Tecumseh, Michigan

We are camped in the Indian Creek Campground near Tecumseh, Michigan. We shopped at Cabela's last night and today went to Ann Arbor where we did some more shopping.

Tomorrow we are leaving here and driving to Goshen, Indiana, where we will catch up on some maintenance on the apartments and visit with family.

We have had a nice few weeks and saw a lot of country we had never seen before. I had never spent time in the UP of Michigan and it is quite beautiful. We got some great pictures of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron as well. We also spent time in our adopted state of South Dakota. We had originally planned to spend more time out in the Black Hills, but the 3-digit temperatures predicted scared us off. According to other friends who were there, it was quite miserable. So we have enjoyed mild temperatures on our travels.

We will be in Goshen for about a month, then we will head to Virginia to see our grandson again. It is hard to stay away from him. He is changing so much every day. Fortunately, his other Grandma, Gr. Sharon, gets to see him a little more frequently and keeps me updated and sends me new pictures. He is one loved little guy.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Playing Catch-Up!

Well, well, well. I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. Ugh. We left Sioux Falls and drove to Morton, Wisconsin, to an Indian Casino campground. From there we drove to Minneapolis to another Indian Casino. In case you are seeing a pattern here, you ARE. The pattern is not that we gamble a lot (we don't). It's just that the Indian casinos generally have nice campgrounds and they are usually very reasonable.

Terry took me to the Mall of America. I had never been there and I had always wanted to see it. We walked the ENTIRE mall. It really doesn't look much different than any other, except for the amusement park in the middle, but it is much, much larger. When Terry had been there years before when he was working, the mall was out in the middle of nowhere. Not so now. We also spent some time at IKEA which was right across the street. We also visited Camping World and Cabela's while we were there. We had a very nice time.

Once we left Minneapolis, we headed across Minnesota and into Wisconsin. What a nightmare. Wisconsin doesn't have many campgrounds that will accommodate 40 foot motorhomes. Oh, they SAY they will, but they just can't. We have several scratches to rub out on the sidewalls. The problem is that once you start down a one-way road that is very narrow, there is no way out except to keep going. We finally did find a nice campground, but had to drive several miles out of our way to get there. It was north of Green Bay, near Crandon, Wisconsin.

Leaving there we headed to the UP. We camped in the Island Resort and Casino campground in Harris near Escanaba, Michigan. Another nice campground for $15 a night. Once we left there, we headed across US2 to St. Ignace, Michigan. Last night we camped on the northern shore of Lake Michigan within sight of the Mackinaw Bridge. This morning we traversed the bridge. I am not thrilled about crossing bridges. I love to view them, but would just as well take a land route. That was really not feasible. At least when we left this morning, the wind was extremely calm and there were no waves at all on the straights. It was an enjoyable crossing and I was glad to be on the other side.

We came down US23 along the eastern side of Michigan along Lake Huron. We stopped at one roadside park right on the water and visited with another couple who were "camped" there. The fellow was an enjoyable guy who snorkles the waters and looks for rock formations that are remnants of the ice age. He talked at length about how the great lakes were formed and how the "pudding" rocks were created. Then we talked about the bridge and he was amazing with his facts about how far the bridge can sway and how far it can bend in. He said it would take roughly a 600 mph wind to blow it down. . . in other words, it ain't gonna' happen.

We drove on looking for another campground and passed several up before stopping at AuGres, Michigan. This is city park and we have full hookups. It is $26 a night, but only 30 amp.

We found out last year that Michigan has increased their camping fees and the state parks are really quite high. One we stopped at was $26 for w/e, plus $8 entrance fee. And at that, the trees were a problem on the road. The private camps have for the most part increased their fees since they don't have to compete with the state parks. Makes it an expensive state for the occasional traveler.

We are headed down toward Dundee tomorrow to Cabela's and we do have a Passport Park reserved for tomorrow. Another wide open site so our Datastorm will work. Have had problems getting open sites!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

On the way to Sioux Falls, we drove through the town of LeMars, Iowa, which bills itself as the Ice Cream Capital of the World. It is the home of "Blue Bunny" ice cream and they make more ice cream there in one day than anywhere else in the world. It takes 75,000 cows to produce the milk needed on a DAILY basis. Wow. That's a lot of cows.

We arrived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Thursday afternoon. We had a list of things we needed to do and so we got set up at the fairgrounds and proceeded to run into town and started checking things off the list. We had to go to the Treasurer's office to change some boat trailer titles to SD. We got in there and there was a pretty good line, so we were prepared to wait. They had 12 windows open and we were surprised when a lady came out of the office and called to us. In addition to those 12 windows, they had several more people in the office and we got right in. It took less than 20 minutes to get Phaeton Place's plates and the Sport Trac's plates renewed and get new titles applied for on the boat trailers and their plates as well. Then we were off to Alternative Resources to get our mail and to the insurance agent in the same building to pay some insurance. We didn't have to go to SD to do any of these things, but since we were there, we were able to take care of them.

