What....no propane?

Got up this am and found we were out of Propane....no big deal as Billy just hooked up our tank we use for the BBQ.  That is the thing with the RV lifestyle....you always have to have a plan B and sometimes a plan C!  LOL! 
Tonight we have big plans....he! he!  The park is throwing a New Years Eve party at the club house with a live band and dinner.  Looking forward to ringing in the New Year with our new friends here at the park.  It will also give me a chance to practice my newly found line dancing skills..wahoo!
So let the fun begin....wherever you are....with whom ever you are with.....be safe, have fun, and raise your class to a New Year filled with love and laughter.....

Quiet Christmas

We had a very quiet Christmas day.  I spent most of it in the kitchen making one of Billy's favorite meals....ham and scalloped potatoes.  I also decided to make some Christmas cookies to share with some of our neighbors...they were a big hit!  An old family recipe for sugar cookies with buttercream frosting...they melt in your mouth...and then, of course they land on your hips! LOL!
Billy and I each got an Iphone 5 as our gifts to one another.  Love them....except I found out the other day that my ear phone jack does not work.  I'll have to have that taken care of after the holidays.
The weather here has turned a bit chilly and overcast and I think it may just stay that way for awhile.  We have been so spoiled by the last couple of warm and sunny winters that this comes as a real shock.  I can handle a little chill in the air, but I sure do miss the sunshine!
Hoping all of you are enjoying this Holiday Season.....wishing you and your families..."Happy Holidays"!

Happenings.....

The folks here at Del Pueblo are so friendly....we, well I, enjoyed "happy hour" last night at one of our neighbors.  Billy decided to stay in on his beloved computer.  Anyway, you would have thought we had all known each other forever.  We were doing Fire Ball shots (something my Auntie Di introduced me to) around one of those portable propane firepits.  The neighbors across the way were having a big pizza party and yes, we managed to get some leftovers sent our way...LOL!  The street definitely lived up to it's reputation of being "rowdy" last night.  It was great fun! 
We made our appointment for our passport apps yesterday down at the post office....oh yeah....it was a zoo, but we managed to get in and out in under 10 minutes.  The earliest we could get in is Dec 21st and then it will take about 4 to 6 weeks to receive the passports.  Wish it were sooner, but we will be here til April... so time we have.
We also found out yesterday that someone had managed to get Billy's debit card number.  The last few times he had tried to use it...it was denied.  When we called our bank had cancelled the card...it seems someone was trying to go on a spending in spree in Europe.  Upon further investigation we did find a charge that had gotten past our bank....about 300.00 taken from our account.  Fortunately we were reimbursed for that charge.  I'm really mad at myself for not catching that....as I usually check our account every couple of days.  Not sure why I didn't see it.....but I'll be paying much closer attention to the numbers from here on!

Settling In

Well....we really do like our little winter site here at Del Pueblo in Yuma.   On day one, many of our neighbors came by and introduced themselves.  I'm doing my best to remember their names....LOL!  In the course of conversation they also let us know that they do cross over into Mexico to shop once in awhile and invited us to come along.  Mentioned there was this neat little restaurant there that had really good margaritas.  Apparently, this group has been known to over indulge.....just a little....I think the saying goes, "one tequila, two tequila, three tequila....FLOOR!"  Ha! Ha!  So, I mentioned that my Billy doesn't drink and is my built in "DD".  Wow.....did he make some new friends fast....they all LOVE him...HE!  HE!
Lots of activities here.....yesterday the ladies and I went for "Line Dancing" country western style.  Think I need to get me some cowboy boots now.  Day before I checked out the gals in beading class...they were having a good time too!  All in all, I think we are going to really enjoy our time here at Del Pueblo.
Here is a photo of our site.....

Lots of space and a really nice big patio.  The rest is pretty much gravel, except for the area directly behind the rigs and that is sand.  I don't mind the sand....great place for the furballs to do their business! Speaking of "furball business", you should see their dog run here.  Not only is it nice and large, but it has artificial grass.  They have a hose there to aid in clean up, but also an in ground sprinkler that runs every morning.....to wash down the puppy pee!  And once a week they come in and hose it down with a puppy friendly disinfectant.  Next to that is a small shed with state of the art puppy washing....that cost some coin though....kinda like a car wash. 
This place is also hummingbird central....I have never seen so many.  I put my feeder out yesterday and it did not take them long to find it.  They also like to sit in that tree and chirp at one another.   Hoping to get some photos in the future. 
We had quite a bit of rain here last Thursday evening and then the temps dipped a little.  Our days went from 70's to 60's, cooling down into the low 50's at night.  Lastly...our Christmas presents to one another are on the way.....two new bright and shiny Iphone 5s.  Black for Billy and White for me....can't wait to get them and check out all the new bells and whistles!  Life is Goode!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Yuma Escapees

Made it to Yuma with no problems and arrived at the Escapees park there around 3pm.  This whole Escapee thing seems to be a bit more complicated then we thought....at least here in Yuma.  It seems the folks here only have to give a one week notice of coming to use their site.  What that means for us....is that we can only reserve a site for one week at at time and if the owners of that site show up, we have to move to another site.  The second problem....I was told I cannot use my washer.  Something to do with the age of their sewer system, yet they have several top loading washers available for me to use in their laundry facility at a cost of $1.50 per load.  Apparently the sewer system can handle those with no problem...ummmmm.....
Bottom line....this place is not for us.  We found another park.... Del Pueblo RV Park.  It is super nice...large spacing, beautiful pool and clubhouse, and very friendly folks, and I can use my washer.  We went over yesterday and were given a choice of several lots to choose from for our 4 month stay.  Took a look at each one and made our decision, went back and placed our deposit.  As soon as I gave her the site number....she smiled and said, "I must warn you...that is the "party" street!".  She continued, "They tend to get a little rowdy over there around happy hour".  My husband laughed and said, "No worries, my wife will fit right in, she comes from a long line of rowdy happy hour folks"!  So true.....I can't wait to meet everyone and let the fun begin!  We will move to the new park on the 12th.
Today we are having the rig and our truck washed.....they sooooo need it!

