Happy Birthday Linda and Starting To Get Ready

DeBary, Fl.

75 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 94F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.


Nothing real exciting going on around here. Jim and Linda have been getting things together to take along on our Illinois trip. They've made some lists so they could remember what they need to take and have already started packing some things into boxes and bags. 

Saturday, was Linda's birthday, so at noon, they met Laura, Lindsey and Anna over at the Longhorn Steakhouse for lunch. Then, in the evening, they headed to Laura's where they had Cupcakes and ice cream. Marv, Inez, Ashley, Chris, Anna and of course Laura and Lindsey were there and it sounds like everyone had a good time. ;-) 

Linda blowing out candles on cupcakes

Yesterday, Jim took Lily and went to Walgreen's to pick up a few prescriptions and to the local Winn Dixie store where he bought some groceries to use on or trip up North. Today he wants to get outside early and get a few things done out there before it gets too hot. We're right in the middle of the hottest time of the year down here now and almost every day, the temps are in the mid-ninety's with rain showers/storms in the afternoon, causing lots of humidity.  :-( 

Jim seems to be feeling pretty well. For now, most of the side effects from the Opdivo seem to be gone, but he is still taking medicine to counter those effects. Hopefully by the time that medicine is gone, so will be the side effects. 

It's still not completely decided on just when we'll be leaving DeBary. If they get everything ready, we may leave here as early as Sunday. I think Linda is worried about how Jim will be feeling after traveling for 4 or 5 hours a day, and said yesterday, that she thought that adding an extra "rest" day to the trip would be good. 

Well, that's about it for now. I'm going to make a real effort to post more often, especially while we're traveling.  


Did you know that on this date in 1966 - The Monkees recorded their first single? The song was "The Last Train to Clarksville" and was later included on their self-titled debut album. 

Woof!!!

Jim's 75th, Leaving Rantoul and The First 3 Days Of Travel

Waynesville, NC

55 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 83F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.


Saturday, September the 17th, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed to the Longhorn Steakhouse down in Champaign. You see, Sunday the 18th, was Jim's 75th birthday, but neither Jim nor Linda wanted to go on Sunday when it would be much more crowded at the restaurant. They both had very good steak dinners and really enjoyed themselves.

Then, on Sunday, Louise and Paul, (the campground hosts), had Jim and Linda over for a Pork chop farewell dinner, ( Louise didn't realize the it was Jim's birthday). The meal was great and the conversation even better. :-)

By Wednesday morning, Jim and Linda had everything packed up and ready to go, so after hugs and handshakes, we left Prairie Pines CG and headed East towards Indianapolis.

After following I-74 into Indiana, we took I-465 around to the South side of the city where we pulled into the Lake Haven RV Park. It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to make the  135 mile trip over there. After arriving, Jim took a little nap and then he and Linda headed over to Linda's cousin's house for a visit.

It had been a year since they had visited with Mike and his wife, Sandy. Both Linda and Jim really enjoyed seeing them and hopefully they'll see them again next year.

Thursday, we left Indy and took I-465 the rest of the way around the South sided of the city where we picked up I-74, heading SE towards Cincinnati. Just before the city, we turned off on I-275 and followed it around to the South side of Cincinnati where we turned South on I-75. We then took 75 all the way down to Berea , KY where we pulled into the Walnut Meadow RV Park.

It was a long day for us, but Jim did well and by the end, we had traveled  235 miles in about 4 hours and 5 minutes.

The reason for coming to Berea was to stop and see Linda's other cousin, Rick and to meet his new friend Barb. Rick went through a nasty divorce a few years ago, and everyone is really happy that he found someone he really seems to enjoy being with.

Anyway, Jim, Linda, Rick and Barb went to the local Cracker Barrel Restaurant where they all enjoyed the good food and the great conversations. Then, after the meal, Rick took everyone back to his apartment where he surprised Jim with a belated Birthday cake and ice cream for desert!!!

Afterwords, they all sat around visiting and catching up on what has been happening the last few years since they last saw each other. It was good seeing Rick again and he seems much happier now that he has met Barb, who seems like a very nice lady.

