Monday, October 21, 2019 - Wild Night; Busy Day; Shopping; Dinner & Dancing With the Stars

Monday, October 21, 2019 - Wild Night; Busy Day; Shopping; Dinner 

I thought I would sleep like a baby last night and I did until Dean said, "Is that a tornado siren going off?"  I had my ear plugs in so I didn't hear anything except him, but once I took them out I heard a "whoop" sound twice and rain, lots of rain, thunder and more rain with wind for what only lasted about 20 minutes or so, but seemed much longer at the time.  It passed quickly.  I believe there might have been some light hail, but fortunately it didn't last long.  Dean got up, so I did too and we went downstairs.  There was nothing on the radar or any alerts on our phones about tornadic activity in the area.  I went back to bed and Dean followed soon after.  It wasn't long and the entire thing passed by us.  And, I had no problem falling back asleep.

I woke again close to 5.  It was fairly warm in the RV compared to many of the past few mornings.  I started the coffee pot then got to work.  I brought the clothes hamper downstairs last night, so I started the first load of laundry.  I turned the fireplace on low to take the slight chill off, then worked on yesterday's blog until the coffee was done.

After coffee, we walked over a mile here in the park before coming back to have our morning shakes.  

Sun coming up.  It was cool this morning but we warmed up pretty quick as we came back up the hill from Phase 4.

I had several things I wanted to accomplish today, besides laundry.  I needed to make some phone calls, file several papers; and a few other things that needed attention.  By 2:30 or 3:00 almost everything was done and we left to run a few errands.  

Our first stop was at the Ticket Office here at Treasure Lake.  As a member we get discounts on most of the shows and activities in Branson.  We are thinking about going to a couple of shows while we are here.  We picked up a list of all of the discounts and we'll look it over later.  Then on to the main office to pick up the activity going on in the park this week.  There is entertainment almost every night this week including a comedian tonight, a country jam on Tues, and a Gospel jam on Wed evening.  There are many activities scheduled for Thursday and Friday leading up to the annual meeting for owners on Saturday morning.

Our next stop was at one of the outlet malls - Branson Hills.  Dean wanted to visit Tool Town so I went next door and walked through Tuesday Morning.  I enjoyed it but did not find anything I wanted or needed.  However, Dean found something he wanted, and needed; and he bought it!  Good for him!  

A new carving on this double tree trunk that we saw on our walk this morning. 

From there we headed to Kohl's.  I was hoping to find a couple of long sleeve tops now that we are having these cooler mornings and evenings.  I was disappointed in what was available though, as I hoped to find more than the two I purchased.

The trees are starting to change in the Branson area.

Last stop was at Walmart's.  I should have made a list yesterday because I forgot a few things we needed.  It was so busy we considered leaving, but we needed some things for dinner.  From now on we need to get up early and go first thing before many people are there.  We made it back to the rig a little before 6.  I put the groceries away, then started dinner...chicken alfredo.  While it was cooking I made some coconut cream pudding for our dessert.  It was a good, simple meal.  

The last load of clothes finished drying at 9:30. 

It's been a good day with much accomplished.  I'm not sure what our plans are for tomorrow but there's plenty to do here, so we'll find something.  

Thank you for following the blog, and I'd love to hear from you if you'd like to comment.

Sunday, October 20, 2019 - Early Morning Travels; Meet up with Jarred & Family in Branson; Breakfast Out...Whoops, We Settled For Something Else; Walmart Run; Catching Up & Resting

Sunday, October 20, 2019 - Early Morning Travels; Meet up with Jarred & Family in Branson; Breakfast Out...Whoops, We Settled For Something Else; Walmart Run; Catching Up & Resting

I was up at 4:45, started the coffee, then began putting things away in the kitchen/living area while Dean was still sleeping.  He was up by 5:30 though, so I went upstairs and made the bed.  While I was there I moved the TV from the dresser to the bed, and packed up the two pictures that are not permanently attached to a wall somewhere.  After making sure everything was done up there, I moved to the bathroom, where I secured the shower doors and a few other things in preparation for our move.

I enjoyed another cup of coffee before changing into my jeans and flannel shirt, then finished the rest of the packing.  Dean headed outside to take up the water lines and store everything.  