Tucson to Yuma

We have been here in Tucson for the last couple of nights enjoying the Lazy Days RV park.  Very nice....wide paved streets, gravel pads with concrete patios.  Plenty of room between the sites too!  Today we head over to Yuma....going to give the Escapees park there a try.  Last time we were in Yuma they were full, but we are here earlier this time so hoping to land a spot. 
The weather has been great lots and lots of sunshine with temps in the mid to upper 70's. 

We off to Fort Stockton

Okay...so today we are back on the road heading to Fort Stockton for an overnight.  We are primarily traveling along I10 toward Yuma.  If anyone knows of any decent rv parks along this route please let me know.....

Kerrville Texas

We have moved on to Kerrville Texas...internet is pretty iffy....so hopefully our next stop will have a stronger signal....till then be safe and travel happy!

San Antonio

We arrived in San Antonio around 3pm on Monday.....staying at Traveler's World Rv Park.  The park is well kept, but the sites are small....but, boy this is one popular place.  It is only 3 miles from the riverwalk and I do think it is probably the best maintained park in the area.  There are quite a few permanent folks, but their sites are also well maintained.  Very friendly and helpful staff too.  I do recommend reservations....especially if you want a pull throw because most of the available sites are back ins.  Of course, we are here during Thanksgiving week so there are lots of folks traveling.  Here is a few pics of our site....

As you can see, we don't quite fit.  We have to put the tailgate down to clear the pin box to get that far in.  We do have a small concrete patio and the rv pad is pea gravel.  Fairly level.  This is an older park so lots of green.

This is our "hook up" side....another really close fit.  Our site is right at the entrance to the park.  So we do have lots of traffic to contend with....but I kinda like seeing all the rvs come in.....during peak check in time it is quite the little parade!  We had a Prevost motorcoach one day....so we ain't exactly slumming here...LOL!

This is our door side.  Enough yard for the furballs to do their thing.  See our electric cord coming across the yard.  Well, our electric box....(which is on the hook up side)....couldn't use the fifty amp.  We have never run into this before, but the box was designed in such a way that the bottom lip of the box prevented us from being able to push our plug all the way into the socket.  I went into the office and they had maintenance come out and take a look....and no....no one else had ever had this problem!  We both found that hard to believe.  Anyway, the box next to us was designed differently and we were able to plug into it with out a problem.  Hopefully they will not need to use that site while we are here.  Oh well, that is the "Goodelife" for you....as I have said before...Murphy just loves us.  I told that to the maintenance guy and I could see he was actually looking around for this "Murphy" fellow when the light bulb went on and he said, "oh, you mean Murphy's law"...
LOL!
Yesterday we headed down to the River Walk.  Decided to take the city bus as it stops practically right out our front door.  Not knowing exactly where we were...we did get off the bus a couple of stops too soon...but it was a beautiful day so a couple of extra blocks to walk didn't hurt us.  We checked out the Alamo and then meandered the river walk for a couple of hours.  We were back home by 3pm, fed the furballs, and decided we had better make a grocery run.  We had yet to buy our Thanksgiving turkey.  WOW and WOW!  I could not believe the masses of humanity at the grocery store.  We had to fight our way in and out, but we were victorious!  Found a nice fresh whole turkey breast.  Yes, we will have our Thanksgiving feast...just the two of us....Turkey and dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and noodles, and pumpkin roll with cream cheese icing for dessert! MMMmmmmm good!
Today; however, today I'm off to the San Antonio Zoo.
Happy Turkey Day....everyone....eat, drink, and most importantly be MERRY and SAFE!

San Antonio Here we come!

Today is our last day here in Beaumont.  Nothing exciting to report....making plans for our journey tomorrow to San Antonio.  It will be a longer than usual travel day for us...close to 5 hrs....so we are hoping to get an early start.  Our little furballs just do not travel well at all.....lots of panting and "ants in their pants".  They ware me out just trying to comfort them.
If you remember, I mentioned we had an issue with our steps.  Here is a photo of our problem....

As you can see...we had a nasty crack.  We had to support the steps with a bottle jack to be able to continue to use them.  Luckily Bill found a welding shop here in Beaumont.  He took the steps to them and they were able to weld the crack and also "beefed up" the other side as well.  So...we are back in business! 
Here are a couple photos of our rv site here in Beaumont....

 Here is our site.....and below is a "street" view.

Guess that is all the news...I'm excited to move on to San Antonio.  We were there for a vacation back in the early 90's, looking forward to seeing what I remember and what has changed.......

Spindletop

We landed here in Beaumont safe and sound.  Staying in a nice rv park called Gulf Shores.  Concrete pads and patios....almost all sites are pull throughs.  We are not, however, anywhere near the water as the name implies.  It's fairly nice now, but it seems to me they have quite a few permanent and semi-permanent folks here.....and they are letting them collect quite a bit of "junk" around their trailers.  If that continues....this place will go down hill very quickly.  It's not that I mind the "more permanent folks"...heck I may be one myself one day....it's all the "junk" that some seem to want to collect and store around their trailer. 
Our son Sam is here taking some classes on mold remediation and restoration.  We had lunch with him and his instructor yesterday.  It was a very interesting day, the instructor seems to really know his stuff and I think Sam is learning a lot.  After lunch, we toured a replica of an old oil "boom" town called Spindletop Glady's City Boomtown.  It houses a lot of antiques.  Many of these were damaged during a hurricane.  By the time the water had receded and the debris was cleared, many of the antiques (books, clothing, wall paper) were consumed with mold.  The instructor and his company were able to restore most of the items.....they have developed a new technology to accomplish this...it really is a very exciting opportunity for Sam and his company as this new technology is a much less invasive and cost saving procedure then what has been traditionally available.  
Now, pardon the proud mama....but I just have to say....I'm so very proud of my son.  He started his company with next to nothing.  He has worked so hard and I am so impressed with his business sense.... and it is all starting to pay off.  He still has a ways to go, but he has the vision and the drive to make his company a success.....and that, my friends, is a very "Goode" thing! 

