Escapade started on Monday, May 12. We had the big motorhome in the shop and weren't sure we were going to get it back in time to take it over to the fairgrounds. As it happened, they finished it up on Friday evening and we picked it up at 9:30 p.m. Gotta love a truck company that's open until midnight. We brought it back to the house and loaded up some stuff that we had removed. The refrigerator was empty as we had the gas shut off while it was in the shop, so we had to restock that.
On Sunday we all drove down to Nita's and from there on down to Wabash
to the Honeywell Center where we had Mother's Day lunch. They always put on a nice buffet and we weren't disappointed. We had a nice visit again with all the family and then drove back to 
Nita's. We visited for awhile, then came on back to the house.Monday morning the kids got up and packed up and hit the road back to Indy where they were catching their plane in the afternoon. I think Brynlee did very well on her first airplane rides. She slept through most of the flights which is good. They were concerned she would fuss and make things uncomfortable for people around them, but she did very well.
We moved on over to the fairgrounds once the kids left and picked up our registration packet for Escapade. This is a week long rally for the Escapees, people who enjoy the RV lifestyle. They usually do a good job and friends of ours are the directors again this year. The only hitch we had all week was the weather. Up until the rally, we had enjoyed very good weather; and then in true Escapade fashion, it started to rain. It rained the entire week and although it didn't dampen our spirits, it did dampen the infield where we were parked. Thank goodness we have "water shoes" which are perfect for such an occasion. We also took good advantage of the courtesy shuttles, not really having to walk anywhere during the week in the rain.
There were a few new seminars we haven't been to before and we learned something new at each of those. We didn't buy much this week, which is a real shocker. We usually have some new gadget we want, but not this time. The entertainment was excellent, although we didn't take in the Ham-O-Rama, which we have always found to be lacking. It's like a "follies" put on by members. All in all, it was a very good week and we enjoyed meeting new friends and seeing old friends. The fairgrounds gave those of us in the infield a free night's stay after Escapade so that we could stay put and move the next day, giving the track an extra day to dry out. We took advantage of that and drove out on Monday morning without any problems.
We are now over at the Elkhart Campground. This has been our home for the past week while we run over to the apartments every day to work on one that was vacated earlier in March. The carpet in this one was really soiled and we were sure we were going to have to replace it. But today Terry's Carpet Cleaning came in and worked their magic. When they got done, it looked as good as it did before this tenant moved in. We have spent the week working on the place, painting all the rooms and doing general cleaning, although more than what we normally have to do. Some people just live a lot dirtier than others do. We still have work to do there, but it will have to wait now until after our trip south to the Pace family reunion. I have the lower cabinets to clean, the refrigerator, the stove and mopping the bathroom and kitchen floors. Then I'm done. Terry has to rehang some closet doors and some other odds/ends to attend to.
On top of all that, I have been sick for several days. Don't really know what was wrong, but influenza is high on my list of suspects. I ended up going to a doctor here, but they couldn't find anything wrong, although they still ran some x-rays and bloodwork. I made an appointment in New Castle to see my regular doctor, so I am hoping he can follow up on the tests I had done. The bottom line is I am much better now and gaining my strength back. I still have the deep nasty cough, though, and would so like to be rid of it.
On Sunday we took the girls in MinnieMee (our Class B+ motorhome) and went to Lafayette. My great nephew, AJ, graduated from high school this week and we went to his celebration party. It was a nice time and we got to see family as well. It was good to see AJ and congratulate him on his successful completion of high school and on his admission to Butler's School of Pharmacy.
Tomorrow we head south. We are taking a leisurely drive down to Mississippi and when we return, we will be at another RV Rally at the fairgrounds, this one an FMCA rally. Love the rallies! Lots to look forward to!
Till next time. . .
Dale
