I bit the bullet

No, this is not the gulf coast of Texas!  This is site #54 at the Pioneer Family Campground in Lake Village, Indiana.  I have rented this site for January 1 – December 31, 2011.  I’m trying to picture it minus the snow.  :)  Believe me, I won’t be there when any snow is around!

After wandering around the country for almost five years, I’ve decided to spend the summer closer to family.  My daughter, Robyn, and her husband, Dennis, and two of my granddaughters, Avery and Phoebe, live about 30 miles away in Dyer, IN.  Robyn and Dennis made a trip down to the campground today to check it out for me.  (You can only tell so much from a website.)  They both thought my rig would fit in well here, and there are no neighbors on the left.  I had thought of staying for only a month or two, but the monthly rate is $500.  I can have the site for the year for $975, so were I to stay for the whole season, that would average out to less than $10/night.  It’s 45 miles from the Chicago area where my brothers and sister live, so I bit the bullet and made the reservation today. 

I won’t arrive there until May, and still have the option to make trips to other areas during the summer like the UP of Michigan.  This idea is growing on me, and Dennis reminded me that they are installing a heated outdoor pool in their backyard this spring.  So, when I go to their house to do my laundry, I can spend the waiting time taking a dip in the pool.  :)  Not too shabby!   I never thought I’d be spending that much time in Indiana, but I’m pretty excited about it.  Any ideas of things to see and do in northwest Indiana would be greatly appreciated…
Tonight’s sunset was the best so far this year at Anahuac.  Please notice the American kestrel in the upper right corner.  :)  Just had to sneak in a bird…

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy   

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is another one of those parks where, on a good day, you have the chance to come home with some more of those calendar like pictures.  :)
I’ve never been to this park in the autumn, and really couldn’t get enough of the fall colors.  I didn’t take all of the roads in the park because as I neared the highest portion of the park, a snow storm began.  I’m a chicken when it comes to taking a chance with snow storms in mountains, so I turned around and headed back down.
If you read yesterday’s post, you know that this was a journey of remembrance for me.  Being out to see these natural wonders refreshed my soul.
Though the aspen colors were mostly past peak, there were small groves that were just brilliantly colored.
In a meadow near West Horseshoe Park, a bull elk was keeping watch over his harem of about 20 cows.
On the periphery of this herd were two much younger bulls that were hoping to maybe steal away a cow or two.  By the size of the big bull, I’d say these two probably won’t have any luck with that!  The bugling of that big bull sent chills up and down my spine.
When I arrived at this campground on Saturday, my oldest son, Daniel, met me at the office.  He lives about 90 minutes away outside of Denver.  He’ll be moving to Los Angeles in about two weeks, so I was glad we got a chance to visit before his move.  That’s his dog, Buddy, with him.  They both stayed for the night, so we had a nice campfire while we chewed the fat.  Emma was in 7th heaven with a four footed companion to bother.  I didn’t think she’d ever call down, but finally after midnight they both collapsed.

Today was spent running errands in Loveland, CO, and tomorrow my plans are to get through Denver and head for Kansas.  Life goes on…

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Starting to get ready to roll!

My sister, Pam, and her husband, Stan, will be driving up from Chicago tomorrow to spend the night in Andy’s driveway in preparation for our take off for Yellowstone NP on Monday.  Today, I began preparations for hitting the road.  :) 
One of the things on my to do list was install the inside step carpet pieces that I picked up at Camping World last week.  It’s not a big job, but something I wanted to get done.  I decided not to use the enclosed screws, and will just rely on the Velcro strips on the back of the pieces to keep them in place.  That way I can easily pull them up for washing when necessary.  I have found these little carpets to do a great job of keeping the muck and mire out of the rig.  They work better at cleaning off wet shoes (and dog feet) than the hard surface beneath them.  I also have a couple of matching throw rugs and a six foot runner inside on the hard surfaces.  You know who is the official greeter for visitors.  :)  She looks so sweet and innocent here.  (looks can be deceiving)  When someone other than me approaches, she goes into her wild excited gyrations.  I’m not sure she’ll ever calm down.

I did a last load of laundry, and did a little shopping at the grocery store in preparation for the cookout we will have tomorrow after Pam and Stan arrive.  Andy will build a fire in the outside fire pit so we can cook the brats and sausage outside.  I also have a bag of marshmallows that I know two young boys have been waiting to toast!

While I was tinkering around inside,…








…Andy and Ruby came in to visit.  Emma behaved, but really wanted to lick every part of that little person.  :)  Eventually, Ruby dozed off in her father’s arms.  They are lucky that she is such an easy baby.



















