Some high humidity came thru yesterday, so Gary and I decided to take Bob’s car (with permission, of course) instead of the Jeep out to Reading, PA. That is where we need to get our transmission fixed, and because we will not be staying for any radiation, we can leave whenever the Alison dealer can fit us in. August 10 was the earliest, so we have a week to get ready to leave.
It will seem so strange to get on the road again. We will have to refer to our departure list, as I’m sure we’ve forgotten how to do half the stuff required. I think Bob is ready for us to go. He seems to be in a groove now, and I will leave him some freezer meals, although he does know how to cook. He has made some future plans for some fun, so I think he will be OK. We need to hurry down to Florida as quickly as we can so that Gary can get whatever treatment he needs before we apply at Disney for jobs, so it won’t be a leisurely trip, but I don’t know if we’ll stay only one night in each campground… we’ll see. My stomach is flip-flopping already. I think part of that is excitement. That’s my story, and I’ll try to stick to it.
Tomorrow is my brother, Kirk’s, birthday and he is cooking up a big fish fry. I made some of my aunt’s macaroni salad mixed with tuna and celery. That will be a blast from the past – but the REAL blast will be what I have made for his birthday present. Tune in to see his reaction to that!
Low humidity sailed down from Canada last evening, and we spent another night air-conditioning free. It’s supposed to be spectacular tomorrow (lucky Chelsea and Marc) so we’re looking forward to seeing everyone in the backyard. Ahhhh, summer. How I love it.
Gary worked on the electric dog fence, and when he gets that solved, I get to train Molly. This Bob told me because he doesn’t want Molly to hate him. I understand; I’ll be the bad guy.
I worked on a list of things that needed to be done before we go, and also places to stay on our route home. I made a reservation at Pine Hill in Kutztown for next Sunday thru Tuesday when we put Bella in for service. I R-E-A-L-L-Y hope that the leak is something simple and they can fix it in one day. Ya’all hope with me, OK?
We’re really looking forward to our trip home, staying in Raleigh a few nights to visit fam and friends, then somewhere near a radiation center to get rid of this stuff on Gary. Sheeeeeesh. From there, we will drive to various CGs near Disney World to choose our wintering site. As soon as we get home, we will put in our applications. I’ll keep you all posted, and thanks for following us!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A Change in Plans
This morning we had to get moving fairly early. A trip to the grocery store, Michael’s, Target, Walmart and Staples all before a 12:30 appt at the Cancer Care Center for Gary. Rosie was coming after lunch, and we expected to be at the Dr.’s at least an hour. We got there with 10 minutes to spare, and then Gary was asked to go right in. I decided to run home, unload the groceries, and go back to pick him up. On the way home, there was a little sportscar that had its bright lights on, so I moved my rearview mirror to show him that I was annoyed. It then passed me, and waved! It was Rosie! I followed her home, threw the groceries in the coach, and headed right back to the Center.
Gary had been waiting about 20 minutes. I could tell he was unhappy (but not because he had to wait for me). “They decided that I wouldn’t receive any radiation here. The best thing the Drs. decided was for me to head back to Florida for some kind of treatment." Soooooo. Life threw is a little curve ball, and we will have to deal with that.
First thing we need to do then is to find out where we can get our leak fixed. So tomorrow we will make the call that will determine when we leave here.
Rosie and I worked on our mosaics, chatted, worked on a big surprise for my other brother, Kirk, whose birthday party is Saturday, helped Bob make crates and Gary got to drive the forklift (even though it doesn’t have any brakes. How do you stop it, you ask? Throw it into reverse, of course).
It cooled off enough to have our dinner of brats and salads on the deck, and then Rosie said her ‘till later’ and now here I am.
The birds are eating twice as much as I am (but they’re not gaining as much as I am!) I’m going to have to make birdseed a line item in our budget.
Later...
Gary had been waiting about 20 minutes. I could tell he was unhappy (but not because he had to wait for me). “They decided that I wouldn’t receive any radiation here. The best thing the Drs. decided was for me to head back to Florida for some kind of treatment." Soooooo. Life threw is a little curve ball, and we will have to deal with that.
First thing we need to do then is to find out where we can get our leak fixed. So tomorrow we will make the call that will determine when we leave here.
Rosie and I worked on our mosaics, chatted, worked on a big surprise for my other brother, Kirk, whose birthday party is Saturday, helped Bob make crates and Gary got to drive the forklift (even though it doesn’t have any brakes. How do you stop it, you ask? Throw it into reverse, of course).
It cooled off enough to have our dinner of brats and salads on the deck, and then Rosie said her ‘till later’ and now here I am.
The birds are eating twice as much as I am (but they’re not gaining as much as I am!) I’m going to have to make birdseed a line item in our budget.
Later...
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
On the Water
Yesterday was so beautiful it reminded me of the summer days growing up. Low humidity, sunshine and only 88 degrees. I spent some of this beautiful day vacuuming the coach top to bottom – dust mites, don’tchaknow – ewe. You can’t see them, but I know they’re hiding. Hopefully I got rid of some of the little buggers.
Gary worked with the new kayak pump he bought at Walmart. He thought it would replace the foot pump that came with the SeaEagle. But it wasn’t strong enough to inflate it all the way. So we added a few pumps by foot, but it sprung a leak. Gary tried to fix it, but it totally fell apart. I called SeaEagle, and sent them photos of the pump for a under-warranty replacement that they’ll send here in a week. Then Gary helped Bob build some more firewood crates.
Cutting metal, de-burring, welding. Whew.
Just at 4:55 pm, after Gary had given up, the Doctor called! He said he wanted Gary to come in on Wednesday for consultation and prep for his radiation treatments. Yahooo! That means that we will have a leave date!
We were ready for a really good fish dinner on the deck. We hit the sack at 9:30 with plans to go kayaking tomorrow on the Giving Pond again until we get our launch permit for Nockamixon Lake in PA. Nitey-nite. No bedbugs in here!
Tuesday
It promised to be another low humidity day, and for the first time in two months, we turned off the air-conditioning. What a great night’s sleep. We were up and ready to load our kayak and gear at 7:00. We drove up to Milford for a morning bagel fix, then drove the 10 minutes to the Giving Pond. One lady launched her single kayak and we soon had our SeaEagle inflated and ready to go. We still get curious looks. It wasn’t quite as inflated as we were used to, but it was still safe and comfortable. We slowly set off and spent about 1 ½ hours floating around searching for wildlife. Two things we noticed right away: huge pink and white hibiscus flowers were in bloom
and all of the swallows we saw last time were gone. We did see the turtles sunning themselves,
a great blue heron that was probably annoyed that we kept following it,
a dragonfly 
and a mystery hole. 
Even clouds looking like birds. 
Right? It started getting hot under a solid blue sky, so we paddled over to the take-out point. Two other ladies were exiting at the same time so we chatted with them to find out some other places to kayak. They both kayak often so gave us a few good places to put in, eat lunch and get some ice cream! We loaded up our gear and headed home.
