Ready to Travel

Christmas has come and gone with a wonderful celebration of my parents' 60th Wedding Anniversary! So much fun putting 17 people into the Stable House on the grounds of The Heidel House.  Good food, cards, stories, breaking a pinata, gifts, and memories made for a quick three days.

Now, it is time to pack the coach and head to Arizona for a few months. The area will be a new adventure ground for us. We are hoping to beat any snowstorms as we head to the southwest region of our country.

Nappanee Coffee House

Here we are in Nappanee, Indiana enjoying wonderful cups of coffee at the local coffee house. I had a delicious raspberry scone and Rick had an egg bagel. Meanwhile, our coach is being checked over to find out a wiring issue. Ah, the joy of owning a coach!

Wonderful Halloween Surprise

My hubby surprised me with a little Halloween get-a-way cruise. We spent five days cruising on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines! What a wonderful trip. Cruising, eating delicious dinners, visiting Nassau, and then a private island stop. Beautiful weather allowed us to enjoy it even more!

Next up, our son's birthday party. Luke turns 30 on 11/11/11. We are heading to Mankato, MN to help him celebrate this milestone in his life.

How Much Lobster Can a Person Eat?

Just how much lobster can a person eat before they tire of it? That depends if you ask my husband or myself. Along with beautiful sunshine, ocean, and exploring the marvelous sights of the Maine coast, we had numerous meals of clam chowder, lobster, and seafood chowder!

Our favorite spot had to be Conti's!! It was recommended by our Harvest Host family. When we asked, what is your favorite place to get good lobster, the response was, "Conti's." So, off to town we went to find this restaurant. After driving back and forth, and back and forth on the Main Street, we finally asked enough people, and drove slowly to locate our recommended spot for supper. The restaurant is tucked back into the bushes, and does not have a sign to advertise. The menu outside of the door was written on butcher paper with marker. Hhhhhmm, so in we go to be met by a lady welcoming us, and asking us to read the had written menu on the chalk board. 

We all placed our order, and were ushered to a back booth in a interesting, dark area of a small restaurant. The lettuce salad and bottle of wine were already sitting on the table, also covered by butcher paper. How did all of this magic happen, we wondered.

Upon finishing our salad and a glass of wine, the meals arrived. I instantly asked for a to go box! One whole lobster was perched upon a bed of pasta with 6 huge prawns adorned the top of the pile. Wow, food to eat and enjoy!

As we left, we got a little history of a family from New York, who moved to Maine. The business has moved twice, but is known to the locals as the place to go for the best price and the most food! We would highly recommend Conti's to all, if you are a seafood lover!

Wedding Whirl Wind!

The past five days have been truly amazing with the wedding of our daughter, Jessica to Robert Pierno. Our fears of rain and storms were washed away with sunshine as we watched the couple exchange vows on Chesapeake Bay. 

Rehearsal supper with crab cakes, salmon, and steak was lovely. Families were able to connect, and make new family members. Jess' host family from Brazil traveled to the states for the first time, and included the wedding into their plans. A fun slide show of the children growing into adulthood received many giggles!

Watching Jess interact with her bridesmaids, and ready for her special day brought tears to my eyes. We each had our own little strategy as to how to keep the tears at bay. A special trolley transported us from hotel to the park. The lovely, elderly man who drove was so cute. He played wedding songs, such as, "Going to the Chapel," and had decorated inside and out with the wedding theme. 

I was thrilled to have ALL of my family in attendance, and even my very special friends from Viroqua. Thank you teachers for taking a personal day so soon into the school year. It meant a ton to me!!!!! My father and mother, along with all of my brothers looked stunning, and seemed to enjoy themselves. I saw some tears :)

The excitement is over as Rob and Jess travel off for a "secret" honeymoon. Rob will not let the cat out of the bag! Rick and I are traveling up the coast today headed for Trenton, NJ. We will meet up with Nancy and Ak Lallas in Boston. From there we will continue to travel together to the state of Maine, and then back toward Wisconsin. The adventures just keep on coming!

Washington, D.C.

