Sharp's Travels

Kathrine and Bart went to church with us this morning. After church Grandpa & Grandma, Kathrine & Bart, and Cheri and I went to Dade City for lunch at IHOP. It was Kathrine and Bart’s treat. When we got home they closed up their motor home and left around 2:30 pm. Then it was time to settle in and watch the Packer Game that I was recording. When I started the recorder it was the Bears and Saints playing. They pulled the Packer game and replaced it with the Bears and Saints game. That is the only Packer game we have missed this year. On our evening walk we stopped by Dean and Betty’s for a visit. It was 7:00 pm before we got home.

On our morning walk we saw Grandpa out walking and he said that he had no pain in his back and legs, so the back injection was a good thing. Ken and Eileen took us out to Golden Coral for a late breakfast and early lunch for helping them do a few things for them. Cheri and I finished getting the motorcycle trailer taken apart and stored inside the motorcycle frame. Now that everything is put away I was able to mow the lawn. Things once again look nice around here. Late this afternoon Cheri gave me a hair cut. Kathrine and Bart Turk stopped in this evening on there way home from Orlando. They are going to stay the night and leave tomorrow after lunch. The four of us went over to visit with Grandpa and Grandma.

After our morning walk I went to work on putting the skirting around the storage shed. I got done with that at 1:00 pm. I took a shower and we had a quick lunch and then it was off to the movie. We went to see PS I Love You. It wasn’t anything special, but was better then the last two movies we have seen. Cheri did a new recipe in the slow cooker for supper. I don’t know what it was called, but was very good. On our evening walk we stopped and visited with Dean and Betty and then we stopped to see how Grandpa was. He said he felt good with no back or leg pain. This was good news.

I took Grandpa for his 8:15 am appointment for an injection in his back. It was done in the hospital as an out patient. He had to be put under to have it done. When he came out of the anesthesia his blood pressure was high and had to wait for it to come down. We didn’t get home until 12:30 pm. Cheri did laundry and made an apple pie in the new toaster oven. It came out looking good and tasted good. So Cheri is happy with the new oven. I went down to Ken and Eileen’s and put the exhaust fan back together and now it works great. I went to Lowe’s to get the skirting for the storage shed and Cheri had me drop her off at Wal-Mart. Tomorrow I hope to get the shed done.

Cheri and I spent the day doing errands and after Christmas shopping. First we stopped for breakfast at a new place for us. It wasn’t very good, so we won’t be going back there. Then we went to the Sprint store to get our address straightened out and also a problem with billing. Then we went shopping for a toaster oven and found one at Kohl’s. It was $149.00 and on sale for $89.00 and then we got a senior discount of 15 per cent, good deal. Then we stopped at Target to look around and Cheri bought a cake pan and casserole dishes that would fit in the toaster oven. Then it was off to Wal-Mart to get groceries. On the way home we stopped at the hospital to see what time Grandpa’s appointment is for tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to all!! We got phone calls from the kids and they are having a good Christmas. Although Darren called us and said that Jodi’s Grandpa passed away Christmas eve. We went down to the Rec Hall for Christmas dinner. There were around 140 people there. Everything was so good. This morning I worked on Ken and Eileen’s bathroom exhaust fan. I took it all apart and clean and oiled it. It work ok now, will put it in tomorrow. After our evening walk we stopped at the Rec Hall for a ham sandwich, they had a lot of ham left over from dinner. Then we went to Ken and Eileen’s to play dominos. Ken and I won a every close game.

Today we took Grandpa and Grandma to Lakeland for a Chinese dinner. It is the best Chinese restaurant around. After dinner we did a little shopping. Cheri wants a toaster oven. We made five quick stops, but didn’t find anything she wanted. We got home around 2:30 pm. We walked down to Ken and Eileen’s. They are having a problem with the exhaust fan in the bath room. So I took it apart and brought it home to see if I can clean it up and put some oil in it. This evening we went to candle light service here in the park. After the service they had cookies and punch.

No news today. We went to church this morning and this afternoon Grandma, Ken and Eileen came to watch the Packers play. They got beat bad, everything that could go wrong did. We ordered in pizza for supper and settled in for an evening of TV.

Cheri defrosted the freezer and cleaned the refrigerator today, also helped me with the storage shed and motorcycle garage. I am happy to say the project is about done. All that is left to do is make a ramp for the motorcycle garage and put skirting around the shed. We will have to make a trip to Lowe’s to get the skirting. We have made so many trips I think they know me on a first name bases. I told Cheri we could start put things in the shed and she said does that mean I can go shopping. On our evening walk we stopped and visited with Ken and Eileen.

I thought I would get the storage shed all set today, but that didn’t happen. I decided to build a floor for the motorcycle trailer frame that I had removed from the trailer to use for the motorcycle garage. I guess that sentence is enough to confuse everyone. I have a trailer to haul my motorcycle and on the trailer was a frame with a cover over it. I took the frame off the trailer and sat it on the ground and it the garage for the motorcycle. Now you are up to date. To make a longer story short it now has a floor in it. I still have to level it up and tie it down and then I can set the storage shed next to it. This afternoon I took Grandpa for his doctor appointment. He had the stitches take out form were he had a mole removed. This evening we went to Dade City with Dean and Betty for the Church Street Christmas. They block off a 9 block section of the street so people can walk down the street and see all the decorations. There were several places with live music, live nativity, Dickens Carolers, music in the churches, and much more. When we got back we stopped over to Dean and Betty’s for dessert and a game of dominos that we guys won.

Our warm weather is back. It was 51 degrees this morning and a high of 76 degrees. I worked on the storage shed today. I finished putting in the new screws and gave it a good washing. It is now ready for Cheri to paint. Cheri took it easy most of the day. Late this afternoon I stopped by Bud’s to see if he wanted to go for a bike ride. It was our first ride in over a month. We rode up to the Florida National Cemetery. The trip was 68 miles, got back a little after 5:00 pm. Fist time I’ve ever rode in Dec.

It was much warmer this morning 49 degrees and a high of 75 degrees. I took Grandpa to his appointment for x-rays on his neck and a c scan on his legs. When we got home we had a late lunch and then went to see about paper work for Grandpa that will have to be filled out at the Out Patient Zephyrhills hospital. It has to be done before he has his back injection on the Dec 27. Then Cheri and I went to the movie No County For Old Men. We didn’t think it was very good; it left to many things hanging, made us feel like the movie was only half over. While on our evening walk the neighbor across the street (Bob and Sharon came in for the winter. They are from northern Indiana.

It was another cold morning with a temp of 38 degrees. But it did warm up to 74 degrees for a very nice day. Grandpa and Grandma had us over for an early lunch of pork chops, dressing, mash potatoes and gravy, sure was good. I took Grandpa to his 12:15 doctor appointment for his back. He is going to have an injection in his back to help with the pain in his legs. Later Cheri and I took Grandpa’s prescription to Wal-Mart and pick up some groceries. On our evening walk we saw the most beautiful sunset.

It was 39 degrees this morning and never got above 59 degrees today and breezy. This morning I removed sod at Bob Perkins and took it down to Ken and Eileen’s. Bob is putting in some patio blocks and wanted the sod removed. Ken and Eileen had an area that didn’t have any grass. So it was a good deal for both of them. This after noon I worked on the storage shed. I once again ran out of screws. I have changed out over 200 screws. I got the shelves cut out and ready to put in. I made a quick trip to Lowe’s for more screws. It was 50 degrees when we took our evening walk.

We had a bad storm come through last night. There were tornados around the area, nothing right here. We did get a little over an inch of rain. We needed the rain, it is the first good rain we have had since getting here. After church 11 of us (cousins and spouses) went out for lunch, to celebrate Donna’s birthday. After lunch Grandpa and Grandma, Ken, and Bob came over to our place to watch the Packer play. We were the only ones that could get the game on TV. This evening Ken and Eileen had all of us over for games, cake and ice cream. Six of us played dominos. Cheri, Donna, and Betty won.

Cheri worked on getting Grandpa and Grandma’s medical history loaded in the computer. It will be a lot easier when we take them to a new doctor. We can print out a copy and take it with us. I worked on the storage shed, got all the holes patched. At 1:00 pm we went down to the Rec Hall to set up tables and chairs for the potluck supper at 5:00 pm. Then Cheri and I went to Lowe’s to get some more screws and shelf material for the storage shed.

Cheri did laundry and I went to work on our storage shed. I changed out a bunch of screws that were rusty. I still have more to do and some holes to patch, shelves to build before Cheri can do her painting. This afternoon I took Grandpa to his heart doctor appointment. He had a good checkup and doesn’t have to go back for 6 months. We took our evening walk later to see the Christmas decorations. There were more up as they are judging the displays for prizes tonight. They will be by passing us as we didn’t put up any lights.

After our morning walk we made a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries and then to Lowe’s to get paint for our storage shed. This afternoon I reinforced the floor joist and used the power washer to give it a good cleaning before Cheri paints it. I also covered all the screws in the roof with some chalking. Was going to paint the roof, but after the power washing it looked very good and won’t need to be painted. Dean and Betty came over this evening to play dominos, Betty and Cheri won both games.

Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. I took Grandpa for his 8:00 am dentist appointment. Then at 11:00 am to the doctor for an x-ray of his back. Cheri took Grandma to the doctor for her 11 am appointment. Cheri spent the rest of the day working on Grandpa and Grandma’s medical history. This afternoon I finished putting the skirting around the shed. Then I put up a new blind in the kitchen. All that is left to do for Grandpa and Grandma is wash their trailer. We took our evening walk later so we could see the Christmas lights here in the park.

It was doctor stuff today for Grandpa. I took him for an 8:30 am doctor appointment for a follow up from his stay in the hospital (heart). He also has a problem with his legs and back, so we now have an appointment to see a back doctor and has to go to a different place for an x-ray. We got home around 11:00 am. Cher and I went out to find where the doctors are and pick up the paper work that has to be filled out (three different doctors). Then we went to Golden Corel for lunch. After lunch we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. When we got home it was time for me to take Grandpa for his doctor appointment to have a mole taken off his back. Cheri went over to see Grandma and start filling out paper work that we picked up for Grandpa. Grandpa and I got home a little after 4:00 pm and Cheri was still working filling out the papers. We went home and she work until 6:00 pm. We took our evening walk and called it a day.

