The Last Hoorahs!

As we wind our way back down to Florida we stop to have a visit with Les’ nephew Jeffrey and his family. Hard to believe that he is already at an age that ends in “zero”. We’ll leave it at that, but suffice it to say he and Kathy have 2 grandchildren! There is nothing better than sitting around the kitchen table and visiting with family, laughing, filling out faces and reminiscing. We are lucky in that our RV fit in their driveway so we didn’t have any challenges that way, especially in Pennsylvania where it tends to be a bit steep in some of the hills. Jeffrey was just in the process of completing a remodel of the lower level of their home with only the bar area to be finished. He did a terrific job as did the decorator! You know who you are….their children are already old and the two grands seems to have grown so much since the last time we visited.

We left PA and headed down to Salem SC to visit with one of my “walking buddies” who relocated to this area in April. We stayed at a KOA in Travelers’ Rest SC and drove the short distance to visit with Elaine and Rick. They treated us to lunch and a tour of their new home. We thought they were planning on “downsizing” but at 2800 sq. ft. of luxury it was not a downsize! Beautiful home, good company and fun to share our photos with them.

Off to Myrtle Beach SC to relax beachside and watch the coverage of Isaac. Our friends Bob and Don live a hop skip and jump from where we camp so it was convenient to visit with them. They are always so much fun and easy to be around, from an activity to doing nothing you’ll always have some laughs. Monday night they hosted a dinner gathering of some neighbors that they are close to and folks that we have heard much about. Maureen is a former New Yorker (so it seemed like we were visiting with our friend Marsha)….Tom and Althea were former Bostonians, although with Tom’s accent you would think he still lived there! Everyone had a good time with a lot of laughs plus we had a great meal! What more could you ask for. The next night was very rainy and miserable and a perfect night to sit in the family room with the feet up and having a cozy dinner with friends.

We are having a few anxious moments thinking about returning to Florida. We really enjoy this lifestyle but we do miss Joshua, neighbors and our friends.

Our last family visit stop is Charleston, South Carolina to visit with the grands. They are already back to school so it was perfect to arrive in time for a long Labor day weekend with 3 off days. The choice was made to load everyone up in the RV and head to the Zoo in Columbia, SC, about a 2 hour drive. It was hot and humid and although the adults were sweltering it didn’t seem to bother the children very much. They had a fun time on the “road trip” and were excellent. We put the air conditioning on and had lunch in the RV in the cool air….nothing like a peanut butter and jelly, A/C and television! For those of you who know me and my intense dislike for PB, I also had ham and cheese!

Leaving Tuesday for Starke FL where we’ll spend out last night on the road for this trip. Look for the bus to pull into the “hood” sometime Wednesday!

　

July 30 - August 21

July 30 - August 21

Have you even eaten at a restaurant and had a meal so good that you dreamed of going back for another meal? Again and Again? Well it’s not a meal but we were again drawn to New Hampshire (for our third visit this Summer!) to stay and play with Jerrod, Liz and Lyla. We had enjoyed our first two visits so much we went back for more!

This time Liz was the star of the first half of the visit. We arrived just in time to go “on a road trip” with Liz and Jerrod to Cape Elizabeth, Maine so that Liz could run a “warm up road race”, 10k through one of the most scenic Coasts you will ever see! There were over 6,000 runners but it was very exciting to watch all of them and of course we were screaming for Liz when she came to the Finish line.

Lyla was again a love to be around and we had fun playing with her and being able to give Liz and Jerrod a little break from the daily grind. Lyla will be going to a new pre-school and although she isn’t really very excited about it I think it will be good for her to be with other little children. They learn so much with others. Lyla is chatting up a storm and her favorite is “no auntie” and “no uncle” when she thinks her mother will be elsewhere but once she is sure that her mother will be returning soon from her “run” she is the first one to get our shoes and go outside! Les flew his kite for her, pushed her in her cars and I walked her in her stroller and played in her pool with her. She is just a joy and we had so much fun with her.

Liz was able to go to one of Jerrod's ice hockey games on Thursday night and he scored two goals to win the game!  He is such a good father and husband and friend.  We are lucky to have him in our lives.

