Dave And Dee Dee Visit and Jeff And Heather Arrive From Portland OR

Rantoul, IL

64 deg. mostly cloudy, E wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast today = Thunderstorms - some may contain locally heavy rain, especially during the morning hours. High 81F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.


Dave arrived last Thursday but Dee Dee wasn't able to come until Friday afternoon. It sure was good to see them again. When he arrived, it was hot and muggy and the mosquitoes were just horrible. Jim helped him with some of the set-up of his travel trailer and then came back here into Nora's air conditioning.

Friday morning, Dave had an appointment for some oral surgery down in Champaign so Jim drove him down there in Big RED cause the doctors didn't want Dave driving after the procedure. They were back before noon and soon after noon, Dee Dee arrived.

Dee Dee and Dave

Dave brought some firewood, so one night while they were here they had a cook-out where they roasted brats and hot dogs over the fire. Another evening they all went to the Blue Star Restaurant over in Fisher, IL. During the days, they got together to visit.

Monday, Dave and Dee Dee had to leave, but before Dave left, Jeff and Heather came, so he got to meet them.  It sure was good to see Dave and Dee Dee again and Jim and Linda are hoping that we can meet up with them again this winter down in Florida.

 Jeff and Heather

Jeff and Heather rented a car and drove down here from Jeff's Mother's house. Jeff said that the drive  took them about an hour and a half.

After talking for awhile, everyone got into Big RED and they headed down to Urbana where they went to a grocery Co-OP store that Jeff and Heather knew about. From what I understand, Jeff and Heather belong to the same Co-Op group out in Oregon.

After returning and talking some more, a couple pizzas were ordered from Monical's Pizza.

 

 Jim and Jeff

After eating almost all of the pizza, everyone enjoyed more conversation and catching up on what's been happening since we last saw them 4 years ago. 

Jeff and Heather stayed until about 8:45 when they left for the hour and a half trip back up to Jeff's mother's house where they would spend the night before getting on a flight back to Portland, OR,  Tuesday. 

It was a short but great visit with Jeff and Heather. It was really good to see them again and we're hoping to see them again in the near future.

Jim and Linda are now starting to do things that have to be done before we leave here on the 21st of this month. That's less than a week away and as usual, they have a pretty long list of things they want to do.

 Did you know that on this date in 1620 - The Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England. The ship arrived at Provincetown, MA, on November 21st and then at Plymouth, MA, on December 26th? There were 102 passengers onboard.

A Nice Labor Day Weekend and Gatting Ready For Company

Rantoul, IL.

74 deg. clear, SW wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 93F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight, partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

As many of you may know, Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays because after it, the kids are back in school, many RVers put their RVs in storage for the winter and most people have taken their vacations and settled down somewhere for the winter. That means fewer cars and RVs on the road and less crowded campgrounds for the most part. :-)

Also, the weather will start cooling down and if you plan your travels right, there's a very good chance that you'll have some beautiful fall travel weather.

The CG here at Rantoul wasn't completely full for the Holiday this year, but most of the good sites were taken. Also, it seemed like there weren't as many kids here this year. Either that, or they just weren't as noisy as in years past. Can't really say that about the dogs that the RVers brought along though. They were very annoying at times. :-(

Louise and Paul, (the CG hosts), had a cookout Saturday afternoon. They furnished the brats, baked beans and potato salad and everyone else brought food to share. By the time everyone brought something, (about 30 people came to the cookout), there were 2 picnic tables full of food. If anyone went away hungry, it was their own fault!! ;-)   

Jim and Linda went grocery shopping yesterday. There weren't too many people shopping the day after Labor Day, so it wasn't crowded at all. Again, they bought too many groceries and had trouble getting everything into the refrigerator and cabinets.

Tomorrow, Dave, (I don't know if Dee Dee will be coming tomorrow or not), will be coming here to Prairie Pines. He'll probably be getting here somewhere around noon. I hope the weather co-operates and the rain holds off so he can get his trailer set up without getting soaked.

Friday morning, Dave has a dental appointment to get a broken tooth taken care of. Jim will be taking him to his appointment because Dee Dee will be busy and he needs someone to drive him back here as he will receive a sedative for the procedure.

The weather for the Labor Day weekend was really nice, but is has been quite hot the last few days. This weekend, it's supposed to cool off again though, and we should have decent weather for the last half of the weekend and into the first part of next week.