Gary had a sandwich then went out to help Bob. I blogged. Then I washed the floors, fed Molly (the dog) washed and folded up the kayak, swept the house, filled the birdseeder AGAIN, touched up the gold paint on the coach, took a shower and here I am again.
It's pizza for dinner, and tomorrow we see Dr. Greenberg and we have a secret mission!
Gary worked with the new kayak pump he bought at Walmart. He thought it would replace the foot pump that came with the SeaEagle. But it wasn’t strong enough to inflate it all the way. So we added a few pumps by foot, but it sprung a leak. Gary tried to fix it, but it totally fell apart. I called SeaEagle, and sent them photos of the pump for a under-warranty replacement that they’ll send here in a week. Then Gary helped Bob build some more firewood crates.
Cutting metal, de-burring, welding. Whew. Just at 4:55 pm, after Gary had given up, the Doctor called! He said he wanted Gary to come in on Wednesday for consultation and prep for his radiation treatments. Yahooo! That means that we will have a leave date!
We were ready for a really good fish dinner on the deck. We hit the sack at 9:30 with plans to go kayaking tomorrow on the Giving Pond again until we get our launch permit for Nockamixon Lake in PA. Nitey-nite. No bedbugs in here!
Tuesday
It promised to be another low humidity day, and for the first time in two months, we turned off the air-conditioning. What a great night’s sleep. We were up and ready to load our kayak and gear at 7:00. We drove up to Milford for a morning bagel fix, then drove the 10 minutes to the Giving Pond. One lady launched her single kayak and we soon had our SeaEagle inflated and ready to go. We still get curious looks. It wasn’t quite as inflated as we were used to, but it was still safe and comfortable. We slowly set off and spent about 1 ½ hours floating around searching for wildlife. Two things we noticed right away: huge pink and white hibiscus flowers were in bloom
and all of the swallows we saw last time were gone. We did see the turtles sunning themselves,
a great blue heron that was probably annoyed that we kept following it,
a dragonfly 
and a mystery hole. 
Even clouds looking like birds. 
Right? It started getting hot under a solid blue sky, so we paddled over to the take-out point. Two other ladies were exiting at the same time so we chatted with them to find out some other places to kayak. They both kayak often so gave us a few good places to put in, eat lunch and get some ice cream! We loaded up our gear and headed home.Gary had a sandwich then went out to help Bob. I blogged. Then I washed the floors, fed Molly (the dog) washed and folded up the kayak, swept the house, filled the birdseeder AGAIN, touched up the gold paint on the coach, took a shower and here I am again.
It's pizza for dinner, and tomorrow we see Dr. Greenberg and we have a secret mission!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Balloons Away!
It was tough to get up in the dark at 5 am, but we really wanted to see those hot air balloons in Readington and we needed some time to find them. We filled our coffee to-go mugs and headed out. It's not often I see sunrises.
There were signs everywhere with directions to the Festival, so we really didn’t need Ms. TomTom, but she did give us a few shortcuts. There were NO PARKING signs within a 2 mile radius on every street surrounding the airport, so we had to be clever. We drove around and spotted a church. Huge parking lot, no signs and no cars. Some cars came, but then left, so I figured there were better spots somewhere around. The next area was another church but the graveyard was up the side of a mountain even closer to the fairgrounds. Ahhh, other people were here, too. We found a parking spot and walked out into the fields just as the first balloon arose into the perfect blue sky. Here are just a few of the 45 that flew today. I especially like the barn complete with animals and 30’ farmer. 
Even so far below them, we could hear the rush of the flame as the handle was pulled to raise the balloon higher. Here are a couple of other shots I took during the launches:
Soon after lunch Rosie came with the mosaic pieces we had started on Thursday. They were dry enough to grout and frame. I think I love doing mosaics.
The first one is always a trial piece, and I would do many things differently next time. Bob helped us a little, and then Rosie helped him weld! Here she is with her helmet on welding some pipe together. 
Gary wanted a turn, too.
Now he can add that to his resume. So far he has many new names for his different new talents:
Fire tending: Ash
Hay throwing: Hay-you
Cutting pipe: Sparky
Welding: Torch
Tree shredding: Chip
Routing: Dusty
Driving bobcat: Skid
He'll probably have a few more before we leave.
There was a 40% chance of thunderstorms, and it looked serious around 3:30. We were all working together in the Workshop when the winds whipped up, the thunder crashed and the rains came. It was all over in about 20 minutes, and then the sun came out. Hopefully this will break the heat wave we’re having up here. We heard that it was the hottest July on record. I don’t particularly love air-conditioners, but we have really needed it on day and night. Bob’s electric bill compared to last July was 7 times higher because of us. His house bill was three times higher than that. I’m tellin’ ya, it’s HOT up here…
Tasha is trying to catch the hummers through the windshield.
They aren’t scared, though, and keep coming back over and over, which keeps her busy. 
Silly girl. I think she’s bored with the woods. She hasn’t wanted to go out for over a week, or if she does, she comes right back. This is OK with us, as she brings dirt and bugs in on her and we really don’t want those traveling with us.
Waiting for the Dr. to call….
There were signs everywhere with directions to the Festival, so we really didn’t need Ms. TomTom, but she did give us a few shortcuts. There were NO PARKING signs within a 2 mile radius on every street surrounding the airport, so we had to be clever. We drove around and spotted a church. Huge parking lot, no signs and no cars. Some cars came, but then left, so I figured there were better spots somewhere around. The next area was another church but the graveyard was up the side of a mountain even closer to the fairgrounds. Ahhh, other people were here, too. We found a parking spot and walked out into the fields just as the first balloon arose into the perfect blue sky. Here are just a few of the 45 that flew today. I especially like the barn complete with animals and 30’ farmer. 
Even so far below them, we could hear the rush of the flame as the handle was pulled to raise the balloon higher. Here are a couple of other shots I took during the launches:
Soon after lunch Rosie came with the mosaic pieces we had started on Thursday. They were dry enough to grout and frame. I think I love doing mosaics.
The first one is always a trial piece, and I would do many things differently next time. Bob helped us a little, and then Rosie helped him weld! Here she is with her helmet on welding some pipe together. 
Gary wanted a turn, too.
Now he can add that to his resume. So far he has many new names for his different new talents:Fire tending: Ash
Hay throwing: Hay-you
Cutting pipe: Sparky
Welding: Torch
Tree shredding: Chip
Routing: Dusty
Driving bobcat: Skid
He'll probably have a few more before we leave.
There was a 40% chance of thunderstorms, and it looked serious around 3:30. We were all working together in the Workshop when the winds whipped up, the thunder crashed and the rains came. It was all over in about 20 minutes, and then the sun came out. Hopefully this will break the heat wave we’re having up here. We heard that it was the hottest July on record. I don’t particularly love air-conditioners, but we have really needed it on day and night. Bob’s electric bill compared to last July was 7 times higher because of us. His house bill was three times higher than that. I’m tellin’ ya, it’s HOT up here…
Tasha is trying to catch the hummers through the windshield.
