Well...I am finally able to post. My puter is all fouled up. I removed all the freeware crap, restored to an earlier date and now I discover that the cd/dvd drive, E is freakin' gone...once we get back to Weslaco I will take it into the geek squad at Best Buy.
I am so far behind in my blog I don't know if I will try to go back and report on what we have been doing. Right now we are in Sturgeon Bay, WI in Door County, exploring what is supposed to be one of the most highly rated vacation destinations in the US. Say what? My impression? Expensive, quaint, expensive, great food, expensive, beautiful homes and shorelines, expensive.

My impression of Mackinac Island? Expensive, smelled like horse shit the minute I got off the ferry(and never left...I still smell it in my sleep...)lovely to look at, expensive, quaint, expensive, good food, expensive, lots of horseshit all over, expensive.

Mackinac City was great, our campsite was right on the water.
Good food (pasties) good fudge, neat shops, great tourist places and nice folks.

Here is a new link for you to visit our photos....

http://picasaweb.google.com/rocketmom1985

hugs...

dee

Note...the clickable link is on the right side of the page under links....under Picture book

Update....

I have been without a computer for over a week now...I had a vendor at the Escapade do a "cleanup" for me to speed things up and see if there were any bugs...well, he downloaded some freeware and screwed everything up. I am still trying to undo the damage wrought and still can't get the sucker to run right.

We are in Mackinaw City, heading to the island today. I will try to get up and running again soon...

Weather is cool and beautiful...what a magnificent view out our front window of Lake Huron.

Later.

Dee

Thursday....

Sorry folks...took the computer in for some service...took like three days instead of the one promised...can't fault the guy, he was bombarded. So...I am behind. Can't do too much tonight, we are boondocking at a county park at Gunn Lake in Somewhere Michigan...Shellbyville I think. We are only gonna be on generator power for a short time before we go to bed so I will have to catch up over the next several days. So sorry.

Be back on line soon....

hugs

dee

Monday, Escapade Day One...

The mosquitoes have followed us from Elkhart, the suckers. I have been dousing myself with the deet poison crap and it's gettin' real old.

The first day of the classes and exhibits is always fun. I'm enrolled in a pine needle basket class, and I am quite excited about it. I have wanted to learn this craft forever. Well, the class was full and was being taught by a full timer Linda Payne...I have been reading the Payne's web page for years so I was thrilled to hear that she would be teaching this mini-basketry class. I arrive in plenty of time and visit with the other classmates. We are given our materials. Can you believe the basket bottom is made from a slice of black walnut....the real nut, so it has all these openings in which to attach the pine needles with the sinew(tougher than raffia that I had read earlier to use.) I think I am doing just fine, putting the edges of the pine needles along the edge of the walnut slice, weaving my stitches correctly and tightening the sinew. Along comes a helper and gives me some pointers. Another helper comes around and tells me that the other advice is not quite right and shows me something different. So, being the creative genius that I am NOT, I ask Linda to give me a hand. She takes one look at my walnut round, my stitches and the pathetic look of the very first round of the basket coil....she quickly grabs a new set of supplies and quickly whips one up for me to begin again without getting too far behind. By now it is 10 am, the class started at 8:30 and the entire class has learned how to change sinew when it runs out, do the second and third coils and begin to add more elaborate stitches and the basket is obviously "talking" to them...telling the creators just what the "spirit" of the basket wants the weaver to shape. Well, not being the spiritual type at this time of the morning, the basket spirit was not speaking coherently to me, but I sure was muttering to it. I was the only one in class who just didn't have the "spirit" to weave a basket...can ya believe that? Of course, I have been told never to try to do paper quilting by a very experienced quilter, and our guild's president, who just happens to be blind and teaches children to crochet has given up on me. How the hell did I ever learn how to knit or paint? Hmmm, I guess I must have my limitations. OK, so now Linda has become my basket weaving savior...I finally got the hang of it, but by now class was over for the morning. The others in the class had great looking baskets talking to them. I had a walnut slice with one measly coil. Crap. I will post pix tomorrow, I promise...I sneaked out the original so you can see how bad it really is...and the new one I am working on.

