here are some photos Paulie took at the Roosevelt Park celebration on Saturday...he was "intrigued" by the guy dressed in the Hooter's outfit...I later saw him leave with another guy, kinda older...a bit lite in his loafers IMNSHO.....

Wednesday....date night....

Since we can't get the Cubbies on TV (gosh I hate corporate america)...OUR Cubs on freakin' cable which I have to pay huge bucks for...life is crap.

So, Paulie and I are out on a date. We went to Taco Bell and split the number 6, two chaulpas, one taco, one drink...$4.89, companionship....priceless. We listened to the pregame on WGN.

After dining, we head to the washiteria. Two loads, $2.50, clean undies...priceless....

During the dry cycle we head to the back of the building and Paulie uses the $1.00 car wash....birdshit gone and watching Paulie get all wet...priceless...

That's it for now...off to Elkhart Indiana tomorrow.

hugs

Dee

Postcards from the Edge....

Well, since it's been a while due to weather conditions and poor computer access, I am once again behind in my postings and ramblings...thought I'd take a different way to tell you all what's been happening in our neck of the woods, at this point, still Muskegon MI.

Thursday...This picture postcard is awash in grey skies, spitting, irritating rain and Dennise trying to rip off her ears. Paulie convinces her to take a road trip north to visit the Michigan Lake Shore Scenic Drive. OK...We head out and have a really nice time checking out all the waterfront properties that are up for sale...found a few new campgrounds, mostly no reservation county preserves. We had a horrific fried chicken sandwich at McDonalds and I tried their new Mocha coffee...ick ick ick. It amost gave me a diabetic coma from the amount of chocolate syrup they put in...it's not supposed to be like a thick chocolate spoonable thing...its supposed to be a coffee with a HINT of chocolate flavor...MOCHA is light chocolate not fudge for gosh sakes. After one sip, I dumped half out and asked the gal to add black coffee. Much better but still extremely sweet...I will pay for this later when I check my sugars. We headed home as it started to rain a bit harder and I was longing to lay down.

Friday--- Hurricane winds and rains...ugh, I guess leftovers from Chicago. The picture on this post card is of the TV clicker. I slept and Paulie watched the history channel.

Saturday-The picture on this postcard is us attending the chicken dinner Veterans Fund Raiser at Elks Club. Now in this picture is a plate of shriveled up half a chicken that was cooked 10 hours ago, the most hated veggie in the world, green beans(oh my gosh, they cooked them with BACON and there is GREASE floating on top....I am gonna toss my cookies if I smell this stuff...) but salvation! At the end of the line is a huge tray of sliced homegrown tomatoes! I can eat those! Three servers behind the counter ask me if I want bacon grease beans...don't they understand the look of horror on my face and what the word NO means? Paulie and I had a margarita(brought from home) and then lost on all of the silent auction items. I really really wanted the pink flamingo wine bottle holder. *Sigh* Maybe next time. Don't count on it, lol!

Sunday-This postcard is the sun shining brightly over the big lake, lots of folks at the beach and us just relaxing out on the patio. We are having dinner at Tom and Mary William's house (cousin Larry's folks). So we just veg, read the paper and relax until its time to get ready and shower. Oops...the power is off...how can I shower and dry my hair? Hmmmm, Paulie takes his shower, I do a polish shower and do the best as I can with the hair...the more glop I add the more it looks like a tin helmet on my head. Oh well, I could always wear a hat. Paulie says it looks fine and we head out. Tom and Mary live in North Muskegon, in a very nice home in an area that butts up to Lake Muskegon, I believe. We had a great time, Mary and Sue had made lots of salads and had wonderful fresh fruit. We always enjoy Tom and Mary...they are wonderful hosts. Around nine the party started to break up so we headed back to the rig. By this time, the power was back on so all was well...

Monday...this postcard is of Holland and Sagatuck. We did the south route of the lake drive. Very pretty homes. We stopped for lunch in Holland and had a real Chicago hotdog. Must be a demand for them here...lots of folks from Chicago have summer homes in this area. As we were leaving Holland, sitting at a red light, some ditz rear ended us. She was pissed at US! We had no damage on the Vue...she hit the tow hitch. Serves her right...we were shoved into the cross street which could have been fatal, except there weren't any cars traveling thru right then. I had snapped my head forward and it was sore, but then I can never tell if it is Fibro or something else. She was really nasty to Paul when he asked for her personal information and she wouldn't give him her insurance card...of course her Voyager front end which is all plastic took quite a hit from that little steel hitch let me tell ya.
I am fine tho, no problems so why create any? Altho her manner was nasty it would have been worse if I needed to get checked out and call an ambulance right? She hit US...at a red light no less...what is her issue?

We continued our trip south along the Big Lake and stopped in Sagatuck. Lots of little shops, outrageous prices...$4 for an ICE CREAM CONE! Well, it was a waffle cone and had sprinkles but jeesh, I could buy ice cream and make my own for dozens at that price. We did stop in one shop and found a marked down swim suit for Paulie. His yellow one took a hit when he wore them while trying to fix the broken leveler jack in Missouri. Yanno, if I cleaned house in my bathing suit and got bleach on it, do you think he'd be as nice as I was about replacing it. I think not.

We got back to the rig about 7 pm and it was starting to rain again. I guess they need it around here so I'm not gonna complain too loudly. We watched TV and then went to bed.

Well, that brings us up to date...Tuesday is errand and bill paying day. We are tracking our expenses and if we don't get the big lotto we may not be able to continue to live the "high life" LOL! We had a lot of extra expenses this month, but I do see that we spend a lot on those little trips to the grocery store, that $4 Starbucks(I confess, that's my vice) and the high cost of campgrounds is more than I had been lead to believe. Fuel is high, and we have been moving around a bit. I think as we plan our future travels we will take advantage of the discount RV clubs like Passport(which we have used and get 50% off the reg price) and find a cheap resale campground membership for C2C, RPI and Thousand trails. Timeshares always scare me, but I think in this area, the cost is justifiable. Staying at a private or out of state campground is between 22 and 40 per night! A membership would hold it at $8 or $10. It will all depend on how many nights are spent at the membership place per year to breakdown the dues and buy in. All confusing at this juncture...that is our winter project...to find out the pros and cons. There is also a seminar at the SKP rally coming up. Plus we just re-upped for Elks and now American Legion and VFW. They always let you boondock if they have room in their parking lots and some even have full hookups!

We are scheduled to pull out of Muskegon and head for Elkhart, IN on Thursday. We are looking forward to the SKP Elks pre-rally and the SKP escapade (which is kinda like a low key FMCA area rally). I hope they have wifi at the campground and then at the fairgrounds...I have some more pix that I want to upload.

take care...

hugs

dee

Wednesday...

Finally made it to the Elks club in order to upload...yesterday, Tuesday was another lost day due to weather conditions...don't know what's up, my problem being the weather or just a drawn out Meniere's episode. Argh.
I wrote this Monday evening if my memory serves me correctly...

Some catching up is in order here….

Hank and Elizabeth Kerr arrived Thursday afternoon while sleeping beauty here was napping. Elizabeth looked over the restaurant stuff Paulie had brought over and decided we should dine at (I think I remember the name…) LesMarket? Upon arriving, the place was hopping…it seems everyone arrived at once. The menu was so interesting…crepes, pananni sandwiches, duck salad (!) and all kinds of stuff. I ordered the pananni of the day, which was roast beef, Paul and Elizabeth had the Burgundy Beef crepe and Hank had a chicken crepe with a Mexican twist I think. The food was very good and although the service was just so-so we had a great time. After dinner we walked around the little shops area and then headed back to the campground. Paul had brought a peach pie earlier, so we all sat in one of the four-seater swings and ate peach pie. Can’t get better than that.

