Sugar Grove, Illinois A Graduation

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Today, our only grand daughter, Brooke, is graduating from the eight grade in Sugar Grove, Illinois.  Since we haven't been able to finish our visits in Effingham, we made a quick trip north to see the graduation leaving the 5th wheel in the Effingham campground.

We took state route 47 north most of the way.  We drove our truck since our car was being repaired after an encounter with a coyote last week.  It is a 3 1/2 hour drive, plus a stop for lunch.  We arrived at Brad and Dawn's home about 4 PM.

This is Brooke graduating from 8th Grade

This is Brad and Dawn's family.

L to R: Jacob, Brad, Brooke, Dawn, and Bradly 

 L to R: Brad, Brooke, Kitty, and Craig (Picture taken by Bradly)

After the graduation, Brooke attended a school dance for the 8th graders and the rest of us went out to eat. 

We spent the night and returned back to Effingham the next day.

Even though this was a quick overnight trip and 7 hours of driving, we really enjoyed seeing Brooke graduate, and visiting with family.  She will be spending this summer baby sitting and getting ready for high school.

We look forward to returning to this area with the 5th wheel in a couple of weeks so we can spend more time them.

Effingham, Illinois

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

We departed Elk Creek Mobile Home Park in Madisonville, Kentucky and headed north to our next destination, Effingham, Illinois.  We stopped in a rest area and had lunch, and made another stop in Farina to pick up Sean, our grandson, and get some fuel.  We arrived at Camp Lakewood in Effingham mid afternoon.

There was some large dark clouds to the west that were getting closer every time we checked.  With Sean's help, we planned a quick set up in an attempt to beat the rain.  Naturally, we had a slight delay checking in because the site they were going to put us on was not the site we reserved.

We usually don't make reservation, but we did this time because our stay would include Memorial Holiday weekend.  The camp ground has new owners and they were still learning to use the manual reservation system and the sites that would accommodate larger RVs.

We finally agreed to take site #14 for five nights, then move to site #20 on Lake Pauline.  Site #14 was a large site, but not on the Lake.  But, we were happy with the plan and the new owners were very friendly and helpful in resolving our reservation issues.  We were all set up and the dark clouds went around us.  Lucky us!

Camp Lakewood site #14

Friday, May 24, 2013

Well, our luck was about to change. We were visiting Kristi, Scott, and Sean at their home in St Peter, Illinois.  Kitty, Sean, and I left their house a little after 9 PM to return back to Camp Lakewood about 30 miles north.  As we left Scott and Kristi's home, I commented about the full moon that was shinning brightly in the dark sky.  "A full moon usually means weird things are about to happen", I said.  Little did I know just how true that would be.

We drove a couple miles on county roads and finally reached the on ramp to I-57 North.  About two miles later it happened.  We were jolted and obviously hit something!  None of us saw anything.  My first thought   was we had hit a large pot hole that blew our tire.  We stopped the car immediately and got out to look. The left front of our car was damaged below the bumper and plastic parts were dangling down.  We called Scott and he came out to help us get going again.

While we waited for Scott, Sean and I walked back to the spot were we hit something to see what it was.  It felt like we had hit a brick wall.  But, we knew there were no brick walls on the Interstate.  Finally, we found the culprit.  A dead coyote laying beside the highway.

Scott tapped up the dangling parts and we made it back to Camp Lakewood without any other mishaps.

I took this picture the next morning showing the $1800 damage to our car. You can see the tape in the lower left corner of the picture.

Monday, May 27, 2013 Memorial Day

We certainly appreciate all those who have served our country and, especially, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.  Without them, our lives would certainly be affected, and we may not be able to enjoy our traveling life style.

Today is also the day we move to site #20 and can enjoy our view of Lake Pauline.  

We still have more visits to make, and another graduation to attend.  More to come.

Madisonville, Kentucky family Visit and Graduations

Friday, May 10, 2013

Today, we are driving from Madisonville to Owensboro, Kentucky to visit with Kitty's Aunt Ruth and
Uncle A.W..  Since it was raining and flood warnings were issued, we decided to make the one hour drive by using the four lane roads all the way into Owensboro.