Cheri took Grandma to the doctor this morning and then they went to Dade City to pick up the new curtain for the kitchen. I made a trip to Lowe’s (yep another trip to Lowe’s) to get some skirting for the trailer and some lumber for the old shed that we are putting on our lot. This afternoon I worked on putting the skirting around the new shed and replacing some skirting on the trailer. On our evening walk we stopped by Dean and Betty’s to give them some pictures of the Walk Trough Bethlehem. We also stopped at Ken and Eileen’s. Eileen was working on her Christmas letter and wanted me to make some changes to it.

After church we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart and Lowe’s to pick up some materials to use to clean our black water holding tank. We have been having some problems with it empting. We watched the Packers win, what a game. Dean and Betty picked us up at 5:30 pm and we headed over to the Richland Baptist Church just outside of Zephyrhills for their Walk through Bethlehem. They have created the streets of Bethlehem the day Jesus was born. Their Bethlehem was approximately one-third the size of Bethlehem during the time of Christ’s birth. Back then the village had approximately 300 people, and was located just south of Jerusalem. On our tour, we saw over 100 costumed cast members and many live animals. They had 21 different merchants selling their wears along with Wise Men and Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus in the manger. Everything was beautifully done. We felt like we’d stepped back in time.

Check out the pictures of the Walk Through Bethlehem

It was back to work at Grandpa and Grandma’s, the storage shed is finally done and everything put away. Cheri finished painting the cabinet doors in the trailer. It was 4:00 pm before we got done. We have to install the skirting back on the trailer and put some around the shed. Also have to haul away an old storage cabinet. Hope to get that done on Monday. On our evening walk we saw Dean and Betty sitting outside so we stopped for a visit.

It was back to work at Grandpa and Grandmas. I got all the shelves and peg board cut out and up, all that’s left to do is fasten them in place and start putting things in the shed. Cheri gave the ramp another coat of paint. Then went back home and did laundry, cleaning, and work on the Christmas cards. At 2:00 pm we went to Wal-Mart shopping, we had to get groceries. I bought a new wrist watch, the old one that I have quit working. So it was an early Christmas present to me. We took our evening walk later so we could see all the Christmas decorations in the park.

Cheri went for her hair appointment this morning and I went to Grandpa and Grandma’s. I got the ramp built to the storage shed. Cheri got home around noon and called and said lunch was ready. After lunch we went to Home Depot to pick up shelving materials for the shed. When we got back I started putting up shelves and Cheri painted the ramp. We quit work at 4:00 pm so we could watch the space shuttle go up. Got home and found the launch was canceled. I fixed a light for the next door neighbor and also checked their motorized wheel chair. She didn’t think it was charging, the breaker was tripped to the outlet.

I had a doctor appointment this morning to go over my blood work and everything came out OK. I did a few things around the 5th wheel before we went over to Grandpa and Grandma’s to work. Grandma fixed dinner for us. Cheri painted the edge of the cabinet doors and drawers. She ran out of paint before she got done, she also painted the patio chairs. I put in the dryer vent and now the dryer is ready to use. Cheri and I made our daily trip to Lowe’s to get more paint for the patio chairs and an electric box so I could put up the new motion detector light. When we go back Cheri finished painting the chairs and I got the light up. Having a problem getting the motion set right, will work on it tomorrow. This evening we went over to Dean and Betty’s to play dominos. The girls won both games.

We picked up Paul and Bev and made a trip to Lakeland this morning. Cheri and Bev wanted stop at a craft store that they went to last year, well it is not there anymore. So we dropped them off at Target and Paul and I headed for Harbor Freight. Then we went to Lowes to pick up a dryer vent for Grandpa and Grandma’s dryer. Then we picked up Cheri and Bev after they made the rounds of two other craft stores and went for a late Chinese lunch. We got home about 2:30 pm, it was a fun day. On our evening walk we stopped to see how Grandpa is doing. He is having a long of pain in his legs and having trouble walking. We stopped back by Paul and Bev’s and they walked with us. They are leaving in the morning and headed home to Ontario. Paul has a doctor appointment to see if he has to have surgery, if he does they won’t be back this winter.

We were a little slow getting around this morning, both still tired. I did some computer work before we headed over to Grandpa and Grandma’s to do some more work. The first thing we did was make a trip to Home Depot to get some supplies that wasn’t available at Lowe’s. When we got back Grandma had dinner ready for us. I worked on getting the water and sewer in the storage shed. Cheri panted the step stool and made a trip to Lowe’s for me. I was short one PVC pipe fitting. We got the washer in the shed, hooked up and working. We also got the dryer in the shed. I still have to put in the dryer vent. It was 4:30 when we got done,

Paul and I left at 8:00 am for a car show and swap meet in Webster. It was fun looking at all the cars and to see the unbelievable high prices on them, $30,000 to $100,000. We didn’t get home until 2:30 pm. Cheri and Bev spent the day painting. They just got done when we got home, so we sat outside and had a soda and beer. The beer sure did taste good after being out in the hot sun all day. Grandma brought over the Sunday paper for us. We had a hard time reading it as we both kept falling a sleep while reading it. We ordered in pizza from Domino’s for supper.

I helped Grandma and Cheri set things out for the yard sale. Then I went to Lowe’s to get the supplies for putting in electric for the dryer in the storage shed. Paul came over to help me, nice to have the help. Got done with the electric around 1:00 pm. The yard sale is over and I helped Cheri put away the things that didn’t sell. We will take what is left to Good Well. Grandma made dinner for us, she also made a rhubarb pie, sure was good. After dinner Cheri and I went back to Lowe’s to return some materials and pick up lumber to build a ramp into the storage shed. I was going to make a step, but Paul said why not make a ramp; I hadn’t thought of that, so that’s what I will do. We went to Dade City with Paul and Bev to the car show. Bev and Cheri shopped while Paul and I looked at the cars. We eat supper at Beef and Brady’s, the first time we have eaten there, it was very good.

This morning Grandma and Cheri went to the hospital to check on Grandpa. The doctors did a procedure to check his heart valve and stints and found everything to be OK. They got home around 11:30 am and said Grandpa could come home at 6:00 pm. I worked on the storage shed. I got the eve’s trough up and then went to Lowe’s to get some supplies for the 110 electric. Paul came over this afternoon and helped put the electric in. Grandma and Cheri were busy getting things ready for the park wide yard sale tomorrow. Grandma and Cheri left to get Grandpa around 5:00 pm and didn’t get home until 6:30 pm. Grandpa had some changes in his medicine so Cheri helped Grandma get that set up while I went to Wal-Mart to drop of prescriptions for new medicine. It was 7:30 before we got home. We were in bed by 9:00 pm.

This was not one of our better days. Cheri got a call on her phone about 9:00 am. It was Grandpa saying he thought he was having a heart attack. We ran over and got him in the van and took him to the hospital emergency. Grandma was down for the Thursday morning coffee hour and didn’t know what had happened. I came back and got grandma and took her to the hospital. They finally got Grandpa in a room about 12:30 pm. Cheri and I left for a couple of hours and then went back to the hospital. We talked to the nurse and he said he didn’t think it was a heart attack and thought it was angina. We waited until after 6:00 pm for the doctor and finally came home. The doctor called us about 8:30 pm and said they were going to do some test tomorrow to check out the stints that were put in about 4 years ago. We finished the night watching the Packers get beat.

I took the bike for a short ride this morning to the doctor’s office for my physical blood work and then to the storage shed place. There was nobody around so headed home. When I got home I got on the phone again and no answer. So I called the place in Brandon and got an answer. Got things set to have the storage shed delivered between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, they showed up a little after 3:00 pm. We went out for lunch today with the cousins and spouses to celebrate Dean and Betty’s wedding anniversary of 61 years. Cheri and Bev went to a painting class this afternoon. I worked on getting things ready for the storage shed. I put up a piece of rain gutter so the water won’t run down between the trailer and the new shed. I also rebuilt the back steps to the trailer. Cheri got back a little after 4:00 pm and put on a coat of paint on the floor of the new storage shed. We both are pooped tonight.

Today was move the old shed day. Paul and I cleaned out Grandpa and Grandma’s storage shed. I unhooked the electric and water from it. Paul got the tie downs undone. When I got back with the truck to move the old shed Dean and Cheri were there to help load it. The shed wasn’t all that heavy and it slide right up on the truck. We brought it over and sat it on our lot behind the 5th wheel. I will have to do some work on it before setting it up, new framing under the floor. I called the guy to bring the new shed and couldn’t get a hold of him all day, will try again in the morning. Late after noon Cheri and I went to Lowe’s to pick up some supplies for the new shed. Cheri is going to paint the floor and shelves before we put anything in it. I got the back door steps painted and now have to put new treads.

This morning I went down to Ken and Eileen’s to help Ken haul away some dirt and lumber that was left over from the new patio and repairs on the storage shed. Cheri and Bev were doing some practice painting getting ready for their painting class Wed. This afternoon we took a ride down to the airport checking on glider rides. We will have to go back as they are only open on Wed, Sat, and Sun. Then we went to Lowe’s to get some plumbing supplies. Tomorrow I start on moving Grandpa and Grandma’s storage shed getting ready for the new one. On our evening walk we stopped and visited with Dean and Betty. They got here late Sat afternoon.

After church 11 of us (cousins and spouses) went out for lunch, by the time we got home it was 1:00 pm. I went over to Grandpa and Grandma’s to fix the telephone line. When the carpet layers laid the new carpet they damaged the phone line under the carpet. As it turned out I had to run a new line from the junction box outside. On the way home we stopped and visited with Paul and Bev. They were getting ready to go out to eat. Cheri had a bad headache, laid down and took a nap. It didn’t seem like Sunday because there wasn’t any car racing on TV and the Packer didn’t play.

I got up early this morning and walked while Cheri was getting ready. When I got back Jodi and Darren got up. Cheri made pancakes for breakfast. The four of us went out Geo-caching. The first one we couldn’t find, Cheri and I will have to go back looking for it. The second one was behind the ice cream shop. It was pretty temping, but managed to leave without ice cream. The third one was near an old roller skating ring out in the county. It has been operating since 1939 by the same guy. We got to talk to him about it while we were there. We didn’t find the next one either as a guy there keep bothering us, so we left. We stopped at Golden Coral for a late lunch. Then we went to Grandpa and Grandma’s for a visit. Darren and Jodi left for Atlanta about 2:30 pm. Cheri and I took a nap and watched TV.

We have been busy with Darren and Jodi and so I am late getting this blog done. Darren and I took Jodi and Cheri over to the shopping center and dropped them off. Darren and I stopped at Radio Shack and picked up a power cord and accessories to run power up by the rear view mirror so now he wouldn’t have a power cable hanging down across the dash for is GPS unit. We just got done when Cheri called for us to come and pick them up. We stopped at Arby’s for lunch. When we got home Cheri stated making lasagna for supper. Darren and I went down to the Rec Hall and play pool. Grandpa and Grandma came over for supper.

