Because We Can II

It has been awhile, March 4, 2012

2012-03-04T12:33:00.002-07:00

It has been almost a month since I last posted and quite a lot has happened. We traveled from Bullhead City AZ to Sacramento CA area. The drive went well even with seven lanes of traffic Bob had to navigate in the last few miles, he was glad it wasn’t too busy for being around 4 pm.

Our first week here we had fun. Bob did his best to roast a fellow co-worker at her retirement party.

Does the five second rule work? Well our granddaughter Abby could tell you, here is her science project.

Was fun watching our grandson Zach swing on a vine near his school. Even grandpa tried it and the vine held strong!

All the grandkids we out of school (Presidents’ Day) so we all ventured to Coloma CA (Gold Discovery site) for a grandma and grandpa field trip day.

Inside a bark house.

But the most fun was climbing on rocks!

Zach celebrated his 13th birthday, he is now a teenager. He even help make and decorate his huge chocolate chip cookie.

We were able to see our granddaughter Lindsey playing fast pitch softball.

Also her sister Abby batting.

Last Saturday morning we ventured out to the local farmers market we used to go to all the time. Found some real bargains, even some small Brussels sprouts which Bob loves.

This past week we have been sorting and sorting at our stick and brick house. It has gone pretty well, but we are bushed when mid afternoon comes. This room full of boxes from his Mom’s house in Ohio will be facing us tomorrow morning. Last week we sorted five rooms plus did a little outside clean up.

The photo below shows a sorted room with items to sell.

Below is Bob with our son Rich and grandson Zach. Notice the rock in the back of Rich’s truck, it is a special rock he salvaged from our back yard before we sell it. He carried that rock for miles on top of his backpack to bring to his mamma.

In this special moment in time…have faith

Q, Bullhead City, and Mojave, Feb 6-13, 2012

2012-02-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

While in Q, we had more shopping to do, see Bob’s new air compre3ssor hose, our old one cracked in two pieces while we were using it at Imperial Dam. The goal today was to get all the tires aired up and install the Tire Pressure Monitoring System we purchased.

This is a Stink Bug. Since we were in PA and VA this past fall, we picked up a few of these creatures. About every week at least two crawl out of where they were hiding. We have gotten very brave about squishing their hard shelled bodies.

On this trip back to California we now sport Texas license plates, so we were quite sure we would be stopped. Actually we thought we would go through an inspection station after leaving Bullhead City, but this one caught us off guard.

The agent was very polite, asked to board the coach and see what fruits and veggies we had to declare. The two plants passed fine, then came the fruits, two oranges, a huge kiwi fruit and a half of a grapefruit. I told him the oranges were from CA, a friend had picked them from the Orange Grove RV park in Bakersfield. He was surprised at the size of the palm sized kiwi, but it passed as well. He also checked two sweet potatoes we had, all in all everything passed and we were on our way. Whew!!

Our first shopping in Bullhead City, AZ was to a pet store to purchase another Betta, here is Blue Max. The color below is a little off, but he is blue with some red in his bottom fin.

The reason we stopped in Bullhead City was to surprise our friends George and Kelli. We first met before Christmas while staying at Betty’s RV park in Abbeville, LA. We sure had a great time enjoying a couple of yummy happy hours.

Guess what is in this truck? Bee hives, two truck loads full, all securely covered with a green netting.

Along, CA 58 in California we spotted this Joshua tree.

Since there are times our Garmin Nuvi 1450 tries to lead us astray, I also now use a navigation app on the DroidX as we travel. So now Bob has three females telling him where to go!! Poor Bob!

You can’t really see what I am doing in the photo below, but I am using our yard hand clippers to do some free pruning for the park we are staying in in Mojave, CA.

One morning while staying in Mojave we were blessed to a beautiful rainbow show for off and on for a hour. Just how many photos can you take? Hummm, don’t ask!

In a day or so we will be in the Sacramento area to see our kids and grandkids, plus work on cleaning out and working on our stick and brick house getting it ready to sell.

In this special moment in Life…look for and find rainbows

Our week at Imperial Dam LTVA, Jan 29-Feb 5, 2012

2012-02-06T15:55:00.002-07:00

Imperial Dam LTVA is similar to Quartzsite LTVA, both are on BLM land, RVers have no hookups, and you can park anywhere you want. One difference is the Imperial Dam area has canyons, gullies and flat areas between the gullies and canyons and Q is mainly flat.

Below is our view out the windshield.

I love feeding the birds, so I have three different type of feeders, for hummingbirds, finches, and for seed eaters.

I almost forgot my other hummingbird feeder that attaches to our front mirror, I ended up buying a replacement while in Q for this one when my old one fell off and broke on a breezy day. I also mix up my own hummingbird food, 1 cup water (boiling-dissolves sugar faster) and 1/4 cup Sugar. Mix together and then cool. Fill feeders and enjoy the hummers.

This year at Imperial Dam we found their drinking water dispenser. The water here and in Q, let’s just say has some extra minerals added naturally, and doesn’t taste the best, so we have been buying drinking water at .25 per gallon.

They also have a Post Office there also. I asked how you received your mail here and she said that you just need to register and then use a special address, not General Delivery, like you use at other post offices. I’m thinking this is not an official post office, but someone doing a service. In fact, the address is for the Christian Service Center, in Winterhaven, CA. You can also get propane in this same general area.

One day we took a short drive to Date Gardens. Of course had our date shakes and bought some dates. Even have some to mail to someone having a birthday on Saturday, I am thinking they will arrive late, sorry.

These beautiful cactus were in the Date Garden’s parking lot.

My favorite is the ocotillo which was in bloom.

The photo below shows the gully or deep ravine beside our coach. Something you would not see in Q.

Leonard and Val, who we met in Q had also moved to Imperial Dam, so we caught up with them again, this time at our homeplace. We enjoyed a great afternoon visiting with them.

We have found that hummers like to drink quite a bit just before sunset, this one was no different.

I am thankful I am feeling better today (the 6th), I was not doing well for about 24 hours a couple of days ago. Some intestinal deal.

This morning (Monday 6th), this hummer can for a few visits, believe it is a Costa. In the photo the head color looks a deep red, but it was a purple color. Even as Bob was backing out the coach to leave, these sweeties were still trying to find that feeder that was just here! Tugged at my heartstring!

This is Castle Dome Peak (3788 feet), taken on our drive from Imperial Dam LTVA back to Q where we are staying a couple of nights in the Scaddon Wash 14 Day free area.

In this special moment in Life…Spread joy

Third week in Q, Jan 24-29, 2012

2012-01-30T13:59:00.001-07:00

Here we are getting some work done at Brazel’s. We now have a new muffler, air filter, and a chip, hope we see the suggested mileage improvement. Time will tell.

While Bob was with the coach getting its new parts installed, I did a load of laundry and the above sign was posted on the wall.

This sign was also posted on a dryer.

Meet my latest friend, her name is Porketta owned by Mary and Nick from Juneau AK. They leave their coach and tow vehicle in Washington state and fly from Juneau, with Porketta, to spend their winters on the outside (lower 48).

A face only a mother could love. She was very gentle, and didn’t pay attention to any of the dogs that thought she was something really strange.

Below she and Duffy are giving each other a face to face look. She was adorable, and I want one, but Bob said NO .

Another Big Tent purchase, a motion sensor porch light. It works very well and the best part, it is installed!!

This never a good sign, but this was the only way the Explorer was going to start, being pushed. It took all day, but we did eventually get a new starter installed by going to Blythe to buy the part and then having a mobile mechanic replace it in Q.

Our front door is giving me grief again about opening, so Mike, one of the fellow irv2.com RVers tried to fix it. Come to find out, one of the frame pins is bent slightly and that seems to be causing the problem. He did give me an extra bay key which I put in the Explorer, so… if I can’t get in, I can now get in the Explorer, get the extra bay key, unlock the bay, get out our ladder and climb in through an unlocked window in the coach. Sounds convoluted, but it will work!

Sunday (29th) we left Q and drove about 75 miles to Imperial Dam LTVA for a week of R & R before heading back to our stick and brick house in central CA to get it ready for sale. We have not lived in it for over six years, so it does need a little TLC.

Second week in Q, Jan 16-23, 2012

2012-01-30T11:15:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday (17th) we moved the coach from LaPosa North to LaPosa South to park with a new group of soon to be friends, the IRV2.com Monaco owners group.

What a feast we all contributed to, so many delicious dishes. Rv’s just kept coming, do believe the total count was 23 at one time.

We also went back and visited our ole friends from the RV America group. We had by accident threw away Bob’s Quartzsite Trailer Trash hat, so we bought a white hat for a dollar, then added the words on paper and scotch taped them the front. Looks pretty authentic I would say. Above Bob is sporting his new hat with Mark.

I was also given a Quartzsite Diva visor as being part of the RV America group.

We waited this year to attend the Big Tent until day three, and it was still wall to wall people! In fact we did go back several times throughout the week, and it was always busy.

Another evening in Q!

Our first week in Quartzsite, AZ, Jan 9-15, 2012

2012-01-16T14:36:00.002-07:00

Before loading up the coach for our journey to Quartzsite, I wanted to show you the amaryllis in full bloom!

Here it is tucked away in our shower for safe riding. This year when it has finished blooming, I am going to get rid of it. My luck of getting them to re-bloom is nil.

Soon we arrived in Q and found our parking spot for a few days.

On Tuesday morning, it was time for Bob to tilt some of our solar panels.

Each day we have been here we have done some shopping. Where we park the RV is within sight of the Big Tent that will open the 21st, but there are loads of other booths and areas to see.

Then there is someone else’s j-u-n-k!

Recognize Randy Sparks, the founder of the New Christy Minstrels? Last year was their 50th anniversary of being together, even though only three original members are still singing with them. Another great show!!