We met at 9 am Friday morning with our attorney who is adding some amendments to our wills and trust to make them legal in South Dakota. We are using the Thompson Law firm and they are very good. Very personable and we feel we are going to enjoy our association with them.

There is a Honda Gold Wing rally in Sioux Falls over the weekend, so the fairgrounds was filling up with attendees and vendors who were in town for the festivities. We drove on down to the Falls Park, where the rally is being held and strolled around the grounds. When we were last here, we visited the park at night, so it looks a lot different during the day.

We left Sioux Falls Saturday morning and drove to the Jackpot Indian Casino in Morton, Minnesota. We met the neighbors who are "Teton" people. Got a beautiful Teton 5er and were very friendly. We were chatting after supper before we went over to the casino. Our dogs were outside and Neal had a seizure. Because of that, we had to wait a couple hours until we knew the danger of his having another seizure had passed. Neal was a real trooper and we managed to keep it down to just the one. We left about 2 hours later and went to the casino. The slots here are really tight. We had gotten some free money for camping in their park and I got $5 because it is my birthday month. We both spent our free money and $5 more a piece. In less than an hour we had lost that. We don't mind losing, but I at least like to be entertained. This didn't even qualify for that. So we left.

I stayed up till midnight keeping tabs on Neal, but he was fine. Today we went back and tried again. We had free money again. . . good thing they do this, because we wouldn't be playing here otherwise. Once we lost that, we were out the door.

We went to the town of Redwood Falls and visited the Ramsey Falls in the city park. Very nice park and the falls were quite impressive in spite of the dry summer they are having. We also visited their county historical society which is housed in a building that was built as the "poor" farm. It is an impressive building and they have the various rooms set up to display period items.

Later when we returned back to the reservation, we visit the Lower Sioux Agency Historic Site. It gives a history of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. It is a small museum, but well planned and gives a good description of life in the area during that time.

Tomorrow we are leaving here and traveling about 90 miles to the Mystic Lake Casino area south of Minneapolis, where we are going to do some shopping and sightseeing.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Barge coming through!!!!!!

Last night we camped in the Fishermen's Corner COE park in Hampton, Illinois, near East Moline. It is right on the Mississippi River and the areas along the river were very neat for the most part. They were nicely groomed and well kept. We drove up and down the river roads on both sides. There were a lot of tugboats with barges. This morning we went dockside at a small town north of the camp and watched this barge come through.

Later we drove across into LeClaire, Iowa, the birthplace of Buffalo Bill Cody. They have a small museum there which contains memoribilia of his days with the Wild West Show. The home where he was born was actually sold at one time and relocated in Cody, Wyoming. They are trying to raise money to build a replica on the actual property. A homestead where he spent time in his youth is a short drive out in the country and they have buffalo in the field there. There is also an old dredging boat, the Lonestar, they have dry docked at the museum. They are raising funds to refurbish it. It was orginally built as a side wheeler, but was converted to a stern wheeler.

We broke camp and drove over to the Amana Colonies in Iowa and are camped at the RV park there. The park is very large. . . over 400 sites with full hookups. They honor Passport America for 2 nights, so it's $28 for the 2 nights. We drove around the area, going through ALL the colonies, Amana, East Amana, Middle Amana, High Amana, West Amana, South Amana and Homestead. They were formed by a group seeking religious freedom. They were originally from Germany and bought land here to build their communal utopian society. The colonies are still owned by the Amana Society and it appears they have tight control over the maintenance of the communities to keep them as original as possible. In other words, you don't see Wally World or McDonald's on the corner here. It is actually quite refreshing and an historial bit of Americana you don't see anywhere else. I recommend visiting if you haven't done so. It is not crowded right now and you don't have to fight for space in the parking lots or the shops. One of the business started by the colonies was refrigeration and this is the birthplace of the Amana appliances. Whirlpool has now bought Amana and the people here are worried that Whirlpool will leave the area. Tomorrow we are going to visit a few more of the shops. Today it was the wine and cheese and meat shops. Heh heh.

Many of you have been asking about Bailey, my black Scottish Terror. Apparently his lung disorder was pneumonia and nothing more serious. Well, pneumonia is serious, but treatable, and Bailey is responding well to the treatment. He is definitely acting more like his old self and eating well now. He barks occasionally, something he didn't do when he was really sick. I hope he continues to improve.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Update on Bailey, the Scottish Terror

I called the vet for an appointment this morning. They would see him at 9 a.m. I crated Neal and took Bailey in to the doctor. BTW, Bailey again ate some boiled hamburger and all 3 pills, stuffed into chunks of pork loin. Yesssss!