Happy Thanks Giving to everyone. After breakfast Darren, Jodi, Cheri and I went over to visit with Grandpa and Grandma. We go home just in time to watch some of the Packer game before we had to go down to the Rec Hall for Thanks Giving dinner. I recorded the game so when we got home we finished watching it. Later we made a trip to K-Mart and Wal-Mart. When we got home we played a game Uno which the girls won.

We had a busy day. Darren, Jodi, Cheri and I left here at 9:00 am to go to Bush Gardens in Tampa. I didn’t know how busy it would be, but thought Wed. would be better than Fri. It wasn’t that busy, so we picked the right day. We had a lot of fun and didn’t leave Bush Gardens until 4:30 pm. From there we went to Lakeland and stopped at Best Buy. Darren wanted to check out the Nave (GPS) units. Then we stopped at Friday’s for supper. We got home around 7:15 pm. Darren started doing some updates to our computer and we played a game of Uno which Darren and I won.

After our walk this morning we went over to Grandpa and Grandma’s to get things ready for the people to put in the new carpet. We moved everything outside except for the refrigerator, couch, and beds. Grandpa and Grandma sat outside in their recliners and looked like homeless people. The carpet people came at 12:30 pm and didn’t get done until 6:00 pm. By the time we got everything back in the trailer it was 7:00 pm. Darren and Jodi arrived form Atlanta at 8:30 pm. We went out and got a late supper and back to the 5th wheel. It was 12:30 am before we got to bed.

Cheri did a load of laundry this morning. We went over to Grandpa and Grandma’s for the 11:30 am appointment with the lady from J C Penney’s to have measurements for new drapes. Grandma picked out a smoke blue for drapes and white sheers. It will take about 8 weeks to get them. In the afternoon Cheri took Grandma to Wal-Mart for groceries. I spent my time paying bills and setting up an account on the internet for our new cell phone service. I also logged the cache visits that we found yesterday, we have found a total of 119.

We had church here in the park this morning. It was the first service this season. There were 47 people. I found out that we were going to be able to get the Packer game on TV, so we had Grandpa and Grandma, Ken and Eileen, Roger over to watch the game. Cheri fixed munchies for half time. After the game Roger, Cheri and I went out Geo-caching. We found 5 caches before it got dark. We got to see a beautiful sunset. This evening Cheri and I watched the NASCAR Race and the Amazing Race.

We went to get a tank of LP this morning and also picked up the carpet samples, the people are coming Monday to measure up for new drapes in Grandpa and Grandma’s trailer and wanted the carpet color for the drapes. We went to Wal-Mart for groceries, big mistake to go there on Saturday, to many people. This afternoon we went down to the Rec Hall to help set up for the 5:00 pm pot luck supper. We had a lot of good food. Our friends Paul and Bev Webb from Ontario arrived late this afternoon. They came over this evening for a visit.

Today it was back to helping Roger and Ken with the storage shed. By 5:00 pm we had the floor all in and all that was left to do was a few screws in the floor and put on a couple of coats of paint. Cheri went for her bone density test and then came down to Ken and Eileen’s to help Eileen clean. It was a long day, we both are pooped.

I took Cheri over to the clinic so she could get her blood work done for her physical. When we got back Cheri did laundry and cleaned. She also was putting together her menu for next week when Darren and Jodi are here. I went down to Ken and Eileen’s and fixed their golf cart. They had new batteries put in and the guy broke a wire on a micro switch, so the cart wouldn’t work. I was able to solder the lead back on and now it works fine. Then Ken, Roger and I went to Lowe’s to get lumber for their storage shed. We had to put new floor joist and floor boards in. The termites had made a meal of the old joist and floor. We got the old floor and joist out and a good start on putting in the new. We will finish that project tomorrow.

Cheri took Grandpa to the doctor this morning and then at 1:00 pm she had her painting class. When she came home she wasn’t happy with the way her project came out. I thought it looked very nice. This morning Eileen and I went to the airport to pick up Donna. She brought her cat with her on the airplane. She it rode with no problems. When we got back to Baker Acers I turned on the power and water for Donna. I got everything working except the refrigerator. It wouldn’t start up; she plans on getting a new one. When I got home I put the batteries in the neighbor’s handicap scooter.

So Friday the 13th came on Tuesday this month. Cheri did cleaning and laundry. She also got out her paints getting ready for her painting class tomorrow. Wow! I didn’t know she had so many bottles of paint. I think she has every possible color. I got Donna’s (cousin) car out of storage. She is coming in tomorrow. I pumped up the tires, checked the oil and gave it a wash job and cleaned the windows. It was very dirty from sitting all summer. Cheri and I had doctor appointments this afternoon for our annual physicals. Being we are seeing new doctors, we have to go back for our blood work and a follow up office visit.

It was paper work today. We had paper work to do for Grandpa and Grandma, plus it was time to do our health insurance for next year. CenturyTel is changing companies, so there are many changes we need to look at. There are different plans that we can pick from. Kenny and Eileen arrived from the north county today, Roger drove them down. They stopped over to see us on there way out to have lunch. It was a very nice day with a high of 75 degrees.

We went to church with Grandpa and Grandma this morning. When we got home Cheri and I settled down for an after noon of football and the NASCAR Race. We didn’t get to see all of the Packer game. Shortly before the 4th quarter Fox Network switched, as they said to a more interesting game, Eagles and Redskins. We watched that until the race started. It was another beautiful day with a high of 75 degrees. Our neighbors came in this afternoon and we helped her unload their van. When we did our evening walk, we could see a few more have arrived for the winter.

It was a cool morning, but quickly warmed up with a lot of sun. Cheri and I took a motorcycle ride to the Big Top Flea Market. Grandma has an old vacuum cleaner and can’t find bags for it. Thought we might find some at the flea market, no luck finding any. Cheri bought a new check book cover. She found a nice one for $12.00, I had looked on line and the best I could do was $16.00 plus shipping, she did good. On the way home we stopped at a road side stand and picked up late lunch, early supper. I got a rib dinner and Cheri got a pulled pork sandwich.

Cheri took Grandma to the doctor this morning for a follow up on her arm. It is coming a long OK. Then they went to Wal-Mart so Grandma could pick up medicine and groceries.
I stayed home and got caught up on some of my reading of magazines. After lunch Cheri and I went to Lakeland to do some shopping. Cheri wanted to go to Penney’s. On the way home I stopped and put in some diesel fuel at $3.42 per gallon.

It was our coldest morning so far, 46 degrees and a high of 72. We had to wear jackets for our morning walk. Grandma was having a problem with her computer and printer so this morning I went over and got that working again with the help of Kari. After lunch we went out looking for a dentist so we could get our teeth cleaned. No one would clean our teeth unless we set up a new program with the dentist and get x-rays. Our insurance will not cover this as we have our dentist in Wisconsin. We will have to do some more checking on this. We went to Lowe’s and got the part ordered for Grandpa and Grandma’s range hood. This evening we went down town to a movie. The movie was called Michael Clayton staring George Clooney. We didn’t think it was very good; we had a hard time fowling it.

Cheri took Grandma to the doctor for her eyes and then they went to the carpet place and picked out the linoleum she wanted. On the way home they stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up medicine and groceries. I put the power washer together and washed the motorcycle garage and the 5th wheel. It was a nice day to work outside with a high of 67 degrees and lots of sunshine.

The guy from the carpet place came to Grandpa and Grandma’s to measure up for the new carpet. Grandpa and Grandma have picked out the carpet that they want and now have to pick out the linoleum they want. I spent the morning putting in the new range hood for Grandpa and Grandma. It turned out to be a major job I had to make a lot of changes to get it to fit, plus there is a part missing and will have to go to Lowe’s to check on it. This afternoon I dropped Cheri off at Big Lots while I went and picked up a tank of LP. Then we went to the doctor’s office and made appointments for our yearly physicals. Then we dropped off a prescription at Wal-Mart for Grandpa. While we were there I picked up a power washer so I could wash the 5th wheel and Grandpa and Grandma’s trailer.

Cheri took Grandma to the bank and Wal-Mart to get a few things. I put up the awnings on our neighbors place. They are coming in sometime this week. I took everything out of the basement again this morning so it could dry out some more and found it real wet again. I will have to empty the tank before it gets half full. I took the motorcycle hitch off the 5th wheel and now have to get some paint for it. I also got the direct TV working in the bedroom. When Cheri got home we had some lunch and spent the rest of the day watching TV.

This morning when we went over to Grandpa and Grandma to go to church we see Grandma with a very bad open wound on her arm. She fell on the concrete late yesterday afternoon bring in the laundry. Cheri and I took her to the emergency room to have it cleaned up and a dressing put on, also put a splint on her finger. We didn’t get home until 1:30 pm. The doctor needs to see her this week so Cheri will call for an appointment tomorrow. Cheri fixed dinner for all of us and we watched the Packers play, another close game until the end. Nice to see the Packers win another one. After the game Cheri and I went shopping for new shoes. We like the New Balance 608 sneakers and in Wisconsin they were $65.00, so we waited until we got here and got them for $39.00, nice savings. When we got home we watched the NASCAR Race that we had recorded.

This morning I took everything out of the basement so it could finish drying out. Cheri and I spent the day doing paper work for Grandpa and Grandma. This evening we went to Dade City for supper at a restaurant that we saw a write up in the news paper. They are celebrating 50 years in business. Well it was very bad!! Don’t know how they have stayed in business. Then we went to the car show in Dade City. They have one on the first Saturday of each month. It is fun walking around looking at all the old cars. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things.

Today I was going to change the water filter and found the basement wet, which means a water leak. Since we left Fond du Lac we have had a problem with the black waste water tank. It has acted like the vent pipe was plugged. Today I found that if the tank is full it will leak into the basement. So until next spring when we take the 5th wheel to the factory to have the bedroom slide fixed we will dump the tank when it is half full. I also sprayed the lawn and under the 5th wheel to keep the creepy crawlers out. I took Grandpa to the eye doctor for his 6 month check up and then to Wal-Mart to get a prescription filled. On the way home we stopped at the storage place and ordered the new storage shed. It should be here in about two to three weeks. Cheri continued to do her fall cleaning and some laundry.

