Saturday, July 13, 2019 - Work Day and Ice Cream Time!
When I woke up this morning, Dean was already out of bed. He rarely gets up before me. When I glanced at the clock it was almost 6:45. No wonder he was already up!
I laid a load of clothes out last night to wash this morning so I took care of that before pouring my first cup of coffee. Then I set down to finish the blog post from yesterday.
We started talking about what we wanted to get done today. The RV windows need to be washed both inside and out. I have three plaques I hang on the walls each time we stop. Currently I take them down when we move, and then re-hang them. Today we will hang them permanently. They were all gifts from very special people, with special meanings to both of us. (Update: we were only able to hang two of them. The third one had felt on the back of it, so we need to find a way other than using command strips to hang it.)
I put the leftover pie from last night into freezer containers for another time as well as the individual cobblers I made for snacks. It's nice to have something we can pull out when we need a little sweet.
Dean spent most of the day outside washing the rig - he worked in the shade until it got too hot once the sun was directly on him. After lunch, he went out again after the shade moved to the other side. He'll finish up another small area tomorrow morning. We shared the window washing - he did the outside and I took care of the inside. I decided it would be a good time to also clean all of the mirrors in Bentley. They definitely needed it.
I need to start looking at our travel plans which of course have now changed again - and until we know for sure that all is well on Monday, it's possible they will change again! However, I like having at least a loose plan of where we are going. Our goal is to make it to Yellowstone by August 16 - we have reservations there for a week - so everything leads there.
Dean grilled some burgers for dinner. I cut up a cucumber and sliced a tomato to go with them. Simple, but a very good meal.
My sister Cindy called just before we were getting ready to fix dinner to see if we wanted to go with them to get ice cream later. Sure we will, so I'll call her when we are ready and they'll pick us up. Dean wanted to shower so as soon as he was done, I let Cindy know they could head our way. We drove to Galena to Dairy Queen. I ordered the same thing for Dean and I - his a medium and mine a small, but when I started eating it, it didn't taste anything like the one I had a few weeks ago. I think she made the wrong thing but it was good, and I didn't want to wait for her to make another one so off we went.
We drove through Lowell, Baxter Springs, and Chetopa, KS on our way home. Sorry I didn't take any pictures. We were too busy talking!
Back at home I'm going to start looking at campgrounds for our trip until I get tired.
I hope your day has been wonderful. I feel like we accomplished several things today. It's a good feeling....and it has been a good day!
Travels with Bentley
Bentley - our Heartland Bighorn
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Friday, July 12, 2019 - Packing Again; Chevrolet Service Center; Back to Oswego; Invitation for This Evening; Resting and Catching up the Blog in the Meantime
Friday, July 12, 2019 - Packing Again; Chevrolet Service Center; Back to Oswego; Invitation for This Evening; Catching up the Blog; Great Evening.
We were up early this morning. I wanted to shower before we left this morning and there are a few things I'll still need to store. We enjoyed our two cups of coffee, then I readied a few things before finally showering. We pulled out of the RV Park a little after 8 and pointed the truck toward Parsons, KS. The drive this morning was a little slower without the trailer brakes. To be on the safe side we drove at 55. We arrived about 15 minutes before our scheduled appointment at 9. Dean went in to let them know we were here.
They have someone that will shuttle us somewhere while we wait for the work to be done. Since we didn't eat breakfast, we asked them to take us a short distance to Pizzo's for breakfast. Dean asked the driver about his job. He comes in about 7:30 and sometimes is there until late shuttling people back and forth, and sometimes to their homes until the work has been completed. It probably happens at many dealerships but we had never heard of anyone doing this before. It's a great service for their customers.
While we were waiting for the waitress to take our order, Neal Cruse and his dad came in and set behind us. We enjoyed visiting with him. Neal has been involved with physical education and athletic programs at Oswego for many years. Most of our kids knew him from their involvement in sports while they were in school. The restaurant was quite full so we were surprised that our food came so quickly. As usual, Dean ordered the same thing he always does and I ordered French Toast. I love this dish but since I'm trying to reduce the carbohydrates I haven't ordered it in a very long time. I'm glad I chose it as it was very tasty!
Once we were done, I called the Chevy dealership and our driver was back to pick us up. While we waited in the service lounge, I took out my laptop and worked on updating the blog, at a small table I was able to work at. At least I felt productive! Lol!
It was about an hour and a half later when they came in to tell us the controller on the truck was not working. They will order a new one and it will be delivered on Saturday, however the service department will not be open again until Monday. We are scheduled to have it replaced at 1:00pm on Monday. We accepted the news much better today - we just had to "let it go" and "go with the flow". I will be adjusting our travel route again. We've lost another week - and to keep our trip where we are not constantly moving we'll have to cut out a few stops. In the big picture that is okay. We will still have a great time and enjoy what we can.
On our way home I texted both Misti and Marc, and my sister Cindy to let them know that now we were not leaving until Tuesday. Cindy responded and said do you want to play cards tonight? Of course we said yes and I told her I would bring the dessert - she has made it the last two times, so it's definitely my turn.
For lunch I had a meal replacement shake and I made Dean a sandwich and cut up a cucumber for him. Now I'm glad I took Cindy up on it when she gave me more cucumbers and some tomatoes yesterday. Yummmm!
After we got back and set up AGAIN, and had our lunch I started looking through my recipes and nothing sounded good. I wasn't really in the mood to cook, so I called Circles Pecan at McCune, Kansas to see what pies they had available. They were baking an apple pie then so I told them I would take it. Dean and I drove the 25 miles there to get it. It looks delicious and I hope it's as good as it looks - it was still warm, having only been out of the oven a short time! I've heard great things about their food and pies from my graddaughter Kamron, but this was our first time there. They have a nice dining area and a large area where they sell a number of products. We took a look around. Dean found some cheese curds so we bought a package of those as well.
We returned home, where I finished up the blogs for the past three days and posted them, then started work on this one. It's now 4:30 and I'm pretty well caught up. I read a few blogs until it was time to leave for Cindy and Elmer's.
We played our normal three games of pitch and they guys beat us 2 out of 3 games. As usual there were lots of laughs. Everyone agreed the pie was very good. The crust edge was a little overcooked but the pie itself was great. Of course I bought some ice cream to go with it - perfect snack.
Another wonderful day, getting things done and having a great time with family.
