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Borrego Springs, CA

Friday, September 9, 2011

♫ Back home again in Indiana…♪ ♫

I went in early this morning to the clinic for my final poking this trip, and they syphoned out the needed blood.  A quick stop at my friend Susan’s, for some fresh veggies from her garden, and then I was on my way for the 428 mile drive back to the rig.  It did seem to go on and on, but I made it through Chicago, and those rude drivers, without being embroiled in too much of the afternoon rush hour.  It wasn’t quick enough to pick Emma up from the kennel though, so I’ll do that tomorrow morning.

After most of my appointments on Wednesday, my friend Susan was my guest for dinner at the historic Hubbell House in Mantorville, MN.  I was happy to do this for Susan, as she was instrumental in being my spokesperson with the RV dealership that I was having difficulties with after I bought my present rig.  I was at a campground outside of Yellowstone with no phone coverage, so she went in and harassed them for me more than once.  Besides that, she is someone who has remained a true friend after I went full time.  So many others have fallen by the wayside, because they don’t get it.

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Anyway, this is the Hubbell House.  This present structure was built in 1856 as an important stopping place along the trail from the Mississippi to St. Peter. 

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Originally, stage coaches stopped here and offered passengers good food and accommodations. 

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These were the waitresses in 1870.  How would you like to serve food wearing all of that stuff?  Notice how not many people ever smile in pictures from that era?  I can understand that.  It must have been rough with no electricity or AC in the hot Minnesota summers.  I don’t even want to think about the winters.

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The walls in the lobby of the present fine dining establishment are festooned with antiques, and photos and documents from past gone eras.  The placemats at your table have copies of the signatures of many of the famous people that have dined here; like Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mickey Mantle, Roy Rogers, Fred Mac Murray, and Horace Greeley, among others.  I’m not sure why they didn’t ask for my autograph.  Confused smile

It was a good trip I had up north to accomplish quite a few things, but I have to tell you that it sure feels good to be back home in my rig tonight.  Can’t wait to sleep in my own bed again.

I leave you tonight with a parting shot of my bestest of friends, Susan, as she made her way for a final pit stop.

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                                                                               THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

15 comments:

  1. Good friends are priceless!!!!!

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  2. Good friends who understand and accept your lifestyle are few and far between. Hang on tight to them. Glad you're back and Emma is going to be such an excited puppy tomorrow.

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  3. They really wanted to keep the ladies covered up back in those days!

    Susan's smile says what a lovely person she is.

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  4. nice shot of your friend..and what a great name she has!!

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  5. Glad to see you are back home in your own rig....Great photos along the way...

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  6. what a great friend!! we have friends like the ones you mentioned, and we haven't even gone full time...! we still live in the same town as them, but they never know when we're home...

    excuses, excuses...

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  7. Yep, sure know what you mean by people 'not getting it' in regards to the RV lifestyle.

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  8. Everybody needs a friend like Susan. You are very fortunate in having her as a friend.

    Those non smiling photos from back in the days of early photography is because the cameras and film were slow. So for the photographer to get a picture that didn't have any movement (blur) the subject had to hold still for long periods of time. Smiling is a hard thing to do without facial movement.

    We are lucky to have these modern cameras so we can capture those wonderful smiles.

    Mac & Dianna

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  9. Glad your all done... What a cutie your friend Susan is... such a beautiful smile. Yes we too have lost touch with friends since we started this life style.
    Have fun & Travel safe

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  10. Those friends who stick with us no matter what are priceless. We've only been on the road a year and a half and it really showed me who my closest friends are, the ones who understand why we do what we do. The restaurant looks great.

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  11. Good friends are priceless and it looks like you have a great one!

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  12. I came by for a visit and I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your blog. Do you travel alone? We have traveled all summer in our RV for the last 12 years. This year though we stayed here, we have so much going on we just couldn't get away. Well, come by for a visit when you get a chance. I'll add you to my blog list so I can follower your journey.
    Chris

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  13. Glad you made it back to Indiana safely especially thru Chicago. I bet Emma will be glad to see you.
    B.W. & Carol Happy Trails,Tales,&Tails

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  14. Glad you made it safely home. Chicago is NOT my favorite place to drive through.

    Our good friends back home keep trying to get us to park on their piece of land. They even ran a 50 amp connection out for us. But, they cannot understand that their trees are too low and the turn too sharp for our big rig. They are willing for us to trim the trees but we still wouldn't be able to make the turn into the spot they cleared. One lane to one lane at a sharper than 90* angle can't be done in a 35 foot long motorhome no matter how much we want to be with them.

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