Progress!

Well, we had progress today. We thought since no one came yesterday to start on the water/sewer lines, they would probably come today. Started by getting things put back in place in the motorhome and getting things swept and cleaned in the ritual we do every time we move. The plumbers came at 9:30 and by the way they started working, we figured we'd be done by 1-2:00. Not to be. The workers started digging while the head honcho left. They got done digging by 11 a.m. and sat and waited for 1 1/2 hours until the head honcho got back. He picked them up and they took off for lunch. They got back and put in most of the water lines. Then the HH left again and was gone for 1 1/2 -2 hours. He had to get more parts. He finally arrived back around 3 I think and they laid the sewer pipe, put in the spigots and tested them. All is well. Finally got around to filling in the trenches and put the gravel back in place. By 4:30 they were paid and gone and we moved Phaeton Place back in position. You really cannot tell much difference except that the sewer hookup is there and we have a couple water faucets on the sides of the pad.

Mom had invited us for supper since Phaeton Place was all closed up. It was great for us to be able to go "out" for dinner. We got the motorhome moved back and most everything set up before time to eat. We are just relaxing this evening and watching CSI.

Yesterday we had about the hottest day since we have been here and then today we had the coolest. I think it made it to 70, but it has been quite chilly all day. I imagine the workers were much more comfortable digging that trench in the cooler temperatures.

Hopefully tomorrow we will get our electric meter installed. . . but I'm not holding my breath.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Birdie, birdie, can you see the birdie?

We have a nighthawk nesting on the ground between two units here in the park. Just a stone's throw away from our lot. At first I thought it was injured and was going to take it to the birding center, but it flew away when I got too close. A neighbor has been watching it and said it is a nighthawk and that they nest on the ground, like killdeer. So far I haven't seen any eggs, but I'm guessing the eggs would blend in well with the stones, considering you can hardly see the bird.

In other news. . . oh, yeh, that's right. There isn't any . . . Well, let's just say the wheels of county government turn sssssssslllllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooowwwllllllllllllyyyyyyy here in Hidalgo County. What a fiasco. We were told to "keep on 'em" when we applied for our permits over a week ago. It was supposed to be done the next day. I finally called a week+ later and was told to come in at 2 p.m. and pick up our permits. Hahahah. What a joke. So we went. After having to wait the required half hour, we get called into the office only to sit and watch the planner fill out all the paperwork. So I'm guessing this is how it works:

1. Go to the office and fill out the paperwork.


2. Your permit never gets acted on.


3. Out of desperation, you call. . . .


4. They check to see how long you have waited for your next day permit.


5. If it's 10 or more days, you just MIGHT get called in and get to watch them fill out the info.


6. THEN you have to wait for the inspection you thought was done 10 days before.


7. By this time, the power company has called to tell you the reason they didn't come to install your meter was because you didn't have the STINKIN' permit.


8. Grrrrrrr.

Good news. Called the plumber. Said we didn't have our permit yet. . . He said. . . . I don't need no permit. Yayayayay!!!!! They start tomorrow.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Home on the Range

We left Austin on Friday last week and made it down to the RGV (Rio Grande Valley) by 4:30 that afternoon. A very nice drive on red roads with no problems. We got parked in short order on the lot behind Mom and Dad.

We have really been busy this past week as we have officially bought the lot from my parents and are busy getting the services, i.e., water, electric, and sewer installed. That seems to be a joke around here. We applied for the permits, which they told us we would have the next day. That was Tuesday and we still haven't seen them. Called back once and no answer. That's the other joke around here. . . phone numbers. Nobody answers their phone, and sometimes they put it over on fax so you end up with that whiney sing/song in your ear. Terry did all the electrical wiring, but we cannot get the meter installed without an inspection. But once that is done, all Terry has to do is hook up three wires and we are good to go.