We arrived mid morning and visited for a while before we all headed to Moonlight BBQ for lunch.  This is a very popular BBQ restaurant with excellent BBQ and vegetables and deserts.  We always enjoy eating here whenever we are in Owensboro.

After lunch, Uncle Dub and Aunt Ruth's son, Gary, joined us and we spent the next hour updating each other on all activities since our last visit.

Gary, Uncle Dub, Aunt Ruth

Monday, May 20th, 2013

Today, Karri's middle son, Brandon, graduates from high school.  This is the first of three graduations we will attend in the next nine days.  Brandon plans to attend trade school this fall to become a certified electrician.  We are very proud of the nice young man Brandon has become.

Brandon

L to R: Alex, Brandon, Kobie, Karri

 Craig, Brandon, Kitty

 Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Today is the second of three graduations.  Alex is Karri's youngest son and is graduating from the 8th grade.  Alex, who plays football on the school team,  received an award for A/B honor roll, and a gold medal for competing in a national physical fitness program.

Alex and Karri

Craig, Alex, Kitty

We really enjoyed our visits while here in Kentucky.  We attended two graduations and were able to spend quality time with kids, grand children, and many friends.  But, our time here has come to an end, and it's time to head to Illinois for more family visits and another graduation.

Glasgow and Bowling Green, Ky

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Kitty, Kallie, and I spent last night at Ted and Pat's.  Today is a special day because it is Pat's birthday.  In honor of her birthday, we all decided she could cook breakfast!  After all, we were all hungry and she is a great cook.  So, why waste all that talent on eating out?

After eating the scrumptious breakfast that Pat fixed, our plan was to drive around the area to see where Ted and Pat grew up, then drive into Glasgow to visit a museum depicting the history in this area, then back to their house for lunch and dog check, then on to Bowling Green to see the Corvette museum and tour the Western Kentucky University campus, and then find a place to eat dinner and celebrate Pat's birthday.  Little did Pat know, Ted had a big surprise waiting for her at dinner.

The tour of the local area was very interesting and the museum was one of the best free museums we have seen.  Not wanting to waste her talents again, we headed back to the house so the birthday girl could fix us lunch. At this rate, we should celebrate Pat's birthday everyday!

Now it's time to head to Bowling Green, Ky.  The first stop is the National Corvette Museum.

Here's Pat in her new Corvette!!! What a birthday gift!  Ha!  Just kidding!  There's no Corvette for Pat this year, maybe next year.

It's actually MY new Corvette!!!  Wow!  Just give me the keys and I am outta here!  Uh...just kidding again.  Dang!

After the Corvette Museum, Ted drove us around the WKU campus showing us where they lived when Ted went to school here and Pat worked nearby.  The campus has changed a lot since it's been several decades since Ted attended college here!

As the campus tour was coming to the end, Kitty noticed a sign advertising Anna's Greek restaurant and we decided to check it out.  Well, actually Ted, Kitty and I decided to check it out.  Pat was looking for somewhere else to eat.  But, just cause it was her birthday, doesn't mean she gets to choose where to eat! Right?  

Of course, Ted had already arranged a big surprise for Pat at this restaurant.  When we walked into the restaurant, there was a table with four people holding their menus up to cover their faces.  Pat wasn't expecting to see these folks!

Surprise!!!!

 Here's the four surprise people that made the 1 1/2 hour drive to celebrate Pat's birthday.

L to R: Barry, Susan, Debbie, and Randy

Let's all sing Happy Birthday to the Birthday Girl!!

We all enjoyed the perfect combination of food, fun, and friends.  It was a great way to celebrate Pat's birthday and it's the first time we've all been together since we left Florida a couple of months ago.

Edmonton, Ky

Tuesday, May 7th

Today we headed east from Madisonville, Kentucky to Edmonton for a visit with our friends Ted and Pat (aka... Eagle Eye and Lead Foot).  We always enjoy getting together with these two and we have been looking forward to seeing them again after spending last winter with them in Florida.  Our visit was planned so we would be there for Pat's birthday.

