Tuesday is Texas Day

We were invited on Saturday to a pool party at the home of a high school classmate of Kara.  Lori and John live down the street from Kara now.  We went to Sacred Heart church and then drove over to the party.  Their pool is lovely but I never did go inside the house.  We had a very nice time and dinner but were still tuckered out from our Friday company and left when the first folks started to leave.

Our electric went out Sunday morning and by 11 o'clock we decided to go fuel up and get some breakfast in the little town next to us.  It was still off when we returned so we went to Kelly's taking our overnight bag just in case.  We are fine without electric except for Ted's C-Pap machine.  Kelly and I worked on the wedding place cards while Ted and Ally went shooting.  This was her first time.  Thank goodness Kyle and Cassie returned from Traverse City and he helped me navigate Windows 8 while I worked on inserting the Infinity symbol on the template.  I swear Microsoft has hidden everything you need to use in this software.

Ally did great for her first time out and skeet shooting lessons may be in her future.  Ted was so pleased she wanted to learn.

We eventually went to Kara's for dinner and to do a load of laundry.  We kept calling the park and finally were given the word the power was back on.  We loaded up our things and headed home.  At 2 in the morning I was sick as a dog.  No one else from Friday or Saturday got sick and it only lasted about 6 hours so I guess I ate something no one else did or was bothered by.  That left me pretty well whipped on Monday.  We intended to go to the County Fair but it was raining and I was sacked out on the couch so Monday became a lost day.

Today I was feeling fine but could hardly talk from my throat being so irritated.  I did my normal stuff while Ted went to the grocery and to sign up to be pumped out tomorrow.  I was working on my afghan when he returned.  I looked out and he was talking to our friends from Texas, Jay and Stella.  They surprised us and will be here with us the next two weeks.  We were delighted to see them.  Since it was late in the afternoon we told them we would fix dinner which would be a lot of leftovers and they were ok with that.

Earlier in the day I spoke with Brenda from Texas who now lives in Memphis.  We are trying to arrange a stop there on the way home.  I also spoke to Leanne from Texas to make the final payment on our Panama Canal cruise.  I had difficulty talking to both of them but muddled through doing more croaking than talking.  After dinner we all Face Talked to Tommy and Susan in Texas.  Susan is still working and we four always pull their chain when we are out together.

After a visit around the campfire we returned to our respective trailers for the night.  We have to leave here at 9:15 tomorrow so it will be an early start to the day.

Things never go the way you expect them to. That's both the joy and frustration in life. I'm finding as I get older that I don't mind, though. It's the surprises that tickle me the most, the things you don't see coming. ~ Michael Stuhlbarg

Fourth of July

I am pooped!  Company for 11 hours is a long time!  We had 14 people to celebrate the Fourth.  The first came around 1:00, the last left a little after midnight.  I don't think I went up and down the stairs going in and out so often, ever.

Thank goodness one motorhome left across from us so we were able to snag an extra table.  Along with Ted's two small ones, the four tables proved to be enough for all the food and gave everyone a place to sit.  Ted's pulled pork was delicious as was the rest of the food.  

The sheriff department rides through frequently and today they came on their horses.

Folks visiting while the kids played.

The woodpile in anticipation of S'mores later on.

 

And then the fireworks.

I slept until almost 9:00 this morning.  That's a rare occurence for me.  Ted has gone shooting and I still have a few dishes to do.  I am almost afraid to look outside to see if everyone actually took all of their stuff with them!  Chairs, coolers, toys, jackets, dishes, leftovers may be lurking out there.

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all!
By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.

~ John Dickinson

Working Vacation

Kara is absolutely beautiful in her wedding dress.  I think it will be easier to get her into it than Kristin was with the back corset design.  Those things make you work like Mammy in Gone With the Wind lacing up Miss Scarlet.  And after the ceremony you have to know how to bustle it.  My jobs never seem to stop!

Kelly joined us and we stopped for ice cream at Ray's Ice Cream in Royal Oak.  It is the homemade ice cream institution of southeast Michigan.  We had Putz's in Ohio, Rodeo Whip in Florida, Ray's in Michigan but only the franchises in Texas.  Of course Blue Bell reigns supreme there so maybe no one feels the need for a stand alone ice cream store.  The cost for five cones would have bought a week's groceries for my family back in 1969!

When we arrived home Kara decided to have the children try on their wedding clothes for a last check.  Morgan is fine in her ivory dress that matches her mother's but Sam had outgrown his suit pants.  So Wednesday morning Bill and I took him to JCP to see if we could match their suit separates to his jacket.  There are lots of shades of black so we ended up with dark charcoal as our best option.  My afternoon was spent hemming these new pants and turning up the sleeves on his jacket.  

Ted came in to get me so after dinner we accompanied Kara to Office Max to have the program I had compiled, copied and using the purchased covers, folded and stapled into booklets.  Having Ted's printing help, I was able to accurately put together a landscape orientation consisting of 3 sheets to be doublesided copied.  That requires six files containing pages 1 and 12 on a sheet, 2 and 11, 3 and 10, etc.  It gets a bit tricky but I did it.  Another job done.

Yesterday Ted went shooting, to the grocery store and met up with Kara to borrow her large crockpot to make his pulled pork for today's picnic.  We have 14 coming now.  In the meantime I was busy cutting 9 sheets of card stock into 6 x 2 pieces and then 9 sheets of a print into 5.75 x 1. 75 pieces and gluing one on top of the other.  I have to do the last white layer when Kara gives me names and table numbers.  Once I have all that, they will go into acrylic frames to serve as place cards and a frame for the photo booth strips at the reception.  They were a big hit at Kristin's wedding.

It has been a bit cool here.  It is in the 50s this morning but will warm up to mid-70s they say.  That should make it pleasant enough to spend the day outside without being too hot.  I told everyone to bring their cooler, chairs and a dish to share.  I have everything I need in the trailer but trying to stretch it to cover 14 folks for a day is pushing it.

