December 30, 2008

Today is a very special day.....It is my Mom’s B-day. I wish you all could meet her she is one very special lady and I love her dearly. That is the only problem with this rv life........Mom and I are best friends and it is hard not to have her close by.....I miss you, Mom. Hope you had a fab b-day and I’m glad you liked the flowers I sent.

It warmed up rather quickly today. I decided to work on one of my projects. I have a small table that I use behind our recliners. I put a lamp on it and at night it gives us some softer lighting for tv viewing. I found it at an unfinished furniture store and so it needs to be painted. I managed to get it sanded, sealed, and than sanded again ready for the paint coat. Now, I just have to decide on a color. Black would be my first choice, but black seems to attract and show every little piece of lint on the planet. I’m leaning toward a soft green.......gonna have to “think” on that for a while.

After lunch we decided to tackle the mighty foothills again. We are determined to get to the end of that trail we found our first week here. Today we retraced our steps from the first attempt. We went up the big hill past the water tower and up and up and up. The trail finally leveled off and we both felt it would be making the turn back to the park at any moment. No such luck. After about an 1 1/2, we came upon a fork in the path. We decided to take the fork that seemed to head back towards the park. It was not long before the path turned into a dry creek-bed (a lot of those around here). The creek bed had lots of twist and turns, but since we were headed downhill we felt we were ok. As we “sank” into the creek bed, I lost sight of all my landmarks---all I could see were the foothills immediately surrounded us. I was really starting to get concerned when “Look! Up in the sky....It’s a bird, it’s a plane....yes it’s a plane!” I shouted at my husband, “Look they have sent out a search and rescue plane, we are gonna be alright” I was sure the park had missed us, after all we must have been out here for days by now and just to delirious to realize it. But alas, it passed us by and we continued our trek downward. Finally, I began to see signs of civilization as the creek bed dumped us back at our original starting point! Whew! What a relief. I was so afraid we would end up miles from the park and have another journey just to get back to the fiver. What an adventure. We were all so happy to be back to the fiver.....yup, nap time!

After my nap and once I got my legs working again, I did some BBQ chicken on the grill and we finished off our leftover sweet potatoes and green beans. Then it was back to the recliners till bedtime.........

December 29,2008

Today again got off to a cold start, but the temps rose up into the 60’s by early afternoon and lots of sun. It feels so good just to see and feel the sun on my face!

We decided to take the furballs out for another desert hike. This time we headed off in the opposite direction than last time. We were hoping we could see where the trails come together, but this trail never did climb up into the foothills. It was pretty much flat and eventually just lead us around into a circle. It was still a nice workout for both us and the furballs. Towards the end of the walk, Cosmo starting acting kinda finny. DH said it reminded him of a bucking bronco. I checked his feet and legs and could find nothing there. I even put my hand on the sand to make sure it wasn’t hot, but it was cool to the touch. We finally decided he just didn’t like the feel of the sand on his paws. Guess he better get used to since we are surrounded by the stuff! Perhaps some booties are in order---that should be a sight!

After our walk, it was back to the fiver. Yes, you guessed it, more napping.....for all of us. I tell ya, this rv life is killer!!

We had hamburgers on the grill and left over cauliflower potatoes for supper. Another cold night on the way, so we turned up the electric mattress pad before bedtime. It is so nice to slip into a toasty, warm bed at the end of the day.

December 28, 2008

Thought you might like to see a photo of our site here in Benson, AZ. Lots of rocks and no trees, but the price is right and it will do for now.

At least my toes are better this am. A little sore and somewhat stiff, but thank goodness no signs of anything broken.

We did absolutely nothing today. Laid around and watched football and napped! I did finally get up and make some choc chip cookies----just what we needed LOL! I was smart enough to take some next door for Howard and Linda---at least that way we can't eat them all!!

December 27, 2008

The day started out quite early......little Belle it seems developed some gastronomic problems during the night. So, up and out we went.....the process would be repeated 2 more times before Belle had resolved her intestinal issues. Upon the last outing, just as I was putting the dogs back in the fiver I heard a startling sound. It was the mournful sound of coyotes, howling in the early morning hours. I say mournful, but quite frankly I think they are having the time of their lives out their in the desert. I have to admit, they sounded quite close which was a little unnerving for a city gal. Yet, I stood silently still and listened while they talked with one another. Wondering what the topic of conversation was that evening. Finally, the cold forced me back inside. I’m looking forward to listening in on their conversation again some night, hopefully a warmer one.

We spent most of the morning snuggled up in our blankets, until the temp finally rose above 40. At that point we took our showers and decided to make a trip into Tucson today. I had been looking at various wal marts for the Hoover Nano Sweeper. It is a small compact upright sweeper which has received very good online reviews. The wal mart in Tucson had six in stock so around 3pm we headed out. I decided we had better take our Garmin. I went to retrieve it from an overhead cabinet. I stood on one of the recliners to reach it and I lost my balance on the way back down. I landed on my feet, but with my toes on my left foot somehow curled under. Ouch! I now have a limp when I walk! I wonder if this qualifies me for handicap parking?

We are only about 40 miles away from Tucson, so the drive took no time at all. Wal mart was overrun with folks returning gifts and purchasing new ones. We finally managed to find our way to the sweeper isle and made our purchase. Once done, we decided supper was in order. We found a nice little Mexican restaurant. I decided I needed to have a Margarita, for medicinal purposes, of course. Well, they brought me the largest margarita I have ever seen. I drank and soon the pain of my poor little toes were but a distance memory---at least until we left and I had to hobble back out to the truck! Oh and yes, the food was excellent.

After dinner, we decided to find the Camping World located in Tucson. We did find it, but it was closed so that will have to be another day and perhaps another margarita. It was around 6pm and we headed back to Benson. The furballs were happy to see us return. Supposed to be another cold night on the way..............we will see what tomorrow brings......I’m hoping my toes are feeling better tomorrow.

December 26, 2008

SNOW, yes SNOW!! It actually snowed here today for most of the day. Nothing stuck to the ground, just to our truck. What a day! I can’t believe we drove over 2000 miles to avoid winter and we are suddenly in the middle of it. It is actually warmer in Indiana today than here in Arizona. The next few nights are going to be really cold as well--20’s. That means turning the water off at night and draining the hoses. We will have to use the water tank and the pump at night till things improve. The daytime temps are supposed to be on the rise, reaching the high 60’s by the end of the week. One can only hope we survive till then.

We did manage to take a trip to the post office and pick up our mail from South Dakota. No surprises there at least. DH dropped me off at the park laundry on the way back. I really don’t mind doing the laundry and there were several others so it was a nice social hour. I learned there is going to be a community camp fire Friday night and that should be a lot of fun.

The rest of the day was spent snuggled up in the easy chair with blankets and furballs. Only venturing out to the great outdoors when the furballs needed a potty break. That requires a major clothing event for me......two sweatshirts, ear muffs, gloves, and long underwear is all a must when the temp dips below 25 degrees. My toes may never see daylight again. I so miss my flip flop days.........

Christmas Day 08

We had a quiet Christmas Day. We put the turkey breast on around 12:30. Bill was in charge of the mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and fresh baked bread. Yes, my DH cooks and he is very good at it. I did the home made noodles, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. We sat down to dinner around 3pm and if I do say so myself it was excellent. We did not forget the furballs..........they had some turkey and a small helping of mashed potatoes. I had taken them on short walk before dinner to help with those extra calories.

