Rolling, rolling, rolling. . .

Before we left Indiana, we had a lovely dinner with friends Dave and Mark and "Baxter," their black Scottie. Duchess gets along well with Baxter and they shared some squirrel hunting. It was great seeing them and we compared travel stories from the summer.

We left on Thursday, September 29, and headed east toward Charlottesville. We drove to Huntington, West Virginia, where friends Smokey and Pam are camphosting at the KOA. They had just arrived and didn't have to work yet, so we were able to visit with them. We went to dinner at Cracker Barrel and spent some time visiting with them. They took us to the Blenko glass factory in nearby Milton, West Virginia, where hand blown glass is fashioned into beautiful glassware. We didn't find anything we needed, but they did have beautiful pieces. I just can't justify putting any glassware in my coach!

We enjoyed our visit with Smokey and Pam as it has been several years since we had seen them. It is always good to reconnect with old friends. They started fulltiming when we did and we are going on our twelfth year! They are getting ready to change RV's. They are going to downsize from a truck and fifth wheel to a motorhome. Wishing them well in their "new" adventure!

When we left Huntington, we drove to Buena Vista, Virginia, and camped in the Glen Maury city park. They have a campground with water and electric and were hosting a Blue Grass event on the weekend. Some people came in a little early and one evening they were playing some music and singing.  We did a little driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but we didn't stop but just a time or two for pictures. The sun was in the west and that made for poor pictures as we were looking into the sun.

We moved on a few days later and moved into the Charlottesville, Virginia, KOA on Tuesday, October 4. We spent a week visiting with Jocelyn, Tom, Ronan and Aenea. What a wonderful week it has been seeing my sweet, sweet grandchildren and their parents. We spent some time at parks, their house and the motorhome. We had met them one day at Sherando Lake where the big kids were kayaking. Ronan enjoyed that a lot and it's fun to watch them paddling away on the small lake.

Today we went to Carter's Mountain Apple Barn. We didn't think that one through too well because there were lots of kids and their parents. Apparently a lot of schools were closed today due to Columbus Day observance and the place was packed. Not my kind of fun. I like my space. Ronan ate some cinnamon donuts, which were the first ones he had tried. He enjoyed them. We walked around a little and then left because it was just way too crowded.

When we left there, we took the kids to get pizza at Lelo's, which used to be Christian's. Since it's egg free, both kids can eat it. We ate with them and then we came back to the motorhome to let Duchess out and feed her supper. Afterwards we went back into their house and visited with them. The picture of Pepper McPoodlePants looks like her legs are broken! But rest assured, she must be double-jointed or something because that's just the way she lays!

Tomorrow morning we head south to Florida. Hurricane Matthew has just gone through so we are having to alter our route a bit due to some closed roads. But we plan to take at least three days to get to Melbourne and then we will stay a week to visit with Brandon, Megan and Brynlee. Can't wait to see them.

Till next time. . .

Dale

On the move, well sort of.

Terry here.

Left Warsaw Indiana after visiting Dale's family for two nights, we departed the fairgrounds this morning at 9:15 and arrived at Summit Lake State Park close to New Castle Indiana at 12 noon.  Summit Lake has been upgraded to supply 50amp power also, so we're back since we can run both of our AC/heatpumps without worrying about low voltage.  We are located near the small town we lived in for over 30 years and we return each spring and fall for various medical appointments, hair, veterinarian, broker and the like. Tomorrow it all kicks off with a early morning visit to the local vampires at the New Castle Clinic, after 3 rather full days we'll be done. We'll finish up our visit with  dinner and a play date for Duchess in Muncie at Dave and Mark's with Baxter a fellow Scottie. Thursday morning we will have 5 days to cover the 600+ miles to Charlottesville VA to visit Jocelyn, Tom, Ronan and Aenea for a week. So begins our trek to Mission Texas for the winter.

Winding down. . .

The bad summer that would never end is about to close for us. We will be leaving northern Indiana on Friday and traveling south to visit with Mom for a day or two before we head to central Indiana and doctor appointments. Hopefully there won't be any more problems and we will be able to get the storage condo all closed up this week.

We were over yesterday to drop off Duchess while we went out to dinner with friends. When we got there the garage door was open. We are quite certain we did not leave it that way, but when Uncle Dan stopped by, he said it had been up for two days. While we were talking, Terry got to checking things and found a loose wire on the keypad. He fixed that and then changed the code to be sure no one had the combination for it. He's rather handy to have around.

I don't think that I mentioned the result of the neurosurgeon appointment. We had a good meeting and I was able to report that this epidural I had barely worked. I do feel better, but it doesn't cover all my activities. . . still had some breakthrough pain doing things like vacuuming. . . I know, I know. . .just don't do it. He believes that surgery will help me. I have spondylolisthesis, which refers to the forward displacement of a vertebral bone in relation to the natural curve of the spine, most commonly occurring after a fracture, and most often the fifth lumbar vertebra. I have two of these in my back. One I knew about when it was diagnosed at age 20 and another higher up in my back. It will require fusion of 4 vertebrae. They will also use "cages" and rods to stabilize it. It will take a year to heal and the fusions to adhere. We're thinking I will do this when I return to Indy in the spring for our doctor appointments. I think it would be a good move for me. I should be able to straighten up and to walk without a limp.