They aren’t scared, though, and keep coming back over and over, which keeps her busy. 
Silly girl. I think she’s bored with the woods. She hasn’t wanted to go out for over a week, or if she does, she comes right back. This is OK with us, as she brings dirt and bugs in on her and we really don’t want those traveling with us.Waiting for the Dr. to call….
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Kitties, Fire and Water
Thursday I had a ‘playdate’ at Rosie’s house to create some art. Can you remember the photo of my coffee cup a few days ago? Well, Rosie liked that photo and decided we would do a mosaic of that photo! She did different colors, but since that is my favorite cup, I stuck to yellow. This is the result:
It will take 24 hours to dry, so it will be grouted when she comes on Sunday. She also has two adorable kitties: Pinkerton and Company. What fun they are.
Yesterday was our granddaughter’s 7th birthday. I can remember when she was born. What an angel. Deep blue eyes, dark silky hair, so sweeeet. Now she is a beautiful young lady who takes after her MomPom (me) in the arts department. We always do some kind of craft when we’re together, and her art work is so creative. We are planning to take her in the coach for a vacation hopefully before school starts in August. I hope we make it back down before then to be able to spend some special time together.
We worked really hard yesterday with the fire, stoking it and collecting limbs and branches from the ground. Being 96 degrees didn’t help either, and Gary pooped out around 3 pm taking a little rest, while I sewed new pillowcases and worked on the tire covers. After dinner we heard thunder and saw lightning, but it skirted us.
This morning we had set our alarm for 5:30 so we would have time to get to the balloon lift off at the Balloon Festival in Readington. But our alarm didn’t go off. So we’ll try it again tomorrow morning. We had breakfast in Panera then did a little recon work on the Round Valley Recreation Area, a reservoir with a beach, boating, diving, fishing, wilderness camping and hunting areas completed in 1977. This reservoir holds 55 billion gallons of water and is in the highlands of Hunterdon County. It was gorgeous and we can’t wait to bring our boat up. Yesterday Gary got a battery pump and new hose as an alternative to inflating the boat. It’s 105 degrees today, but we went down to the fire and collected more firewood. Whew, that fire must be 500 degrees (at least it feels like it).
Tonight we’re on our own as Bob has dinner plans. So we’re going to grill a couple little steaks. We’re going to try to keep cool, but the power keeps going on and off. We think it’s brown outs as every air conditioner must be running in the entire northeast. We’re OK, though, we’ve got backup.
Hopefully I’ll have great pictures tomorrow. Keep cool everyone.
It will take 24 hours to dry, so it will be grouted when she comes on Sunday. She also has two adorable kitties: Pinkerton and Company. What fun they are.
Yesterday was our granddaughter’s 7th birthday. I can remember when she was born. What an angel. Deep blue eyes, dark silky hair, so sweeeet. Now she is a beautiful young lady who takes after her MomPom (me) in the arts department. We always do some kind of craft when we’re together, and her art work is so creative. We are planning to take her in the coach for a vacation hopefully before school starts in August. I hope we make it back down before then to be able to spend some special time together.
We worked really hard yesterday with the fire, stoking it and collecting limbs and branches from the ground. Being 96 degrees didn’t help either, and Gary pooped out around 3 pm taking a little rest, while I sewed new pillowcases and worked on the tire covers. After dinner we heard thunder and saw lightning, but it skirted us.
This morning we had set our alarm for 5:30 so we would have time to get to the balloon lift off at the Balloon Festival in Readington. But our alarm didn’t go off. So we’ll try it again tomorrow morning. We had breakfast in Panera then did a little recon work on the Round Valley Recreation Area, a reservoir with a beach, boating, diving, fishing, wilderness camping and hunting areas completed in 1977. This reservoir holds 55 billion gallons of water and is in the highlands of Hunterdon County. It was gorgeous and we can’t wait to bring our boat up. Yesterday Gary got a battery pump and new hose as an alternative to inflating the boat. It’s 105 degrees today, but we went down to the fire and collected more firewood. Whew, that fire must be 500 degrees (at least it feels like it).
Tonight we’re on our own as Bob has dinner plans. So we’re going to grill a couple little steaks. We’re going to try to keep cool, but the power keeps going on and off. We think it’s brown outs as every air conditioner must be running in the entire northeast. We’re OK, though, we’ve got backup.
Hopefully I’ll have great pictures tomorrow. Keep cool everyone.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Different Kinds of Prizes
Yesterday we had fun choosing fabric for a pillow I want to cover for our bed. There was ONE fabric that went with the motorhome’s décor. I think they threw away the mold when the decorated it. But I really like the colors; sort of a dusty moss green, cream and a little beige. They are muted colors on purpose to give the coach a bigger feel inside. So even though I wanted to add a lot of color because I love color, I think it would be a mistake, so I have to rein myself in when I want to do the décor thing. I’ll just have to look forward to repainting the whole house when and if we end up back in Sarasota. We’re practically growing roots here…
Last time we were up this way, I noticed a tiny sign that said Pearl S. Buck’s home, 1 ¼ mile >, so this time I said ‘let’s go’. We finally found it, and unfortunately we had missed the last tour, but here is a photo of her house.
She was one of my mother’s favorite authors, and had collected almost all her books. Ms. Buck won the Nobel Peace Prize and the Pulitzer, and other awards that were displayed in the pre-tour room. We visited her grave site where her name in Chinese is on the granite marker. 
It sparked an interest in me to read all I can about this remarkable woman.
On the way home we saw a strange looking building, so pulled in and it was the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works built by the same Henry Mercer whose museum we visited last month.
The park was closed for the day, so we made a mental note to come back and tour both the museums and Pearl S. Buck’s homestead another time.
When we arrived home, Bob asked if we wanted to go to a ‘tractor pull’. Oh, sure we do! I grabbed my sweatshirt and off we went. We were to meet Dave in Glen Gardner (about 40 minutes north). As we hit the highway we were headed into some heavy-duty rain. But it only sprinkled on us as we had just missed a deluge a few minutes before. We waited for Dave, and I took this photo of a well-digger machine.
I had never seen one before, and a lot of people have wells around here. We hit the road again for another 30 minute drive north, and Gary snapped this shot of what was to come. We parked, we paid our $7 each and we ate a little ‘fair food’. The rain was headed for us, so I took a shot of the tractors on the track just in case. 
Then the rains came. It stormed for about 20 minutes, headed east and the sun came out creating a beautiful double rainbow. Gary is lucky it landed right on his shoulder.
Well, the tractors pulled the sled back and forth, back and forth. Noisy as heck, flames spewing from the exhaust pipes, holy cow. Oh, there were a lot of those, too. And sheep, chickens, pigs, goats. This little black faced fellow is just like the sheep I had as a little girl of 6, except mine had it’s wooly coat.
Her name was Cookie, and she followed me everywhere. Even up stairs to my bedroom, much to my mother’s dismay.
