Grandkids meet new Scotties!

Yesterday we went in to see the kids and ended up shopping at various places with Jocelyn and Ronan. We got MORE stuff we don't need or have room for. . . . this has GOT to end. The good news is that we are eating up a lot of leftovers and eating pretty well. Prior to getting here, we had made some dishes up with extra so we would have some decent meals that could be reheated quickly. That seems to be working out for us. Yesterday at World Market we got Terry's "almost" sodium free pizza crusts. We both love pizza, but that is what sent him to the hospital the last time (3 years ago) due to sodium overload, so we are extremely careful with any food now. We count every milligram of sodium for him. We still do pizza, but it is a different version that most people. Still, it can be very good and actually healthy!

Once we got back, we headed back to camp because we had left the girls for five hours and we are trying not to go over four. But they were very good girls and got an extra treat and a nice long walk when we arrived. Camp had filled up while we were gone and the game people are here. UVA plays Clemson this weekend for their homecoming game and the camp will be totally full. Lots of campfires, etc.

Later the kids came out because they wanted to meet the Butterscotch and Duchess. I knew they would be a hit and I wasn't disappointed. Butterscotch wants everyone to pet her and wants on everyone's lap. Once Jocelyn's lap was free of kids, Butterscotch moved in. She didn't waste any time! LOL Aenea loved Butterscotch and Butterscotch got a lick in or two. Aenea wasn't quite sure about that, but she survived! Even Ironman paid a visit!

Duchess is not the social butterfly that Butterscotch is, but she still got a lot of loving from everyone. Jocelyn had brought popcorn, so the dogs were into that. We didn't "feed" them, but there was an occasional kernal "dropped" so they got a good taste.

Today we are all going to a fall apple festival south of town. We will drive separately as it is down the road from where we are camped. It should be fun and may be able to buy a few apples or cider.

Till next time. . . 

Dale

It's grandkids time!!!!!!

Leaving northern Indiana did not go as smoothly as we had hoped. The rear furnace in Phaeton Place went out and we were having problems with the water delivery system. So the day we pulled out of camp, we took her in for repairs. One check valve replaced and a totally rebuilt furnace later, we took her back to the condo where we spent the night and finished loading the next morning before departing.

We made it to Charlottesville yesterday, Thursday, which was also Halloween. We visited with the kids shortly after our arrival because they had a busy afternoon and evening planned. We were so excited to see the grandkids and they seemed equally excited to see us, which is every grandparent's dream.

Aenea is still her adorable self and willingly goes to anyone who offers to hold her. I held her most of the time we were there and she fell asleep in my arms. Ronan showed me his farm he built on the iPad and then explained the things he is learning in homeschooling. He is learning quite a lot of math it seems and is working on reading and writing as well. His friend Stella goes to public school and is already bored with it, but Ronan seems to have fun learning and his parents are conscientious about teaching him.

While we were there, Ronan got dressed up in his Halloween costume because from 4-6, they go onto the UVA campus for Trick or Treat. The university/community participate and the children have fun gathering on the lawn and then can go room to room in the "historic" rooms to get candy. Each room is sponsored because there are thousands of children and Jocelyn said the sponsorships run in the range of $3-4,000, but each child receives treats and it is a fun and safe environment. University students dress up in costume and mingle with the visitors. It is a great time. We elected not to go because we are trying not to leave our "new" dogs longer than four hours at a time. But we got to see Ronan dressed and later when Aenea woke up from her nap, Tom got her into her costume and followed Jocelyn and her group to the lawn.

All is well here this morning

. It was raining here earlier, so we had to bring the dogs in early from their walk, but I am about to take them out again.

Till next time. . .

Dale

I'm baaaaaaack!

The trip to Texas is now history. On Sunday the 13th, Terry drove me down to Nita's and I spent the night there so we could leave there around 7:30 a.m. Otherwise I would have had to get up much, much earlier to make the hour-and-a-half drive down to where they all live. The goal was to get better sleep, but that didn't happen. Nita had me sleeping in the loft upstairs. Next I will opt for the theatre room which is dark, dark and quiet. They have a grandfather clock which chimes every 15 minutes and I was awake and ready for each chime after 2:30 a.m. Grrrrrr. I was ready to throw it out the window!

