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.
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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.
It seems like a long dry spell since I returned from Beed's Lake--actually just three weeks, I guess. We are now at Thomson Causeway, a Corps of Engineers campground across the Mississippi from Clinton, Iowa. Butch and I camped here many times but now it's been several years, and this year the campground was closed until July for improvements. Don likes to fish the river around Clinton and Comanche, so we started making plans for a return. After much discussion, we decided Don would bring his boat and truck, and I would take Agatha. His camper is more spacious and has several amenities mine doesn't have, but this arrangement made loading my stuff and parking simpler. So we arrived Sunday morning and got everything parked. Ottaways arrived soon after and set up. Halds joined us around suppertime after a grueling day driving home from Kansas City, loading up their camper and driving over here. Rain had moved in and out of our area all day but after supper, the real dampers started to arrive. Harriet found out their bank account had been hacked. We soothed the worry a little bit with fresh peach pie and lemon custard ice cream. The sun setting across the river usually produces pretty and sometimes spectacular results and we haven't been disappointed. Monday morning, Don and I headed out on the river, Ken returned to Iowa City for an appointment, and Vince, Letha, and Harriet took off on their bikes. The fishing was unsuccessful, but it was a lovely morning. We shared the river with pelicans, eagles, herons, and various other wildlife. The afternoon seemed consumed with getting out and putting away lawn chairs, drying things off and starting over. But things cleared off for supper, another lovely sunset, and a campfire. Yesterday, things got more complicated. We went back to the river and the other four took the bike trail north toward Savanna, IL. Don was hoping for some walleyes but later heard that they hadn't been biting since the shadfly invasion a few weeks before. However, I caught a couple of bluegills, who I sent back to their families. Don says it's my last fishing trip. About a mile from the campground, we stopped to gas up the truck. Don didn't notice at first that unlike the stations where he usually gets gas, the regular gas pumps had green handles and the diesel black, instead of the other way around. He had put in six gallons of regular gas when he noticed the mistake. Long story short, several phone calls and a tow truck later, the truck is at the Ford garage in Clinton and we're looking at 2 to 3 days for them to drain the tank so it can be refilled with diesel. We only have a site until tomorrow, so in case the repair doesn't happen soon enough, Ken and Don towed the boat back to my house with Ken's truck this morning. Meanwhile, yesterday afternoon, back on the trail, Letha's dog Maggie decided to take a dive off the bike, taking bike and Letha with her. Letha hit her head and shoulder and scraped up her leg. We weren't sure whether she needed a tow truck also but decided we'd had enough trauma for the day that it was time to go out for supper. Poopy's is a biker bar in Savanna with a lot of outdoor seating, a music venue, and an interesting menu. To sum up, on the plus side, this was my first camping trip this summer with these two couples, and they were our original camping group in 2007. The weather hasn't been stellar BUT it hasn't been high nineties and the high winds, tornadoes, and large hail forecast for last Sunday didn't materialize. We have had excellent desserts every night. Thomson Causeway has added water hookups to every site. (Although we didn't know that when we came in and filled up the tank.) We have two local TV stations to get the weather. So things could be worse.
The forecast for Wednesday morning was strong storms, high winds, hail, and possible tornadoes. I decided it might be prudent to wait to head north. Finally left about 12:30 and ran into no weather issues. I did start having a problem with the windshield seal. Always something. But I arrived safely and got set up, just in time to meet several classmates for supper. We went to the Wharf in Sheffield, a great bar and grill. I had an excellent chicken sandwich and the best sweet potato fries I have ever had. They returned me to the campground in time for one of Beed's Lake's wonderful sunsets. Yesterday, I started the day with a walk over to the old beach and bath house--a unique CCC structure. It was already warm and humid and the weatherman was promising more storms. Then it was time to get ready for our "reunion". We haven't had one since 2015, and normally we start planning months ahead. This year, I planned to come up to Hampton during fair week because a couple of good friends, Connie from Indiana and Pam from New Mexico, would also be here. About a week and a half ago, Pam suggested we send out an email inviting anyone around to meet for lunch yesterday at the Rustic Brew, a local coffee shop and lunch spot. The problem is that none of us have an updated email list, but I gave it a whirl. A few responded and early in the week Pam arrived in town and stopped in at the Rustic Brew to make arrangements. She told the owner that we expected five, possibly up to ten. The owner said we could use the back room and she would set it up. However, as the meeting time neared, more and more people showed up. They had to bring out two more tables. We ended up with fourteen class members and twenty people total. Connie had brought a pile of old photos and clippings that were passed around and giggled at with a lot of "OMGs!" The Brew staff was amazing, adapting quickly to each new influx of people and serving excellent food. We visited for a couple of hours and then attempted a group photo. Now this is a class that organized and and raised $10,000 for a two week trip to the east coast after we graduated, 63 years ago. We shoveled walks, held bake sales and paper drives, and in general tried every fund raiser we could think of. We helped with the itinerary, chose our chaperones, and wrote a code of conduct. You would think lining fourteen people up for