Sunday morning we got word that Terry's first cousins, Gary and Marty and their wives, Jo and Betty, we in a serious auto accident near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They were in Gary's truck, a Ford F-250 heavy duty crew cab diesel pickup with a long bed. They were stopped in traffic on I-12, ironically for an accident, when they were rear-ended by a tow truck. The tow truck was a flat bed, that they winch vehicles up on it. It was a much larger commercial truck and was doing 60 mph, never hitting his brakes. He ran over and pushed Gary's truck off to the side and another 450 yards (yes, I said that correctly) before it all came to a stop. The air bags did not deploy for some reason. The truck bed was smashed all the way to the back seat of the truck. Three of them had to be cut out of the truck. It is unbelievable that anyone survived when you see the pictures of the wreck. They have a variety of injuries, broken wrist, broken nose, multiple broken ribs, cuts, contusions and abrasions. They are all home from the hospital now and Marty and Betty have flown back to Michigan. In fact, we went to see them Friday night. Their daughter, who is a nurse, was there caring for them. They are recovering.

Meanwhile in Louisiana, Gary's sister, Shirley, drove down from Missisippi to care for them. It is wonderful they have family to help them in this time of need. They are doing okay now, but Gary has revisited the hospital twice, once for blood clots  and once for arm pain. They still have many doctor appointments and tests to go yet and some things that haven't been resolved, but we just have to wait till they heal and recover from this devastating wreck. There may be some surgeries yet to come depending on the findings of the tests. Please keep them in your prayers, please.

We have been trying to find a different vehicle to two behind our motorhome. We really like our little Sport Trac, but would like to retire it. We still would like a little truck to tow but there are only two lightweight trucks and we didn't like the one we test drove. So we will keep looking and hope we find something. The little truck is still running fine, but she is 13 years old.

We have enjoyed dinner dates with friends and relatives recently. We try to touch base with everyone when we are here in the summer. This year was a little more difficult with so many things happening.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Busy, busy, busy

When we got back from Amish country, we were able to park at Elkhart Campground once again. They have had so many rallies coming in and they are getting bigger and bigger, so it is hard to get a spot for a few weeks. If you can rent a spot for a month that is better and we are settled in nice and cozy. We have nice neighbors that are here for a while as well and we have made a lot of new acquaintances.

Duchess is making the transition to being an "only" dog. It's obvious she misses Butterscotch, but she is not exhibiting a lot of anxiety that Neal did when Bailey died. I think it really helped that she was there and with her friend when she died. She seems to understand that she isn't coming back. That has helped immensely.

We have spent some time down in Warsaw with Mom and helping rid her of some food stuffs she wants out of her trailer for the winter. Happy to oblige Mom! She now has bought her plane ticket and will be flying to Houston in November while we are there for Terry's cardiology appointment. We will then take her down to the valley with us. It will be a good trip.

Our little truck got sick and puked all over its engine a couple weeks ago. Since we were concerned that it happened in the manner it did, we didn't want to drive it, so we had her towed over to Bruce's. He was covered up and didn't get to it right away, but the news is mostly good. The puke was green and while most people screamed "antifreeze," it wasn't actually that. It was gelled which was a mystery to us, but not to Bruce. It was the dye he had earlier put into the A/C system to trace a leak. A pressure relief valve had popped off and that was what allowed the dye to escape. We actually could have driven it anywhere, but wouldn't have had A/C, which would not have been good the past few weeks. So we got her back the other day and all is well.

Speaking of the weather, we have had some hot, stormy weather, but mostly tons of rain. We are now enjoying some relief from the heat and yesterday and the next few days promise to be cooler and sunny days. Cooler, but still nice and warm during the day.

Unfortunately, there has been another death in the family. My brother-in-law Jim's father passed away last week. He was 96 and while no one was surprised, it is still hard to adjust to life without a parent. There will be a lot of decisions and changes to make in the next few months for the family. His calling and funeral will be Monday, the 12th. So starting in July when Daddy died, my niece's dog died, then our dog died, Jim's dad died and his little dog died as well. That's a lot for any family, so we hope we are done for awhile. We have stayed close to northern Indiana to try and be with and around family. It's been a bad few months.

We are ready to head south. . .

Till next time. . .

Dale

Amish

We camped for two days this week in Quabache State Park near Bluffton, Indiana, in Amish country. If I need to "regroup" for any reason, we head for Amish country. My family roots are intertwined with the Amish and I find the country to be serene, peaceful and therapeutic. If we were out west, I would head for the desert, which I find spiritual and inspirational, but in the midwest, it is Amish country.

Wednesday night at 6 p.m. storms rolled through the area and tornadoes were sighted. We were evacuated to the comfort stations which are considerably more safe than our RV's. When we visited our favorite bakery on Thursday morning, we discovered a tornado had passed between the Graber's home and shop. The end of the shop was peppered with leaves and debris and a door was torn off. The wooden bench out in front of the store was shattered and left in the field, but the rest of their property was largely unscathed. 

However, right next door a large Amish home and barn was ravaged by the tornado. Siding and roofs were blown away and one shed was blown to pieces. Another newer large shed was left completely intact and no lives (animal or human) were lost and no one was injured. I told Marie that we had seen that house when we drove in, but the lack of debris around led us to believe it was just a work in progress. She said, "No, it happened at 6 p.m. and was totally cleaned up last night. Then the repair work started this morning." The Amish do not buy insurance, but you have to think. Insurance is just money we put into a pool to be paid out when there is a loss. After adjusters, reports, etc., are all filed, materials ordered, contractors hired, etc, etc, etc. The Amish have their own insurance. It's called helping one another. They all come together to help a friend in need. They bring their tools, their equipment, their supplies, their labor and food is prepared to feed the workers. One field was set aside for all the buggies and horses with someone attending them. Terry was amazed that at just 10 a.m. trailers full of lumber and supplies were already there and 50-60 men were swarming all over the barn and the house. It was a wonderful sight.