Longview, TX

Yup, back in Longview Tx....had two glorious days of sunshine and temps in the high 70's.  Now it is grey with drizzle.....seems a cold front has tracked us down and will soon be seeing those 40's and 50's again....boo-hoo!
Tomorrow we will make our way to Beaumont.  Staying for about a week....looking forward to exploring the area as we have never been there.
Not much else to report....getting caught up on the laundry today.  Sure do love my in house washer and dryer!

North Little Rock Photos

As promised I have some photos for you today. 

Here is our site....not much room between neighbors, but ok for a night or two.

This is an old rail bridge which has been converted into a walking bridge.  We can see this from our site.  It takes you over to the Clinton Presidential Library and also connects to more walking paths.  We decided to check it out yesterday.

Here we go!  By the way, this rv park is fenced and you are given a gate code to get in and out.  There is also a small pedestrian gate adjacent to this walking bridge.  Very convenient. 

This is a view of the park from the walking bridge.  The black arrow marks our site.  If we ever come back through here again, I would like to stay in one of the back in sites along the river front.  I think they run about $25 a night vs. our $11.50 Passport America Rate for the "cheap seats".  I would really like to explore more of those walking paths and the park was surprisingly quiet for being so close to the interstate.  Funny, I have never considered myself a "water" person, but it is just so peaceful...just something really calming about the water.  The furballs and I could sit and watch the river for hours I think! Also...this is a busy little park and you are required to make a reservation for the passport sites, but I would recommend you make a reservation for ANY of the sites or at least call ahead for availability. 

Once across the bridge, we did decide to check out the Clinton Library.  It was interesting.  The photo is of the replica of the Oval Office which is on the 3rd floor of the library.  That was pretty neat to see and it is probably the closest I'll ever get to the Oval Office!
Today is another travel day as we continue our journey to Texas.  We plan on spending the weekend in Longview visiting Bill's Mom and brother.  Then it will be on to Beaumont!

The Sun....The SUN!

Finally as we made our way to Little Rock......the sun popped out and the grey skies gave way to beautiful bright blue ones!  The temps quickly rose into the high 60's.  We are parked in North Little Rock in a small city park called Downtown Riverside RV Park.  We are in the "cheap seats" do to our passport America rate, but we can still see the river.  I plan to get out today with my camera so more about the park and the area next post.
Last night we headed out to the local walmart, one of our needed items....a gallon of milk.  We both bout dropped our teeth when we saw the price....$4.18 for a gallon of milk.  I'm guessing that price has to do with the horrible drought this past year.  Anyway....despite the high milk price, we plan on enjoying our 2 night stay here in North Little Rock!

Hey...throw me another roll!!

Here I sit in Sikeston MO this am, my feet up in my easy chair!  Nice little park, Hinton RV, for a quick night or two.  Nothing fancy.....fairly level gravel sites, full hookups, plus decent cable tv.  They advertise wifi, but it is pretty bad.....weak signal and really slow. 
Last night we ate dinner at Lambert's, "Home of the Throwed Rolls"!  What a hoot!  Yes, they do actually throw the rolls at you and yes some miss their mark and end up on the floor.  You are NOT required to eat those....LOL!  Anyway I had chicken pot pie with a side of dumplings and candied yams...and those rolls....oh my....thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  Plus they come around and offer you "sides" of fried okra, fried potatoes, mac-n-cheese, and apple butter and molasses for your roll.  Real comfort food served in a relaxed atmosphere....my kinda place.  It was all especially good after a day on the road....a cold grey, wet day.
Once back at the rv we settled back in our recliners...cozy as little bugs in rugs....in front of our little electric fireplace.
Today we relax and tomorrow we head to Little Rock.  The weather looks like it might be improving a bit warmer and dry, but still really grey skies.  I soooooo need to see the sun!

Today is travel day....on our way to Sikeston MO!  Home of Lambert's Cafe and the only throwed rolls!  I can't tell you how many times we have been by this place, but never stopped.  That is going to change......we will be in Sikeston for two nights and one of those nights dinner is going to be at Lambert's!  I hope it is as good as they claim.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Bill did get the tv cable connector replace so hopefully no more problems on that front.....and so far the stairs are holding.
Illinois is on central time, when we arrived we had to push our clocks back an hour from Indiana eastern time.  Yesterday we had to do that yet again due to daylight savings time.  The dogs and I are having a little trouble adjusting to the new time, our inner clock just doesn't recognize all these time zones and "savings" time.  Bill......oh Bill can sleep anytime, anywhere....no problems there.  But me....I was in bed by barely 8pm last night and awake by 4am. 
It rained here last night and I'm not sure what the day is going to be like as it is still dark.  Hoping it's dry and hoping the temps start to rise as we head deeper south.....I sure do miss my flip flops and sunshine....where the heck has all the sunshine gone!

Satellite Issues.....

Our journey to Litchfield was uneventful.....just the way we like it!  But.....but...."Murphy" sure does seem to love us.  Yesterday our outside steps gave way.  They are only two years old and a weld has cracked on one of the supports.  We found that we can put blocks under the bottom step and if we stay to the side that is still supported we can still use the steps.  Which is a good thing....cause I can't imagine climbing in and out of the fifth wheel without them.  We are hoping we can get by until we land in Texas.  Then we can figure out if we can repair them or if we just need to replace them altogether. 
Our next issue with Mr. Murphy is our direct tv set up.  We had been having increasing difficulties with "tuning" in our signal and then one day we found we could only pull in one of the two signals needed.  We have a second tuner box in the bedroom so we hooked it up and had no difficulty in finding the signal....we checked out both cable leads on this box and had no problems with either.  So.....we naturally figured that the original tuner box in the living room was defective.  Called Direct tv and they sent us a new one, hooked it up and everything was fine.  No problems the whole time we were in Indiana.  In our set up yesterday, we begin having the same problems with this new tuner box that we had with the old.  We hooked up the bedroom tuner and once again we quickly and easily found the signal.  Finding it hard to believe that we had yet another bad box we begin playing with the cables, trying to determine which if any where bad.  This was a long and very confusing process.  Every time we thought we had the problem isolated....we would switch to the new box and NOPE that is not it either.  Finally...quite by accident...I discovered that moving around one of the cables from the wall outlet to the box would cause the signal to come and go.  It seems we have a bad connector in the wall outlet.  I managed to twist the cable into a position that held the signal and it is still working this am.  Billy will replace the faulty connector today and hopefully that will take care of our problem.  MURPHY....please go play with someone else!
The weather here is still cold and last night I awoke to the sound of a thunderstorm complete with hail and heavy downpour.  Fortunately, it only lasted a short time.....maybe that means a warm front is trying to move into the area.  That would be a very "Goode" thing!  LOL!

