Friday, May 22, 2020 - Kamron & Jaxson Come to Visit; Exciting Card Game & Wahoo!

Friday, May 22, 2020 - Kamron & Jaxson Come to Visit; Exciting Card Game & Wahoo!

It was raining when I woke up this morning and it continued most of the early morning.  Fortunately, it did clear up around 9-10.  After the rain we had yesterday it was pretty wet, but not muddy.  The site we are in now has a higher elevation than where we were.  While we liked the location we had, now that the temperatures have started to rise, I think we will be happier here, where the sun is not on our back window any longer.

Last night before I went to bed, I brought the hamper downstairs.  It was FULL, so I wanted to get started on it right away.  After starting the coffee pot, I put the first load of clothes in the washer, then set down to work on the blog - I'm behind.  Hopefully I will have it caught up before the holiday weekend is over. 

We were not able to walk yesterday and now we won't be able to walk today either.  After our shakes, Dean headed to the garage - and I continued getting things done before I left to get Kamron and Jaxson about 10:30.  When I arrived Kamron had just woke up - my little sleepyhead - so I visited with Marc out in his shop while she got ready.  It was nice to have some time with him and see how much he's done with the setup in the shop, since they moved in.  He made a paintroom - a wooden frame with heavy plastic over it.  He included airflow as well.  In time he'll improve it, but this works well for now.  He lost over a week in work time due to the move and then getting the shop set up the way it needed to be.  He's now back pushing things out on a regular basis.  I enjoyed looking at the projects he is working on.

I loved this charcuterie board he made out of some scrap lumber.  He sells things like this on his Etsy page.

It was 11:10 or so when the grandkids and I left for Oswego.  I asked them if they wanted pancakes for lunch, but they declined today.  I guess they've had too many at Nana's lately.  Instead they wanted to know if we could get a pizza.  I pulled over in an empty lot before we left town and ordered pizzas at Pizza Hut on my online app.  It is so convenient.  By the time we arrived in Oswego, it was ready to go.  

After lunch, we played cards, visited, watched a movie and they both helped me make a cake that I will take to my sister Cindy's later this evening.  Dean and I are going over to play cards at 6.  

Playing games on their computers.

I used the same carrot cake recipe I made that before was so "DRY", but this time I added a can of crushed pineapple, and instead of 3 oz of cream cheese for the frosting, I used 4.  It was much improved.  I might have cooked it a few minutes too long.  It wasn't quite done so I put it back in the convection oven.  I probably should have just done 2.5 minutes instead of 5.  It had good flavor but needs to be less dry.

At 4 I took Kamron and Jaxson home and visited with Marc a little more before heading back to Oswego.  Dean and I ate the remaining pieces of leftover pizza before leaving for Elmer and Cindy's.  Cindy always has the table set up with coasters at each setting, the cards and shuffler ready to go, as well as paper and pen for me to keep score.  We visited for a few minutes before we got started.  Cindy and I had no luck tonight, they guys won all three games, but we had fun and that's all that matters.  It was still fairly early, so we deicded to play a game of Wahoo.  I enjoyed it - maybe because after I got all of my "marbles" in first (heaven knows I need a few marbles), then I helped my partner (Cindy) get hers in and we won this game!  It was fun!

We visited for another 30 minutes or so before we headed home.  I suggested to Dean we set up for a few minutes so we could relax before going to bed.  I just needed to wind down after the excitement of cards and Wahoo.  We laugh alot...and I do mean alot!!!

It was another great day!

Thursday, May 21, 2020 - Another Busy Day

Thursday, May 21, 2020 - A Busy, Busy Day

Surprisingly after going to bed so late I woke up at 5:15.  I didn't waste anytime this morning since we will need to leave early.  After making the coffee, I read a few posts on my phone.  When the coffee was done I drank the first cup, then headed upstairs to start getting ready.  Dean had to drink his coffee without sugar since he'll have fasting lab work today.  

It was 6:50 when we left Oswego.  It was cloudy here but the sun was coming out in Webb City, only 40 miles away.  We enjoyed a beautiful day in Joplin.  Our appointment was at 8:00, however at their request we arrived at 7:50.  Within a minute or so, the front door was unlocked and we headed in.  All of the nurses and doctors wore masks but they told us it was up to us if we wanted to wear one or not.  Since we were the only ones in the clinic at the time, we chose not to.  After signing in, we were called back.  We were both somewhat happy with our weight today.  After being in "isolation" we've probably had more comfort foods than the previous six months, so we will not complain about the couple of pounds we have gained.  It was a reminder to try and do better in the next six months.  

