Linda's Tests and Dinner With Mike And Jodi

Rantoul, IL.
68 Deg. clear, SE wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast today = high temp.92 deg. sunny, S. wind @ 10 to 15 mph.

Now, I hope some of you don't faint after reading this, but yesterday morning, Linda got up at about 6:00 AM!!!! I know, I know, a lot of people get up at 6:00, but if you know Linda, she's not a morning person and almost never gets up that early!!!

OK. Now I can hear you asking, "So why did she get up so early?"  Well...... If you remember, a few weeks ago, she went to this new doctor, and he wanted her to go and have some tests done, So.....yesterday was the day they were scheduled. Of course these tests had to be done at a hospital, so CLT took Linda and Jim to the Gibson City Hospital in (where else), Gibson City, IL, which is about 25 miles NW of here.

One of the test was to test her blood. Now from what I can gather, it's kind of like me getting my oil tested. The test finds out if there's any bad stuff floating around in there, and then if there is, the mechanic, (or doctor in Linda's case), can try to fix the problem.

Another test Linda had was to test her frame. I don't know too much about that test except it was some kind of test to see if it was getting weak. I guess this is kind of like what happened to  a trailer friend of mine. He had to get his frame repaired because the salt and junk from the road had made little holes in his frame and they had to weld new sections in to make him strong again.

Hmmmm!! I don't know how they'd fix a human's frame.

Now, Linda had couple of other tests done too, but she says that this blog is not the place to talk about them. She said that you ladies that are reading this would know what she means. ;-)

After all the tests were done, and because Linda couldn't eat anything before she had her tests,  CLT took Linda and Jim to a restaurant in Gibson City that he had seen on their way to the hospital. It's called the Kountry Kettle Restaurant and it was right along the way. Both Jim and Linda had biscuits and gravy and they said that is was really good.

When they got back to Rantoul, they stopped at Wally World to make an appointment for Linda to get new eye glasses. She's had her current ones for quite awhile and when she went to see her retinaologist the other day, he suggested that she get new ones. (She made an appointment for Wednesday morning.)  From Wally World, they went to the post office and picked up their mail.

After doing all of this, they got back here a little before noon. The afternoon was spent playing with the computers reading and taking naps.

Last night, CLT took Jim and Linda down to  the Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Urbana where they had dinner with Mike and Jodi. I was hoping that they would have a cookout here at the CG, but because of the tests and other things going on, it was decided that they would meet down there. From what I could gather from listening to Jim and Linda, it sounds like they had a very nice meal and lots of good conversation. They were gone for quite awhile, so they must have been enjoying themselves.

CLT said that there were h and h (hugs and handshakes), out in the parking lot after the meal and talk about getting together again when we come back here next year.

I sure hope so, they're a really nice couple. :-)

Did you know that on September 19, 1969, the first Cracker Barrel Old Country Store opened in Lebanon,Tennessee?

Weather, Economy, E-Mail and Oh Oh!!!

Rantoul, IL.
68 deg. clear, SE wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 90 deg. mostly sunny, S. wind @ 10 to 15 mph.

It got pretty warm here in Rantoul again yesterday. I though we might me past the time when we had temperatures in the 90's, but by mid afternoon, the thermometer on my shady side said that it was 93 deg out there. :-{ 

Again nothing happened here at the CG yesterday. A couple RVs left, and if I remember right, only one came in.

You know, they can say all they want about the economy getting better, but from what I've seen, it's still pretty bad and people are not traveling near as much as they did a few years ago. The only time I've seen a Campground anywhere near full, was on a holiday weekend. That's not bad for me though, I can pull into almost any CG without even thinking about making reservations. I'm curious to see how full the parks down in Florida will be this winter.

Oh, Jim got an e-mail from Jodi and Mike yesterday. (Remember Mike stopped by on his way home from work a couple weeks ago?), and they would like to get together Monday evening. Well, Jim sent a reply back telling them that Monday would work fine and asked them to call to discuss what everyone wanted to do. They could meet at a restaurant somewhere or Mike and Jodi could come here for a cookout.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what everyone decides to do. 

Today promises to be another slow day with temperatures, (depending on what TV station or web site you are looking at), anywhere from the upper 80's to the mid 90's, and higher humidity than we've been having. I'm sure there won't be many, if any RVs coming into the park, and probably a few will be leaving.

So, I'll just sit here in my site and watch the grass grow. ;-(

Oh Oh!!! I think my left rear inside tire is starting to itch!!!

Did you know that Elephants are the only animals that can't jump?

Slow Weekend At Prairie Pines and Allergies

Rantoul, IL.
58 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp. 85 deg. sunny, SE wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

Wow!!! This is the slowest weekend here at Prairie Pines that I've seen yet!!! I don't think even one RV came into the park for the weekend!!! And, I think that there were only 3 that came in yesterday that were just passing through and staying for only one night.

I think that part of the reason is that the schools around here have started classes already and once that happens, the kids get involved with sports and other school related activities That's OK though, it'll be a nice quiet weekend.

Now, next weekend promises to be much different. Louise was telling Jim a few days ago that the CG was pretty much booked up for the Labor Day weekend.

It should be interesting.

Again, not much happened around here yesterday. Both Jim and Linda have been fighting allergies, (the grass and ragweed counts have been really high), and so have not felt the best. In fact they turned my AC on and both stayed inside of me most of yesterday afternoon and evening. Jim did go out and cook a couple of small steaks on the grill for dinner while Linda put together a green bean casserole and cooked it in my oven.

Oh, if any of you want to know what the pollen count in your area is, you can find out at Pollen.com . Just click on the state your in, and then select a city or type in your zip code.

Did you know that the concept of "allergy" was originally introduced in 1906 by the Viennese pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet, after he noted that some of his patients were hypersensitive to normally innocuous entities such as dust, pollen, or certain foods?

Not Much Happening, A Little Shopping and Great Weather.

Rantoul, IL.
56 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp. 81 deg. sunny, light S. winds.

It's been pretty slow around here the last few days. Neither Jim or Linda have done much but enjoy the great weather we've been having. Wednesday, was a little breezy, but the temperatures have been in the upper 70's or low 80's, and the humidity has been really low. I know this won't last long, but it sure has been nice.

Yesterday, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to the Post Office to mail a few letters. Then they went to the FS station and bought CLT and drink of 87 octane before going down to the Farm & Fleet store in Urbana. Jim wanted to buy a couple pairs of Jeans and also an oil filter for my generator. Both items were found and in about an hour and a half, CLT was pulling back into his parking spot in front of me.

After they got back, both Jim and Linda took little naps. Then, Jim went outside and spent a good part of the afternoon, just sitting under my awning, while Linda worked on one of her embroidery projects and worked on some SUDOKU puzzles. (She's really gotten into them lately) For dinner, they took CLT and headed back over to the Village Garden Restaurant in Fisher, where Jim had the Chicken Stir fry and Linda had shrimp.

Again, both Jim and Linda enjoyed the meal.

Today, is suppose to be another really nice day so I imagine Jim will be spending more time outside. If he has some things he wants to get done out there, he needs to get them done soon as the weather forecast for the weekend is calling for temperatures back into the 90's again with higher humidity.

Did you know that 90 percent of women who walk into a department store immediately turn to the right?

