BLING, BUGS, BBQ & BAREFOOT

I have been totally frustrated with the cloudiness of our headlights and tail lights since last June, when I did the three step procedure of cleaning up and waxing our Tiffin Allegro Bus.  

Monday, we pulled into the Rathburn Lake and Dam Campground in Centerville, Iowa.  Tuesday, I attacked the headlights and tail lights with the 3M 39008 Headlight Restoration System from Amazon.com.  

Oh, My!  What a difference a few minutes makes! 

Take a look at this....

BEFORE....

AFTER....

NOW.......FOR THE TAIL LIGHTS!

BEFORE 

AFTER!

AND, do you see the shine on the exterior of the motorhome????  That is all from the use of the Mother's Three Step Clean and Wax System from our Amazon.com location in the top right portion of our blog....even though it says something about year end deals....lol

As to bugs.....we are plagued with what I would call gnats and large gnats!  They are absolutely driving me bonkers.  So if any of you know how to get rid of these critters, please let me know....

Our router to Centerville, Iowa took us through the little town of  Shelbina, Mo and a restaurant, Buckhorn BBQ!

This is exactly why we love to travel the roads less traveled.

Where else can you find an award winning BBQ Restaurant in Missouri or Iowa????  You cannot!

Not only did we eat the best BBQ that we have tasted, but we found a small town establishment that is worth a detour off Interstate 70 on U.S. 36. Shelbina, Missouri is your delectable destination!  Be sure to tell them Nan and John sent you!

The restaurant is definitely not the Ritz!  But is hometown, America.  A business we want to keep flourishing!

On the walls we find the jerseys of local athletes who have "made it big"  in athletics.

This wall represents the two smallest schools in the area that have produced some of the best athletes in the mid-west.  

Displayed are jerseys from high school athletes who have gone on to play at numerous universities, even the United States Naval Academy.






I wish I had taken a photo of our full rack of ribs rack of ribs that  we  shared, but we were too busy enjoying our non-vegetarian meal, once again. Oh, oh, we need to be getting back on the wagon, don't we?  The only problem>>>>the scales are showing the results.

We try to eat the plant based diet for reason of better health and weight loss, but there are times that we slip into the bad, old ways of eating.

We have been staying at Rathburn Lake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathbun_Lake in Centerville, Iowa for the last 5 days.  Centerville is the hometown of my father and I have come to learn more about my family history.

I have not learned much about my family history, but the campground is a treat.  What solitude we have experience in the last week.     We have been the only inhabitants of the campground and have the freedom to allow Oliver and Olivia to romp as they will.

One thing I did learn today is that there is a town with my name.  It rivals New York City and Los Angles for size and population.  Here is a photo of the metropolis....

Welcome to the booming city of Monteith, Iowa!

I did not know it existed until a trip today to the Centerville, Iowa museum.

We are definitely planning to tour the town as we head north into Minnesota next week.  Stay tuned for the elaborate descriptions of the town with my family name!

I have visited the county museum, the county courthouse and the library in town.  My research has not produced much that I did not know already, but I have loved walking the courthouse square and surrounding streets that my father must have walked as a teen.

I have learned that my father graduated from Exline, Iowa high school as number one or number two in his graduating class.  But there were just two students in his class. So I am sure he was number one!

My father went on to the University of Iowa to study Pharmacy although he wanted to study medicine and become a physician.  Because his mother had been widowed seven year earlier, my father had to take a shorter path in order to help provide for his younger sibling, still at home.

Oops, I have been providing information to our family that he lefty behind and that I am sure is boring y'all, so I quit here.

Thanks to all for stopping by and sharing our experiences as we travel the roads that most avoid.  May God bless you regardless the roads you take, be it the interstates of North America, or the small, less traveled highways.

Also a huge thanks to you who shop through our Amazon link....

AND thanks to all who shop through our crazy Amazon link at the upper right area of this blog stating "year end deals".....someday....someday, Rick will once again teach me how to update this link.

Until next time.....looking forward to your comments!  And may God bless you as you go about your daily living.....

J-E-L-L-O

It is said that a RVer's play book is written in Jello.  

Today, we found that all of our magnificent plans are a colorful melted mess.




Today, we were watching our local noon news and weather and what they had to say made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  That terrible snow storm in Minnesota is heading our way.  There is a good possibility of freezing rain and up to eight inches of snow.  Temperatures are predicted to plummet to the single digits.  Cold weather and humidity are two enemies of John's health. 