After dinner, we took a little break in our easy chairs before the dishes. Dish duty wasn’t to bad, I washed and Bill dried so it actually went rather quickly. We have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow and probably the day after.

The weather was overcast and a bit of rain fell in the am, but the temps were in the low 60’s most of the day. Unfortunately, it does look like there is another cold front on the way.

What was left of today was spent in our easy chairs, watching re-runs and napping til bedtime........not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.............and to all a goode nite!

December 24, 2008

The day started out beautifully. The sun was shining and the temps were on the rise. We decided to take the furballs for a walk---back to the dry creek-bed. While there I spied what looked to be a trail---we decided to check it out. Wow, what a trail! It went up and up and up...when we reached the plateau what a beautiful view. It looked like the trail continued on for quite a ways and we were all tired at this point. We decided to turn around and head back down the way we came, but we will do this again and be better prepared next time to see it through to the end.

Back at the fiver we all just kicked back for awhile. Next thing ya know it was dinner time. It was so nice we grilled steaks.

Christmas Eve. Bill and I went to a “gift exchange” here at the park. You know it was one of those deals where they call your name and you can either pick a gift from the table or steal one from someone. Then if someone steals your gift you get to steal one from someone else. Everyone was to bring two gifts, valued at $10.00 for the gift pool. I should have known better, but I made the mistake of taking two of my hand-painted porcelain ornaments for the exchange. I use to sell them for $20.00 so I thought it was a fair gift and I really thought someone would be pleased to receive them. Unfortunately that was not the case. The gentleman who ended up with one of my ornaments was very disappointed. He even brought the ornament over to our table to complain about his bad luck. Well, I felt really bad so when they called my name I went and “stole” the ornament so he could choose something else. I was really concerned about the second ornament waiting to be opened by some other poor unsuspecting recipient. Fortunately it was one of the extra gifts left at the end of the night. When someone “stole” Bill’s gift he was able to retrieve it from the table. So, we went home with what we brought and that’s ok with me. My feelings were a little crushed, but I’m a big girl and it will pass. I learned the big “hit” of the evening was either booze, food, or lottery tickets----who knew!

Here’s wishing everyone a joyous and meaningful Christmas Day! Bill and I will be spending a quiet day with just us two and the furballs, of course.......

December 23, 2008

First off, I want to say Thank you to all of you that sent Anniversary Wishes. They were appreciated and I enjoyed hearing from you all.

I was awakened sometime last night to the sound of some powerful wind gust and of course the fiver shook with each one. I thought briefly about our internet satellite dish, but we have never had problems with it's stability so I just went back to sleep. Still windy when we woke and no internet. The satellite was still standing, but just barely. I went out and found a large rock to weight down the front leg and that seemed to help. After breakfast, DH went out and re-positioned and once again we have our internet up and running. He left the rock and re-secured everything so hopefully we will not have this problem again.

We finally decided to head out to the dog walk with the furballs. That was fun. Most of the area consist of a dry creek-bed so there was lots of softer sand to walk in and the dogs liked it much better than the rocks around our fifth wheel. They seem to be really enjoying themselves. When we got back to the fiver they settled into their favorite napping spots and we headed out to find the local grocery and Wal Mart.

We found a local Safeway Market. The prices of a lot of their items, especially meat seemed to be on the high side, but they offer a discount through their member card. Just what we need another card to carry around, but we signed up for it to take advantage of the specials. Down the road a bit we found the Wal Mart and picked up a few items there.

Back at the fiver I tried a new recipe for a sugar free lemon pie. It uses sugar free vanilla pudding and sugar free lemon jello. It is very easy to make and pretty tasty! DH is a diabetic so I’m always on the look out for sugar free recipes. If anyone is interested let me know I’d be glad to post it or email it to you.

DH was in the kitchen next to make the dog cookies. Yes, Bill actually makes the furballs their treats. Normally we bake them in the regular oven, but for some reason we could not get the pilot light to stay lit. He tried several times. It would light, but as soon as he released the button it would go out. He is going to get the manual out today and see if he can do some “troubleshooting” on it. That should make for an interesting tale for tomorrow’s post. Anyway, the dog cookies were baked in the convection oven and did just fine. It just takes longer because we have to break them down into smaller batches to bake.

Supper consisted of meatloaf and cauliflower mashed potatoes. Then we snuggled down for a little tv......not much on there so I jumped into the chat room for awhile and then it was time for pie...........mmmmmmgooode.............

December 22, 2008

We arrived at the SKP Saguaro Co-op of Arizona Park in Benson around noon. We were in luck it seems. They had a space available so we paid for a month’s stay. In the course of the registration, we mentioned we knew Howard and Linda and ask what lot they were in.....the clerk looked up and said, “right next door”! Now, how lucky was that!

We got to our lot and found Howard and Linda were both out and about for the day. We got set up and around 4pm we decided to go out and get some dinner. Just as we were set to leave, Linda rounded the corner in their jeep. Ya should have seen her face when she recognized the two of us. Big hugs were exchanged!! Then she invited us to come over to the rec area for “happy hour” to meet and greet. Howard was finishing up his golf and would be joining us there. When Howard walked into the clubhouse I stood up, arms outstretched and yelled his name. Again the look on his face was priceless when he realized who was yelling! More hugs! We had a awesome time getting to know the other folks and then later a bunch of us headed over for the famous .25 cent wing night at the country club. There we got to see Deb and Don Zink. It was so nice to see some fellow rv dreamers---like coming home!

It was a great day, but we were both so very tired from 3 days of travel. Looking forward to staying put and spending time with everyone. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up with Linda’s social life at present. I think the next few days may be spent resting and relaxing.

Almost forgot---today is our 25th wedding anniversary and we couldn't have had a better day!

December 21, 2008

Another day on the road. We made it to Deming, NM around 5pm. The park we stayed out was called the Hitching Post RV Park (sorry no link for this one). Nothing fabulous here, we had interstate on one side and a busy highway on the other and a train somewhere in between. You could say it was a little noisy, but it quieted down around midnight. There was a Wal Mart and a Dairy Queen close by so we unhitched and had dinner at DQ. Then we made a shopping stop at the Wal Mart.

Another cold night, down into the upper 20’s. We have decided to see if we can stay at the SKP park where Howard and Linda are located in Benson AZ. We are only about 175 miles away, so tomorrow will be a short travel day. If the skp park has room we may stay awhile.......I’m ready for some down time!

We made it to Midland, Texas around 5pm yesterday. The first rv park we found turned out to be a very trashy trailer park. We moved on down the road and finally found a park called Midessa Oil Patch RV Park. They told us they were full and we were just about set to get back on the road, when the owner came running out to tell us they had a cancellation. I said a prayer, thanking God for that one. It is a very nice park. All the perks, including a pet "off lease" area. (The free wifi is painfully slow at times). Once we got the trailer set, we took the furballs down to the pet area and they sure enjoyed finding all those other doggie smells. The temp was still in the high 60's so we took them for a short walk after their run.

Back at the fiver, we tuned in the tv and settled in to watch a little before bedtime. It was not long before we were all asleep. Around 9pm we decided to call it a day and head to bed.