I went back to the rig for a break. Zack sent me some pictures that I will also post tomorrow...these are really scary...its when he had his hair spiked so he could go to a party as a pineapple. Is this the same Zack who is studying to teach the future of America? Yah, one and the same. Its scary.

After meeting me at the rig for a quick sandwich, I headed back to part two of my class. I actually was able to do one whole round or coil in an hour!!!
I left a bit early as my energy was sagging...you all know what happens when I tax my brain too much and have brain drain aka brain fog. I went back to the rig and Paulie had skipped his afternoon seminar in order to deal with our rig insurance dilemma...expires on the 16th but we don't have an Illinois addy and the policy is for Illinois...we need Texas, but won't get down there to change stuff until the end of the month.

Well, I have been writing this for a while and my fingers are cramping...they were doing the same thing when I was trying to learn the basket stitching. I'm gonna sign off for now. I need to download some pictures from the digital and when I get ready to do that I'll pull out the walnut rounds and take pix of them too.

hugs

dee

Saturday, Goshen, IN

The bitch in the box aka the GPS did it again...Paulie put the fairgrounds addy in and we were off on a wild goose chase. One thing seems to reoccur...if you don't double check the state, it will automatically revert to the former state. Therefore, the bitch in the box took us to an addy in MICHIGAN....how's that for stoopid?Gggrrrrr. Same addy for some freakin' town in Michigan. I am the one that keeps telling Paulie to TRUST the bitch...but then perhaps he didn't check the state when he put the addy in...that's stoopid too right?

We arrived and were promptly parked. I never cease to be amazed at how well these volunteers work together and how hard they work. We have 30 amp electric and water and are in the handicapped section...that makes it convenient for me and my scooter. I can't walk for very long so at events like this, I use that puppy...and feel little guilt altho at first I did.

We watched TV last night as the rains came thru again. Ugh. My head is filled to the brim and my ears are just screaming at me. Nothing on the boob tube....6 gazillion stations and nothing on that is of interest to us. We went to bed early...we want to go to Dunkn' donuts for a peanut donut fix and to get the local paper. The crafts sign up isn't until 9 and I am bound and determined to get into the pine needle basket class...

Sunday....Opening day
Paulie and I made our run to Dunkin' so we are now happy with our "fix". We headed to registration and had a heck of a time finding the crafts sign up. Finally we found it and I was able to sign up for the basket class, and another class that will make an angel. I was also able to sign up Molly Pinner whom I met at the Grad's pre-rally in Elkhart. We had met earlier this morning and I volunteered to sign her up.

The markets are open, the "Row" where all the chapter reps sit are filled and the rigs continue to roll in. This is a great facility
(the 4H Fairgrounds in Goshen, IN) for a gathering such as this...lots of indoor exhibits and merchants, plus plenty of space for new rigs to be viewed and lusted after, lol! I made an appointment to have my laptop "cleaned up"...I was going to go to Best Buy but I hate the way they pressure you to buy software that I already have as freeware. I really need this baby sped up a bit. I was looking at cell phone signal amplifiers...geesh...I don't wanna spend $300 to boost my cell signal, but when we are off the interstate or in a rural area, I can't use the 'puter or the phone. Hmmm, this may be a hard sell to the polish prince. I also want some software that is $35 that tracks RV expenses, maintenance and all kinds of records and info about the coach. Then, of course, I gotta have a T shirt with the Goshen Escapee
logo on it. Hmmm. We keep this up and we won't be able to afford to full time!

Well, opening ceremonies are I think at 2:30 so I need to rest a bit or I won't make it all the way thru the entertainment that lasts til like 10 pm. I gotta take a couple of Valium then I won't CARE if my head and ears still hurt, LOL!