We were up early this morning. I wanted to shower before we left this morning and there are a few things I'll still need to store. We enjoyed our two cups of coffee, then I readied a few things before finally showering. We pulled out of the RV Park a little after 8 and pointed the truck toward Parsons, KS. The drive this morning was a little slower without the trailer brakes. To be on the safe side we drove at 55. We arrived about 15 minutes before our scheduled appointment at 9. Dean went in to let them know we were here.
They have someone that will shuttle us somewhere while we wait for the work to be done. Since we didn't eat breakfast, we asked them to take us a short distance to Pizzo's for breakfast. Dean asked the driver about his job. He comes in about 7:30 and sometimes is there until late shuttling people back and forth, and sometimes to their homes until the work has been completed. It probably happens at many dealerships but we had never heard of anyone doing this before. It's a great service for their customers.
While we were waiting for the waitress to take our order, Neal Cruse and his dad came in and set behind us. We enjoyed visiting with him. Neal has been involved with physical education and athletic programs at Oswego for many years. Most of our kids knew him from their involvement in sports while they were in school. The restaurant was quite full so we were surprised that our food came so quickly. As usual, Dean ordered the same thing he always does and I ordered French Toast. I love this dish but since I'm trying to reduce the carbohydrates I haven't ordered it in a very long time. I'm glad I chose it as it was very tasty!
Once we were done, I called the Chevy dealership and our driver was back to pick us up. While we waited in the service lounge, I took out my laptop and worked on updating the blog, at a small table I was able to work at. At least I felt productive! Lol!
It was about an hour and a half later when they came in to tell us the controller on the truck was not working. They will order a new one and it will be delivered on Saturday, however the service department will not be open again until Monday. We are scheduled to have it replaced at 1:00pm on Monday. We accepted the news much better today - we just had to "let it go" and "go with the flow". I will be adjusting our travel route again. We've lost another week - and to keep our trip where we are not constantly moving we'll have to cut out a few stops. In the big picture that is okay. We will still have a great time and enjoy what we can.
On our way home I texted both Misti and Marc, and my sister Cindy to let them know that now we were not leaving until Tuesday. Cindy responded and said do you want to play cards tonight? Of course we said yes and I told her I would bring the dessert - she has made it the last two times, so it's definitely my turn.
For lunch I had a meal replacement shake and I made Dean a sandwich and cut up a cucumber for him. Now I'm glad I took Cindy up on it when she gave me more cucumbers and some tomatoes yesterday. Yummmm!
After we got back and set up AGAIN, and had our lunch I started looking through my recipes and nothing sounded good. I wasn't really in the mood to cook, so I called Circles Pecan at McCune, Kansas to see what pies they had available. They were baking an apple pie then so I told them I would take it. Dean and I drove the 25 miles there to get it. It looks delicious and I hope it's as good as it looks - it was still warm, having only been out of the oven a short time! I've heard great things about their food and pies from my graddaughter Kamron, but this was our first time there. They have a nice dining area and a large area where they sell a number of products. We took a look around. Dean found some cheese curds so we bought a package of those as well.
We returned home, where I finished up the blogs for the past three days and posted them, then started work on this one. It's now 4:30 and I'm pretty well caught up. I read a few blogs until it was time to leave for Cindy and Elmer's.
We played our normal three games of pitch and they guys beat us 2 out of 3 games. As usual there were lots of laughs. Everyone agreed the pie was very good. The crust edge was a little overcooked but the pie itself was great. Of course I bought some ice cream to go with it - perfect snack.
Another wonderful day, getting things done and having a great time with family.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - Thursday, July 11, 2019
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - Laundry!!!; Clinic Visit; Checking out the New Roof; and Checking off my To-Do List.
I woke up a little after 4 this morning. I had several things I wanted to get done and I could start now! Laundry is the big job for today and between doing other things I needed to stay somewhat close to the RV most of the day so I could keep it going.
I left at 7 to drive back to Vinita to meet with the NP Betty to go over my lab test results. Besides making a reduction in one of my medications (yea!), I got an updated shingles shot and new refills on all of my prescriptions. Now they can send everything to me at once, instead of spreading them out every few weeks. It is a nuisance having to figure out where to send medications when you are on the road and need to have them sent to different addresses. If I can keep them coming all together it will be easier for me and I would think the pharmacy as well.
After returning to Oswego, I went home and started another load of laundry. I decided to drive by our lot to look at the new roof Broc put on our garage while we have been gone. It really looks good. We are thinking about going ahead and adding siding, new garage doors, windows and a new side door as well. Then it will be done and we can concentrate on other things we want to do at the lot this fall.
I returned to the RV where I kept the washer/dryer going all day long. In fact at 7:41pm the last load is drying. Almost everything is put away and we'll do the rest of it in the morning.
I had several phone calls and things to take care of as well. Cindy is going to pick up hearing aid items for Dean at Sam's, so I called to be sure they would set everything aside for her. Cassandra is so nice and always willing to help out.
I had a package I needed to return so I took care of that. Since I forgot to take my new insurance card to the clinic with me today, I called them to provide that information - a copy is now in my purse as well.
Last week I called to make reservations for us at Sand Hills SP north of Hutchinson, KS. Our granddaughter Dacy will be competing at the State Fair again this year with her horses. I made a reservation for Friday through Sunday. While visiting with her at Brett's I decided we better add a day to our reservation and arrive on Thursday. We aren't sure if she will have an event on Thursday but there's a good chance she will have events on Friday morning, so rather than miss out we're just adding a day. The campground is really nice and really close to Hutch, with full hookups. It's at the north edge of town and very quiet.
Dean was outside so I snapped these pictures of him and our Wineguard Pathway X2 Dish. We like the Pathway so much better than the Tailgator we had for five years.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - Moving Day to Longview Campground, MO; Whoops, We Turned Around; Disappointing Day; But Ice Cream Makes Everything Better!
We pulled out of Hillside RV Park at 9:35am this morning. We didn't make it very far and we immediately received a message the trailer brakes were not connected - AGAIN! It's been three weeks or so that we've been dealing with this. We decided we would go ahead and head toward Hwy 49 but we changed our reservation to south of KC, rather than trying to pull it through heavy traffic. We had not driven more than 20 miles when I told Dean, I don't feel good about this, what do you think about just turning around and going back to Oswego. He agreed with me so that was an easy decision.