Friday, Cenois members started arriving and setting up. Paul and I went to town for an hour to do some shopping…I wanted to check out the little health food shop and of course the bakery I remembered from past visits to Galesburg. While at the bakery we saw the most beautiful cherry pie…since I was feeling kinda iffy at this point a cold front and rain was predicted, I told Paul to buy the pie so he didn’t have to make what I had planned to make for the potluck, if I wasn't up to it. Thank goodness I can predict storms with pinpoint accuracy thanks to my radar ears and make alternate plans. The club usually has dinner out the first night of our weekends so dinner was at the local American Legion for all you could eat walleye or a full catfish dinner. I started getting freaky at the place while we were dining as it was so, so, SO loud in there. By the time we got back my head was throbbing, I was doing the MM spins and needed to lie down. I went to bed and didn’t get up until SUNDAY. There was a huge storm system passing thru, followed by a cold front. Crap. That’s all I can say is crap. I missed the entire outing on the lake the wagon master’s had planned for Saturday, missed the cookout and potluck, missed visiting with everyone. It sucked. I finally emerged from the kingdom of Dizzi-dom Sunday morning and had a few minutes to visit with the club members for breakfast and our usual fellowship meeting. Paul had pretty much packed up the rig whilst I lay unconscious and we were ready to get back on the road.

We headed north on I74 and caught I80 all the way into Orland Park. We were going to spend the night in a hotel using some Choice Privilege bonus points…there are NO campgrounds anywhere near Chicago. We checked into the place, unhooked the car and headed over to my aunt’s house for a mini-family reunion. We had a nice visit. Just family stuff, nothing really interesting…no family secrets to divulge. We left about 9:30. Believe it or not, we both had rather fitful sleep…we missed our rig bed! Even though we are going to get a new mattress soon, we still are more comfortable in the rig. Wow. I did however enjoy the looooong hot shower I had Monday morning. We met Mom and Cecil for breakfast (the freebie at the hotel). They were off back home to Rochester and we were once again headed north to Muskegon Michigan. The weather was nasty the entire way up and boy it’s a bit nippy up here too. The Elk’s front parking is full the other section being the seasonsals…only one open spot after we pulled in and parked. The wind is blowing off the lake and if its 70 that’s warm. Paulie anchored down the hatches and I took some more silly pills and took another nap. Just call me Rumplestilskin.

We have absolutely NO phone signal so I will have carry the ‘puter around with me for two weeks. So, I guess daily updates are not gonna be daily unless I can figure something else out.

Hugs


Dee

Wednesday...oh my, how time does fly.
Let's catch up on what's been happening, but believe me, it's not too exciting, except for this morning that is.

We arrived at Galesburg East Travel Park about 2 pm. The park was pretty empty, most folks pulling out before the 2:30 check out time. This is a really nice park, has a sparkling clean pool, a nice little fishing lake and lots of trees. We asked for a spot where we could get satellite reception. No way...these owners are so anal retentive it is unbelievable. Oh well, we can watch local tv for a week, it won't kill us. It is quite warm, somewhere in the mid nineties. We set up the rig, and get things settled. I take my usual siesta for about an hour. Since there is not much on the old tube, and it is hot and muggy, it is impossible to sit outside so we decide to go to the movies. We track down the local Kerasotes theater, and go see The Bourne Ultimatum. Altho I had to cover my eyes for a lot of the movie due to the rapid fight movements and chases, it was an excellent movie. Back at the rig we watched local news and hit the sack.

Monday morning...we sleep in...Paulie didn't get up to like 9:30 which is very unusual for him. We had a nice breakfast of raisin toast and juice. We decided to go to the pool for a while. We finally made it out there around 12:30...and were totally alone in the pool. Finally our neighbor from across the road joined us and we talked for awhile. He went back to his rig and picked up his wife so she could do her exercises in the water...she has MS poor woman. Nice couple, military retired now living in Nevada. They are looking for something else as she doesn't care for the heat. Her widowed sister travels with them and helps with her care.

After two hours, I decided I'd had enough sun and was turning into one large age spot so I headed back to the rig and Paulie went to shower. I showered back at the rig. No way am I NOT gonna use my own shower...ick ick ick...shower houses are OK if I MUST use them but I don't care if we have NO hookups, I still shower in MY rig. Why did I buy a rig with a nice shower, right?

When Paul got back we split a meatball sandwich and then he went off outside and I took my siesta. We just stayed in for the evening but made ourselves the most wonderful chef's salad for dinner. We added dried cranberries and pecans with Emeril's balsamic vinegar dressing. Delish with all the cheeses and meats in there, fresh farm tomatoes etc. Roadside veggie stands abound this time of year. We will be making that salad again!

On Tuesday, we decided to go explore Galesburg since we haven't been here for awhile. I wanted to go to WalMart for some Brita filters which we had forgotten on our last trip. I also wanted to stop at Walgreen's...they had a small expresso maker with a steamer attachment on sale for $14.99.
I have to stop paying $4 for a Breve'. I still adore mochas, but my ass is starting to get a bit too big so I gotta cut somewhere yanno? We also purchased a single hotplate burner...no way is Paulie gonna cook boiled shrimp in this motorhome again. We drove around for a while then decided we needed to eat. I wanted to go to the historic area but nooooo, Paulie had a taste for fried chicken. No problem...we headed out to Knoxville on Route 150 and went to a small cafe we used to frequent. I had my face all fixed for splitting a piece of their homemade pies, for which they are famous. We found out upon sitting down, that there were new owners and NO MORE PIE. Crap. We split a chicken dinner and had a great time talking to the folks working there...it was about 3 and the place was empty and they were getting ready setting up the dinner buffet. We must have stayed an hour and a half. Finally we headed back to the rig. Paulie had this great idea that we could pull the rig up and pickup the satellite signal. I moved the rig slowly forward being directed by The Prince. Afterwards, he started to play around with the receiver and I went into the bedroom to read. Of course, I fell asleep. When I got up, "we" decided we still couldn't get the signal, and moved the rig back. Can you say....never mind.

Wednesday.

I wake up this morning and Paulie is gone. I figure he's out riding his new bike. As I start to make my morning protein, in comes Paulie...he had been fishing at the little catch and throwback pond. He comes in and says look what I hooked...a big one! He had hooked his leg. Jessh, freak me out. He said that he just couldn't get it out so I say, well duh, ya think ya need to go to Urgent Care....a tetanus shot is in order. He says yah, take a picture and I'll go. Pix are at the bottom. So, I am sitting here waiting for him to get back, watching that stupid Price is Right. I did try out my espresso maker but didn't turn it off in time and all the water went to making the espresso which is weak...I have to watch when it hits the 2 oz mark and turn it off, leaving enough water to steam the milk. I am drinking it anyways...why waste imported from Italy espresso coffee? Practice makes perfect as mom used to say!
hugs,

dee

Mowcow, West Branch and Amana, Iowa....

Let's see just where the heck I am regarding trip commentary...Oh yeah...we were at HWH getting the leveler fixed. I was quite impressed with this company. NOT the surroundings...from the looks of it, it could easily pass for a abandoned junk yard. However, there are 6 50 amp electric boxes for those of us who come in for service. Plus, our appointment was for 12:45 and they told us to bring the rig into the service bay early. Then they loaded up all the customers and took us to lunch! They have a table reserved at a local cafe and paid for everything. Once we got back to the yard, Paul and I had about 4 hours to kill. Well, I know you aren't gonna believe this, but we went to Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. I was quite impressed. It was nicely done, and there was a whole lot to Bert than I knew from history books. Of course, I've never read anything about him, only that he was the scapegoat for the Great Depression, however, that's not entirely the whole truth. He was in Coolidge's cabinet and urged that dufus to take measures against the speculation on Wall Street. So, although Hoover's policies attempted to right the wrongs, there was a whole bunch of stuff going on that he had no control over....like the dust bowl drought.

Here is PROOF POSITIVE that I was there...nice picture eh? Paulie always does such of good job of making sure I look great, dontcha think?