Yesterday when I checked about getting the water meter installed that they told us would be done Tuesday, they said it would now be next week because they had to dig. (Big surprise there?) We weren't home 10 minutes and the backhoe arrived along with three workers. It took several hours, but by 4:30 we had our water meter, so now we have to call the plumber. We aren't leaving here until this is all done. Certainly wouldn't want to look forward to starting this entire process over next year when we come down. Ugh.

Good thing we have time. Meanwhile, the weather is beautiful. Warm during the day, but with a breeze. If you stay in the shade you are very, very comfortable. The sun is a little hot. We have been walking every day. Today Terry and I went to "patio" sales in two neighboring parks. Got some new reading material and a couple shelves for the cabinets. I really do love the weather here and these Martin Ranch parks. They are all connected so you can walk, bike or run the golf cart up and down all the parks.

Mom and Dad's passports came in the mail, so they are all ready to go to Mexico. They can't wait to try them out. We hate to go away during the day in case the inspector comes, but the weekends should be pretty safe. May do that tomorrow.

Bailey has been enjoying walks every day and Neal gets to ride in the stroller. He is very content to do that. He sits up, but very still. If we stop to visit, he lays down. They are such sweeties.

We played Bingo the other night. Mom won the first game, so she was pretty happy. Dad went along and played with us, but he and I didn't win anything.

We are just enjoying the weather and visiting with Mom and Dad. Plans are to leave here shortly after Thanksgiving, but we aren't leaving until all the utilities are in place.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Austin, Texas, and #1 Son Brandon!

We arrived in Austin Monday afternoon. Brandon had arrived earlier in the day, but was at work. In his job, he troubleshoots software issues as a consultant for his company and is here for the week. He really likes his work and does it well. He will leave tomorrow afternoon and fly back to Florida. He will leave in two weeks and fly to Ottawa to work with a bank there. He is looking forward to the job, but thinks he will hate the cold weather. Heh heh

We took him out to eat at the Salt Lick. It is about 25 miles outside of Austin in the country and about the greatest BBQ place we have been to. Just awesome.

We have been doing some sightseeing while we have been here, but I must say. . . the traffic here really makes you want to stay home. They do not have a beltway around the city, so everyone has to go through the middle of town to go anywhere. We thought about going to watch the bats at the Congress Street bridge, but last night they were having a Halloween party downtown and had the streets closed off. Figured we would get good and lost and the Garmin would probably just give up, so we didn't do that. This is nearing the end of the time there are here. . . they will migrate south soon, so there may not have been a lot to see.

We are in the Austin Lonestar RV park. It is a passport park and they give you two free pancake breakfasts EVERY DAY! We will go one last time tomorrow morning before we head out. The park is really pretty forested, but the keep the trees and bushes cut back so they don't interfere TOO much. They really could cut back a lot more, but it is passable. Our site is plenty long enough but not too wide. This is an old KOA. You can tell by the telltale A-frame entrance building. But it is clean and the people are super nice. Where else can you camp in the state capital for $17 a night for FHU's?

Tomorrow we leave for the RGV. Don't know if we will make it down there tomorrow or not, but we will try. Mom and Dad arrived last evening, so they are waiting on us.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Rainbow's End

We arrived at Rainbow's End in Livingston, Texas, on Friday and will be leaving here Monday. We are headed to Austin tomorrow as Brandon, our son, will be arriving there shortly before noon. He is there on business for his company, Novell; and since we were nearby (heh heh), we thought we would mosey on over and spend at least an evening or two with him. I am anxious to see him. It's always good to see your kids. Our two live in different states, 800 miles apart, so it's not easy to see them. But it is wonderful that our children are doing well with their lives and getting along "without mom and dad," living independently and enjoying themselves, their family and friends.

We have been checking out the local food establishments in Austin to see what is really good. If any of you readers can recommend a good restaurant, let me know. We plan on going to "The Salt Lick" one night as it was recommended by some fellow campers at Kinder.