On the way back these clouds were forming in a line southwest to northeast. The wind was really blowing as we drove from Hallowell to Oswego. You could see the rain off to the southwest, but we only got some big drops for a short while - it wasn't too bad until.....
We pulled back into the park around 10:45am. It didn't take us long to setup and get inside, before the rain started here. Fortunately it didn't last too long.
I have to admit we were both really disappointed today when the brakes did not work again. Dean has messed with them so much. We are ready to leave for more travels. On the way back Dean called Michael, the owner of the company where we purchased our disc breaks. After discussing it he sent an email with steps for Dean to check to see if the actuator was working on the disc brakes. After spending quite a bit of time going over these, and several tries, Dean finally decided that must not be the problem. Next step, he called Chevrolet in Parsons to see if we could bring it in and have them go over it. They set the appointment for Friday at 9am. They want us to bring the RV with us. We sure hope they will be able to figure out the problem - and that we might be able to leave from there on our way north.
We were both a little down in the dumps the rest of the morning. We are glad to be here in Oswego where family is, but disappointed about the delay in our plans. We cancelled plans for our Colorado trip back in mid-April and we've been waiting to leave ever since. We did break out of our funk a little later in the day and enjoyed taking our granddaughter Haleigh with us to Chetopa for ice cream, after she got off work at G&W, our local grocery store. Ice cream has a way of making us a little happier! Lol!
Things happen, and maybe this is God's way of telling us the timing is not right for us to move now. Tomorrow will be a better day! (This is something I've told my kids and myself. When something occurs that bothers them or me - after a good night's sleep I've always found what seemed so bad yesterday, never seems as bad the next day).
Thanks for following along.
Thursday, July 11, 2019 - Happy Birthday Sarah; Keeping Busy; Preparing to Move Again
Today is Granddaughter Sarah's birthday. She is now 3 years old. We celebrated her birthday before she and the rest of her family left last week to drive back to their home in Grand Island, NY. We sent her a birthday wish this morning, via Mom and Dad.
I woke with a new purpose today - to do some things hat will keep me busy, so I am not dwelling on the brake issues.
Dean planned to golf this morning and I'm glad he has another opportunity to do so. I wanted to get the car from our garage, so we left a little after 8:00 to pick it up before he left for the golf course.
Last night we discussed moving the couch and chairs back to their original locations in the RV. I think it's a good idea as we have a little more room between the dining table and our recliners versus the couch that was almost against the table. When Dean returns we will work on that.
I went to Cindy's this morning. She put new closet doors up in their bedrooms and hall closet. The old ones were stained doors to match the woodwork. She painted all of the woodwork white before they moved in several years ago. She's wanted to change the doors out for several years, and finally got them finished a week or so ago. It really looks nice. We visited for awhile before I headed back to the RV.
After lunch Dean and I tackled the moving job - and I took advantage of the opportunity to vacuum both areas before switching them around. I think it looks better this way and Dean does too.
Todd brought me a container of blackberries he picked here in the park from some bushes he has. I wanted to make blackberry cobbler. Dean isn't overly fond of blackberries, so I decided I would use peaches for his. While we were in Branson I bought 8 custard dishes, so I used them to make (4 each) blackberry and peach cobblers in the convection oven. When we have a sticks and bricks home again, my oven will be convection! I love that it does not heat up the house. In between baking each batch, I warmed up leftovers for our dinner in the microwave, then finished up the cobblers.
We took the car back to the garage this evening. Tomorrow morning we will head to Parsons to the Chevrolet service center with hopes they can get our brakes working again. We have high hopes they will find the problem and we will be on our way. We have decided that when we leave Parsons, we will only go as far as Nevada, MO (less than 100 miles) stay the night, and if it is still working the next morning, we will only go to Longview Campground at Lee's Summit, MO (less than 90 miles). Rather than travel a long distance we are going keep it to short days for awhile, just to be sure the brakes are working okay before we get too far.
I saw Todd as we were leaving to take the car back, so I invited him down later for one of the mini blackberry cobblers. After we returned, he stopped by, and we all had a nice visit. Soon after we called it a night.
Today was a better day. We are thankful for family, and for the opportunity to travel, even when we have a bump in the road.
I hope your day has also been good.
I woke up a little after 4 this morning. I had several things I wanted to get done and I could start now! Laundry is the big job for today and between doing other things I needed to stay somewhat close to the RV most of the day so I could keep it going.
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| Dean found this little shovel in our storage unit to scoop the pellets (the bag behind it) for his Fire Genie. He repainted it so it would be all "purdy". The tub in the left foreground will hold the pellets. |
I left at 7 to drive back to Vinita to meet with the NP Betty to go over my lab test results. Besides making a reduction in one of my medications (yea!), I got an updated shingles shot and new refills on all of my prescriptions. Now they can send everything to me at once, instead of spreading them out every few weeks. It is a nuisance having to figure out where to send medications when you are on the road and need to have them sent to different addresses. If I can keep them coming all together it will be easier for me and I would think the pharmacy as well.
After returning to Oswego, I went home and started another load of laundry. I decided to drive by our lot to look at the new roof Broc put on our garage while we have been gone. It really looks good. We are thinking about going ahead and adding siding, new garage doors, windows and a new side door as well. Then it will be done and we can concentrate on other things we want to do at the lot this fall.
I returned to the RV where I kept the washer/dryer going all day long. In fact at 7:41pm the last load is drying. Almost everything is put away and we'll do the rest of it in the morning.
I had several phone calls and things to take care of as well. Cindy is going to pick up hearing aid items for Dean at Sam's, so I called to be sure they would set everything aside for her. Cassandra is so nice and always willing to help out.
I had a package I needed to return so I took care of that. Since I forgot to take my new insurance card to the clinic with me today, I called them to provide that information - a copy is now in my purse as well.
Last week I called to make reservations for us at Sand Hills SP north of Hutchinson, KS. Our granddaughter Dacy will be competing at the State Fair again this year with her horses. I made a reservation for Friday through Sunday. While visiting with her at Brett's I decided we better add a day to our reservation and arrive on Thursday. We aren't sure if she will have an event on Thursday but there's a good chance she will have events on Friday morning, so rather than miss out we're just adding a day. The campground is really nice and really close to Hutch, with full hookups. It's at the north edge of town and very quiet.