But I was ready to go on time. LOL I started out driving Dad in their car and Nita drove Mom in her Jeep. When we got to Indianapolis, we left her Jeep at the airport so when we came back a week later, it would be waiting for us. We made that connection fine, except Nita had to take the shuttle back to the parking lot because she had left her lights on. LOL A little OCD in the family never hurt anything. . . like sister, like sister. At least now I have someone with which to share my affliction.

We drove with the help of Nita's GPS and made it to Blytheville, Arkansas, the first night. Found a lovely Comfort Inn. We got Mom and Dad settled in, then we went to get them some takeout. Once they were fed and getting relaxed, Nita and I walked across the parking lot to a Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed a Margarita and a meal. It was very good. And I got a very good night's sleep that night, so I was good to go.

I started driving and drove a good part of the day Tuesday because there was a lot of rain. I don't mind driving in it and Nita said that was okay with her. We stopped at a Western Sizzlin' restaurant for lunch and that was quick and very good. Later in the day, Nita took over and continued the drive into Nacogdoches, Texas, where we found another Comfort Inn for the night. Once again, we went and got Mom and Dad some takeout and got them settled in their room. Then we went out to Subway and got some soup and salad.

Wednesday morning I took the wheel once again. We were just over 100 miles from Houston. Mom and Dad haven't gone through Houston in a couple years because they got confused the last time, but I wasn't worried. I drive Phaeton Place down through the middle of the city, so I was sure I could negotiate a car. We got to the 'burbs about 10:00 a.m. which turned out to be a good time to run through Houston. We just had to stay on 59 and it was a piece of cake. Traffic was good and moving and we made it through in about 20 minutes. Before we knew it, we were headed out of the city toward Victoria. We stopped at Buckee's for fuel and to browse and use the restrooms. It was a good, relaxing stop for everyone.

Nita took over from there and we continued on, thinking of where we could have lunch. I decided it would be fun to take them to Mumphfords BBQ in Victoria, and so we headed there. Trust me, it doesn't look like a place you would want to have lunch, but the food is excellent and even though it was packed when we got there, we found a table to sit Daddy down and the rest of us stood in line. Since the food is already prepared, the line goes very quickly. It was lunch time and lots of people in there were on their lunch hour. We placed our order and in a short time our food was in front of us. It was excellent as usual. A big thanks to The Texan and his wife for taking us there the first time. Great food and a great atmosphere. We sat at a table with some state troopers.

Nita continued the drive and brought us into the valley. We arrived at our place about 5:30 p.m. We were glad to get here, but the drive was really quite nice, even though Nita and I would have preferred to take it a little slower and spend an extra night on the road.

I immediately opened our Texas room. This is precisely why we built it and it was great. We made a short WalMart run that night and Nita and I bought breakfast and lunch stuff for us. That way we could get up and have breakfast and later lunch without being a burden on Mom. It worked perfectly. The Texas room was very comfortable for us. We had our bed, a kitchen for cooking, laundry and a full bathroom and TV!! Very comfy.

I met the neighbors who are already there or who stayed through the summer. It was a little mini-reunion. We were amazed at my cactus! Oh my! They have done so well over the summer. The flat bladed bushes were planted just this spring and were basically just 1 or 2 paddles I stuck in the ground. I guess you don't plant cactus unless you're SERIOUS! Woot! The "twins" are taller than me now and have several arms. "Red," my poinsettia has grown bushier instead of being all spread out. She doesn't have any red leaves yet, but that will change. I am anxious to see it all once again when we return in another month or so. There was a interesting bird nesting on the ground. We never did see any eggs or any little wee ones around. Does anyone know what kind of bird she is?

We spent several days getting Mom and Dad all tucked in and groceries bought, and played cards every night. It was great fun and we all had a good time.

All too soon, it was time to say our goodbyes. Since we had to get up at 3 a.m. to get to the airport at 5 a.m., we said our goodbyes the night before. It was hard to leave Mom and Dad, but they are where they want to be. We are glad they can still be there as well. Our flights were very smooth, both from McAllen to Houston and Houston to Indy. The little Jeep was patiently waiting for us upon our arrival in Indy.