Anyways, we watched a nice movie about his life, walked thru his childhood home and then hit a local tavern in the town of his birth , West Branch. Killian's on tap. It was 98 degrees in the shade so Paulie and I had a couple then went back to the HWH place to get the rig. They said we could stay another night (wow, that helps the budget!)...free 50 amp service. We decide since we are so close to The Amana Colonies we would take a day and go visit there.

Friday morning we were up and out of HWH. Paulie actually let me drive.
I was doing nicely on I80 heading west to Iowa City. Speed limit is 70, but, being conservative (!) and not having driven for a while....I set the cruise control to 60. No problems until we approach Iowa City...where 380 goes around the city...as we get to the top of a hill, the traffic is jammed up, me thinking it is due to the bypass AND the traffic for the mall. I glance into my mirror and see the third lane is totally clear, and put on my turn signal...just as I crest the hill, the truck in front of us is burning rubber to STOP...holy crap....I am heading to certain death for both of us if I crash into the back end of the truck....Meantime, Paulie is screaming brake brake BRAKE but I veer into the left lane...I miss that sucker of a truck by inches...I mean this was exciting! I almost lost control of the rig, but being the daughter of a truck driver, I am not gonna let this puppy flip over and I certainly aint' gonna let that poor little toad slam into the cement divider....It takes me what seems like forever to gain control of the rig....but it was prolly seconds...we are weaving quite badly...Paulie is screaming....I look into the rear monitor and see the little red Vue and the poor thing is just swerving side to side. Crap. I get control and wow, Paulie starts yelling at me. All I can do is laugh and say I am sorry, it was all my fault as I explain I thought it was interchange backup was trying to change lanes into the left to follow I80, and didn't see the truck lock up its breaks. I laugh cause I am relieved...I get a lecture about how this is NOT funny. Seems I80 is closed and thus the huge back up. Ok, I listen, as it was my fault. We continue on 380 and we now need directions on how to get to the campground in Amana. Again out of nowhere a school bus cuts in front of me and then almost immediately swerves back into the left lane...sure you ass, the truck in front of you is stopped...just let ME hit his ass....grrrr. I hit the brake hard, and just barely stop in time. At least Paulie didn't scream this time. I swear, that one wasn't my fault, I had the jake break on, and I was well under the speed limit. Jackass bus driver. OK, we now reach the road the campground is on...no signs until you are right at the turn...I had been going under the limit but made the turn anyways...NOW Paulie himself has done this, so he keeps his mouth shut. I mutter that he'd better be a better navigator and he mutters something about me never driving again. Baloney. If he let me drive more, I'd have MORE experience. Or, we'd be dead. Paul said all that went thru his mind the first incident was that Zack was gonna get all that insurance money. No regrets about his life, no flashes of anything, just the thought of Zack being loaded with our death proceeds. Geesh. I wasn't thinking of anything but getting control over the rig. We would have been dead if we had hit that truck...of this I have no doubt. Extra prayers of thanks today!

We sign in to Amana Colonies Campground and get the PA discount so it's only $12 instead of $24. We get our selves fairly settled and go off to the main Amana area. Its a comfortable 95 degrees. We go for lunch at the Ox Yoke Inn for lunch. Everyone's tables are loaded with this family style food...saurbraten, brats, sauerkraut, etc and we are drooling. No way are we gonna pay $13 per person and then get nothing to take home...family style has no doggie bags darn it. We settle on a ruben type ham and roast beef, and a side of hot potato salad. Delish.

Paul puts my scooter together and off we go to investigate the wineries, candy shops, general merchandise stores and the like. We hit the bakery and bought strudel, I went to consult the Herb Lady about my constant bladder infections and then we went to the meat market...We then saved the brewery for last...oh, what great German beer. We have also visited the museum, saw a movie about the original community or commune. Great day. We head back home to the rig. I am uploading some pictures now for you to see....

This was one of the homes that is now a museum...interesting fact...all the dead were dressed in white nightclothes, with knit hats for men, and lacy bonnets and shawls for ladies...special booties and mittens...

An Amana workshop.

The local Laundromat, prototype to the washiteria....hehehehe. As a commune, certain folks were assigned cooking, some laundry, some tended gardens, some made bread. Not communism....communalism...I'd prolly get to clean the outhouses...speaking of which here is a picture of the school latrine...

The micro brewery...

Another home now a kitchen specialty shop...I finally found a butter keeper after looking for 5 years!

This is the furniture and clock shoppe and I guess factory. I also went to the woolen works and the sweaters were simply stunning. If I had an extra $200 I just might buy one!

That's it for now. Paulie is a bit under the weather so we are gonna stay another night here. I am about ready to have some cherry strudel....

hugs

dee

Some photos The Prince took whist we were mired in the Mississippi Mud...


This is the sign that freaked ol' Paulie out...see TRUCK noted...that includes tractor trailers. Jeesh.

The front of the Asylum....just a bit off the pavement wouldn't you say?

The whole ugly view from the side...see how close we are to Old Man River?
Trapped like a mudbug...

Warning, Warning,Warning!!!

OK, if you are a fan of the Polish Prince, think he’s just so wonderful and kind…funny, endearing and enchanting (like I do much, well most of the time….) Do not read any farther…I am warning you…this is a venting post and it’s gonna get real ugly.

We slept in a bit this morning, planning on breaking camp and heading to Cahokia Mounds and Museum(which I have wanted to do for years, btw), and we needed to stop at Zack’s apartment to pick up the protein I had drop shipped there. We start latching down the Asylum and all of a sudden the prince comes in the rig and says don’t do much more, one of the levelers won’t go up. Oh. Great. We play around with the controls for the leveling system. “We” meaning me inside on the phone with the prince in the 110 degree sunshine under the rig, playing around for or about an hour or so. I get the book out. We dick around for another 2 hours, calling HTH, making arrangements to have the part shipped to Midway Motorhome in Grand Rapids. $162 for a rebuilt hydraulic left passenger side leveler. *Sigh*. I call Midway, make the arrangements for them to get the part, make the appointment for service which won’t be until August 24th they are so jammed up. Hmmmm. Mean time, the Prince gets on the phone again with HWH which is in Moscow Iowa. HE decides we shall journey to Moscow Iowa today, and have the manufacturer do the job. He says it will be cheaper. OK, I have no way to disprove this theory, which at this point is merely theory. I ask the Prince how this could have happened. Without batting an eye, he tells me that he knew there was a problem when be backed into the camping spot and put the rear levelers ON THE CONCRETE STOPPER at the edge of the space. He then MOVED THE RIG FORWARD ON THE LEVELERS….get the picture. Polish Prince had his blond head up ass is my guess. So, because HE did this idiotic and stupid ass thing, hey, it’s no biggie. Say What? I don’t park exactly between the lines with the car yesterday and he criticized me for 20 minutes…no shit. OK. I am not angry. I am just trying to keep my mouth shut without starting a real war. OK…we get the leveler up with the help of the customer service gal at HWH. We finish the packing up. We need to dump, get water and get the car attached. Plus the dirty sweaty and stinky Prince needs to shower at the shower house. OK. He pulls into the dump station, and during dumping of the black water tank (remember, that’s the one with all the poopoo in it) the sewer hose breaks. There is a great scene in the movie RV where Robin Williams does this same thing. The Prince was very, very lucky…the poopy stuff went on the ground. Ugh. I am just sitting there watching this disaster unfold. Hmmm. The Prince is now 2 for 2 and getting hotter. After he cleans up this disgusting mess, we hook up the car, pull the rig over and he goes to take a shower. It is now 1 pm. We can’t go to Cahokia but we have to go to Zack’s to get my protein. We get on the road and are at Zack’s by 2. By this time I have a raging headache because I MUST NOT utter anything nasty at this point so I have to keep my mouth shut. Do you know how hard this is to do?