The Journey Begins

Yesterday was spent by both Bill and I finishing up last minute projects, trips to the grocery, and saying our goodbyes to family and friends.  Today we start our journey south.  We will be stopping in Illinois at a little rv park in Litchfield.  We are planning on spending the weekend there.  We try not to travel on the weekends anymore, being stranded on the side of the road on a Sunday was no fun at all this past summer.  
I'm looking forward to our journey, I love being "on the road".  I guess it brings the gypsy out in me!
Oh yes, my dinner with the "bitches" at the John Purdue Room was fabulous.  The food was wonderful and the company outstanding....of course!  We each added the "wine flight" to our dinner that night.  Each course was then paired with a small glass of wine.  I'm usually not a wine drinker, but I decided to give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised as I enjoyed every one of the wine choices that evening....even the red paired with the main course was perfect!  My Auntie Di and Uncle Jim are the wine connoisseurs in the family.....I could not help but think of them with each glass....wish you could have been with us!

Wicked Winds are blowing.....

Awoke to some really fierce winds as the remnants of hurricane Sandy move over Indiana.  I don't think we will see any snow, but it sure is a miserable day of wind and cold.  My heart goes out to all those on the east coast, you are all in my prayers.  It makes one wonder just what kind of a winter we are going to see this year.
On a more pleasant note, tonight I'm headed over to the John Purdue Room for dinner with some of my closest friends....otherwise known as the "bitches"!  One of the girl's son is working there as part of his studies in restaurant and hotel management.  Tonight the menu will be French Cuisine......oooooo la la........can't wait!
Almost forgot......Bill did finally get our water problem solved....no more drips and we have hot and cold running water once again!

Birthday Wishes and Drips!

Today is a very special day....."Happy Birthday, Daddy!"  Love ya, bunches!  Hope you have a very "restful" day.....LOL!

Other news here at the lovely AOK.....we have had no water for two days now.  No, can't blame the AOK for this one.  My darling hubby started a project.  He wanted to install our little water softener inside our basement.  To accomplish this, water lines had to be cut and re-directed.  He is having a bit of trouble with his connection points....the leaks are not gushing, but he just can't seem to get rid of that drip....drip.....drip!  Today he has a new plan of action....so fingers crossed, maybe we will have running water by tonight.  In the meantime, we are basically living outta of buckets!  A little primitive for me!  Took a shower at my son's the other day and may have to head back over today too!
The weather here has turned cold.....hitting the 30's at night and barely the 50's in the day.  If it gets much colder I will have to make the ultimate sacrifice and trade in my flip flops for actual shoes.....now, you all know how I feel about that!!

Engagement Party

We got lucky and although it could have been a bit warmer.....at least it was dry for our little engagement party at Happy Hollow Park last Saturday.

The fall color is just beautiful here......red, orange, and yellow just popping out everywhere! Made for a great backdrop for the photo.  I still can't believe how fast our summer has gone and fall is flying by too.  This upcoming week is going to be crazy busy...looking forward to our journey south, but gonna miss my family and friends!

Time Flies.....

Time Flies.....we all know that don't we.  I don't know where all the days go, but it seems they go by faster and faster.  I can hardly believe that October is half gone!  We have been keeping ourselves busy.  Bill has had some projects on our stick house.  A drainage and sump pump was put in our crawlspace.  Our son and his crew did the drainage system and placed the pump, but it was up to Bill to do the electrical.  He wanted to not only run power to the pump, but also add some lighting down there.  That meant running a new line and adding a new breaker to the electrical box.  Next we had the heating and cooling guys come out and clean and check that system.  It seems we will be needing a new furnace in the "not so distant" future.  Sometimes it feels like that house is an albatross around our necks. BUT it is all normal upkeep and someday we will recoup our investment....till then it is home to our son and his fiancee and "the zoo" and that is a very "Goode" thing!  The "zoo" consist of two beautiful, lovable rescued dogs, one feisty chinchilla, a very large fish tank, and the latest addition...."sugar bears".  If you want to know just what a "sugar bear" is, then check out this link.  The kids have named the chinchilla Simon so naturally the two latest editions have been name Theodore and Alvin!  There is truly never a dull moment at their house and they are lucky to have an animal lover as a landlord....Ha!
We both have been getting our yearly medical visits and "tests" run.  Bill finished up his yesterday.  I have one more "test" and a trip to the doc next week.  Both our furbabies will be making their way to the vet for their yearly check ups as well.  By the time we pay the vet bill and stock up on their meds......I'm expecting around a $500.00 hit to the budget!  October is a very expensive month. 
Planning on saying our goodbyes and heading south on Nov 1st.  Right now, our plans are to head to Texas.  Our son is going to fly down to Beaumont Texas for some training in mold remediation mid November.  We decided to meet him there and then spend the next month or so exploring the Texas hill country.  Going to do that last year, but got side tracked by all the fun we were having in Florida...LOL!  At this point, we have not decided rather we will be staying in Texas for the winter or heading further west to Yuma.  That is one thing we both love about this lifestyle.....our plans are always fluid and can change at the drop of a hat! 
My "decorating" project is still in the early phases, but this week it is all about the kids.  We are having a small engagement party for them on Saturday.  Planning on an outdoor event so here is hoping the weather cooperates!  Till next time.....Happy Travels!

