5/30/09 Mystic CT

5/30/2009 Mystic CT Warm (finally) and sunny.

We got up slowly and just took it easy for the morning. I bought a package of replacement latches for the compartment doors on the trailer and replaced one. We printed a few pictures in preparation for the afternoon.

We went to the Pump Room at the USSVI Groton Base building to meet former buddies from the submarine service. Pete with wife Kathy showed up and so did Ray and Bill.

We told what we'd been doing and what had been done to us, then we got into old stories, and told a few jokes. We laughed and laughed. I haven't had that much fun in a long time and Dolores enjoyed it, too. A lot of water has passed over the bridge (think about it) since we served together. I met Ray in 1960, for instance.

After the two-and-a-half hour session, I took D to church at St Patrick's in Mystic. I went off and got fuel for the truck. Then we went to the Steak Loft at Olde Mystick Village for steaks - quite good.

Then we came back to the trailer to take it easy.

A great day.

5/29/09 Mystic CT

5/29/2009 Mystic CT Wet, mist, rain, fog. Temps in the 40's and 50's.

We waited for traffic rush hour to subside before we hit the road at 9:30. South on I-95, around Providence on I-295 back to I-95, to Exit 92 in Connecticut. Then one block to the campground. Nothing unusual to remark on, just the normal goofy drivers in lousy weather.

We set up and got the heater running, which felt great. We warmed ourselves and sat for a while.

The clouds broke a little, so we decided to take a drive around our old stomping grounds (1971-1978) here. We went to the Sub Base exchange and bought a few things. Then out the back gate to Oakdale where we lived. We got lost a couple of times but finally found the house and took pictures of it. The mailbox is the same one we put up back then. The driveway is still gravel.

We went over the hills to Route 85 and went to New London. In the process, we noted that Route 11 (an interstate-quality road intended at one time to connect to I-95) is still not completed. Folks here are still talking about it thirty-eight years later. Incredible.

From New London we went into Groton and stopped at the USSVI (submarine vets) building. I had a couple beers while D had a pino grigio. We chatted with the permittee and learned some things, and re-learned others.

Then we went out to the Fisherman restaurant (formerly the Yankee Fisherman). The owner has been really fixing the place up. It looks very nice now, with new sun-rooms and a patio outside next to the water. The food was very good. D had her lobster.

I made a few phone calls and set up a meeting of old submariners tomorrow. Should be fun.

Then we settled....

5/28/09 Hanscom AFB, MA

5/28/2009 Hanscom AFB, MA Fog, mist, cloudy, some rain, cold (40's, low 50's).

Today didn't work out the way we'd planned.

Bryant woke up feeling a little off, so they delayed their trip to our trailer until afternoon. When they did arrive, it was obvious Bryant was off, and Susan wasn't much better. I have a feeling all the efforts (all of which were emotional) of the past couple of weeks have just caught up with them.

But we gave Bryant a tour of the trailer, taking about a minute. We had little snacks and non-alchoholic drinks. We chatted. D showed pictures on the Macbook.

It became apparent that they should go home and rest, in order to get better and face the problems of next week in getting ready to move. So we went out to a sandwich place down the road, where we ate and chatted some more.

Then we said our goodbyes and Susan & Bryant headed home. It was prior to rush hour, so they'll get home at a good time.

We're settling in for a quiet evening. We'll wait until after rush hour tomorrow, then move to Mystic, CT.

5/27/09

5/27/2009 Hanscom AFB, MA Rain or mist or drizzle, temps in the high 40's, low 50's.

We loafed this morning since Susan had an appointment. We cooked up bacon and eggs (don't do that very often), then I took the opportunity to run into the base for a haircut and some wine. Got both.

In the early afternoon we went to S&B's place. The four of us went to the mall; we got a present for an upcoming wedding, and books. Then on to the pet store, where S&B bought cat transporting cages for the upcoming move. We bought a couple of cat toys.

Back to the house, where we chatted and played with cats and watched the RSS feed of the National Spelling Bee. Great-nephew Tim appeared and spelled his word with great confidence and looked just fine. Unfortunately, we later found out he didn't make the semi-finals - but it was his first attempt.

We talked some more until Bryant's mom Priscilla showed up. Then we moved to Ole (pronounced Olay, I can't put the accent mark above the "e" where it should be) for Mexican food. We all had a lot of fun talking and eating.

Afterward, back at the house, we continued the conversations until we all started wearing down. Priscilla got up to go to Bryant's brother Ben's house, so we left at the same time to slog our way home through a misty rain.