Our bird feeders have NOT been a mecca for our feathered friends. We see maybe two hummingbird visits per day, and an occasional house finch stopping by to rest and munch a little.

Late afternoon sun on the coach really lights it up well.

Sunday afternoon we looked up and visited some blog readers, Leonard and Val. What a great visit and I was able to get my pet fix as they had both a cat and a dog!

Another day is done in Q.

On a very sad note, we woke up Sunday morning to find our Betta, Red Rob, had passed on to the giant pond in the sky. With daytime temps in the 80's (being in the sun) and nighttime lows in the high 40's, we think the daily fluctuation was just too much for him to endure. He was a sweet fish with a giant personailty, well as much as a fish can have.

In this special moment in Life...slow down

6th Year Anniversary, Jan 5, 2012

2012-01-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

Six years ago today we took possession of our new coach. Our first night in it was spend in Boomtown, NV, just a few hundred feet from where the driver left us. Since we took an out of state delivery (saved us the sales tax), DeMartini RV Sales had one of their drivers drive Bob and I followed driving the Explorer from central California up I80 to Boomtown Nevada.

Hard to believe, but tomorrow we start our 7th year on the road! We are still enjoying each day’s new adventure!

In this special moment in life…reach out

New Year, Jan 1-4, 2012

2012-01-04T18:18:00.002-07:00

Our amaryllis’ evolution, from the first of January to this evening (fourth)

NO MORE BEANS!!! Today I was cleaning out some areas of the coach and found 17 pounds of different beans and lentils. Now I have an inventory so I know what I have. You better believe it, beans will be in many of our future meals.

Yesterday we changed our water filter inside filter, major yuk! Somewhere we got into some high iron in the water. Our new filter (Ace $23) will filter down to .5 micron and filters all kinds of things out, also suppose to make the water taste better. The water here and in Quartzsite does not taste good.

They even have a filtered water dispenser here in the RV park.

In the special moment in time…enjoy exercise

Finishing up 2011, Dec 25-31, 2011

2012-01-04T17:12:00.002-07:00

Our Christmas Day was quiet, finally figuring out how to keep the refrigerator running. Just turn it off when the outside temps get to 28 degrees, any lower and it shuts down by itself and blows another 5 amp fuse…and we are running out of those fuses.

On Monday, we ended up heading across the border to the Pink Store in Palomas. Some friends of one of Bob’s blog readers lives part time in Columbus, NM. Through emails we set a lunch date with Lew and Helen. Great lunch and great conversation.

Success, the package was at the Post Office on Tuesday morning. Back at the Coach, we soon ready to leave and drive to Gold Canyon, AZ.

Our scenery varied from nothingness to beautiful canyons.

I love my new throw for the coach of three of my grandkids. They are now with us when we travel. Thanks Jenny!

We weren’t in Gold Canyon very long until Bob called the Mobile RV Tech to talk to him about our Norcold not working in the cold. I hate to say it, but it was as I predicted, unless it gets cold enough for the control board to fail and can be tested at that time, there is no way to prove something is wrong. And the forecast is for wonderful weather, lows in the 40’s for the next two weeks. The tech did say he would stop by in a few days, and he actually did. Still don’t have a definitive answer, but he said in all likelihood, it is the Power Control Board and he suggests only putting in Dinosaur boards. So we have one on order to arrive on the 5th for Bob to install at some point.

Our good friends, John and Judy +Mollie, were on their way east and stopped for the night right next to us. We had a wonderful visit getting caught up on happenings over the last six months.

We enjoyed our margaritas for New Year’s Eve and were in bed shortly after the red ball fell in NYC.

In this special moment in time…enjoy each other…laugh more

Happy Birthday, Justin, Jan 2, 2012

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Happy #16th Birthday to our grandson, Justin.

The weather is cold, wish our Norcold was also, Dec 22-24, 2011

2011-12-25T16:16:00.001-07:00

We have enjoyed two days of waking up to this. And…

also figuring out how to keep our Norcold cold. Seems it really doesn’t like to work at colder temps, like below 28-29 degrees. With the aid of our shop work light and my hairdryer to keep the control board warm, it runs well. Well as long as it has a new 5 amp fuse. You see every time it shuts down because of the cold outside temps, it blows the fuse. It really is sick.

We are waiting for a package to be delivered at the PO on Tuesday, with all the road closures a few days ago, the mail was delayed. So on Tuesday our plans are to head to Phoenix and try to explain to a service tech that our frig really does not work in cold weather when it is in the 60-70’s with lows in the 40’s.

May we all continue our walk with our Savior.

Another Norcold surprise, Dec 21, 2011

2011-12-22T09:48:00.002-07:00

The first words I heard this morning were, “the frig isn’t working again!” Deep breath, now what. The first recall module had just been replaced two days ago back in Hondo, Tx. Soon Bob ventured outside in the 30 degree temps to remove the frig cover to see if the module displayed the red light of death…to his surprise it did not. So that meant there was hope in getting it to work again. His first method of evaluation is shown below.

Then came out the continuity tester (it is yellow). From what he could tell, the frig was getting power, so now what.

A few days ago when we had the safety recall module replaced, the owner, Murphy, of Matthews RV Repair, told Bob if you have any problems, just call, so that is what Bob is doing. Murphy had him check a few more continuity issues, all checked out good, so the next step would be remove the control board cover and check the two fuses in there.

Much easier said than done. The control board cover is about 7” x 5”, It has a white label, under the yellow paper tap and to the right of the top electrical outlet. It is also held in place with three hex screws. At first Bob tried to maneuver his tools past all the parts in front, no direct angle, so he was about to call it quits, when he got his second (tornado like) wind. He started to loosen up the screws holding the front parts in place that were in the way, they moved sideways enough for him to slowly remove the three hex screws securing the control board cover.

Soon the black cover came off revealing the brains of the frig.

He spied the 5 amp fuse, the large type of fuse, used by the Class C we had owned previously. The best part is, we had transferred the box of spare fuses to the coach six years ago, and we had the correct fuse and the fuse worked!!! The refrigerator works!!! (The coach takes a similar but smaller fuse-like the one we replaced a few days ago for our front shade.)

One more call back to Murphy telling him the great news. With his help over the phone, Bob had fixed the frig for the price of a 5 amp fuse.

We left all the parts as they were, will reassemble them after a few days of letting the frig run, making sure it doesn’t blow that fuse again.

In this special moment in life…trust others

P.S. For those who want the full unabridged version, check out Bob's blog at www.because-we-can.net, today's journal.

Ft Stockton Tx to Columbus NM, Dec 20, 2011

2011-12-21T12:00:00.002-07:00

Today being a long travel day, I was up by 7 am and lo and behold I got to see the sunrise. I don’t see too many of those.

Today was a day of electronic issues. Since Bob did a great job of describing each in detail, I am just going to link to his site.

We are currently at Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus NM. This is one of our favorite parks and may even get to see snow tomorrow! We also see a few trips to Mexico as this park is only three miles to the border.

In the special moment in life…forget trouble

Hondo and Fort Stockton, TX, Dec 18-19, 2011

2011-12-19T18:45:00.001-07:00

Sunday, we arrived at the SKP park, Lone Star Corral, about 8 miles west of Hondo. The reason for coming here, to get our Norcold frig recall module replaced, it went bad when we were in Virginia and the repair shop bypassed it had told us to get it replaced when we got home. Well, our home is where we park it, so that answer was a major cop out. Murphy at Matthews RV Repair lives at the Hondo SKP park, we had used him to do our original recall last March, so it seemed he was our best bet. An email a few weeks ago to him had let him order the recall module, so when we arrived here, he was ready.

He arrived about 9 am, and done by 9:20.

So by 10 am we were not our way to Fort Stockton. The forecast rain followed us out of Hondo for a hour or so, then cleared up. The scenery is definitely changing, looking more and more like the west we love.

These mesas have windmills on them.

Today I got to do something I had not done in over a year…

…drive the coach, drove only about 60 miles on I-10. With us driving six hours today, I needed to help Bob out.

In the special moment in time…take a chance

Enjoying La Grange, TX, Dec 17, 2011

2011-12-17T17:42:00.001-07:00

This morning we walked about a mile to La Grange’s town square.

Within view of the Court House, is this historic Live Oak tree called the Muster Tree. “The first recruitment of citizen soldiers under the tree probably took place in 1842. An invasion of Texas by the Mexican General Adrian Woll prompted Colonel Matthew Caldwell of the Texas Army to assemble a small volunteer group to resist Woll at Salado Creek near San Antonio.”

In the afternoon, Bob washed the coach’s windshield and the Explorer’s windows, then applied RainX. I detailed the coach’s front and put on some 303 protectant. Hopefully it will be easier to scrub those bug parts off.

Speaking of bugs, next to the coach we noticed a line of ants carrying leaves of different sizes. Do believe they were the Texas leafcutting ant. Evidently the leaves are used to grow their food-fungus. This one has a large piece of leaf, some were carrying only a piece about the size of their head-guess they were pikers.

In this special moment in time…remember the reason for the season.

Time to head down the road, Dec 16, 2011

2011-12-17T10:11:00.001-07:00

I am really enjoying my clothes drying rack. Do believe I have washed every day since we made it. Bob has been working on the construction plans, they should be posted soon, perhaps in a day or two.

This morning the windshield had accumulated some moisture, so used the fan to evaporate it off. By the time we were ready to go, it was gone.

Before we left Livingston, we had to have our annual inspection for the coach. Takes only a few minutes, show registration, proof of insurance, check lights, brakes, pay the $14.50 and we were on our way.

Today we drove to the Colorado Landing RV Park in La Grange, TX. We took a trail near the park to the Colorado River.

