Anyone Have A Large Boat For Sale?

Rantoul, IL.

60 deg. partly sunny, NW wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High around 75F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.


Anyone have a large boat for sale? If this weather keeps on like it is, we're going to be needing it!!!!

If you've been following the news, you may already know that parts of Illinois have had some very unusual weather.  When we arrived, it was soggy enough that Louise was unsure if Jim could  get Nora into this site by pulling around from the rear across the grass. Well, we made it without any problems, but in the last week, we've had all kinds of additional rain and then on Wednesday night we had an inch that came down like someone was dumping buckets of water on the CG.

With the ground already soaked, Friday, we had a downpour that lasted for much of the morning and almost all of the afternoon. That, added another 3.6 inches to the amount and left us with water standing everywhere!!!

That's at least 6 inches of water down at the end of the road that we're on, and yes, those are RV sites at the end of the road. It's a good thing no one was in those sites right now. (click on the photo to enlarge it if you'd like to)

I really don't know how they'll be getting any of the RVs in or out of the sites without getting stuck or at least making a mess of the site. Friday afternoon, I know that quite a few RVs were turned away from the park, and with all this rain, it'll take quite a few days to dry out.

Nothing much been happening here. With the weather being nasty almost every day, Jim hasn't been able to get much done outside. In fact, except for going to Walgreen's one day and going out to eat at the Steak N Shake one evening, they haven't gone anyplace either.

Did you know that on this date in 1955, the state of Illinois enacted the first automobile seat belt legislation?

Woof!!!

Oh Oh A Leak!!, Fried Squirrel and Father's Day

Rantoul, IL.

70 deg. clear, S. wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast = Wind increasing. A mix of clouds and sun. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph


First of all, I hope all of you fathers out there had a "Happy Father's Day"!!!!

I think if was Tuesday when Jim noticed a few drops of water on the kitchen floor. It was right under the Air Conditioner, so Jim thought that maybe, because it has been so humid here, the AC had frozen up some and it had defrosted its self during the night. He wiped up the spots with a paper towel and also wiped a few drops off of the AC. The next morning, after some rain overnight, there was more water on the floor, and he suspected that possibly, the seal under the AC was leaking.

After taking the inside cover off (held on by 7 screws), and checking, he determined that the 4 bolts/screws that hold the AC down to the roof were not very tight, so he tightened them, dried everything off and re-installed the cover. Well, that must have been the problem cause even though we've had more rain and have operated the AC under very humid conditions, there haven't been any more drips of water on the floor!!!

It's nice when a problem has a fairly simple fix!! ;-)

Saturday morning there was this big "POP" sound and all of the electricity went off!! I knew what it was, cause it's happened when we've been here in years past.

You see, there's an electrical distribution/sub station, right next to the CG where they have a bunch of transformers and other electrical equipment and every once in awhile something goes wrong over there and cuts off the power.

Well, this time it was one of those goofy squirrels who run around here at the CG, getting into things and dropping nuts onto RVs. This time, one of them got into the wires over there and Zappp!!! Fried Squirrel!!!!  :-O

I don't know what he was doing over there. There's no nuts or anything to eat, there's no leaves or twigs to make a nest. I guess he was just exploring, but he explored in the wrong place. Hope all the other squirrels in the area learned a lesson!!!

Jim had a very nice Father's Day yesterday. In the morning, Jeff called from Portland Oregon and they talked for about a half hour. Jeff seems to be doing well, and if everything works out, he and maybe Heather will be flying out to the East Coast this fall to see his brother, Mike, in N. Carolina and then connect up with us, either in NC or Florida.

Jim told Jeff that he'd send him money for air fare if he could work out the times and dates. :-)

After lunch, Mike called from NC. He and Jim talked for 20 minutes or so. Mike, Gina and the kids all seem to be doing well, They were getting ready to go out to eat at a restaurant near where they live.

Later in the afternoon, Laura called from Florida to wish Jim a Happy Father's Day. She couldn't talk for long as she was getting ready to head to work, but it was sure nice of her take the time to call.

Then, in the evening, Joe called. He and his family are in Myrtle Beach, SC for a little vacation and will be returning home to Virginia Beach next weekend. They also seem to be doing fine and are enjoying their trip. :-)

For dinner, Jim and Linda headed over to Monical's Pizza. They went a little early because they were concerned about a lot of folks having the same idea, and it's a good thing they did. By the time they finished eating, the place was almost full.

Today, Jim needs to get one of Nora's propane tanks filled. He'll probably do that this morning because the "weather guessers" are saying that it's supposed to be hot, humid and windy this afternoon.

Did you know that First local Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington?  Sonora Louise Smart Dodd started the tradition of Father's Day in the honor of her dad, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran.

Woof!!!

A Few Campground Photos and Unusual Weather

Rantoul, IL

64 deg. overcast, NE wind @ 8 mph.

Forecast = Some sun, then turning cloudy and not as warm but humid with a shower or thunderstorm around. Wind ENE 10 mph Gusts: 16 mph.


This morning, I thought I'd show you a couple photos of the Prairie Pines CG here in Rantoul.

As you come into the park, you'll come to a stop sign where you stop to register. To the right, you'll see the pavilion where clubs meet and have their meals.

Just past the stop sign and to the left, you'll see Nora and probably Big RED parked in site #23.

A view to the rear of Nora, looking out from under the awning. This is also the view out of the rear windows of Nora.

Another view of our "back yard". :-)

The weather since we arrived here has not been the best. It's either very hot and muggy or it's raining. Once in awhile the sun comes out and it's pleasant, but those times seem to be far and few in between. They've had so much rain here this spring that a few of the sites are basically unusable as the grass areas that you have to cross are too soft to support most RVs and in fact, just before we arrived here, a few got stuck! :-(

Right now, we're feeling the very north edge of what was Tropical Storm Bill, which has made it's was up here from the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the rain seems to be staying to the south of us, and that's good, cause we don't need any more rain here.

Next week, the weather guessers are saying that the weather should improve and we should be getting some sunshine. The downside is that they're forecasting that the high temperatures will be around 90 degrees!!!

Very unusual for central Illinois at this time of year.

Jim and Linda haven't been doing much. Linda has been doing a bunch of embroidery and has made it a point to walk over to Paul and Louise's site almost every day to visit. Jim picked up a few groceries at the County Market Grocery Store the other day, and was able to cook some pork chops out on the grill one night.

Other than that, they've just been doing normal everyday things.

I don't know how much I'll be posting while we're here in Rantoul. Most days there probably won't be anything to post about, but I'll be sure to let you know if anything interesting happens.

Did you know that today is "National Flip Flop Day"?

Woof!!!

Indiana To Illinois, That "Back Home Feeling" and My Injury

Rantoul, IL.

71 deg. clear, SW breeze @ 6 mph.

Forecast = Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.


We left the Lake Haven Retreat Campground, South of Indianapolis about 10:15 and headed back North to I-465 on Rt 37. 465 then took us on around the SW and W sides of the city and up to I-74. 74 then took us NE through the West part of Indiana and into Illinois, where we pulled into a Rest area so Jim could do a "walk around" to make sure everything was OK after going over some very rough road sections.

In Illinois, we had Road construction for about 20 miles, but the traffic moved well and we didn't have any delays. Once we got to the little town of St. Joseph, we turned off of I-74 and took county roads up here to Rantoul and the Prairie Pines Campground.

It was 11:40 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us just 1 hour and 25 minutes to travel the 135 miles over here.

Wait!!! Wait!!! that can't be right!!!!  Oh, I forgot!!! we crossed into the Central Time Zone so it was 12:40 when we arrived. It took us 2 hours and 25 minutes! That's better. ;-)

We'll be staying here at Prairie Pines for most of the summer. We really like it here and it always seems like we're coming back home and it feels very "comfortable" when we arrive. We know quite a few people who come here regularly and in fact, a few of them have already stopped by to welcome us back. :-)

Well, I guess I'd better tell you about me getting hurt on the way here to Rantoul, in case I end up in the hospital or something!!

You see, on the way here, we were on a rough section of I-74 and Linda opened the little cooler that we have to get out a bottle of water. Well, just as she was closing the lid, we hit a big bump, I slipped and before I could react, the lid was closed on my leg!!!!

Wow!!! That really hurt!!!!

I don't think it's broken and neither do Jim or Linda, so I think I'll be OK in a few days, but it's really sore now!!!  Luckily it was my back leg or I wouldn't be able to write the Blog!!!

 Did you know that there are between 20,000 and 23,000 animal hospitals in the United States?

Woof!!!

Ohio To Indiana and A Visit With Mike And Sandy

Indianapolis, IN.

72 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then the chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.


It rained some more Friday night, so in the morning there was still water standing everywhere. So, by carefully dodging the deepest puddles, Jim was able to get the electric unhooked and the stabilizer jacks raised. Then, because there was a puddle about 2 inches deep right by the passenger door of Big RED, Jim pulled him and Nora out of the site so that Linda wouldn't have to wade through the water.

By 9:30 we were pulling out of the Huggy Bear CG and heading into Van Wert to get Big RED a drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel. Then it was back on US 30 to the West side of town where we turned first South and then West in US 224. 224 then took us into Indiana and to I-69. Following 69 in a Southwesterly direction brought us down to I-465, which is the belt route around Indianapolis. 465 then brought us down to the south side of Indy, where we turned off on Rt. 37, heading South. Then is was only about a mile or so to the Lake Haven Retreat Campground which is just off of 37 on Edgewood Ave.

It was 12:50 when we pulled up to the office, so even with stopping for Big RED's drink and a "pit stop" at a rest area along I-69 it still only took us 3 hours and 20 minutes to travel the 166 miles down here.

US 224 was a good 2 lane road, but I-69 and I 465 left something to be desired. Both Interstates were quite rough at times and the bridge approaches were for the most part, very rough.

We've been to the Lake Haven Retreat Campground quite a few times before. It's the most convenient to Mike and Sandy's house, the CG is well maintained, but the sites are close together and except for a small section, there's no shade of any kind. A good place for an overnight stay though.

About 4:00 Big RED took Jim and Linda over to Mike and Sandy's. Mike, (Linda's cousin), seems to be doing pretty well right now and she and Mike had a very nice visit.  For dinner, they had pizza and then talked some more until about 9:00. Then it was H and H, (Hugs and Handshakes) before coming back here to the CG.

Today, we'll be heading to Rantoul, IL. where we'll be staying for most of the rest of this summer. I'm looking forward to gong back there and just kicking back for awhile. Of course Linda will have doctor''s appointments and they'll need to take care of some other business in the area, but there'll be a lot of time when we can all relax and enjoy the summer.

Did you know that the first long-distance auto race in the U. S. was held May 30, 1911, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? The winner averaged 75 miles an hour and won a 1st place prize of $14,000.

Woof!!!

Winesburg, OH To Middle Point, OH and Lots Of Rain And Wind

Middle Point, OH.

67 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 86F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


Because we had been at the Amish Country Campsites park near Windsburg for a whole week, Jim and Linda had more to do to get ready to leave. So, Jim went out early and disconnected the utilities and Linda started putting everything away inside.

Looking at the radar of areas to the East of Winesburg showed that we would probably run into some rain and possible storms before we arrived at out planned destination near Van Wert, OH. Still, even with the earlier start, by the time Big RED pulled Nora out of the site and to the dump station so that Jim could  dump her tanks, it was 9:45 when we pulled out on US 62 and headed NE to Wilmot.

In Wilmot, we turned NW on US 250 and followed it up to Wooster, where we turned West on US 30. Following 30 west took us through Mansfield, up around Upper Sandusky, to the North of Lima and finally to Middle Point, just to the East of Van Wert.

The roads were all in pretty good condition and we made good time arriving at the Huggy Bear Campground right at 12:50, traveling 171 miles in 3 hours and 5 minutes.

Just before we arrived at the CG, the skies started getting very dark and when we were about 3 miles from the park, the wind started blowing very hard, the skies opened up and it rained and rained. We pulled up to the office, but Jim didn't go in for about 15 minutes or he would have gotten soaked. Even then, after registering and waiting for the rain to let up some,we still had to back into our site, (# 26), in the rain! :-(  Finally, after awhile, the rain let up enough so that Jim could get Nora set up and hooked up to the Electric.

Later, someone told Jim that the storm had dropped close to an inch of rain!!! :-O

After it finally quit raining completely, Jim grabbed his camera and took some photos of the park.

The entrance sign out by the road 

I'm glad out site wasn't down this street.

Looking down the street at Big RED and Nora in site #26

It's a little wet  here.

I was pretty sure we weren't going to have a campfire.  ;-) 

About 7:30 last night, the skies opened up again and dropped still more rain on the area, and it rained off and on most of the night. This morning, there's still lots and lots of water standing and it looks like it's going be be a challenge getting Nora ready and out of the site. :-( 

Today we're heading to Indianapolis, IN to see Linda's cousin, Mike, and his wife Sandy. Mike and Sandy have had some health problems and it's been awhile since Linda and Jim have seen them, so we're going to stop by on this trip.

A Point to Ponder : When I erase a word with a pencil, where does it go?

Woof!!!

Campground Photos and Shopping And Eating In "Amish Country"

Winesburg, OH

71 deg. clear, SW wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.


The  other day, Jim took a few photos of the Amish Country Campsites CG here near Winesburg. It's not a large CG and some of the sites are pretty close to each other, but we really like it here.

As you pull into the entrance of the park the drive is lined with flowers, (most of which are not really blooming yet.

Behind the house there's a large parking area where you park to register. We're in site #1 right at the end of the parking area.

The office

Looking from the office out into the park.

The reason that Jim chose site#1 is that we've got a great view of the road where a lot of Amish buggies pass by pulled by their beautiful horses. Even if you're not looking, you can hear the clip-clop, clip clop of the horses as they pass by.:-)

Every day since we've arrived, (except Sunday, Everything is closes in "Amish Country" on Sundays), Jim and Linda have gone somewhere to shop, eat, or just enjoy the countryside. Linda's found a lot of neat items to give or make for Christmas presents, They've also found some great places to eat out and more places to buy food that is now filling Nora's cabinets, refrigerator and freezer. Many of the things you can buy in this area are hand made by the local people or home grown on the many farms in the area.

Some of the prices are kind of high, but the quality of the products are high too.  Of course you have to beware, as some of the merchandise is imported from, (you know where), and the quality is not as good, but a little careful shopping will pay off.

If you come to this area, be sure to pick up one of the "Visitor Information Guides" that are available almost anywhere in the area. There's a ton of info in the guides to help you find just what you're looking for.

Oh, and just a couple more things. Many of the Amish people do not want you to take their photos, (especially of their faces), so pleas honor their wishes. Also be careful of the Amish buggies that share the road. They're moving at a slow pace and you come up on them very fast.

Did you know that over 165,000 Old Order Amish live in the United States and another 1,500 live in Canada?

Woof!!!