It felt good to enter a nice warm trailer when we got back to the little house with wheels.

5/26/09

5/26/2009 Hanscom AFB, MA Sunny but cool, to cloudy at dusk with rain forecast.

We did our breakfast then went into Hanscom to the commissary and exchange for needed items. On return, we put them away and headed for Susan & Bryant's place.

The four of us left there almost immediately for the Ikea store in Stoughton. S&B are planning furniture for their new apartment and needed ideas and measurements for the planning process. They'll actually acquire the goods when they arrive in Baltimore. We, of course, are always ready to tag along to Ikea; we purchased several small items we'll use eventually.

We ate Swedish Meatballs at Ikea in the midst of the romp. I bought a couple of candy bars there and some pickles.

The umbrella we bought might get use first, due to the incoming rain.

We returned to the house and played with cats for a while. Then we decided we'd do some pub food and retire early. We went to the Thirsty Scholar on Beacon Street for assorted dishes, all quite nice.

Tomorrow looks like a slow start in rain (Susan has a noon appointment, so no need to go there early), then a big finish as we see Bryant's mom, Priscilla, and have some time including dinner with her. Looking forward to that.

So we'll do some planning of the next leg of our trip tomorrow morning and do a few things before we go to Susan's.

Oh, yes, great joy in the household - we found the keys we'd lost under some stuff in the back of the pickup. Yay!@!@!

5/25/09 Hanscom AFB, MA

5/25/2009 Hanscom AFB, MA

We got up a little early to get here early - the place doesn't take reservations, so it's first-come-first-served. The drive down through the NH hills was nice, and it doesn't turn to hectic until you're a dozen miles or so from the campground here. Then it gets a little wild, since the camp is directly off I-95.

The campground hosts put us into a flat spot with all the amenities but cable at $18 a night - great rate. Nice folks, very helpful.

After setting up, we packed up our laundry and headed for daughter Susan's house via the Cambridge Parkway and 2A to Inman Square. We said "hi" and then set out for brunch at the S&S deli/restaurant - a great food place nearby. We returned to the house, chatted and played with cats for the remainder of the day.

The front of the house looks much better with a new door, and the sidewalk has been re-done. It's coming along nicely toward selling.

Susan and Bryant showed us the floor plan of their apartment in Baltimore; it should be more than adequate. They're both looking forward to getting down there and into new lives. The cats don't seem to care.

At dusk, we returned to the campground and the trailer to settle, relax, and store the laundry (not in that order).

....

5/24/2009 White River Junction VT

5/24/2009 White River Junction VT Wet but cleared and became sunny and almost warm.

We hopped up, ate, and scurried to Mary's house to follow them to church in Lebanon NH. Afterward, we came back to the trailer to pick up our forgotten cell phone & back to Mary's again.

Then the four of us had a breakfast sandwich and coffee at Jake's Deli and Car Wash (quite good), and toured to Lake Sunapee NH to people-watch. Lots of folks were putting boats into the water or taking them out, so that activity absorbed us for a while. Lots of people and dogs, including a huge St Bernard.

A float-plane taxied into the beach and tied up while the pilot and his son went for something to eat. Later, they taxied out and took off. The dinner cruise ship was about to depart when we departed to eat a light dinner at Peter Christain's in New London, NH. We chatted all the while.

On the way back we stopped at a grocery and happened to see a hot-air balloon with several passengers going past, quite low. The airport is just down the road, so they may have just taken off.

On to their house, where we begged off on an invitation to come up for coffee, said our thanks and goodbyes and left them. We returned to the trailer to relax and prep for moving tomorrow.

We spoke with Susan and Bill today, both sound well.

5/23/2009 White River Junction VT

5/23/2009 White River Junction VT Cool, cloudy.

We had a fun day today. D stayed in the trailer while I went running around trying to replace keys. I got the common keys done at Home Depot, but the more complex ones (trailer key and pin-lock key) couldn't be done by them. I looked at the recommended locksmith shop, but he was closed for the weekend as I suspected.

So I came back to the trailer, picked up D and we went to her sister Mary's house. From there the four of us went to Mary's daughter Marybeth's place to see her, her husband Bill, daughter Julieann and son Tim. We congratulated Tim on his winning the championship in Vermont for the National Spelling Bee; he'll be off to Washington DC (with the whole family) to compete in the Nation contest tomorrow. Tim's doing well on all his activities.