It was 7:30 when he pulled out of the campground and I left 15 minutes earlier.  When I arrive at Treasure Lake I can check us in and get a number for the campsite.  I'll let him know where it is, so he doesn't have to drive around looking for a site pulling the RV.  

The drive was a little rough - as it was very, very foggy with the sun shining so bright it was difficult to see at times.  I can't believe how people fly down the highway going every bit of 70+ with no lights on in heavy fog.  Several miles down the road it let up a bit, but after I turned south on 65 towards Branson we ran into really heavy fog just past Ozark.  By the time we were near Branson I had to watch carefully for the exit signs.  Fortunately, once we made it to the city streets it pretty much cleared.  I stopped at the office when I arrived where I paid for 10 days, got our key card to get in and out of the park, and a number to hang at our site to show it is reserved.  Dean called me not too long after I was making my way through the park looking for a site.  I finally settled on site 200 which is pretty close to the cabin where our friends David and Donna will be staying later this week.  

The park is very full.  This weekend is the annual business meeting for Treasure Lake owners.  Other than some of the summer holidays I think it is the busiest week of the year.  They have a lot of activities going on for Halloween, which also brings many RVer's in for the weekends.  I'm glad we arrived so early this morning or it may have been difficult finding a spot.  

Jarred (Dean's youngest son), wife Andrea and daughter Emerson have been here in Branson for a few days.  They drove to the park and we met them at the office so we could visit before they headed back to Wichita.  Even though it was a short visit, we sure enjoyed seeing them.

When they left we headed to Cracker Barrel, thinking a late breakfast - ha!  The line outside of folks waiting to go in reminded me of the lines we used to wait in at Lambert's.  We are hungry - now!  As we reached the strip (76 Highway) we noticed I-Hop had the same lines.  Since it was almost 11am by now, I suggested we try the Steak and Shake nearby and Dean agreed.  We like this one in particular as it's not on a major road so not as noticeable to visitors.  Sure enough, it didn't have a crowd.  The burgers we ordered were great but we were disappointed in the fries.  While they were warm, you could tell they had been warming for awhile - they were a little rubbery.  This is the first time we've encountered that at a Steak and Shake.  I hope it was a random thing!

We made a quick run to Walmart.  I ran out of vinegar and I need to do some laundry tomorrow.  We are resting today.  Tomorrow I need to finish the laundry that accumulated while we were in Carthage last week.  I also need to make some phone calls, file some papers and follow up on a few other things.  I spent the afternoon getting the blog up to date.  My sister Jody sent me a text this afternoon that she was not getting the blog updates.  There are 8-9 people that do not use Facebook or have an email or do not check their emails often, so I send them a link to the blog in a text message.  Jody is one, as well as my step-brother Mike.  I sent links to all of the blog posts from October 1 to yesterday. Not too long afterwards I received a text from Mike telling me thank you.  I've been meaning to call him, so I decided now was a good time and an hour later we finally hung up.  Too many things to talk about when you wait so long between phone calls, right?  

We had a quick meal, warming up the white chicken chili I made yesterday.  It sure tasted good.  Once I had cleaned up from our meal, we decided to take a ride.  We left Treasure Lake on 248, where we caught 76 just a bit west, then drove the strip (76 Highway) all the way to Branson Landing, where we caught 248 north of town and took it back to Treasure Lake.  I hardly ever drive at night and when I do it's usually in Oswego, where there isn't much traffic.  The only consolation tonight:  I could drive fairly slow and it wasn't too busy.  Everyone must have been at the shows tonight!  Dean enjoyed it though, as he had a chance to actually look around and see things versus concentrating on driving.  I will drive during the day since we have the car, and he can do any night driving for the rest of this trip.  I don't know if it's the start of the cataract in my left eye or not, but I do not recall car lights bothering me as much as they did last night.

Back at home, Dean watched a little TV and as what seems to becoming a habit for me lately, I fell asleep.  Now you know why I wake up so early in the morning - I get part of my sleep before I go to bed.  Lol!

Sorry no pictures today.  It's hard to take any if I am driving.

I pray you each had a wonderful day.