At 2am we realized the furnace was not coming on. DH checked the propane and everything was fine there. Came pack in and played with the thermostat. It took a couple of On then Off, but it finally came on and stayed on. HEAT!! Worked fine rest of night. Have no idea what that's about.

This am the temp is around 27. I had to put my long johns back on---not wearing a smile on face--for that one. We didn't have to unhitch last night so we should be able to get off to an early start.............til next time

Today was a great day. The sun was actually shining and the temps were in the low 70's. The other grand event for the day was breakfast with Speedy and Sherri. We met at the Cracker Barrel and a had a wonderful visit. We feel like we have been friends forever! Thanks guys for working us in to your busy day, we appreciate it. I'm looking forward to the day we can rendezvous at the river lot in Indiana. We will sure show you a goode time!!

As you can see we finally got our internet up and running---that's why there are so many post today, I uploaded most of them from my off line journal.

I did manage to get a couple of shots of the rv park, Lakeside, where we have been staying. As you can see it is nothing special, but nice folks that run it and it is a good place for short term.

Dh got the fiver ready for travel today. Checking tires, wiping down slides, you know the drill. Than later this evening, his brother and sister-in-law stopped in for our goodbyes. We will miss them, but we are so ready to move on and try to find some warm weather that sticks around for more than just a day or two.......until the next post......

Today was spent with family. Dh’s brother came by in the morning for coffee and we had a nice chat. Then we decided on lunch and after lunch we all headed over to the Buckner Nursing Home to visit Mama and talk to the administrator there.

As I have said in earlier post, we are considering moving Mama due to the cost of care at Buckner. Today we filled out papers to see if Mama qualifies for aid thru Buckner. Apparently they have funds available for those who qualify. The board will meet after Christmas and we will have a decision. We all have our fingers crossed!

We also found out Mama may be eligible for some VA money, so we are looking into that as well.

We feel we have done all we can at this point, so we will be moving on come Saturday. We are trying to beat the cold front that is coming Saturday night. We plan to get an early start and drive as far west as we can. I’m sure we won’t completely miss the cold front, but since it is moving east and we will be moving west, we gotta a good chance of minimizing the amount of time it is upon us.

Today is finally laundry day. The temps are into the high 30’s low 40’ so we decided to load up the dirty clothes and head on down to do the wash. It had been a little over 2 weeks so we had plenty. The laundry mat we found was at least clean, but the machines were old. Anyway got the chore done with DH help in about an hour and half. Not to bad since we had about 6 loads.

Headed out to Wal mart next to pick up a few odds and ends. I spied a “chilies” restaurant so we had a late lunch. It was really good. DH had a big burger and I had their Honey BBQ Chicken Tenders....YUM

Back at the fiver DH headed off to once again fill an empty propane tank.

Once DH was back we settled in for a night of leftovers and a little television before bedtime.

As I said, we woke up to ice. I went to take the furballs out for their morning walk and poor little Belle basically “fell” down the steps and I was almost there myself. Fortunately, I managed to “catch” myself before hitting the ground. Little Belle was somewhat embarrassed, but OK. The steps were covered with a thin layer of ice. They stayed that way the whole day. We had nothing to put on them to melt the ice and we were not about to venture out to do any shopping today. Even the grass was slick.

Internet is still on the fritz. The only contact I have with the internet world is through my iphone--thank goodness that is still working.

We spent the entire day “veged” out in our recliners. Only venturing out when the furballs needed a bathroom break. Each time was an ordeal. I would go down the icy steps first, then help each dog down the steps. What a pain! At least the wind has finally died down.

We are all starting to go a little stir crazy here..........

Just another day in paradise? I think not. We have been without internet now for two days. I’m posting in my offline journal and when we have internet back I’ll up load the entries. So, that is why you have not seen any new post. We are hoping it is the weather that is blocking our signal. We have a hughesnet satellite system. At least my Iphone is allowing me to check my emails and I can do some surfing, but the screen is small and my eyes ain’t what they used to be!

The weather yesterday (Dec 15) was so awful. We had terrible winds and cold. I don’t think we made it out of the low 30’s. I only ventured out to take the dogs to potty. DH did make a run to Wal Mart for a few groceries. That was pretty much it for the day. We had sloppy joes and mac-n-cheese for supper. DH filled the water tank and drained the hoses for the night---supposed to have freezing rain overnight and morning----which we did!

Yesterday was wonderful. There was of course wind, but the temps were in the 70’s. We actually opened up windows and I was able to put shorts and a T-shirt on for the first time since we arrived here in Forney. LOL!

We took the furballs out for a nice walk. There are a lot of dogs here in the park, so we decided to head out to the field surrounding the park to walk our two pups. That turned out to be a big mistake. It wasn’t long before I noticed Cosmo was walking kinda funny. Upon closer inspection, I found several little sticky burs stick to his legs and paws. Belle was covered with them too. I removed as many as I could, but I knew they were just going to be picking up even more as we headed back to the fiver. Next thing, Cosmo managed to get himself tangled up in a thorn vine. His fur protected him from injury, but what an ordeal. Time I had him untangled the dang thing was wrapped around my leg---Ouch! I don’t have all that fur to buffer those thorns. Managed to finally free myself and made our way back to the fiver. The rest of the day or a large portion of it was spent combing out and grooming the dogs. Dh spend the rest of the day washing the truck.

I’d did manage to speak with our neighbor next door and he recommended a laundry mat. He also informed me that the night before last he had been robbed! Apparently he had left some of his equipment outside and unlocked and during the night someone had taken it. The folks that own the campground here also have a warehouse just down the lane and it was also broken into and robbed of equipment. They think it was someone here staying at the park, because next morning the fifth wheel just down from us was gone, left in the middle of the night, and left without paying about 2 weeks worth of lot rent. It is really scary that we were so close to all this, but luckily nothing was out of place here at our fiver. DH has now started locking all the compartment doors and we also make sure the bikes are secured at night. Such a shame.

As evening made its way to us, the wind died down and we actually had to turn on a couple of fans. Settled in and watched a little tv before going to bed. We did close all the windows and made sure the thermostat was set for 65 before turning in. There is another cold front on the way, supposed to be in the low 30’s when we wake with more high winds and clouds. Just another day in paradise.......lol

Spent most of yesterday visiting DH's brother and sister-in-law. Mama was the topic of the day. Bill and Sonny are going to go over to the nursing home to see what they can work out. I have a feeling we will be moving her to another facility. Time will tell. For lunch we headed over to the fairgrounds where they were putting on a chili contest. Let's just say my lips are still on fire and I had the "mild" version.

When we got back to the fiver the furballs were really wound up, but it was just to chilly to take them on much of a walk. They were antsy all evening and then the wind kick up and that really made them nervous.

Today's temp's will be in the 70's. We have already opened up a couple of windows. DH is going to try and wash up the truck a little. The wind is still with us, so I fear he may get wetter than the truck. I'm going to take the furballs on a nice long walk. I'm hoping to meet some of our neighbors. Most of us have been secluded in our homes trying to stay warm. I really need to find a laundry mat soon, so I'm hoping someone here at the park can point me in the right direction. The park here, does not have much in the way of facilities--basically full hookups and that's it.

Speedy, if you are reading this, we will be here for another week. Hopefully we can find a window to visit with one another.