After our morning walk I went for a bike ride with Bud Avery. We went to Camping World down near Tampa. Bud was looking for some rope lighting. He didn’t fine what he was looking for, wants some that is red-white-blue. We took the long way back home. We did pass through a short rain shower. It was a fun day; got home around 3:00 pm. Cheri took Grandma shopping for new carpet and bought home some samples. They also went to Wal-Mart to pick up medicine. The guy that was supposed to call and come to measure up for the storage shed didn’t call or show up. I guess he doesn’t want to sell us a shed. Well there are plenty of other places that will be happy to sell us one. It upsets me when a place of business doesn’t do what they say.

Happy Halloween!!!! While on our morning walk we saw the park manager and had him come over to Grandpa and Grandma’s to check on the size, stile, color and placement for a new storage shed. He approved everything we want to do. So tomorrow a guy from the storage shed company is coming to measure up for the shed. Cheri and I went for our flu shot today and then went to a Sprint store and got new cell phones. We have had Cingular/AT&T for the last three years. We felt it was a time for a change. We haven’t been happy with the internet service with the air card. We would continually get dropped and many times couldn’t get a data connection. On our evening walk we can see more people have arrived.

We had some rain showers again today, nothing that caused much of a problem. I did mow our lawn and Grandpa and Grandma’s lawn, I got a little damp before I got done. I also put up the satellite dish for TV. I want to be able to use the bedroom receiver; I am having a problem getting it to work. I will try to figure it out tomorrow. Cheri did some more cleaning and checking to see if there is going to be any painting classes this year. She hasn’t found any yet. We did both morning and evening walks.

A lot of people have come in the last three days, earlier then past years. This morning we went down to the office and paid our rent for the year and then went to the post office to mail a package and get stamps. Then we stopped at a place looking at new storage sheds for Grandpa and Grandma. We found one we liked and now have to contact the park manager to make sure the one we like will conform to all the park rules. Then we stopped at Lowe’s and picked up a new smoke detector. The old one quit working or I should say it wouldn’t stop chirping. We also made another stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. We had to hold off for a while to do our evening walk because of rain.

We went to church with Grandpa and Grandma this morning. After church Grandpa and Grandma treated us to dinner at I-Hop in Dade City, it was very good. I spent the afternoon watching the NASCAR Race and Cheri read and took a nap. We did our walk this evening. On our walk we saw the park manager and he said that there are only three vacant spots left in the park for this winter.

It looked like rain this morning and we found out on our walk as we got wet. By 10:00 am the rain was over. Cheri cleaned and did laundry plus helped me get the motorcycle frame and cover off the trailer, set it on the ground behind the 5th wheel, now I have a garage for the motorcycle. We put the motorcycle trailer under the back of the 5th wheel. Also put down the patio mat and put out the awning. A guy on a motorcycle was riding by and saw our bike and stopped to see if I wanted to go riding with him (Bud). We talked for a while and seem to have the same interest in riding. We both use to ride Gold Wings. I took the bike out for a short ride before putting it in the garage.

We were on the road by 9:30 am and arrived at Baker Acers in Zephyrhills, FL. around 12:30 pm. We spent until 3:00 pm getting setup. We were pooped and decided to wait until tomorrow to finish getting settled in. At 4:00 pm we went over to Grandpa and Grandma’s. Then at 4:30 pm we went out for a fish fry with 3 other people. At 6:00 pm we went Wal-Mart to get groceries. We were back home by 7:00 pm and I was in bed by 8:00 pm. Cheri didn’t come to bed until 10:30 pm.

We were up to the Rec hall at 7:30 am for free pancakes. Then we took our morning walk, it was 54 degrees. We got packed up and on the road by 10:30 am. We only had about 150 miles to go today. We arrived here in White Springs, FL. about 2:00 pm. It turned out to be a beautiful day with a high of 78 degrees and sunny.

I have uploaded pictures of the Andersonville Prison, peanut fields and cotton fields. It was raining when we got up this morning. We went to the Rec hall for free pancakes. They do this every morning. We tried to do our morning walk, but got rained out. Later this forenoon we took a ride to We’re Nuts. It is a factory where they take in Pecan nuts. They also have a retail store with all different flavors of pecans, also fresh pecan pies. We wanted a factory tour, but said they were to busy this time of the year to give tours. From there we took a ride out through the country side. I got some pictures of some old barns. We went out for supper to Country Boy’s Cookin. They specialize in bar-b-que cooking. It was excellent.

This morning we were ready to head up to the hall here in the park for a free pancake breakfast at 7:30 am. All we had to bring were our dishes and silverware. We also brought along our peanut butter to put on those pancakes along with the syrup. There were quite a number of couples there already enjoying their breakfast.

We were back at the 5th wheel by 8:15 and did our ½ hr walk around the park.

Our plan for the day was to head for Andersonville to check out the Andersonville National Prisoner of War museum, the Andersonville National Cemetery and the prison site. It was about 32 miles from our campground.

By 10:30 we were on our way. We passed a number peanut and cotton fields. It was neat to check out the countryside around here.

We arrived at the Museum about 11:30 just in time for the first of their 2 movies on life inside this civil war prison. It even gave outtakes from diaries of the inmates. They were both very informative and made you feel you were right there in the prison. We stepped out the rear door of the lobby and saw the Prisoner of War Commemorative Courtyard. A small stream flow through the granite courtyard and encircles three walls of sculpted brick—men, women, and barbed wire molded from the clay. A bronze statue of a prisoner of war hunches over the water, water dripping from his outstretched hands into the stream below. It was a beautiful tribute to the people that served our country.

We headed into the museum that is laid out to shows all the miseries our prisoners have gone through in all the wars we have been involved in, along with the worries and hardships their families went through not knowing whether their loved ones were dead or alive. We heard about the 45,000 Union prisoners that were held at the prison and the terrible conditions they lived in. We toured the prison grounds by using a CD auto tour. It explained everything on the prison site and the cemetery. Out of the 45,000 prisoners, 13,000 died. They were buried side by side, shoulder to shoulder in shallow graves. There was one prisoner that was in charge all the death records. Out of the 13,000 there are only 450 graves that are marked “unknown”. Each prisoner was given a number and as they were buried all that marked their grave was a stick with their number on it. Today, because of the death records that were kept in the prison each site is marked with a headstone with their number, name and state they were from.

The prison grounds and the cemetery also contain monuments from each state that had prisoners that were kept at Andersonville Prison.

We enjoyed checking out and learning about some of our Civil War history.

We headed back to Montezuma to Yoder’s Restaurant for supper. Everything was cafeteria style and was very good, even the pie!

We were home by 6:30 and watched some of our taped shows before turning in.

I have uploaded some pictures of the Andersonville Prison.

It was pack up and move day. We stuck our head outside ready for our morning walk and it was raining. Thinking we would melt we stayed inside and got ready to leave. I ended up getting pretty wet closing everything up. We left Atlanta in the rain and it rained all the way to Macon. From there to Unadilla the roads were dry. We got to our home campground (Southern Tails) about 1:30 pm. After we got set up it started to rain. At least we got set up before it started. We made a trip to the Post office and to a couple of stores. We got back to the 5th wheel around 3:30 pm. It was a night of TV.

We went to church with Darren and Jodi this morning. Then it was back to their place for lunch. Jodi made potato salad and Darren did brats and burgers on the grill. We played a game of Uno, which we guys won; it was a close game that came down to the last hand. We watched the NASCAR Race. Later Darren and I went out and picked up pizza for supper. We watched some TV and said our goodbyes as we are leaving in the morning, headed farther south.

Today was a big and exciting day for me. I was up at 4:30 am and had to be at Darren’s house at 5:30 am. We had to meet 2 other guys at the Waffle House for breakfast. We were going to the Atlanta Speedway (Corvettes for Cancer Research). We picked up two more guys on the way. For the trip down there were three Corvettes and two Vipers. It was 9:00 am when we got there. We got to park in the NASCAR garage. After we signed up we got to take 5 laps around the Atlanta Speedway with 14 other Corvettes (what a rush). Darren got it up to 110 miles per hour. After it was over they lined up all the Corvettes and did a parade lap around the speedway. There were so may Corvettes that they wouldn’t all fit on the track at one time. From there the police lead us all to Summit Racing Equipment. They had a Corvette car show and lots of food and door prizes. Darren won a $50 dollar gift certificate from Summit Racing plus a couple of hats. We got back to Darren’s house at 6:15 pm. Jodi picked up Cheri at 9:30 am they went shopping for the day and got home around 6:00 pm. After supper we watched the movie Wild Hogs. It was 10:00 pm before we got home. I have uploaded pictures (Atlanta Speedway).

We walked this morning in between the rain showers. After we did a few things around the 5th wheel we went over to Darren and Jodi’s. We printed off some Geo-Caches and went out and found six of them. After Jodi got home from work we went out for supper (Mexican). On the way home we made a stop at the DQ for ice cream. We played a game of Uno when we got back, Darren and I won.

Darren took the next two days off, but Jodi has to work. Darren came over and took us out for breakfast and then we went to a large mall north of Atlanta. We went through a large Bass Pro Shop along with many other stores. There was also a large game room and a 10 lane bowling alley. We bowled one game. After the mall we went over to Darren and Jodi’s to hang out and Darren did some updates to our computer. When Jodi got home we had supper and then played a game of Uno, Darren and I won.

We only had about 175 miles to go to get to Atlanta today so we took our time getting on the road. We took a long walk around the campground and park. We finally got on the road at noon (also lost an hour due to time zone). We got to the campground in Atlanta around 2:45 pm. It is 78 degree here today. Darren and Jodi came over after work and we went out for supper and then back to the 5th wheel for a visit.

We got on the road a 9:00 am. The temp is morning was 63 degrees, now this is more like it should be. It did get up to 78 degrees. We are staying in a state park campground on the Tennessee River which is about 25 miles west of Chattanooga just off Interstate 24. We arrived here at 5:00 pm. We filled up with diesel on the Kentucky/Tennessee state line. Put in 101 gallons for $2.87 per gallon. That’s much better then $3.19 in Wisconsin. The good news is the fuel gage started working again; the bad news is it quit working before the day was over.

Well we are finally on our way south. We left Fond du Lac at 9:30 am. We made our first stop at a rest area near Janesville, WI. The back of the motorcycle had moved to the back of the trailer, I ended up strapping it to the front of the trailer. The only other thing that happened is the fuel gage in the truck quit working. We are spending the night at a campground about 15 south of Effingham, IL. We got here around 5:30 pm.

I have uploaded pictures of the motorcycle trailer and the pin box extension. They are located under motorcycle trailer. Neither Cheri nor I slept very good last night and didn’t get up until 7:30 am this morning. It was warmer this morning, 47 degrees. It was foggy and rainy all day. After church we picked up sub sandwiches and headed to Coz and Nikki’s to watch the Packers play and Coz being a Cowboy fan, we also watched them play. Packers won and the Cowboys lost. Tomorrow we head south

It was 37 degrees this morning and a high of 55 with a lot of sun this afternoon. Nikki came over for breakfast. After breakfast Cheri and Nikki went shopping and I took my morning walk. I checked the air in all the tires getting ready to leave Monday. I also did some internet surfing, looking for a cell phone repeater for the areas that have a weak cell signal. So far the one that seems to meet my requirements is the 4KMR-30M made by Digital Antenna. Coz got home late this afternoon, said he didn’t see or hear any turkeys. This evening we went over to Coz and Nikki’s for cribbage and we guys won three games.

It was 41 degrees this morning and a high of 50 today, cloudy most of the day and no wind. After our morning walk I went right to work on installing the pin box extension. I had to make a trip to Fleet Farm to get a large allen wrench to fit the set screws. After drilling some of the holes and putting in some of the bolts, I realized I was going to have to tap some of the holes So it was back to Fleet Farm to get a 3/8 tap. It was 4:30 pm when I got done. Cheri did a couple of loads of laundry and cleaned the trailer. Coz left after work to go turkey hunting, so Nikki came over after work and we went out to eat, then back to the 5th wheel to watch some TV.

It was 43 degrees this morning and still windy. It was a cold morning walk. It was another day of doing nothing. Our pin box extension came today; Coz dropped it off around 6:00 pm. That will be my project for tomorrow. We plan on leaving here Monday and heading south to warmer weather.

The wind blew all day and all night with rain this afternoon and a high of 52 degrees. We did do our morning walk. We didn’t do anything else today. We are still waiting for the pin box extension to come for the 5th wheel. As soon as I get it installed we will be heading south. Once again Coz and Nikki came for supper and cribbage. Girls won one and we guys won one.

Not much going on here today. It is very windy here today in fact it was already windy when we walked this morning. The wind was still blowing when we went to bed. We went to Wal-Mart to pick up groceries and look around (Cheri calls it shopping). Nikki, Coz, and Cece came over for supper and cribbage. Girls won one and we guys won one.

Cheri is feeling much better today; in fact I think she is back to her old self. We did our morning walk. Cheri did some laundry and I worked on the stabilizer jack and finally got it working again. This afternoon we went to Timber Valley Millworks to check on knotty pine doors for Jason and Kari’s Camp Bow Wow. We got to see their display of doors and they even gave us a tour of factory, it was very interesting. They have been making doors in Fond du Lac since the early 1900. We lived around the area for 30 years and never knew about them. Kari found them on the internet and wanted us to check them out; they make a very nice door from many different kinds of wood. We went over to Coz and Nikki’s for supper and cribbage, we guys won two games.

Cheri was still sick today, she thinks she has flu. So I did the morning walk by myself again. I rode the motorcycle to church, after church I went over to Coz and Nikki’s for lunch. This afternoon I worked on one of the rear stabilizers on the 5th wheel. I will not go down. I had this problem once last year. I have to take it apart, as it is jammed. I tried and it wouldn’t come apart, so I soaked it with WD 40 and will try again tomorrow. Cheri took a nap while I watched the NASCAR Race. We watched the Packer get beat; they played good ball the first half and did nothing the second half. They lost to Chicago, a game they should have won. Cheri said she was feeling better this evening.

Cheri got ready early as she was going shopping with Nikki and Cece. I did the morning walk by myself. I did some maintenance work on the 5th wheel. I went over to Coz and Nikki’s and pick up the motorcycle and went for a ride. Coz had to work today and thought he would be done by noon. As it turned out he didn’t get done until 3:00 pm. So we didn’t get to ride together. This evening Cheri wasn’t feeling very good. She said she had chills and her stomach didn’t feel good. I walked over to Coz and Nikki’s to get the truck, made for a nice evening walk. We are having unheard of weather for this time of the year. We had a high of 86 degrees today and at 9:00 pm it was still 76 degrees.

We didn’t take time to walk this morning as we need to get the 5th wheel packed up and down to the welding shop this morning. They are going to add two additional receiver tubes to the frame and then a steel tube to tie all three together. It was going to be done by 1:30 pm, but got a call from them saying it would take a little longer. We hung out at Coz and Nikki’s while the work was being done. I got another call saying it wouldn’t be done until 3:00 pm. We got there at 3:00 and it still wasn’t done, I helped him finish the job and got on the road by 4:15 pm and $ 450.00 poorer. We went back to the fairgrounds and were set up by 5:00 pm. We went over to Coz and Nikki’s for supper. Coz cooked chicken and brats on the grill. After supper we played cribbage. The girls won the first game and we guys won the next two. In fact we double skunked them one game. It was about time we guys finally won two games in a row.

It was a nice morning for our walk and with a high of 78 degrees today. We made a trip to the grocery store to pick up a few things for supper tonight. Then it was trip around town looking for a UPS place to send out a package, ended up at a FedEx. We had a box to send to Jason and Kari. We made a trip over to Coz and Nikki’s to pickup the motorcycle trailer. Tomorrow we take the 5th wheel and motorcycle trailer to the welding shop to get the hitch reinforced. Coz and Nikki came for supper and cribbage. We split on the cribbage.

We got around early this morning as we were invited to breakfast at John and Linda Tschanz in Brandon. We had a good time hashing over old times and what has been going on for the last year. We left their place around 2:30 pm. Cheri wanted to stop a couple of craft stores and I wanted to stop at the Brandon Meat Market to get some beef sticks and brats. Also got a beef roast for supper tomorrow night. We go home around 5:00 pm. It was a fun and relaxing day.

It was a damp and foggy morning. The sun finally came out around 10:00 am. We went to Fleet Farm so I could buy a new pair of pants. All my pants are getting tighter around the waist, It must be because they are old and shrunk from all the washing (I also have a bridge for sale). We stopped at Sub Way for lunch and then filled the truck with fuel, diesel is now at $3.19, but found a station for $2.99. That is quit a savings on 60 gallon. On the way home we stopped and picked up some groceries. Coz and Nikki came over for supper. It got very windy with some rain this evening.

It’s hard to believe it is October already. We didn’t walk this morning as it was wet and muddy here in the campground. We took our time packing up and getting on the road. We arrived in Fond du Lac around 1:00 pm. We stopped at Coz and Nikki’s and picked up the motorcycle trailer hitch and went to the welding shop in Byron to see about getting some fabrication work done on the 5th wheel and hitch to make it stronger. They have to order some materials and we have an appointment for Friday. We went over to Coz and Nikki’s for supper and three games of cribbage which the girls won. We guys can’t seem to win anymore.

Jason and Kari came over for breakfast this morning. Jason and Kari decided to take their trailer home with them today. It has been parked here at the campground for the last year. So I helped Jason and Kari get thing packed up and ready to leave. They where ready to leave by 12:00 pm. We said our goodbyes and they were on there way home. We watched the Packers play, another good game. Then I watched the NASCAR Race and Cheri read and took a nap. Later in the afternoon it started raining and had a couple of storms moved through with a lot of lighting and thunder.

We took a long walk around the campground and surrounding area looking at all the fall colors. It isn’t at pick color but close to it. It started raining at 10:00 am and didn’t quit until around 5:00 pm. Jason and Kari picked us up later this afternoon, we took a ride down to Tomah, and Kari wanted to go to some Amish stores that are there. She bought an old ten gallon milk can and an old copper boiler. She wants to use them to decorate in their new Doggie Bow Wow day care center. When we got back Cheri fixed supper for the four of us. She made hot French dip sandwiches. Jason and I talked about the motorcycle trailer and I think we have come up with a plan that will fix the problem. We had a nice long visit before we called it a night.

We took a long walk around the campground and surrounding area looking at all the fall colors. It isn’t at pick color but close to it. It started raining at 10:00 am and didn’t quit until around 5:00 pm. Jason and Kari picked us up later this afternoon, we took a ride down to Tomah, and Kari wanted to go to some Amish stores that are there. She bought an old ten gallon milk can and an old copper boiler. She wants to use them to decorate in their new Doggie Bow Wow day care center. When we got back Cheri fixed supper for the four of us. She made hot French dip sandwiches. Jason and I talked about the motorcycle trailer and I think we have come up with a plan that will fix the problem. We had a nice long visit before we called it a night.

After our morning walk we closed up the 5th wheel got hooked up and on the road by 10:00 am. We took hwy 54 all the way to Black River Falls. We are going to spend three nights here with Jason and Kari. They will be out riding their four wheelers while we take it easy. It was around 1:30 pm before we got set up. We made a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries. The campground is full and we couldn’t get a sewer hook up. Jason and Kari got here around 9:00 pm. They stopped over for a short visit as they were both tired from work. Jason had worked all night the day before.

The day started out to be a good one, but soon turned not so good. It was move day for us, so we packed up and got hooked up. It was time to hook up the motorcycle trailer to the back of the 5th wheel. All went well and got the motorcycle loaded and tied down. Has we left the fairgrounds I could see the motorcycle trailer rocking back in forth and knew this was not a safe condition. So we took it over to Nikki and Coz’s, unloaded the bike and put it their garage and left the motorcycle trailer in their yard. It was a real disappointment for me, I was sure everything was going to work great. Now it’s back to the drawing board to see how I am going to solve the problem. We arrived in Waupaca around 1:00 pm; we are staying the night with Greg and Jeanene Peterson. Cheri was giving me a hair cut when Greg arrived home from work. Jeanene got home around 4:30 and at 5:00 pm we were on the road to go to our financial update dinner. We got home around 9:30 and called it a night.

After our morning walk we went right to work on installing the cover on the motorcycle trailer. We decided to add some more hook and loop to help hold the cover to the rails. So I headed over to Joann Fabrics to get some and found they wanted $10.00 for 5 feet and I needed 60 feet. So I went to Wal-Mart and found it, $15.00 for 20 feet. When I got back Cheri had the rails cleaned and ready to put on the hook and loop. Then we had over 100 rivets to install. Cheri had to go in and start supper; Coz and Nikki are coming for supper. It was 5:15 pm when I got done. After supper we played two games of cribbage and the girls won. We won’t see them again until next year in September. It was hard to say goodbye.

It rained last night and was still raining this morning; it did stop long enough so we could do our morning walk. It was over cast all day and more rain late in the afternoon. We took a ride up to Oshkosh to see Tom Praxl and his friend Kris. We had a long visit catching up on old times. On the way home we stopped at Coz and Nikki’s to see Cece. This is the last time we get to see her until next year. The five of us play three games of uno and Cece won all three games. Then it was time for her to go to bed, Cheri read her two bed time stories. We said our goodbyes and headed for home.

I walked this morning by myself; Cheri had to be ready to go shopping with Nikki at 8:30. I worked on the motor cycle trailer and loading ramps. I got all the aluminum straps drilled and ready to install. These straps are what hold the canvas to the trailer frame. The ramps are three separate ramps that fold in half. They come with bolts to fasten them together in the middle. It was hard to fold them up so I drilled holes in both ends and bolted them to together. Now they work like one folding ramp. At 1:00 I went and picked up the cover, but couldn’t get as Cheri had the check book and had to wait for her to get home from shopping. Coz and Nikki had us over for supper and Nikki made a cherry pie for me. After supper we had an early Christmas for Cece as we wouldn’t be here then. It was fun to watch Cece open the presents. Of course what 5 year old wouldn’t be excited?

We did our morning walk and went to church. After church we stopped at Sub Way and picked up subs for lunch and then over to Coz and Nikki’s to watch the Packers play, what an exciting game. I was sure they were going to lose, but pulled it out in the end. Nikki and Cheri went picked up pizza for supper. After supper we play two games of cribbage which the girls won. We got home around 7:00 pm. Cheri read and I watched the NASCAR Race that I had recorded.

We went over to Coz and Nikki’s for breakfast this morning. After breakfast Cheri shortened 10 pair of pants for Cece. She didn’t get done until 4:30 pm. I came back to the 5th wheel and work on the motorcycle trailer. I mounted the chock for the bike, didn’t get done with that until 4:00 pm. I had to do some grinding with the dermal to get things to fit right I stopped at Fleet Farm on the way to pickup Cheri to pick up some bolts for loading ramps.

It was another very windy day with high of 86 degrees. My job was to wash the truck and with the wind it created quite the challenge, I got more than one shower while spraying off the truck. A couple of weeks ago we had a problem with small ants in the kitchen cupboards. We tried a couple different kinds of ant poison and didn’t do any good. Found out that they were a sweet ant and got some poison for sweet ants. When we put that out, they showed up for a meal of the poison. We haven’t seen any for a few days, so today Cheri cleaned the cabinets and put things away. Late this afternoon we got a call that the cover for the motorcycle trailer was done. So went to pick it up and had them help put it on so we could check it out. They need to add a two inch flap on the bottom of the roll up doors. They said that we could come back on Monday at 1:00 pm and get it. That was good news. We went to Beaver Dam with Coz, Nikki, and Cece for Chinese. We stopped at Fleet Farm on the way home to pick up a couple of things. It started raining before we got home and was still raining when we went to bed.

It was a slow day around here, late getting up and taking our walk this morning, actually it felt good. We made a trip to Menards to pick up some aluminum rails and pop rivets to finish off the motorcycle trailer when we get it back. On the way we stopped at the Sprint Store to check out their plans on cell phones and internet access. They also have a good looking plan that seems to be the cheapest. When we got home I took a walk to see if they had started on the motorcycle trailer cover, but the trailer had not been moved.

Cheri and I made a trip to Randolph to have lunch with the group from the telephone office that we used to work with. It was fun catching up on all the things that has happened since we have worked there. From there we went to Friesland to visit with Bruce Braaksma, and then it was a ride by our old home. Everything looked real nice with all the flowers in bloom. When we got back in Fond du Lac we stopped at Best Buy to look at cameras, then to the mall so Cheri could pick up a book she ordered. We got home around 4:30 pm. It was a fun and relaxing day.

It was warm with a high of 78 and windy. We got a call that the graphics for the truck fuel tank were done, so at 10:00 am we headed out there to have them installed. They look very nice. I have uploaded some pictures of the tank. They are in the Truck Fuel Tank album. When we got done there we stopped at Mertz RV looking for 12” receiver extension. They didn’t have any, but did find an adapter that you can use to get 50 amp service by using a 30 amp outlet and a 20 amp outlet. I thought I could buy it off the internet cheaper, but after doing some searching I found that they had it for a good price, so tomorrow we will go back and buy it. Then we went to Wal-Mart to pick up groceries, Coz and Nikki are coming over for supper. Later while Cheri was baking a pie I went for a motorcycle ride. After supper we played cribbage and the girls won both games in fact they beat us really bad one game.

Nikki picked up Cheri at 8:30 am to go shopping. I did some internet surfing on a new digital camera. We are looking for something with a 12 optical zoom to use on our trip to Alaska next year. The one I am interested in is the Kodak Z712 and see on the internet that it has some good reports. Later in the morning I was frustrated because I hadn’t received a call to take the motorcycle trailer in to have the cover made. So I went to another company to check on having it done and they wanted almost twice as much. So I came home depressed. Cheri got home shortly after I did and told her about the cover and decided to wait on getting it done. About that time I got a call to bring in the trailer for the cover. When I got there I added a couple of things and the price didn’t change that much, so I left it to be done. They said it would be done on the 27th, hope they get it done early because we leave for Black River Fall on the 27th.

Greg and Jeanene came over for breakfast, Cheri made Belgium waffles. The four of us did our morning walk together. When we got back we sat down and visited for a while and then it was time for Greg and Jeanene to close up their 5th wheel. By 1:00 pm they were on there way home. It sure was good to spend some time with them. Cheri and I watched the Packer game until half time and then went over to Coz and Nikki’s to watch the rest of the game. After the game the four of us went to a movie. We saw The Brave One with Jodie Foster. It was a movie with a different twist and very bloody. After the movie we picked up a pizza and went back to Coz and Nikki’s for supper and to watch some more football (us guys). The girls were checking the sale papers and planning there shopping trip for tomorrow.

It was only 36 degrees this morning, but the sun was out and warmed up to 76 degrees with no wind, a beautiful day. Greg & Jeanene Peterson from Waupaca came down with their 5th wheel and camped beside us. It gave us a chance to see their new 5th wheel and catch up on what they have been doing for the last few months. They will be retiring next May, so we were trading tips on traveling and camping. Jeanene fixed lunch for us and for supper we went to Beaver Dam for Chinese. When we got home we settled in for an evening of trading stories about our experience with traveling and camping. It was a fun day.

It was 46 degrees this morning, a little cool for our walk, but no wind. This afternoon it got very windy and a high of 52 degrees. I made a trip down town to get a tank of LP, a stop at the post office, and the station for some milk. It was too cold outside with the wind to do anything. At 2:30 I got a call that the frame for the motorcycle trailer was done. So I headed out to pick it up, they did a nice job on it. On the way back I stopped and filled the truck up at a station that had diesel for $2.99, all the other stations are at $3.13 that saved me $12.00 on the fill up. Late this afternoon we got an e-mail from the graphic center wanting the approval for the lettering and graphic on the tuck fuel tank. I had e-mailed the approval on Tuesday; they said they didn’t get it. So now that won’t be done until next week.

Friday the 13th came on Thursday this mounth. We made a trip to Fox Lake to see friends Bill and Barb Mullin. While Cheri and Barb visited Bill was showing me his new GPS unit. It is a very nice unit that is made by Magellan, it is a cross over unit that can be used in the car with turn by turn instructions or used for Geo-caching. On our way to lunch we tried to find a cache in Fox Lake, but had trouble with coordinates. So we headed to Beaver Dam and had lunch at Applebee’s, Thanks for lunch Bill and Barb. On the way back we stopped and looked for the Geo-cache and you might know Cheri the eagle eye found it. We went back to Bill and Barbs and visited for a while and then Cheri and I went to Beaver Dam. I wanted to stop at Fleet Farm and see if they had a receiver extension to use between the 5th wheel and motorcycle trailer. I did find one and Cheri also found some shoes.

We had a temp of 43 degrees this morning and a high of 56 degrees today. It made for a cool walk this morning. In fact we were both cold today and turned up the furnace. I spent some time working on the computer. We spent most of the day reading and watching TV. We went over to Coz and Nikki’s for supper and cribbage. The girls won two games and we guys won one game.

It feels like fall has arrived, it was 46 degrees this morning and we had a high of 64 degrees today. The wind blew so hard that we may be in another state. I put on a heavier jogging suit this morning for our morning walk. We made a trip to Wal-Mart to get a money order to send with our paper work for license plate for the motorcycle. On the way home we stopped at the AT&T store to check on new cell phones as our contract is up. We were thinking about changing providers. We need to do some more checking, but I think AT&T has the best plan for internet service. We had Coz, Nikki and Cece over for supper and a game of cribbage that we guys won.

It was raining when we got up this morning, in fact it rained all day, nothing real hard just enough that we couldn’t do anything outside. It was cold enough that we had the furnace on today. Cheri spent most of the day shopping with Nikki. I took the trailer to the welding shop so they can start building the frame for the motorcycle. Then I went to Fleet Farm to look around, it is one of my favorite stores. Then it was back to the 5th wheel to fill out paper work to get the license plate for the motorcycle trailer.

After our morning walk and church we picked up sub sandwiches to take over to Coz and Nikki’s for lunch. It was an afternoon of football for Coz and me. By the way the Packer won, they didn’t play very good, but a win is a win. Cheri and Nikki sat and visited, and then Nikki made chocolate chip cookies. We made a big dent in them, sure were good. Later Nikki and Cheri went out to pick up pizza for supper. It took them two hours to get it; I suspect that they were doing some shopping.

We got an early wake up at 4:00 am from a detector chirping. I thought it was the smoke detector and took the battery out of it and still had the chirping, took the fuse out of the LP detector and still had the chirping. It turned out to be low battery in the carbon monoxide detector. After all of that I couldn’t go back to sleep. Cheri cleaned out and washed out all the cabinets in the kitchen and a load of laundry. I washed the 5th wheel and motorcycle. Late in the afternoon we took a 53 mile motorcycle ride though the county side. I took a picture of an old shed to put in my collection of old falling down buildings. After supper I took a nap to get ready to watch the NASCAR Race. Cheri watched a movie.

It was raining this morning when we got up, so no morning walk. We took a ride to Byron where there is a welding shop and asked them for an estimate on building the frame for the motorcycle trailer. An hour later he called me with the estimate. Last Tuesday I went to a place here in town to get an estimate and the guy told me to give him a call mid morning on Thursday. When I called he said he didn’t have it done and to call him late that afternoon. Well when I called a 4:30 I was told that he leaves work at 2:30, so I left a message for him to call me. He still hasn’t called; I guess he doesn’t want my business. On the way home we stopped at a place that does lettering and graphic decals. We ended up ordering a lettering decal that says SharpsTavels.com and a graphic decal to put on the back of the new fuel tank.

After our morning walk we made a trip to Fleet Farm and Menards to return some things I didn’t need to install the fuel tank. Then it was on to Wal-Mart for groceries, and then to the Harley Davidson dealer to get a back rest extension, only to find out they don’t make anything for that. So when we got home I took off the back rest brackets and did some measuring and was able to drill some different holes and set the back rest back an additional three inches. It gave Cheri more room and a better position for her back. That took most of afternoon. Cheri made chicken and dumplings, Coz and Nikki came for supper and cribbage. The girls whipped us guys in two games.

After our morning walk I headed for a place that makes covers. I wanted to get a price to have one made for the frame that I am getting an estimate for (motorcycle trailer). The price for the cover was $285.00. Tomorrow I should hear how much the frame will cost. I stopped at Feet Farm to pick up a few things to finish installing the fuel tank. It took the rest of the day with Cheri’s help to get it done. At 4:30 pm I went to the station and put in 30 gallon to make sure I didn’t have any leaks, well it passed the leak test. I am very happy how it came out. Cheri fixed supper for Coz and Nikki and then it was cribbage time. The girls won both games. We guys haven’t done so well lately, of course girls think it great.

Our fuel tank for the truck is painted and ready for pick up. On the way to pick it up we stopped at Menards to get some stainless steel bolts to fasten it to the bed of truck. We had it painted at Jerry’s Auto Body in North Fond du Lac. It was painted white to match the truck. I spent the afternoon drilling holes getting it ready to install. Tomorrow I have to pick up some fuel hose to finish the job. Cheri did laundry today. We went over to Coz and Nikki’s early evening, they had a party for Cece has it was her first day of school (kindergarten).

I have the car show pictures up loaded; the first ten pictures are of the car I really like. Some day we hope to have one like it. Cheri and I did take our morning walk. When we got back Nikki called and wanted to know if we wanted to go out for lunch, couldn’t turn that down. After lunch Cheri and I went over to Menards, I wanted to get some ideas on how to build the closer for the motorcycle trailer. I have a couple of ideas I am going to check out tomorrow. Later in the afternoon we stopped at Nikki and Coz’s so I could upload the pictures of the car show. Then Nikki fixed pizza for supper. The girls were the big winners in cribbage, they won three and we guy won two.

Coz and Nikki came over for breakfast. After breakfast Cheri and Nikki went to the flea and craft sale here at the fair grounds. Coz and I went to the car show. I thought there were a lot of cars yesterday, but there were twice as many here today. I took a lot more pictures and will try to get them uploaded tomorrow. Coz and I didn’t get back to the 5th wheel until around 1:30 pm. The girls were already here when we got back, Nikki wasn’t feeling very good so Coz took her home so she could rest. Later this afternoon we went out to Marty and Anna’s place for Michele’s home coming party.

After our morning walk we went to the car show here at the fair grounds. It is there 36th year, last year they had over 400 cars. We spent over 3 hours looking at all the cars. I took a lot of pictures that I will upload to our photo album. Look under Fond du Lac car show. I only have about 5 pictures in the album. I am having trouble uploading them because of the slow speed internet service. I have over 100 pictures, so keep checking and I will get them out there as soon as possible. Coz and Nikki came over this afternoon and played some cribbage. Then they took us out for supper in Oshkosh to celebrate Cheri’s birthday (39th so she says), it was an excellent meal. I don’t remember the name, but we will go back again sometime. When we got back to the 5th wheel we played some more cribbage. The girls won 2 games and we guys won three.

I was up at 4:30 am this morning getting ready to go and escort the 1157th National Guard returning from Iraq. Coz’s niece (Michele) was one of the 165 coming home. There were six of us that rode to Milwaukee to meet the four buses that were bringing them back to Oshkosh. We got to Milwaukee and had some breakfast and were on the road to get gas for the bikes when we met them heading north. We quickly got our gas and headed out to catch up to the buses. Will by the time we got to Oshkosh we were still about 4 minutes behind them. We headed to the airport hanger and the buses made a trip through Oshkosh. It was a nice home coming with a lot of people on hand to welcome them back. We rode back to Marty and Anna’s for Michele’s welcome home gathering. Then I headed home to see what Cheri was up to. She spent the day cleaning and doing laundry. There is a big car show here at the Fair Grounds this weekend and lots of campers and old cars coming in. So this evening we took a walk around and looked at the cars. Then we took a walk to DQ for ice cream.

After our morning walk we went shopping for motorcycle ramps. I took back the ones I bought yesterday. We made a quick stop at Feet Farm for wiper blades and bolts. Than we headed for West Bend to a place called Discount Ramps. I checked on the internet and they have a large supply of all different kinds of ramps. When we got there it was all internet sales and had no store front. But I was able to get what I wanted. We stopped at Applebee’s for lunch on the way back. We took back roads on the way back to Fond du Lac for some different scenery. When we got home I put the ramps together and think they will work fine. I got a call that our fuel tank for the truck is done and can pick it up on Tuesday. We went over to Coz and Nikki’s for supper and to watch the packers play, not much of a game so we left for home after half time.

It was a cool misty day, didn’t see the sun until late afternoon. We made a trip to Fleet Farm so I could get some bolts to install the chock on the trailer. Cheri bought some clothes while we were there. From there we went to Wal-Mart to get a few things and then to Menards to get ramps for the trailer and looked at paint for the fuel tank. On the way home the mist in the air almost turned to rain, just enough so I couldn’t work on the trailer. So I did some surfing on the internet to see about having the fuel tank done with a Rhino Coating. I found a place here in Fond du Lac that does it and so I made a trip to the body shop. To make a long story short he told me it would be better to have it painted with epoxy paint. So I left it with him to paint. When I got home the sun was starting to come out so I hooked the trailer to the truck and got my new ramps out and was going to load the motorcycle. Well the ramps were to short, will take them back tomorrow. Nikki and Coz came for supper and cribbage. The girls won both games.

I got a call yesterday that the fuel tank for the truck would be delivered sometime this morning. So first thing this morning I headed over to Coz and Nikki’s to wait for it. Well it didn’t come until 11:30 am. After I got it on the truck and tied down I headed back to the 5th wheel for lunch. Cheri had done some laundry and cleaning. After lunch we went to the grocery store to get some pork chops for supper. Then I dropped Cheri off at the 5th wheel and went back to Coz and Nikki’s to get Coz’s bike and take it over to the dealer to have the engine light reset. When I got back to Coz and Nikki’s I had another package from UPS, it was the chock for the motor cycle. Coz, Nikki and Cece came for supper and cribbage. It was a split one game for the girls and one for us guys.

We got a call from Nikki this morning and wanted to know if we wanted to go out for breakfast with her and Cece, will you don’t have to twist my arm very far to go out and eat. We met Nikki and Cece at Rolling Meadows Restaurant about 8:30. We just got inside when it started to rain. It didn’t quit raining until about noon. Cheri, Nikki and Cece went shopping after breakfast. I went to the Harley dealer to get a shock adjusting tool for the motorcycle. After it quit raining I was going to start washing the 5th wheel. Will I filled my bucket and found out the bottom had a hole in it, so much for that job. So Cheri and I took a short ride of the motorcycle. At 5:30 pm we went over to Coz and Nikki’s for supper and cribbage. The girls won one and us guys won one.

It was a beautiful day with a high of 75 degrees. We did our morning walk and then got ready for church. After church we stopped at the Mall to look at bed spreads, Cheri wants a new one for the 5th wheel. Of course I don’t see anything wrong with the one we have now, but us men look at those things differently. Cheri and I took a 40 mile bike ride around the area. When we got home Nikki called and wanted us to come over. They bought 4 new stools to go with their new dining room set and want me to help Coz put them together. The girls order pizza from Pizza Hut. After supper Coz said I got one more job I need help with, he said the toilet was broke. So we took it apart and put in a new flush valve. We got home around 8:00 pm.

Happy 65th wedding anniversary Grandpa and Grandma and I forgot to mention yesterday was Darren and Jodi’s 5th wedding anniversary. Today Coz and I took a motorcycle ride to Appleton where we met Nikki, Cece and Cheri for lunch at Chucky Cheese. The girls spent the day shopping and Coz and I spend the day riding bike. We did make one stop at the Harley Dealer in Appleton were I bought some goggles that would fit over my glasses. They keep the wind out of my eyes and make it easier to see. We rode a total of 145 miles. We had left over brats and hamburgers at Nikki and Coz’s for supper. I watched the NASCAR race and called it a night.

We received more showers off and on today; at least it wasn’t a wash out. We got a call this morning that our motorcycle trailer was in, so I was excited to go and get it right away. We took the truck to pick it up at the freight depot. It was on a bigger pallet and I had to take off the 5th wheel hitch so I could have them load it on the truck. It weighed 650 pounds. This was the first time I have removed the 5th wheel hitch and it was a piece of cake to remove. We took it over to Coz and Nikki’s to put together. Well it took Cheri and me three hours to get it put together. Cheri got a call early afternoon from Nikki this afternoon and she said a woman ran into their truck last night. She drunk and wasn’t able to drive her car way so she started running down the street. The police found her and brought her back to the seine of the accident. Her licenses had been taken away for drunk and driving. She had no insurance on the car and the license plates where from another car. The insurance adjuster hasn’t looked at Coz and Nikki’s truck, but said on the phone that it probably would be totaled. For supper we grilled out at Coz and Nikki’s and watched the movie Wild Hogs, a very funny movie.

We got more rain last night and today. There were time when it was nice and the sun was shining and then it would cloud up and rain, then clear off again. Cheri and I went shopping today. Our first stop was at Menards to look around and price some materials to build a fire place for Kari and Jason. Then it was on to Rogan’s to look at some shoes, then to Wal-Mart for a few things. The last stop was at the Mall, still looking for shoes, didn’t find any to fit my budget. Cheri fixed supper for Coz and Nikki. After supper we went over to Coz and Nikki’s to watch the Packer play. It turned out to be a late night for us.

Nikki dropped off Cece at 6:30 this morning. Cheri spent the day playing with Cece and did some laundry and fixed chicken and dumplings for Coz, Nikki, Cece and us. I spent most of the day on the computer researching a motorcycle carrier. I finally ordered a one wheel trailer that will fasten solid to the back of the 5th wheel. The wheel will pivot and turn as you back up or turn. I also ordered a motorcycle wheel chock that fastens to the frame of the bike. The order should be here the first of next week. We had some rain this morning and some sun this afternoon. We played two games of cribbage and we guys won both.

It was a day of no sun and mists in the air all day and much cooler with a high of 63 degrees. Cheri, Nikki and Cece left at 9:00 am shopping and didn’t get back until 3:30 pm. I spent the morning working on the computer and then went to Fleet Farm to look at loading ramps for the motor cycle. Then I went over to Target and bought an external hard drive for our computer. Our computer has been acting up and I wanted something to keep an up to date backup on. Nikki fixed supper for us and then later we played two games of cribbage. We guys won both and last night the girls won two games and they almost skunked us both games.

It was still raining when we got up this morning and continued to rain on and off all day (more on than off). Kari and Jason came over for a late breakfast. They never did get a chance to do any quad-ding because of all the rain. Early afternoon we packed up and were ready to leave at 1:30 pm. We said our goodbyes to Kari and Jason and headed for Fond du Lac. We arrived at the Fair Grounds and was 5:30 pm before we got set up. At least we got set up before it started raining again. Coz and Nikki stopped over for a visit. It was 10:00 pm when we went to bed and still raining.

Jason and Kari came over for breakfast and it started to rain just has they were leaving to go back to their trailer to get ready to go quadding. Cheri and I took it easy, reading and watching TV. About 1:30 pm Kari and Jason were back for lunch and it was still raining. Jason said they didn’t do any quadding because of the rain and that Kari took a nap and he watched a movie. After lunch the four of us went to Wal-Mart shopping and then came back to the 5th wheel to hang out and it was still raining. Because we had a late lunch we had snacks for supper. Jason hooked up our DVR to the internet so I can now make calls for updates to the software. We watched the Packers play. At 10:30 we called it a night and it was still raining.

We were up, packed up and on the road by 9:30 am. Roger had things set up so I could get our truck and 5th wheel weighed. I was surprised at where the weights came in, thought we were way over loaded. The 5th wheel was 65 pounds over and I know when we get to Fond du Lac I will be removing quite a few things. But now I have to make a decision on how I am going to haul the motor cycle. It is going to be a permanent mount on the back of the 5th wheel or I can get a one wheel (that rotates on turns and when backing up) trailer that mounts solid to the back of the 5th wheel and carries most of the weight. I like the idea of the trailer, but there are several states that it is considered to be an additional trailer. Then they say you are pulling triple bottoms and that is not legal. I will write more on that later when I get it figured out. We arrived in Black River Falls around noon. After we got set up we went to Wal-Mart and got groceries. Jason and Kari arrived around 8:00 pm. Jason built a fire and it felt good as it was a cool evening. It was 11:00 pm before we got to bed.

Roger picked us up at 8:30 and took us to Westby for breakfast. After breakfast we did some Geo-caching. We found four caches and one of them had three parts to it. We also had one we couldn’t find. Then Roger took us out in the county to show us a log cabin he helped build. It was a very nice little cabin setting on hill with a beautiful view. Roger had some errands to do, so he dropped us off at the trailer. When Jean got home from work they came over and picked us up to go out for Chinese. After we eat Roger had to go the theater as he had to usher for the evening show and Jean had to go back to work. At 6:45 Cheri and I headed for the theater for the show. It was a country and western band from Madison called the Dang-Its. It was an OK show but have seen better. After the show Cheri and I went over to Roger and Jean’s place to visit and say our goodbyes. It was midnight before we got to bed. (Thanks Roger for showing us such a great time while we were in Viroqua)

I was awake early this morning and it started raining about 4:30 am. I got up a little before 5:00 am. I was showered and dressed before Cheri got up. Burl and Dorothy picked us up at 8:30 am and took us out for breakfast. We had to close up the trailer in the rain; about the time I got done it quit raining. Then just before we got to Viroqua it started to rain again and had to set up in the rain. It quit when we got set up. Roger stopped in before we got done setting up. We talked for a while and then went and got a bite of lunch. He gave us a tour of the town and then took us to the Temple Theater for a personal tour of the theater from top to bottom. They have restored the theater to its original state. Roger, along with lots of other volunteers have given hours of their time, cleaning and painting etc. They have 5 shows a year in the theater now. They have an area set aside in the basement to display all the old artifacts. Gay and Roger even climbed up into the attic over one side of the stage to look at the pipes for the old organ they have in the theater. Check out their web site at www.temple-theatre.com for more information. After the theater tour we did some Geo-caching, we found three caches. Then we went back to Roger and Jean’s house has Jean was home from work. We had a short visit and then went back to the trailer to get ready to go out for supper. Roger and Jean picked us up and took us to the Firehouse Supper Club for supper. It was excellent. After supper we came back to the trailer and played a game of dominoes that we guys won.

Last night it was another thunder storm that started around midnight. Lots of thunder, lighting, and rain, it wasn’t as bad as the one we had a couple of nights ago. It was over before morning. We did our morning walk and later Cheri did some laundry and cleaning. I did some putts work on the truck and had a nice visit with another full time rv-er here in the park. It’s always fun to exchange tips and pick up new ideas that will work for us. The rest of the day was a lazy one.

Cheri and I took our morning walk; it has been two weeks since we have done our walk. We need to get back in the swing of things. This morning we went up town to take care of some business and get groceries. Later in the afternoon we took a trip to Richland Center to see Ken and Eileen. We had a nice visit with them and also Ron who was there to work on Eileen’s computer. Around 6:30 pm we went out for a sandwich. We also had planed on seeing Dean and Betty but they had gone camping. We got home around 8:30 pm.

We had a bad storm come though last night around 12:30 am. The wind blew really hard with lots of lighting and thunder. In fact one bolt of lighting was very close to the trailer. I was already awake and it made me set up in bed. It rained very hard for about an hour before it slowed down. Also got a little hail mixed with the rain. After church Burl, Dorothy, Cheri and I went down town for coffee. Later Burl and Dorothy picked us up and we went to Readstown for dinner. After dinner we stopped at Crazy Franks Discount and then on to Spring Green to a place called the Stage Coach. It was after 3:00 pm when we got home. I turned on the TV to watch the NASCAR Race and my Directv didn’t work. The message on the screen said that Authorization has expired. I couldn’t call them because we have no cell phone service here. So I tried to e-mail them. About an hour later I received an e-mail from them saying they did a reset on our service. I checked and sure enough we had a working TV.

Cheri was up most of the night, she said she couldn’t sleep and her bones hurt. I got up at 6:30 am and she was done showering and was dress looking at e-mail on the computer. I showered and got dressed and found her sitting outside by the river. It was a beautiful morning. Later Jason came out with coffee for us. The four of us sat out there by the river and visited for a long time. It was very quite as the river is closed to all boats because of the high water. It was 11:00 am before we got on the road for Boscobel. It was 3:30 when we got to Boscobel and someone had just pulled into the site we usually up in. So we took the next site and were set up by 4:30 pm. It feels good to be home. We watched some TV and then went to DQ for an ice cream treat.

I was up before 7:00 am and Kari was just getting ready to leave for work. Jason stayed and worked from home. This afternoon we took a ride to Menards and dropped Cheri off at Hobby Lobby. On the way to Menards the Jason’s truck lost oil pressure according to the gage. It looks like he is going to have to get a new oil sending unit. We stopped in at the Napa store and they told him a new sending unit was $265.00. Before we went in we thought it would be around $30.00. When we got home Jason looked on the internet and found it for $90.00. We had picked up some materials to fix the boat left and got that repaired. Jason did brats on the grill and we ate outside. We tried to have a bonfire but the wood was to wet.

Cheri and I didn’t get up until 8:00 am and then was in no hurry to get cleaned up and dressed. In the afternoon I did mow the lawn for Jason and Kari. The rest of the afternoon I was on the computer doing some updates and then did some reading. Cheri spent the day reading, watching TV, and took a nap. She did bake some chocolate chip cookies. When Jason and Kari got home from work we had a couple of drinks and then went out for pizza. It was 8:30 when we got home, had a short visit and went to bed.

It was a warm day with a high of 104 degrees. We took grandma down to the bank so she could cash her check. On the way back we stopped to get some bananas. I put up a shelf in the bedroom and a plaque up over the door in the living room. The telephone man came around 12:00 pm and found the spot where the cable guy cut the phone line. So after dinner Grandma was able to get on the computer and check her e-mail. I think she had around 6 new e-mails, she like receiving e-mail. A couple here in the park picked us up at 2:30 pm and took us to the Tampa airport. Our flight left a 5:40 pm, but didn’t take off right away as they told us all fights in and out of Chicago were grounded do to a tornado warning. They told us it would be an hour before we took off. It turned out to be only about 15 minutes. They made up the time in the air and arrived on time. We picked up out luggage and stepped outside and called Kari and Jason to let them know where we were and 5 minutes later they arrived. On the way back to their place we stopped and had supper. It was around 9:00 pm when we arrived at their place. After a visit and bringing each other up to date on what has happen for the last to weeks it was time to get to bed (12:00 am).

Cheri and Grandma did some laundry and then went to Wal-Mart for groceries. I took the hanging light fixture down and cleaned it up and put a coat of paint on it. Also put a new chain on it, looks really nice after I got it back up. We had to stay around as the cable TV person came to install Cable for Grandpa and Grandma. He had to bury a cable to the trailer. Wanted to make a phone call this afternoon and the phone was dead. I think the cable guy cut the telephone line when he buried the TV cable. Late afternoon we took the van in for an oil change. I think we have everything done for Grandma and Grandpa until we come back for the winter. Cheri and I fly back to Chicago tomorrow afternoon.

It was a high of 98 degrees today. Cheri and Grandma put more stuff away in the trailer and I worked outside, sprayed the lawn and under the trailer with ant and bug killer. Put away all the storage boxes and took trash up to the dumpster. Also put the charger on the golf cart. We had several places to go today. First we went to the bank and then to find a notary as we had new wills and power of attorney to be signed and notarized. Then we headed for Lakeland for a Chinese dinner, sure was good. After dinner we went to Linen and Things, Target to pick up some things for Grandpa and Grandma. When we got home Grandma’s new computer was here (Kari sent her a new one). I worked on installing it and got most of everything working. I ran into some trouble with a couple of things, so I had to call Kari for help, she worked me through everything that had to be done. It was 10:00 pm when I got done.