Never is one family ever left to fend for themselves. They all move in and help. Everyone had a job to do and they were working hard to get things back in order for this family. This is their religion and this is who they are.

Till next time. . . 

Dale

Amish country

Visited some Amish shops around Berne, Indiana, today. Interesting, but didn't buy much. We did happen upon these camels out in the middle of the country though!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Goodbye Miss. Butter-Scotch of Killdeer 9/23/2005-08/22/2016

 

Our sweet sweet Butterscotch has lost her battle with TCC, aka transitional cell carcinoma, a deadly form of bladder cancer.  She died just shy of her 11th birthday. We loved her till the end and will forever love and miss her.

She started a year and a half ago with recurrent bladder infections and if I had known more about TCC then, I would have taken her straight to Purdue's chief researcher and world reknowned authority on the disease. When we left the Rio Grande Valley this spring, that is where we took her and Dr. Knapp officially confirmed what our little gal was facing. They offered us chemo, etc., and we declined, opting for a more palliative medicine, but one which has shown promise against this deadly disease. We were told May 12 we could expect about 160 days, or about 5 months. But just a short three months later, she is gone.

We were camped for the weekend in Ohio with friends Tab and Deanna. On Saturday, she quit eating and couldn't pee the first half of the day. That is the big sign. . . if they can't pee, they will be in extreme pain and their kidneys fail and the fluid fills their systems. I had so worried we had waited too long, but then later in the day, she was able to pass some fluid besides just blood. She still wouldn't eat or drink and I couldn't give her the medicines that would help. Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, so I contacted our vet tech and she said to bring her in on Monday when our regular vet was working. We were 85 miles from our vet of 30 years and I am glad for that. He and his office are the most kind, compassionate people and know us and our pets very well.

We drove over Monday
in the morning and allowed Butterscotch one last attempt to pee outside. When we took her in she seemed scared, something she never is at the vets. I held her for some time and then put her up on the table. I continued to hold her and we put Duchess up on the table with her. Nathan, the newest vet in the practice came in and talked with us at length. Such a kind man. He went through school when I taught at New Castle, but I didn't have him. He gave Butterscotch a sedation shot which really put her at ease. . . not asleep, but no more pain. She was laying on her side and Duchess put her head very close to Butterscotch's muzzle and kept it there. I truly think she was trying to understand what was happening. She had to know she wasn't well. They had not walked together for months, because Butterscotch could not walk any distance. Dr. Wisecup came in a delivered the shot in her hind leg so as not to disturb Duchess' vigil over her friend. Then she was gone.

We've had to do this with all but one of our dogs and it is never easy. Even when we know it is the right thing to do. Dr. Wisecup says that ending our pet's suffering is the final act of love we can do for them and I believe that. It would not have been long before her systems would have shut down and I didn't want to wait for that to happen. That becomes an emergency and then we would not have been able to make the two hour trip to our long-time vet. He will be cremating her and scattering her ashes around his apple trees. All my dogs are there so they are all together.

Butterscotch and Duchess lived most of their lives in West Virginia on a farm. They chased every rodent known to man and killed as many as they could. I know there was a skunk they got and a large ground hog. There were five Scotties running free and doing the job they were bred for. We got the girls just three years ago. They retired and spent their time traveling with us in our motorhome. They regularly visit Virginia, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. In the summer they spend time in Indiana and loved their special visits with my Mom and Dad.

By having Duchess there with Butterscotch at the end we are hoping to avoid the kinds of anxiety and other problems we had with Neal after Bailey died. So far Duchess seems to be doing okay. She and Butterscotch used to sleep a lot of the time, but now Duchess sits in the middle of the room and watches us, not sleeping all that much. But she doesn't seem to be anxious or nervous or anything. I know she misses her sister, they have been together since Duchess was born. We are taking good care of her and hoping she is able to get past losing her best friend.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Not much direction. . .

It's been hard trying to get interested in doing anything in the way of travel since Daddy died. We just kind of waiver between where to go and what to do. We have spent several weekends down in Warsaw seeing Mom and trying to keep all our spirits up. She is fortunate to have a network of kids and grandkids and great-grandkids who visit and spend quality time with her. She is so loved and she tells me she certainly feels that.

She plans to go to Texas this winter. Her thoughts are that she will clean out the trailer there and sort through stuff to keep. The plan is to sell the place there in Texas. Then in the spring she will go back to her place in Claypool. Her traveling back and forth to Texas will come to an end, but she has a lovely place in Nita's woods, so she will have family near her at all times. She is thinking of flying to Houston and we will pick her up there on our way through and head on down to the valley.

I had to go to Indianapolis last week and get a shot in my back. The surgeon I went to didn't want to start with surgery; he thought I should try the shot first. I had an epidural 12 years ago and it really helped but I consider that a band-aid. I have a condition in my back known as spondylolisthesis. It's where the vertebrae shift enough that the bones in the back are no longer aligned. I knew about the spot at the base, which is the result of a Pars defect, but xrays show I actually have another spot as well. It would require fusing about 5 vertebrae.  So I went to get a shot to help ease my pain. I don't think I will have to have another one because it's been a week and so far I can't even tell I had one. This shot was done a lot differently than my first one and the first one helped a great deal. So not sure the next step. I have to wait two months between appointments with this doctor, so even though I started in May, the summer is shot and I can't have anything done now before we leave the state.

