

![]() We are awaiting a predicted deluge today, although the radar indicates most of it is going to go north. Apparently, all it takes to cause street flooding is a couple of inches of rain so they give the same STOCK UP! STAY HOME! warnings we get in Iowa for blizzards. Friday morning, we met some of Joanie's friends for breakfast and ran a few errands. It was sunny but with a chilly wind. That evening we had a great supper at Joanie's daughter and son-in-law's home. Yesterday, we journeyed downtown for the local farmer's market and vendor's fair. It was a beautiful day to amble down the street and enjoy the offered wares. ![]() I especially enjoy the variety of architecture here. The Spanish colonial buildings, Craftsman bungalows, and quirky individual styles make for interesting neighborhoods--built before HOAs decided to impose their taste on all residents everywhere. We had lunch at an Irish pub with very good food, although my turkey burger and sweet potato fries probably aren't very Irish. In the plans today is lunch with my cousin Dave and his wife, but it will depend on which way the storm tracks. Monday and Tuesday are supposed to be rainy and then perhaps a respite to get back out and do some exploring!
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![]() But, girl, don't they warn ya? It pours, man, it pours. That was certainly our experience this week. My friend Joanie and I flew out here to Ventura Wednesday where she has a mobile home near her daughter Jennifer. Jennifer picked us up in Santa Barbara and delivered us to Joanie's second home. After a long flight from Iowa with a layover in Denver and the two hour time change, we were beat and hit the hay early. About 1:00 am, I woke up to the sound of rain. It was pouring and continued to do so until about 9:00 am. They said it was about three inches and the national news covered the storm last night--the Pineapple Express. The forecast was for more rain during the day but that never materialized. Today is supposed to be dry, but the predictions for the next week until my departure on Saturday include rain every day except one. Especially heavy rain is forecast for this weekend. So we will make plans day by day. We were able to get out yesterday for much needed groceries and take a walk around the mobile home park. We waited until the rain quit for the grocery run, since Joanie's 'California car' is not designed for any deep water driving. Meanwhile, the weather is low 50s and sunny in Iowa. Go figure.
For many years, we entertained at least one side of the family and some years both sides. There were 15-30 people involved, games, food, puzzles, music, more food, and a myriad of desserts. I decorated the house from top to bottom. We almost always had a few extras; girlfriends, boyfriends, exchange students, and friends of siblings who couldn't get home for the holidays. I finally made a 'Miscellaneous' stocking for those individuals. ![]() But now everyone is more spread out and competing in laws have entered the picture. The grandchildren all have jobs and limited time off. (Of course the jobs are a good thing!) So this year, I celebrated with each of my kids individually. For Thanksgiving, I was in Dallas at Pat's and since all of his kids were home, on the Friday after we did our Christmas. Two of my great-granddaughters, Olivia and Jordan, added extra spice and fun to the gathering and gifts. Three days before Christmas, I flew to Kate's in West Virginia. Unfortunately, only one of her three boys was able to be there, but I got to meet Ty and Aimee's new daughter, Claire. It was a quiet Christmas but, besides a wonderful supper at a Korean BBQ place the first night, Ron fixed a couple of great soups and we did enjoy a few cookies and snacks. And Kate and I managed to do a puzzle of Asian noodle dishes. A week later, I am at Andy's because his son Elliot has a short leave from the Air Force and we did Christmas here on New Year's Eve Day. It turned out to be a "hat Christmas.' Sophie enjoys her sock monkey hat from me and both kids modeled the Patrick Mahome hats from their dad. Elliot also got a cap from Hawaii from his girlfriend Bethany and a Chief's sunhat, also from his dad. We had a a nice meal and visit before the kids headed out for New Years Eve. So, I think that's it for 2023. No particular resolutions for 2024 except to downsize drastically and finish the book I've been working on too long, Grilling the Suspect. I also have ideas for another Frannie book, a fourth time travel book, and a stand-alone historical fiction.
![]() I mentioned in my last post that Harry and Jackie invited the Glampers to a fish fry on Saturday night--sort of a wrap up to our 2023 camping season. In the pre-camping posts, Jackie suggested Halloween decorations and costumes. I forgot, but I don't think I could compete with these entries. Jackie said she found her outfit at Goodwill and Shelly, a diehard gardener and plant person chose a sunflower in a pot--very fitting. Betty settled for just a purple wig. And of course, there's Harry's 'pumpkin pi' outfit. Don and Harry had spent several hours fishing that day, but it was a good thing Harry had brought plenty to feed the group. The fish was excellent, with plenty of sides and followed by warm apple crisp. Since we were still battling winds, we opted for a propane fire in a partially enclosed tent. ![]() We had used the tent also in the afternoon for a painting session. Several Glamper artists used their talents to adapt thrift shop paintings to the Halloween season. ![]() Sunday morning, the rest of the group headed home--I guess some of them still have jobs. The weather was improving, so Don and I went out on the river but with no better luck than the men had on Friday. The scenery was beautiful but the wind was still determined so we surrendered about noon and decided on a road trip in the afternoon to a nearby apple orchard. We snagged a couple of bags of apples, some jam and syrup, plus a few apple cider donuts. We finished off the day with some excellent steaks and sweet corn. Because of some pressing appointments, we headed home on Monday morning on a beautiful drive. The wind had died down and the bluffs were beginning to show color. It would have been a good day to stay but all in all, a fine, fun weekend.