John had to start taking antibiotics and a steroid eleven days ago and is still struggling to beat the bug that has attacked his respiratory system. 

We were to have our Christmas with Holly, Lucy and Ross tomorrow, Thursday, night just when the weather system is   to arrive.

Granddaughter, Megan, is to have a birthday on Friday and we wanted to share that day with her. 

We have been waiting for the part for our refrigerator that Norcold had published a recall.  It still is not in after weeks of waiting.  We arrived at Camping World in Indianapolis October 16th.  Yikes!  

Needless to say, we had a hard decision to make as we sat and looked at the weather map and listened to the weather man.  

Finally and reluctantly, we made the decision to leave all of our plans melting in the Jello dish, and do what we knew was right for John's health and our safety. Right now, we are on Interstate 65 heading south.




I am thankful that we do not just have to "wobble on."  We have a loving God that directs our paths and helps make decisions clear as to what we should do.

Not all decisions are as clear as today's, but I love the fact that we are not alone in our daily walk.   


Our departure this afternoon was delayed for an hour by a dead battery.  It seems that just sitting for a long time does not make our battery happy. We are trying to figure out if something is drawing power from the battery as we sit in Camping World's lot. 

Camping world to the rescue.  They charged the battery and we are on our way.   We are thankful for our Camping World family.  The recall part did not arrive today as they had hoped.  As I said, we have been in their lot since mid October. Of course we shopped there to say thank you for their hospitality.  

Our destination is Red Bay, Alabama.
Red Bay is the Home of Tiffin Motorhomes.

There are repairs to be made to the motorhome where in Yuma, Arizona, John had a fight with a boulder and the boulder won.  In addition to repairing the damage and having the leveling jacks repaired, we will let them fix the wiring to the the microwave-convection oven.

Thanks for stopping in to read today's blog. AND thank you to those that clicked on the Amazon link at the top right side of the blog and shopped through our blog.  

Our reason for teaming up with Amazon is that John's out of pocket expenses for all his drugs is mounting and making a huge dent in our monthly budget.  The small percentage that Amazon pays from each order you place is greatly appreciated.  

I wonder where we will be tomorrow at this time.  Come back tomorrow and see.  For now.....God bless each of you.  




  

SAD SATURDAY

Yesterday was a frustratingly sad day. After breakfast, we decided to look for some of John's weaving materials. 

We had Christ Gustin of Homestead Weaving Studio in Nashville, Indiana (think Brown County) prepare warp for two scarves.  John was going to put the warp on his loom and weave away.  

Then John got sick, the warp was packed to go into the vast basement of our Tiffin Allegro Bus.  Now, we cannot find the warp.  What a huge, expensive bummer!  

We started to empty the basement compartments, one at a time.  As we were emptying the compartment, we inspected the bags of llama and alpaca fiber that I had stored there.  Oh, oh, wool moths larvae!  In all, I had to throw twelve huge bags of larvae, moths infested fiber into a dumpster.  That sure reduced my stash!  

We looked at the hats, handbags and scarves I had in storage bins.  These were items that I was preparing to sell on the Internet.  Every item in the tote that did not have an air-tight seal had damage.  Thank goodness, some items designed for children were in a sealed bin.  

We are still searching nooks and crannies for John's warp. Hopefully, it will be a successful, satisfactory Sunday.  

We did come across much of John's mom's unfinished quilts.  At least one top needs to be stitched and there are three or four groupings of quilt squares that need to be sewed together.  Then, there is fabric!  And more fabric. Can you say weight added to the bus?  At least, we reduced considerable weight when the fiber went to the dumpster.  

Our thanks to those who used our blog to enter into Amazon's store to make their purchases.  No matter how small or large, every order helps.  

I'm off to find that warp!  Wish me luck.    

God bless!  

MAINTENANCE, FRIENDS AND GOING HOME

After six long to us days of driving from Yellowstone to Des Moines, Iowa, we were ready to revert to our more relaxed way of travel.  

We made plans to visit with long time friends, Margie and Lyle Sears at Fisherman's Cove on the Mississippi River.  We planned to stay there for three days in order for John to get some rest.  One day of visiting and two of chilling was on our agenda.  

I cleaned the Miata and the motorhome with The Solution and John applied tire protectorant  and cleaned the thingies the wheels are mounted on including hub caps. Whatever they are, they were shiny!

We caught only one sunset on the Mississippi.  Along the edge of the river were thousands of Water Lilies.  

Wednesday, we left Fisherman's Cove COE.  Due to the clowns in D.C, we had to be out by noon.  

We camped at Wally World in Hammond, IN for the night and headed toward our Michigan destination Thursday morning.  

Our fiber friends Bob and Deb own a fiber farm consisting of sheep, two Great Pyrenees and one Australian Shepherd.

The Pyrenees guard the interior of the pastures, keeping coyotes and wild dogs at bay.  

Just a few of the Polwarths

Fergus and Olivia keep the sheep away from the fence

After the sheep are sheared, Deb dyes the some of the fiber.  

 The fiber is then sold at as roving or yarn Fiber Festivals to spinners, weavers, knitters, etc.  We met Bob and Deb at a fiber event and have been fast friends since then.  

It was Bob and Deb that came to Indiana to visit and encourage John when he was in the hospital.  They also came back to help us clear out the barns when we were ready to close on the house and start our full time adventure.  

Bob helped John with a couple of repairs on our Tiffin Allegro Bus. Now I see John having more courage and energy to tackle tasks that he would have never tried before Bob and Jim Dixon worked along side John.  

John has caulked questionable spots on the roof, changed the generator's oil and all filters, worked on our T.V. antenna, etc.  

Ryan is mighty tall!

                                        Our microwave stopped working.  Bob, John and Bob and Deb's son Ryan worked on that situation. Ryan checked inside and outside.   


The diagnosis on the microwave is that we are going to need Tiffin make this repair.  Ryan checked out everything and said that there is a problem in the wiring in the wall. 

What a fun experience it was to try a new-to-me vegan recipe each night.  I was pleased that they liked every meal.  There is not one recipe that I want to forget.  We have found that eating the plant based diet is much more flavorful than the same ole meat and potatoes routine.  

When we were preparing to full time, I had to sell my floor weaving loom.  It was way too large and heavy.  We ordered a Glimakra rigid heddle loom from Bob and Deb.  

Three years ago, John took a weaving class at the Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival.  He had decided that this is something he would like to do.  Of course, I may just get to use it too.    

I can be using my spinning wheel and John can weave the yarn into whatever he chooses.  What a team.  

It did not take him long to open the box and begin the assembly.  

With all the wool behind my wheel, it looks like he will have plenty of supplies.  

Tomorrow, we leave Bob and Deb.  We are spending a day in Shipshewana, IN and then head back to Greenwood, IN to be with Indianapolis family for a few weeks.  While there, John will have all of his check ups.  

Bob and Deb head to New York for the New York Sheep and Wool Festival.  

OCTOBER 19th and 20th, 2013 Saturday 9AM-5PM Sunday 10AM-5PM

The End

Thanks for stopping by and God Bless!

AN INTERVIEW OF MY FULL TIME TRAVELER

Hi.

Hi

Thanks for giving me this interview.

You're welcome

When did you purchase your first motorhome?

About three years ago.

Why did you decide on a motorhome?

I wanted to travel and do the fiber art shows with you.

Had you ever been camping prior to the motorhome?

Yes

Can you elaborate?

yes

Oh, brother!

(laughing) Years of tent camping when our children were small.

What did you like about the first motorhome?

I like sitting up high while driving....the visibility while sitting up higher.  

The convenience of uh, stopping where ever I wanted. 

It provided the opportunity to explore new territory and is more economical than  using hotels and restaurants. And we can have our dogs and cat with us.

What did you not like?

It's size.  Driving it was intimidating.

What mistakes were made when purchasing the first one? 

Not spending enough time with the dealer and learning more about motorhomes.

Describe your first trip in the motorhome?

Our first trip was north of Chicago and we went through Chicago and I was petrified with all the lane changes, primarily.  Our steps had a mind of their own and would come out while driving.  That was nerve wracking. 

Did you have a Toad?

No.  Are we done yet?

Nope.

Then how were you able to sight see and shop?

We had to drive the motorhome. Occasionally we shared rides with friends when we went out to eat. 

Do you like emptying the holding tanks? I just have to ask?

I don't like it, but I don't really mind.

What is your baddest of bad mistakes you made driving the motorhome....so far?

I guess backing over the retaining wall in North Carolina.

