RV-ing in the Kram-a-lot-Inn

Wednesday, February 8 - Only Gringos (Mercedes, TX)

2012-02-09T11:34:00.001-05:00

Thought I would let you know what has happened since Sunday. NOTHING! The weather has been cold, cloudy and very wet.

We did nothing on Monday but hang out at home. The only time we went out was to walk the boys, who also dislike this weather.

On Tuesday Bob and Janet picked Ed and Marilyn up at the airport and we met them at Lins buffet. We enjoyed getting caught up and had lots of laughs. The food was good but Jesse and I both commented that we thought it was better when we were here 2 years ago.

Yesterday Jesse and I had an appointment to have our eye exam, it was attached to Walmart. We walked in the there was about 18-20 people sitting. We walked to the counter and I asked if the doctor was running late and he told us about 30 minutes. We were given paperwork to fill out and we had to stand at the counter and fill them out because there were no seats.

Looking around we were the only Gringos in the place. Even the aids and doctor was Hispanic.

We got called in to see the doctor one hour past our scheduled time.

We both feel like we got a good exam certainly much better then the one we got 2 years ago in Mexico.

Afterward we did a little shopping in Walmart then went home for the evening.

The weather continues to be wet and it is suppose to be that way through this week.

Sunday, February 5 - Super Bowl Sunday (Mercedes, TX)

2012-02-05T15:34:00.001-05:00

Today is a cold, windy and wet day. The temperatures dropped 30 degrees since lunch yesterday, its only 49 degrees outside. We are sitting here with the fireplace going to help take the chill off.

I am going to bake a cake for later and making white chicken chili for dinner. I am sure we will spend most of the day just snacking.

Bob, Janet, Jesse and myself made a trip to South Padre Island on Friday. Ed and Marilyn are in Missouri spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Our 1st stop was Dirty Al's for lunch. Bob ordered oyster shooters as an appetizer.

We all ordered our lunch having baskets of fried seafood with French fries. It was yummy!

We walked around the Marina looking at the boats and birds.

Then we rode through Isla Blanca Park Campground that is located in Cameron County Park System. We paid out $4 entrance fee and enjoyed driving through the streets. we wondered how much the sites were so we stopped and talked with a man that was sitting out in the sun. He told us where the office was which is out side of the park and we headed there to get info. We were all surprised that the monthly rate was very reasonable.

Afterward we drove down Padre Blvd to the area that had kites flying. This weekend was the annual Kite Flying Festival. The small kite in the middle is actually flying the big round kite on the right. It was such a surprise that it was able to do that.

All 4 of us seemed to enjoy watching the kites fly in the wind.

We were invited by one of the flyers to give it a try and were given a quick lesson.

We then proceeded on to beach access #5 and parked, set up our chairs and enjoyed the ocean with drinks. The tide was in so there wasn’t very much beach.

On the way back to the Resort we stopped at Dairy Queen for a treat. We also stopped at the Bobz World to look around and make a few purchases.

Saturday Jesse made us cheese omelets for breakfast with toast and OJ. After we got showers we took a ride over to Lowes and Office Depot. We also stopped at the liquor store for a few purchases.

We had made plans with Bob, Janet, Heinz and Irene to meet over at the library card room to play games. It was raining out when we picked up H&I at 6:30 and didn’t get home until a little after 11:00pm. We played cards, had snacks and drinks and lots of laughs. Jesse and I enjoyed the evening very much.

Jesse is looking forward to watching the Super Bowl and I look forward to commercials and 1/2 time.

Everyone have a GREAT day!

Saturday, February 4 - Amazon (Mercedes, TX)

2012-02-04T12:59:00.001-05:00

Lots of people have asked us about our work experience at Amazon, so I thought I would write a little about my experience.

We worked there for 12 weeks – Starting October 2 – Ending December 22.

The 1st day was orientation. We sat in a room with about 40 other people and listened to all the rules and regulations, watched video on sexual harassment, and signed employment paperwork. One document was a confidentially agreement. I did not read this agreement, so hopefully I am not breaking any rules with this entry.

They put out pastries and coffee in the morning. A light lunch of mini sandwiches and veggie – Most people brought there own lunch and cookies in the afternoon.

We were escorted to have our photo taken for our badges, as you couldn’t go anywhere without a badge.

Late in the day after our badges were made we were taken on a tour of the plant. This warehouse is 1.275 million square feet. With my directional skills I was lost before we left the HR department.

Our 1st day lasted 9 1/2 hours…. It was a long day.

Our schedule was Sun-Thurs 6:00-4:30off on Fri, Sat and Sun.

Our department was UNBOUND and we “stowed” products into bins.

Our 2nd day was training. We had to be punched in and ready to work at 6:00am in the “Stand-up” area. It was an area with numbers on the floor. You stood on a number so they could easily count the number of people present. Announcements were made and they told you the number of products expected in that day. You were also made to do stretching exercises. It all was a rah-rah prep talk.

We were trained by a wonderful young lady. She was very friendly, patient and informative. Most of the employees that I came in contact with were very nice and happy to have us there.

The training was long and standing in one place on your feet all day was really hard on me. There were four other people in my training class besides Jesse and I. Gary, Bob, and Loretta and Norm. They were really great people and we stayed friends during the whole 12 weeks. We would have lunch together and when possible breaks.

Our 1st break was at 9:15 am and you were to get 15 minutes, but by the time you walked to the break room-went through security you maybe got 7 to 10 minutes.

Lunch was at 12:30-1:00 and again you walked to the lunch room - went through security and needed to be back at stand-up punched in and ready to work at 1:00 pm so you only got about 23-25 minutes.

Last break in the day was wonderful. It was at 3:00 so but the time you got back to work there was only 1 1/4 hour left until the day ended.

Stowing sounds simple. You took the items off the cart or out of the tote and placed it in a bin.

But there are rules… Only 4 different items were allowed in a bin. You could put as many items of each of the 4 different items as would fit in a bin. That was fairly easy in the beginning, but as we got closer to Christmas the bins had become very full. You couldn’t put like items within 3 feet of each other in bins.

After the first week of this I knew this was not for me. The biggest problem was it was HOT in the warehouse. I do not like being HOT!

To be continued

Thursday, February 2 - Ground Hog Day (Mercedes, TX)

2012-02-02T16:37:00.001-05:00

I am going to attempt to give you a brief idea what we have been up to.

Today I went to get a manicure and then Ed and Marilyn and Jesse and I went to the Rec Hall for lunch. Problem: they weren’t serving lunch today because they were having a bridge tournament. We came home and I made lunch.

We celebrated Marilyn’s birthday at the Japanese Hibachi Grill in McAllen. There was a bunch of us - 14 in total.

Henry & Pam Janet & Bob Bob Heinz & Irene Ed, Marilyn, Sue, Ted, Linda & Jim

Ed and Marilyn Chocolate Martinis

We had a fun evening and the food was delicious.

One afternoon Jesse and I drove to Mission to have and unscheduled visit to see Joyce and Roger. Joyce was out having a day of pampering so we visited with Roger and the newest addition to their family Lily, she is such a sweetie.

Roger made these birds and they are really nice.

We have spent a lot of time just relaxing at home. Some days doing usual chores, dumping tanks, laundry, and cleaning, other days doing nothing. We have had a few cooler grey days and today it’s raining.

We went to the movies one day.

We spent a couple of days in and out of the hospital because Ed had a kidney stone they had to remove. He is much better now.

We (Irene, Janet, Sue, Jan and I) went to ladies night out at the Rec Hall. (Marilyn was under the weather). It was a good time as you can see from the pictures. I even had my 1st ever Jell-O shooters!!

This updates you until I get the urge to write again. Travel safe and Hugs to all!

Tuesday, January 25 - BINGO (Mercedes, TX)

2012-01-26T12:03:00.001-05:00

The Raven’s game on Sunday was very disappointing. Enough said - maybe next year!

Monday

I got up, got showered and off to the grocery store.

Jesse was outside talking to Ed and Bob when I returned. He stopped talking and helped me in with the bags and I put everything away.

Then we went off to visit Target and Marilyn joined us. Jesse had some shorts to return and I wanted to look for pillows. Jesse was successful but I found nothing.

We had happy hour at the Dray’s along with Bob, Janet, Heinz and Irene.

Tuesday

In the morning Jesse went for a ride with Heinz to visit a near by cemetery. Heinz likes to go through and see the head stones.

Jesse also surprised me with a Kindle Fire. Now I have to learn how to use it. He is so sweet!!

The big event for today was going to Bingo and the Rec hall. It was the six of us, Ed, Marilyn, Bob and Janet and the two of us.

Each card cost 50 cents and we each played with 4 cards. Look at the concentration!!

I had a fun time especially because Jesse and I won the 50/50 raffle which our 1/2 came to $37. Jesse won a Bingo by himself for $8 and he won another one with Ed and 6 other people so they each won $1. Ed split a game with someone and received $4. Sorry to say Marilyn, Bob or Janet didn’t win, but I think all enjoyed.

I had made a apple spice cake and invited everyone back to our place for a piece. Ed and Marilyn declined, so it was just the 4 of us. Jesse and I enjoyed the company and getting to know these two fine people better was a bonus.

Hugs to all

Sunday, January 22 – Week Gone By (Mercedes, TX)

2012-01-22T14:49:00.001-05:00

Monday 1/16

We enjoyed our coffee and time on the computer this morning. Buddy needed a hair cut, so I called a place close to the Resort. They could take him today, so Jesse got cleaned up to take him.

While he was out he got the truck inspected and washed. While Jesse was gone I made some Smores from the recipe that Pat gave me. Jesse came home and we just hung out until the call that Buddy was ready.

I was sitting outside when they returned and was I shocked. They shaved Buddy, SHAVED!!

Buddy as a puppy

Groomed correctly

SHAVED

We were invited to Bob and Janet’s for dinner tonight, along with Ed and Marilyn and Hank and Pam. He had smoked some pork in his smoker and they made pulled pork. They served beans and chips with it. It was all yummy!!

Fore dessert I brought the smores, but the big hit was Bob’s homemade butter pecan ice cream and Janet’s cake. The evening was entertaining listening to Hanks stories.

Tuesday 1/17

Today we decided that we would take our sheets and rugs to the laundry here at the Resort. We had purchased new sheets while shopping last week. So we got all the laundry done while we were there.

We had happy hour at Ed and Marilyn’s along with Bob and Janet.

Wednesday 1/18

Today was our 1st trip to Mexico this year. We met Joyce and Roger in the parking lot and the 8 of us made our way through the border gates. The pictures help tell the story of our day.

Our 1st stop was in front of the Nuevo Progreso sign.

The next stop was the bakery to have coffee and pastries and listen to the mariachi’s.

We window shopped in some of the stores as we walked the streets.

Marilyn wanted to get a pedicure so I sat with her while Joyce and Janet went off in search of a thread store.

Not sure what the guys did, but they stopped by the salon to let us know they were going to Red Snapper and we should meet them there when we were done.

We had lunch and conversation all was good.

Thursday 1/19

Jesse and I decided to go shopping for the tables we have been looking for. We found one that we liked at Kirkland’s.. We are not sure if we are going to use it as an end table or a storage unit on the other side of the island.

We had happy hour at our place tonight. We are really looking forward to tomorrow because we are getting our new floor installed.

Friday 1/20

They arrived about 9:15am. We had gotten everything moved off the floor.

Before

During

After

Jesse stayed home with the boys during the day while Marilyn and I went shopping. Ed was so kind and went out to get Jesse lunch, thanks so much!

Heinz and Irene arrived and we had happy hour at Ed and Marilyn’s. It was so nice to see these friends again and we look forward to having fun with them.

We really like the floor very much.

Saturday 1/21

Jesse and I went back to Marshalls because while I was there yesterday I saw another table I liked. He wanted to see it before we purchased it. When we got there the table was gone, it was already sold but we did purchase the chair I liked.

Everyone came by to see what the floor looks like and it was nice having people visit even it was for a short time. We had happy hour at Heinz and Irene’s.

Jesse and I went out for Blizzards to bring home and watch one of the movies from Mexico.

Sunday 1/22

RAVEN’s DAY

Jesse is looking forward to watching the game today. I am doing laundry and writing this journal.

Maybe I will not have to post another week long journal, we will see!

Sunday, January 15 - Go Ravens!!! (Mercedes, TX)

2012-01-15T15:04:00.001-05:00

Starting with Friday …

Ed called me in the morning asking for some help getting his pictures from South Africa on Facebook. I got a quick shower then walked over to their rig to see what I could do to help.

I thought I knew just how to do it, but the tab on his Facebook page to upload photos was blacked out. If he clicked on it, it worked but not quite the same, but we figured it out.

When I came back home Jesse decided to take a walk. It was windy outside so I decided not to go with him.

While he was gone friends (Jim and Jacque) knocked on the door. We had met them at Amazon. They were friends with another couple (Bob and Kathy) that were staying just a few streets over from us. Jim and Jacque drove in from Aransas Pass for a few days to visit along with another couple Larry and Sandy.

We made plans to meet them for dinner at Golden Corral. We enjoyed the buffet and the company. After eating the ladies went to do a little shopping and the guys were going back to Bob and Kathy’s 5th wheel to have a drink and talk RV’s.

I decided to skip the shopping not wanting to leave Mr. B for too long. He seems to have snapped back some. He is eating and drinking on his own again, but still very wobbly when walking.

Saturday

Jesse worked on putting the under belly back up on the RV, we have not had anymore leaks.

I did laundry and straightened up our home.

About lunch time I got the call I was expecting from Jacque to meet the girls at the Outlet stores for some girl time. They had all been to the flea market.

We all walked around mostly window shopping. Fossil was having a 50% off their purses and Jacque and Sandy purchased one.

We all made purchases at Bath & Body Works.

When we were finished shopping we went back to the resort to get the guys and headed west on 83 to have dinner at Wallbangers. Bob and Kathy rode with us which gave us a chance to get to know each other better. I think we enjoyed our burgers, fries and drinks.

When we got back to the resort we met down at the library to play cards. We played a card game they called the Canadian game. It was very similar to hand and foot. Jim won, but I think everyone enjoyed the fun and we laughed a lot.

Jim and Jacque

Sandy and Larry

Bob and Kathy

We got home walked the boys and watched TV for a little before going off to bed.

Sunday

The BIG thing today is to watch the RAVENS!!

GO RAVENS !!!

Thursday, January 12 - Leak or no leak (Mercedes, TX)

2012-01-13T10:02:00.001-05:00

You may remember that we had a leak during the summer. Jesse dropped the belly of the RV to try and locate it. He had to replace the insulation, but never really found the problem.

Well the leak is back. So he spent all morning try to locate it again. He was in contact with a local RV repair guy in the park who tried to give him pointers on what to look for.

The result; he thinks he found a small leak in the convenience center that was dripping. We were lucky this time that it didn’t get the insulation wet. So far there had been no more dropping.

We have not gotten a good “Dish” signal since we have been here, so Jesse decided to try something to improve the signal. Well he made it worse and couldn’t get zoned in on it at all.

It’s okay because they have a good cable TV here at the resort, but we can’t record anything.

Mr. B had been doing pretty good, but today he started to become very weak again today. He wouldn’t eat or drink and he couldn’t walk without falling.

We let him just sleep hoping he would feel better. I forced him to take water by giving him water with an eye dropper. Towards evening he took a little food (less then a teaspoon full) and a little water on his own. He also urinated outside once.