I will report later on the opening ceremonies and the entertainment, it's called Pantasia and they are a HS band from Ohio that are supposed to be fabulous...

later

dee

Friday, Elkhart Campground

Well, the heaven's opened up this morning and didn't quit until 4 pm. There were three different "fronts" that came thru just to make my life miserable. You all know what I did most of the day.
Paulie got ready for departure and put away all the outside stuff. The bugs were so bad it was a waste to put it out. Then the guy did the laundry...what else could a gal ask for?

We had purchased some pulled pork at the farmers market and some small buns for the Friday night potluck. I nicely sliced the rolls and put them in a pretty basket, warmed the meat just perfect and off we went. There was no one at the site. Hmmmm. We drove around thinking because of the rain they had moved dinner to an inside place in the campground, but we were unable to find them. Perhaps they didn't want us? We was ditched? Paul called Smokey, one of the hosts and he was really embarrassed...the dinner was cancelled, but they must have left us off the call list. Ooops. Maybe next time WE should call ahead to see if the dinner is still on...I wondered because of all the rain. What dummies we are sometimes geesh. Well, the pork won't go to waste...it is delish and the sauce is sweet but has a real kick to it. I love BBQ pork!

We finally did venture out just to take a little ride...we went to Culvers so Dee could feed her ice cream craving and have some more adversity via her lactose intolerance in the gastrointestinal area. Lactaid doesn't work, so you'd think I would stop craving ice cream. Oh yah. That'll happen anytime soon. Paulie is just gonna have to get a gas mask, that's all there is to it.

We both went to bed early as there was nothing on the boob tube. I read for a bit but quickly decided the book was not something I could get into right away...it is called "Mirror Mirror" by the same guy who wrote "Wicked". You have to have your brain ready for his writing and mine was just not capable after the day I had.

Saturday....heading for Goshen

We will be pulling out this morning (as soon as the prince gets up...he can sleep as long as he wants since he did all the work yesterday...). We are going in a day early as we have handicapped parking with water and 30 amp electric. We will have to dump the tanks first but we have a full hookup here so that is not a problem. I will try to post more when we get all settled. I hope to have a signal, but I'm not holding my breath.
If I can't get on line, I will try to get the word out here if I have to go into town and use a free wifi place. Wish me luck in Goshen, IN...I do recall a coffee house had it the last time we were there. Hopefully they are still in biz.

hugs

dee

Another quick catch up!



Tuesday...



We are expecting Hank and Elizabeth later today...I doubt they want to "do" dinner if they have been driving all day. I know I would just hit the bed and stay there!



Paul went with the Grads group to visit Travel Supreme, however somehow in the car "pool" to get there, he lost the wagon train. Neither he nor the couple he was traveling with remembered the name of the place they were going, nor did they have a clue where the place was! Hmmm...so they came back to the campground. Later, we dined out with the group. Paul took a bit of teasing for getting lost, which I think even he had to admit was justified. We went to a local place which is right on the small lake near the campground. Our reservations were supposed to be for the "enclosed porch", instead we were seated on the "sun deck". Right, 90 degree heat and I am gonna sit there. I think not. As soon as a few tables opened up, several couples including us went onto the porch. We had the special $2 1/2 pound hamburger and beer. Very tasty. After dinner, we stopped by to see Hank and Elizabeth for a few minutes. The rest of the grads tried to sit outside but the skeeters were again so horrible they chased everyone in. NOTHING kills these suckers. You can douse yourself with poison and they'd still bite ya. Just awful.



Wednesday...

Paul needed to take care of some biz this morning...one of the rear tires may be leaking. Crap. Plus we need an oil change. I



Paul did errands and then came back and helped me do some housekeeping stuff. Then, he and Hank went to some RV parts supply place and I went over to their rig to visit with Elizabeth for awhile. We had a nice visit and I was showing her my latest (actually the only thing I have even thought about knitting) a pair of socks. We decide to go to Callahans for dinner...the family type place that was advertising stuffed green peppers for the dinner special.

I left about three and laid down for a while...the new alternative down comforter is sooooo cozy.

