Merry Christmas

Gee ... What have you been doing on your winter vacation?  Getting beach sand out of your sandals? Lathering those arms and legs with Coppertone?  Sipping on a frozen strawberry daiquiri under some palm tree?  Now if any of these things ring a bell ... we are very jealous.  Very jealous!  Our Southern adventures were put on hold this year as our coach needed some remodeling so here we are.  In the nations 'Winter Wonderland' of Michigan.

We left South Haven and the comforts of Cousin's RV Park last October and got the coach in our driveway to begin the unloading process.  In order to redo the interior we wanted to empty the coach of furniture and clean out all the drawers and cupboards.  Do you remember the old adage about getting 5 pounds of s%#t into a 3 pound bag?  Being on the road for such a long time we've discovered we're really human pack rats.  Every nook and cranny had some treasure or another stuffed into it.  But it all had to go.  And where did it go?  Our living room, our family room, and our  garage ... And the garbage.  With winter upon us there's little chance of having a garage sale so we're sitting here amongst the rubble.  But little by little we'll work through it and be ready for Spring.  Hopefully this coming one.

As my bride and I seldom agree on decorating styles, the coach remodeling has been stressful. What kind of flooring, what color flooring, what kind of refrigerator, what kind of toilet, what kind of window coverings ??? Way too many decisions and compromises so we hired an interior decorator.  Maybe not an official one ... as she's still in college ... but at least a third party negotiator who might smooth out the disagreements.  As the coach remodeling continues other little speed bumps have arisen to further heighten our winter at home.

Our furnace of some 40 years probably needed replacing 20 years ago. But since we'd still been waking up each morning, and the noxious gases hadn't gotten to that fatal level yet, so we got to thinking maybe we should replace it before we couldn't wake up some morning.  So now we have a new Trane furnace with matching air conditioner and a new Nest thermostat.  What in the world is a Nest you might ask?  I won't bore you with those details now but it's the latest-greatest in world of thermostats.  Look it up on the internet if you're interested.

So now we're warm a cozy.  A good thing as the temperatures have fallen and winter is in the air and on the ground.

I'd mentioned to my RV/farmer friend Jerry that I wanted to photograph some cattle for an upcoming project I was working on so he invited me over to a cattle show at the Michigan State University Agriculture Center in East Lansing.  It was a cold wintry day as we drove over to the show and found that this was a pretty big deal for cattle people.  The parking lots were filled with trucks and animal trailers. The visitors parking lot was almost full so I'm getting pumped just thinking about what's ahead to see and do. When walking in I immediately knew I should have had on Levi's with a big belt buckle, a cowboy hat and rubber boots.  Rubber boots?

I gotta get one of these bling belts

This city boy didn't realize beforehand that hanging around cattle is not very kind to hiking shoes with deep treaded soles (it took me two days to get those shoes cleaned up).  As cattle apparently are not house broke (go figure), they tend to do whatever they want, where ever they want to. Stepping gingerly around was not good enough.  There were just too much to avoid not stepping or sliding in something. Oh! ... and did I mention the smell?  Though the building was large, there were several hundred animals waiting around to be judged ... so they don't care if they were in a barn, an exhibition arena, or the pasture ... they do what comes naturally.

They just needed a little after shave lotion

I was probably the only guy in the place that had a permanently wrinkled up nose ... but at times it was pretty pungent in there. Actually the show was a state-wide 4H affair with kids showing off their prized young cattle for judging.  With over 100 classes of animals (apparently categorized by weight and breed) the critters are shampooed, hides trimmed, hair teased and hair sprayed and hooves painted.

What a life!

And don't forget to trim the eyebrows and get those sideburns straight.

It was really interesting and besides the farm yard conditions, inspiring to see young people so wrapped up into cattle raising.  Not that I didn't see an Ipad or two but these kids were really focused on their cattle.

Angry Birds break.

Usually most of us are looking a beef cattle between a bun a McDonalds or in the meat market and pay little attention to what it takes to actually bring cattle to market, so this was a real learning day for me.  Anyway my friend Jerry (a cattle rancher himself) did a nice thing for me that day and I appreciate him taking the time to show me a little part of the business he is in.

Speaking of warm and cozy.  We had a little freezing rain storm pass through the area recently and left a nice thick coating of ice on everything.  Including power lines.  Normally we have had little trouble losing electrical service as all the areas around me have underground service. However this particular storm was a doozy and in this area knocked out nearly 300k customers. Including us! So when our lights went out the other morning I just knew it would only be an hour or so and all would be fixed.  But as the day wore on and the news came out that this was a massive outage, I thought I better head out to the shed and fire up my 40 year old propane fueled generator.  I hit the start button and it surprising fired up.  I made all the necessary electrical connections, changed the breakers in the house and the new furnace came to life, the refrigerator was working as was the well pump. Life is good I'm thinking.  I let it run for a couple of hours then let it rest for about 4 hours.  But still no commercial power.  I fired it up again and it was running so good I invited my neighbor to plug into so as to save his refrigerated food and maybe run the blower on his gas fireplace to provide a little heat.  As the outside temperature was in the low 20's, our houses cool off pretty quick and if left unheated could cause some real problems. While calling our kids we discovered that though my daughter had power my son did not.  He had just called the local power company and they said that due to the size of the outage they were promising service to return by the evening of the 28th.  THE EVENING OF THE 28TH!  That was over a week away!  All of a sudden I wished I had payed a lot more attention to that cable channel show "The Preppers".  So upon hearing that crummy news we began taking stock of food, water, and most importantly .. propane supplies.