Julieann is doing well at Manhattan College, entering her junior year this fall. Bill's doing ok, but his company is temporarily working three days a week while waiting for business to recover. Marybeth looks fine and happy as usual; there's plenty to keep her busy, especially since she home-schools Tim.

Their son David is in the Army at Fort Bragg, NC. His fiancee, Rachel, came in to say hi, so we met her. She's a cute little gal who has finished three years of college; she'll be moving to NC to join David and finish college there. David may be assigned to Afghanistan next, so all that's a little up in the air. We hope for the best for them.

Rachel left and we left shortly afterward so they could continue packing and getting ready for their trip. We returned to Mary & Walter's house and talked while Mary cooked. Then we ate dinner there and talked some more until we finally left around 10:30.

Mary dragged out some old catholic school stuff so she and D talked about that and related family memories for a long time. Lots of fun.

Then back and to bed.

5/22/2009 White River Junction, VT

5/22/2009 White River Junction VT Cool, warm, cool.

Up, breakfast, into Chateaugay NY to the town clerk's office. I chatted there with the clerk and a friend about whether or how to find my ancestor's grave. They didn't have much to offer beyond what I found yesterday. Town records only go back to 1847.

So we went on to the above location (WRJ hereafter). We set up (with some difficulty due to trees and rocks) and called D's sister. We agreed to meet in the late afternoon. We relaxed until then.

We went to their place on the NH side of the Connecticut River and chatted for a while before going out to dinner at a nice little family style place. We sat and talked for a long while, then returned to their place. But we cut out for the trailer before we got into a longer discussion. We'll meet tomorrow early afternoon to go together to visit D's niece (Mary's daughter) some 35 miles north of here.

Someplace I lost my set of trailer keys. We'll find a hardware store tomorrow and make duplicates from D's set.

Lots of people piled into this campground today for the weekend. Quiet tonight, but I wonder about tomorrow.

We'll see.....

5/21/2009 Chateaugay NY

5/21/2009 Chateaugay NY Cool (60*) to warm (83*) as the day went on.

We got up slowly, had breakfast, and hit the road (401) again, still headed east. At Cornwall, we turned right and crossed a bridge where the Canadians took us for another $8.50CDN as bridge toll. It wasn't worth it, the bridge was in terrible shape.

The US bridge was free, but we had a longish wait at the customs/immigration booth. Once there, we answered a bunch of questions and were then released to re-enter the US.

We traveled slowly through the Iriquois reservation (lots of gas stations, casinos, and shops) and onward on 37 to Malone NY. We survived Malone - the main street is all torn up. Then on almost to Chateaugay, turning off to get to the High Falls Park Campground.

We checked in and were given site "D" which turned out to be a huge full-hookup site. The trailer was quickly set up and the A/C turned on to drive down the temperature in the trailer. Dolores found a dozen channels or so, but all either speak French or are Canadian. She started watching Ottawa CBC.

I took off for Malone to try to find some information on an ancestor. I chased all over town and finally got the names of a few good contacts but they weren't available today.

So I bought wine at the Jugs wineshop and food at Choppers, then got diesel fuel on the way back (at $2.59 a gallon).

After a bit of relaxation, we fixed up a chicken dinner with salad.

We gave ourselves a few minutes, then hiked off to see the "High Falls" the place is named after. A short path lead us to the overlook from which we took pictures of the 120-foot-high falls. It's not really wide, but it's a nice falls with suitable noise in a good setting.

Back then to the trailer to settle and prepare for seeing D's sister and brother-iin-law tomorrow.....

5/20/2009 Kingston, Ontario

5/20/2009 Kingston Ontario Cool, Sunny. Up to 75*F finally.

Up late, breakfast, into town to the tourist center. There we purchased tickets for the "trolley" ride around town to get acquainted with the place.

Dave was our guide on the tour. He never stopped talking about his town (he graduates from Queen's U here in a couple of weeks). Local limestone makes up many of the buildings here, so they call it the Limestone City. The tour encompassed Fort Henry and the Canadian National Military College, plus the U and many local landmarks. One could spend a week or more exploring this town of 117,000. Nice place.

We lunched at the Kingston Brewpub. D had lamb shank with the house fruit wine, I had fish and chips with my dark lager.

We walked around a few blocks near the waterfront and around the visitor's center before we hopped into the truck for a ride. Up the Rideau Canal toward Ottawa. This old canal connects Kingston with Ottawa, making shipments less vulnerable to United States interception in the various border wars and scirmishes over the years.