Prayers accepted and appreciated for our little guy!

Hugs!

Wednesday, January 11 - Catching up (Mercedes, TX)

2012-01-11T21:56:00.001-05:00

Okay I know it’s been a week. So I will start with:

Thursday, Jan. 5th

Happy Birthday Jesse!

We just hung out at home during the morning, then we met Roger and Joyce, Ed and Marilyn, and Bob and Janet at Cheddars for lunch.

We all were very cozy in a booth, but had a good lunch and laughed so much that the foursome across from us wanted to join in “saying we were having too much fun”.

Afterward Jesse and Ed went one way and Marilyn and I went another. The boys went to Best Buy before returning to the Resort, while Marilyn and I went to Hobby Lobby, TJ Max and Walmart, then home.

Friday, Jan. 6th

We went to the grocery store and we sat outside the Dray’s for happy hour.

Saturday, Jan. 7th and Sunday, Jan. 8th

We really didn’t do anything note worthy. Just hung out at home, did laundry, visited with our friends. (Really interesting stuff, isn’t it.) We had happy hour at Bob and Janet’s on Saturday.

Monday, Jan 9th

Ed’s friends Dave and Judy came to visit from Missouri. We all went to lunch at the Blue Onion. We enjoyed our meal and the company. We all met again at Ed’s for happy hour and laughed some more.

Tuesday, Jan 10th

We enjoyed our morning with coffee and computers. I have been playing “words with friends” on Facebook and have been hooked on it. Jesse made us some breakfast of eggs and toast.

After I was done I left to have a beauty day. I got a mani/pedi and then got my hair cut which is now short again.

Jesse was at home waiting for the guys to come and wash and wax our rig which needed it badly.

It looked so good when I got home I thought the Kram-a-lot looked better then I did.

We arranged to go to Olive Garden for dinner. Bob and Janet rode with us while Ed took Dave and Judy. We had a very good meal and enjoyed ourselves.

Today

Jesse and I went shopping. We drove to Harlingen and our 1st stop was Chick-fil-a for an early lunch. Then we went to Kohl's, Target, and Big Lots. We managed to spend some money in each place.

Then we went to a local RV place so we could purchase an anode rod for the water heater. We asked them if they knew of someone that could install flooring in our RV.

They did and we rode the short distance to the business. We talked with a sales person and arranged to have someone come and give us and estimate.

After returning to the Resort we had happy hour at our place.

We just relaxed at home for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, January 4 - Getting Set-up (Mercedes, TX)

2012-01-04T23:01:00.001-05:00

Monday we planned a cookout at Dan and Pat’s space. I made pasta salad, and took chicken breast to put on the grill. Kit and Jerry brought condiment's and burgers. Pat made beans and rice, burgers and a delicious smore dessert casserole.

Eck and Dee came over to have a drink with us, but didn’t stay for dinner.

We had a very nice time while we visited with our friends on the Fort and are looking forward to our next visit.

Tuesday we left at 7am, drove 336 miles and arrived at Llano Grande Lake Resort at 2pm. We got checked in then made our way to our site. I hardly got out of the car and Marilyn was walking over to greet us.

It was so good to see her and we visited for a short while. Then Ed appeared, he was in the shower when we arrived, and we got hugs from him. They went home so we could get set-up and told us to come over as soon as we were ready.

We walked over to the Drays with a drink in hand. We sat and relaxed and got caught up. We were joined by Bob and Janet, Henry and Pam, and Ted and Sue.

They cooked hot dogs on the grill, with all the fixins, along with beans I brought the leftover pasta salad from yesterday to share.

We all enjoyed getting to know each other and laughed while Ed’s told us about the practical joke from the other day.

At home Jesse and I just relaxed in front of the TV.

Today we computered while having coffee.

Then we got showers and finished our set up. Jesse did his outside stuff while I put out the things that make our rig look and fell like a home.

Marilyn came by to visit just as we were having a bite to eat. She stayed and talked with us while we ate. After she returned home I watched a little TV then the boys and I went outside to sit in the sun with Jesse while he was servicing our bikes to get them aired up and ready to ride.

Ed and Marilyn came over to sit with us for a while with a drink.

After they went home I made Jesse and I some dinner and we watched a movie after.

We are so glad to be here with our friends and look forward to the next 2 months.

Sunday-January 1, 2012 - Happy New Years (Brackettville, TX)

2012-01-01T21:03:00.001-05:00

Saturday started out at the club house to have breakfast with Dan, Pat, Kit and Jerry. They serve all you can eat eggs anyway you want, pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee for $3.50 each.

Kit and Jerry had some things to do today so they offered us their golf cart for the day. Jesse and I walked over to their site on Unit 38. It’s a huge double space as you can see from the picture.

After picking up the cart we rode over to Dan and Pat’s space on Unit 37. They are building an apartment.

The 4 of us were going to ride around the Fort and see the sites. It was a lot of fun and we were so happy to have the Sullivan's as our tour guides.

There were no refreshments served on the guided tour, but they invited us to Happy Hour for finger foods and drinks. It was held at Eck and Dee’s and the food was delicious.

Eck – Jesse – Dan

Loren - Jeannie

Me – Pat

About 5pm we went home to feed and walk the boys, then headed back over to Dan and Pat’s to play Sequence. We had great fun especially the ladies, as we won 5 to 3.

Today started out with Jesse and I just hanging out at home. I made breakfast and around 1pm we rode over to Kit and Jerry’s to visit and get all the details about gate guarding. We are going to look into it more because it does sound like something we may try.

We all made plans to go to dinner at Burger and Shake with Kit, Jerry, Dan, Pat and 4 other couples. It was a lot of fun and the food was pretty good.

We are home now just relaxing. We have more planned for tomorrow our last day here.

Until then stay safe! HUGS!!!

Friday, December 30 - Travel Day (Fort Clark Springs, Brackettville, TX)

2011-12-31T12:06:00.001-05:00

The week went by fast .. On Wednesday I had an appointment to have my hair cut. Jesse stayed home waiting for the repair man to come by and look at the brakes on the Kram-a-lot. He said that we didn’t have any. The guy said that it was oxidation on the terminals he cleaned that up and said the magnets were getting power.

Jim and Joanne went to San Antonio as Jim had a doctors appointment.

Once I got home from the hairdressers Jesse and I went to Whataburger for lunch. This was our 1st visit and Jesse thought it was a good burger, I just had French Fries.

I made dinner for the four of us today, making mac and cheese, green salad, asparagus, elk steak and apricot chicken.

On Thursday we all went for a ride to Bandera. Jim needed to pick up a belt that he was having repaired there. On the way we stopped at Camp Verde for lunch.

Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, on the banks of the Verde Creek, the store was first established in 1857. The two story stone structure of Southern colonial design is full of things to buy. Originally, the general store was established to offer goods and services to the soldiers stationed at Fort Verde, a mile to the west.

They have a small lunch only open from 11am-3pm. The prices for the food was very reasonable and quite tasty but we waited about 1 hour.

After we returned home we went to our own rigs and relaxed for the evening.

We left Ingram around 10am this morning. Saying see ya later to Jim and Joanne … We had such a good time being with them.

We had a short travel day only 2 1/2 hours and arrived on the Fort at 12:30.

We were just getting hooked up when Pat rode by in her truck. She had some ladies in the truck with her on their way to play bridge, but we got hugs and a promise to see her later.

We got all set up and I made us some lunch. Around 3pm Dan came by to get us and take us to their place. He gave us the tour of the new apartment they are building, it will so nice for them. We walked across the street to have happy hour with their friends Eck and Dee. Eck has beer on tap, you just need to bring your glass and Jesse was ready.

After about a hour we went home fed and walked the boys then went by Kit and Jerry’s place. They were not at home, but we knew they weren’t far because their rig was open.

So we headed back to Dan and Pat’s. They were still at happy hour, so Jesse was talked into having another beer.

Kit and Jerry dove by in their golf cart and we were able to visit for just a few minutes.

Pat had made dinner for us, so we went back over to their place and had lots of conversation and a wonderful meal with dessert. Thank you both for a GREAT evening!

We didn’t go home until after 9pm and it was a fun day!

Tuesday, December 27 - Staying Busy (Ingram, TX)

2011-12-27T22:29:00.001-05:00

Today the weather was awesome, sunny and high of 64. That may not sound wonderful to those in south Texas and Florida, but it’s the warmest, driest weather that we have had in a long time.

Yesterday Joanne and I went to Walmart in Kerrville. We stopped at Wendy’s and brought our guys some lunch home.

I did laundry and just relaxed in the afternoon.

Last night we all went to Mamacita’s for dinner, a very nice Mexican Restaurant. We had been there before when we were here in 2009 with a bunch of RV-Dreamers for a gathering. The food was still good and the company was great but small in comparison.

Today Jesse and I went to Fredericksburg to browse the shops. Jim and Joanne had planned to go with us but Jim was not feeling well today so they stayed home.

This is the trees in the park. The wood one played music while the people were going around.

We enjoyed walking around the stores looking at all the things we didn’t buy. We had lunch in one of the local places on the main street.

The only thing we bought today was food, we purchased lunch and brought home strudel and fudge.

Once at home I continued to do laundry. For dinner Joanne made pasta and sauce, I made a salad and bread. She also made bread pudding for dessert and I served the strudel. We all ate at our place because we had a little more room.

We enjoyed the company and we lingered talking after we all were stuffed. It seems no matter who we are with it’s we are always eating.

Hugs!

Sunday, December 25th - Merry Christmas !! (Ingram, TX)

2011-12-25T13:16:00.001-05:00

Wishing everyone a joy filled Christmas Day

We are just relaxing on this Christmas Day, talking to our family and friends on the phone. We will be going to a Christmas buffet dinner with Jim and Joanne at an Inn in Kerrville later.

Last night we went to the club house here at Johnson Creek RV Resort & Cabins for a pot luck dinner. It was very nice and the club house was beautiful decorated for the holiday. All the tables were set and the food was delicious.

Friday, December 23 - Travel Day!!!! (Wichita Falls, Texas)

2011-12-23T19:51:00.001-05:00

We left this morning at 8:05am, traveled 325 and arrived at Wichita Falls RV Park at 2:20. We are so happy to be out of Kansas and finished with our work at Amazon.

Our last day was suppose to be yesterday, we went in at 6:30 only to be told that we could have the day off on VTO if we wanted and we said SURE!!!! We went to breakfast then back to the RV to relax. I did 3 loads of laundry and packed everything for travel and believe me after working at Amazon that was relaxing.

Once we got moving our travel was uneventful today. I say that because as soon as Jesse started the truck the pressure pro said he had low pressure in one of the tires and he had to get out the compressor and air the tire. He said that it was the pressure pro that made the tire leak air. I guess we should have steel valve stems but we have rubber, so the sensor/transmitter was not on correctly and released pressure. Jesse installed them the other day and aired all the tires in preparation of leaving.

Last Saturday we met with some friends at Pizza Hut to have a meal and have a last gathering before we all would depart this week.

John, Bob and Jesse

Me, Barb and Lora

Everyone: Barb, Lora, Kay, John, Bob, Jesse and Ed

Kay and Ed was a little late arriving because we stopped by to see them on our way to the restaurant to say thank you again for walking the boys for us and to see there new puppy. (A 4 month old schnauzer) That held them up getting ready but it was no problem as we were in no hurry. We had a good meal and great company, we lingered long after everyone was finished eating just visiting and sharing stories.

Ivy

John and Lora were heading to Westleco so we will get together with them while we are in the Rio Grand Valley. Bob and Barb were going to South Carolina and Kay and Ed will end up in Texas to their home.

On the 20th Kelsey turned 18 years of age. I can’t believe she is all grown up and beautiful. This is a picture of her and her boyfriend Kyle.

Then on the 22, yesterday Bayer turned 11. He is so handsome!!

Now that we are not going to be working I hope to blog more often. I am sure it will not be every day but I will try to get in a few times a week.

December 9 - 2 Weeks left (Liberty, KS)

2011-12-09T11:24:00.001-05:00

Well it’s been awhile since I have written ….. It has been a grueling few weeks. Working 10 hours a day really is a toll on the body. We have really not done anything on our days off but, clean, laundry, cook and get groceries.

We were moved from inbound department to outbound. We now pack orders in boxes. Neither of us like it, but we can’t seem to get moved back, believe me I have tried!!

The original 6 that trained in the beginning was Bob, Gary, Norman, Loretta, Jesse and myself. We all would sit together at breaks and lunch, so splitting us up was sad. Norm, Loretta, Jesse and I were being moved to outbound, but Norm and Loretta decided to just quit.

So before they left we all went out to dinner the night before. It was fun to have some social time with them and to say a proper see ya down the road. We went to Jack’s bar and grill. They had a shuffle board game there and 4 of us played, although we didn’t finish the game we had fun.

Loretta and Norm

Gary and Darlene

Bob and Barb

Yesterday was supposed to be our overtime day, so we were up, dressed and off to work. When we got there the parking lot was full!!! Jesse dropped me off then parked the car. Once we got to our work area, we were told that there were too many people and not enough packing machines and that they were going to send people home. I couldn’t get my hand raised fast enough. We were out of there in a flash!

We spent the day just relaxing around. I took down the fall decorations and put up a few Christmas things. I really didn’t want to do much because I would have to try and put them away when we leave. Jesse took the car to get it washed, just to get the grime off it.

It has been very cold here; below freezing at night and in the 30’s during the day. Can’t wait to get somewhere warm.

Mr. B has been just hanging in there. He is lethargic, and still having problems holding his urine, but eating and drinking. He is still quite loving and will let me cradle him just like a baby.

Bye for now.

Saturday, November 26 - Only 4 Weeks To Go! (Liberty, KS)

2011-11-26T11:24:00.001-05:00

This past week was the Thanksgiving luncheon at work on Monday. I was surprised that they were able to feed all of us in the 1/2 hour time period.

As we entered the lunch room we were handed a styrofoam container with turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and a roll. They had another lady to put gravy on your potatoes if you wanted it. Then they handed you a small coffee container with cranberry, mandarin oranges and walnuts in it. For dessert they handed you a container if bread pudding.

It was all very organized and efficient and the food was tasty.

Mr. B is doing physically better, but he can not control himself and urinates whenever he needs to. After Jesse waking up two mornings in a row and stepping in puddles of pee he was really upset to put it mildly. We have decided to let him sleep in the kennel, Mr. B not Jesse. Now that he is eating and drinking I have started to give him the meds for incontinence, hopefully that will do some good.

On Wednesday I was coming down with a cold and just was not feeling well, so I left work early. When I got home I ate some lunch and then took a nap.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and we had made plans to share dinner with Bob and Barb Williams at our place. Barb was making a sweet potato casserole, squash and pies for dessert (cherry and pumpkin). I made the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. We had a very nice meal and the company was great.

After dinner we played Sequence and Bob and I beat Jesse and Barb 2 to 1. It was a fun day, thanks guys for sharing with us!!!!

For the next two days we just relaxed at home, I did laundry and nursed my cold. I am feeling better, but not normal and it’s back to work tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Sunday, November 20 – Update on Mr. B (Liberty, KS)

2011-11-20T18:51:00.001-05:00

Update on Mr. B .. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts ...

I am very happy to say that he seems better today. He was perky when we got home and he took a large poo.