The vet was very nice and Bailey was very good too. The vet wanted to do blood work. Had trouble getting blood out of both front legs as his veins kept collapsing, but he said that was typical of a sick dog. He finally got it out of his neck and Bailey didn't flinch. His regular vet says he always puts on a brave front. We went over treatment options. Clearly it could be pneumonia and the present treatment is appropriate. By eating now, it could mean he is feeling better and the meds are helping and will handle the lung. If he doesn't get better, we are probably looking at a cancer and he went over some diagnostic and treatment options. We had decided we would not do anything with that other than keep him comfortable and loved. I don't want Bailey's last days to be of pain, needles and strangers. He is 11, a purebred Scottie and while I know people with older Scotties, they are the exception.

The vet called back later in the morning. Ruled out heart worm. Even though we have him on preventative, it was appropriate to test since my vet doesn't usually as long as we are diligent with the treatment. His white cell count is elevating, although still in a normal range, which I take to mean we probably got this fairly early--if it is pneumonia. We talked about Valley Fever in the office this morning, since we wintered in Arizona. Vet is somewhat familiar, but researched more and looked at a couple markers in the blood which are known to be affected by VF and nothing was out of the ordinary, so he didn't think that was necessary to pursue, unless I specifically wanted to. We left Arizona after February this year because we were TOO COLD, and I think we probably would have seen a problem before this.

We are scheduled to leave for South Dakota Sunday and the vet didn't see a problem. Did ask me to stop by and get more meds as he thought 10 days was not quite enough. So he will get better this week and we know we are probably fighting pneumonia or he will get worse and we will love him as long as we can. We will watch him closely this week and see which way he goes. Bailey is currently sunning himself on the deck with Neal. It is warm but nice and cool in the shade.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Work is SOOOOOOO overrated.

We have been back in Goshen/Elkhart for a week now and the floor in the kitchen at the house is done. It was supposed to have been done while we were gone, but the floor techhie didn't get to it. It only took 2 evenings. Terry went over and played "go-fer" so it saved the guy time reaching for material. The floor, which is a hickory laminate is absolutely gorgeous. It is far more beautiful than I had imagined it would be. We also put in new appliances and it is all put back together. I will post a picture later. . . I keep forgetting the camera. We have several long runners in there for Neal, our handicapped Scottie. He cannot walk on a smooth surface, so we decided to put in some rugs he could walk on.

We leave Elkhart campground tomorrow. Phaeton Place goes into the Freightliner dealer at 7 a.m. for a scheduled service and I will take the boys over to the house. We will hang out there continuing to work on a couple things. New garage doors are scheduled this month and then we will be done for the year. . . other than just sorting through more junk! Sunday we leave for South Dakota. We are going "home" to get some legal stuff in order.

We do have another problem that has surfaced. Our 11-year old Scottish Terror, Bailey, is sick. I had him at the emergency vets yesterday and his chest xray shows a right lung that is very sick. Could be pneumonia, which is what I am hoping. He won't, however, takes his meds. He refused food yesterday, but did eat a little this morning. I am going to try and get him into a vets here in Goshen tomorrow and see what else can be done. He is coughing up some foamy blood.

Just had a visit from my parents. It was good to see them. It is nice to be close enough for family visits.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Computers!

I am breaking in a new computer and don't have all my picture files moved. My Averatec, 2 1/2 years old is burning up. I actually burned up a "cool mat" with it and got another, but it is heating up so much after an hour or so that it shuts itself off. Averatec's customer service said, "Sorry, it's out of warranty." No discussion of where I could take it, etc., to get it fixed. . . so I told them I wouldn't buy another piece of crap from them. . . I would go buy a good computer. I truly am not sure one exists. I liked the Averatec because it was very small and didn't weigh much, but I guess I sacrificed for that. It just didn't have room to exhaust much air and I wanted to quit using it before I lost data.

In other news, I am fighting cellulitis in my leg for the third time since March. This time it is down at my ankle. More painful than before and my ankle is swelled. Was to the doctor yesterday. Will see how it goes with the meds.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Back in the Land of Taxes!

Terry subbing for Dale.


We're back at Elkhart Campground in Elkhart, Indiana, arriving yesterday (Sunday) after an uneventful 2 day trip from Virginia. We like the campground here since it's the closest to the apartments, plus a lot of our travelling friends hang out over here, when in the area.

We'll be here waiting for two weeks working on getting an empty apartment rented and getting the house back in order after new flooring in the kitchen in Goshen. South Dakota is on our list for late in the month to tie up some questions on our trust and a visit to our home state.

While in Virginia had spent four days at Misty Mountain Campground near Crozet, VA to be close to Jossie, Tom and Ronan. Close means 12-15 miles in this case, so it usually meant trip to town then back to feed the Scotties dinner and back to town in the evening.