The sitting and waiting is over, and it is almost "Showtime" for Jessica's wedding. We arrived in D.C. and were relieved to see little hurricane Irene damage in the Annapolis and D.C. area. Thank you to the state of North Carolina for taking the brunt of the hurricane and downgrading it to a #1 storm! Whew, however we do continue to hear of all the damage and devastation that New Jersey and other states have incurred. Our prayers are with them for a fast recovery. 

Yesterday, we spent the day in Jess and Rob's apartment cutting, pasting, and organizing all of the table decorations, signs, and seating charts. Rick was a great gopher, as the girls assembled and made requests! Another couple of hours was spent in the cleaning of the kitchen mode! What are mothers for?

The evening was spent visiting with Jess' host family from Brazil. The kids put together a lovely spaghetti supper. We caught up on a lot and remembered details of our daughters year long stay in Brazil. 

Today, was a slow stay at the coach day. Our own hurricane starts tomorrow with deliveries, pedicures, hair appointments, meeting guests, and picking up Luke and Kendall, who will stay Thursday night with us. Winnie, our cat is relieved that Tbone was unable to make the trip. On the other hand, we are so excited to learn that Dad will be joining us. After a few days of not feeling well, and deciding to stay home, he had a change of heart and will be here with Mom. I think that some emails and brother talks convinced him to join us at this blessed event. 

Off to the East Coast

We are off and running once again! Our lovely daughter, Jessica is getting married on Labor Day weekend, and we are working our way to the D.C. area. Between earthquakes and hurricanes, it proves to be a bit trying. Hopefully, the wedding will be as lovely as planned, and weather will not interfer!

While attending the FMCA Convention in Madison, WI we bought into the "Harvest Hosts, Free Camping at Farms and Wineries." We have taken advantage of three of these lovely locations. Our first two stops were produce farms with marvelous fruits, vegetables, and items to purchase. Our third night was a new winery. Of course, we had to do some tasting! All stops have been enjoyable and have allowed us to meet and talk with the owners of the establishments. We would recommend this to all RV ers and campers!

While we sit and wait, 100 miles in from the coast, we visit Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. We are spending our time at a place called, "Drummer Boy Camp." With the hurricane warnings to hit Sunday, we feel being a bit away from the ocean might be a good move!  Plus, we had a lot of house cleaning, dumping of holding tanks, and rearranging to do after "dry camping" for three nights!

 Today, we visited the National Historic Center of Gettysburg.  Other than the FREEZING, cold climate inside of the building, it was well worth the money spent to enter. A 20 minute video taught us all about the importance of Gettysburg in the Civil War.  Our next stop was touring the museum and adding more details to our Civil War knowledge. My father, the Civil War buff would have been able to add more to the story, I am sure. But, a very good and interesting stop!

Home Again, Home Again

Home again, home again jiggety jog! Two days to clean, reorganize the coach, pick up all of the Wisconsin goods ( lefse, cheese curds, beer, bars, and Amish candy), and head out to D.C. for our daughter's wedding over Labor Day. We are looking forward to the celebration with family and friends!

Our first experience working at the FMCA Convention was full of good experiences. We met so many fun and eager coach owners. We picked up some advice, and remembered what it was like to work again. Thank you to Indigo Bluffs for allowing us to represent them in Madison.

FMCA Convention

Here we are in Madison, Wisconsin at the Family Motor Coach Association Convention. We are meeting so many friendly RV folks who love to travel! After our stay in Michigan at the lovely Indigo Bluff RV Resort this past summer, we are now happy to be representing them at the convention. Indigo Bluffs is by far one of our favorite stops with its lovely wild flowers planted everywhere. The unique vision to set up the park in a quad system for the coaches, gives the feeling of a comfortable neighborhood. Truly, an RV Resort to visit!

Still here

Our son, Luke made the comment that we must be having a boring summer, or that we had used up all of our fun since I have not posted on the blog for such a long time!  Oh no, just the opposite!!!!!!!!! Back home takes lots of time to clean, mow, wash, and all of the other household things! But, amongst all of that we have been busy with our daughter, Jessica and all of her wedding plans. Bringing Wisconsin to the wedding in Annapolis requires cheese curds, Amish candy, lefse, and baked goods! Another fun project has been creating a wedding reception seating chart. Brings back my teaching days and making bulletin boards. So, you see we still are having fun, just not out on the road. 