Dean was outside so I snapped these pictures of him and our Wineguard Pathway X2 Dish. We like the Pathway so much better than the Tailgator we had for five years.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - Moving Day to Longview Campground, MO; Whoops, We Turned Around; Disappointing Day; But Ice Cream Makes Everything Better!
We pulled out of Hillside RV Park at 9:35am this morning. We didn't make it very far and we immediately received a message the trailer brakes were not connected - AGAIN! It's been three weeks or so that we've been dealing with this. We decided we would go ahead and head toward Hwy 49 but we changed our reservation to south of KC, rather than trying to pull it through heavy traffic. We had not driven more than 20 miles when I told Dean, I don't feel good about this, what do you think about just turning around and going back to Oswego. He agreed with me so that was an easy decision.
On the way back these clouds were forming in a line southwest to northeast. The wind was really blowing as we drove from Hallowell to Oswego. You could see the rain off to the southwest, but we only got some big drops for a short while - it wasn't too bad until.....
We pulled back into the park around 10:45am. It didn't take us long to setup and get inside, before the rain started here. Fortunately it didn't last too long.
I have to admit we were both really disappointed today when the brakes did not work again. Dean has messed with them so much. We are ready to leave for more travels. On the way back Dean called Michael, the owner of the company where we purchased our disc breaks. After discussing it he sent an email with steps for Dean to check to see if the actuator was working on the disc brakes. After spending quite a bit of time going over these, and several tries, Dean finally decided that must not be the problem. Next step, he called Chevrolet in Parsons to see if we could bring it in and have them go over it. They set the appointment for Friday at 9am. They want us to bring the RV with us. We sure hope they will be able to figure out the problem - and that we might be able to leave from there on our way north.
We were both a little down in the dumps the rest of the morning. We are glad to be here in Oswego where family is, but disappointed about the delay in our plans. We cancelled plans for our Colorado trip back in mid-April and we've been waiting to leave ever since. We did break out of our funk a little later in the day and enjoyed taking our granddaughter Haleigh with us to Chetopa for ice cream, after she got off work at G&W, our local grocery store. Ice cream has a way of making us a little happier! Lol!
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| Sun setting out by the golf course in Oswego before we headed to Chetopa |
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| Another shot near Chetopa |
Things happen, and maybe this is God's way of telling us the timing is not right for us to move now. Tomorrow will be a better day! (This is something I've told my kids and myself. When something occurs that bothers them or me - after a good night's sleep I've always found what seemed so bad yesterday, never seems as bad the next day).
Thanks for following along.
Thursday, July 11, 2019 - Happy Birthday Sarah; Keeping Busy; Preparing to Move Again
Today is Granddaughter Sarah's birthday. She is now 3 years old. We celebrated her birthday before she and the rest of her family left last week to drive back to their home in Grand Island, NY. We sent her a birthday wish this morning, via Mom and Dad.
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| Isn't she a beautiful Princess Sarah? |
I woke with a new purpose today - to do some things hat will keep me busy, so I am not dwelling on the brake issues.
Dean planned to golf this morning and I'm glad he has another opportunity to do so. I wanted to get the car from our garage, so we left a little after 8:00 to pick it up before he left for the golf course.
Last night we discussed moving the couch and chairs back to their original locations in the RV. I think it's a good idea as we have a little more room between the dining table and our recliners versus the couch that was almost against the table. When Dean returns we will work on that.
I went to Cindy's this morning. She put new closet doors up in their bedrooms and hall closet. The old ones were stained doors to match the woodwork. She painted all of the woodwork white before they moved in several years ago. She's wanted to change the doors out for several years, and finally got them finished a week or so ago. It really looks nice. We visited for awhile before I headed back to the RV.
After lunch Dean and I tackled the moving job - and I took advantage of the opportunity to vacuum both areas before switching them around. I think it looks better this way and Dean does too.
Todd brought me a container of blackberries he picked here in the park from some bushes he has. I wanted to make blackberry cobbler. Dean isn't overly fond of blackberries, so I decided I would use peaches for his. While we were in Branson I bought 8 custard dishes, so I used them to make (4 each) blackberry and peach cobblers in the convection oven. When we have a sticks and bricks home again, my oven will be convection! I love that it does not heat up the house. In between baking each batch, I warmed up leftovers for our dinner in the microwave, then finished up the cobblers.
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| I love the covers that came with the custard dishes. |
We took the car back to the garage this evening. Tomorrow morning we will head to Parsons to the Chevrolet service center with hopes they can get our brakes working again. We have high hopes they will find the problem and we will be on our way. We have decided that when we leave Parsons, we will only go as far as Nevada, MO (less than 100 miles) stay the night, and if it is still working the next morning, we will only go to Longview Campground at Lee's Summit, MO (less than 90 miles). Rather than travel a long distance we are going keep it to short days for awhile, just to be sure the brakes are working okay before we get too far.
I saw Todd as we were leaving to take the car back, so I invited him down later for one of the mini blackberry cobblers. After we returned, he stopped by, and we all had a nice visit. Soon after we called it a night.
Today was a better day. We are thankful for family, and for the opportunity to travel, even when we have a bump in the road.
I hope your day has also been good.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Monday, July 8, 2019 - Spending the Day with Sister Cindy - Lab Work; Visit with Niece Melissa; Shopping; Visit with Stepdad Larry & Verna; Happy Birthday Party in Parsons
Monday, July 8, 2019 - Spending the Day with Sister Cindy - Lab Work; Visit with Niece Melissa; Shopping; Visit with Stepdad Larry & Verna; Happy Birthday Party in Parsons
I had mentioned to Cindy a few weeks ago I'd like to visit her daughter Melissa before we left. She and her husband remodeled their home sometime ago, but we weren't around when they had a party and invited everyone over. So we decided that since we wouldn't be far from her house today we would drive over after I have lab work in Vinita, OK at the Cherokee Health Center. It's about a 45 minute drive to Vinita, and another hour or so from there to Neosho where Melissa lives. We arrived around 9:15 (my lab work was at 8 - and it didn't take 10 minutes, if that). The major remodel was their living room and kitchen. They knocked out the walls into pretty much one LARGE room. Talk about a kitchen you can LOVE!!! A huge island and LOTS of cabinets. It's a great place for entertaining for sure! We got to visit with her and both of her girls Hannah and Kennedy too!! Thanks for taking time for us Melissa!!