Tom is growing a beard, since he now has started his family with the birth of Ronan in the true Amish tradiation of Jossie's ancestors on her mom's side.

Ronan is growing fast, holding his head up, smiling, cooing and testing his lungs on occasion. Dale spent much of our time in Pigeon Forge buying up outfits at the three Carter's outlets, needless to say Ronan won't have to be a nudist at this point in his life. I must admit that I added 3 more outfits to her dozen or so while Dale was getting her hair done at the Charlottesville Mall. The final layout on the kitchen remodel at Jossie and Tom's has been set, now all I need is a few answers from Ikea on fillers and the like. Our next trip to Charlottesville should be in late August for this project..

I'm off early for an oil change at Wally World for the Sport Track, then to Goshen for some yard work.

Till next time. . .

Terry

Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg

Boy is it hot. . . and has been for several days. We spent last week in Red Bay, Alabama, getting work done on Phaeton Place. The work was completed mostly in two days, then we waited on the electricians to work on the King Dome and then do the refrigerator service. We renewed friendships of people we had met there before. It’s almost like a reunion when you go there. In fact, we parked right next to people we were parked next to the last time we were there. Imagine that. We also made some new friends and we all share information on campgrounds and restaurants. We met another couple going full time who lived in northern Indiana, so we got to know them.

We left Friday morning and were going to drive half way to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, but gave that up after looking at two campgrounds. One was on the side of a hill, and if we had stepped out of the coach, well. . . let’s just say that first step would be a lu-lu. So we drove on. The next place wasn’t much better, so we broke our cardinal rule of 2-2-2 and drove on into Pigeon Forge. We called ahead and got a campsite. It’s a Passport park, but not on the weekends, but the owner said he would split the difference with us, so it is costing $20/night for 50 Amp FHU. Not too bad for this tourist trap. It’s a level site and away from the hustle and bustle of Highway 441. This is called Walden Creek Campground and right next door is Creekside Campground, also a Passport park. This road is right off Wears Valley Road, but you don’t want to go on past the two campgrounds because it is a mountain road. We went out that way with the SportTrac yesterday. That was fine, but it would be a bit scary in the motorhome.

We have been doing a little shopping, mainly at the Carter’s outlets here (there are 3). Since we are leaving here tomorrow and going to Virginia to see the kids and Ronan, decided we couldn’t go empty handed. Ho ho. We went up to Sevierville this morning and shopped a little as well, but it was so crowded and hot that we went out for lunch and then came back to watch the Nascar race. For those of you who haven’t been here for awhile, basically the road from the Interstate (I-40) is built up now on both sides with shops, tourist traps, and venues. There are more and more musical venues, like Branson, starting north of Sevierville on down to Pigeon Forge. I would say from I-40 to the start of the Smokey Mountain National Park, there is mostly entertainment. All kinds of activities, hotels, condos, campgrounds, restaurants, shops, etc. Then going on the parkway over to Gatlinburg there is nothing until you get to Gatlinburg, which is mostly shops but now there is a large aquarium and a Ripley’s, etc. Not as much entertainment as you will find in Pigeon Forge, but a lot more shops. I think we may go back over there tonight.

Traffic was very bad this morning, but a lot of people were leaving, as northbound traffic was much worse. This afternoon I was out for a bit and it wasn’t quite as bad. Tomorrow should be a good time to leave.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Phaeton Place is home again!

We are back in Red Bay, Alabama, birthplace of Phaeton Place. We arrived this morning in anticipation of getting the rig washed and in place in time to watch the Nascar race. We didn't need to be in such a hurry. It is 4:15 p.m. now and the race has just started, having been rain delayed for 2 hours. We had an appointment, so we go into Bay 2 at 7 a.m. Hopefully after a couple days we will be on our way, which will take us to Charlottesville, Virginia, to see Ronan, our 6 week old grandson. I can't wait to see him.

We had an enjoyable few days in Mississippi. We camp there at Piney Grove Campground at Bay Springs Lake. It is a nice camp, really busy with a lot of kids on the weekends but we have 50 amp there with water, so we are comfortable. Friday we drove the Natchez Trace over to Tupelo to get a few groceries and then stopped by Uncle Bob's later in the afternoon. We chatted with him for an hour or so, then headed home to the campground. The reunion yesterday was not as well attended as it has been in the past, but we still did get to see lots of relatives and catch up on what everyone has been doing in the past year. The food was great as usual and it was good to see everyone again.

We left in the afternoon and came home and spent time with the dogs and fed them supper, then headed back in to Shirley's to see her, Aunt Teen and Gary and Jo. Gary and Jo live in Louisiana and their place is always a stopping point for us on the way west in the fall and the way back east in the spring. Gary is a charter fishing captain and has several charters this week. He was anxious to get back fishing. They are building a house up on posts over the water at Leeville, Louisiana, and it looks like they will have it finished before long. If you want to go fishing, he promises you a great time. We have been there and plan to go back sometime. Check it out. . . Lewis and Harp . . . ask for Captain Gary.

