Observations

Sometimes you're just in awe of your fellow road warriors.

While my little cluttered mind was working through all the things I needed to do before heading south, I came upon a driver on the interstate who had adorned the hood of his more-than slightly used Dodge with about one hundred 3-D plastic army action figures.

Now I'm all for expressing ones self but this guy really had it together. His green platoons were strategically place around the various rust spots and bare paint areas with great precision. This portable battlefield was to ponder over wherever he travelled. Right out the front windshield. Oh what a great idea , I thought.

As he passed me my mind cleared of the clutter and confusion. Here, whizzing by me was something that made me smile and think of something other than my own issues.

So, whoever you are ... wherever you are young general of the road, thanks. A smile and a good laugh is great medicine.

Still livin' the dream,

Phil

Small world

The following is of little consequence but was interesting to me.

This evening, while attending a Lions Club event, I sat at a table with two brothers and one said he had recently retired from the Air Force with over 30 years service. The other brother had served 4 years in the Marine Corp and I noted that I had served 2 years in the Army. I guess it wasn't so strange that we represented 3 of the 4 services but what I found interesting was that we all had served on the island of Okinawa off the southern coast of Japan at one time during our respective careers. As our tours of duty were spaced some 10 or more years apart, it was interesting to learn of the things we had each seen and the changes we had each experienced.

Old warriors hashing over the good times. It was a good day.

Still livin' the dream,

Phil

Shutting the lights off

It was such a glorious day... sort of. White cotton-like clouds formed a perfect backdrop for the fall colors here in the park. The crisp fall temperatures were in place as the remaining few of us hustled around getting our rigs packed for its next destination.

Don and Julie were first to leave this morning. Preparation was a little different for them as they were leaving their coach here for the winter and heading west for the winter.

Rod and Hollie followed in their classic Bluebird coach. Its distinctive sound reminds me of a Harley on steroids. Ya gotta love those 2 cycle diesels. We had an enjoyable dinner together last night at a packed (surprise) Clementines. I don't know where all those people came from on the off season but we had to wait for 30 minutes to get a table. I can certainly recommend the bloody Mary's (try the hot ones). They will be meandering across the country destined for Yuma.

Then Scott, Marilyn, and Katherine packed up and left ... they too were leaving their 5th wheel here so we know they'll be back in the Spring.

Next Alex and Barb headed out. With the Chicago area their destination, they'll have a short and hopefully safe journey.

Jim and Chris had an even shorter trip as they headed off for Schoolcraft area. Not that leaving was simple, as they had a little door lock problem but that was solved with a little elbow grease and help from Jerry.

Ron and Tammy (and Rufus) were next. Their new sedan packed to the gills with all things precious and useful ... all destined to end up at their new digs in Florida. And a special thanks to Tammy ... the pumpkin ice cream you left us was fantastic.

So all the good-byes have been said ... most of the rigs are gone, the sun has set and here we sit. The only souls in the entire park. Not even sure if Hal and Mary are still around. We still have a little packing to do in the morning but we too will be heading on to new vistas before long. It's time to move on. And ... we'll shut the lights off.

We sincerely hope that all our 'family' here at Cousins have a great winter season ... wherever they are.

And speaking of family ... I think we all would like to thank Hal and Mary Cousins again for providing us all a great place to spend the summer. We all appreciate a clean, well run park whose owners take special pride in making sure their guests are well taken care of.

Stay tuned as another road trip will soon be upon us.


Still livin' the dream.


Phil

The Big Cook-Off

As we're now full swing into "fallter" (my new term for that time between fall and winter), the leaves are turning amber bock brown, there is a crispness in the air and a definite need to warm your innards with some good old comfort food. Now I'm not talking pb&j sandwiches, or mac & cheese but man-type comfort food .... food that is served hot, warms your lips and on the way down, warms you from inside out. You guessed it ... CHILI . That eclectic concoction of wondrously delicious ingredients that is thought to be a purely Texan creation but consumed across the land.

With recipes numbering in the hundreds, chili has grown into one of America's staples for the table. Usually made with some combination of beef, tomatoes, beans, onions, and of course chili peppers; many other edible additives can be tossed in to 'make it special'.

Though purest (the old saying goes "if you know beans about chili you know chili ain't got no beans") would reject the use of beans in this sumptuous brew, many cooks have advanced to add these little 'noise makers'. Be they hot ... mild ... white ... black ... Navy ... beans are a great filler that add new flavor and color to the mix.
























So 'fallter' is upon us here in southwestern Michigan and the remaining few us here at Cousins RV park decided to have a chili cook-off contest. Hosts Hal and Mary organized the affair and there were 6 contestants entered in this 1st Annual Chili Cook-off. As contest time grew near, the normally loquacious cooks were as tight-lipped as a CIA spy. With only a fleeting mention of a secret ingredient now and again, (did I hear oatmeal or chicken or cumin or noodles or even peanut butter?) ... the tension built as we approached the day of judgement.

With anticipation peaked, we all headed with pot and crock-pot in hand and a dish to pass to the clubhouse. Hal and & Mary had everything laid out with gold medals and trophies. A really nice touch on their part.

The steaming crucibles of love and joy were anonymously labeled and small tasting cups and spoons were placed in front for all to taste what the cooks had created. About 20 votes were cast and we anxiously waited the results. I might say that after trying each one of them, anyone one of them would be welcome at my dinner table. So the voters had their work cut out for them.
