I made up some artichoke dip, at Andy’s request, tonight.  I’m thinking I might just have a little unhealthy snack a little later.  Hmmm…artichoke is a vegetable, right?  :)
I leave you tonight with a sunset over the marshes of Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.  Please keep our veterans and those currently serving in your thoughts this holiday weekend.  Without them, we could not enjoy the wonderful freedoms that we do…

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Minnesota Children’s Museum

Andy and I packed up lunches and the boys into the car and were on the road to St Paul, MN, by 8:30 to visit the Minnesota Children’s Museum.  It’s about a 90 minute drive from Kasson, and is located in downtown St Paul.  I’m sure glad we had my GPS along to get us there.  Both going and coming back home were made really easy with my “Australian Mate’s” directions.  :)  (I chose the Australian male voice for my GPS over that cranky American female…haven’t named him yet, though :))
We were able to park about three blocks away for $5 for the day.  That’s pretty reasonable considering the location.  I couldn’t believe how jam packed it was with people on a Tuesday morning!  Of course, I forgot that this is May, and kids and teachers are tired of school, so every district in the area has scheduled field trips to the museum.
The museum is four stories high.  This is the view from the second story.  This is a great museum for kids with lots of hands-on activities.
Right now they have a special dinosaur exhibit on display.  Joey and Seth interacting with the displays.
Joey especially enjoyed digging for dinosaur bones, complete with safety goggles.  :)  The bones are hidden under chips made of recycled auto tires.
Here they both are helping to “hatch” some dinosaur eggs in a nest.
Then we went to the little town area (can’t remember the official name of it).  It had all kinds of things for kids to do.  There was a grocery store, restaurant, city bus, uniform store, and several other venues where kids could simulate doing things.  Everything is built to a child’s size except the bus. 
Seth especially enjoyed “driving” the bus. 

There were many more exhibit areas than I can cover here.  As I said before, a great place to take kids, or grandkids.  It was a very enjoyable day for all of us.

On the way home, we had a slight problem at a gas station.  Andy had left the motor on (with AC) as he filled the car.  When he went in to pay the bill, I smelled something burning.  So, I shut off the engine and got out as smoke began billowing out of the engine!  As Andy approached from paying the gas bill, I told him about the smoke and we both got the kids out of the car and I took them off a safe distance.  It turned out that the radiator had boiled over producing the smoke.  Thanks to some local folks, we were able to get the car to a repair shop that was close by.  After about an hour standing out in the boiling heat, I took the boys back to the gas station to take advantage of their air conditioning, and to get everyone an orange push-up to cool us down.  Eventually, we got things taken care of and were on our way back to Kasson.  As we left the gas station, all the adventures of the day took their toll on the young ones, and they napped all the way home.  I would have like to join them.  I was pooped.  :)  We didn’t dare run the AC on the rest of the drive home because of what the mechanic had told us.  It was a hot and sultry drive back.

When I got back to the rig, the temperature inside was 96*!  Ugh!  Emma had spent the day in Andy’s fenced back yard, so I joined her as it was way too hot to be inside of the rig.  :(  Eventually, a storm front moved through with rain, so the temp is now down to a much more comfortable 82* inside the rig.  It should be a little easier to sleep tonight.  I can’t wait to get that new AC switch!

The biggest surprise of the day was that I suddenly had DISH satellite reception tonight.  I don’t know how that suddenly happened, but I’ll take it!

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Doing time...

Ho hum, a rather boring day today.  I feel like I'm doing time.  Andy and his family left around 9:00 to go garage sailing.  They invited me to go, but I spent several hours yesterday doing that with Kelly and the kids.  That's about my limit of enjoyment for the next ten years!

Once they left, I thought I might do a couple of loads of laundry, but they locked the house up tight.  Okay, maybe I'll take a drive over to Rice Lake State Park and look for morel mushrooms.  Hmmm, my car is pinned between the front of the RV and Andy's work car.  Alrighty then, it looks like a day at home.  I expected the family back about 11:00, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.  Well, it's now almost 6:00, and they just pulled into the driveway.  The boys are crying and Andy said he's exhausted. 

Guess I'll just settle in for a night of Netflix movies.  :)  Apart from being bored today, the time just isn't flying for me until Tuesday when I have a 2:00 appointment to see the rig.  If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'm definitely going somewhere!