Ted and Pat have done a monster of a job fixing up their farm to make it a beautiful and comfortable place to live.  The property has several ponds stocked with fish, a barn, spring house, lots of trees, and beautiful views.

Shortly after arriving, Ted gave us a tour of the farm on their Bob Cat.  Kitty and Pat sat in the back and Ted and I were up front.

The ever stylish Pat is showing us her boots that protect that lead foot! Ha!

Here's some shots from around the farm.

This is Ted holding Judy Judy Judy.

These geese have made their home here.  Mom and Pop are taking the kids for a walk.  There are five babies, but I can only find four in this picture.  Perhaps the fifth one was the only one that read the no trespassing sign in the lower right of this picture. Ha!

Of course, no tour would be complete without a rest stop!

After the tour, Ted took us back to the barn to get the fishing gear and we headed back to the ponds.  With the four of us having lines in this pond at the same time, these fish are in serious trouble!  If you look real close, you can see a blue gill on the line just below my left hand.

I call this one Pat's cat!  He was a beauty!

This is Ted straining to hold his fish up so I could take a picture of it.  Wow!  This one surely has to be some sort of record!

Pat has many talents besides catching fish and one of them is cooking.  I am on a rather complicated diet, and she always comes with great meals that I can eat, and I really appreciate that about her.  Here is my breakfast, some scrumptious oat meal.

I can't believe she ate the whole thing! (Kitty, not Kallie!)

Next, we will head to Bowling Green to take in some of the sights there; and, a big surprise for Pat!  Stay tuned!

Madisonville, Kentucky & A Family Gathering

Saturday, May 4, 2013

We are in Madisonville, Kentucky to visit with our kids, grand kids  and friends.  We used to live here many years ago and still have friends and family in the area, and this is where I first met Kitty.

I met Kitty when we both worked at York International.  Kitty worked in the accounting department and I worked in the purchasing department.  One day I noticed her standing at the copy machine making some photo copies.  So, I looked around on my desk for something to copy and walked over to the copy machine.  While I was waiting for her to finish making her copies, we struck up a conversation.  I was really impressed the way she handled that copy machine.  It never jammed and all her copies were in perfect order.  Not only that, she was very attractive and a great conversationalist. Wow! What a gal!

The next thing I know, she's calling me on the phone late one Friday afternoon to invite me out!  I am sure our mutual friend, Debbie, had a hand in Kitty making that call.  Being a man with reasonable intelligence and a strong appreciation of accounting women that excel at making copies, I accepted her invitation, and the rest is history.

Sorry, I digressed.  Our first visit, while we are back in this area, is to to see our daughter Karri, her three boys, and our son Kobie.   They live about 30 miles south of Madisonville.  In addition, our daughter from St Peter, Illinois, Kristi, and her son Sean, drove down for a weekend get together at Karri's.

Before we introduce you to the kids and grand kids, let's meet the dogs first.  Karri and two dogs, Cheree and Thor.  Cheree is a white miniature poodle, Thor is a black toy poodle, and our dog, Kallie, is a red standard poodle.  These three dogs remind me of a news paper...it's black and white and red all over!

This is Cheree

Here is the mighty Thor.

Miss Kallie Marie

After a hard day of playing with Cheree and Thor, Kallie decided to take a nap in Thor's bed.  There just wasn't quite enough room to get that last leg in that tiny bed.  You'll notice just to the right is Cheree's bed.  It would fit Kallie much better, but she choose Thor's bed for some reason.

Now for the family.

Front row L to R: Kristi, Kitty, Karri, and me
 Back row L to R: Sean, Alex, Kobie, and Brandon

Kristi and Sean drove down from Illinois.

 L to R: Kristi, Sean (the tall one) and Kobie

L to R: Brandon, Karri, Kristian, Alex, Kitty, me, and Kobie

Brandon will be graduating from high school and Alex will be graduating from 8th grade later this month.
We've only just started with our visits.  Since we are full time travelers, we miss most of the birthdays; but hope to get some quality visits with each of the kids and grand kids as we make our annual visit to see everyone.  There's lots more to come!

Leaving Alabama Heading to Kentucky

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Well it's time to leave Gunter Hill COE just west of Montgomery, Alabama.  We have an appointment to have the 5th wheel black water valve fixed at 9:00 am in Millbrook, Alabama.  This means we had to pull out of the campground by 8:00 am and drive the 45 minutes north to Clark's RV.

We had everything packed up the night before which made the early departure a little easier.  But, my biggest concern was getting Kitty up in time to avoid closing the bedroom slide with her still in bed!  There's no way out of the bedroom if you are in there when the slide is in; and, I could be several miles down the road before I realized she wasn't following me!  Then what would I do?  Thank goodness she was up early and we pulled out on schedule. Whew!

We arrived at Clark's RV and they understood we had reservations in Decatur, Alabama, nearly 200 miles away.  So, they got right to work on the RV.  The guy working on our RV wasn't too happy.  The first words out of his mouth were "it would have to be the BLACK WATER VALVE!  My reply was, "everyone should start their day working on the BLACK WATER VALVE.  It makes the rest of the day seem fantastic!"

In order to get to the valve, the mid section of the underpinning has to be dropped down. Once he could see the valve operate , it appeared to be a problem with the cable that opens and closes the valve, not the valve itself.  Naturally, they did not have a cable long enough to replace the one on the 5th wheel.  So, he just lubricated it and it worked fine.  But, just to be sure we don't have any more black water leaking out, I had them install another slide valve directly behind the removable sewer cap. If there was any leakage, this valve would hold it back until I could get the sewer hose connected.  Problem solved and we were on our way before noon.

We made reservations at Mallard Point Campground in Decatur, Alabama.  We drove about 30 miles and stopped at a rest area on Interstate 65 for lunch.  Had I trapped Kitty in the bedroom by moving the slide in, she wouldn't have been able to pack the lunch and I would have most certainly had to let her out for that!  Ha!

The rain started less than an hour after we were back on the road from our lunch break.  It rained quite hard at times and we had no idea what problems that was going to cause us later.

We arrived at Point Mallard Campground around 4:00 pm.  When I checked in, I asked the clerk to be sure the site was big enough for our fifth wheel.  "Oh, yes sir. No problem."  The camp ground was nearly full with very few sites left.  Most sites were very close together and not very long.  They had recently installed sewers in our section, and the ground was still torn up and mud was everywhere from all the rain.

Our site had new gravel on it, but it had not been packed down nor leveled.  When we back into the site, the trailer wheels became marred in mud and sand.  I got out of the truck to check things out and waded in water and mud.  I had shorts and sandals on and the temperature had dropped into the low 50's and was continuing to drop as the front was coming through this area.

It was difficult getting into the site with a pile of sand in the way.  Why did they put that there?  What were they thinking? We finally managed to get into the site leaving deep ruts in the soggy gravel.  Thank goodness I have a big dually with enough power to navigate the muck.  The 5th wheel wasn't level; but, at this point, we didn't care.  I continued to wade in slop and mud and sand to get the utilities hooked up. We could not lower the rear stabilizers because there was a ditch full of water underneath the jacks.  Had they made the site two feet longer, it would have been long enough for our 5th wheel.  It makes me think the people in the campground office have no idea about the site length.

We unhooked the truck and went into town to fuel up for tomorrows drive to Kentucky.  We stopped at a Papa John's and got a pizza and some wings and went back to the 5th wheel for supper.


Thursday, April 25, 2013

We gladly left Point Mallard at 9:00 am heading north on I-65 all the way to Nashville, Tn.  Then west on I-24, and North on the Pennyrile Parkway to Madisonville, Kentucky.  We are staying in Elk Creek Mobile Home Park.  They have several empty sites and rent them out to RV'rs.  Kobie and Jerraca met us here and helped get us set up.

Here's a couple of shots of our site.

Our reason for being here is to visit with friends and family the next few weeks. But, we plan to see some sites also.  We'll keep you posted.