We are settled in at Red Bay for the night and tomorrow will be getting coach work done.

Till next time. . .

Dale

One of my favorite places . . .

We arrived at Dale Hollow Lake, Obey River Campground, early this afternoon. We had rented storage here for our boat and jetski and for the last couple days have been driving separately towing both boats down here. Since we no longer live in Indiana, it just didn't make any sense to keep them there. We rented storage here at Sunset Dock and Marina which is where we have been coming the last several years.

We were surprised when we came across Lake Cumberland because it is down quite a bit. We learned later there is a problem with the dam and it may be 8 years before they get it redone or fixed or whatever. Dale Hollow, on the other hand, is way higher than we have ever seen it and there are some sites in the campground that are right now in the lake! They created some boat parking in one of the play fields because the parking lot is partially under water and the ramp and pier at the far end of the parking lot are pretty much unusable.

We did a lot of running around getting the things we use when we store our boat. . . moth balls and damp rid. And then we had to wash the jetski. Pulling it behind the motorhome just covered it in dirt and mud. But we got it all cleaned up and ready to put the cover back on. We also will be going to the courthouse tomorrow and getting the new Tennessee registration for the boats as we no longer wish to license them in Indiana. So it was a long day with a lot of running around for us, but it is almost done and the boats will be here in case we swing through sometime and want to go out on the lake.

Tomorrow morning we head toward Mississippi. We will be staying at Piney Grove Campground again on Bay Springs Lake. It is a nice lake and we have thought we might eventually bring our boats down there. The reunion is Saturday and so we will be able to visit with some family before. We always enjoy seeing everyone again.

Till next time. . .

Dale

On the road again . . .

My tooth, aka ex-tooth, is healing well and all the pain I have had with it over the past year is gone. Let that be a lesson. . . root canals do not always save teeth. I believe now that when I first damaged this tooth, I broke it; so there was no saving it no matter what they did to it. You cannot save a cracked tooth. The dentists don't want you to know that and will continue to treat, treat, treat until you finally say. . . enough is enough.

While we were in Goshen, we did manage to get a lot accomplished. We got the kitchen painted in the main house and got a new dishwasher. Took out the other appliances and got it ready for the new laminate floor to be laid. I hope it doesn't look too dark when it is all finished, but with the skylight, I think it will look good. We also plan to put a large rug and maybe some small runners in because our handicapped Scottie, Neal, cannot walk on slick floors.

We are currently south of Berea, Kentucky, at Renfro Valley Campground. We came here because we are towing both the boat and the jetski. They don't have any venues tonight, so their parking lot in front of the campground is empty, except for our boats. I am breathing a little easier tonight because I don't like driving separately. We don't ever drive too many miles or hours in a day, but I still like having my driving "partner" handy. I am driving the SportTrac and towing the Wellcraft boat. Terry is driving Phaeton Place towing the jetski. We are just 90 miles from the lake now. We are headed to Dale Hollow Lake to our newly rented storage bay at Sunset Dock near Byrdstown, Tenneessee. The last few times we have been there, we have been at Sunset Dock. We can rent a slip there for the boat and jetski and they have a COE park there where we camp for half price. The state dock where we used to go has never upgraded their dockage facilities and when they added their resort, we never were able to get a slip. In our youth, we used to put the boat in/out of the water every day, but now we prefer to put it in a slip.

We have really been busy the last few weeks at the house because we also had an apartment to get ready to rent. Most of the work there is done now and when we get back the main job will be to get a new tenant. Hopefully that will go quickly.

Till next time. . .

Dale

The Tooth is GONE!!!!!

After spending the weekend in pain, I finally got in to see the endodontist this morning. He started by telling me he was going to numb it and then repack the tooth. I started by telling him no. I didn't want to do anything else with the tooth. Surprisingly he didn't argue and said that extraction was certainly an option. Said he would refund half the money I had paid and made an appointment with the oral surgeon next door for 3:15 this afternoon. We went back home and worked on some more "stuff." I was back at the oral surgeon's at 3:00, got the paperwork filled out and told him how scared I was. He was very nice, told me exactly what would happen and amazingly I sat through it quite well. I don't want to do it everyday, but it wasn't bad. It hurts now, but I am hoping once it is healed the pain I had will be gone and my mouth will be back to normal.

Thanks to all of you for your well wishes and concerns. I am so glad I got it done today. I couldn't believe they got me in today to do it, but looks like we are on schedule to leave Sunday as originally planned.

We painted the kitchen and laundry room Monday. Once we leave next week, the floor guy is coming to lay the laminate floor. That should be such a big difference and should really spruce the house up. We are going to do more work on it, but we just try to do a little bit each time we are here.