After the tractors, we saw lightning coming at us again and there we were sitting on metal bleachers that were soaked from the rain and a chain-link fence all around with 27 foot light poles behind us. Sitting targets, or what? I suggested we make a move, but the boys wanted to see the pickups drag this sled-thing a couple of times. So we stayed, and the storm missed us. We finally headed out around 10:30. We saw about 20 deer on the roadsides driving home, but missed them all. It was 11:30 and we were pooped, so off to bed with us. Nite!
Last time we were up this way, I noticed a tiny sign that said Pearl S. Buck’s home, 1 ¼ mile >, so this time I said ‘let’s go’. We finally found it, and unfortunately we had missed the last tour, but here is a photo of her house.
She was one of my mother’s favorite authors, and had collected almost all her books. Ms. Buck won the Nobel Peace Prize and the Pulitzer, and other awards that were displayed in the pre-tour room. We visited her grave site where her name in Chinese is on the granite marker. 
It sparked an interest in me to read all I can about this remarkable woman.On the way home we saw a strange looking building, so pulled in and it was the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works built by the same Henry Mercer whose museum we visited last month.
The park was closed for the day, so we made a mental note to come back and tour both the museums and Pearl S. Buck’s homestead another time.When we arrived home, Bob asked if we wanted to go to a ‘tractor pull’. Oh, sure we do! I grabbed my sweatshirt and off we went. We were to meet Dave in Glen Gardner (about 40 minutes north). As we hit the highway we were headed into some heavy-duty rain. But it only sprinkled on us as we had just missed a deluge a few minutes before. We waited for Dave, and I took this photo of a well-digger machine.
I had never seen one before, and a lot of people have wells around here. We hit the road again for another 30 minute drive north, and Gary snapped this shot of what was to come. We parked, we paid our $7 each and we ate a little ‘fair food’. The rain was headed for us, so I took a shot of the tractors on the track just in case. 
Then the rains came. It stormed for about 20 minutes, headed east and the sun came out creating a beautiful double rainbow. Gary is lucky it landed right on his shoulder.
Well, the tractors pulled the sled back and forth, back and forth. Noisy as heck, flames spewing from the exhaust pipes, holy cow. Oh, there were a lot of those, too. And sheep, chickens, pigs, goats. This little black faced fellow is just like the sheep I had as a little girl of 6, except mine had it’s wooly coat.
Her name was Cookie, and she followed me everywhere. Even up stairs to my bedroom, much to my mother’s dismay.After the tractors, we saw lightning coming at us again and there we were sitting on metal bleachers that were soaked from the rain and a chain-link fence all around with 27 foot light poles behind us. Sitting targets, or what? I suggested we make a move, but the boys wanted to see the pickups drag this sled-thing a couple of times. So we stayed, and the storm missed us. We finally headed out around 10:30. We saw about 20 deer on the roadsides driving home, but missed them all. It was 11:30 and we were pooped, so off to bed with us. Nite!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Good, the Bad and a Happy Ending
Yesterday was interesting. We worked on the fire in the morning, and then we headed up to Phillipsburg to mosey around until my haircut in Clinton at 4:30. Gary decided to take route 29 which we take all the time. Just as I told Gary that I saw a 15 MPH speed limit sign, Gary said “ugh oh” and started pulling over to the side of the road. Flat tire? No, police car – we were being pulled over. Now, we have been on that road at least 20 times, never noticed the speed sign (that was hidden behind tree limbs) and NOBODY else was ever going 15 mph. Who ever heard of a 15 mph limit on a regular road? Even the roads through our development were 24 mph. He clocked us at 37 mph, but reduced it to 10 mph over, wrote the ticket and as he was turning to leave, I asked if I could take his picture for my blog. He had no clue what a blog was, but agreed when I explained what it was. So here is his picture,
and here is Gary’s picture. 
Bummer. Can’t wait to find out the reason for this one…
However, the rest of the day was great. We stopped at Panera and had lunch on the patio with a cute chipmunk (unfortunately he took off before I could take his photo). I prefer chipmunks over squirrels anyday. They are so cute with their stuffed cheeks. We were looking for the Target nearby to replace the fan that kicked the bucket the other day. I didn’t want a huge table fan, and thought Target would have a smaller one for “Off to College” days. Sure enough, there was one almost identical to our old one for $10. With a birthday gift card, it was free!
We had some time to kill, so we stopped at a Radio Shack to look for magnets. Our plan now is to cut the wheel cover material to fit the wheel well, sew a strong hem and attach ring magnets at spaced intervals around the edge and just stick them up when we park, and pull them off when we go. I didn’t think Radio Shack would have any magnets, but I was wrong. Not only did they have magnets, but they had exactly the right amount, size and strength that we needed! Twenty-five magnets for $12. Yippeee.
We found some other stuff to use up the balance on my free gift card, and then headed home. Bob had taken Rosie to Middlesex for something, and they ended up at Dave and Marion’s. I called around 5:30 to see if they’d be home for dinner, but we all decided to go out to dinner again at Lone Star. As we were waiting at the bar, an old co-worker of Bob’s came in. They hadn’t seen each other in 20 years. Coincidence? They caught up for a few minutes and then we had a great dinner again with great friends.
and here is Gary’s picture. 
Bummer. Can’t wait to find out the reason for this one…However, the rest of the day was great. We stopped at Panera and had lunch on the patio with a cute chipmunk (unfortunately he took off before I could take his photo). I prefer chipmunks over squirrels anyday. They are so cute with their stuffed cheeks. We were looking for the Target nearby to replace the fan that kicked the bucket the other day. I didn’t want a huge table fan, and thought Target would have a smaller one for “Off to College” days. Sure enough, there was one almost identical to our old one for $10. With a birthday gift card, it was free!
We had some time to kill, so we stopped at a Radio Shack to look for magnets. Our plan now is to cut the wheel cover material to fit the wheel well, sew a strong hem and attach ring magnets at spaced intervals around the edge and just stick them up when we park, and pull them off when we go. I didn’t think Radio Shack would have any magnets, but I was wrong. Not only did they have magnets, but they had exactly the right amount, size and strength that we needed! Twenty-five magnets for $12. Yippeee.
We found some other stuff to use up the balance on my free gift card, and then headed home. Bob had taken Rosie to Middlesex for something, and they ended up at Dave and Marion’s. I called around 5:30 to see if they’d be home for dinner, but we all decided to go out to dinner again at Lone Star. As we were waiting at the bar, an old co-worker of Bob’s came in. They hadn’t seen each other in 20 years. Coincidence? They caught up for a few minutes and then we had a great dinner again with great friends.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Mesmerized
Sunday and Monday were work-around-the-campground days. Bob moved stone to park his trailer in the back, cut limbs off the tree overhanging the garage, Gary cut up more steel frames and I made out a shopping list.
I am so sore today. I shoveled dirt, climbed ladders, moved branches and tended our new campfire! It’s a little farther away from the coach than we would like, but it’s a little bigger than we need, too. We started it with a propane torch attached to a tank,
and it was rip-roaring in 2 minutes. We threw some tree trunks and limbs on it, but kept it cool so no sparks would fly up into the trees and we could keep it safely contained. 