![]() A little rain must fall. At least that's what we hoped all summer long without much luck. So as we looked forward to our last Midwest Glampers' camp out of the year, we expected blue skies and a riot of fall color at Wisconsin's Black Hawk Park along the Mississippi. Don hooked up his boat behind his camper and I alerted Harry, one of the groups diehard 'manpers' and an avid fisherman, to be ready. ![]() So of course it rained. Yesterday, the downpour lasted almost all day. When it wasn't raining, gusts of wind threatened every campsite and black clouds roamed all around. We made field trips to Cabelas, orchards and cheese outlets. Some went to Lansing for supper, but I had beef stew in the crockpot so we returned to camp. Afterwards, we took advantage of a brief dry spell to celebrate Ann's birthday with a fire and cupcakes. It was a little chilly. Lydia was the last to arrive and brought a bucket of mums, some thing you are likely to only see at a Glampers' fireside. Today, the black clouds still threaten and the wind gusts are persistent, but there have only been a few sprinkles. Don and Harry are out pursuing the wiley walleye. Later, Harry is going to do a fish fry for the group, not dependent on today's catch. I think he brought a freezer full. Meanwhile, I'm doing some writing and some of the Glampers are modifying thrist store paintings for their own use.
You may not be able to tell there is thirty degrees difference in the two above photos. We arrived at Lake Darling State Park Tuesday evening to high eighties and bright sun for our annual Sew and Blow outing. We normally rent two cabins but were late off the mark this year and only able to reserve one. Therefore I got a campsite and drove Agatha down to provide extra lodging. It was a beautiful drive, although Mother Nature saw fit to whomp me alongside the head with buffeting winds most of the trip. As soon as I set up, I cranked up the AC. We enjoyed a wiener roast for supper but didn't gather too closely around the fire. By Thursday night, temps had dropped to the high fifties and this morning I tore down my campsite and packed up in cold wet winds and 45 degrees. And on the way home the winds were worse. ![]() But we had a great time. As I wrote in my blog last year, we have been friends for fifty years and never run out of things to talk about. We solved most of the world's problems and are expecting calls any time from most of the world leaders, asking our advice. We always do a jigsaw puzzle but had to admit defeat on this years Agatha Christie puzzle. We enjoyed a variety of yummy foods and snacks. We always love the trails at Lake Darling. The trees are just beginning to turn and the geese and vultures were active. It is a little concerning to walk out of the cabin and see twenty or thirty vultures circling high above our campfire. Lake Darling has always been a Verizon Black Hole. This is usually just an annoyance, but this year I hadn't looked at the calendar closely enough when I scheduled the release of my latest book, Siblings and Sneakiness. That date was Wednesday. I can't order the paperback cover until until I have the book completely formatted and an exact number of pages. I did receive the cover Wednesday afternoon and downloaded it but was unable to upload it and the manuscript to Amazon until we drove into Brighton Thursday morning and found a signal in the Dollar General parking lot. Thank you, Ginge!
I am happy to report that Agatha experienced no problems--everything worked. But now she is facing being winterized and probably isn't happy about that. Next week, Don and I will journey north with his camper to Black Hawk Campground in Wisconsin on the Mississippi for the Final Fall Fling with the Midwest Glampers. We will fancy the fall foliage, feast at a fish fry, and frolic in other fanciful feats that the Glampers are so great at dreaming up. ![]() Saturday began with a beautiful sunrise and pretty good weather. Ken and Harriet left to take care of the judging duties while we made a stop at a hardware stor. When we arrived at the Cattle Congress grounds, the rain had made a mess of the parking area, which consisted of a grassy field with a mud road. Don had no problem with his four-wheel drive truck, but a little red sedan that followed us in got stuck big time. Don managed to push them out but not without covering his clothes, hair, shoes and face with mud spatters. ![]() While Ken and Harriet did their judging, we checked out the exhibits and enjoyed some fair food. The Hall of Breeds was especially interesting with a variety of rabbits, goats, chickens, cattle and horses, but I lso like many of the commercial exhibits. I have no idea the significance of the the floppy-eared dog driving the car was but he sure was cute. Late Saturday afternoon, we were getting together a light supper (after corn dogs, tenderloins, fries, etc for lunch) when I heard laughter outside. The beautiful maple behind our site had dropped a lot of its leaves due to rain Friday night and winds on Saturday. Fortunately the park staff hadn't had time to clean them up because five or six kids were having a whee of a time raking them up into a pile with their hands! One guy brought a leaf blower over and helped them out but they did most of it.