Saturday, October 19, 2019 - Rain, Rain Go Away; Almost Everyone Leaves Today; Trip to Joplin; Visit from Brett & Family; Visit with Mark & Karen; Getting Ready to Move

Saturday, October 19, 2019 - Rain, Rain Go Away; Almost Everyone Leaves Today; Trip to Joplin; Visit from Brett & Family; Visit with Mark & Karen; Getting Ready to Move 

I was up before 5:00 this morning.  The rain started not too long after that and continued until around 7-8.  There was another short rain later, but then it cleared off and turned out to be a nice day.  I put a load of clothes in the washer when I got up and managed to get two more done before the day was over.

We heard our neighbors start moving around outside about 8:00.  Drena and Keith are to the north of us and Stan and Linda are to the south.  We visited with them, Linda and Alvin, Mike and Mari Anne, and Pete before they all had left - around 10:00 or so.  That left Mark, Karen, Dean and I.  Karen and I had talked about going up to the square to visit all of the booths for Carthage's Maple Leaf Festival.  I sent a text to see if she still wanted to.  She said a nap was calling her.  I certainly understand that.  Since we were so close to Joplin, Dean and I decided to drive over to Sam's to pick up a few things we wanted.  It was much closer than driving to Springfield from Branson this coming week.  We wanted to get another big container of the Slimfast we've having for breakfast, mixed nuts, grapes and the wonderful pimento cheese spread they have.  In fact I bought two tubs of it.  We love it with crackers or celery sticks.  It's not bad on a hamburger either.  As we walked through the door I saw these nice plaid jackets that were lined.  I sure wish I would have had one this past week when we set out at night.  At $14.98, I decided I did need one.  Dean was looking for something in the automotive department (which sure seems to be smaller than before).  We did buy a box of DEF for the truck but never found what he wanted.  However, as we walked back through the men's clothing we found a nice shirt that was lined that would be nice for him when sitting out at a campfire, again only $14.98.

My new jacket

Dean's lined shirt. 
It might get here in SEK this winter before we head south!  We may need these for everyday use!

From there we made a stop at Academy.  Dean wanted to look at some things in their golf department.  I looked around in the women's department but nothing appealed to me.

Next stop was Dollar General.  I've decided to get a few tubs to put certain food items in inside my pantry.  I found 1 large and 2 smaller ones I think will work just fine.  We stopped to put diesel in the truck and then headed back to the campground.

When we returned I heated hot dogs in the microwave and we had them on our low carb tortillas.  

They were actually pretty good.  As soon as I was finished eating, I started pulling things out of the pantry and rearranging things.  I tried a few things before I was finally satisfied with the outcome.

The tubs work well to corral like items in one area.  Dean is going to remove the white bar below the top shelf so it will be easier to access the items on this shelf.

Shelving I added to the door last winter

Brett called Dean earlier to see if we'd be at the campground this afternoon.  Dean told him yes, to come on by.  Brett thought it would be about 3 when they got there but it was closer to 4.  We visited for an hour or so before they left.  Tucker and Dacy came with him, and Emilee and Logen arrived about 20 minutes later.  It was good to see Dacy as we haven't really had a chance to visit with her the last time or two we saw her.  

After they left, we visited with Mark and Karen when they walked over.  They will be in Carthage for another week, then will move to Branson - arriving two days before we leave.  We hope it works out we can see each other, but if not, we'll see them down the road.  It has been fun having the opportunity to hang out with them this week and we are so glad they joined our SKP group.  They have already become dear friends.

I made white chicken chili for supper.  It tasted so good.  We've already cut the food back drastically and no sweets!  

I packed as many things as I could this evening in preparation for tomorrow's move.  Dean spent quite a bit of time outside getting as much done as possible so we can leave early tomorrow.  We hope to leave by 7:00 in the morning.

Not only was it a good day, but a very productive one!