About 5 we pick up the Kerr's and head over to the restaurant. Elizabeth and I get the special, Paul orders the senior chicken parmigiana and Hank orders one of his favorites (and mine too) a Ruben sandwich. The size of the portions are enormous...Paul must have had two pounds of spaghetti under this large dinner plate size chicken tenderloin. Hank's sandwich was so big it would have feed four. Elizabeth and I got two beautifully stuffed peppers with tomato gravy....yum. Then, we both had rice pudding...she shared her's with Hank, I ate my whole serving!

We went back to their rig and talked for a while, deciding where we would meet up in Michigan. We found out that one of their daughters needs surgery and it is scheduled for Sept. 24th. That will mean a fairly good pace for our trip. There isn't a lot to "see" in the UP except the scenery so that is just gonna be a kinda pass thru I think. We are most interested in Mackinaw and Door County Wisconsin. After we bid goodbye (the Kerr's are leaving for Grand Rapids in the am) we head back to the rig to change clothes. The Grad group is braving the skeeters so we headed over to join them. Some new arrivals have been introduced and one couple was heading out that night. They had met for a hobo supper while we had already made dinner plans with the Kerrs. We have yet to go over to the Elks rally...not really planned to do that but are having so much fun with the grads group. Next time I'll have to decide just who I wanna pre-rally with without spending money to no avail!

Thursday....

We went with the grad group to visit the Ruthmere Mansion. This was built by Albert and Elizabeth Beardsley. He was one of the founders of Miles Labs, aka the Alka Seltzer empire. It is now owned by Bayer. The place was built in 1908 and is amazing. The Beardsley's had some ideas that have lasted to this day. Albert had a total shower surround like the rain forest types we see today. Quite impressive. The mansion has been restored by the Beardsley family and it is stunning. There are two original Rodan statues, and several other well know artist's works in the house of whom for the life of me I can't remember their names.
We really enjoyed the tour. The group split up after the tour...some going to the Farmers Market, others back to the campground and some like us needed to run errands.

The rain came after we got home from WalMart, so I did my usual ear pain and dizziness tricks and then laid down. That's it for now...not sure what the evening will bring. I am stick of smelling like deet poison so I am not looking forward to venturing outside after the rains.

Will post more later...

hugs

dee

Elkhart Campground
Day 2

Sunday...After lounging around most of the morning, we decided to take a ride to find the WalMart. It was about 2 miles from the campground, well, duh...the GPS would not accept the addy so we were a bit perplexed until we figured out how to put county road in the stupid thing. After finding it, we decided to take ride in the countryside, got lost and finally found a fruit stand where the guy told us we were going in circles (no sh*t) and directed us back to Hwy 19. We stopped at a former A&W root beer now a local homemade root beer drive in and had a frosty mug....oh so good. Paul had a RB float...ick. I eat my ice cream separate...then drink the root beer by itself. Civilized yanno. This was about 4 so there we go again, screwing up dinner. We just cannot get this right yet.

We stayed in Sunday night and watched the boob tube...

Monday...day 3..
Memorial Day. Again we slept in, showered and then we were off to the Shipshewana Flea Market. OMG...the crowds were unbelievable. The place is the largest flea market in the world. I have never seen such a jammed up place full of useless stuff. But...I did buy Zack and me a sweatshirt, and we got a deal on a new swim suit for Zack...he has lost over 50 lbs by now and his suit is falling off when he does laps. We stopped and had a pulled pork sandwich about three. There goes dinner...again. We got back to the rig and both kinda just napped...well I know I did, don't know what the Prince did. About 7 we walked over to the Class Reunion gathering at site 400. Had a great time talking, laughing and getting to know new folks. The mosquitoes were horrendous and a couple of folks just gave up and went home...even Deep Woods stuff doesn't faze these bloodsuckers. We stayed til about 10 and then headed home. We are looking forward to seeing Hank and Elizabeth tomorrow. They will be here a couple of days and then they are off to Michigan where we will meet up with them up near Mackinaw Island around the 15th. Not sure what is on the agenda for tomorrow. I think Paul and Hank are going to go to a RV surplus place when he and Elizabeth get back from touring the RV Museum. Elizabeth and I will prolly just sit and visit tomorrow afternoon and maybe do some knitting.

hugs.