We are in the Escapees park in Livingston. This is a really big place, but it isn't all campground. A good portion of the lots are deeded lots and apparently you are allowed to build anything you want on your lot. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of restrictions. We are in an area that hasn't seen a lawn mower for quite some time. Neal is having a lot of trouble walking in the tall fescue. I put the dogs' mat out, but with the really long grass, it looks and acts like a feather mattress for them to walk on. There really isn't much definition to the campsites, no pad to park on, etc. I am surprised that it isn't maintained better. I went to do laundry and it wasn't what I expected. The floor needed mopping and the trash can was overflowing. There were lots of magazines that had been dumped there and apparently one person never came to pick up their clothing. A pile of clothing had been folded and was laying in the corner of the folding table. There were no roller carts like one normally sees in laundromats. There is another area for campers where we had stayed before and I would have asked for that if I had seen this site before we got back here. Just not what I expect from a business which is supposed to be for the RVer and particularly from the park which is their national headquarters. This is the second time we have been here and things have not changed in those 4 years. There are some properties here for sale and for big prices, too; but I wouldn't want to live here.

Yesterday we went out 190West and drove around Lake Livingston a bit. It is a very large lake and it was a beautiful day. Today we are watching the race and getting some housecleaning done.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Bragging a bit!!

I was browsing through some new pix my kids sent me and I just wanted to brag a bit. First up is first born daughter, Jocelyn, with first born grandson Ronan.

Next is first born son, Brandon, with his baby. Hee hee.

Till next time. . .

Dale

My Apologies to the People of Georgia!

If we were headed that way, we would do what we could to help. We were in Tunica last week and while there, we had several rainstorms that were over one inch at a time. They badly needed the rain, but not like Georgia. Now we are sitting here outside Baton Rouge and we had a soaker yesterday with flash flood warnings. I see that New Orleans got hit pretty hard, like 8 inches of rain! I'll see what I can do to send it to the Peachtree State. Hold on!

We are at Harp Camp in Zachary, Louisiana. Fortunately, our family here doesn't seem to get tired of us and we try not to overstay our welcome. Jo and Gary (Terry's cousin) are the consumate southern hosts. Yesterday we ran some errands in Baton Rouge. Terry had to get blood work done and I took the opportunity to do a little shopping. We were able to see newlyweds, Kristin and Jerrick, Jo's daughter and son-in-law. Also, Ms. Teeter, Jo's Mom, was there. I had worked on her computer the other day and I may have to go back today.

Before we got here, we spent a night in Vicksburg. While there we were able to tour the Union Ironclad "Cairo." If you ever find your way over here, take time to visit the battlefield and the Cairo. Both are impressive and the Cairo is the most intact ironclad in the nation. There are parts of others in a museum in Columbus, Georgia. The Nuesse, a Confederate ironclad, is on display in Kinston, North Carolina. They are unusual reminders of the clash between north and south and the history surrounding their development is amazing. I had read about them for years, but until the other day, never was able to walk into one and try to imagine the life on board. All of the cannon on board are the ORIGINAL retrieved from the Yazoo River. There were hundreds of artifacts preserved in the mud of the river and on display in the museum. The museum is free, but I hope if you go, you donate to the cause of preserving this bit of Americana.

We are leaving here tomorrow and headed for Houston. We are going to Trader's Village and while there, hope to do the Cabella's, etc. BTW, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is a new Cabella's that just opened. We drove down there Sunday with Gary and Jo. Terry found a new metal folding table. He is very pleased with it.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Tunica, Mississippi

We arrived in Tunica Monday afternoon and got set up at Sam's Town. We have three days free camping here as they sent us coupons, plus gave us free "play" money for the slots. Try as I might, you just can't beat free. People are "boondocking" over in the parking lot, but we have full hookups for 3 days for FREE. We actually have 6 nights. . . 3 for me and 3 for Terry, but he doesn't want to stay that long. A man on a mission. Not sure what it is, but it isn't 3 more days here. We have had fun playing. . . not winning much, but not losing much either. They have 1/2 cent slots here. Can you believe it? Wow.