Friday, October 18, 2019 - Final Day of our SKP Rally; Coffee; Visit to Coachlight RV Store; Lunch at Sirloin Stockade; Afternoon Rest & Walk; Goodwill; Card Bingo; Ice Cream/Desserts; Our Last Evening Fire Under the Stars

Friday, October 18, 2019 - Final Day of our SKP Rally; Coffee; Visit to Coachlight RV Store; Visit with Fellow RVillagers; Lunch at Sirloin Stockade; Afternoon Rest & Walk; Card Bingo; Ice Cream/Desserts; Goodwill; Our Last Evening Fire Under the Stars

Can you tell by the heading we had a full day?

It was around 50 when I got up this morning a little after 5.  It's our final day of the Escapees (SKP) rally here in Carthage, MO.  It has been a great week with many good times and LOTS of laughing.  Dean went up for coffee around 7:30 or so, and I followed an hour or so later, taking the trash up on my way.   After enjoying a visit with everyone, I told Dean I would like to go visit the RV Store that is next door to the park.  I wanted to see if they had any over the cabinet towel holders.  Cindy said she would walk over with us.  I didn't find what I was looking for, but Dean bought a stool that folds up.  We have one in the RV that I use all the time, but he wanted a taller one that he could also sit on when he's working on something low to the floor/ground.  It will be a great multi purpose stool that he'll probably use quite a bit. 

Once we returned to the campground I suggested we walk over and talk to our neighbors behind us.  We've been so busy we haven't had the chance to do that.   Why are we doing this?  The very first day of the rally they invited us to stop by their rig one evening for an RVillage get together at 5.  We left to go eat at 5 that evening and I didn't see the message until around 8 that evening.  I responded with that information and asked if we could stop by to visit sometime.  It's been pretty busy this week and we just haven't made it over.  We visited for about 25-30 minutes.  What a small world it is!  Mike and Tammy originally lived in Neosho.  My niece and her husband live there so I asked if they might know them, and they did.  Melissa (my niece) and Tammy actually worked together several years ago, and they knew Tim as well from a business he owned.  We will try to get together with them again before we leave early Sunday morning.

RVillage is an online group to bring RVer's together.  Often when others see someone post their location at a campground someone will suggest a get together like Mike and Tammy did.  We've been invited to two this year.  Both times we didn't see the message until the event was over, so I'm going to have to do a better job of checking my messages.  It's a great way to meet like-minded RVer's.  RVillage provides a list of topics you enjoy, so others can seek friends with similar interests.  They also have many, many groups that you can join such as Full Time RVers; Handy RV Tools and Tips; Bloggers; Christian Couples; Heartlanders (our rig is a Heartland); RV's and Instapots; etc.  I don't look at it as much as I used to, but I do enjoy going on line occasionally to look and I've asked several questions seeking information on things to see and do in places we plan to visit.

At 11:15 our group loaded up and caravanned to Sirloin Stockade for lunch, paid for by our Chapter.  The food was good and the desserts were really good.  Yes, I have a HUGE sweet tooth.  

Hi Stan!  Hi Linda!  I see you waving back there!

Dean and Mark also waving and Karen hiding!

My sweet, handsome husband!

When we returned to the campground, I went in to rest.  My eyes were heavy but my attempt at a nap disappeared as soon as I closed my eyes.  I've never been one to nap much.  Not too long after that I heard a knock on the door.  It was Karen wanting to know if I'd like to go for a walk with her and Huckleberry (her dog).  Sure, l just needed to put some different shoes on before joining them outside.  I like to walk fast, but Karen moves even quicker than me.  Thank goodness for Huckleberry stopping every little bit!!  Just kidding, Karen!  I appreciated her asking since it made me get up and move!  We had a good visit and walk, occasionally stopping to visit other dogs along the way.

At 3:00 we went to the clubhouse to play Card Bingo again.  I won three games!  Wow, I was rolling in the dough - a whole $3.  It was fun and a good way to get together for visiting and more great laughter.  If the caller could just remember a spade from a diamond it would move on just a little faster.  Lol!  

Everyone getting their ice cream before they leave.

The camp host, Mike came in and left ice cream sandwiches for each of us.  Marianne brought up her leftover snickers truffle and candy; and Linda brought her apricot bars.  I think I've gained nearly 5 pounds this week.  Actually I don't know for sure, but I feel like it!  During our games, Drena told me she had gone to Goodwill earlier and found several flannel shirts.  I told Dean afterwards I'd like to go up and see if I could be so lucky.  Unfortunately I didn't find any flannel shirts that I liked or they weren't the right size.  I did find one denim shirt I was going to buy, but then I realized I had no money and Dean had gone out to sit in the car.  I decided to just put it back and leave since the line was so long and I'd have to go out to get money from him.  Maybe I'll go back tomorrow and if it's still there I'll get it.