Since my feet can’t touch, I tried to get the swing to swing, I could not do it, so Bob tried. Here is a video of his efforts. To see the video click on the underlined word ‘video’ above.

Our home for a couple of days in La Grange, TX.

Already a week here in Livingston, TX, Dec 5-10, 2011

2011-12-11T13:40:00.001-07:00

Since we are where our mail is delivered, I was picking up the items I had ordered, some of the items for us and some were for Christmas gifts. I was a happy girl. I do miss getting our mail every day.

Also was busy getting our Christmas box ready to ship to California for the kids and grandkids.

We both have gotten our eyes examined, ordered new glasses, I went for a well woman check, had some blood work done. I was even able to schedule a mammogram for next Tuesday. In California, you had to schedule months in advance for one, here I called and have an appointment in one week. Got to love small town America.

The morning I went for my blood work, before eating, and the windshield had a thick layer of frost on it, couldn’t find our ice scraper (maybe we threw it away), so Bob is resorting to use a credit card, worked well.

While we have been here at the SKP Rainbow’s End RV Park, we have taken the park tour again, got to see our very own mail folder, and yes, that is all it is, a pendaflex folder among thousands of others. We also toured the Care Center here. It is a facility for RVers who still live in their RV, but need just a little more help like meals, laundry and some cleaning. Check out the link above. We are planning on volunteering here next July, before we leave for Europe mid Aug.

We stopped at the Bargain Table at the park’s activity center and I found another dish drainer just like the one I have. Although mine has seen better days. This one is a little sun discolored on the top edge, but otherwise in perfect condition. I bought mine over five years at Camping World, but have not been able to find a replacement one since. So I was a Happy Camper.

While we were at Betty’s RV in Abbeville, LA we met Kelli and George. They were also coming to Livingston to take their Class B license tests. Here we are celebrating their successfully passing both the written and driving tests. We can so relate as one year ago we were in their shoes.

I have a nickname for my Christmas Cactus, which is now a year old (started from a few cuttings from my Mom’s plant that my daughter now has). I call it my Touchdown Jesus Cactus. See the similarities between it and the photo beside it. This structure was actually nicknamed “Touchdown Jesus” check out the link.

See below my clothes drying rack we designed and built. Even if there were two trees you could tie a clothes line too, most if not all RV parks don’t allow you to so. So we have seen versions of this rack occasionally on RV’s and I wanted one. Ours is designed for easy install and take down and it fits fully assembled in our basement storage bay. Bob is planning on doing a detailed post on how he build this rack in a few days. When he does, I’ll post a link to it. I love it!!

Tonight we enjoyed the Christmas Parade while sitting on the Court House steps. Lots of floats, enthusiastic band, fire trucks, and horses.

In this special moment in time…try something new

Rainy travel day, Dec 4, 2011

2011-12-04T20:02:00.001-07:00

With a 4.5+ hour drive today, we were on the road by 10 am. The first hour or so, no rain, but then…the skies opened up and we were drenched along the way with an occasional treat of lightening and thunder.

As you can see through the front windshield, we drove through some beautiful fall color in east Texas.

Around 3 pm we arrived at where our pendaflex for our mail is located, in Livingston, TX. Our plans will keep us here a week or so, an eye exam tomorrow and then new glasses are in our future.

In this special moment in time…Believe in yourself

Source of Tabasco, Avery Island, LA, Dec 2, 2011

2011-12-02T20:00:00.001-07:00

Today we took a day trip to where Tabasco sauce is made, Avery Island, Louisiana.

Check out this link to see how Tabasco is made, quite a story.

While we were on our self guided tour watching four processing lines, they bottled over 10,000 bottles. The bottles processed today were headed to Russia. (They ship to over 160 countries.)

Below is the original recipe handwriten by Edmond McIlhenny in 1868.

To make sure the pepper are picked at the peak of ripeness, the pickers use this “little red stick” to match the red color for the perfect ripeness color.

See our new Christmas Tree thanks to Wal-Mart. It is a 32” Fiber Optic Tree. Sure looks nice on our dash. I am planning on adding our own ornaments to the tree when we get to Livingston, TX.

Enjoying Abbeville, LA, Dec 1, 2011

2011-12-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

I was interested in seeing some cemeteries here is Louisiana. Not too far from Betty’s RV Park is this one.

This side area were all children and babies, very sad. One marker even listed the time born and time died as being 2 hours and 15 minutes apart. Life is precious!

Then on into town we found this church with a cemetery behind. Here some of the stones date back to the mid 1800’s.

After Happy Hour tonight at Betty’s, we all headed off the participate in Abbeville’s Christmas Stroll.

Different businesses had goodies for us Strollers plus they stamped our entry form for a grand prize drawing to be held later in the evening.

Bob even got to have his form stamped by a real Elf!! See the ears!

Here Bob is showing our forms all stamped. Our group of 8 rvers did great, none of us were from the area and we found all these businesses with a little help from a few passerby's.

Since we didn’t receive a phone call, guess we did not win, but sure was fun.

Here are the eight of us.

Drive to Betty’s in Abbeville, LA, Nov 30, 2011

2011-11-30T20:04:00.002-07:00

No rain this morning, but when Bob raised the jacks, water on top of the coach rolled over our side window. See our newest Christmas decorations.

Traveling across I-10 can be a challenge, first it is a thumpy road-where you feel every road joint. Then all the trucks, and don’t forget the road or bridge construction.

Soon we crossed another state line.

Soon crossed the Mississippi River.

Near Baton Rouge we saw these large white birds in the trees.

Our destination for the day was Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville. Here is Bob trimming some low branches over our rear slide out. Betty helped us back in, then noticed some low hanging branches, so she offered to get a ladder and some loppers if Bob could trim off the branches. She did and then he did. Works for us.

Our first Happy Hour at Betty’s began at 4:30 with about 15 folks present. The room buzzed with lots of friendliness and conversation. Close to two hours later we walked about 60’ to our coach.

In this special moment in time…take time for people

Shopping Day in Gulfport, MS, Nov 29, 2011

2011-11-29T19:45:00.001-07:00

Well what can I say, we shopped until we dropped today. The Southern Oaks Mobile Park is right in the middle of all kinds of shopping. Sam’s Club, Wal-mart, Petsmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Michaels, and many many more.

At Michaels found the stretchy cord to make bows for some small Christmas boxes, also found some small suction cups to hand some snowflakes (we bought at Wal-mart) on our windows for Christmas decorations.

Petsmart provided us some more additions to our one gallon aquarium. A plant and three ghost shrimp. So far Red Rob is ignoring his water mates, as in not eating them. Bob had read that the ghost shrimps might be compatible with bettas and so far so good. They were only 38 cents each so if he decides they are dinner, then not a big loss.

Here is a photo of two of them. They are very small, about 1/2 inch long. They are suppose to be great aquarium cleaners, eats anything that is or was alive, hopefully some of the food that Red Rob doesn’t eat.

We did a great job of shopping at Sam’s. Restocked on many items we like to buy there, like small sweet peppers, whole almonds, cheeses, herbed turkey lunch meat and a great deal more.

Tomorrow, headed to Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville, LA, about a four hour drive.

In the special moment in time…make new friends

What a Day, Nov 28, 2011

2011-11-28T18:42:00.001-07:00

With check out time being noon at the Escapees Rainbow Plantation and only 100 miles to drive today, we started to get ready to go about 11:30. When Bob pre-started the engine, immediately the STOP ENGINE light came on, and he immediately shut down the engine. Now what?

He first checked the oil level, yes, it was low as in really low. We added the one gallon we carry as a spare, it still needed more. So off to the local Wal-Mart where we bought two more gallons of oil and a gallon of coolant, just in case it was low also.

We ended up adding two gallons of oil and 1-1/2 gallons of coolant before the Stop Engine light did not come on when started. All in all it was an easy fix, and Bob was reminded that periodic maintenance is at times necessary.

So we pulled out an hour and half later than the check out time of noon, but we did pull out.

Then Bob got to drive through this tunnel in Mobile AL, one of his favorite things, NOT. He was relieved it was not too long.

Soon we were in Mississippi in one of many small rain showers we encountered on our drive today.

We soon arrived at a Passport America Park in Gulfport just off I-10, soon we were parked in a pull through site at Southern Oaks Mobile Trailer Community. With tons of shopping in the area, we are staying two nights.

Launch and Rainy Day Wash, Nov 26-27, 2011

2011-11-27T19:33:00.002-07:00

Yesterday we were anxiously awaiting the launch of Curiosity headed for Mars, to land next August.

It did launch without a glitch. Now sometime early on August 5th it will land on Mars to begin many experiments.

Today we woke up the rain, it had been raining in the night as well. Hummm, I could wash the windshield in the rain, and the rainwater could rinse it off.

Then, why not wash off what I could of the coach. My new rain jacket (from the Unclaimed Luggage Center) worked great, it was soaked on the outside, but I was dry on the inside.

By mid afternoon the rains stopped and we went for a walk around the park.

Tomorrow we are headed out to Gulfport MS for a couple of nights, then to Betty’s RV park in LA for three nights, before arriving in Livingston, TX for a week.

No shopping for us on Black Friday, Nov 25, 2011

2011-11-25T19:25:00.002-07:00

That is right, we did not do any shopping today. Instead we basically relaxed. Here Bob is having an eye to eye with Red Rob, he does seem to really love this new home.

I finally bought some scotch tape a couple of days ago and was able to finish wrapping our Christmas presents for our family. I did notice that Walmart had various sizes of shipping boxes, hopefully tomorrow I will find what I am looking for.

Today we roasted a duck, Bob cut off the legs first, so we can have some Cassoulet later. We loved this dish while in France, made it once in June and now we have some duck legs to make it again.

In this special moment in time…take a chance

Happy Birthday to our SIL, Nov 25, 2011

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Happy Birthday to our Son-In-Law, Ed. He loves coaching his daughters in fast pitch softball. Pictured here with him is his youngest daughter, Abby. He also loves to go shopping on Black Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving from Alabama, Nov 24, 2011

2011-11-24T18:23:00.001-07:00

Today we tackled making the sweet potato recipe I found on the internet called Yummy Sweet Potato Casserole for the park potluck. Bob peeled the potatoes, then I added the rest of the ingredients. I think the magic ingredient was the vanilla. They sure were delicious.

Here is our table at the park Thanksgiving potluck. Each table sat 10 folks and we were at table 17. The park provided the turkey and gravy and we provided all the rest of the delicious fixin’s for our table. Really enjoyed the sweet potato and pumpkin pie with a pecan toping—delicious! (sorry Dianne, no mincemeat pie) A great time was had by all.

For this special moment in time…be Thankful for wonderful friends and family

Early grocery shopping day, Nov 23, 2011

2011-11-23T20:06:00.002-07:00

With today being the day before Thanksgiving, we knew the local Walmart would be busy, so our goal was to arrive early. Early for us was 9 am. Here is Bob clutching the only bag of Yukon gold potatoes in Walmart. That is the kind of potato I wanted for mashed potatoes, which is part of our contribution for our Thanksgiving dinner at the park tomorrow.

Also on our list were the ingredients for our own Thanksgiving dinner which we will cook on Friday.

I decided to make up the mashed potato casserole today. Peeled 8 pounds of potatoes. My Mom would be ashamed of how much potato I peeled off with the peel, but I got it done.

I added cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, and half & half to the potatoes, sure tasted yummy too. Tomorrow I will just bake and they are ready for the 2 pm dinner.

Today we bought our betta, Red Rob, a new home. With it being a gallon, it tripled the size of his prior home. This tank is lighted and does have a bubbler. Tomorrow we plan to plant the plant in the gravel, so then it will look much better.

Crafts and Cleaning, Nov 22, 2011

2011-11-22T19:12:00.001-07:00

This morning I attended the Tuesday morning crafts here at the park. This basket was today’s project.

I have done no sewing on mine yet, as my machine is set up (tension) to sew on denim and I still need to hem a pair of jeans for Bob. But I have it all ready to sew, very soon.

When I got back this morning, Bob was busy organizing a section of one of our basement bays.

Tonight we received our assignment of what we need to bring to the Thanksgiving Potluck on Thursday afternoon, potatoes -- both mashed and sweet. The park provides the turkey, gravy and coffee. Then folks that want to attend sign up by tables of 10-12 and each table provides the different side dishes for their own table. We are heading out early tomorrow morning to do our food shopping.

Good Bye FL, Hello AL, Nov 21, 2011

2011-11-21T19:50:00.001-07:00

Today when we left the Fort Pickens Camp ground we didn’t expect to see so much of Pensacola as we did. We ended up taking Bus 98 instead of just 98 West. It could have been worse, but Bob was not happy for a few miles. During this time, we had to trust our untrustworthy GPS, but it did come through for us, much better than we expected.

We were NOT going this way, which is good, as we are at least two feet taller than this railroad bridge underpass around the corner.

Soon, we were back on the correct route, 98 West, and we crossed into Alabama.

In a few more miles we pulled into the Escapees Park, Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL. We had chosen a Plan B, in case they were full, but they had many sites open. The rate for the week is $85 + electric. I have already signed up for a Thanksgiving Dinner here at the park.

The park is set up nice with a large common area behind the RV’s.

Last day at Fort Pickens, FL CG, Nov 20, 2011

2011-11-20T19:51:00.001-07:00

With it raining most of day yesterday, it was a do nothing day. I ventured out once to take the trash to the dumpster.

This morning though, it was bright, but cloudy with a little more wave action. When we leave tomorrow I will miss our morning beach walk.

On our beach walk this morning, we noticed these holes, pretty good size.

We finally noticed some movement in the distance and caught this crab out of his hole. He or she was about the size of a silver dollar and the same color as the sand.

After our walk this morning, we had a chance to meet some blog readers, John and Ellen. Our visit was short, but it sure was nice to put a face to a name.

This afternoon, I got a head start on wrapping up Christmas gifts for the kids and grandkids, then…I ran out of scotch tape.

One last photo of the beach.

In this special moment in time…make new friends.

Happy Anniversary to us, Fort Pickens CG, FL, Nov 18, 2011

2011-11-18T18:41:00.001-07:00

Today is our 44th wedding anniversary. After meeting on a blind date, we were married 11 months later.

This morning more beach walking. We didn’t expect the weather to be so bright today. The surf was up more today than yesterday.

I love the designs plants make in the sand. This one reminded me of using the pencil and a string to make a perfect circle. Guess we learned it from Mother Nature.

There is a small store here at the campground, and yes, you can buy a single piece of Spam. This photo is for our son, Rich, who eats most foods, but does not like Spam. At this price of $1.99 for 3 oz., that calculates out to $10.61 per pound. Hummmm.

Not all the campsites here at the park are long enough for us to use.

This afternoon we drove about 3 miles away and visited Fort Pickens. Even though it was in the heart of the Confederacy during the Civil War, it remained under the control of the Union Army.

Our timing was perfect as we were able to attend a tour of the fort.

This long legged bird was quite willing to pose for us on the sea wall.

Were also able to obtain two more National Park Passport stamps at the Visitor Center.

In this special moment in life…spread joy

Our day at the beach, Fort Pickens CG, FL, Nov 17, 2011

2011-11-17T19:38:00.001-07:00

Just walk through the campground, across the road, and down a short boardwalk and you are at the beach. Nice white sand, the water was actually pretty warm and had to taste it, of course, it was salty, more so than I expected.

We spent most of the day sunning ourselves and reading.

Then an afternoon walk to correspond with sunset, which here was 4:50 pm. (Central time Zone)

Our long long leg shadows very close to sunset.

We also found these things, looked like bubbles. This one has a shell attached to it.

Then I was walking on the edge of a very small raised edge, and I fell. When Bob tried to help me up, I got tickled and all giggly. Finally Bob was able to help me up. I fell while holding my camera, I did great, NO sand on my camera!! I did tweak my left knee some, so have been putting ice on it, only hurts when I bend it tight or squat down.

Here is a photo of our site and the white pickup we had to avoid yesterday while backing in. Yesterday his truck was much closer to the main road. Like I said, Bob did a great job of backing our coach into the site.

Our sunset tonight.

In this special moment in life…trust others

Long driving day for us, Fort Pickens, FL, Nov 16, 2011

2011-11-16T19:25:00.002-07:00

Today we chose to drive 350 miles in rain. Two things we don’t usually do, drive that far in one day plus driving in the rain. Even after refueling, we were on the road by 8 am. We drove from Fort Payne, AL to Gulf Islands National Seashore, Fort Pickens Campground.

The drive encompassed very thumpy concrete roads, detours, and of course rain, from sprinkles to heavy down pours.

Then at times the sun was out ahead of us, but our wipers still needed to be used.

Soon, we crossed the state border into Florida.

Soon the Pensacola Bay Bridge came into view.

This was the first of two bridges we had to cross.

The second bridge was a toll, $1 per vehicle, it surprised me that we counted as a single vehicle even though we were towing our car. Plus was surprised to see all the high rises, must be lots of condos.

Soon, we were heading west towards Fort Pickens Campground.

We had made reservations a few days ago and were glad we did, as almost all the other non reserveable sites were filled. Even though we had a site, getting into it would be tricky. Right across from us was another site with a large pickup truck parked in it and he was parked just off the road. First try, Bob was too close, as our front end swing was headed directly at his truck, then Bob pulled forward, repositioned the coach, and backed it right in.

Hosiery Museum, Fort Payne, AL, Nov 11, 2011

2011-11-14T19:38:00.001-07:00

This afternoon we visited the Hosiery Museum in Fort Payne. This quote is from Wikipedia “By the beginning of the 21st century, the hosiery industry in Fort Payne employed over 7,000 people in more than 100 mills. It produced more than half of the socks made in the United States.”

Short sleeves and short hair were required for safety.

This sock knitting machine was the state of the art machine in the ‘50’s, it could make the Argyle sock all by itself.

This looping machine was used to close the toes of each sock. Each and every sock needed to be placed on this machine by hand, then the toe would be stitched closed.

This is part of a “Steam Board”, used to shape the socks.

Some shopping and some repairs, Fort Payne, AL, Nov 12, 2011

2011-11-12T19:09:00.002-07:00

We drove around town some today, then stopped at a Hammer’s to do some shopping. Found some nice bargains for Christmas presents, marked down Land’s End tops.

Then back to the coach and Bob went to work, he had two jobs on his “TO DO” list. Replace the battery in our outside sensor for our inside clock. Turned out the base unit batteries were the weakest, so now new batteries all around.

Next was to replace a bracket that held one of our coach’s side panels in place. About 6 weeks ago, we ran over a piece of wood, it was soon after that we noticed this panel to be loose.

Here are the broken brackets.

Here Bob is starting to fabricate a new bracket from an aluminum strip.

Bob is using the picnic table to put the proper bends to match the removed broken bracket. Who needs a workbench with a vice.

Then he drilled a hole in each end. Then attached it with screws to the coach frame and panel.

The finished bracket.

My job was then to get some Goo Gone and remove the gorilla tape residue that was originally holding the panel in place.

I also organized the storage compartments over our bed, ended up purging some items we hadn’t used in a long time.

There are just a few leaves left on the trees here.

In this special moment in Life…Discard Worry.

A day of rest and a day of shopping, Fort Payne, AL, Nov 10 & 11, 2011

2011-11-11T20:17:00.002-07:00

Thursday we succeeded in achieving our goal, it was a day of rest with just a little work.

This year we made two batches of Cherry Liquor, one with sweet cherries and one with tart cherries with a little added sugar. So far we like the taste of the tart cherry mix the best. The cherries were strained though the cheese cloth and all the liquor was then squeezed out from the cherries.

Below is the result of our Cherry Liquor efforts, looks pretty.

Friday the first words Bob spoke after I woke up was, “The frig is not working.” Yes, the light was OFF. With it being 21 degrees outside, he wasn’t real anxious to head outside and check our the back of the frig. He had figured out where we could buy a portable freezer and our plan, at this time of the day, was to drive to Chattanooga to buy it. Then did he get a pleasant surprise, he noticed the ON light was ON!!! We had done nothing! So our original plans for today were back on, go shopping at the Unclaimed Baggage Center.

What an amazing store and yes, we did find a few goodies.

We each wanted a lightweight rain jacket, with a front zipper and hood. And the hood needed to have a Velcro tab that helps the front of the hood from falling in your face. Mine is a Marmot and Bob’s is a Columbia brand, with the price ranging from $25-$32 each. I also found nice comfy lightweight black sporty jacket for only $6.

Here Bob is looking for a camera case, he did find one.

I tried my best to fill my shopping bag.

After shopping until we dropped, lunch was enjoyed in front of the Court House in Scottsboro.

Traveling South to Alabama, Nov 9, 2011

2011-11-09T18:43:00.003-07:00

This morning we pulled out of the RV park by 7 am, then topped off our diesel tank at a nearby Flying J. The light fog in the valleys gave us some beautiful scenery.

We traveled today from Virginia to Tennessee.

Tennessee to Georgia.

Georgia to Alabama.

For the next week we are going to be resting up at the Wills Creek RV Park in Fort Payne, AL. Although I expect we will be making a side trip to the Unclaimed Baggage Center not far away in Scottsboro.

We had expected to drive in the forecasted rain today, but we lucked out, only a very light shower in Chattanooga and then another shower when traveling through Georgia.

In this special moment in Life…Live God’s Message.

Escaping the North, Wytheville, VA, Nov 8, 2011

2011-11-08T17:19:00.001-07:00

Today Bob drove 274 miles down I 66 and then I 81. Tonight we are pulled into a pull-thru site at Fort Chiswell RV Park north of Wytheville, VA, still hooked up with our towed expecting to head out tomorrow between 6:30 and 7:00 am to drive another 350 miles to northern Alabama. The forecast for tomorrow is rain, so may be a longer day than we expect.

Today’s journey went well, only slowed down once for an accident. It was nice they marked the slowdown with a bright pink sign.

Couldn’t really tell what happened, some guard rail was down, but never saw what sort of vehicle was involved.

Thanks for all the comments from yesterday’s post about our Norcold frig. Yes, we do hope it all goes well, too.

What a day!! Centreville, VA, Nov 7, 2011

2011-11-07T18:17:00.001-07:00

This morning before breakfast, I noticed our Norcold frig light was not on, hummm, oh no, not that problem again. Bob went out and checked the back of the frig, and saw no red light of death.

So now what? He tried to bypass the recall module, it tested okay, but the frig did not come on. I checked online for Norcold authorized service centers, found one in Manassas just about 10 miles away. Called them and they said it might be a fuse, and to come in anytime. But first, we needed to get fuel, we were on fumes. On Saturday night Paul and Marti had shown us a very handy fuel station, Fannon Petroleum Services, just a few miles away. Both of us were praying we could make the station, and we did!! It did take 87 gallons (holds 100), nice price too at $3.74 per gallon, other stations were $4.05/gallon.

Here we are at Restless Wheels RV. Even though we arrived at noon, it only took them about 20 minutes to diagnose and temporarily fix our problem. The problem was a failed recall module, they bypassed it, so now we have a working frig. Somewhere down the road we will need to get the failed module replaced. They indicated that Norcold is now on the sixth revision of this module, as they all keep failing.

Now, back to the Bull Run Regional Park, where we had already paid for tonight’s lodging, as we are headed south tomorrow.

When Bob plugged in our power, the 50 amp plug would not work, it had just a few hours ago? So we switched to the 30 amp and that one worked fine.

Then, I have to laugh, Bob was hooking up the water so I could do some laundry and he got an early shower. The spigot was a little different and he had to get our pipe wrench out and loosen up the part you needed to pull down so water flowed through our hose and not where it is flowing in the photo.

We do think Murphy (Murphy’s Law) was messing with us today and do hope he has had enough!! We sure have!!

A Blast from our Past, Nov 6, 2011

2011-11-06T17:45:00.002-07:00

Today we drove about 30 minutes to Burke VA to visit some friends, Barb and Munther. They were from our former lives when we both lived in California. So much to share and so little time, but we did our best. It was great to see them again. Friendship does bridge the gaps of time.

Shopping, cleaning, and special friends, Nov 5, 2011

2011-11-05T20:43:00.002-06:00

This morning we did a shopping trip to a nearby Trader Joes. These brussel sprouts looked good, but we passed, as Bob likes his sprouts on the smaller side.

Today was a cleaning day, it has been awhile. The reason for cleaning, well other than it needed it, we are meeting some blog friends, Paul and Marti tonight, and wanted the coach to be in tip top shape. They will be joining the full-time RV lifestyle in just about two weeks when the sale on their house closes. Their soon to be not their house is close to the park we are in. Even better, they are picking us up and taking us to dinner.

After dinner we came back to the coach for chocolate zucchini cake, ice cream, and some great conversation! Yes, Paul and Marti, we will see you down the road (in Q). Safe travels!!

Touring the Battle of Bull Run Battlefields, Nov 4, 2011

2011-11-04T19:07:00.002-06:00

This morning we planned to attend two of the battlefield walks and also visit the museum at the visitor center.

Our first walk explained the First Battle of Bull Run (1861). It was cold and windy, but we stuck it out.

We then drive over to the Brawner Farm for the 1 pm walk. The Brawner farm house also contained a lighted battlefield which explained the Second Battle of Bull Run (1862), the one my Great grandfather was in. Here I am trying to absorb as much as I can.

The blue lights (Union) forming a line in the center with the red lines (Confederates) with the white lights firing in between is where he fought with the 73rd OVI on August 30, 1862.

Yes, Bob is disposing of the beginnings of our Chicken Kale soup. He burnt the onions, garlic, and celery. So he did a do-over and the end result was delicious.

Leaving DC, Nov 3, 2011

2011-11-03T18:46:00.001-06:00

I had been dreading leaving DC with all the traffic, but we had to do it. I495 across the top went better than we expected, but a few miles before we were to exit into I66 we encountered some road work and some congestion. Bob did a great job of getting us to Bull Run Regional Park.

With some help of some fellow bloggers, we were able to reserve a great site at the park, even with all the trees you see, we were able to get online with both the Winegard and Motosat. This is a view from out our windshield.

A little house cleaning once we arrive.

After lunch we headed to the Bull Run Battlefield just a few miles away. I got my Passport book stamped, then we watched the 45 minute park film. Then the battlefield was calling our names. Since two battles was fought here, we walked the battlefield of the 1st battle of Bull Run. I do believe we checked out each and every one of the artillery pieces.

Ever wonder what you see when you look down the barrel of a cannon…well here it is, this one looks like it had a bird nest.

My, great grandfather, Jeremiah Woodyard, was in the 73rd Ohio Voluntary Infantry and participated in the Second Battle of Bull Run, late August 1862. We asked at the visitor center if they knew where they fought and were told to check out the Chinn Ridge area.

The above photo is one of their positions. During the three day battle, the 73rd lost close to half of their men.

Here I am trying to see through the years and see his unit retreating to this point.

Tonight was the night, we bottled up part of our cherry liquor. We even sampled a few cherries and some spillage.

Washington DC, Day 14, Nov 2, 2011

2011-11-02T18:31:00.002-06:00

This would be our last day being a tourist in DC. I would estimate we walked at least five miles each day and stood for way too many hours, but we have had a great time.

The National Museum of the American Indian was our first stop.

The dress and boots date back to the early 1900’s, beautiful bead work.

This cradle with charms for warding off smallpox, ca. 1890.

We had read that this museum has a wonderful café, foods from all areas where our native Americans lived, so…here is lunch.

I had a roasted turnip, wild onion with blueberries salad, cup of delicious pumpkin soup. Bob had roasted Hubbard squash with onions, snapping turtle soup and celery root salad, plus we both shared a pinenut tart. Wonderful food!!

While in the museum’s theater a lady asked me to take her photo. I did, then in a few minutes she handed me this peace crane as a ‘thank you’ for taking her photo. I saw her get into her bag and take a piece of paper out, now I know what she did with it. I felt honored.

Next we wanted to walk around inside the Library of Congress, we had heard it was beautiful, but we passed the Botanical Gardens, so decided to walk through the gardens first.

These are bananas growing atop a 20’ tree.

Who would have thought Mother Nature would have used these two colors together.

Now here is ‘Bob of the Jungle’.

Me doing what I like to do best!

The interior of the Library of Congress is very ornate, looks like something we would see in Europe, complete with mosaics.

Washington DC, Day 13, Nov 1, 2011

2011-11-01T19:26:00.001-06:00

On our next to last day in DC, we visited the Crime and Punishment Museum. If you like CSI or NCIS or watch America’s Most Wanted, you will love this place. This is the lobby, with handcuffs for chain and the Ted Bundy 1968 VW. Bundy used the car to commit at least eleven kidnappings and homicides.

The vehicle Bonnie and Clyde were in when they were ambushed and killed.

Above is a portion of the list of bills that were part of the Lindberg ransom money.

Authorities had traced $14,000 of the $50,000 ransom to Hauptmann who was executed four years later.

This fellow did not want a mug shot taken, somehow that did not matter.

Actual mug shot of Bill Gates,

This is what he did.

These are Leg Manacles. These were used at Andersonville during the Civil War. They are known as “dead man irons” because they were riveted on the legs and only removed by pulling them off the wasted limbs of a prisoner that had died or removed by a blacksmith. This pair still had it rivets in place.

America’s Most Wanted is filmed in this location and this is also where the show’s call center is located during the show.

Displays also addressed the origin of “Code Adam” and the “Amber Alert”, so sad these two children had to die for these two alerts to come into effect.

Washington DC, Day 12, Oct 31, 2011

2011-10-31T19:41:00.001-06:00

Yes, we were catching the 6:15 am bus from the RV Park.

Now you may ask, why? Well Bob wanted to see if we could attend the Supreme Court’s oral arguments today. That means we had to obtain a numbered ticket, and then wait about two hours to see if our number would get us in. Admittance is on a first come first serve basis. With our numbers 56 & 57 which we received at 7:25 am, we did get in to hear the two cases presented today. If you want to read what we heard, check out this link. Bob had a better seat than I did, I was behind a 3’ diameter pillar, was able to see a few of the Justices, and was able to hear everything.

While we waited until around 9 am, we walked around, saw the sun finish rising with its glow on the capitol.

At noon the Court arguments were over, so off we head to the Air and Space Museum.

Here Bob is lounging next to the Wright Brothers first airplane.

Here is some original fabric from the Wright Brother's’ plane.

The Able Experiment. Read about it here.

Another great day in DC.

Washington DC, Day 11, Oct 30, 2011

2011-10-30T19:16:00.001-06:00

This morning we were greeted with a heavy frost on top of the Explorer. At first thought it was snow, but just frost.

Today was to be another museum day, but before that we wanted to watch the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon, they would be leaving Arlington, then run up and down the Mall.

We then found some outside art, pyramids made from glass, so what you are seeing is our reflection, our self portrait.

We then headed to the National Museum of Art, but, it didn't open until 11 am and it was just 10 am, so we continued to watch the Marathon runners for a little longer.

Some interesting details I noticed. This is the Interior of Oude Kerk, Amsterdam by Emmanuel DeWitte, 1660-1665

Now here is a close up of an area at the bottom of one of the pillars. Appears the dog is, well, relieving himself.

Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet, 1520-1525 by Benvenuto Tisi, called Garofalo. Notice the fellow on the left, orange tunic with white drape. His body is facing the table, but his leg and foot are facing the other direction.

A Monet as only Monet can. Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers, 1880

A Van Gogh called The Olive Orchard, done in 1889, a year before his death.

This one was one of my favorites, called Four Seasons in One Head by Guiseppe Arcimboldo, painted in 1590.

Guilty, yes, I bought a box of Girl Scout Cookies from a mother and daughter walking through the RV Park.

Washington DC, Day 10, October 29, 2011

2011-10-29T19:08:00.001-06:00

This morning we had reserved over a week ago a 10:15, History on Foot, which was a two hour walk starting at the Ford Theater with Detective McDevitt investigating the assignation of President Lincoln. So in order to get there on time, we left the coach to catch the 8:27 bus, with it being Saturday, buses only run every hour.

Since the forecast called for 100% chance of rain changing to snow today, here we are on the tour. Our guide did an excellent job, we all were his deputies, and all were given different witnesses’ statements to give to him at the time he called for it. The statement we were given was called for first, of course, it was deep in our backpacks, but we eventually produced it, he is reading ours now.

Our next stop was the Smithsonian American History Museum. This is Julia Child’s actual kitchen.

Here is her wall of pots and pans.

Below are fragments cut from the original Star Spangled Banner.

The original flag was 30’ x 42’, today it’s size is 30’ x 34’, it was reduced in size by all the souvenirs taken, even one of the 15 stars is gone. Below is a photo of a photo taken of the flag. We were not able (not allowed) to take any photos of the original.

Below is Edison’s first light bulb he demonstrated at Menlo Park in December 1879. Check out the link above, then scroll down a little, you will see the same photo as below.

Yes, that is snow on Bob’s back. Nice big flakes in the air, but nonetheless, SNOW!

Washington DC, Day 9, Oct 28, 2011

2011-10-28T20:05:00.001-06:00

A Day at the Natural History Museum

After our day of rest, we were anxious to get back at it, being a tourist, that is.

First off, in the entrance lobby, is one of the Easter Islands Heads. He definitely has a personality.

Exciting news, I found some more relatives for my family tree.

Now this is one HUGE trilobite. One of our vacations back in the late 80’s was to find some of these fossils in northern Utah. We did find some (about 1” x 1.5”), or at least our son did, he was bored, so before he threw a rock, he looked at it, and he found quite a few. I guess he who touches the most rocks finds the most fossils.

This is the bloom of a Crinoid, a water lily from 330 million years ago. This specimen was from Indiana and was about 4” tall. In reading the above link, I find out they are not plants but similar to starfish, who knew!

I grew up on a farm in SE Ohio and would pick up segments of the stem along the cow paths, especially after a rain. These segments were small flat circles with a hole in the middle, I had no idea they were crinoids, I thought they were fish backbones.

This lady is sorting small animal bones found in Haiti in 1920. Most of the bones we saw were no larger than sewing pins.

Our next real treat was to visit the Live Butterfly Pavilion.

So many butterflies. This is a Leopard Lacewing.

They loved Bob’s cap, he had three butterflies perched at one point.

Okay, okay time to move on. What a fun area!!

“This is a real mummy” was the sign for this display.

Here we are both touching a piece of Mars, collected by Viking in 1976.

This is a mineral Rainbow of Colors.

Washington DC, Day 8, Our day of rest, Oct 27, 2011

2011-10-27T17:21:00.001-06:00

The plan for the day was to do nothing or not much. With being a tourist for seven straight days, we were tired, plus it was forecast to rain all day. It did drizzle most of the day. So this morning I put a crockpot full of chili on the cook, nothing is better on a rainy fall day than chili.

We did start the car for the first time also in a week, and drove about three miles to do some grocery shopping. We ended up with an eggplant and some chicken, so Bob made up one of his great dishes -- eggplant topped with chicken, then topped with a marinara sauce, cheese and Italian seasonings. So now we will have some great food after more days of sightseeing.

I did get out my sewing machine to work on two projects. One of my daypack straps was tearing slightly, so I stitched the seam deeper over the strap, worked great! The next project was to attempt to hem Bob’s jeans again.

See the messy hem, the sewing machine’s tension was not correct. I had sewn this probably three months ago, it looked horrible, so I put it away. I was using some special heavy duty thread for jeans and the machine was not adjusted for the change in thread weight. Bob helped remove the above stitching. Then I adjusted the tension, and with more patience and more determination, I eventually got both legs done!!

Tomorrow’s plan more sightseeing, not sure what, but by tomorrow we will have it figured out.

Washington DC, Day 7, Oct 26, 2011

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With rain forecast for tomorrow, we wanted to do some more outside sightseeing. First off, see the Jefferson Memorial.

From the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Capital. To see the White House, look left of the Washington Monument where the V is in the tree line.

We walked up to the WW II Memorial to get the National Park Service Passport book stamp and saw many folks escorting our WWII Veterans. I believe they were with the group called Honor Flight. Bob’s Dad who served in the engine room of a Navy ship during the second world war would definitely have enjoyed seeing this memorial, unfortunately he died at the age of 62 in 1982.

I did find the jackpot for NPS stamps, after stamping a page or two, I did find a special area for the National Capital Region.

Our Nations Capitol Building…

…with some sort of protest going on across the street.

One of the staircases, looking up, at the Supreme Court Building.

With an 80% chance of rain forecast for tomorrow, I am looking forward to a day of rest!!

Washington DC, Day 6, Oct 25, 2011

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After a combined bus, metro, and another bus totaling 2.5 hours, we arrived at Mount Vernon, beloved home of George Washington.

We arrived around 11:30 and were given a 1:05 pm mansion tour time, so we had some time to check out some of the outbuildings and displays. This stained glass window portrays one myth we all have heard. Here is a list of George’s myths.

A Riding Chair similar to one George owned.

Finally it was time for our tour along with many other folks. No photos were allowed inside our quick walk through tour, guess we need to be thankful for what we got.

View from the porch overlooking the Potomac. From here we were told of a Witness tree (a tree present when Washington lived here).

The witness tree is in the middle, it is a Swamp Chestnut.

Here I am touching this wise old stately gent.

George and Martha’s sarcophagus, each made from marble with 30 relatives buried in the area behind where they lie (through the black vault door). See the wreath (yellow and blue flowers, the donor was Los Banos HS FFA in California. In fact, it was the same donor of the wreath we saw yesterday being placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington. (photo below)

One last parting photo, a Presidential outhouse, reconstructed.

Washington DC, Day 5, Oct 24, 2011

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Today we visited Arlington National Cemetery.

The graves of the President John F Kennedy, The First Lady, and their two infant children with the eternal flame.

Robert Kennedy’s grave (on left) and Edward Kennedy’s grave (on right). They are very close together too.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is one resting place of an unknown soldier (actually three, one from WW I, WWII, and the Korean Conflict, that does get quite a few visits.

Changing of the guard.

Ceremony for the changing of the floral wreath.

A view of Arlington.

Iwo Jima Memorial. It was much larger than I expected.

From the information board, “Shortly after the raising of the first flag, another patrol was sent to raise a larger flag that would be visible over the entire island. As the second group hoisted this flag, Associated Press Photographer Joe Rosenthal captured the moment on film. For Marines on the battlefield, the two flag raisings gave hope for a quick victory. However, the determined Japanese only dug deeper and would fight tenaciously for another month.”

Washington DC, Day 4, Oct 23, 2011

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The Sunday bus schedule here at Cherry Hill RV Park is not the same as Monday-Saturday, so learning a new route today.

We got on at a different Metro station, then after a couple of transfers, get off at McPherson Square station. Nearby we saw an encampment of the protestors “Occupy DC”.

This setup was very near the Whitehouse.

The North side of The White House.

The South side.

Our stop at the Renwick Gallery really surprised us with some very cool displays. You could not photograph any item on the bottom level with treasures from the White House, a few items were still in use occasionally. But photos were okay on the second floor.

This was called “The Book of Nails”.

I loved this textile art piece.

The most popular sculpture was called “Game Fish”. It was made up from game parts and toys.

This is the Ford Theater. Yesterday afternoon we booked tickets to their current production of “Parade”. Actually front row seats just a few feet from Lincoln’s theater box.

You can see our Bob seated in this photo, several times during the 2 plus hour performance I looked up to where Lincoln had sat and also had been assassinated.

The view from my seat.

This was cool, but I just checked out the photos on the NPS link above about the Ford Theater and the entire interior was totally gutted in the 1960’s, so what we saw today was not what was there then-major bummer!

Pay by Phone Parking. What will they come up with next!

Washington DC, Day 3, Oct 22, 2011

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We tried to get into DC earlier this morning, but the bus/metro gods were against us. The bus from the park was 15 minutes late and then with maintenance being done on the metro tracks, the ride in took about twice as long as usual.

Our arrival was timed well though, as we arrived at the Holocaust Museum just a short time after it opened. But we did miss seeing some sculptures because of the bus/metro situation.

This museum was difficult to go through, brought back so many of the sights we had seen at Auschwitz/Birkenau and several other concentration camps in Europe. They displayed physical items of the victims shoes, glasses, hair brushes, cooking utensils, and razors. The shoes, though, were different from the ones at Auschwitz, the shoes there were behind a huge glass window, but the ones here were in a room where you walked through that had only four feet high walls along the walkway. So with the top being open, so you could smell the aging well worn leather shoes worn by the victims of the concentration camps.

They had lots of photos, videos of several survivor stories, many stories of folks that helped Jews even if it meant their lives, and to some it did. Hitler and his regime were beasts!

Washington DC, Day 1 & 2, Oct 20-21, 2011

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Our first day in DC was basically to figure out their bus and metro subway system works. Right from the RV park Bus # 83 takes you to the College Park Metro station, get on the green line towards Branch Ave, then get off at the Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station, this puts you out right near the National Archives.

So we visited the National Archives, all backpacks were x-rayed and we walked though a scanner similar to what airports have. After all that we found the Rotunda Room which houses the original Declaration of Independence, Bill Of Rights and our Nation’s Constitution. Since no photos were allowed, check out the link above for the Rotunda Room Wikipedia article to see a photo of the Room.

Our next stop was a brief visit to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum to see the Hope Diamond again. It is huge and beautiful!

Our second day in DC started just yesterday, well almost. Today I had to add money to my Metro fare ticket. These dispensing machines are intimidating, but with the help of an employee, we now know how to use them, well at least to add money to an existing ticket. Insert the ticket where it says to insert ticket, add cash in the proper slot, within seconds you have a new ticket using the value on the old card plus the inserted cash. Way too simple, now!

With it being a beautiful day in DC it was going to be a monument and memorial day. Here we are approaching the Lincoln Memorial.

Here I am with Mr. Lincoln.

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial Martin Luther King Jr made his “I Have A Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 to over 200,000 civil rights supporters.

Next, the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Awesome!!

This was an awesome wall, the visitors were with images from the war. Both Bob and I are also in this photo.

Then to actually see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in person. We had seen the travelling wall several times, actually once in Quartzsite where we helped folks find their loved ones names.

This time we checked the index book and found where Bob’s brother’s name was engraved, then found the correct panel and his name. We both reached up and touched it.

A couple of fellows in yellow caps had paper and pencils for making rubbings, we did that. The fellows in the yellow caps also asked if you could reach the name you wanted to do a rubbing of, if you could not, they had a step ladder available.

The forever sadness of war.

This National World War II Memorial was completed in 2004.

Currently the Washington Monument is closed, due to a 5.8 earthquake on August 23rd. Still an awesome site.

The Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, it just opened last week.

On both flanks of the statue/sculptor are several excerpts from his speeches and sermons. This is from the speech which he gave that would be the beginning of the civil rights movement in Montgomery Alabama know as the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

With all the concrete we saw today and walked over, we also found a nice little garden walk on our way back to the Metro.

Drive to Cherry Hill RV Park near Washington DC, Oct 19, 2011

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Relatively short drive today, but one Bob was dreading. He dislikes driving in big cities and where we are going is very near a big city.

Here is what our GPS is showing. Seven lanes, yikes.

Here is the reality. This backup, we eventually saw, was due to an accident.

We arrived at Cherry Hill Park safe and sound, Bob did do a great job of driving. We have a great site, we had read that their sites were narrow and close together, but not so with ours. Also at 4 pm we attended an orientation meeting about the busses, metro, and tours available for Washington DC. So now we have maps and brochures. What will we do tomorrow?

Gettysburg Tour, Oct 18, 2011

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Today is an exciting day, at 10 am we are meeting Stuart Dempsey, our private guide, for a basic tour of the battlefield, PLUS a special tour of the the 73rd OVI, the unit my great grandfather, Jeremiah C. Woodyard fought with.

Here Stuart is talking about the battle that occurred on July 1, 1863, the battle’s first day.

Here is how battle strategy looks when drawn in the sand and gravel.

Here he is describing the events from Little Round Top.

Now for the 73rd’s participation. This photo was taken back when there was not a housing development in the area. The area beyond the horse and wagon and the shed is the area where the 73rd’s fighting occurred.

Here we are walking up to the ridge (stop sign) that would be the center of fighting on the 2nd, 3rd, and part of the 4th. The fighting went back and forth for the occupation of this ridge. What an awesome walk!

Stuart also gave us a Fall 2008 copy of the Blue & Gray magazine. This publication contains a couple of articles he wrote about the 73rd’s action in Gettysburg. I am so excited to really study those articles.

What a super tour!

Gettysburg, Part 2, Oct 17, 2011

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Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, and a Cemetery Walk were on tap for today. While driving to Little Round Top Bob noticed the “Oil” indicator light came on, so in the parking area, he added a quart of oil. If we can carry enough coolant and oil, we can probably nurse the 1993 Explorer with 210,000 miles for a few more months, let’s hope we can.

General Warren surveying the landscape from Little Round Top, and sees Confederate movement on Day 2, then signals for Union troops which plays out with heavy fighting in this area.

Devil’s Den area from Warren’s vantage point.

While we were on Little Round Top we saw this activity on the hill above Devil’s Den, so we walked over. This cannon had been refurbished and was being placed back where it belonged.

These folks were watching very intently while they placed this cannon. Later we talked to them and they are reenactors (artillery-notice the short jackets). They were part of a group who had been to another reenactment this past weekend and were going to be spending the week here in Gettysburg just being tourists. They were certainly full of information.

Then it was time to head to the National Cemetery for a tour.

We learned that the probable site of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address site is in the nearby City Cemetery. We were told the mausoleum in the center of this photo was the probable site of the platform from which Lincoln and Everett spoke. The graves you see here now, were not there then.

Mr. Lincoln Soldier’s National Monument

Surrounding this massive monument are concentric circles of graves with the heroes of this battle. Each state has their section with the number of graves.

Our guide asked us all to find a grave of an UNK or Unknown soldier (from our state of interest or any state) and pay our respects as he will never have any family look up his grave. This grave is from an Unknown Ohio Hero, may he Rest In Peace.

William McVey was in the same Regiment and Company as my great grandfather, 73rd Ohio Co H.

Now, who is George Nixon, his great grandson became the 37th President of the United States. Read about his story here, here (start at page 11), and here. George was also in the 73rd Ohio, but in Company B.

This is the largest oak leaf I have ever seen. I think it is a Northern Pin Oak, but not sure.

Cousin visit–October 16, 2011

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About an hour from Gettysburg Bob’s second cousin Pam and her husband Larry live, so today we take a road trip to visit with them. It has been over 30 years since we last saw each other.

We enjoyed a great lunch with them along with lots and lots of visiting.

Then back to their home for some more visiting. Before we left, their son Matt, his wife Mindy and their son came by for a visit after a soccer game.

Tomorrow more exploration of Gettysburg.

Gettysburg, Part 2, Oct 15, 2011

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Today was to be a day of visiting several living history demonstrations and a battlefield walk. We first stopped at the
Western NY Chapter of the US Sanitary Commission. Up until today I had no idea this commission even existed. This appears at Wikipedia “The United States Sanitary Commission was an official agency of the United States government, created by legislation signed by The President of the United States of American, Abraham Lincoln on June 18, 1861, to coordinate the volunteer efforts of women who wanted to contribute to the war effort of the Union states during the American Civil War.”

Here Bob is telling the story of how my great grandfather (who was here at Gettysburg) had received a sewing kit from a lady back in Athens County, Ohio (where he was from also), whom he sends a letter to later during the War thanking her for her gift, and then when he is discharged they eventually get married. These sewing kits or “housewives” sent to soldiers were one of the items that could have been provided by the Sanitary Commission. They also worked as nurses, ran kitchens in Army camps, and provided places for the soldiers to rest areas for traveling soldiers.

Then on to the Ohio Valley Civil War Association Living History Demos. It is amazing how much smoke one cannon firing once can make. Did you know, the percussion from the cannon firing can even set off car alarms.

While we were visiting in camp, lunch was served, meat loaf (prepared with sausage), macaroni cheese and cooked cabbage.

Bob learning about the guns, (notice the fellow holding down the tent top, he was having a hard time as it was very windy today-gusts to 35 mph)

the artillery shells and the seven positions needed to fire a cannon.

Here I am holding a 10 pound Springfield Rifle. The gun that my great grandfather would have used during the Civil War. I didn’t need help holding the rifle, but Park rules require the fellow keep a hand on the weapons when being shown to the public.

The Ranger program this afternoon was a Battle Walk on McPherson Ridge, Day 1 of the Battle. The Park is clearing this area so we, the visitor, can see what it was like “then”.

This is what they call a “witness tree”, one that saw the battle. Too bad these old soldiers can’t talk.

In Gettysburg for a week, Part 1, Oct 12-14, 2011

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The Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863

Thursday, Oct 13th, 2011

Cyclorama and Museum

A view (Pickets Charge) from the Cyclorama at Gettysburg, what an amazing painting. 360 degrees by 40’ tall, but it gives you the illusion of being able to see for miles.

The 34 stars of the United States Flag of 1861. “This flag includes the 11 states of the Confederacy. The US Government never recognized the right of the Southern States to leave the Union and their stars remained on the American flag throughout the war.”

Below is what they termed as “Lifesaving Lint”. “Woman on the home front scraped lint from linen cloth, twisted it into bundles like this and sent it to army hospitals. Surgeons used damp lint to cover wounds.”

Two bullets fused together as they met in mid air near Culp’s Hill.

This fence post was in the area of Pickett’s Charge. “The soldiers in Picket’s charge came under rifle fire as they approached the fences along Emmitsburg Road. Four bullets are embedded in this post.”

Since the concept of dog tags for the soldiers was about 50 years away, the soldiers came up with their own form of identification. Below is a wrist tag made by W. J Fisher. Others would stitch their name in their uniform or leave notes in their pockets.

We ended our Museum visit with an invitation to come and sit by me, what an interesting fellow.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Today we had three ranger led programs to attend and it was raining, but armed with umbrellas we head out.

First before the ranger programs, we were in search of the 73rd Ohio monument along with the R F and L F stones (right flank and left flank). My great grandfather Jeremiah C Woodyard possibly stood right where I am standing back on July 1-3, 1863, 148 years ago as he fought in this unit.

Right Flank marker and the Left Flank marker. Below I am pointing from the Left Flank market towards the Right Flank Marker which is the utility pole before you get to the stop light.

Our three ranger programs were excellent. This one was in the Devil’s Den area with Little Round Top in the background.

Then it was a challenge for Bob to give his full attention to the Ranger, with the rain and wind and an unruly umbrella.

Here we are getting the real scoop on Pickett’s Charge and the sun came out!!

Today we made arrangements for a private guided tour next Tuesday of the battlefield by a guide who had two ancestors who was also in the 73rd Ohio, so he knows that unit’s movements very well. Should be a great tour,I can’t wait.

Finding more roots, Oct 9-11, 2011

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This time we are near Allentown, PA and now we are looking for Bob’s 4th great grandfather, where he is buried and where he lived. In the mid 1700’s he came to America and eventually opened a Tavern just before 1760.

The original tavern was a log structure, and was replaced with this stone structure in the 1871, long after Georg died and his son Abraham left with six children and traveled to NE Ohio where we had just been a few days ago.

We tried to do a rubbing of Georg’s stone, even went to an art store to purchase what we thought would work, but it did not. I also had brought some chalk to help with reading the stones. As you can see below, it really helps. I did wash off the chalk after taking the photos.

Northeast Ohio, Oct 3-8, 2011

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Bob’s roots were tugging at him, so we planned a short stop near where he grew up west of Youngstown, Ohio. Well our short stop turned into six nights. As you might know, we had lots of cemeteries to visit, this time with his ancestors. We did take photos of each of his ancestor’s headstones plus their GPS position.

Bob’s mother had died in April of 2008, and as you can see here, the tombstone had yet to be engraved. A call to the funeral home confirmed that engraving was an included service, but it was going to have to wait to next year as this year’s cut off date has been passed. Hummm…I guess we have to be patient.

This statue/tombstone caught our eye. It is for Goldie Bell Taylor, died back in the 1880’s. There is also a mysterious legend about this stone, some believe this area is haunted. Read about it here.

We had plenty of opportunities to have lunch with our relatives and we did.

Another driveway deal, Oct 2, 2011

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About three months ago we had received an email from a blog reader inviting us to come for a visit and stay in their driveway. So now the timing was right and we stopped for a visit.

We really enjoyed visiting with Pat and Sharon, their house was for sale and had been for three years. You see, when their house sells they will going to be heading out to start the full time lifestyle. We had a great time visiting with them.

Since I am writing this over a week after our visit, I can tell you now their house has sold, the day after we left. The buyer also wanted their Class C motorhome plus all the yard tractors and tools. And they are picking up their newly purchased 40’ motorhome this week in Kentucky. Pat and Sharon, we wish you best with your new endeavor!

Visit with family, Carlisle, OH, Sept 25-Oct 2, 2011

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Here we are moochdocking in my sister’s driveway. Works well, even have an electric hookup. I believe we will give this site a 10. So what is Bob holding, well it is a decorative turtle and a box from Terrapin Creek Ridge. The turtle symbolizes a practical joke that backfired back on us. It is one of those, you had to be there to get a good laugh, but we sure did, get a good laugh!

Lunch with Katherine, my sister, her daughter Susan, and Bob.

Bob mowing her yard, first time he was mowed a yard in probably 5 years!

We all visited a nearby cemetery where my brother-in-law and nephew are buried. Notice the nice flowers Katherine placed on the graves.

This is the beginning of cookie baking time, Katherine is mixing up the spices to add to the Molasses Cookies, using the recipe our Mother used to make.

Yes, they were as good as they look!!

Here Bob is cleaning out Katherine’s gutters and then putting a gutter guard in place.

We can’t decide, which sister is the evil one. I had gotten her a T-shirt saying, “I can’t remember if I am the good sister or the bad (evil) one”. Then she had one made for me. What do you think? Bob says he knows!!

Here we are modeling another present from her. The shirts say, “To Save Time, Let’s Just Assume I’m Never Wrong”. I love it.

Here is my niece Lory and her friend John. Please notice Jerry in the background, a real formerly stuffed beaver.

Getting repairs done in Elkhart, Sept 12-13, 2011

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Well, our time in Copper Harbor, MI was cut short by a not cold Norcold. Our frig died, red light on the recall sensor and the yellow stray of ammonia smelling stuff at the back of the unit. So we took off, after icing down what we could, on Sat and Sun (10th and 11th) driving 643 miles to Elkhart IN, the RV mecca of America.

If you want more detail of our wonderful time in Copper Harbor, check our Bob’s blog. He also talks more about our very timely Norcold frig replaced cooling unit. We sure lucked out with this one.

We are currently parked at Duncan RV in Elkhart getting some items taken care of: slide weather stripping replaced, slide topper repaired, front door glitch with opening fixed, slide adjusted, MCD blind adjustment, and generator cover adjusted.

After running some errands this morning and early afternoon, we headed back to the lounge at Duncan RV to wait until our RV was ready. Soon a lady came in and spoke to me, called me Linda, hummm, who does that. Well it was a fellow blog reader Marie. She and her husband were in the area getting some work done also and she tracked us down.

We had a great visit, left with plans to meet for breakfast on Thursday morning. Gotta love the world of blogging.

Best of our stay in Houghton, MI Aug 26-Sept 4, 2011

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We were fortunate to get reservations at the City of Houghton RV Park, then to top it all off, by moving a few spaces, were able to extend here over the holiday weekend.

This snow level pole shows at the top the level of snow during the winter of 1978-79 – 390.4”

The Eagle Harbor Lighthouse.

Experimenting with charcoal cooking, this split fryer was delicious.

The Copper Range Historical Museum in Chassell was quite interesting. The volunteer was very enthusiastic making it was fun to listen to her tell about growing up in this town.

Below are many attempts to create a better egg beater, quite interesting.

This coat served his owner well, so many patches sewn on as there was no money to buy a replacement one.

A bill for an appendectomy done in 1937, 13 day hospital stay at $1.50/day!

Thursday, Sept 1st was moving day for us, Bob drove and I walked. We moved from site 9 to site 4, and now we can stay here for the Labor Day weekend.

After getting set up, we headed off to tour the Quincy Mine. The #2 shaft went down 9,260’, almost two miles. The man car (on the right) carried 30 men to their work area for their 12 hour shift. The water tank car (on the left) would be used to dewater the mine.

Another tidbit of info about a huge copper mass.

I did find the copper specimen I wanted! It was on display at the Seaman Mineral Museum in Houghton. Wonderful place.

On a drive we came upon this behemoth. Notice the “No Trespassing” sign Bob has passed making a bee line to check out this dredger. Usually he is more mindful of those signs. He said he just wanted to touch it,

and he did.

We helped this young couple with two kids in the SUV, load back up some siding that had slid off the trailer. They were very thankful, we just told them now they have a ‘great story’ to tell their friends. We once had a tour guide in Europe, and that was his deal, if something doesn’t go as you hoped it would, it then makes a great story!

Do you believe the size of these fungi (the internet says “Both fungi and funguses can be used as the plural for fungus.”) I have never seen anything like this before.

You can’t go to Gay Michigan and see this sign without the obligatory photo!

Tomorrow, Sept 5th, we are headed north to Copper Harbor’s Fort Wilkins SP.

Happy Birthday to our daughter–August 30, 2011

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Wishing you a wonderful beautiful birthday, Jenny! We love you so very much!