. We didn't have a lot to do, but it was important and needed. And the weather cooperated a bit and it wasn't as hot as it had been. They broke for lunch at 11:30 and we went to the motorhome to fix our lunch. There wasn't much left to do and within a half hour of returning from lunch the guys were finished! What a break for us! We knew with the right crew it would go quickly and it did!

We got the motorhome prepped to run again and backed out of the bay and returned to our site. Terry put some water in the tanks and we hooked up the car. Then we went over to the service office and paid our bill, $104. Cheapest we have ever gotten out of there. While we are no longer under warranty, they do warranty their work and two of the items we had repaired had been worked on last year as well. Whoo Hoo! Next was checking out of the campground which was quick and easy and we were on our way! And it was only 1:30 p.m.!

Course, the fun was about to begin because a strong storm cell was headed to Red Bay as we pulled out of the camp. Terry got on the computer and watched the progress of the storm and we stayed just out of its reach. We got on the Natchez Trace because there have numerous pullouts we could use if the rain got too heavy. As it was, we had one strong rainstorm but we were protected from winds. We did get stopped, however, in Tennessee. While on the Trace, I was able to see ahead to brake lights and cars stopped. So I slowed down. It became obvious as we got near that the road was blocked from a tree which had been struck by lightning. There were men working on the branches, etc., and throwing log chains over the trunk in an attempt to drag it off the road. That wasn't working too well, but we certainly appreciated everyone's efforts. It wasn't long before the actual Trace crews showed up and someone pulled out a chain saw. The guys who had been there started working at clearing the branches and short logs being cut and it was a short time before we were able to start again. It was teamwork at its finest. No one got upset, everyone pitched in and got the job done.

We continued to drive and on the Trace we saw a lot of deer, wild turkey, and turtles on the road. I dodged all the turtles as did everyone else. At the north end of the Trace, I took the exit ramp toward road 100 and as I leaned over to check the traffic coming in from my left, I saw a tan flash and when I abruptly sat up, I saw a deer glide in front of the motorhome! I missed him by an inch maybe. I can't see how; he wasn't moving fast, but someone was watching out for him!

We hit Nashville right at rush hour, but didn't have as much traffic as anticipated. We drove on north to Cave City and are camped at Singing Hills. We have been here before and it works for overnight. We will probably make it to Warsaw tomorrow.

In other news, our daughter was flying in with our grandson from Philly to Detroit to Indy. The Indy leg was cancelled and so she picked up a rental car in Detroit to drive to Goshen. She is on her way and I pray for her safety in getting to the house tonight.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Aberdeen, Mississippi

If you are a follower of the TV shows like, "Flip this House" or "Holmes on Homes," you can appreciate our little side trip yesterday to Aberdeen, Mississippi. This is the hometown of Billy Brasfield, known in the make-up world as "Billy B." He has made a name for himself as a professional makeup artist to the "stars." He is a native of Aberdeen, Mississippi, just about 20 miles south of Fulton, Mississippi.

Billy B left Aberdeen to "make it big" which he has done, perfecting the art of makeup for the likes of Lady Gaga and Wynona Judd. He has recently embarked on a project in his hometown which surprises even himself. He left Aberdeen never intending to return to live, but somehow this little town tugged at his heart and he came back to find many of the fine, older Victorian homes in disrepair. Having a flair for the flamboyant, Billy B has taken the town's movers and shakers under his wing and pushed for rebuilding and re-establishing the town, "one house at a time." He has purchased numerous houses on the cheap and sets out to renovate them into their former glory, then rents or helps finance homes for local buyers.

His efforts have landed him a successful television show on the HGTV network known as: "Hometown Renovation." We have been fans, since Terry is a Mississippi native and always interested in home construction. We took a drive down through the town today. We did the architectural driving tour, but it was a little difficult to follow and I'm sure we missed a lot. We did get to see quite a few lovely examples of Victorian architecture. I didn't take a lot of pictures as we tried to find some of the houses BillyB has showcased on his show. It was a lovely town and it is amazing that this man is focusing on rebuilding the town where he was raised.

Last year he began a drive to save the "Five and Dime Store" on the Main Street. Quite a lot of money was needed, something like $350,000 for purchase and renovation. He was able to convince his friend Wynona Judd to make a personal appearance in one of the historic homes in the town and have dinner with many of the town residents who purchased tickets to attend. This event was recently aired on the HGTV channel.

We enjoyed our visit to Aberdeen and on the way out of town we stopped to take a picture of a tug and barge going through the Aberdeen lock.

We continued on our way back to Fulton through the town of Amory. Amory has a locomotive on display in their park on the main street. This locomotive brought President and Mrs. Roosevelt to the town for an appearance in 1934. The engine is massive and was eventually retired and given to the town.

It was close to lunch time when we were in Amory and we found an interesting little restaurant called "Bill's Hamburgers" where we stopped and ate. It was interesting and the burgers were very good.

Tomorrow we will be leaving Fulton and heading up to Red Bay to await our service appointment. Hopefully we will get our work done quickly and be on the road by mid-week.

Till next time. . .

Dale