I lay down on the couch and off we went on I55, north to catch I74 thru Peoria and up to Davenport. Moscow is about 30 miles west on I80. After my nap, I join the Prince in the cockpit. We are traveling along just fine…I am over my headache, and have decided to keep my mouth shut over anything. But I do have these incidents to fall back on next time he accuses me of doing something “stupid”. All of our problems seem to be those of our (or I should say someone’s) ignorance or carelessness. We are getting close to Davenport when the low fuel light comes on. Ooopsy…the Prince has been putting off fueling ‘cause he is looking for the cheapest diesel price. Once a pollock, always a pollock I guess.

We cannot find a gas station to save our lives…they must all be outside Davenport…there are a few Casey’s along the way, but they don’t carry diesel. We are running on FUMES. We turn off the generator…the air, everything we can…Finally we see a BP. Heck it’s $3.00 a gallon this close to the highway. I tell him I don’t care if its ten bucks a gallon, he’s getting fuel. After we fuel up, I make some warmed up meatballs with mozzarella cheese for dinner. After eating about half, we get back on the road to Moscow. We are just now pulling into the HWH mfg plant. They have electric for us to hook up to so we can spend the night. Just so you all know…I am really ticked off. Or couldn't’t you tell.

Well, we are here, so I will upload this on the net if I get a signal here.

Later

dee

Tuesday…

I’m just two days behind in my story folks, so bear with me. After setting up the rig in pitch dark at the state park, I mentioned earlier that we just had some chow and hit the sack. We both slept like the dead. We were up around 9 and decided that we would check out how far it would be to Eureka MO where Byerly RV is which is where we need to be early Monday morning.
We stopped at “Lilly’s Café” for breakfast…I had a huge pancake and Paulie had a half order of biscuits and gravy. It was so-so and Paulie complained that there wasn’t any “sausage” in his gravy…I asked him if the menu said sausage gravy ‘cause I sure didn’t read that. He couldn’t remember so I said ya gotta READ the menu, genius.

We traversed the country side and found the quickest way to St. Louis and then to Eureka. The road from Grafton to Alton along the river is beautiful. I could SEE fish jumpin’ outta the water, to the obvious frustration of the fishermen in the boats watching ‘em I am sure. We decided to get a soda and gas and then go to Union Station and surprise Jr who was working at the putt putt place. I think he’d worked 7 days straight so it would be a nice visit for him, well for me anyways!

We get to Union Station and yep, we surprised him. We stayed for about an hour and visited. We seem to get along well now since he is on his own and we are now just “parents”….let me correct that…parents who PAY.

On the way home from St. Louis back to Grafton, we stopped in Alton at Fast Eddy’s. This is the infamous Fast Eddy’s… 29 cent shrimp, 99 cent ½ lb burgers, steak on a stick for 99 cents. We had a beer, some shrimp, and one pork on a stick and one steak. The pork was dry, the steak was wonderful. The shrimp sauce just makes those shrimp jump it is so full of horseradish..yummy.

We headed back to the campground and the temp was over 100 degrees. No campfires for US tonight, LOL! We paid our Sunday night fee, and planned to hit the sack early so we can get on the road by 7 am. We watched some TV and then went to bed.

I was up at six, showered and we were on hwy 100 by 6:55 a.m. The traffic into St. Louis was fine until we hit the 270 interchange, but overall we made good time. We arrived at Byerly’s at about 8:30. We checked in, unhooked the car, grabbed the laundry and off we went to get some breakfast and do the wash. We drove all around trying to find something better than Burger King or Denny’s to no avail. Finally after about 40 minutes we head into “historic” Eureka and find a little café. We had a nice breakfast of eggs, Paulie his usual western omelet. I am such a foolish person…I KNOW I cannot eat two eggs, toast, potatoes and bacon, which is just what I ordered. I did take home a ½ bacon sandwich…I’ll add a little tomato to it later for lunch!

We hunted all over for a Laundromat and couldn’t find one anywhere. We stopped at Panera’s so we could upload a few pictures, of course we had problems with the PC and I was ready to toss it in the trash. I hope you were able to view the pictures. I didn’t take a whole lot, especially in Hannibal, but the one’s I took are ok. Paul said to tell everyone to skip Hannibal…I said he was just disappointed because it was a bit tacky and dated…money must be hard to raise to keep such private sites open. In our search to do laundry, we found a beautiful state park near Eureka, Babler Memorial State Park. It even has a beautiful pool which we will be heading to later today. It is going to stay in the 100+ degrees all week. Since we only have 30 amp service here, only one air can be on. It is warm in the rig but not unbearable as we have several low wattage fans circulating the air.

After we picked up the rig…with the bill well over $900 (grabbing heart) but the rig is 5 years old and things will need to be replaced. So far it’s been tires and slide toppers. The next thing is to add window awnings so we can open windows if it is cool but raining. I also want to get rid of this disgusting carpet. That is going to be a real tough sell to the Polish Prince.

We stopped at WalMart and dropped another $100 for groceries and tank holding stuff…we really haven’t been grocery shopping in a long time. Off to the state park to get settled. It was so hot, the poor tomato plant was wilting. Paul rigged up something so the plant can catch the water waste off the air conditioner. We have about 10 half red tomatoes on the vines but then I think our traveling garden is kaput.

Since it is so unbearably hot with warnings abounding about heat indexes etc, we stayed in and made meatball sandwiches for supper….yum with melted mozzarella. I was able to access a wifi connection probably from one of the other campers with a satellite setup so I was surfing the net for a while. It was wonderful to have 11 mbps since my air card gives me 3.6. I was able to upload more stuff on the blog, access the bank, etc. Unfortunately my knight in shining amour with the internet satellite took off this morning and once again I am at the mercy of Cingular. Ugh.

We will stay one more night here…then head back into IL. I still haven’t been to Cahokia, however even riding my scooter around 68 burial mounds is a bit much in this heat. It is almost noon and its 103. I hear everyone is having a heat wave.

Don’t know yet where we are staying but want to visit with Zack a bit. Michigan’s cool breezes and the lake is calling us. We may just head up there early to escape the heat. We’ll pay a premium at a RV park, but I am not sure if that sounds so bad when I think of how hot it can get in here with only one air running if we stay in Il. Call me spoiled. Like I care, lol!

We are going to the pool in a few…will post more later,

Hugs

dee

I'm a bit behind due to NO cell signals, so here is the first update since Saturday...

Hannibal, MO

We pulled out of Nauvoo on Friday, heading down the Great River Road towards Quincy. We crossed I72 heading west across the Mississippi into Hannibal. Paul stopped at the Visitors center and got some info on the town and a recommendation for a campground. I called ahead and got a reservation…jeepers $30 bucks for one night. Makes me cringe…we paid 30 bucks for three days in Nauvoo. We pull into Mark Twains Cave and campground and get our spot. We begin to set up the rig as normal. Well, main slide in living room is stuck. Paul comes in, and true to form….why haven’t you let out the slide…I try to explain…he tries…no go…it REALLY is stuck…I didn’t make it up! He goes outside and signals me to try again and then quickly yells to stop. Apparently, the ripped slide topper (the awning that keeps debris from coming into the rig when the slide is brought in) had been slowly deteriorating and we had planned on replacing both slide toppers in Michigan but just didn’t get around to it. Well, it has take so much abuse, the locking mechanism shifted out of alignment somehow and is jamming the slide…it is also lifting the edge of the roof on the rig, kinda like a giant can opener. Oh, great. This changes plans…we need to get this fixed asap…hopefully there is no rain in the forecast so we won’t have to worry about water seeping in where the roof has lifted up. Well, nothing we can do on a late Friday afternoon, but we will call Byerly Motorhomes in Eureka first thing Saturday to see if we can get in for service on Monday.