![]() We have journeyed north this weekend and are delighted that a little color is starting to show. More than a little. This tree is right behind the camper here at George Wyth State Park near Cedar Falls. The forecast was dismal--rain, rain, rain--convincing some of the group to cancel out. But so far, Thursday was good and Friday morning was fine. And any rain is so sorely needed, it's hard to complain. We are here for Ken and Harriet to judge a BBQ contest at the National Cattle Congress this afternoon. The forecast says a chance of rain mid -afternoon but otherwise okay. I have heard about the Cattle Congress since I moved to Hampton only forty miles away in fifth grade. It was hard for a townie to envision it as a fun exciting place. But it appears on a level with the state fair, so I can see why so many kids were excited to go. There are some great trails at George Wyth for biking and hiking. Yesterday Harriet and I took a walk in the morning. Spotted along the way: a huge log that was completely hollow, and what I identified on the internet as a chicken in the woods mushroom. Of course, when camping, we always work hard to stave off starvation. Thursday night, Don grilled some wonderful New York strips and last night we had some of Ken's great brisket. And of course, sides. And desserts. Better go on another walk this morning.
![]() In the last two years, I have learned a lot that I didn't know about baseball, especially high school and junior college. I recently picked up on the fact that fall events in the junior college circuit exist mainly to give four-year college scouts a chance to look over the prospects. The last two days, thirty junior college teams each played a couple of matchups in Westfield, Indiana near Indianapolis at Grand Park, touted as the largest youth sports complex in the country. There were over 230 college scouts there, according to reports. ![]() I was struck how sometimes technology changes how we do things and sometimes it doesn't. In the morning at the hotel, I needed a sheet of paper to make a fictional map so I could straighten out some issues in the book I'm working on. Remember when every hotel room had stationery, pens, etc in the desk? Not any more. I had to go down to the check-in and beg a piece of printer paper. The clerk said they took everything like that out of the rooms during Covid, and no one ever asked for it, so they hadn't put it back. Understandable. But at the first game that morning, I noticed every one of the thirty or so scouts watching that game had a notebook, legal pad, or clipboard in addition to their video cameras. No one was taking notes on an ipad or phone. They also seemed to have a uniform: shirt with a college logo, shorts or sweatpants, a baseball cap, and usually mirrored sunglasses. ![]() Another interesting thing was that each game lasted two and a half hours, regardless of innings. The scoreboards weren't used so we never knew what the score was. And every pitcher on the roster gets to pitch at least an inning. Other players are switched in and out more often than usual. After the second game, we hightailed it out of there to begin the six-hour drive back home. ![]() A little poetic license there. The dog days are self explanatory. Even though we have avoided the extreme heat this summer that much of the country has dealt with, there have been more than enough unpleasant days, and Labor Day weekend promised more of the same. But so far it's not been too bad. We are here in Kewanee, Illinois because (a) grandson Elliot is home on leave from the Air Force and it's the first time I've seen him in a year (b) granddaughter Sophie is leaving her Kewanee apartment for one in Moline where she not only works but is also pursuing a civil engineering degree, and (c) it's Hog Days in Kewanee. We are camped at Johnson Sauk Trail Recreation Area north of Kewanee, one of my favorites. However, when I made reservations, there weren't any sites left in the tall pines area, so we are in the western loop. The parking pad is small and there are not as many trees, but we do have shade in the late afternoon. ![]() So Saturday morning, after breakfast, we headed to Kewanee where Andy, Sophie, and Elliot had a U-haul partially loaded to go to Moline. We got a few more boxes loaded and headed out in a caravan. Fortunately. Sophie is only 22 and hasn't accumulated a lot of stuff yet, because her new apartment is a walk up on third floor. The biggest challenge was her sectional and they didn't expect an 80-year-old grandmother to help with that. Saturday afternoon, we visited the vendors in downtown Kewanee at the Hog Days Celebration. That included pork chop sandwiches and other treats. There was live music, but a little warm for us oldsters. ![]() Sunday, Andy and kids had already planned to make a one day road trip to Indianapolis for the drag race finals or something, so Don and I figured on a recuperation day. We went into town in the late morning for a few groceries and to visit the Model A and T car show. There were only two entries in the show so we didn't spend much time there. However, we did make a stop at the Ryan Round Barn, which is also at Johnson Sauk and one of the largest round barns in the country. I had been there once before several years ago, so it was fun to see it again. ![]() We also stopped for lunch at Cerno's, a bar and grill in Kewanee almost as famous as Good's Furniture. The fifty foot bar was hand carved in Belgium and brought to this country in 1898. They also have great food. Back to the campsite for much needed naps and to get a fire started for our supper. We had some lovely steaks in the fridge and enjoyed them with asparagus and hash browns. After dishes and clean up, we expected a visit from a Chicago couple who wanted to hear how Don had planned his trip to Alaska. About 6:30, it all came crashing down. We suddenly had no power. Our neighbor, Ray, saw our dilemma and came to help but no remedy worked. We had power at the post but not in the camper. The Chicago couple, Mike and Monica, came by, but even though Mike is an industrial electrician, still no solution. Possibly the new converter put in in May. So, facing a very warm night without AC or refrigeration, we decided to pack up and head home. All plans for the evening and today cancelled, we managed to get the refrigerator and necessities unloaded by 10:30. A big bump in the road.
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AuthorSome random thoughts about writing, camping, and eating. Archives
June 2024
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