And just what the reason for that mishap?

I should have gotten out and surveyed the situation before backing. I should have listened to you.

When we got married, I weighed ninety-three pounds. I don't weigh that much now.  Do ya still like me? 

Yes, there's more to like. 

What would you change about me?

Your sudden mood changes.

Have they improved since I've started taking my anti-depressant in the morning instead of at night?

Yes.

Sigh....

How did our kids to get to be so old and turn out so great?

I guess the same way we did.... 

I can't answer about our kids that but I  often ask  myself that question.

Are you still driving the Winnebago?

No  

Why not?

We traded for a newer motorhome with slide-outs and a diesel pusher. 

How are you feeling now that it has been a year since you were hospitalised for respiratory failure?

Physically, I feel much better.  I haven't felt this good for eight or ten years!

What did you learn from that experience?

How precious life is.  How important family is to me also relationships.  

What do you like about the Tiffin Allegro Bus?

Wellll, I like the stability of the ride, especially in curves.  The Tiffin does not feel top heavy on the on and off ramps.  The Jake-break is a real life saver!  I like the roominess.  I just like the comfort.  And it's interior is homey and pleasing.  

What do you like our new style of eating?  

I'm sorry, was there a question? Did I miss something? 

What do you like our new style of eating?  

I like the flavors, the freshness, and it has helped me feel better.  I appreciate Karen's introducing us to this lifestyle and I like the weight I have lost.  I can breathe better!

(Karen is our oldest daughter)

Describe your favorite place we have visited thus far and why.

Oh boy......I am going to have to say that we have been to a few different deserts and their vastness, the quiet, how bright the starts are at night from the lack of light pollution, the coolness at night.

I really enjoyed visiting the Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego.

Is there one place you would not return?

There probably is, but it must not have been terrible, or I would remember it.  

Why does it take you so long to wake up in the morning?

I have no idea, it's just me........leave me alone!  

Where are we going when we leave here?

I don't know.......yet to be determined. 

Do you feel that helping Jojo with the Koi pond retrofit and the pergola has helped you gain strength?

Yes.  Physically = yes.  I've made some calculation mistakes and that really bothers me.  I think the mental mistakes are due to being on life support for so long...and the medications.  

What have you enjoyed most about being able to spend so much time with her after not being able to for twenty years?

That's tough to answer because I just enjoy  being with her.  She's good and fun to work with.  She is a great worker.  

Thanks for giving me this interview even though you are still asleep and on only your second cuppa coffee. 

You are welcome, I'm sure.  Should I add a disclaimer.

I think you should add that this interview was done under duress. 

Do ya still like me now that we are done with this interview? Huh, huh?

Yes, definitely like ya.  

ON THE MOVE

We decided to leave Lake Perris State Recreational Area a day earlier than we estimated.  Visitors were beginning their long weekend early and we could see that it was going to be a noisy day.  

You are right.  We are spoiled.  We love the absence of human voices.  The discussions as to how to erect a huge tent for the first time, with each person having a different solution.  People talking on their cell phones so loudly that they probably didn't need to be heard back home..... since they were yelling into their phones, etc, etc.  

The flies and mosquitoes were already there awaiting their meals arrival in their cars, trucks pulling  RVs and the motorhomes.    How is that for a multi-day banquet?

We moved south on the 215 and looked for a place to park for the night.  And here we are in the palatal estate of the Home Depot!  This is a huge lot and we do not hear one voice, the buzzing of mosquitoes or flies!  We will take the monotonous buzz of traffic any time over the voices of people that we do not know.  

In Jojo's town, is allowable to park a motorhome on the street for three days.  Tomorrow, Friday, we will park in front of her house and will leave Monday morning.  Hopefully, by then, we will have a place to land for the next five weeks.

The hot, hot weather is not "supposed" to hit the area until early July or late June.  June "gloom" is supposed to keep us cooler.  

Jojo's birthday is July 8 and we want to celebrate her birthday with her for the first time in twenty years.  Then, we are heading for cooler weather.

Where?  Not sure.  Our desire is cooler temperatures and no humidity.  Both are essential elements for keeping John healthy.  Any suggestions?  

We must be back in Indiana late October / early November for all of John's appointments with various physicians.  

We also need to schedule a visit to Red Bay, Alabama.  We want Tiffin to make a few repairs on the motorhome including a boo-boo that John got when he had a fight with a large rock.  