Fun Monday!

We did sleep in on Monday and expected to be home until we went to dinner at Gus and Melissa's at 6:00.

Kelly called and asked if I wanted to go dress shopping for the wedding with Ally and her.  Ted didn't mind, so after she ran her errands she picked me up and we went to Great Lakes Crossing.  It is such fun to shop with someone who wears a size 0 or 2!

First stop was Lord & Taylor where I found a sundress and a holiday party top, both on sale.  Instead of $300, it was only $50.  Woohoo, my kind of shopping.  Ally didn't find anything even though I thought she looked darling in everything.

We moved on to a few more stores but Miss Ally is very particular.  We ended up at BCBG something or other where after about a dozen dresses she found one she liked.  On our way out we stopped at Chico's and I got some Bermuda shorts for Europe.  Dress is modest there so these are longer than shorts, shorter than Capris.  It will be warm during our trip and A/C probably isn't the norm in Eastern Europe.

It was 4:30 when we got back.  I had an hour and a half to make two salads, put on makeup and make a half hour drive.  All four of us pitched in slicing and dicing and we were only 10 minutes late to dinner.

Gus and Melissa cooked a fantastic meal.  Steaks cooked to perfection, baked potatoes, asparagus, corn on the cob, my two salads, home made bread and cream horns for dessert.  Gus opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio for me and by midnight when we finally got up from the table, it was empty.  I was so ready for bed when we got home.

This morning we had all sorts of messages asking if everything was okay.  Seems at 3 a.m. there was a terrible storm, 70 mph winds, sirens going off and we slept through it.  I texted back "did it rain?"  Usually I am a very light sleeper!

Our group for Friday keeps changing.  Pat's mother is coming but Ally has to work and Cassie and Kyle are going to his family picnic.  Kara's friends Tom, Kathy, and two boys are now coming.  So the number stands at 13 right now but it will fluctuate I'm sure.

Ted is taking me into town today to accompany Kara to her bridal gown fitting and I am spending the night to watch the kids in the morning.   He is coming back to the park to sleep and will come get me some time after Kara gets home.  She has purposely scheduled a lot of her client meetings while we are here to help out.   I see more Mexican Train in my future!

A Great Weekend

Friday we went in to stay with the kids in the afternoon.  I had laundry to do, Kara asked me to make cucumber salad, we played Mexican Train with the kids for two hours and I wrapped the three pieces of luggage we bought as their shower gift.  Morgan had a Christmas ornament she bought at Disney World for them and asked me to wrap that too.  It was a pretty busy afternoon.

When Kara came home, Ted started the grill and we had burgers, corn on the cob, fruit salad and cucumbers for dinner.  Kelly, Pat, Cassie and Kyle came too.  Dessert was haystack cookies and three different flavors of ice cream to choose from.  It fed the crowd without too much trouble.

Ted went shooting on Saturday and we left around 4:00 for Mass.  Ted poked me to turn around and there was Bill, Kara, Sam and Morgan in the row behind us.  After church we went to Olive Garden.  The fellows and kids then went to Bass Pro Shop while Kara and I hit Meijer's for cereal, then Joann's and Michael's looking for card stock for the place cards.  We chose lavender for the back, purple/lavender paisley for the second matting and white for the third piece that will have names and table numbers.  I will be using the paper cutter sometime this week!

Today was the wedding shower.  We went in early for the gal who did Kara's make up and hair today as a dry run for the wedding, to give me a haircut but when it came to styling it, she just couldn't do it.  I finally went upstairs and used my Big Sexy Hair mousse (oxymoron for me!), used the round brush while blowing it dry then used the curling iron on it.  I will be looking elsewhere for the wedding day!  

The gal in Florida who has done my hair the five years I lived there and every visit since then is the absolute best.  Even with a photo from the last wedding, this gal didn't come close.  The amazing thing is even when I asked the kids to get me the mirror from her and then I came downstairs, she never batted an eye.  Said it looked fine and she didn't think she needed to touch it up!  She had no problem charging for a cut AND style.

Off we went to the restaurant and met about 40 people, some of whom are Bill's relatives, others are Bill and Kara's friends in common.  I know some of Kara's friends from school and jobs over the years.  Ally was able to attend and it was our first chance to see her.

Everything was lovely thanks to Bill's sister Marilyn who handled all the details.  All I had to do was show up with my credit card!  It was a lovely party.  The few children in attendance had their own table and were well behaved all afternoon.  Bill, Ted and Bill's cousin Ken sat at a table by themselves by choice and were deep in discussions the whole time.  Every table seemed to be having a great time.

We stopped by Kara's to help unload the car, I tried on my dress for the wedding for Kara to see, then headed for home but stopped at the grocery to get things for two salads I am taking to Gus and Melissa's tomorrow for dinner.

Ted has a fire going and just stuck his head in to coax me to sit out for awhile.  We can sleep in tomorrow.  Yeah!

Awww ..... The Pleasant Weather of Michigan in the Summer

After another 6 a.m. move back inside on Tuesday we were dismayed to find no one working on our rig.  Our technician, Fred, was moved again to a slide problem no one else could do.  Getting the best tech has its downfalls!  At 12:30, with two work hours left in the day, we had a bit to say to our contact in the office.  Fred reappeared and finished up and said he would go over all of it at that enchanting 6 a.m. hour on Wednesday before we took it to the paint facility down the road by 7 a.m.

True to his word, Fred came to the trailer Wednesday morning and went over all the things on our list and then sent us off to the paint facility.  We left the trailer there and drove to Shipshewana where we had breakfast before heading into the flea market.  We walked around buying a few little things for about 3.5 hours before heading back.  We checked and our trailer would be ready in one hour.  That gave us time for lunch.