Yesterday he ate and was drinking again. He ate breakfast this morning and dinner tonight. Hopefully he is on the mend, and this doesn’t happen again since we do not know what is wrong.

Work was the same, not as hot because it has gotten cold here. 38 degrees when we left for work this morning and the same when we went home.

Tomorrow we are suppose to be having Thanksgiving dinner on Amazon. I will let you know how it is.

HUGS!!!

Friday, November 18 - Haven’t Blown Away Yet (Liberty, KS)

2011-11-19T11:29:00.001-05:00

The wind never stops … We have been rocking for days. At times the wind is a breeze, but mostly high winds. I really know how Dorothy made it to OZ.

Of course we have been working 4-10 hour days and by Wednesday we are really tired. See for yourself, that’s a glass of wine in his hand and he is zonked out.

We do not do much, mostly we just do laundry, clean the house, buy groceries and I prepare meals for the work week.

Last Friday the 11th, we went out to eat with Barb and Bob to a local place in Coffeyville called Lannings. It was nothing special but the food was tasty.

After eating they came over to our place and we played hand and foot. The girls beat the guys the 1st game and then the guys won the 2nd, no rubber game was played. After the games we had cherry chocolate dump cake for dessert. It was a fun night!!

Mr. B has not been his normal active self for several months now. He also has been urinating in the house as I have mentioned. We bought him a kennel for during the day and look who likes it.

We took Mr. B to the local vet about 3 weeks ago to have a urine test taken to see if he had any infections. They found everything to be normal.

He continued to get worse and started to not eat very good. On Thursday 17th we took him to a vet in Independence who could take blood and review the tests right in his office. Again found nothing abnormal. He gave up some vitamins for him and gave us some incontinence meds to give him.

We took him back to the vet today because by this time he was dehydrated and hadn’t eaten anything in two days and could hardly walk. He suggested we take him to K-State University Veterinary Clinic which is 31/2 hours away. He called them to make an appointment for us. We left his office ran home to pick up Bayer and Buddy and we took off.

When we got there it was just a few minutes before we were called into the exam room. They took a history and examined him.

They took more blood and urine and ran tests on all these things and they took X-rays and found nothing. They gave him some IV fluids and sent us home with some cans of food that he may eat. They said they could do other tests, a sonogram, an MRI, and admit him to the ICU, but they had no realistic ideas as to what was wrong. We decided to just take him home where he would be comfortable and hope for the best.

We have no answers and really feel at a loss, but we are hopping we can get him back to eating and getting better. Jesse didn’t think he would make it thru the night but he is hanging in there.

Wednesday, November 9 - 6 Weeks Done, 6 Weeks to Go

2011-11-10T10:54:00.001-05:00

Today was peak season kick-off. That just meant that we came in at 6:30am instead of 6:00am and then at 4:10 we need to listen for the marching band.

Really, a marching band and parade in the warehouse. When we heard it we were to stop work and follow along with the parade to the stage that was set up. Then they did the usually Ra-Ra- Ra build up.. Then Santa, aka, plant manager gave away a lot of nice prizes. 19 and 32 inch flat screen TV’s, IPods, Cameras and Video Game Systems to name a few. Then they played some games and the people participating won $25 Amazon gift cards.

It was a rough week as I worked all 4, 10 hour days.

Now for resting!

Friday, November 5 - Just Hanging Out (Liberty, KS)

2011-11-05T10:39:00.001-04:00

We are still hanging here in Coffeyville. Not much going on. We have completed week 5 and only have 7 weeks left. The work is tedious and long but the days go by fast.

Last Saturday evening they had a workamper get together at the local Pizza Hut. The party room was reserved for 6pm and when we got there with Barb and Bob at 10 minutes till there were no seats left. We decided to just get a booth and invited another couple looking for seats to join us. I don’t think they were expecting so many workampers to show up because we over ran the place with well over a hundred of us. Anyway the pizza was good as was the company and we had a nice evening.

The past couple of weeks have been a bit slow at Amazon. Sunday they sent the whole shift home 2 1/2 hours early and told us to come in 2 hours late on Monday. Then on Monday they asked if anyone wanted voluntary time off for Tuesday and or Wednesday, Ginger took Wednesday but I stuck it out for the whole week.

Amazon still has 2 more groups starting and “peak season” will break out here any day. They say there won’t be much warning when we will start receiving over a million units per day. Of course I don’t know what a normal amount per day is so I have nothing for comparison.

I have never been a fan of the day/night shades in most of the RVs and neither of us have been a fan of the clunky window treatments with the valances and lambrequins. So after many discussions we ditched the lambrequins and Ginger is going to make curtain side panels as a replacement. We also ordered 1 inch faux wood mini blinds from SelectBlinds.com to replace the day/night shades. The blinds are supposed to be in today and we post will some photos after the job is completed.

We took Mr. B to the vet’s last week. He can’t or won’t hold his pee-pee for more then about 2 hours. We are just sitting here and he squats to pee right in front of us. We thought he may have an infection….But the vet says no infection. We ordered him a crate and will have to crate him again.

We took Buddy to get groomed yesterday and he looks good.

That’s about all for now. Take care everyone!

Wednesday, October 26 - We Are Still Here (Liberty, KS)

2011-10-26T13:13:00.001-04:00

I know it’s been a couple weeks since I have blogged. I really have not had much to say and too tired to say the things I do have to say.

Today would be a work day for both Jesse and I, but took a VTO day (voluntary time off) and Jesse did not. They have been asking everyone if they want to take time off most days. I also took the afternoon off last Wednesday. If you say you will accept VTO they put all the names in a hat and draw names.

Several work campers have left saying it’s not what they want to do. I really feel the same most of the time, but I want to stick it out.

I really don’t mind the work, we are kind of like robots and don’t have to think. It just really is a long day, DIRTY and the heat really gets to me. The warehouse is really hot and I don’t like to be hot. It doesn’t seem to bother Jesse near as much as me.

We have done a few things on our days off. We visited the Dalton Museum, not very exciting, I think Jesse enjoyed it better then I did.

The story: The gun battle between the outlaws and the forces of law and order – took place in Coffeyville, Kansas. The gun battle lasted just 12 minutes. Eight men – four robbers and four defenders – were killed, and four, one of them a bandit, was wounded in the Plaza area where this Dalton Defenders Museum is now located.

After that we took a tour of the Brown Mansion.

The main floor includes a two-story entry, living room, parlor, music room, library, solarium, dining room, billiard room, kitchen, and maid’s quarters. Five bedrooms and three full baths are on the second floor. The entire third floor is a ballroom and a full basement houses the butler’s quarters, laundry, heating system, walk-in-icebox, wine cellar, and storage rooms.

The tour took about 40 minutes and it was just the two of us on our tour so we got to ask lots of questions. Some rooms have original hand painted canvas wall coverings. Tiffany leaded-glass accents the main doorway, and a signed Tiffany chandelier in the dining room is believed to have been hung by the designer personally.

After the Hearst Castle this was like a small house.

I liked the stove.

Jesse liked the vibrating chair

This past Saturday Chuck and Kathy stopped by for one night to visit on there way to Colorado Springs. Barb Williams planned a dinner gathering at there place that was very nice.

Laura and Barb

Jesse and Bob

Kathy and Ed

Kay (our dog walker) and Chuck

Sorry John don’t know why I didn’t get your picture. It was a nice evening and being able to see Chuck and Kathy again was a bonus, thanks Barb for setting it up!

We got the sad news this week that our friend Elgin had passed on and we are sending thoughts and prayers for Cathy and their family for the strength needed to get through this time, Elgin is at peace.

Hugs!!

Monday, October 10 - Our Car has Returned (Liberty, KS)

2011-10-10T21:59:00.001-04:00

When we got home from work today Jesse had a message from the repair shop saying our car was ready. YEA!!

I got out of the shower threw on some clothes and off we went. Jesse paid the bill $620, and he drove the car home to be sure everything was running correctly ….. all systems were working well.

It was a really hot day at work today very humid.

It rained last night and Jesse and the boys had their first walk today while getting rained on, but it was nice listing to the rain on the roof during the night.

The days are getting easier at work and they they go by fast because we are busy stowing asins (Amazon standard item number).

Hugs!!

Saturday, October 8 - Dinner with new Friends (Liberty, KS)

2011-10-08T22:16:00.001-04:00

Today ends our 3 days off.

We spent the 1st day off, Thursday, having coffee and relaxing in front of our computers while watching the “Today Show”.

I made us some breakfast of scrabbled eggs, bagels and juice. Later in the afternoon we got dressed and went to Walmart for supplies. After we returned home I made tacos for dinner which is what Jesse asked for. We watched TV and just relaxed until bed time.

On Friday after my 1st cup of coffee we called Elizabeth our daughter. She turned 40 years old today. We wanted to make sure we talked to her before she went to work. It sure makes us feel old.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETH !!!!

We actually spent the rest of the day at home just hanging out. I did laundry, vacuumed and dusted and enjoyed staying home. I made spaghetti and salad for dinner.

Today I finished up the laundry and we made plans to go to dinner with Kay and Ed / Barb and Bob. We rode with Bob and Barb to Independence which is about 15 miles away, while Ed and Kay followed.

Our dinner place was Brothers Railroad Inn. It was a very nice clean Italian restaurant and we all enjoyed our dinner and getting to know each other better.

After dinner we stopped in Walmart to pick up a few items and then returned home. It was a nice evening and look forward to more.

Wednesday, October 5 - 1 down…11 to go (Liberty, KS)

2011-10-06T10:38:00.001-04:00

I have not written since Sunday, mostly because I have been exhausted when we get home.

Working at Amazon is a great way to make some money in a short period of time, but it really is exhausting especially when you are not used to this kind of work. They keep telling us that it gets better as you get used to it.

One thing I can say is they really like work campers and make you feel special. They say that we are reliable, accurate and stay on task. They hire hundreds of temporary work campers that get laid off on December 23rd.

Jesse and I both work in the inbound department. We put items (asins) away (stow) on shelves (bins) all day long. Amazon has their own language. You put the items (asins) wherever you can find room, items are not assigned a specific bin.

We get up at 4:30am and Jesse walks the boys, which by the way it’s dark and they are not ready to get up. We have to drag Mr. B out of bed. I get up make the bed, and start getting dressed. Then I make lunches, eat a yogurt for breakfast and then out the door. Jesse makes me a cup of coffee and has a little time to get on his computer before he gets ready. He walks the boys one more time before we leave.

We are to be at “stand up” ready to work with our scanner at 6am. Stand up is an area that all workers meet in the morning and after lunch for announcements and to do some brief stretching.

We have our 1st 15 minute break at 9:30am, but it can take you 2.5 minutes to walk one way to the break room, as this is a huge facility ….. 1.25 million square feet.

Then we get lunch at 12:30 and must be back at stand up at 1pm for announcements and stretching. 2nd break is at 3:00pm, which means we only have 1 hour 15 minutes left before we get off at 4:30pm.

Our commute is very short we are only about 1 mile from the warehouse. When we get home our boys seem very happy and are happy to see us. They are being walked by Kay and we are very pleased to have her be a “2nd Mommy” to them for us.

When I get home all I want to do is get in the shower. Then I have to make dinner and of course I really don’t feel like it because I am exhausted. I told Jesse that I will be making casseroles that all I have to do is warm up in the microwave in the future.

Only 11 more weeks to go ……………..

Sunday, October 2 - Orientation, Long Day (Liberty, KS)

2011-10-02T21:00:00.001-04:00

Today was a long day. We were at the Amazon plant at 8:15, parked and walked into this massive plant they call “Fulfillment Center”.

There were about 40 work campers that attended this orientation. We saw films on sexual harassment, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and a power point presentation on policies and procedures.

We had a break where they served cookies, coffee, tea, sodas and water.

We got our pictures taken for our company ID, which we use to punch in and out on the time clocks.

We also had to fill out many different forms actually seven that needed to be turned in.

For lunch they served sandwiches and veggies along with the same drinks.

Then we were given a tour of the plant and had to go through 5 or 6 different safety schools. We were given a test after our schools to see what we learned.

The last hour and a half was the worst. 2 HR employees took 1 couple at a time and had them fill out their I-9 forms on line. It took a long time for all of us to complete this task.

We got out at 6:00pm….A long 9.5 hour day..

We both have the same schedule working 6:00am-4:30pm, Sunday-Wednesday with Thurs, Fri and Sat off.

Which means we will need to be back at work at 6 in the morning.

I made us soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.

The boys seemed to be fine when we got home, so I am sure Kay took good care of them…Thank you very much!!!

Goodnight for now.

Saturday, October 1 - Dog Walker Found for our Boys (Liberty, KS)

2011-10-01T22:44:00.001-04:00

Today started off slow. We both sat with our computers for a long while this morning enjoying our coffee and watching the food channel.

We finally got up and got dressed and decided to go into town for breakfast and to see what the “Re-enactment of the Dalton Gang called Defenders Day” was all about. As we were leaving the park we saw Barb and Bob at another rig and was waving us to come over. We stopped and they introduced us to Kay and Ed. Kay has agreed to walk our boys for us while we work 10 hours a day.

YEA!!

After talking a while Jesse and I took off for town. We stopped for breakfast at Eggberts. Then we walked around the town. They had a craft fair that was not too swift. Jesse walk around and looked at the classic cars.

Then we took the truck to a self car wash to get some of the dirt off. We dropped the movies back to Walmart and picked up a few things that we forgot yesterday.

After we got home Jesse drove over to get Kay so see could meet the boys. She stayed awhile so the boys could get used to her. We have orientation tomorrow starting at 8:30am.

Friday, September 30 - Getting Familiar with the Area

2011-09-30T21:47:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we just hung out at home.

Jesse put the transmission oil in the car, but found that it all leaked. He jacked up the car trying to see if he could tell where it was leaking, but he couldn’t get underneath of it to tell.

We called a tow truck to come and take it to the shop for repairs.

I got out all the things that make our rig feel like a home. I also did some laundry.

This morning the repair shop called and said they needed to order parts, an axle shaft and seals on the right side, and that they should be in next Tuesday and the car should be ready Wednesday or Thursday at a cost of about $600.

Our 1st stop was the repair shop to get some items out of the car, then a shoe store. I needed to find comfortable shoes for work. I really do not like closed in shoes so it is really hard to find shoes that feel good. I found a pair of New Balance walking shoes that felt pretty good and purchased them.

We also purchased socks that are suppose to be really comfortable “Fits”. They are very expensive, but we each purchased one pair and will try them out.

Then we decided to drive to Bartlesville, OK to look around. It took about 45 minutes to get there. It was lunch time so we looked for some place to eat. We decided on McAlister’s Deli, I was not impressed.

After returning to Coffeyville we went to Walmart to pick up a few grocery items. While there Jesse rented the newest Transformer movie and “The Dilemma”.

After returning home Jesse walked the boys and I put the groceries away.

Then we got a knock at the door and in came Bob and Barb Williams. They had contacted us a few days ago saying they were coming to also work at Amazon. We were very happy to meet them and get to know them.

After their visit I made us a chef salad for dinner.

We watched the movies and relaxed in our recliners for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, September 28 - Getting to know the area (Liberty, KS)

2011-09-28T20:07:00.001-04:00

I started my day by calling Mitch and Margaret to wish them

Before living this full-time life style we would celebrate our anniversary’s together. Some years we would go on vacation together…Others we would spend the day together and go out for a nice dinner. They were fun times and I miss them. I hope you two have a wonderful day!