This morning we went to the Horseshoe Casino and had their breakfast buffet. It was very good and there was a large variety of dishes to choose from. We don't plan to eat again today. Hah.

On Monday when we arrived, we had quite a rain shower. It did not storm or thunder or lightning, but we got over one inch of rain. That is good for this area, as they are having a pretty severe drought and some lakes and ponds we drove by are dangerously low. Today (Wednesday) it is again raining. . . not a lot and not storming, but a nice gentle rain. I hope it helps their water situation. We are having some wind--about like strong breezes.

Once we leave here tomorrow morning, we are headed for Vicksburg. We were there four years ago and saw the ironclad "Cairo" at the battlefield park, but were not able to go in. They were re-doing some of the display. So we want to go see it now. It is intact enough to see what an ironclad was really like. We will probably do some other civil war tourist things while we are there.

Right now the dogs are telling me their supper is long overdue. We changed time zones this week and I try to acclimate the dogs gradually, but when it comes to food. . . they KNOW when it is supper time. There just ain't no foolin' them.

Till next time. . .

Dale

On the Road Again. . . . .

We had a busy couple days visiting with family and spending time with Uncle Dan. Terry's Aunt was buried yesterday and one cousin who happened to be there was one I had never met. I had corresponded with her via email when Terry's Mom was in the nursing home. I know Terry had not seen her in over 35 years. It happened that she had flown from Montana to Michigan to visit with a daughter and that was during the time Aunt Obie was in the hospital having heart surgery. They had not seen each other in decades and Sarah was able to visit with her at length just before she died. I'm sure that was special for both of them. Aunt Obie was devout in her faith and was not worried about the outcome of her procedure, describing it as a "win-win" situation.

We hit the road again around 9:30 this morning. It would have been earlier, but we were only planning on driving 230 miles. The campground we had picked out was a real dive and we chose not to stay there. There were others along the way, but no information on them. We are reluctant to "chase" down campgrounds off the road because we have been burned too many times. So we continued to drive and made it all the way to "BoomTown" in Charleston, Missouri. Full hookups sites here are just $12 and quite adequate. Terry is currently snoozing on the couch, the boyz are snoozing in their beds and laundry is being done. I am the lone one awake.

Tomorrow we will make it to Tunica. We have some free campground days at Sam's Town. Heh heh.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Family Time

We arrived at the Kosciusko County fairgrounds in Warsaw, Indiana, around 2:30 p.m. Had a good drive up from Red Bay, Alabama yesterday. Drove the Natchez Trace yesterday and it was beautiful as always. We were on it till almost dusk and I have to say I had forgotten how beautiful the drive is at that time of night. We don't normally travel late in the day anymore and we usually miss a lot. We saw several flocks of wild turkeys with as many as 20+ animals. Saw a small group of deer by the road once. Fortunately they didn't get spooked.

We spent the night at the Cave City, Kentucky, exit off I-65. Got in early enough to get to bed at a decent time, so we had a good drive today. Not a lot of traffic around Louisville, but had more in Indianapolis. Fortunately that is an area we know well, so traffic there doesn't bother us.

This afternoon my niece Kellie came by on her way to the Y for her workout. She is living back home with her Mom and Dad in the same woods where Mom and Dad now live. The woods is about 7 miles south of Warsaw, so this is a good place for us to stay. My parents also stopped by after supper to visit and catch up on our last visit with Ronan. Mom and Dad are going to help with the dogs tomorrow while we are with Terry's family. His Aunt died on Monday and the calling and services are Friday and Saturday. She was a twin to Terry's Mom. So we will be busy the next couple days. Tomorrow is my Dad's 83 birthday and my sister and I are taking them out on Saturday evening to celebrate.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Red Bay, Alabama, then Goshen, Indiana

We are scheduled sometime today for an express bay here at Tiffin's Service Center. Have 3 short but critical things to fix, then we are rolling. We learned this morning that Terry's Aunt died on Monday at Ekhart Hospital. She was his Mom's twin. She had open heart surgery two weeks ago and died of a blood clot. She has been hospitalized since her surgery.