Yesterday morning, we left Berea and continued South on I-75, down to Knoxville. Just North of Knoxville, we turned East on I-640. We followed it around to the East side of the city where we picked up I-40. 40 then took us first East and then South down here to Waynesville, NC where we turned off on US 276 and followed it a few miles here to the Creekwood Farms RV Park.It was about 12:55 by the time we arrived and so we had traveled another 223 miles in about 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Another long day for us. :-(

Today the plan is to head down to Forest City, NC to visit Jim and Linda's very good friends, Roland and Louise. Long time followers of this blog will know that Roland and Louise have been very good friends for many years and they always enjoy being together and catching up on what has happened since their last meeting.

We'll be staying at their place, out in the country, for 4 nights before heading to the Raleigh area to see Jim's son  Mike and his family. 

Did you know that on this date in  1977 - "The Love Boat" debuted on ABC-TV?

Woof!!!

Hot!! Hot!! Hot!! and Happy Birthday Linda!!

Rantoul, IL

88 deg, clear, S. wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing this afternoon. High 89F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.


Like so  many other parts of the country, it's been really hot here in Rantoul lately. Many of the days the temp. has been up around 90 with high humidity and light winds. :-(   So,   ,  ,  ,  ,  like almost everyone else in the park, Jim and Linda have been mostly staying inside of Nora where her A/C unit is purrring along nicely and keeping the temperatures nice and cool!! :-)

One exception is that yesterday afternoon, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to Champaign and to the Longhorn Steakhouse where they both enjoyed nice steak dinners.

Now, I'll bet you're asking yourself, "Why would they go out to get a steak dinner when it's so hot out?"  Well,  ,  ,  , yesterday was Linda's birthday and Jim decided to treat her to a nice dinner!!!!

By about 2:30 or 3:00 they were back here, (stuffed), and were over across the street, talking to Paul and Louise. They didn't stay too long though, it was pretty hot and the "sweat bees" were driving everyone crazy.

After returning to Nora, they both just stayed inside.

Other than that. nothing much has been happening around here. Both Jim and Linda have been starting to get ready for our trip up to Wisconsin for Linda's family reunion, which is just over a week away. Jim dumped the tanks today and then will dump them again just before we leave, so that we'll be traveling with almost empty black and grey water tanks. He will make sure that we've got plenty of fresh water though, so he doesn't have to hook up the water hose when we stop at  a CG part way up there.


Did you know that the highest temperature ever reported in Illinois was 117°F in East St. Louis. IL on July 14, 1954?


Woof!!!

And, We're Off!!!!

Chiefland, FL.

88 deg. partly cloudy, N. breeze @ 3 mph.

Forecast Tuesday = Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 92F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.


Yep!!! We're finally back on the road!!! ;-)  We pulled out of the Paradise Lakes CG about 9:40 and after following some local roads headed North on US 17, up to Barberville, where we turned West on Rt. 40. We followed 40 over to near Ocala and then took Rt. 326 to the North and West to avoid the city traffic. 326 took us over to US 27 where we turned NW and followed it over here to Chiefland.

It was right at 12:30 so we were on the road for 2 hours and 50 minutes and had traveled 131 miles when we pulled into the Chiefland RV Park which is just a little North of the junction of US 27A and US 19.  It's a Passport America Park, so we're staying here for 1/2 price. It's nothing fancy but for $15 a night, what can you expect?

Jim was really tired by the time he had Nora hooked up to the back of Big RED this morning, but the drive over here was un-eventfull so the trip over here wasn't too bad. When we arrived here, (after registering), we pulled into our site, which was level enough. Jim hooked up the electric cable, ran the tongue jack down, ran the 4 stabilizing jacks down with his DeWalt drill, came inside, put out the slide, and sat down and had a cold one. ;-)

He had dumped the black and gray water tanks back at Paradise Lakes and filled the fresh water tank before we left, so he didn't need to hook up sewer hoses or the water hose.

Jim was tired by the time he had finished, but he was able to do what needed to be done. We probably won't be setting any speed records getting up to Rantoul though. :-)

Oh, by the way!!! I almost forgot to tell you, Jim and Linda had a great time over at Mar and Inez's house Sunday evening, celebrating Laura's Birthday!!! They had tacos and birthday cake with ice cream. And of course, everybody sang "Happy Birthday" to Laura!!! :-)  

Happy Birthday Laura!!!! And we hope you have many, many, more!!!!!


Did you know that on this date in 1920 - The U.S. Post Office Department ruled that children may not be sent by parcel post?