Around 6, the fire pits came out for the last time for this rally.  

Drena, Linda & Stan

Keith, Mike & Mari Anne

Dean, Alvin & Linda

LeRoy, Cindy, Pete

Me, Alvin & Linda

What a great week it's been.  The time flew by.  This is our last campout for 2019 together.  We start the 2020 camping season in April.  

Thursday, October 17, 2019 - Breakfast Brunch; Chapter Business Meeting; Bean Bag Baseball

Thursday, October 17, 2019 - Breakfast Brunch; Chapter Business Meeting; Bean Bag Baseball

I woke at 4:30 this morning.  I guess I've finally caught up with my sleep as I've been getting up pretty late the past two days.  It was 38 or so this morning, so I turned the furnace up a bit.  At 7:30 it is still only 42 degrees.

I spent the first few hours getting the blog done for the previous two days.  Last night I realized I had forgotten to add the last several blog posts to our "Travels with Bentley" Facebook page, so many people have not seen a post for several days.  I'm sorry about that.  Too many things going on I guess, and in a rush to get them done I just forgot about that step!

Alvin and Linda are hosting a breakfast brunch this morning at 9:30.  Dean walked up to have coffee around 8.  I stayed here to shower and do a few things before I walked to the clubhouse around 9.  It was only 10-15 minutes later that our breakfast brunch was ready, so Linda told us to go ahead and start while it was warm.  She made a sausage/egg casserole, along with a wonderful fruit salad.  It was delicious.

We enjoyed visiting with everyone as they came in.  I always enjoy visiting with Drena because she comes up with some great ideas for using things or she is always telling us about some really neat app or idea.  Today she showed up for breakfast with a plastic school box kids use to hold their pencils, pens, etc.  She was using it to carry her utensils in for their breakfast meal.  What a great idea!  I like the idea they are inside protected rather than just laying in the bottom of our carrier.  She also had her napkins folded inside, plus an extra one she could wrap the dirty ones in, in case they didn't use all of the utensils she brought to the meal.  She is so clever!

Following our breakfast brunch Alvin, as Chapter President, called our annual business meeting to order.  We had a great turnout as compared to the one held last October.  Dean and I joined this group in April of 2015.  It's hard to believe it's already 4.5 years later.  We love the people we've met through this organization.  Several have had to hang up their keys, and we miss seeing them but every year we pick up new members.  This year our friends Mark and Karen, joined our chapter, as well as another couple Wally and Nita.  Karen and Mark have lived in Missouri for many years where Mark recently retired from a career in law enforcement.  They recently transitioned from a sticks and bricks home to their new RV.  Mark and I met through our respective blogs.  Dean and I have met with Karen and Mark several times the last few years and we've become good friends.  We are really happy they have joined our Chapter.  While our paths may not cross often, I'm sure we will at various times throughout our travels.  Our blogs, Facebook and Email will keep us connected until we have another opportunity to meet down the road.  Wally and Nita are a really sweet couple and we enjoyed visiting with them when they first arrived.  We exchanged information on places we had traveled.  It's always fun talking to others about where they have been and what they've done.  We get some great information this way.

After the business meeting I walked back to the RV.  I had some things to do.  I had a few dishes to wash, plus I wanted to clean some things out of the refrigerator and wash a few containers I emptied from there.  It took another 10 minutes or so to do a good pickup and straightening of things in the RV.  Now my work is done in Bentley for the day.  

This afternoon we played bean bag baseball.  Dean and I learned about this game at our first Heartland rally.  Dean enjoyed it so much he wanted to make one for our own use.  He took measurements and pictures of the one they used.  When we returned home he got to work pretty quick on it.  We've used it several times and everyone has enjoyed playing.  Bob and Dee were the captains.  There was no rhyme or reason to who was on what team.  We just started adding names until the teams were even in number.  Dean was the umpire.  Dee's team won both games!  It was much fun and I believe everyone had a great time.