Dee

Elkhart Campground...Elkhart, IN
Day 2

We both slept in today...around noon, we headed out to find the local used bookstore to hung down some of my ancient peoples novels...the gps (or the guy who selected the wrong address... I had just put the correct address in, and the "user" punched in the wrong one). This did however, allow us a complete tour of all parts of Elkhart...the good, the bad and certainly the poor ugly.
We finally found the place, but alas, no novels by W.M. Gear. Crap. I hate to think I'll have to pay FULL price for the rest of the series...4 or 5 books I think. I did check on half.com but by the time I pay the price of the book and add the shipping charges, I could buy them at Barnes or someplace else. I think Barnes carries them all, so I will just bite the bullet and get the rest of them.

After the bust at the bookstore, we headed towards the RV Hall of Fame. Ok, you can stop laughing now you non-rv'ers. There IS such a place and although it is not yet completed, what we saw was an interesting history of the RV industry. Way back in the '20's they had some really neat RV's. I took a ton of pictures which I have yet to download. I can use the free wifi here to upload them...maybe tomorrow.

After browsing for awhile looking a the few exhibits available, we headed back to the rig. Siesta time for me, relax time for Paulie.
We made fried shrimp and french fries for dinner. They were pretty good. The mosquitoes were awful so after we finished eating we hightailed it into the rig. I hate those damm bloodsuckers. I am their favorite target. Once in the rig I got three more hits...one on the darn head, one on the cheek if you can believe I didn't catch THAT one and I did kill the sucker on my left forearm.
Grrrr....

I think Sunday will be just a laze around day...or maybe not...we think we will go to Shipshewana on Monday...they are open for the holiday. The square and round dancers were at it again tonight, actually they started at 11 a.m. Gee, such stamina!

Well, that's all for today...I can't believe it is the first of September. Paulie has been doing some reading on the rising costs of Texas residency. Plus there is the yearly vehicle inspection and fees. Several folks we know from SKPs are changing domicile to South Dakota. Another dilemma. Geesh, this could pose a challenge. I don't give a whit where we register the vehicles and have our driver's licenses. We do have to think about Zack...his car is really MY car...his vehicle was the truck we sold last year. So, he will have to have SD plates and registration and just keep his Illinois stuff. I wonder how we will be able to do this? Hmmm, I have lots of questions to ask at the seminars next week.

Well, off to bed...

hugs

dee

Elkhart Campground, Elkhart, IN

Well, we were up kinda early for me (8:30 like) and Paul went to the grocery store to get some pancake stuff...we have both been thinking about them since the campers next to us in Muskegon made them for the kid's breakfast and the smell woke us up.

After breakfast we visited the Damon dealer next to the campground and drooled over the new 08 models. Cripes, we'd both have to sell our kidneys just for the taxes on it! We are very satisfied with our rig now that we have done some changes. Pulling out all the furniture has made a real difference. Now, getting rid of the crappy carpeting is my next goal.

We then went to several RV parts and salvage places to see if we could find some good deals on window awnings...the ones on the windows not under big awing. The sun does a number on a hot day even with the day/night shades down...I guess aluminum just absorbs that bright hot sun. Lots and lots of RV stuff like holding tanks, doors and windows, etc. No luck, so I guess we will have to go to one of the supply houses and custom order. We may wait until 08 to do this...we have sunk a few $ in this rig already this year.