When we left Indy, we drove over to Saint Marys, Ohio, and camped at the Grand Lake State Park. We have a friend who workcamps here and he was anxious to see us. We met Dan and his wife Dee when we had our first big campout of fulltimers back in 2005. They were in the same camp, had just gone full time and joined out little group. They have been part of us every since and we have made lifelong friends. Unfortunately, Dan's wife Dee passed away two years ago and this was the first we had seen him since. He seems to be doing well and has quite the support group of workcampers and family in the area. Tab and Deanna were coming in the next day to camp with us for the weekend, so we had a great time seeing them. They visited with Dan as well, being part of the same fulltiming group.

We had quite a storm come through the camp on Saturday night. They were talking 70 mph winds and I believe it. I have never seen it like that, but it was straight line winds and our motorhome was sitting with the back pointing toward the wind direction, so offered the least resistance. We didn't rock and roll too much. So many stupid campers though. Our loop got hit the worse and almost every travel trailer had left their awning out. First hint of a storm, and our stuff all comes in. But most of the awnings were ripped up and the arms broken and thrown up and over the trailers. I'm not sure why they think those flimsy things are gonna withstand some heavy winds. Idiots. The park rangers and watercraft personnel were out immediately writing up accidents reports for insurance claims. They were certainly busy in our loop and it was nice that they were there to do that for the campers. There was only one large limb that came down and that fell right onto an empty campsite. Other than that, there were a lot of smaller limbs, but I don't think there was any damage from limbs coming down.

Tab and Deanna left on Sunday and we stayed over till Tuesday and then headed to the Berne, Indiana, Amish country. We enjoy shopping at the Amish businesses over there.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Shipshewana!

After visiting Mom for a few days, we left on Sunday morning and drove to Shipshewana and camped in the flea market campground. It is a no frills campground but has full hookups with good power. We park in the row next to the flea market and the market is just about 25 feet away. So it is an easy walk to the venue. There was a guy flying an ultralight over the area every day. He may have been taking pictures.

We normally come in on Sunday because the flea market doesn't start till Tuesday. So we move in and relax on Sunday afternoon. On Monday, we normally walk around the town and visit the shops we like and spend as much time looking as we like. We also made a trip out of town a few miles to visit Leon at National RV Refrigeration and set up an appointment to have an ARC installed in our Norcold Refrigerator. It is an Absorption Refrigerator Controller and works by monitoring the temperature of the fluid in the boiler. When it reaches a certain degree, it shuts off the boiler, restarting it when it cools down. This may happen in the course of driving it over hilly terrain or sitting in an unlevel condition. At any rate, it is the best device for maintaining the integrity of the system and one which will prevent fires. We made our appointment for Thursday morning.

The week was really hot, reaching the 90's every day, so we really monitored our time outdoors. Monday was okay as we were shopping in town and the shops are all air-conditioned. The motorhome stayed cool and we took breaks and returned to the rig for lunch and naps. LOL

Tuesday and Wednesday were flea market days and it was awfully hot. We got started early and the day did take awhile to heat up. We went back home at noon and had lunch. When we got back out it had turned really hot, so we only lasted an hour and came back in, leaving about three rows to do on Wednesday. That was a good thing, because Wednesday started out very hot and when we quit at 11:30; it was close to unbearable for us anyway. Attendance was really down as you can see from the pictures. Made it easy to get through the aisles, but it was miserable. We just hung out, walked the dogs, and visited with some of the neighbors. One of the people we met had a new fifth wheel. They pulled it with a Kenworth tractor and put a Smart Car up behind the cab in front of the trailer. I stopped and talked with him and commented that a friend of ours had had a similar setup when they were fulltiming, but had since left that life and sold their rig. Turns out, the tractor and Smart car were our friends and this guy had bought them from them. Wow. What a small world. Very nice couple.

Thursday we got around and left about 9:30 and headed up to Leon's to get the ARC installed. Took less than 30 minutes, but then he explained to us how it worked and what to watch for. Very nice young man who really knows gas absorption refrigerators. He replaced the coils in ours four years ago when our boiler ruptured. At four years now, it has lasted longer than any of the Norcold fixes we ever had done. So glad we went with his system. You gotta' remember that the Amish have been working with gas absorption refrigeration and freezing longer than Norcold or Dometic. Our fridge continues to work as it should.

After having that done, we headed over to the house and are here today relaxing from the heat of the past week. Normally we would be up north in cooler climes at this point, but with the family situation, we are trying to stay closer to Mom. We are leaving here tomorrow and heading back down to Warsaw to spend a few more days with her, then we head to Indianapolis for the appointment with my neurosurgeon to see what's going on with my back. This appointment was rescheduled by the doctor last month, so hopefully we can get it done this time.

Till next time. . .

Dale

A needed respite. . .

We were in Warsaw for a few days visiting with Mom and yesterday we took her out for the day. We started by visiting the cemetery to see Daddy's grave. We took off the wilted flowers left from the spray we had placed on his casket.

We continued on, stopping at one Amish scratch and dent store and then went over to the house in Goshen. Mom hadn't been there for some time. We dropped off the dogs there and then drove over to the Elkhart Campground. We had to leave our spot there last week because a large rally was coming in. It was "Vintage Trailers" and we wanted to go and see the old rigs. Some had come in before we left and we thought it would be fun to drive around and look at them. I thought Mom might enjoy it and she did. Mom and Dad camped from the time I was in junior high and were in a camping club. They really took camping to the next level and it was fun to see trailers similar to ones she and Dad had owned.

Here are some pictures of some of the "oldie but goodies."

There were over 100 of the old rigs. It was quite a sight. They were having "yard" sales while we were there. They all had color themes and they had color coordinated awnings, trim, table covers, and dinnerware. It was clear they were having a lot of fun. We met two women who were on their own and had bought old trailers and joined the club. They enjoyed having people to camp with and enjoyed the camaraderie. It was certainly a fun atmosphere.