Thanks to Debbie and Rod for the park info. I would still love to visit the river walk with all the lights, but I think DH is eager to move west to warmer temps. Can't say as I blame him. The weather has just been so miserable, last year at this time we were in Tampa and the weather was marvelous........

Yesterday, we headed over to Buckner to visit DH's mama at the nursing home. Mama has Alzheimer's. She is doing as well as can be expected. At the beginning of our visit she actually seemed to know who we were, but as the day went on she seemed less and less aware. One thing I did notice---she always seems to be happy with a smile on her face. She may not even know where she is at and we may all be strangers to her, but Mama's still smiling, still interacting as best she can. That is the blessing here, to know that whatever world Mama is in at least it seems to be a happy one. She is a special lady and from day one she made me feel apart of this family. I hope her world continues to be a happy and carefree place.

I was in chat room last night and we sure had a good time. It seems most of us are feeling the cold weather these days. Speedy, one of the rv-dreams crew, was there and we are making plans to visit with one another. It will be so nice to see him and his wife, DH and I are really looking forward to it.

We did have a bit of a cold morning to wake up to night before last. It seems our propane tank became empty and for some reason it didn't make the switch over to the other tank as it should have done. DH was outside in the wee hours of the morning switching tanks. There for awhile we thought we had a bigger problem cause he just could not get the gas to flow from the other tank. Finally, he unhooked and than re-hooked the tank and that did it. Gas and then the wonderful, glorious heat came!

Today the temps warmed up a little bit--I think we might have actually seen the low 60's. The sun came out my afternoon and the wind has died down. The weekend is supposed to be warm, but windy and then another temp drop for next week. We actually thought about heading out, but looks like we will stay for another week. We have some family issues to sort through.

I talked to both my mom and my son today. Everyone back in Indiana is doing fine. They don't seem to be a bit sympathetic to my being COLD here in Texas. My Dad, who is in Florida, sent me an email today telling me it was 82----thanks for that Daddy.

Supper is cooking, a nice rump roast and baked pototoes. At least my insides will be warm!

No, Jenny, they have not worn out their bandannas. We put those on them mainly when we are in travel mode. They just love them, though, you can tell by that extra little prance in their steps.

We are still in Forney Tx and it is so cold. Last night we had sleet and temps dipped into the low 30's. Today is cloudy and still the temps have not risen above 31, but the wind is so nasty it feels even colder. We are all wrapped up in sweatshirts and blankeys. If things don't improve by next Monday, we are outta here. I only paid for one week so we can leave without loosing any lot money.

DH did get steel valve stems put on all the tires yesterday. He feels he got a great price. He got all 7 done for $65.00. The stems themselves ran $8.00 each so that was only $9.00 labor. DH was so impressed with the boys that did the work he gave them a $10.00 tip.

Today I'm working on transferring my files from my old computer to my new one. Then DH will inherit my old computer. It is still a great computer, just didn't have a fast enough processor for some of the photo programs I like to run. He usually just surfs the web so he should be fine.

We made it almost to Shreveport LA our third night out. Apparently there is some pipe line work going on there and we found park after park full up. Finally found a park that had one spot left and the park was full of construction folks--loud trucks and good old boys on a Saturday night. It was good to be stopped for the night, but the park left a lot to be desired. They charged us $29.00 for the night even though the sign said $26.00. They knew they had us, we had no where else to go. So sad that there are so many greedy folks in the world waiting to take advantage of folks in need. The name of the park is Woods Ranch RV Park, I recommend you NEVER stay there.

We arrived in Forney, TX around 2pm the next day. Bill's brother and sister-in-law were waiting by the exit ramp to the rv park. It is called Lakeside RV Park. The lake looks like more of a pond to me, but this will be home for the next couple of weeks. I will get some pictures and share with you later. It is close to Bill's brother and that is what makes it doable. It is also close to the interstate so we do have some road noise. The good news is we parked on an end lot so the area to the right of us is a nice big open space for the furballs to enjoy. When DH plugged in the surge protecter we found the wiring had been reversed, but the owners came by the next day and put in a whole new plug. Yeah! We also noticed the truck had a low tire. It was the outside tire on the driver's side. DH determined it was a bad valve stem. He wishes they would have put steel valve stems on these tires.

Today we will check out the nearby Wal Mart and look for a place to repair the tire. I think DH is going to have those steel valve stems put on all the tires. Merry Christmas to us!

The weather has been OK. It was warm yesterday, but windy. A cold front is on its way today, but the weekend is supposed to warm back up. I hope so---my little toesy are just itching to be back in flip flops..........

He is so cute! This is Bill upon our arrival at Cypress Lakes RV Park in Calvert City, KY. We arrived there last night around 5pm. It was so cold low 20's. We were afraid we might have to dry camp in a Wal Mart parking lot. We had checked with two parks before this one and one was closed and the other could not accommodate our large of a rig. It is an ok park, certainly fine for an overnighter. There is a small lake--- the pups and I took a walk the next morning to checked it out. I'm sure it is very enjoyable in the summer months. We were sure once we hit KY we would see the temps rise...........NOT!

We were up and back on the road around 10:30 today. We made it as far as Grenada, Mississippi. The temps a little better low 30's but still where is the warm weather!! The park is fine--again we are only staying one night. It is called Frog Hollow and the owners have put "froggys" everywhere. It is very close to the interstate so there is some road noise, but all our windows are closed and the furnace is a running so we are feeling or hearing no pain! Plus free Internet---always a good thing.

I wanted to also share about my new computer.......Which I am currently doing this entry on Yeah!! It seems the first two companies I had ordered from were both out of California. Apparently, there is a lot of fraud that is occurring there at this time. So, in an effort to protect us, our credit card company automatically blocks any amount over $200 coming from CA. It would have been so nice if they would have informed us of this before we tried ordering. We ended up ordering from Amazon. The had a good price and overnight shipping (which was a must at this point) was only $3.99 and no sales tax. Unfortunately, UPS managed somehow to leave my computer in Indianapolis the day it was to arrive. We had to postpone our get away for yet another day and hope the computer showed up the following morning. It did and life is again Goode!

I have to make this a short post.  We are finally finishing up our packing and unless the weather gets really ugly, we plan on being on the road first thing in the morning.  At our next internet connect I'll fill you in on all the details.............

Awoke to a beautiful blanket of white today. Seems we are to get around 2 to 4 inches of the stuff over the next couple of days. I don't mind to much, not sure how DH will feel when he wakes up and realizes he may actually have to shovel the drives and walks. I'm really hoping most of it melts. I'm picking up my brother at the Indianapolis airport this afternoon.

We did manage to get the garage straightened up yesterday. We didn't want to pay another years worth of storage fees so we moved what was left back to our garage. It is not to bad, next spring we should be able to finally purge what is left. Our son can still get his car in the garage, which makes him happy.

As to my new computer..........I'm very disappointed. MacConnection refused to accept my order due to the fact that my shipping and billing addresses are different. We have never run into anything like this before and I'm not sure what can be done about it. I have placed my order with another company and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it ships. The shipping address is to a house we still own, so you would think that it would not be a problem.

OK, so obviously the new software works and my entry was posted, but it did not do it instantly it took a couple of hours for it to finally show up. Not sure I like that aspect. I do like the idea of being able to post in my journal off line then export it to my blog. That way I can always post when things are fresh and then export it to the blog when I have Internet access. Anyway, you are all forewarned that I will be playing around with this a bit. Things may get weird!