We stopped and inspected a few locks, still in use by pleasure craft and small barges.

It was a nice ride of 130 miles.

We came back to the trailer and found our neighbors, Dale & Mary-Lou Dillenbeck from Nepanee, Ontario outside. We chatted with them through three or four beers. They were both laid off from the same furniture firm last December. They've given up the house and apartment and are living in the trailer here.

They like Bluegrass, so I gave them some of my recordings of the Ray Davis show on WAMU-FM. They've been in Florida, but not our part.

We exchanged cards and will try to keep in touch. Nice people.

Then back to the little house to scrounge a light dinner and settle in....

5/19/2009 Kingston, Ontario

5/19/2009 Kingston, Ontario Cool, sunny, one tiny shower.

This was a hectic day. Up onto Hwy 401 and away to the east in the midst of a herd of trucks. It turns out last weekend was a 3-day weekend, so everyone had Monday off. Today, Tuesday, they roared back into action.

We almost bypassed Toronto. Canadian friends told us to use 407, which parallels the 16-lane 401 some distance to the north. It's a toll road without toll gates - cars are issued transponders that log their travel on it and bill the user. There is also video technology where cameras decipher the license plate number and use that to bill the user if they're from another province. I don't know what they'll do to bill us with our Florida plates; if they bill us, it was worth it.

But at the east end of 407, one has to go south and get back on 401. We did and immediately got into a hassle. Five lanes throttled down to three, with a large backup and lots of merging. Then the traffic went slow-and-fast-and-slow for a while for no known reason. After some number of miles, things settled down. But there was still a lot of traffic, and much of it was trucks. The speed limit is 100kph, about 62.5mph, and most stayed within 10kph of that. The result is that it took a long time for anyone to pass another vehicle. Patience (of which I have little at times) was required.

The 401 passed within a mile of the KOA, so we hopped off and set up rather quickly. I borrowed a ladder and went up it to replace the cap from yesterday's story. There were *two* vents missing caps, so another one went away somewhere.

We went to two RV parts places. The first supplied us with bulbs for the trailer back lights, which have been giving us trouble. The second supplied us with another vent cap and a latch that holds open a compartment door when you want that.

Then we went downtown to dinner at Amadeus (recommended by KOA lady). D had weiner schnitzel with riesling and I had Warsteiner Dark with my rouladen. Both were good and quite filling.

We took a short tour of the downtown, but it was rush hour now and there were cars everywhere. So we returned to the KOA.

I installed the latch and found a loose ground lead on one trailer rear light. Put new bulbs on both sides and tightend everything I could find. Take that, you.

Now we're back in the trailer, settling in and doing small things....

5/18/2009 London Ontario

5/18/2009 near London, Ontario Cool, sunny. 34* at 7:30

Up a little early, got the rig ready to roll. Erica showed up with the twins for Nancy to keep for the morning.

We had a nice breakfast with bacon & eggs, grapefruit, toast, muffins, and coffee. Gave us plenty to go on for the day.

We said our goodbyes and departed. About 10 miles up the interstate, John caught up with us and returned a vent cap that a pine tree limb had popped off the trailer as we went under it. It's not a vital piece of gear, but certainly a desireable one.

Off we went across Michigan on I-196, I-96, I-69, and a little bit of I-94 before getting to the Bluewater Bridge at Port Huron MI and Sarnia ON. There wasn't too much traffic entering Canada, mainly RVs and trucks. The customs guy asked a few questions and admitted us.

Then off across the great flat thing known as southwestern Ontario. Flatter than a flounder. Hwy 402 leads to 401 and seven miles later we exited to the London KOA. We checked in, then dumped the tanks, then went to Site 42. The site is level left-to-right, but remaining hooked up left the nose of the trailer a little high. I tried to crank up the back legs to compensate and nearly got it level - close enough, anyway.

We settled in and cranked up the wifi to exchange emails, download files, post blogs, and so forth.

I read for a bit (a book I found in South Haven), then came out to do these computer writings.

Now we'll settle in....

5/17/2009 Holland Michigan

5/17/2009 Holland MI Cool, sunny.

We had been going to go to church early but missed that when we overslept. Just plain tired. Too much fun. We'll take it easy today and move tomorrow.

John had a spell yesterday where he felt too much food and fun had caught up with him. He took a long nap and felt better. Our bodies are trying to tell us something, I guess.