We stayed about 30-40 minutes before we headed north to Joplin, MO. I needed to make a stop at Sam's to pick up batteries for Dean's hearing aids, and he wanted a part to clean them as well. Unfortunately, the lady who does this is not there on Monday's. Cindy has to come back tomorrow for some other things, so she is going to pick them up for me.
Our next stop was Khol's. I had recently ordered some things from another company but they didn't work out so I wanted to check out what Khol's had. I did not have any luck here either. When we left there we stopped at Schlotzsky's for a sandwich. They do make a good sandwich. We set in the shade in my car with the A/C on to eat it. Our next stop was at the Mall. I needed to get a birthday present for granddaughter Kamron. Even though her birthday isn't until August, I want to give her birthday present to her tonight, since we won't be back until mid-September. I wasn't able to find but one of the things she had on her list, so I'll give her money to use toward something else.
While we were at the mall, I sent Verna a text to see if they were home. She said yes, come on over for awhile. Fifteen minutes later we were there. We had a nice visit for 40 minutes or so. They needed to leave for a doctor's appointment and I have things to do at home before "the party" tonight.
After returning home, I did the morning dishes (I rushed out before Dean was done), changed the sheets on the bed (doing laundry this afternoon and tomorrow) and did a little cleaning before we had to leave for Parsons.
Today is grandson Jackson's 7th birthday. We are meeting Marc, Jen, Kamron and Jax at El Pueblito. Jaxson loves cheese dip, so Mexican is always his favorite place to eat. We picked up Haleigh and Isaiah and took them along too. What a fun evening we had. Marc's birthday was in June while we were gone - so he got his card tonight too. I also mailed Heath's birthday card today - his birthday is also in June. As I mentioned earlier Kamron got hers tonight as well. I think I'm caught up with everyone now. Whew! August is right around the corner......a few more birthdays on the way!
I had mentioned to Cindy a few weeks ago I'd like to visit her daughter Melissa before we left. She and her husband remodeled their home sometime ago, but we weren't around when they had a party and invited everyone over. So we decided that since we wouldn't be far from her house today we would drive over after I have lab work in Vinita, OK at the Cherokee Health Center. It's about a 45 minute drive to Vinita, and another hour or so from there to Neosho where Melissa lives. We arrived around 9:15 (my lab work was at 8 - and it didn't take 10 minutes, if that). The major remodel was their living room and kitchen. They knocked out the walls into pretty much one LARGE room. Talk about a kitchen you can LOVE!!! A huge island and LOTS of cabinets. It's a great place for entertaining for sure! We got to visit with her and both of her girls Hannah and Kennedy too!! Thanks for taking time for us Melissa!!
We stayed about 30-40 minutes before we headed north to Joplin, MO. I needed to make a stop at Sam's to pick up batteries for Dean's hearing aids, and he wanted a part to clean them as well. Unfortunately, the lady who does this is not there on Monday's. Cindy has to come back tomorrow for some other things, so she is going to pick them up for me.
Our next stop was Khol's. I had recently ordered some things from another company but they didn't work out so I wanted to check out what Khol's had. I did not have any luck here either. When we left there we stopped at Schlotzsky's for a sandwich. They do make a good sandwich. We set in the shade in my car with the A/C on to eat it. Our next stop was at the Mall. I needed to get a birthday present for granddaughter Kamron. Even though her birthday isn't until August, I want to give her birthday present to her tonight, since we won't be back until mid-September. I wasn't able to find but one of the things she had on her list, so I'll give her money to use toward something else.
While we were at the mall, I sent Verna a text to see if they were home. She said yes, come on over for awhile. Fifteen minutes later we were there. We had a nice visit for 40 minutes or so. They needed to leave for a doctor's appointment and I have things to do at home before "the party" tonight.
After returning home, I did the morning dishes (I rushed out before Dean was done), changed the sheets on the bed (doing laundry this afternoon and tomorrow) and did a little cleaning before we had to leave for Parsons.
Today is grandson Jackson's 7th birthday. We are meeting Marc, Jen, Kamron and Jax at El Pueblito. Jaxson loves cheese dip, so Mexican is always his favorite place to eat. We picked up Haleigh and Isaiah and took them along too. What a fun evening we had. Marc's birthday was in June while we were gone - so he got his card tonight too. I also mailed Heath's birthday card today - his birthday is also in June. As I mentioned earlier Kamron got hers tonight as well. I think I'm caught up with everyone now. Whew! August is right around the corner......a few more birthdays on the way!
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| Beautiful clouds this evening |
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| Jaxson as Papa was giving him his presents. |
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| The restaurant waiters came out to sing Happy Birthday to him. When they put the sombrero on his head - he slid right down out of his chair, under the table. He's pretty shy! Dad had just picked him up in this picture. |
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| He gets embarassed easy but the picture below |
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| shows he still had a good time! |
Sunday, July 7, 2019 - Working on Bentley; We All Head Home; and Away We Go
Sunday, July 7, 2019 - Working on Bentley; We All Head Home; and Away We Go
Dean headed in to see what was up with the troops while I did some preparation for our move today - assuming we would be able to move, if the brakes start working again. He went out right away this morning to try the magnet out. After messing with it a short while it worked!!! Woo-hoo! Let's hope this is the trick that makes it continue to work too!
When he came back, he told me that everyone wanted to go to Pittsburg to Harry's Cafe for breakfast. I'm not one to pass up good food, nor is he. It didn't take us long to get ready. It's about a 20 minute drive from Brett's house. We took up two large booths with out crowd. Harry's is known for their cinnamon rolls and I've always wanted one. I felt guilty ordering it, so I cut mine in half when it arrived and shared it with Brett, Emilee, Tucker and Dacy at my table, and then part of what I kept for myself with Dean later. It was really delicious and HUGE. I had plenty to eat even though I share more than half of it. Everyone seemed to be quite happy with their meals.
Sam was really trying to win Dacy over:
The rest of the crew - Matt and family
Brett, Emilee, Tucker and Dacy
Princess Sarah and her Tea Set with Mommie
Telling Dacy goodbye.
On the way back, we saw a few of the PSU Gorillas as we drove through downtown and on north. Megan told Josh that his daddy, Matt was a gorilla. Josh said he was a gorilla until he became a daddy. (It was much cuter when he said it!)