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

It was almost "Travels WITHOUT Emma"

Half way through the morning, I went inside the house to play with the boys since it was once again kind of rainy outside and cold.  I put Emma in the gated yard.  A short time later, Kelly said she was going to run out to the mailbox to put some letters out.  We didn't think anything about it.  The morning wore on, and eventually I decided to go back to the rig for lunch.  As I stepped into the yard, I noticed that the gate was wide open and Emma was no where to be seen.  Oh no!  Because of the miserable weather all week, we had only taken walks on the block by the house.  We have never lived in a town since I've had her.  As we decided to jump in our vehicles to drive around looking for her, we noticed her heading towards us from the back side of the retirement home across the railroad tracks from us.  We called her name and she came barreling towards us.  I couldn't believe it!  I thought she was long gone and lost.  She was wet from head to toe and had obviously been on quite a run.

After I brought her into the rig and dried her off, she collapsed on the dashboard!  I guess she had herself quite an adventure.

After lunch, I began preparations for the chicken casserole I was making for every one's dinner.  I must say that it is very delicious.  I also had strawberry shortcake for dessert.  Soon, I heard a tapping on my door, and Joseph was asking to come in to play our games. 

The rain finally seemed to be over, so both boys and I went into the yard to play so Kelly could give Ruby a bath.

This is big brother, Joseph....

and younger brother, Seth.  They were full of energy after being cooped up for five days in the house.  They played on the swing sets and climbed a tree.  As they played outside, I went and got Emma (and kept her on her lead).

I headed for the back fence so Emma could meet up with one of the horses.

Soon, the horse bent his head down so they could both get a good sniff of each other!    Emma was fairly quaking with excitement, but she behaved.  Then the kids spotted us and came running.  We all had a fun time feeding the horse.

You know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!

Crackerdan (my oldest son) left a comment about the picture that is presently the header of my blog.  I think he chose Crackerdan as his handle since he always has a wise crack to make.  :)  He wants me to change the picture ASAP to a scene from Minnesota since that's where I'm at.  That has been my intention, but it's difficult to get a pleasant picture of rain and cold.  :)  If I ever see the sun again, I'll work on that!

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

Anxiously excited!

The dreary, cold, and windy weather returned again today.  Add to that some showers in the late afternoon, and it resulted in a pretty much inside day.  Andy and his family were busy with things to do today, so I just hunkered down and cleaned the inside of the rig and did some more investigating on the computer.

The subject of my investigation has to do with my dream to purchase a new (to me) rig.  After four years on the road, I'm hoping to upgrade a bit.  I've been happy with my Winnebago Sightseer, but I'm thinking of the future and what would make me most comfortable in my travels and beyond.  I have a particular rig in mind, and want to be fully prepared to bargain with the dealer.  I'm not interested in trying to sell this rig on my own, but will use it as a trade in.  The rig I want to check out won't be at the dealer's until a week from tomorrow, so I'm anxious and excited about the prospect.  I remember how excited I was as I prepared to go fulltime, and this is almost the same.  I'll have to do some purging, but not nearly as much as before.  No garage sales this time!

Robyn and Phoebe will be flying back to Chicago tomorrow morning.  They have been using my toad to get around while they've been here.  I'll be taking the car into Rochester tomorrow to get the estimate on the repairs from my mishap in Kansas City, and I think I'll stop by the RV dealer to see the pictures the sales manager has on the rig I'm interested in.  :)  I also want to talk to him about prices.  So, tomorrow I'll either be very excited or very disappointed.  Wish me luck!  Either way, I know life goes on...

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

More family arrives in the cold north

Oh my goodness, it was 34* when I woke up this morning.  Brrr!  This is not what I signed up for!

About 8:30,  Andy, the two grandsons, and I headed for the Rochester airport to pick up my daughter, Robyn, and granddaughter, Phoebe.  They had flown in for an extended weekend stay from Chicago.  The plane was on time, so they just hopped in the car and we headed back into town.  We made a stop at Target for a mother's day gift for Kelly, and then stopped at Universal Marine and RV.  I wanted to check to see if the new awning covers I had ordered had come in.  They had, so I'll be able to get them replaced while I am visiting this trip.  While we were there, I asked about a rig that I've been interested in.  I've been dreaming of possibly trading in my Sightseer for a newer model.  I talked to the sales manager, and he will be getting back to me.  I'll provide further details if things progress in that direction.  :)

It was cold and windy all day, so we spent most of the afternoon indoors just visiting.  Emma is really enjoying the fenced backyard, and is putting in several miles of running around the large area.