Linda's Eye Doctor Appointment

Rantoul, IL.
67 deg. overcast, NW wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 80 deg. becoming sunny, less humid,  N. wind @ 10 to 15 mph.

Yesterday morning, Linda had her appointment with he retinaologist. Like every year, she was worried that there would be more diabetic damage to her eyes. You see, about the time Jim and Linda sold their stix an brix house and started full timing, Linda had a lot of problems with her eyes. (In fact, at one point, it looked like Linda could possibly be blind in a few years.)   :-(   After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the progression of the diabetic damage stopped with laser surgery, she was finally directed to Dr. Gandhi, who, with more laser surgery was able to stop the progression.

Well anyway, I'm pleased to tell you that once again he found no further damage, and told her to come back again next year. :-)

After leaving the doctor's office down in Champaign, they stopped by th Urbana  Gardens Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch. When they got back to Rantoul they picked up their mail at the post office before coming  back here to the campground.

Oh, Jim wants to thank Dave, (one of the Illinois Bunch), for telling him about the new exit down on I-57. It sure was easier to go that way than to go through the city.

Not much happened the rest of the day. Linda was tired because she hadn't slept much the night before, so she took a long nap in her chair. Jim was outside some of the time, took a little nap and played around with the computers.

Did you know that today is "Kiss and Make Up Day"?
  

Something Has Been Bothering Me

Rantoul, IL
64Deg. clear, no wind
Forecast today = high temp. 86 deg. sunny, N. winds @ 5 to 10 mph.

You know, I've been sitting here being a very nice Motorhome and minding my P's and Q's, but there's something that has really been bothering me, and so today, I'm going to stir the pot a little.

So, what's been bothering me, you ask??? Well, it's the few RVers and RVs that come into a park and have that, "I'm better than you" attitude!!! You know the ones. They have the biggest and best that money can buy. Well, their RVs may be bigger and shinier than I am, and the owners may have more money than my owners, but, They're not better than I and my owners are!!!!!

Most of their RVs will be in the junk yard long before they're 18 years old, their wealth will not buy them happiness, and most of them will not even be RVing after 8 or 10 years. So, don't look down your nose at me or my owners!!! We're out here enjoying life and plan to be for a good long while yet. When your shinny MH falls apart or wears out and ends up in the junk yard and you end up inside of a stix and brix house looking at the walls, wave as I drive by, cause we'll be out here traveling across this great country of ours, meeting great people, making new friends and finding out what's over that next mountain or around the next curve in the road.

Yeah, health problems could slow us down, or even stop us, but until that time, we're having a ball. :-)

Did you know that there are 2,500,000 rivets in the Eiffel Tower? 

They're Gone and A Little Shopping

Rantoul, IL.
64 Deg. clear, NE wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 85 deg. sunny, light NE winds.

Well, they're gone!! :-(  Gordy and Dorthy left a little before noon and Dave and Dee Dee left shortly after noon. I think it took Dave and Dee Dee a little longer to get going because Dee Dee woke up yesterday morning and was sick to her stomach. Don't know if she caught a bug, or ate something that was bad, but she was one sick lady. :-(

Hope you're feeling better Dee Dee!!!!

After they left, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to the IGA grocery store. They didn't get a lot of groceries, but got some items that were needed to hold them over until the next big shopping trip. After they got the groceries put away, they both took naps.

The rest of the day was spent just doing normal things.

Did you know that the wristwatch was invented in 1904 by Louis Cartier?

33 1/3% and H And H

Rantoul, IL.
70 deg. clear, NE wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 86 deg. sunny NE wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

Well, 33 1/3% of the Illinois Bunch are gone. :-(  After talking for awhile, Denny and Bev got everything packed up and pulled out of the park just before noon. It sure was good to see them and their Winnebago Brave again and I'm hoping we'll meet up again down in Florida this winter. :-)

Jim, Linda and the rest of the Illinois Bunch didn't do a whole lot. Dee Dee and Dorthy went shopping at the Mall down in Champaign. Then when they got back, everyone sat outside and talked until about 5:30 when people started getting hungry, and went into their RVs to eat.

After eating, Jim and Linda stayed inside because the mosquitoes have been so bad in the evenings. I don't know if anyone else was out and about or not.

Today, there will be more h and h, (hugs and handshakes), and then the rest of the Illinois Bunch will be gone. After they leave I don't think there's any plans except for CLT (Cute Little Truck) to take Jim and Linda someplace to buy some bread and milk.

If it's like it has been in the past, there'll be a kind of "let-down" after everyone leaves. :-(

Did you know that at least half the world’s population have seen at least one James Bond 007 movie?

Happy Birthday Bev, More Visiting and Geekyguys Again

Rantoul, IL.
70 Deg. overcast, SW wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast today = high temp.86 deg, partly sunny, with a 30% chance of rain. W. wind @ 10 to 15 mph.

Neither Jim or Linda knew it before Dee Dee mentioned it, but yesterday was Bev's birthday!! Denny bought a few muffins and some candles as a substitute for a cake. :-) Linda went over to Bev's in the afternoon to wish here a happy birthday and then spent some time visiting with her. After Jim took his nap, he stuck his head into their RV and wished her a happy birthday before heading over to Dave's.

All in all, I think Bev had a nice day. :-)

Again not a whole lot happened yesterday. Most of the Illinois Bunch sat outside and talked a good part of the day. Dave and Jim helped Denny roll up his awning, (there's something wrong with it and very hard to get rolled up properly), before dinner, and then Denny put away most of the things he had outside as they were forecasting rain.

Oh, I don't think I mentioned it, but before they got here, Bev was having serious problems with her laptop computer. She had called Jim and he had given her the phone number for Greg at GeekyGuys so that she could call him to see if he could look at it while she and Denny were here. Well anyway, she called him, he came and picked up her computer, found out that it had a bad Motherboard and told Bev it probably wasn't worth repairing. So..... last night about 6:30 he brought her computer back and while he was here, Jim told him about a little problem we've been having with this computer locking up once in awhile. Well, he came in and in no time, he figured out what the problem was, fixed it and was on his way.

Thanks Greg! :-)

After dinner some of the Illinois Bunch gathered again over a Dave's, but didn't stay out long as the mosquitoes started attacking them.

Today, Denny and Bev have to leave. It sure was good to see them and again, and I hope we'll see them this winter down in Florida.

Did you know that if Facebook was a country, it would be the 4th largest country in the world?

A Slow Day, RV Photos and Hotter And Hotter

Rantoul, IL.
69 Deg. clear SE wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast today = high temp.94 deg. mostly sunny, S. winds @ 10 to 15 mph.

Not a whole lot happened yesterday. Most of the day the men just sat around and talked. Dee Dee and Dorthy went over to Bev's and I think they played some games , but Linda didn't go as her knee was bothering her again.

For dinner, the decision was made to to to Fisher and the Village Garden Restaurant. Bev didn't go along, so Denny rode with Dave and Dee Dee in their truck and Jim and Linda rode with Gordy and Dorthy in their SUV. From what I could tell, I think everyone enjoyed their meals and had a good time visiting. Oh, and Denny brought some food back for Bev, so she had something to eat too.

Jim finally took a few photos of the Illinois Bunch's RVs. This Open Road 5th wheel belongs to Dave and Dee Dee and is parked on my right side.

On my left side is Denny and Bev's Winnebago Brave MH.