John & Nancy went to late church, contemporary service which I avoid, and after that we took a ride down the Lake Michigan coast to South Haven. We had lunch at Clementine's, a great restaurant in an old bank building with excellent decor. Most of us had the walleye-and-perch combination.

Then we rode around town taking pictures, particularly of the channel from the harbor into Lake Michigan. We stopped at Tractor Supply Company for a couple of incidentals for the truck and just to browse. Then back via back roads through the apple orchards to the house.

We played cribbage, which the ladies won. We sat and read the Sunday papers. Then we had a light dinner of leftovers from the picnic last night.

Then we watched William Powell and Myrna Loy in "The Thin Man", which was confusing, funny, and screwy. I'm going to have to read the book.

The we said our goodnights and settled into the trailer. It's 38*F as I type this and headed for 35*. Brrr...

5/16/2009 Holland Michigan

5/16/2009 Holland MI Cool, sunny.

Turns out that the band last night ran into a problem with their van, so bad that they slept at Saugatuck Brewing. They called John's son Neil early this morning for help. He came out and found a wheel bearing totally wiped out on one front wheel. He managed to put together a temporary solution so they could get to East Lansing for a 2:00 pm appointment. They paid him with cash and one of their CD's.

The four of us went to breakfast at the Red house, then John & I did coffee at the SBS; Ernie came in for a while and Al from last night also showed up. The ladies went off shopping in Holland and came back with some little gifts.

I played with my Macbook and modem to get a few emails - terribly slow compared with cable. But John can't get any high-speed internet out here. He's hoping the township's erection of an antenna for wifi at the town hall with enable it. That's 2.2 miles away, so a directional antenna up high will definitely be needed and even that might not be enough.

Then we prepared for the bonfire. It was still cold and windy, but we went ahead.

Neil & Gisel came along with their four kids plus two kid friends. John & Erica showed up with their four plus Dirk. Bedlam reigned within minutes. Kids everywhere. Steaks and hot dogs on the grill, pasta salad, chips, pickles, baked beans, and so forth. We talked with everyone and helped herd kids now and then. Everybody departed about 9:00; Bill & Owen S dropped by about then, so we talked with them until everyone looked like they were going to drop. Then we quit and went to bed.

5/15/2009 Holland MIchigan

5/15/2009 Holland MI Cool, rainy, gray.

Forgot to mention that yesterday, the gals beat us at cribbage, including "skunking" us. Bad news. Today we tied them (1-1).

We loafed for a while, John & I went for coffee at the Sand Bar Saloon, then out to Erica's house for a pizza lunch. They have a nice house on three acres, with a bunch of apple trees that are in bloom now. I got my email using Erica's mid-speed internet and sent a couple of notes.

Pizza was good, the twins were their usual cute selves.

Then back to the house, where Nancy fixed a nice chicken dinner.

We went out to Saugatuck Brewing, where they were opening their new big room with free entry to see the band "Ragbones" or some such. The female lead was good, the bass player was nice, the effects of two percussion people was neat, but the lead guitar player was a bore. He was jumping all over the stage and acting as though the performance was all about him.

We met a couple of John's friends, including Ernie Evangalista who is always a hoot. My beer, the IPA, was nice but the rest left everyone sort of cold. We left about 10:30 and went home to play the above-mentioned cribbage and to settle in.

5/14/09 Holland Michigan

5/14/2009 Holland MI Rain, then clear. 50's into 60's breezy.

Lots of crashing and banging during the night - one wave right after bedtime and another about 2:00 am. If there were more, we weren't disturbed.

We went into the house as the sky cleared and the wind came up. Had breakfast and talked. John & I went to downtown Saugatuck to the Sand Bar Saloon, where we had coffee with Bill and Owen S. Lots of jokes and talking. Owen S, Bill & I were on a kid's bowling team as teenagers - 50+ years ago.

The ladies went shopping at Kohl's - D came up with a big bagful of stuff at 30% and more off.

John & I stopped to share nachos and have a beer at Finnigan's before meeting the ladies for the movie - the latest Star Trek movie. We thought it was quite well done.

The ladies went home, John & I went to the VFW for a beer. John ran into friends but we left promptly and got home. Then we all went to dinner at Wally's (most of us had the perch dinner). Then off to Schultz Park to meet John & Erica, where Sophie (age 8) was playing softball. The other kids were there as well. We'll see them tomorrow. Might even borrow their high-speed internet to get notes off.