Went up to the fiver today, DH cleaned out the basement and organized it for our departure on Tuesday. I did my work on the inside where it was much warmer!! We did pull in the slides and turn the thing around so we are pointed in the right direction! Turning it around always makes me a little nuts. The family river lot is full of trees. When we arrive it is a straight shot to the gravel pad, but when leaving we have to pull forward and turn around in a grassy area (that is no problem). After we are turned comes the hard part---weaving through the trees to get back to the driveway. DH does a fantastic job, but it just makes me nervous. He always warns me not to scream out unless he is actually going to hit the tree---not just closely pass it by! Poor guy.

Now that we are a bit more organized we can start moving the rest of our "stuff" on board. Most of our clothes are there, we just need to put the "kitchen" back together, my art supplies, computers.......... the list goes on.

Speaking of computers...........I ordered me a new one today. Unfortunately, there seems to have been a problem with my order. When I checked to see if it had shipped I found it had been cancelled. No reason listed. I called the place and they had no clue why it had been cancelled. So, they replaced the order and told me to check back in an hour to make sure it went through. The customer service rep I talked to suggested it might be due to the fact that my billing and shipping addresses were different. I explained we bill and ship differently all the time and have never had this problem. Keep your fingers crossed---I really want my new computer before we head out Dec 2

This is a test. I am using a new program which allows me to post off line and then export the entry into my online blog. Let’s see if this works!

First, I'd like to report that Cosmo is doing much better the antibiotics seem to be working. We will continue to keep a close eye on his little nose, but so far so good.

We also received some good news on the frig in the stick house. Seems all it needed was a new thermostat for the freezer defrost. Apparently, it was unable to go through it's defrost cycle so all the coils were frosted over and that prevented the cooling from reaching the refrigerator section. The cost for the part and labor $117.00---sure beats buying a new frig!

We spent last weekend at the fiver. I knew we were in trouble when I walked in the door. It was very chilly inside, there was ice on the sink facet and the dog's water was frozen. Yep, my husband confirmed the water was froze. It seems the first propane tank had emptied and for some reason the system did not automatically switch to the second tank. All hubby had to do was re-flip the propane switch and we had heat again. We anxiously awaited the thawing of the water. Hoping we would not have any leaks pop up. After about 3 hrs, the water started running again. We turned on the water pump without turning on the water at the facet. We knew if the pump kept running we would have a leak. We got lucky! The pump was silent and we found no leaks. What a relief. It was a very chilly weekend, but hubby did manage to brave the cold and go about the business of checking tire pressure, leaf springs, and mounting the bicycles. We head out Dec 2. Weatherman is talking about the possibility of snow. We are hoping to be outta here before that happens!

That is about it for now. Wishing all of you and your families a very Happy Turkey Day!!

I think if it were not for bad luck we would have no luck at all..............last night we realized that our refrigerator (in the stick house) was not cooling. The freezer seems to be working, but not frig area. I guess it is a good thing it is cold here in Indiana because it enabled us to move our food to the large, walk in refrigerator (formally known as the garage) for now. We are going to make some calls today and try to figure out if we should have this one repaired or just purchase a new one. The current frig is only 5 years old---that's fairly young in refrigerator years. We hate to put a lot of money into the old or a new one, since we will be letting the appliances go with the house when it sells.

We checked on the fiver yesterday. Everything looks and is working there. We did get all the new cornice boxes built for the new blinds. Hoping to install this weekend. Once they are installed, I'll start working on the stationary drapery panels which will be hung on either side of each window. We could have simply recovered the old "hard panels" that came with our fiver, but we both felt we would like a softer treatment. Once we get them installed I'll take some photos to share.

Lastly, poor Cosmo (our male wire fox terrier) is having some sinus issues. His poor nose is running and one of his eyes is infected. He seems to feel fine and his appetite is good. Anyway, the vet put him on some antibiotics for the nose and eye. I sure hope this all clears up. She indicated that a runny nose could also be a sign of a nasal tumor. Cosmo is only 4 yrs old. I just pray that this is only a sinus infection and nothing more serious. I'll keep you posted.

Not much happening around here. I did jump into the rv-dreams chat room last night and it was great chatting with everyone there.

Most of you know we have been re-doing a few rooms of our home to ready it for the market.



Here is a couple of shots of the vanity area. We painted the vanity, replace the counter top, new mirror, and light fixture. New paint for the walls and put in new vinyl flooring. Looks pretty good I think!







The sofa and chair are looking good. I reupholstered them for my son. Once the house sells they will follow him to his new home. That's about it for now--I'll share more photos soon..........

We sure have had a run of bad luck of late. Yesterday we headed up to the fiver to see how the new blinds were going to fit. Unfortunately, I had a "brain fade" moment and somehow inverted the measurement numbers on one of the blinds. I orders 50x73, when I should have ordered 73x50. I know, hard to believe I used to do this for a living and in all those years I never screwed up a measurement like that!! So, I ordered the correct size yesterday and I hope it gets here before we head out.

Hubby had his "brain fade" while cleaning the overhead fan in the rv. In his zeal to do a really good job---he broke it. Sad thing is we just had this replaced (under warranty) this past summer. He is looking online to see if he can just find a replacement part---I sure hope so.

Finally, we tried to fix my son's lap top by installing a new hard drive. Now, the silly thing won't even power up! What is up with that! As I stated in my last post, son now has a new laptop. We are trying to decide if the old one is worth having a "professional" take a look at!

We might as well be having a bonfire here with hundred dollar bills..............

I spent last evening rehearsing with my choral club---Tippi Chorus. I sure do love to sing with those girls we have such a good time. Our next show will be for a hospital benefit. It is one of the few times when we will actually be preforming outside. I do hope it warms up a bit for that one.

I think we have a set a travel date. Looks like we will leave Lafayette Dec 2. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and not force us to leave earlier. Dec 1st is a big show for my choral club and then our Christmas party and I would sure like to stick around to enjoy the festivities!

Our son's new computer came Fed Ex yesterday. We were all so excited---it is so pretty and shiny! Just beautiful and so fast. It is a Mac Book Pro and I WANT ONE!!! But, alas I'm just a poor girl, my little IBook G4 will just have to keep me happy for the near future. Really, my Ibook serves me well--it is just that it is a little slower these days. I have gotten into several memory eating programs like photoshop and ilife. I found I enjoy putting together brochures and web sites. I'm currently working on making prints and cards from my art work. I'll let you know when and where they will be available. That way maybe you can support the "mama needs a new computer" fund............

Last weekend was spent at the fiver and what a beautiful weekend it was......the colors were spectacular and so peaceful! Just cool enough that sitting around the campfire felt great! Now, the cold is back.

I am finishing up my last project before we head west. I'm reupholstering our sofa, chair, and footstool. It is looking very nice. They will be in great shape to pass on to our son. Next on the agenda will be replacing all the blinds in the rv. We have had nothing but problems with them! I'll take some photos once the new ones are up.

I sure hope the weather holds throughout November. We can survive the cold, just no snow please!!