October bliss....

October 1st!  This is my favorite month of the year.....fall is in full bloom now.  The days are usually warm and the nights are cool and crisp.  Tis a "witchy" time of year.  It just doesn't get any better then this!  We are back at the AOK here in Lafayette, Indiana.  Arrived here Friday afternoon.  The campground was looking fairly empty so we thought maybe we had a chance at one of those 50 amp sites.  Not to be, apparently Purdue had some "parent's day" going on and there were a lot of weekend reservations.  We did, however; manage to get a premo 30 amp site.....back on the first row and on the end with a big front "yard" area for the furballs.  I'll have some photos next post.  We plan on being here about a month.  Lots to do in that month.  I'm hoping to make some new window treatments and I'm really tired of all this beige on my walls.  I'm itching to get my paintbrush out and make some major decorating changes.....you can probably hear Billy moaning now.....LOL....Let the decorating games begin!

Starved Rock....Visiting friends.....

We had a beautiful day at Starved Rock....but it was a pretty long one.  In fact, Bill is now referring to the experience as the "death march"....LOL!  We kinda got lost and in our humble opinion, neither the maps or the trail markings were very clear to us.  When we finally came out into a parking lot, we could not find our truck.  We realized we were in the wrong parking lot and so back in the woods we went.  Finally arrived in the correct parking area and found the truck....both of us pretty well "done in"! 
We are currently in a little rv park called Galesburg East Campground in Illinois.  Not a bad spot, but it is fairly tight for larger rigs.  We have been visiting with some rv friends we made on one of our Arizona winters.  It has been so nice visiting with them again.  Today we are taking the furballs out to their farm where they can run to their hearts content.  Who am I kidding, those two are the original "couch potatoes" of all time....LOL!  There may be a little waddling, but I seriously doubt I'll see any running!  Ha!

Utica Illinois

The past few days have been a blast here in Utica, Illinois.  We are staying at Hickory Hollow Rv park....just a few miles from Starved Rock.  I have been visiting with some of my "artsy" friends that I had connected with online.  It has been wonderful....sharing our art, love, and laughter with one another!  Today Bill and I are going to head over to Starved Rock and hopefully do a little hiking.  The weather has been rather cold and gloomy of late, but today looks to be sun shiny bright! 
Tomorrow will be a travel day....off to visit some of our "rv" friends.  So excited to see them again......

Are we there yet?

Well folks, didn't make it to Utica.  We were about an hour or so down the road, when we pulled off into a rest area.  Bill has been monitoring our new oil bath bearings closely and turns out that was a very good thing.  He found all 4 tires very low on oil.....and he had just "topped them off" before we left the campground in Birch Run.  Time to regroup our travel plans.  I checked the mileage and found we were only about an hour away from Elkhart and our repair shop.  So, Bill refilled the bearings with more oil and we headed for the repair shop.  Upon arrival, Bill found the bearings to be almost dry.....all 4 bearings were leaking from the back...the seals....the brand new seals....were failing.  Ron and his group were great, before the day was over they had determined what our problem was....the seals were for greased bearings not oil bath.  That was not their fault as Bill was the one who had provided the seals.  Somehow he ordered the wrong ones.  Ron told us he we have the new seals by morning and should have us ready to go again by noon tomorrow (Wednesday).  True to his word.....he did.  We opted to stay another night and leave this morning once again heading to Starved Rock State Park in Illinois.  Sure hope, "Murphy" gives us a break and allows us to complete our journey today!  I swear, our tires have been off this fifth wheel more then they have been on these past couple of weeks...LOL!

Travel Day

We will be leaving Frankenmuth today and making our way back over to Markin Glen County Park back in Kalamazoo.  We really loved that little park and it will make a nice stop over on our way to Utica Illinois and Starved Rock State Park.  We have been to Starved Rock and I have wanted to go back and re visit the area....now is going to be the time.  Again the weather has just been outstanding.....cool, crisp nights and sunny 70's during the day.  I just love the Fall Season...

Frankenmuth Michigan

We did make it to Frankenmuth last Monday afternoon and we have been busy seeing the sites everyday.   Last night cooler temps and rain moved in, but it has cleared this am and is a beautiful fall day.
Our campground is actually located in Birch Run, but we are only about 7 miles from Frankenmuth.  It is called Pine Ridge Campground.   We are comfortable here....nice clean campground, but lots of trees.  The first site they tried to put us in was a no go.....

See those trees on either side....a little too close for comfort.  Especially since the road we are turning from was narrow and allowed no room for a wide turn.  Fortunately, the site next to it was open and we were allowed to park there.

Here we are in the site next door....you can see the sites are fairly close together.

This is the narrow road that led to our site.  Lots of trees and post right where you don't need them to be!  Still it is quiet and close to everything and we were able to get our satellite up and working.  Lucky us....cause most of the sites have too many trees.  One thing I will say is that I would not want to be here when this campground is full!  I doubt it would be quiet and peaceful then....LOL!

Pulled into Markin Glen County Park in Kalamazoo Michigan, yesterday around 4pm.  It is a very nice little park with full hook ups and larger than normal sites.  Love the level concrete pad and all the green space.

Here is a look at the last of our little repairs and upgrades we had done in Elkhart.....

The repair of our "boo-boo" from our Texas stay.  All that is left is a small scratch on that trim strip.  We opted not to replace that whole strip for one little imperfection.  The main repair was filling the hole in the fiberglass and painting.  They did a great job!

After our incident with the bearing fail,  Billy decided to upgrade our "hubs" and put in oil bath bearings.  We did notice a little leakage from a couple of the seals yesterday....hoping that does not continue.  Billy knew that was one of the drawbacks to this type of bearing, but he wanted to give them a try.  I guess time will tell on these guys.
We also had our old antenna replaced and some new p-traps put into place.  The p-traps are called Hepvo Waterless Valves.  Just follow the link, to learn all about them.  We were having a problem with sewer odor seeming to come behind the washer/dryer area.  Everyone suspected it was due to the p-trap drying out in between laundry days.  The odor was most pronounced when Billy was emptying the black tank.  I happy to say, since the Hepvo was installed, no more odor!
Today we will be heading up to Frankenmuth, an area I have been waiting to visit for quite some time.  So excited to explore the area.....and the weather has been awesome....crisp, clear fall air....LOVE IT!