I had to leave to make dinner, but after mussels and spaghetti, Gary and I went back out to sit by our first campfire since North Bend SP in Virginia sometime in April. There’s something mesmerizing about watching a fire burn. Soon we heard thunder, and the wind kicked up, so we scattered and secured the dying fire, and took our campchairs back up the hill and called it a night.
In the local newspaper, a person we know was on the front page! This will be Gary’s Dr. Greenberg and the machine that is used to treat Gary’s spot.
They have used this machine in Florida for a while, and probably Gary will be able to train these guys on how to operate it. Now, if they would just call…
Everyone likes to have something to look forward to. When I lived in Toronto, it was our annual Florida trip during spring break. And then it was summer. And then it was the kids going back to school, and then it was starting a new job, moving, etc. But now there are small things. Like being able to get out of bed in the morning; that first cup of Chocolate Velvet coffee with half and half;
and then big things like the Balloon Festival this weekend!
This will be the 28th year for the Festival at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ (the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America!) The town will swell from about 16,000 people to over 175,000 in three days. I have always wanted a trip in a balloon. In 2006 I convinced Gary to go ballooning in Arizona (he was not thrilled to go up, but wouldn’t let me go alone), but after getting up at 4 am for an hour’s drive to the launch location, it was cancelled because of lightening. So we rescheduled for a later date. I could tell he was still nervous, so instead of going up, we went out for a drive and bought a Jeep Wrangler (Mesa). Now I ask you, remember I always say “there is a reason”? Looking back, it wasn’t just an impulse purchase. Something deep inside persuaded us that we absolutely needed that jeep. We didn’t need it then, but we need it now as it turned out to be one of the best tow vehicles for a motorhome. Who knew?
In between all this, I managed to take some nature photos. Our view out the window is constantly changing, and this is what it looks like now:
These are some shots of things around our campground. 
And that's just another day.
I am so sore today. I shoveled dirt, climbed ladders, moved branches and tended our new campfire! It’s a little farther away from the coach than we would like, but it’s a little bigger than we need, too. We started it with a propane torch attached to a tank,
and it was rip-roaring in 2 minutes. We threw some tree trunks and limbs on it, but kept it cool so no sparks would fly up into the trees and we could keep it safely contained. 
I had to leave to make dinner, but after mussels and spaghetti, Gary and I went back out to sit by our first campfire since North Bend SP in Virginia sometime in April. There’s something mesmerizing about watching a fire burn. Soon we heard thunder, and the wind kicked up, so we scattered and secured the dying fire, and took our campchairs back up the hill and called it a night.In the local newspaper, a person we know was on the front page! This will be Gary’s Dr. Greenberg and the machine that is used to treat Gary’s spot.
They have used this machine in Florida for a while, and probably Gary will be able to train these guys on how to operate it. Now, if they would just call…Everyone likes to have something to look forward to. When I lived in Toronto, it was our annual Florida trip during spring break. And then it was summer. And then it was the kids going back to school, and then it was starting a new job, moving, etc. But now there are small things. Like being able to get out of bed in the morning; that first cup of Chocolate Velvet coffee with half and half;
and then big things like the Balloon Festival this weekend! This will be the 28th year for the Festival at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ (the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America!) The town will swell from about 16,000 people to over 175,000 in three days. I have always wanted a trip in a balloon. In 2006 I convinced Gary to go ballooning in Arizona (he was not thrilled to go up, but wouldn’t let me go alone), but after getting up at 4 am for an hour’s drive to the launch location, it was cancelled because of lightening. So we rescheduled for a later date. I could tell he was still nervous, so instead of going up, we went out for a drive and bought a Jeep Wrangler (Mesa). Now I ask you, remember I always say “there is a reason”? Looking back, it wasn’t just an impulse purchase. Something deep inside persuaded us that we absolutely needed that jeep. We didn’t need it then, but we need it now as it turned out to be one of the best tow vehicles for a motorhome. Who knew?
In between all this, I managed to take some nature photos. Our view out the window is constantly changing, and this is what it looks like now:
These are some shots of things around our campground. 
And that's just another day.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Happy Birthday, Rosie
Friday night Dave, Marion and Rosie came over. We celebrated Rosie’s birthday with a BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, baked beans and (thanks to Marion) salad, Texas Toast and of course, Better Than Sex Cake. It had marinated nicely and got rave reviews. I think everyone had a great time, especially Rosie! 
Saturday Bob left at 5 am, that’s right, LEFT THE PREMISES, at 5 am to meet Dave to go to a flea market in Jacktown, PA. The night before, he asked Gary if he might like to go, and Gary said, ‘if I’m standing in the driveway at 5 am, pick me up. If not, have a good time’. Gary actually heard Bob drive out as he turned over in bed.
We decided to get another bagel fix in Milford, and sitting outside noticed this phone pole.
This was clearly an old pole because of the footholds on the side. My dad worked with Bell Telephone for 30 years and used to be a ‘lineman’ and climbed these every day for maintenance and repair. In the United States, such steps have been determined a public hazard and are no longer allowed on new poles. Linemen may use climbing spikes called gaffs to ascend wood poles without steps on them or use the popular bucket trucks. When we left, we drove up the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware. I wanted to see how crowded Giving Pond was (the place we kayaked last month). There was no one there, so that was an option for today. It was going to be 94 degrees though…
Frenchtown was having their annual Bastille Day celebration today and tomorrow, so we drove slowly through the main street (which took 40 seconds) to see what was going on. It was a little early, so it looked like the French sleep in, too. Frenchtown was named after Paul Henri Mallet-Prevost, a Swiss fugitive from the French Revolution. In 1794, he and other early settlers were French speaking, leading some to begin calling the place "Frenchtown." It has been called other names, but this one stuck.
Our little fan that gives us ‘white noise’ during the night finally kicked the bucket. It was about 5 years old and was noisy enough to block out any outside noises, so we really slept well every night. In the middle of the night, it stopped and the silence woke me up. I thought the power had gone off, but then the fan clicked on again, only to quit again in a few seconds. What?? It started up again, but quickly stopped with a spark near the base. I jumped out of bed, unplugged it and sat in the ‘living room’ now that I was wide awake with Tasha, who was mewing for some ½ and ½. A few days ago, a few drops had hit the floor, she licked them up and now I have created a monster. Anytime we pass the fridge, she meows. Anyway, I finally went back to sleep, planning a trip to Walmart in my dreams.
We are having another heat wave up here, so doing anything without a/c would need to be done in the early morning. I haven’t read a book since we left, so I pulled up a camp chair and began the Journals of Lewis and Clark. Talk about an adventure. It was the largest and longest expedition in the history of the US, lasting twenty-eight months and covered eight thousand miles into unknown wilderness. The list of supplies they took with them pretty much matched my list for packing the coach (except gifts for the Indians), and other than using wheels instead of paddles, I feel we are going to do something similar in our adventure. We might not need to shoot elk for dinner, though…
So, trying to keep cool, we listen to Martha and the Vandellas, sing ‘Heat Waaaave…’
Saturday Bob left at 5 am, that’s right, LEFT THE PREMISES, at 5 am to meet Dave to go to a flea market in Jacktown, PA. The night before, he asked Gary if he might like to go, and Gary said, ‘if I’m standing in the driveway at 5 am, pick me up. If not, have a good time’. Gary actually heard Bob drive out as he turned over in bed.