Woof!!!

Back At The Campground Again

DeBary, FL.

94 deg. humidity 59% NW wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast tonight = A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low around 70F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

Forecast tomorrow = Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High near 95F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.



We're back out at the campground again, only this time it isn't just for a weekend. This time we're getting ready to hit the road and head for Illinois!!!!!

This last week has been very busy. Tuesday, Linda had an appointment with Dr. Saferali and everything went very well. In fact, since Jim was along, there were also talks about Jim's health and what the doctor wanted him to do.

She definitely wants Jim to get a CT Scan while we're up in Illinois but really doesn't expect anything to show up. She just wants to be sure and really, it's probably the best for Jim.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ever since then, Jim and Linda have been gathering things up, bringing them out here to Nora and getting it all packed away in it's proper place. This has taken awhile since the temperatures every day have been in the mid to upper 90's and the humidity had been very high to boot!! :-(

But, they've made it and today they closed down the house for the summer. We could actually leave here tomorrow, but tomorrow is Laura's birthday and Jim and Linda are invited to a Taco dinner at Marv and Inez's house in the evening. And, because usually we're not here to celebrate Laura's birthday both Linda and Jim decided that the originally proposed departure date of the 13th would work out just fine.

So, that's the plan. Unless something unforeseen happens, we'll leave here Monday morning and start working our way North. The weather reports along the way don't sound very good and we may run into a lot of rain on the way. Hopefully not, cause Jim doesn't really like to drive in heavy rain, and it will just put more stress on our travels, not to mention setting up in the evenings and getting going in the mornings in the rain.

We're not in a big hurry though, so if the weather is too nasty, we'll just stay at whatever CG we're in for another day. :-)

Did you know that close to two billion Birthday Cards are sent each year in the U.S. alone, accounting for nearly 58 percent of all cards sent?


Woof!!!

Paul And Louise Return, A Birthday and Continuing To Make Travel Plans

Rantoul, IL.

52 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny, high 78F. Winds light and variable.


Not a whole lot to report, but I thought I'd bring you up to date on what's been happening around here.

Paul and Louise rolled in about 10:00 Saturday night after going down to Florida for Paul's son's funeral services. It was rough for both of them down there, and it seemed like they were glad to be back "home". In fact, Louise said that they drove 12 hours on Saturday because they didn't want to stay another night in a motel.

Linda's eye is recovering nicely from the treatment on Friday. She's really glad that she won't have to go back to an eye doctor until sometime in December. Nothing much happened over the weekend except most of the "kids" called to wish Jim a Happy Birthday. His birthday was on Friday and since Linda's eye was sore and the weather wasn't too nice, he and Linda have decided to go out to have a belated "birthday dinner" sometime this week.

Over the weekend, Jim has been busy working on a trip plan for our return to Florida for the winter. As of now, the plan is to head out to Virginia Beach to see Joe and his family, then to Apex, NC to see Mike and his family, then wander down to Florida, arriving sometime during the middle of November. He still has quite a few details to work out, so no definite dates have been set yet.

That'll come as he refines the plan and he and Linda make decisions on where they'll be stopping along the way.

Jim and Linda would like to thank all of you who commented, e-mailed or called, expressing your thoughts and prayers for Paul and Louise during their trying time this past week. Both of them seem to be doing pretty well, and we're hoping that time will help heal the pain they must be feeling.

Thank You!!!!

Here's a quote I found on the internet;  “The rainbows of life follow the storms.”  author unknown.

Woof!!!

A Long Time Since Last Post and Today Should Be A Very Good Day

Rantoul, IL.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 83F. Winds light and variable.


Wow!!!! Can't believe how long it's been since I last posted!!!! Sorry about that!!

There really hasn't been a whole lot to post about. Between the rain. that except for the last few days, that has been keeping everything quite wet, and the mosquitoes, that won't leave you alone when you're outside, both Jim and Linda haven't been out and about much.

We have had some more heavy rain, and it seems like the water leak we had seems to be stopped as a result of Jim's calking efforts. I sure hope so because I don't like getting my feet wet, not to mention any damage to the trailer that a leak can cause.

Linda went back to the eye doctor again yesterday and had another injection, this time in the other eye. Everything went well and now she has another appointment for the 11th of next month. :-(

I'm really looking forward to today!!!

Why?? You ask???

