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!!!

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!!!

Christmas With Family and Presents

DeBary, FL.

64 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 81F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas!!! Nothing much happened during the day here, but in the evening, Laura, Lindsey, Ashley, Chris, (Ashley's friend), and Anna came over to open presents and spend time with us. They had a large meal earlier in the day over at Marv and Inez's house so Linda just put together a table full of finger food to nosh on. ;-)

Laura and Lindsey brought lots of presents. Some of them were from Joe, Nancy and family that had been shipped to their house. Jim and Linda received lots of good stuff and I think everyone enjoyed their gifts.

I know Jim and Linda did and they really enjoyed having everyone over here for the evening. :-)

I won't even try to remember what everyone received,  I'd just forget half of them anyway. ;-)

A few days before Christmas a package arrived at our doorstep. In it were the gifts that Jim and Linda were exchanging, so they went ahead and opened it cause they knew what was in it.

Linda had asked for a nice accurate scale, so Jim ordered this one from Amazon. It has good reviews and most importantly, is reported to be very accurate. It has an extra large surface so it's easy to stand on and still see the weight. Jim stood on it just before he snapped this photo, so you can see the large read-out better.

It's also very thin so it's easy to step up onto it.

So, what did Jim ask for? Well, his knees aren't what they used to be, so he asked for this tailgate ladder that he had read about. (As you can see, he has installed it already). ;-)

It fastens to the tailgate with screws. and then when you install the ladder with the 2 clips it folds down so it's easier to get up into the bed of the truck. For storage, you can either remove the 2 clips and store the ladder in the bed or,

fold it against the tailgate and fasten it with the included strap.

Jim has used the ladder a couple times already and says that it's a lot easier to get up into the bed of the truck than trying to crawl up on the tailgate.

Of course Linda has been using her scale every day. She lost a lot of weight while she was getting the chemo and radiation treatments and wants to be sure to keep if off and lose more if possible.

Yesterday, Big RED took Jim and Linda over to Walgreen's where they purchased some 50% off Christmas decorations and present wrapping supplies. They weren't about to go over to the mall or one of the big box stores where all the people were shopping for after Christmas deals and returning gifts, but Walgreen's wasn't bad at all.

Not much planned for the next few days and nothing planned for New Years Eve. Jim says that there's too many "crazies" out there so they usually just stay home and watch the ball drop on RV :-)

Did you know that in ancient Rome the new year began on March 1?

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!!!

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?