Today and tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for Dave and Dee Dee's arrival and for Jeff and Heather's arrival on Monday. I'm getting all excited about all that company coming and can hardly wait to see them!!!! :-)

Did you  know that on this date in 1930 - The cartoon "Blondie" made its first appearance in the comic strips?

Woof!!!!

 

Guess Where We Are? and Please Take A Few Moments

Deltona, FL.

77 deg. partly cloudy, no wind

Forecast tonight = Partly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.


Guess where we are?????

Not a whole lot has happened since I last posted, that is until this past Wednesday when Jim asked Linda what she thought about going camping the upcoming holiday weekend? Linda asked "What do you mean by going camping?" and Jim said that he was thinking about heading over to Paradise Lake CG where Nora is parked and just camp there. He said that he figured that while we were there, they could check out all of the systems real well and also enjoy, "getting out of the house for a few days". :-)

So, they started gathering "stuff" up and packing up the truck. By This morning, they had everything packed up for a 3 to 4 night stay, so they loaded the last of the "stuff" (mostly refrigerator "stuff") into the back seat and we headed over here to Paradise Lakes.

 We're in site #118.

 There's nothing fancy about this park, but they do have full hook-up sites.

  Probably over half the the sites are seasonal and most of those folks have left for parts of the U.S. or Canada that have cooler temperatures. They'll be back again in the fall.

It sure feels good to get away from the house for awhile. Jim has already done a few small jobs on Nora. He doesn't have much stamina though and gets tired easily and has to sit down and rest for awhile before finishing the job or starting something else.

Oh! One thing that he got accomplished was to cook something on his grill. (Some Brats). Would you believe that it was sometime last fall since he had enough energy to cook out?

As of now, it sure looks like we'll be leaving Florida on or about the 13th of June. Jim can get projects done. He just has to take it easy and rest a lot, making the project take a lot longer than it usually does, and that "bugs" Jim a lot!!!!


A Quote to Ponder :  “Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.”
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Please take a few minutes this weekend to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be free.

Woof!!! 

Wild Hog Cookout and 30

DeBary, FL.

62 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Foggy this morning, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 82F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.


Last Thursday evening, Jim and Linda decided that they wanted to go out to eat someplace. Neither of them wanted a big meal, so they headed for Arby's cause they had a bunch of coupons from there.  On the way, they stopped at a gas station and bought Big RED a nice big drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel.

Nothing much happened Friday or Saturday, but Sunday, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed for Frostproof, FL. where Roland and Louise spend the winters in their double-wide home. I don't know if you remember or not, but a couple weeks ago, Roland called and invited them to come down there for a "wild hog cookout", and Sunday was the day they were having it.

Roland said that they'd be eating about 2:30, but for Jim and Linda to come early if they could, so about 11;30, they loaded their lawn chairs and a desert that Linda had made into Big RED and headed down there. It's about 95 miles from here to Frostproof, and about the only way to go is to follow I-4 down through Orlando and past the "Attraction" to US 27, and then take 27, with all it's stop lights, down to Frostproof.

The trip took Big RED about an hour and 45 minutes. He said that at times they were traveling close to 70 mph and at other times just crawling along while on I-4. One on US 27 he said that he had to stop frequently at the many stop lights along that route.

The "wild hog cookout turned out to be a huge success!! All the food was placed on tables inside of a Florida Room in the house next to Roland and Louise's.

Oh! Oh!  I'd better stop and explain here that Roland and 3 other friends from the park, (one of them who lives in the home next to them), went hog hunting awhile back. The got 3 hogs and so after butchering, they had lots of meat. So, they all cooked some of their meat in their own homes and brought it to Roland's neighbor's home where it was set out on the tables in the Florida Room along with all the dishes that other people brought. (this was a potluck type meal).

So, with the food all placed on the tables, and other tables set up in the car ports of that house and the house across the street, people started arriving and soon there were people everywhere sitting talking and waiting for the time when they could sample the wild hog cooked in 3 or 4 different ways.

The photo above is the home where all the food was placed in the Florida Room. If you look close, you can see the tables set up inside. (click on the photo ot enlarge it if you want). You can also see the tables set up in the car port where about 1/2 of the 110 people that were friends or from the park would eat their meals after they filled their plates.