Mom seemed to enjoy herself and after we left, we headed back over to the house. We picked up the dogs and headed back to Claypool. I think she was tired, but she said she enjoyed the day. Mission accomplished.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye is never easy. And it wasn't this time. Daddy died July 9 and his service and funeral were on Monday, July 18, in Warsaw. Even though they had lived in Goshen most of their lives, the last ten years they spent their summers in Claypool at their summer home in Nita's woods. Mother was convinced very few people would come because it was so far. She planned the calling at 10 and the funeral service at noon. There was no processional to the cemetery, because it was so far away. But those who wished could meet out there south of Millersburg and pay their respects at the graveside. Because Daddy was a WWII Navy veteran, there was a flag ceremony, a 21-gun salute, and the flag was folded and presented to Mom.

Mother got quite a surprise when there was a steady stream of visitors, friends, and family, beginning at 9 and continuing until the time of the service. We wish to thank everyone who came. We were honored that you chose to spend some of your time with us on that day. It meant a lot.

We laughed a bit at Daddy's expression. He had a quirky mischievous smile that you can see in the photo in his obit. As he lay in rest, his expression was exactly that. . . the only difference being his eyes were closed. We were happy the mortician managed to capture that wonderful quirky smile we all knew so well.

It's been two weeks now and yesterday Terry and I took Mom and went to the cemetery. She had been wanting to go, so we went and I took some pictures. We are beginning to heal, although things will never be the same. I had my Dad until he was 91 years old. I don't know how people cope who lose their parents at a much younger age.

Mom seems to be doing okay. She has her faith and Nita lives up the lane, so she doesn't have to be alone. There is a steady stream of kids and grandkids of Nita's who try to keep her company as well and Terry and I visit often. My two nieces (my older sister's kids) and their kids have been down a couple times to see her.

We just spent four days there, camping in Warsaw and taking Mom out for an outing or two. She wants to go to Texas this year and clean out their place in Mission. She doesn't think she wants to go back then as she says their friends are mostly gone. We will see that she gets there and Terry and I will stay in our place right behind her as long as she wants to stay.

So things are changing and we are all trying to cope with the changes. It is certainly different, more so for Mom, but she has plenty of support from the family. She is much loved by all.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Life can be hard. . .

I've had a hard time getting back to the blog. I've not dealt with such a devastating loss since my sister died at age 30, 39 years ago. Her death was most unexpected, having not been diagnosed properly when she would have problems. When they found she had an aneurysm in the brain, it had already weakened the vessel and was in a bad spot to try and fix.  She died before anything could even be tried.

I've thought about her a lot since Daddy died on July 9. I'm sure she was there to welcome him to heaven. I know Dad talked of seeing her again. While her death was traumatic, she was in a hospital and not well with a serious problem, so it wasn't totally unexpected.

Daddy had many problems as well. I don't think many people live to be 91 and not experience problems. He had a couple issues that we knew could end his life quickly, and we knew for the last few years that it could happen anytime. He sat down in his chair and a few minutes later took a couple deep breaths and was gone. I guess we weren't prepared very well.

I was in Florida, having arrived the same day Daddy died. What a shock. Brandon had business meetings in Colorado to attend and had planned to take Megan with him. We decided they should just go. Since it was Saturday night, it would be Monday before Mom could talk with the funeral home and make arrangements. Probably then, it would be Thursday before anything would be scheduled just because of preparation and publishing in the newspapers so friends and family would know. Mom and I talked and she decided they would wait till Monday when I would be able to be there. As it was, Brandon, Megan and Brynlee were able to come as well. Jocelyn's family also drove up from Virginia, so for the first time since all my grandbabies were born, we were all together.

Brandon and Megan arrived home on that Friday. I was able to change my plane from Sunday to Saturday, so I could be home a day earlier. The reason I was going to wait till Sunday was because the kids had scheduled Brynlee's birthday party for Saturday at the local "bounce house" type indoor play area. But since my plane didn't leave till 3 p.m., Brandon said we would go and he and I would leave at 11:30 to make it to the airport at Sanford in time for my flight.

So we did make it to the party. We were able to take time from our mourning and have a nice party for Brynlee. There were about 25 other kids and their parents. They played for about 45 minutes, then they had a pizza party and cupcakes. Brandon and I had to leave just as they got the food out, but we still enjoyed the party.

We took off for the airport and got up to Port St. John only to hear a tire alarm go off. Darn. Brandon got off the interstate, but there is nothing close to the interchange there. We had to drive several miles before we found a service station. He checked all the tires, which were all low, filled them to the recommended pressure and off we went. I think he was really worried, but when I found out he never checks the air pressure, I was confident he just needed to top them off. But we were really cutting our time closely, so we didn't need a flat tire, that's for sure.

As it was, we made it safely to the airport and he hasn't had any trouble with it since, so I think my guess was correct. He waited in the cell phone lot till I called him and told him I was through security and waiting at my gate. He wanted me to make sure my plane was on time and not cancelled.

My plane was on time and we actually boarded early. I arrived in Ft. Wayne at 5 p.m. and Terry was waiting for me in baggage claim. We got my bag and loaded everything up and left for Claypool. My first stop was at Mom's to check in with her and spend some time with my family.  Later that night, Jocelyn and family got in around midnight. I got back up and hugged on the grandkids. The next day, (Sunday) Brandon, Megan and Brynlee came in, flying on the plane I was originally flying on.