Wondering if we could actually survive in the house (rather than a motel) we decided to give it a try as I headed out to the shed to check in the generator.  It was sounded funny ... missing and coughing and making the 20 watt bulb in the shed flicker.  I switched to my other full tank before restarting it decided to head out to find more propane.  I had two more empty tanks in the garage so I went out to get them filled.  Upon returning I started the generator up but after running smoothly for about two minutes it went back to sputtering.  I disconnected all the outgoing lines and even with no load it still wouldn't run right. I fiddled with it the next twelve hours ... sometimes it would run, sometimes not.  I had heated up the house enough so I thought we could go to bed without it running so I finally shut it down and went inside. We made it through the night but when I got up a 6:00am the temperature had dropped into the low teens and it was pretty cool in the house; mid 50's. I got dressed and stumbled out into the cold, dark morning to see if once again I could get some juice out of that old generator.  She fired up and I let it run a few minutes then headed into the house.  I had previously disconnected the power lift for the garage door so I could raise and lower it manually.  So upon returning from the shed I wanted to lower it. I applied pressure on the outside panels and it began coming down.  Apparently I was still half asleep, and my hands were cold and I just wasn't paying attention as the next thing I knew was that I had left two of my fingers in the panel joint as I was lowering the door. For whatever reason I didn't scream out (not that there was anyone around to hear me) but as I watched almost in slow motion the tips of two fingers got caught in the joint and I could hear the bones breaking. I leaned into the door to stop it decent and with the other hand managed to raise the door enough to extract my fingers.  Now this was a real, honest to good ouchy.  Even though I had on a heavy leather gloves the damage was done.  No blood but certainly broken bones.  I went inside and got Sharon up and we decided to head off to our doctors only to discover his office was closed due to the power outage.  So off to the hospital we went and after a short three hour stay got doctored up, xrayed, given some really soothing pain meds and a future appointment to see a hand surgeon.

On the way home I decided to stop at the local lawn equipment dealer to see about a new generator.  He said he was all out but maybe next Friday. Great! It's now beginning to look like Motel 6 here we come when just then a trailer pulled up with eight new Honda generators aboard. I said to the clerk this is looks like my day then he informed me that all of those were already sold.  But he then said wait ... maybe I one 4k watt one left that I could get for $2400.  Are you kidding me? $2400 dollars.

I said I think about it and headed home.  I returned to my shed to work on the old generator again when I saw a trailer pulling into the driveway ... not my driveway but my neighbors!  He bought that remaining generator. The only one within a 50 mile radius. I was pretty bummed as went inside to prepare for a birthday party over at my daughters house.  Another cold evening with the temperatures hovering around 8 degrees was in store and I really wasn't sure we could make it another night in the house.  After the party Sharon and I were discussing our options when we pulled into our subdivision and noticed Christmas lights burning.  A sure sign (I hope) that power has been restored.  Eureka! Our house was to be warm again.  My fingers are still aching but at least they are warm.

So as I gingerly type these words, I'm looking out the window for Santa, Rudolf and their friends to cruise through the neighborhood dropping off goodies to one and all.  He needn't stop here as I've already took care of his cookies and milk and besides ... what more could we wish for.  A loving family, good health (except for the fingers), and a warm house.

Still livin' the dream ... though a cold one.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all.  And to all you 'snowbirds' frolicking in the warm sands of Florida or the warm winds of Texas take note of this story.  Don't let let anyone talk you into staying north for the winter.

Phil

Settling in

This is not fun.

I'm reading an email from our friends Bill and June and they're already on the road to Texas and the weatherman on the TV is warning of tornadoes followed by a major temperature drop ... Our coach will apparently be in the shop for many weeks for remodeling, it looks like we need a new furnace at the house ... My lawn tractor gave up on me even though I still have 3,769,657 more leaves to mulch and the headlights on our car keep burning out.  Is this what they call "The Michigan Payback"?  So who do I go see about apologizing for not staying here for the past six winters?

Burning Bush

But alas!  Maybe there are a few silver linings out there!  Just to name a few ... Our beautiful little Grand Daughter Lola turned three and the party was super, as is she.  Our daughter Leigh got her first whitetail deer on opening day ... I'm real proud ... She got it with her a Dodge Journey at 75 mph.  She's fine ... deer is definitely dead. Our other beautiful Grand Daughter Allison just turned nineteen and has discovered college life is pretty sweet ... Our Grandson Austin at fourteen, is now as tall as I am and GI Joe doesn't much interest him as much as the ladies do ... My sister Judy thankfully has survive a nasty fall while moving into new home in North Carolina ... Her elbow is pretty banged up but spirits are high ... We gather with bunch of our Cousin's RV friends in Battle a Creek for lunch and gambling at the nearby casino ... Seeing our friends was a whole lot better than the gambling however ... And our long weekend trip to Iowa to see our friends Jim and Carol was a blast ... I learned that bib overalls are not considered 'business casual' ...Cedar Rapids is a pretty cool city ... And we're very fortunate to have such good people as good friends ... And speaking of good friends ... We've had almost a lifetime of good times with our friends George and Paula ... We've already got together several times with them and we're looking forward to a winters worth of visits.

Barberry

Very dead Hostas

Now about those 3,769,657 leaves ... The weatherman said the winds would soon be picking up and my neighbors would probably get most of them so I went looking for a rake.  Our backs were already screaming at us and we're hoping the ibuprophen is still in the medicine cabinet when I looked around and found my neighbors pitching in and helping us clean them all up.  So very thoughtful.

So there you have it ... goofy pictures and all.

Still livin' the dream but kinda' wish we were with Bill and June ... heading South.

Phil

Home again

Per our original plans we should have been enjoying the warm weather in Gulf Shores Alabama today but reality has set in and here we are ... in cold, blustery Michigan.  The coach is in the shop for a variety of ailments so for the first time in about six years we're going to tough it out in the north country.

We're supposed to be here at Gulf Shores State Park ... But Not!

However just before leaving the South Haven area I must pass along a little lesson that our friends Jerry and Bonna taught us just before camp closing.  Well they really didn't plan on teaching us anything but their misfortune is something all RV'ers can learn from.  Jerry hadn't gotten two miles down the road and his diesel overheated and his journey home halted.  As it turned out his engines serpentine belt gave way and without it he was soon parked roadside.  Finding an engine belt for your particular RV engine nearby turned out to be impossible, as I would suspect most would be, so just to be on the safe side, folks need to buy a set of spare belts (you may have more than one size) and store them away for that day you might really need one.  There's is no guarantee that you'll get back on the road soon as you might not find anyone to install it (if you can't) but at least you have one part of the problem solved.  Also ... if something else caused the belt to break in the first place (bad pulley for instance) you're still hosed but having a replacement belt on hand can't hurt. Now everybody give Jerry a round of applause!