Because there were not any other good sites on this side of the street and close by, Gordy and Dorthy had to park their Holiday Rambler MH across the street from everyone else.

The temperatures are getting hotter and hotter here each day. Yesterday, by my thermometer, it got up to 94 deg. at one point, and today it's supposed to be even hotter and more humid. This makes it quite uncomfortable for people to be outside. I sure hope it doesn't get too much hotter, especially while the Illinois Bunch is here.

I don't have any idea what is going to be happening today. Probably not too much. I do know that Denny and Bev have to leave tomorrow, so today will be their last day here at the park.

Did you know that In New York City, approximately 1,600 people are bitten by other humans every year?

The Cook-out

Rantoul, IL
65 Deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp.88 deg. mostly sunny, light south winds.

Just  before lunch, Jim and Denny took CLT and headed to the IGA grocery store to pick up a few things that were needed for the cook-out. They weren't gone very long, but they didn't need much either, so it went quickly.

The afternoon was spent visiting over at Dave's and then about 5:00 everyone started getting ready for the cook-out. All the ladies had prepared something to bring and by the time everything was assembled there was enough food to fill 2 large tables and 2 small tables that were set up behind me and along side of me in the shade.

Being that Paul and Louise have always invited Jim and Linda over to their place when they've had a cook-out, Jim and Linda invited them to come over and eat. So, a little before 6:00 they came over and joined the group. Oh, and Paul's son Mark, was visiting Paul and Louise, so he was invited too.

Below are a couple of photos that Jim took just after people finished eating.

I think everyone had a good time, and they all said that the food was really good. :-)

As you can see, it turned out to be a fairly large gathering.

After the food that was left was carried back to the RVs everyone sat around and talked for awhile. Then, as the sun went down, it started getting buggy, and everyone went home.

Another beautiful day with with good friends and good food.  :-)

Did you know that today is "Black Cow" Root Beer Float Day?

They're All Here!!!

Rantoul, IL.
66 deg. partly cloudy, NE wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 81 deg. partly cloudy this morning with scattered showers. Mostly sunny this afternoon with E winds @ 5 to 10 mph.

They're all here!!!! :-) Who's all here, you ask?? Why the "Illinois Bunch" of course!!!!

It was late morning when I saw Gordy and Dorthy's Holiday Rambler coming down the road. Then, right after lunch, I saw Dave and Dee Dee's big Open Roads 5th wheel pull into the park. It was only abut 1/2 an hour later that Denny and Bev pulled in with their Winnebago Brave!!!

By 1:30 they were all here and in the process of getting set up. :-)

Because Jim just plain forgot, :-(  I don't have any photos to show you of the people or their RVs, but as soon as he takes some, I'll be sure to post them here.

After everyone got their RVs set up, they all gathered under my awning and talked and talked. Then about 6:00, everyone went to their RVs to get something to eat. After they ate, some of them gathered over at Dave's, where they sat at the picnic table until the skeeters drove them inside.

The weather really co-operated yesterday. It was cloudy most of the time, and we even had a few sprinkles in the afternoon, but the temperature was in the low 80's with a nice breeze blowing. After the really hot and humid weather that we've been having, it was really nice having a cooler day where everyone could sit outside and enjoy visiting.

Today, I'm sure there will be more visiting and then tonight they are planning on having a cook-out. Dave brought a bunch of firewood and so they'll have a campfire and everyone will cook hot dogs or brats over the fire. And of course all of the ladies will be bringing all kinds of other food to go with them. (I know Linda still has that sweet corn in my refrigerator that they bought the other day).

Oh, and I heard Dorthy say that she has all the makings for smores. ;-)

So.... it should be a fun day.  While all the people are doing their thing, I'll be talking to the other RVs and catching up on what has happened since I last saw them down in Florida. I'm also hoping that we'll make some plans to get together down there again this winter.

Did you know that from 100 feet away, mosquitoes can smell your scent, especially the carbon dioxide (CO2) you exhale?

Photos Today, Mike And Jody and They're Coming Today

Rantoul, IL
63 Deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp.81 deg. mostly sunny with increasing clouds this afternoon, NW wind @ 5 mph.

Well, here goes, lets see if I can get that photo of the trailer posted today!.

It worked!!!!

As you can see, it's a cute little thing. The roof is all one piece and extends all of the way from the tongue in the front to the rear of the trailer. The sides are one piece, so you don't have many seams to come loose and leak. The framework of the body is all aluminum, so it's nice and light. And, if I remember right, I think it's made by Forest River out of Indiana.

Those of you that follow this blog may remember a couple that Jim met when we were at the Sunset Bay Resort up in Michigan this last July.

Their names are Mike and Jody and they were on vacation up there and live down in Champaign. Since they they were such a nice couple, lived in the area and Mike works here in Rantoul, Jim invited them to stop by and visit us here in Rantoul if they got the chance. Well, yesterday afternoon, Mike stopped by on his way home from work to say Hi. He was here for about 1/2 an hour and said that he and Jody had been really busy but would like to get together with Jim and Linda sometime before we leave here in September.

Jim suggested that maybe they could come here to the Campground and he could cook some burgers, brats or hot dogs on the grill for them. I hope that's what they decide to do as I'd really like to have them  come here to see me.

Give Jim and Linda a call, Mike!  :-)

Earlier in the afternoon, Jim and Linda worked on getting me cleaned up inside. I don't know where it all comes from, but it seems I'm always getting dusty. I can understand it when it nice out and Jim and Linda have my windows open, but it's been hot lately and my windows have been shut with my AC running.

Today is the day the Illinois Bunch comes to see me!  Jim talked to Bev yesterday and she told him that she thought she and Denny would be leaving Peotone about noon or a little after. That would put them here about 2:00 or so.

I have no idea when the rest of them will get here, but I'll be watching. It sure will be good to see all of them and their RVs again. :-)

Did you know that all of the Earth's continents are wider at the north than in the south - and nobody knows why?

Reply To Comment, Better Weather,and A Neat RV But No Photo

Rantoul, IL.
66 Deg. clear, NW wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 83 deg. sunny, NW wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

First of all I'd like to reply to a comment that Mike and Gerri made on yesterday's blog concerning the storage of sweet corn. Jim and Linda have been able to keep the corn fresh for up to a week in the refrigerator by husking it, cutting away any bad spots, washing it, wrapping each ear in a wet paper towel and then putting the warped ears inside of a plastic bag or bags.

So...... buy a dozen or two and enjoy. :-)

The weather wasn't a whole lot cooler yesterday, (highs in the upper 80's), but the humidity was much lower and there was a nice breeze blowing, so it really didn't feel too hot outside. Jim spent quite a bit of the day outside doing this and that.

In the morning, he talked to the owner of this neat little RV that was parked next to me.


((( I have been trying for about 1/2 hour to get a photo of the trailer uploaded here, but it just won't work today and I'm getting tired of waiting, so I'll try to upload the photo on tomorrow's post. )))

Sorry about that. :-(


The trailer is light enough to be pulled with a 1/2 ton truck. It's about 17' long, has a queen sized bed, stove, fridge, and a bath with a shower. The man and his wife live in Indiana, and were just returning from a trip to Colorado to see their son. This was their first long trip with the trailer and they said they were very happy with it and how it pulled down the road.