This photo is of the car port across the street from the above home. It is where Jim, Linda, Roland and Louise and the other 1/2 of the 110 people enjoyed their meals. ;-)

While they were eating a group of 5 folks from the park entertained everyone with harmonica music.

After everyone was finished eating, Jim took this photo of (from left to right), Linda, Roland and Louise.

Both Jim and Linda really enjoyed the day, visiting with Roland and Louise, meeting many people from the Southern Pines Park and enjoying a great meal.

Thank You, Roland and Louise!!!!!

It was fairly late by the time Big RED brought Jim and Linda back here to DeBary. Both of them were tired, but they had a great day!!

OH!!! and it was also a great way for Jim and Linda to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary!!!!

Yep!!! 30 years!!! And you know what? They're still in love!!!! :-)


Did  you know that the 30th wedding anniversary is considered the "Pearl" anniversary?

Woof!!!

Normal Things and An Invite

DeBary, FL.

48 deg. Partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 76F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

I did it again!!!! :-(  Another whole week since I've posted!!!! I BAD!!!!

There's really not much to report, everything around here has been pretty boring. Oh, there's been the usual things like grocery shopping getting prescriptions refilled and going out to eat at Steak & Shake, but that's about all.

The weather hasn't been real great here in central FL. Some of the nights have been quite cool for this area with temperatures getting down into the mid 30's to low 40's. Yesterday was pretty nice and today is supposed to be nice, but Thursday night they're forecasting lows of 30 degrees!!!

Now, I fully understand that that's not cold by most standards, but when you're used to daytime temperatures in the 70's and lows in the 50's, 30 degrees is really cold!!!!  You also have to understand that most water pipes are not protected from the cold in this area, so if it gets down into the 20's for any length of time, many of them will be freezing.

OK! Enough about the weather.

Roland, (he and Louise are very good friends), called the other day. They have a double-wide down in Frostproof, FL and invited Jim and Linda to a "Wild Hog Cook-Out", on the first of March. You see, Roland and some of the other men from the park that they're in went hog hunting, and since they had good luck, they're inviting a bunch of people to come and partake in a feast!!! :-)  It should be fun and Jim and Linda are planning on going.

Besides that, it's been ages since they've seen Roland and Louise, so It'll be good excuse to go see them and do some catching up on what's been happening. ;-)

A Point to Ponder!!! You can't have everything, where would you put it?

Woof!!!

Another Fine Meal and Christmas Shopping?

Rantoul, IL

58 deg. clear, NE wind @ 3 mph.
Forecast =  Mostly sunny. Highs around 82°F. Light wind.

Friday evening, Jim and Linda were again invited to a meal over at Paul and Louise's site. Louise was having steak sandwiches and some of their friends here in the park were bringing other dishes. So, Linda put together a fruit salad and about 5:30, they headed over there. ;-)

The first thing on the agenda was to light the campfire,

so that everyone could gather around to talk and enjoy the beverage of their choice. ;-)

While Louise was getting the table with all the food that people had brought set up,

Paul was relaxing and enjoying a drink while talking to the folks who had already arrived.

Larry, cooked the steaks and then he and Louise put them on "French" style bread. The rest of the meal consisted of a potato dish, corn, deviled eggs, and Linda's fruit salad. Oh, and I almost forgot, Chocolate Pie!!! :-)

Both Jim and Linda said that everything was delicious and it was great visiting with everyone.

Thanks again, Paul and Louise!!!!

Yesterday, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to Champaign to go Christmas shopping!!! Yep, you read that right!!! Christmas shopping!!!

Linda had been wanting to go and get a head start on shopping for the holiday, but it just hadn't worked out before now. So, yesterday they bought a whole bunch of stuff, and in fact, probably about 75% of the gifts that they'll buy this year have been purchased.

Now, that's a good head start!!!! ;-)

Awhile back, Louise had given Jim and Linda a 1/2 rack of ribs that had been cooked and frozen. Well, yesterday evening, (after thawing them), Linda wrapped them in foil and put them in the oven for about an hour. Wow!!! Did they ever smell good!!! And, by what Jim and Linda said, as they were eating them for dinner, they were just as good as they smelled!! :-)

Those ribs along with a vegetable and some of Linda's fruit salad, made a very tasty meal indeed!!!