We have been busy finishing up things here and getting the last minute packing done. We have been having some trouble with the motorhome furnaces. The back gas furnace won't light. It did yesterday, but conked out overnight. That is the furnace that heats the lower bays with the water tanks, so we have to have it looked at. Probably just bugs in the pipes.

Our plans are to leave the frozen north on Tuesday. It is cold up here now and we have seen snow and freezing rain. NOT to our liking, that's for sure.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Off we go. . .

We finally got the fall round of doctor appointments out of the way. We are back living in Phaeton Place and heading over to the condo every day working on getting an apartment ready to lease. The good news is that it is almost finished. Have to mop the floors. The carpets are being cleaned today. Yesterday we signed the lease. Whoo hoo. We actually had two good candidates this time which is very unusual. But one stood out a bit better than the other, so we were able to make a decision quickly.

We are having everything reappraised and, of course, our tenants worry that we are selling. Actually, we continue to get slammed on property taxes by the county who have our assessments ridiculously high. Getting a qualified appraisal should help with that and help us get the assessment where they need to be and thereby reduce our property taxes. The problem is that raising the rent is not a totally viable option because then they raise the taxes due to the increased rent. . . has to do with the "multiplier" they use. I have a hard time understanding it all and I'm sure they don't understand it either. So we are doing what we can on our end.

Mom and Dad have decided they will no longer make the drive to Texas on their own, but they are willing to let someone else drive them. Sister Nita and my niece were planning on it, but logistics proved difficult for my niece, so since we have some time before we head south, Terry told me to volunteer. So next Monday, Nita and I will be driving Mom and Dad to Texas. We will fly back the following Monday. I am not looking forward to leaving Terry, although he has been doing well. He will have the dogs with him, of course. He will probably go back and forth between the house and the motorhome.

I have my bag packed and will not be taking a computer. That will be a new experience for me. But I do have a new smart phone, so I can check my mail and FB, although I don't like to post on it because of the ridiculously inadequate virtual keyboard. Hah. But I will be able to stay in touch.

Once I get back, we have a week before we head south. Still not sure if we are going to Virginia or Florida first, but I'm sure we will know by then!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Time to rest. . .

When I last wrote, we were at the rally and were suffering through a multitude of problems with Phaeton Place. I guess she didn't like sitting in storage for four months while we were in MinnieMee. As it turned out, the problems I wrote about were not the ONLY ones we were going to have. Later that same evening after sorting out the water leak, etc., we discovered our toilet was leaking as well! Fortunately for all, it was clean water, but parts were not available locally. Grrrr. RV Capital of the World and not really a good RV parts store in town. Whouldda' thunk? So Terry got on line and ordered everything he could and we made a trip over to Factory RV Surplus where they also didn't have the last part he needed, but offered to order it.

So now all is fixed. The solenoid was installed before we left the rally, the toilet parts and the sink faucet all arrived the same day, so Terry got all that stuff done. I don't know what we would do if he couldn't fix this stuff himself. . .  well, yeah I do. We'd be paying someone to do it. We did luck out (sort of) on the faucet. Terry called the manufacturer, Price Pfister, who told him the faucet had a life-time warranty and they would send one out. Which they did, but all the hoses, etc., that they sent with it were too short for the application, so we had to run to the hardware store. Still, a better deal for us.

Wednesday of the rally, we got up early and drove to Indy for Terry's cardiology appointments. We left the girls at the house and our manager and his wife let them out two times. They were thrilled to help out with them. They really like dogs and they even invited a friend over to see them. Terry's appointments went very well and he continues to amaze the doctors. His ICD is working well and we verified the one instance where he knew it was about to shock him, but didn't. It's always preferable for the device to pace your heart out of a bad rhythm.

Last week we went to central Indiana for our regular doctor appointments and that all went well, too. We even had a "meet and greet" for our dogs and our regular vet so they now have them in their system. I bought more of the heartworm meds they have been on, so I don't have to deal with a different vet unless they should become sick at some point.