Off we head to Hannibal to look around and take the Mark Twain Steamboat ride. It would have been a beautiful and relaxing ride, however the sun was blazing and the temps were in the high 90’s. The humidity was around 90 percent as well. Needless to say 10 minutes on the paddleboat in the sun almost made me jump into the mud! We spent most of the hour inside in the air conditioning. After the cruise we tooled around town and then headed back to the rig. It is unbearable in the valley. We just stayed in and watched a movie on tv, and had a sandwich for a late dinner.

We checked out of the campground early and went back into Hannibal. We wanted to see the Mark Twain boyhood home, and all the stuff at the museum. It cost $8 to get in…what a disappointment. 5th graders could have done a better job on these exhibits. We were both very disappointed. Once again by 10 am the temps were near 100. After our disappointed tour, we went to the Mark Twain Diner, home of the world famous Maid Rites, Onion Rings and homemade root beer. We noshed on the local fare and it was pretty good. Neither of us could finish our sandwiches so we had them wrapped and then headed back to the rig. $14 for lunch is such a waste for us…I don’t know why we continue to eat out. We no sooner than get in the rig and on the road to WalMart to get gas, I was in the bathroom getting “rid” of my lowly Maid Rite.

Paul decides to take Rte 79 down Missouri closer to St. Louis rather than back across to the River Road in Illinois. I am passed out on the couch from my sick tummy while Paulie traverses the ups and downs, curves and snakey road towards Louisiana, MO. He finds his way to St. Charles and then programs the GPS to take us to Pere Marquette state park, which the GPS indicates is just 19 miles. OK. We now are going to and fro on country roads. Our lady in the GPS announces, “…in .4 miles board ferry.” FERRY!?! Well, we reach the ferry boarding place and the ferry is across the river picking up cars. Our trusty ex-Fedexman panics thinking we won’t fit on the ferry (does he WAIT to see and ask or does he just instinctively just ACT?) Well, he does the later and this gut reaction has dire consequences. He decides to do a u turn and get the heck outta the ferry line. Unfortunately, we are about 50 feet from the EDGE of the Mississippi River. He sees grass…Old Man River laughs to his old self and chuckles under his breath(I heard it) “ welcome to my place, sucker”. Under that grass is gucky sucky MUD…yanno, the famous Mississippi mud? Well, the mud sucked down the rear wheels of the rig with surprising speed. We are stuck like flies on doodoo. I say nothing although I have bitten my tongue so hard I taste blood. We are shall we say up to the hubs in Mississippi mud?

He calls Good Sam. Their tow truck guys calls and says FOUR HOURS. Paul calls Progressive Insurance….they use the same tow truck turkey. He calls Good Sam again…they are closed. The emergency number goes unanswered. Well, we have a great view of the river up front and personal like, we have a satellite dish so we can watch the Cubs, we have food, a bathroom, and a bed if we need to spend the night. The generator is doing a wonderful job keeping the air nice and cool. We finally hear from Good Sam…after about two hours. They have found another tow truck. Finally after about 4 and half hours, he arrives and zip, we are out of the mud. We CAN board the ferry; they move tractor trailers all the time. We did provide the local rednecks a great laugh as they passed us to get on the ferry. I tell Paulie to jell out….if he is gonna be a tight ass about stuff like this (shit happens yanno?) he’s gonna stoke out or have a coronary.

We cross the river and are now on country roads surrounded by corn and soy beans, and it is now quite dark. The GPS is telling us to turn left here and right here and then announces “in 500 feet, board FERRY.” Ah, what?
We pull off the dark road, and Paul goes to the car and contacts On Star. Then a guy in a pickup stops. Yes, Mrs. GPS voice is right we have to get on another ferry…apparently we are on a peninsula and gotta cross again. The pickup truck guys says it’s a free state run ferry and will let us off on Hwy 100 and its about 4 miles to the State Park. Well, after HOURS exploring our environment, we arrive at the park. We find a spot, pull in and head to bed…after a few cocktails and some chow. What is it that RVer’s like to say?
It’s the journey….? Hah. Gotta agree there! What a journey!

I’ll finish our weekend in another post. My fingers are cramped…

Hugs

dee

The graves of Emma(wifey #1) Joseph and Hyrum Smith....at long last in a proper grave...
More missionaires doing a recreation thing...it was 98 degrees, I bet they wished their mission was in the air conditioned museum!

Robert Smith's grocery store which he had to rent out when his flock didn't pay their bills...and if he challenged them, they left the church...so so prophet and lousy business man.
Statue of Robert and Hyrum Smith overlooking the Mississippi River near the "saints" memorial from the Sweetwater Rescue Mission.

This is a model of the temple in Nauvoo...quite beautiful but only "saints" who have been yearly reviewed by the elders can enter the temple and they must wear special underwear....so no Boxers Joes allowed....

Charlie and Sam our Belgian tour guides
one of the original restored(actually they are all) recreated

This is a "missionary duplex" where all the folks on their mission stay...

This was the ONLY interesting thing in Hannibal...don't waste your time or money...it is not worth the price...

More to come from our adventures on the Mississippi ferries....

hugs

paul and dennise

inturupting my regularly scheduled blog to upload pix...we are at Panera's and I have wifi...now let's hope this works!

Friday...Hannibal MO


We just landed in Mark Twainland. I have finally been able to get a cell signal...forget wifi and pix until I can track someplace down. Start at Tuesday down below and then come back up here to read more.


Paul went off to the visitor's center to get some stuff on the area. It is a weekend so I am sure it will be a busy place...I would like to find a campground that is not $50 per night...hmmm, gotta check out the Walmarts around here, LOL!

Last night we went to the pageant...it was quite the production I must say. These folks sure put on a great act. I say that tongue in cheek...no mention of WHY Robert Smith was persecuted....can we say POLYGAMY? He had 33 wives at one time...and all of these women had civil marriages to other men...ya think he created polygamy so he could justify adultery via the church? Makes one wonder. I would say 90% of the people in Nauvoo as visitors are pilgrims...making a connection with their church's history and their "saints" and "prophets" persecution. Well, they sure wanna convert the world from what I saw, and these folks have MONEY! We did enjoy our stay...

Tuesday…lift off!

We left Riverside Campground around 10:30. We took State 97 up through Petersburg and Havana, reaching the Dickson Mounds Museum around noon. The museum was virtually deserted this time of year. We watched a nice 15 minute movie about the area and the Mississippian Indian cultures. The second floor of the museum is full of artifacts, short into movies and a recreation of the daily lives of the villages. The first floor is now merely a walk down to the museum gift shop…this area was where the uncovered graves had been displayed. It is now just a long curving walkway with Indian music and voices from the past talking about life, life after death and their culture’s beliefs. I had thought when the Indians reclaimed the bones of their ancestors that were on display, the museum had replaced the burial plot with fake skeletons. I guess I was wrong. Maybe the Indians thought the souls of their ancestors would grieve over their exploitation or some such thing. After the museum we stopped and had some lunch, leftover tuna salad from last night. I had put grapes and celery and pecans in it and it was wonderful. After lunch we drove over to the three enclosed archeology sites. It was interesting to see these ceremonial excavations…in one, a sweat lodge had the fire pit excavated and we actually saw 900 year old ashes! They looked like the stuff from our old fireplace! Geesh, something’s never change!

We headed out of Lewiston heading toward the Great River Road along the Mississippi. Passing through some small town, I asked Paulie to stop at a DQ or Whippy dip or some such place so I could get a blizzard. We spot a DQ a few blocks down and I say turn at the next light/corner…apparently Mr. Leadfoot was going too fast and passed the street and then hung a two wheeler into another parking lot ½ block down. Jeesh. He hit the curb and every dish in one of the cabinets fell onto the floor in shatters. I had bungee corded all the cabinet doors but obviously I didn’t do this particular one strong enough to keep gravity in check for goodness sakes. Hmmmm. I leave Mr. PIA to clean up his mess and then I stalked back to the DQ. By the time I got back, we had both calmed down. Why does he blame me for these things…I had spotted the DQ sign several blocks away why didn’t he slow the pace a bit so we could check the situation out before he does something dumb like he did here? Argh.