Another big Thanks, Louise!! :-)

No big plans for today. Jim has already started checking things on Nora in anticipation for our upcoming departure on the 6th. Linda has a list of things to buy at Walgreen's, so they may do that today.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens. ;-)

Did you know that  approximately 37.2% of Americans begin holiday shopping by Halloween?

Woof!!!

Good News, 2/3 Of The Illinois Bunch Arrive and A Pot Luck Is Planned

Rantoul, IL

51 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 63F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.

Since the weather was better yesterday morning than the day before, Jim and Linda didn't leave the CG until about 8:15. By a little before 9:00, (Linda's appointment time), they were in Doctor Anderson's office and being escorted back to one of the rooms where a nurse gave Linda a quick eye test. Soon, Dr. Anderson came in, checked Linda's eye and said that everything looked really good!!!

She also said that she didn't see any reason that the cataract on other eye couldn't be operated on this coming Monday!!! :-)

Good News!!!! Everything's going as planned!!! (so far).

Jim didn't have anything to eat before he and Linda went to the Doctor's office, so when they returned to Rantoul, they stopped by the Red Wheel Restaurant before coming back here to the CG. Both had the biscuits and gravy with a side order of sausage and both said that it was very good.

A little after noon, Dave and Dee Dee pulled into Prairie Pines Campground with their new Keystone Travel Trailer and their new Ford Pickup truck. This last winter, they bought a Park Model home down in Florida, so they really didn't need the big 5th wheel any longer or the big truck to pull it.

Then, about 1/2 an hour later, Denny and Bev pulled in with their Winnebago Brave MH.

(I'll get Jim to take some photos, just a soon as I can). ;-)

As I said yesterday, Gordy and Dorthy won't be coming because of Gordy's health problems, but I understand that Dorthy is planning on driving down here today, for just a day visit. Dave and Dee Dee and Denny and Bev will be staying until Monday morning. :-)

Being that Dorthy is driving down here today, a "pot luck" is being planned for today. The plan is to cook hot dogs, hamburgers and brats on a grill or over a campfire and then make the other items inside.  I don't know what Linda is making but it'll probably be either a vegetable or a desert.

Should be a fun day! ;-)

Did you know that the pin that holds a hinge together is called a pintle?

Woof!!!

Laundry Day and A Cook-out With Hank, Selene, Mike And Terri

Rantoul, IL

64 deg. fog, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 86°F. Heat index around 91°F. South wind 5 to 15 MPH, gusting to 17 MPH. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

As soon as Linda was finished with breakfast yesterday morning, she and Jim dug out all of the dirty clothes and sorted them into loads of laundry to take to the laundromat. After sorting Jim took the bags out to Big RED and then he and Linda headed over there.

It's more expensive to use the laundromat than it is to do the laundry here at the Campground, but it takes much less time than it does here with only 2 washers and 2 dryers. In fact, Jim and Linda were only gone about an hour and 45 minutes before Big RED brought them back.

After they returned, Hank and Selene stopped by to ask Jim and Linda if they'd like to come to a cook-out around 6:00? Of course they said "Yes"!

During the afternoon, Jim and Linda put all the laundry away, took naps and then Linda cooked some green beans with bacon, (Thanks, Hank and Selene for picking up that can of green beans for Linda at the store),  :-)  Then, around 6:00 they headed next door.

Jim did remember his camera, so he did take a couple photos. (You can click on them to enlarge if you'd like).

Terri, Mike, Hank and Selene enjoying the meal and conversation.

Selene, Linda and Hank who was heading for more great food. 

I was watching out of the window and it sure looked like everyone had a great time, visiting and eating. After eating, Hank started a campfire in the fire ring between their MH and Nora and they all gathered around and talked and talked.

Jim and Linda came back here around 8:00 because the bugs were starting to bug them, but I think Mike and Terri stayed awhile longer.

The rest of the evening was spent watching TV, before going to bed after the news.

Thanks, Hank and Selene for having the Cook-out. Jim and Linda had a great time. ;-)

No big plans, so far, for today. Jim has an item ordered at Ace Hardware that needs to be picked up and there should be mail waiting at the post office. They're forecasting possible rain and T-Storms later, so he'll probably do those things this morning.

Did you know that today is 'Black Cow' Root Beer Float Day?

Woof!!!