The the tasting was done ... the counting was over ... there was finally a declared winner. No hanging chads or dangling participles either. Our 2009 Chile Cook-Off Queen was none other than my wife Sharon. Used to only winning on an occasional scratch-off lottery ticket, she managed to beat the professionals here in the park. I'm so proud.

The 2009 Cousins Chili Champions

Celebrations followed starting off with Mary's homemade 'apple tini's'. A wickedly sweet yet powerful brew that quickly vanished after a round or two of toasts to all the champions.

Being with good friends and neighbors makes any occasion worthwhile. This final gathering at Cousins for the 2009 camping season was however a little bittersweet. As each of us head our separate ways for the winter, we'll all miss each other but will have fond memories of all the neat things we did this past summer.

As for the Chili Queen and I ... we will be heading south soon. Meandering toward the Gulf coast once again to escape the winter and find another undiscovered shrimp bar.

Stick around and follow our travels. Leave a comment now and again so we know what you're thinking.

On the road again soon and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Mystery solved!

Several weeks ago; sometime during our normal 4:00 soiree with the neighbors, it was revealed that Jerry and Della's beautiful Blue Bird coach had somehow been damaged. Normally spotless and without blemish, this regal chariot suffered, what appeared to be a sharp, paint penetrating ding along its passenger side flank. Was it a stone chip? Was it an errant Frisbee? Was it a bullet? What evil has set upon this luxurious beast of burden?

Close inspection uncovered little of what or who perpetrated this crime. None-the-less Jerry remained deeply distraught and sought relief with a tall, friendly Dewars now and again to help the pain.

Now desperate and seeking a fix, Jerry soon made an appointment , not at the local Earl Shieb's little shop of horrors but returning it to its original home at Holland Motors. Promised a quick turn-around paint repair he and Della closed out their stay here in South Haven and headed off to get their coach fixed.

But the mystery remained ... until now! But what really did cause that dent?
Haunted by this unsolved crime the little known, and mostly ignored, CSI squad from South Haven (better known at CSISH) finally cracked the case. Agents Rod and Phil (not their real names) poured over the crime scene early today and through a variety of highly scientific techniques, have discovered what the reason for this heinous act.

It seems that as the tail of comet Archodolis had just passed through earth's orbit, small astroidial like particles were caught in our gravity field and were subsequently sucked into our atmosphere. Falling like a pair of pants with broken suspenders, one of these little projectiles from Hades homed in on Jerry's coach and struck it broadside. Call it fate ... call it punishment ... call it a sign from high above ... whatever the reason ... it happened. Mystery solved! It's the story CSISH is telling and we're sticking to it. We now hope that Jerry and Della can finally get some rest before heading off to their next destination.

Still livin' the dream in South Haven but getting ready to head south to dream up some more stuff.

Phil

Huff and Puff

As promised, let me tell about all the excitement we've had this past week here in South Haven. With steady 40mph winds and regular gusts to 60mph, Lake Michigan was as angry as several of the old timers here had ever seen it.

Churning and boiling like a pot of jambalaya, the normally placid lake was angry as my wife when I interrupt her Wii game. Trying every few seconds to knock the smithereens out of the old lighthouse, Mother Nature drove the lake unmercifully. I figure collectively, the folks here in South Haven must have pissed off the old girl (Mother Nature not Sharon) someway and she needed to show the town who's boss.

Hugh waves rushed up the channel each like a Pacific tsunami, some over 4 feet above the blue safety rail along the channel. Just to give you some idea how high that is ... the normal channel water level is about 5 foot below the walkway that runs alongside the channel ... the rail is about 4 foot high so add another 4 foot or so at the peak of the waves and you have waves in the channel in excess of 13ft. It sure kept the local dinghy jockeys dockside.

Looking across to the North Shore beach, the end-loaders were busy trying to scoop up the blown sand that was piling up all along North Shore Drive. Steadily they worked to keep the road open but it was the home openers I felt a little sympathy for. Driveways were filled and I can only image the mess each owner had to clean. Great place to live if you don't mind a little sand in your shorts.

I quess it was just another day at the beach for the local gulls. With Pallisades nuclear power plant in the background, the little scavengers just hunkered down and looked for whatever tasty morsels of garbage were blown ashore.

So in our sheltered retirement life a little excitement broke out. No harm ... no foul. Except for the mess it left in my yard.

On another subject ...

Now and again we're asked what we do all day. It's sort of like they want want me to admit out loud that we don't do a thing all day... you know, maybe lay in bed till 10 ... get dressed at noon ... maybe take a short nap ... barely get up in time for happy hour at 4 ... stagger home and grill a dog or two for dinner... watch TV for a few hours ... surf the web for a couple of hours ... then turn in for the night. Well okay ... you caught us! So maybe we do do these things occasionally but, so what! To the victory goes the spoils ... right? After winning the work battle with over 40 years each, years of toil, some of our spoils are a little goofing off. No excuses ... and as the more we think of it, the more we wish we could have started sooner.

Now we've not done this all by ourselves. With the help of the LaForests, Tafts, VanderWalls, Isaacsons, Holts, Martins, Schrems, Hattos, Schlatters, Jajes, Evans, and the Murphys our summer has been filled with steady stream of friends and family checking in and verifying that we have indeed been goofing off. Thanks again gang ... it would have been boring without you. However you all better get your bags packed as we getting ready to hit the road again.

So gas up the Nash, call TWA for a reservation, and don't forget those $9.95 rooms at the Red Roof Inn and join us at our next stop.

Still livin' the dream,

Phil