Back at Brett's Matt and Megan loaded everything up, and pulled out around noon. They plan to make it to Indianapolis, IN this evening, and finish the drive home on Monday. After they left, we finished packing up. Brett has prepped land next to where we park the RV for a small building. With the rain we were concerned about the RV pulling out over the ditches he had to dig, so he and Brett put down boards for Bentley to go over as we pulled out. I think it was a wise idea. We had no problem getting through it but I think there would have been some big ruts had we not used the boards. We said our goodbyes and gave hugs, then headed back to Oswego for a couple of days.
It was 2:00pm when we pulled in at Hillside RV Park. We got the jacks down, unhitched and I put out the slides. Just a short time later Haleigh called to see if we might want to go eat somewhere. We told her sure, and away we went again! While the RV was cooling down, we picked her up and headed to Parsons. I needed a couple of things from Walmart and she did too, so we ate at the Subway there. It's one of Haleigh's favorite places. When we returned the RV felt much cooler and we relaxed the rest of the evening. Ahhhhh!
Dean headed in to see what was up with the troops while I did some preparation for our move today - assuming we would be able to move, if the brakes start working again. He went out right away this morning to try the magnet out. After messing with it a short while it worked!!! Woo-hoo! Let's hope this is the trick that makes it continue to work too!
When he came back, he told me that everyone wanted to go to Pittsburg to Harry's Cafe for breakfast. I'm not one to pass up good food, nor is he. It didn't take us long to get ready. It's about a 20 minute drive from Brett's house. We took up two large booths with out crowd. Harry's is known for their cinnamon rolls and I've always wanted one. I felt guilty ordering it, so I cut mine in half when it arrived and shared it with Brett, Emilee, Tucker and Dacy at my table, and then part of what I kept for myself with Dean later. It was really delicious and HUGE. I had plenty to eat even though I share more than half of it. Everyone seemed to be quite happy with their meals.
Sam was really trying to win Dacy over:
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| He is such a sweet baby! |
Brett, Emilee, Tucker and Dacy
Princess Sarah and her Tea Set with Mommie
Telling Dacy goodbye.
On the way back, we saw a few of the PSU Gorillas as we drove through downtown and on north. Megan told Josh that his daddy, Matt was a gorilla. Josh said he was a gorilla until he became a daddy. (It was much cuter when he said it!)
Back at Brett's Matt and Megan loaded everything up, and pulled out around noon. They plan to make it to Indianapolis, IN this evening, and finish the drive home on Monday. After they left, we finished packing up. Brett has prepped land next to where we park the RV for a small building. With the rain we were concerned about the RV pulling out over the ditches he had to dig, so he and Brett put down boards for Bentley to go over as we pulled out. I think it was a wise idea. We had no problem getting through it but I think there would have been some big ruts had we not used the boards. We said our goodbyes and gave hugs, then headed back to Oswego for a couple of days.
It was 2:00pm when we pulled in at Hillside RV Park. We got the jacks down, unhitched and I put out the slides. Just a short time later Haleigh called to see if we might want to go eat somewhere. We told her sure, and away we went again! While the RV was cooling down, we picked her up and headed to Parsons. I needed a couple of things from Walmart and she did too, so we ate at the Subway there. It's one of Haleigh's favorite places. When we returned the RV felt much cooler and we relaxed the rest of the evening. Ahhhhh!
Friday, July 5, 2019 - Work on Bentley; Travel to Branson & Dolly Parton Stampede
Friday, July 5, 2019 - Work on Bentley; Travel to Branson & Dolly Parton Stampede
Dean and I had a job to do this morning and that was to switch out the parts that Brett picked up for him yesterday. Hopefully, this is a fix for the trailer brakes.
I'm not sure how long it took but it was beginning to get pretty warm when we finally finished. It was quite the process of changing these out - only to find that was not the problem at all.
Next step: check with our RV dealer to see if he had any suggestions. You might remember in an earlier post we have already taken it to a Chevy dealer and it worked for awhile, but then quite again. Dean spoke with Deryl. He told him that Chevy trucks have this problem, and told us they have found a fix to make it work with a magnet. The control unit in the truck sees the magnet when there are electric brakes on a trailer. With hydraulic brakes (which is what we have) there is no magnet. When one is added the controller sees the magnet to send voltage to run the hydraulic brakes.
Based on that information, we drove to Lamar to see if the Farm Store carried any of the magnets. It was a wasted trip - they had none. However, we are headed to Branson later today so we will either check at a farm store on the way there - or on the way home tomorrow. For now, Bentley is sitting until we can figure something out. We decided to bring the car with us to Wichita and Lamar since all of our running around is much cheaper in the Prius than driving the truck. It was nice to have it on the drive to and from Branson plus the other running around we did this week.
We left around 12:30, making our first stop in Carthage at Braum's for a sandwich and something to drink. Soon we were back on the road.
As we were approaching Springfield we were watching these clouds.
And there is the rain to the north of us....hope it doesn't catch us!
We arrived at the Barrington Hotel where Matt & Megan had booked our rooms. They were also kind enough to check us in and get our keys when they arrived so we just had to go up to their room to pick them up. We had the room next to theirs which was convenient.
I changed into clothes I brought for the show. Megan and I went to the Stampede to pick up the tickets I had ordered online. After getting the tickets, we stopped at a nearby grocery store to get a few things they needed. It started to rain just as we pulled in - light, but big drops. When we got ready to leave the store, it was pouring and the wind was blowing!
We decided since we had nothing that would spoil, to just have the guys bring the kids down while we were under the entrance awning and make our way to Dolly's Stampede. Thank goodness for awnings and that we left when we did.
For those of you who have visited Branson you know how the roads are - hills with lots of valleys, and we had to go through a few of those valleys that were beginning to hold water! We made it through, but had we waited much longer, I'm not sure we would have wanted to pass through some of those low spots. Matt drove us around to the front with the idea of dropping us off. Cars were stopped in front of the main entrance, so Matt moved forward where we could get to a walkway where the horse stalls are. We were able to walk under a large covered area to the entrance. Unfortunately, that meant Matt had to walk from the car back to the building. At least he had an umbrella, but I'm not sure how much it helped him the way the wind was blowing.
We listened to Goldwing Express during the pre-show. Dean and I enjoy listening to this family group.