We talked to the nurse, then the doctor.  Afterwards, Dean went to the lab room for his fasting blood draw, while I waited for Dr. Broce to freeze a couple of spots on my back.  They were not concerning but they have been itching almost constantly, so she took care of those.  The nurse brought in my papers and told me I could go check out and make our next appointment.  They were still trying to draw blood on Dean.  Poor guy, he has the hardest time with this.  I asked Angie, the receptionist to move our appointment back a week or two so I could make sure I have my 6 month test results to give to Dr. Broce when we see her in six months, rather than send them to her after the fact.  We were finished, when Dean finally showed up.  He was not happy, as they were unable to hit a vein.  Now we have to drive to the Women's Health Center on the far side of Joplin to have it drawn at a lab there.  He was hangry....yes I spelled that right hANGRY.  We went in, had to have our temps taken and asked a series of questions.  I showed him where the lab was - as I've been there numerous times over the years - then I returned to the car to wait.

They only had to stick him twice, so he was glad that was over.  We decided to go to Cracker Barrel to have breakfast.  It was now nearing 10:30.  We went in and stood in line.  There were two couples in front of us.   There were two ladies working at the hostess station....and after 5-7 minutes no one said anything to us or the couple behind us, so we decided to leave.  As we turned around toward the door, we noticed there were people lined up behind us almost to the door.   You can tell people enjoy this place.  

Since we were near a friend's house that I needed to stop at, we did that next.  While in Mexico I purchased several bottles of vanilla.  I told her I'd bring her some and checked to be sure she would be home this morning.  I wish we had more time to stay and visit with Connie and her husband, but we still had several things to do.  Our original plan was to find some place to eat, when we left there.  Since it was now so close to 11, we decided to run another errand, then go eat lunch instead.  Our next stop was Harbor Freight.  Dean was looking for a tool and I wanted some more ear plugs.  We went in for 2 things and came out with 4, and Dean didn't even find the tool he wanted.  I bought one of those battery operated bug swatters - that looks like a small tennis raquet.  Several people we know have them and think they are great.  Dean said he would like to try using it for the wood bees we have around the garage.  He's eliminated many already but a few still show up occasionally.  We have seen a few "wasps" that may be yellow jackets.  The lot has many nuisances like this around - after sitting with no care for several years.  It takes time to clean up and rid the property of them.  It's good we won't build for a couple of years so we can eliminate as many as possible.

From there we headed to Lotus Express for some Chinese food.  We really enjoyed it last time we stopped.  It's cheap, quick and good.  I chose General chicken, and Dean wanted Cashew chicken.  The noon special is $4, for 5 large chunks of fried chicken, sauce, rice and choice of egg roll or crab rangoon, and a drink.  We pulled in to Site #2 and waited for them to bring it to us.  It was only a few minutes when they arrived at our car.  The sun was out and it was hot sitting in their lot, so we headed down 20th Street looking for a place we could pull in and eat.  I noticed a Walgreen's near Main Street, so we pulled into their parking lot near the back of the store.  Dean took the containers out and lo and behold no utensils.  Well, God must have led me to Walgreen's on purpose - I was able to go in and buy a small box of utensils with forks, knives and spoons.  We definitely needed both forks and knives.  The food was as good as we remembered too.  Just a perfect lunch size meal!  We found a place to store the small box of utensils - which means we will probably never need them again!  LOL!

We wanted a few things from Sam's so that was our next stop - only six items, so we were in and out in no time.  Then we headed to Walmart on 7th street.  Almost everything on my list was from Health & Beauty and Cosmetics.  One thing I was out of was nail polish remover.  When I FINALLY found it - I was shocked at the price.  I just emptied the bottle I've had for awhile...it expired in 2014.  It was almost $3.  (I don't paint anything except my toenails - and only during the summer months).  I also needed some new lipstick as mine was almost gone.  Lo and behold, they still had the same color.  I carefully placed it in the cart with things around it so it did not fall out.  We headed to the register and I made sure to get it on the conveyor.   When I got home, did I have it?  No.  I didn't get charged for it either, so the clerk must have overlooked it.  I should have stood watch to the end.  At least I know they have it - I'll get it next time around.