The calling is Friday and funeral Saturday. We plan to stay at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds in Warsaw, Indiana, while we are in the area.

Once our visit is over, we will once again be heading south. I probably won't be posting for awhile as I intend to visit my parents and sister while we are in the area.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Chattanooga, Tennessee and Friends!

We arrived at Chattanooga Thursday afternoon ahead of our friends, Ward and Patty New. We had planned on staying at Shipp's Campground where Camping World is located, but they didn't have two sites together for our rigs. So we went and explored a little and found the Holiday Trav-l-Park a couple miles down the road. We went in and reserved two spots and before we were all set up, Ward and Patty arrived. It was good to see them. The last time we saw them was at the FMCA rally in Perry, Georgia, in March and both Ward and Terry got sick.

The campground here is actually on the site of a Civil War encampment/battlefield and all the roads in the camp are named for officers. The park is right on the Georgia/Tennessee line. the north-south streets are named for Civil War officers. The streets at the north end are named for Union commanders; the streets at the south end are named for Confederate generals. Most of these officers participated in the combat around Chattanooga. The other streets are named for Civil War battles. In a corner of the park stands a monument to the 84th Indiana Volunteer Regiment. The monument was placed there after the Civil War by some of the men of that regiment who became famous for their fighting in the Chattanooga area. I was particularly interested, because I am from (northern) Indiana and had a relative who served in the Civil War. My Dad has his actual military discharge papers. I searched the internet for the Indiana 84th, but I found something even more intriguing. My relative was not on the list, but the men who served in that regiment were primarily from Henry County, Indiana. That is where I taught for 33 years and just retired from two years ago. A couple of the names were names that I recognized. That was really amazing.

We spent time with Ward and Patty, mainly eating out and sitting under the awnings chatting until dark, then moving inside one of the rigs. We parted company this morning and we drove on over to Red Bay, Alabama.

We are now in the Allegro Campground and from what we hear, we will have a 3-5 day wait to get into an express bay. We have a couple things we wanted fixed, like the awning and the driver's sun shade. Then two days ago our electric step refused to come in. Terry had to dismantle it and tie it up. We have blocked out 10 days, so we are in good shape.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Fun with Ronan!

We spent two nights at Misty Mountain and a good day and a half with grandson Ronan. We had a really nice time. We went with Jocelyn and the baby over to UVA in the evening and walked around campus just to get a little exercise. Ronan enjoyed the walk. He likes to stay moving. If you stop, he lets you know!

Tuesday I babysat while Jocelyn went to a water exercise class, so we got to play with Ronan. After she got back, we went to the downtown mall and walked around. We ate lunch at Christian's which is a gourmet pizza place. Really good pizza.

Their kitchen that we helped with last month is now back in order and Tom said it seems so much bigger. I think just having more cupboards and a shelf for the microwave, etc., makes a big difference. They are very pleased with the kitchen and it is beautiful. They have some pantry cabinets. Those are really useful because they make everything from scratch and needed space to store everything.

We left Misty Mountain in the rain on Wednesday with plans to meet up with the kids again in Florida at Christmas.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Neal loves camping!

Neal asked me to share with my readers what he loves about camping. Hah. Actually this would be right behind FOOD for the little guy. That is his #1 favorite thing in the entire world.

We drove a long day on Sunday so we would get into Charlottesville early enough to spend most of the day with the kids. So we got up and drove 54 miles to Misty Mountain camp. Got settled in and then drove into see the baby.