I made us some berry muffins for breakfast, then started getting busy with the days tasks. Jesse went out to hook up the truck so he could re-level the rig.

I turned the A/C on in the rig. Not use to his humidly, it sucks!

I started some laundry and Jesse staked the awning out. I cleaned up the kitchen and made the bed. Then I started to get dressed.

Once we both were ready we took off in search of lumber for a step and the bank. We drove around the little town and found the bank without any problem and then a lumber yard where Jesse purchased all he needed for the step and they even cut the lumber to the correct size.

Then we stopped at Braum’s for some lunch and ice cream. We had a huge chicken club sandwich with fries and a drink. For dessert I had a hot fudge sundae and Jesse a strawberry sundae.

Then we stopped at Walmart which is about 5 minutes from the campground, it is about a year old and very nice.

We returned home and Jesse built the platform step. He put it together in no time at all it’s 3 1/2 x 5 1/2

Then he put the screen on the back window to block the sun.

He found that the car didn’t have any transmission fluid, so we purchased some while we were out. After I chatted with Jackie last night Tony had given him something to try, but it didn’t work.

Tomorrow we look for a repair shop.

We received an email that said we are to have orientation on Sunday from 8:30 to 5:00. Seems like a long day for orientation, but I guess we will see.

Here are some pictures of the park

This is what they call grass

In the words of the Dray’s

Tuesday, September 27 - Another Travel Day (Liberty, KS)

2011-09-27T21:23:00.001-04:00

We left at 8am today and traveled 308 miles to Big Chief RV Park. We traveled about 12 miles out of our way, we couldn’t find the entrance to the park because of construction.

Unfortunately the Mazda is have transmission problems and we need to find a repair shop A.S.A.P.

The RV park is not very nice. We have gravel pull thru’s with what they call grass (weeds) in between. NO TREES!! I will take pictures and post tomorrow.

Jesse had problems getting the dish lined up, but finally got it. We are not sure why … there is nothing blocking the line of sight, remember NO TREES!

We set up got showers and made leftovers and hotdogs for dinner.

Now we are just relaxing in front of the TV and computers.

Monday, September 26 - Travel Day (Dodge City, KS)

2011-09-26T18:51:00.001-04:00

We left Mountaindale this morning at 7:30 am. It was bitter/sweet. We really enjoyed our time this summer, but look forward to the next 3 months.

We had a few minutes to say goodbye to Jackie and Tony and Gucci and they left a few minutes before us.

We traveled south on Hwy 115 then East on 50 for 315 miles to Gunsmoke Trav-L-Park in Dodge City, KS.

This is what I saw on our trip:

This was my first trip driving the car behind the Kram-a-lot and was very pleased that it was not bad at all. Jesse and I communicated with each other using our 2 way radios and it worked well.

Yesterday I started my day defrosting the freezer. Marilyn had told me she uses her blow dryer to defrost the freezer, so I tried it and it works GREAT! Thank you very much for the tip.

Then I made meatballs and macaroni and cheese for the farewell pot luck party we were attending at tonight. The invited guests were full time residents and employees. There was lots, and lots of food.

And everything I tasted was delicious.

David the owner stood up and thanked everyone for a great season and that he looks forward to seeing everyone next year.

On Wednesday two of the residents Myda and Cindy are having a birthday so there was a cake and we sang to them.

My co-workers Mary Nell and Jackie

It was a nice gathering and it seems a good time was had by all.

Saturday, September 24 - Last Visit with Family (CS, CO)

2011-09-25T10:58:00.001-04:00

Thanks for all the Anniversary wishes. A special thanks to Jackie and Tony! They brought us a cake and card for our special day.

We had a really nice day ending with a very nice dinner at Mona Lisa Fondue Restaurant in Manitou Springs.

They also have a wine tasting cellar downstairs, so we went a little early and stopped in there for some wine. Our table was ready when we walked up stairs and we were seated in “Lover Lane” room. It had three tables for two very secluded and romantic.

We started with a salad then had cheese fondue with bread, strawberries, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and grapes. Yummy!

Then on to the main course. We chose the seafood selection; Rockport Lobster tail, Yellow Fin Tuna, Bay Scallops, Large Gulf Tiger Shrimp, and Atlantic Salmon; that we grilled at our table. It was served with over six dipping sauces, and potatoes, zucchini and red peppers.

Of course we had to cook it ourselves, makes you wonder why these style meals are so expensive because we do the cooking.

Then we had the dessert of chocolate fondue with pound cake, strawberries, cheese cake, pineapple, bananas, marshmallows and cookies. More Yum, everything was delicious.

It was a wonderful evening! Thank you honey!

Today I did laundry and started to pack up the inside for travel. Then we packed up the chairs we purchase a few months ago to take to Beth and DJ. We decided we didn’t want that much furniture after all. Not sure what we are doing with the space yet.

We spent the evening with our family and had a great time. We played games and visited, we said our see ya later.

Hugs to everyone!!

Friday, September 23 - Happy Anniversary Jesse! (CS, CO)

2011-09-23T11:41:00.001-04:00

Today Jesse and I have been married for 32 years.

Happy Anniversary Honey!!

I can’t say that they have all been wonderful, but we have had more good then bad and the love has always been there.

Last night we met Beth, Adam, DJ, Kim and grandchildren for dinner. It was very nice and we will miss them when we leave on Monday.

I worked a few hours on Wednesday and that will be my last shift. Jesse also got a few loads of rock and dirt from the quarry for the landscaping of the park. We kept Miss Gucci for the day, because the Albasini’s were out for the day to celebrate Tony birthday, she is such a pleasure and the boys seem to like her, as they all got along well.

On Tuesday I went into town and had a mani/pedi, this will be the last one from the girl I found here.

When I got home Jesse and I went to the movies to see “Contagion”. We thought it was a realistic representation of what could happen if a virus was to surface.

We had dinner with Jackie and Tony at our place, we grilled chicken, elk steaks and sausage. It has become quite chilling in the evenings, so we all needed jackets to eat outside. I it so much fun spending time with friends. Tomorrow is Tony’s birthday, so I got him a cake and we shared a piece after dinner.

Sunday, September 18 - Weekend with the Kiddos (CS, CO)

2011-09-18T22:22:00.001-04:00

Thursday I worked 11am to 6 pm. It was a busy day because we had some computer malfunctions and we needed to recreate some information.

On Friday Jesse went into Pueblo to spend some time with Adam and his new chickens, roosters and their goat.

He brought me home a Subway sandwich for lunch and then I went to work.

It wasn’t too busy, but a little challenging communicating with the deaf group we had arriving in the park for the weekend.

On Saturday I opened as usual and Jesse drove back into Pueblo to meet Beth and pick up Kacie and Colt. They were spending the weekend with us while Beth and DJ went to Cripple Creek for the the weekend to celebrate their 7th wedding anniversary.

Kacie sat with me in the office until I got off visiting and catching up. Jesse and Colt were everywhere. The played pool, walked the boys, drove around the campground in the 4 wheeler and played in the playground. When I got off we just sat at home relaxing.

Well I relaxed and the 2 human boys wrestled.

We took the boys for a long walk around the campground then drove to Goose Berry Patch for some dinner. We all had the buffet and Colt was a very good boy.

When we returned to the campground we sat outside while Jesse tried to start a fire, but the wood was just too wet from all the rain we have had.

At 7pm we went down to the office for the ice cream social. My three companions indulged while I was too full from dinner. It was quite chilling outside so we went into the office for them to eat their ice cream while visiting with Jackie.

When we returned to the rig we settled down to watch the “Green Hornet” on TV.

Sunday I made bacon, eggs and French toast for breakfast. After breakfast the guys went to the office to empty trash and get firewood, while Kacie and I got cleaned up for the day.

We took a ride up Gold Camp Road and North Cheyenne Canyon Road on the way to Garden of the Gods. Colt really enjoyed the ride through the 2 tunnels we went through.

The 2 children had never been to Garden of the Gods so they were excited about climbing on the rocks and having their pictures taken.

Climbing around the rocks worked up an appetite for all of us, so we went to Subway in Manitou Springs and walked to the park to have our picnic.

Before returning to the campground we stopped at the visitors area at Fort Carson to look at the big tanks. Colt was having a wonderful time seeing the big machines.

Kit Carson

9/11 Memorial a piece of steel from the twin towers

Tanks

When we got back to the Kram-a-lot we all sat outside until Beth and DJ got there to pick the children up.

We enjoyed our time with the kiddos very much and look forward to more next summer.

Wednesday, September 14 - A Very Wet Day (CS, CO)

2011-09-15T11:39:00.001-04:00

Monday we had Jackie and Tony over for drinks and dinner. We sat sat outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Our boys and Gucci were just walking around our site being really good puppies. As Jackie mentioned it is nice to be able to have our dogs off lease on our site here at Mountaindale, we will miss that when we move on.

I made a bean salad and roasted potatoes, along with marinated elk steaks for the grill. Jackie made savory corn fritters and watermelon along with marinated boerewors and peri peri chicken for the grill.

We enjoyed our meal and the evening with friends was really fun!!

Before the evening was over we made plans to go out for a late breakfast tomorrow.

Jesse had an appointment to have the car serviced at 8am and when he returned we were going to Sheldon Luncheonette in Colorado Springs.

We sat down and our server took our drink order, she was very direct and lots of fun. With the insistence of Tony, Jesse ordered a pancake along with scrambled eggs and potatoes. The pancake was HUGE. I took a picture but can’t get it to download from my phone.

Jesse egg selection also was a topic of discussion. He believes that 2 scrambled eggs is less to eat then 2 fried eggs. None of us understand his logic, but we listen and laughed.

From there we went to Sportsmen’s Warehouse. (They had never been) I think Tony enjoyed it very much and Jackie liked it better then I thought she would. We all walked around the store without making a purchase.

Our next stop was Penzeys Spices. Jackie was the only one who had been there before so the rest of us were just wondering through all the isles smelling. We did make some purchases there.

We came back home and we each went to our own small homes on wheels.

Jesse went out to work to pick up a few loads of rock. While he was gone I made a pasta dish for dinner.

Before long it started to rain and it rained really hard for most of the evening.

Today we had decided to go and have our drug screen for our employment at Amazon. After that we went to DSW shoes to look for comfortable shoes to wear for working there. Jesse found a pair but I did not.

I was really raining hard outside so we ran for the car. We went to Panera’s for a late lunch and it was yummy as usual. With the weather as wet as it was we decided to just go home.

It rained all the rest of the day and was still raining when we went to bed. A real soaker day!!

Sunday, September 11 - Lazy Sunday Remembering (CS,CO)

2011-09-12T10:37:00.001-04:00

This week has gone by fast, which is surprising since work has been really slow.

On Tuesday we had to say see ya later to Ed and Marilyn as they left Mountaindale and headed home to their children and grandchildren in Hannibal, a few tears were shed.

Since the summer is now behind us our hours have been cut which was expected. I worked until Saturday and now I have the next 4 days off. I will work a few days next week, then that will end this summer at Mountaindale.

We will depart on the 26th and head to Coffeyville, KS to begin a 90 day commitment with Amazon.com filling orders for the Christmas season.

Today remembering 10 years ago, I also shed a few more tears watching the events on TV this morning. We all remember that day.

Jesse went down to the office to see if they needed anything and to empty trash. I decided to make us some waffles for breakfast.

I stripped the bed and washed the sheets. I also got cleaned up and then just got lazy. I sat in my chair watching TV and computering for the rest of the day.

I made a homemade pizza for dinner, then continued my laziness.

Saturday, September 3 - Visiting

2011-09-04T13:43:00.002-04:00

It has been a quiet work week with kids back in school.

Wednesday we went to dinner with Ed and Marilyn to the Gooseberry Patch. Good home style food as always.

Friday afternoon the campers started piling in for the 3 day weekend. As usual we are full.

Saturday after Ginger got off work we headed to downtown Pueblo to meet Beth, Kim, Ryan, and Colt for pizza at Angelo's on the River Walk.

DJ could not make it cause he was guiding an antelope hunt in New Mexico, Adam couldn’t come cause he was working, and Kacie went to the State Fair with friends, and Gage was at his mothers.

We were all there within a few minutes of each other. Colt was in costume again. He likes to dress up.

We had garlic knots (garlic dough balls with marinara sauce), salad, and 2 different kinds of pizza. Kim had to leave after eating as she was working with the ambulance crew at the State Fair for the evening and Ryan left cause it is uncool to hang with Mom and grandparents on a Saturday evening.

So after we ate and Kim and Ryan left, the 4 of us took a boat ride around the River Walk. For your info the Arkansas river flows through downtown Pueblo. The River Walk in Pueblo is cute but nothing like San Antonio or Oklahoma City.

From there we took a walk around the shops downtown. We found a nice frozen yogurt shop for dessert.

After dessert we casually walked back to our cars. Beth and Colt headed home and we headed to Fire Station 1 to visit with Adam for a bit and to see their new fire truck.

Adam introduced us to his workmates and the Fire Chief and then gave us the nickel tour. This is the new state of the art truck Advanced Life Support rescue truck.

Pueblo’s moniker is "Home of Hero's" because Pueblos is home to four "Medal of Honor" recipients.

With our tour completed we headed home for a little computer and TV time.

It sure is nice being able to visit with the kids and grand kids while we do this work camping thing…but only 3 weeks left here.

Jesse

Tuesday, August 30 - The Help! (CS, CO)

2011-08-30T23:35:00.001-04:00

I was up and in the shower 1st thing this morning. I had appointment to have my nails done at 9:30. I am very happy with the girl I found while here and will miss her when we leave next month.

I stopped and put fuel in the car before returning to the campground.

I walked the boys and when we returned we saw Jesse at the truck. He was going into town in our truck running an errand for David.

I made myself some lunch while watching the Food Channel.

Marilyn Jackie and I are going to a movie this afternoon, so Jesse decided to work today. He drove the dump truck getting loads of sand and rock this morning because they are rebuilding a site.

I decided to go up and visit with Marilyn a little earlier then our planned pick-up time.

Ed showed me some pictures of Colby riding his 4 wheeler, what a proud Papa!

Marilyn and I drove down to pick up Jackie and off we went.

Watching the previews, the whole theater was laughing at one part of a movie trailer, problem we didn’t know the name of the movie!!

We were seeing “The Help”.

Marilyn had read the book so see knew what was going to happen. I really liked the movie, I thought it was a little slow in the beginning, but it got better.

After the movie we stopped at the store to pick up a few items.

When I got home the boys were home alone. Jesse left me a note that he had gone to Synagogue with David and not to expect him until after 8PM.

I had bought a rotisserie chicken while at the food store. I had that and made a salad to go with it.

Jesse didn’t got home around 9pm and he was tired. We relaxed together while watching TV.

Monday, August 29 - Another work day (CS, CO)

2011-08-30T14:17:00.001-04:00

After getting up and having coffee I did some more laundry, and straighten up around the house.

Marilyn was going to Walmart a stopped by to see of I needed anything, so I asked them to pick up some bread for us.

When she returned she came in to give me her opinion on the floor tile sample we brought home. She thought we did a good job and thinks it will look really good.

I made fish cakes for dinner cutting up celery and onions to add with can tuna and salmon, 1 egg, old bay seasoning, hand full of bread crumbs, mayonnaise and mustard. I made 4 large cakes and put them in the fridge to marry together.

