BOOOOOO!

Aw....I just love Halloween....tis my favorite time of year!  Such a shame that the weather is so crappy this year....nothing but rain, rain, and more rain.  I'm afraid everyone is going to be very soggy by the end of the bewitching hour!
I spent the day yesterday taking advantage of the dry and warmer temps.  Rounded up all the "stuff" that needs to be packed into the basement.  Lawn chairs, rugs, doggie bathtub, the grill....all those things that make life easier on the road.  Billy is still working over at our "stick-n-brick" house.  Our son Sam and his lovely "bride-to-be" are living there now.  The house needed a new furnace and we decided to relocate it and the hot water heater to a closet in the garage.  Our utility room has always been so small and cramped, but now there is plenty of room for the washer/dryer.  Anyway during the process, Billy decided to replace the hot water heater with an "on demand" unit.  We have one in our fifth wheel and love it.  But as usual, nothing ever goes smoothly for my poor little handyman.  First issue was soldering the new water pipes in the crawlspace....so he is down there, on his back, soldering the copper pipe and "oops!"  Solder has dripped down and landed on his eyebrow....yup, he is very lucky it didn't land in his eye....and yup, there is not much left of his eyebrow.  Once the skin heals....I don't know if he will get any of that eyebrow hair back or not!  Yesterday they had all the connections made....energized the system...and of course there were leaks.  Good news is nothing was leaking under the crawlspace it was all out in the garage....thank goodness, as I would hate for him to "lose" any other valuable body parts!  LOL!    OK....so fixed the leaks....tried again...and small drip, drip, drip on one of the joints....that is today's project and I sure hope it goes smoothly. 
We did make the decision to postpone our trip to Elkhart til next spring.  We really don't have anything major that needs tending to...so when we head outta here, we will be heading SOUTH!  We will be making a "pit stop" in Cincinnati as we need to have a little tweaking down to our "on demand" hot water heater.  Hopefully that won't take but a day or two and then KEY WEST....here we come!

BRRRRRR!

Ok...so I'm officially cold now!  My beloved flip flops have been traded in for the dreaded "socks and shoes" and I've dug out all my turtle necks and sweatshirts!  Temps are dipping into the 30's this week at night and they even mentioned the possibility of snow flurries!  TIME TO GO!  Unfortunately we still have a couple of doctor appointments at the end of the month.  Won't be hitching up til November 1 and then we head north....WHAT!....I know, right!  We need a few things tweaked on the fiver so we are making a quick trip to Elkhart.  Also our on demand hot water heater is having moments of "you can demand all you want, but I'm not producing hot water for you!"  What's up with that!  Beats the heck outta of us.  Every once in a while it just doesn't want to light or it lights and then will shut down.  It is a mystery.....one I hope the folks over in Cincinnati can fix for us as that will be our second stop before hauling "you know what" to warmer weather.  Why Cincinnati?  Well that is where the factory is that made the thing and we like going straight to the top when those "head scratching" kinda problems appear.  I'm hoping the temps are a little warmer as there is a great zoo and city park there in Cincinnati....would be great to visit them both again.
Our winter destination is Florida this year, with our first stop being "the KEYS" for Thanksgiving!  So looking forward to seeing and discovering that area for the first time!

West Baden

Finally something to write about other then hospital stays and procedures....my step dad has been home from the hospital now for about 2 weeks and doing very well.  So glad to put that chapter of my life behind me!  Now on to the FUN.....Mom and I took a much needed mini vaca....just one night!  It was her treat....as we celebrated my B-day a bit early.  Thanks Mom!  We had an awesome time and will go back when we can spend more then just a night.  We went to the West Baden Springs Hotel.  Located near French Lick Indiana.  It was fabulous.....and yes I have a few photos to share......

 

This is the driveway onto the hotel property

ONE of the Grand entrances

Rocking chairs overlooking the beautiful gardens.

I wish we would have had more time to spend....I certainly would have taken advantage of those chairs!  We did wonder around the gardens...just lovely!  There are carriage rides and horseback riding, elegant dining, and a casino nearby too!  Oh...and I must not forget to mention the Spa....wondrous things happen there!  So much history is here and you can just feel the buzz of past years and past patrons.  

This is the atrium....it takes your breath away!

Grand fireplace

and finally me (on the left) and my beautiful Mom!