The kids were just getting back from Tom's voice lesson. He is taking opera lessons and is studying with a very renowned instructor who believes he has a lot of potential. I have been trying to get here early enough some day to go to his lesson with him, but I didn't make it today. When they arrived, baby Ronan was fast asleep in his car seat, so I just took some pictures. We visited most of the afternoon before we had to head back to the camp to feed the dogs. Then we went back into town and Jocelyn, Terry and I took Ronan and went to the UVA (University of Virginia) campus to walk in the twilight. It was an enjoyable walk and the perfect night. We went passed the rotunda and other landmarks that have been here for a hundred years or so. It is a very impressive campus and if you ever get a chance, you should walk through. We passed Edgar Allen Poe's room which is preserved as it was back then. We also passed Cabell hall, which is a round lecture hall. Lots of history here.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Rollin' toward Camp Pull-Tab!

We are done with doctor appointments until April! Everything went well and we are rolling toward Camp Pull-Tab in St. Paris, Ohio, after breakfast.

Last evening was spent visiting friends. First, former colleague Dave and his friend Mark, along with Brody, the one-year old Scottish Terrier came by to visit. Dave and Mark have an RV, a class C and entertained us with lots of stories about "close calls" while driving and pulling their toad. I meant to tell them that they certainly have had their share of "adventures" in that department and it's time to put that behind them. Hah. Maybe next year they will join us down here when we come in the spring and we can swap stories and sit around the campfire. Dave and Mark have certainly taken to RVing in a big way by jumping into some really big trips. They started out going places I would like to go. Dave has sent me some DVD's on their trips. He puts the pictures together into a slide show and they really are great.

Later last evening we went to visit Dave and Tammy. Dave pastors a church in the town where we lived, but they are leaving in two weeks. Their one son and our Brandon were/are best friends and we hadn't seen Aaron's folks since we left two years ago. They are leaving and going to a church in Oscoda, Michigan. They were originally from Michigan, although not this area, but they are excited about the move and offered us a place to park once they get settled in. They will be just two blocks from Lake Huron and their house is right on 23. We came right by it this summer when we were coming down the east side of Michigan, so we know how beautiful the area is.

It's been a great week here, reconnecting with old friends and getting the medical stuff taken care of. We packed way too much in. . . maybe we need to look at spending more time in the area so we don't have to rush so much, but we are done now.

It was 44 degrees outside when we got up this morning. Bailey went out and turned right around and came back in. Hah. Terry is busy fixing my breakfast. The dogs have eaten, so we are getting ready to move.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Busy, busy, busy

Well, it is always a busy week when we come here, because we pack doctor appointments and vet appointments into 4 days. Also throw in a couple of haircuts and visits with old friends and we are never bored!

Today we started out by taking the dogs back into the vets for their teeth cleaning appointments. They haven't been done in a long time and they were quite bad, but no extractions were necessary. Yay! Neal, my handicapped dog who cannot walk seems to be doing well tonight although he is stumbling even worse. But he is alert and ate his supper. Bailey, on the other hand, is quite lethargic and is not eating. I did get him to take some Braunsweiger and finally a marrow bone treat. He took his pill at supper because I put it in Braunsweiger, but other than that, he is just really moping around. I check him periodically to see if he's breathing. They are both 11 years old and I'm not really worried about either of them, but after years of healthy living, they have both had some issues this year. We thought perhaps the poor condition of their teeth was contributing somewhat to these issues, so we decided to do it.

I am going to sleep in the recliner tonight just to make sure they don't have any problems. We just took them outside one last time and now they are both lying down, so I think it will be a quiet evening.

Tomorrow I am getting the shingles vaccine and my mammogram in Indy, and then we are done. A colleague and friend are stopping by tomorrow evening. Haven't seen him since we retired. We taught together for 20 years and he has a Scottie puppy now, so he is bringing Brody out to meet the boyz. Should be fun.

For those of you remembering my niece's preemie baby, Collin, in your prayers, I am pleased to tell you he is now over 3 pounds and has removed his NG tube for the second time. They have decided to leave it out now and he is nursing and taking the bottle very well. He hasn't had any problems. Keep up those good thoughts!

Till next time. . .

Dale

SLSP aka Summit Lake State Park

We are comfortably ensconced in site A70 at the state park--about 3 miles from our former home of 33 years. We have already spent a day at doctors, labs and veterinarians and this morning got haircuts and getting ready for round two of doctors, brokers, and dinner invitations later today. Busy, busy week. But if we can last 4 days, we are done for 6 months.

We switched out one of our sofas for two recliners with a file cabinet between. I can't believe we didn't do it sooner. At least it was easy to do. Terry built a credenza behind them; and we have found that if we pull the one chair out, it gives the user a good view of the TV and allows easy access to the storage and gives it more of a "living room" feel to the front end of the coach. It gets a little crowded with the dog pen set up, but that is only at night or when we leave, so it is manageable.

Tonight we meet friends, Jack and Janet, for dinner at Appleby's. We used to go out to eat periodically when we lived here, so it will be good to visit with them again.

All those of you '05'ers+ who were at the Pre-Escapade Rally at Elkhart Campground that SPAM hosted, take note. . . Remember all the rain and the mosquitos? (Like WHO could forget. . . unless you were brain-dead.) Well 120 miles south down here just north of New Castle, there is a drought situation here and further south. No dew in the mornings, farm ponds are dried out and guess what. . . FEW mosquitos. I can't say there are none, but not the swarms we saw up north. That all may change today as there are "occasional" thunderstorms forecast for today and tomorrow.

Thursday night, colleagues of mine are coming to visit. Dave retired the same time I did and he has a Scottie puppy Brody he is bringing. I can't wait to see them all.

Well, got to start getting ready.

Till next time. . .

Dale

On the Road Again. . . . .

And boy does it feel good. I hate being cooped up in the house, but at least we planned to only stay there about 2 weeks this summer. This summer we did a lot of work on the apartments, which is why I haven't been blogging. Too dang tired. We rented an apartment, put in/had done a new floor in the kitchen in the main house, 4 new garage doors, repainted all the trim and had new windows put into one duplex. In addition we managed to clean out a little more of the main house and I trimmed all the bushes. . . all 50 of them. . . well. . . it sure seemed like 50, but I think it was more like 25.

After Escapade, we spent the following week at the house finishing up all the loose ends and getting the house ready to close up. In addition, I had some needed dental work done and I finally got my new glasses. Yay!!!! We had ordered glasses at Sears. The first time they came in they had no bifocals. The second time they switched Terry's right lens prescription with mine. Ugh. The third time, Terry's were fine, but I couldn't see squat through mine. Tried them for almost a week. I couldn't see at night at all. Everything just ran together. Turns out, they put a prizm in them. Grrrrrrrr. So I told Sears that "three strikes and you're out." Got my money back and went to "Julie's Eye Care" in South Bend. Man is that gal ever sharp. She had my glasses in 2 days and they are perfect. I really like them. They are rimless on the bottom and come with their own magnetic sunglasses. Really cool.

Yesterday I visited the hospital to see my great-nephew. My niece, Staci, and her husband were expecting their bundle of baby boy in October, but he had other ideas. He arrived at 33 weeks and is perfect, just very tiny. His cord was wrapped around him and stretched very thin and was no longer sustaining him. Had he not come early, he probably would not have survived, so we are very glad he was strong enough to come out into the world. He is doing very well and Staci and Kevin are anxious to take him home when he gets bigger. Big sister Breanna can't wait to hold him either. Collin is now over 3 pounds and gaining strength everyday. Prayers are appreciated.

We left Goshen at 1:30 today and stopped by the woods at Claypool where Mom and Dad, Jim and Nita live. Pulled over to the side of the road (there is a pulloff) and they came out to see us off and to see our new chairs. We took out one of our sofas and put in 2 recliners with a file cabinet between them. Terry built a credenza like cabinet behind so I didn't lose that storage. He did a beautiful job on it and we think we are really going to like our recliners. We drove on down to Summit Lake State Park north of New Castle and will be here for the week. This is the week of marathon doctor appointments, so we will be busy. We drove into Mooreland to see our friends, Jack and Janet, and are going to meet them at Appleby's Tuesday night for dinner. It will be good to visit with them some more.

Once we finish here, we are off to Camp Pull-Tab in Ohio for a couple days, then on to Virginia and RONAN, grandson extraordinaire.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Escapade 2007!!!!!!!!!!

Escapade has arrived and we are busy attending meetings and visiting with friends. We left Elkhart Campground early Sunday morning and were really worried about pulling out and getting stuck. Gita assured us the ground was solid under us, but we weren't so sure. Turns out she was right. Terry did back Phaeton Place up a bit as there was just grass behind us and then started out and kept going till he was on solid ground. Didn't even make any ruts at the site.

We led a caravan of three. . . we had Bill and Helen behind us and Gene and Marianne. We got to the fairgrounds ahead of a long entourage and got parked in good order. The only problem was we thought we would all be able to park together, but we were in a full hookup area and the others weren't, so we were separated, but we are still close by. BUT, we are parked right next to a couple in a new Phaeton who we met at Red Bay this past June. . . it is indeed a small world.

Sunday night's entertainment was Pantasia, a steel drum band from Findley, Ohio. We have heard them before at previous Escapades and they are wonderful. The kids enjoy performing and they do a very good job. They compete nationally and do very well.

We haven't won any door prizes yet. I keep thinking it's our turn, but I guess it doesn't work that way.

The mosquitoes have been miserable. . . or I should say they are making US miserable. It started to rain last night and rained throughout the night, but not hard. This morning we awoke to much cooler weather, sunshine. . . and best of all . . . NO MOSQUITOES. Well, at least fewer of the little biters.

We attended several sessions today and enjoyed them. Tomorrow we have some more on our list, then we have to run out and get our new glasses.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Ronan, et al. . .

Last week we left Goshen with Mom and Dad. They drove their motorhome separately and we drove to Virginia to see Jocelyn, Tom and Ronan. We spent one night on the road at Gallipolis, Ohio, and then drove on to Misty Mountain Campground in Crozet, Virginia. We arrived around 4:30 in the afternoon and got busy setting up camp.

Jocelyn and Ronan surprised us as we were registering, so Great Grandma Alice and Ronan got to meet for the first time. We got a good visit in. The week was spent doing a lot of visiting and helping the kids with their new kitchen. We just cannot get enough of our grandson. He is such a cutie. And Jericho, the poodle, was a real treat. He is so good and loves the baby. He likes to play with his toys and knows them all by name. The last night we all got together for a group shot. Four generations!

Friday morning we broke camp and start back to Indiana. We have a pre-Escapade rally this week and the Escapade next week, so we will be busy. We spent the night in Gallipolis, Ohio, then back to Goshen.

We spent the night at the house in Goshen, then gave Phaeton Place and the truck a much needed bath before heading to the Elkhart Campground and the Escapade Pre-Rally. While we were outside washing the rig, I took this shot of the Goodyear blimp, apparently traveling back from the Notre Dame/Georgia Tech game. We also had a visitor in the lawn mower bay. I tried most of the morning to lure him out to no avail. Finally I called Jocelyn and she told me what to do. He apparently was attracted by the red gas cans in the bay, so I took them down off the shelf and lined them up on the floor going out the door. It took about a half hour, but I stepped back in just in time to see him fly down from the ceiling and duck under the open garage door and fly to freedom. He had to be one tired bird, so I hope he found the neighbor’s feeder.

We made it to the camp and site 408 by 4:30 in the afternoon. We are safely set for the week looking forward to some festivities with the group. We got to see several friends we have missed over the summer. . . Bill and Helen, Janice and Dean, Nick and Terry, and of course. . . SPAM. Pictures will follow, but the mosquitos drove us inside last evening. We didn’t have any when we were here earlier in the summer, but they have gotten so much rain that the population has exploded.

Till next time. . .

Dale