Brrrrrr, it has been cold here at night. We have been spending a few nights up at the river in the fiver and it is cold. I'm nice and cozy in the fiver, but when it comes time to walk the dogs------I have actually had to break down and wear shoes and socks. I can't tell you how unhappy that makes me. Anyway, here are some photos of our neighbor's garage. As much as I hate to see "progress" encroaching on our "wilderness", I do like the design and they are very nice. They have included a "loft" bedroom over the garage area. They have also put in a small kitchen and full bath downstairs. Their plan is to be able to spend time there on the weekends till they retire and build the house. As much as I enjoy our time on the river, it is just to darn cold to be there year round.

I spent most of yesterday brushing, clipping, and bathing the furballs. They both sure did need it, especially after our trip to Turkey Run. I get such a kick out of watching them run thru the house after their baths. I know they feel better!

As most of you know, we are currently staying in our stick house trying to complete projects and get it ready to sell. We have; however, made the decision not to sell this year. Although the economy did play a role in our decision we also wanted to make sure our son had a roof over his head for the winter. He is currently a Purdue student and would love to live on campus, but that is just not do-able right now. Hopefully, he can work things out for next term.

We will be heading up to the river to our fiver today. The temps are dipping, so we need to make sure it is ready for the frosty temps forecast for tonight and tomorrow. I am so ready to move back into our fiver. It just so cozy and relaxing. It's home.

I received a note from a fellow rv-dreamer that some of you will be getting together this March in Texas. I wish we could be there, but our plans are to leave Texas by the end of December. We want to spend some time in New Mexico and than on to Arizona. We will start our journey back to Indiana sometime in the late spring. Hopefully, the market will have improved or at least stablized and we can put the house on the market at that time.

I sure do hope the temps here in Indiana improve----I've actually had to break out my "winter" flip flops!!

I'm back! I'm not going to promise to blog every day, but I will post a few times each week. The countdown has begun---we hope to be leaving and heading to Texas after Thanksgiving if not before.

Yesterday was my B-day! Happy Birthday to me! I'm 51 years young. It was also little Belle's B-day, she turned 8. Belle and I decided we wanted to spend our birthdays hiking at Turkey Run State Park. So, of course, we took Cosmo and Bill along for the day. It was a beautiful fall day and the furballs so enjoyed bouncing through the water and the mud! A grand day was had by all!

Well, I'm finally back to post. I'm on the "other side" of surgery. My recovery is slow, but I am making progress---I think. I really don't do much these days---I have managed to get in a few short walks, but still don't have much energy and still on the pain meds. Tomorrow is a big day---I get my "staples" removed! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. My belly looks like someone installed a zipper! Hopefully, next week I'll start to see some improvement in my mobility and energy level. I do feel soooo much better---a lot of my aches and pains I had before surgery are gone---especially my back pain and I definitely feel "lighter". Anyway, that's where things stand at present........on the road to recovery..........

Well, once again time is just flying by.......where does it go. We have gotten a lot accomplished in the last few weeks. The den is now painted, the carpet pulled up ready for new, and the dreaded closet purged of all it's treasures. I did have a garage sale last Saturday, I hope my last, and sold a few things. We also started on the main bath. I'll post some pictures soon.

I wanted to get this post in before I leave for the hospital. Today is the big day for me. Surgery is at 8am. I know I'll be in the hospital for at least two days, but I'll post as soon as I'm up to it once I'm home. Again, thanks to all of you who have emailed your good wishes and prayers. It has been a great comfort to me. Thank you and see you on the "other" side.................

Time is just flying by......it seems all I get down these days is helping Sam get his life in order. I think I'm finally on the back side of that---once school starts we can get into a routine and I'm hoping things will settle down. His room is a total mess. It looked so nice when he came home, but he has boxes to sort, clothes to go through----eeeek!

We finally got started on the "den" yesterday. I have the room completely emptied out and hubby started on the can lights. Unfortunately we had to "regroup" on the lights. I wanted to center them on each wall, but the ceiling joist are in the way. So, we just decided to nix the whole can light thing and buy a nice light kit for the ceiling fan. Bill is up in the attic today wiring so we have separate switches---one for the light and one for the fan. At least it is a little cooler for him today. I turned my attention to the closet. It is so overwhelming. So many of my "treasures" are lurking there. It is hard to part with them, but I know I must!! Into the garage sale they go. Some days I begin to wonder if we will ever get this done. We had done a major purge before we left for Florida last winter. I really thought we would not have that much "stuff" to sort through at this time. I was wrong!! I must have "hid" it all in the closet........woe is me!

Been a few days since I posted, we have just been so very busy. Sam came home last Friday. He has been gone for almost 3 years and it was very emotional for all of us. We have been shopping and visiting friends---we have so much to do before he starts Purdue in the Fall. His room came out fantastic and he really seems to like it. We have a few "finishing touches" to apply, but nothing major. Next, we start on what will be the den. It needs a total re-do. It is also one of the last "junk" hold outs. In other words, I have lots of sorting and throwing away to do before we can even start the paint. Hubby will be installing can lights in the ceiling in this room as well. Our goal is to get the "den" and the main bath done before my surgery Aug 7th. I will have about a 6 to 8 week recovery period after the surgery so we really need to get moving. Today I will start the "grand purge" of the den. We will set up tables in the garage, I want to go ahead and place and price items as I go---hopefully that will save us some time later. Sam will be sorting his clothes. He has out grown most of his shirts and some of his pants, so they will be added to the garage sale tables.

A note about my surgery---I have gotten emails and calls from many of you expressing your concern and good thoughts. For those of you that are wondering, I will be have a hysterectomy. I have rather large fibroids, which means I have to have a full incision for removal--no band aid surgery for me. That is why my recovery time will be longer. It seems at "50" many of my "body parts" are "opting out". First it was my gall bladder, now this. The good news is, so far anyway, all of these "deserters" have long since stopped being useful so I say "good riddens"! Thank you all for your kind words and concern and I will keep you posted. Now, it is back to work........

Ok, here is the photo of the dining set I promised. Not to shaggy and the chairs are very comfortable.






This is a photo of the new paint color in Sam's room. I know it looks baby blue, but it does have a touch of green to it. You can see the can lighting my husband installed and the pretty freshly painting white ceiling.

Today I worked on the trim---it is going be an off white. It is all coming together nicely and I think the room is very soothing. Hubby and my Mom worked on priming some furniture for me to paint. It is an armoire and two nightstands for Sam's room. They used to be a knotty pine look and I'm going to paint them a chocolate brown. Once again, we are both so very tired. I think we must be too old for this "home improvement" stuff.

Friday the 11th found hubby in the attic for most of the day. He was installing the "can" lights. He was very tired and wet when he was done, but it sure made a huge difference in the room. I was out having lunch with a friend. Best not to be home when hubby is doing attic work. I had a very nice visit. Then I stopped by the mall and found Macy's was having a big sale. A really good sale--signs of the times I guess. Many items had already been reduced by 50% and you could than take an additional 50% off the discounted price. I managed to find some bargains for my son. A few nice washable silk shirts and some organic cotton ones. Oh, they feel so soft to the skin. After the mall, I went by Kittles to play "show and tell" with my selections for my Mom (she is the receptionist there). Mom has purchased a new dining set for Sam---it was at the store---so we loaded that up and I headed home. I was surprised hubby had any energy left, but he did get the dining set unloaded and put together.