I walked the boys then got ready for work. It was very slow, but kept busy helping David with a few bookkeeping items and phone calls.

After work I fried the fish cakes in a small amount of vegetable oil, baked some curly fries I had in the freezer and steamed some broccoli and called it dinner.

After dinner we sat in our recliners watching TV until bed time.

Just another day in the Colorado mountains, a beautiful weather today, temps were mid 80’s.

Hugs!

Sunday, August 28 - Our splurge in more ways then one (CS, CO)

2011-08-28T20:46:00.001-04:00

Yesterday after I got off of work we drove into the Springs. Our first stop was for lunch at Red Robin. I had a teriyaki grilled chicken sandwich and Jesse had a bacon cheese burger.

Then we went to Home Depot. We are looking to replace our carpet with a linoleum floor. Jesse also wants to replace our day/night shades with mini blinds.

We also purchased a new ceiling fan to replace the one that came with the RV. It always rattled and wiggled.

After we returned home we relaxed and then walked down to the lodge to join the ice cream social.

Today was the day that we have planned with Ed and Marilyn for over a year.

We were going to the Sunday Brunch Buffet at The Broadmoor Hotel.

We arrived and walked around the beautiful grounds and gardens

We stopped walking and sat outside the bar area and had a glass of wine, while some had beer. We talked about the different cruises we have taken with Jackie and Tony cruising the most - 20 some times.

The three of us women decided to go to the ladies room and walked out the front balcony and a guy offered to take our picture.

When we returned they called us to lunch and WOW, what a lunch!!

Made to order omelets, bacon, fried potatoes, biscuits and gravy and sausage. many different kinds of pastries, mini bagels, many chesses and many spreads. Devine shrimp, fruit, baked ham, salmon, lamb, prime rib, tuna, mashed potatoes and gravy, tenderloin of pork, some kind of chicken, and oysters on the half shell to name a few of the items.

There was sooo much food and everything I tasted was really good. I tried to have a little of everything except the things I don’t like, like oysters…I told Jackie she could have my share and she did as she loves them.

Desserts … there were too many to list, here’s my plate, can you tell I like chocolate!

Jackie is having a birthday soon and they gave her a delicious chocolate moose with a candle in it.

We sat and enjoyed coffee after all our food was consumed before saying goodbye to Jackie and Tony.

Ed, Marilyn, Jesse and I walked to the valet to get our car and back to camp we went. Dropped Ed and Marilyn off and we went home. I started more laundry and Jesse decided to put up our new fan. The old one is down and in pieces.

The new one is up … looks beautiful and doesn’t wiggle or wobble.

The rest of the day was sitting in our recliners computering and watching TV.

A wonderful day with friends!

Wednesday, August 24 - It’s been a week

2011-08-25T11:35:00.001-04:00

I will try to give a our readers a brief overview of the past week, no boring stuff about work..

We spent an evening with Mark and Dortha at Jackie and Tony’s.

It was a good meal and fun time relaxing after work with friends laughing and telling stories..

The guys

The food..YUM

Miss Gucci..she is so sweet and cute..

We went to our daughters to help Colt celebrate his 6th birthday! The theme was “Transformers”, the cake made by our talented daughter-in-law Kim!

Colt and his Daddy

Having fun with the Piñata

Then we had the family over for a cookout and to meet Ed and Marilyn!

Colt came with a horse, very cute.

The big guys also had to get in on the fun

Ed played ladder golf with Colt

It was a really nice afternoon with family and good friends and lets not forget the good eats!

On Tuesday Marilyn and I went into town to shop at the mall. Everyone got something new because we found ourselves and our guys something. We had lunch and lingered after the food was gone just talking. Marilyn is much fun to be with I really enjoy her company. We told each other stories about when we were young and we laughed out loud.

I broke my glasses (the frames) the other day and was very glad I had saved my pervious pair. I could see with them pretty good, but the lens are scratched badly.

SO….After work on Wednesday I went into Canon City to see about getting new frames. The technician was very persistent and must have tried about 50 frames and finally found one that would work! They will be fine until we get back to Baltimore in the Spring when I will have my eyes examined and get new glasses.

Hope everyone is feeling loved today, Hugs from me to you!!

Wednesday, August 17 - Errands Lunch with Friends

2011-08-18T18:00:00.001-04:00

Monday was a normal work day I worked 1-6, it was rather slow in the office.

Tuesday was our day off. We had an appointment for the boys to see Kristie to be groomed. So at 7:45 we headed to Pueblo. The boys like going there. It’s funny as soon as we open the door they all just head right for the kennel she always puts them in, just like they are programed.

After dropping them off we went to Walmart and had a breakfast sandwich at Subway and Jesse picked up some movies he ordered through the “Red Box”.

Then it was on to the bank where we had some things to take care of.

After that we drove by to look at our old house. Not much had change since we moved, they planted a few bushes, and we were pleased to see that they kept up with the grass and it looked good.

We stopped by the package goods store for some provisions we needed to replenish our beverage refrigerator.

Our next stop was to go by and see the guys at “One Ton Sheet Metal” where I use to work. We sat for a while and visited with them and got caught up with what’s happening.

By this time the boys were ready, so we picked them up and headed back to Mountaindale.

When got home Jesse walked the boys and I put all our items away and we headed up to pick up Ed and Marilyn. We were meeting Jim and Ellie and Mark and Dortha in Colorado Springs for lunch.

This was our lunch spot for today.

We had a wonderful fun filled lunch with much conversations and a good time was had by all.

I even think Marilyn was having a good time although it looks like she was taking a nap, I assure you see was not.

After we returned to the campground again. Dropped Ed and Marilyn off at the office so they could call Jennifer and we went home to the boys.

We watched two of the 3 movies Jesse had rented. “Limitless and Unknown”, they were pretty good.

Wednesday I opened, I was a little busier then Monday. After work I drove into the Springs to get my nails done. I also returned the movies Jesse rented and picked up a few items at King Super.

Once I returned Jesse was already home and and I was hungry. I realized I hadn’t eaten all day, so I prepared dinner and we ate early.

We sat outside with Jackie and Tony for a short time while Jackie was roasting peppers.

At home we watched “Big Brother” and the 3rd movie “No Strings Attached” while relaxing for the evening.

Sunday, August 15 - Perfect Weekend with Friends and Family (CS, CO)

2011-08-15T11:23:00.002-04:00

Saturday I opened the office at 7am.

The group we had staying with us this past week was a lot of fun. They get together in our lounge in the afternoons and evenings and play games. From the sounds I hear coming out of the room they really enjoyed their time together. The laughter is infectious, I love hearing people having fun!

They leave today so they were having their last gathering this morning - breakfast of biscuits and gravy and invited me to join them. It was yummy!

The campground was almost full so we had few check-ins today, so it wasn’t a busy day.

After getting off Jesse and I sat outside enjoying the afternoon. We invited Ed and Marilyn for cocktails and to meet, Elizabeth our daughter, who was spending the evening with us. Her family was all off in different directions for the weekend so we had quality time together which was GREAT!

We were going into the Springs to Macaroni Grill for dinner. We invited Ed and Marilyn to join us, but they declined.

We had a very nice dinner visiting and talking mostly about the children.

After we returned to the campground we walked down to the ice cream social and indulged in some scoops. Back at the Kram-a-lot we sat inside talking about some deep subjects, one was what we believe happens in the afterlife.

It was after 9pm when Beth left for home, we sure enjoyed our time with her.

Sunday we planned to do some shopping at Home Depot and Walmart. We enjoyed our coffee and computers, then I went in to get dressed for the day.

While Jesse was walking the boys Ed stopped by to see if we wanted to join them in a trip to Walmart and lunch. We said sure if they didn’t mind also stopping at Home Depot, so a plan was hatched.

Our 1st stop was Home Depot looking for flooring and window blinds. We found some flooring we liked, but want to look around some more to see all our options. They have a small selection on blinds, so we saw nothing we wanted.

Next stop was Chili’s for lunch. We enjoyed having conservation and laughter with them while having a wonderful lunch.

On to Walmart to do our shopping. We all split up with Marilyn going one way, the guys going another and me a different way. We all ended, meeting up in the produce department then on to the check-out lines.

Back at the park Ed dropped us off at our rig where we unloaded the groceries and I got busy putting them away.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in front of the TV eating our left overs from last night for dinner.

Thursday , August 11 - Working, Shopping and Doctor Appointment

2011-08-12T11:04:00.001-04:00

Monday I worked the afternoon so in the morning I did laundry.

Tuesday was our day off, but Jesse agreed to help Jacob move their new to them 5th wheel to their site. They had been living in a small travel trailer, but they bought the Coachman (we use to rent) from David. Jesse moved the TT out of their site and moved the 5th wheel in their site. He helped him get it set up and leveled.

When he returned I was ready to go into town. We had several errands to run. Post office, bank, and grocery store. We also went to Panera’s for lunch.

By the time we got home we had time to relax before walking up to Ed and Marilyn’s. We planned a game of double domino. It was lots of fun spending time with them. I was winning, then in two hands I was in last place, BUT another 2 good hands and I won the game!

Wednesday I opened the office, things were a bit slow, but I kept myself busy. When Jesse got home we sat outside with an adult beverage and enjoyed the nice day as the temps today were in the 70’s.

Today I was out the door by 7:45am. I had an appointment in Pueblo at the doctors for a check up and had to have blood drawn. She said she thought I was going to make it, that everything looked good. I will find out more once the blood results are in.

I got back to the campground to relax before going into work at 1PM.

While at work I got a visit from Jim and Ellie. They brought us some of Jim’s homemade salsa. It was good to see them again and we made tentative plans to see them again next Tuesday for lunch.

We had several rain showers today that again really cooled it down. It didn’t keep us from grilling boneless pork chops for dinner with Blues Hog Barbeque Sauce the Dray’s brought us…. Yummy!!

Sunday, August 7 – Time with Friends (CS,CO)

2011-08-08T11:39:00.001-04:00

I guess I need to catch up, although not much happened to blog about on Thursday and Friday. I closed both days and I was busy. I got visits from Boo Boo along with her Mom (Jo) and Dad (Fred). She is such a sweet beautiful little girl and just full of spunk.

I opened on Saturday as usual.

Jesse leveled our rig again, as it had settled and was in need of attention. He also made me some eggs and toast and brought it down for me. That was very sweet of him and a complete surprise!

When I got off and returned home I got a shower and cleaned up to go to dinner with Jo and Fred. We walked down to their site and sat outside having a drink while watching all the birds around her feeders. We went to Carrabba’s and had a very nice meal with great company.

On Sunday we were invited to a fish fry at Ed and Marilyn’s along with Jo, Fred, Jackie and Tony. It was wonderful sitting outside with a light breeze in the shade with friends. Ed fried catfish fillets that were huge and very good.

We all brought a side dish, I made brown rice with peas, onions and basil. Jackie brought roasted vegetables and Jo made a quinoa and black bean salad. Everything was delicious!

I didn’t take my camera so you need to look at the pictures and Ed and Marilyn’s blog.

Jesse and I just relaxed at home in the A/C with the boys after we returned home. It was a quick fun filled weekend with friends.

Jo and Fred are departing tomorrow and we wish them safe travels!

To David, Mitchell and Joyce!! Hope you all have GREAT day’s

Wednesday, August 3 - Not too exciting (CS, CO)

2011-08-04T11:25:00.001-04:00

Tuesday was our day off. I got up and got a shower and went off to Colorado Springs to get a mani/pedi. While I was gone Jesse went in to Penrose to get a hair cut.

After I returned I hadn’t eaten and was hungry, so we walked the boys up towards the high rent district to see if Ed and Marilyn would like to join us for lunch at Panera Breads.

They said yes and walked down to our site and we all took off to the Springs.

We shared conversation, lunch and laughs, it was so nice to have some time to share with them. After we were all finished we drove back to the camp ground.

Jesse and I relaxed at home. We hoped the rain would hold off until later in the evening, because we had invited E&M down for cocktails. I had cut up some veggies and cantaloupe to share with our friends.

Jesse built a fire to sit around and we all had to move around the fire several times because the smoke was too much, it seemed to follow Ed mostly.

We talked about a lot of different subjects, but the one that made us laugh the most was about our fur kids, aka “The Boys”. Ed said he was missing out on all that fun. Ha ha LOL.

It started to sprinkle and the flies were biting so we moved under the screened canopy. Before long we were even getting wet inside because it was raining hard.

Jesse drove E&M home, so they wouldn’t get too wet and I cleaned up the snacks.

Jesse and I relaxed in front of our computers and TV for the evening.

It was a good day with special friends and we look forward to many, many more.

Monday, August 1 - Gage for the Weekend

2011-08-02T10:55:00.001-04:00

Friday I worked until 9PM..It was not real busy for a change, but not too bad.

Saturday I opened as usual, again it was not too busy, but we were full. After I got off I changed clothes and freshened up and got off my feet for 10 minutes.

Then Jesse and I headed to Pueblo. Our 1st stop was for fuel, then on to the bank. We then went to Big 5 Sporting Goods to look for shoes for Jesse. He found two pairs of work boots, one pair was on sale, so I suggested he get both and he did.

Once we were finished paying for our purchases we drove over to Texas Road House. We were meeting Adam, Kim and Gage there for dinner. We were a bit early (surprise, surprise, Jesse is early for everything) so we waited just a short while for them to arrive.

We had a very nice time spending quality time with the three of them. The neatest part was we were bringing Gage back home with us. He was spending the night with us, Adam and Kim were participating in a golf tournament on Sunday.

We got home just in time to walk the boys then walked down to the ice cream social. Jesse and Gage took their bowls and had dessert. Ed and Marilyn were there so they were able to met Gage.

Back home we sat outside for awhile, then went in to watched some TV. I pumped up the air mattress and before too long Gage was asleep. It wasn’t too much longer and Jesse and I were also in bed.

Sunday Gage slept in until 8:15, but was up in time to walk to the office to get a donut. While Jesse and Gage were gone I started to cook breakfast.

I made bacon, eggs, toast and juice. We sat outside in our screened in canopy to eat. After that I got my shower while Gage had made friends with Megan who lives here with her Mother and Jacob one of the workers here. Megan is a nice young lady who is eleven and was also happy to have someone to play with even if he is only 8. They played pool, rode bikes, and played games on Megan’s phone.

After I was cleaned up we decided to go to a movie. We invited Megan to go with us. We saw Cowboys and Aliens which was slower then I expected and very strange.

It cost for 2 seniors, 2 children .. snacks - each child got a drink and junior popcorn, and Jesse and I shared a medium drink and popcorn and the cost was $50.00. Unbelievable!!!!

After we returned home we just hung out until time to make dinner. I made the boys hot dogs, beans and noodles, I had my leftovers from last night.

We left about 6:00 pm to go into Canon City to shop at Walmart and Adam and Kim were picking Gage up from there.

It was fun spending time with Gage, he is quite a character.

Today I did laundry, and made a doctors appointments. Went to work at 1:00 and was steady. After getting off I came home made dinner and then relaxed.

Another few days in the mountains. We have still had hot temps during the days, but showers most evenings and it cools off.

Thursday, July 28 - New A/C and Busy, Busy at Work

2011-07-29T12:37:00.001-04:00

Wednesday

I open the store at 8:00am and the next thing I knew Jackie was there and it was 1PM. I was busy, busy, busy and I loved it.