We all were ready to give Daddy a sendoff on Monday. I was thankful that my kids, who all had to travel long distances, were able to get there safely and have now gotten back home safely. It seems that travel problems often happen when you really need them to all be on time and go smoothly. But my prayers were answered and everyone was safe.

Till next time. . .

Dale

 

Dale R. Schrock

October 12, 1924 - July 9, 2016

VISITATION:

Monday, July 18th from 10 AM - 12 Noon at Titus Funeral Home, 2000 East Sheridan Street, Warsaw, Indiana.

FUNERAL:

Monday, July 18th at 12 Noon at Titus Funeral Home.

GRAVESIDE SERVICE:

Monday, July 18th at 2 PM in Brown Cemetery, Millersburg, Indiana.

PREFERRED MEMORIALS TO:

Disabled American Veterans

Complete obituary. . .
 Dale R. Schrock, 91, passed away peacefully Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 8:10 p.m. in his Claypool, Indiana home.

    The son of Richard V. and Pearl V. (Sheely) Schrock, Dale was born October 12, 1924 in Clinton Township, Elkhart County, Indiana.

    He attended Clinton and Millersburg schools and was a 1943 graduate of Millersburg High School, Millersburg, Indiana.

    Upon graduation and on June 9, 1943 Dale entered the United States Navy through Goshen.  He proudly served his country on the USS Medusa in The Pacific Theater during World War ll.  SK1c Dale Robert Schrock was honorably discharged April 17, 1946.

    On June 23, 1946 in Millersburg he took Alice Ruth Rink to be his wife.  In June of this year they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with a surprise party.

    Dale was a truck driver for Elkhart Distributing for 35 years retiring in 1986.

    He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed camping.  He spent time teaching his grandchildren and great grandchildren to water ski.

    Dale lived all of his life in the Goshen area until retirement when the couple would travel to their home in Mission, Texas for the winter months.  They moved their summer residence to the Clayool area from Goshen about 10 years ago.

    Although his years were many he will be greatly missed by his family including first of all his dear wife, Alice; 2 daughters and sons-in-law:  Dale Ann and Terry Pace of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Nita and Jim Malcolm of Claypool.  Others include 7 grandchildren and their spouses:  Michelle and Rodney Schrock of Goshen; Carie and Al Mondero of Lafayette, Indiana; Jocelyn and Tom Lynch of Charlottesville, Virginia; Staci and Kevin Goss of Dunlap, Indiana; Kellie and Tom Altruda, Claypool; Brandon and Megan Pace, Melbourne, Florida; and Brad and Nicole Malcolm of Chicago, Illinois; and 11 great grandchildren.

    Dale was preceded in passing by a daughter:  Connie Jean Makximenko; parents:  Richard and Pearl Schrock; sister:  Doris Williams; and brother:  Dallas Schrock.

    Friends are invited to join the family for a time of sharing Monday, July 18th from 10 AM to 12 Noon at Titus Funeral Home.  A service celebrating Dale’s life will follow beginning at noon.  A graveside service will take place at 2 PM in Brown Cemetery in Millersburg.  Military honors will be conducted by Warsaw’s American Legion Post #49 and VFW Post #1126.  Pastor Mike Settles of the Claypool United Methodist Church will officiate the services.

    The family prefers that memorial gifts in Dale’s memory be directed to Disabled American Veteran, 708 W. Pike Street, Goshen, Indiana  46526.

    The staff of Titus Funeral Home considers it an honor to care for the family of Dale R. Schrock.

 

 
Our hearts are broken. My dear Dad passed away last evening sitting in his chair at home. While he has not been well for many years and we all knew this could happen at any time, we are somewhat dumbstruck that he ate supper, visited with family, sat in his chair to watch the Nascar race and minutes later was gone. Although efforts were made to revive him, after a time, Mom asked them to stop. Daddy was gone and is now reuniting with my sister Connie, his firstborn, who died at just 30.

Daddy was 91 and remained a force even though his health was failing. All of the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids would visit sometime during each year, even though far away. Special efforts were made to visit with them and to make sure the great-grandkids would know and remember their great-Grandpa. He was so loved by his entire family.

Unfortunately, I had just arrived in Florida to watch my granddaughter Brynlee for a week. Brandon and Megan are packed and ready to leave for a business trip to Colorado. Not knowing what would be happening, we decided the best course was to carry on with our plans. Family will be meeting with the funeral home Monday to make plans. I believe plans are going to be made for when I return to Indiana on Sunday, the 17th. In fact, Brandon will be flying back with me.

So for those family and friends close by who follow my blog, there are no plans set as yet, but I will publish it all in my blog once I get info.

Rest in Peace, Daddy! We love you so much!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Family Business

After the big 70th anniversary party for Mom and Dad, we were able to spend some time with the kids, Jocelyn, Tom, Ronan, and Aenea. Their dog Pepper was here as well. We spent one night in the house with them and that has always presented a problem because of our two dogs. We decided it was time to see if they would get along.

We took our dogs out on the deck and then let Pepper out. I told them it was time for them to get along. And. . . . they DID! Oh, there were a few snarls and snaps. Nothing intense. Pepper is so fast she can easily jump out of their way. She wants to play so badly and Duchess would play, so they got along. Eventually they settled into a mutual acceptance. They really didn't play inside, but we were able to have them all in the house and not worry about a dog fight. That was wonderful!

Monday the kids went to Shipshewana and Lagrange. We caught up with them in Shipshewana and shopped a little bit. I took Jocelyn with me and on the way home, we stopped off at the Eldridge Cemetery where she took a lot of pictures and filled in some blanks she had regarding ancestors.