It was cloudy when we left Oswego but the sun came out as we neared Joplin and it remained sunny all day.  As we left Joplin, we took a back road through the country that I enjoy.  I was driving and didn't hurry at all - driving around 50 mph until we turned off the main country road.  After that I toodled along about 35.  The further west we went the darker the clouds became, then came big drops of rain, and the next thing I knew it was raining so hard you could hardly see.  It let up outside of Oswego.  As we pulled into the RV Park we noticed it had not rained here at all.  We had barely pulled into our parking spot when it started to sprinkle.  It wasn't long and the rain arrived full force.  Thankfully we were inside by then.

After we had rested a bit and the rain stopped around 3-3:30, Dean said I want ice cream!  What am I going to do with him?  We drove to Chetopa to the Hornet's Nest.  We both chose Stings, similar to Blizzards.  Stings are for the school mascot, the Hornet.  Pretty clever.  I chose German Chocolate and Dean had Butter Pecan.  While we were there I visited with sisters Carla and Susan.  Carla is my sister Cindy's work supervisor and Susan is Haleigh's grandma.  After Dean ordered, I started over to set with him while we waited for our Stings to be made - they were very, very busy today - when I noticed Jim and Carol Dillon in the back corner, so I had to go say hello to them as well.  Many of you know Chetopa is my old hometown, so I often see someone I know there, but today they were all people I met after moving to Oswego.  

When our order was ready, we drove to the river where we sat and ate our Stings.  They are very good and decently priced.  Around 6-6:30 Dean said he was hungry, so I made "scaled down" breakfast burritoes for supper.  By the time we ate and I did the dishes I just didn't have it in me to write the blog post.  It was a busy day.  Tomorrow I have laundry to do, and Kamron and Jaxson are coming to spend the afternoon with us, so I took advantage of the  the evening to rest.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

I had a great sleep last night.  I was in bed around 9:30 - and I might have slept awhile in my chair before moving upstairs.  I slept great and woke up a little before 6, but instead of getting up, I just rolled over.  I can usually hop right up, but I didn't want to get up this morning.  It took me another 15 minutes before I pulled myself out of bed.  I had too much to do to lay around any longer.  Today is moving day.

Because I was tired when I went to bed I had not filled the Brita pitcher.  It took awhile for the water to run through the pitcher.  By then it was another 10 minutes before I turned the coffeepot on.  It was cold downstairs, so I turned the fireplace to 70 to take the chill off. 

I read my devotional for the day and daily scripture, before I opened Blogger to read my fellow blogger's posts.  I noticed my post for yesterday wasn't showing up.  I guess I was tired because I thought I had posted it, but it was still showing as draft in Blogger.  I had not even included the pictures yet.  I added them, then posted it right away.  Now I was able to turn my attention back to reading fellow blogger's posts.  I enjoy each one!

Dean wanted to walk and at 7:30 we headed out for our 2 mile hike.  We walked an average of 17.75 miles per minute.  That was much better than the first two days of walking. 

As soon as we returned I made our shakes.  After finishing mine I made the bed while Dean was getting ready.  When he left to go outside to start getting his work done, I took a quick shower, made the bed then headed downstairs to do the dishes.  Alvin and Linda walked over to say goodbye and give us virtual hugs.  Drena and Keith were almost ready to leave, so we walked over to tell them goodbye and have our virtual hugs with them as well.  We hope to see them in June at the casual camp-out. 

It was 10:18 when we pulled out of the park.  It was a much better ride going home than driving down.  Highway 69 is still as bad as ever going south but there are portions heading north that have been,or are being improved.

Other than the roughness of the road, it was an uneventful ride.  We made a stop at the south side of Vinita to make use of our bathroom facilities before we drove the next 40 miles or so to Oswego.  We arrived at Hillside RV Park at 12:30.  Todd sent me a text this morning advising we would be in site 15.  I was very happy since our big windows will no longer be getting the sun in the afternoons.  Hopefully, we will be more weather/temperature comfortable in this site.

We quickly got unhooked and setup.  Dean called Bartlett Coop to be sure the tires he ordered for my car came in.  They were there, so we drove the car out and left it while we had lunch.

My only picture of the day!
Our Welcome to Oswego sign.  Signs are located at each of the State Highway entrances to Oswego.   Next to it is a sign "Home of Renowned Sports Artist Ted Watts".  If you are a sports fan, you might enjoy reading about Ted here.

I didn't notice until later, that I happened to capture our former Mayor, Glenn as he was walking in his vineyard, located behind the signs.

At home I fixed us each a taco salad for lunch using the remaining ingredients from yesterday.  Cody called in less than an hour from Coop to let us know the car was ready.  Dean dropped me off at the car and went in to pay.