When we leave Sunday we are going to Dale Hollow Lake to take the boat and jetski. We are storing them at Sunset Dock so hopefully we will be able to use them when we make a trip through periodically.

From there we go to the family reunion in Mississippi, then on to Red Bay for coach work. Then we will head to Charlottesville to see grandson Ronan.

Hope all is well with you.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Family Album

This weekend, our son, Brandon, flew from his home in Florida to Charlottesville, Virginia, to see his new nephew. He and Jocelyn had not seen each other for a couple years, I think. They are both busy with their lives and live about 1100 miles apart, so they don't get to see each other too much. We are going to spend this winter in Florida so perhaps we will all get to see each other and actually spend a little time together.

Brandon had also not ever met Jericho, the standard rescue poodle. He is a very nice dog and his first home was actually around children, so he is very good with kids. He is doing well with the new addition to the family and still gets included on family outings.

Jocelyn and Tom took Brandon to see a few sites around Charlottesville, which is close to the Shenandoah mountains and valley. They are close to both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive so they don't have to go far for scenic views.

I am here nursing a bad tooth. Anyone with any experience with root canals? I had a broken tooth--one that didn't hurt--but the dentist said it required a root canal and crown. So last year in May I had a root canal and crown done. Then it hurt. . . not a lot, but it was annoying. The endodontist last week retreated the root canal, which means he re-did it. Now I am having excruciating pain. He did it on Wednesday and Friday as I was eating a soft piece of bread, something happened and it felt like someone was driving a nail through my tooth with a hammer. Now I cannot eat. Chewing on the other side causes pain on the bad tooth. Course, it happened Friday night at 6 and the endodontist closed for the holiday weekend at 5. I still left a message, but no one has called back. If I take a Tylenol3, then don't eat or move my mouth, I can get buy. I can press up under my chin and feel pain. I can TOUCH the tooth on any surface and I have pain. Now, mind you, the dentist said he didn't see ANYTHING that would be causing my discomfort as he re-did the root canal. I am leaning toward having it pulled this week if I can get in somewhere as we are scheduled to leave Sunday for a month. The problem is that it is my back molar and the one in front of it may not be real strong. Dentists today don't want you to pull anything, but I am not going to put more money toward more pain. And if the endodontist couldn't find anything wrong with it before, what is he going to do to "fix" that which he cannot find? I have not had any luck finding emergency dentists in the Goshen/Elkhart area, so I guess I am waiting till tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Till next time. . .

Dale

An “Unofficial Gathering”

We made plans to join other friends at the Elkhart Campground at least until the mosquitos started biting. We arrived a little late; they almost started the party without us. We gathered in front of the Teton of Smokey and Pam and joined them, Nick and Terry Russell (Gypsy Journal). Nick modeled his new dew rag for us. Also at the gathering were Rocky and Bernie Frees. Rocky does all kinds of RV Service and Bernie is a masseuse and gave me a wonderful massage yesterday afternoon. I had the misfortune of having a root canal done in the morning and I was pretty stressed out.

We sampled Miss Terry’s rice crispy treats which were very good. Bailey, Smokey and Pam’s black Lab, did the dishes. She likes paper plates, cups, etc., and picked up most of them and plopped down on the ground amid her trophies. Buster, the Cocker, kept us apprised of when other dogs in the campground were around.

Pam was complaining about some chest pains she was having. Not sure what was causing them. Okay, okay. Pam is fine. Buster was sitting on her chest and if you look at the picture, you can see why she was complaining. Hah. Pam is NOT really having chest pains. She just had Buster sitting on her chest.

We talked about what we were all going to be doing in the next couple days. Some were going to FMCA in Berrien Springs, Michigan, some to a show in Valpo, some to Ohio, and we are at our “workcamping assignment” for the summer. That is what we have decided to call our apartment maintenance that we do for a few days every summer. We are putting in a new floor in one, new garage doors and stoop carpeting in 2, and hopefully will get the windows painted on all the apartments this summer. We won’t do much of it, but we have stuff to pick out and people to hire.

We have finally quit playing airbed roulette. We like sleeping on air and took the plunge to what we thought was the “ultimate” in air bed sleeping. We purchased a Select Comfort Sleep Number bed. Worst sleep we have ever had. It is boxed back up and awaiting the UPS man to send it on its way. We went back to LinenNThings and exchanged for our third AeroBed. We really like the AeroBed but have had difficulty with them leaking. But we still like them a whole lot better than the Sleep Number bed. On a lighter note, Terry bought Sirius Radio for the Sport Trac. We have it in the motorhome and really like it, so they had a pretty good deal going and he got it. I told him he has so many extra gadgets in the car now that the battery will probably run down going down the road. Hah.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Back here again in Indiana

Okay, okay, okay. . . I don’t like being back in Indiana because it means work, work, work. We have an empty apartment we need to get cleaned and ready. The cleaning won’t be bad as the former tenant left it in good shape. We also plan on doing a lot of redecorating on the main house this summer starting with a new floor in the kitchen and new appliances . . . new stove and new dishwasher. Want to paint the entire inside and get rid of some really awful wallpaper the in-laws put up over 20 years ago.

We arrived back here on Sunday, the week before Mother’s Day. We parked Phaeton Place in the side yard and drove down to Claypool to see my sister and her husband and Mom and Dad. Nita and Jim built a big new house in a woods and Mom and Dad have a new park model parked near the house in the woods. Mom and Dad moved in after returning home from Texas this year and they really have their place fixed up . It is really nice and a much nicer atmosphere than had developed where they last lived. And they are close to Nita and Jim should they ever need help.

Mother’s Day we spent back down there and all of Nita’s kids and grandkids came along with the grandkids’ other grandparents. We had a pitch-in dinner and way too much food, but boy was it good! We got to meet "Delta," niece Kellie's newest rescue, a retired racing greyhound. We visited for a time afterwards, then headed back to the house and our dogs.

Tuesday this week, we drove Phaeton Place down to Summit Lake State Park near where we used to live (Mooreland, Indiana). The park was at one time a county park and the state purchased it years ago. In all of its infinite wisdom, the state took a park that had a campground filled to capacity every week and weekend of the season and jacked up the prices to where there are fewer than 20 units in here at this point. Last year we were here numerous times and it was always the same. I don’t understand why they don’t lower the price and get people in here to fill it up. We are here because it is convenient to where we had to go and while more than we like to pay, we are doing less driving the truck while here. We had hair appointments in New Castle, then Terry’s doctor appointment. All is well there. Then we met our broker and today we had to go to Indy to see the cardiologist. Everything well there also. So we are free until the end of September when we head out again, this time hopefully AHEAD of the cold weather and snow. We took the dogs in today for Bailey’s yearly and the vet checked Neal over since his recent surgery. He said Bailey has a very strong heart and will probably live another 10 years. Those of you who know Bailey will be pleased at that! We also made a trip over to Modoc to get our boat out of storage. Don’t know where we are going to put it, but we will have to find someplace.

We are headed back to northern Indiana tomorrow and will try to get started on the apartments before leaving the first week in June for Mississippi. We are going to the Pace-Stevens family reunion on June 9. After the reunion we are going to Red Bay for some service work on Phaeton Place.

We are well but suffering greatly from “Ronan and Jericho withdrawal.” I think after Red Bay we are going to make a quick run to Charlottesville. Not sure after that, but we are going to work in a trip home to South Dakota sometime after that.

Till next time. . .

Dale

And so we say Goodbye to Ronan. . . for now.

We spent our last afternoon with Ronan yesterday. I babysat while Terry took Jocelyn shopping. It was raining and I certainly preferred keeping the baby inside. Babies are just so precious. They are so dependent on us for everything, but they give us back so much love. Probably don't think so when they give us poopy diapers and crying, but that is what being a baby is all about. Jocelyn and Tom are such great parents. They have waited a long time to be called Mom and Dad, and they are enjoying having a baby in the household. Even Jericho, their standard Poodle, likes Ronan. He is getting plenty of attention too, and isn't jealous. He is a rescue and his first home was with children, so I am sure he is looking forward to the time when Ronan can actually play with him.

We drove a long day today, but hey, you can't park a 40 foot motorhome in West Virginia. They don't have 40 level feet in that entire state. So we are just across the Ohio river in Gallipolis, Ohio. This is a very nice campground at the fairgrounds. It is almost empty and has full 50A hookups for $15. So if you ever find yourself in this area and need a place to stay, check it out. Tomorrow we have reservations at Camp Pull-Tab. It's expensive there, but the company is superb.

I am leaving you with our last pictures of Ronan and us.



Till next time. . .

Dale

Looking for Love in all the Right Places!

You just can't love a baby too much, that's for sure. We have been visiting every day, trying not to make a nuisance of ourselves. Tom is back working and since he works at home, we don't want to distract him from that. Yesterday Jocelyn took Ronan to the doctor. We were outside and missed the phone call asking if we could take her and the baby. By the time we knew they were going, they were gone. Ronan has developed a bright red rash and Jocelyn took him to have it looked at. The doctor said it was the "new baby" rash that most newborns get and they just checked to make sure he didn't have a temperature, which he didn't. It doesn't seem to bother him so that is good. It is mainly on his arms, but the doctor said it will likely spread before it goes away. He is steadily gaining weight. . . he had gained 8 ounces from Friday to Tuesday, so she was happy with that.