Well, today, Mike, Jim's son who lives in Apex, North Carolina, is flying into Midway airport in Chicago and is coming here for a visit this afternoon!!!! He'll be driving down here and should get here sometime after lunch. That, and the fact that today is Linda's birthday, should make today a very good day!!! :-)

The plan is that Linda, Jim and Mike will visit for awhile this afternoon and then go out to eat someplace before Mike has to leave this evening to head back up to near Chicago to spend some time with his mother and visit with friends.

Did you know that more people celebrate their birthdays in August than in any other month? The two other months in which birthday rates are high is July and September.

Happy Birthday, Linda!!!!

Woof!!!

A Very Nice Birthday, New Plans and A Cook-Out At Paul and Louise's

Rantoul, IL.

deg
Forecast =

First of all, Jim wants to thank everyone who commented, e-mailed, called, stopped by, or in some other way, wished him a happy birthday Thursday.  ;-)  He had a very nice day and all of you made it even more special.

Thank You!!!! :-)

Jim didn't do much Thursday, just enjoyed a nice quiet day and the great weather that we had. Then for dinner, Big RED took he and Linda down to the LongHorn Steadhouse in Champaign. Both of them had steaks and both said that they were excellent.  The service was also very good and they both enjoyed the experience. ;-)

Yesterday, Jim worked on a new trip plan for part of the day. He called Roland and he and Louise will still be at their home in North Carolina when we'll be passing through the area, so we'll be stopping by there for a few days. He also called a few small campgrounds near Mike's house in Apex, NC., but they were booked for the dates that we'd be there, so we'll have to settle for a larger one that  we've stayed at before or go to the Jordan Lake SRA, both not first choices, but well serve nicely.

Then, yesterday evening, Louise and Paul had a gathering at their site here at the CG. Louise made chili and cooked hot dogs on the grill along with all the "fixin's". There were about a dozen people from the park there and as far as I could tell, everyone had a good time talking, eating and sitting around the campfire. :-)

Thank you, Louise and Paul!!!!

No big plans for today. Tomorrow, Jim and Linda need to do laundry and then on Tuesday, I think Big RED will be taking them up to Naperville, IL. to see Linda's sister, Nancy and her son David. Naperville, is about 125 miles from here, so it'll be a long day.


Did you know that on this date in 1953 - The TV show "Letter to Loretta" premiered? The name was changed to "The Loretta Young Show" on February 14, 1954.

Woof!!!

Good News, Next Appointments and What Does This Mean?

Rantoul, IL.

51 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 72°F. Northeast wind to 7 MPH.

It was about 10:45 when Big RED pulled out of the campground and took Linda and Jim down to the South side of Champaign for Linda's follow-up appointment after the cataract surgery on her right eye. The appointment to see Dr. Anderson was at 11:30 and Big RED said that they made there with time to spare.

The follow-up went fine and after some vision tests and her looking into Linda's eyes, Dr. Anderson said that both eyes were doing well and that she wanted to see Linda once more in about 2 weeks. ;-)

Good News!!!!!

OK, now let's see what this means.

Linda's appointment with Dr. Gandhi, (the retinaologist), is on the the 30th of September, so that means that for the next 12 days, there are no doctor appointments at all!!!!

Then, 2 days later, on the 2nd of October, Linda has the appointment with Dr. Anderson.

If everything goes well at that appointment, we'll be "good to go" as early as the 3rd of September!!!!

That means that we'll be able to leave here about a week earlier than originally planned, which will mean that we won't have to hurry or cut short our visits with Mike or Joe and their families. It also means that we'll be able to take our time heading down the coast on our way to FL and if Roland and Louise are still at their house in North Carolina, we can stop by there for a few days to visit!!!

And, you know what else it means??? Linda will not have a Doctor's appointment for as many as 45 days!!!!!  That has not happened for more than a year!!!!

So, ,  , , , , ,  , , in the next few days I expect Jim to be getting out that big eraser again and making a new plan for our trip. (I think this will be "Plan D")   ;-)  As soon as he gets it penciled in on the calendar, I'll fill you in on our "tentative" schedule.

Did you know that today is Jim's Birthday?

Happy Birthday, Jim!!!!!!

Woof!!!

Back in Rantoul IL

Rantoul, IL (Prairie Pines CG)

74 deg. partly cloudy, NE wind @ 13 mph.
Forecast =  Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 77°F. North wind 11 to 16 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 55%.

Linda woke up about an hour earlier than planned so by 8:55 we were pulling out of the Hilltop CG near Goreville. Just outside of the park, we turned onto the entrance ramp for I-57 North. 57 was a pretty good road, (except for the bridge approaches), and we made good time, even though we did have a few fairly short construction zones.

When we got up to Tuscola, we pulled into a truck stop and Jim bought Big RED a nice big drink of #2 diesel. He was pretty thirsty because the last drink that he had was way back in Clarksville, TN.

Once Big RED had his drink we continued on I-57 up here to Rantoul and the Prairie Pines Campground. When we pulled up in front of the office, it was 12:45, so we had been on the road for about 3 hours and 50 minutes and traveled 221 miles.

Louise was waiting for us and led us right to site #23.  Jim has always said that he thought 23 was his favorite site and this year, Louise was able to save it for us. :-)

Here's a few photos of our site.

Viewed from the street

View from patio looking towards the street. That's the bath house/laundry across the street on the right.

Our back yard.

View from back yard. Those big trees on the awning side of Nora are on the South side, so they provide very good shade during the hottest part of the day.

As you can see, the sites are huge and for the most part very level. All the sites are Pull-through and Paul and Louise know which ones you need to park on to avoid problems with the trees if you have satellite.  

When we drove into the park, I saw a 5th wheel trailer and truck that looked very familiar. And, it should have, because it belongs to  Mike and Terri Young, very good RVing friends that Jim and Linda have known for quite a few years. We haven't been able to meet up with them much lately, but this summer, they've been spending some time in IL. and decided to stay here at Prairie Pines for awhile.

After Jim got Nora unhooked from Big RED and set up, they came by to bring Linda a card, wish her a Happy Birthday and to visit for awhile. I find it amazing that even though RVers may not see each other for a long time, they seem to just pick up the conversation right where they left off the last time they visited. ;-)

I think RVers, especially full-time RVers, are a little different breed. ;-)

Tentative plans have already been made with Mike and Terri to go out to eat today. And, I'm sure there will be a lot more visiting and catching up on what's happened lately while they're here.

A little later, Paul and Louise also stopped by to bring Linda a card, wish her a Happy Birthday. see Nora and to visit, but they couldn't stay to visit because a RV came into the park and they had to go to register it and lead it into a site. :-(

I'm sure Jim and Linda will be visiting with them soon though.

Just one last thing!  Linda wants to thank everyone who called, e-mailed, left a blog comment or came over to wish her a Happy Birthday!!!! It really did mean a lot to her to hear from all of you.

Thank you!!!!

Did you know that the world's first Skyscraper was built in Chicago, in 1885?

Woof!!!

Tennessee To Kentucky To Illinois and H.B.L.

Goreville, IL (Hilltop CG)

65 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 90°F. Heat index around 99°F. East southeast wind 1 to 6 MPH.


There really wasn't any hurry, so it was about 9:40 when we pulled out of the Clarksville CG. Once back on I-24, we continued NW through Kentucky and into Illinois.

24 in Kentucky was quite rough in places and there were some spots where the pavement was broken and potholes had developed. 24 in Illinois was OK except for the bridge approaches, which has, for as long as I can remember, been a problem. :-(

As we crossed into IL, we stopped at the Welcome Center Rest Area for a "pit stop" and to check if everything was OK after the rough sections of road in KY. Everything was fine and soon we were turning off of I-24 at exit #7. Once off of the Interstate, we turned West on Tunnel Hill Road, which took us Rt. 37. Turning North on 37 brought us to the little town of Goreville, where we again turned West on Main St./Goreville Rd. Following Goreville Rd. brought us to Baker Lane and the Hilltop CG, which is just before you get ti I-57.

If you have a Big Rig, you might want to take I-24 up to I-57 and then come back down on 57 to the CG. Tunnel Hill Rd. and Goreville Rd. are basically good roads, but they are somewhat narrow, twisty and in places very hilly!!

We like the Hilltop CG, it's a fairly small park and owners and manager are supper nice. They have both back-in and Pull-through sites and it looks like all of them are nice and level. Some have 30 amp electric, and some have 50 amp, and many, if not all are full hook-up.