Linda L - teammate Keith on 3rd, with Umpire Peine overseeing the throw, and Captain Dee on the right.

Everyone came out to watch 

Patty with two on base - she needed at least a triple to get her teammates in to home plate.

Nita getting ready for her first toss.

Linda B looks like a pro with that throw!

Mike doesn't look too shabby himself!

We had such a good turnout, so many laughs, and just good clean fun!  Who doesn't like baseball?

Another group shot.  Notice our Bentley in the background there.

I hope I managed to get pictures of everyone in these photos.

Our team's captain - Bob the Builder - You can do it Bob!

Karen - she had a good throw - what a stance!

After playing two baseball games, we were all famished.  Several went back to El Charro's to eat.  Patty & Bob, Karen & Mark and Dean and I chose to try one of the restaurants the campground had recommended.  They even gave us a coupon for 15% off our meal.  The restaurant was A Taste of Italy.  The restaurant is located at the Precious Moments Chapel. I think everyone tried a different dish and we were all happy with our meals.  I chose a small plate that included a small portion of lasagna, a small cannelloni and manicotti.  They were served with garlic rolls.  Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar was available at the table for dipping your bread.  Its been a long time since we've been anywhere they provide that, and I sure enjoyed it.  The entire meal was fantastic.  Afterwards we took a few pictures outside.

Parking Lot plantings.

Cute little Precious Moments camper - Karen getting a closeup

The restaurant sign behind this statute.

Right at the entrance to the Precious Moments Chapel Center

We had to have a group picture.  

Karen, Mark, Dean, Patty & Bob

It wasn't long after we returned that the fire genies came out and we enjoyed another evening under the stars.  Always a lot of fun with great conversations.

Connie & Gary with Linda B 

Patty, Marianne, Mike, Bob and Stan

L to R:  LeRoy, Alvin, Drena and Linda L

How many guys does it take to start a fire - and watch over it?

Another wonderful day, with wonderful friends in a wonderful campground!  

Keith took this picture of our group.  It turned out really good for a night photo.  Later we learned he used the Night option on his Samsung phone.  The things we learn.  I didn't even know my phone had that option until seeing this picture.  

Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - Morning Coffee & Pastries; First of Many Pot Luck Meals This Week; --- Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - Morning Chores; Great Luncheon; Hand and Foot; Leftover Potluck; and Card Bingo

Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - Morning Coffee & Pastries; First of Many Meals This Week; 

I was surprised to see it was almost 6:00am when I woke up this morning - especially after going to bed earlier than normal last night.  I haven't done my exercises the past few days, however, not wanting to go too long without doing them, I followed through today.

I read blogs and finished Monday's post before getting up, getting dressed and heading up to the clubhouse for coffee  There were quite a few people there and we visited until about 9:30-10.  

On our way back I took a few pictures here in the park.  

Our group is parked at the bottom of a hill.  The park manager has been wonderful though.  After they had all of the rigs parked they gave our group the use of two golf carts so we could shuttle those who need it to the clubhouse.  It's also nice for getting some of the food up the hill too.

What a neat looking tree.  Almost looks like a face and a nose.  Can you see it?

Our President's site - letting everyone know who our group is!

Fun fall decorations!  Our neighbors Stan and Linda decorated the outside of their rig.  So cute!

We walked a little this morning as well.  I thought this was just a pretty site with the brown and green grass.

At the top of the hill is this truck.  The wording on the side of the truck (not permanent) advertises the food drive they have going on for a local charity.  For every item that is brought in, each person will receive a ticket.  They have a few gifts that will be given away at the end of the drive.  You do not have to be present to win - if you win, they will send your gift to you.

The office, laundry and clubhouses.  We are in the smaller clubhouse to the left.  Behind the office and laundry is the larger clubhouse.  We had 34 at our potluck meal this evening....which is large for us.  What a wonderful turnout!