We're having our coach's floor replaced due to the water damage we incurred last July.  Believe it or not it is still wet under the ceramic flooring so I suspect we will have to have the underlayment repaired as well.  In order to accomplish all this we decided to remove everything in the coach so the workers would have less items of ours to work around.  So when we got the coach home we began to empty it.  Six years on the road defied one of the great truths of the world.  Yes you can store 5lbs of stuff in to a 3lb bag. Maybe 6 pounds of stuff!  I had no idea we had accumulated so many 'treasures' and had managed to stuff them into every nook and cranny of the coach.  As bag after bag, box after box and hanger after hanger exited the coach, we quickly noticed how much more room we had in the coach.  Eureka!  Who needs slides now, I'm thinking!

But ... our once neat house now looks as if a bomb had gone off inside.  With all that 'stuff' inside our house now we haven't a clue where we're going to put it all.  We'll get the coach back in April so we've got a whole lot of excuses to dream up for the folks who decide to pay us a visit this winter.

So besides replacing the flooring, we're going to have the couch re-covered, a new refrigerator, new front drapes, new shades for the side windows and refinish the window valances.  Please use my PayPal account to forward any donations.

We're certainly not going to hibernate this winter but may still do a little traveling; this time via my trusty old Trail Blazer.  For instance in a few weeks we'll be visiting our friends Jim and Carol in Iowa and who knows ... maybe even a trip to Carolina's to visits family and friends.  Sharon will certainly steer me into a casino or two and a trip or two back to visit friends and family on the west side of the state will be in order as well.

Home again but still livin' the dream.

Phil

Wrapping up Summer

Just a quick note on this evenings activities.
Not that this, or most RV communities need an excuse to throw a party but this evening was just a little unusual.  Bonna and Jerry thought it would be great to have an early Thanksgiving dinner before too many more people had departed for parts unknown. Turkey, ham, yams, mashed potatoes, gravy and all the other fixins' one could ever want. Wow! And a separate dessert table with enough goodness (and calories) to put Paula Deen on notice.  Lots of effort from all the ladies here.  We're fortunate to have so many good cooks.

I told you this was quite a feed

John and Kathy were ready 

Jerry was late for dinner so .... not much left.

You can gain weight just looking at all these beauties

The smell of suntan lotion drifting through the air has been replaced by the aroma of burning leaves and fresh, ripe apples nearby.  The sunny days are still here but you'd better have a jacket handy when the sun begins to set.  Our summer is almost over and the threats of a brutal winter await us. We're going to spend our first winter home in six years.  Why you wonder?  Well it's time to get some major remodeling work done on the coach and we want to get at it.  New flooring, drapes, and a new refrigerator are planned but if the work gets done early, who knows ... maybe we'll hit the road anyway.

The other day I finally learned out how cow pies were made.  Oh sure... everyone knows that answer. But let me tell you how I found out. Our friends Jerry and Bonna invited Sharon,  Miki, along with Bill and June, out to their southern Michigan farm.  A beautiful stone farm house greeted us as we pulled into the drive.  Surrounded by rolling hills and big red barns this place is what being 'down on the farm' is all about.  Unfortunately it's so far from civilization that I was sure they'd yet to have electricity or indoor plumbing (but they did). Greeted at the door by the family dog, who apparently either has lost his sense of smell or our earlier showers actually worked, allowed us to pass. Bonna provided some cold drinks to everyone and while the girls were gabbing, Jerry wanted to show us guys what 'real' farmers do.
Jerry motioned for us to get into his big farm truck.  Big tires, big rumbling diesel, and a big step up to get into the monster.  So off we go towards the pasture.  Bill jumps out to open the gate and off we go ... bouncing along directly towards a herd of comfortably resting black Angus cattle. Their ears perked up as we approached, probably thinking we were out there to feed them but soon they were struggling to their feet as Jerry began to slowly drive right through the middle of the herd.  If cows could talk I bet they would had a few things to moo at Jerry about.  A few moments ago they were relaxing in the cool mud (?) ... now they're struggling to get out of way. Now to the part about cow pies.
It seems these cattle have some sort of an attitude ... and show it in an unpleasant way.  Disturbed by the monster truck in their midst, the first thing they do when standing up is make a pie and release enough nitrogen gas to fill the Hindenburg. It's not a pretty sight/smell and I quickly rolled up the window to keep any of it out of the truck (but wasn't fast enough).  I look over at Jerry and the smile on his face tells me 'these city boys now know what farmin' is all about'.  Anyway there we were parked ... in the middle of piles of steaming cow crap.  Hoping that that the four-wheel drive works, as getting stuck in this steaming sea doesn't seem too fun, we do manage to move on and leave the herd to settle down.  So there you have it.  My conclusions are: being a cow does not get you many perks and they have developed ways to show their distaste.  Here are some of wonderful critters.  And I didn't know they wore earrings either.

I bet Jerry knows all their names too!

With the college football season in full swing the competitive juices must be flowing here at Cousins. Since this park has a reputation for great cooks residing here, one of our more well known purveyors of fine food (June) challenged one of our least known cooks (Charlie) to a lasagna face-off.  No prize nor voting but what turned out was a great evening of pasta for all to enjoy.  Charlie apparently has been a closet cook known only in family circles so this was his coming out party.  Now June knows her way around the kitchen to so Charlie had his work cut out for him.  As it turned out both were winners.  Subtle differences in recipes were noted but both were worthy entries.  I'd snuggle up to a plate of either one of them.

Here are the two lasagna combatants and their creations.

Chef Charles and Chef June

Okay I admit ... I screwed up!
We recently had the annual Cousins Chili Cook-Off and we had a record turn-out with eleven entrants.  With secrecy paramount, only a precious few knew whose chili was in which warming bowl. After a round of sampling the votes were taken and the winner was Jeff C. with Carol B. in second and Eric L. third. Now here's where I messed up.  Usually I take a photo or two of the winning group but as luck would have it I had an equipment malfunction and got nothing. However I can assure you that few will forget how good this year's offerings were.  So hat's off to first time winner Jeff.  Great stuff!