Tuesday then we all went back down to Mom's and visited with them and Nita. This time Jocelyn took Pepper and she and Sammy ran and ran. Pepper is so fast she had to keep slowing down so Sammy could catch up with her. We left before they did and headed back. When they left, they drove to Millersburg and walked through the Brown Cemetery, where more of our family is buried. She had been wanting to get some pictures from there.

We stayed fairly late at the house to help with the kids. They were leaving on Wednesday and needed some distractions so they could fix food and pack. We came back on Wednesday to help again and then at 10:30 they were gone. They got home in about 13 hours which isn't bad when you make stops, which they did.

I always clean after we have visitors and I haven't really done that yet, but I did get the beds changed. We went over yesterday and spent several hours trimming the bushes around the house. We got it about half done. We are going to go again soon and finish up. It's hard on us old people to do that.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Busy, busy, busy

We are back at Elkhart Campground after about a month away. We are on site 203 and we really like this site. They rarely put anyone in the two sites to the east of us which means we have a really large front yard! It makes it nice to sit out. We don't have anyone right next to us and can see a large part of the campground. They've had a lot of rain this spring and summer and the grass is really green. Our friend, Roger, is helping Bobby with the mowing at the camp this year and he is doing a really great job. The camp looks better than it has in years, we think. He also makes sure the dog park is mowed frequently.

Last Friday, the 24th of June, Jocelyn, Tom, Aenea and Ronan along with their dog, Pepper, arrived very late. We were still at the Passport America Rally, so we didn't see them till the next morning. They came to help surprise Mom and Dad. My sister, Nita, had planned a surprise for their 70th wedding anniversary. We were able to visit with the kids quite a lot on Saturday after we left the rally.

On Sunday we drove Phaeton Place down to the Warsaw fairgrounds so we would have a place to leave our dogs while we went to dinner. It's hard to leave Butterscotch for very long with her bladder cancer. We got there early and got set up and then got ready to go to dinner at Mad Anthony's. All the nieces and nephews and their families were able to make it except for Brandon and his family. I know he felt badly about that, but he changed jobs in December and this week has been the end of his quarter and he couldn't take any time except the weekend off. That would mean he would have to fly up on Saturday and back on Sunday. Just no way to do that. I'm sure they will try and come see Mom and Dad when they can. They do make a good effort to do that even though it's so far away and it costs a considerable amount to make the trip.

The plan was to wait in the room we had reserved. Jim and Nita were taking Mom and Dad to dinner and sat them at a table out in the restaurant. The great grandkids all walked out to their table and said they they had a better table in the back and wouldn't they want to come join them? So when Mom and Dad got into the room, everyone else was there. They were very surprised and quite touched by the fact that so many of us were there. All together there were 29. That includes one "girlfriend" of one of the boys. LOL We had a lovely time at dinner. Terry and Jim split the tab down the middle so none of the grands or greatgrands had to pay anything. A fun time was had by all.


 The first picture is all the great grandkids in attendance. They have one more, Brynlee.

 The second picture is the great grands and the grands with their spouses. Missing are Brandon, wife Megan and daughter Brynlee.

Last picture is the kids (Nita and I) and spouses, grands and spouses and great grands.

Afterwards, we went over to the motorhome to let the dogs out and then we followed everyone to Nita's house south of Warsaw. There we had cake and ice cream and the card games commenced. I played one round, then Terry and I decided to head for the motorhome. A storm was approaching and we wanted to make sure we were with the girls when it hit. They were doing fine, but glad we arrived. It actually blew through rather quickly and all was well.

We left the fairgrounds the next day and drove over to the Elkhart Campground on Monday morning and plan to stay a month.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Reunion, 2016

We are here in Mississippi for the Pace-Stevens family reunion. We have fewer people who come every year, but we still enjoy visiting with those who do make the effort. We have lost many members since we started coming. We have only missed one time in the last 20 years, I think, since Terry's Dad died. The year we missed was the year we went to Alaska.

The night before the reunion, we visited with Shirley and Paul and Gary and Jo at Shirley's house. Vikki and Johnathon and Preston were there as well. Shirley and Gary are siblings and are first cousins of Terry's. Gary and Jo fixed dinner of pork chops and baked sweet potatoes, so we ate very well. We usually see Gary and Jo a couple times a year because they live close to the path we take when we cross the southern U.S. They live near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, so it's a short drive to their place.

We met Saturday for the reunion at Ramey's Restaurant in Marietta, just down the road from where we used to hold a picnic. Later after we realized it was really too hot to have it outside, we moved over to the Marietta Community Building which was air conditioned and a welcome relief for those of us not accustomed to the humid heat of the south. Now we meet at a restaurant so no one has to cook!

This year Uncle Bob was with us. He is the last remaining child of Ma and Pa Pace, so it's mostly the younger generations that come now. He did not make it last year. He, unfortunately, has Alzheimer's. But he was having a reasonably good day and we got to visit with him. It was good to see him. He is in his mid 80's and appears to be in good health. He was very touched that we all came to celebrate with him.

We came back to the motorhome after the reunion. We were camped at Piney Grove on Bay Springs Lake, which is part of the Tenn-Tom Waterway. That is the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, a series of lakes, canals, and rivers that link the Tennessee River with the Gulf of Mexico. It's a nice park and we always reserve the same campsite every year. We know we fit well on it and it's easy on and off the site.

