Sharp's Travels

We were on the road by 7:30 am headed over to Kari’s place to help pack up things for the big move tomorrow. We loaded Kari’s SUV with pictures and lamps and the big flat screen TV in our truck along with many other breakable things. Then we headed over to the new house and met the people that own the house and they were getting ready their U-Haul truck loaded. They have bought a house in Florida and are moving there. They are a very nice couple. Kari is very lucky to get such a nice house to rent and great landlords. They are leaving a lot of things for Kari to use. They plan on living in Florida for two years and if they like it they will sell the house that Kari is renting. If not they will move back to their house here. Then we headed to the furniture store to pick up a huge mirror and drop it off at the old house on the river. We did some packing there and loaded the SUV with things there. Then it was back to Kari’s place to have some pizza for supper. Then Cheri and I headed for home. We are both tired from the day’s work and are going to bed early as we have to be at Kari’s place at 6:45 am. That means we have to leave here by 6:00 am.

Today was move day and only have about 120 miles to go. So we took our time getting around this morning. Around 11:00 am we were ready to head out for Woodstock IL. We will be staying a week at Will Oaks campground. We will be helping Kari move to a different house on the Fox River. Our campground is very small but everything looks so nice. The grass around all the sites looks so nice all mowed and trimmed. They only have 21 sites and it is an old campground. We have already experienced low voltage. I thought we had tripped a circuit breaker and it turned out to be the voltage regulator and surge protector doing its job. I turned off the hot water heater and the voltage came up and the voltage regulator reset itself. It is the first time I have seen the results of the voltage regulator doing its job. It is nice to know that it does work. At 6:15 pm we headed over to Camp Bow Wow to see Kari. She closed the camp at 7:00 pm and she took us out to the Olive Garden for supper. Then we made a stop at Best Buy so Kari could look at TV surround systems. She found one that she liked and purchased it. It was near 10:00 pm by the time we got back to the campground.

Today was a day to relax as we got all our work done yesterday. Cheri finished up the craft project that she was working on yesterday. We went and did some shopping today and made a stop at Feet Farm to get some electric fence post. Cheri needed them for the craft project. Then we made the rounds to a few other stores before get home around noon. We are still looking at maps and trying to figure out our route west. I guess it’s a problem that most people would like to have. We had Coz and Nikki come over for supper tonight as we will be leaving Fond du Lac tomorrow and won’t be back until next spring. Cheri made lasagna with Texas garlic toast and a peanut butter pie. It was after 8:00 pm before we eat as Coz doesn’t get out of work until 7:00 pm. We played one game of SOB and then Coz and Nikki headed for home. It was hard to say our goodbyes knowing we won’t see them until next year. I have included pictures of Cheri’s craft project. They are to be put in the flower garden for decorations. She gave them to Nikki.

I got up early to start washing the 5th wheel and truck. But found I had a hard time getting myself started. It was after 7:00 am before I got myself outside to get the job done. I wanted to get done before it got too hot. I finally got done about 12:30 pm and it was above 80 degrees. Cheri was working on a craft project. She was painting flowers on glass pie plates. I guess you are supposed to glue the pie plate to the bottom of a colorful empty wine bottle (now that’s the part that I like someone has to empty the wine bottle) then put the wine bottle over a steel stake in the flower garden for decoration. Around 2:15 pm Tom Praxl and Chris came for a visit. We didn’t get a chance to see them last year, so we had a lot of catching up to do. They came down in Tom’s 1975 corvette which he bought in 1984. He doesn’t drive it very often so I feel honored that he drove it down to see us. Tom informed me that I didn’t write a blog for the 13th. I was sure that I had written one. Well we looked and I had written one but forgot to post it. We had done a canoe trip that day and I uploaded pictures of the trip and forgot to post the blog. So I now have it posted but it is out of order as dates go. We went to the Back Yard Bar and Grill for supper which is now my favorite place to go and eat. We took the truck as it would be a little hard getting four people into a corvette. I do know you can get three people in on because Tom gave me and Cheri a ride to Green Bay to pick up our new motorcycle in 1987 and it was a tight fit. Now many years later and several pounds heavier it wouldn’t work.

Cheri and I along with Darren, Coz, Nikki, and Cece were on the road at 9:00 am headed for Sauk City to do a 12 mile canoe trip down the Wisconsin River. We made a stop in Columbus to pick up Jodi. The girls were in the car and we guys on the motorcycles. We arrived at Wisconsin River Outings a little after 11:00 am and got our assigned canoes and our safety lecture. Then the girls made a trip to Subway to get some sandwiches and drinks for lunch on a sandbar downstream. We guys headed for the Harley dealer as Darren had never been to this dealer. The girls met us at the Harley dealer and then we all headed back to start our canoe trip. It is a four hour trip and we didn’t get on the water until 12:30 and had to be at Arena by 5:30 pm in order to get picked up for the ride back to the starting point. About a third of the way we stopped to have our lunch. We were already finding muscles that we haven’t used in sometime. After lunch we headed on down the river. We did see one eagle and a lot of other birds. We made one more rest stop before we got to the end. We did really well because we were 45 minutes early. The guy that picked us up was 30 minutes early and the other couple that was to be picked up was there so we got started back earlier than we were supposed to. It was a long 100 mile trip back to Fond du Lac and didn’t arrive until 8:00 pm. Cheri and I went straight home and took a shower, had sandwich for supper. We were in bed by 9:30 pm. It was another great day to spend with family and a day with no rain.


For pictures of the day see album: Canoe Trip

Today was move day. The Fond du Lac county fair is over and we can move back to the fair grounds to camp. It going to be nice as we only had electric hookups for the last nine days. We really had to conserve to make our water last that long. I made the trip to the bath house at 5:30 am each morning so I would be sure to have hot water for my shower. We headed back to the fairgrounds at 9:30 am and not sure that the fair people would be gone, but when we got here we didn’t have any problem getting a spot. Sure was a lot of people milling around getting things put away and cleaning up. As soon as we got set up Cheri called Nikki and Cece and they came right away to pick up Cheri and headed to Ripon to shop. I did some work on the 5th wheel to get things ready to give it a wash job tomorrow. Then I went to get a spare fuel filter for the truck as when we are on the road we never know when we might need one. Then I went over to Coz and Nikki’s to fix their back entry door. It has never worked right since I put it new a few years ago and felt it was time to correct it. I had to shim out the door hinges to make it fit properly. It was a pre hung door and the frame was too big for the door. Cheri and I said our goodbyes to Cece has we won’t see her again until next spring. We sure are going to miss her. This evening we had a dinner date with Bruce and Jeanne Braaksma. We met them at the Back Yard Bar & Grill here in Fond du Lac. After we eat they came over to the 5th wheel as they had never seen this one. They didn’t stay very long as they were on the motorcycle and Bruce wanted to get home before dark.

At 8:15 am Cece, Cheri and I headed over to Coz and Nikki’s. Coz and Nikki fixed us a wonderful breakfast of eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. I am always ready for biscuits and gravy. Coz, Nikki and Cece went to church with us this morning. After church it was back to Coz and Nikki’s to play cards. Early evening we all headed to Beaver Dam to have Chinese for supper. This is the second time we have been to our favorite Chinese restaurant this year; I don’t think it is as good as it use to be. I think it is time to find a different Chinese restaurant. It was after 7:30 pm by the time we got back to Coz and Nikki’s. We said our goodbyes and headed for the campground. I wanted to watch the NASCAR Race that I had recorded earlier today. Cheri gave up and went to bed around 10:00 pm and it was 11:30 pm before I got to bed. It was another great day to be with family on a sunshine day with no rain.

Another rain storm came through again last night. It was suppose to rain again this afternoon but that didn’t happen. The ground is like a sponge when you walk on the grass the water comes up around your shoes. At 10:30 we decide we would go to the Washington county fair in West Bend. Cece had a ball going on all the different rides and some of them more than once. She even got me to go on a couple of rides. It has been over 35 years since I have done any rides. I guess I was a kid just like Cece. Nikki also went a couple times with Cece. Then it was time to go and see all the different animals they had. We even watched a Lama competition that was very interesting. We looked at all the new farm equipment, cars, trucks, and lawn tractors. Some new things I haven’t seen before. Then it was time to get something to eat. Then we checked out the different venders. By the time we got done with that it was time to head for home. I was glad Coz was driving because the rest of us napped on the way home. About 7:00 pm Nikki and Coz headed for home and Cece stayed another night with us. We were all in bed by 9:30 pm as we were tired from the day’s activities.


For pictures of the day see album: Washington county fair.

It rained again during the night and again this morning. Sure am getting tired of the rain. Although it’s better than what they got in Milwaukee, they got a total of 8 inches and 6 of it in 2 hours. We are supposed to get rain again this evening. We headed out at 8:00 am for Coz and Nikki’s. Coz was off work today and they have a crack in their kitchen sink. So my job was to take out the old one and install a new one. Of course things never go as they should. We ended up putting in a new faucet as we couldn’t get the old one out and had to get some additional drain parts. It turned into an all day project. At 4:00 pm we headed back to the campground and made a stop at the grocery store on the way. After Nikki got out of work and they picked up Cece they came to our place for supper and to spend the night with us. Cheri bought some fresh green beans and new potatoes to go with the turkey tenderloins wrapped in bacon on the grill. Cece was 8 ½ years old today so we had half a birthday cake with 8 ½ candles on it. She thought it was funny and we all had a good laugh. We play a game of SOB and called it a night at 11:30 pm.

We were on the road headed to Brandon by 8:00 am. We had a date for breakfast with John and Linda Tschanz and Doug and Annette Henker at 9:00 am. We were at the restaurant around 8:45 am. So we went in and got a table and were drinking coffee. At 9:10 am they hadn’t arrived so Cheri gave them a call. Well we had our wires crossed as we were supposed to be at John and Linda’s for breakfast and not the restaurant. We all had a laugh about that. We had a wonderful breakfast of waffles, omelets, fresh fruit, bacon, and coffee. As usual I ate too much, but it was so good. We visited and play SOB and the 10,000 dice game which was a lot of fun. It was a good day for it as it rained all day. At 5:00 pm we all went downtown to have pizza for supper. After supper we said our goodbyes and headed out. On the way home we made a stop to visit with Lynn Zacharias, we missed Daryl as he was working the night shift. It was fun catching up on what they have been doing. We got home around 9:30 pm. It was a long day, but a lot of fun. I have included a picture of the sunrise this morning, it only lasted a few minutes and an hour later it was raining.

We headed out with the motorcycle at 8:30 am making a stop to see Bill and Barb near Fox Lake. We were there for a while when Bill took me up to the barn to see the new concert wall that they had install and on the way back to the house Bill said are the lights on your motorcycle suppose to be on. Yep I forgot to turn off the ignition switch. We had stopped on an incline and I used the kill switch to stop the bike and forgot to turn off the ignition switch. Well when we got ready to leave the bike wouldn’t start so we had to jump it. That met taking off the tour pack and seat to get to the battery. We did get it going but we were half hour late for our next appointment of having lunch with the girls from the telephone office in Randolph. After lunch and a nice visit we headed to Friesland to check the house we use to live in before we retired five years ago. We couldn’t believe how much the trees had gown. Then we made a stop at the lumber yard to see Bruce and Jeanne Braaksma after a nice visit with them we headed back to Fond du Lac. On the way back we stopped near Randolph to get some fresh sweet corn. We were standing there waiting in line to get our sweet corn when two other guys came and got waited on before us. I said to the vendor don’t you take care of your customers as they arrived. He just looked at me and didn’t say anything. I said I guess you don’t want us to buy anything so we left. It’s funny how things work out as we made a stop in Waupun to get the sweet corn. The lady (Diane Kok) that was taking care of us was a person that Cheri use to work with. Yep Diane said to tell everybody we bought our sweet corn from Diane Kok. And we had some of it for supper and it was very good. So now you know who and where to buy sweet corn. Thanks Diane. Here are some pictures of the sunset this evening

After the last few days of being on the go we decided we needed a day of rest and it was suppose to rain today. The rain turned out to be a real short shower. It did get really black early evening but it did passed. We heard they got a lot of rain large hail in the Green Bay area. The day was spent doing odd jobs around the 5th wheel. We made reservations for a campground in Woodstock IL. We will be staying there while we help Kari move into her new house. We will leave Fond du Lac on the 29th. I also tried to make an appointment for our 5th wheel at the factory in Smith Center Kansas. The earliest we can get in is the 5th of November. I am not sure what we are going to do. It will mean changing our plans on our trip west and back to Florida. We will take some time to figure out what we are going to do. The rest of the day was spent reading and watching TV. Nikki called around 4:00 pm and said she got out of work early so she came for supper. I gilled up some steaks and pork chops on the grill. Coz has to work until 7:00 pm. After supper Cheri, Nikki and I played a couple of games of SOB which Cheri and Nikki won.

When we move into the campground I seen another Excel 5th wheel and don’t see them very often. So this morning while I was cleaning the motorcycle I see they were hooking up to leave so I had to go over and talk to them. We had a nice visit and a chance to compare notes on the Excel 5th wheels. Cheri and I were on the road at 9:45 am with the motorcycle heading to Green Bay to see Kenny and Patricia Nimocks. On the way we got stopped while they were getting ready to pull a lumber truck and loader trailer out of the ditch. Looked like he missed the turn or lost his brakes, Cheri got a picture of it as we drove by. I don’t know what keep him from tipping over. We Arrived at Kenny and Patricia’s around 11:15 am. Kenny and I have been friends for over 45 years. Back in 1965 we made a trip to California in a 1936 Chevy. It has been about six years since we have seen each other. We had fun catching up today with a lot of laughs about the old times. We headed out for lunch and we got to ride in their 1931 Ford Model A roadster. This was a real treat as we had never ridden in a rumble seat before. It’s not that easy to get in and out of the rumble seat. I got a chance to see Kenny’s 1937 Chevy Rod that he is building. He figures on having it done within the next year. Then there was his 1931 Ford Model A pickup. I was ready to take all three of them home. We headed out for home around 4:00 pm as there was rain coming and we wanted to be home before it started. It was a great day to spend with friends.


For pictures of the day see album: Green Bay Trip

What a hot night it was for sleeping without any air conditioning and no breeze. We had a thunder storm come through around 12:30 am. Had to get up and close all the windows. After the storm went through we could open some windows and it was a little cooler. We went to Subway for breakfast and it was terrible, we won’t be eating any breakfast there again. We got the 5th wheel closed up and took it with us to church. We got a lot of looks when we pulled into the parking lot. After church we headed for Columbia Park along the east side of Lake Winnebago. It is a county park with camping and a boat ramp with a harbor. It was about 12:45 pm when we arrived and there was still a trailer sitting in the spot that we had rented. We thought that they had to be out by noon but found out that they could stay until 3:00 pm. So we left the 5th wheel and truck sitting in the parking lot. We walked over to the restaurant for lunch and it was very good. After lunch we took some pictures from the light tower. At about 2:30 pm we were able to move to our camp site. We only have electrify and no water or sewer hookups. Being we are going to be here for eight nights I will be using the bath house for showers. It has been a long time since we have had to do that. I told Cheri she could use the shower in the 5th wheel until the gray water tank got full. Around 6:00 pm Nikki, Coz, and Cece came for a visit. We went up the road to have pizza for supper and it was excellent. When we got back Cece and I took a walk over to the tower and climbed to the top so I could take some pictures of the sunset.

For pictures of the day see Album: Columbia Park.

Today was move day so it took a while to get everything together. We pulled out of the fairgrounds at 10:00 am and made the big trip across town to Wal-Mart, about five miles. We got setup at the end of the parking lot. We didn’t want to unhook the truck and didn’t want to unload the motorcycle. We shopped in Wal-Mart until near noon and had a sandwich at Subway in Wal-Mart. We took our groceries back to the 5th wheel and then headed off to Menards as I had a couple of things to return. After an hour and half we headed back to the 5th wheel. Today was a warm one with a high of ninety degrees. Being we didn’t have any electricity which also means we didn’t have any air conditioning. We had all the windows open and not much of a breeze. It brought back a lot of memories of the days when we didn’t have the conveniences of air conditioning. How soon we forget the bad things and remember all the good things. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent reading and playing games. We did walk back over to Wal-Mart to get another sandwich for supper, also bought a few more things we forgot to get earlier in the day. We knew it was going to be a bad night for sleeping as it was still 84 degrees when we went to bed and no breeze.

This morning Cece helped Cheri fix breakfast. Cece cracked the eggs and beat them in the bowl so we could have scrambled eggs. She also cooked them as Cheri had the frying pan ready for her. She had fun doing it and I think Cheri had the most fun. After breakfast Cheri and Cece played with her Barbie dolls. I went out and got the motorcycle ready to ride. Darren, Jodi, Coz, and Nikki came around 9:30 am. Darren hooked up the motorcycle trailer to their car so Jodi could take it over to her parents place. Cheri, Nikki, and Cece went shopping and we guys went for a ride. Our first stop was at Theresa to get some fresh cheese curd. It wasn’t going to be ready for another 45 minutes and Darren didn’t want to wait that long. So from there we headed to Brandon to get some beef sticks at the meat market. Then we took a long route to Randolph where Jodi’s parents live. We rode past our old house in Brandon and also the house in Friesland. Hard to believe how much things have changed in the last five years. We had lunch and a visit with Jodi’s parents. Then it was time to say goodbye as we won’t see Darren and Jodi again until next spring. Coz and I headed back to Fond du Lac for a total of 130 miles. When we got to Coz and Nikki’s we were pretty will drained from the ride as it was very hot riding. I headed home to put away a few things to get ready for our move tomorrow, later in the evening Coz and Nikki came over to play a couple of games of SOB.

We still had some light rain this morning and then it cleared off around noon. I did a little work around the 5th wheel this morning. I cleaned the fresh water tank and filled it up as we won’t have any water hookups next week. I also did a repair on the sewer hose. I had to cut off about 6 inches in order for it to fit in the sewer storage tube. This afternoon we went to the movie and saw The Grown Ups. It didn’t have much of a story line but was pretty funny. After the movie we went over to Coz and Nikki’s to wait for Darren and Jodi to come. Then the seven of us went to the Back Yard Bar and Grill for supper. After supper it was back to Coz and Nikki’s to pick up our truck. Coz, Nikki, Darren, and Jodi were going out on the town for the evening so Cece came to spend the night with us. Cheri was happy to have Cece with us for the night. They were still playing when I went to bed.

After our canoe trip yesterday we were a little slow getting around this morning. Cheri did some laundry and cleaning and I did some cleaning on the motorcycle. It was a little windy this morning but thought we would take the motorcycle to Beaver Dam to have Cheri’s new crown put in. Cheri’s ½ hour appointment turned into 1 ½ hour appointment. They had trouble getting the temp off and had a lot of cleaning to get the cement off. They had to freezes her two different times. Also the motorcycle ride turned out to be a bad idea; because when we got out of town the wind was blowing so hard it was hard to keep the bike on the road. It was after 2:00 pm before we got home. I had a sandwich and Cheri said she didn’t feel like anything as her mouth was still frozen. Later we went over to Coz and Nikki’s. We played a game of SOB and then Coz grilled up some brats and hamburgers. About 6:30 we had a bad thunder storm come though. There was also a tornado watch out until 1:00 am. So we played some more cards until 9:00 pm and then headed home and it had quit raining, by the time we went to bed we could hear another thunder storm coming. In fact we had thunder, lighting and rain the rest of the night.

Everyone was tired from the last few days. So we took it easy. I put the new horn on the motorcycle as the old one quit working. Then I did some cleaning on the bike because of the rain from yesterday. Cheri did some laundry. At 11:00 am we went over Coz and Nikki’s for lunch. We played a couple of games of SOB. Then it was time to go for a motorcycle ride. We headed to Beaver Dam and made a stop at the Harley dealer where Darren and I each bought a t-shirt. Then it was on to La Tapatia Mexican Grill for supper. What a great meal we had. Cheri and I split a meal and still couldn’t eat all of it. On the way home Darren, Coz, Nikki and Cece made a stop at Marty and Anna’s. Cheri and I came on home to relax for the evening.


For pictures of the day see album: Dinner Ride

This morning Darren, Coz and I left with the motorcycles and Nikki, Cece and Cheri in the car. We were on our way to North Freedom to visit the Mid-Continent Railway Museum. It has been about 25 years since we were there last. We looked at all the different train cars and engines. At 1:00 pm we got on the train and took a seven mile ride through the country side. It was a wonderful experience for Cece as it was her first train ride. Once again the motorcycle ride was like yesterday trying to outrun the rain storm. By the time we got off the train and on the bikes it was starting to sprinkle. It was a good thing that we were heading east so we did get in front of the storm for the most part. We run into some rain just as we were pulling into Fond du Lac, only got a little damp on the legs. Nikki, Cece and Cheri weren’t very far behind us and they drove through a couple of down pours. Once again the good Lord was looking out for us. Nikki and Cheri fixed tacos for supper, really good as it’s been a long time since we have had them. We played one game of SOB and then headed for home. It was another wonderful day to spend with family. For more information on the Mid-Continent Railway Museum you can check out their web site at www.midcontinent.org


For pictures of the day see album: North Freedom

This morning we all decided to go to Appleton for brunch at the Queen Bee. We did this last year when Darren and Jodi were here. It might be an annual event now. We left Coz and Nikki’s at 10:00 am, us guys on the motorcycles and the ladies and Cece in the car. After brunch we all went over to Sam’s Club to pick up a few things. Then we headed to Chuckie Cheese so Cece could have some fun. The ladies went shopping, Darren and I went to the Harley dealer and Coz stayed with Cece. When Darren and I got back to Chuckie Cheese the sky started looking black in the south and west the direction we had to ride to get back home. I called Cheri and told her that they better come over to Chuckie Cheese so we could head for home with the motorcycles. We guys headed out for home and the ladies went back to shopping. We got about half way home and got into some very wet roads as it had just got done raining in that area. To make a long story short we got home without getting wet, only a few sprinkles. We just got the bikes put away when it started to rain. The good Lord was looking out for us. We guys headed for the grocery store to pick up some steaks for Coz to do on the grill. It was another great meal. After supper Jodi headed over to see her folks and will spend a few days with them. After Jodi left we got the cards out and showed Darren on to play SOB, which Coz won.

I was up at 5:00 am this morning. I had to be over to Coz and Nikki’s at 7:00 am as Coz and I were working on their Blazer. It has an oil leak from the lines that run from the engine to the oil filter and to the oil cooler. When we went to get the parts we needed they told us that this is a problem with all 4 wheel drive Blazers when they get old. It turned out to be a big job as we had a problem get the old lines out and the new ones in. I figured out that if we put the jack under the engine and raised it about a half inch the oil line slid right in through the frame. After we got that done we took the Blazer to the car wash to clean off all the old oil on the underside. Then we worked on the windshield wipers. The housing was broke that holds the wiper arm in place on the passenger’s side. So we made a trip to Fleet Farm and picked up and L bracket that used my dermal on to shape it to fit over the old housing. After a few cuts and a lot of grinding and drilling a hole I was able to make it fit. It was near 5:00 pm when we got done. We had just finished cleaning up the tools when Darren and Jodi arrived from Atlanta for the week. We helped unload Darren’s motorcycle and took his trailer over to the fairgrounds and parked it behind our 5th wheel. Darren headed back over to Coz and Nikki’s and I took a much needed shower and worked on cleaning all the grease and oil off of me. I got back to Coz and Nikki’s the same time has Coz and Nikki did with Cece. Cheri and Nikki spent the day shopping and visiting. After some visiting with Darren and Jodi we Coz started the grill and did some hamburgers and brats. Cheri had made potato salad along with beans and water melon. Cheri and I left for home around 8:30 pm as I was pooped from the day’s work. Cheri gave me a wonderful hour long massage and put me to bed. How great is that to have a wife that takes great care of me.

We were supposed to have rain today but it never happened. I am glad of that because we have had rain every day for the last few days and it has been hot and humid. Bill and Barb Mullin from Fox Lake were here to see us this forenoon. We had a very nice visit and when out for lunch. This afternoon we went over to pick up Cheri’s rings, all fixed and look brand new. From there we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few groceries and I asked them if I could spend a night in their parking lot when we have to be out of the fair grounds and they said it was ok to stay. Now I don’t have to worry about that any longer. When we got home we settled in to watch a movie on TV when Coz came over. He said that he was locked out of the house and couldn’t get as Nikki was in the shower and didn’t hear the door bell. Nikki was to pick up Cheri at 6:15 pm and take her The Renaissance where they were going to have a massage. So Cheri rode back with Coz so Nikki wouldn’t have to come over to pick her up. I stayed home and watched some TV and read. When Cheri got home around 8:30 pm she said she was very relaxed and had a good time. We watched a little TV and called it a night.

This morning friends (John and Linda Tschanz) from Brandon picked us up and we went out for breakfast. We hadn’t seen them since we were here last year. We had a lot of catching up on family and friends. After breakfast we came back to the 5th wheel to visit and play SOB which they had never played before. It was fun teaching them the game. We also played a game of 10,000 dice. They left around 3:00 pm. We got a call from Kari and her moving plans had changed. She was going to be moving on the 15th and we were going to go down and help her which was going to work out well for us because we had to be out of the fairgrounds that week because of the county fair. Now she isn’t moving until the 28th so we now have to find another place to camp for the week of the 18th. Campgrounds around Fond du Lac are so expensive, around $45.00 per night. We checked the county park 15 miles north of Fond du Lac and found that we can get in there on Sunday the 18th and have to be out of the fairgrounds on the 17th so we still have to find a place to stay on the 17th. I am going to see if we can spend the night at Wal-Mart. After supper we got settle in and was watching TV and around 7:00 pm we got a call from Coz asking what we were doing and told him watching TV. He said we better head over to their place as a tornado was spotted near Waupun and was heading in our direction. While I was talking to Coz the tornado warning siren went off. Coz said that he was on his way home as they let everyone out of work. When we got to Coz and Nikki’s we turn on the TV and the storm looked like it might go north of us. Coz and Nikki got home shortly after we got there. As it turned out the storm weakened and the tornado warning had lifted. So after Coz and Nikki eat supper we played a game of SOB and then headed back to the 5th wheel.

We were able to get our walk in this morning without getting wet. At 9:30 am I left to take Coz’s bike over to the dealer to have the new gas gage checked as it didn’t work after they installed it. I waited for the bike and looked around the store while I was waiting; I ended up buying a new t-shirt and some heat deflectors to help keep the heat off of Cheri’s legs when we ride. So when I got home I worked on putting on the heat deflectors, what job it turned out to be. If I had known how much work it was going to be to put them on I probably wouldn’t have bought them. I dropped an allen wrench and it fell into a spot that took me 45 minutes to get it out. Cheri spent the day doing laundry, Cleaning and reading. After I got done with the bike I asked Cheri if she wanted to go for a ride to Fox Valley LP and Fleet Farm. Of course she never passes up a chance to go shopping. I got gas hose and fittings I needed to hook up gas from the 5th wheel LP tanks to the grill. After I get it hooked up we won’t have to use the throw away canisters. At Fleet Farm I need to get a set of allen wrenches so I could tighten up one of the heat deflectors on the bike. Cheri bought a pair of jogging pants. When we got home I tried to tighten the heat deflector and now I need to cut the wrench shorter as it is too long to get into the tight spot where the screw is. I am done for the day the rest can wait for another day. That’s the nice thing about being retired as you can put things off and do them on another day.

We started out on our walk this morning and only got about half done when it started to rain. So we turned around and headed for the 5th wheel and only got a little damp before we got back. Cheri and Nikki went shopping today while I worked on the motorcycle. I couldn’t get the extension cable I wanted for the motorcycle GPS so I did a rewire on the unit and now everything works the way it should. Then I went to Fox Valley to get the hose and fittings to hook up the grill to the LP tanks on the 5th wheel. Well they weren’t open; I guess they had the day off. So then I headed over to Wal-Mart in the rain to pick up my medicine and 12 bags of top soil to take out to Ray & Espie’s to fill in the ruts that I made with the 5th wheel while we were parked in their yard. I stopped to see if Cheri was home and she said Nikki had just dropped her off. So Cheri rode out to Ray and Espie’s with me. While we were finishing up putting in the top soil and grass seed it started to sprinkle. Then we headed over to Coz and Nikki’s to have a late supper after Coz got home from work.

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July. Our day wasn’t what we had planned on. Cheri and I took the motorcycle to church and planned on doing a bike ride with Coz and Nikki this afternoon. I checked to see what time church was and they only were having one service for the 4th. We usually go to the 10:45 am service. But with only one service it started at 9:00 am. Will on the way to church it was so windy that there was no way we could enjoy a bike ride and it was also very warm. After church we stopped at Wal-Mart for a few things and then headed back to the 5th wheel. We called Coz and Nikki to see if they want to go to a movie, so the four of us went to see the A-Team. It was like the movie we saw yesterday funny with a lot of action. After the movie we headed back to Coz and Nikki’s to play some SOB. We had a Papa Murphy’s pizza for supper and Nikki had made one of her cherry pies. Around 7:30 pm we headed back to the 5th wheel. We watched Dolly Pardon’s twenty fifth year celebration on the Hallmark cannel. It was filmed in DollyWood and we got to see some of the staging that they were putting up for the show while we were in DollyWood. It was neat to see all the different places where they did the filming as we could say we were there and seen that.

We skipped our morning walk so we could leave early on a motorcycle ride with Coz and Nikki. They were here at 8:30 am and we were on the road by 8:45 am. We wanted to get an early start has it was going to be a very warm day. We did a 105 mile ride with a stop for gas and a stop at an antique shop that Cheri said we had to stop at. She did buy a few things for the 5th wheel. I wonder what I will have to get rid of to make room for the things that she bought. The rule is when something comes in something has to leave. Then we made a stop for lunch. After lunch we called to see what time the movie started. It wasn’t until 1:00 pm. So we gave Ray and Espie a call and told them to meet us at the theater. Well we all got there at 4 minutes to 1:00 pm. The movie was Knight and Day. It was a very funny movie that everyone liked. After the movie Cheri and I headed back to the 5th wheel to change into some cooler clothes. Then we head over to Nikki and Coz’s for dinner of New York Strip steak on the grill. Ray and Espie were also there. Before Dinner we played a game of SOB which I am happy to report that I won (hard to believe). At 9:00 pm we headed home as we were all tired from the ride today. For pictures of the last two days see album: A Summer Ride.

I took the motorcycle over to Coz and Nikki’s this morning and got the wheels cleaned. On the way back I stopped and filled the bike with gas to be ready for our ride. Coz came over around 11:30 am and had lunch with us. Then Coz, Cheri and I took a 130 mile ride. It was a little warm and pretty windy. The wind took some of the fun out of the ride. It still was a great ride through the country side and a lot of it was the area I used to do outside plant engineering for the telephone company. We made a stop at a cheese factory to get some fresh cheese curd. Our last stop was at the Brandon meat market to get some New York strip steaks for the grill. We plan on having them tomorrow night. Coz and Nikki picked us up and took us out for a Friday night fish fry. When we got home we played three games of cribbage which we guy won.

Another month gone for the year, hard to believe the year is half over already. Cheri worked in side most of the day doing cleaning and laundry. I worked all day on the motorcycle. I put in the new battery and got the GPS wiring and mount installed. The cable to the GPS was too short, so now I have to find an extension cable. I think I can pick one up at Radio Shack or Best Buy. Then I started cleaning the motorcycle. That took me until 4:00 pm and I still have the wheels to Clean. I plan on taking it over to Coz and Nikki’s to do that as Coz has a lift that I can put the motorcycle on so I can turn the wheels while cleaning, makes it a lot easier to do with the lift. Coz was off work today and took his motorcycle to the dealer to have some Fathers day accessories installed and they gave him a free wash job. He stopped over after he picked up the bike from the dealer. The three of us visited while I finished clean my bike. When Coz got ready to leave his bike wouldn’t start. We tried to bump start it with no luck so he called the dealer to come and pick it up. It turned out to be corroded wires at the ignition switch. The dealer cleaned the wires and $80.00 dollars later it was ready to ride. Too bad it had to happen, but was a good thing it happened here and not out on the road somewhere. At 5:00 pm Cheri and I went grocery shopping at a new grocery store on the east side of town (Festival Foods). It is a huge store with a lot of everything. After putting the groceries away back at the 5th wheel it was time to go and pick up the pizza at Papa Murphy’s and take it over to Coz and Nikki’s for supper. Papa Murphy’s pizza is the best and has been a year since we have had one. So this was a real treat for us. After supper we played a couple of games of SOB which Coz won one and Cheri won the other one. Then it was time to head home as Nikki had to be up and to work early tomorrow.

It was a cool 53 degrees this morning. We haven’t experienced a morning this cool since mid March in Florida. It sure made for a nice morning for our walk. We got a call from the dentist office late yesterday telling us they had a cancelation so we both were able to get our dental work done today. All that is left is for Cheri to go back on the 14th to have her crown installed. I worked on the back door of the truck this morning. I wasn’t able to open the door from the outside. I figured something most of broke. When I got it apart I found that a screw had come loose and all I had to do was tighten it up. Getting the handle back in the door was another challenge. I need three hands, so I had to get Cheri to come and help me. I was getting very frustrated, but it finally came together. Then I took the motorcycle apart so I could get the battery out. It is time to put in a new one. I didn’t want to take any more chances on it not starting when we are out and about. While Cheri was in the dental office and I had an hour before I had to be there, so I headed over to Fleet Farm and got the new battery. Tomorrow I will get the battery installed and maybe get the bike cleaned up.