New Hitch, Bedroom AC

We are still in Elkhart, parked at Recreational Specialties.  It was a quiet holiday weekend for us, just the way we like it.  Come Tuesday morning, our new hitch was being installed in the back of our truck.  Not a simple procedure since the thing weighs in at around 400 lbs.  Can you say, forklift!  Our new hitch is a TrailerSaver Heavy duty version, made by Hensley Mfg.  It is a monster....take a look.....

It also came with a monster of a price tag, but hubby assures me it is worth it.  We are looking to buy a Semi to pull our fifth wheel and this new hitch is what we will be needing to make the switch.  With this new hitch, it was time to say goodbye to our Fifth Airborne pin box.....

 and replace it with a standard pin box.  We opted to add a shiny new cover to it...ain't we style-in now!

Next came the installation of our bedroom AC.  We have lived with one roof mounted AC for 5 yrs and finally made the decision that we needed to add a second one.  It has just been to dang hot!  Especially after a day of travel, the inside of the trailer would be over 100 degrees by the time we parked.  It would take most of the night for the one AC to bring the temp down to a comfortable level.

AAAHHHH....I can already feel those cooling breezes.......

There is more to come......so stay tuned for more photos and more upgrades in the next blog!

Repairs in Elkhart

We made it to Elkhart to the Morryde facility last Tuesday.  Come 7am Wednesday morning, hubby was backing in our big rig into one of the service bays to have our spindle replaced.  Our spindle was damaged when we had the wheel bearing failure on our trip to Kansas a couple of months ago.  No one seemed to know why the bearings failed, but since Morryde didn't supply the bearings, they took no responsibility for their failure.  They did however, cover those parts that were effected by the bearing failure.  We only had to pay for the labor to put the replacement parts in place.  Better than nothing.....end the end our total cost for the initial repair in Illinois and the replacement of damaged parts here in Elkhart came to around $800 dollars.  We left Morryde around 3pm Wednesday and headed over to another Elkhart Service center who also happens to have a small camping area with full hookups next door.  We were not having any work done here, we just needed a couple of nights before heading over to Recreational Specialties.  Nothing to write home about here, but ok for a couple of nights at $25 dollars a night.  The spot they gave us was a bit of a challenge.

Where you see the red circle is the remains of an old concrete lamp post base.  We needed to pull in between that and the hookups on the other side and manage to keep room for our slides.  Not easily done! 

This is a photo of our water source.  Billy had to get out the ax and remove a small tree that had grown up around it.  Maybe we should send them a bill for tree removal?

This is the lovely view of the barb wire in front of the site.....guess they don't want anyone messing around over there!  Today (Friday) we head over to Recreational Specialties, where Ron Green (the owner) has graciously offered to let us park over the labor day weekend.  Come Tuesday they will begin work on our fifth wheel.  We have a list of items and I'll share more about that once the work begins.  Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Hurray! The Bench is Done!

We brought the bench home last night and slide it into place.....love it!  Here are some photos.....

It fits perfectly in it's little nook.....don't mind the blue tape, that is just giving the corners a little support while the glue dries.

Here is a view from the top.....nice piano hinge across the back for easy access

Here is the inside.  As you can see, I've already put some of our construction stuff in there for another project we will be starting soon.  Eventually though, this will house some of our larger kitchen appliances.

Yep!  We are very proud of our bench.  I'll be making a nice cushion for the top and adding a few more pillows to make it a comfy place to lounge.  Something tells me it will become a favorite hang out for our furballs.  Hubby and I have never attempted to make anything like this before and although we butted heads a few times on design and "how tos", we think it turned out fantastic!
One last pic before I end this post.......

This is the new advertisement wrap my son had put on his truck.  Pretty neat!  Yep, Mom had a hand in the design and I think it is pretty darn nifty.  That handsome guy you see there is my "baby boy".   So proud of him....starting a new business from scratch...all on his own....and doing well!  LOVE THAT!  LOVE HIM!  LIFE IS GOODE!

Bench Project

I had really hoped we would be further along on our lovely bench project...but ya know how that goes......

Here are a couple of pics of the progress

Here ya see we have our basic box...kinda looks like a coffin!  Yes, it will get some cross bracing in the middle to support the lid.

And here is the little gizmo that allowed us to make all the nifty joint connections quickly and easily.  It allows you to pre-drill and sink your screw holes at just the right angle and depth.  Today we will start applying the bead board.
We do have some travel plans in the works as well.  Going to be heading back to MorRyde to have a new "spindle" put on the axle that had the tire almost fall off.  We had the old spindled repaired, but Bill decided to replace it.  Safety is our big motivator on that one.  Next it will be up to Elkhart to have a few odds and ends taken care of and installing a second AC!  Enough of the HOT weather already!!  Finally we will head over to Starved Rock State Park in IL.  Love that area and will be visiting some new friends!  This adventure starts the end of August and the bench will be installed and ready to roll down the road with us.....I hope!

Busy LIfe!

I just can't believe how incredibly busy we have been since sitting up "camp" here a the AOK.  Just spent the last week looking after my Mom's flowers and fish.  They went on an Alaskan Cruise....just got back Tuesday.  I can't wait to hear all about it.  We also are working on my son's house...got one ceiling painted....3 more to go!  Then we will start on the walls.  We also installed two (new to them) toilets.  My mom replace her current toilets with the new high rise models....all us old people love-em cause it is easier to get up and down.  So, we took her old ones and installed them for my son...their knees are still young enough.....LOL!
Last night we went out to dinner with friends and had a lovely evening catching up on all the news.
Bill and I put our heads together on our "bench idea" and I think came up with a basic plan.  Now we just have to shop around for our materials.  I know I want to "clad" it in bead board.  I have always loved the "cottage style" and this is my chance to work some of it into our fifth wheel.  Billy found some made from MDF....which will work great.
We finally had our first "cold front" move through the area.  Awoke this morning to a cool 62 degrees!  Actually was able to turn the AC off yesterday and sleep with the windows open.  It really put me in the mood for Fall my most favorite time of the year!  