a photo wouldn't be be too great a challenge. You would be wrong. Should everyone turn sideways and face one way or toward the center? Should some sit down in front? Where's Dennis? No rabbit ears, now. Suck in your stomachs! Anyway, we got it done and, promising to keep in touch, went our merry ways. A great time! This weekend I will journey north to Hampton and Beed's Lake. The Franklin County Fair is going on and several of our rapidly dwindling class are gathering for an informal reunion. Here in town, West Liberty graduates will be congregating for the All-School Reunion. So I am reprinting a blog I wrote when my class had our last reunion--55 in 2015. We should have had our 60th in 2020 but you know what happened there. I still feel the same. What's in a Reunion??7/19/2015 We are down to one event left at our 55th class reunion--brunch at the Country Club this morning. Some will have already left, necessitated by travel distances and other commitments. The last two nights we had excellent dinners and Friday night ended with the Sky Lantern launch in honor of our 23 departed classmates--a fitting and sobering tribute. But it occurs to me that class reunions are one of those things that people either anticipate and love, or never go to and couldn't care less. I can't speak for the second group, but I think the appeal to the first group goes beyond reminiscing about silly antics, crucial football games and favorite (or least favorite) teachers. These are the people with whom we shared that unbounded optimism touted in commencement speeches. We knew it all. We didn't have it all but we planned to. We were the first post-war, post-Depression generation. America was at the height of power and prosperity loomed. Although high school had its trials and heartbreaks, we were sure as adults we would have full control of our lives and avoid the mistakes of previous generations. We knew each other before, as the saying goes, "life happened while we were making other plans." Before college expenses, job issues and losses, and Vietnam intervened. Before we found out that children are actually little humans and no amount of earnest parenting could prevent bumps in their lives--some minor and some life-threatening or ending. Before we knew what real romance and real loss were. So now, on the downhill side of life, spending time together brings back a little of that 'top of the world' feeling. And by the 55th, it isn't competitive. No one really cares what you've done, just who you were 55 years ago and who you are now. The Midwest Glampers are nothing if not inventive and adventurous. Saturday morning was spent dealing with the May flies, breakfast, and telling lies. After lunch, Ann and Betty hosted a high tea. Hats were encouraged and several busied themselves creating fanciful chapeaus out of paper plates, bowls and found flowers. A quick change of clothes and then we were off to nearby Potosi to the 170 year old brewery and brewery museum, which donates all profits to charity. The occasion was an afternoon of music with singer-guitarist Bryan Popp in their beer garden. It was a beautiful day but warm, and when we arrived all of the umbrella tables were taken. So we perched along a stone wall and enjoyed the music, gradually melting. Before long, a woman approached me and said they had a small table at the back and were leaving--would we like it? I may have been looking a little peaked, being the oldest in the group. We grabbed the table and soon another opened up so everyone had seats. A fun afternoon. After a quick visit to beautiful gardens across the street, we returned to the campground. Ginge and I feasted on our leftovers and missed out on some board games and bubble blowing. Activities that were scrapped due to the May flies included kayaking and croquet. We toasted Butch with root beer floats. After a beautiful sunset, some of us retired while others enjoyed a campfire. I can't tell you much about the campfire. This morning the May flies had pretty much departed and we tolerated the trains every half hour or so. All in all, a great weekend! This weekend was a Glampers trip to a campground we haven't tried before, Grant River Recreation Area near Potosi, Wisconsin. The sites are nice and level with a fair amount of trees. Our group is all together in one loop. There are two visitors we didn't expect. A railroad track runs along the east side and there are freight trains about every 15 or 20 minutes. And Thursday night, there was a hatch of may flies. By yesterday afternoon, many of the campers closest to the river were covered. The good news is they won't be around long. As someone said, they have 24-48 hours to hatch, mate, breed, party, and die. Yesterday morning, we loaded into two vehicles and went in search of a cemetery near Cassville where Sandy's great-grandparents and several other relatives are buried. On the way, we passed a couple of huge solar fields. Afterwards, into Cassville for lunch at the Town Pump restaurant. Good food and ambience. They were out of several things and we had to tolerate a loud guy on a business call. He shouldn't have needed a phone, based on the decibels of his voice. But it was a good time anyway. We had planned a progressive supper with an interesting twist. Everyone was to plan a food item in honor of a loved one. We began at Lydia's for saltines with butter and radishes in memory of her grandmother. Sandy also had saltines with butter, but with nutmeg added, as her dad had loved. Jackie fixed tacos in the way her parents made them when they lived in Arizona after World War II. They always added canned peas as filler when money was tight, so we had them that way. Sisters Betty and Ann provided the main course, ribs, sauerkraut, and cheese in memory of their grandparents and Ginge brought Doug's favorite, deviled eggs. Wendy had strawberry shortcake because her dad had always raised strawberries. Be cause we getting pretty full, we decided to forgo my offering of root beer floats--Butch's favorite--until tonight, and went to Shelly's for after dinner drinks. She talked about her grandmother, from whom she learned a lot about gardening and she had made elderberry syrup which she used to make drinks with rum, soda and lime. By that time, we were ready for bed.