After a beautiful ride along the Great River Road, we find the Nauvoo State Park. We find a nice end spot and settle in. No camp host on duty so we just relax and watch local TV coming out of Quincy. We were both were pretty pooped so we hit bed early.

Wednesday

After showering we had a visit from the Park Ranger who collected the two nights fees…$20 bucks for two nights…incredible. Of course it is a State Park and I get a disability discount, and the sight is only electric, but boy that’s pretty much what we need. Why spend $25 to $35 for one night with full hookups that you don’t need. We can dump as we leave, and fill up the water tank for the next leg of trip before we leave here.

We went into the town of Nauvoo to get some breakfast. There are NO fast food restaurants here….none. We tried a couple of places but breakfast is a hard meal to find around here…buffets are the order of the day. We finally found a Casey’s and got a donut and some coffee.

We stopped at the Nauvoo Chamber of Commerce and found out all the things we can see here. I think we may stay three days instead of two just so we can see everything. There is the oldest Winery in Illinois here, and both the LDS settlement at Nauvoo and The Community of Christ settlement. Brigham Young decided to leave Nauvoo for Zion in Utah after the murder of the Prophet and founder of the Church of the Latter Day Saints Joseph Smith. There was disagreement amongst the elders about the practices and tenets and the Mormon Church split. We have found it amazing that there has been not ONE mention of polygamy or what these Mormon believe as “the principle”. Hmmm, I gotta get on line (internet has not arrived in Nauvoo as of yet…I am NOT making this up.) We are in a heavily forested campground so I get nothing on either the cell phone or the aircard.

We rode in a covered wagon and rode all over the settlement. Several of the homes have been rebuilt and some are the remainders of what was left when the “saints” as the pioneers were called, left for Zion in Utah. The guides are actually Mormon ‘missionaries”. They are called Brother and Sister. I wonder how these missionaries are “called”. I guess if I was a Mormon, I want to be called to be a worker in the beautiful Visitors Center…not one of those poor “Sisters” in period costume riding behind smelly Belgian horses with poopy bags hanging off their butt attracting flies by the thousands. My luck, I’d get stuck mucking out the crap from the stables. The tour was fun and interesting however the poopy smell and the flies were nasty. I got quite a few pictures. After about an hours ride we return to the visitors center, viewed a pictorial history done in paintings of the Sweetwater Rescue and then an hour long documentary type recreation of this disaster. When Brigham Young declared Zion in Utah, thousands of “saints” make the trek through the mountains via oxen and mule driven Conestoga wagons. Later, immigrants of the faith from across the oceans flocked to American to join their brethren in Zion. Having no money, the Church tried to finance these wagon trains. Because funds were short, handcarts were used to transport the families and their belongings across the rugged plains and wilderness. 8 teams set out, the last two delayed due to lack of handcarts and supplies. These two parties were doomed when they left late in the summer and an early winter set in. The wood used to make the handcarts was unseasoned and unsuitable to the environment. They set out with fewer supplies than they should have. The two groups lost hundreds on the trip and Brigham Young once hearing of the lost “saints”, sent out rescue parties. This is a sad and heartbreaking story. The devastation of families who made this trek is unbelievable. Excerpts from journals of the survivors is used extensively and bring you to tears. All I kept thinking was why in the hell did the leaders let these to last parties leave? Why didn’t they stay in settlements along the way to wait out the bad weather, hunker down and just get through the winter? I guess I do not possess the soul of a saint ‘cause there is no way you’d find me trekking through the plains of Wyoming in snow and -70 degree wind-chill. Thinking about it, I would probably have been the first one to lie down on the side of the road and die. That’s my kinda luck. We really enjoyed the visitor’s center and spoke too many of the missionaries there. We needed to have lunch and knowing there was little to choose from, we went back to the rig and had lunch. By this time it is almost three and just the small out of the ordinary activity has me exhausted. Darn chronic fatigue. I took a nap and Paulie went to get the car washed and check out Keokuk Iowa. He made meatloaf for dinner. I woke up with that nagging bladder infection AGAIN….grr. We were going to go to the Nauvoo Pagent but because I am having the bladder issues we will do that tomorrow evening. We plan on going back to the settlement tomorrow and tour on foot the various buildings open for display, and visit the bakery, blacksmith and brick making place. I guess we just have to do just a little each day. No use overdoing it and then having to be in bed for three days.

I will update some more tomorrow. Hopefully we will find a place to download this and the pictures we took.

Hugs

Dee

Thursday

We were up and out before nine in order to get the first walking tour of the day at the “other settlement”, The Community of Christ. The original homestead of Robert Smith, his second home and his business, a general store are located on this side of the settlement. The Community of Christ folks are the ones that decided not to follow Brigham Young to Utah. Robert Smith’s widow remained here with some of the children, although she did leave the settlement but returned. We visited the graveyard where Smith and his brother Hyrum are buried. We learned that Emma Smith was so concerned that because the Smith brothers were “wanted” dead or alive in Missouri, bounty hunters would dig up the bodies to collect the bounty. She had both of them interred along the banks of the river, right behind their homestead. Buried in the formal cemetery at the Temple were caskets filled with sand. No one but Emma knew where the bodies were buried, all she told her children was they were buried under the “spring house”. After Emma’s death, she too was buried near her husband, but no marker was placed above her final resting place. Later, the church wanted to give these “saints” a proper burial place but since the river had shifted over the years it was quite an accomplishment to even find the coffins. They were finally located and were then interred with other Smith family members in the family plot which was right next to the original log cabin and Smith homestead.

We continued our walking tour in the 94 degree heat and humidity visiting the Mansion, the home and then the hotel Smith built for incoming businessmen and new converts. We visited the store Robert Smith ran and in the upstairs viewed his office and the meeting room where the elders met. We then ended the tour here and walked back to the car. We went to visit the brick makers and learned how the brickworks at Nauvoo worked, bricks were made in that time and how the homes will built. We received a small brick to take as a souvenir. We then visited the little bakery and learned about the Scovil Family. I guess their claim to fame is that they converted to LDS and were baptized by Robert Smith himself.

We headed back to the rig for lunch. After a nice break we went to Baxter’s Old Nauvoo Winery. We did the tour and tasted some wine. Quite tasty…I bought a bottle of a sweet pink similar to Zinfandel. Paul remarked that I had never purchased a $13 bottle of wine in my life and wondered if I had lost my mind. No…I have been collecting wines from local wineries and this way I will have something unusual to offer guests when they visit. What a smart aleck…ok, so I like the cheap red zinfandel from Gallo…what’s the big deal?

Since the heat was so stifling with all the humidity, we headed back to the rig to take a rest. Paul listened to the Cubs game and I napped. We had leftover meatloaf sandwiches for dinner. We will be going to the Nauvoo Pageant later tonight. The show begins at dark, so I better lather on the bug spray. The flies here are plentiful and pesky.

I will write about the pageant later. We are heading south along the Great River Road tomorrow. Don’t know where we will stop…perhaps take a side trip to Hannibal. I’ve always wanted to ride the Mark Twain River Boat on the Mississippi and maybe we can do that. I am sure we can find a cheapo campground near Mark Twain lake, or somewhere near there.

Later.

dee

Sunday...

As my favorite TV character would say..."holy crap". Once again its almost a week since I've posted. Such an exciting life we have lead this week. We met Mom and Cecil for lunch on Tuesday. They were leaving for NY on Wednesday. We were both out of town for her 75th birthday so I had a little gift for her and a card.
We met at Panera's their favorite lunch time spot. She told me that she was having some pain that started up near her rear end and shot all the way down her leg. She said it had been happening more frequently and when they got back from NY she would go to the doc. I told her three long days in the car driving to NY was going to do just wonders for that type of problem.

Later that evening, Cecil called and said he was taking her to prompt care...she couldn't get out of the car or walk. Zack and I met them at Prompt care...the doc in the box thought it was bursitis and gave her a shot and some anti-inflammatory.

Wednesday we visited the Lincoln Museum. Quite impressive I must say. All three of us thoroughly enjoyed it, altho it was jammed with tourists. Lots of kids from the rodeo, which was good to see.

Thursday morning we get a call from Cecil...Mom is in terrible pain and can't get out of bed. We tell him to call 911 and take her to St. Johns. Instead, he goes to Memorial. Big mistake. I left around 11 because Zack has his follow-up surgery appointment in Clinton at one. In the meantime, Mom has not even seen a doc, just nurses and a PA. Finally, the doc comes in, orders and Xray and around 3 they leave the ER after 6 hours. It is not bursitis it is sciatica. She gets another shot and gets more meds. Paul had stayed with them, gotten them lunch, got them settled at home, went to get the meds and some food. Since their trip was canceled, they had gotten rid of most of the stuff in the house to eat, so they had very little in the house .

Zack's appointment went well, and his total loss according to the scale in the doc's office was 28 lbs. I had figured more since it appeared on the scale at the hospital that he had lost about 26. I guess one is more forgiving that the other?

Friday was another uneventful day, Zack was still feeling the effects of the surgery(I told him it takes more than a week to recover from major surgery and anesthesia. We went out for an early dinner at Mike's and then went to the movies to see Hairspray. The boys liked it...I thought it was so so. Travola was creepy and his makeup was phony to me anyways. Plus he sang in his lower regular voice and spoke in this falsetto....ick.

Saturday was a bad day for me so Paulie took Zack back to Edwardsville. He has to go back to work on Monday, and work I think he said something like 12 days in a row...11 hours a day. Of course, at the job he has at the putt putt place, he reads, watches movies and plays video games. Hmmm...some job eh?
He is doing very well with his food choices, and low and behold he no longer inhales his food. He actually chews...he could only eat 1/2 cup of chili and about 1/3 of a cheese omelet...no potatoes or toast, just eggs and a bit of cheese. He seems to be very determined. I can see the weight loss...his face looks thinner. I can't wait until he gets to go down a size...that is always a positive to keep going.

I was up at 6:30 am (yes, you read that right....) so I decided to go out and get the newspaper. I watched CBS Sunday Morning and then got out the maps and attraction books for our trip to Pere Marquette State Park and the Great River Road Scenic Road. We will leave here Tuesday and our first stop will be a bit west of Peoria to go to Dickson Mounds. I have never been there. We think we'll hit Navaoo, Alton, Grafton and then Cahokia Mounds. We are going to stop at a few MO vineyards also. Should be a nice leisurely trip. We don't head to Michigan until the 20th.

Later...

dee

Not much happening here...we left Clinton around 11 and checked into Riverside park. We are on the "hill"...the main gravel/dirt road into the park. Too bad the other campers are so inconsiderate and drive too fast past us into the main park spewing us with dust. I will begin to take down license numbers and report the worst offenders to the park management. Going 40 mph is a bit much.

Paul and Zack took off after setting up...Paul to go to the bank and Zack to find some friends to hang with. He's been stuck with us for almost two weeks. Actually, he has been the perfect kid...no arguments, smart comments, etc. It's like he's an adult!!!

Still reading the Harry Potter book. It's not bad...a bit dark tho. But we all expected that considering the nature of the end of the books...either Harry or the evil wizard will survive and you don't find out until the end.

Barb and Arnie popped by to say hi and we took a ride over to the Jr. Rodeo Championships...wow, what a ton of folks over there. We sat outside and talked for a while...me being devoured by mosquitoes. Zack's friends brought him home and we are now watching Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader...this show cracks me up. I would LOVE to get on this show!

Well, I have an early doc appointment so I guess I'd better get to bed. We are meeting Mom for lunch tomorrow. Wed we are going to the Lincoln Museum and then Thursday back to Clinton for Zack's follow up. We will stay here a week and then we are going to just jump on the highway and head someplace else. We have reservations in Michigan for the 20th of August and are totally free until then.

I have added a link to the side bar...I am now doing a daily political commentary...so if you want a laugh or to get steamed...just stop on by.

hugs

dee

Sunday 7:10 pm....

Let me catch everyone up since I last posted. Everything with the surgery for Zack went extremely well. He was allowed 1 oz of water every 15 minutes. He indicated he had really bad dry mouth but Mom stuck to her guns and only let him have an ounce. He started to come out of the anesthesia around one. Told him he had to pee before they'd let him go....He wanted to go right then and there! We were out of the hospital and on our way to the campground at Clinton Lake by like 2. We stopped at Wally world to pick up some ice, drinking water and his Loritab.
He walked around the store just fine. Back at the rig, he talked to us for a while then decided he needed to sleep. He settled himself in the back bedroom and off to dreamland. It takes several days to get that anesthesia crap outta ya.

Friday night was uneventful and we all just watched TV for awhile.

Saturday morning we slept in then went into town. I promised Zack I'd buy us the Harry Potter book so we were back at Wally world...we also got some chewable vits for him. He must do one a day and also calcium. I have powered stuff I put in his protein shake. He seems to like the Choco Stack that I use...problem is you can't get it locally and I have to order both the protein and the calcium over the net. Poses a real problem now that I don't have an address. Geesh, how do homeless people get UPS deliveries?

Saturday was quiet for the rest of the day and evening. Zack can start full liquids Sunday so he will be a bit less ornery. Just kidding...he has done very well and has complained very little. The area where the port is has been giving him some aches but he should get better each day.

Sunday morning, Paulie and I got up and showered. Paul went into town for a newspaper and stuff for dinner. We haven't shopped in a while except for you know...junk. Zack is engrossed in the Harry Potter Book. I started it while he napped, but he is almost done already.

Paulie made chicken on the grill with baked potato and texas toast which I hate. The chicken was good...a mix of teriaki and BBQ sauce. Chef Paulie is sure the experimenter. I have at least the last two days convinced him to stand at the bbq and watch the stuff so it doesn't burn.

The boys are now playing rummy and as always, Paul is kicking Zack's butt. You'd think he stop being a masochist and not play with him anymore...I won't play cards or games for that very reason...I hate getting my ass kicked and the winner gloating.

We will prolly head for Springfield tomorrow. The Jr. Rodeo Championships are in town all week, but Richard from the Riverside campgrounds told Paul he had a spot for us. I have a doc appointment on Tues with the hip surgeon.

This is a really beautiful campground. Clinton Lake is large and has a huge marina...bigger than Lake Springpatch. I will try to get some shots before we leave tomorrow.

Sorry, still no pictures....I am lucky I can get a signal here anyways so I guess beggers can't be choosers.

Hugs

dee

Friday....

Paulie and I are sitting in Zack's room waiting for him to come out of recovery. Dr. Rohrschrib was here about 50 minutes ago telling us it was simple, no problem and an easy surgery. I am relieved and glad. He will be able to go home in about 4 hours or so...he must be able to drink water and must take a pee. I am sitting here in this humongous recliner...made for larger patients obviously. When Zack was laying still on the bed, the scale built in said he had already lost 26 lbs in his two weeks of liquid diet. Of course, he was starving himself the first week drinking only water and broth. I made him start protein and SF jello, and yogurt. He will do himself no good to go into starvation mode as his metabolism will just come to a screeching halt. Once this happens weight loss stops. I think he has done quite well...no regular soda, no beer, no JD. He will have to be a very good boy from this point on or the surgery will do him no good at all. He still will have to stay under 1200 calories, 70 to 120 grams of protein and less than 60 carbs. South Beach diet in a nutshell if I recall that diet correctly. The good thing is that 1200 calories will satisfy him...his tummy will only be able to hold less than 1/2 cup for most of the time. He will feel a lot of restriction and when that restriction lessens, he will go have saline added to his band to tighten it up right away. He should do fine...I think he was eating well over 4 to 5 thousand calories per day prior to this.