For lunch I had a carnitas taco from last night and it was delicious.  Dean had a tortilla rollup.  It was a quiet afternoon.  I had our mail forwarded here and it arrived today.  We received several more confirmations of a change in address, which I'll add to our folder.  So far we really like the Escapees mail forwarding.  Each day that mail arrives at their facility in Texas for us, they scan the envelope and email it to us.  It's convenient for us to know what is there and if it's something they need to send us or not, or if we need it right away or it can wait until more mail accumulates before they forward it to us.  I've already realized there are a few things we might be able to have emailed to us rather than mailed, or we might be able to access online rather than have it sent to us.  I will be checking with the companies to see if it is possible.  The more we have emailed to us, or we can access online the less it costs us in postage - as well as them.

Everyone received a copy of the agenda for the week's events.  Tonight is our potluck dinner.  We had an enormous amount of food brought in by everyone who attended. Of course it was all delicious.... well, everything I tried was delicious.  There was no way I could try everything but I tried hard when it came to the dessert table.  Not really...but I did take small bites of several to taste and they were all wonderful.

After the potluck we were going to play card bingo.  About 2/3 of the way through our meal, the electricity in the park went out.  Mike, the park manager, came in a short while later to let us know the electric company was aware of it.  We were able to finish our dinner and clean up since there was still sufficient light, but it was starting to get dark by the time we headed back to our rigs.  It was probably between 2-2.5 hours before it came back on.  It was beginning to get pretty cool in the rig by then.  We could use the gas heater but it does need electric to operate, and while our batteries would do also, we had no idea how long it might be out and didn't want to run those down.  We just grabbed a throw and a heavy jacket and we were fine.  

I was glad it came on before we went to bed as it would have been awful climbing into that cold bed, unable to turn on my heated mattress pad.  Brrrr!

What a great wonderful day we had with our Escapee friends.



Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - Morning Chores; Great Luncheon; Hand and Foot; Leftover Potluck, Card Bingo

Dean went up to the clubhouse for coffee and to visit this morning.  I needed to bake a cake for today and wash my hair.  I had pulled out all of the ingredients for the cake, then realized I did not have enough brown sugar.  I called Linda B. to see if she had any I could borrow; and she came to my rescue.  Dean walked over and got it for me.  It didn't take long to make the cake.  I put it in the oven after it had been heating up for a good 15-20 minutes to make sure it was at the right temperature.  I set my timer after putting the cake in the oven, then washed my hair.  I had also set a timer on my phone so I would be sure to hear it while I was in the bedroom drying my hair.  After my hair was dry I curled my bangs on the left side, but when I tried to curl the right side, they fell almost flat.  What?  It was still hot, but absolutely would not curl them.  I guess it was losing the heat.  I used lots of hair spray, hoping that would keep them in place for the day.  

The timer went off but I was surprised to see the cake was not even close to being done yet.  What now?  I put it back in at least two more times, maybe three before a toothpick in the middle finally came out okay.  This has never, ever happened in the rig.  This cake has always cooked perfectly in here.  Sometimes it's just not your day to have everything go right.  I had the topping/frosting ready to go on when it was done, and added that.  

I started to walk up to the clubhouse after washing the dishes and straightening things up, and I met Dean part way.  We came back to Bentley and then we headed to Walmart.  I was out of 81mg aspirin (which I take daily); nutmeg (used the last in the cake today - thank goodness I had enough) and brown sugar.  I also picked up a new curling iron.  The one I had was at least 12 years old, maybe older, so rather than trying to mess with it, for 12-13 dollars, it was peace of mind to replace it.  As soon as we got home I gave it a try and it curled the right side just fine.  That was good!!

I walked over to Mark & Karen's to visit with Karen for a little bit around 10:30 or so.  She was busy getting ready, so I visited with Mark for a short time before heading back to the rig to get our "brown bag gifts ready".  Mark and Karen are new full-timer's.  He decided to keep a side job he's had for awhile since he can easily do it on the road.  He showed me the printer he bought.  

It's exactly what I need - half the size or less, than what I have.  When I bought my current one it had both black and colored cartridges.  I asked the guy helping us if it had to have a color cartridge in it to work and he told me no, it would work with just the black cartridge.  Not true - but of course I didn't realize that until we went through the trial cartridge that came with it.  It's expensive to replace both cartridges when I only print in black.  This printer may be a purchase in the near future.  It's small enough, we could make use of quite a bit of extra space in the cabinet where we planned to put the printer and save money on the cartridges.  I love having extra space and saving money for things I choose to have.  Not that I have to fill every little spot, but it prevents having everything crammed in to a space where you can't find anything when you need to.  