AOK

Yeah...we are still here, soaking up the heat in the AOK campground!  We really have been busy since our arrival.  Lots of family and friends have been dropping by for visits and we have had some great times. 
Our site here at the AOK is better than normal.  We have a nice corner lot with large area of grass for the furballs.  We also have a large tree overhead which is definitely helping our AC keep up with the heat. 
Lots of projects coming up.  We decided we just don't need a table and chairs in the fifth wheel.  I know some of you will think we are nuts, but we rarely use them.  We used tv trays cause we like to watch the evening news while we eat.  So....off to Goodwill they go and on to the "project"..........Building a large bench style seat.  We plan to hinge the lid and use the area below as storage for some of our larger appliances.  Keeping the stand mixer in our clothes closet has been a real pain.  The bench seat will also give us some "extra" seating when visitors arrive.  I also have a feeling our little furballs will like lounging there as well, especially since it will give them access to windows.
Another project on the list, helping my son to do some painting in his living room.  That should be quite the adventure with two big, rowdy dogs underfoot!  LOL! 

No room at the INN

Last Saturday the Edwardsville RV park was full.  There was a big "no vacancy" sign on the office door.  So, we headed on down the road and ended up back in Litchfield.  Stayed at the same park, Kamper Kampanion, that we had found on our way to Kansas.  Nice little park, practically have the place to ourselves.  Amazing since Edwardsville is only about 15 minutes away and it is full.  It worked out well, cause Kamper Kampanion is a Passport America park.  We are staying through to the 5th and they let us have the half price rate ($15) for every night but one.  So we is a smiling!
Another thing we like....probably will be very little fireworks here tonight.  Oh yeah, "Happy 4th" everyone.  We are not much on the firework thing cause it upsets the heck outta of our furballs. 
The temps here have not been to bad...high 90's which is better then the triple digits we had been seeing. 
Tomorrow (5th) we make the last leg of our journey back to Lafayette, Indiana.  I called the AOK campground and let um know we were coming.  The AOK is nothing to write home about but it is literally the only RV park in town.  We only get 30amp service there which is a real pain, but it is close to everyone and everything! 
And one last thing.....My son is an officially certified mold inspector!  Many of you know he has started is own biz "Crawlspace Remediation", he is working so hard to make it a success.  I think adding Mold inspection and removal is a brilliant idea!  He has also made some great contacts with in the real estate community and has already gotten his first referral from a top agent in Lafayette.  Dad and I are so very proud of you, Sam!

Lake Fort Smith

We absolutely loved Lake Fort Smith!  Talk about an "it" factor, "it" has it!  Our site was spacious and private.  We were able to set up our satellite tv, but our verizon card was marginal, although the external antenna did help.  Take a gander at the photos below and YES we will come back here.

How bout a walk in the woods

We are currently in Strafford Mo (just a few miles east of Springfield) in very tight little rv park.  It is called Paradise in the Woods and it is ANYTHING BUT!  Unfortunately not much else to choose from in the area.  We will be heading out in the morning (Saturday) to Edwardsville Il to hopefully what looks to be a much nicer rv park! 

Tomorrow (Monday) we will be making our way to Fort Smith Arkansas.  I found what I hope is a nice little state park for us to spend a few days.  They have full hook ups and can accommodate bigger rigs.  I made an online reservation.  Not something we normally like to do, but felt like with this being "vacation" season it might be prudent. 

The heat has certainly been oppressive of late.  Every day we jump quickly into the 90's.  Today is no different, 96 outside and 80 inside and it is barely 11am.  We only have one AC unit, a decision we are both starting to regret.  We keep all the window blinds down and I even put up some foam pieces in the windows for some extra insulation.  Starting to look like ma and pa kettles' place down on the farm.  It is also like living in a cave.  I do miss being able to let the sunshine in, but I just don't dare do it now.  The good news is we were smart enough to have the bedroom wired and ready for AC, so it will be a simple process to "drop" one in.  Something I think we will be doing in the "not so distant" future.  The bad news, we plan on spending most of the summer at a park in Lafayette Indiana with only 30amp.  Even if we have two AC units, we will only be able to run one at a time.  I grew up in Lafayette and spent most of my adult life there as well.  It definitely gets hot and humid, but not usually for prolonged periods.  It seemed Canada always managed to send us a blast of cool air every few days which lowered the temps and the humidity.  So, come on Canada and let the cool breezes blow!

We have been enjoying our stay here in Longview, Tx.  Our visits with Billy's Mama have all been very good.  For whatever reason, she seems to be having a bit of a "come back".  She has been more responsive as she sometimes smiles and we even managed to get a giggle or two out of her.  I know she probably does not know us, but every once in awhile I see that twinkle in her eye.  It has been a real blessing. 

Now, I promised a photo of our little "sign" incident.  Here ya go

The "pothole" is circled for your viewing pleasure.  LOL!

This is our site at Fernbrook.....we do like it here.  Nice spacing between sites, quiet and not to far from shopping and restaurants. 

OOPS...there it is.....

We arrived in Longview yesterday and we are staying at a very nice (and new) rv park known as Fernbrook.  We only had one little mishap.  Upon entering the park, Billy pulled as far over to the side of the road as he could so that other traffic could easily get around us.  This park did not have a designated "check in" area.  They need one!  Once we were all checked in I motioned for Billy to come my way....making a left turn.  For one brief moment, I remembered thinking he was very close to the fence along the side yard....if only!  Yes, in a matter of seconds the rear end of our rig swung out and caught the edge of.......not the fence......but a sign post.  A sign post that was inches away from the edge of the road.  The sign post was a little scratched, but our poor rig has not only scratches, but a nice "pothole" in the fiberglass.  All fixable, but costly.  The park manager came running over, told us not to worry about the sign.  "Why, just last week a motohome had done the same exact thing!"  Well, Duh!  Ever think to move the ding, dang sign!
We will be here in Longview for about 10 days, visiting family.  I sure hope we can make it back to Lafayette without any more "Oops, there it is" issues.  I will get some photos of the park and our "pothole" for the next post. 