I left and drove to the Post Office.  According to my USPS app, my medication was supposed to arrive on Monday, May 18 so I expected it to be here, but it wasn't.  When I returned to the car I checked the USPS app and discovered there was a hitch.  After it arrived at Oklahoma City, instead of continuing on to Kansas - it took a slow boat to Pennsylvania.  According to the USPS app, it will now arrive here on Friday, May 22.  Unfortunately, I ran out of medication today.  Originally I was to pick it up on May 7 at the Cherokee Indian Clinic, but after we drove there to pick it up, they had mailed it to our mail service address in TX instead.  I wasn't happy, but the clinic gave me a 10 day supply due to the error - but now I'm short by 2 days - if it makes it here on May 22.  Sometimes you just have to laugh - it's such a crazy situation.  Am I not supposed to have this medication for some reason?  

On the other hand I did receive the order from my lung doctor for an additional test they told me I needed.  I called on May 8.  They told me it would go out that day.  On Friday, May 15 I had not received the order yet (7 days later).  I called to be sure it had been mailed.  She explained the mail had already been picked up by the time they had it ready on Friday, May 8 so it went out on Monday, May 11; however, the envelope I received today shows their postage machine date was Thursday, May 14.  The next step, try to get it approved with my physician at the Indian clinic so I can get the test before June 25. I won't know until June 1 if that will happen or not.  I guess as long as I get the test and see the doctor before we leave for New York to see our family there, I should be happy.  It's the time wasted by all involved that is frustrating to me.  

All that wonderful time relaxing with our friends, laughing and then we come back to this.  I can't wait to see the grandkids - their smiles and hugs will help ease the pain!  LOL!!

I made a stop at City Hall to visit with Carol about restrictions on use of the Community Center.  Our family reunion is scheduled for June 7.  I am so thankful I am retired and not having to deal with the virus issues they and many others are facing.  Unfortunately, after talking to Carol, then visiting with two of my sisters, our thoughts are to cancel it, but I want to visit with Jody first.  When I called Crystal later in the evening I didn't realize it was almost 9:00pm.  I'll call Jody in the morning.   I also filled out the necessary forms to have our water/sanitation bill paid through our bank account.  

Dean wanted to mow this afternoon since we have our routine 6 month checkup tomorrow with our doctor.  I drove to the lot to see how things were going.  He was almost finished.  We visited for a bit  about the mail.  I left so he could finish up.  By now it was 4, so I called Cindy to see if she was home.  She was so I headed to her house to visit for a bit.  I noticed immediately she had been to the beauty shop.  She told me Marla would be calling me.  At this point I think I'll just have her trim it up good, maybe thin it a bit on one side and call it good until it all grows out to the same length.  It's hard to believe how much it has grown.

I was tired, so we decided we would order something for dinner.  We talked about going to Subway in Columbus, but as we drove by Big Chief - we decided to check Facebook to see if they Glenda had a special today.  They sure did - chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, veggie, bread and a drink.  I called and placed our order.  We took a drive out through the park and down by the river before returning about 15 minutes later.  Our meal was ready.  Oh my goodness, was it good.  The bread was homemade and tasted great, and even better with a little honey on it.  We were stuffed to say the least.  We chilled the rest of the evening.  I tried to work on this blog post.  I don't do well if I have very much to write after dinner.  My focus is gone.  I can't believe we stayed up until after 10:30 - probably the pop we had with our meal.  We have to leave here at 6:50 tomorrow morning for our doctor appointment.   It will be a short night!

Tuesday, May 19, 2020 - Sequoyah State Park - Day 3

Tuesday, May 19, 2020 - Sequoyah State Park, Hulbert, OK - Day 3

Good morning!  It was a really early one for me today...somewhere between 3-3:30 I woke up and my eyes were itching.  I immediately reached up and started rubbing them - which is a mistake.  It always seems to make it worse.  I'm not sure if there is something in the air that has stirred up some allergies or if it's dry eyes.  Either way, once I rubbed them it felt like sandpaper.  I have eye drops so I opened a vial and squeezed several drops into my left eye, and one in my right eye.  The left one bothers me much more.  I was wide awake so I went downstairs.  It was cold, so I pulled a couple of throws out of the drawer under the couch.  I laid down on the couch and finally when I partially closed my left eye it finally calmed down.  After awhile I went back to bed.  Unfortunately, I was wide awake and was back up at shortly after 4.

I read my devotional and looked around on Pinterest for awhile, then read blog posts from my friends.  I read several last night, so there were only a few to read this morning.  