While I was at work Fred installed our new A/C in the bedroom… It’s cool in here!!! Love it!!!!

I made turkey meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes and cream corn for dinner. We had a rain storm that lasted about 40 minutes. After the storm we walked up to Ed and Marilyn’s to sit outside. Jackie and Tony along with Jean joined us and the conversation was steady.

Back at home we watched Big Brother and relax.

Thursday

Today I filled out all the paper work to register our car, then went to the lounge to call Texas to be sure I had what I needed. I spoke to a vey nice lady who was most helpful.

Again at work today I as very busy and I couldn’t believe it was 6:00 before I knew it, the phone doesn’t stop ringing. When I returned home Jesse and I sat outside with a glass of wine while we grilled some brats for him. Before we were finished we were forced in because of rain.

It rained for about 1 hour. Because of the rain we have had recently, we were happy because now the fire ban has been lifted so we can have campfires! I know that is going to make Ed happy!!

Just a couple of days in the mountains!

Tuesday, July 26 - Shopping and Jose Muldoon’s

2011-07-26T23:52:00.001-04:00

My day started with a knock on the door from the RV Medic, Fred, who lives on property. We have decided to purchase an A/C for our bedroom which now only has a fantastic fan. He brought us the costs and we gave him the okay to order the A/C unit.

Today was my day off and Marilyn and I were going shopping. We went to Michael's to look for Ott lamps. We saw some but not what we wanted, so we bought nothing. Then we went into Kohl’s, we walked all the house ware isles. Not finding anything we needed.

We then went to Panera Breads for lunch. We both ordered the broccoli cheddar soup. I got 1/2 sandwich and Marilyn got a salad. It was delicious. It was so nice to have some one on one time with Marilyn again, very special to me.

We then went to TJ Max and Home Goods and again we bought nothing, but it was fun seeing all the stuff they have.

It was after 1pm by the time we got back to the park. We had some time to relax before meeting Jim and Ellie for dinner.

We picked up Fred and Jo and dove to downtown Colorado Springs to Jose Muldoon’s a Mexican restaurant. Ed and Marilyn drove their truck and was right in front of us.

We arrived and parked right across the street from the restaurant and in front of a park.

Park pictures.

This fountain was really neat and the children were having lots of fun.

We fed the meters and then on to the restaurant. Jim and Ellie were already there and their were hugs all around. We had a great time having drinks and food. Everyone said they enjoyed their food, Jesse and I really liked ours.

We noticed while we were in the restaurant that it was raining outside. We sat after our dinner was visiting for as long as we dared. We walked outside said our goodbyes and drove back to the campground.

It rained really hard on the way home. We drove around the back of the campground to show the Wishnies the real mountain that is part of our parks logo, but it was too cloudy to see.

What we did see was the most amazing rainbow !!! It went from one side of the road to the other and we could see both ends and it was a so vibrant. it was also a double rainbow. I couldn’t get a picture of the whole thing but this is 3 different pictures and they do not do it justice. The four of us were so impressed by this that we got out of the car in the rain to see it. BEAUTIFUL!!

Monday, July 25 - Spicy Lamb Curry (CS, CO)

2011-07-26T16:40:00.001-04:00

Saturday I opened the office and worked until 2 when Jackie relieved me. I was glad to be finished my shift, because it was a crazy morning.

Jesse had gone to Synagogue in Colorado Springs where David attended services, they were in need of a tenth man and Jesse decided to go. He really didn’t understand most of the service because it was all in Hebrew and he doesn’t speak or understand the language.

He was just getting home when I did. I made us some lunch and look who came to visit at the humming bird feeder. It was funny watching this big bird drinking while the hummers were flying around waiting there turn.

After lunch we walked up to visit with Ed and Marilyn. Ed wanted some information on the new refrigerator we purchased for the basement, Igloo 3.2 cu. ft. from Walmart.com.

We visited for a while before returning home to relax. At about 7:15 we walked down to the office for the ice cream social, then back home for the rest of the evening.

Sunday Jesse and I went out to breakfast then on to Big R’s ranch store. Jesse needed a pair of work boots, but found nothing he liked. Then we went to Joanne Fabrics where he purchased some 20 gauge clear vinyl and Velcro to put on the door. While there I went into TJ Max and Home Goods to look around and Jesse went to Office Max.

We met up and both went to Super Target. We found a round drop leaf table we liked and had been looking for. It came home with us.

It’s a darker wood then our chairs, but we like it anyway.

We had drinks with Jackie and Tony, before grilling turkey burgers for Jesse and turkey mignons for me. I also made a baked potato and asparagus.

After dinner we relaxed for the rest of the evening in front of the TV.

Today I did laundry, and cleaned the RV and made a chicken dish before going off to work. Jo and Fred Wishnie were arriving today and Jackie had invited us all to her place for dinner. She was making a spicy curry lamb dish. Since I do not like spicy foods I brought a chicken dish.

The only picture I took

Everyone was to meet for cocktails at 5:00 pm. I worked until 6:00 so everyone had a head start on me, but it had started to rain, which we really need !!!!! So I found the guys outside under the awing and the women inside keeping dry.

I liked the curry dish, not finding it too hot ...I was surprised!. The accompaniments she made to go with the dish was the best!!!! Rice, Greek yogurt with shredded cucumber, pineapple chunks, golden raisins, bananas, coconut, tomatoes and onions, and fruit chutney. Different but delicious.

It was nice to just sit and talk about things that interest women, while the men were outside solving the problems of the world.

We came home and watched TV until bed time.

Friday, July 22 - Flying W Ranch

2011-07-25T11:01:00.001-04:00

Nothing blog worthy to report from Thursday, just another hot day in the mountains.

Friday I usually work the evening shift at the office, but Mary Nell was kind enough to switch with me so I worked the mid shift 11-5.

This allowed me to attend the planned group outing to the Flying W Ranch. It was an outdoor event, because the rain held off, but we did see a rainbow.

Before dinner you can walk around the shopping area. Jesse made friends with a Jack ass.

It is a working ranch that feeds about 1,000 people nightly at $22.00 per plate ($20.00 for seniors). I wanted to take a picture of the food, but was too hungry and forgot until after.

They serve you on a buffet line brisket or chicken, beans, applesauce, baked potato, roll, spice cake and to drink coffee, tea or lemonade. As you can see they serve your food on metal camp plates and cups.

The dinning room

It was really a nice view with the trees and rocks.

The group

After dinner they have a group playing music and telling funny stories..The were quite good and entertaining.

Everything broke up around 9pm and we said goodbye to Steve and Cathy, as they were leaving early tomorrow morning to head home to Missouri.

It was a fun evening spent with friends!

Wednesday, July 20 - Work and Shopping

2011-07-21T10:50:00.001-04:00

Today I worked 8-1. It was not real busy, but even when we are not too busy, we have a steady flow of guests and residents coming by to check their mail, buy drinks and ice, or just say hello.

After work I went into Canon City to have a prescription refilled and do a little shopping. The cars thermostat read 100 degrees! It has really been hot, so much for cool days in the mountains.

After putting the groceries away I started dinner. I made chicken fajita and a refried beans mixed with a can of southwestern corn.

We relaxed after dinner until bed time.

Tuesday was my day off. Jesse worked a couple hours in the morning.

I went into CS to have my nails done. After returning we drove by to pick up Ed and Marilyn and headed into Manitou Spring. We had lunch at Adam’s Mountain Café.

Ed and Marilyn

We had a wonderful time spending some quality time with Ed and Marilyn, and the food was pretty good too. After we finished our meal Marilyn and I walked around some of the shops. The Olive Tap, The Kitchen Store and a few others.

Ed and Jesse went for ice cream and not sure what else. We were at the car at the agreed time and then headed to Gold Camp Road to take a drive.

The scenic drive was enjoyed by all, but we could really see that we need rain!

We stopped at Helen Hunt Falls for a few pictures and stretch our legs.

I didn’t have my camera so these pictures were taken with my iPhone.

It was a fun day and so nice to spend time with our friends again. Looking forward to many more happy times for the rest of the summer.

Our next adventure is on Friday…so there is more to come.

Until then be safe and hugs to all!

Sunday, July 17 - Day Off and Fun Gathering

2011-07-19T00:26:00.001-04:00

Jackie and I planned a dinner to welcome Ed and Marilyn. There were a total of 11 and we met at Jackie and Tony’s site at 5PM for cocktails.

We all sat around talking and laughing, just enjoying the outdoors and each other. It was very hot today 98 degrees, but there was a light breeze and it had cooled off some.

Gucci was having a good time also.

Finally Jesse and Tony with Ed supervising got the grills going and they grilled chicken. Both Jackie and I had been marinating chicken most of the day mine in wine and garlic mix and she made peri-peri chicken.

Grilled peaches

We each made side dishes, while Jean made the best strawberry pie I have ever tasted. She was very upset and wasn’t going to share because it didn’t set up the way she wanted, but we all talked her into sharing anyway. It was delicious.

While we were eating we had some visitors. They were a little scared with all the people, but their thirst won out. How often to you get this kind of scenery while you are having dinner with great friends.

Things broke up after dessert and everyone went back to their own sites.

We had recorded Big Brother so we watched that after getting things put away before going off to bed.

Saturday, July 16 - They Have Arrived & we are Having Fun with Friends Again

2011-07-17T11:21:00.001-04:00

FRIDAY

Ed and Marilyn arrived around 11:45 this morning and I was so thrilled. I was returning from walking the boys when I saw Ed pull around and park their rig. Then I saw Marilyn walking up towards their site. The boys and I ran to give her a great big hug, then we hugged again.

It was just a relief having them here. I took the boys home got some water and walked up to their site. I know, I know I am suppose to give them time to get set up, but I was just so happy they were here that I couldn’t wait to see Ed and get my overdue hugs.

Ed got things set up and Marilyn and I visited. Then I got the tour of their new home..It is beautiful! I am very sure they are going to love this Mobile Suites as much as their old one in time, it’s very warm and comfy.

Jesse also came by with the boys. He was done for the day and we sat and visited for a short while, before I went home to prepare for work which was steady, just the way I like it.

Today I opened the office at 7:00 am. It was rather slow day. We only had 3 check-in and not a lot of phone calls, it was nice for a change of pace, I had lots of visitors dropping by which made the day go by fast.

After I got off I prepared some snacks for the cocktail gathering we were hosting. I made Sangria to drink, brie cheese puffed pastry with apricot jam and walnuts, mozzarella/tomatoes/basil and olive oil, and baked spicy chick peas. I had invited Ed and Marilyn, Steve and Cathy, Ken and Jean and Tony (unfortunately Jackie was working).

It was a very hot day and even with a light breeze it was very warm sitting outside in the shade today. While we were sitting there the area lost power. I guess it was out for about 90 minutes.

We were all planning on going into Penrose for dinner at Goose Berry Patch (Jesse new favorite place to eat) (or maybe to have dessert?). LOL

Steve and Cathy didn’t join us for cocktails, because they were picking Steve’s sister-in-law up at the airport, she was visiting for a few days, but the three of them joined us for dinner.

We enjoyed the company so much. It was so good to have friends around again to laugh with and just enjoy being together.

It was such a good day, and Ed and Marilyn we are so happy to have you here with us….LIFE IS GOOD!

Sorry I didn’t take any pictures!!!

Thursday, July 14 - Groomer, Shopping and more Shopping

2011-07-15T09:23:00.001-04:00

Tuesday was suppose to be a day off, but Mary Nell was not feeling well so I worked for her. Just 5 hours 1-6 and it was steady, just the way I like it.

Wednesday was just another day I opened. Jesse and Jacob worked on building a rock wall all day..hard work for my guy.

Not much to write about on work days. We get home and sit outside for a while, I make dinner, Jesse does the dishes and we relax in front of the TV. Jesse mostly surfs while keeping an eye on the TV.

Today was our day off. We were dressed and ready to leave the house by 8:15 heading to Pueblo. The boys had an appointment with Kristie their groomer, at 9:00am.

After dropping them off we went to Cracker Barrel for some breakfast. Our next stop was for fuel.

It is so nice driving around town in our car. Not that I don’t like our truck, after all it pulls our home. It is just nice moving around in the car and much better on the finances.

Next stop was the dollar store where we picked up a few items.

Then on to Walmart to shop for food. Kristie called to say the boys were ready as soon as we got in there. I informed her it would be about 40 minutes and she said “I will tell them”. LOL

Once the groceries were purchased we picked up the boys and headed home. After everything was put away we sat down to relax. We took a walk down to the office to have an ice cream.

Then Jesse got an email saying that the canopy that we wanted was in stock at the Walmart in Canon City and it was on sale!

We headed back down the road and purchased the canopy. Unfortunately they didn’t have the screens in stock. After returning home again Jesse decided to set it up. We had it up and secured in quick time and sitting under with a drink.

I grilled chicken for dinner and made a Caesar salad and warmed some bread.

Tomorrow Ed and Marilyn will arrive, we are very excited to see them!!

Another good day in the mountains.

Sunday, July 10 - Another Day in the Mountains (CS, CO)

2011-07-10T13:13:00.001-04:00

Friday was just a normal day. I worked my normal shift of 2-9pm, although I didn’t get out until about 9:45.

We had a group having a luau fundraiser for “Paws for a Cause” benefiting Colorado Springs Humane Society. We have been preparing for this group for a few weeks now.

Jesse, David, Jacob and Damon have been working across the street cleaning and clearing the bone yard, so they can utilize the area.

The group put up a band stand, booths and an area for tents. Several bands played on Friday night and Saturday. If fact we had some complaints because they played longer then the allowed time on Friday night.

I opened again on Saturday. It was steady, but not swamped.

While at work Jesse was carrying in some can soda’s from the basement to the inside and dropped a couple and they sprayed soda all over the RV. This cause him to wash the outside of our home, I was thrilled. We are not allowed to use a hose to wash cars or RV’s so he used a wet and dry cloth and said he only used about 3 gallons of water and used the “wash on dry off” method.

After returning home Jesse decided he wanted to go to The Gooseberry Patch for dinner. So I freshen up and off we went. While we were having dinner a rain storm came through.

After our meal we took a drive through the small town of Penrose, then went on to see Brush Hallow boat launch. Not much to see and the only wildlife we saw were Prairie Dogs.

There we people wading and several in small boats fishing.

After returning home we sat outside, because the rain cooled things off and the RV looks soooo good clean! Jesse also put up our plants on the tree.

We had so much fun watching the antics of the hummingbirds.

It started to rain again so we went in to watch it rain. When it was done it was time to go to the ice cream social and we both participated having dessert.

Back at the Kram-lot we watched the food channel until bed time.

Today I have to go to work at 1PM. I decided to make us some breakfast. So I made onions and fried potatoes, turkey bacon, eggs and toast.

Jesse cleaned up the kitchen when we were finished while I computered.

I need to get ready for work now, so I will continue on another day.

Have a great day!

Thursday, July 7 - Finally Rain (CS, CO)

2011-07-08T13:00:00.001-04:00

Tuesday was the busiest day at the office I have had since I came to work here. The phones never stopped the whole day. People in and out of the office along with many people checking in. The RV’s were lined up from the office to the entrance. Thanks to Charlie who came to help me and I was very thankful!

Once Jackie came in I still had calls to return and paperwork to finish. I guess she also had a busy evening.

Wednesday I worked 12-6. Things were back to normal steady but not crazy.