We do leave for the FMCA Convention in Madison on Tuesday. Looking forward to trying our hand at running the booth for Indigo Bluff RV Resort. After a 5 day job venture, it is time to head out to Washington, D.C. and all of the exciting wedding events. Keep in touch!

Home for a Brief Stay

Home to catch up, mow lawn, clean, and organize! We also checked with our realtor to see if there was any interest in our very own beautiful, 80 acre farm. In August, we will head to the FMCA Convention in Madison, WI  where we will be ambassadors for Indigo Bluff RV Resort. This lovely resort is located in the northwest section of lower Michigan, only 3 miles from Lake Michigan. The resort is one of our favorites with all of its wildflowers, and quad layout of coach pads. Just a few miles away we hiked the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and enjoyed the lake. Every direction took us to interesting shops, wineries, and restaurants! Hoping for lovely, cool weather!

Almost home

Almost home from our month long tour of Michigan. After a last stop to smell the roses, Nancy and Ak headed back home to Wisconsin. Rick and I stopped at a few more places. Some good and some not so good. We even weathered the storms that knocked down trees and flattened corn fields.

Thought it time to clean up the coach, so spent the day using those sleepy arm muscles to do some scrubbing.

What Should We Do Today?

Rick suggested that we eat our brunch at "Lindos" because the billboard said that they were voted BEST BREAKFAST. We did, and it was a very yummy and filling meal. Ak then drove us straight toward Lake Michigan. We stumbled upon a whole recreational area! We started out touring the Senior Center, followed by a walk on the beach. What a great place to spend the day.

The Washington Zoo was right there. After interviewing families that were leaving, we were assured that it would be worth the money! It was a lovely laid out zoo with lots of fun animals to see. Nancy enjoyed the petting zoo with the miniature horses. Rick's favorite was the snake house, reminding him of the movie, "Snakes on a Plane." Kathi liked walking to the top of the tower to observe the lake and zoo area. And, Ak could not get over the beauty of the Australian Crane. It reminded him of Kathi's beauty.

The Sturgeon Project

Sam, from our hometown works with a Surgeon Project in Michigan. He gave us a tour of the project which runs out of a trailer on the Kalamazoo River. We learned that surgeons have prehistoric characteristics of bony spikes on their backs. Due to pollution in the river, the fish population is declining. The fish are being raised using the river water with hopes that they will return to spawn in the Kalamazoo River, thus increasing the sturgeon population.

Friends Join Us!

Nancy and Ak finally showed up after fighting Chicago traffic! Ak, of course was  hungry and wanted to eat. Little did they know that the time was one hour ahead and it was almost supper time. So, we headed into South Haven and found a place to eat on a rundown boat. None of us can remember the name of it. After some appetizers and a wine, we went to St. Julian to taste some more wine. We each chose a different taste favorite. But, it was free!

Back at camp, with Ak wearing his "I Love Camping" hat, we played 5 Crown and Kathi won! Then, we had a BBQ chicken supper with our first of the season, corn on the cob. Mr. Braces had to cut his off of the cob,  and showed us his new invention for QVC. We then played Horse Shoes, until the mosquitoes moved in! Now, we are playing girls vs. boys in "Hand and Foot." hhhhmmm, who will win?

Our Michigan RV Stops

Our month tour of the state of Michigan has been both relaxing and interesting as we search out what each stop has to offer. Our first stop in northwest Michigan took us to Indigo Bluff RV Resort. It was by far the most tranquil and beautiful stop with strategically planted wildflower gardens, and a most friendly staff! We will be representing them as Ambassadors in Madison, WI in August. The community had much to offer with artists and their creativity.

River Ridge near Big Rapids was our second stop. We found this huge RV park to be less of a friendly atmosphere. It appeared that families for generations have chosen this park for their weekend get-a-ways. Lots of younger families with children enjoyed the play areas. Rick and I felt that the fitness center was put there just for us! 