While we were there, we visited "Baxter," the Scottie owned by friends Mark and Dave. They wanted to see our new girls, so we visited one day. We were fearful that our girls wouldn't get along. . . they don't seem to like other dogs, but they got along great. We were able to let them run around the fenced in yard while we were there. Baxter was the perfect host and the girls got in a lot of loving with Dave and Mark.

Now we are finally back in the rig over at the campground. I feel like I am at home. This is where I prefer and we are enjoying our time here. We will go to the apartments daily to work. . . we have some windows being put in and a tenant moving out, so we have to get that rented.

Tuesday we head down to Wabash to watch the Moody Blues. We have seen them twice before, but we really do enjoy their music. We are taking the girls with us down to my sister's where Mom says she will let them out while we are gone.

We will stay here till the end of the month, then we are headed south. I'm ready.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Rally time!

We got ready this morning and took off for the rally. Decided to hook up and make sure everything worked like it should since it's been four months that Phaeton Place has sat in storage while we were in MinnieMee. The good news is that the brake controller worked well, bad news is we didn't have any brake, taillights or turn signals on the toad. Grrrrr. So since they are visible on the motorhome, we took off anyway. At the stop signs, I tapped the brake on the motorhome a little harder to activate the toad brake and it would turn on the toad's brakes. Terry has diagnosed a bad ground wire which he will fix pronto.

We drove around about way to get to the rally because of a bridge being out but we arrived around 10:30 and got parked. We don't like the way they parked us, but we are fine, safe and have nice neighbors, so we're cool. I then went inside to put out the slides and the two driver's side slides wouldn't work. The one had actually been out while PP sat in the drive and I just put it in this morning. Grrrrr. So we sat everything else up and ate a quick lunch. Then Terry called Tiffin. We do have a lot of literature, etc., but a call to the Tiffin guys can be much quicker. He was #5 in the que and before long he not only had a tech on line, but had an answer to our problem. It was a solenoid and the tech told Terry how to jump it and I was able to put out the slides. But, as luck would have it, as it went out, I heard a crunch. It wasn't the "slide" crunch that happens when it is breaking the mechanism, but I knew right away what it was. There is a mirror on the wall behind the slide and I keep a suction cup hook on it to pin important things up. It had fallen down at some point and was now being crushed in the slide. I actually had to bring the slide all the way back in, then free the object, then put it back out. Whew. That was done.

Some time later I was asking Terry if we had our water tank full. He said yes, why? I said the water pump seems to be running long past when I shut off the tap. Oh boy. He really wasn't happy to find this problem. The one bathroom sink faucet has failed and is leaking water into the cabinet under the sink. In fact, everything under there was now totally wet. Mostly towels, but grrrr again!

So tonight I am doing laundry and we have the solenoid on order. Later we will run to Menard's and try to find a sink faucet like the one we need to replace. And there is still the ground wire problem on the toad. . .

Rallies are sooooo much fun!

PS: The girls seem to love it so far. They enjoyed the ride over and got to take several walks. Weather is good, so we should have a lot of fun!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Butterscotch and Duchess!

Just a picture of each. More to come! Butterscotch is the wheaton Scottie and Duchess is the black!

Till next time. . .

Dale

News!

We spent Sunday with the kids again as that was our last day in Charlottesville. It is sad to leave this time as the grandkids are so entertaining and fun to be around. We really enjoyed our time with them. Later in the afternoon, we went back out to the camp and took Ronan with us. He wanted to ride in the motorhome. He always likes to do that and got to ride in Phaeton Place when he was younger.

Ronan and I went to the playground, hiked the nature trail to the pond and then returned to the motorhome for supper. Afterwards Terry and I took Ronan back to the ball court and bounced balls back and forth. We eventually made it back to the motorhome and were later joined by Jocelyn, Tom and Aenea. We visited more and then we said our goodbyes and they left.

This morning we were up bright and early because we had something special in store for us. Last spring I met a man at an RV Resort. He had a Scottish Terrier. We talked and I told him about our Scotties who are now gone. It happens that he has five and was looking for good homes in which to "re-home" two of them. Long story short, we met him today and we now have two Scottish Terriers traveling with us in the motorhome. It's a wee bit crowded in MinnieMee, but we are managing.

Duchess is a black female Scottie. She is a cutie and seems more assured of herself. Butterscotch is a wheaton Scottie and a real lover. I think they are a little confused about the changeover, but they are already so loved, they will hopefully enjoy their new life. We certainly enjoy having them. We had only 100 miles to go after picking them up, so we have been taking them for walks and pampering them. Tomorrow we will be back at the house so they will have a little more room to roam.

I will get some pictures posted soon. They are sleeping right now. . . on both ends of the couch. Not sure what sleeping arrangements will look like tonight, but we will manage. I do have a picture on Facebook.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Being grandparents!

We have had beautiful weather here in Charlottesville, Virginia, while we have been here and today promises more of the same.

We have spent time hanging out with the kids and the grandkids and getting in some quality lovin'. Ronan always wants to play trains, legos, etc. He beat me every game of Candyland and Chutes and Ladders the other day. Aenea is such a happy baby. She walks about happy and being cute most of the time. She fusses if she has a messy diaper or if she's hungry. She entertains herself a lot. She loves laying on Whiskey's new bed. He probably doesn't like it much, but moves when she collapses in a heap on the pillow. LOL When she was tired the other day, she went to Terry and wanted up in his lap. Within two minutes her eyes were closed and she was sound asleep. She slept for two hours.

Yesterday Jocelyn and the kids, Terry and I all went to Thomas Jefferson's Montpelier for the Harvest Festival. It seems the theme of the festival is to encourage people to buy products from local suppliers. Focus was on growing food and sharing tips on raising your own garden. There were workshops and demonstrations. We watched "nail making" which was interesting because I had never seen hand cut nails made before. Talk about tedious work! We watched log splitting and masonry demonstrations as well. They encourage children to participate in some of the activities and there was no shortage of kids! Ronan and his friend Alex played drums with some blue grass musicians. They had various instruments the kids could choose to play.

We spent some time sitting on the lawn on a blanket watching the boys and just relaxing. Monticello is a beautiful place, high on a mountain with 360 degree views. It's no small wonder why Jefferson loved this place so much. There are much larger trees here now, no doubt, that obscure some of the view, but there are plenty of views to see from up there. We didn't tour the mansion which we do need to do one of these days. It seems that whenever we go, there are school buses lined up and we don't care to visit then.

When we left there, we went back to the house and then Terry and I drove on out to the camp. The kids came out later and we had a campfire and roasted

marshmallows. It was a lot of fun and even Whiskey came along to share the evening.

The camp is super full this weekend as there was the festival and also a home football game. That is why we always have to reserve space when we want to come here.

Till next time. . .

Dale

We have arrived!

We arrived in Charlottesville, Virginia, yesterday afternoon. We are here to visit with the kids and Ronan and Aenea.

We had an uneventful two-day drive from northern Indiana. Roads were good, a few areas of road construction, but not much slow down involved. We didn't have a lot of traffic either, perhaps due to it being the day after Labor Day.

We went in after a light supper to see everyone. Aenea is much different than before. She is walking now and viewed us very warily at first. So I loved on Ronan a lot and Whiskey as well. Whiskey was SOOOOOOO excited to see us. Guess he doesn't get much attention now that there are two kids in the family. He just wouldn't leave me alone. That's okay. Grandma loves you too, fella.

He does stick very close to Aenea when she has food because he usually ends up with some of it. Aenea likes to feed Whiskey. I think it's because he's soooooo appreciative. LOL

Love, love, love those kids. Will take pictures while we are here.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Back to reality!

We are in Goshen now after a week with the Florida kids. It was so special to see our newest granddaughter. What a joy she is. What a joy her parents are as well. We are blessed with great kids, spouses, and grandkids!

We are spending some time now playing landlord and scheduling some work to be done on the apartments. We are planning a trip to Virginia next month to see the rest of the family. Grandkids grow up too fast. . . we have to keep checking in with them.

We also will be adding some four-legged furry friends to our family soon. More details later. Anxious to see them as well. It's been too long. We always said after Neal and Bailey were gone that we didn't want to add pets until we did the Alaska trip. . . well. . . IT'S DONE! I still can't believe we have been there and back. . . all 11,065 miles of it! Where did the summer go?

But we are ready to add to our family. Hope they will love us and much as we will love them!

More later. . .

Till next time. . .

Dale

Enjoying Florida!

It has been really hot and humid and muggy since we've been here. So the other day before we went over to the kids' we went out to the coast and took a walk along the beach. It was beautiful there and much more comfortable.

Later in the evening, we all went out to eat at Grills. We've eaten there before and the food is very good. I got peel and eat shrimp and they were delicious. The baby went with us, of course. Megan fed her before we left and she slept most of the way there and slept in her carseat/stroller all the way through dinner. What a good baby! On the way home, however, she seemed to object to Grandma taking so many pictures. LOL

Today is our last day in Florida. It will be hard to leave the kids tonight, but we will be back later in the fall. Brynlee will likely be much different then as she grows and begins to interact more. I can't wait to see her again! I can't wait to see Ronan and Aenea as well. I understand they are growing and changing too.

Our flight tomorrow leaves about 1:30 from Sanford, Florida. It is a much smaller airport than Orlando and a lot easier to negotiate than the bigger airport. It's a bit further away, but very easy to get to.

Till next time. . .

Dale

No spoiling here. . .

Spent another day with the kids. Terry and Brandon have been hanging ceiling fans the last day or two. Brynlee is mesmerized by the one in the family room. She likes watching it.

I don't know why things happen when we are here. One time the garbage disposal bit the dust and spewed water, etc., into the cabinet. Terry installed a new one and we were good to go. This time I was trying to do dishes and didn't have any hot water. Brandon assured me it just takes awhile. I said, "Well, I let the water run for about 10 minutes and it isn't even getting warmer." So they got to checking and found out the thermocoupler was dead on the water heater. Who'dda thunk? So off to Lowe's they went and Terry installed it with Brandon's help. He now knows how to do it. So $7 later they have hot water again. Brandon commented that if they had not discovered that, his morning shower today would have been "invigorating." LOL To say the least.

I'm including more pix of Brynlee, since that is the main reason we are here!

 

Till next time. . .

Dale

Melbourne, Florida

Yesterday we met Mom, Dad, Jim and Nita in Warsaw and had lunch at a restaurant there. We were on our way to the Ft. Wayne airport to fly to Florida and wanted to visit with everyone before we left.

We made it to the airport in good time and waited on our flight. It arrived on time, but it took them over 45 minutes to unload the plane. People would just trickle off. They had quite a few people in wheelchairs but I still don't understand why it took so long. We finally got to board and we left about 20 minutes late. It was a good flight. . . a little bumpy in spots. When we arrived it was raining, but we got our luggage and made it to our rental car.

We had about a 1 1/2 hour drive to Melbourne. Our plane flew into Sanford instead of Orlando, but by flying from Ft. Wayne to Sanford, we could fly non-stop which is far preferable than the normal Atlanta leg.

We called the kids and they said we could come on over for a brief visit and I'm glad we did. I got to feed the baby, Brynlee. She is just precious. We are smitten. . . as we have been with the other two grandkids before her. But we bid our farewells as we were tired and had not eaten any supper. We stopped for a bite to eat and then drove on to our hotel.

This time we are staying in a new Holiday Inn Express and it is very nice. It is closer to Brandon's than our normal Hampton Inn up at Viera and it is just as nice. I probably like the breakfast better at the Hampton, but I can't complain.

Today we went back late morning and I certainly got in some baby time today. I want her to remember me so I have to spend as much time with her as I can. She is certainly a cutie. . . what can I say? Our grandchildren are all cute. The kids are overjoyed at being parents and don't seem to mind the sacrifices (like sleep) they have to make.

I didn't ignore Jax, the dog. I took him a toy today and he played with it all day. I took him outside a couple times so he could chase lizards--his favorite pasttime. I sat on the edge of the pool and the water was like bath water. . . almost too warm to be refreshing, except that it was wet, so that makes a difference. I will get in the pool yet. It is hot and muggy here in Florida.

I did get some great shots of son Brandon holding his baby.

Tomorrow Brandon is having a cookout and Megan's parents will be there. It will be good to see them again.

Till next time . . .

Dale