Pictures are coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                             Nurse Mary Ann checking my sore foot.

The group at cake time.  Paris took the picture.  Mary Ann chose a cat clock with a wagging tail for me.  Very appropriate.  We have it hanging in the coach. 

 

Wayne and Jimmy on clarinet and trumpet.  Jimmy is into jazz and attends a group where he is learning to improvise.  Wayne bought himself a clarinet lately is is resuming his old skills.  Pretty well I might add. 

 

 

The girls took a drive and shopping trip to a local farm market for apples, bakery stuff, and it was cold – the wind blowing a gale.  We enjoyed Paris’ world and the drive. 

So much for my first successful effort at getting  pictures on here.  I have more learning to do but my teacher and friend, Leslie, will be staying here as we travel on.  But at least I know enough to experiment more successfully.  She fixed all my mess ups.  The computer came close to crashing a few weeks ago, and we found the right guy near by in Miami, OK who did a wonderful job of cleaning it up and re installing the hard drive.  David spent days and days re-installing all the programs, so we are back up to date and running well now. 

I’m back–hopefully

Well, the computer came within an nth of crashing (for you doubters, nth is a scrabble word.  more of that later), and now it is all new – $$$$ later, and hours and hours of David's work, I have to muddle through.  It all looks different.  So bear with me.

I don’t even know where and when I left off.  I think in Indianapolis, and my birthday party.  We parked in front of Rod and Paris’ house.  Wayne and Mary Ann (my brother and wife) came to their son’s house (on my invitation) for the occasion, and a good time was had by all.  My brother’s grandson is a very intelligent college freshman, aiming for a degree including aircraft    ( So I got one picture in there, not the one I wanted, and I don’t know how I did it, but it is progress)

technology and air traffic controller.  For kicks in his spare time, he listens to JFK airport traffic control talk on his Ipod – or some little gismo.  My brothers job was to break airplane engine turbines, his son’s job is to build airplane engines, and his grandson’s job will be to tell them all where to go.  Wayne thought that was quite a legacy.  Indeed it is.  All the family brains went to that bunch. 

After we left there we went to a beautiful campground in Litchfield, Ill, the heart of Abe Lincoln country.  We went to Springfield and saw his house there and heard all the Abe stories.  It is all a National Park now, right in the middle of Springfield.    We stayed 2 weeks, and it was peaceful there.  From our front window all we could see was a beautiful field with trees gradually becoming fallish. 

Then we went to Unity Village in Lees Summit, Mo.  This was an exploration for us, as we have recently joined a Unity church and were curious to see the birth place of the movement.  The rose gardens and fountains brought me to tears, but the buildings are aging, and it seemed pretty sparsely populated to us.  Our camping spot there was on the property, out in the woods east of the main campus area.  We had one neighbor who was there for classes.  We went to Independence and did the Harry S Truman thing, his house and library and museum.  Could have spent days there, but were impressed with the depth and reverence given him.  It was memorable. 

(Actually we went to Hannibal before Unity Village, but I don’t know how to move the paragraphs around)

Then we went to Hannibal Mo for the Mark Twain festival.  We met up with our Denver RV club there.  We had about 12 rigs there, and travelled about 20 miles from a very nice campground to Hannibal, for the street fair, Mississippi river boat ride and a dinner cruise on the same boat, dinner and a Mark Twain impersonator show.  He was good, but no Hal Holbrook.  No one could surpass him, but we all enjoyed the show in a very small theater where, we were given to understand, Old Abe himself once stabled his horse (it was once a livery).  History everywhere. 

Then we went south to Coffeyville to visit Co Chapter Escapee friends who part time work camp there for Amazon.com.  They are supervisors now, but work 3-4 months before Christmas sending out all the stuff you all have ordered from Amazon.  The town was flooded out 3 years ago, so a lot of the town just isn’t there.  History abounds:  The Dalton gang was all killed there, as they tried to rob 2 banks at once, in about 18????.  The town stood up to them, and they are buried there.  It is near b y to Baxterville, where the rush to OK for homestead land took place.  I am amazed that it happened there, as that end of Ok is rolling hills and tons of lakes.  The lakes may be more recent, the result of dams which I haven’t located yet.  but it is beautiful fall here, reminding me of the rolling hills of Arkansas, with lots of water and resorts.  We came from Coffeyville to Grove OK, amongst the lakes, and lots of little towns.  It is Cherokee country, the most famous of which was Will Rogers.  We went to his museum nearby, and found all the wonderful restaurants in a 50 mile area. 

From here we will go to Hollister Mo (Branson) to the Escapee park there.  I have some work to do on the itinerary before then, but from there we will wander to Livingston Tex, where the Escapee headquarters is.  We may be able to volunteer there, full time or a little time.  We will be there for Christmas more that likely, and who knows after that.  We are cozy and warm as fall turns cooler, still having beautiful days and cool – cold – nights.  Punkin is happy as long as a lap is available some part of the day.  My hips do well.  My body gets stiff with weather changes, but if my body felt as good as the hips I would be dancin!!!!!But alas, my bones tell my age, and the hips enjoy the technology and skill of Dr. Chaing.  I shan’t complain as I am so much better than before the 2 surgeries.  

A BEAUTIFUL DAY INDEED

For the 5th of Oct, who could ask for anything more.  We are in the most beautiful park I think we have ever encountered in our 6 years of travel.  It is called Honey Bend Resort, is in Litchfield Ill, or just north of there.  Acre upon acre of grassy park, dotted by 2 good size lakes that I can see, but I have yet to explore it all.  Next door to a cemetery, so it is quiet, though a train does run near by, but not loud enough to be a bother, day or night.  There are cabins here as well, almost 200 sites, but where I sit and look out right now I do not see another camper of any sort, only trees, an American flag along with a MIA/POW flag surrounded by a little memorial of flags and benches.  They just mowed the grass, so it smells of fresh hay and breezy air.  Our rig sits completely level under a spreading oak tree, which has not begun to change color yet.  There is only one yellow tree in sight, but promise of many colors to come. 

We come here for a rest, having just visited my nephew and wife and their son.  My brother and wife came for the duration of our visit, as my only 70th birthday was during that time.  It was one of the best birthdays of my life. They all outdid themselves to make me feel special, and I will admit, I soaked it up.  We parked in front of the house, but the street was quiet, and we slept peacefully.  Punkin got a little lonesome as she wasn’t allowed to join the party there being 2 territorial dogs in the house.  But she survived, and is making up for lost cuddles now.

Prior to freeloading at my nephews home, we spent 2 nights in a favorite campground called Tin Cup Park just north of Urbana Ill.  We rarely miss it, as it too is grassy and peaceful, with lots of trees.  We don’t find parks very inhabited again this season, and have made some reservations, but mostly just show up, and there is always plenty of room. 

We will go from here to Hannibal Mo for the Mark Twain festival, and meet our club, the Ramblin Recs there.  So we are backtracking a bit, but after that will head south and hopefully beat the arrival of snow in the northern climes. 

My nephew’s son, Jimmy (my father’s namesake incidentally) is a very intelligent focused college freshman, who has his eyes set on becoming an aircraft controller, and in his spare time listens to the JFK control tower on his cell phone, or IPod or what ever that little companion of his is called.  He is taking an intense course now in airplane mechanics, and after acquiring his Assoc degree there, will transfer to Perdue where he will get his BS and be trained in the art and stress of air craft control duties.  His grandfather (my brother) started the legacy earning his living breaking turbines and engine parts on airplane motors as a metallurgist.  He worked in that field for 30 years or more.  Jimmy’s dad works for Rolls Royce building the engines which his dad fractured, now Jimmy will be flying them and telling others how and where to fly them.  Quite a legacy which has spanned 3 generations.  Jimmy is also learning to be a jazz trumpet player.  He shows great promise there too.  My brother, Jimmy and I had a few trios on piano (me), clarinet (Wayne) and trumpet which everyone there endured wordlessly, and we enjoyed for the sake of the memories of the many duets which Wayne and I “performed” as children.  Before hormones spiked and took us in other directions.  What can I say. 

So this is the Land of Lincoln, and antiques.  The latter is maybe why we are here??  As antiques, not looking for them.  We are in the unloading of stuff stage of life, but the antiques shops hold a fascination for the history they represent.  Hopefully we will see something of the local attractions here.  We have already discovered that Mexican food is not one of their hot items, but the diets have taken enough abuse lately to forgo that one.  At least for a day or two.  I am just in awe of this campground, so while it would be a shame to miss the local color and attractions, just being here is good. 

Sister Caroline tells us all is well at the home front, so we are confident it is in good hands.  She had to clean up the rotten tomato I left out in the kitchen, and bless her heart for that.  I am sure it was odiferous to say the least.  David’s diet has done wonders for him.  The doctor told us before we left town that we had done too good a job eliminating the carbs from the diet, and that he could celebrate with a bag of potato chips – once a year.  He is leaner and meaner – lookin’ good.  Me, not so good.  His diet of low carbs leaves me a little energy deprived, so my trying to do both diets leaves me a little pudgier.  At least potentially so.  If I am not careful the clothes will start to get too snug.  Then the hips will complain.  But I am pain free as far as the hips go, and grateful each day I get up and walk without pain.  I am now walking about a mile.  I have a pedometer which Paris gave me, so I can be sure I get in enough exercise to make progress.  I still struggle with stairs, but make myself climb foot over foot.  Our toad (the car which we tow behind the coach) gathers road tar and needs attention, so will sign off for now, and hope to hear from more of you when you have time. 

Here we go again.

After several months of planning and finishing up health care issues, we are enjoying our freedom and adventures.  I am now more than 2 months post total hip surgery, my second one.  I went for a walk today for the joy of walking, and was pain free, could walk for about a block at a good clip, had no hip pain, my back slowed me down a little, but my knees were not an issue.  I think maybe eventually I can walk as far as I want to without all that pain.  Unbelievable. 

We spent 3 days at my cousins house in Endicott Ne.  She is doing quite well, although cares for her lung congestion (probably emphysema) almost full time.  She is cheerful, and as energetic as her “wind” will let her be.  It was good to see her free of pain too, as she had her hip done about a year ago.  She walks well.  We suffered the infestation of gnats while there, a typical Nebraska scourge.  I must be very allergic to them, and one shoulder and arm is covered in itchy welts.  Other than that the weather was lovely, it poured rain a couple of times, and they have had enough of that.  Things have greened up again like it was spring.  Prior to her place, we spent 3 days at a Colorado Chapter of Escapees rally in Strasberg, Co, about 45 min from home, but next to the RR track.  The same nuisance was present in Endicott.  Felt like we were in another KOA campground as that is typical – freeway on one side and RR on the other.

Tonight and for 2 more we are in Arbela Mo, a town that really doesn’t exist, but it is on the map.  US136 brought us here directly from Fairbury Ne.  It is really a little used US highway, but lots of construction and rebuilding going on.  We got into fresh oil again, as we did on the way to Fairbury.  Yuk.  Our tow car just gets covered in the stuff, top and bottom, so when we start it up, it smokes like something is burning up.  But it seems to be the oil on the bottom of the car smoking  as it burns off.  Stinks too.  Of course David loves spending a whole day scrubbing it off.  HMMMMMMMM.  Anyhow, Arbela Mo is the address of the camp ground known as the Catfish Cafe and Campground.  We got here Sun in time to go eat our fill of catfish, which was delicious.  They had a full buffet to go with it, and whole catfish-deep fried of course- but also some baked filets.  The campground is huge, mostly permanents, but nice, no RR track, and the highway noise is not noticeable.  Not much around except dying small towns, although we found a Pizza Hut tonight to feed our frustration over the amount of work needed to keep the Jeep clean.  We have had an issue with Dish TV since leaving home getting the network stations off the satellite.  We have always gotten Denver Stations, but no more.  At least now we can get network local stations if we call and check in every time we move.  At least that is what they tell us.  We shall see if it takes an act of Congress to do that next stop.  Not sure what changed to change the programming available to us. 

I look forward to spending my birthday with my brother and wife and their son and family in Indianapolis after a couple of days in Champagne-Urbana Ill at a favorite campground there.  We found out the hard way the width needed to pass safely with the coach is 8’6” .  We crossed a bridge over the Mo river under recovery act reconstruction.  Probably shouldn’t have tried it, but thanks to David’s skillful steady hand at the wheel, we made it across without a scratch or bump.  It was tense.  Hopefully won’t have to do that again. 

We are cozy and comfortable in the new coach.  We learned some more about boondocking in Endicott, so know we can do that comfortably.  I still haven’t learned to include pictures.  Sorry.  Thanks for plowing through, and know I would love to hear from you and your adventures.