Saturday the 12th found us both painting away. It took most of the day to get the room ready, drop cloths in place, and start the process. We did the ceiling first and that took two coats. Next, we started on the walls. I trimmed and Billy rolled. We make such a great team! We are using Behr Paint from Home Depot. I am not impressed and if there is one thing I know it is paint. We were both surprised because the paint is highly rated, but we found it to be very thin and it took forever to dry. You also had to be very quick with the roller or you would actually start lifting paint off. Very frustrating and I would never recommend this paint to anyone. It was a long day and we were both "pooped" and ready for bed! Tomorrow we will apply coat number two to the walls and hopefully it will be easier than the first. One thing, I do love the color. I promise to post some photos tomorrow!

Yesterday was my turn to see the doctor and I find myself now headed for surgery. It was not a big surprise and I won't bore you with the details, but I know once recovered I will feel so much better. The surgery will be August 7th. Between now and then, there is lots to do. My son is coming home next weekend so we started on his room today. I removed as much as I could from the room and hubby removed the "out of date" track lighting from the ceiling. We plan on replacing the track light with recessed can lighting. Once that is done--we paint ceiling, walls, and trim. The walls are going a soft blue-green and the trim will be an off white. It will be a fresh ,clean look when done. I'll snap some photos as it progresses......

After visiting with our son on the 4th of July, we headed back to our spot on the Tippi River. We arrived and got set up around 3pm. The weather was so nice and the river so peaceful. We were glad we had made the decision to spend the weekend here at the river. July 5th we each had some small jobs to accomplish. Bill went to the stick house--he decided he'd better mow the lawn. I stayed at the river. We have some scrape wood pills that need to be cleaned up so I spent the day sawing up wood and burning. Needless to say, we were both pretty tired by the end of the day. Sunday the 6th we packed up and headed in to the stick house. We plan on splitting our time between the stick house and our "real" home on the river. We will spend weekdays working on the stick house and weekends relaxing at the river. Anyway, that is the plan we will see how well it works.
Monday, the 7th, I spent the day at the hospital with my mother and stepfather. Stepfather is having surgery. It was a long day, but all went well. I got home around 10pm. Mom spent the night at the hospital. I go back today and hopefully will be bringing them both home. I was glad to be there for them both, but boy do I miss the road!

I know, second post for the day. I wanted to update you on a couple of things because I will not have Internet for the next couple of days. The first is a photo of the Michigan City Campground. You can see it is not bad. It is just that we are crammed in her like sardines and there is hardly any green space at the rv site.

The other photo is our new BAL stabilizers. We had a boo-boo with our old Lippert stabilizers. We forgot to put them up one day and when we raised the nose to hitch---CRUNCH! Anyway, hubby is very happy with the new ones. He feels they are much sturdier than the old ones. Now, no more boo-boos!

Yesterday was another long day. We were up early getting the fifth wheel ready for travel. It was supposed to go to Al-Ko today. Our repair shop had wanted to get prior approval before making the spring repair. Well, turns out a lot of the shops in Elkhart close for holiday in July---Al-Ko is one of those shops. So, our repair shop decided to just go ahead and take care of us and they will deal with Al-Ko later. As a result, we now have 4 new leaf springs and while they were there my husband had them go ahead and repack the barrings. The photos are the guys working on our rig at RV America and the guy hiding behind the phone book is Ron Green, owner of RV America. They are all very nice and do try very hard to take care of all your needs. We had everything on our list addressed to our satisfaction except for two items. The first, our microwave. When you try and boil water, after about 4 minutes it will shut itself down. It will start right back up, but it should not kick out like that in our opinion. Ron was afraid to replace it because he was afraid the factory would not be able to re-create the issue and then they would refuse to reimburse him for the replacement. It has happened to him before. So, we are going to call the factory directly and try to get this issue resolved. The second, our leaky air mattress. Apparently, we have to call these folks directly and ask that a replacement bladder be sent. Ron did give us some goop to affect a repair. Unfortunately, my husband found out last night that the repair did not hold. I'll keep you updated as things progress on those last two items. We currently are at a campground it Michigan City, IN called Michigan City Campground. We have stayed here before and it is OK, but a little pricey for the amenities in our opinion.

Today was a very long day. The guys at RV America (our repair shop) worked on our fifth wheel all day today. The pups and I hung out in our new screen room. As you can see it did a great job of keeping them contained and comfortable. I had mentioned we purchased this at Wal Mart in an earlier post. The brand name is "First Up".
As to our repairs, they got a lot accomplished today on our "minor" list. They replaced our sound system "control" center, replace the motor in our Shurflo fan, checked out our microwave (they will call the manufacturer tomorrow for solution), in process of replacing tubing for our propane system, and checked out our shower leak. The leak appears to have "healed" itself, but they did double check the connections and made sure all was secure. Tomorrow they are taking our unit over to the folks who installed our leaf springs and axles. Our repair shop wants to make sure that they agree to replace the leaf springs which are under warranty. I have to say we are a little nervous about this, apparently they have had problems getting them to agree to cover repairs in the past. One good thing, Russ Anderson (one of the owners of Americana RV) happens to be here on another project. Hopefully if there is a problem, he can be of assistance in straightening things out.
We finished our evening with a trip to Olive Garden for dinner. Tomorrow promises to be another long day. I let you know how it all turns out..........

Wish I had something exciting to report, but the last couple of days have been pretty mundane. I'm actually excited about our "repair" trip to Elkhart. It will get me out of the house and back into our fifth wheel and that's a good thing. Today will be spent getting things together to take with us. The furballs need a trim and a bath---that always wipes me out. They are both fairly good about it, but it is just such a process. Of course, then there is the laundry to do.

I did have a nice conversation with my son yesterday. He received his Purdue schedule and is so excited to start school in the fall. His only concern is figuring out a part time job, but I told him he needs to focus on school first. I told him I felt confident that something would turn up job wise. That is one thing about Indiana--we are so conservative here---the ups and downs of the national economy are not felt as severely as other parts of the country. Right now, at least, there are still jobs available and homes are still selling. It does help to have all those Purdue students right next door!

As I stated in an earlier post, I will be documenting our repair work. We are going to leave our satellite internet system home, but I have always been able to tap into the repair shops wifi in the past. Hopefully, it is still available.

Today was somewhat interesting. We decided we needed to purchase a "canopy" for me and the dogs to sit under during the repairs on our fifth wheel. The place where the work will be done has absolutely no place for me and the pups to get away from the summer sun. Well, we finally found one at Wal Mart. It is 10x10 and reasonably stable. Then I found that for an extra $30.00 we could purchase a screen to attach to it. I really like that idea--you remember I do not like the bugs! Not only will it protect me from all things "pesky", but the dogs will not have to be on leash the entire time. All together, I think we will spend around $120.00. It is fairly compact, so it should fit nicely in the basement of our fiver. I think we will find it very handy to have around. We will do a trial run before heading to Elkhart with it and I'll snap some photos and include the brand name in a later post. Next, we were off to the hardware store. Hubby needed something for the air compressor, but of course it was no where to be found. Just so the trip was not a total loss, we headed over to Culver's for lunch. If you have never had a "butterburger" you don't know what you are missing. They just melt in your mouth! Leaving Culver's, we got caught in a downpour on our way back to the van . We were just soaked and headed home. Once home and dry we decided to do a little research on some rv parks in Arizona. We are thinking of heading that direction sometime after Thanksgiving. I found one I liked in Yuma, Cocopah Rv Park. Hubby found one that we will definitely have to check out. It is called Good Life Rv Park and it is located in Mesa. It also looked very nice. We are opened to suggestions---please feel free to leave them in the comments section and we will check them out. Last year we "wintered" in Bushnell Florida. We found we really didn't like sitting in one place for so long. I think we have got to get our heads out of that "snowbird" philosophy. We are seriously considering just heading west without any agenda or reservations. That way we can explore as we please, staying a little or longer as the mood strikes us. After all, that is what this lifestyle is supposed to be about. We are just so used to "planning" everything that we are a little scared at the prospect of just heading down the road.