After lunch, Jim dumped my tanks and then took CLT and headed over to the IGA store to buy a few groceries that was needed. After he returned, he took a little nap, sat outside for awhile and then cooked a couple of burgers on the grill for dinner, while he was cooking the burgers, Linda made salads and got out chips and stuff to go with them.

Did you know that Elvis Presley got a 'C' in his eighth grade music class?

Corn

Rantoul, IL.
75 deg. clear, SW wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 88 deg. partly sunny, NW wind @ 5 to 15 mph.

It was really hot around here again, so not much happened yesterday. About 11:00 Jim and Linda took CLT and headed into town to see if they could find a farmer selling sweetcorn.

They finally found someone next to the old train depot in town, bought some corn, and then came back here.

Jim sat outside and took the husk off of the corn and then brought the corn inside where Linda washed it, cut out a few bad spots and then wrapped each ear in a wet paper towel before putting it into plastic bags and putting it into my refrigerator.

While she was doing that, Jim took the husk down to the dumpster.

That's about all that happened yesterday.

Did you know that the Iroquois gave the first recorded sweet corn (called Papoon) to European settlers in 1779?

Not Much To Report and Dave Stops By

Rantoul, IL.
71 deg. cloudy, rain, W. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 94 deg.becoming partly sunny, hot and humid, SW wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

Not a whole lot to report today. Jim went for a little bike ride early yesterday morning, puttered around outside for awhile, sat at my picnic table and talked to Paul, (the CG host), for awhile, and then by 10:00 came inside of me because it was just too hot to do anything outside.

In the afternoon, Dave, (one of the Illinois Bunch), stopped by for a little while. He and Dee Dee live south of here and he was going past here in I-57, to go up to the Kankakee area where Dee Dee has been visiting, and decided to stop by and say "Hey".

He and the rest of the Illinois Bunch will be coming here on Tuesday, so we'll get to see him again soon. :-)

Speaking of the Illinois Bunch, it sounds like the weather is going to be a little cooler this next week when they're here. As of right now, the forecast is for high temperatures in the 80's (instead of the 90's), and lows in the lower 60's, (instead of the upper 70's).

For dinner, last night, Linda put together some bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches and melon. While she was doing that, Jim toasted some bread because he likes his BLT's on toast.

After dinner they read, played with the computers, and watched a tape on the TV as there weren't any shows on that they wanted to watch.

Like I said, not to much to report on today.

Did you know that today is "National Mustard Day"?

I told you it was a slow day!!  ;-)

New Glasses, and An Unexpected Trip

Rantoul, IL.
71 Deg. clear, no wind
Forecast today = high temp. 94 deg. mostly sunny, humid, light southeast winds.

Yesterday morning started with Jim heading over to Wally World to pick up his new glasses. While he was there, he picked up a few other items and then headed over to Rural King to pick up a few more items. When he got back here, Linda was just getting up and while she was getting dressed, he checked the voice mail on the phone and found out that Sue, from their Financial Adviser's office, had called and wanted to know if they could come up to Peotone for a 1:00 appointment.

Well, Jim asked Linda if she wanted to head up there, and it was decided that yesterday would be as good as any other day. So, Jim called Sue back and told her that they'd be there. Then, they both started scurrying around, getting everything together that they needed to take, and were grabbing a bite to eat.

In just a short time, they were heading out of my door, getting into CLT (Cute Little Truck) and driving out of the Campground.

Oh, I'll bet some of you are wondering about Jim's new glasses. Well, when he came back here, I though he still had his old ones on, but, they were the new ones!!! The new ones are exactly like the old ones!!

He says he can see better with the new ones though. :-)

By taking I-57 North up to Peotone, CLT says that it was about 12:30 by the time they arrived at the financial adviser's office, so Jim and Linda went ahead and went in and sat and talked to Sue for awhile. She's always interested in where we've been since she's seen them, and wants to hear all about our travels.

Their meeting lasted quite a while as they had a lot to talk about, so it was almost 3:00 by the time they were finished. Being that it was mid afternoon already, they were both a little hungry so they stopped by the Mayberry Junction Restaurant in Manteno, which is just 5 or 6 miles South of Peotone, and had some iced tea and a piece of pie.

The Mayberry Restaurant is decorated with all kinds of Andy Griffin photos and the menu features all kinds of dishes named after the shows characters and places. This restaurant used to be located in a small building up in Peotone, but moved to this new location a couple of years ago.

From there, they followed all 2 lane roads, (except to go around Kankakee on I-57), down here to Rantoul. By the time they got back near here, they were starting to think about dinner, so they stopped at the local KFC and picked up some chicken.

The evening was spent watching TV and playing with the computers.

Did you know that Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck? In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year. Any month's 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday.

A Very Slow Day and Making Appointments

Rantoul, IL.
74 Deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp. 95 deg. humid, mostly sunny, light Easterly winds.

We had a little shower after I posted yesterday's blog but then  the sun came out from behind the clouds and the temperatures rose back into the mid 90's. Now they're saying on TV that this heat wave will be with us all the way through the weekend. :-( 

Linda called and made an appointment with her retinaologist yesterday afternoon. He has now opened an office in Champaign, so on the 24th of Aug, she'll go see him down there to have her eyes checked instead of having to go all the way up to the Kankakee area. Then, she called their financial advisor up in Peotone to make an appointment, but the secretary told Linda that she would have to call her back after she checked with him about his schedule.

Oh and speaking of eyes, the Wally World Vision Center called and said that Jim's glasses were ready for pick-up. Wow!!! that was a fast 7 days!!! Well, they did say up to 7 days, but Jim sure didn't expect them to be ready in 2 days!!! So, I imagine that he'll be heading over there today to pick them up.

Hmmmm, I wonder what Jim will look like with his new glasses?

Did you know that according to NASA, the U.S. has the world's most violent weather? In a typical year, the U.S. can expect some 10,000 violent thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,000 tornadoes and several hurricanes

Doctor's Appointment, Laundry and photos

Rantoul, IL
75 Deg. cloudy, thunder and lightning in the distance, light winds.
Forecast today = high temp. 96 deg. partly sunny, 40% chance of showers and t-storms.

I'm glad to report that Linda's doctor's appointment went well yesterday morning. He does want her to get some tests done, but that was kind of expected. The main thing is that he is willing to work with her and the full-timing lifestyle, and is OK with seeing her just once a year if she has a blood test done in 6 months and has the results sent to him.

She can do that. :-)

When Linda was done with her appointment, she and Jim went to the Village Garden in Fisher, IL. (Fisher is also where the doctor's office is), and had breakfast for lunch. They had never had breakfast there before, but said that it was very good.

After they finished eating they came back here. The first thing Linda did was start doing loads of laundry in my washer/dryer. It had been quite a while since she had done any laundry and the clothes bin was really full, so she ended up doing 3 loads.

While she was doing laundry, Jim was doing some work on the computer, taking a nap, and taking some of the clothes out to the clothes rack on the back of me and hanging them up to dry.

Oh, and I've got some photos of the new valances on my kitchen windows to show you. This first one is of my large kitchen window over my table.

This one is of another valance, that matches the one over the table, but being that it is on a small window, it is more like a curtain.

I think they look really nice. What do you think?

After having sandwiches for their evening meal, Jim went out and brought in the laundry. Then he and Linda watched TV until bedtime.

Did you know that It takes 17 muscles to smile, 43 to frown?

Oh So Hot!!!, The Tree, and Appointments

Rantoul, IL
75 Deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp. 92 deg. partly to mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers and t-storms, light S. winds.

It sure is hot here, and it's not expected to get cooler until at least Thursday!!!!!  How hot is it you ask?

Well, it's so hot that the popcorn is popping in the fields before the farmers can harvest it!! :-)

It's so hot that the cows are giving evaporated milk!!! :-)

It's so hot that you get hot water out of both hot and cold water faucets!!! ;-)

Now, That's hot!!!!!

On a more serious note, I thought I'd post a photo of the tree that Jim moved me out from under.

As you can see, the branch is rotted completely through and there's only about 1/2 of the outside shell holding it up.

This photo is of a different direction and the rotted branch is the second one from the right and hangs over the rear of my site. If it should fall now, it would come down at least 15 " behind me.

Jim told Paul and Louise, (the CG hosts), about it yesterday morning and they said that they'd inform the Village, but said that they doubted if the Village would do anything about it until this winter.

Hmmmm!!! I wonder how they'd like to pay for an RV if the branch should fall on it?

Jim didn't do anything outside yesterday, and neither did anyone else. Even Paul and Louise, were only outside when customers came into the park or needed assistance, and that's really unusual. They're normally out and about doing things for a good part of the day.

For dinner Jim and Linda went back to the Red Wheel Restaurant and had a nice meal. Jim said that it was too hot to cook outside and didn't want Linda to use the stove inside of me and heat things up.

Oh, I almost forgot. Jim went to his appointment at the Wally World Vision Center yesterday morning, had his eyes tested and now has new glasses ordered. The lady said that they should be ready for pick-up in 7 days or less.

Maybe after he gets them, he'll be able to read a little better. :-)

Today Linda has her doctor's appointment with the new, (to her), doctor. I know she's nervous about going, but wants to get established with him if possible.

I sure hope everything works out.

Did you know that Salvino D'Armate from Italy, is credited with inventing the first wearable eye glasses around 1284?

Addressing Comments and I've Moved

Rantoul, IL.
70 Deg., clear, SE wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 92 deg., humid, S. wind @ 5 to 10 mph., 20% chance of showers.

OK, before I get started on anything else, I need to address a couple of comments that I've received lately. The folks posting the comments, want to know if I'll be taking Jim and Linda to Goshen and to the SKP Escapade that they are having there. I'm sorry to say the I won't be taking them there because by that time, we'll be on our way back out to the East Coast to see kids and grand kids.

The temperature yesterday got up to 94 degrees, by the thermometer on my North side. On the news, they're saying that it didn't get up that high, but my thermometer has been pretty accurate in the past so I'm inclined to go by what it said.  Now, they're saying that today and tomorrow the temperatures are supposed to be even hotter!!!!

Guess what? I've moved!!! Yep, not far, but never the less, I've moved. How far and where did I move to, you ask?

Well, let me explain what happened.

Yesterday morning, Jim was outside drinking his coffee and walking around in the area, when he happened to look up into the huge tree that is on my North side. Well, what he saw made him stop in his tracks. You see, what he saw was a very large rotten area in one of the big branches that was extending over the rear of me!!! At least 1/2 of the outside of the branch is rotted away and the inside is also very rotten. This branch is about 8 to 10 inches in diameter, is very long and extends over my site.

So...... being that Jim had parked me quite far back in the site, he decided that it would be a good idea to pull me ahead about 20' to get me out from under the branch. Now, I don't have quite as much shade as I had before, but it's better than sitting under that branch and worrying about it falling on me if it storms.

In the afternoon, Jim and Linda took CLT had headed over to the IGA store and bought groceries. By the time they returned, the temperature was in the 90's so the rest of the day was spent inside of me watching TV and playing with the computers.

Oh, also, Jim and Linda did get a valance installed on my large kitchen window. I really like the way it looks and if I can get Jim to take a photo of it, I'll post it as soon as I can.

Did you know that trees do not have life expectancies like humans? Some in California are believed to be four-thousand years old or more. How can trees live so long? The simple answer is that they're not as complex as people. So, as long as conditions are right, trees continue to live and grow, until something interrupts it.

A Trip To Wally World, More About The Weather and Still On For The 17th

Rantoul, IL.
63 deg. clear, S. wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 88 deg. sunny, S. wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

It's been really nice around here  the last few days, but I'm afraid that's going to change as the wind has switched from the North and West to the South. Southerly winds in the Midwest, during the summer, almost always mean higher temperatures and higher humidity. And, to back that up, they are forecasting the temperatures to be back into the 90's for the whole week. :-(

Yesterday, Jim and Linda went to Wally World to find some curtain rods. You see, when we were in Amana, IA, Linda bought some valances to put on a few of my windows, but they didn't sell the rods to use with them. Anyhow, They bought the rods and a few other things they needed and then came back here because Linda wasn't feeling too good. I don't know what was wrong, but after they returned, she took a pretty long nap and then seemed to feel much better.

Jim said that he thought she was just really tired as she hadn't slept well the night before.

So........today, if Linda is feeling OK, they need to go to the grocery store. I think they were planning to buy groceries while they were at Wally World, but since that didn't happen, they need to go and pick up a few things today or tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, while they were at Wally World, Jim went into the "Vision Center" and made an appointment to go in tomorrow at 11:00 to get his eyes tested and get new glasses. He was trying to remember when he last got new glasses and he thinks it was probably 4 or 5 years ago. He says that he can still see well at a distance with the old ones, but can't see the close-up stuff very well anymore.

Yesterday, I was telling you about some of the "Illinois Bunch" having second thoughts about when they were coming to see  me. Well, the long range forecast has changed again and now they are saying that for some of the time that they will be here it will be cooler, so..... everything is still on for the 17th. :-)

You know, people probably shouldn't even look at that long range forecast. I don't think it's very accurate anyway, although I have to admit that I check it out to try to figure out what the weather is going to be doing while we're traveling.

Did you know that on average, you blink 15 000 times a day?  That’s about 10 times per minute, or more than five million times a year. Women blink more than men.

I'm Clean, A Project Finished and A Possible Change Of Plans

Rantoul, IL.
61 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp. 85 deg. sunny, light SW winds.

AAhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Jim finished giving me that bath yesterday morning, and it sure did feel good. ;-) Now, I'm nice and clean and should stay clean at least until we leave here sometime in September.

Linda finished up all of her sewing projects yesterday afternoon, so Jim helped her put away her machine and now my kitchen table and countertops are usable once again for their intended purposes. In fact for dinner last night, Jim cooked a chicken breast out on the grill and Linda prepared some cauliflower and potatoes on my stove. Then they sat down at my table and had a very nice meal. :-)

Jim got an e-mail from Dave, (one of the "Illinois Bunch") that is supposed to be coming here to the CG on the 17th), the other day, and yesterday got a call from Denny and Bev, (more of the "Illinois Bunch"), and it sounds like they're having second thoughts about coming on the 17th. You see, the long range forecast for that period of time is for the temperatures to be in the upper 80's and low 90's, and they're concerned that it will be too hot to be outside.

I can understand their concern, as it wouldn't be much fun if everyone was stuck inside of their RV and not be able to get together as a group. So....., we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Jim told them how long we could stay here, ( before we need to be heading back East), and they are checking their schedules to see if they could come at a later date.

I hope something can be worked out cause it's always fun when the "Illinois Bunch" gets together. ;-)

After dinner last night, Jim and Linda watched TV for awhile and then took CLT and headed over to the local Dairy Queen to get some ice cream. They were only gone for about 1/2 an hour, but when they came back, they had big smiles on their faces, so I guess it must have been good.

Then it was off to bed after the news and a little British comedy.

Did you know that the first Dairy Queen store opened in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois?

A Partial Bath and What's With The Weather?

Rantoul, IL.
62 deg. clear, NW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 85 deg. sunny, NW wind @ 10 to 15 mph.

I don't know what got into Jim yesterday morning, but the first thing he did was to go for a little bike ride and then when he returned, he pulled CLT up in front of me, get out hose and all the washing stuff and gave CLT a much needed bath.

Then, he turned the hose on me!! Yep, I got a partial bath too!!

OK, now I can hear you asking, "What is a partial bath"?  Well, he started on my left front corner, and worked his way back to the rear of me along my left side. Then he washed the back end of me, (which was very, very dirty from the gravel roads that I had been on). But, by the time he finished back there, it was getting quite hot, he was getting tired, and the mosquitoes were attacking him. :-(

So...... being that I'm not going anywhere or expecting any visitors, he left the rest of me for another day. And, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that day is today, because this morning it's cool outside and I think he wants to get it done so he can put all the washing stuff away. 

Besides, I look kind of silly with one side of me nice and clean, and the other side dirty.

Linda has still been working on her sewing projects, so she still has my kitchen full of sewing stuff. This doesn't really matter, except it's very difficult to prepare any meals without moving all of her material and supplies someplace else. So, for the last few days, Jim and Linda have been going out to eat. Yesterday it wasn't too hot, so Jim got out his grill and cooked a brat and a hot dog, and Linda got out chips and fruit to go with them. Then they sat in my living room and watched the news while they ate their sandwiches.

The next few days are supposed to be pretty nice here in Rantoul, but Jim has the news on this morning and I just heard the weatherman say the they are expecting the temperatures to be going back up to the upper 90's by next Tuesday!!! I don't know what's going on with the weather. We froze all winter down in Florida and now we're cooking up here in Illinois!!!! :-(

Oh, Gin and Syl made a comment on yesterday's post and asked about the Campground data base that Jim and Linda have. Well, I call it a data base, but it's actually just a bunch of folders and files on a word processing program. The folders are the states and then the files are all the campgrounds in that state that Jim and Linda have been to since about 1998. Some of the campgrounds are no longer in existence and I'm sure the info is no longer valid on many of them. They do however check each time we travel to an area to see if there's any CG's that they've been to before, and if the entry isn't too old, can make a decision on whether or not to stay at a park. 

I really don't know how all that info could be made available for other people to use. There's over 50 folders and over 500 files. 

Did you know, the term "dog" has been used as a synonym for sausage since 1884 and accusations that sausage makers used dog meat date to at least 1845?

Another Hot Day

Rantoul, IL.
73 deg. overcast, light fog, NW wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 86 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

After another hot and humid day with temperatures getting up to the mid nineties, we had a cool front go through the area about 4:00 yesterday afternoon, that brought with it fairly heavy rain and strong winds in near-by areas. We had quite a bit of rain and some wind here, and I'm glad that Jim rolled up all my awnings, but there doesn't seem to be any damage here in the park.

Not much happened yesterday. I was just too hot to do anything outside so Jim spent a lot of the day fooling around with this computer and Linda continued working on the mending and sewing projects, with her sewing machine, that she started the other day.

Because Linda pretty much has my kitchen tied up with her sewing machine and sewing and mending items, they decided to head to Burger King for dinner and grab a sandwich. They waited until after the rain stopped, so it was about 6:00 by the time they left.

After they returned, they worked on updating their Campground database, (it had gotten behind because of the virus on this computer), and then watched some programs on PBS before heading to bed.

Not a very exciting day, but all in all, a pretty good one. :-)

Today, because it's supposed to be cooler, I'm thinking that Jim will probably be outside more. I know he has some things he wants to do.

Did you know that today is "International Beer Day"?

Hot! Hot! Hot! and How Not To Level Your MH

Rantoul, IL.
77 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp. 94 deg. partly sunny, with a 50% chance of t-storms. W. wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

It sure is hot here in Illinois. Yeah, I know, it's hotter in places like FL and AZ, but these 95 deg and higher temperatures are not normal here. Hardly anyone was out and about here in the park yesterday, and even this morning, it's very hot and muggy outside. And, today promises to be another scorcher.

It was so hot yesterday evening that Jim didn't want to cook anything outside on the grill, and both he and Linda decided that it wasn't a good idea to cook inside of me and heat me up, so........what else could they do but go out to eat?  ;-)

They decided that they would go to Monical's Pizza, so about 6:00 they took CLT and headed into town. CLT says that when they got there, the parking lot was full, so evidently Jim and Linda weren't the only ones to think that going out to eat was a good idea. Linda decided that she wanted an Italian roast beef sandwich, so she ordered that and Jim ordered one of those small individual pizzas. They said that both were very good.

After they got back here, they watched TV and played with the computers until bedtime.

Oh, I wanted to show you this photo that Jim took of an RV that he saw in a CG on our way back here to Rantoul. This RVs owner evidently doesn't realize what could happen to the RV if one of the blocks under the jacks gave way. As you can see, they are already crooked and look like they could tip over at any moment.

Also, notice how the tires are half way off of the board, which is very hard on a tire and can damage the belts.

The site was not level and Jim says that the RVer should have gone to the office and asked for a different site rather than take chances like this.

Did you know that there are approximately 61,269 pizzerias in the United States?

Still More Catching Up, The RV Test, and Amana to Rantoul

Rantoul, IL.
96 Deg. sunny, S. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast for the rest of today = hot and humid with a 30% chance of t-storms.

Tuesday morning's post had us in Amana, IA where Jim and Linda did a lot of shopping at the little stores in the area. On Thursday, 7-29-10, after dumping my tanks at the dump station, we left the Amana Colonies RV Park about five minutes after 10:00 and headed East on US 6. US 6 took us over to near Iowa City, where we got onto I-80. 80 then brought us over to the Quad Cities area, where we turned South on I-280.

Now, this is where the test began. If you can make it over this section of road without breaking a suspension part, blowing a tire, having your cabinet doors, drawers or refrigerator come open, or having a light fixture or something else fall off of the wall, you have a good RV and you have everything really well secured  for travel!!!  This is the roughest section of road that I can ever remember being on, the bridges will literally launch you into the air as you go onto them, and when you come back off of the bridge, you feel like the road gave away under you!!!

Until repairs are made, I would strongly suggest you avoid I-280 around the Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island area. Right now I-80 has bridge construction going on and signs suggest you take 280, but the delays you may have on 80 are worth missing the rough road.

Once into Illinois, the road got smoother and when we got to I-74, we turned South on it and followed it down to the Galesburg area, where we pulled into the Holiday Travel Park which is in Knoxville, IL, and just a little SE of Galesburg on I-74.

The Holiday Travel Park is an old KOA Park, ( You can tell by the shape of the office building), and is actually quite nice. There's lots of big trees for shade, the sites are not too small, and they have 50 Amp electricity with full hook-ups. The only drawback is that the sites weren't real level and at almost $30 per night, kind of expensive.

It was12:40 when we pulled up to the office, so we had been on the road for 2 hours and 35 minutes and covered 137 miles.

Once Jim and Linda had me set up and leveled, they both gently opened almost every cabinet door inside of me to see what had been shaken out of place and was about to fall out. Then they did the same with my refrigerator.

I'm glad to report that nothing got broken or damaged during the test and I seem to have come through the ordeal unscathed. :-)

Oh, I've got a little riddle for you, How do you know when you have arrived in the Midwest part of the United States?

When the view out of your windshield is a corn field!!!! ;-)

We left the CG in Knoxville about 9:25 Friday morning because Jim had awakened really early and he and I were both itching to get on the road and get back here to Rantoul. And also, they were forecasting possible rain and t-storms for later on in the day, and we wanted to beat them here if we could.

From Knoxville, we stayed on I-74, followed it down to Peoria, took I-474 around it and then continued on I-74 through the Bloomington / Normal, area and to US 136 near the little town of Le Roy, IL There, we turned off of 74 and followed 136 here to Rantoul and to the FS gas station where Jim filled me up with more of that good old #2 before coming here to the Prairie Pines CG.

It was only 12:25 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it had taken us just 3 hours to travel 136 miles and get my drink at the FS station.

Before we got here, I knew that I would be in a different site this time. I heard Jim, Linda and Louise talking about it before we left, and they all decided that I would be across the road from the site I usually have, (Site #13), and be in site #12. Site 12 has more shade, but I am facing West instead of East, so that means I do get some late afternoon sun on my windshield. This is not a big problem though because Jim put my windshield sun-screen on the front of me as soon as we got here, and it helps a lot. :-)

Since we've been here Jim and Linda haven't done a real lot. They've been out to eat a few times, they've done some laundry, picked up their mail at the Post Office, and gone to a cook-out over at Paul and Louise's. Jim' has been riding his bike some, Linda has been doing some mending,  and they've both enjoyed being back here in Rantoul.

Oh, speaking of the mail. Soon after we got here, Linda received a phone call from Pat Thomas (someone you RV Dreamers may know as Miss Alfie), and she wanted to know if Jim and Linda had received something she had sent to them in the mail. Well, at that time they had not been to the post office yet, but Monday, Jim picked up the mail and found out what Pat had sent. It was a really nice photo of Jim and Linda dancing at the RV Dreams Rally in Longs, SC this spring.

What a nice gesture that was!!! It brought back a very special memory that both Jim and Linda shared at the Rally.

Thanks Pat and Jim, it really made their day. :-)

Well, that pretty much catches up this blog. From here on, I'll be posting as things happen or if I think of something to write about, and if nothing is happening, or I can't think of anything, I may not post for a day or two. The next major things on Jim and Linda's schedule are Linda's doctor appointment, (with a new doctor), on the 10th and the Illinois Bunch coming to see me, (and Jim and Linda), on the 17th. We'll be staying here until sometime after Labor Day, so if you're in the area, stop by and say "Hi". There's almost always sites available, but check if you're coming on a holiday.

Did you know that the average cough comes out of your mouth at 60 miles per hour?

More Catching Up and River Falls, WI to Frederika, IA to Amana, IA

Rantoul, IL
72 Deg., clear, S. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 93 deg. partly sunny, S. winds @ 5 to 10 mph, heat index ratings of 101 to 106.

My last post ended with us in River Falls, WI., where Jim and Linda were visiting Linda's brother, Glenn,  his wife Jeanette, and their family. After staying there for 3 days, we left Hoffman Park at about 10:00 on Monday  morning, (7-26-10), and took Rt 35 SW from River Falls, down to US 10, which then took us over the Mississippi River and into Minnesota. Then, we turned South on US61 which took us down to Rt 20. 20 then took us down to Cannon Falls. Just South of Cannon Falls, Jim pulled me into a Truck Stop and bought me a nice big drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel. After my drink, we picked up US 52 which took us in a South Easterly direction and down to Rochester. Just South of Rochester, we picked up US 63 and followed it down into Iowa. About 55 miles into Iowa, we came to the small town of Frederika and the Alcock County Park.

It was about 1:50 when we arrived, so it had taken us about 3 hours and 50 minutes get my drink and to travel 170 miles.

Now, this park is a small park with self registration, it has grass sites and 30 Amp electric hookups at most sites. To get to it, you have to go about a mile East of 63 on a blacktop road and then another 1/2 mile North on a gravel road, which was very dusty with lots of loose gravel. As we pulled into the park, I was concerned because no one else was in the park, everything looked very wet from all the rain that had gone through the area a few days earlier, and in fact there was water standing in some places.

Jim walked around in the park and decided that it would be OK if he backed me into one of the first sites, which seemed to be on a little higher ground.

Well, he backed me in, and everything seemed to be OK, but during the night, I started sinking into the grass. :-(  Not a whole lot, but all of my tires sank in about 2 inches and I could tell that the ground under me was very soggy. In the morning, Jim saw how much I had sunk into the grass and decided that it was time to get me out of there, so he woke up Linda and by 9:00 he had my engine fired up and we were ready to attempt to pull out of the site. At first, I was confused when he put my transmission in reverse, but then he backed me up a couple of inches, held my brakes, shifted the transmission into drive, gave me some fuel, released the brakes and drove me back through the spot where I had sunk down and right out of the site. :-)

Whew!!!! I don't want to do that again!!! That was way too close to getting really stuck!!!

Now, from there, the plan was to head down to a COE (Corps Of Engineers) park on the bank of the Mississippi River, down near Muscatine, IA, but all the reports said that there was flooding around there and Jim and Linda both thought that the park may be closed. So......Jim got out that big eraser of his and the plan was changed to head to the Amana Colonies instead.

From the soggy Alcock County Park, we got back onto US 63 and followed it down to Waterloo where we got onto I-380, which took us down to Cedar Rapids. There, we turned SW on US 151 and took if for about 15 miles and to the Amana Colonies RV Park.

It was 11:05 when we pulled up to the office, so we had traveled 102 miles in about 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Jim was able to get a Passport America discount for me for 2 days at this park, so the decision was made to stay for the 2 nights before heading further South. This is an OK park, with long pull-through sites, water, electric, (30 or 50 Amp, your choice), and a sewer connection if you want to pay extra. They also have a nice dump station, so Jim decided that the sewer connection was not necessary.

There aren't any trees or anything, but it's a place to park while visiting the colonies.

Being that it was early when we arrived, Jim unhooked CLT and he and Linda headed into Amana to explore and do a little shopping. They found lace shop where Linda bought some curtains to use inside of me, (I'll show you some photos after they get put up), and then found a meat shop where they bought some summer sasuage, pork chops and bacon.Then, they came back to the CG, put the meat into my refrigerator and freezer, rested up a little and then went out to eat at the Colony Inn Restaurant, where they had a great family style dinner.

Wednesday, they took CLT and went exploring again. This time they drove around to the different towns of the "Colony", and found a chocolate shop, (where they had sugar free chocolates), a bakery, and some other shops with some really neat home-made items.

Oh, they also found a gas station where they bought CLT a drink of 87 octane.

For dinner, Jim cooked one of the huge pork chops on the grill and Linda prepared some cauliflower and home-made bread, (from the bakery), to go with it. It all sure smelled good and by their reactions as they ate, it must have tasted really good too. ;-)

Did you know that the name Amana means to "remain faithful"?

Catching Up, Wakefield MI to Spooner WI to River Falls, WI.

Rantoul, IL.
65 deg. clear, no wind.some fog.
Forecast today = high temp. 92 deg. mostly sunny, light South winds

OK, I'm going to try to get caught up on my travels in the next couple days, so I hope you'll bear with me.

In this post, I'll try to cover my travels from Wakefield, MI., where I was when I  was last able to get on the Internet, down to River Falls Wisconsin where Linda's brother Glenn, and his wife Jeanette, live.

On Thursday, July 22, we left the city park in Wakefield and headed West on US 2. 2 took us out of Michigan, and into Wisconsin, through Ashland and to US 63. We then took 63 all the way down to Spooner, where we pulled into the Country House Motel and RV Park. It was a nice short travel day, and it only took us 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel the 137 miles of good road.

Jim had read mixed reviews on this park, and so he wasn't surprised when the man in the motel office told him that they no longer gave the Passport America discount and then started to put down the RVers that he claimed took excess advantage of his pool and other amenities, while only paying half price. Jim just ignored him and payed the nice lady that was checking me in, and then came out an pulled me around to the back of the Motel and into a nice long pull-through site.

I don't know what this owner has against PPA, but even though he has a fairly nice CG, it's not worth the $30 that Jim was charged. I was the only camper in the park and I think that it would be better to get half of that, rather than have all the sites setting there empty. Because of the attitude of the owner and the high price, we will not be staying at this CG again. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the CG was closed in a few years, as no one wants to hear negative comments about RVers as they are checking in.

Since it was Linda's birthday, Jim found out that there was a restaurant in town called Nick's that was supposed to be good, so for dinner, they took CLT and headed over there and had a very nice meal.

On Friday, the 23rd of July, we left the CG in Spooner at about 10:05 and continued South on US 63. We stayed on 63 all the way down to I-94, where we tuned West for a few miles and then took Rt 65 South and to River Falls, WI, where we pulled into Hoffman Park.

It was almost exactly 12:00 when we pulled into the park so it took us one hour and 55 minutes to travel 94 miles.

I've been to Hoffman Park in River Falls before, so I knew just how to get into one of the nice back-in sites. It's a small city park with level back-in sites, 30 Amp electric, and a nice dump station. It's well maintained, always neat and clean, with paved roads and pads, and they only charge $15 a night. :-)

Oh and one other thing, it's only about 3/4 mile from Linda's brother's house!

After taking naps and getting the inside of me cleaned up some, Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck) and headed over to Glenn's house. Of course Glenn and Jeanette knew that Linda had just had a birthday, so they ordered pizza and made a cake to celebrate. :-) Glenn and Jeanette's son Ed, his wife Michelle and their son Thomas are living temporarily with Glen and Jeanette, so of course they joined in on the celebration too.

I think Linda was really pleased as she was still talking about how nice it was of them to make a cake and give here a few gifts when they got back to the park.

After dinner, Jim was telling Glenn about our computer problems and how we were not able to get on-line with the air card, so Glenn looked up the location of an AT&T store on his computer and found one over in St. Paul, MN. So......Saturday, Glenn and Jeanette came out to the CG, picked up Jim and Linda and headed to the store.

The guy at the store found out that the card was working properly and told Jim that he was almost positive that the computer was infected with a virus. Well, they talked about taking it to a store in St. Paul, but Jim decided that he wanted to bring it back here to Rantoul and have Greg from Geeky Guys come and take a look at it as he had done a good job fixing a problem that they had a couple of years ago. So, they came back to the CG and talked for awhile.

That evening, they all went to a Perkins Restaurant for dinner, and then Sunday most of the day was spent at Glenn and Jeanette's talking and spending some one-on-one time with them.

Our stay in River falls was very good and I know that Linda enjoyed spending time with her brother. It had been quite awhile since we had been up there and it was good to see them and their house again. :-)

Did you know that River Falls is home to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, (where Glenn is a Professor), and through 2009 the site of the summer camp of the Kansas City Chiefs?

Where To Start?

Rantoul, IL.
66 deg. clear, N. wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast today = high temp. 87 deg. partly cloudy, light N. winds.

Oh me, oh my! Where to start, and more importantly how to get everything caught up again?

I guess first, I'll tell you about the virus that infected this computer.

It started, (as far as I can tell), while we were on our way back from Michigan, but it may have actually started way back when we were at the Wisconsin Dells. The first thing I noticed was that I was unable to  bring up a web page while I was connected through the air card. There was nothing too unusual about that, being that this problem sometimes happens when the Internet is very busy.

"No problem", I said, I'll just use the CG's wi-fi, which seemed to work better.

Then, while we were traveling up to MI. I didn't have an air card signal at all, and the CGs we stayed at didn't have wi-fi, so I didn't think much more about it. The CG up in MI had wi-fi, and as you know, I was able to post from there when their system wasn't down.

On the way back from MI., I was able to post once from the little town of Wakefield, (my last post), by using a wi-fi connection. But, even though I had a strong air card signal, it wouldn't let me bring up any web pages.

When we got down to River Falls, WI, where Jim and Linda were to visit with Linda's brother, Glenn and his family, I couldn't get on the Internet at all, even though I had a very strong AT&T 3G air card signal and also a wi-fi signal. Jim thought there might be a problem with the air card or the connection with AT&T, so he, Linda, Glenn and Jeanette took the computer and took a ride over to St. Paul, MN and to an AT&T store to have it checked out. Well, the card was working and the guy there thought that the computer might have a virus and  suggested he take it to a computer repair shop. :-(

The repair possibilities were discussed, but Jim decided that he wanted to bring the computer back down here to Rantoul to have Greg from GeekyGuys look at it. You see, Greg repaired both computers for Jim and Linda a couple years ago, and he really seemed to know all about them, and how to fix software problems. So...... to try to shorten this up a little, when we got here on Friday, Jim called Greg and left a message on his machine. In a short time, Greg called back and told Jim that he could come on Saturday morning and have a look at it. :-)

It was about 11:00 yesterday morning when Greg got here and he immediately found out that there indeed was a virus on here, and found out that this virus had shut down the firewall, disabled the McAfee anti virus program that Jim had installed, and was pretty much throughout the system. In just a short time, he found about 20 files that were infected and figured that there were probably more, so he installed a program that he uses and proceeded to clean everything up.

Well, Greg got everything working again and now, this computer has new anti virus software, a couple of programs that he installed, and is working well. Now, it's up to me to try to get my Blog caught up and bring everyone up-to-date on my travels.

So.....if you're in need of computer repairs and are in the central part of Illinois, give Greg a call at 217-239-7413 or toll free @ 866-GeekyPC. Or, if your computer still works well enough, contact him through his web site at http://www.geekyguys.com/dev/ . He's honest, priced competitively, and very knowledgeable.

One of the "Good Guys" we're always looking for.  :-)

Did you know that the first academic work on the theory of computer viruses (although the term "computer virus" was not invented at that time) was done by John von Neumann in 1949?

Oh, I'll be posting at different times throughout the next couple of days to get caught up, so check back frequently to get the latest chapter of my adventures. ;-)