We decided to get another bagel fix in Milford, and sitting outside noticed this phone pole.
This was clearly an old pole because of the footholds on the side. My dad worked with Bell Telephone for 30 years and used to be a ‘lineman’ and climbed these every day for maintenance and repair. In the United States, such steps have been determined a public hazard and are no longer allowed on new poles. Linemen may use climbing spikes called gaffs to ascend wood poles without steps on them or use the popular bucket trucks. When we left, we drove up the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware. I wanted to see how crowded Giving Pond was (the place we kayaked last month). There was no one there, so that was an option for today. It was going to be 94 degrees though…Frenchtown was having their annual Bastille Day celebration today and tomorrow, so we drove slowly through the main street (which took 40 seconds) to see what was going on. It was a little early, so it looked like the French sleep in, too. Frenchtown was named after Paul Henri Mallet-Prevost, a Swiss fugitive from the French Revolution. In 1794, he and other early settlers were French speaking, leading some to begin calling the place "Frenchtown." It has been called other names, but this one stuck.
Our little fan that gives us ‘white noise’ during the night finally kicked the bucket. It was about 5 years old and was noisy enough to block out any outside noises, so we really slept well every night. In the middle of the night, it stopped and the silence woke me up. I thought the power had gone off, but then the fan clicked on again, only to quit again in a few seconds. What?? It started up again, but quickly stopped with a spark near the base. I jumped out of bed, unplugged it and sat in the ‘living room’ now that I was wide awake with Tasha, who was mewing for some ½ and ½. A few days ago, a few drops had hit the floor, she licked them up and now I have created a monster. Anytime we pass the fridge, she meows. Anyway, I finally went back to sleep, planning a trip to Walmart in my dreams.
We are having another heat wave up here, so doing anything without a/c would need to be done in the early morning. I haven’t read a book since we left, so I pulled up a camp chair and began the Journals of Lewis and Clark. Talk about an adventure. It was the largest and longest expedition in the history of the US, lasting twenty-eight months and covered eight thousand miles into unknown wilderness. The list of supplies they took with them pretty much matched my list for packing the coach (except gifts for the Indians), and other than using wheels instead of paddles, I feel we are going to do something similar in our adventure. We might not need to shoot elk for dinner, though…
So, trying to keep cool, we listen to Martha and the Vandellas, sing ‘Heat Waaaave…’
Friday, July 16, 2010
Last Couple of Days
Yesterday it rained and rained. We holed up, cleaned up the coach a little bit and did not too much of anything. Gary worked on the sign for our little traveling home, and I can’t remember what I did, so it couldn’t have been much of anything.
Today the sun was peeking through the clouds and it was planning to be 95 degrees – and humid. I hung my finished wind chime in the window to catch the rainbows.
It is harder to catch the photo of rainbows all over the coach, though. We are still working on our tire covers and decided that magnets would be the easiest way to keep them up over the tires. Unfortunately the ones we need that are very strong are also very expensive. We could buy ready made covers for half as much. Hmmm.
The Doctor called Gary and is still waiting for his records. So I don’t know how much longer we will be in NJ. We are having fun (and we’re not moving) so we are happy, and Bob is happy for the company.
While Bob was putting his hubcaps on the Ford Pickup,
I took some pictures of little Eastern Wood Pewees and their mom.
Today is Rosie’s birthday and she, Dave and Marion are coming for dinner tomorrow. I’m making “Better Than Sex” Cake. I started it today, because it needs to ‘marinate’ for 24 hours. It is sooooo good. It is easy and uses popular ingredients. It’s a great summer cake as it’s cool and creamy. Here’s the recipe: Better than Sex Cake
1 18oz. pkg yellow cake mix (and the ingredients)
20 oz can crushed pineapple in juice
¾ c. sugar
6 oz. box(es) instant vanilla pudding
3 c. whole milk
1 c. whipping cream
¼ c. confect. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ c. flaked (sweet or not) coconut, toasted
Grease 13 x 9 pan. Bake cake in it. In pot, combine pineapple, juice and sugar. Cook on med. for 20 min. till thicker. When cake is done, pierce cake all over with fork, pour on and spread pineapple. Cool completely. Add milk to pudding and beat till thick. Pour over cool cake. Beat cream to med peaks, add sugar and vanilla. Beat till stiff. Spread on cake. REGRIGERATE 24 HOURS. Toast coconut and sprinkle on before serving. 16 servings (and you don’t want to know how many calories are in a serving).
I cleaned the coach really well and Gary ran to Walmart. He changed the oil and air filter in Mesa and I started the ribs slow cookin’ and am now watching Mr and Mrs Hummer have a sip or two. I would love to find their nest. Hummingbirds do not use bird houses and they do not nest in cavities. They prefer to make their small cup-shaped nest in the fork of a tree branch. They are only about 1 1/2 inches wide, made out of downy-like plant material that’s held together with spider webs! Their eggs are white and less than half an inch long, about the size of a small jelly bean or pea. Sounds easy to find, eh?
Hopefully tomorrow we will hear from Gary’s Dr. If not, we’ll continue working on our projects. I thought of something else I would love – an awning over the door. This would keep the sun out and keep me dry without an umbrella. We’ll finish another project first, though. Maybe. Maybe not.
Today the sun was peeking through the clouds and it was planning to be 95 degrees – and humid. I hung my finished wind chime in the window to catch the rainbows.
It is harder to catch the photo of rainbows all over the coach, though. We are still working on our tire covers and decided that magnets would be the easiest way to keep them up over the tires. Unfortunately the ones we need that are very strong are also very expensive. We could buy ready made covers for half as much. Hmmm.The Doctor called Gary and is still waiting for his records. So I don’t know how much longer we will be in NJ. We are having fun (and we’re not moving) so we are happy, and Bob is happy for the company.
While Bob was putting his hubcaps on the Ford Pickup,
I took some pictures of little Eastern Wood Pewees and their mom.
Today is Rosie’s birthday and she, Dave and Marion are coming for dinner tomorrow. I’m making “Better Than Sex” Cake. I started it today, because it needs to ‘marinate’ for 24 hours. It is sooooo good. It is easy and uses popular ingredients. It’s a great summer cake as it’s cool and creamy. Here’s the recipe: Better than Sex Cake
1 18oz. pkg yellow cake mix (and the ingredients)
20 oz can crushed pineapple in juice
¾ c. sugar
6 oz. box(es) instant vanilla pudding
3 c. whole milk
1 c. whipping cream
¼ c. confect. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ c. flaked (sweet or not) coconut, toasted
Grease 13 x 9 pan. Bake cake in it. In pot, combine pineapple, juice and sugar. Cook on med. for 20 min. till thicker. When cake is done, pierce cake all over with fork, pour on and spread pineapple. Cool completely. Add milk to pudding and beat till thick. Pour over cool cake. Beat cream to med peaks, add sugar and vanilla. Beat till stiff. Spread on cake. REGRIGERATE 24 HOURS. Toast coconut and sprinkle on before serving. 16 servings (and you don’t want to know how many calories are in a serving).