When they got back, we arrived and I got to babysit while Terry took Jocelyn out to run some errands. They were gone over an hour, so I got some quality time with Ronan. He is so cute. Still mainly sleeps, but has some periods of time after he eats, usually, where he just likes to look around. He has blue eyes and dark hair and usually only fusses when he needs changing or if he's hungry. I get to babysit again today. Jocelyn is anemic and she was not able to have any iron infusions while she was pregnant and she is going today for the first of two. I'm glad we can help her out with this as Tom is working and I wouldn't want her to have to take the baby with her. It can take anywhere from 1-3 hours. Terry is going to drop her off and go get her when she is done.

Yesterday the contractors finished with the work at the house from the tree falling. The fence is fixed, the roof is done and beautiful, the new guttering is up, the cracked wallboard inside is patched, and the paint touch-up is finished. I thought they did a very nice job with everything. I know the kids would have preferred not having to do the roof in the middle of baby time, but it worked out well really; and if you are gonna' have a tree fall on your house, best let the insurance take care of it. They were fortunate that it didn't do more damage to the house, but enough to the roof that the insurance company replaced the entire thing. Here are before/after shots. The first one shows the tree laying across the back of the house.

I still haven't had any luck finding any property around here. I see plenty for sale and several parcels we would be interested in, but I guess realtors don't want any motorhomes around. They are throwing around words like "ordinances" and "zoning." Hmmmm. I think they assume I am going to start some sort of trailer city. There are a lot of "hunting" cabins which consist of travel trailers sitting in woods. . . . not sure what the difference would be.

I got up with the dogs this morning and let Terry sleep. He is upset that his satellite TV is pretty much gone now. When we arrived to the "wooded" campground, there were no leaves on the trees. Getting a signal was easy, but now that the trees are leafing out, his signal is gone and he cannot seem to get it back. Fortunately the Datastorm must be shooting through a couple branches up there as it is still working.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Looking for Land in all the Wrong Places!

We sure would like to be able to find a piece of ground in/around Charlottesville. We have been looking for 3 days, but haven't found anything. Realtors have given us leads, but nothing that will fit the bill.

The kids started getting their roof on yesterday. They had a tree fall on their house last week and damaged the overhang and decking, etc. It was bad timing, with the birth of Ronan imminent, but it definitely was a cloud with a silver lining. They needed a roof badly and the roof there was already two layers deep. The contractor who came and looked it over agreed with the adjuster that the only fix was a total new roof. The current roof has no vents either, so the new roof will have a ridge vent and a nice looking architectural shingle. They started yesterday but it rained all night, so they probably won't be doing much today. But they did get it covered good so they don't need to worry about water leaks.

We left the kids alone yesterday until Jocelyn called. Tom was really tired (heh, heh. . . could it be that new baby?) and wanted someone to take him to Sam's since he didn't have a card. So we went over and I held the baby to give Jocelyn a break and Tom and Terry went shopping. I found out he does not like wet or messiy diapers. . . he wants changed and he wants changed NOW! No matter, as Grandma is happpy to oblige. He is still just as cute as ever. They have to take him in this afternoon for a weigh in.

I have had a recurrence of the cellulitis in my leg. The doctor I saw in Florida only gave me meds for 7 days. I called my doctor in Indiana and he gave me an extension of the meds and then we have appointments in May, so he can check it then. It hasn't been real painful since I started treatment, but I do want to clear this infection up.

I am including a picture of the proud daddy with Ronan and one they took of Ronan. Seems they want to start his financial awareness early. Just look at the face on that baby!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Ronan!

Is he cute or what?

Our days are pretty much taken up with our new grandson. We have been having breakfast with Tom's parents, Tom and Sharon, and then we usually come back to the camp and let the dogs out. Then we spend the afternoon at Jocelyn and Tom's visiting with the baby and, of course, our granddog, Jericho. He likes to lick the baby. Terry says he is taste testing. Hah. He only gets upset when the baby cries. He thinks we have to do something NOW to stop the crying.

Details: Ronan Lynch
Born April 21, 2007
7 lbs. 1 oz.
19 3/4" long

Today Tom and Sharon go back to New Jersey because they have JOBS! Oops, sorry. We have been letting them have evenings with the kids because 6 adults is just too many in their house and we will be here for another week. So Tom and Sharon are getting quality time with little Ronan now and we can pick up the slack after they go back home.

We took Jocelyn over to UVA yesterday for some blood work. She is anemic and could not have any iron infusions when she was pregnant, so they wanted to see where her iron is now. She enjoyed getting outside for a bit. We took her to the health food store so she could pick up a few things. We were only gone an hour and Grandma Sharon took care of baby Ronan. He was peacefully asleep in her arms when we got back. He is such a good baby.

We are going out this morning and look at some property. It is so hard to get campsites here in Charlottesville. . . we are really down to one choice and that is the KOA. We are looking for a piece of ground where we can stay when we come down here.

Till next time. . .

Dale