Chili Sampling Specialist

Half asleep on the patio I was nudged into consciousness by a strange humming noise.  As my eyes fought to open I immediately saw this large bug flying around near me. Great! A praying Mantis was flitting around looking for a place to land and with a little luck I could watch him for a while.  He settled down right near my foot and landed on the wheel of my Weber grill.  He slowly navigated completely around the wheel before settling on one of the pseudo spokes on the wheel.  I watched for several minutes and the damnedest thing started to happen.  Instead of this guy lunching on a passing bug or perhaps chew on my leg She started making a ootheca. 'Betcha don't know what that is and I had to look it up ... it's an egg case.  An intricate pouch-like repository for her 200 or so offspring to spend the winter in until hatching sometime in late Spring or early Summer.  She was probably thinking, as long as Sharon and I usually go south for the winter, she might as well send the kids along in the basement of our coach where I stow the Weber while traveling. But she'll be really surprised when the kids are back in South Haven next year. Actually she's most likely already dead as they usually die shortly after laying their eggs ... so I guess I'll have to raise the little critters all by myself.  I wonder if the IRS will flinch when they see the 200 dependents on my 2014 return?  Anyway it was an interesting couple of hours.

Egg laying Mantis on the old Weber

So there you have it folks.  A little catch up on what's been going on with us.  As the parks residents continue to leave for part west and south, it's a sad reminder that the summer is over and another summer season has come to an end. Though we shall miss being on the road this winter, when we return, the coach will be looking a little better and we can start this all over again.

We have until mid-October to vacate the park so time is running out.  With a little luck this year maybe I'll get a chance to photograph one of the Lake Michigan water spouts again.  A rare treat.

Still livin' the dream but dreading the upcoming winter weather.

Phil

ps.  Here's an unabashed plug for my grand daughter Allison's Monday afternoon internet radio show.   Check out www.whaleradio.org in the 2pm to 4pm time slot. Allison and Jeff will provide an off-the-cuff unscripted review of current activities in their world.  They take on-air phone calls too. If you log in or call in tell them you heard about them from Livin' the Dream blog.

Another few days in paradise

Finally a bit of time to take a deep breath a pass along a little news ... or maybe a lot of news.

As the summer has flown by I suppose it's more of a reflection of the life of this senior, if not all those around my age. Admitting that I am of age is no big deal but actually putting words to paper certainly solidifies the notion that time is marching on.  Of course the little blond at McDonalds this morning offered up the 'senior' coffee without asking, does drive the point home.  Anyway we've been busy ... very busy.

Shuttling back and forth across the state, almost on a weekly basis, as my bride has been getting some treatment for her ailing back.  All seems to be going well but only time will tell.

Our RV family in South Haven has experienced a steady diet of parties and get-togethers.  Della and Jerry are giving up the summer RV lifestyle after many years and will soon part with their beautiful Blue Bird. And even though we're all sad that they'll be leaving Cousins RV Park, we all have many fond memories of their friendship and hospitality.  But be warned you two ... you never know when one of us may be at your doorstep in HHI.

Enjoying a little 'happy hour' frivolity with DD and Jerry

South Haven had their annual Blueberry Festival this past weekend and the town was packed with tourists from all around.  From the interesting gentleman I met from Indiana to a very foxy older gal from Cologne Germany, the folks come in all sizes and shapes.  Speaking of shapes ... A trip to South Beach is usually a real eye-opener.  The beach is certainly a place where one can set aside any inhibitions about what to wear.

One of the high-lights of the annual festival is the 'Fly-In' and pancake breakfast at the South Haven airport.  Mostly light aircraft from around the state fly in for a little camaraderie and chow.  In addition, they have a small collector car show that brings in some real beauties.  Here's a dandy example from days gone by.

Chrysler Airflow

A bunch of us from the park attended the show but skipped the pancake breakfast.  Good thing.  We got there fairly early and there were already 200 folks in line waiting for pancakes.

There were vintage Piper Cubs, an Aeronca (similar to the one Jerry soloed in many years ago), and assorted biplanes and other fixed winged aircraft for all to get a good close look at.

I think this old Army Air Corp trainer flew in from Kalamazoo

However the 'big daddy' of the show was a WWII B-25D light bomber courtesy of the Yankee Air stationed near Ypsilanti Michigan.  As shiny and well kept as the day it left the production line, she's a real beauty.

For a little over $400 bucks you can get the ride of a lifetime in her.

The flight crew is an eager and dedicated lot with more stories to tell than there was time to listen to them.  They are extremely passionate about maintaining and restoring these old birds and with so few of the aircraft around, it's worth a few bucks to make a donation and keep them flying.

Crew member Carter

One of the neat things about these Fly-Ins or airshows is they do attract the few remaining veterans who actually served aboard these old flying machines.  As I was standing next to one of the flight crew of the B-25 an elderly gentleman, with a WWII Veteran hat, was engaged in a detailed conversation about some of the characteristics of the old bomber.  As I listened in I could really sense the pride these gentleman had in their service to the country.  As their conversation broke up I asked the old fellow wearing the WWII hat if he had every flown on one of these B-25's.  'Oh my yes!' he exclaimed. 'I trained the navigators on the new radar system installed on the aircraft in the Pacific campaign'.  'Every navigator needed 5 hours of training before they were allowed to take up the plane and it was my job to teach them how to use it'.  'I trained them for three Pacific campaigns ... Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa'.  I unfortunately didn't get his name but I won't forget him.  His unwavering pride and honor to serve in the military is part of what made this country such a great place to live.

WWII B-25 radar trainer.

We don't often have 'happy hour' at our place but we thought we'd host one of the little parties for Jerry and Della featuring the famous Koegel's hot dogs from Flint Michigan.  Since we're from that area, and eating some other brand is unlawful (I think), we thought we'd add a little chow to the libations normally served. Complete with both Flint and Detroit style chili sauce, piles of onions, mustard and catsup this mega-gastro feast was a culinary delight.  The only reason I say that is that no one apparently got sick ... which is always good.  Anyway it was fun and we all had enough to eat.

Hot dogs and friends

I think this is the third year in a row that the local Casco band came by the park and gave us a free concert.  About 20 or so strong, these local musicians from all walks of life (and all ages) provide a wide variety of music from Gershwin to Sousa.  Throw in an ice cream social (provided by Hal and Mary Cousins) and it was a perfect way to spend a warm summer afternoon.

Casco Band

As you may already know our park has a very eclectic population.  From a retired police officer, to a retired dentist, to retired school teachers, and retired cereal makers, to a working school principal,
a working construction planner, a working wedding planner, to a working insurance agent.  Each and all are unique and genuinely good people.  So fellow RVer's here's is little lesson.  If you look around the next park you are in I think you'll find just about the same mix of folks.  And it's really easy to find out. Just get out of that easy chair and walk around and get acquainted with your neighbors.  Break the ice ... be the first to hold out you hand and say 'welcome'.  Once you start doing this you'll soon discover that that simple act of kindness is infectious and before long you've got a whole bunch of new and lasting friends.

We've got a new resturant in town and it's certainly worth a stop to eat there.  The 'Taste' serves 'tapis' style with many different offerings all well prepared and presented.  They are also known for their martinis with this weeks 'blueberry martini' the headliner.  They don't have their website up and running yet but you can check them out on the Urban Spoon site.  About 15 of us gathered there last night for a farewell meal with Della and Jerry.  Prior to dinner we all met at Hal and Mary's (park owners) for cocktails and snacks.  Their beautiful home showcases their kindness and hospitality.

Hal and Mary's 'happy hour'

DD and Hal

Dinner at 'Taste'

Though this update is a bit long and mostly upbeat I do need to mention the loss of one of Sharon's family members.  Her Uncle Tommy passed away last week after a short illness.  His broad smile, slight Texas drawl and a big hug greeted you each time you met. A rugged, yet compassionate man who was loved and admired by many.  We shall miss him.

So once again I have blathered along far too long without any consideration that most folks are just here to see the pictures.  None-the-less it gives me something to do and keeps my fingers nimble.

So keep doing what ever you're been doing ... but glad you stopped by as we're still livin' the dream ... and don't mind telling you.

Phil

Catching up ... a little.

Just a little update.  Nothing verbose ... just a short briefing.

Today, some 47 years ago, I married my best friend and love of my life.  We were just dumb kids back then (maybe dumb adults now) who've managed to remain in love for all these years.  What a trip! From our first year of marriage spent on a little Japanese island in the middle of the South China Sea to our current RV travels, we've kept life interesting and moving along.  Not without a challenge or two we've managed to raise two fantastic children who have in turn given us three beautiful grandchildren. This really is ... livin' the dream.

Speaking of challenges ... we've had a thing or two break around here.  Recently I managed to drop one of my cameras leaving it with parts rattling around inside.  Normally not a good sign but as it turned out, fixable.

We then experienced a water leak.  Not just any leak but one in an area that is tough to get to and went undetected for sometime.  The result is our tile floor is shot and possibly the underlayment and insulation as well.  Since it happened behind our almost inaccessible refrigerator, I did mange to finally shut off the water source but still don't know the cause of the leak.  I suspect a mouse but will find that out later when we get the coach into the shop.  Of course this does put my vodka tonics in jeopardy as our ice make is now out of order.

We also lost our 12 volt system in the coach. I really didn't lose it but really it just quit working.  With help from Bill and Charlie, we finally got it back in service.  You might ask why losing a few lights in the coach was such a big thing considering we're normally hooked to reliable 120 volt shore power.  Well let me tell you the about that ... without 12 volt power we could not flush to toilet.  That little porcelain gadget has electrical components that control water and emptying so this wasn't a project that anyone would want to put off for very long.  As it turned out it was the 12 volt master control solenoid that pooped out and a $30 bill and a little elbow grease took care of that.  Thank heavens for friends.

The other day I got my very first ride in a Ford Model T.  My friend Jerry, here in the park, brought his 1920 something Ford to South Haven ... a 75 mile drive on the back roads of Michigan.  Several of our wives headed out for lunch so Jerry suggested we do the same ... so off we went with Bill, Hal, Jerry and myself to the Curve Inn Bar and Grill about 5 miles down the road. With the top down, the' ah hooga' horn blaring, no license plates, and four thirsty guys, we headed out.  Waving at everybody who made eye contact, we were having a ball and enjoying the outing.  After lunch we headed for downtown South Haven for a little sightseeing.  I could readily see that this old Ford was really a great chick magnet.  Though most of the 'chicks' were a little long in tooth, it was still a hoot to honk the horn and wave.  As they say ... there's no fool like and old fool!

Looking over my shoulder waiting to get pulled over by the police and casting our fate to the wind.

Here's what over 90 years of automotive development will get you.  If old Henry Ford only had some of that pretty yellow paint we could like that Porsche Boxster

About a week ago I was down near South Beach (South Haven) and the sky was bright blue without a cloud in the sky.  Lake Michigan was as smooth as the top of my head and as I looked south along the beach towards the Palisades nuclear power facility, I saw this release of smoke from the reactor site about 4 miles down the beach.  Thinking that this was Three Mile Island all over again, I thought I'd at least take a picture before I started to glow from the fallout.

As it turns out they probably were just releasing a little non-radioactive steam ... I hope.

So there's a little update for Red, Miki, Bonna, Della and the rest of you .  Here I am at 2:00am in the morning typing along and it just dawned on me I was probably not doing this 47 years ago.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

Ouch! Mother nature strikes RV park

We've been on generator power for the past 9 hours as a storm has hit the South Haven Michigan area leaving thousands of residents and tourists without electricity.  Our little RV community at Cousins RV park was certainly in the path as it appears that straight line winds toppled a number of trees and caused at least one injury last last night.

The most serious casualty of the storm was our friend Steve whose fifth wheel took a direct hit from an eighty foot tree that caved in the roof and injured him enough to be taken to the hospital with cuts and abrasions.  The fallen tree also extended over to his neighbor coach and also caused some damage, though superficial.  Other areas of the park were strewn with debris but thankfully no one else was injured and any damage is minor.

So there is lots of work to do around here and we all will need to pitch in so will close for now.

Thanks to my generator and WiFi air card I was able to get this short notice out.  Here are a few pictures.

So folks it wasn't pretty but for the most part we're all okay and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Bluebirds, moving pictures and good times

I hate to start out with an apology about not writing so ... maybe a joke would be more appropriate.

Did you hear the one about the priest, rabbi, and the Indian chief sitting in the New York bar?  Whoops ... maybe I'd better set this aside as well before I'm making apologies for something else!.

Anyway the summer has been zooming by.  Trips back and forth to our home to harvest the lawn ... see the kids ... back to South Haven for happy hour ... back and forth.  Maybe we should get a seasonal bus pass.

At the rear of our campsite is a long rail fence with a birdhouse affixed near the coach.  Since our arrival in early May I've watched it intently for some signs of a new inhabitant but apparently it didn't appeal to any of the local critters so I stopped paying attention to it.  Then about two weeks ago I thought I'd take a peek inside the birdhouse to see if there was any signs of life and as I raised the lid I was met, in full startled flight, something blue as it zoomed passed my nose.  Gathering my senses, and waiting for my heart to slow down, I backed away about 50 feet and within a few minutes the birdhouse resident returned.  It was a beautiful Bluebird.  A few days pass and I decide that this might be the perfect chance to get some up-close photographs of this colorful little creature so I got all my gear together and got it set up near the birdhouse.  With telephoto lens, high speed flash, radio controlled shutter release all is place, I set down about 20 feet away in my comfortable lawn chair and waited.  Ten minutes went by, twenty, then thirty.  I wondering where is the world did this guy go?
An hour rolls by and I finally see him (or her) as it zooms by my head and lands some 100 feet away in a nearby tree.  The light bulb in my head goes off.  I'm spooking the birds by sitting too close to the birdhouse. Since I'm not really a very experienced 'birder' I thought I better just pack it in and try another day.  So this is the best shot I got of that beautiful bluebird.

Simply a big nada, nothing, nope, nary a winged whippoorwill to be had .  No birds ... just the bird box.
So with a little stealth ... me you say? ... and a little  luck ... maybe next time I'll catch a shot of that little critter.  Stay tuned.

This weekend in South Haven is the big film festival.  Film makers from all over are gathering here to show off their productions.  I think this is the first time the festival of film will be held here and they have already set aside four or five venues to show the films.  Who knows ... maybe someone famous may even come to town.

The following week is HarborFest.  One of the really big events of the season.  Art shows, musical events ... a mecca for tourist young and old.

There you have it.  Another episode on life on the trail with Phil and Sharon.  If you're still awake thanks for stopping by.

We're still livin' the dream and happy you've joined us.

A new summer season

I know ... I'm supposed to write a few words about what has been going on since we arrived in Michigan but as luck would have I have become even more lazy.  Actually we've been back and forth across the state getting both yards in order, fixing the car, fixing the coach.  Whew!  I'm just running out of steam writing about it.

It is good to be back ... seeing the kids and grand kids and re-discovering what's going on in their lives.
Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Many of our RV friends have returned to our South Haven park with several more soon to arrive.  The park is in great shape and it's been fun hearing of all the winter adventures other travelers have enjoyed ... or in some cases not enjoyed.

One example is a fairly new class 'A' coach completely losing its brakes on a freeway in northern Florida.  Luckily no one was hurt but an expensive repair bill followed after a lengthy time at the repair shop.  Probably had to buy new underwear as well.  The good thing is that they can now laugh about it and makes for good fireside chat.

Personally our coach performed without a hiccup this trip ... but maybe more was wrong than I realized.  After piling up several thousand miles this past winter and now safely parked at our site for the summer, I was cleaning the wheels and tires and noticed this large bulge in the sidewall of the right front tire.  Now the thought of blowing out a front tire while piloting a 40,000 pound RV down the highway actually gives me cold shivers.  When the side wall failed, I haven't a clue.  Could have happened after hitting any one of the 937 potholes we encountered along the way (and that was just Michigan!).  Anyway it didn't blow and we're thankful for that.  I now get to save up the $820 bucks to have someone come over and replace it.  The tire company said it couldn't have been a failure on their product only something that I did.  Surprise ... Surprise.  Anyway I will wait till fall before getting it changed.  It does provide a good lesson for all drivers to remember to visually check your tires daily and don't forget to check the air pressure at least monthly as well.  My tires were only 4 years old and had about 20 thousand miles on them.  I'd planned on replacing them in about another 3 or 4 years anyway but certainly didn't expect this.

On another personal note ... my grandson Austin was chosen to represent his school in the placing of a commemorative wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington DC this coming Memorial Day.  We're all very proud of him and I am positive it will be an event he will forever remember.

The little town of South Haven is starting to hum and buzz with excitement as the summer tourist season is in full swing.  The South Beach parking area has been completed revamped and new playground equipment is in place for the little ones.  A welcomed change to that great beach spot.  The marinas are beginning to fill up with boats and with the exceptional warm weather, beach goers have started their tans already.  It's a good place to be.

There are several new restaurants in town but we just haven't had the time to check them out ... but we will.  Speaking of good places to eat ... my friend Jerry told me about a place called Goog's (www.googspubandgrub.com) on the South side of Holland (about 25 miles north of us).  He said if I wanted a great hamburg this was the place.  So in a couple of days we had to go to Holland to get Sharon a new vacuum for the coach so we thought we'd give it a try.  Wow ... did Jerry get that right!  Their fantastic regular burger is enough for two people.  It laps over the edge of the bun and was cooked exactly as I asked for it.  Sharon tried one as well ... hers with a tasty olive sauce.  But they did have a interesting surprise on the menu.  They have what they call a 'Fred Burger'.  A 1/2 pound burger with peanut butter and onion.  Their menu said you really need to try it before dismissing it;  though I'm not so sure I'm brave enough for that one.  But maybe next time.

So there you have it.  The latest news.  Just normal stuff but we're having fun doing it.

Still livin' the dream and enjoying each day.

Phil

Michigan my Michigan

Great news ... for us us anyway. No water, no raccoons, no nothing wrong with the house on our arrival.  After our winter hiatus, we'd almost grown accustomed to dealing with some problem at the house ... but not this year.  A welcome change.

I'll need to double check the numbers but I think we put around 4,000 miles on the coach this trip and an additional 11,000 on the old Trail Blazer.  And mostly without any mechanical problems.  Another welcomed change.  As each year goes by we appreciate more and more the quality of our Monaco coach.  Sure we have an occasional repair issue but these older rigs were certainly built to a different, and I argue, higher standard.  They are simple, yet elegant with materials and craftsmanship but few coaches being built today, can match. Our 11 litre, 400hp Cummins engine pushes us around with little effort and does it with a not too thirsty attitude. On average of over 9 miles per gallon, it may sound like it's pretty thirsty but considering our total weight of over 40,000lbs it's really not bad.  Besides ... in what else can you spend the night in a WalMart parking lot (but we seldom do), sleep in your own bed, don't have to pack and unpack a suitcase, and spend most of our time wandering around this great country?

Just prior to arriving home, our final four day stop at Camp Turkeyville RV Resort near Marshall Michigan (www.campturkeyville.com) was uneventful though a little lonely in the empty park.  We certainly enjoyed the visits with family and friends in the area.  Our hometown Battle Creek, is still our hometown ... even though we've lived away for many years, the family and friends will always make it so.

So after some much needed yard work, thanks to a rather rough winter here, and the effort of cleaning up my junk clogged garage, we'll be heading off to our summer retreat in South Haven Michigan. 

We've got some interesting plans for this summer so stay with us and enjoy the ride.

Still livin' the dream in Spring-like Michigan.

Phil

Back in Michigan ....brrrrrrrrrr

Three clues on why I know I'm in Michigan.

1. I've stopped seeing squashed armadillos on the freeway.
2. The trees don't have those interesting green things hanging all over them.
3. I now reach for the heater controls instead of the air conditioning.

It had to end sometime ... those 80 degrees days with bright blue skies and short sleeved shirts.

The last leg of our trip north began in Anderson Indiana.  A return stopover at the Timberline Valley RV Resort and we just got settled and the heavens opened dropping 3.9 inches of rain on us in about 6 hours.  The only salvation was a pleasant dinner with Sharon's sister Linda and Brother-in-law John (birthday boy at that) who took time out of their busy schedule to drive down from Carmel to see us.  As usual it was great seeing them and hearing about the new house they are having built.

The weather was threatening all the next day (today) so we weren't sure we could even travel, but as it turned out, we decided to give it a try anyway.  But not without a little mechanical drama ... This usually means something was not right with the coach.  I fired up the engine and noticed my volt meter was indicating less then 12 volts from the generator. I revved up the motor a bit and saw little movement in the needle.  I let it run a little longer and it started to move up just a little.  Suspecting a slipping belt, I shut off the engine and stepped out into the rainy, foggy morning to check it out.  Nope ... it looked okay and the belt was tight enough so I closed up the engine compartment, went back inside, dried myself off and once again started the engine.  While admiring the now properly function volt meter (but I have no idea why), a red light and accompanying blaring buzzer went off on the instrument display indicating the engine coolant was low.  Oh crap!, I'm thinking ... I know how to fix this problem (add a little 50/50 antifreeze) but I have to go outside again and do the work.  This seems to be an on-going issue with the coach so someday I will try to figure out why the sensor keeps failing and giving false alarms.  BTW I knew it was a false alarm because it didn't need any additional fluid.

We finally got on the road and decided that we'd stopped at the factory in Topeka Indiana where we had two recliners for the coach made last fall.  The recliners are beautifully made furniture by an Amish craftsman named Vernon Lambright.  He has a small manufacturing facility not far from Shipshewana and he stands by the products he makes like a true craftsman should.  I called him and he said he'd have a look at the adjustments we wanted made, so we decided to drive over to his facility. It was almost on the way anyway ... and even though we were driving in rain and a pea soup fog, when retired who cares about time ... right?  I asked his if he thought I could turn my coach around in his parking lot and he said 'no problem' ... plenty of room.  The last quarter mile to his factory required us to navigate a now very muddy, pocked marked, lane and a half farm road that I had to share with several Amish driven horse and buggy rigs.  I arrived at his place and soon discovered that, since Vernon had never driven a motor vehicle, let alone a 40ft coach and tow car, his notion that I could turn around in his driveway was a little off the mark.  We pulled in anyway, knowing that I'd needed to unhook the car then reconnect it after I jockeyed the coach around ... all this in a driving rain.

I shut down the coach, went inside and was met by one of Vernon's young workers.  Nate was a lad of about 24 and though he hardly looked 16, was married with a son and another child on the way. He said Vernon was off to a wedding and that he could help me.  We explained the chair issues and fully expected to leave them there and pick them up later in the month but Nate said 'do you have about an hour or so?, I think I can get the job done'. And besides, he had to leave at precisely 3:30pm to attend the wedding himself. He noted that he wasn't a family member but it was a pretty special deal to be invited by his boss Vernon.  So the young man had about and hour to work on my chair, close up the shop, get the proper cloths on and get to that wedding.  He needed wrenches and a screw driver to dismantle the chair so off he went inside to get his equipment.  Quickly returning, he took out about a dozen screws and bolts and vanished back into the shop with part of my chair.  In his absence, Sharon prepared a short lunch and I rehooked up the tow car.  Before long he came rushing out with the issue resolved and with 10 minutes to spare!.

In talking with Nate it was so interesting to get a little insight on how a traditional Amish man thinks. His work ethic and the survival of the family unit and his beliefs are what drives him.  His wife raises all there own vegetable for the year, he and his family share  a beef cattle with another family, he's not seen television but laughed at the silliness of a program somebody told him about called the 'Amish Mafia' (he surmised probably consisted of previously shunned members), he'd only eaten shrimp once or twice in his life, he's never driven a car, they'll be no dancing at tonight's wedding, and he wouldn't accept any money for the work he had just performed.  Actually apologized that we had problems with the chairs. I'm thinking out loud now and I'm wondering if  maybe, just maybe Nate could teach us all a thing or two.

So the chair is fixed and off we went.  Windshield wipers slapping to the beat of a Ramsey Lewis tune playing on my Ipod, we're headed north again. Only about 90 minutes from our overnight stay near our hometown of Battle Creek.

We're staying at the Turkeyville RV Resort only because Sharon pleaded with them to allow us to stay ... even though the park had not opened for the season.  what a woman! Located off exit 42 on I69, north of the I94 interchange, the genesis of the park really dates back probably 60-70 years to a man called Wayne Cornwell. If memory serves me, he started raising turkeys and selling them to local grocery stores maybe back in the 1950's. I remember it was always a big deal at Thanksgiving time to get a Cornwell turkey as they were fresh, not frozen and always had lots of white meat; more than the average bird anyway. So Wayne sold a boatload of turkeys and somewhere along the line he opened up a small restaurant that featured his turkey heaped on a bun with some mayo. Now these sandwiches were and still are fantastic so from these humble beginnings he then opened up an antique barn across the street then over the past few years, has developed the RV resort.  Now Wayne has passed some years ago and I really don't know if his family is still involved or not, but his philosophy about running a quality business seems to be alive and well to this day.  The facilities are new and it looks like there are lots of things for kids to do.