We took a driving tour of Douglas and then back to the house to watch Sherlock Holmes on PBS. It wasn't being received in the house very well, but the set in the trailer was doing fine, so we moved out to the trailer to watch it - Trouble at Thor Bridge, circa 1990. Nice.

We thanked John and Nancy for coming over to our house [ ;-) ] as they left. We settled in to do these notes and relax. Nice day.

5/13/09 Holland Michigan

5/13/2009 Holland MI Wet, cool

It rained in the night. Thunder and rain woke us up a few times. It was expected, as a front was moving through.

We breakfasted and made ready to go. I got wet doing that. Then Dolores spotted the left rear tire on the trailer as being flat. After putting on a spare tire, we found it a little low on pressure. We drove to town and stopped at a tire store. They graciously put a hose out the door for my use.

Then we headed north, first west of the Illinois-Indiana border then east of it. Still raining. We stopped for fuel and I got wet again. Unusual station - had to back out after fueling. Finally we reached Michigan City, IN and the rain eased up.

After the late start, we arrived only a little late. John & Nancy welcomed us.

After a bit, they put out ribs and side dishes, very good. We chatted some more & played cribbage (guys beat gals 2 of 2). Then off to bed, just ahead of the front coming through this area.

5/12/09 Casey IL

5/12/2009 Casey IL 52 warming to 70 as the day went on and we went on.

Boring day, but nice weather and not much stress on the interstates. Angled northeast from Hardy through the SE corner of Missouri to I-57. I-57 is a lousy road on the Missouri side close to the Mississippi - patches on patches. The Illinois side is better.

We just angled up I-57 to I-70 and then 30 more miles on I-70 to Casey and settled in at the local KOA.

Our daughter did a year of grad school here at Eastern Illinois U, which caused us to come here, to this KOA, and we've stopped here several times since. We always go to Richard's Farm Restaurant, quite close to the KOA, because we took our daughter and a group of her friends to dinner here once. The food was good then and is good now. We enjoyed ourselves and came back to settle in.

There is wifi in the park but it must connect to the rest of the world by pigeon. Migawd for slow. Gotta be a phone line & modem link. Still, I'll get some of these notes out and let the world know we're living still.

We'll arrive at my brother's house in Michigan tomorrow....

5/11/09 Hardy AR

5/11/2009 Hardy, AR 52 at 8am, 68 at 6pm in Hardy

Got up, breakfast, then chat with Russ & Sandy until Russ's time to go to Doctor appointment (he had lung cancer surgery this spring). Then we departed as well. What a great time there last night!

Onto OK-51, then 151 east. Then got onto US-412 for the next 300 miles straight east to Hardy. Some of it was two-lane and hilly, which made for slow going and poor mileage, but much of it was nice four-lane. Not a bad drive but pesky at times, especially Springdale and Harrison.

But we got to Hardy and found the little park by the Spring River. We set up the trailer and called Geo Harlow, aka the Big Kahuna, who was my leading sonarman on Seadragon in 59-61. His wife's health is not good, but George came out for dinner with us. Then we came back to the trailer and had a beer (the county is dry) while we chatted about this and that. Got caught up a bit on what's happening. After a while he said he'd better get back home & departed. Great to see him.

We settled in after that. Dolores watched the one TV channel we can get here (deep in a valley), channel 8 in Jonesboro, AR. Not prime TV.

We're off for Illinois in the am...

5/10/09 Mannford OK

5/10/2009 60's Cool, windy

Ran out of Altus to Ft Sill easily, then turned northeast dead into the wind. Lousy mileage. Went through a sack of squirrels called Oklahoma City - the drivers there are really interesting and bear watching at all times. On up to Mannford, the North Salt Cove park, and our friends Russ & Sandy.

We set up next to them. Didn't even put the back legs down, just hooked up the electricity. Russ had drinks out for us, so we sat down at the table and starting chatting. We quit about 10 hours later.

In between, sons & daughters and in-laws and friends came by. They chatted and we all told stories and jokes. Laughed like crazy at some of the stories and antics.

Sandy and daughter-in-law Leslie made dinner of ribs, potatoes, and beans (all excellent) and blueberry cobbler for dessert.

More stories around the bonfire. Got that smoky smell all over my clothes - I attract smoke. Got so I just sit down and attract smoke so the others don't have to shift their chairs around as it gets to them.

Finally, around 11:30, we couldn't take any more and said good-night. I think the others went off to be shortly thereafter.

We'll say our good-byes in the morning and head for Arkansas.