I almost forgot today was "brown bag gift" day.  I pulled our gifts out, then rummaged through all of the brown bags I have accumulated since a year ago, the last time we did this.  We wrapped "our gifts to give" in plastic bags, put them in an appropriately sized bag, then stapled the tops shut to hide the "prize".  

Stan and Linda are our hosts for today's luncheon.  Linda loves to decorate and Stan joins right in with her.  They make a great team!  We had sandwiches for lunch, with a fruit salad and desserts.  Linda found some neat little trays, that fit perfectly in brown paper bags to go with the "brown bag gift" theme.  She had printed off a cute fall theme and pasted them to the top of the bags.  

At the bottom of this picture is the brown bag that Linda had our sandwich plate in.  It was long and just fit in the bag perfectly.  She added the paper decoration on top.

On each table was a burlap placemat with a fall decoration laid on top.  She had all of the fixings for sandwiches: ketchup, mustard, mayo; slider buns; meat choices of ham, turkey and roast beef; swiss and american cheese; lettuce, tomato, onion, and a few other condiments.  The sandwiches were wonderful and just exactly right for a nice light luncheon.  The fruit salad was delicious.  For dessert she made a pumpkin dump cake and a cherry dessert.  Both were delicious.  Because we had so many attending, I made an oatmeal cake too.  They were all hit pretty hard.  There was some of each leftover that we will probably finish off tonight at our "leftovers" potluck.

After lunch, we had our brown bag exchange.  Each person draws a number.  Whoever has number 1 gets to pick from the brown bags first.  The person with number 2 gets to pick, or steal the gift from number 1.  This continues throughout the game, with more chances to steal a gift as more gifts are available.  A gift can be stolen up to three times.  Once it has 3 X's on the bag, it stays with the person who has it at that time.  There were at least four or five that ended up with 3 X's.  A few REALLY popular items, although several others were stolen throughout the process as well.  It's so much fun, especially when you have some of the friends we have egging things on.  

Stan (his arm in the air) and Linda - our hosts for today.

I wanted to get pictures of each table - there's Karen in the back waving at me!

Stan choosing his "brown bag"

Patty and her prize

Alvin, Our President - I don't remember what he was telling us, but I'm sure it was very important!  See my brown bag prize at the end of the table.  It is a dishtowel with an RV theme to it.  I love it.

Several others checking out the prizes - should we steal or keep what we have?

There was someone at this table trying to speed things up, playing the Jeopardy countdown song!

What a great time it was and some really nice prizes were provided!


About three o'clock, a group was going to play a card game, hand and foot.  I love to play and haven't had the opportunity since we were in Texas in March.  Dean walked up with me in case we needed another person.  He ended up staying to make a foursome with Leroy, Cindy and me.  Dean and I were partners and won both of the two hands, but overall it wasn't by much.  We typically play three, but we didn't have time to finish a third one before dinner at 5:30.

Back home we gathered our tableware and something to drink before returning to the clubhouse.  Oh my goodness, I think almost everyone brought a dessert.  We had a hard time finding enough room for all of them.  

Again, another great meal.  Once everyone had taken their dishes back to their rigs we gathered again to play card bingo.  We broke up into groups of four.  A deck of cards is dealt to the four players (13 each).  Alvin (our President) was the caller.  As he called a number, whoever in each group of four had that card would put it in a pile in the middle.  When someone (or more) was out of cards, they are to say Bingo.  It was fun.  We played several (7?) games.  Dean and I each won one game.  By the way each person puts a dime in the kitty for each game and the winner, or winners wins what is in the kitty.  Dean won by himself.  I had to share my portion, which is fine.  It's more about the fun of playing (always lots of laughter) than winning.

Card Bingo

When we left the clubhouse it was DARK outside.  Tomorrow night, if we are out this late, we need to remember to bring a flashlight with us.  

I was too tired to work on the blog, so you get two posts today.