We were lucky in that the swoosh that needed attention was one dark color and not a blended color.  It was ready as promised so we hooked up and drove 3.5 hours to our campground in Michigan.  Our favorite spot was available and in no time we were set up.  First up was getting showers.  With no water hook up or sewer we were "making do" in that parking lot with a sink full of water!  We spent a quiet evening enjoying Michigan's cool temps and better TV.

Today Ted went to see his friends at the gun club and to the grocery.  I spent the time changing the sheets, cleaning some and paying bills.  It was 67 in our bedroom this morning without the A/C running.  

Tomorrow we are staying with Sam and Morgan since the sitter is not available.  Sunday is the wedding shower and so the fun begins again just 4 months after the last wedding!

Life in the Parking Lot

We were up Monday at 5 a.m. to be dressed and buttoned up at 6 a.m.  Right on time, there was a knock on the door and away our rig went being pulled by a fork lift with a gooseneck at the hitch.  We met with Fred and went over our list then joined the others in the Customer Lounge.  Eventually we went into Sturgis, MI for breakfast.  

One of our complaints has been the popping noises coming from the Level Up system, mostly when the temperature cools down.  We never had this issue with our Big Foot system.  The fix they say is to remove a quart of the hydraulic fluid and replace it with a hydraulic oil additive.  Seems to me the manufacturer would start out with this mixture but no one asked me!

We went to four different places and cannot find this additive.  It seems motorcycle shops and elevator companies as well as Caterpillar distributors carry it.  Also, driving the rig 26 miles to Lippert Frames to have them do it is an option.  I googled motorcycle shops and found two in the area so we will call them today and keep trying!

We took the 10 a.m. factory tour yesterday.  We had taken it years ago and at that time Ted was so impressed with the fit and finish in Mobile Suites construction he said if we ever couldn't have a HitchHiker he would get a Mobile Suites.  And that is exactly what came to pass when HitchHiker stopped production last year.   

The two adages "You get what you pay for" and "It's what you don't see that matters" came to mind.  In December, in 17 degree weather, we noticed an increased coziness in the rig.  This summer we noticed that when we stop for the day in hot weather the temperature inside the rig is pleasant.  Our HitchHikers would be 95 degrees and would take awhile to get cool once the A/C was turned on.  Watching the construction, the materials used, the added strength and safety items used was very impressive.  A family emergency pulled our technician off our rig to finish up another that was close to being done and was due to pull out.  Things happen and you just go with the flow.  We will need to go to the paint facility and hopefully that will happen today.

Our trailer was back in our spot at 2:30 and units were jockeyed around as some folks left and others arrived.  We have electricity, water in the tank but no hook up and no sewer.  This makes things a bit   more difficult.  But one of the good things is we don't want to waste holding tank space with dishwater so we went into Howe for dinner.  

It has been raining a lot so there isn't too much outside visiting going on.  We are using our antenna for TV since we have yet to replace our satellite dish.  Our old trailer had a roof mount but we want to get a freestanding one.  They are easier to move around for a signal versus moving the trailer back and forth.  Ted certainly wishes we had one last night but because of the rain he might not have done any better with TV viewing.

We were up again at 5 a.m. this morning and it is now 7:15 a.m.  When we get to a decent hour Ted will call the motorcycle shops and we will head to Sturgis and probably go to breakfast.  If it stops raining we may go to Shipshewana if Fred says it is okay to leave.  

We are good until noon on Thursday when we absolutely need to leave for Michigan.  If the paint thing gets to be a problem we will come back here the end of July to finish up.  I would rather spend a week in Cincinnati but we will do what we need to do.

Waiting For Our Appointment Tomorrow

We did some maneuvering with our route to get from Benton to Sikeston, Missouri.  The intersection of I-40 and I-55 is a nightmare of construction.  We knew this because of our trip through there in April.  We had decided to go north on I-55 out of West Memphis, Arkansas and avoid most of the carnage but that morning the entire intersection was shut down because of a truck fire.  So we took the suggested detour given to us at the Welcome Center the day before.  It suggested going north before Forrest City and then east on another road.   We thought it would be heavy traffic but surprisingly there was hardly any and we had a leisurely drive through farmland and picked up I-55 north of West Memphis.

We arrived at Hinton's in Sikeston, set up, took showers and then drove to Lambert's for dinner.  I love the cucumbers there as much as the "throwed" rolls.  Afterwards we stopped at the outlet mall and I picked up a few items for our two upcoming cruises.  I am setting things aside so I don't have a washed out wardrobe at the end of summer to choose from.  We fueled up and headed home for the evening.

Next day's stop was at Terre Haute, Indiana.  We missed visiting four relatives Brad & Nicole and Toni & Jess because there just aren't any convenient campgrounds in and around Indianapolis.  It is not possible to visit residential areas when you are 53 feet long!  We will just have to see them next year at the 2015 Family Reunion.

From there we continued east into Ohio to Grand Lake State Park to visit for the weekend with my brother Dan and his wife Sue.  They were in Florida for Kristin's wedding and we were in Ohio for their son's wedding but really had little chance to visit.  This made up for it.  We had dinner Friday night where the rehearsal dinner had been held and stayed so long they tried to give us our bill again after having paid it once!

On Saturday we went to the grocery for items to make two dishes for dinner at Sue's.  The bride and groom, Rachel and Brandon, were joining us.  We took the food over, left for church, then came back for dinner.  We ended up sitting around their patio fireplace until almost midnight.

This morning we packed up and headed to the factory.  There are four electric hook ups but only one was being used.  By the time we were backed in and unhitched, another couple arrived and when we came back from fueling up and having breakfast/lunch/dinner, another rig had arrived.  We met everyone, discussed why we were here and then went our separate ways.  We all need to be up dressed and ready to give up our unit at 6 a.m.  

We have minimal things being done so hopefully we will be on our way quickly.  We want to be settled at Addison Oaks by Thursday before the weekend warriors show up, and we have to stay with Sam and Morgan on Friday.