After we rested and fed the girls, we went back into Baldwyn and had dinner with Cathy and Bill and their son Matthew and girlfriend Sarah. Cathy and Terry are first cousins as well and she is Uncle Bob's daughter. She made us doughburgers. These are similar to hamburgers, but have a couple extra ingredients and have a little more flavor than a regular hamburger. She knew that I liked them and I really didn't do a good job duplicating them the one time I made them, so it was a special treat to eat hers! We visited with everyone and stayed till after dark before we made our way back to the lake. It's about 22 miles from her house.

We had some lightning on the way back. It almost always storms at least one night when we are there for the reunion, but this year it was all for show. The storms were mostly north of us and we didn't really even get any rain at the camp. We did have one bad/loud/scary thunderclap that sent me and the dogs scurrying for cover while we were out walking. Fortunately we were right near the motorhome, so I got them in easily.

This morning we broke camp and headed into Red Bay, Alabama. We have an appointment at Bay Diesel  at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Ugh. But we want to make it as easy on them as we can and it is super hot here. So the earlier the better. We are staying at a new campground here. It's west of Red Bay, just outside of town by about a block. Full hookup for $20 as are all the sites in Red Bay. Nice gravel and spacious enough sites. We went into town and got our mail and the laundry is running in the bedroom. Life is good. Depending on when Chris gets done with our coach, we may be staying here another night or rolling on north later tomorrow.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Family time!

We left Elkhart Campgound Friday morning, June 3rd, and went to the storage condo for a night. We were able to wash Phaeton Place who has needed a bath for a loooooong time. So now she is clean. . . or at least she was for a day.

We drove down to Warsaw and found a spot at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds in Warsaw. That is the closest place to Mom and Dad that we can camp, so we settled in and then took off with the girls to visit the folks. They enjoyed seeing Butterscotch and Duchess and the girls enjoyed all the treats Mom gives them when they visit. We got to see their new bathroom. They took out the tub and put in a large shower with the same footprint and put sliding doors on it. Now Daddy can get in and out of it much easier. For Father's Day, Nita and I bought him a shower chair with a back and arms to make it easier for him. He is getting less and less mobile as his back caves in on him, but we are trying to keep him able to do things for himself. They also put in a higher toilet which made a big difference in his ability use it more easily. Hopefully these things will make life a little easier for him and Mom.

We left Sunday morning and headed south. The family reunion is the 11th and we like to get in a few days early to visit with family. Our first night out was spent at a Jellystone campground  in Scottsburg, Indiana. They take Passport America during the week, so we got a great discount and it was a decent park. We rolled on the next morning and spent the next two nights in Amish country in Ethridge, Tennessee.

The campground was a big disappointment. The story is that there is a new owner and they are investing money and things will be better the "next time" we stop. Not sure there will be a next time. It wasn't a bad place, but the sites were narrow and they are in the process of digging for drain lines and water, etc., and it doesn't look like they are working very hard at it. The amenities weren't too bad, but we had full hookups, so it was okay with us. But they certainly charged a high price for those sites, so we won't be back.

We did decided to stay here and take a look around at the Amish in the area. These are Swartzendruber Amish, among the most conservative. They are very different from the Amish in northern Indiana and in the Berlin, Ohio, area we often visit. In those places, the Amish own businesses and don't mind talking with you and sharing a bit about themselves. And they appear to be mostly prosperous. I remember as a child that the Amish farms in northern Indiana appeared many times to be run down and in need of makeovers or just upkeep. Now they look quite different and have beautiful flower gardens and well kept lawns. The Amish in Ethridge appeared more like the Amish I observed long ago. They do not have any stores. . . they do sell goods directly from their homes or stands in their yards. The fruits and vegetables looked very good and I bought some of those. I bought one basket at the local Farmer's Market that was handmade by a deaf Amish man. It is very neat and is signed by the craftsman. The women do not wear the white mesh caps here, but a heavier cloth cap and many times a black bonnet. At one household where we bought goods, all the five children on the porch wore black clothing and caps. They would only talk to transact business, they would not talk otherwise. Very different from others we have met. All of their schools were one room and built the same. A rectangular building with four windows down the side and two outhouses out back. The leaflet I read said they do not have running or hot water in their houses either. Very conservative and different from other Amish we've met. But that is their life and their choice. I might add that my own family is a few generations from low-order Amish. Perhaps that why I find it so interesting to visit their communities and learn what I can about their lifestyle.

Once we left Ethridge, we had an easy 90 mile drive to Bay Springs Lake and Piney Grove Campground. Of course, we took the Natchez Trace which is my favorite drive. We made our usual lunch stop at the rest area on the north side of the Tenneessee River. We figured we have been coming every year for about 20 years, since Terry's Dad died. We had come off and on before that, but try not to miss it now. Most of the older ones no longer come. Many are gone, leaving just the younger generations to carry on the tradition. They aren't always interested, but we still want to come and visit with the cousins and other family in the area.

We drove into Pulaski, Tennessee and found this beauty sitting in a parking lot. We don't know what it is, but it appears she is used. I could live in this, that's for sure.

Last night we drove into cousin Shirley's and had dinner with her and husband Paul, cousin Gary and Jo, Vikki and Jonathon and Preston. It was a great supper and we enjoyed visiting with everyone again.

We went into Booneville and Baldwyn today and visited Paul and Rusty at the flea market. We just missed Gary and Jo who had taken off to go yard sale-ing! We went into town to get some supplies I needed for a craft project and then headed back to the camp. We drove back on the Trace again and stopped at the Indian Mounds. We got back about 3:30. The girls were glad to see us!

Tomorrow is the reunion! We will be leaving a little early so we can visit with the family. We are having it at a restaurant so we don't need to cook anything. Whoo hoo! That's even better!

Till next time. . .

Dale