Today was my day off. I got showered and dress and headed to Canon City to get a few groceries. I hadn’t had anything to eat so I stopped in Subway and got a foot long to bring home and share with Jesse.

After putting away the perishables I took the boys for their afternoon walk. Jesse still wasn’t home when we returned. He planned to try and get off at lunch time so we could go for a ride in the Mazda.

I sat down to eat my lunch and he came in just as I was finishing. He sat and ate his lunch, took a shower and the five of us took off. The boys seemed to like the new car just fine. As usual Buddy and Mr. B laid down and went to sleep and Bayer sat in the middle between the front seat and watched out the windshield.

We stopped at Dairy Queen in Canon City for a milkshake.

We took a ride to the Royal Gorge. We had not planned on going in and it’s a good thing because it had started to rain.

It rained a little on the way back to the Campground. We saw signs that we had gotten some at the campground, which we needed, but it was not raining now.

Jesse walked the boys and I ironed our clothes for dinner. All of a sudden the skies opened up and dumped lots of rain on us. We were meeting the family in Pueblo for dinner at Carino's Italian restaurant and it rained the whole way there. we saw lots of lightening.

This was sort of a celebration. DJ was accepted in the voluntary fire department, which can lead to a permanent position which is something he really wants, also Beth’s new job at Kaiser Permanente, which she really likes.

I took these pictures with my phone camera so they are not real good.

My food was just okay, most thought the food was good, but the service was terrible!!!! It will be a long time before we go back there. The worst part, because we were a large group they added 18% gratuity to our bill and the service was barley worth 10%.

It was after 9 by the time we got home. We had recorded Big Brother, so we watched the show. I think it will be a fun summer!

As Ed would say “Life is good”.

Monday, July 4th – Independence Day and Search is done (CS, CO)

2011-07-05T16:52:00.001-04:00

Today is our Nations Birthday it’s 235 years old

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y !!!!!!

Today Jesse dressed for work, showed up and was informed to take the day off.

Since I did go in until 2pm we decided to go into the Spring to continue our search for a vehicle.

Our 1st stop was Cracker Barrel for breakfast. We were not sure if the car dealers were open today, so we noticed a Kia dealer right across the street, we figured if they were open so were all the rest.

We stopped in and were met by Paul. Jesse talked to him and he showed Jesse a Mazda 3 hatchback (zoom, zoom). Now this was not one of the cars we came to look at, but it is what Jesse was trying to find on line and couldn’t, so he was thrilled. (well as thrilled as Jesse could be … :~) Ha Ha (he doesn’t show emotions very much).

We both test drove it and Jesse was finished..This is just what he wanted. We got a good deal about $2,000 under blue book. We went in did the paperwork and I drove the Mazda back to the campground just in time for me to go to work.

I only worked 4 hours, it was very slow for a change.

I made Jesse and I a grilled chicken salad for dinner and we relaxed for the rest of the night watching fireworks on TV.

Saturday, July 2 - Trike Rally, Visit from Family & Travel Day (CS, CO)

2011-07-05T16:13:00.001-04:00

On this July 4th weekend we had a Trike rally staying at the campground. They were a really nice group and very friendly. They had some really beautiful bikes.

This group invited EVERYONE in the campground to join their festivities, they had a band on Friday night and on Saturday they had all kinds of contest that were lots of fun.

Saturday was our day to travel. We moved next door from site 76 to site 75, a site with shade. It was the shortest travel day yet! We moved about 25 feet!! I had everything inside ready before going off to work at 7am. Jesse was thrilled that the people in site 75 left very early. He started to move all our outside items over.

I was a little concerned that he had to back up without a spotter, so I asked one of the full time residents at Mountaindale to go and help him, knowing he would not ask for help, but he had already moved by that time.

WE LOVE OUR NEW SITE!!

Beth, DJ, Kacie, Gage and Colt came up to cookout and visit with us. I didn’t get off of work until 2pm, so it was a mad rush to make the inside look like home, make some potato salad and be prepared for guest by 4pm..but we got it done.

I was able to relax and just sit and visit with them. We had a rain/hail storm that only lasted about 15-20 minutes, but it really cool things off.

Beth and Kacie

Gage big jokester

Jesse relaxing

Our new sit at dusk

We walked down to the ice-cream social at 7pm and we all had dessert. Then all but Kacie and I went for a walk, we stayed behind and visited.

It was a full day, but it was fun!!

Thursday, June 30 - The Search is on (CS, CO)

2011-06-30T22:26:00.001-04:00

For about one year now I have mentioned to Jesse that I would really like to have a car. He was not on the same page as me, and he was against getting one. Well he has changed his mind and now thinks it would be a good idea.

I want to get a small used hatch back type car, so that there is plenty of room for the boys to move around when they are in it.

After he returned from getting tires for the truck we took off for the Springs to Motor City Way. Jesse has been looking on line for deals. Our 1st stop was the Dodge dealership they had a used Rav-4 we wanted to see, unfortunately they had sold it.

We test drove a 2010 Dodge Caliber. Jesse was not real pleased with it saying it was too noisy and he thought it was not made well.

We moved on to the Subaru dealer and test drove a 2007 Outback. I didn’t think it was a good deal and we didn’t want to spend that much money. Plus David said that Subaru’s didn’t get good gas mileage.

So we called it a night and will continue our search.

We stopped at Pizza Hut and brought home a pasta bake for dinner.

Today I did more laundry and started to put some of the inside things away. We are moving on Saturday to a different site one that will have more shade. I have to work so Jesse will do the move all by himself, but I will have everything put away inside.

I went to work at 1pm and closed at 6pm. Things were busy and crazy.

After getting home I had a glass of wine before starting dinner. I grill some boneless pork loins, made noodles and broccoli and a salad.

Afterwards I just hung out in my recliner and watched TV.

Wednesday, June 29 - Great News!! and not so Good News

2011-06-29T18:25:00.001-04:00

Monday I worked the 2nd shift which meant I closed the office. I was scheduled to get off at 6, but that didn’t happen. As I started to close up everyone came in, guest to purchase items, to ask questions, 3 new check-ins and the phone kept ringing. It was a crazy hour, thank goodness Megan, Mary Nell’s granddaughter was there to assist me (thank you Megan).

Tuesday was my day off. Jesse also took the day off. It was very hot, can’t believe we are in the mountains.

Jesse dropped me off at the shop and I got a mani/pedi. He then continued on to run some errands. He bought replacement bulbs for the RV, and a filter for our drinking water. While he was out he got a flat tire and of course he had to change it, so now we have no spare tire. We knew we needed new tires for the truck so I guess that will be our next purchase.

After changing the tire and fueling the truck he picked me back up.

We headed back to home to use the facilities and pick up the empty propane tank.

We headed back down the road to Michelle’s for lunch and then on to Walmart to get groceries.

We stopped to fill our propane and headed home again. After getting the groceries put away, I relaxed in front of my computer.

For dinner I made Turkey minions, baked potatoes, asparagus, and salad.

Today I opened the office. There was a ton of e-mails to answer and I got them all completed. It stayed steady again today which I really like very much.

[ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ]

On to the GREAT new! Ed and Marilyn have gotten the okay from the insurance company and now are proud owners of a new 2011 Mobile Suite 5th wheel. We are so happy for them and excited for their new adventure. We are looking forward to seeing them and are anxiously awaiting there arrival.

The bad new: Kelsey has been sick for about two weeks with what the doctor said was the flu…It turns out she has Infectious Mononucleosis. From what I have read the treatment is just what she has been doing, drinking lot of fluids, rest and more rest and take ibuprofen. Hopefully she is on the mend, she said she felt a little better today.

[ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ]

Jesse left around 12:30 to go get new tires on the truck and I went home at 1pm to have lunch, and do laundry. When he got home he said we had “new shoes” for our truck. I thought that was a funny way to put it.

We have now left to go back into Springs … more tomorrow on why …. ??????

Sunday, June 28 - Time with Friends & Family (CS, CO)

2011-06-27T11:40:00.001-04:00

I haven’t written since Wednesday, because nothing much has happened until the weekend.

I closed the office both Thursday and Friday. It has stayed steady in the office with guests visiting, phones ringing, people purchasing items from the store and check-in. I like the work, it is not stressful and everyone is just so nice.

On Saturday I worked until 2pm. Jesse also came in when I called to help one of our guest move from one site to another. The guest had an old 5th wheel that was very low to the ground and had problems getting their rig set-up in the site and getting it level.

He also showed some guests to their sites and just helped where needed.

I came home and relaxed for a while before we headed to Boone for an evening with our children.

Beth and DJ were having a fish fry. DJ and Adam had gone fishing and caught most of the fish. It makes Jesse and I very happy to know that our children and their spouses get along well and are close. Although Adam and Beth have always been close and we are very grateful for that blessing.

Back to the fish fry. They fried Walleye, and two other type of fish, everything tasted really good.

They also grilled on wood planks some white salmon, halibut (given to DJ by a guy he worked with that fished in Alaska) and trout. I had never eaten white salmon, it tastes different but still good.

We got home late and walked the boys then off to bed.

Today was a day off for me, so I slept in not getting out of bed until 8:30.

Jesse left about 10am to help David with a trip in town. David needed to make another trip, but Jesse wasn’t able to help him on the 2nd run because we had plans with Tony and Jackie to meet up with Lynette and Greg.

The four of us left the campground around 2:15 and headed for Manitou Springs. We all met at the Stagecoach Inn.

None of us had eaten here before. We arrived to find Lynette and Greg there already. We all did hugs and handshakes. This was the 1st time Jackie and Tony had met Lynette and Mac.

We all ordered cocktails and the conversation was continuous. Our waiter was very nice and allowed us to delay ordering our entrée.

The food was nothing to write home about, being very was bland, but everyone finished their meal. Each couple ordered one dessert, I shared my cherry cobbler ala mode with Jesse, it was very good.

We walked outside and stood in the parking lot for awhile still talking.

It was a fun afternoon, good to see Mac and Netters again and try to catch up. We stopped at Walgreens on the way back to the camp to pick-up some items that were on sale.

We just relaxed with the A/C running, because it was a hot day in the mountains, about 95 degrees.

Wednesday, June 22 -

2011-06-22T23:20:00.001-04:00

Today I got up and stripped the bed. After the sheets were washed I hung them outside to dry.

I played with my new phone trying to figure out the correct way to use it.

I have to go in at 1pm today so I just did a few chores around the house before getting a shower.

I forgot to mention that last Saturday Jesse and I went shopping for furniture to replace the sofa. This is what we found and brought them home. They fit well and are pretty comfortable for occasional chairs.

Now we just need to find some tables that I like.

When I went to work the phones were messed up. The phones were not working correctly, you couldn’t dial long distance, therefore you couldn’t take a message and call someone back. I had people on hold while talking to others on the other line and people in the store…..It was crazy, but good. I didn’t loose anyone and everyone was patient which made it good.

I couldn’t get the 4 wheeler to work so I had to walk people to their sites. Good exercise!!!

For dinner I made Jesse elk steaks and I had hot dogs. We had macaroni salad, 3 bean salad and cucumbers. Watermelon for dessert.

We watched TV and relaxed for the evening.

Tuesday, June 21 - I Phone (CS, CO)

2011-06-22T11:48:00.001-04:00

Today was my day off and I just hung out at home with the boys. Jesse went to work at 8am.

I gave the boys a bath, did some laundry, I got caught up in my shows that were DVR’d, and watched the food channel.

When Jesse got off at 3pm he got a shower and we were off to the Verizon store. It was time for a phone upgrade and Jesse wanted me to get an IPHONE. I had really not wanted one until I went home earlier this month.

Kelsey showed me her Blackberry smart phone and I got hooked. Now I just need to learn how to use it! The sales guy told me they have free classes to teach you how to use it, so I need to look into that.

After retuning home I prepared dinner and cleaned up the dishes.

We watched some TV until we went off to bed.

Sunday, June 19 - Family Gathers for Fathers Day (CS, CO)

2011-06-20T20:02:00.001-04:00

Today started like most Sunday’s. A day off to enjoy anyway we want to.

We planned a day with the children and grandchildren.

Just as Jesse and I were going to run up to the store to get some fruit and rolls, I received a very disturbing phone call from our good friend Marilyn of Ed and Marilyn.

If you follow our blog I am sure you have read me write about them many times. They were on there way here to Colorado when they had a blow out on their beautiful Mobile Suites trailer and it caught the rig on fire, and lost their home. She was just devastated watching their rig burn. After she calmed down a little I told her that I loved her and we said goodbye for now.

Jesse and I went into town to pick up the items we needed.

All our family arrived and we enjoyed having them very much, laughing and having a meal with them. We love having them visit and spending time with them.

Grampy

Ryan

Kacie

Gage

Colt

Adam & Kim

Elizabeth

DJ and the boys wrestling

Group hug

It was a very nice day, but our thoughts kept coming back to our friends.

“Thank the lord” they are okay, thank you in advance for saying an extra prayer for them.

God Bless!

Friday, June 17 - Nothing New (CS,CO)

2011-06-18T09:33:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I worked form 1-6 and I was swamped. I hardly had time to go to the bathroom. The phones were ringing all day long. Many people are now thinking about July 4th weekend, but the are way too late. We have been full for the Holiday weekend for several months now.

I also spent time on the phone moving people around so we can move, their policy here is not to move people without making a courtesy call to see if they are okay with the move. We had one group that wouldn’t move, so instead of moving this weekend we are going to move on July 2. We are not moving too far, just next door.

Our site is really nice and big, but we get NO SHADE. Our A/C runs non-stop and it still gets warm in the middle of the day. The site next door is smaller, but we will have some shade.

After work Jesse and I went to Canon City to do our shopping. We went to Subway 1st to get a sandwich. It was the biggest Subway we have been in, they even had a fireplace in the dinning room (no fire of course).

We then went to Walmart to get some grocery items. I was exhausted by the time we got home at 9pm, so I didn’t put all the groceries away.

We relaxed for a little before going off to bed.

This morning I had made an appointment for Mr. B at Fountain Vet Clinic. Jackie had taken Gucci there and she was pleased with them. We thought Mr. B has a urinary track infection and we were correct. We came home with antibiotics for him. The funny part of this visit was getting a urine specimen.

The technician and I took Mr. B outside and when he lifted his leg, she was right there with a cup to catch it. Mr. B was like “what is she doing down there” and he stopped. So we tried again and specimen success!

I like Dr. Graft very much. He was very informative and checked out Mr. B thoroughly. He said Mr. B needs to have his teeth cleaned again, which we knew, so we will have to get that done when this problem is cleared up.

We came home and I washed & packaged the meats into meal size portions and froze them , then put the rest of the groceries away.

I go into work at 2pm, so I will relax until then.

Work was busy again today, we only have a few open spaces for the weekend.

I was very tired when I got home but I made myself some eggs to eat then started to watch the movie “Tron” with Jesse. I couldn’t finish it as I became too tired, so off to bed we went.

Tuesday, June 14 - Errands/Work (CS, CO)

2011-06-14T23:21:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I also had the day off. I stripped the bed and put the sheets in the washing machine.

Got cleaned up and left about 9am and went to the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs. I was pleasantly surprised that the mall was closer then I thought. I visited a few stores and made a few purchases.

I noticed that they had a chick-fil-a in the food court and I couldn’t resist. (It happens to be the one and only “fast food” place that I really like) I got an original chicken sandwich and water for lunch.