At 7:30 we left for our morning walk.

We walk clockwise around the campground.  The lake was so calm and beautiful this morning.

Today is our last full day here in Sequoyah State Park.  We've sure had a great time.  This morning Dean is playing golf with Alvin's son Mel at the golf course here in the State Park.  Last time they played half of it was under water - and that's how they will play today as well.  It's an 18 hole course, so they will play 9 holes today - although maybe at least twice, or more.  Dean is always happy to play and enjoys Mel's company.  We met Mel & Rhonda, his wife a little over a year ago when they traveled with Alvin & Linda, Drena & Keith, Cindy and Dean and I for a week or two.  Mel and Dean played golf together then, and last fall here at Sequoyah State Park. 

Pictures from our walk:  This is a little church located just off the main road of the park.  They have recently painted it.  It reminds me of Karen's house in RVing: The USA is our BIG Backyard, where they have recently been painting their white house with red trim.

After Dean had everything ready, we saw Linda and Alvin were setting outside, so we walked over to visit them while Dean waited for Mel.  Linda was telling us about the voices she heard last night and wanted to know if I had heard them.  Once my eyes closed last night I didn't know anything until I woke up with my eyes itching.  I'm not sure what kind of voices she heard but we all enjoyed laughing about it.  Keith walked over and a little later Drena joined us.  We were enjoying visiting together when Mel (Alvin and Linda's son), his wife Rhonda and their son Jacob arrived to pick Dean up.  We visited for awhile before they headed out.  I stayed to visit with Drena/Keith and Linda/Alvin until about 11:30 or so.  I had everything to make taco salads so I returned to Bentley to reheat the seasoned hamburger while I gathered all of the items to make the salads.  Romaine lettuce, taco meat, grape tomatoes, crushed nacho doritos, black olives, kidney beans, shredded cheese and the salad dressing.

On our walk:  The smell of honeysuckle!  Wonderful!

After putting the lunch items away, we continued our visit outside.  In the sun it was very warm, but in the shade it got pretty cool.  By the time Mel and the golfers returned, we had been in the sun a little too long.  I think a few of us were feeling the effects of the sun on our arms.  I walked over to get my lightweight windbreaker to try and prevent the sun from doing any more damage.  I can't remember the last time I had too much sun.  Lol!  

It was about 4:30 when Keith started a fire.  Alvin said it would take about 28 minutes before we would be able to cook our hot dogs.  We used the hot dogs I bought from the Oswego Locker.  They were just great roasted over the fire and everyone seemed to enjoy them.  Drena and Keith brought baked beans and chips.  Linda provided all of the condiments, brownies and marshmallows.  We roasted the marshmallows over the fire, then ate them on top of the brownies.  Yummm!

On our walk:  There is a small graveyard here in the park.  If it wasn't so damp with dew this morning, I'd like to check it out.

After cleaning things up we visited for another 30 minutes or so, before we called it a night.
It's now 9:00pm .  I don't think I'll have any problem going to sleep and staying asleep all night.  At times this afternoon I could barely keep my eyes open.

It's been a great time with these two couples, lots of laughing, story telling and good food.  We will be heading back to Oswego in the morning, and the others will move on to Kaw Lake outside of Ponca City for the May casual campout.  Typically it would have started on Tuesday, but the campground does not open until tomorrow (Wednesday) due to the pandemic.  I know they will have a great time.  We sure wish we could join them.  However, Thursday morning is our 6 month checkup with our primary care provider.  When we return tomorrow we also need to have the tires put on my car. 

As we returned to the campground from our walk:  This place is almost full, with a few more RV's coming in every day.

We cannot attend the June camp-out because of doctor appointments but we hope to drive out to the campground for their potluck dinner and maybe one afternoon since we will be staying in nearby Branson, MO.  

I stepped outside again this evening to get another picture of the sunset.  

So pretty!

Monday, May 18 - Sequoyah State Park, Hulbert, OK

Monday, May 18 - Sequoyah State Park, Hulbert, OK - Day 2

When I came downstairs this morning a little after 5:30 I noticed it was 56F outside, and 61F in the rig.  That was a little cool, so I turned the fireplace on, setting it at 70, to take the chill off.  I slept with my window slightly open last night and it was great, except for the boat that kept revving their engine as I was trying to drift off.  Fortunately, it didn't last too long.  The forecast here for the day is SUNNY with a high of 74F.  This is the weather we have been longing for.  I still want to follow that map I've seen many times that will "supposedly" keep you in 70 degree temperatures all year long.

I enjoyed reading everyone's blog posts this morning.  It sounds as if everyone is finally experiencing some warmer temperatures although a few are concerned about how far the wind might carry them!  Lol!  We certainly had our share of that too, but for now it seems to have finally settled down.  As I was checking the weather forecast for our trip to Oklahoma, I was excited to see it would be sunny and in the 70's the entire time we are here, as well as our trip home.  

We love this State Park.  To date it's the nicest State Park we have stayed in.  Evidently others feel the same way because it is pretty full.  The trees are so beautiful and healthy, we often see deer and the bird watching is fun too.  Park maintenance does a good job of keeping things neat and clean.  The sites are concrete pads for the RV with a nice sized sitting area for each unit.  They provide fire pits, concrete picnic tables and a hangar for a light outside, as well as a standing open grill.  I should have brought my oriole and hummingbird feeders with us to hang outside.

Around 7:30 we headed out for our morning walk.  It is such a beautiful area, with so many gorgeous trees. Another reason we love this park is it works out perfectly for our 2 mile morning walk.  We make the loop here in the park down to the entrance road to reach 1 mile and then retrace our steps.  The best part is we get our heart rate up a little more here due to the change in elevation throughout the park.  

I took a few pictures during our walk - including one of Bentley & the truck.

As we began our walk around the loop back to Bentley we noticed Alvin, had his "Fire Genie" lit up.  Just before we reached their site, we saw Linda had come out to join him.   We stopped to visit for a few minutes.  Dean noticed he was using a different fire pellet pit than the Fire Genie he has used in the past.  Of course that led to a discussion on the pros and cons.  After visiting for awhile we headed home to have our morning shakes and go through our morning chores.  We'll join up again later this morning.

After our morning shakes, I browned some hamburger, then added taco seasoning for taco salads that we'll make later.  It is so nice out this morning.  It is already 67 outside and warming up quick.  

With all of the rain we've had at home, Dean put our awning out this morning.  It really needed a chance to dry out.  The water poured out of it.  

I'm glad I wasn't standing under this when he opened it.

As I mentioned yesterday, we found what looked like BB's on the floor when I put the slide out.  This morning Dean started investigating.  After we picked them up off the floor, Dean threw them away.  At the time we didn't think about it but wished we had looked at them closer.  We had taken the trash out before we left, but I thought we found them after the trash went out, so I dug through the trash (not too much in there) and found one.  He pulled the drawers out that are under the refrigerator and the stove.  We are pretty sure they are from the drawer glides. We picked up 6-10 of them from the floor.  Both of the drawers are opening and closing fine now, so he'll take a closer look when we return to Oswego.  (Our friends Bill and Patsy, mentioned they had these in a slide out drawer in their rig as well.)

Dean was outside looking underneath the slide to see if there was anything else that could be the problem.

I walked over to visit with Alvin and Linda around 10 or so while Dean was washing the wheels on Bentley.  I probably would not have noticed they were dirty, until he washed the first one.  Wow, they really did need to be washed.  Keith walked over later, then Drena and Dean joined us.  We had a nice visit outside under a wonderfully warm sun.  It wasn't long that some of us were feeling the sun was a bit too warm, but back in the shade it was a bit too cold.  Sort of like Goldilocks it wasn't just right!  We moved in and out of the shade several times.  At 1, Alvin put hamburgers on the grill that Keith and Drena brought.  Linda supplied the buns and condiments, as well as some homemade brownies.  Drena brought some peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies.  Alvin did a great job of cooking the hamburgers on his Blackstone grill.  

Alvin, Keith & Drena

Dean & Linda

Chef Alvin and his Sous Chef Keith

We visited for awhile after lunch, then dispersed until we will gather later this afternoon.  Dean and I drove to the nearby Dollar General.  I wanted to get paper bowls.  We don't use them often, but they are nice to have on hand and I was almost out.  While we were there we bought a package of cookies.  Chips Ahoy with Reese's.  They were good, too good to keep for ourselves - we'd eat them all - so we'll share them with everyone tomorrow.

Linda invited their neighbors who are also members of our Escapees club to come out and join us around 5:30.  We gathered back at Alvin & Linda's site where we visited for the next 2.5 - 3 hours.  It's surprising how quickly time can fly when there is good conversation between friends.  

Shortly before 8:30 I took this shot of the sunset, as we all headed back to our own rigs.  What a great day it has been!

Beautiful sunset over Gibson Lake.

 Goodnight all.

Saturday, May 16, 2020 - Late Morning Wake-up; Checking Off My List; Ice Cream & Lots of Water

Saturday, May 16, 2020 - Late Morning Wake-up; Checking Off My List; Ice Cream & Lots of Water

We went to bed late last night, at least for us, it was nearly 11pm.  I guess that is why I slept in so late this morning - it was 6:14a when I came downstairs to turn on the coffeepot.  It was 58F outside, with a nice 65F inside.  Oh how I love these temperatures.  Maybe spring really is here!

The sun is already coming up, but the forecast says it will be cloudy with light winds.  However, it looks like some rain will return overnight with scattered thunderstorms.  It's only a 50% chance, so maybe we'll miss most of it.  We can only hope.

We are looking forward to a change of scenery for a few days and meeting up with our camping friends.  The weather forecast Sunday - Wednesday is 70's and sunshine - you can't beat that!

I have my list out of things I need to get done today.  Our pantry is stocked with more food than I normally have on hand, since I've been trying to only go to the store a couple of times a month, which means I need to be sure it is all stowed well, so nothing falls during our drive.  

We will head back to Oswego Wednesday after our camp out, for our 6 month checkup with our primary care physician on Thursday and stay through Memorial weekend.   On Tuesday, May 26 we plan to head out to see some of our home state.  Our state parks have remained open, so we hope to utilize them as much as we can, as well as city and county parks.   

Before lunch I stopped at Dollar General to get cards for the month of June and then made a quick stop next door at the grocery store.

I spent some time putting several things away in their "storage area", so I didn't have so much to do tomorrow.  When we haven't moved for several weeks or in this case two months I really have to give more thought to getting things stowed for a trip.

It was nearly lunch time so I was already getting food out when Dean pulled in.  I just finished our plates when Cindy drove up.  She was going through her clothes and found a couple pair of capri's she thought I might be able to wear.  I appreciated that.  She stayed to visit for a little bit.  Since she worked this week we haven't visited as much as we often do, so it was nice to catch up.

After watching the required lunchtime show "Gunsmoke" Dean headed to the garage to take care of a few more things.  After he left I cut up the cantaloupe and the romaine lettuce I bought earlier.  After finishing that, the next thing on my list was to make sure the bird feeders were full before we left.  As I headed to the garage, I met Dean coming back.  He stopped at Jump Start to get diesel.  I glanced down and realized I needed gas too, so I stopped and filled up the car.  We went back to the garage, and filled the bird feeders except the one for hummingbirds.  It was a mess and I didn't have any more syrup for them, so I took it home to clean it up.  Dean asked me if I needed anything out of the refrigerator to take with us.  I'm glad he asked, because I did!

He had things to do outside with Bentley, so I went in to clean the feeder.  We'll take it back before we leave tomorrow.

When he came back in, he set down to watch TV while I made a list of things I need to do in the upcoming week.  Out of the blue he said we need some ice cream.  I frowned, but eventually said okay.  He wanted to go to the Hornet's Nest in Chetopa.  Not thinking, I agreed.  As we approached it, we realized it was closed.  I didn't even think about it being Saturday, and they are not open on the weekends.  That's one thing about retirement for me....I often forget what day it is.  Well, what to do?  Since we were already in Chetopa we drove down to the river since that is a must when we are there.  Wow...the river really came up from yesterday.  

Neosho River at Chetopa City Park

Neosho River is out in the Chetopa City Park - east side of River Bridge

We pulled in to watch the fishermen and discussed what to do.  He decided we would drive to Galena to Dairy Queen and come back home.  It was a nice drive and of course we enjoy visiting during our rides.  We drove through Riverton where I took this picture of Spring River overflow.  It's high too.  

Overflow of Spring River at Riverton, KS

Dean heard from one of the guys he worked with for years that another friend from work had moved back to Riverton, where he lived during their working days, and that he was planning to build a home there.  Dean was pretty sure he knew where the lot was, so we drove by.  We didn't stop, but we suspect they may be living in an RV on the lot, while waiting for the house to be built.  He was pretty sure the vehicles and boat on the property were his friends. On the way back we came in to Oswego from the east, which took us over the Neosho River Bridge.  It is high enough now it is just starting to flow into the field east of it.  The river is not supposed to crest until Sunday.

Neosho River Bridge east of Oswego

At 6, Dean was hungry.  I didn't want to eat too much after having ice cream.  I remembered I had two hamburger buns left, so I fried some bacon, and eggs and made bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches.  They hit the spot!  

No sooner had we finished eating and cleaned up, that my 10 minute reminder buzzed on my phone about the Peine Facebook Messenger meetup.  We had 10 minutes, plenty of time to set up my laptop at the table and have everything ready when the call came in.  Dean's sister Ruth Ann joined them tonight.  It's really nice they are able to do this as she and her husband Dennis live in Illinois.  They all had a nice chat together.  

It was sometime between 8-8:30 when they finished their call.  Afterwards, I tried to finish up the blog but I was having a hard time focusing and set it aside to work on Sunday morning. 




Sunday, May 17, 2020 - Busy Morning, Bumpy Drive, Beautiful Afternoon

I slept until 6:30 this morning....what is happening to me?  I worked on yesterday's blog post trying to get it done early...but it did not happen.  At 7:00 we decided to go walk.  It was good to be outside in decent weather.  What a beautiful morning, even though it was windy.

Wind out of the north - but it was comfortable in the park this morning.

As we were walking I noticed this tree looked as if it had blooms of some kind on it.  I've walked by that tree numerous times but have never noticed this on it before.  Does anyone have any idea what type of tree it is?

See the yellow blooms toward the top of the tree.

After we returned to Bentley I made our shakes.  While Dean took a shower, I made the bed and straightened things upstairs.  When he was done I quickly washed the dishes, then headed to the shower myself.  I cleaned the shower by spraying a mixture of dawn and vinegar on the shower walls and doors.  

Next was to start packing up things I could not put up yesterday.  Within 20-30 minutes I had the slides ready to go in.  Before doing that, I drove the car to the garage, with Dean following me.  We put the car in the garage until we return, then headed back to Bentley.  Dean still had things to finish up outside, so I made us a sandwich wrap, before I closed up the slides.  We enjoyed the last of the banana cream pudding too.  

Dean told me I could put the slides in whenever I wanted to, so I started putting them in.  I realized that I did not set the dehumidifier back far enough and one of the recliners was going to hit it, so I stopped the slides.  For some reason, when I stopped them it would not continue coming in after I moved things back.  It put the slides back out.  I noticed several beads on the floor on the stove/sink side.  They looked and felt like BB's.  I called to Dean to come and look at them.  He agreed they look like BB's.  He looked under the slide but did not notice anything, so I pray there are no issues.  I was able to go ahead and put the slides in this time.  As I started to leave, I realized I forgot to take the glass plate out of the microwave.  I didn't want to put the slides back out again, so I climbed up on the island, crawled to the other end so I could reach in the microwave to get the glass plate.  Whatever I cooked last had left something on the plate. I was going to wrap the plate so I decided to wipe it off first.  I reached down to get the dishcloth hanging on it's rack, wiped the glass plate off, then as I reached down to put it back on the rack, I promptly dropped the dishcloth on the floor. I wasn't sure if it might move during the drive or if it could slip under the slide, so I didn't want to leave it there.  If you could just picture me climbing on the counters like a little kid, I climbed down at the far end so I could get the dishcloth, then had to climb back up on the island, and make my way to the other end on my hands and knees.  I thought this would be an easy thing to do - not so - I should have opened the slides!  Never will I do that again!

A short time later we pulled out of Hillside RV Park and pointed the truck south towards Oklahoma.  

Beautiful puffy clouds between Welch and Vinita

I love this clock located on Main Street in Vinita.

The ride was pretty good until we headed south on Hwy 69 toward Pryor...talk about bumpy!  It wasn't too bad in the car last week as we headed to Tahlequah, but entirely different pulling the RV.  

As we drove by the lake, we noticed this boat....I could not believe they were in the water.  BRRRRR!

As we drove into Sequoyah State Park Office area on our way to our campground

It was 3:25 when we pulled into Site 29 at Sequoyah State Park.  Our friends had already arrived and set up.  Once we parked we walked over to say hello before we headed back to unhook and set up.  After getting water and electric hooked up, the levelers down and the slides out, we carried our chairs next door to visit.  3 hours later we all headed inside to eat.  I knew Dean had to be pretty hungry.  He didn't want to take the time to grill the chicken I had, so we had a hot dog and chips instead, followed by cantaloupe.  We settled in to watch the finale of American Idol.  I was disappointed Arthur Gunn didn't win, however he did come in 2nd.  Just Sam was also good and was my second choice, so all in all we were happy with the outcome.

It's now 9:00 so I am going to close this out for the evening.  Thanks again to everyone who follows our blog.  I always love hearing from you, if you wish to comment.