Thanks for the comments and the questions and keep um coming. I love hearing from all of you! Several have inquired about our repairs on our Americana. I'm happy to report that we will be taking our unit to Elkhart next Monday. I plan on "blogging" all! Stay tuned for more on that. Today's mail held our check for the items we sent to auction a few weeks back. I was not expecting much and I was not disappointed. The good news is it's gone and it won't be coming back. I know many of you have gone through this process or are soon to be going through it. I get questions all the time of "how I let go" of all that stuff! Well, I guess you have to be ready. I took a good look at all my stuff and realized that it was just STUFF! Some of it I could not even tell you why I kept or had to have in the first place. To me, it has been a rather "freeing" experience. As to the photos and sentimental items (like my son's first shoes), my mother has graciously offered to store them for me. But, I have been careful there too and I have kept those items down to a minimum. When my son arrives home, we will go through some of those "treasures" and see what he is interested in keeping and what we can let go. I'll admit it can all be a little overwhelming at times. That is why after liquidating my business last year I was just "to tired" to start on the house. We saved it for this spring. I now wish that I had not---I was on a roll last year and I should have just kept right on rolling, but that's life. Just take it one day at a time and sooner or later you get through it! I do know one thing. We made the right decision to full time. I love my little home on wheels and I can't wait to get back on the road again!

Monday, June 23 2008

Not much to report today. I had a doctor's appointment in the am. Nothing major just a check on a small spot on my leg. Turned out to be scar tissue most probably from a bite by those pesky noseems down in Florida. When we were parked next to the water at my Uncle's Marina, they just about ate me alive. I think Florida is one place we have probably ruled out as a permanent home. Too many bugs!! I'm looking forward to trying out Arizona this winter to see how it compares. After my doctor's appointment, hubby and I had a nice lunch at Arni's our favorite pizza place. Next, it was over to Purdue University in West Lafayette. My son, Sam, will be attending there in the fall. He is presently unable to be on campus, so I was elected to go over and sign him up for some classes. It was kinda funny actually. I had made a 2:30 appointment with Sam's counselor. He came out to the waiting room, called my name, and looked down right puzzled as I stood before him. Maybe it was all my gray hair, not your average college student. Anyway, once he got past all that we sat down and figured out Sam's courses for the fall semester. It is so exciting, almost like I'm going back to school. Anyway, hope he is happy with my choices. Well, that was all the excitement for today. The weather here has sure been wonderful. It was so cold and rainy when we arrived home in April. It is currently in the low 70's with low humidity and lots of sunshine----just beautiful. Unfortunately, the heat and the humidity will be back----probably by tomorrow..........

Wow, sorry it has been so long since the last post. We just now have internet. The last park we were at was in Chatham, IL. There is a picture of our camp site at left. It was a very nice park called the Double J Campground.
Unfortunately, they did not have free wifi and we didn't feel like setting up the satellite for one night. We finally arrived back in Indiana on Thursday evening, June 19th. We parked the fiver up at the river lot, packed up a few things and headed to the stick house. We plan on getting the house on the market in the very near future, but right now we have a few rooms to paint and some improvements to finish up. So, we will be staying at the house for the next few weeks to get it ready for sale. Friday, we headed back up to the river and the fiver. Hubby wanted to wash the bugs off and I needed to clean on the inside. I never feel like doing much cleaning when we are in travel mode, so it was good to run the sweeper and such. I also rounded up a few more items to take back to the house. Saturday, we went over to see my folks and help them move some furniture. They are having carpet laid on Monday. Sunday we visited with my son. He is doing well and is looking forward to attending Purdue University this fall. That is pretty much it. As you can see, we have been busy since we arrived here. Tomorrow, hubby will call Americana to make our appointment for our repairs. We have quite a list, mostly small stuff. The big item is our leaf springs and possibly our axle. It will be interesting to see how all is handled and I'll be sure and post as it unfolds. One last issue. As I stated we just got online a little while ago. We have a tripod satellite system. We have no problem setting the thing up and getting it pointed, but sometimes it takes forever to pass the cross pol test. Don't ask me to explain that, it is just part of the procedure you must go through when you set up. Of late, it seems to take forever to get the test to even run let alone pass. After 3 days of trying unsuccessfully, we finally decided to try another satellite coordinate and this time managed to "pass" the test. After passing, you must re align to your assigned satellite. We did and FINALLY we are up and running. I wish there was a better option for us and our internet service. We did our homework and felt that the tripod system was the way we needed to go. Once it is up and running I have no complaints, but I just wish it were a little easier to set up. I guess it is all part of the rv "learning curve"!!

June 17, 2008

We said our goodbyes to the remaining rv rally folks and gave all a BIG HUG. Sure hate to see it come to an end. We pulled out around 9am and planned to travel about 200 miles today.

We arrived at Pin Oaks Creek Campground
around 2pm. You can see the two furballs posing for me in their rally scarves just after we set up. This is a very nice park with a nice pond that you can walk around and explore. Cosmo wanted to go wading, but I was not up for the clean up. We are only staying the one night and the spot was level enough that we didn't even have to unhitch! Only one complaint, they charge for their wifi. That is the first time we ran into that, so needless to say we didn't use the wifi. I decided to try something new for dinner tonight. We had an aluminum bag for cooking on the grill. So I filled it with pork chops, sliced potatoes and carrots. Threw in some seasonings and one hour

later we had an excellent dinner with easy clean up. Next time, I will cook it on a lower flame--we did get a few burnt edges on some of the potatoes. None the less, it sure tasted good! Tomorrow we plan on another short trip. I really like only going 200 to 300 miles in a day---makes for a much more relaxed driving experience. Billy seems to drive at a little slower pace and we don't feel so pressured when we make our pit stops to eat and exercise the pups.

We went to see the Butterfly Palace. This place is too cool. First you are treated to a 3D movie about a butterfly and preying mantis. Then you go into the "rainforest" where the butterflies fly all around you. You can take photos and stay as long as you like. I got several really good shots including one of a small bird. After the butterflies you can walk through a forest mirror maze. We both got a kick out of trying to find our way out of the maze! Again another attraction I would highly recommend. After our sight seeing we had a very good lunch at Landry's. They specialize in seafood and I had their broiled sampler platter. There was shrimp, tilapia, scallops, and more. UMMMMM Goode!


We also went to the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum. It was wonderful. It was great to see all the great costumes, guns, photos, and more. If you liked Roy and Dale, I would definitely recommend this attraction.
All in all, another good day in Branson. Tomorrow is a travel day---internet permitting I will let you know where we park for the night on our journey back to Lafayette.