From there I entered Pier One in Hazel (our GPS) and dove over to that area. I didn’t find what I wanted there so then I had hazel direct me to the Super Walmart.

I was not impressed with this Walmart and look forward to going back to Canon City to shop. I was able to get most of the items I needed, then headed home.

I made homemade pizza and salad for dinner. I used an idea from another RV friend Debbie Kendall. I used the Alfredo sauce I made and added caramelized onions and grilled chicken. I also used the bag 4 kind of Italian cheese.. We liked it a lot, thanks Deb for the idea.

After dinner we just relaxed for the evening.

Today I opened the office. I was very busy on the phones this morning and I also helped the owner with some bookkeeping. Mary Nell had me scheduled until 1pm and Jackie coming in at noon. It was not busy enough for both of us to be there so I went home when she came in.

I made Jesse and I some lunch, while he walked the boys, then I went into town to get my nails done.

I have not been successful finding someone that does a good job, but I think this girl may be the one.

After returning home I dusted and vacuumed the RV while continuing to do laundry.

Jackie asked us to stop over for cocktails when she got home from work at 6pm. Ken and Jean also joined us, it was nice getting to know these nice folks better and the conversation was non-stop.

I enjoyed playing with Gucci and watching Alessi play with her too. The buck deer also came by to drink from their bird baths and we enjoyed watching them when Alessi and Gucci didn’t frighten them away.

Once we were back home we talked to Beth and DJ who had been trying to reach us all evening. DJ needed some advise from Jesse about purchasing a new truck.

I made us a bagel and we just watched the Food Channel until bed time.

Sunday, June 12 – Trip to Manitou Springs (CS, CO)

2011-06-12T23:34:00.001-04:00

Today we both had off.

Jesse was up before me even after our late night last night the boys wanted to go outdoors at 6am, so Daddy took them out. I stayed in bed and after they returned and had breakfast they returned to the bed with me. Just the boys’ Jesse stayed up and computered.

I got up at 8am, shortly after Jesse walked down to the office to get coffee and donuts. We serve them to our guests free of charge.

He brought me one, but I didn’t want it so he ate it too.

After we were showered and dressed we went to IHop for some breakfast. From there we stopped at Petsmart to purchase the boy’s some dog food.

Then on to Manitou Springs. It was a beautiful sunny day with clear skies and a light breeze. Just beautiful!!

We strolled up and down stopping in a few stores. Jesse wanted to get a hat to wear while working so his head and ears don’t get burned and we found one at the last store we went in.

I purchased some garlic olive oil at The Olive Tap, and a strainer for the kitchen sink from The Kitchen Shop. I purchased one last year when we were here and I really like it, so I wanted another for the other side.

I also purchased a stained glass piece that has birds on it.

As we strolled we ran into Jackie, Tony and their grandson Alessi. We chatted for a bit while the guys were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over this cycle.

Walking back to the truck through the park we saw some dogs cooling off in the stream.

We drove by Old Colorado City to see if Jorges the Mexican restaurant was open yet. It was still closed for remodeling.

Then we stopped by Safeway to pick up a few items.

I made spaghetti topped with home made Alfredo sauce made with Vidalia onions, red peppers and shrimp. I served a salad and warmed Italian bread.

After we cleaned up the kitchen we just watched some TV and relaxed.

Saturday, June 11 - Sweet Sixteen, (CS, CO)

2011-06-12T19:00:00.001-04:00

I opened the office today at 7:00 and worked until 2:00. It stayed steady most of the time. The Airstream Group was in and out all day. They really are a very nice group of people.

Jesse came down to the office to visit me, so I sent him out with the camera to take a few pictures.

After getting home I relaxed and freshed up and off we went to Elizabeth’s house. It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get there, not counting our stop at the bank ATM in Pueblo.

We arrived and I helped get things set up. The theme was black and white leopard print with accents of pink and green.. We covered all the tables with leopard print plastic. It was a real challenge because it was very windy, but we got it done. Beth had made some little flower arrangements for the table. Cute!

Then we set the food out and DJ started to grill hamburgers and hot dogs.

The girls, Kacie is the one in front on the 2nd picture.

Kim our daughter-in-law made the cake. It was just as Kacie designed it and she was very, very happy. It looked like something you see on HGTV cake wars. It was just as tasty as it was beautiful.

Kacie and several of her friends Cheer together, so they decided to show us some moves. Kacie being the smallest, is the one that gets tossed.

When it started to get dark and the wind had stopped some, DJ started a camp fire.

Happy Sweet 16th Birthday Kacie

Friday June 10 - Gooseberry Patch (CS, CO)

2011-06-11T10:43:00.001-04:00

Today was a normal day not as hot as it has been. I got caught up on my shows that recorded while I was away and just messed around the house.

I was scheduled to work 1-9, but one of the groups that was suppose to come in cancelled, so things were slow and I got off at 6:00pm. Jesse also didn’t work a full day.

He was suppose to have leftovers for dinner, but we decided to go down to the Gooseberry Patch Family Restaurant in Penrose for dinner. We had a very good meal with large servings and priced right. We were too full to have dessert, but we decided to get it to go for later.

Kris left us a message on our blog about water pressure for showers. Most of the time I have no problems with our pressure. Some camp grounds pressure is not the best. I have never used a bath house, but I know many full-timers that do from time to time, so they can get a more invigorating shower. Hope this helps!

Tomorrow should be a little more exciting to write about because we are attending our only granddaughter’s 16th birthday party.

Until then

Hugs to everyone!!

Thursday June 9 - Happy Birthday Blake (CS, CO)

2011-06-10T11:20:00.001-04:00

Today was another work day, I opened at 8am and it stayed steady most of the day.

An Airstream rally are staying with us for the weekend. There were 7 rigs that came in today, one of which is the wagon master, the rest arrive tomorrow. Roger, the wagon master, is a very nice funny man and it was a real pleasure talking with him.

I got off at 3:00 and came home and made a meat loaf for dinner.

Jesse came in just a few minutes after me. He was very tired and hot and headed right for the shower. He has been clearing brush which is back breaking.

After he was cleaned up he sat and relaxed with a beer. I prepared the rest of our meal and we had some dinner.

I continued to do laundry and we just relaxed for the evening.

I heard that Crystal had her baby boy today!!!!! The baby was 4 1/2 weeks early and everyone is doing good. Crystal is the daughter of my friend Carolee from Las Vegas and I am so happy for her family. CONGRATULATIONS !!!!

Happy Birthday Blake Lewis!!

Wednesday, June 8 - Back to the Grind (CS, CO)

2011-06-09T11:20:00.007-04:00

After doing laundry last night, I still wasn't finished so I continued this morning.

Jesse went to work at 8am, but I didn't go in until noon.

I took it easy and computered while having coffee. I watched the "Today Show", it was Meredith Vieira's last day and they had a special for her. She was very emotional which made me tear up.

Work went well and it stayed steady which I like. I enjoy my job and the people are so nice. The work is mostly easy and not too stressful.

I got off at 7 pm and came home to make salad and home made pizza for dinner.

It was a good day back to the grind.

Hugs!

Tuesday, June 7 - A Lot to Catch Up On (CS, CO)

2011-06-07T21:41:00.001-04:00

Today I flew back from Baltimore. I have spent the last week staying with my brother Gene, SIL Debbie, and Kelsey my niece. The main purpose of my visit was to attend Kelsey High School Graduation. Jesse and the boys stayed home.

I was able to visit one day with Jesse’s family. Kelsey and I drove to Sondra’s and we went to visit with Sondra’s daughter, SIL and 2 grandchildren home for a short visit, then we drove to Pennsylvania visit with Mitch and Margaret, my brother and sister in law.

We went out to eat and then back to their house for some visiting. Margaret had made a jello ring and bought us some gourmet cupcakes ….. They were beautiful and delicious.

Kelsey and I spent a day in Delaware at her brother Brian’s house. We drove 4 wheelers and played in the yard with the girls and the new kittens they found.

It was a wonderful too short visit home with family

But it’s good to be home!!

Saturday, May 28 - Keeping up and Ice Cream Social (CS,CO)

2011-05-28T23:37:00.001-04:00

Trying to keep-up with the blog is hard sometimes, especially while working.

Wednesday we both worked and the weather was gray.

Thursday was a beautiful day…bright and sunny, we both worked. We are enjoying the mountain air and our time here at Mountaindale, weather permitting we like sitting out after work in the evening and having a beverage.

Jesse is quite sure he found our leak. He drained the fresh water tank and the dripping/leak has stopped. Not sure yet what he is going to do to fix the leak, but I will keep you informed.

Friday was the unofficial start to the summer. The campground was booked full for the weekend. I came to work at 3:00pm and was busy the whole shift closing at 9PM. Jackie said they were busy all day also.

It’s nice to see the campground full of people having fun, campfires going and people walking around.

Today I opened the office at 7am and for the 1^st hour I was all alone. Then people started to wake up, out about, walking dogs, children riding bikes and coming in the office for a look around.

I had forgotten to bring my yogurt so my husband was so kind as to bring it down to me. Of course the commute to the office is about a 2 minute walk, so it wasn’t taxing on him…still very sweet!

It was another beautiful warm sunny day!!!

When he got back to the rig he put in the new insulation and reinstalled the underbelly. He also put up our sun screen in our back window. We had it made for the Montana so it’s a little too wide for the Alpine window but he made it work.

He ordered a vent cover for the bathroom vent. It came the other day so he install it today. We are still awaiting the delivery of the covers for the two Fantastic Fan covers.

When I got home I made us a sandwich for lunch and we drove into the Springs so I could get my nails done. While was busy Jesse ran over to Home Depot for a few items. He bought some solar outdoor lights to put out around our site..can’t wait for it to get dark so I can see how they look.

We grilled chicken and sat outside to eat ….. I really enjoy eating outside.

Tonight was the 1st Ice Cream Social of the year. They have one every Saturday night.

The artist at work Final project

After we had our ice cream and visited with other campers we came home and Jesse built a fire.

We sat outside until it was just too chilly to sit outside.

It was a good day and look forward to many more.

Tuesday, May 24 - Dentist & Shopping (CS,CO)

2011-05-24T20:44:00.001-04:00

Today was my scheduled day off. This became a day off for Jesse also. He dressed and went to work, but after about 2 hours was told that they didn’t have material so no work today. Yesterday he only worked 4 hours, so he had a light week.

I left the campground around 9am and headed to the dentist in Pueblo which is a round trip of 80 miles. When I left the temperature was 50 degrees and cloudy, when I arrived in Pueblo it was 63 degrees and sunny.

I only had to wait about 10 minutes before being called into a stall. The technician looked at the three hot spots on my gums and took the partial away to make the adjustments. She brought it back for me to see if she needed to make additional adjustments 3 times. When I left it felt pretty good.

I then rode over to Kohl’s and found a few things I wanted. By this time I was hungry, so I stopped at Del Taco and had a chicken bacon ranch taco that was served on a pita. It was pretty good.

I stopped for fuel @ 3.99 per gallon, then headed to Canon City Walmart for groceries. I enjoyed time alone shopping.

Jesse helped me in with the groceries, it was a good thing he was home because the girl bagged them heavy.

After I put everything away I sat and relaxed.

We have been having a good time watching the birds.

As we were just sitting and relaxing the wind kicked up and we had to rush outside to take the screen down so we could roll-up the awning. We folded up all the chairs and tables.

Within 15 minutes after we were finished the wind stopped…Go figure!

Just finished watching the 2 hour Oprah special, wonderful tribute to a GREAT LADY. Just one more show, I know I will miss her!!

I made pork taco for dinner use the leftover grilled pork from yesterday. I made Spanish rice and refried beans to go with it. While I was cutting the vegetables, Jesse made us a margarita on the rocks, nice dinner.

We clean up the kitchen and watched TV.

It was a good day!

Monday, May 23 - A Day of Remembrance (CS, CO)

2011-05-24T10:13:00.001-04:00

Today 86 years ago my Dad was born. He was a good person and a wonderful Dad. He and I were very close and he was always very special to me. He left this earth 24 1/2 years ago I miss him more then I can put into words.

I opened at work today and worked until 3pm. Nothing usual just work.

That is all for today

Sunday, May 22 - Hanging-out and Repairs (CS,CO)

2011-05-22T21:13:00.001-04:00

Today was our only day off together, so we thought we would go out and do something. We tossed several ideas around, but decided to stay home and hang-out.

Jesse had previously put a new water filter system on the rig. He put the filter in the convenience center and put quick connect hose fittings. One was leaking, so while we were at Target yesterday he purchased a new one and installed it today.

He thought the water was leaking down to the underbelly and over to the other side where we saw the water dripping. He started to take the underbelly loose and much water came out.

He investigated and found that the shower drain locking nut was lose and was leaking water. He tighten it and we tested to see it water was still leaking…..Hooray Dry!!!

We felt that there was a lot of water so Jesse took the whole underbelly down to dry out. The insulation was soaked, so we threw it away and took out the silver insulation blanket out to dry.

We are still not sure all the water problem is solved because it is still dripping from the frame. We are going to leave it down to see what happens.

We straighten up the basement and then just sat outside and relaxed with an adult beverage.

We watched the birds:

We saw a bright yellow birds but I couldn’t get a picture..it was beautiful!

The deer that strolled by

Our boys relaxing…

We grilled hamburgers and pork boneless ribs. I made some noodles and broccoli as side dishes. After the dishes were cleaned up we watched TV and reclined in our chairs for the rest of the evening.

The office hours are being extended, opening at 8am and closing at 6pm Monday-Thursday and 9pm on Friday & Saturday, not sure on Sunday’s closing time, I open tomorrow.

Also for anyone that I play “Farmville” with on FB, I have decided to STOP playing…..Just too much time!!! So I will not be sending anymore gifts and don’t send me anymore.

Take care everyone!!

Saturday, May 21 - Phone Booster (CS,CO)

2011-05-22T11:59:00.001-04:00

Friday I worked 9-5, Mary Nell was with me for most of the day. We were 3/4 full for the weekend, so it stayed steady, but not busy, busy.

We had a steady stream of visitors, employees and guests. I think we were only alone for about 45 minutes all day.

Jesse was already home when I got there. He had showered, walked and fed the boys. I just needed to feed us. We had burgers and hot dogs with pasta salad, simple and easy.

We do not get phone service here at the campground. We talked about getting a land line installed and I was going to check into it.

Then Jesse got an email from the 3G store. It informed him about “Wilson Sleek Universal Cell Phone Signal Booster”. With an adapter for our outside Wilson Trucker antenna, shipping and handling it total at $101.70.

We have not used the adapter yet just plugged it in to a USB port on our computers and set the antenna up, set the phone in and TA-DAA !! we had a signal.

We called our son Adam in Pueblo and Sondra in Maryland and it was clear and sounded normal.

It is a little cumbersome, big to hold, but not bad at all.

On Saturday I opened the office and worked until 1pm. When I got off Jesse and I went to Panera Bread for lunch and then on to Target. We browsed around the store, picked up a few things then headed back home. We took the boys for a nice long walk around the campground.

We met Jean of Ken and Jean. They are friends of Ed and Marilyn and I am sure we will see more of them as they are staying on site for a while.

Back at the Kram-a-lot we sat outside and soaked up the clean mountain air until it got too cool to sit without a jacket.

Inside we computered and watched a few movies on TV.

Many guest and employees have said they have seen a fox around well tonight we finally saw it, just sitting in the bushes and I got proof: