December 26, 2007

We made it home without incidence and have been pretty much on the run ever since. Getting caught up with the mail was enormous and then trying to get all the Christmas shopping done on time was a little challenging. We drove up to the lake on Dec. 19th, to ready that house for Christmas. We cut a tree, decorated it and put lights up in the great room, then spent a good bit of time putting up our "Village" on the fireplace mantel. We had groceries to buy and gifts to wrap. However, all was completed and we enjoyed our Christmas immensely! All our children showed up ando our 2 grand kids. Josh flew in from Bismarck and Jeff and Sara brought Syd. We had a long weekend of laughs and fun. Tony purchased "Rock Band" for the 360 and we all had a hand at that. Some sang better than others (mom), some did guitar better than others (Ryan), and Tony definitely drummed better than most. John, Ryan and Josh got a little snowmobile time in. We actually had snow!

I realized I had been a little anxious about being away from the kids....mostly Ryan since he pretty much was sent to college and abandoned. However, I have been told by many family members that it was probably the best thing for him! Guess you never quit being a "mom".

I told John the most calm I was was the night they were all in bed under one roof! Then you know they are all safe. On the other hand the most nervous I was was they day they drove home in the snow and the weather was horrible....especially in the cities. I am sure every other parent has felt or feels just like I do, then why do I feel so "unique" in my feelings?????

We will leave the lake on the 29th and head back to the cities. We will be there until Jan. 7th when we will fly back to Orlando. We also hosted a small cocktail party here at the lake for our "neighbors". Only 10 of us showed up but it was fun getting caught up on everyone's goings on.

Here are a couple pictures from Christmas.

December 5, 2007

This will be our last night at the campground before we fly home. In the am we have to put our new home in dry storage. We are trying to eat up everything in the fridge...(or give it away) so we can store the RV until January. Kind of sad in a way...yet we are excited to come home and see our kids, friends and dogs! Jackie said Kate is driving her nuts...she is so vocal and constantly wants in and out. She thinks the dogs REALLY miss us????? Can it be?
We decided to stay in a hotel tomorrow night so we can put our car in long term parking and be close to the airport since our flight leaves so early on Friday am.
We did meet an older couple that are from Rochester, MN that are camped across the road from us. They have been here a week...and on their way here from Minnesota, on Hwy 24 between Nashville and Chattanooga, their hitch carrying their car broke! It was amazing that they could get the motorhome to slow along with the car. He said the car kept bumping into the RV until they could come to a stop. Thank God they were in the right lane...the car was swerving around but he handled it pretty well. They were pretty shook up. They were going 65 MPH, thank God for the cables...although they didn't give it any stability. Stories we hear!!!!
Well, until January, we hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

Monday November 26, 2007 Epcot

Got up this am and decided we would go to Epcot. Figured we could tramp around and stay for dinner and the fireworks. John went on the internet and checked out Epcot and it looked like we could get in for 30.00 each. Funny! Try 71.00 each plus tax. Guess we missed something on the internet??? Anyway, we had a good time. There were some favorites we re-visited and some new ones we tried. One new one was called "Soar", we highly recommend that one and the other new one was a space flight....forgot the name of it. :) Soar was awesome because it was like you were hang gliding. We are lunch at the "Crown and Roses" in the UK and we ate dinner in China. We saw /heard the Liberty singers who were a wonderful acapella choir of 9. Also saw the lighting of the big Christmas tree and listened in on the concert/musical of the birth of Jesus with a choir that was hugh. Dennis Franz the actor did the narration. Disney really puts on a splendid display of fireworks for 15 minutes. The music and the lights along with the fireworks are pretty moving.

We didn't get home until 1015pm...and got there at 1030am. That made for a pretty long day and a lot of walking!

Sunday Dec. 2, 2007

Can't believe it is Sunday already and also December! Haven't written much because we haven't done much of anything except relax. Heard you got a bit of snow yesterday..(Saturday) haven't checked in with Jac and Brady to see if it is still snowing or not. We actually have been unseasonably warm here...and fairly humid to boot. We have spent the last 3-4 days at the pool every afternoon. John's been busy waxing the coach so he has to do it when the sun isn't shining on it. A little every day.
We have met a few couples that have been interesting. One from Muskegon, MI who gave me all sorts of info on cool campsites around the US. They sold their house and had to return home yesterday! We had a nice time with them and actually went out to dinner together. Another couple from Yangton, SD who seem to dabble in many things. They owned and ran a marina in Yangton for years...then bought a glass blowing shop??? and still do that in the summer when they go back. Very interesting the lives of some of these people. Seems like a lot of people in this "Outdoor Resort" buy the lots for 100,000.00 plus, then stick there 800,000.00 to 1,000,000.00 plus coaches on the site and just live there. To me it defeats the reason for having an RV if you don't travel. Oh well, each to their own. We did meet a couple from Fridley. They have the same type coach we do, so it was fun to compare.
One day John and I drove into Stuart, FL to see the Liberty Bus Company. They take a Prevost bus and convert it into the finest coach I have ever seen. The 2008 ones are like 2,000,000.00!! I just wanted to see if they were as nice as I have heard. They are!!! They are made in Chicago and then totally customized and brought here to sell. This is the only place they have a dealership. Pretty awesome but too rich for our blood...we'd have to sell everything we owned...and then some.
So, today we are heading to Orlando to get settled in and figure out where to store this baby while we are home. We fly home on Friday...will try to blog a little more this week.

Monday November 26, 2007

Got up this am and decided to go back to the space center because there were a few things we didn't have time to see...and our pass let us get in free today, (if 120.00 for the tickets are free!)

We saw an IMAX on the International Space Station and it was incredible!!! I have a hard time believing it's a reality. We then stopped at the Astronaut Hall of Fame. I was never a science buff in any part of my school days, but I have to say I was totally captivated today.

We took a bike ride around this complex we are in...it is big. Lady across the street asked me to water aerobics today :). No, I didn't go, but did think it, was very neighborly to ask me.

Tomorrow we decided we would move on to Port St. Lucie. Jane B. get on a plane and come visit Phoebe!!!! One thing this adventure has shown us is, we definitely get a feel for what we like and what we don't like.

November 25, 2007 Titusville, Fla

We got to Titusville yesterday, (Saturday). Today is Sunday and we decided to go to Kennedy Space Center. If you are ever out this way and need something to do....this is worth it. We arrived at 1115 am and left at 600 pm and might even go back tomorrow. It was 125.00 for both of us...but we really enjoyed it.

The picture with the flag and NASA sign on it: Woolworth's Dept. store donated the paint for the flag. Shortly thereafter, they went out of business :) The building itself is 525' tall. It is called the Vehicle Assembly Building. It is where the space shuttle is assembled. The building is tall but the volume is even bigger....the Empire State Building is taller, but it would take 3 of them to fill it. The Washington Monument would fit inside, but would have to be tipped to get in. It is huge. The flag; each strip is 8 feet wide, the blue star area is the size of a basketball court and each star is 6 feet tall. It was amazing.

We saw (pictured also) the site of where the next launch on Dec. 6th will be. The picture enclosed doesn't show the water tower by the launch but it is there because they found, through the years, that if they release the water in the water tower (400,000 gals) when the shuttle is launched it reduces the noise and the shaking of the earth. Pretty interesting.

We got to go in the space shuttle simulator and feel what it is like for the astronauts on take-off. Of course we couldn't feel all the G's it pulled...but got a good bit of the shaking.

Pictured also are some of the rockets that were launched from here. It was getting dark so I couldn't get all the details on them. Maybe tomorrow.

One of the things I really appreciated was that throughout the tour, MOST of the island is a natural wildlife preserve. We saw alligators, hugh turtles, wild pigs, all sorts of birds and an eagle's nest that they say is as big as a king-size bed!!!???

Was a fun day.

Friday November 23, 2007 Dayton Beach

Our day trip today is to Daytona Beach. I am working on a quilt and needed more fabric...go figure...so we found a good one. (I am beginning to think they're all good!) After we left the fabric shop we hit a car show that was going on in a mall. So, we stopped and got a few pictures.

We then continued into Daytona...on International Speedway Drive...it was so crowded and it wasn't even the Daytona 500! We couldn't figure out if it was the day after Thanksgiving Christmas shopping crowd...or...there was a HUGE car show going on at the speedway. Anyway it gave us a flavor of what it would be like during the 500.

We stopped and had lunch at Olive Garden...endless salad and soup! After lunch we went by the campground that we had made reservations at for tomorrow....and were very glad we did. Needless to say we have decided to go to Titusville for a few days then down to Port St. Lucie.

Thanksgiving Day November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and thanks to those who called to wish us a good day. Sounds like everyone had a good meal and good times with friends and family. We had a nice quiet dinner but we did miss all the commotion.

John talked to sister Sharon and we were saddened to hear that John's nephew, Jeff, is not doing so well. He had another vertebrae (or more) cemented together...one of the ones he broke the day of Jackie's wedding. He then contracted pneumonia and now is in intensive care. With only one lung this is critical. All your thoughts and prayers can only help.

We haven't done too much exciting to write about but tomorrow we might take a day trip. On Saturday we will be moving to Daytona Beach for a few days.

I am working a little backwards, but we did tour St. Augustine, Fla., which is suppose to be the, or one of the, oldest cities in the U.S. We wanted to get a picture of the old bridge, but it is being totally re-done and won't be finished until 2011. They are restoring it to the original. So, here is a picture of the old town streets and also the lighthouse.

Until later.

Life's a beach! November 18, 2007

This is the view out our window in Flagler Beach, Fla. It is awesome! We spent today with a realator here in Flagler and also spent several days with one up in Hilton Head. We are getting a real feel for what the almighty dollar can do for you....or not....when it comes to housing.

We will be here for a week...through Thanksgiving and then we aren't sure where we will go.

Here are a few pictures. One of the beach and one of the area we have been looking at.

Thursday November 15, 2007

I thought I would write today, although I really don't have anything too revealing to say.
On Wednesday, yesterday, we met with a real estate agent and looked at some housing projects around here on Hilton Head Island and also in a development just off the island. It was just basically an informational journey for us. We wanted to know what kind of a house you can get for how much money. Tomorrow we are going to look at a house the builder is living in that supposedly he would sell for a good price. (Yeah, right!) Anyway, it has helped us know the housing market in this area. One thing's for sure, there are a lot of houses for sale...and not selling!!!
I took a few hours today to shop the local quilt shop and it was a really nice shop. I am always amazed at the different colors and textures that you find in different regions of the US. We have so many warm, dark colors and they concentrate more on the cool, tropical patterns and colors.
Anyway, I bought a few things and am starting another quilt.
I have been buying some fresh fish and shrimp and cooking it on the grill. Wouldn't it be a bonus to loose a few pounds?!
There are no pictures today, we will see what tomorrow brings.
We leave here on Saturday and head to Flagler Beach, Fla for a week. We are trying to look ahead a little to see where we want to be the month of February because the people around here are saying things are pretty booked up then. (We might be camping at Walmart....that sound familiar Jane?)
We made our airline reservation for our trip home for the holidays and will be leaving from Orlando on Dec. 7th. We hope to be able to see you all when we're home.

Beach day, Tuesday November 13, 2007

Today we biked to the beach...checked everything out, where to park, etc...then, rode our bikes back to the campground. (No, Jack! I didn't wear my helmet. I just did my hair and didn't want "helmet head." John said he was going to tell you, so I beat him to it. :) ) We packed up the car with beach chairs, towels and our books and headed back to the beach. We sat out there about 2 hours. The wind was a little cool but the sun sure felt good.

I thought I would share 2 books that I've read that I truly loved. "Mulligan" by Nathan Jorgensen (o or e?) and "the Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. They both are excellent reads for mail and female alike.

We are going to dinner at Antonio's tonight. It is Italian and a little fancier than we have been.

Attached are a picture of the beach and also another picture of the motor home in our park. It's like little houses all next door to each other. :)

Savannah, Ga. November 11, 2007

Today we drove over to Savannah. It was a about 45-60 minute drive. We had a beautiful day, sunny and around 65. Savannah is an old town made up of many "squares". In each of these squares is usually a statue or plack about some historical event or person. Sometimes they are just nice parks that you can sit in and rest. We happened upon a beautiful Catholic cathedral called St. John the Baptiste Cathedral. The mass was starting in 5 minutes, so we went in and attended the service. It was absolutely beautiful...long but beautiful. Then after that we walked down to the waterfront and ate lunch at Vic's restaurant. It was very good...so were the bloody mary's....heavy on the mary! We took some nice pictures and wouldn't you know when we downloaded them to the computer....something happened and they were all deleted. Hence, no pictures. John was so mad, but I figure we could just go back there one day. We'll see.
We were so stuffed from lunch we never did eat dinner. Watched TV and I finished a quilt that Arlene gave me to do.
Tomorrow we are thinking about contacting a real estate agent but not quite sure yet.
Stay tuned.
Jackie and Brady moved into our house this weekend, it will be nice for Ryan to come home to some family. (I hear he is pretty homesick for friends and family...hoping it's just the natural freshman slump.)

Arriving in Hilton Head, SC November 9, 2007

Let's talk animals. (Basically nothing happened today; we moved from Charleston to Hilton Head and took the day to set up, grocery shop and walk. We even met some people that used to live in Burnsville.) So, John and I have been busy noticing all the animals people travel with. We can't decide if it makes us miss our two canines or fills the void of not having them with us.??!! Across from us are 2 Cocker Spaniels...cute as bugs ears...then next to that we have Golden's..2 in the same RV. We have seen many, many cats...the owners even walk them on a leash. The people we met from Burnsville have 2 calico cats that are sisters. They are beautiful but don't think I would like to travel in 400 square feet of living with 2 cats and their litter box. :)

A lot of the small dogs wear coats. I guess 40's at night is too cold for the little ones. A man walked by carrying 2 small dogs in his arms. Don't know if he walked so far they couldn't make it back or they were just cold! A standard bred black poodle just walked by with a red bandanna on. Katie's low growl would be in full force in this campground!

Here are a couple of "casual" pictures of us we took being silly at a restaurant yesterday in Charleston. (The fare was "low country" and absolutely fabulous. She-Crab soup with Roe, and Mahi Mahi with cream sauce and asparagus. John had Jambalaya....very hot!)

Charleston mansions

Visited two of Charleston's favorite mansions. The Calhoun house was the largest and most expensive house built in Charleston at the time. It was completed in 1908 after four years of construction and over 400 workers. Patrick Calhoun was the richest man in Charleston at the time and a bachelor. The company that constructed the house was the same company that built the Biltmore house we toured a few days ago. Both men were extremely wealthy. Some of the house's built in the 18th and 19th century here in Charleston are fantastically beautiful. We have included pictures of these along with a picture of 82 Queen street where we enjoyed a fabulous lunch, french cuisine, in a house built in the 18th century. After lunch we went to Sullivan Island and the Island of Palms. Reminds us of Sanibel and Captiva islands. If the climate was a bit warmer here in the winter, we could live here! You have to enjoy very old surroundings. If a structure is over 75 years old you cannot destroy it.

Charleston, SC

We left Lake Toxaway on Wednesday morning and after about a five hour drive we arrived in Charleston. The RV park in Lake Toxaway was unbelievable. They are called Outdoor Resorts and are more like a finely groomed neighborhood then a RV park. This morning we went downtown and took a tour on Grey Line of Charleston and a boat out to tour Fort Sumter. If you remember that is where the first shot was fired in the Civil War. Charleston is a very quaint old and beautiful city. Their historic part is mostly made up of buildings that are older then our country as a nation. The day was beautiful but a little cold, 60 degrees, and a wind out of the north. Tomorrow we will return to downtown and visit more of the old mansions that this city is famous for. Also want to check out several islands and beach's in the area. Also hope to have dinner at one the the great restaurants in the historic district that are more of a house then a restaurant. We will visit a southern plantation on our way out down to Savannah. We have reservations at another Outdoor Resorts on Hilton Head Island where we will stay until at least Monday. Will update you then. Kathy is already working on her Christmas card list and as you know it includes almost everyone listed in the white pages.

The Biltmore House November 5, 2007

Wow! The Biltmore House is awesome!!!! It is built on 125,000 acres and the house is 178,000 square feet. Don't know about your house but mine is about 3500 square feet. It was unbelieveable. I think that the Vanderbuilts did something in St. Paul....if I'm not mistaken. He was involved in the railroad..like James J Hill????? I thought I remembered this from 6th grade Minnesota History in Cannon Falls. Someone correct me!!!! Anyway, it was a beautiful day and the house was absolutely gorgeous. This house is totally maintained by private money...no federal or state funding. To think this is the largest house in the United States. Yes, it cost us 130.00 to tour it..including the audio tour...and it took 4 hours to see everything. It is a "must see" if you are in Asheville, NC.

Here are a few pictures.

Lake Toxaway, North Carolina Sunday Nov. 4, 2007

The tree color is beautiful here. A woman in one of the shops we were in said peak was actually in October, but I'm telling you it is still vivid! The roads are so windy that it takes forever to go even 10 miles. We shopped in a cute little town called Highlands and bought coffee and I got a scarf to go around my neck...it was cool out, and it seems to be the "thing".

Here are a couple pictures.

Saturday Novemeber 3, 2007

Got an early start this am. Don't think either of us slept too well. We got a phone call at 3am and and voice mail from one of John's managers saying there was an accident with one of our trucks coming from Chicago tonight and he would call us in the am. I think we both knew that if you get a call at 3am....it isn't good. Anyway, we found out it was worse than we thought because the driver of the truck/car involved in the accident with our truck was killed. We will have to wait for more reports to come through. There is a big investigation.
Anyway, we had decided to go to the Asheville,NC area. Acutally we are in Lake Toxaway, NC. It is beautiful. Very much a resort/lake/lake/vacation area. We took a road that we weren't suppose to....not recommended for trucks or RV's. Anyway, it was switch-back after switch-back, very harried and very slow. When we arrived at "Outdoor Resorts, Blue Ridge Mountains" the people there couldn't believe we were on that road. Oh well, live and learn...it was definately a gorgeous drive. We are going to stay here for a few days and check out the area. Sure seems like a lot to see. I would say the trees in the Cherokee National Forest are 75% in color and here in the Nantahala National Forest, they are more finished with the color. Sure is beautiful, a lot more red color than we have in Minnesota. I will take more pictures tomorrow.

Friday November 2, 2007

Woke up this am and decided we should go to Red Bay, Alabama to the Allegro plant...aka Tiffin Motors. We figured we only had a few things to tweak ...and we probably wouldn't get back this way. We also knew that when we got there we would have to take an number and within 4 days we would be taken care of.........................this is the express!!!!!!
We got there around 1:00 and found out we had to go to the campground to check in and they would give us a number. While we were checking in a man came out and said if our blinds were the only thing that was wrong to follow him...oh, and don't come up with a second thing wrong.
We got to pull ahead in line and move to the work bays. We sat there for an hour and finally two guys came out, fixed our blinds, for the most part, and we left there at 2:30. We were so glad beause the camping place was a dirty, dusty parking lot. We couldn't imagine sitting there for 4 or 5 days!!!! We decided we probably couldn't make Chatanooga, but there was a campgound in Langston, Al that was on a lake, so decided to try that. Well, it was so remote and on so many county roads that it took us abit before we found it. Long story short, we found it and spent the night there. It was really quite pretty on the lake.

Halloween 2007

Today we saw the "new" Grand Ole Opry. It is a newer building than the Ryman Auditorium. We went throught the Museum, it was interesting and an education in country music. I had heard of a lot of those people, just didn't put it all together.

We biked and walked a bit today too. Need more exercise!

October 30, 2007 Nashville

Today we finally finished making the HUGE decision as to what rugs we wanted to buy for the RV. So, we shopped a couple hours in the am, then at 3:00 we went downtown Nashville and walked around the city a bit and landed in a bar with live country music going on. We had a couple brewskis and then headed for a cool restaurant that we had spotted earlier. Had a great meal with wonderful ambiance....gotta have ambiance you know, according to JD.:) We had purchased tickets to the Grand Ole Opry that started at 7:00 so walked over to the Ryman Auditorium. Here is a list of the bands and singers we saw.

.

Bill Anderson

Jack Greene

Luke Bryan (I believe his band is called Restless Heart....Very Good.

Jim Ed Brown

Del McCoury Band

(Little) Jimmy Dickens

Kellie Pickler

.

Most of the names we didn't know, but once they sangs their songs we recognized the songs. Of course, we all know who Kellie Picker is...American Idol?????

It was really good and I am sure mom and Don would have really enjoyed it. The big thing in Nashville this week is that Porter Wagoner died and everything is dedicated to him and billboards are all advertising how they will miss him. His funeral is Thursday and it will be broadcasted on the radio.

I added a picture of the Ryman Auditorium.

Nashville, Tennessee

We arrived in Nashville on Saturday the 27th, (yesterday) in our new motorhome. Yes, we traded in the Ultimate Freedom for an Allegro Bus. Was quite a decision, but have thought about this for a long time...John was actually looking in Tampa, Fla. at a place call Lazy Days, until this opportunity came along. We had an excellent salesperson who, as we found out by reading a company brochure, was one of the "family" of this RV dealer. If you go on to http://www.tiffinmotorhomes.com/ and click on Allegro Bus, you will see what we bought. We are so excited and very pleased.
Today we visited the Opreyland Mall, that also has restaurants, hotels, convention center and a huge mall. It is where the singers perform too. We thought we would go on Tueday. The only one there that we have ever heard of is Kelly Pickler who was on "American Idol". ?????? Oh well, it is suppose to be a good show.
We have to move campgrounds tomorrow...just down the street, but will be there till probably Friday. One nice feature on this RV is the bed is a King Size Select Comfort and I am finally sleeping good. I am such a sprawler and always had trouble getting a good night sleep.
Well, I made an apple pie with the rest of Arlenes' apples...better go dig in.

October 25, 2007

Still in St. Louis.

October 24, 2007 St. Louis, Mo

St. Louis, Mo. is a lot nicer town than I ever remembered. We had a fun day being tourists. We first went through "The Arch", or should I say we went up into the top of the Arch. It was awesome. The view is amazing. I have pictures but am having some logistical problems getting them entered, but will keep trying. Next we went to Anhauser Busch and viewed their plant and drank their free beer. It was really fun. Also got to see the infamous Clydesdales. They are so big! We also went through the Old Cathedral and the Old Courthouse where the Dred Scott decision was made. We looked at some new motorhomes, one in particular. That pretty much took us to 6:30.....and dinner. We just went to Applebee's for a quick dinner.
We talked to each child today....that doesn't happen every day. Ryan was in class, Jackie just took a mid-term, Tony is leaving Ft. Knox, Ky. and going to Ft. Sill, Ok until Christmas Break, and Jeff and Syd are thinking about going to Phoenix with Joan and Sara this weekend, because Joan and Sara have a laser surgery convention.
All is well.

October 23, 2007 Our Journey Begins

We left Cannon Falls this am around 08:15, and drove all day. Arrived in St. Louis around 4:30. We went a little different way than normally because we wanted to see a little different scenery.
We went throught Hannibal, Mo., home of Mark Twain, but didn't stop to see anything. We are staying in a campground on the west side of St. Louis, this is a very nice area. We set up camp and decided we were hungry, so went to dinner at Outback for dinner. Arrived home at 9pm and watched a little tv and called it a night. We did decide to stay another day here so we can go view the Arch and maybe Anhauser Busch plant??? We'll see.
I am still getting used to this Blog..think I might have to call Mindi Pagel to get more help. I posted a picture but don't see it on the screen. I really hate being computer illerate sometimes.
Until tomorrow.