Anyway we pulled into the park a little late and the manager had already left for home. She left us some instructions as to where to park and she said would see us in the morning. The rain had not let up and, though most of the gravel roads and pads were well groomed and leveled, it was still a driving rain and the ground could only hold so much water. We arrived at our site and it was an erie sight being here by ourselves. Not a soul. No body until the park officially opens on the 15th of April. I guess we can't complain about noisy neighbors! I stepped out the coach into water and very soggy grass. Yuck. But it got worse. I had to unhook the tow car again, but now I had to stand in thick mud and gravel. Not so fun but got it done. I only had to hook up to power as the water had not been turned on in the park, so getting back into the warmth of the coach, and a hot cup of coffee was still very welcomed on this cold, blustery, and not at all like a southern Alabama day.

Not so sure about another day in paradise but still livin' the dream back home in Michigan.

Phil

Heading home

I'm just sitting here ... the shimmering reflection off the giant red Shoney's sign hits the glass smooth pond that separates our coach from the distant eatery. I65 traffic streams by but the only notice I take is the colorful ribbons of tail lights and headlights in the distance.  We've left our Gulf Shores hideout for the past five weeks and are finally heading north.  We're not alone today as many fellow 'snow birds' have joined us on the freeways ... some in no hurry at 55mph ... others it's pedal to the metal. We're somewhere in between but really in no hurry as it looks as if the expected Spring weather has once again alluded Michigan.  With heavy fog expected here in the morning I'm sure we'll be delayed a few hours at the very least.

Our quiet stay in Gulf Shores was a pleasant surprise.  We purposely cut back our socializing and spent more time just relaxing and doing little else.  The 500 site Gulf State Park is a real gem.  Very well maintained and lot sizes were huge.  With many southern schools on Spring break there were a lot of kids in the park but the park is so big they were hardly noticed ... with one exception.
About a week ago a couple of young guys pulled in with nice new truck and new 5th wheel.  My guess is one of their parents provided the rig but for sure these guys were going to have a great spring break.  To the beach they'd go in the day and in the late afternoon return to party.  They knew they were surrounded by old farts at this end of the camp so they kept the shades pulled and the windows shut.  The only hint of their party ways was the growing pile of empty beer cans at the foot of their trailer steps.  Friends usually joined them at night and before long the pile was probably near 100 empties. It was a mess but most of us knew it couldn't last forever and they'd be gone soon enough.  So after about three days the party boys couldn't contain themselves.  Out from the confines of their trailer the roar of exuberant and very drunk youngsters landed on their patio.  With no vulgarity left unsaid and usually said for the entire park to hear, they then started 'let's play kick the empty beer can' game. We couldn't see, but only hear how the game was going as we were then laying in bed and it was 1:00am in the morning!

Soon my tolerance level was breached and I reached for the phone to call the park authorities.  The guy who answered wasn't too impressed with my complaint but I reminded him that I didn't sign up this behavior when we checked in.  He backed off and said he'd call the park ranger.  A few minutes later I could hear somebody (turned out to be the ranger) talking on a radio outside our bedroom window.  He apparently came up with his lights off to observe the party boys.  While on the radio he asked for backup as a bunch of drunk young men might be more than he wanted to tackle.  Within a few more minutes the Gulf Shores city police arrived and broke up the party. But not before they had every beer can picked up and the extra party boys were asked to leave.  I chatted with the ranger after the commotion subsided and he said the young guys and their daddies trailer would be leaving first thing in the morning and apologized for the disturbance.  As promised, when morning arrived, the ranger arrived and Spring break was over as the party boys drove away.  Now if the party boys had only offered me a cold beer in the first place .......

We're currently in Clanton AL and when the fog clears tomorrow we'll head for Cave City Kentucky some 300 miles up the road.  Surprise ... Surprise ... I think they are known for the large number of caves in the area.  Since spelunking was a pastime for my family when I was kid, it seems like a great place to stay.  Sharon, and her notion that caves and hairy bats go together like peanut butter and crackers ...  it might be a great place to visit but we're not going into any caves she tells me.

So the Michigan-Louisville championship game is at half time so I'll close for now and ... Go Blue!

Still livin' the dream on a warm Spring evening in southern Alabama.

Phil

Somebody has got to do it

Now we're talking!  Weather so nice here there is no good reason to be inside.  I know you folks up north, both in the US and Europe are having a cold, cold winter but I think relief is on the way.  Spring has sprung, so the calendar says so keep your fingers crossed.  We'll be headed your way soon enough so we're hoping a warm spell is not far off.

I'm slowly getting the coach ready for travel again ... checking battery condition is one of the more important duties as if there is any one thing that will ruin a trip is problems with batteries.  Along with checking the oil and coolant levels, and tire pressures make up the majority of things I look at before heading out.  The last thing any rv'er wants are coach problems while on the road.

I had a chance to set up my ham radio equipment and a 40m vertical antenna and have enjoyed listening around the bands.  People wander by and ask what that big tall pole in the yard is for and I usually tell them it's for long distance fishing.  I usually get a blank stare from them before telling them it's just an antenna.  They just nod and walk off ... probably wondering why we were let into the park in the first place.

Today was enjoyable as the weather was so nice and just sitting on the patio with my camera taking pictures of anything that came by was appealing.  Since our backyard is mostly jungle-like undergrowth, there is lots of critters out and about. The first thing that scooted by was a little gecko.
He'd hold still for about a second before darting off to find something to eat so I had to be both quick and lucky.  Measuring only about 5 inches, they probably eat their weight in bugs every day so we like to have them around.  My guess their life span is pretty short however as I think a number of birds eat geckos as well.

Face to face with the monster gecko.

Speaking of birds ... here are a couple that landed near my perch in the easy chair.

A Michigan favorite, the Cardinal strikes a colorful pose.

I'm fairly sure this is a Brown Thrasher, but without a name tag I'm not positive

Brown Thrasher II

So there's a little update on what little we've been up to here on the Gulf Coast. The temperature is going to take a nose dive for the next few days thanks to that cold jet stream air finding it's way here.  Not as bad as the Midwest but cold for this place. The winds has been upwards to 25mph so the surf is up and this brings out the wind surfers.  Similar to the shores of South Haven, our summer nesting place, the surfers are a tough lot braving the cold waters and evil rip tides ... but fun to watch.

Still livin' the dream alongside the sugar white sands of the Gulf.

Phil