Andy and I did brave the elements and worked on getting the toad drivable.  He had to remove a plastic panel under the front bumper that was rubbing the new tire every time the wheels turned.  He also helped me get the extended stay propane tank set up.  It's nice to have a young man that can easily tote around the 40 pound tank.  ;)  With this cold weather that is now forecasted for the coming week, I'm going to need it!

Andy and his family had a pre-scheduled BBQ to attend this evening, so Robyn suggested she take me out for a Mother's Day Dinner.  Who am I to refuse?  We drove into Rochester to the HuHot Mongolian Grill, and had a tasty meal.  If I were to go there again, I'd put on slightly more spicy sauce.  I usually don't like spicy meals, but the combination of sauces that I chose turned out to have next to no flavor at all.  I'll know better next time.  :)  Afterwards, she and Phoebe drove my car back to their motel, so I'm able to post a little earlier this evening.

I have a few photos to catch you up on.  Remember when I stopped for the night in Peculiar, MO?

This was my pull-through site there.  It has a brick patio with a nice round cement table and benches.  Notice the tree on the left of the site.

There was bird activity in that tree, and upon further investigation I found an active mocking bird nest.  Mom would hop out every time I came out of the rig.

I decided to bring over my portable step and try to get a picture of the inside of the nest.  If you click on the picture to enlarge, you will see that there are three blue eggs speckled with gray.  This must be my spring for finding nests.  :-)

I wish all you mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day for tomorrow.  I know I'll be thinking of my Mom and missing her tomorrow...

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

Life and technology marches on!

I was up at 5:30 this morning to make sure my oldest son, Daniel, and his wife, Crystal, got up in time to get to the airport for their flight back to Denver.  You never stop being a mother, you know.  :)  After that, the two granddaughters kept us on a roll for the remainder of the day.  Since I have been here, Phoebe has decided to improve her night time sleeping which has resulted in her mother getting more rest.  It couldn't have happened at a better time.  I think it was Friday that she finally slept through the night for the first time.  It has been a joy for me to be with Phoebe and her older sister, Avery, each day.

After the girls were bundled off to bed this evening, I asked Dennis if we could try the Skype connection again.  I've heard of Skype, but didn't know exactly how it worked.  Dennis had picked up a Logitech  Web cam for me a couple of days ago, but our first attempt to get it operational was a flop.  Then we were too busy to give it a second try until tonight.

This is the little web cam that allows you to call others like a phone call, but you are also able to see who you are talking to.  Of course, both parties have to have internet access and one of these web cams.

It rests right on top of your computer screen, aimed at you, and transmits a live video of you to the person you are calling.

The true test came tonight when we tried to call Daniel in Denver.  None of us knew if it would work using my Sprint Air Card.  It took about an hour to work the kinks out, but eventually we (Robyn, Dennis, and myself) were able to see and talk to Daniel and Crystal.  I felt like a kid in a candy shop when it worked.  What a great way to keep in touch with family!  I think it's especially nice for fulltime RVers.  You can be a visual presence so those young grandchildren remember who you are.

Boy, oh boy, it's mind boggling to think of all the advancements in technology in my lifetime.  And to think that I can take and use most of those advancements on the road with me!  All it took was about $50 (and the help of a techy son-in-law) to get me out of the 20th Century.  ;)

Tomorrow, I'll leave the cold and snow behind as I fly back to Texas.  I'm ready for some blue skies and warmer temperatures!

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

Almost like family

Sometimes I am asked why I mainly volunteer at National Wildlife Refuges.  There are a number of reasons.  I love wildlife, and where better to see and find such life than by living on a refuge?  My volunteer work usually involves a variety of experiences.  While doing bird counts and tours is my favorite, I also get to interact with the public in the visitor centers, and work with our youth that attend refuge education programs.  There hasn't been a refuge yet where I haven't learned something new.  Learning keeps the mind pliable and is very important to me in my selection of volunteer locations.  Air boat activities, pelican banding, marsh restoration, bears, alligators, wolves, and ocelots are the icing on the cake!  BUT....the most important reason to me is that volunteering on National Wildlife Refuges is like coming home and being with family.

Today was a good example of the thoughtfulness and care that I have been shown at our refuges.  This morning, I received an email from my sister that suggested it would be wise for me to journey to Chicago in the very near future.  My mother's condition is deteriorating quickly, and my sister feels her passing is not too far off.  I knew this was coming, but didn't think so soon. 

That got me thinking of my options.  I decided I didn't want to leave the rig here at Anahuac NWR because of the rodent problem.  Having an empty rig for a week or so would be a disaster.  So I gave a call to my next location, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, and asked if they had a site available for my early arrival and explained how I would have to quickly leave for an unspecified amount of time. 