Kara told me today we have to make name cards for the wedding luncheon.  Here we go again!!

And We Are Off!

While I hosted bunco, Ted gathered up his things, hooked up the trailer and moved it to a park near us.  By the time he had it all set up, the ladies had left and I was cleaning up.  I split "most losses" money with Carol and Judy so I got my $5 back.  I have been on a roll!

It took a while to get the tables cleared off, the dishwasher filled and the leftovers attended to.  We took my clothes and pantry foods over, leaving the refrigerated and frozen foods for our last trip.  It was about 3:30 when we were finished.  Chris had not arrived yet so we just left a note telling him we were gone and "welcome home."  I don't know who enjoys this arrangement better, him or us.

After Ted ran to Walmart to pick up his prescription, we settled in having a light dinner and watched The Bachelorette.  It has been boring this time I think.  Learning she is going to be on Bachelor Pad this summer makes me wonder what happens at the end of this season.

I was pooped and was in bed at 10:30.  Ted said he came to bed a little after 11:00.  That gave us an opportunity to leave a bit earlier in the morning, 7:45.  We would have made it by 7:30 but Cliff, our neighbor, came out and I think Chatty Kathy would be a good nickname.  He was a really nice and interesting guy but we wanted to get on the road.  I kept inching toward the truck and finally was able to get my hand on the door handle.  He wished us well and we were off.

We made a stop when Ted saw diesel for $3.54 even though we didn't need much at that point.  We took the opportunity for him to get coffee and I hit the Ladies Room just because it was there.  We made another stop at the Arkansas Welcome Center for lunch and another pit stop.  We usually stay in Texarkana but it was only 1:00 so we went on to Benton, Arkansas.  

We are in a new to us park eight miles south of Benton.  It is right off I-30 but back in the trees so is very quiet.  The $23 fee was nice too.  Fees have been more in the $30-35 a night range lately.  When we stop overnight I want safe, easy in, easy out; quiet with good water pressure and reliable electricity.  I don't care about dog runs, laundry rooms, playggrounds, etc.  When we come inside and close the blinds it makes no never mind what is outside.

We unhitched and went for fuel and came back for another light dinner.  We are watching TV and messing with our computers.  We head to Sikeston, Missouri in the morning.  It is one of our favorite stops because we will have dinner at Lambert's, home of the throwed rolls!  Travel Thursday will be to Terre Haute, Indiana.  Instead of Shipshewana we are going on to Grand Lake St. Marys State Park in Ohio for Friday and Saturday nights to visit with my brother, Dan.

Sunday we go to the parking lot at the factory in Howe, IN.  We have a 7 am Monday morning appointment.  If the trailer has to go to the paint shop we will be put up in a hotel by the manufacturer. I just know that by Thursday morning we need to be heading to Addison Oaks in Michigan for a 3-4 week stay.

“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life”  

~ Michael Palin

In The Pink Again

Dr. Chang loves my self diagnosis fetish.  Other than my one female visit and two bloodwork visits each year, I seldom go to the doctor.  I was about to throw in the towel and go but after telling Ted I felt like my digestive system wasn't working it dawned on me that just maybe I had a touch of diverticulitis.  Since I take 2000 mg. of antibiotics before dentist appointments because of my hip replacement, I knew I could take that big dose and not do myself in.  And it worked.  I immediately felt better.  To be on the safe side I took the antibiotics for several days afterward.  Dr. Chang will roll his eyes when I tell him.

Tuesday I attempted to do my four hours at the thrift shop.  Because I was able to sit the whole time I had no difficulty.  I have 8 hours done now toward my 50.  

Wednesday we went to the restaurant at the country club for happy hour, buffet dinner and to play cards.  Ted won at his table and I tied for first at mine.  Someimes you get the cards, sometimes not.

Our neighborhood ladies luncheon was at Bonefish Grill on Thursday.  It was my first time there.  It is a smart, contemporary atmosphere but little food for a fair amount of money.  I would rather discover this by myself at lunch than with both of us for dinner.  There are so many new restaurants to try!

I cleaned out my closet on Friday and took some better things to a consignment shop and some to Goodwill.  I opened up about three feet of rod space!  From there we went to the grocery before I had a nail appointment.  We were gone all day running around.

Last night we went to Mass then to our friends house to play cards again.  I won again!  Ted came in second at his table.  My dime purse is full and will stay that way until August when we play again.

I have bunco here tomorrow.   Ted will move the trailer to the campground close by while that is going on.  Then we will load up in the afternoon.  Chris is available to start his stay, so we will sleep in the rig and take off first thing on Tuesday heading to Arkadelphia, Arkansas.  

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”  ~ Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

Under The Weather

I was alone most of Thursday and didn't realize until dinnertime that I hadn't been hungry all day.  Ted called to say he would be late and when I fixed a little something, I couldn't eat it.  In the middle of the night I was really having a rough time.  Things let up by morning but I laid around most of the day.  Terry called and invited us to the country club for dinner but I didn't feel well enough to go.  I really wanted to be well for Saturday.

I did feel much better but still wasn't eating Saturday morning when we picked up Terry and Carol to head to Houston for the ordination of Richard, the young seminarian who had befriended us in Rome and served at our parish this summer.  It has been a long time since we have attended a service with such pomp and circumstance.  Cardinal DiNardo presided, Bishop Sheltz, who was our last pastor when he was a monsignor, and Preston, our last seminarian, were all part of the ceremony along with our current pastor Tom, the priest with the motorcycle.  The choir, the orchestra, the traditions, the 100 vested priests and the Knights of Columbus, were all so very interesting and moving.  It was over two hours long but went by very quickly.

Afterwards we had a chance to speak with Richard for a bit at a reception at the Cathedral Centre.  He will be returning to Rome for one more year of study but hopes to spend some time at our church before he returns.  Every time he has been here, we have been gone but Terry and Carol had him for dinner along with our pastor and other church couples.

We decided to go from the Catholic Church to the Jewish deli for lunch!  I was getting hungry and that was a good sign.  We had a nice lunch sitting at a table next to Hugh Laurie (House on TV) who was going to appear at Wortham Center.  We didn't say anything to him allowing him his privacy.

By the time we got home it was just a short time before we headed to our church for Saturday night Mass.  A family from our church who sat in front of us at the Cathedral was there, also still dressed in their good clothes as we were.  We said we felt like we had been in church all day.

We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant but I couldn't eat very much so I brought most of my dinner home.  We had to make a pan of lasagna for Ted's shooting banquet being held on Sunday.  I gave directions from the couch and Ted did an excellent job of putting it together and made no mess.

Sunday I was feeling some better, still not eating much, but started getting some things done.  One of the twin beds is filled with my clothes that need to go in the trailer.  The wedding program is done, the laundry is done, so today I can clean.

Last night and this morning my stomach and I aren't on the best of terms.  I am living mostly on Coke over ice.  If I didn't know better I would be wondering if I was pregnant!  But we all know that's not the case.  I just need to take it easy and eat simple things for awhile.

One other thing we did accomplish was to decide what to do next year for our 50th wedding anniversary that will occur in April.   Since school will still be in session then, we chose the last week of August to book a Disney cruise for the 12 of us.  We talked about renting a house big enough for all in Destin, FL but the last time we did that in Myrtle Beach I spent my vacation at Kroger's supermarket!  

There was a lot of back and forth with Kara's friend who is a Disney specialist before deciding on Deck 7, four cabins in a row on the starboard side so we can see the Pirate Show and fireworks at Castaway Cay from our balconies.  All four cabins have balconies but the two for the families with kids are bigger and have a bath and a half.  Larry & Kristin and Ted & I have regular balcony cabins.  After all, Ted and I are used to living in an RV half the time.  Ted is still trying to figure out why he is taking everyone on a trip for his anniversary!  The kids gave us a very nice party for our 40th and with two weddings this year, just the 12 of us getting away with no work for anyone seems like a good idea.

I have taken this step because I want the discipline, the fire and the authority of the Church. I am hopelessly unworthy of it, but I hope to become worthy.

And Ted Keeps Cooking Dinner

I drove to Connie's on Saturday so she, Jody, Jenny and I could ride together to the baby shower.  It is about an hour's drive but with construction and traffic it took an hour and a half.  I don't know where I was exactly but it certainly was beautiful.  The house was 9,000 sq. ft. and absolutely gorgeous.  A pool, spa and swim up bar were under construction and over look a lake.  Wow!

There was a full bar, a table of food and a dessert bar all done up in pink.  It was very impressive.  Here is a photo of the cake.  I am not sure what the teapot has to do with a baby girl but it was a neat cake and delicious I was told.  I didn't have any, choosing instead a big stick pretzel dipped in chocolate.  The teapot is made of cake also.

Here are the mother and father to be along with their own baby pictures.

We had our photo taken with the hostess.

It was 7 pm before I got home so we attended church on Sunday morning.  Ted then went shooting and I worked on the wedding program some more.  Kara felt one page was too crowded so I had to shift everything and figure out page breaks that made sense.  

Ted made dinner when he came home.  He has been doing more and more of the cooking and that is fine with me!  He isn't messy and clean up is a breeze.  I hope he keeps this up.

Monday the Lazy Boy guy showed.  He agreed with me about the one side not being right, took some pictures and said someone would call me.  So far - nothing.  I think a stop by the store today may be in order.

I put my first four hour shift in at the Thrift Store on Tuesday.  That leaves 46 to go!  I pulled something near my shoulder blade so used Flex All and a patch when I went to bed. The next day it was fine.  I love that Flex All.

Wednesday got a little crazy.  I had a 1:45 dentist appointment that they called to change to 1:00.  I had a hair appointment at 3:45 but changed it to 5:15 because the seamstress to hem my dress for the wedding was scheduled to be at the dry cleaner at 4:00.  When I got there she was at their other location.  But she said not to come there because there was no mirror.  Communication 101 gone awry.  The other dry cleaner said their lady was on vacation but would be back Monday and she PROBABLY could have it done by Friday.   So today I am taking one more shot between 10 and 2 at the last place I am going to try.  Next stop will be the seamstress in Michigan if this doesn't work.  If you know someone looking for a career, seamstresses seem to be in big demand.

Ted made dinner again last night.  He has to pick up a fellow today at the airport and go to the Chronicle again.  I hope this issue gets solved before we head out.  We did some handouts last night for the meeting.  I am getting better with Windows 8 but am going to look for a class at the communuty college in the fall.  I know there is so much more this new computer can do.  I refuse to be the old dog that can't learn new tricks ... or how to use a new operating system.

“The computer was born to solve problems that did not exist before." ~ Bill Gates

An Easy Week

Other than a hair appointment late afternoon on Wednesday, I had free time Tuesday AND Wednesday.   I cleaned out some drawers, tried on all my jeans and slacks and threw some of them out, paid the bills, did the laundry, checked on baggage sizes and fees on KLM in preparation for our August trip,  etc.  

 I was hosting Shanghai on Thursday so I prepared my tables and made key lime tartletts for dessert.  A few flicks of the Swiffer, some vacuuming and I was ready.  My new motto is "A woman with a spotless house has a cleaning lady or too much time on her hands."  Right now I have neither.

I had absolutely lousy cards, didn't see a wild card until hand 5 and didn't get down 3 times.  Needless to say, I lost.  And this group is high stakes - five bucks!

We had leftover tortellini soup so dinner was not any work.  It was great waking up Friday with so many projects done, laundry done, house clean and we were going out for dinner!  We had changed our tickets for Gypsy and were having dinner before at our favorite Italian place not far from the theater.  Four couples met and we had to wait a bit for a table but we were finished in time with no hurrying.  Everyone must have been very hungry and really liked the food because I saw few leftovers on any of the plates.

Gypsy was great.  The gal playing Rose had a big, booming voice and did a superb job.  The sequence where the strippers are instructing Louise in "you gotta have a gimmick" was hilarious!  I think our whole group really enjoyed the production.  We have July tickets for Greater Tuna that I will give to Gerre and she can invite someone while we are gone.

Today is a baby shower for the daughter-in-law of my friend.  Five of us will ride together to the other side of town for the afternoon festivities.  That means no church tonight so we will go in the morning.  

I am trying to wrap up loose ends before we leave.  With three trips in such quick succession, a little groundwork is in order.  For our first trip, we have to be prepared with our punch list for the trailer, have our clothes ready for the wedding and plan our route.  We have several places to go while there and the six weeks will pass quickly.

We will be home about two weeks before each of us pack 16 days of clothes into a suitcase and carry-on.  Passports have been renewed, we need proof of $40,000 in medical insurance besides Medicare (which doesn't pay overseas) to enter the Czeck Republic, etc.  The hard part is that the euro is not used in the six countries we are going to, each has its own currency.  Figuring values and not getting cheated changing money takes some doing.  I also have to notify all our credit card companies.

When we return we have three weeks before we fly to Los Angeles to board a Norwegian cruise ship for another 16 days to visit another four countries.  They probably all have their own money too!  At least I am familiar with pesos.  I will investigate Costa Rica, Columbia and Panama to see what their currency is.  So much info to gather.

 I wanted to mention how much we enjoyed Monument Men when we watched it this week.  We knew it was about finding and returning lost art from WWII.  Imagine our interest when we learned the two main focuses were the Altarpiece at Ghent and the Michaelangelo sculpture of Madonna and Child.  We have seen both!   I don't recall being told they were stolen and returned.  

I knew one panel of the alterpiece had been destroyed and replaced but that apparently had nothing to do with it being stolen.  I kept expecting them not to have the last panel.  When they found it all, I googled it and put together what I knew previously and then had just learned.

We did know the sculpture was the only one done by Michaelangelo residing outside Italy.  It is in Bruegge, Belgium.  The Italians tried to get it returned but the paperwork of its purchase was still in the city archives.  I don't recall them mentioning it being stolen and returned during the war.  Of course the movie had scenes in Paris too where we were two years ago and loved it.

A Weekend with the Boomers

Friday night was a sandwich/appetizer/dessert get together serving as a Meet and Greet.  There were lots of new folks to meet and old ones to greet.  It was good seeing so many folks gathering for the weekend.  Other than four of the original wagonmasters, we were the longest members at 9 years.  We don't get out with them often anymore but we enjoy it immensely when we do.

After eating, there was to be Patriotic Bingo.  More folks came than expected so a few people didn't get cards.  Covers were in short supply so pebbles were brought in from the landscaping outside.  Necessity is the mother of invention I guess.  I am not sure how it happened but Ted and I ended up calling bingo.  I work many bingos at our senior lunches so I think we did a good job mixing it up to keep it interesting.  Several of the prizes were things I had donated.  We also played four quarter games with the winner receiving all the quarters.  Everyone seemed to have a good time.

Saturday morning was a pancake breakfast followed by a very moving Memorial Day Tribute that included a slideshow of Boomers in military photos.  I really choked up when our friend Tommy's photo came up on the In Memory page.  I can't believe it has been five years since he left us.   I don't think there was a dry eye at the end of the program.

Saturday evening was the BBQ dinner so I helped in the kitchen for awhile.  We got things under control and then played Skipbo.  Pat and I killed a bottle of Muscato wine while playing.  Neither of us won and I am pretty sure why.  Bad cards!

Dinner went well and we visited a bit but our messed up sleep Thursday night caught up with us and we were in bed early.  One thing we enjoy doing from this campground is attending church nearby at one of the "painted churches."   It is so beautiful and we had a delightful priest from Brenham who made our visit especially memorable.  We missed the potluck breakfast but it was worth it.  On our return I made a strawberry trifle to take to Gerre and Barry's pool party.  We met many of their friends  including 3 of the 4 couples going on the cruise with us.  I was trying really hard to remember names and faces.  

They live on a big lake, have a pool plus hot tub and a fabulous patio with bar.  It was a great party and we had a good time.  When we returned to the park we took a walk with two other couples before turning in.  This morning we cleaned the RV, buttoned it up and put it away 

Ted has gone back to the Chronicle this afternoon to get some paper samples to send to the mill.  I am planning my week in my free time.  I have a few less busy days before we hit the busy weekend coming up.

Celebrating Memorial Day

I was up and out to Irene's on Monday for our bunco group.  Oh my, she had a beautiful spread in her party room.  Silver, red and blue wreaths decorated the walls.  Our beloved red, white and blue was used in the tableware and decorations.  She had wonderful food and snacks for us all.  I won "most losses" in bunco!  Yeah!

Five of us stayed through lunch for a game of Shanghai and I won.  It was the comeback of the century in the second round.  I had 17 cards, wasn't down when everyone else was, and they were going round and round with only one or two cards but couldn't go out.  I finally drew two different cards that gave me what I needed to go down.  On the next round I went out!  Ted was in Beaumont for the day and night so I kept myself busy.

I worked four hours at the thrift shop Tuesday and hit my 50.5 hours to finish my requirements.  That's a relief.  Since there were four Donnas working we formed The Society of Donnas to Dominate the World.  Afterwards I went to the nail salon in preparation for being gone for five days over the weekend.  

Our Forum Board of Directors meeting and luncheon was held at a country club south of where we live on Wednesday.  Kathryn was working with us Tuesday and suggested we ride together so I met her at 9 am.  We had a good wrap up meeting and a wonderful lunch.  The centerpieces were the most beautiful roses. I really enjoyed myself.  Then it was time to get my hair set for the week.  It has been decades since I had my hair done each week but it saves so much time on a daily basis that I have been availing myself of the service recently.  

Thursday we hooked up the RV and headed out to meet the Texas Boomers for the Memorial Day weekend.  We visited back and forth because there are several new rigs.  Eventually  nine of us went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner where I had a Happy Hour margarita.  That, plus sitting outside for awhile with the group and Ted's departure to the paper for the night had me in bed by 10.  He didn't get home until 4:30 am.  I stayed up with him while he did his report and sent it off and we both went back to bed.

Ted has pretty much been on the computer and phone today so I worked on my afghan.  We made a run to Walmart and are now getting our food ready to take up to the rally hall.  There will be socializing, eating and Patriotic Bingo.  I will let you know  how that works next time!

God sent us greetings for our holiday!

Oh No! Just A Month To Departing

Where does the time go?  I have a lot to accomplish while home and it has been keeping me busy.

On Monday this week I played Canasta in the the only Canasta group left.  All others have switched to Shanghai.  We only play for $1 and I always end up in the middle.   I should have a place on my IRS Schedule A for Card Game Donations.

The Angelic Center came to pick up our old double Lazy Boy recliner and I put in a call to Lazy Boy regarding the new one.  The foam on one side seems deficient and there is a definite difference in appearance and feel when you sit.  Someone is coming June 2 to look.

In the afternoon I had an eye doctor appointment and he said I am doing great.  My close vision allowed me to read the smallest line on the chart.  I didn't do as well on distance but well enough I guess.  I am good for another year.

We were playing Couples Shanghai Wednesday night so I went to the Beauty Salon in the afternoon.  It didn't work - but my hair did look better.  LOL.  We have a happy hour followed by a buffet dinner and then cards.  I won second at my table.  Ted was winning at his until the last hand.  He didn't get down and all those points knocked him out of the running.  You just never know where you stand in this game.

Our Newcomers Board was being installed on Thursday and I was encouraged to come because I am an Activity Chair.  I hadn't attended a luncheon since September but I agreed to go.  The lunch was good, the speaker did a nice job but the "ceremonies" were too long and disjointed.  It took three hours!  I didn't know hardly anyone on last year's Board but I know everyone on this year's Board.  I think this is akin to a silent coup to return to the old way of doing things.  Time will tell.

We attended the last Wind Down cocktail party on Friday night because we changed our tickets for Gypsy to the weekend after Memorial Day.  Geri and Barry are in Dallas and we have their dog Tucker so we all got tickets for the same night.  I invited Terry and Carol to go with us.  We can invite two people each season.  I hope they do as well as they did with South Pacific.  

We are joining the Boomers in the RV at the KOA for Memorial Day weekend.  I have a busy M-T-W next week before we head out on Thursday but three meals are catered so we don't need to take but a few breakfast and lunch things plus a few clothes.  Sunday we will leave the park and go to a cookout at Geri's with her neighbors who are going on our Mexican cruise and some other friends we have in common.  On Monday we will put the RV away once again for a few weeks.

I left my Swedish weaving afghan in the RV last time so I hope I remember to get it out and bring it home.  There are times in the evening I have time to work on it.  It is about half way finished.

Another project is printing my blog before it disappears.  So far 2006-2009 are finished plus our 2012 trip to France.  There are three binders filled and this will become our reading material when we can no longer go like we do now.  I enjoyed reminiscing as I printed them so I know we will enjoy them even more as time goes by.  It's the little things that are forgotten that are so fun to read about.

I need to have my dress hemmed for the next wedding, find a tie with mint green in it for Ted and put the wedding program together so it can be printed.  I have been busy on line with the gift registries with four May birthdays (Kristin, Ally, Morgan, Kelly),  two baby showers (Logan, Zahra), one wedding shower (Kara) and two weddings (Katelyn, Laura).  Keeping all these shipping confirmations straight is a job in itself.

Have a great holiday weekend but keep in mind what we are commemorating.

These fallen heroes represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor - and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror.

Michael N. Castle

Getting Things Back In Order

We had so much to get done that it was advantageous to arrive home a few days earlier than originally planned.  Chris was surprised by our arrival so early in the day on Sunday but he took it in stride.  Because we are home for six weeks he took most of his things but will be back mid-June when we head out again.

We spent Monday putting things away and getting the laundry done.  We had to vote at two different locations on Tuesday.  We were surprised to learn Ted's voting rights had been suspended.  Seems he never responded to a jury summons that never was forwarded to us this past winter.  He explained we were gone and we never received it.  They told him jury summons aren't forwarded!!  Just how are you supposed to know then??  He had to go before an election judge and sign an affidavit that he was who he (and his driver's license) said he was and where he lived.  I just hope there isn't a warrant for his arrest out there!

We had to go through a lot of construction and I must have picked up a screw in my front right tire because Thursday when I went to leave, my tire was on the rim.  Of course I didn't see it but it immediately made a screeching noise and my tire light came on.  I pulled back in and told Ted before taking off to Wanda's to hitch a ride to our neighborhood luncheon with her and Gail.

The landscaper had finally arrived after bumping me one more time from Wednesday.  I won't go into the "conversation" I had with the office and eventually the owner.  The men were busy trimming the trees and preparing the planting area for the new plants when I left.  Ted said they went in the garage and pumped up the tire so he could drive it to be fixed.  When they finished they trimmed all our bushes, raked the yard and took away our old gas grill that still worked.  For all the run around, they did a great job.

Our President Installation Luncheon for Jumior Forum was Friday and I had to be there at 8:15 to work on name tags, placing programs in specially folded napkins and sign people in.  The program was once again a hoot!  They do such a great job!  It is the most enjoyable gathering they do all year.

I hosted Shanghai for six couples here at home Saturday night.  Of course I had to clean the house and prepare the food so it was a really busy day.  Everything went well but neither Ted nor I won anything.

Because we didn't get to Mass Saturday night we went Sunday morning.  Afterwards we drove past a few restaurants but people were outside waiting so we just went home to eat.  Ted then went shooting and I spent the afternoon pouring over 1000+ photos of Kristin's wedding to pick out what I wanted for my book.  When Ted came home he grilled filets, made loaded baked potatoes, corn on the cob, Texas toast and served wine with dinner and cannolis for dessert!  Terrific meal and a perfect Mother's Day memory.

Kara had sent me flowers, I received a top and jacket from Kelly and true to form, Kristin's is still in the mail!  They have been busy with thank you notes and photos so we will excuse them.  The make-up lady used a picture of me and Kristin on her website in honor of Mother's Day.

I hope all the mother's out there had as good a day as I did, low key as it was.

We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

The Big Easy

Saturday morning we drove across the 24 mile Causeway into New Orleans.  We found the museum parking for $8 and had our choice of spots.  First up was the Tom Hanks 4D movie about the war.  It was very well done and quite moving.  The museum is in several buildings on several levels and a bit confusing to tour in a logical manner.  We saw so much and decided you could spend way more than one day but you would suffer from overload.  A day off in between would be in order.  

There was a train to board which was totally replicated inside.  It was to experience what the recruits experienced when they headed to boot camp.  Through the windows you saw people waving and the countryside passing by.  It was sort of Disneyesque.

We visited different areas so there is no ryhme or reasoning to what came next.

This is a mock up of what greeted the Germans off the coast of Normandy on the morning of June 6.  At no time in history had there been such a build up of land and sea troops.

This flag was flown during the fighting on the beaches at Normandy.

The blue is water, green the inroads made on June 6, yellow is what they had hoped to capture.

Higgins (from New Orleans) LCVP (landing craft vehicle personnel).  It was an adaptation of the flat skiffs used in the bayous.  Eisenhower said without it we may not have been successful in Europe.

Rear gunner

I hope you recognize some of these aircraft.  I thought I could take photos and remember.  I was wrong!

We arrived about ten and stayed until four when we walked down the street to St. Patrick's for Mass.  It was a gorgeous church and a nice service by a very elderly priest.  His going up and down the stairs scared me but he did OK and gave a very good sermon.

We went back to the museum and toured a little more of the museum and then headed back across the Causeway.  We asked our GPS for restaurants in the area and chose a convenient Italian restaurant.  It was fabulous food and a very good choice.

It didn't take much for us to fall into bed.  Being on your feet for six hours straight is very tiring but it was well worth it.

The next day we were on the road by 8 and arrived home early in the afternoon.  I have to admit I was glad to be home.  Two weeks on the road with 8 stops dragging luggage in and out is a pain.  I will take my RV any day (and cruises where I can unpack once!).

“After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States entered into World War II to protect our way of life and to help liberate those who had fallen under the Axis occupation. The country rallied to produce one of the largest war efforts in history. Young men volunteered to join the Armed Forces, while others were drafted. Women went to work in factories and took military jobs. Everyone collected their used cooking grease and metals to be used for munitions. They rationed gas and groceries. Factories now were producing airplanes, weapons, and military vehicles. They all wanted to do their part. And they did, turning America into a war machine. The nation was in full support to help our boys win the war and come home quickly. ~ Kara Martinelli

A Southern Coastal Stop

We  headed to New Orleans but knew it wasn't a whole day's drive so we decided to stop in Biloxi for a few hours.  We made arrangements to take a historical tour.  The meeting place was at a marina so we spent a few minutes checking out the boats and enjoying the pelicans perched on the poles.

When the small bus arrived we learned we were the only passengers for the tour.  We sat by the driver and enjoyed a very personal tour.

One of the historical buildings was the birthplace of Barq's soft drinks.  Both their root beer and cream soda were big in Cincinnati.  It was many years before I learned about A&W root beer or that most cream sodas aren't red.

Ted's uncle painted the Barq's signs on the sides of brick buildings in Cincinnati.  I remember one I passed each day going and coming from school on the side of Montgomery's Parkview Market. There was a Sullivan signature in the corner.  Little did I know he would become my uncle by marriage.

I googled painted Barq's signs in Cincinnati.  I found this one from North Fairmount (I lived in South Fairmount) but it doesn't have the Sullivan signature.  It was used on a "ghost art" calendar.  There is a war of sorts between ghost art and painting over it.

But I did find a painting that was covered over with just the ULLIVAN showing but it must have been another ad because it would be in the lower right hand corner to have been a Barq's ad.  It is the correct one though, as distinctive as any logo.  The ghost art proponent had written " Oh Mr. Sullivan, what art of yours have they covered up?"  Just a little family history!

This area was devastated by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and again in 2005 during Katrina but the lighthouse that sits in the middle of the four lane beach highway has survived since 1846.  The 17 mile long beach is gorgeous and not cut off by huge hotels and condos.  

I was astounded by the number of homes destroyed and not rebuilt.  There are sidewalks and driveways to nowhere.  Concrete slabs sit in the middle of grassy areas, once the foundation of a home.  There are still many beautiful southern homes though and our driver was very familiar with their history.  So many large oaks were destroyed and their trunks have been turned into sculptures by Marlin Miller.

There are many different ones throughout the beach area, one more beautiful than the other.  Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.

The last part of our tour was to Ocean Springs, MS, a quaint little town a bit east of Biloxi.  We were given a $5 token so we stopped for a coffee in a lovely French bakery.  It would be a nice place for a couple's getaway with lots of shops, restaurants, water sports and planned events.  

After our tour we headed on toward New Orleans.  We chose to stay in Covington, LA at the Pontchartrain Causeway entrance for easy access to the city.  We wanted the car parked close to us and that just wouldn't happen in the city.

Nearly two weeks have passed since Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast, and while we are still dealing with the tremendous devastation - and will be for quite some time - we are also seeing increased signs of recovery and help in our region. - Jo Bonner