5/9/09 Altus OK

5/9/2009 Altus OK Temp at 8:30 is 62*F

A front went through during the night and it turned cool and cloudy here. Per agreement, we sat around the trailer until joining Randy & AM at their place. We had a *big* breakfast there while chatting and watching the dog, the cat, and the bird. Sam dashed in and out.

AM & Randy are moving, and per the terms, leaving the furniture. So they're in the market for furniture and asked if we'd mind. We said we'd love to do that, so we drove to Lawton (60 miles) to shop there. The whole 60 miles was flatter than a flounder.

We went through three furniture stores looking at living rooms, futons (for Sam's room), and beds. We (O&D) came away with an idea or two for our house, but Randy & AM may have been more confused at the end of the day. They're going to make diagrams of the rooms and put in blocks representing furniture pieces and get an idea of the people-flow through the main rooms. Then they'll look again.

We took a back route returning to Altus that leads first through Meers, an old stagecoach stop "back when". There's a run-down concrete-wood place there that does Meersburgers - a huge, non-fat, piece of ground beef (1/2 lb or so) on an oversized bun. Their house beer comes in 22 oz bottles and is quite good. We had Meersburgers, and shared toothpicks (jalapena strips in batter, deep-fried). Then we shared a big dish of peach and cherry cobbler. All quite good and very filling.

We continued back to Altus through the federal game reserve. Dusk was fast approaching, so many animals were out feeding close to the road. We saw bison, longhorn cattle, a half-grown racoon, several deer with fawns, several groups of elk, and a pair of javelina. We drove past the prairie dog colony, but there were two coyote in it, so the dogs were way underground. Leaving the reserve we came on a huge bison scratching his neck on a fence post.

R & AM needed to stop at WallyWorld on the way to their house, so we did. They bought a few things, then we went to their place. We were pretty tired by that time, so we bid each other good-bye in the yard.

Back to the trailer and settled in. We've had a somewhat unusual but thoroughly enjoyable visit here. Lots of fun and many laughs...

5/8/09 Altus OK

5/8/2009 Altus OK Temps in the 80's

We loafed a little this morning. I got up earliest, had a mini-breakfast and coffee, made more coffee for Dolores, woke her up and went to the BX to get a haircut.

Dolores was up having her breakfast and coffee when I returned. When done, we walked to the BX to buy little things we'd forgotten. Then we stopped at the commissary to get a few items. Both these places are within a city block of the FAMCAMP.

I decided I'd take on a truck project, so I went to Ace Hardware and bought things. The truck bed has a two-bin storage box made of plastic. The latch on the left bin had broken (flimsy design), allowing anyone to lift the lid and take the contents. So I drilled a long hole through the center divider into the left bin lid, stopping before drilling into the sealing gasket.

Then I put a dowel cut to length through the hole. Closing the right lid captures the dowel on that end and the gasket stops it on the left end. Now to access the left bin, I open the lockable right lid, then pull the dowel out.

About that time AM & Randy called to invite us to see their new home. They were just completing their walk-thru prior to purchase. They'll move in next week. It's a nice place, a little smaller (part of their plan) but with lots of nice features. It has a smaller lawn (also part of their plan). It's a 3BR, 2Bath, 2-car-garage, split bedroom arrangement on one level. It'll be a nice place for them.

They had to work at least the first part of the evening, so they went off to get ready. They referred us to the Sunrise Cafe for lunch, which was very good. D had pork wings, fries, and corn & I had a hot ham-and-cheese with salad.

We went to the base library. D did internet while I read periodicals (no wifi, can't plug into their network). Great library, large assortment of books on DVD and BBC TV shows that D likes.

Off-base to get fuel and find mass times. Then a short stop at the VFW (rather dead at 4:30) and back to the trailer to read and relax.

Then AM called to invite us for dinner at 7:30. Randy stopped at the trailer & chatted for a while, then we all went. But AM's intent to leave had been stopped because she had to fix something. Randy did dinner & we ate, then AM came home. We chatted a bit, then the four of us went out in two cars for ice cream at Braun's. It was jammed, today being commencement day at the local CC. I had a banana split (hadn't had one in years) - it was delicious.

Then they headed home and we went to the trailer to settle in. Great day.

Day 4

5/7/09 Altus, OK

5/7/2009 Altus, OK

We left Texarkana in fog and mist, headed west on I-30. Thirty miles later, we branched off onto US-82. We followed US-82 through Paris, Gainesville, and on to Wichita Falls. Gradually, the mist and fog subsided. The first part of the trip had scenery like yesterday - rolling hills. Gradually, the land got dryer - the trees were replaced by shrubs and the other green things disappeared. It also got flat.