I cleaned the coach really well and Gary ran to Walmart. He changed the oil and air filter in Mesa and I started the ribs slow cookin’ and am now watching Mr and Mrs Hummer have a sip or two. I would love to find their nest. Hummingbirds do not use bird houses and they do not nest in cavities. They prefer to make their small cup-shaped nest in the fork of a tree branch. They are only about 1 1/2 inches wide, made out of downy-like plant material that’s held together with spider webs! Their eggs are white and less than half an inch long, about the size of a small jelly bean or pea. Sounds easy to find, eh?
Hopefully tomorrow we will hear from Gary’s Dr. If not, we’ll continue working on our projects. I thought of something else I would love – an awning over the door. This would keep the sun out and keep me dry without an umbrella. We’ll finish another project first, though. Maybe. Maybe not.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Day After
Ohhhh, my aching everything. Gary asked me if the dump truck had run over him when he wasn’t looking yesterday. My guy still thinks he’s 30 years old…
We finally pushed each other out of bed around 8 am. We were sore, but took it easy as it was still sprinkling. I needed to repair the hummer feeder as it slid off the windshield because of the rain. Those little hummers were flying all around looking for their nectar. When I put it back up, the ants found it and swarmed all over it. Hummers can’t eat with ants in and out of the holes, so I squirted some ant killer around the feeder being careful not to get any on the feeder. So far it’s working. The hummers are back, and the ants are not. So far..
The sun was beginning to peek out and the heat and humidity was rising. We changed out of jeans into shorts and decided to go to Michael’s for some magnets that we can use for the tire covers. I ended up with magnetic tape, hoping it would be strong enough. Then we hung out in Borders for a while and shared a coffee and banana bread. I love Borders to browse, read and have a drink. Fun and relaxing, which is what we needed today.
We headed home to check on the dinner in the crock pot, and it was doing nicely.
The tape didn’t work every well at all, so we will have to return that. Our next idea is giant binder clips. To do that, I have to cut the material, and once it’s cut, it’s cut, so I want to be sure first.
A friend of Bob's is supposed to stop by tomorrow to see if he can fix the sewing machine in the basement. Then I can sew my pillow case and the tire covers if they need binding.
Other than that, we relaxed. Ahhhhh.
We finally pushed each other out of bed around 8 am. We were sore, but took it easy as it was still sprinkling. I needed to repair the hummer feeder as it slid off the windshield because of the rain. Those little hummers were flying all around looking for their nectar. When I put it back up, the ants found it and swarmed all over it. Hummers can’t eat with ants in and out of the holes, so I squirted some ant killer around the feeder being careful not to get any on the feeder. So far it’s working. The hummers are back, and the ants are not. So far..
The sun was beginning to peek out and the heat and humidity was rising. We changed out of jeans into shorts and decided to go to Michael’s for some magnets that we can use for the tire covers. I ended up with magnetic tape, hoping it would be strong enough. Then we hung out in Borders for a while and shared a coffee and banana bread. I love Borders to browse, read and have a drink. Fun and relaxing, which is what we needed today.
We headed home to check on the dinner in the crock pot, and it was doing nicely.
The tape didn’t work every well at all, so we will have to return that. Our next idea is giant binder clips. To do that, I have to cut the material, and once it’s cut, it’s cut, so I want to be sure first.
A friend of Bob's is supposed to stop by tomorrow to see if he can fix the sewing machine in the basement. Then I can sew my pillow case and the tire covers if they need binding.
Other than that, we relaxed. Ahhhhh.
Monday, July 12, 2010
HAAARRRRDD Work
I’m still bummed that Google has frozen my Blog and email accounts. I will get to the bottom of this, but I am still writing, so, because you are reading this it has been unfrozen.
Yesterday it was supposed to rain, so we headed out early for groceries and did some wash. When Bob got home from his last day of work (maybe for the rest of the year), he got to work raking the ground where Gary and he had spread the new topsoil.
It took a lot of hard hand-raking too, and the sky was getting darker. Dave arrived with a few bales of hay and his hay blower and after I took the spreader and seeded all the naked areas (whew), Bob drove the truck as Gary loaded the hay into the blower
and Dave aimed and shot it out. 
Molly’s groomer had arrived and she had her spa treatment. She jumped out of the truck and promptly rolled around on the dirt. She loved the hay blowing all over her, too, as you can see.
What can I say? She loves being dirty. Maybe it is the brand of shampoo the Kathy uses on her?
They finished just as we heard thunder. Dave loaded his excavator and bulldozer on the trailer, and left for home. I hope he didn’t run into the storm. I went in to make dinner, and the boys showered. I know tomorrow we are gonna feel this…
We ate scallops and shrimp (YUMMY), cleaned up, said goodnite and headed home in the rain. I took my shower just as the heavens opened up with thunder and lightning. We crashed into bed with a Motrin and don’t plan much of anything tomorrow.
Maybe we’ll watch the grass grow.
Yesterday it was supposed to rain, so we headed out early for groceries and did some wash. When Bob got home from his last day of work (maybe for the rest of the year), he got to work raking the ground where Gary and he had spread the new topsoil.
It took a lot of hard hand-raking too, and the sky was getting darker. Dave arrived with a few bales of hay and his hay blower and after I took the spreader and seeded all the naked areas (whew), Bob drove the truck as Gary loaded the hay into the blower
and Dave aimed and shot it out. 
Molly’s groomer had arrived and she had her spa treatment. She jumped out of the truck and promptly rolled around on the dirt. She loved the hay blowing all over her, too, as you can see.
What can I say? She loves being dirty. Maybe it is the brand of shampoo the Kathy uses on her?They finished just as we heard thunder. Dave loaded his excavator and bulldozer on the trailer, and left for home. I hope he didn’t run into the storm. I went in to make dinner, and the boys showered. I know tomorrow we are gonna feel this…
We ate scallops and shrimp (YUMMY), cleaned up, said goodnite and headed home in the rain. I took my shower just as the heavens opened up with thunder and lightning. We crashed into bed with a Motrin and don’t plan much of anything tomorrow.
Maybe we’ll watch the grass grow.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Lucky Me!
Yesterday I tried to open blogger, but apparently my Google Account has been ‘temporarily suspended’, so I’m waiting to hear why.
I had the best time yesterday watching Gary and Bob rake mud around in the pouring rain. Sounds weird, I know, but they left at 6:30 am to meet Dave for breakfast, then unload Dave’s dumptruck full of topsoil on the areas where they pulled out the trees on the lawn. Unfortunately it started raining, then pouring, but they had to continue until it was all laid out. They were planning to seed and hay it, but it would have been just too wet.