It wasn't long and we were being ushered into the seating around the arena of the Stampede. We were near the front of the line so getting to our seats was very easy. We happened to be sitting on the North side this time. There are several competitions throughout the evening where the North and the South vie for flags. The ones with the most at the end of the evening are declared the winners. What a fun time for the kids. From the time we arrived - they were in awe of everything going on around them - from the horses, to the people, to the pre-show where they had popcorn. People were no more than seated than the show began and it continued throughout the next hour and a half. Their eyes were on the arena almost the entire time. Matt and Megan's kids are 1, 3, and 5. We were hoping they would find it entertaining and would enjoy it, so you can imagine how happy we were that it kept their attention the entire evening.
Of course the food was amazing and we discovered that Sam LOVES corn on the cob. He didn't want to let go of it. Here are just a few pictures:
We were happy to see the rain had almost stopped as we exited the theater. The kids enjoyed looking at all of the horses in their stalls as we walked toward the car. We should have taken more time as we set in the car - not even entirely out of our parking spot for at least 15-20 minutes. It was pretty crazy. We finally made it out to 76 Hwy. Megan is from New York and had never visited Branson before. We had to give her the 76 tour from Dolly's Stampede to Hwy 248, back to our hotel. It was about a 30-40 minute drive and we pointed out numerous things along the way. She wants to come back and spend a week in Branson!! It would be a great family vacation for all of our kids and grandkids if they are interested. We'll see how everyone feels - whether its a few days, a week or a weekend.
Once back at the hotel, everyone was ready to rest after a busy morning, and afternoon on the road, followed by the show. I wanted to try and get the blog caught up. I stayed up until 11:45 and finally put the computer away. The last time I looked at my watch - it was 1:45 and I was still wide awake.
Saturday, July 6, 2019 - Silver Dollar City; Brett Grills Again
I'm not sure when I finally fell asleep, but I was awake shortly after 5. My first thought was - I'm too tired for a day at Silver Dollar City. But, once I had a chance to get up and move, have some coffee and breakfast at the hotel I was ready to go. By the way, this hotel had a great breakfast: waffles, biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, cereal, yogurt, toast, bagels, fruit, juice, and coffee. We were very impressed at how good it was. The staff was attentive and cleanup was quick, almost as soon as the tables were emptied.
Our room was very nice and clean. This is the first time we've stayed in a hotel in almost four years. I do not miss hotels. I like my bed, I like my pillow and I like getting up and having coffee -- my choice of coffee. We have become very spoiled!
We were packed and ready to leave the hotel shortly after 9:00. Fortunately it was not a heavy traffic day when we arrived at Silver Dollar City. Dean and I bought season passes as we expect to be back at least twice before year end - and hopefully at least once through the holiday season.
What a fun day! Again, the kids were great. Dean and I had never been to the Fireman's Landing at SDC and what a wonderful attraction for small children. That is where we spent most of our time and the kids were excited about all of the things there were to do.
Warning: Picture Overload of more Grandkids - But what a treasure to remember this visit by!
Next stop was the inside playground (air conditioned)!!!
We rode the Flooded Mine ride and the kids enjoyed it. By now, we were getting hungry so we headed to one of the sit down restaurants near the entrance. Overall the food was pretty good, but the meat was a bit dry. The kids enjoyed it though and that was what this day was all about. Our next stop was the Silver Dollar Saloon for what sounded like more of a cowboy type show. While it wasn't, we still enjoyed it. Sam was looking out over the room and threw his pacifier over the edge. It landed on an empty table below us and fortunately, we were able to get it after the show. I wonder what the people below thought when they seen it land in front of them.
Of course, we had to make a stop at the candy store where everyone found something to satisfy their sweet tooth. After picking out a few things for Sarah and Josh at the "costume" store, a few other things were purchased at the Marketplace including something for Sam, Mom and Dad.
Soon we were back at our cars and each of us headed back to Brett's. Dean and I had to make one more stop at Race Brothers in Springfield to check on the magnet for Bentley. Fortunately we found exactly what we needed, plus they happened to have two bags of hardwood pellets for his new Fire Genie. I had checked places everywhere around us trying to find some before the boys gave it to him and couldn't find any. We were happy to get these today.
We got home in time to see this little princess in her new dress, holding her new tea set. Isn't she a beauty?
Sarah's birthday is July 11, and of course they will be back in New York by then, so Papa and Nana brought her birthday gift to give her while she was here.
Brett was fixing a great dinner for us, grilled chicken and other side dishes. It was delicious and we all appreciated his hospitality this past several days while we were all here. We enjoyed this last evening with everyone before we all head out tomorrow.
Dean and I had a job to do this morning and that was to switch out the parts that Brett picked up for him yesterday. Hopefully, this is a fix for the trailer brakes.
I'm not sure how long it took but it was beginning to get pretty warm when we finally finished. It was quite the process of changing these out - only to find that was not the problem at all.
Next step: check with our RV dealer to see if he had any suggestions. You might remember in an earlier post we have already taken it to a Chevy dealer and it worked for awhile, but then quite again. Dean spoke with Deryl. He told him that Chevy trucks have this problem, and told us they have found a fix to make it work with a magnet. The control unit in the truck sees the magnet when there are electric brakes on a trailer. With hydraulic brakes (which is what we have) there is no magnet. When one is added the controller sees the magnet to send voltage to run the hydraulic brakes.
Based on that information, we drove to Lamar to see if the Farm Store carried any of the magnets. It was a wasted trip - they had none. However, we are headed to Branson later today so we will either check at a farm store on the way there - or on the way home tomorrow. For now, Bentley is sitting until we can figure something out. We decided to bring the car with us to Wichita and Lamar since all of our running around is much cheaper in the Prius than driving the truck. It was nice to have it on the drive to and from Branson plus the other running around we did this week.
We left around 12:30, making our first stop in Carthage at Braum's for a sandwich and something to drink. Soon we were back on the road.
As we were approaching Springfield we were watching these clouds.
We arrived at the Barrington Hotel where Matt & Megan had booked our rooms. They were also kind enough to check us in and get our keys when they arrived so we just had to go up to their room to pick them up. We had the room next to theirs which was convenient.
I changed into clothes I brought for the show. Megan and I went to the Stampede to pick up the tickets I had ordered online. After getting the tickets, we stopped at a nearby grocery store to get a few things they needed. It started to rain just as we pulled in - light, but big drops. When we got ready to leave the store, it was pouring and the wind was blowing!