We're in site #10 and it has some nice big trees for shade, which is nice because the high yesterday was around 90 degrees.

It was 12:05 when we pulled in, so it took us about 2 hours and 25 minutes to travel 138 miles and make the "pit stop". 

Today, we'll be heading for Rantoul, IL. Jim called Louise yesterday morning to give her a "heads up" on our plans, but she already knew we were coming because she was reading yesterday's blog post at the time. ;-) 

It'll be a little over 200 miles up there, but we're not in a big rush and know that we'll have a nice site whatever time we get there.

Oh!!!! And one more thing. Happy Birthday Linda!!!! I'm so glad that were going to be able to make it back to Rantoul for your big day!!!! ;-)

Did you know that more people celebrate their birthdays in August than in any other month? The two other months in which birthday rates are high is July and September.

Dinner With Laura And Lindsey and A Surprise

DeBary, FL.

68 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecasts = Partly cloudy. High of 93F. Winds from the SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Not much happened during the day yesterday. Jim's been fine tuning the temperatures in the new refrigerator, getting both the fridge and the freezer set the way he wants them. Linda did a load of laundry and they both took naps in the afternoon.

Then, about 4:40 Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed over to the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant for dinner, getting there a couple minutes before 5:00. About 15 minutes later, Laura and Lindsey arrived. Friday night probably wasn't the best night to go there because even though it was fairly early, the place was packed and very noisy!!!

Eventually they were seated and I was told that everyone enjoyed very good dinners. :-)

After dinner, they all came back here to the house, since plans had been made for Laura and Lindsey to stop by and visit for awhile. Well, when Jim walked into the house, one of the first things he saw was a birthday cake sitting on the kitchen table!!!

You see, just after Jim and Linda left to go to the restaurant, Laura and Lindsey stopped by and dropped off the cake and some ice cream. Of course I was in on the plan because Linda didn't want me raising a fuss when Laura and Lindsey came in. ;-)

Laura took this photo of Jim and Linda with Jim's camera.

After getting off work, Ashley also stopped by to join the party. This photo is of Ashley, Laura and Lindsey after everyone had their cake and ice cream.

So, as far as I could tell, the whole evening was a great success. Everyone had a nice dinner and Jim was pleasantly surprised when they returned here to the house.

Don't know of any plans for today. Probably just normal day to day stuff.

Did you know that more people celebrate their birthdays in August than in any other month? The two other months in which birthday rates are high is July and September.

Woof!!!

More Stuff To Put Away and Ashley's Birthday Party

DeBary, FL.

71 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain in the afternoon. High of 97F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Jim was up early, drinking coffee and playing around with the computer. I think he's enjoying the large space to move around in and the Barcalounger recliner that he bought before we left here in April.  :-)

One thing on his "to do" list for yesterday was to go to the Post Office and let them know we were back here again, so he took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed over there around 9:00.  Then, on the way back, he stopped at an auto parts store and picked up some of that "Stable" gas treatment stuff to put in Bobbie T's tank so the gasoline won't gum everything up while she's sitting over there in the storage lot.

Just before lunch, Jim and Linda went over to the storage lot and got some more stuff out of Bobbie T. It was really getting hot by that time, so by the time they returned, they were pretty beat. :-(

Neither Jim or Linda had much ambition after that, so they just worked on organizing some of the things that were brought in from Bobbie T. on Friday. They've still got a lot to do, but they're making some progress.

For dinner, they decided to go to Burger King to grab a sandwich. After eating they went across the street and bought a few items at the CVS store before coming back here to the house. Then, around 10:00 they headed to bed.


Sunday, September 1, 2013

Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda did some rearranging of cabinets and put away some more of the things they had brought in from Bobbie T. Then, around  11:30 they got ready and headed over to Marv and Inez's house,  (Lindsey's parents), in Deland for a birthday dinner for Ashley. (Laura and Lindsey's oldest daughter). Ashley's birthday is actually today, but Sunday worked out better for everyone to come.

 Anna, (Laura and Lindsey's youngest daughter), drove down for the weekend from Jacksonville, and 2 of Lindsey's brothers and one of the brother's family were there too.

Inez made delicious tacos and Laura brought a birthday cake. From what I can tell, everyone had a great time. ;-)

About 3:00 CLT brought Jim and Linda back here to the house and then they both took naps. After their naps, they continued to put things away and reorganizing until Laura and Anna stopped by later in the evening. Then they all sat around and talked until about 9:00.

Around 10:00 Jim and Linda started getting tired, so they headed off to bed.

Today the plan is to go to a few stores in the area and see about buying a microwave and a TV for the house.

Did you know that on this date in 1956 - Elvis Presley shared his success with his family by purchasing his mother a pink Cadillac?

Happy Birthday, Ashley!!!!!!! ;-)

Woof!!!

Beautiful Weather and "The Sidetracks Bar And Restaurant"

Thompson, MI.

56 deg. Clear, NW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 66F. Breezy. Winds from the NNW at 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 30 mph.

Even though they were forecasting a 50% chance of rain yesterday, it turned out to be a beautiful day here in Thompson and I think that Linda had a very nice Birthday. It was a little breezy, but the temperatures got up to around 76 deg. and it was quite comfortable for Jim and Linda to sit outside and enjoy the view of the lake and listen to the birds singing. ;-)

After lunch, they took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed over to Manistique and picked up their mail that they had sent to them, via General Delivery. It had been a couple weeks since they had received any mail, so there was quite a lot this time.

After returning here and checking out the mail, both of them took a little nap. :-)

When Jim was taking the garbage to the dumpster yesterday morning, he met Bill and Diane, (the owners of this park), and asked them for a suggestion of a good place to eat in this area. Without hesitation, Bill suggested the Sidetracks Bar and Restaurant in Cooks, MI, which is about 10 miles West of here on US 2. He gave Jim directions like, "Take 2 to Cooks, which is around 8 or 10 miles west of here. When you get to the U. P. Tire Store, make a right and go about a mile and you'll see it next to the railroad tracks. You can't miss it"!!!

When people say, "You can't miss it", Jim gets a little nervous. Too many times, he's found out that you definitely can miss the place they're telling you about!!!  But, after leaving here a little before 5:00, Jim and Linda found out that Bill gave them very good instructions and they didn't miss it!  :-)

Now, I understand that the Sidetracks is "packed" on Friday nights when they have their "fish fry" special, but being that it was Monday night, there were only a few people there eating, and a few others at the bar. The Sidetracks is noted for their fish dinners, so Jim ordered the Perch and Linda ordered the Fantail Shrimp.

First the friendly waitress brought Jim and Linda huge very fresh salads with lots of homemade dressing. Then, when they were just about finished with that, she brought out the heaping plates full of food!!!! Linda had very large baked potato to go with her 7 very large shrimp and Jim had a very large quantity of excellent french fries to go with a very large amount of very tasty fish!!!

Both Jim and Linda thought their meals were very good and highly recommend the "Sidetracks Bar and Restaurant". They have steaks and many other items on their menu, and by all reports, those meals are very good also.

Oh, and don't try to look up the directions to get to the Sidetracks on the Internet. Those directions will take you way out in the country someplace. Just ask one of the local people, they'll be glad to tell you how to find it.

You can't miss it!!!! ;-)

Did you know that Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of streams?

Woof!!!

Happy Birthday

Thompson, MI.

53 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a 50% chance of rain. High temp. 73 deg. Breezy. Winds S. @ 10 to 20 mph.

Today is Linda's Birthday!!!!!!! Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!

Because the color blue is Linda's favorite color, I've decided to do today's blog post in blue!!!! Hope you don't mind. 

Not a whole lot happened around here yesterday. Both Jim and Linda sat outside and enjoyed the view of the lake and the peace and quiet. 

A few of the RVs that were here pulled out, but a few more came in, Jim took a walk around the park and took a few more photos of the lake shore.

For dinner, Jim cooked a large steak for he and Linda to share out on the grill, while Linda cooked some cauliflower and garlic bread inside. 

For the most part, yesterday was just a kick-back day. ;-) 

OH!!!!! This morning we've had another very nice sunrise. 

I really liked the colors of the sky. ;-) 

This evening, Jim is planning on taking Linda out to eat someplace. He's been doing some research of restaurants in the area, and has a few picked out. He'll probably ask Bill or Diane, (the CG owners), if they have any suggestions too. 

Did you know that on this date in 1587 - A second English colony was established on Roanoke Island off North Carolina? The colony vanished under mysterious circumstances.

Happy Birthday, Linda!!!!!!

Woof!!!