A Cookout

Rantoul, IL.

62 deg, clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 84°F. Southwest wind to 5 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.

The weather continued to be very nice, so Jim and Linda invited Mike and Terri over for a cook-out yesterday. Jim cooked burgers on the grill, Linda cooked sweet corn-on-the-cob inside and Mike and Terri brought a macaroni salad and a lettuce salad.

They gathered outside at the picnic table to enjoy the good food that everyone put together and great conversation before, during and after the meal. ;-)

After eating, Mike and Terri helped bring all the "stuff" from the meal inside and then, because it was getting "buggy" outside, everyone came inside to visit some more.

After a little while, Terri helped Linda put together an angel food cake, pear and cool whip desert that everyone seemed to really enjoy. :-)  By the time they finished the desert, it was nearing 8:00 and Terri needed to return to their trailer to take some medications, so they headed back to their 5th wheel.

Again, it was a very good day with very good friends. I don't know how long Mike and Terri will be staying here at Prairie Pines, but I hope it'll be for quite awhile yet.

Did you know that today is "National Chocolate Chip Day"?

Woof!!!

GA to AL

Troy, AL. (Deer Run RV Park)

65 deg. clear, no wind, humidity 95%
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 86°F. East southeast wind 1 to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%

Yesterday, we left Thomasville, GA. about 9:40 EDT and continued North on US 19 for a few miles until we came to US 84 on the North side of town. There we turned West on 84 and took it into Alabama and to Dothan, AL., where we by-passed the city on US 431/AL210 until we came to US 231 heading NW.  231 took us up to Troy and then on to the Deer Run RV Park which is about 6  miles North of Troy.

It was 12:50 EDT (11:50 CDT), when we pulled up to the office, so it took us about 3 hours and 10 minutes to travel the 165 miles over here.

We've been to Deer Run before. In fact, we've been coming here since 2008 and stop anytime we cone through this area. It's a little more expensive than the parks that we usually stay at, but it's really nice with pull through sites with cement pads, full hook-ups with 50 Amp electric, shady sites if you want them and very friendly owners.

When we arrived, the weather was so nice. (about 81 deg., low humidity and a nice breeze blowing), that Jim decided that he'd like to cook a couple burgers outside on his grill, so that's exactly what he did. While he was doing that, Linda got out some slaw leftover from the KFC dinner the night before, some chips and drinks.

After dinner, Jim went out and checked Big RED's fluids, checked the hitch, lubed Nora's entrance door hinges and put the grill away. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV.

Linda is doing well. She's been able to take care of most of the "chores" inside when we are arriving or leaving a park. She seems to be really enjoying being out on the road, and in fact, comments frequently how great it is to be traveling again. :-)

Did you know that the toothbrush was invented in 1498?

Woof!!!

A Great Day

DeBary, FL.

48 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 74F. Winds light and variable.

Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda were busy getting ready to head to the fish fry at Dave and Dee Dee's. Jim was putting lawn chairs and a cooler with drinks in it in Mr. L and Linda was busy inside getting everything else ready to go.

A little after 1:00 we pulled out of the driveway and headed for a gas station where Jim bought a bag of ice for the cooler.

Yes, you read that right!!! I said "we"!!! ;-)   Jim and Linda took me along and it was sure good to get out of the house and on the road again. I hadn't been anywhere since we came down here, way back in August.

Anyway, after stopping for Ice, we headed over to the Southern Aire RV Resort in Thonotosassa. It's about 100 miles over there, so it took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get there.

Everyone brought lawn chairs, positioned them around the fryer and visited for about an hour. That's Dee Dee in the pink blouse.

As close as I could tell, there were about 25 people there, and I think everyone had a good time. Dave is the one in the maroon shirt.

That's Dorthy, (One of the Illinois Bunch), standing and talking to Linda.

These are the tables where all the food was placed. Almost everyone brought some kind of side dish or desert.

Then, it was time to fry the fish!!! It sure did smell good and everyone was commenting on how good it tasted. ;-)

I think everyone had a good time. (I know Jim and Linda did). Everyone said that the food was great and how much they enjoyed the afternoon.

I know that Jim and Linda really enjoyed being there and want to thank Dave and Dee Dee for inviting them.