We decided since we had nothing that would spoil, to just have the guys bring the kids down while we were under the entrance awning and make our way to Dolly's Stampede. Thank goodness for awnings and that we left when we did.
For those of you who have visited Branson you know how the roads are - hills with lots of valleys, and we had to go through a few of those valleys that were beginning to hold water! We made it through, but had we waited much longer, I'm not sure we would have wanted to pass through some of those low spots. Matt drove us around to the front with the idea of dropping us off. Cars were stopped in front of the main entrance, so Matt moved forward where we could get to a walkway where the horse stalls are. We were able to walk under a large covered area to the entrance. Unfortunately, that meant Matt had to walk from the car back to the building. At least he had an umbrella, but I'm not sure how much it helped him the way the wind was blowing.
We listened to Goldwing Express during the pre-show. Dean and I enjoy listening to this family group.
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| Megan, Matt holding Sam, Me, Sarah and Josh (Dean made me get in this picture!) |
It wasn't long and we were being ushered into the seating around the arena of the Stampede. We were near the front of the line so getting to our seats was very easy. We happened to be sitting on the North side this time. There are several competitions throughout the evening where the North and the South vie for flags. The ones with the most at the end of the evening are declared the winners. What a fun time for the kids. From the time we arrived - they were in awe of everything going on around them - from the horses, to the people, to the pre-show where they had popcorn. People were no more than seated than the show began and it continued throughout the next hour and a half. Their eyes were on the arena almost the entire time. Matt and Megan's kids are 1, 3, and 5. We were hoping they would find it entertaining and would enjoy it, so you can imagine how happy we were that it kept their attention the entire evening.
Of course the food was amazing and we discovered that Sam LOVES corn on the cob. He didn't want to let go of it. Here are just a few pictures:
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| Our group - Dean, Josh, Megan with Sam on her lap, Sarah and Matt. |
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| Look at Sarah's smile here. She was elated at what she was watching. |
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| What little girl doesn't love a princess? While it might have been a ball from the 1800's, she only saw a princess! |
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| Sam had a tight hold on his ear of corn! |
Once back at the hotel, everyone was ready to rest after a busy morning, and afternoon on the road, followed by the show. I wanted to try and get the blog caught up. I stayed up until 11:45 and finally put the computer away. The last time I looked at my watch - it was 1:45 and I was still wide awake.
Saturday, July 6, 2019 - Silver Dollar City; Brett Grills Again
I'm not sure when I finally fell asleep, but I was awake shortly after 5. My first thought was - I'm too tired for a day at Silver Dollar City. But, once I had a chance to get up and move, have some coffee and breakfast at the hotel I was ready to go. By the way, this hotel had a great breakfast: waffles, biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, cereal, yogurt, toast, bagels, fruit, juice, and coffee. We were very impressed at how good it was. The staff was attentive and cleanup was quick, almost as soon as the tables were emptied.
Our room was very nice and clean. This is the first time we've stayed in a hotel in almost four years. I do not miss hotels. I like my bed, I like my pillow and I like getting up and having coffee -- my choice of coffee. We have become very spoiled!
We were packed and ready to leave the hotel shortly after 9:00. Fortunately it was not a heavy traffic day when we arrived at Silver Dollar City. Dean and I bought season passes as we expect to be back at least twice before year end - and hopefully at least once through the holiday season.
What a fun day! Again, the kids were great. Dean and I had never been to the Fireman's Landing at SDC and what a wonderful attraction for small children. That is where we spent most of our time and the kids were excited about all of the things there were to do.
Warning: Picture Overload of more Grandkids - But what a treasure to remember this visit by!
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| While Dad took the two older kids on the ride below, Sam tested the waters of the splash pad! |
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| The balloon ride was a hit! |
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| Josh enjoyed the splash pad too! |
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| Sam right after he walked into a big spout of water that covered him from head to toe! |
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| Sarah loved running through the water and was soaked - but happy! |
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| What a handsome guy! |
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| I couldn't decide between these pictures of Dad and Sam - so I had to include both! |
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| Megan/Mom rode the doggy ride with Matt and Sarah. |
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| Matt was a good daddy - and rode this ride with the kids. |
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| Sarah and Josh enjoyed the swings. I had to include Josh and his new smile (below). |
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| Raising their hands as they go up, then they would drop a short distance, repeat a few times before they return to the ground. |
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| Sam thought this little horse was pretty neat. |
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| Dad (or big kid) with Sarah |
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| Josh, Matt & Sarah |
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| There were many soft blue foam balls. The kids could gather up as many as they could get into little bags to carry to the various apparatuses to put them in to shoot. Sarah was shooting this ball to try and hit near Megan and I. |
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| This is where her foam ball landed. I don't think the lady ever felt it. As they left, right in front of us, she shifted her purse and it fell out. |
We rode the Flooded Mine ride and the kids enjoyed it. By now, we were getting hungry so we headed to one of the sit down restaurants near the entrance. Overall the food was pretty good, but the meat was a bit dry. The kids enjoyed it though and that was what this day was all about. Our next stop was the Silver Dollar Saloon for what sounded like more of a cowboy type show. While it wasn't, we still enjoyed it. Sam was looking out over the room and threw his pacifier over the edge. It landed on an empty table below us and fortunately, we were able to get it after the show. I wonder what the people below thought when they seen it land in front of them.
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| Josh wanted Dad to join him in this picture. |
Soon we were back at our cars and each of us headed back to Brett's. Dean and I had to make one more stop at Race Brothers in Springfield to check on the magnet for Bentley. Fortunately we found exactly what we needed, plus they happened to have two bags of hardwood pellets for his new Fire Genie. I had checked places everywhere around us trying to find some before the boys gave it to him and couldn't find any. We were happy to get these today.
We got home in time to see this little princess in her new dress, holding her new tea set. Isn't she a beauty?
Sarah's birthday is July 11, and of course they will be back in New York by then, so Papa and Nana brought her birthday gift to give her while she was here.
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| New dresses! |
Brett was fixing a great dinner for us, grilled chicken and other side dishes. It was delicious and we all appreciated his hospitality this past several days while we were all here. We enjoyed this last evening with everyone before we all head out tomorrow.
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