Poor guys, they worked SO hard. 
Gary felt a little sore today.
Finally it stopped, the sun started peeking out, and Marion and I headed out to the Tinicum Annual Arts Festival sponsored by the Tinicum (PA) Civic Association. Rosie had entered her beautiful mannequin in the sculpture division and we were so hoping it won a ribbon. The festival is held at the Bucks County Tinicum Park, a huge red barn with two floors filled with art and music, demos, authors, food and plenty of tents with artists ‘in residence’ selling their beautiful wares.
We met Rosie at the gate and she said we had to go see what she won.
On the second floor of the barn we saw the 12 entries with lots of colored ribbons. There was a green honorable mention on Rosie’s.
What??? Which piece won the blue? As you can see below, we were surprised that this piece won over others. 
This was second place
and this is third (we’re not sure what it is, either). 
I would like your opinion on how you would have judged these pieces (because the others didn’t qualify for any ribbon in my humble opinion). Leave a comment if you can right below this post so that others can agree or disagree with your opinion.
We heard from others at the fair that the town of Stockton had some tree damage due to the storm. Our power was out for a couple of hours. Gary fired up the generator so our fridge could run on AC instead of propane.
After the fair, Marion and I said goodbye to Rosie and headed home to see if the boys had actually drowned or survived. They said they had to take a shower to dry off. And we were all hungry so decided to go out for dinner together. Longhorn Steakhouse got the vote and off we went, Bob, Gary and me in the pickup and Dave and Marion in his pickup hauling a 20 foot trailer. Fortunately there was room in the parking lot, and we OD’d on steak and chocolate cake. YUMMY. Bob picked up the check for us (thanks, bro). It was 10 by the time we got home, so we said our goodnites.
Today, July 11, we needed to go to Michael’s Craft store to make a return and a purchase. Naturally, Michael’s is next to Panera, so after we threw a load of work clothes in the washer, cleaned and refilled the bird feeders, etc. we headed out. Gary was thrilled with his bagel, and I was thrilled with my new pens to do some Zentangles. Go to www.zentangle.com to see what the heck I’m talking about. We hit a couple more places, made a menu for dinners this week, and headed home. I have been wanting to cut some Queen Anne’s Lace (weeds) for the longest time, even carrying around a container of water and scissors just in case we find a place we can pull off and cut some. Today, we found a place, I jumped out and cut a bunch, and smiled all the way home. They are still outside getting rid of the bugs.
Another thing that I finished was my little mobile with crystals and a little glass locket. I hung it in the window and there were tiny little rainbows all over the coach with the sun shining on it. I wanted to put a four-leaf clover in it, but that meant I needed to find one. Today was the perfect summer day, a few clouds, a little humid and warm. I walked around Bob’s back yard looking and not really expecting to find one. Molly came out and wanted to play, so we went for a walk all the way to the stream at the back of the property. Molly frolicked in the water, ran over to me and shook water all over the place. Then we saw a few deer that thought they were hiding. One was a little fawn with white spots still visible.
I went back to the yard and was walking back to the coach, still looking and I FOUND ONE! I found a four leaf clover! I still can’t believe it. I must be LUCKY! It is safely between the pages of a book until dry, and then I will place it between the glass locket enjoying how lucky I really am.
Really lucky.
I had the best time yesterday watching Gary and Bob rake mud around in the pouring rain. Sounds weird, I know, but they left at 6:30 am to meet Dave for breakfast, then unload Dave’s dumptruck full of topsoil on the areas where they pulled out the trees on the lawn. Unfortunately it started raining, then pouring, but they had to continue until it was all laid out. They were planning to seed and hay it, but it would have been just too wet.
Poor guys, they worked SO hard. 
Gary felt a little sore today.Finally it stopped, the sun started peeking out, and Marion and I headed out to the Tinicum Annual Arts Festival sponsored by the Tinicum (PA) Civic Association. Rosie had entered her beautiful mannequin in the sculpture division and we were so hoping it won a ribbon. The festival is held at the Bucks County Tinicum Park, a huge red barn with two floors filled with art and music, demos, authors, food and plenty of tents with artists ‘in residence’ selling their beautiful wares.
We met Rosie at the gate and she said we had to go see what she won.
On the second floor of the barn we saw the 12 entries with lots of colored ribbons. There was a green honorable mention on Rosie’s.
What??? Which piece won the blue? As you can see below, we were surprised that this piece won over others. 
This was second place
and this is third (we’re not sure what it is, either). 
I would like your opinion on how you would have judged these pieces (because the others didn’t qualify for any ribbon in my humble opinion). Leave a comment if you can right below this post so that others can agree or disagree with your opinion.We heard from others at the fair that the town of Stockton had some tree damage due to the storm. Our power was out for a couple of hours. Gary fired up the generator so our fridge could run on AC instead of propane.
After the fair, Marion and I said goodbye to Rosie and headed home to see if the boys had actually drowned or survived. They said they had to take a shower to dry off. And we were all hungry so decided to go out for dinner together. Longhorn Steakhouse got the vote and off we went, Bob, Gary and me in the pickup and Dave and Marion in his pickup hauling a 20 foot trailer. Fortunately there was room in the parking lot, and we OD’d on steak and chocolate cake. YUMMY. Bob picked up the check for us (thanks, bro). It was 10 by the time we got home, so we said our goodnites.
Today, July 11, we needed to go to Michael’s Craft store to make a return and a purchase. Naturally, Michael’s is next to Panera, so after we threw a load of work clothes in the washer, cleaned and refilled the bird feeders, etc. we headed out. Gary was thrilled with his bagel, and I was thrilled with my new pens to do some Zentangles. Go to www.zentangle.com to see what the heck I’m talking about. We hit a couple more places, made a menu for dinners this week, and headed home. I have been wanting to cut some Queen Anne’s Lace (weeds) for the longest time, even carrying around a container of water and scissors just in case we find a place we can pull off and cut some. Today, we found a place, I jumped out and cut a bunch, and smiled all the way home. They are still outside getting rid of the bugs.
Another thing that I finished was my little mobile with crystals and a little glass locket. I hung it in the window and there were tiny little rainbows all over the coach with the sun shining on it. I wanted to put a four-leaf clover in it, but that meant I needed to find one. Today was the perfect summer day, a few clouds, a little humid and warm. I walked around Bob’s back yard looking and not really expecting to find one. Molly came out and wanted to play, so we went for a walk all the way to the stream at the back of the property. Molly frolicked in the water, ran over to me and shook water all over the place. Then we saw a few deer that thought they were hiding. One was a little fawn with white spots still visible.
I went back to the yard and was walking back to the coach, still looking and I FOUND ONE! I found a four leaf clover! I still can’t believe it. I must be LUCKY! It is safely between the pages of a book until dry, and then I will place it between the glass locket enjoying how lucky I really am.
Really lucky.
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