We now have moved to the South Haven area of Michigan and are just beginning to explore Sunny Brook RV Resort, and the area. A quick drive through town looked as though shopping and dining will be fun! The Lake Michigan harbor and yacht club are very scenic and impressive. We have already planned to spend some time at South Beach.

Tomorrow, Nancy and Ak Lallas join us for a few days. We will see what trouble we can get into touring wineries and such.

As you can see, the fishing is good at Sunny Brook's private fishing pond. Rick practiced his fly fishing, and was impressed with his catches that continued to grow in size!

Lunch at Blue Cow Cafe

What a lovely day for lunch at the outdoor patio! We found this lovely cafe in downtown Big Rapids named, The Blue Cow and it was wonderful! As I enjoyed my tomato basil soup and blueberry-pecan-blue cheese salad, Rick nibbled at his Greek wrap and potato salad. Yummy! We then visited the Chocolate Emporium and did not even buy a thing! Rick did have a sample of some banana ice cream, but walked. 

Other than that, I spent the day washing and changing bedsheets. Tomorrow, we move to Sunny Brook Resort near South Haven, MI. Everyone tells us that we will love it. Rick and I were not real impressed with this place called River Ridge Resort, as it was families and groups of people who all come back for their weekends. Hard to meet people that way.  They all hang together.

Back to picture loading for Luke, which I am having trouble with tonight. 

Big Rapid Bulldogs

To whoever gave Rick the Superman underwear at Christmas, ahh....thank you. But, after a shower we moved on to supper in Big Rapids, MI where we found not only a whole town filled with bulldogs, but some good supper at Schoobergs! My grouper and Rick's walleye were delicious! I knew that Kendall and Luke would love the pics, so posted them, too. The day has been rain, clouds, sun, rain, clouds, rain, sun, clouds, and rain. So, a little exercise, walk, reading, computer, nap, shower, and cards. The resort has filled up for Fourth of July and is packed! Tons of families and lots of dogs and and children. Found some Amish places taking the back roads home and hope to visit them tomorrow.

River Ridge RV Resort

Lesson learned: *Never leave the coach without an GPS or a map! Leaving our new RV resort to look for a store turned into a seven hour drive!!!!!!!! Ludington was lovely with the yachts, harbors, condos, ice cream cone and walks, but the rest of the LOST drive was not so much! Our planned spaghetti supper turned into hotdogs and a shower! 


*Rick finally did allow us to stop and ask where we were!
 

Here Comes the Sun

The sun finally came out and it is beautiful! We visited The Cherry Republic and taste tested lots of cherry products! Then, we had "Black Bean Twigs" at Boundock's on their outside deck. From there, we joined the local flight enthusiasts at the Empire Airport and watched flying remote control airplanes, and even a lawn mower that took off into the sky!

Anniversary in Michigan

After having rain for 4 days, we decided to go visit a couple of local wineries. Then, a very special anniversary supper at Trattoria Stella's where all goods are purchased locally. Rick chose asparagus salad and a pork Strozzapreti (pasta). I decided to try the mozzarella and tomato salad, followed by a goat cheese pasta. Yum!

Sleeping Bears

The cloudy weather did not stop us from exploring the "Sleeping Bear" Sand Dunes National Park. Huge dunes built on Lake Michigan shores were much fun to climb, as the young children showed us! Our next stop was "Cherry Republic Winery" to taste wine made from cherries. Broke tradition and bought a Rustic White Wine. Back home cooked yummy burgers on the grill sat back to ride out the storms!

ouch, my toe hurts

ok, so Rick took me out to supper at the VFW, and I would not recommend it! But, his ingrown toenail really hurts, so I let him have his way. After all of his at-home surgery, I hope the toe feels better tomorrow! I did beat him at Canasta, but he won 5 Crown. So, life is exciting!

Off to Michigan

Four days into our trip to explore the state of Michigan! We just got back from a two hour bike ride exploring Menominee, MI as we crossed into WI and back via bridges. It is sunny, beautiful and 70 degrees!