Liz, Lyla, Les and I went to Water Country in NH and although Lyla wasn’t too crazy about the crowds and noise at first, she warmed right up at the end of our day and didn’t want to leave the pool! She loves “pirates” and they had a pirate ship type pool area that was perfect for her. I am not much of a “ride” person so Liz and Les did most of the daredevil stuff! And of course, Uncle Les introduced Lyla to fried dough…she loved it!

  

We were sad to leave and especially sad we would miss Liz running the Maine Marathon in late September, but we really needed to get a move on as they say.

We headed out and landed in Pennsylvania to see Les’ nephew Jeffrey and his wife. We had not seen them for over a year so we are excited to visit. Then we will be off to see Elaine and Rick in Salem SC after a stop over in Virginia. From there we are headed to Myrtle Beach to visit with Don and Bob and then to Owain’s in Charleston SC. We are excited to visit again with the family and anxious to see how big Keegan has grown. Trinity’s birthday was yesterday, hard to believe she is 9 already and all three of the older kids started school yesterday so it was a big day for them.

Ciao for now!

　

July 13 - July 29

Have not updated the blog because we were out of touch with wi-fi for a while and some of our photos are too large to upload through the iPad. Here we are relaxing (again?) over the weekend in Verona NY. How fortuitous that this town has an RV Resort AND a Casino! What luck…well actually haven’t been very lucky here…but that’s another story for another day.

We spent a long weekend at Joliet, IL with our friends Carl and Jane from Kentucky. They drove up in their BIG rig to spend the weekend. Coincidentally their son and his wife live in this area so we also had a chance to meet them and spend a fun weekend eating, playing games, and eating yet again. The park was also located adjacent to the Hollywood Casino (sensing a theme here?) so Jane and I couldn’t resist. Although I wasn’t too skilled Jane did manage to eek out some winnings…oh who am I kidding, she won big!



Carl, Jane, Pat, Les



Our Florida friends, Marsha and Goldie flew into Chicago for their planned vacation. Since we knew this before we left we planned to be in Chicago to hang out with them! First off you cannot believe how the other half lives LOL…they stayed at Trump and it was glorious. I‘m pretty sure that their respective spouses Vito and Bob would have been proud of them for splurging, but happy they didn‘t stay too long! I think the “room” may have been larger than our house! Full kitchen (island, large refrigerator cook top dishwasher), living room, eating area, 2 bathrooms, huge bedroom, closets galore, large flat screens and topped off by fantastic views all around of Chicago. Anyway we had a terrific time, took the boat tour featuring the architectural sights of the town, lunched at Gino’s East, toured the Willis Tower, fka Sears Tower. Goldie had not been in a skyscraper before so I am posting a photo of her standing on the Plexiglas box that juts out from the building and that you look down through. Notice I am NOT in the photo nor did I venture any closer than zoom lens length to catch this photo. She was the bravest of the 4 of us!



Marsha, Les, Goldie at Navy Pier Chicago

  

Goldie atop Willis Tower (note the platform is clear!





The "girls" on the Boat Tour







Thursday we headed to Chicagoland Speedway where we camped infield for the ARCA, NASCAR Truck and Nationwide Races held Saturday night and Sunday. We had a great time and now that we have our scanner and headphones the experience is enhanced and quite a bit quieter! The cats did terrific as we were worried because at Rockingham in April they were quite frightened, but apparently they like racing too since they lounged in the front area of the RV instead of under the bed!

After the race we headed back to Elkhart, Indiana to have some work done on the RV before the warranty expires! We needed two new replacement jacks for the rear (no comments here people!) and 2 new skylights, toilet repair, something welded under the hood and a part for the city water valve. Anyway we had over $3000 of work done that was covered with a $100 deductible so we were happy about that. While we were waiting for repairs we took a couple of day trips, one to Hudson Museum and one through the Middlebury IN Amish community. Very interesting and more progressive than I had thought. Apparently different sects have different rules, e.g., when we toured the Entegra factory there were many Amish working there with power tools…they ride their bike or take the buggy to and from work but while there they use electricity.



1952 Marshall Teague Race Car (Hudson Hornet)



1957 Railton BWW600 with Hudson Chassis





So here we are up to date now in New York. Haven’t decided the next stop but we are headed back to New Hampshire for another visit with our grand-niece Lyla…then …who knows but stay tuned!



July 5 - 13 Indiana

First stop was the RV Hall of Fame. A fun little stop on the road and interesting historical view of Rving. We stopped at our first KOA in some time so that we could spent a few days in the pool (versus the Lakes) while it was hot. We have been lucky with the heat wave because we have been “above” the wave and have remained fairly comfortable until these last few days. Good to have access to the pool and just hang out a little in “civilization”.

We have made arrangements to have a couple of items repaired while we are in Indiana, the home of the RV Manufacturers. Our warranty expired at 50,000 miles and we are at 48,000 so it made sense to us to hang out for a few days to get some items fixed.

While we are here have visited the Studebaker Museum as well as the Studebaker Family home, that is now a restaurant, with the ability to tour the house. We had lunch at Tippecanoe Restaurant. The name may be familiar to some of you older readers if you have heard the expression Tippecanoe and Tyler too!

After a relaxing weekend, laundry, sunning, swimming we are headed to Amish Country as well as some RV Factory Tours.

Went to the Entegra Coach Factory to schedule a tour. Much to our surprise they gave us a personal tour the following morning for about 1 ½ hours. It was very interesting and Les was surprised to see the quality of the workmanship as well as the materials used. I was too busy worrying about tripping over some cord to pay too much attention! This tour sealed our decision to buy the Anthem by Entegra. The folks at the factory were super and were willing to spend as much time as we wanted to answer questions, etc. This is in the heart of the Amish Country so we also had a chance to see many of the Amish both in the workplace and on the road. With all the big rigs on the road it’s a wonder there are not more accidents involving the buggies and bicycles.

Friday morning we leave to meet our friends in Joliet, IL at the Hollywood Casino…tough duty but someone has to be irresponsible! Oh I mean…no I meant irresponsible!

June 21 - July 5th! Still in Michigan!

We have meandered through Michigan from one side to another and one end to the other! We went from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie where we again stayed at another Michigan State Park. They are fantastic deals with sites from $19 to $23 per day plus a one time out-of-state fee that is good for one year. We stayed at Sterling State Park located right on Lake Erie while we made day trips to Ford Museum, Ford Rouge Tour and Greenfield. They encompassed 3 days and we thoroughly enjoyed all of the visits. I am posting some of the photos from the Ford Visit but here is just so much to see here we probably could have stayed another few days!

From there headed to mid-State to Fort Custer State Park for a few days and then onto Van Buren State Park located on Lake Michigan. We have been riding our bikes and doing some walking but mostly relaxing…and maybe some laundry and trips to Walmart.

We are starting to ramp up our retirement as we are staying up late! It doesn’t get dark here until a little after 10:00 pm so we have been having late suppers and late bedtimes! Today we didn’t wake up until about 7:00!



Edison's Last Breath, a gift from his son to Henry Ford




Generator invented by Edison housed in Ford Museum




Anyone Recognize this "automobile"?




The ride in the Model T was a highlight of Greenfield Village


We hope everyone has/had a great 4^th of July, safely enjoyed!

June 11 - 20 Michigan

We crossed over from Canada at Port Huron Michigan where we stayed for a couple of days recharging, gassing up the RV and doing laundry! We decided to head up to the Upper Lower Michigan area and then the Upper Peninsula and then head down the other way and shoot back over to Dearborn so off we went!

I write this at the end of the day on the 20^th (Happy 1^st Day of Summer)…which is a little different that our norm. Couple of highlights….we managed to see all of the Great Lakes thus far and swam in Lake Michigan, which is cold and put our feet in the other Lakes!

A few days in Mackinaw City was nice and we saw all the local sights. On the Friday we decided that the weather had broken enough (we had quite a bit of rain and clouds) to take the ferry over to Mackinac Island. We had watched a couple of documentaries on this Island and were anxious to see it. The next day was the official beginning of the Lilac Festival so we thought the day before would be a good choice crowd-wise. There is NO Auto traffic at all allowed on the Island. As a matter of fact the mode of transportation is either by horse/carriage/bicycles. We took our bikes over on the Ferry so we could get around easily. It was so fascinating to see how the workers function with the horses, luggage is carried by wagon, lumber, propane tanks, etc. all by horse and carriage. Some of the local hotels which are smaller employ bike messengers to schlep the luggage to the hotel. It’s really neat to see how they get along without any powered vehicles, no motorbikes or motorcycles etc. We did spy out an ambulance in the bay at the local hospital so they at least do have a couple of vehicles that can be used for quick transport. One of the things that we had been wanting to do was to bike around the Island. It was an 8 miles ride, easy to do since it was not very hilly. We did that with ease and then Les decided, of course he couldn’t leave a good thing alone, to continue our bike tour by biking UP to the middle of the island past the world famous Grand Hotel. That was a killer and I was none too pleased with him going the extra 2 miles. He made it up to me by choosing a fabulous little in-town restaurant which we enjoyed very much. We spent the better part of the days on the Island and we were glad that we took the time to do this. It is another thing in Michigan that is well worth the visit.

 

 

We took the Jeep without the RV to the Upper Peninsula, specifically Whitefish Point, the location most associated with the Shipwreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. We visited the Shipwreck Museum (a nice surprise steeped in history) and learned more than we needed to know about the Great Lakes shipwrecks over the years. A whopping 30,000 people have lost their lives to the Great Lakes! Wow…we were really surprised at that number but the shipwrecks are so numerous it’s no wonder. A nice location to learn about the pre-Coast Guard days and how the local men rescued seamen when possible. It was hard work and dangerous. We learned about the Breaches Buoy, a term we heard often and understood what it was but didn’t realize the history of the “seat”. Well worth the trip (plus there was a Casino on the way back that Leslie indulged me in for a little while).

 

 

Then we were off to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore located in Honor, Michigan on Lake Michigan. We climbed the Dunes (which are about 450 feet high and takes about 45-60 minutes to ascend). We only went to the apex because the round trip to the Lake and back is 4 hours!! After the Dune climb we had a picnic lunch and then rode the newly opened bike trail 5 miles through the woods, nice because it was quite warm that day and the trees provided a nice canopy. Since we were a “little sandy” we then went to the Platte River and Lake Michigan for a swim (well more of a dip cuz it’s COLD)…then back to the park for naps!

I feel a little silly touting our bike rides since our friend Bob B. just completed a 65 mile bike run and he is a little older than us! Congratulations to him for his accomplishment and his dedication to the sport.

We stayed in the National Park campground for 3 nights, 2 of which we didn’t get satellite signal so one of the nights we decided to go to the local drive-in theater. The problem for us was that the first of 2 features didn’t start until dusk, which here is 10:20 pm. We stayed for the first movie and then left!

　

　

　

June 6 - 11 Oh Canada!

After a nice relaxing visit with Frank and Joan in Parishville, NY we headed to Canada! Our first couple of nights were in Kingston Ontario. Weather was very nice with only scattered showers. Friday we departed for the Toronto area, specifically a Provincial Park in Brampton, Ontario. We jumped in the Jeep and headed for Downtown to check it out. Very much like any large US city. We stopped by Casa Loma, one of the most opulent and expensive pre-depression homes in this area but opted not to tour the inside but strolled the grounds. It was a bit pricey and we had previously toured The Hearst Castle which dwarfed these grounds.

Saturday night we dined with one of my “Curves Gang” Carole D. who resides in the Toronto area and Florida. A big hello to all the 6:30 am ladies in Oldsmar! Yes that means you too Carrie! She and Tony were so gracious to us and we felt like we were right at home, chilling with friends!

Monday we were off to Michigan but not sure how we will attack the attractions, either Dearborn on the front side of the trip around the Peninsula or the back end.