Yesterday on Thursday, Paul and Zack went to meet the Cenois group for lunch and a tour of the auto plant in Bloomington. Paul was also wanting to attend the biz meeting. I was having a really terrible day and spent it in bed....rain was affecting my Meniere's and I was just in agony with my firbro. I slept all damm day. What a waste. Missed seeing everyone at the Cenois Rally and prolly missed a great Red Hat lunch! Darn. Hate it when I can't do what I want to do.

We are staying at the Clinton Lake Recreational Area. The campsites are wonderful. It should be filling up today for the weekend, but we will most likely just stay thru Sunday. If Zack is OK we will leave Saturday...I assume he is anxious to get home. I have a doc appointment in Springfield on Tuesday. I wan to do to the Museum and also see if I can get in to see Terri at Dr. Stegemens for a Valium refill this week also. I have been hitting the Valium kinda hard lately with all my ear problems. Even wearing my hearing aid hurts. I will also have to request copies of all our health records as we will have to change doc's when we officially make our residence in Texas. *Sigh*. I hope I find someone as good as Dr. S and his PA, Terri...I just love her to "interview" several docs down there...I need someone to support my current medication routine and support my disability stuff. I never had a care with Dr. S or Terri...hope I find a good one!

Last night while tooling around the park, Paul and Zack saw an albino fawn...of course they didn't have a camera. Someone gave them a great copy of it that they had taken earlier so I can scan it and perhaps post to the blog. I haven't been able to find a wifi connection so until I do, the blog will remain pictureless.

Well, they are about to bring Zack back from recovery so I am going to close. Will let you all know how he is doing as the day continues....

hugs

dee

Well, the post below was never uploaded...d*mm cingular...
We are currently going thru Holland MI heading towards Clinton IL for the big day on Friday. I will have to wait until I can access wifi before I can upload any of the pix I promised.

We are leaving just as blueberries are coming in. Crap. I love blueberries and they are good for you too. Of course, I like them in pie and muffins and crisps so that is not part of the good part of blueberries. *Sigh*.

Zack is plopped on the couch reading while Paul is trying to watch Price is Right while driving. This satellite in motion sucks. The signal is always getting lost and the poor roof top thingy is spinning like a top...Oh my, I can't wait to ask him if the extra $ for the in motion was worth it...I know what MY answer is.

Well, not much going on as we trek down Hwy 31...we are hoping that the construction backups on 94 are gone...last month when we arrived here there must have been a 30 mile back up....going from three lanes to one is such a bunch of fun for all of us driving out here. Engineers...at least those who plan for road construction must have to take a college course on how best to piss off people. Similar to the arrogance course doctors are required to pass. Then there is the other requirement for doctors...."god" role playing...sorry, my sarcasam is just based on experience.

OK...well, I will post more later...

hugs

dee

Picking up where I left off…

We drove around Grand Haven for awhile, showing Zack the sites…we checked out the used book store, and the Health Food store looking for my fav protein. No luck at either place. By this time its after three so we stopped at Beach Burrito…I told Zack that the insides of the burrito, the ground beef, beans and lettuce would be suitable for him to eat. Well, to say he was excited is an understatement. He is allowed a Lean Cuisine or a similar low cal/low carb dinner under 400 calories. He must have 70 to 120 grams of protein daily and less than 60 carbs. Therefore the expert (I, of course, who ELSE would it be….?) decided the guts of a burrito would about equal a 400 calorie frozen crappy dinner. Zack was one happy camper.

When we got back to Muskegon, the boys dropped me off at the rig and then they went disk golfing. I woke up about 7 for heaven’s sake and the car was still gone. Then I remember the park’s margarita party was being held down at the water. I decided that I would pass seeing I had slept so long due to incoming bad weather. They came home about 10:30….Mr. Ziaja Jr. was practically dragging Mr. Ziaja Sr. Two 44 ounce margaritas with whoever knows how much Mexican tequila dumped in had done him in. Claiming he was fine…he landed in the front passenger seat of the rig and promptly fell asleep. Zack and I watched a movie. We both went to bed after the movie and both of us gave it a good try to wake the sleeping giant. We finally left him in the chair. If he falls and breaks his neck during the night he has no one to blame but hisself.

Saturday morning we sleep really, really late….11 am! Suzie had stopped by earlier, opened the door and quickly shut it and lit out for the grocery store. She said all she heard was snoring sounds and the rig looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Later when we were finally up, Amy and Casey stopped by to see Zack. We really didn’t do much the rest of the day. Paulie made some kinda chili which Zack said tasted ok. I’ll pass. Hangover cooking dishes have bitten me in the butt before…’nough said.

Zack and I decided to go see the Harry Potter movie, but Paulie passed. He’s not a Harry fan so he didn’t want to spend the $ for something he’d probably sleep through. It was a good movie, kinda dark themed but the special effects once again are stunning.
Sunday….

After a nice sleep-in and reading the paper, we decided to take a ride to the Health Hut for some unflavored protein so we could make smoothies at Suzie’s tonight…we are going there for gazpacho and BBQ…the gazpacho is so everyone can eat what Zack can eat.

During our “drive” Paulie made some smart-ass comment which honked me off. So, rather than play into his hands, I just didn’t speak to either of the boys until we got home. They were off to the beach. I declined, knowing I would continue the argument unless I could get over my pique alone for a while. I watched the Cubbies for awhile then I fell asleep…what else?
The guys woke me up, I changed and did my hair and we were off to Suzie’s.
Uncle Lar’s parents Tom and Mary were over and we had a great time. We talked and laughed and told stories til ten. Since Uncle Lar had a busy week, we said our goodnights and headed home. Watched a bit of TV and then hit the sack.

Monday

Although neither of the boys was very enthusiastic, I prevailed and we went to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids. We all truly enjoyed it. There was a special exhibit about Terrorism in America. I don’t want to sound like a radical here, but our own history is riddled with acts of terrorism…surely nothing to be proud about. Very informative exhibit. The museum is quite different from others I‘ve seen…perhaps it is because he has such a short time in office, although he had a long career in Congress. I must say, it rankled me to see some of the stuff on Nixon, but again, it was such a long time ago…I admire Ford because he took us forward after a terrible national disgrace. It was interesting to read Ford’s handwritten notes during meetings, seeing the actual tools the men used to break into the Watergate room and all of the tapes and stuff. Perhaps not as impressive as say the Kennedy Museum, but surely worth the visit. One always learns something at places such as this.

We stayed in downtown Grand Rapids and had a early dinner/late lunch at XO Chinese Restaurant. We lucked out and got in on the lunch specials which were reasonably priced and delicious! Zack had egg drop soup and a few bits of Paulie’s chicken.

The weather was nasty rainy so we didn’t go to Meijer’s Gardens but I was feeling the effects of the rains so the boys took me home. They went to play miniature golf while I rested. When they got home, we watched a bit of TV and then both Zack and I got absorbed in our current reading selections while Paulie made some phone calls.

Tuesday…well, here we are, up to date. Paulie and I did a ton of laundry this morning…not only did we have a ton of stuff like beach towels, sheets and rugs, but we had Zack’s clothes in addition to ours. Whew. Took us two hours!

Paulie and Zack are packing up the stuff outside. We will be pulling out of here heading for Clinton early tomorrow morning. Before we leave, Paulie and I will do a fast clean up job on the rig. Just putting stuff away today, will do the vacuuming and floor cleaning tomorrow.

This evening is kinda a toss up. I’d like to just stick around and get stuff together, but who knows what the “ants in the pants” boys will be up to.

I will post some pictures of the Museum at White Pines Village and the Ford Museum in another post when I can get to wifi access. Can’t do it on the aircard…too slow.

Later…
dee