They assured me that a site would be ready for me at the beginning of next week (as I had requested).  What a relief that was!  Then I called the vet I had visited in Lago Vista last year to see if they had a kennel.  They did and said they could be flexible with Emma's arrival and departure dates.  One more detail worked out.

In the meantime, Anahuac offered their sympathy and told me not to worry about having to bale out two weeks early.

This afternoon, I got an email from Rob Iski, the volunteer coordinator, at Balcones stating that not only would the site be available while I travel to Chicago, but that they do not expect me to put in any hours for the time I am set up there before, during or after my sad journey.  In fact, they said I could take all the time I needed once I returned to rest and recuperate.  Now I ask you, how thoughtful is that?  Like I said....just like family.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

Brrrrr!!!

Well, the weatherman was correct. It was a raw, cold, snowy day today. The snow didn't accumulate, but the temp never got above 34*. Tonight it's supposed to be in the twenties, so I unhooked the water hose so it wouldn't be frozen solid in the morning. At least the wind has died down. I don't like this weather at all.

I did venture out to find a Wal-mart this morning to get my hairs cut and stock up on needed groceries. Then late this afternoon, I headed over to Dan and Crystal's for dinner. Dan had assured me that Crystal was a good cook, and he was certainly right. Crystal had prepared an absolutely scrumptious meal. As much as I enjoyed it, I just couldn't finish the huge serving she gave me.

I got back to the rig shortly after dark and am now bundling up against the cold temps. It's supposed to be sunny and in the fifties tomorrow before returning to below freezing temperatures again. All this cold has caused me to probably change my plans again, and just head straight for New Mexico on Sunday. I'll have to come back to visit those other places in Colorado in a more friendly (to me) season. :)

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

2nd post-family pics & best sunset

I guess there's a first for everything, and tonight I'm doing a second post in one day. Mostly it's pics of the granddaughters, but there is one great sunset picture.

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Robyn, Dennis, Avery, and Phoebe came out to my site at Indiana Dunes State Park today. I knew Avery would have a great time since my site is mostly sand. What kid doesn't like playing in the sand?

Here's Avery and her Dad...

and Avery trying to climb into the RV...

We can't forget about one month old Phoebe; smiling for her Grandma...

In the meantime, Avery had discovered Emma's perch on the dashboard. You can really watch what's happening in the campground from this perch.

A bird's eye view....no wonder this is Emma's favorite spot!

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The weather forecast for tomorrow calls for high winds and possible showers. I'll check it out first thing in the morning. I won't drive if the winds are bad. So, maybe I'll head for Moline, IL, and maybe I won't...

I just had to share my best Mississippi sunset with you from my last night at Grant River COE campground, in Wisconsin, last Sunday.

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Visiting, visiting, visiting...

Both yesterday and today, I drove into Dyer, IN, to visit Robyn & family. What a hoot it is to watch an a 19 month old discover and enjoy her universe. Phoebe, the one month old, pretty much just sleeps and eats. Before returning to the campground, yesterday, I was in charge of piloting Avery up and down the aisles of Wal-mart while her parents had a meeting at a mortgage company a few buildings down. Avery babbled and babbled as we "drove" around. I needed to get a new road atlas and throw rug for in front of the kitchen sink. After finding what I needed, I headed towards the toy department, and Avery shouted "Elmo!" Sure enough, there was an Elmo toy on display. I always enjoyed Sesame Street when my kids were growing up, but Grover was my favorite. Apparently, Grover has slipped from the lime light, and Elmo is now a member of the "in" crowd.

Today, I headed into Dyer fairly early and took Emma and my computer with me. My son-in-law, Dennis, was going to help me with a few computer issues I was having, and succeeded in solving all my problems. Ya-hoooo! I hooked Emma out to a tree in their backyard, and around noon my sister, Pam, arrived to visit for the afternoon and meet the new baby in the family. We all had a great time, and before you knew it, it was five o'clock, and time for me to pack up and head back to the campground before it got dark. I really don't drive after dark anymore unless it is really necessary.

It was a good day to be gone from the campground as every site is full and there must be 1,000 kids on bikes and scooters flying around the roads. There are probably also about 1000 dogs barking as well. ;) Perhaps, I exaggerate a little...

Robyn, Dennis, and the kids are supposed to come to the park to visit tomorrow, and then on Monday I'll be heading out towards Denver. It has been a great visit for the last week, but I'm ready to head on down the road.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy