Monday, April 16, 2018

The Sun was out and shining today even though they were being slammed with snow back home.  Some places were getting 17-18 inches of that dreaded scourge at this time of the year.  I’m sure the people at home are ready for Spring to come dashing in.

Sharon got up this morning wondering if we were going out to Breakfast this morning or not.  But it was already 9 o’clock and I didn’t think we’d make it by 10.  So we stayed home and ate Breakfast here.

She suggested that as long as we were staying home today, it would be a good day for a haircut.  So right after Breakfast she got to cutting my locks off.  Only the ones I didn’t need, but there were quite a few.  That took about a half hour after she figured out how to take the clippers apart and clean up the cutters.  Actually I should have done it but I wanted to see if she could do it.  It was wrong the first time she put them back together, but the second try was the charm.  We then went about the haircut.  Me sitting and enduring, and her cutting.  It was a lovely haircut when she was done.

After the haircut she got about cleaning up the hacienda.  I think she’s getting ready to leave on Thursday.

I went outside and lubricated our slide tracks for the three slideouts.  We’ve got one slide that seems to be lazy on one side and it comes in a little crooked.  It’s not a problem yet, and we certainly don’t want it to become one.  And preventative maintenance could be a solution for it.

Sharon made up a batch of Blueberry Scones for us today.  Yesterday she defrosted the freezer and found the Blueberries.  She couldn’t find any powdered sugar for the frosting but we had some vanilla pudding that served almost as well.  We only ate a couple with the pudding because we’re taking a trip into town tomorrow anyway, for Breakfast, where we can pick up some powdered sugar.

We decided to have leftover Red Beans and Rice with Sausage for Supper tonight.  The beans in that dish really play hell with my system.  But it didn’t seem to have any effect tonight.

We camped out in front of the TV again tonight to watch TV for a few hours.  We’re watching a series called “Terror” that is telling of an Arctic expedition in the 1800's that went awry.  Apparently they were looking for the Northwest Passage and were never heard from again.  We’ve been into it now for about 6-7 hours.  We stayed up til our usual bedtime before we called it a day.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

We awoke to the Sun and a clear day today.  It was sunny out today but in the high 40's.  It was supposed to warm up to the 70's today before the day is over. We were off early to the Arley Coffee Shop for Breakfast again this morning.  But alas we were too late to order the Hash Browns again. She gave us some lame excuse about how they had to be soaked before they could serve them.  It really didn’t matter today cause this would be the last time we’ll be here this year.  Sharon had Eggs and Ham & Grits and I had Pancakes and Bacon again.

After Breakfast we left and went next door to the grocery store to pick up a few items.  This will be our last trip into town for this year, unless we discover something else we can’t do without before Thursday.

I finished up printing the Newsletter today.  I had to change A couple of printer cartridges while I was printing.  It’s always such a hassle to change those cartridges

that I always wait until they are completely dry before I change them out.  But then I always have to go to the directions for changing them in order to get the printer to accept them.  I only have to print 10 copies of the Newsletter every month so I don’t have to change them that often.  I print out 10 copies but I only have to send out 6 of  them, and I save the other 4 for myself.  I keep original copies of the “letter”in a loose leaf binder for no other purpose than to have a hard copy.

While I was busy with the Newsletter Sharon was outside sunning herself with a book.  I was content to sit inside and listen to Rush on the radio while I was busy with the Newsletter and changing ink cartridges on the printer.  By mid-afternoon I had the printer and the Newsletter all wrapped up and ready to go except we only had 4 stamps for the 6 Newsletters.  Damn!!

I had our last pasty for Supper tonight while Sharon cozied up to another salad.  She said anybody reading the journal would naturally assume that she doesn’t cook anymore cause I’ve eaten so many pasties in the last few days.  I’m not worried since pasties are one of the meals I absolutely love.

After Dinner tonight we assumed our usual positions in front of the TV.  Tuesday was one of the best nights for TV and we filled the night with our favorite shows.  We stayed up until our usual time tonight before we called it a night and headed to bed.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

We were up early this morning for no particular reason except that I’m usually up and Sharon had another bad night.  She gets them every once in a while but lately they seem to be piling up on her.

The Sun was shining and it looked like it would be another nice day today for the most part.

We both had some stuff to do today since we are leaving tomorrow.

When Sharon took off to do the laundry I got busy cleaning up outside.  I picked up our grill, chairs and tables and put them all away.  I decided to leave dumping til after Supper tonight and that way I would get rid of our Supper dishwater also.

The Sun was doing its job today as it got quite warm this afternoon.  I think it came up to almost the 80's.

By mid-afternoon we were done with all our pre-trip chores and Sharon started on our Supper.  It was going to be Pork Chops tonight.  I am not excited about this situation.  But Sharon is entitled to one of the meals she loves since she mostly cooks the meals I love.  We’d have Mashed Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts along with the Chops.  The meal actually turned out quite good, and I told her that, but it still wasn’t one of my favorites.

After Supper I went out and disconnected our utilities and put our cords and hoses away.  Now I was finished with my pre-trip chores.  The only thing left to disconnect is the power cord.

We sat and watched the Telly tonight to take in our usual shows.  We were up until about 10:30 before we finally called it a day.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

We were up and ready and on the road by 9 this morning heading North.

It turned into a pretty uneventful day today with us stopping only once on our way to Paducah, Kentucky.  The stop took place just after noon for our lunch today.  I had a couple of Hot Dogs and Chips and we were shortly back on the road and driving again.

We started out with 3/4 of a tank of gas so there was no real reason to stop for that.  So our single stop found us getting into our campground about 2:30.  We stopped again at the Duck Creek RV Park having also stopped there on the way South.

Unfortunately it happened to be “Quilt Weekend” this week and nobody was honoring membership camping.  The National Quilt Museum just happens to be in Paducah and the prices for lodging have gone up considerably.  Instead of our usual $15 membership price it was now $50 per night.  Before we left, the girl from the office came out and said she could give us a site for $33.  It really wasn’t a site, but a space next to a barn with hook-ups.  She also told us that if we left we wouldn’t find anything within 50 miles of Paducah because of the Quilt weekend.  We tended to agree with her and weren’t interesting in driving an additional 75 miles to find a campground.

After we settled in we sat down for a couple of beers and Guacamole and chips.  I made it up without a lime but I used a lemon instead.  It actually still was pretty good.  I guess you just need a strong citrus, along with Salt and Pepper, onion and garlic.

After our snack we didn’t feel much like Supper.  But Sharon had a salad later on and I had a few doughnuts.  We were both happy with our abbreviated choices.  We got into our usual choices for entertainment tonight.  We had TV reception, power hook-up and TV programs to watch tonight so this was turning into a good stop.  We hung in there until 10:30 before we turned everything off and crashed.

Friday, April 20, 2018

We were up this morning and headed off to Waffle House for Breakfast.  It’s one of my favorite places to have my Bacon and Eggs, Hash Browns and a Waffle.  Sharon always has the Pecan Waffle and this morning she said it had so many Pecans that it was like eating candy.  In any event we had our Breakfast at a very busy Waffle House as the place was full when we got there and it stayed full until we left.  And there are to several places in Paducah.

After Breakfast we took a ride to downtown Paducah see the river front that’s advertised everywhere.  We got downtown but we couldn’t find it at first.  We had to rely on the GPS to finally locate it.  And actually, when we found it, it turned out to be a riverwalk.  There’s a flood wall that stretches seeming the entire length of the shore of Paducah.  This town is where the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers merge together. The flood wall is painted with dozens of murals depicting the history of the town.

This was Quilt Week for Paducah and because the National Quilt Museum was located here, there were thousands of women walking the streets and shopping in the stores.  Everywhere you looked there were groups of women gathering for the nearest fabric sale.  I don’t know where the men were, but they were nowhere to be seen.

On the way back home we mailed out the Newsletters and stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a deli chicken and some diet coke.  We’ve been having trouble picking up coke for a decent price this year.  It’s been over buck fifty for a two liter bottle almost everywhere.  Even the Dollar Generals have been holding the price up.

After we got back home we watched a little tube before we had Supper with our Deli Chicken.

After Dinner we settled into our usual spots for an evening of entertainment provided by the television networks.  We even caught an episode of Station 19 tonight.  A ridiculous show about firefighting where the personnel have the cleanest turnout gear in the country.  They also have pristine helmets with no marks on them, which is almost an impossibility after 2 fires.  We also have the usual token gays and sex in the firehouse on the show.

By bedtime tonight I was ready to give it up.  10:30 couldn’t come early enough.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Today was going to be a pure driving day today in an effort to get to Wenona, Illinois by the end of day.

We were up and on the road this morning by 8:45 heading toward Cracker Barrel just a few exits down the highway.  We were at exit 11 and we had to go to 4.  I told Sharon that I wanted to try one of their Southern Bowls before we got back home this year.  It’s a new item on their menu that sounded pretty good.

We parked in our usual place behind the building where there is usually lots of parking.

I checked out the menu and there was only one Southern Bowl that looked good to me.  It was a concoction of Biscuit, Fried Grit patties, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs and a Green Tomato Sauce over the top.  It was quite good, especially the Fried Grit patty.

After the Cracker Barrel we hit the road again and didn’t stop until we hit Marion, Illinois where we stopped for fuel.  After that our next stop was our destination in Wenona, Illinois.

We stopped at Wenona and got set up, and settled in front of the TV.

  We had decided before we got here that we would have Whoppers for Supper tonight at the Burger King next Door.

After Supper we settled again in front of the TV and I tried to nap having had a very long day today.  Sharon didn’t drive at all today as I felt fine to do the driving.  We left at about 10 this morning and didn’t get here til about 4.  There was another motorhome parked in a site when we got here.  They are from Wisconsin and probably not far from home.

While we watched TV tonight I tried to nap in my chair, but if I did, I don’t remember it.  I was really exhausted from the long day driving.  And by the time I finished  my Whopper I should have been able to nap.  In any event we were still up until 10:30 tonight before we finally gave it up.

Sunday, April 22, 2018

We were on the road this morning by 10 after having eaten Breakfast in the motorhome right at our campsite.  We knew we had about 3 hours to travel to our first destination which was my sister’s Nursing Home in Burlington, Wisconsin.

We actually stopped in Burlington at the side of the road to have lunch before we drove the final mile to the nursing home.

We had room to park at the Nursing home so we just wrangled the motorhome into their parking lot.

For the next 2 hours we had a very nice visit with my sister, her daughters Rhonda and Louann, and their husbands Pat and Tom.  We verified that the 90th Birthday Party was still on and that invites will be going out later.

After we got back on the road we had about an hour to travel before we arrived at my Son Sean’s house in West Bend, Wisconsin.  We can park on the street there overnight and count on being level.

We had a nice visit with Sean, Julie and their daughter Katelin.  We went out to eat at Chili’s for Dinner tonight and also had a very nice time there.  Sharon, Julie and Katelin also had the Chocolate Volcano for Dessert. 

By the time we got back home, Sharon and I had already had a very long day.  We gave up on the night early.  By 8 o’clock we were completely tuckered out.  We cam out to the motorhome and watched TV for awhile before going to bed.

Monday, April 23, 2018

We hit the road this morning about 10 heading North to Iron Mountain.  We stopped at the first McDonald’s we spotted to have Breakfast.  We decided not to wait until we found a decent restaurant cause then it would take extra time for us to get home and we were anxious to get there.

We arrived back home about 2 PM and we had snow in the yard to cope with.  Not much but there was snow on the passenger side of the motorhome where we’ll need to walk to empty it out.

I don’t think it’s going to pose much of a problem however.  It was nice to get home and we picked up the grand kids at school and thy were happy to see us.

The End