During a frustrating trip home yesterday, I found myself thinking "Why did I ever believe I could do this?" But if I had stayed home in my recliner, I would have missed touring beautiful gardens, making a bandana wreath, learning about the Central African Republic, spending time with fun, crazy people, and lots of good food! On Saturday, after an excellent brunch, Carla taught us how to make bandana wreaths. Originally she had sunflower wreaths in mind with yellow bandanas and black centers but wasn't able to get enough yellow so we ended up with wide and beautiful variety. I did a sunflower but it isn't quite done; this one is Lorie's. Then we were treated to a presentation on the Central African Republic by two of Lydia's nieces and three of their friends who have only been in this country about 5 years. They did a great job and I learned a lot about an area that I knew very little. That evening, I did a very impromptu book talk on The Blue Coyote, the second mystery I wrote that is based in Ledges. The audience was very polite and didn't throw any tomatoes. Or cookies, for that matter. In spite of an iffy forecast, we actually had excellent weather with only a few sprinkles. There were many other activities that not all of us took part in: stream-sitting, the High Trestle Trail at Madrid; the Boone Railroad. In the small world category, the couple camped next to me were from Missouri and in our first visit, I mentioned that I was there with the Midwest Glampers. She said that she had joined our Facebook page some time ago and joined us later for a couple of the activities. I also got a visit from my 'schleroderma sister', Barbara, who lives nearby. So what made my trip home frustrating? Start with a power plug full of tiny ants when I unplugged the camper. And then a half hour wait at the dump station because the guy ahead of me took about 25 minutes for what should be no more than a 10 or 15 minute task. Also, I had planned on getting gas on the way home; I had $1.10 a gallon credit on my Hy-Vee gas card which is supposed to be honored at Casey's. The first Casey's I stopped at in State Center does not honor Hy-Vee cards any more. At Marshalltown, there was supposed to be a Casey's within a half mile of the exit but I couldn't find it. At the third, in Toledo, the pump wouldn't accept my Hy-Vee card and a very nice assistant manager came out, couldn't get it to work either but finally managed to ring me up inside. All of these stops added up to almost an extra hour on my two-and-a-half hour trip. However the biggest problem was the folding bathroom door. An earlier mishap with the latch, and an attempted repair resulted in not being able to secure it for travel, so it swung back and forth, dislodging the track from the ceiling. I have a little construction ahead of me. Yesterday, five of us drove to Reiman Gardens in Ames. The special exhibit right now it Glass in Flight, featuring large stained glass depictions of butterflies. For a couple of hours, we enjoyed the exhibit and many other gardens. Next, we visited a delightful independent bookstore in Ames: Dogearred Books. We enjoyed browsing the new and old titles and visiting with the owner. An intriguing revolving statue greets customers as they enter. In the evening we held a potluck at my campsite, and the amount of food necessitated scaring up another table. These women can really cook! After supper, Lena, our twelve-year old Glamper-in-Training led us in a murder mystery game. It was a full day.
I am happy to report that Wednesday Agatha made it to Ledges State Park near Boone, Iowa without incident. Batteries worked and new tires performed well. I went through the basic setup and Don took me down to Des Moines because I planned to spend Thursday watching him compete again in pickle ball in the Iowa Senior Games. He had a very successful day, winning a gold medal in the mixed doubles and bronze in the men's doubles. We returned to Ledges as other members of the group were starting to arrive. He returned home to his hot tub and I suspect a nap while I continued my setup. We are in a loop that used to be primitive sites but have been upgraded to electric. There appears to be new gravel on the sites and mine is fairly level. So many of the campgrounds in Iowa parks have been denuded of trees in the last few years by the derecho and the ash bore that it is a delight to be in this heavily wooded area. There is a ravine right beside me that makes me hope I don't start sleepwalking. I am happy to report that there are two hooks in each of the showers! I visited with some of the other Glampers, started a fire, cooked myself a steak, and was ready to turn in early. I'm supposed to give a book talk tomorrow on The Blue Coyote, the book that is based on this park. So I am madly trying to reread it because I can't remember the details of the plot! Today on the agenda is a trip to Reiman Gardens in Ames, a 'stream sit' this afternoon and a potluck supper. It's a chilly morning but that is much preferred by this camper to hot and sticky. Although internet reception seems generally good here, I am having trouble getting on my author email site, so I will mention here that the first book in my Mystery Sisters series, Reunion and Revenge, is free this weekend! |
AuthorSome random thoughts about writing, camping, and eating. Archives
September 2023
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