Leigh and Bryan from the blog found here always have great meals that Leigh posts in her blog.  I asked her how she manages to have all the ingredients.  She actually plans her menus for a week then makes her shopping list.  A great  big duhhhh here.  

Yesterday, I made a meal plan for the next seven days.  I put all the ingredients on my phone's grocery list and today, we purchased everything I will need for the next week.  We will see how this goes.

What is so neat is that Leigh and Bryan hardly eat the same thing over.  They go from one tasty recipe to another.  John and I think this is a neat idea and are willing to follow their lead.  

If you are looking for some good plant based recipes check out their blog!  The meals are to die for!  

We met Leigh, Brian and Curtis (Olivia's friend) at Clark Dry Lake in Borrego Springs last March.  Then they found us again we we all camped at Blair Valley.

They are making their way to Washington state where they have land to park their Airstream during the summer months. 

Yesterday was our great-grand Harper's second birthday.  

She has changed a bit from this photo!  

And she is going to be a big sister in January!  

As an answer to our prayers, Kelly of The Bayfield Bunch has a diagnosis and is receiving treatment after a visit to the emergency room.  Read all about it in Al's blog.  

With that good news, I'm outta here!

God's blessing on each of you.  Travel safely...

   

A CHANGE OF SCENERY FOR THREE DAYS

Three weeks ago, we came to visit and to help Jojo with some projects.

A congregation had purchased and was remodeling a church that was one house away from Jojo's.  The elders were gracious and let us park in their lot until the church was ready for Sunday services. 

The Koi pond filtering system retrofit is complete, but we still need to work on the pergola and irrigation system so we intend to find a place to stay until after Jojo's birthday, July 8th.

Today is the day we needed to move.  We have moved to the Lake Parris (Pronounced Paris) State Recreation Area just twenty miles from Jojo's.  This is just a temporary place as it is Forty-five dollars each night for water and electricity.  

In retrospect, we should have been looking for a place to park during the last three weeks since the foreman on the church remodel told us we would be moving.  But, we met the chairman of the board and he said just to stay there as long as Jojo needed us nearby.  

Staying in a parking lot is not the ideal situation.  But for us it was ideal.  We were close to the work that needed to be done, but most important, we were close to a daughter that we had not been able to see on a regular basis for twenty years. 

We did not need to dump until this past Sunday.  That was almost three weeks!  And where did we dump?  Right here at the Lake Perris State Recreation Area.  

We showered at Jojo's.  I took Oliver and Olivia to her fenced back yard so they could run whenever they wanted.  I did laundry at her house rather than using the water on-board.  What a difference all those experiences made.  

This campground is on asphalt.  It is almost like we are back at the church.  But here, we have trees, a lake, and other campers that are off in the distance.  Oh yes....we have flies.  Flies by the hundreds!  The thousands, millions, billions, trillions!  Sounds like our national debt, doesn't it?

Tomorrow, even though for just a short time, I put out our hummingbird feeders and get the seed for the other critters with wings.  

So....what do I think of Lake Perris SRA?  I am so pleased that we will not be here for the Memorial Day weekend.  

The campsites are large enough for a small RV with their tow vehicle parked next to them.  Each site has water and electricity.  The dump station with flies by the gazillions is in a separate location.  It is NOT worth forty five dollars a day.  

The person at registration tried so hard to find a site for our forty foot Tiffin Allegro Bus and our sixteen foot trailer.  

She thought if we parked parallel to the road, all would fit side by side in one campsite.  If it were not for a tree, we would fit.  

We are not willing to either back into or pull into tree branches that would scratch the coach.  Also, we were not willing to pay for two campsites which was the other suggestion. 

My final thoughts about Lake Perris SRA, is just to skip it unless you are shorter than thirty feet, do not mind be lined up as if in a parking lot that is not level.

The scenery is nice, but you can find foothills anyplace.

  

The lake is okay, but it is not next to the campgrounds.

Would I return?  Only if we had to. 

Tomorrow, I plan to get out and take photos, do some hiking and enjoy the quiet.  

What are you planning to do tomorrow?  

Please pray for Al and Kelly of the Bayfield Bunch.  Kelly and Al are both having physical problems that need to be addressed quickly, but are in the quagmire of the Canadian healthcare system.  

For tonight, this is it.  Take care and most of all......

GOD BLESS!