I don't know just what time it was when we left, but by the time we arrived back in DeBary, it was dark. Mr. L preformed well and Jim says that he's very comfortable to drive. Linda was completely exhausted by the time we returned, but said that she was really glad that we went.

All in all, it was a great day!!!!  :-)

Thanks, Dave and Dee Dee!!!!!

Did you know that the FIRST brothers to win Olympic gold medals were Americans John and Sumner Paine? They came first in the military pistol and free pistol shooting events respectively in 1896.

Woof!!!!

They're Coming Already, Naperville IL and A Doctor's Appointment

Rantoul, IL.

61 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Clear in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 86F. Winds less than 5 mph.

Haven't posted because there really hasn't been anything of importance to post about. Oh, Jim and Linda have been doing the normal things like going to the store, going out to eat, bringing Chinese food back here to eat, and Jim had cooked a couple of times on the grill, (brats and hamburgers).

The CG was pretty busy this last weekend. There were lots of kids and I think it was because for many, it will be one of the last weekends that they have before schools open this year.

Yesterday some of the people who are going to the Farm Show started coming into the park already. In fact there are already 2 RVs parked on a site near us and there are 2 RVs in the dry camping area along the side street of the park. Then, there's the flatbed trailer that had a 50's vintage grain truck on it, that came through the park yesterday afternoon. and a couple of other trailers already parked in the CG at various sites.

The Farm Show starts on Thursday so by Wednesday, I expect the CG to be full of RVs. Many of the RVers will bring golf carts and ATVs to use to go over to the show with. There will be miscellaneous trailers that were used to bring the golf carts and ATVs as well as equipment, (farm tractors, planters, plows pickers and other farm related items), parked at the back of some of the sites.

I don't know if you've had a chance to look at the Half Century of Progress Farm Show web site, but if you're at all interested in farming and especially older equipment, take a look at the site. The photos that are scrolling across the top of the screen are typical of the activities that they'll have, and there's more photos to be seen in the Gallery section.

Tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will be taking CLT and heading up to Naperville, IL. to see Linda's sister, Nancy and her son David.  They'll be leaving early because it's around 125 miles up there, they'll want to spend some time visiting, and then they'll drive the 125 miles back here, making it a pretty long day. Besides the distance, once they get North of I-80, the traffic will probably be really heavy, and you can never be sure of how long it will take.

Wednesday morning, Linda has an appointment to see her doctor in Fisher, IL. (about 13 miles from here). She has to have blood drawn, so she won't be able to eat breakfast before they go. That'll mean that they'll probably go to the Village Garden Restaurant in Fisher when she's done with her appointment. Then, they'll come back here and watch all the RVs come into the CG. ;-)

Did you know that today is "Black Cow" Root Beer Float Day?

Woof!!!

Hoffman Park Photos

River Falls, WI.

50 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 82F. Winds less than 5 mph.

Jim took a few photos of the CG here in River Falls so I thought I'd post them today.

This is the sign as you come into the park.

a

View of the road leading through the park. As you can see, it's paved and the park is very well maintained.

There are a few tenters here this time, but most of the sites are filled with RVs.

This is our site this time. It's site #14 and is on the East side of the road.

As I mentioned yesterday, this is normally a nice quiet park, but this time there is construction right behind us and across the road. Jim found out that the city is building a new baseball park over there that will have permanent seating and will be used by a semi-professional team at times.

If there are a lot of games there, it could definitely change the whole characteristic of this campground with lights, cars, people and noise.

I hope it won't because we've really enjoyed staying here in the past.  

Not a whole lot to report. Jim and Linda have been visiting with Glenn and he came out for that cookout yesterday. (Jim didn't take any photos though). Today, Glenn and Jeanette are busy until this evening, so the plan is to go out to dinner with them around 5:00 or 6:00.

Tomorrow the plan is to leave here and head down to the Wisconsin Dells area. They're calling for rain though, so it could be interesting getting hooked up to get out of here.

Did you know that August is "National Catfish Month"?

Woof!!!

The Cookout

Rantoul, IL.

62 deg. Partly cloudy, SE wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = High temp 81 deg. partly cloudy with a 60% chance of T storms this afternoon, SE wind @ 10 to 15 mph.

Yesterday turned out to be a very nice day, weatherwise. One of those "Chamber of Commerce" days when everyone is sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine, the very comfortable temperatures and a light breeze that was blowing, just enough to keep the bugs away. ; )

In fact, it was a perfect day for the cookout that Paul and Louise had planned.

I guess it was around 4:30 when Jim and Linda headed over to the cookout. When they arrived, Louise was getting some "adult beverages" ready and bringing food out of their RV.

While Louise and Linda were talking, (far left in the photo below), Paul was relaxing and enjoying the great weather.

Sometimes when Louise and Paul have a cookout, she invites a lot of people, but this time it was a small gathering, which was nice. In the photo below, you can see Gary back by the grill, Mary, walking and Linda sitting at the table.

Gary took on the "cooking duties", and grilled up some very good boneless pork chops, Mary brought a pasta salad, Louise made some deviled eggs and potato salad and Linda took some sugar free desserts that she had made during the afternoon.

Both Jim and Linda said that everything was delicious and everyone seemed to have a good time visiting.

Thank you Paul and Louise!!!!

I think it was about 7:30 or so when Jim and Linda came back over here. After getting the leftover dessert and a couple pork chops, (that Louise sent along), put away, they watched TV, read and played with the computer until bedtime.

I don't think that there's anything planned for today. Bobbie T needs some cleaning inside and the freezer needs to be defrosted. Both Bobbie T and CLT still need to be washed, but they're forecasting T-Storms for this afternoon, so I doubt if that will happen today.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens. ; )

A Point to Ponder : A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

A Treasure Hunt and A Cookout

Rantoul, IL.

54 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 77F. Winds less than 5 mph.

I've decided try to cut back on that forecast section above. It was so long that even I didn't want to read it  when I went back to review the bogs. Besides, depending on what part of the country you're in, the forecast for the night may very likely change anyway. : O

Thursday, neither Linda nor Jim felt like doing too much, so it was decided that they would just take a ride somewhere. Since Linda had said something about it the other day, Jim suggested that they head west of Rantoul and see if they could find that little cemetery out in the country where a few of Linda's ancestors are buried. They had found it once, quite a few years ago, but had forgotten exactly where it's located.

So, ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  they took CLT and headed in the general direction.

CLT said that it was like being on a Treasure Hunt!!!! Both Jim and Linda had an idea of where the cemetery was located, so they started looking for familiar roads and landscapes that would help them. When they got about 4 or 5 miles West of Rantoul, Jim turned South on a blacktop road that he was pretty sure headed the right way. After 3 or so miles on that road, they turned West on a small blacktop road, but after following it for a short distance, decided that that was not the road they wanted.

About this time, they came upon a couple of farmers who had stopped along the road to talk to each other, so Jim stopped and asked them if they happened to know where the Jersey cemetery might be located. He described it to them and told them what he and Linda could remember about it, such as it being located at the crossroads of 2 small blacktop roads and being on the SE corner of the intersection.

After some thought, one said that there was one like they described, just about 2 miles from where they were and gave Jim and Linda directions to get to it. (Gotta love these friendly farm folks).  ; )

So, following the instructions given, Jim and Linda found the cemetery, and it was just like they had remembered.

As you can see, someone still takes care of the cemetery and cuts the grass regularly, even though there is no longer a church here. There's also evidence of some of the remaining markers being re-set.

This is the marker that Linda and Jim were looking for. You probably can't see it in the photo, but there are names and dates on both of the sides that you can see. One side gives the information about Linda's Great Grandmother, and the other side is for her Great Great Grandmother, both from Linda's father's side.

Evidently times were hard in those days, so they used the same marker for both women.

After Linda got the information that she needed for her Family Tree program, she and Jim enjoyed a leisurely drive through the country, back here to the Campground.

Oh, and they now have the GPS location and the road sign numbers from the intersection where the cemetery is located. ; )

Yesterday, not much happened. Jim went to the Rural King store and picked up a few things and then later, got some weed killer from Louise and sprayed the weeds that are growing up through the gravel in our site.

Today, Paul and Louise, (the campground hosts), are going to have a cookout!! Don't know what they're going to be cooking out on the grill, but knowing Louise, I'm sure it'll be really good. : )  Linda is going to make a desert to take over there and I'm sure that some of the others from the park that Louise invited will also bring food.

Sounds like a P A R T Y !!!!!!!!!

Did you know that on this date in 1786 - In New York City, commercial ice cream was manufactured for the first time?