Off we went to the Farmers Market, a huge Amish built structure which I mistakenly thought was in INDOOR fruit and veggie place. Well, it was meat shops, bakeries, handmade cheese, candies, and other really good stuff. Some of the little shops are run by Amish folks, others by just regular folks. On the upper level were crafts, furniture and the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen...well, Auntie Averil's are fabulous and these had nothing on her's...but the colors were so vivid and the stitching incredible and such intricate patterns. Paul found one he wanted for $950. Hmmmm. Then he found a handmade recliner for only $400. I wanted a cookie and he gave me a hard time. We did eat at the food court from a place called the Pickle Barrel Sirloin tips. OMG! For only $7 we shared a huge serving of mashed red skin potatoes, onions and peppers and prolly the best sirloin I have EVER eaten, no kidding. We also bought some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (I should just slap these on my ass 'cause that's where they'll ultimately end up... on my ass)
We also purchased some pulled pork which for $8 will give us about 4 meals. Then we found a small strawberry rhubarb pie and then I had to have a homemade scoop of ice cream. Just don't let me near a scale...if I get on I'll prolly have a stroke.

We headed home, Paulie and I both took a siesta...but I think he only slept for about a half hour and went exploring. He stopped at the Elks club and had a cocktail and said the place was beautiful with a very high class restaurant. He also stopped to talk to the guy who runs the RV Driving School and discussed working for this guy in the Texas area. He will be sitting in on the class at the Escapade to get a feel for it. The guy was quite pleased with Paulie's experience. Most of the students are wives who don't want their spouse to teach them how to drive an RV...ask me how THAT works. He can earn $20 bucks an hour...the classroom part is on PowerPoint and then all he does is coach from the RV...he never drives the client's rig at all. He seems pretty intrigued...and we can do this as we travel. The company sets up the info on the website offering the class wherever the instructor may be. Interesting.

We heard music and square dance callers from the pavilion so this evening we walked over and watched the folks from a square/round dance RV club dancing. Then there was a singer guy who was entertaining. Overall a good day. Crappy diet all garbage, but a full and interesting day. I think we will do the RV History Museum tomorrow...or maybe just lounge around. We do have a full week here. Shipshwana flea market is only open on Tuesday and Wednesday now, but it will be open Labor day so we may go up there on Monday.

That's about all we did today...overall a A+ day.

hugs

dee

Elkhart, Indiana-RV Capitol of the World

As pilgrims flock to Jerusalem, so do RV'ers flock to the RV industry's mecca here in Elkhart. Here is where RV's are made, many companies claiming the world renowned Amish quality in their rigs because many Amish folks are part of the industry workforce here. There are numerous dealers claiming special "factory" pricing, a bunch of salvage and replacement part stores and just a "few" after-market places selling awnings, satellites, etc., etc., ETC.!

We had a uneventful trip from Muskegon using Rt 31 almost the entire way. We avoided the tollway and went parallel on Rt 20. We hit 19N about 3 pm which must have been the change of shifts at the RV plants as traffic was incredibly heavy. We found our campsite(we are WAY in the back of the property...) and proceeded to set up our little house on wheels. It's about 4:30 and Paulie wants to take a stroll around the campground, I decided to take my siesta. The weather is beautiful and sunny and in the mid-70's.

So, here we are at Elkhart Campground...all 450 sites will most likely be filled by tomorrow for the big holiday weekend. Add to that all the vendors for the upcoming Escapade are here, prepping for the big event that starts on Sunday the 9th. There are several pre-Escapade rallys, for both local and national chapters of SKPs....we are here for the Elks rally that starts the 5th. There is also a Full Time RVer get together...we are the "class of 06".

We finally cooked the smoked brats we got for our $1 deal in Amana for supper. Paulie had gone checking out stuff and found a grocery store...he bought some coleslaw and potato salad to go with the brats. I didn't care for them, maybe 'cause they were smoked...I like fresh ones, parboiled in beer and onions then tossed over the hot coals to crisp up. We finally came in from outside when at dusk, I became a human sacrifice to the local mosquito's who have been waiting for me...somebody must have let them know ahead of time, darnit.

Don't know what we will be doing tomorrow...I am gonna look up some stuff on the net and see what's our best option for tomorrow. This will be a very busy week here and then in Goshen.

hugs

dee

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