Tulsa OK

It has just been a whirlwind of activity!  We did arrive safely in Garnett, KS and had a fabulous time.  The wedding reception was a blast as was the "after party" over at the Garnett Inn and rv park.  My Auntie Di and I finished off a bottle of Patron and then started on something called Fireballs.....a cinnamon shot of silliness!  The party was on Saturday and come Sunday the place was like a ghost town as everyone headed back to their respective homes.  We opted to stay until Tuesday and then continued our journey south.
We are currently in Tulsa OK in a tired little mobile home park that has a few rv sites.  It's called Cherry Hill and if you are an escapee member you do receive a discount.  Our two nights with full hookups, on a fairly large grassy lot, was $42.00.  It is certainly fine for an overnight or two.
Since we will be here for two nights I thought about doing some sight seeing tomorrow, but it is so dang HOT!  We certainly have done things backwards this year......South Dakota in April and now headed to Texas in June!  Just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

And the wheels on the bus go.....oh no!

The wheels on the bus stopped going round and round!  We left Lafayette on the 3rd, planned on stopping in Springfield for a couple nights on our way to Kansas.  We did finally make it to Springfield....about 2 days later.  Just past Danville on I74 Billy noticed smoke coming from the fifth wheel.  Needless to say, we both got a little excited.  He pulled onto the shoulder and I jumped out to have a look.....NOT GOOD....one of our wheels was about to fall off.  That smoke was metal against metal....red hot!  Billy said it was the bearings.  So, now what.  Billy put the hazard markers out and we called Progressive.  It is hard to make folks understand what it means when your wheel falls off....they wanted to treat it like a flat.  Billy explained that was not the problem...you can't just put the spare tire on.  We either need a repair or someone who can transport a 40 foot fifth wheel.  Well, it was Sunday morning and everyone seemed to be closed.  Progressive finally found us a "tow", who claimed he could put us up on his trailer.  Progressive could not find a repair shop and wanted to "tow" us to a Walmart.  That wasn't going to fly with us...we wanted a repair shop.  So, we got online and located one....tow truck was on its way. 
Tow truck arrives....no flat bed trailer....just a big old truck.  The guy comes back shaking his head...he can't "tow" us anywhere.  It seems Progressive told him he was coming after a 36 foot motorhome.  Why is it that everyone assumes an RV is a motorhome.  Billy had not only explained it was a fifth wheel, but also gave them height, weight, and width....and still it got screwed up.  Good news, the tow truck driver knew of a repair shop that was closer and where we could sit for the night and hopefully be taken care of first thing Monday Morning.  The shop was about 15 miles away.  So, we tied up the wheel hub so it wouldn't drag on the ground, said a prayer that the remaining tire could take the load, and limped on down the road.  The tow truck driver followed us with his lights flashing and WE MADE IT. 
We got set up in the parking lot....thank goodness for our Big Foot Leveling System.  We were able to take all the pressure off our tires.
First thing Monday morning the guys at Travel Trailers Sales and Service Inc jumped right on our job.  They were great, very professional and fair.  We really got lucky on this one.  They put us at the head of the service line, knowing we wanted to get back on the road as soon as possible.  Great group of guys!  About 5 hours later we were repaired and on our way to Springfield.  You can see the damage in the photos below.....

Long post...I know....even l-o-n-g-e-r day!

Indiana

My goodness, where does the time go.  We arrived in Indiana several days ago and have just been busy!  Busy visiting with family and friends, checking out our favorite stores and restaurants.  Billy's plumbing skills were put to the test helping my brother fix a leak at his rental property.  Today, Mom and I are headed to Delphi to have "High Tea" at our favorite Tea Shoppe. 
We have decided to pull out from the AOK on June 3rd and head to Kansas to meet up with some of our Florida family and friends who are celebrating their wedding.  The wedding actually took place down in Florida, but they are having a "post wedding reception" in Kansas where many of their family and friends reside.  After Kansas we have decided to slip on down into Texas and visit Bill's family.  Then we will head back to Indiana come July.  Should be some fun travel days ahead!  Normally we sit  here in Indiana most of the summer.  Now, I love seeing and visiting my Mom and Son and friends.  But it does get a wee bit on the boring side.  This summer we plan on moving around a bit!

Unfortunately I have no photos of the Jolly Green Giant, in fact, I only saw a very brief glimpse of him as we were leaving Blue Earth.  Billy did not like the set ups at the fairgrounds and did not want to stay.  I reluctantly gave in.  Needless to say I was very disappointed.  The fairgrounds were beautiful, well kept, and lots of great walking areas.  I'm betting the town was just as nice.....it was obvious how much pride they take in there public places.  The sites at the fairgrounds are not marked at all.....electric is here there and everywhere.  Water and sewer are only available in about 3 spots and they are not suitable for big rigs.  I did not see a dump station, but there is supposed to be one.  I would have loved to have stayed here for a couple of days and explored, but Billy was not going to be happy.....so on we went.
We ended up going down the road and found an overpriced KOA.  The set up was nice....fairly wide spacing....easy pull throughs.  It is the price that makes me unhappy....$41.00 bucks for a very average, close to the interstate rv park.  Did I mention the fairgrounds were free for the first two nights!  Enough said!

We spent the last two nights in Portage WI in a nice little Passport America park called Big Sky.  Great park, although I'm betting it gets pretty busy and noisy in the summer months.  Our stay was quiet and peaceful.......

And beautiful....it seems this old earth is just exploding with spring these days

I don't believe I have ever seen so many colorful birds.....

Would you believe a woodpecker did all this?  Amazing!

I'm not sure what this guy was chattering about, but he didn't seem to be to happy with my being in "his" woods........LOL!

Today finds us in another great campground in Rockford IL.......more photos next post!