Again, we needed the air all day to combat the mugginess. We turned north at Vernon, TX, and came into Altus. We checked in on the base for the FAMCAMP (in the military, everything has an acronym - Family Campground), went there and set up. I was dripping sweat in a few minutes. After getting things set up, we made calls to our niece and husband who both work on-base as contract employees of the Aircraft Maintenance Wing.

AM called a little later; they said they'd pick us up on their "lunch break" at 7:00 pm - they're working evenings this week. They took us to a nice buffet place where we all ate and began to catch up. We returned directly to the flight line.

AM got permission to take us on a tour to and in a C-17. We rode out and walked up the ladder into the tremendous cargo bay. AM demonstrated lowering and raising the cargo ramp and other equipment and showed us where some really innovative designers choose to hide equipment. We saw some cockpit displays and saw how very complex the cockpit is. There are two pilot seats and two more seats in the cockpit; there are bunks behind it for replacement pilots if the flight is going to be very long, involving in-flight refueling. The avionics equipment rack we saw was only half populated. They say computer advances have allowed one black box to take the place of two.

We watched as three C-17's taxied past for a night training flight (this is a training base). Then she shut down the power unit. Finally we rode back to the FAMCAMP and settled in for the evening. We'll see them again tomorrow.

Day 3

5/6/09 Texarkana, TX

Went to the Dodge dealer at 7:30, got back out about 9:15 with the wipers repaired. Bushings that hold the linkage to a circular disk had worn out and the linkage dropped off. New bushings pressed onto the disk cured the problem.

Which was a good thing, since after crossing the Mississippi (big river) we ran into two straight hours of rain, much of it of the slow-down-fast-wipers variety on I-20 Westbound. We turned off I-20 onto LA-9 and then US-49 up to Magnolia, Louisiana, with the weather becoming nicer by the mile, and getting into nicer rolling hills. Then US-82 west into Texarkana and the KOA.

We set up the camper and headed out with the truck. First stop was at a RV parts place to get the right light bulb for the right rear of the trailer, and for a failed locker hold-open device that was coming apart.

Then to a Mexican place for a very late lunch or somewhat early dinner. Had sangria maragritas, a first, and good food. Very eager server; we had to resist saying "down, boy".

The KOA campground (they prefer Kampground) is nice, with all the amenities. But it's a little too close to I-30 (on the frontage road, as a matter of fact) and we hear some noise from it. We'll see if it eases later in the day. But our site is level despite the sloping ground around it generally, and everything works. The pool is nearby, but I'm too tired to take advantage. Driving through the rain is stressful and then driving along in the sun is too nice - I'm getting left-arm-tan already.

The KOA is about 300 yards into Texas and the restaurant was about 30 yards into Arkansas.

So our first flap (wipers) is past us &, little things are getting done. On to Altus AFB tomorrow.

5/5/09 at Vicksburg, MS

Well, we got here, somewhat wounded, but we got here.

PCB to I-10 to Mobile AL, then US-98 into MS. Warm, humid, ran with the A/C on and at high speed to keep up with traffic, so the mpg was poor.

Onto MS-49 south of Hattiesburg, through H-burg to Magee, the site of our 2006 breakdown and four-day enforced vacation. After turning west onto MS-28, we ran into a terrible downpour that had us going 35 mph for a bit.

As the rain eased up, the windshield wipers went fully to the left and stopped. We stopped at a turnout and I was able to move the wipers (they moved together, but obviously aren't connected to anything else (like the drive motor).

The rain stayed away for the next 90 miles into our campground at Vicksburg. We set up with some difficulty (mostly mental). Then we scurried downtown to dinner at a restaurant we'd visited before. We had a great light dinner; mom had crab claws, angle hair pasta, and salad; I had an italian salad and half a mufaletta. More than adequate.

I have directions to the local dealer, so I'll run over there in the morning to get the wipers fixed, then we'll head for Texarkana.....

Note #1

This note is to create the blog to be used on the trip, and to set up its various parameters.

This is not a private blog, but no search engine will see it - so no one will find it unless you or I tell them where it is.

I intend not to identify any family or friends to anyone who might stumble across this blog - it's ours and we'll keep it that way. You're welcome to tell other family members or close friends.

First names only.